American flags were placed from the south end to the north end of Longboat Key along Gulf of Mexico Drive and displayed on Thursday, Sept. 11, to pay respects to the nearly 3,000 who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks 24 years ago. The flags were installed by the town of Longboat Key’s Public Works department, a tradition that began in 2003 when the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce covered the cost of purchasing the 2,977 flags.
Local sailors win championship
After facing off against 29 high-caliber sailing teams from around the world, Sarasota’s own Dalton Tebo and teammate John Casey are bringing home the title from a prestigious competition.
The pair recently competed in the four-day Formula 18 North American Championship in Rhode Island and won the overall title after taking eight of 13 races. Competitors came from Argentina, Canada, Chile and the United States.
Casey and Tebo, the sailing director at Sarasota Yacht Club, won the race in their Nacra Evo racing boat, called “El Cucuy.”
“I’m so grateful to have sailed with JC again, and we couldn’t have done it without an incredible boat and the support of our sailing community,” he said.
Image courtesy of Lexi Pline
image
Sophia Haakman, a Sarasota Bay Watch member of several years and founder of the local chapter of the Florida Young Birders Club, holds up a bay scallop she found during the Great Scallop Search of 2025.
WEEK OF SEPT. 18, 2025
BY THE NUMBERS
75%
Three
3
n Longboat Key Town Commission workshop — 1 p.m., Sept. 22, Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Parkway n Longboat Key budget meeting — 5:01 p.m., Sept. 22, Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Parkway n Longboat Key Town Commission meeting — 1 p.m., Oct. 6, Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Parkway
“We’ve weathered every storm together, and now we’re about to embark on the most exciting chapter yet.”
Former 1905 Family of Restaurants chairman Casey
Gonzmart Sr.
Mote SEA to open Oct. 8
he Mote Science Educa-
Ttion Aquarium adjacent to Nathan Benderson Park is scheduled to open Oct. 8 with a sneak preview Oct. 6-7 for members.
According to a message from Mote, anyone interested in attending the grand opening must buy timed-entry tickets in advance. Likewise, members wishing to attend the earlier “SEA It First” event must book ahead of time. Slots are limited to the number of people enrolled as part of memberships.
In June, visitors and volun-
teers began saying goodbye to Mote’s venerable City Island aquarium, which closed to visitors on July 6. Animals were moved 12 miles to their new home and went through a quarantine period after being introduced to new habitats.
Much of Mote’s scientific work will continue on the bayfront campus, with public spaces reimagined.
Mote’s origins date back to 1955, when marine scientist Eugenie Clark founded the oneroom lab that later earned the moniker “Mote Marine Labora-
tory” after benefactor William Mote.
Built near University Town Center, Mote SEA represents a stark contrast in the organization’s public-facing presence in the community. The $132 million facility on 12 acres alongside Interstate 75 received partial funding from tourism tax revenue and private donations. Sarasota County pledged $20 million to the endeavor, while Manatee County will give $5 million. Construction began on the facility in 2020.
Sound ordinance
for construction to be enforced again
While the town is planning to extend one waiver related to hurricane rebuilding, it will allow another to expire at the end of the month.
The town recently announced that it would allow its waiver providing an exception to the sound ordinance for hurricane-related repair work to expire Tuesday, Sept. 30, which means noisemaking construction will need to adhere to a Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., schedule beginning in October.
Any construction work exceeding 55 decibels measured from a neighboring property will be subject to fines.
Construction work exceeding the sound decibel limit is not permitted during Sundays or holidays.
Lightning warning system may be heard in Longboat
Manatee County has installed a new lightning alert system which may be audible in Longboat Key. The “Thor Guard” sensor system has been installed at Coquina Beach and Manatee Public Beach just north of Longboat Key. The system operates from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, according to a Longboat Key spokesperson. There are two separate sounds the system will make with different meanings. A single long blast indicates that lightning has been detected in the area and that shelter should be sought. Three short blasts mean the threat has passed.
The alert system is only designed for lightning detection. The town of Longboat Key has its own emergency notification system. Residents can sign up by visiting LongboatKey. org/Residents/Alert-Longboat-Key. The state of Florida is a hotbed for lightning activity, with the Florida Department of Health estimating 1.2 million strikes annually. According to the Lightning Safety Council, the state of Florida ranks highest in the nation for the amount of deaths (50) by lightning from 2015 to 2024. The second highest is Texas with 20 deaths in that time span.
Courtesy photo
WHAT IS HIGH VISIBILITY ENFORCEMENT?
Education first, enforcement second
S.T. CARDINAL STAFF WRITER
Drivers on the south end of Gulf of Mexico Drive may have noticed an increased police presence Sept. 12 as the department uses grant funds to pay officers overtime to patrol the south side of Longboat Key.
Officers perform traffic stops during the high visibility enforcement initiative, which allows three to four more officers than usual to be on patrol.
Sgt. Sean Butler said officers prefer to use traffic stops as a means of education, handing out informational flyers and issuing warnings more often than giving out tickets. During the afternoon’s HVE, Longboat police initiated seven traffic stops and issued two citations.
“We use our discretion to make a teaching point,” Butler said. “The last thing you want to do is make (HVE) activity driven by just issuing citations because if we’re not there next time, they’ll just speed. We want to change driving habits through education.”
LKPD increases police presence to increase pedestrian safety on island using FDOT grant.
Photos by S.T. Cardinal Longboat Key police Sgt. Adam Montfort speaks with motorcyclists pulled over on Gulf of Mexico Drive while the department was performing high visibility enforcement.
Columbia Restaurant legend Gonzmart Sr. retires
Younger Gonzmart family members will take over St. Armands icon.
DANA KAMPA STAFF WRITER
One of the first sights greeting visitors to St. Armands Circle is the iconic blue-and-white sign standing against the sky, flagging one of the area’s longeststanding restaurants.
This landmark of the island operates under a brand that began in 1905, and that legacy is now passing to another generation.
Casey Gonzmart Sr. recently made official his retirement as chairman of the board overseeing the 1905 Family of Restaurants.
He is a fourth generation member of the family that started the flagship restaurant.
He is a direct descendant of Casimiro Hernandez Sr., who brought his Spanish-Cuban heritage to Tampa when he immigrated at the turn of the century. He opened the Columbia Saloon in 1903, renamed the Columbia Restaurant in 1905. It remains Florida’s oldest operating restaurant.
Continuing the family legacy are owners/operators Casey Gonzmart
Jr., his eldest son; Richard Gonzmart, his brother and president/CEO of the company; and Andrea Gonzmart Williams, his niece and holder of many roles, including director of operations for sister restaurant Cha Cha Coconuts, located on the Circle
next to the Columbia.
The senior family member has overseen the family of restaurants through all the hurdles and hurrahs, and his hospitality career has spanned 60 years.
His three family members in the business will retain their current roles, and the position of board chairman will retire with him.
Gonzmart Sr. said in a statement released this week about his July 25 retirement that it is “truly magical” to see the family legacy pass to a fifth generation. The significance is not lost on Gonzmart Jr., who was born in Sarasota and has worked directly with the restaurant from a young age. He played a pivotal role in writing down essential recipes, like the famous black bean soup, that have passed from person to person.
He recognized in a Business Observer 40 Under 40 feature how rare it is for businesses to exceed three generations of consecutive family management.
“Every single generation has worked in the restaurant from the ground up, so nothing has ever been handed to anybody,” Gonzmart Jr. said in the interview. “I don’t know how other businesses do it, but for us, between myself and my cousin, we’ve worked in the kitchen since we were 10 and 11 years old. We weren’t handed the keys and told, ‘Here, go do it.’”
Now, he, his uncle and his cousin will be taking on a new level of responsibility for carrying the torch.
Jeff Houck, vice president of marketing, noted that the post announcing Gonzmart Sr.’s retirement made more than 75,000 impressions. Community members joined in reminiscing about the enterprise’s legacy, recalling their visits from childhood to the present day. He has made plenty of memories at the restaurants over the years, starting when he worked in the kitchens at a young age and continuing after his board appointment in 1994.
The restaurant reassured patrons that while it will always be adapting to changing circumstances like ingredient availability, staples like the “1905” Salad and Cuban sandwich aren’t going anywhere. Customers can of course still look forward to ever-evolving specials like the stone crab dishes so popular to the St. Armands restaurant, which opened in 1959.
Gonzmart Sr. has valued serving as a leader of the restaurant on St. Armands — which he helmed for more than 20 years before moving back to Tampa — and the six other restaurants under the 1905 Family of Restaurants. But he also sought deeper community connections in Sarasota.
He has served as president of the St. Armands Circle Association and the Suncoast Foundation for Handicapped Children. He also served on boards for the Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau; Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium; and John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, among other leadership roles.
