Sarasota Observer - Thursday, February 17, 2011

Observer SARASOTA

ELECTION City Commission Three candidates vie for the mayor’s District 3 seat.

PAGE 3A.

DIVERSIONS: TEA PARTY

Model Homes

Sheffield Hocker is placing his ‘chips’ on Broadway.

Masterworks Showcase features unique houses.

INSIDE | PAGE 1B

NEWS 5A

You. Your neighbors. Your neighborhood.

SLICE OF THE CITY PEOPLE, PICS & PLACES

Thursday, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

paid parking

Garage payment plan unveiled Details emerge on when the Palm Avenue garage will start charging drivers to park there and the different payment methods available.

By Robin Roy | City Editor

Free parking at the Palm Avenue parking garage is expected to end April 1.

A recently purchased parking-payment system will be in-

stalled then as the city begins charging drivers to park in the new facility.

The $264,000 Parking Access and Revenue-Control System (PARC) is an automated system that will allow 24-hour

access to the garage.

The Sarasota Police Department, which now oversees the city’s parking operations and enforcement, will be able to utilize PARC to automate entry, exit, auditing and collections.

“This will be a turnkey system,” said Capt. Jeff Karr, who heads the police department’s parking division.

Initial plans are to charge drivers 50 cents per hour, or $40 for a monthly permit.

Within a half-mile radius

SEE GARAGE / PAGE 2A

Rachel S. O’Hara

Ken and Mary Mexell have been married for 75 years.

+ Couples vow to reaffirm their love More than 300 couples participated in the “Say I Do, Again” ceremony Feb. 14, on Siesta Key Beach. The ceremony has become a staple for people who want to renew their vows on Cupid’s favorite holiday.

Loren Mayo

Lydia and Lorenzo Aguinsky

+ Surprise renewal floats their boat Lydia Aguinsky walked onto the Floating Chapel on the Bay Feb. 14, thinking she was heading out for a boat ride with her husband, Lorenzo. Little did she know the boat’s captains had secretly planned for the Aguinskys to renew their wedding vows.

“I started crying because I thought, ‘What wonderful people are these – I feel blessed,’” Aguinsky said.

INDEX Black Tie...............................10B Classifieds..............................16A Cops Corner..........................13A Crossword.............................15A Opinion....................................6A Real Estate...........................14A Weather................................15A Vol. 7, No. 15 Two sections www.YourObserver.com

HEART STRINGS Loren Mayo

Third-grader Dylan Davis whips his rope through the air during Out-of-Door Academy’s Jump Rope for Heart event, held Friday, Feb. 11. For the story and more photos, see page 5A. More photos online at YourObserver.com.

on the flip side

Laurel Park sign: two sides to story Noticing a change to their neighborhood sign, residents questioned why the city altered it without asking residents and violated its own rules.

By Robin Roy | City Editor

The Laurel Park neighborhood-identification sign on Osprey Avenue has occasionally been the target of vandals, who have sprayed graffiti on it.

Late last month, some resi-

dents were surprised to see a different kind of paint job on their sign.

Despite a city rule that only allows a decoration or logo on one side of the sign, someone had painted the city’s logo on the backside of the sign.

“A bush would have looked

better,” said Deborah Dart, who was president of the Laurel Park Neighborhood Association when the city originally installed the sign in 2007.

Dart began investigating

SEE SIGN / PAGE 2A

Rachel S. OHara

The back of the Laurel Park neighborhood sign has the city’s logo painted on it. City rules call for just one side of the sign to be decorated.

SYSTEM ANALYSTS

outside the parking garage will be parking meters, which are expected to charge drivers $1 per hour to park in those spots.

City Manager Bob Bartolotta said the plan was to charge 50% less in the garage to provide an incentive to use the garage.

On-street parking spaces are the most coveted, so they will be more expensive.

Like other garages, drivers will take a ticket upon entering, and when they exit, they will insert coins, dollar bills or credit cards into an automated machine.

Monthly permit holders will be issued a “proximity card,” which they will swipe to enter and exit.

Sarasota Opera employees, for instance, will be given proximity cards, and the garage will serve as their primary parking option.

Valet companies are encouraged to apply for permission to enter into a contract

The implementation of the payment system in the Palm Avenue parking garage was close to another delay.

City commissioners debated Feb. 7 whether to approve the purchase of the policerecommended system.

Mayor Kelly Kirschner wanted to hear what the community wanted from a payment system before casting his vote to approve a contract.

“My personal preference would be to delay this until we hear from all stakeholders,” Kirschner said.

Commissioner Dick Clapp with the city to use a portion of the Palm Avenue garage’s spaces for their businesses.

The city has also come up with a way for downtown businesses to reward their clients. Storeowners can purchase pre-paid parking tickets and hand them out to their customers as a token of ap-

apple a day

Commission eyes high-tech savings Apple iPads will replace hundreds of sheets of paper at each City Commission meeting, which will amount to $7,500 in savings annually.

By Robin Roy | City Editor

agreed with the mayor.

City Manager Bob Bartolotta explained that the contract was for purchasing the equipment and that it could be programmed in any way after it arrived in Sarasota.

“It will take eight to 12 weeks from the time we order the system (to the time it is delivered),” said Bartolotta. “(Waiting) would delay it further.”

Vice Mayor Fredd Atkins and Commissioners Suzanne Atwell and Terry Turner voted to purchase the system immediately. preciation.

Those tickets can be stamped with the business’ name or logo.

“I’d love to give someone a token,” said Eileen Hampshire, owner of Art to Walk On. “Anything to thank my customers and get them to come back.”

To save money and “go green,” the City Commission will begin using Apple iPads during commission meetings.

The computer tablets will be used to view the agenda packets for each meeting and will replace the reams of paper the city used to print for each commissioner and city administrator.

Four of five commissioners, as well as the city manager, deputy city manager, city auditor and clerk and city attorney, will be receiving iPads.

Commissioner Terry Turner said he preferred to keep the paper agenda packets.