Even with a well-established brand, each generation charged with running the family of restaurants has dealt with its own challenges in 120 years, from world wars and prohibition to contemporary issues, like a pandemic and hurricanes that flooded the St. Armands Circle location.
However, the family has always found a way forward. Gonzmart Sr. said in the statement he takes pride in being able to entrust the legacy to the younger generation.
“It’s the most beautiful transition we could imagine,” he said. “Our little cafe founded more than a century ago has fed countless families, celebrated thousands of milestones and created a home away from home for our community. We’ve weathered every storm together, and now we’re about to embark on the most exciting chapter yet.”
The restaurants are poised to continue even beyond five generations. Gonzmart Sr. is retiring in Tampa with his wife, Heidi, where he plans to spend time with his children and four grandchildren.
File image
Melanie Gonzmart, Casey Gonzmart, Andrea Gonzmart-Williams and Beau Williams
Lori Sax
The Columbia Restaurant’s fourth-generation owner, Casey Gonzmart Sr., believes that passion and fun are essential in running a restaurant empire.
What’s a town without property taxes?
‘Out of business,’
Property taxes make up 80% of Longboat Key’s general fund budget, and police and fire funding are reliant on the revenue source.
n Tallahassee, state leaders and Gov. Ron DeSantis have expressed their desire to drastically reform property taxes in the state, with a full-on abolition of property taxes even on the table.
DeSantis called property tax reform “the big kahuna” of his policies for the upcoming year at a speech in Plant City on Sept. 8.
says LBK mayor
“For me, I think the basis is if you’re a Florida resident and you have a primary residence here, a homesteaded residence, you’ve got to be able to own that free and clear of the government,” he said. “The notion that you should be just paying rent to them indefinitely, people have been pinched by these property taxes.”
The Florida Constitution specifies that major reforms or the elimination of property taxes be decided by vote, which DeSantis hopes to include on the November 2026 ballot.
Local government leaders are wary of the idea, to put it lightly.
“We would go out of business. If you look at the budget we went through this afternoon, 80%, at least, of our general fund budget comes from property taxes. That’s true for all governmental bodies. All counties, all municipalities are that way to some degree. All of our fire, all of our police,” Longboat Key Mayor Ken
Schneier said. “It’s just crazy talk.”
According to a Florida House of Representatives committee report, property taxes brought in $55.2 billion to school boards, counties, municipalities and independent special districts in 2024, which is a 108% increase from the amount collected in 2014.
With the Save Our Homes law, assessed property values are capped at 3% per year for homesteaded properties, and much of the growth in property tax collection is fueled by rising valuations of non-homesteaded properties, new development and population growth.
Property taxes are the No. 1 revenue stream for local governments. They pay the bill for fire and police departments, the largest expense of local governments. Looking at the town of Longboat Key’s 2026 fiscal year budget, property taxes make up 75% of general fund revenue. With-
POLICE AND FIRE THE GREATEST EXPENSES IN TOWN BUDGET
From 2022 to 2025, Longboat Key property tax collections have increased 30.8%.
That increase includes new construction as well as an increase in property valuations.
The millage rate has remained relatively unchanged during that time.
In the general fund of the 2022 fiscal year, police and fire made up 59% of the
out the $18.3 million in property tax revenue, the town doesn’t have a source for its $14.1 million in public safety expenses.
“Police and fire are all paid with property taxes,” said Longboat Key Finance Director Susan Smith.
According to 2026 fiscal year budget documents, the fire department has $9.4 million in expenses with $4.2 million going toward wages and $3.1 million going toward retirement and pension. The police department has a $4.5 million budget with $2.5 million for wages and $957,607 for retirement and pension.
“Let’s just make sure that everybody understands that eliminating a revenue source doesn’t eliminate the cost,” said Town Manager Howard Tipton. “Unless you’re going to do something with that cost, which is a lot of public safety, you’ve got to find another way to pay for it.”
Town leaders say replacing the property tax revenue stream is necessary. How that would happen is unclear, though DeSantis has vaguely implied there could be a way to boost local budgets with another source.
“If someone were to say ‘Well, we’re going to do it a different way. It’s not going to be property taxes, it’s going to be something else.’ Well, no one has even written out an idea what that other might be because it would be so astronomical,” Schneier said. “Florida is never going to have an income tax, and if you were to do a sales tax increase, it would be monumental.”
town’s expenses, and property taxes accounted for 75% of the town’s revenue.
In 2025, police and fire expenses were 54% of the town’s general fund expenses.
The proposed 2026 fiscal year general fund budget shows 58% of expenses going toward fire and police, and 76% of revenue coming from property taxes.
“We would go out of business. If you look at the budget we went through this afternoon, 80%, at least, of our general fund budget comes from property taxes. That’s true for all governmental bodies. All counties, all municipalities are that way to some degree. All of our fire, all of our police. It’s just crazy talk.”
—
Ken Schneier
Longboat Key Mayor
‘Longboat Parkway’ was almost the name of the Key’s main road
Town council minutes from 1957 show the name Longboat Parkway scribbled out by hand, with Gulf of Mexico Drive scrawled above.
t wasn’t always Gulf of Mexico Drive. Records from historical reference books show a wide array of names for Longboat Key’s main road.
“The first reference to Gulf of Mexico Drive was Star Route 5. Then in the ’20s, it was Gulf Beach Street. Then references to John Ringling Boulevard. In 1957 it was referenced as Gulf of Mexico Drive,” said Susan Phillips — whose ardent curiosity in Longboat Key history has led to hours of poring through old maps, documents and books.
At the beginning of 1957, the road was called John Ringling Boulevard Parkway, with Parkway commonly dropped from references. It was almost renamed Longboat Parkway.
According to the minutes from the Sept. 16, 1957, the then-called town council meeting, the town — just two years old at the time — voted to change several road names and switch to metropolitan delivery of mail.
The fruit theme was out. Avocado Avenue changed to Auburn Street; Mango Avenue to Hilburn Street; Banana and Guava avenues became Bluefield and Waldorf streets. But most notably, the town decided to rename John Ringling Boulevard Parkway to Gulf of Mexico Drive, despite recommendation from the recently formed “committee on street names and postal house numbers” to name the road Longboat Parkway.
A typed page with the committee’s proposed street name designations shows the recommendation to change John Ringling BoulevardParkway to Longboat Parkway. That recommended name was crossed out by hand, and Gulf of Mexico Drive was written above it. The letter to council from the committee was
signed by Joseph E. Hoffman, Cecil H. Scholfield and Louis M. Davis and dated Aug. 23, 1957.
Records are sparse from the committee’s meetings with nothing signifying why the name Longboat Parkway was snuffed out by pen other than a brief mention in the council minutes from Sept. 16.
“The Committee suggested that numbering start at zero from New Pass, a system of numbering side streets, and the suggestion the Ringling Boulevard be named Longboat Parkway. Several letters and suggestions have been received suggesting that this latter highway be named Gulf of Mexico Drive,” the minutes state. “Mr. (Wilfred) LePage made a motion to accept the committee report, which is attached and made a part of these minutes, with the following changes: that Ringling Boulevard be named Gulf of Mexico Drive, eliminate names suggested for several undedicated streets.”
Phillips shared another tidbit of interesting Longboat Key road name trivia. Did you know Longboat Key once had a Main Street?
“Up until 1925, (Broadway) was known as Main Street,” she said.
A Century Old Story
A story that began over 100 years ago and is still being written today. Once a beloved landmark, now an enduring icon reborn. Mira Mar is the future of luxury living in Sarasota, grounded in the grandeur of its past, and offering an unparalleled residential experience in the heart of downtown.
One of Sarasota’s few remaining flagships of the great Florida Land Boom of the 1920’s, it is with great pride that we restore the Mira Mar to it’s rightful place as a gleaming icon of Sarasota.
Rising elegantly above South Palm Avenue, the revived and resplendent Mira Mar presents a limited collection of 70 estate-style residences across two 18-story towers. Each home is designed to the highest standards, with sweeping views, refined interiors, and private access to best-in-class amenities.
Mira Mar is more than a residence — it’s a return to grace.
Bivalves of the Bay
Volunteers join 2025 Great Scallop Search.
DANA KAMPA STAFF WRITER
During the most recent citizen science search for scallops, dozens of pairs of eyes were on the seagrass beds of Sarasota Bay. In several instances, there were sets of pinpoint turquoise eyes looking back up at those people.
A fleet of volunteers took off from Sarasota Sailing Squadron headquarters on Aug. 23, aiding Sarasota Bay Watch with the Great Scallop Search of 2025.
Executive Director Ronda Ryan started off the morning with a rundown of how to spot the elusive bay scallops and a demonstration of how to lay out transect lines. The weighted ropes guide divers as they scan the bay floor, looking for a hint of the bivalves that play a critical role in filtering Florida’s waterways.