“With the documentation we get, you don’t just read it one time,” he said. “You go back and forth between pages. It’s efficient in terms of saving paper, but it’s not efficient in terms of my time.”

The iPads will cost about $800 each and will be purchased within the next week or two. They’ll be put into use in April.

City Auditor and Clerk Pamela Nadelini expects the city to save about $7,500 per year in paper and other supplies.

The city is following the lead of the County Commission, which adopted iPad use last year.

County spokeswoman Crystal Pruitt said the county, which has twice as many meetings per year as the city and longer agendas, will see a savings of about $60,000 annually.

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GARAGE / FROM PAGE 1A

until March 4.

Dart has expressed to Kucharski her preference.

“I believe upon installation of the sign, the neighborhood recommended a crown or thorn or similar ‘tough’ plant to be used to soften the stark backside of the sign and deter graffiti artists,” she said.

“The concept of a city department taking this upon itself to change … it’s just weird.”

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who may have altered the sign.

After a series of e-mails with city officials, Todd Kucharski, general manager of public works, said he had instructed his landscaping employees to place the city logo on the sign.

“I thought the logo would look nice and perhaps deter people from putting graffiti

on it,” he said. “(I) didn’t know that this would be such a concern.”

Because the city dictates only one side of the sign be decorated, the Laurel Park sign will be changing, but it could be at least one month before that happens.

The city wants the neighborhood association to determine what it would like done, and its next board meeting isn’t

P

SIGN / FROM PAGE 1A

The sarasota Observer THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

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The sarasota Observer THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

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COMMISSION ELECTION 2011

SPECIAL: The Sarasota Observer is interviewing City Commission candidates before the March 8 district election.

Three-way race to decide District 3 Three candidates are seeking to replace Mayor Kelly Kirschner, who decided not to run for a second term on the City Commission.

No matter who wins the election, District 3 is sure to have a change in representation. With the mayor’s deci-

sion not to seek re-election, the seat is guaranteed to belong to a newcomer to city politics. Although Diana Hamilton,

Shannon Snyder and Pete Theisen each have experience in civic affairs, from being active in neighborhood associations

to serving on city advisory boards, none has ever held elected office in Sarasota.

—Robin Roy

DIANA HAMILTON

SHANNON SNYDER

Pete Theisen

If you are elected, what will be your top-four priorities?

1. Remove obstacles in the building and zoning departments. My friends who own single-family homes struggle to get permission to improve their homes. If you have to hold someone’s hand to get them BIO through the permitting process smoothly, hold out your Age: 59 hand.

Hometown: 2. Move the city-election Knoxville, Tenn. date to November. There Family: Single will be cost savings and better voter turnout.

Education: Attended Univer3. Attract new business. sity of Tennessee We need to figure out what kinds of businesses we want Occupation: here. Figure out what busiGarden designer nesses want to be here. We should not be pawns in a bidding war with other cities.

4. Adopt a can-do attitude. Have city departments sit down with people and ask, “How can we help you?” I think city employees want to get things done. You don’t go to planning school to figure out roadblocks to things.

If you are elected, what will be your top-four priorities?

I only have one priority — expand the tax base.

That covers everything. We have to understand that we can’t pick and choose what we do anymore.

If we don’t expand the tax base, we’ll have a much difBIO ferent conversation in four years. There will be serious Age: 45 long-term financial issues.

Hometown: If we don’t build, we’re in Sarasota trouble.

Family: Married with three What should the city do children about employee pensions?

Education: AtI opted out of the pentended Manatee sion program (when I was Community a sheriff’s deputy). LawCollege enforcement officers have Occupation: years of training with techRetired Saraniques and talents, which sota County will be enticing to many sheriff’s deputy employers. We risk losing qualified employees to other cities if we don’t offer a good pension. I’m in favor of offering 401(k)-style options very quickly.

What should the city do about employee pensions?

Pensions do need to be adjusted. The city will contribute more than it ever has before, but defined contribution is not a valid option for police.

There is not a job equal to police or fire in the private sector. There’s special risk. Could we ask someone to put on those clunky boots and bulky belts and risk their lives and then come home and worry about investing their 401(k)?

What’s your position on increasing residential densities and heights in downtown buildings?

We need to tell residents the city can’t annex land and grow like that anymore. We need to kill impact fees. We need to see what we’re paying for and where it goes. The school board accounted for 78 kids at the Quay site, but they couldn’t show me where those kids actually lived. We can’t just have a blanket “Pay me.”

If you are elected, what will be your top-four priorities?

1. City-employee pensions. We have to get a handle on that retirement-funding mess. If it’s not dealt with, the city loses its bond rating and won’t be able to raise its millage rate if an emergenBIO cy occurs.

2. Economic developAge: 66 ment. The city should inHometown: vest in pedi-cabs. That’s Detroit green transportation. If Family: Single we had a number of people Education: getting into this, the city Bachelor’s could subsidize pedi-cabs. degree in social It will create jobs. For famwork from ilies with two cars, it does University of away with the need for the Detroit and second car. doctor of tradi3. Job creation. We need tional Chinese to get some federal money medicine degree to help create jobs. I asked Occupation: Rep. Vern Buchanan to use Retired acuhis connections with Ford puncturist (Motor Company) to put a Ford plant in Sarasota. We need a big employment center.

4. Smart growth. We’re building stuff that’s not appropriate. The city has never built affordable housing. They think affordable housing is the projects. That’s not quite the same thing.

What’s your position on increasing residential densities and heights in downtown buildings?

We should absolutely increase density and get people moving downtown.

What is your view of parking meters?

If you don’t have complete transparency to let the public know where the money goes, it won’t work. The city wants meters to pay for parking enforcement, but with the garage on State Street coming, the parking problem will be alleviated in the most congested area of downtown. If we re-

What is your view of parking meters?

It’s asking people to pay for what they use.

SEE HAMILTON / PAGE 7A

SEE SNYDER / PAGE 7A

What should the city do about employee pensions?