Teams gathered information on scallops they spotted and on habitat and any other interesting aquatic critters they spotted, reports of which went to the Florida and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
This annual search has been a core event for Sarasota Bay Watch since 2008. Volunteers hold similar events along Florida’s west coast, including the 30th annual event in Tampa.
In Tampa, teams found 267 scallops in 2023, Ryan said.
“They found 45 this time,” she said. “That is not a good sign. That is an indicator of poor quality and loss of seagrass, among other conditions. What are we going to find today? I don’t know.”
In total, the Sarasota group — which had 16 boats and 105 snorkelers — found about 20 scallops between Curtis and Connor Craig and Sophia Haakman. Teams may have found more after getting the
hang of the search, but incoming stormy weather prompted boats to head in.
The volunteers who found success in locating them didn’t solely rely on their eyes. Curtis Craig, who kayaked out with his son, Connor, said he got his hands in the vegetation while searching, which was particularly helpful on the overcast day.
“We took the rope and tied it to our kayak, and my 12-year-old son sat in the kayak with the paper, writing down what we saw,” he said. “The first time I was looking, I didn’t see anything. But then I turned around, and I started to put my fingers in the grass. Once I did that, I could feel the shells.”
The duo also spotted some other interesting wildlife, including several live conches.
“We’ll keep coming back for these events,” Curtis said. “It’s a lot of fun, and it’s helpful for the environment.”
Haakman also found her scallop by gently dissecting balls of vegetation.
“There was a lot of micro algae, so I picked up a big chunk, and it was in there,” she said.
She has been a Sarasota Bay Watch member for several years and is the founder of the local chapter of the Florida Young Birders Club.
“Even if you don’t have much experience, I think it’s definitely worth doing,” she said. “Obviously, it’s important to have new experiences, but also, it’s cool to be part of the research.”
For more information, go to SarasotaBayWatch.org.
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Sarasota Bay Watch coordinators brought along examples of scallop and clam shells to show volunteers the differences the morning of the Great Scallop Search.
Brian Jung, captain of “Barely Just Fine,” guides volunteer Peter Bonk on how to toss the transect line for the Great Scallop Search. Jung has been part of the Sarasota Bay Watch board for eight years and now serves at vice president.
Volunteers with Sarasota Bay Watch found about 20 scallops in Sarasota Bay, almost half of what the 200 volunteers at the Tampa search found. SBW Executive Director Ronda Ryan said healthy seagrass beds are a good indicator of healthy habitat for the scallops.
Image courtesy of Curtis Craig
Connor Craig, who volunteered with his dad, Curtis, holds up a scallop the pair found during the Great Scallop Search of 2025 in Sarasota Bay.
Photos by Dana Kampa
Volunteers assisting with the Great Scallop Search of 2025 worked in grids to get a picture of how bivalves are fairing along Sarasota Bay.
Ronda Ryan, executive director of Sarasota Bay Watch, demonstrates how to lay out a transect line to guide volunteers’ underwater search for scallops in Sarasota Bay.
Matt Walsh will be on leave until mid-October.
Whitman’s on-pitch voice will be missed on the Key
‘Dr. Jim’ was a longtime presence on Longboat Key, known for his community involvement and love of song.
S.T. CARDINAL STAFF WRITER
If you never talked to Jim Whitman, you probably heard him singing.
The “songmeister” of the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key grew up in the home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — Cleveland.
He was never shy about sharing his musical prowess with the community.
He would sing at Kiwanis meetings, perform at the annual Lawn Party and get on stage with Eddie Tobin at Euphemia Haye. Music was a huge part of his life.
“It was so much a part of who he was,” said his wife, Deborah Di Carlo. “He would wake up and say ‘Oh I was dreaming about this song.’ He would dream music.”
Around town, he was known as Dr. Jim. He died Sept. 7 at 77.
Earning his medical degree in 1977, he specialized in psychiatry during his residency at Duke University, which he completed in 1982. He then returned to Wisconsin, where he met his future wife, Di Carlo. One of their first dates was an instance where psychiatry and music intersected. At the time, Whitman was working at the Mendota Mental Health Institute, which held criminals deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial.
“He always went and sang Christmas carols with the folks on his unit. He would bring his guitar and sing Christmas carols, and so I went. He didn’t tell me much about it,” Di Carlo remembers. “We went
through one locked gate, and then another locked gate, and then a third locked gate. I didn’t know, and thought it was interesting. After we sang “Jingle Bells,” he explained to me a little bit more about who we were singing to.”
Di Carlo said Whitman wanted to help people through his work. He worked in psychiatry units at jails and hospitals for most of his career.
Music was almost always part of his life. He was in a rock band in high school, the keyboardist and lead singer for The What Four.
He knew piano, guitar, harmonica, kazoo — but his most used instrument was his voice. He lent it to the Kiwanis Club at every meeting, performing a patriotic tune after the Pledge of Allegiance. He was a member of the club for 20 years.
“Jim combined this civic commitment with his generosity of spirit, his concern for others and his unwavering dedication to our club,” Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key President Michael Garey said in an email. “Longboat Key has lost a great citizen and we have lost a great friend.”
He was a regular at Town Hall, attending almost every Longboat
Jim Whitman performs at the 2022 Kiwanis Lawn Party. The 20-year Longboat Key resident, who often shared his musical talents on the Key, died Sept. 7.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 6
CROUCHING FIGURE, HIDDEN INTRUDER
3:10 a.m., 500 block Rountree Drive
Suspicious incident: Police were called to a residence after a woman woke at 3 a.m. and thought she saw, to her horror, a crouching figure in the corner of her room. Police surveyed all rooms and the garage of the house but found no evidence of an intruder. Police wrote in a report that nothing seemed out of place and that there were no signs of forced entry. A canvass of side streets was performed with no results, and police closed the case.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 7
‘IF I WERE A LOT YOUNGER’
5:29 p.m., 201 Gulf of Mexico Drive
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 10
THE CASE OF THE FLYING PLANK
6:00 p.m., 6700 Gulf of Mexico Drive
Key Town Commission meeting. When he returned, Di Carlo said he would type up a recap of the actions taken and send it out in a newsletter to residents of his Sleepy Lagoon neighborhood. Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier said Whitman was a reliable presence in the front row of every commission meeting and was surprised to not see him at the Sept. 8 meeting.
“If a community were to invent the perfect gadfly — in the best sense of the word — it would be Jim,” Schneier said in an email. “He represented Sleepy Lagoon and the entire town with grace and humor.”
Di Carlo said Whitman was well studied, staying up to date on the latest in health and environmental technology, and studied Buddhism. Di Carlo, a yoga teacher who also studies Eastern religion, could relate. She says he will be remembered for his contributions to the community and for brightening the rooms he was in with his talented vocal range. He was always on pitch, and raising the mood.
“What doesn’t lighten your heart but singing?” Di Carlo said.
A celebration of Whitman’s life will be in January, Di Carlo said.
Suspicious incident: A 23-yearold man fishing from a pier with two kids, ages 12 and 14, called police after the three were approached by a woman who the complainant said appeared to be under the influence. Police were told that the woman, who appeared to be around 60 years old, told them that if she “were a lot younger, she would teach them a few things.” The man said they were not intimidated or in fear of the woman, just concerned by her intoxication levels. The woman had driven south over the bridge and off the Key by the time police arrived, and police closed the case.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 11
NOT QUITE A BURMESE PYTHON
8:04 p.m., Harbour Links Circle
Animal problem: A snake slithered its way into a woman’s house, prompting her to call the police. When an officer arrived, he was told a snake approximately 12 inches long was seen in the bathroom. The officer heroically placed a piece of tape onto a narrow space where the snake was believed to enter the house. The officer called animal services to say they were not needed and the case was closed.
Property damage: A pickup’s tires were squealing in a condo parking lot when it was hit by a hurled piece of wood, causing damage to the passenger door and windshield. The driver of the truck called police and said he was having trouble adjusting to his new vehicle’s gas and brake pedal, which caused the tires to squeal. A witness told police he heard a man yell “scumbag!” before seeing a plank thrown over the fence onto the truck. When police contacted the resident of the condo behind the fence, he told officers he was working on the window trim with a piece of wood laying across his fence. He told police he said, “slow down,” not “scumbag” and that he did not throw the piece of wood. The officer told the complainant that he did not have evidence to prove criminal intent but would file a property damage report.
Image courtesy of Deborah Di Carlo
HURRICANE
Storm Ready, Comfort Steady
PLUMBING & AIR DOES IT ALL, AND HAS SINCE 1974
When hurricane season approaches, the uncertainty can be stressful. Homeowners want to feel confident they’ve done everything possible to prepare their property and protect their families. That’s where Aqua Plumbing & Air comes in. With more than 50 years of experience serving Southwest Florida, the company focuses on helping residents take smart, practical steps: before, during, and after a storm.