If the city couldn’t afford to pay pensions, it shouldn’t have promised it. But now that it promised it, it has to (follow through). We need to get some of that “hope-and-change money.” I don’t want to amend the pension program for those to whom it was promised.

What’s your position on increasing residential densities and heights in downtown buildings?

We don’t have the fire capacity for anything higher than 18 stories. The Planning Board and

SEE THEISEN / PAGE 7A

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experience a real family atmosphere while enjoyinNeWS g the delicate taste of our home Ischia.

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INBRIEF + Developers approach city about hotel project Interest is growing in developing the vacant lot adjacent to the Palm Avenue parking garage.

“We’ve talked to three different parties who are very interested,” said City Manager Bob Bartolotta.

The city has expressed its desire to have a hotel built on that property, but Bartolotta said a mixed-use development would also be favorable.

At the Feb. 22 City Commission meeting, commissioners are going to be asked to approve an “invitation for negotiation,” which will allow city management to begin negotiations with developers.

Bartolotta said he wants to find a company that will start building within 12 to 15 months.

The sarasota Observer THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

+ New College welcomes two new board members

+ Sarasota Memorial, USF create partnership

The Florida Board of Governors has appointed two influential women to the New College of Florida Board of Trustees.

New College alumni Mary Ruiz and retired Boston educator Audrey Coleman will serve on the board through 2016.

Ruiz is the president and CEO of Manatee Glens, a nonprofit hospital that helps families in crisis with mental-health and addictions services.

Coleman was recognized by President Ronald Reagan in 1985 as one of the 10 most influential black women in the country.

The two women replace outgoing board members Ken Misemer and the Rev. Jerome Dupree.

“We are fortunate to have these two outstanding individuals within the college’s governance structure for the challenging period in the years ahead,” stated New College President Mike Michalson.

The University of South Florida’s College of Nursing is adding Sarasota Memorial Hospital as a new partner.

The collaboration supports a USF healthcare program that assesses how best to serve the local community’s health profession needs.

This summer, a new team of 12 undergraduate nursing students will be created and will conduct all of its clinical training at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

Your host, Pietro Migliaccio, brings over 35 years of culinary excellence from five star restaurants in $7,500 Ischia Italy, to Brooklyn New York’s, Mamma Lucia Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar and now to Cafe Gabbiano of Siesta Key.

+ City, county offices closed for Presidents Day All city and county administration offices will close Monday, Feb. 21 in observance of Presidents Day. The City Commission meeting, which is usually held on a Monday, will take place Tuesday, Feb. 22.

SCAT bus service and residential garbage and recycling will not be affected.

Meetings & agendas  Charter Review Board — 6 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 17, County Administration Center, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota  Planning Commission — 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 17, County Administration Center, 1660 Ringling Blvd, Sarasota  County Commission — 9 a.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 22, County Administration Center, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota  Downtown Improvement District — 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, City Hall, 1565 First St., Sarasota  City Commission — 2:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 22, City Hall, 1565 First St., Sarasota

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— Amount the city expects to save annually by placing commission meeting agendas on iPads instead of paper booklets. Page 2A

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Free home delivery: The Sarasota Observer offers free home delivery in selected neighborhoods in the following zip codes: 34234, 34236, 34237.

To find out whether your neighborhood qualifies for free home delivery, or to suspend or discontinue your subscription, call donna Condon at 941-366-3468.

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Masterworks Showcase features splendid homes

By Loren Mayo | Community Editor

For the past seven years, Michael Saunders has been on the board for the Sarasota Orchestra Association’s Masterworks Showcase of Luxury Homes.

This year, she didn’t want people to just see the houses — she wanted them to see the uniqueness of the homeowners’ lifestyles.

The 2011 tour, to be held March 4 and March 5, includes 10 multimillion-dollar estates in The Oaks and on Photos by Loren Mayo Casey, Bird and St. Armands keys and Lido Shores, and will include artwork, Anne Scott, chairwoman of the Masterworks Showcase; Becky Miller, president of the Sara- jewelry displays, fashion shows and sota Orchestra Association; Joe McKenna, cooking demonstrations by local chefs. president and CEO of the Sarasota Orchestra; Proceeds from the tour benefit the and Michael Saunders, founder and CEO of Sarasota Orchestra and its Youth OrMichael Saunders & Co. chestra Program. For information, visit SOAssociation.org or call 685-0425.

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LITTLE JUMPIN’ BEANS

ODA skips rope for healthy hearts

By Loren Mayo Community Editor

Whatever they were doing — hopping, jumping or cartwheeling — Out-ofDoor Academy students wore smiles that stretched from ear-to-ear during their Jump Rope for Heart event Friday, Feb. 11, at the school’s Siesta Key campus.

The event is a national educational fundraiser that engages students in jumping rope while raising funds to support heart and stroke research.

Tyler Beck dances to one of the songs.

Photos by Loren Mayo

Above: Robb and Stucky showcases contemporary vignettes throughout this “Modern Sculptural Masterpiece” on Casey Key. Left: This breakfast room lets the sun shine through the windows of the chef’s kitchen at the “Magnificent Beachfront Mansion” on Casey Key.

Max Hall turns the jump rope for Anthony Squitieri.

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OPINION

www.YourObserver.com

THE SARASOTA OBSERVER THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

Observer our view SARASOTA

“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.”