“Aqua’s got your back,” says Andrew Freitas, Aqua’s General Manager of Residential Service. His team’s expertise spans HVAC, plumbing, electrical, water treatment, and backup power generation. From installing and servicing whole-home generators to offering comfort protection plans and 24/7 emergency response, Aqua helps keep essential systems functioning when families need them most.
Preparation doesn’t stop at storm supplies. Regular maintenance is one of the best ways to prevent problems. “During routine AC service, we inspect all the main components,” Freitas explains. “If we notice a part starting to fail, we can fix it before it becomes a bigger problem.” That kind of proactive care saves homeowners from costly diagnostic fees and the frustration of being without air conditioning in Florida’s heat.
The same approach applies to water heaters. “When we flush and inspect your water heater, we can see inside in ways homeowners can’t,” Freitas says. “That lets us catch wear or potential failure before it leaves you without hot water.”
Plumbing is another area where small problems can turn into big headaches. “During a safety inspection under sinks and throughout your plumbing, we look for tiny drips or other issues that could grow,” says Charlie Stephens, Operations Manager for Plumbing Service. “Identifying them early prevents bigger repairs and helps protect your home.”
Aqua also understands that recovery matters just as much as preparation. After a storm, power may be out and systems may falter, but its experienced crews are ready to respond quickly and restore essential services. Through the Aqua One maintenance agreement, homeowners receive discounts, priority scheduling, and even pre-storm safety inspections.
“It’s called preparedness for a reason,” says Stephens. “We want to make sure families are ready before the storm and taken care of after.”
MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
As European settlers arrived in North America from the 15th to 19th centuries, they confronted an Indigenous world where women often served as political leaders, healers and negotiators. But women were mainly assigned the duties of child-rearing, farming, cooking and sewing.
Men’s work was primarily hunting, trading, leading religious ceremonies, educating the next generation of warriors and fighting enemies.
The beaded wampum belts that Native Americans gave as gifts and to encourage other tribes to join their military campaigns were made by women, as was apparel fashioned from animal hides and decorated with beads and feathers. Creating these goods was referred to as “women’s work.”
As colonists introduced woven cloth and blankets to the New World (along with firearms, metal tools and alcohol), tribes began incorporating them into their cultural traditions. Women began fashioning distinctive patchwork skirts and creating designs still used on modern-day Pendleton blankets.
Once the U.S. government confined nomadic Native American tribes to reservations and the wars between settlers and Indigenous peoples ended around 1900 after four centuries, Native culture didn’t cease to exist. Making and selling jewelry, pottery, paintings and other art became a way for tribal members to celebrate their heritage as well as earn money.
Thanks to the efforts of the Smithsonian Institution, which opened the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., in 2004, and other museums such as the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis, and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, the evolution of “women’s work” is widely recognized as art.
Some tribes, enriched by gambling revenues from casinos on their reservations, built their own museums to honor their heritage. One of the largest is the Mashantucket Pequot Museum in Connecticut, with more than 300,000 square feet.
Modern-day collectors have followed in the footsteps of George Gustav Heye, who used his collection of 800,000 Native American artifacts to found the Museum of the American Indian in New York in 1916. Today, prominent Indigenous art collectors include John and Susan Horseman, Judith Lowry and Brad Croul and J.W. “Bill” Wiggins.
In the 21st century, one could argue there is greater appreciation than ever for contemporary art created by tribal members, especially women. It is against this backdrop that The Ringling presents “Ancestral Edge: Abstraction and Symbolism in the Works of Nine Native American Women Artists.”
The exhibition, which opened Sept. 13 and runs through April 2026, is the brainchild of Ola Wlusek, curator of contemporary art at The Ringling. Wlusek spearheaded the groundbreaking 2023 exhibit, “Reclaiming Home: Contemporary Seminole Art,” which marked the first time that The Ringling presented the work of Indigenous Florida artists in its massive galleries.
Five years in the making because of interruptions due to COVID-19,
Women’s work gets its due
The
IF YOU GO
“ANCESTRAL EDGE: ABSTRACTION AND SYMBOLISM IN THE WORKS OF NINE
NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN ARTISTS”
When: 10 a.m.
Where: The John and Mable Ringling Art Museum, 5401 Bayshore Road
Tickets: Free with $25 admission; Visit Ringling.org.
Full of Flowers” is one of several sweetgrass baskets
Seminole and Miccosukee tribes and artists with mixed heritage.
Some of it was loaned by the AhTah-Thi-Ki Museum on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, which also lent advice on the dazzling, multimedia exhibition. Other works were loaned by the Eiteljorg, the Museum of American Indian Arts and Culture, and Santa Fe’s IAIA Museum of Contemporary Indian Arts.
“Reclaiming Home” featured more than 100 pieces, including several large installations, by 12 artists whose works were spread throughout the cavernous Ulla R. and Arthur F. Searing Wing. There are some large-scale pieces in “Ancestral Edge,” but the all-female exhibition in The Ringling’s Keith D. Monda Gallery for Contemporary Art is not as ambitious as “Reclaiming Home.”
CREATING CONTEMPORARY WORKS FROM TIME-WORN TRADITIONS
Wlusek was still working with installers during a recent interview, but she estimated the number of works in “Ancestral Edge” to be somewhere between 30 and 40. The nine artists represented come across the country.
Artist Marie Watt stands underneath “Sky Dances Light: Revolution VII,” a mobile of tin jingles on loan to The Ringling from the Gochman Family Collection.
Kiana Bell’s “Basket
in The Ringling’s “Ancestral Edge”
Courtesy images
Dyani White Hawk’s “They Gifted: Day” and “They Gifted: Night” have been acquired by The Ringling for its permanent collection.
A CROSS-CULTURAL CRUSADER
Ola Wlusek was born in Krakow, Poland, moved to Canada and earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and art history from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.
Wlusek moved to England to earn a master’s degree in contemporary art theory from Goldsmiths’ College, University of London. After graduating, she returned to Canada, where she was curator of contemporary art at the Ottawa Art Gallery in Ontario from 2011-15 and later public art program coordinator for the city of Calgary in Alberta.
Wlusek joined The Ringling in 2018, with the help of a $5 million donation from Keith and Linda Monda, who endowed her contemporary art curatorship and donated art by Teo Gonzalez, Yayoi Kusama, Beverly Pepper and Richard Serra.
As a curator and in her research, Wlusek has focused on developing new curatorial strategies and methods for exploring non-Western, Indigenous and comparative approaches to art.
Some of Wlusek’s travel and research for “Reclaiming Home” was underwritten by a curatorial research fellowship she received in 2021 from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
As contemporary curator at The Ringling, Wlusek enjoys being able to juxtapose exhibitions of non-Western, contemporary art such as “Reclaiming Home” with the museum’s collection, dominated by large-scale Renaissance and Baroque paintings acquired by founder John Ringling, the circus magnate.
There is one artist featured in “Ancestral Edge” who was also showcased in “Reclaiming Home.”
She is Elisa Harkins, a multimedia artist, musician and curator of Cherokee/Muscogee/Creek descent who lives and works on the Muscogee Reservation in Oklahoma.
Harkins uses electronic music, dance and visual art to preserve and disseminate tribal traditions. At The Ringling, you can hear Native songs that Seminoles sang to console themselves as they traveled the “Trail of Tears” along with other tribes who were forcibly relocated from their homelands in the southeast United States to Oklahoma.
Harkins makes videos of Native singers and recorded in sheet music the songs that were handed down through generations. She also taught herself to sew so she could create patchwork fabric used for Seminole skirts. “I like the fact that while the patchwork is quite accomplished, it’s not perfect. You can see that it’s not machine-made,” Wlusek says.
When you first walk into The Ringling’s Monda Gallery, you are greeted by Marie Watt’s shimmering installation, “Sky Dances Light: Revolution VII.” The thousands of tin jingles in the piece resemble the small metal cones sewn into Native American costumes worn for ceremonial dances and powwows. The artwork was loaned to The Ringling from the Gochman Family Collection.
“Many of the artists in this show are skilled in community-based arts and crafts and have incorporated these into their work,” Wlusek says.
One of the artists that Wlusek is most excited about is Dyani White Hawk. Her silkscreen prints, “They Gifted (Day)” and “They Gifted (Night),” were recently acquired by The Ringling for its collection.
The companion works, created in 2024, are based on Lakota symbology and motifs found in the tribe’s beadwork and quillwork. According to the artist’s statement, they “explore the potential to communicate the powerful concepts of balance and interconnectivity, including to one another, the land, and all forms of life.”
Indigenous artists are based on longstanding traditions such as weaving. Among them are Kiana Bell’s ornamented sweetgrass baskets, on loan from the Ah-Tah-ThiKi Museum. Born in Oklahoma, Bell now lives in Hollywood, Florida, where she has been inspired by her cultural roots and Florida’s lush landscapes to create her baskets.