Friedrich Hayek “Road to Serfdom,” 1944 Editor and CEO / Matt Walsh, mwalsh@yourobserver.com Publisher/Executive Editor / Lisa Walsh, lwalsh@yourobserver.com Associate Publisher-Multimedia / Emily Walsh Parry, ewalsh@yourobserver.com Managing Editor / Jessica Luck, jluck@ yourobserver.com Assistant Managing Editor/Design / Nancy Schwartz, nschwartz@ yourobserver.com City Editor / Robin Roy, rroy@ yourobserver.com Community Editor / Loren Mayo, lmayo@yourobserver.com Black Tie Editor / Stephanie Hannum, shannum@yourobserver.com Social Editor / Molly Schechter, mschechter@yourobserver.com Arts & Entertainment Editor / Heidi Kurpiela, hkurpiela@yourobserver.com Staff Writer / Maria Amodio, mamodio@ yourobserver.com Staff Photographer / Rachel O’Hara, rohara@yourobserver.com Director of Advertising /Jill Raleigh, jraleigh@yourobserver.com Advertising Executives / Tracy Bender, tbender@yourobserver.com; Louise Lewis, llewis@yourobserver.com; Suzanne Munroe, smunroe@yourobserver.com; Kathleen O’Hara, kohara@yourobserver. com; Laura Ritter, lritter@yourobserver. com; Lori Ruth, lruth@yourobserver.com; Maria Witty, mwitty@yourobserver.com Account Manager / Victoria Baga, vbaga@yourobserver.com Multimedia Production Manager / Caleb Stanton, cstanton@yourobserver. com Classified Advertising Supervisor / Pam Cooper, pcooper@yourobserver.com Classified Advertising Sales Executive / Maureen Hird, mhird@yourobserver.com Advertising-Production Operations Manager / Kathy Payne, kpayne@ yourobserver.com Advertising-Production Coordinator / Brooke Schultheis, bschultheis@ yourobserver.com Advertising Graphic Designers / Monica DiMattei, mdimattei@yourobserver.com; Shawna Polana, spolana@yourobserver. com; Marjorie Holloway, mholloway@ yourobserver.com; Luis Trujillo, ltrujillo@ yourobserver.com Circulation Manager / Paul Simons, psimons@yourobserver.com Chief Financial Officer / Laura Keisacker, lkeisacker@yourobserver.com Accounting Manager / Lori Downey, ldowney@yourobserver.com Accounting Assistant / Kathy Klein, kklein@yourobserver.com Administrative-Circulation Assistant / Donna Condon, dcondon@yourobserver. com

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Oo-rah: Scott means what he says

He’s not a politician.

Hallelujah!

It’s no surprise to us, but Florida Gov. Rick Scott demonstrated emphatically Feb. 16 that he is who he said he is — a businessman — and he’s going to do what he said he would do — run Florida government like a business.

Floridians should hail Scott for his bold decision to reject $2.4 billion of borrowed federal money to build a high-speed rail line from Tampa to Orlando. And Floridians should hail Scott for not succumbing to all of the political and special-interest leeches anxious to be the financial beneficiaries of such a project.

As he demonstrated in his comments and letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Scott carefully analyzed the pros and cons of the high-speed rail. And in the same fashion that he has always done as a CEO, he examined both sides of the coin — what the return on investment would be if Florida did the rail versus what the return on investment would be if Florida did something else.

Most logical thinkers already knew there would be and could be no other conclusion than the one Scott reached — that is, there is no economic or moral justification whatsoever for the high-speed rail line.

We’ve reported it before, and Scott found out for himself what the California-based Reason Foundation has reported for many years: In the history of high-speed and light-rail projects around the world, all of them have cost more to build than projected and all but one or two has produced the ridership the promoters projected.

Scott is likely to hear a lot of carping from the political class, the global-warming greenies, mainstream media editorialists, Euro-trainistas and big-business contractor types for passing up a huge job stimulus and environmental savior. And indeed, within hours of Scott’s decision to reject the federal

money, three of Tampa’s mayoral candidates ripped away at Scott in interviews with the St. Petersburg Times.

Ed Turanchik, a big rail promoter: “This ranks up there as one of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen.”

Bob Buckhorn: “It was a once-in-alifetime opportunity to move this state forward. Instead, it looks like we aspire to mediocrity, and we’re going to get there … To say we’re … going to rely solely on automobiles as the transportation of the future is ludicrous.”

But read the full text of the accompanying Scott press release explaining his decision, along with the excerpt below of Scott’s letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. You will see Scott makes far more sense than does the idea of a high-speed train between Orlando and Tampa.

Last week in Naples, Scott told attendees at a Cato Institute luncheon he intends to “stay the course” of what he outlined during his campaign — cut government spending, create a climate that fosters economic growth, reduce taxes and improve education.

“We are going to be a model for America,” he said.

This was one big step toward delivering on his promise. Run it like a business.

+ Pension problems

Public and elected officials far and wide have suddenly found religion when it comes to public pensions.

The movement, indeed, is reaching a crescendo in the city of Sarasota, in particular among the candidates for City Commission. To wit: In separate interviews with opponents Commissioner Dick Clapp and Paul Caragiulo, asked what they see as one of the top four priorities for the next City Commission, both said the No. 1 priority is solving the city’s pension problems.

Those problems are substantial, as the box indicates — $74.4 million in unfunded

UNFUNDED LIABILITIES Because of the generous pension plans given to the city of Sarasota employees — general, police and former firefighters — and because of the multi-year declines in stock market investments over the past four years, city pension fund investments have not increased in value fast enough to keep the pension plans fully funded.

The following figures show the value of the unfunded liabilities in the city’s three pension plans for the fiscal year ending September 2009. This the amount of money taxpayers will have to pay in the future through increased taxes if the investment funds do not generate large enough returns.

General employees.......$19,538,991 Firefighters.................$37,514,072 Police.........................$17,395,906 Total..........................$74,448,969

liabilities.

On top of that, the amount that city (and county) taxpayers must contribute every year to make up for the previous investment shortfalls is also substantial.

City and county taxpayers had to kick in $10.5 million in fiscal 2009 to cover the required contributions to the three plans.

Most everyone has realized these public pension plans are unsustainable, except perhaps the police and firefighter unions.

They’re resisting any changes.

But be assured: Just as the federal government must face the reality that its spending is unsustainable and must cut back, the next group of sitting commissioners already knows the city’s pension plans must be revised.

WHY GOV. SCOTT REJECTED THE FEDERAL HIGH-SPEED RAIL FUNDS Here is the unabridged press release Gov. Rick Scott issued regarding his rejection of federal high-speed rail funds.