Chitimacha/Choctaw artist Sara Sense also builds on weaving with “Brooklyn Alligator,” a threedimensional artwork fashioned from photographs, not something you see every day, even in a museum. The diamond print seen throughout is inspired by crushed sea grapes, a fruit that is native to coastal Florida. The title of the photo-weaving references both Florida’s gators and the Brooklyn Museum’s collection of Chitimacha baskets. Blankets are another recurring motif in “Ancestral Edge.” These seemingly mundane items are
fraught with pain for some Native Americans because they symbolize the loss of lands unwittingly traded away and gifts accepted to seal treaties that were later broken.
Nevertheless, Native Americans took the colonists’ blankets and incorporated them into their culture. Blankets and hides, symbolizing Native hunting practices that produced not only food, but clothing, can be seen in several artworks on display in “Ancestral Edge.”
One is Natalie Ball’s mixed media tapestry, “Playing Dolls,” on loan from the Rubell Museum in Miami.
Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, she traveled far from home to earn numerous academic degrees, including a bachelor’s degree with a double major in Indigenous, Race & Ethnic Studies and Art from the Uni-
versity of Oregon, a master’s from Massey University of New Zealand focused on Indigenous contemporary art and an MFA from Yale. Ball returned to her ancestors’ homeland of Oregon/Northern California to raise her three children. She serves as an elected official on the Klamath Tribal Council in addition to creating her massive mixedmedia wall hangings.
What Wlusek found particularly rewarding about curating “Ancestral Edge” was learning how much new indigenous art is being created right now. “Most people, when they think about contemporary art, they think about works going back to the 1970s, but some of the art here was created last year,” she says.
Ola Wlusek
Courtesy images
Natalie Ball’s massive mixed media tapestry, “Playing Dolls,” is on loan to The Ringling from the Rubell Museum in Miami.
FST promotes two artistic team members
Florida Studio Theatre has promoted Catherine Randazzo to associate producer from associate artist and has added literary manager to Nancy Rominger’s title of artistic associate.
“Catherine and Nancy are both extraordinary leaders and artists. Their combined vision and expertise will keep FST at the forefront of producing work that matters,” said FST Producing Artistic Director Richard Hopkins in a statement. “It is a joy to see our artistic staff continue to grow — both personally and professionally. As they flourish, so too does the theatre and its audience. Together, we expand and evolve as FST enters its second half-century of serving Sarasota.”
A graduate of Otterbein University in Ohio, Randazzo was production coordinator of the now-defunct Golden Apple Dinner Theatre in Sarasota for seven years and taught dance at the State College of Florida before joining FST in 2014.
As associate artist at FST, she has served as an in-residence director, professional actor, teaching artist and literary manager.
Randazzo’s directing credits include winter cabarets, summer mainstage and cutting-edge Stage III productions as well as countless new play workshops. She is also the line producer for FST’s popular Summer Cabaret Series and has
been instrumental in bringing new acts to Sarasota. In her new role as associate producer, Randazzo will continue to serve as lead director of FST Cabaret, while working closely with Richard Hopkins on the management of FST’s artistic programming. She will also remain an active in directing, acting and mentoring within the company. “FST is more than a theater to me: It’s a creative home,” said Randazzo in a statement. “I’m honored to step into this new role and continue working alongside Richard and our artistic team to produce theatre that speaks to our community in meaningful ways.”
Rominger joined FST in 2024 following 12 seasons at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, where she served as associate artistic director.
She was previously director of the Southern Writers Project, where she directed a new play program focused on stories by Southern playwrights, Southern topics and the African American experience.
At FST, Rominger has directed Stage III productions including “Shedding a Skin” and the current mainstage production “Don’t Dress for Dinner.”
Rominger adds the responsibilities of literary manager, a role previously held by Randazzo. She will now oversee FST’s literary office and new play development program, collaborate with playwrights, train and supervise literary interns, provide dramaturgical research, support cabaret development and lead audience engagement initiatives.
“New work has always been at the heart of my artistic journey,”
Rominger said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to build on FST’s legacy of championing new plays and voices. I look forward to nurturing the kind of theatre that sparks dialogue and truly resonates.”
With their promotions, Randazzo and Rominger buttress FST’s capacity to develop new works and produce programming for its 225,000 annual attendees. Together, they will help guide the theater’s next chapter of growth, ensuring that FST continues to produce programming that both challenges and entertains, FST said in a statement.
ANCESTRAL EDGE
Abstraction
and Symbolism in the Works of Nine Native American Women Artists
Athabascan) • Sarah Sense (Chitimacha/Choctaw) • Sara Siestreem (Hanis Coos) • Marie Watt (Seneca/German-Scot) • Dyani White Hawk (Sičáŋǧu Lakota)
BRIEFS
Courtesy images
Catherine Randazzo
Nancy Rominger
FST cabaret takes a nostalgic time trip to the land of folk music
A Band Called Honalee invites audiences to sing and remember when the times were a-changin’.
MARTY FUGATE THEATER CRITIC
“A
Band Called Honalee” is a magical, musical time trip at Florida Studio Theatre. The golden age of American folk is its temporal destination. The show’s packed with great tunes by “Peter, Paul and Mary ... and friends” — but it’s not a musical.
“A Band Called Honalee” is a real band. Its musicians aren’t singing actors playing the parts of fictional characters or legends from the past. Here, they get to be themselves. And this show is their concert.
IF YOU GO
Brian Ott, Michael Grieve and Sigrid Wise take the spotlight on the FST cabaret stage. They’re an insanely talented trio. Ott and Grieve play dual lead guitars. All three sing. This lineup echoes Peter, Paul and Mary — without being an imitation. The band’s three rotating bass players stay outside the spotlight. (Bassist Bill Swartzbaugh performed on my night.)
A Band Called Honalee is the brainchild of Aaron Gandy. This music supervisor and producer (he spent nine years as assistant music director for Broadway’s “The Lion King”) created the band to keep the spirit of the 1960s folk revival alive. Evidently, he succeeded.
Wise, Ott and Grieve don’t approach folk music like a dusty
‘A BAND CALLED HONALEE’ When: Through Oct. 26
Where: Florida Studio Theatre’s Goldstein Cabaret, 1239 N. Palm Ave.
Tickets: $37-$42
Info: Visit FloridaStudioTheatre. org.
artifact from the past. While they respect the folk tradition, they’re not slavishly deferential. They’re not a by-the-numbers tribute band serving up nostalgic fan service. They’re a trio of 21st-century folk musicians. They play from their hearts — and love what they play. They’re the real deal. Folk music was hopeful in the early 1960s. The first act hits the right optimistic note. That resonates with the nostalgic crowd — who get permission to sing along.
The band opens with the hardhitting “If I Had a Hammer.” Pete Seeger and Lee Hays wrote this song in 1949; Peter, Paul and Mary performed it at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 during the “March for Jobs and Freedom” and it became an anthem of the civil rights movement, whose fellow travelers were often fans of what’s called “roots music” today — folk, gospel and blues.
Images courtesy of Sorcha Augustine
Michael Grieve, Sigrid Wise and Brian Ott are A Band Called Honalee, appearing at Florida Studio Theatre’s Goldstein Cabaret through Oct. 26.
“Hammer” is followed by another song of freedom — Bob Dylan’s pre-electric “Blowing in the Wind” (1962). The band’s guitars are acoustic but plugged into amps with suction-mics. Grieve points to the amps, and makes a joking aside about Dylan’s electrification, a controversial transition recently mined by Hollywood in the Oscar-nominated film “A Complete Unknown.”
After these initial political power ballads, the pendulum swings to the personal. Ott jokes that Peter, Paul and Mary’s “Lemon Tree” is “about unrequited love — and the ingredients of lemonade,” before launching into the bittersweet song, one of the lesser-known numbers in the band’s repertoire.
The Mamas and the Papas’ “I Dig Rock and Roll” (1967) is flavored with chart-topping snippets and gentle mockery of rich rock stars and their commercial compromises. (Wise winks on the line: “But if I really say it, the ra-di-o won’t play it.”)
One medley includes The Mamas and the Papas’ “California Dreaming” (1965) and The Beatles’ “Drive My Car” (1965). Wise’s sweet soprano rings out on “Both Sides Now” (1967). She never falters on Joni Mitchell’s high-wire act made famous by Judy Collins.
Grieve and Ott stand in for Simon and Garfunkel on “The 59th Street Bridge Song.” They get the whole crowd feeling groovy. Ott knows a little something about feeling groovy since he was recently on stage with FST’s cabaret, “59th Street Bridge” celebrating the music of Simon and Garfunkel and others.