Higher taxes and more government spending are a recipe for disaster. Government has become addicted to spending beyond its means and we cannot continue this flawed As you know, I was elected to get Floridians policy. back to work and to change the way governLet us never forget, whether it is ment does business in our state.

Washington or Tallahassee, government has I am committed to making good on those no resources of its own. Government can promises. only give to us what it has previRecently, I sent a budget proously taken from us. posal to the Legislature that That is why today I am reduces the size and scope of govannouncing my decision to reject ernment; reduces the costs of that the Obama administration’s plan government and passes those cost to partially fund the costly Tampa savings on to taxpayers so that to Orlando high-speed rail project. we can create new jobs and turn Moments ago I spoke with U.S. Florida’s economy around.

Transportation Secretary Ray I believe when you reduce govLaHood to inform him of my deciernment’s reach and hold that govsion. I appreciate the secretary’s ernment accountable, you create Gov. Scott efforts to work with us, and I look an environment where the econoforward to working with him in my can flourish. the future.

When you reduce taxes and put that My decision to reject the project comes money back in the hands of hard-work- down to three main economic realities: ing Floridians and Florida businesses, that • First, capital cost overruns from the projmoney will be spent on creating private- ect could put Florida taxpayers on the hook sector jobs for an additional $3 billion.

As you know, my background is in busi• Second, ridership and revenue projecness, not politics. But you don’t have to be an tions are historically overly optimistic and economics expert to understand that if you would likely result in ongoing subsidies that spend more money than you take in, your state taxpayers would have to incur (from business will fail. $300 million to $575 million over 10 years).

Unfortunately, politicians haven’t always Note: The state subsidizes Tri-Rail $34.6 seemed to grasp that same principle. million a year, while passenger revenues In fact, the Obama administration just cover only $10.4 million of the $64 million announced a $3.73 trillion budget that annual operating budget. includes the largest budget deficit in our • Finally, if the project becomes too costly nation’s history ($1.65 trillion). for taxpayers and is shut down, the state The president’s budget includes $1.6 tril- would have to return the $2.4 billion in fedlion in higher taxes. eral funds to D.C. Those higher taxes will impact Floridians The truth is that this project would be far and our competitiveness worldwide. We too costly to taxpayers, and I believe the risk cannot expect individuals to build businesses far outweighs the benefits. in America if our taxes are higher than other Historical data show capital cost overruns countries. are pervasive in nine out of 10 high-speed

rail projects and that two-thirds of those projects inflated ridership projections by an average of 65% of actual patronage.

It is projected that 3.07 million people will use the train annually. Keep in mind that Amtrak’s Acela train in Washington, D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, New York and Baltimore only had 3.2 million riders in 2010. And that market’s population is eight times the size of the Tampa/Orlando market.

President Obama’s high-speed rail program is not the answer to Florida’s economic recovery.

We must make investments in areas where we will get a return for the shareholders — Florida’s taxpayers.

Rather than investing in a high-risk rail project, we should be focusing on improving our ports, rail and highway infrastructure to be in a position to attract the increased shipping that will result when the Panama Canal is expanded when the free-trade agreements with Colombia and Panama are ratified and with the expansion of the economies of Central and South America.

By capturing a larger share of containerized imports entering our seaports, expanding export markets for Florida businesses and emerging as a global hub for trade and investment, we can create an additional 143,000 jobs, according to a recent chamber of commerce study.

It is absolutely critical that we make smart investments with taxpayer dollars, whether state or federal, and I believe our state will be better served by spending these funds on projects that will benefit Florida and not turn into a spending boondoggle.

The answer is to reduce government spending, cut government’s leash on our state’s job creators and then hold that government accountable for the investments it makes.

That is what I was elected to do, and that is how I plan to govern. Let’s get to work!

HAMILTON / FROM 3A There’s a cost to parking enforcement. We have 700 firsttier parking spaces downtown.

When you drive down Main Street, people stop to try to secure a space, backing up traffic.

When you have paid parking, 15% of spaces are always open.

What is your position on having an elected mayor?

I’m for it. We need someone to carry us forward. Urban planner Andres Duany said he’s never had a plan succeed in a city without an elected mayor. Now we have an oligarchy. It’s five people voting against themselves. What are people afraid of?

What is your position on

NeWS switching the city election to the November election cycle?

I support it. I don’t believe there will be a dropoff in votes going down the ballot (if the city election is held in November).

There’s a dropoff when voters see candidates they don’t know, like judges. If they know the names, they’ll vote in those races.

ally have a parking problem, then enforcement should be able to pay for itself.

What is your position on having an elected mayor?

On the Charter Review Board, I voted against having any future discussions about it. If the latest proposal had been the first one, it may have passed. The previous three attempts have been flawed, and I think voters have electedmayor fatigue.

What is your position on switching the city election to the November election cycle?

I voted against it. We have a small-town feel. Our elections would probably get caught up in

e samy a D ry ve Deli

10 being the highest, how would you rate the city manager’s performance?

Five, because of the vacant Quay site. The hundreds of thousands of dollars wasted in the mooring field, without anybody being held accountable ... We need more than a good number-cruncher.

The commission is likely facing a budget deficit again next year. What is your position: raise the property-taax rate or find a way to cut expenses?

I will not raise the property millage rate. The city sends three guys to clean up the traffic island in front of my house that I clean by myself. When I see nickeland-dime stuff, nobody has really looked at cutting expenses. Services have been cut, but our lifestyle hasn’t changed.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I’m the only candidate consistently trusted by elected officials with leadership. Sheriff Jeff Monge trusted me enough as a 20-year-old to put a gun in my hand. I’ve been chosen to serve on the Planning Board, Hospital Advisory Committee and now the Charter Review Committee. My resumé speaks for itself. I will have a very small learning curve.

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On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the highest, how would you rate the city manager’s performance?

A six or seven. He’s holding it together pretty well, and he doesn’t have everyone in the city in front of his house with pitchforks and firebrands.

What is your position on switching the city election to the November election cycle?

Nobody is paying attention to the city elections now.