“Leaving on a Jet Plane” (1969) was a hit for Peter, Paul and Mary — and a career boost for the songwriter, John Denver. The trio’s “Puff the Magic Dragon” (1963) sheds a tear for childhood’s end. (And gave the band its name.)
After 1965, the ’60s counterculture hit the downhill slide. Folks
across America were feeling less upbeat as American involvement in Vietnam escalated. Folk musicians were no exception. The second act reflects that vibe.
Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’” (1963) celebrates the future victory of civil rights and the triumph of youth culture — and snarls at present-day resistance. Stephen Stills’ “For What It’s Worth” (1966) looks back in anger on LA’s Sunset Strip curfew riots. Young people marched, cops cracked heads, Peter Fonda got arrested and the authorities stripped the Sunset Strip’s clubs of youth permits.
When the public square becomes a battle zone, it’s easy to turn inward — which many did in the late 1960s. (Don’t protest, party! Or feel sorry for yourself.) A Mamas and Papas medley reflects that inward turn, weaving together “Monday, Monday” (1966), “Go Where You Want to Go” (1965) and “I Saw Her Again” (1966).
John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery” (1971) looks homeward with sweet sadness. (Wise sweetly shares with the audience that she and Grieve were married in Montgomery, Alabama.)
When the streets get ugly, running away is another option. Two traveling songs evoke that breathless, homesick flight. Elizabeth Cotton wrote “Freight Train” in 1904. Her sad escape struck a nerve in the 1960s — when thousands fled their parents or the draft.
Hedy West’s “500 Miles” (1961) was a Peter, Paul and Mary hit — and another homesick odyssey.
The show’s last two songs are defiantly hopeful. Blind Willie Johnson’s “If I Had My Way” (1927) references Samson’s last stand. (Samson got a buzz cut. Like most longhairs, he took it badly.) Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” (1940) stakes a claim on the whole country. It’s all home. Why run?
Contrasts, October 12, 4:00 pm
Grammy Lifetime Achievement winner Nicholas Eanet with Jungeun Kim, Natalie Helm, and Bharat Chandra performing works by Schubert, Dvorak, and Bela Bartok’s Contrasts, which was commissioned by Benny Goodman.
Legacy, October 19 & 20, 4:00 pm
Celebrate the dedication of Dr. Joseph Holt as a star of Sarasota’s music scene for the past 16 years. Holt, Daniel Jordan, and Christopher Schnell present an all-Russian program exploring composers’ responses to Soviet oppression.
The Queen’s Six, October 28, 7:30 pm
They performed at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and now return to Artist Series Concerts after a sold-out concert in 2023. Their vast repertoire promises a memorable evening of royal fun!
the 1727 coronation of King
Sigrid Wise let the audience know she and fellow band member Michael Grieve got married in Montgomery, Alabama, when they sang John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery.”
THIS WEEK
THURSDAY
KICKOFF PARTY FOR 2025 MODERN WORKS FESTIVAL
6 p.m. at Urbanite Theatre, 1487 Second St. $32 for individual play readings; $5 for students; festival pass $99 Visit Urbanite Theatre.com.
Urbanite Theatre kicks off its sixth annual Modern Works Festival celebrating female playwrights with a party in its black-box theater downtown. The party is for festival passholders only. Tickets for staged readings of the three plays in competition (Stacey Isom Campbell’s “1999,” Jenny Stafford’s “Ahoy-hoy” and Sarah Cho’s “Screen Time”) can be purchased separately. Festival runs through Sept. 21.
JASON SALMON
7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd.
$26 Visit McCurdysComedy.com.
Texas native Jason Salmon is bringing his “Biscuits and Gravity” tour to McCurdy’s. He has graced the small screen in such shows as “Orange is the New Black” and “30
Rock” and received acclaim for his previous album, “Force of Nurture”. Runs through Sept. 21.
‘GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL’
7:30 p.m. at the Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton $34.50 Visit ManateePerformingArtsCenter. com.
Looking for a few laughs? We’ve got just the show — Manatee Players’ “Gutenberg! The Musical!” The musical-within-a-musical follows two driven writers’ efforts to produce a Broadway show about the inventor of the printing press. Runs through Sept. 21.
OUR PICK
‘I’M GOING TO MARRY YOU, TOBEY MAGUIRE’
Billed as a “Y2K farce,” “I’m Going to Marry You, Tobey Maguire” follows a starstruck teenager, played by Jamie Saunders, who kidnaps her heartthrob, the star of “SpiderMan,” played by Tom Horton. In the play, Mark-Alan does double duty as a poster of Tobey Maguire, which comes to life, and Brenda, a nosy real estate agent. Runs through Sept. 21.
IF YOU GO When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18 Where: Dingbat Theatre Project, 7288 S. Tamiami Trail Tickets: $30; students $10 Info: Visit DingbatTheatre.org.
FRIDAY
‘NUNSENSE’
7:30 p.m. at Venice Theatre’s Raymond Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave. W., Venice $40 Visit VeniceTheatre.org.
Join Mother Superior Sister Mary Regina and the rest of the nuns as they stage a madcap variety show to help defray the cost of funerals after a culinary disaster. “Nunsense” began as a line of greeting cards before becoming an Off-Broadway musical in 1985 that has since morphed into a global comedy phenomenon. Runs through Oct. 5.
SUNDAY
‘ART DECO: THE GOLDEN AGE OF ILLUSTRATION’
11 a.m. at the Sarasota Art Museum campus of Ringling College, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail Free for museum members; $20 Visit SarasotaArtMuseum.org.
The Sarasota Art Museum celebrates the 100th anniversary of the exposition that kicked off the Art Deco movement. More than 100 eyecatching posters from the Crouse Collection as well as industrial furniture, home furnishings and other objects loaned by the Wilsonian-Florida International University are on display. Through March 29, 2026.
DON’T MISS
‘CASA HAVANA’ WITH TANIA VERGARA
Tania Vergara, founder and artistic director of Endedans Contemporary Ballet, presents “Casa Havana.” Set in Cuba, the piece tells the story of three siblings and their mother. The mother is anguished by her fear of the government and worries her children could be punished for making their views known. But it is a son who chooses to leave that is the source of true heartbreak.
IF YOU GO When: 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 20
Where: Sarasota Contemporary Dance Home Studio, 1400 Boulevard of the Arts Suite 300 Tickets: $25-$30
Info: Visit SarasotaContemporaryDance.org.
EVENSONG: ARVO PART
CELEBRATION
5:15 p.m. at Church of the Redeemer, 222 S. Palm Ave. Free Visit RedeemerSarasota.org.
Church of the Redeemer honors Estonian composer Arvo Part, who turned 90 on Sept. 11. Celebrating Part in a church is fitting since his music is partly inspired by Gregorian chant. Even if you’ve never heard of Part, you’ve no doubt heard his music. He rivales John Williams as the living composer whose works are most frequently performed.
Courtesy image
Tania Vergara, founder of Endedans Contemporary Ballet, presents her work, “Casa Havana,” at Sarasota Contemporary Dance’s home studio on Saturday, Sept. 20.
Image courtesy of Adrian Van Stee Tom Horton and Jamie Saunders star in “I’m Going to Marry You, Tobey Maguire,” which runs through Sept. 21 at Dingbat Theatre Project.
YOUR NEIGHBORS
Taking the helm
DANA KAMPA
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
While the junior leaders are looking ahead to a new year, the senior leadership at the Sarasota Yacht Club is in for a change, as well.
The club kicks off its centennial celebration with the installation of its Watch Year 2026 officers on Oct. 3. Commodore Harry Anand had his change of watch ceremony in January 2024. He will hand the reins to Milligan just in time for the 100-year festivities to begin.
STAFF WRITER
Lilliana Sultana has been involved with the Sarasota Yacht Club her entire life.
When she was in elementary school, she joined the youth sailing squad, learning more about how the organization operates. At 11 years old, one of the first events she volunteered to help run was the beloved “Pooch Parade.”
She took it a step further as she gained experience, becoming one of the first members of the Ensign Board that formed four years ago.
The youth commodore program gives teens another level of experience with networking, event planning, philanthropic work, grant writing and other skills.
At the end of the last season, Ensign members held a questionand-answer interview to decide on their new officers.
The young leaders kicked off a new season on Sept. 3, officially welcoming Sultana as junior secretary, Calista Ream as junior commodore, Wesley Wrigley as junior vice commodore and Grant Campbell as junior treasurer. Stephanie Feltz, SYC’s philanthropy and special projects coordinator and the mind behind Ensign, said she is immensely proud to see everything the members have done
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so far and looks forward to seeing their efforts grow. She said the board currently has 14 members in total.
Sultana’s roots with the Sarasota Yacht Club run deep. Her father, local architect Mark Sultana, designed the current clubhouse.
“The yacht club has always been a big part of my family’s lives,” Lilliana said, adding that they enjoy getting out on their fishing boat, the “Maltese Falcon,” on a sunny Sarasota afternoon.
Now, she looks forward to taking a more active leadership role of her own.
Through Ensign, she and fellow members have networked with local entrepreneurs and other business leaders.
“They’ve shared stories of their journeys of starting from scratch and building their way up,” she said.
“It was cool to hear how hard they worked to get there.”
The Sarasota Christian School senior said she hopes to pursue business management, specializing in the music industry.
The opportunity to build his leadership skills is what motivated Wrigley to pursue an officer role.
He has enjoyed building relationships with his peers over the years, and he looks forward to serving as vice commander. He is starting his junior year at Sarasota High School.
While he has a multitude of non-
Junior commodore program teaches officers life skills.
profit interests, he particularly cares about supporting men’s mental health.
Wrigley’s family moved to Sarasota in 2016 from Delaware, and they have been part of SYC for years.
“It’s interesting to network at a club of this size,” he said.
Two of the people he has found most impactful to meet so far are Mark Sultana and Preferred Shore Real Estate President Robert Milligan. Milligan is slated to assume the role of an incoming commander at the yacht club this fall.
Looking ahead to a future career, Wrigley is considering radiology, but he said he’s closely watching job availability amid evolving technology. He hopes to follow in the footsteps of his brother, Wyatt, who is enrolled in the University of Florida’s Honors Program.
“I’m focused on maintaining that 5.0 (GPA) to hopefully get in,” he said.
Feltz noted Ensign is a great avenue for showing young people’s talent to colleges, and she has happily written several letters of recommendation for former members.
Campbell is the youngest in the group as a new freshman. Inspired by a sister, who previously served with Ensign, he sought special permission to join the group early. What motivates him is his passion for philanthropy and penchant for numbers.
“It was a high school-focused
board, and when I was in seventh grade, I realized there was a significant age gap between the elementary and high school boards,” he said.
After learning from Feltz there was room on the board, he successfully made the case for his early membership.
“Community Connections,” the yacht club’s main grant-giving event, is one of his favorite nights of the year.
He appreciates learning more about what various nonprofits do for the community, especially those that work to connect with residents his own age.
Campbell was also one of the club members who attended the ribboncutting ceremony on Aug. 9, 2024, of a new children’s playhouse on the Sarasota Harvest House campus.
“I didn’t write the grant for that one, but I did help build it,” he said, adding that it was touching to directly see the way SYC’s work benefits community members.
In his treasurer role, he hopes to help others understand through the numbers just what an impact their contributions generate.
“It gives me a lot of purpose to be able to say that I’ve helped these people, when there’s actual data showing who you’ve helped,” he said.
“I think numbers can really communicate how you’ve helped.”
He currently takes classes through the State College of Florida Collegiate School, and he plans to pursue a career in engineering or business.
Junior commander and secondyear Ensign member Calista Ream shared her appreciation for charitable work, as well.
“I joined because I love community impact-focused service projects,” she said. “It’s fun working with people your age to do something in the community.”
She continued, “I thought this would be a great opportunity not only to sharpen my leadership skills but also to help people.”
Her family moved from Daytona Beach six years ago, largely motivated by her attendance at Pine View High School.
Ream has found joy particularly in the work the yacht club has done supporting local food pantries and Alta Vista Elementary School.
“One thing I look forward to most this year is presenting Alta Vista with a book vending machine,” she said. One of her favorite connections she has made so far through Ensign is Bonnie Michaels, literacy coach at the school.
“It was fascinating getting to directly hear a teacher’s perspective,” she said.
While she’s enjoyed hearing from others, she also appreciates how the program is helping her find her own voice and confidence in presenting her views.
As a high school student, she has already been building her career skills at the student newspaper, and she looks forward to putting her talent for communication to good use.
Dana Kampa
Grant Campbell, Calista Ream, Lilliana Sultana and Wesley Wrigley are the new youth leaders of the Sarasota Yacht Club’s Ensign Board.
Artists gather for showcase
It’s no secret that Longboat Key and neighboring communities are home to a plethora of talented artists working in all manner of media. For the next two months, art appreciators can get a snapshot of that wide-ranging talent at an art exhibition organized by the local chapter of the National League of American Pen Women Inc.
This year’s show includes more than 30 artists specializing in oil painting, pastels, photography, glasswork, sculpture, creative writing, illustrating and more.
Plymouth Harbor residents, including Joslyn Kirkegaard, supported the Sept. 9 exhibition debut. She purchased a painting by Barbara Jendrysik depicting the Sarasota skyline from the perspective of Plymouth Harbor.
“I love it,” Kirkegaard said as she admired the azure waves flowing beneath Ringling Bridge.
“The bright colors really stand out against a white wall, and this is going to fit perfectly. I have just the spot for it at home.”
Almost all the pieces on display are available for purchase, and visitors can get the featured books from online vendors.
Among this year’s featured artists is Miriam Cassell. Originally hailing from New York, she has lived in the Lido Key area for almost 30 years and operates her studio off Center Place.
She layers collages and paint
to craft pieces with a message advocating for inclusion and hope.
Some of her most notable works include the “Screamers,” close-up images of people mid heart-rending shout.
One of the prints she brought to the show featured calmer figures.
“We Are All One” originally stands tall as a 6-foot-by-4-foot pastel painting, which she made in 1987. The smaller print hangs in a quiet corner, inviting viewers to join in the silent contemplation of the two central people.
Cassell said she modeled the man hunched over an American flag after her son and the woman in the foreground after a friend.
“It’s very relevant today,” she said.
“We’re all the same, whether we’re old, young, male, female, white, Black, able-bodied, disabled — it’s all about diversity and equality.”
Sarasota artist Jo Jo Fusco shared her large-scale oil painting capturing a scene in an opera house as three patrons find their places before the show.
“I was inspired by Edward Hopper to do a full life painting,” she said. “I like to go big, and I figured it would fun to do something life-sized, although it was very challenging.”
She laid her hands on every stage of the creation process, even hand-stretching the canvas over the 30-by-60-inch frame — an effort that caused her to topple over while she was wielding her staple gun.
Fusco said the scale of an opera house lent itself well to the project. She used highly textured brushstrokes to enliven the richly scarlet and lavender curtains.
“Because an opera house is huge, it gives you a feeling of being there,” she said.
Nature scenes also featured prominently at the Pen Women exhibition.
Longboat Key-based artist Medge Jaspan debuted a new piece focused on the full moon. She frequently incorporates bold colors into her mostly abstract works, but for this piece, she worked in black and white.
She titled the piece “Dec. 21,” alluding to a date when the moon would be particularly close to Earth.
“People also reflect a lot at that time, because it is the end of the year,” she explained.
The date is tied to emotional moments in her own life, including the death of her grandmother and her first official date with her nowhusband, Michael. Jaspan said she appreciated turning a date enmeshed in tragedy into something filled with hope.
Carol Doenecke, co-chair of the art committee, said the group was glad to feature many local creative writers and illustrators.
Co-Chair Marcella Schuyler added, “We’re open to artists throughout the whole Sarasota area. They ask if they can show their pieces, and we decide if they meet our criteria. We don’t take a commission. It’s all about promot-
WORSHIP directory
— DANA KAMPA
ing the local artists.” The showcase is housed on the mezzanine floor of Plymouth Harbor. Visitors can check in at the front desk to see the exhibit, and slightly larger groups can reach out to Doenecke at 941-361-7282 to coordinate.
Carol Doenecke and Marcella Schuyler, art committee co-chairs with the local chapter of the National League of American Pen Women Inc., said they aimed to showcase some new works by favorite local artists at this year’s art exhibition.
Artist Miriam Cassell, who runs her studio on Lido Key, brought two works to the art exhibition opening, organized by the local chapter of the National League of American Pen Women Inc.
Plymouth Harbor resident Joslyn Kirkegaard purchases a painting by Barbara Jendrysik at the debut art exhibition evening organized by the local chapter of the National League of American Pen Women on Sept. 9 at Plymouth Harbour. The show will be open for the next few months.
Photos by Dana Kampa
Full-Circle creativity
Longboat Key photographer Mary Lou Johnson said she only participates in shows close to home, extending to Naples.
“It keeps my little world here, but (people are) coming from all over,” she said. Including puzzles featuring Johnson’s photos, the third annual St. Armands Circle Art Festival with Craft Marketplace, held Sept. 13-14, had plenty of unique offerings to draw visitors from near and far.
Just one of the unusual items on display were the “unzipped rocks” by Timothy Gregory and his wife, Lauren Gregory, of Port St. Lucie. The rocks had been partially carved out, fitted with zippers around the openings, and filled with real objects.