If you compete with Obama and McCain, they’ll get even less attention. I don’t think I want the city issues overshadowed by national elections.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I’m the only District 3 candidate who’s really like the people in District 3. The other candidates are close to District 2. Their attitudes are like those in District 2.

Shannon Snyder is pro-development. Diana Hamilton was the cheerleader for Ron Burks’ School Avenue project. Diana was the cheerleader of the elected-mayor push.

My orientation is toward the district I’m serving.

The commission is likely facing a budget deficit again next year. What is your po-

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Those are going to hit the fan. People aren’t going to like it. Downtown it costs $25 for a baseball cap and $15 for a sandwich. If people are already shell-shocked by prices downtown, K-Mart and the mall will look more attractive.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

Courage is contagious. I have courage. I am somebody who can see through smoke and mirrors. I am the candidate of progress and innovation, and I’m running to move our city forward.

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sition: raise the propertytax rate or find a way to cut expenses?

It’s a false dilemma. We don’t necessarily have to do either. We could go outside and get grants and funding.

Without grants and funding, I’d start selling the naming rights to some things. You don’t have to wait until a person dies anymore to name something after them. Some people think if taxes are raised even one mill, it will disband the city of Sarasota.

I’m not saying no to raising taxes or cutting expenses, they’re just not the first things I’d do.

City Commission feel like they have to approve everything. We, instead, should work on traffic. We’re already gridlocked at certain times of day.

On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the highest, how would you rate the city manager’s performance?

Three — max. I don’t know what he does. The only thing he has done that I can get behind is hiring Mikel Hollaway as police chief.

the emotions. We may not end up with frankness in the city elections. The cost of spring elections will come down, because of the growing popularity of early voting and the consolidation of precincts.

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to support our biggest industry — the arts. People move here because of the arts.

The commission is likely facing a budget deficit again next year. What is your position: raise the property-tax rate or find a way to cut expenses?

I understand we can’t spend more than we make. But they say the city has to be run like a business. What business doesn’t know that you have to spend money to make money? I’m willing to unbalance the budget

SNYDER / FROM 3A

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Costumed cuties parade around Ashton’s halls

The sarasota Observer THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

romantic notion

By Maria Amodio | Staff Writer

Princesses, pirates and even the Big Bad Wolf paraded around Ashton Elementary School for the Kindergartners’ Fairytale Parade Friday, Feb. 11.

The kids worked up an appetite after showing off their costumes and, following the parade, they sat down to a breakfast of French toast and strawberries in the school cafeteria.

Gavin Montisano shows off his muscles in a SpiderMan costume.

Anne Copland, Yvette Cusack, Suzie Leith and Stephanie Keeley

Photos by Dora Walters

The Oaks celebrates day of lasting love

By Dora Walters | Senior Editor

Having dinner at The Oaks Sunday, Feb. 13, to celebrate Valentine’s Day, was the choice of many couples. Single red roses, the traditional flower of love, were set on individual tables.

Many of the sweethearts were festive in shades of red and pink. As they dined, soft violin music added a bit of romance to the special evening.

Alyssa Baker and Maya Csuthy dressed as fairies.

Photos by Maria Amodio

Above: Sameon Klanot made a cheerful jester.

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We especially applaud Linda Roe Dickinson, who has been our top-producing individual agent for the last seven consecutive years; along with Kim & Michael Ogilvie, who in 2010 achieved top-producing team honors for the fifth time in the past seven years.

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Lovers take leisurely stroll down the lane The Siesta Key Village Association hosted its annual Valentine Stroll Friday,

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Love reigns at Stoneybrook Valentine’s dinner dance

By Loren Mayo | Community Editor

Stoneybrook Golf and Country Club held its Valentine’s Day Dinner Dance Saturday, Feb. 12. Members donned

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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Christi Frost 51054

Hours: Hours: Mon-Sat Mon-Sat 10-5 10-5 Sun Sun 11-5 11-5

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12A

Christi Frost got into sailing when she was 10 years old. Her now brother-in-law was teaching sailing, and once she got on the water, she never looked back. Frost, 17, is a junior at Pine View School and sails at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron for both her school and for the Sarasota Youth Sailing Team. Frost also teaches sailing during the summer as part of the Sarasota Youth Sailing program.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

My strengths are definitely upwind in big breeze and in light breeze, and what I think I need to work on is some of my downwind style in the medium breeze.

Do you travel for sailing?

I haven’t traveled internationally yet; I would love to. I’ve traveled all across the country. The most recent regatta I went to was in Miami — that was the biggest international regatta that I’ve sailed in.

What is your favorite part about sailing?

My favorite part about sailing is that it’s completely different every time you’re on the water, and it requires so much, both physical strength and mental strength, to remain focused and to incorporate all the aspects of what the wind and the weather are doing around you.

Rachel S. O’Hara

because the sailors going to the Olympics right now have already graduated from college, but I definitely think it is an aspiration to keep in the back of my mind and to continually strive for, at least to have a campaign for the Olympics someday.

Do you have dreams of sailing in the Olympics?

It’s definitely far in the future for me,

Visit our website to see a video of Frost and her sailing mate. www.YourObserver.com

52151

Do you know someone who would make a great Athlete of the Week?

E-mail Rachel O’Hara at rohara@yourobserver.com.

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This material has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not a solicitation of any offer to buy or sell any security or to participate in any trading strategy. The securities discussed in this material may not be suitable for all investors. The appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor’s individual circumstances and objectives. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney does not provide tax advice. You should consult with your own legal or tax advisor before making any tax-related investment decisions.

32 S. Osprey Ave. Suite 101, Sarasota Lic.# FL WO14498

51376

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51804

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COPS

13A

CORNER

Feb. 6

Road rage 7:55 a.m. — 1000 block of John Ringling Boulevard. Improper Exhibition of a Firearm. A driver going south on U.S. 41 near Gulfstream Avenue reported a man in a Jeep following closely behind her, honking his horn and flipping her the bird. She turned to go over the Ringling Bridge, and he followed her, still honking and gesturing. She said he drove up next to her and flashed a handgun, before speeding away. Police caught up to the man, and he admitted the confrontation.

He said, however, that he did not own a gun. He allowed an officer to search his car, and no gun was found. The man said he was upset with the woman, because she ran a red light at U.S. 41 and 10th Street. He defended his actions as appropriate under the circumstances. The officer told him his actions were not appropriate and that he should control his anger.

Feb. 7

Midnight meeting 1:36 a.m. — 5000 block of Circled Oak Drive. Grand Theft Auto. When a father went to check on his 15-year-old son about midnight, he noticed the teen was not asleep in his room and, in fact, he was not in the house at all. His wife’s car was also missing. The mom called the Sheriff ’s Office and told them to search near the boy’s girlfriend’s house. Sure enough, there was her son … and her car.

The boy was arrested.

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changed his shirt. He got into his car but forgot to get his wallet. After a few blocks, he realized his mistake. By then, the wallet was gone. The man drove back to his work and searched the parking lot, but his wallet was not there. One of his co-workers was standing outside at the time, and the man insisted the co-worker took the wallet. The co-worker denied the accusation.

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Feb. 8

Teenage angst

We’ll Keep an EYE on Your SKIN!

9:17 a.m. — 7000 block of Lago Street.

Criminal Mischief and Petit Theft. The operations manager of a park reported extensive damage due to vandalism. A trash-dumpster enclosure, four picnic tables, four garbage-can holders and two trash cans sustained large dents. Two other trash cans were stolen. The manager believed some neighborhood kids were responsible.

Skin Medica Chemical Peel Event Tuesday Feb. 22nd 2-6pm

DOCs Office RSVP 941-925-3627

Cash ’n’ carry 3:23 p.m. — 5400 block of Clark Road.

Suspicious Incident. A man walked into a bank and wanted to exchange $2,500 in $1 bills. A bank employee thought it was suspicious and told the man he’d have to open an account first. The man became belligerent and started to swear. He left, but the bank asked the Sheriff ’s Office if it would issue a trespassing warning against him. A deputy contacted the man and reported there was nothing suspicious about him. The man exchanged his money at a different bank.

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STONEYBROOK GOLF & C.C. Wonderful 4Bd/3BA home With spectAculAr vieWs of the 18th fairway featuring a fantastic kitchen with granite and,new stainless steel appliances. Home has plantation shutters, spacious mastersuite,built-ins, pool bath,hurricane shutters,heated pool & spa,newer ac system and 3 car garage. Paver brick drive & $499,000 walk, lush landscaping. Golf equity included. open house sundAY 8973 Grey Oaks Ave. shoWs like A model! Carlton Veranda overlooking lake & 17th fairway.Beautiful neutral large tiled floors, enclosed lanai, cathedral ceilings,gorgeous furnishings and beautifully decorated. New AC system, 1 car garage,steps frrom heated pool. Golf equity included. Renovated fitness center & Clubhouse. $219,000 sensAtionAl Golf & WAter vieWs overlooking the 3rd green and lake. 2BD + den 1st floor. Veranda in excellent condition with tiled flrs. 2 lanais, new ac system, turn-key, near heated pool, 1 car garage, full golf equity incl. $249,000 renovated fitness ctr. + clubhouse.

GreAt mAintenAnce free villA in Pebble Creek section, 2BR+den, crown molding, tiled flrs, huge walk-in closets, tropical setting, tiled lanai, heated pool + spa. Full golf equity included, stable commu$335,000 nity, debt free, fabulous clubhouse. fABulous 1661 sq.ft turn-keY.end unit verAndA overlooking 7th fairway.

2/3BR+Den,encl. tiled lanai,plantation shutters,cathedral ceilings,wet bar,built-ins,upgraded $313,000 tiled flrs.,garage. Full golf equity incl.renovated fitness ctr & clubhouse.

BeAutifullY decorAted And furnished 1661 Sq. Ft. End Unit veranda overlooking 7th fairway, 2/3BR + Den, chair rails, mirrored dining room, tiled flrs., walk-in closets, near pool + tennis. Golf equity incl. $309,000 Financially stable + debt free community. fABulouslY priced 2nd flr, turn-key furnished 2BD/2BA corner unit with a ”complete makeover”, fresh paint, new carpet, new appliances, new furniture, tiled lanai & much more. Full golf equity incl. stun$175,900 ning new grill room, renovated clubhouse. Assumable annual lease in place for 2011. fAntAstic 2/3Bd Veranda with outstanding water & golf views of the 7th green & lake.Features granite counters, upgraded cabinets,tiled flrs.,enclosed lanai, den with built-ins,new AC system close $244,900 to heates pool. Full golf equity incl.Debt free/financially stable community.

BriGht & cheerY 2BD/2BA true/end/corner unit on ground flr with golf views. Condo has brand new above average furnishings, newer carpets& AC system, freshly painted, extra windows for more light. Full golf equity incl. Renovated clubhouse with stunning new grill room. Assumable rental in$178,000 come in place for 2011 season. countrY cluB livinG At its Best!! Fabulous water & golf views from this 2BD/2BA Condo on 3rd flr. Extremely well maintained and beautifully furnished & decorated. Brand new appliances & AC system.Full golf equity incl. Steps from heated pool and short stroll to clubhouse. $172,900 Renovated fitness center & clubhouse.

Wonderful home w/ beautiful lake views, featuring sprawling tiled floors, cathedral ceilings, huge family room, spacious kitchen, corian counters, new fixtures, freshly painted, new carpet, hurricane shutters and large lanai. Golf equity incl. renovated fitness center & clubhouse. Debt free & financially stable community. $374,900 enJoY Golf & WAter vieWs plus morning sun & evening sunsets from this 1661 sq. ft. 2/3 with den Ab-

DING SALE PEN

November - April

SELL

51962

Conveniently located off of Clark Rd and near I-75

Visit our website to read more Cops Corner reports

5:06 p.m. — 5600 block of Swift Road.