“I look at the rock, and I try to imagine, if it were to open, what would it look like?” Timothy Gregory said. “And I just
kind of flow with the stone. And it kind of tells me what it wants to do.”
Another was the images of photographer Steven Madow of Orlando, who has clearance from NASA to take up-close photographs of rocket launches.
“I take the approach of trying to create the most surreal, most beautiful images of these launch es, and rockets themselves are just powerful, exciting,” he said.
“We’ve had a great crowd, great sales, people are out and about, and it’s cooler this weekend,” Johnson said. “I love seeing people who have bought my art before, but I love meeting all the new people as well.”
— IAN SWABY
Dr. Bryant is a board-certified plastic surgeon with fellowship-training in both microsurgery and craniofacial reconstructive surgery. He offers the most advanced approaches to breast reconstruction including microvascular reconstruction. He also specializes in reconstruction from head to toe for patients of all ages, including oncologic reconstruction, lower extremity reconstruction and limb salvage.
Board Certification : Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery by American Osteopathic Board of Surgery Medical School : Oklahoma State University, Tulsa, OK
Residencies: Oklahoma State University Medical Center, Tulsa, OK; Beaumont Health, Farmington Hills, MI
Fellowships: Children’s National Health System, Washington, DC; Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Photographer Mary Lou Johnson of Longboat Key showcases her puzzles to Russ and Lynne Brown.
Bradenton photographer Jimmy Chadsey hangs a painting in his booth.
Exceptionally
Furnished
YOUR CALENDAR
TUESDAY, SEPT. 23
SUMMER NIGHT OUT 4-6 p.m. at Whitney Plaza, 6838
at the
and
THURSDAY,
SUNDAY, SEPT. 21
WELCOME, PARADISE! 11:15 a.m. at Shook Hall at Longboat Island Chapel, 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Congregation members can join in welcoming The Paradise Center to its new location at the church ahead of the Sept. 29 grand reopening.
RECURRING EVENTS
TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS LONGBOAT LIBRARY
10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 555 Bay Isles Road. Call 941-383-6493. TUESDAYS POP-UP LIBRARY 10 a.m. at the Town Center Green, 600 Bay Isles Road. The Sarasota County Pop-Up Library hosts services on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, with story-time beginning at 10:30 a.m. and other services available from 10-11:30 a.m.
SATURDAYS RUN CLUB 7 a.m. at Sips coffee shop, 6830 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Join this newly formed community running club for a morning jog at your own pace. The group is free and open to the public, and registration is not required.
$20,000,000
$5,500,000
$1,435,000
Exercise should be a pleasure not a chore
MIRABAI HOLLAND CONTRIBUTOR
It’s September, and temperatures will be getting a bit cooler and humidity will be dropping. It’s a nice time to get outside and the perfect time to ramp up your exercise program.
So I thought I would talk about one of the most important aspects of any fitness program — pleasure.
If you like it, you’ll do it. If you don’t, you won’t.
A popular trend right now in the fitness industry is boot campstyle workouts that basically whip you into shape.
This type of exercise may be some people’s idea of fun, but for many of us who have had trouble getting or staying on an exercise program, it’s just not sustainable. Exercise should be a pleasure, not a chore. And one size does not fit all. That thought played over and over in my head as I watched two sets of bicyclists on their daily rides. Near where I live there is a road that has two bike paths. There is one for serious touring bikers and one for slower traffic.
The serious group is just that — SERIOUS! Featherweight bikes with drop handlebars, tiny seats and pedals that require clip-on shoes. They wear flaming color form-fitting, high-tech clothes that slip through the air, wick the sweat and have hidden pockets for keys and snacks.
They stream along at high speed, with their bodies bent over for aerodynamic position and helmeted heads lurched forward and look like a flock of supersonic tropical birds. This is the type of exercise they enjoy. They’re working hard and wouldn’t have it any other way. Young or old, these athletes are in top condition.
However, just a few feet away, an endless parade of more leisurely exercisers ambles along,
pedaling merrily, sitting upright, zinging their bells, smiling and chatting. They wouldn’t have it any other way either. Are the amblers as fit as the racers? Probably not. But is their daily moderate exercise enough to reap most of the health benefits exercise has to offer? Probably so.
Research clearly shows that you don’t have to be an athlete to be fit enough to be healthy and live longer. Find a physical activity you like or at least don’t hate and pursue it with pleasure. Stay in your comfort zone, and if you do, exercise will become something you look forward to instead of dread.
Mirabai Holland is CEO of NuVue LLC, a health education and video production company. She is a certified health coach, exercise physiologist and wellness consultant for Manatee County government employees and has a private practice. Her wellness programs are implemented in hospitals, MD practices, fitness facilities, resorts and corporations worldwide. She is also an artist who believes creativity enhances health. Visit MirabaiHolland.com Contact her at AskMirabai@MovingFree.com
True crime tales
Local author sheds light on 45-year-old cold-case murder.
The islands off the coast are known for their sunny beaches and easy-going lifestyle. But as with many small communities, some murky mysteries are waiting to be uncovered.
Author Alan Cross is the latest at-home investigator to dive into one of Anna Maria Island’s most significant unsolved crimes: the 1980 killings of four people.
Three Island Monkeys, the exclusive vendor of the book on Longboat Key, held a signing event on Sept. 13. This is Cross’ second book in his series, “Tales from the Island.” His first, published in July 2023, focused on a series of short stories on subjects like how the restaurant The Ugly Grouper got its name.
His second project was several years in the making, as he spoke with investigators, viewed evidence from the crime and compiled his theory as to what happened that day. Cross, who moved to the area in
WHERE TO GET IT
Local author Alan Cross recently released his second book “Tales from the Island: The Kingfish Boat Ramp Murders.” It follows his first collection of short stories, “Tales from the Island: The Naming of the Ugly Grouper and Other Lies from Anna Maria Island.” Both are available online and Three Island Monkeys at 5620 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Seasonal hours are 2-8 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. Check ThreeIslandMonkeys.com for updated hours.
1987, said he’s always been fascinated by the cold case. He remembers learning about the incident through coverage of the 10th anniversary, when an assailant fatally shot a witness and three family members and critically wounded a fourth.
At the book signing, Cross shared with readers insights into how he went about exploring the case. One moment that dramatically moved the project forward was when he worked with the Holmes Beach Police Department to view crime scene photos, several of which he included in the book. He did pause the writing process for a few weeks while he processed what he’d seen.
“A wave of emotions hit me when I opened the evidence box,” he said. But those insights proved invaluable in bringing his true crime story together.
This book signing has been in the works for a while behind the scenes. Cross said he and his wife, Joan, met store owner Brigette Kubin while she was picking up balloons for her store opening.
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PALMERA
Courtesy image
For the serious cyclist, staying in top condition is the best reason for why they enjoy the type of extreme exercise.
DANA KAMPA STAFF WRITER
Dana Kampa
Author Alan Cross, joined by his wife, Joan, and his son, Adam, stops by Three Island Monkeys to sign copies of his newest book on the unsolved triple murder of a family on Anna Maria Island in 1980.
North Owl home on Bird Key tops the week’s
ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
Scott and Kristina Pelle, trustees, of Kennebunkport, Maine, sold the home at 659 N. Owl Drive to Nicholas and Kelly Westfall, of Cincinnati, for $3.85 million. Built in 1968, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,342 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,799,000 in 2020.
James Skidmore Jr., of Sea Grit, New Jersey, sold the Unit 502 condominium at 1465 Gulf of Mexico Drive to James and Jane Wainwright, of Longboat Key, for $1.6 million. Built in 1981, it has four bedrooms, four baths and 2,565 square feet of living area. It sold for $620,000 in 1988.
Lori Blaker, trustee, of Longboat Key, sold the Unit 203 condominium at 1445 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Timothy Eric and Mary Svitkovich, of Loveland, Ohio, for $1.19 million. Built in 1982, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,721 square feet of living area. It sold for $595,000 in 2021.
HARBOUR VILLA CLUB AT THE BUCCANEER
Thomas and Maureen Tierney, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 303 condominium at 615 Dream Island Place to William Bunk Jr., trustee, of Warren, Pennsylvania, for $900,000. Built in 1985, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,293 square feet of living area. It sold for $415,000 in 2015.
HARBOUR OAKS AT LONGBOAT
KEY CLUB
Jane Fennessy, trustee, of Palm City, sold the Unit 1203 condominium at 2141 Harbourside Drive to Purvi
sales at $3.85 million
TOP BUILDING PERMITS
Images courtesy of Mairead Smialek
The condominium at 1445 Gulf of Mexico Drive sold for $1.19 million.
NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH
FORECAST
FRIDAY, SEPT. 19
SATURDAY, SEPT.
TIDES SUNRISE /
MOON PHASES
HIGH DRAMA by Michael Schlossberg, edited by Jared Goudsmit
By Luis Campos
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