Petit Theft. A man leaving work placed his wallet on the top of his car, while he

RENT

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bey Veranda on 18th fairway. Turn-key, cathedral ceilings, enclosed lanai, well maintained. Full golf equity incl. $304,000 Assumable rental income for 2011 season. Renovated fitness center and clubhouse.

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enJoY fABulous Golf & WAter vieWs from this well maintained 2BD/2BA top floor Condo on 3rd fairway. Beautifully furnished & decorated, tiled floors,cathedral ceilings,berber $177,900 carpets,fresh paint,new appliances,enclosed lanai. Golf Equity incl.

A sensAtionAl end unit ABBeY verAndA overlooking the 17th fairway, 2BD + Den with encl. tiled lanai,crown molding, wet bar,built-ins.beautifully decorated & furnished,mirrored dining, new ac, new appliances,hurricane shutters, full golf equity incl. renovated clubhouse & fitness Ctr. $313,900

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The sarasota Observer THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

14A

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U.S. Bank NA, trustee, sold the home at 1548 Harbor Place to Jake Cosme, of New Bedford, Mass., for $660,000. Built in 2002, it has four bedrooms, five-anda-half baths, a pool and 4,884 square feet of living area. It previously sold for $1.02 million in 2003.

SIESTA KEY

Siesta Bayside South

William Bowe, of Eau Claire, Wis., sold his Unit 1 condominium at 9201 Midnight Pass Road to Joseph and Michele Gallagher, of Wayne, Pa., for $600,000.

Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,632 square feet of living area. It previously sold for $1.05 million in 2005.

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NUMBER ONE AMATEUR

Sarasota Beach

Bob and Pam Kirscher, of Sarasota, sold their home at 303/305 Canal Road to Canal Road Properties LLC for $565,000. Built in 1968, it has two bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 1,920

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David Davis, of Sarasota, sold his Unit 54 condominium at 6006 Midnight Pass Road to Jeffrey and Lynne Panega, of Crete, Ill., for $214,000. Built in 1960, it has one bedroom, one bath and 600 square feet of living area.

Visit our website to read more real-estate transactions www.YourObserver.com

780 Sarabay Road, Osprey: 2BR, 2BA, 2CG + Florida Room, updated villa along the ICW. Boat docks available, tennis courts, $ community pool.

425,000

• 18 holes with cart

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Casa Mar

HERON BAY CLUB:

March 26 | Lakewood Ranch

Proceeds to benefit the

Allen and Candace Boyd sold their home at 5240 S. Winding Way to Kenneth and Barbara Peikert, of Floyds Knobs, Ind., for $420,000. Built in 1983, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,895 square feet of living area. It previously sold for $243,000 in 1998.

Christopher and Linda Driggs, of Sarasota, sold their home at 5233 Winding Way to Robert and Emeralda Stein, of Fort Myers Beach, for $211,000. Built in 1962, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 880 square feet of living area. It previously sold for $445,000 in 2005.

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Eric Pfaff, of Rocky River, Ohio, sold the Unit A-212 condominium at 8900 Blind Pass Road to Judith Campbell, of Carmel, Ind., for $420,000. Built in 1969, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 969 square feet of living area. It previously sold for $465,000 in 2010.

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OBSERVER CUP 2010/11

square feet of living area. It previously sold for $320,000 in 2001.

Twin Oak Pond

Lake Park

Thomas Vosburg, trustee, sold the home at 1719 Shoreland Drive to Glenn Duffy, of Sarasota, for $225,000. Built in 1968, it has two bedrooms, two-anda-half baths and 2,054 square feet of living area. It previously sold for $67,500 in 1975.

SARASOTA’S

Rachel S. O’Hara

The home at 625 Norsota Way has six bedrooms, seven baths, two half-baths, a pool and 6,077 square feet of living area. It sold for $5.9 million.

Fisherman’s Cove

Harbor Acres

For More Information go to:

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A home in Bay Island tops all real-estate transactions from Jan. 18 to Jan. 24.

Michael and Christine Hays, of Sarasota, sold their home at 625 Norsota Way to Hesham and Gwendoline Elnaggar, of Sarasota, for $5.9 million. Built in 2009, it has six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, two half-baths, a pool and 6,077 square feet of living area.

Mark Hazeltine, of Arlington Heights, Ill., Hugh Hazeltine, of St. Petersburg, and Anne Hazeltine, of Bloomington, Ill., trustees, and Donald and G. Allene Hazeltine, of Sarasota, sold the Unit 403 condominium at 5440 Eagles Point Circle to Alexander and Janine DeJesus, of Sarasota, for $799,100. Built in 1997, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,943 square feet of living area. It previously sold for $1.2 million in 2004.

UNCOUPLING IS HARD ENOUGH

SARASOTA: 1900 MAIN ST. SUITE 750 LAKEWOOD RANCH: 9040 TOWN CENTER PKWY. (COMING SOON)

The sarasota Observer THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

www.YourObserver.com

The sarasota Observer THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

RAINFALL

WEATHER MOON PHASES

Sarasota

Wed., Feb. 9 Thurs., Feb. 10 Fri., Feb. 11 Sat., Feb. 12 Sun., Feb. 13 Mon., Feb. 14 Tues., Feb. 15

0.00 0.30 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Month to date: 2011

0.78 in

2010 1.36 in.

Year-to-date:

2010 4.88 in.

2011 3.59 in

Feb. 18 Full

Feb. 24 Last

March 4 New

March 12 First

www.YourObserver.com

15A

WEEKLY WINNEr: CAMPUS OASIS

TemperatureS

Temps.

Record Temps.

Low High Low High Wed., Feb. 9 71 42 86 (1994) 28 (1995) Thurs., Feb. 10 67 57 84 (1986) 32 (1995) Fri., Feb. 11 60 49 86 (1994) 31 (1919) Sat., Feb. 12 62 44 87 (1959) 33 (1973) Sun., Feb. 13 67 41 86 (1959) 31 (1955) Mon., Feb. 14 68 40 85 (1997) 25 (1958) Tues., Feb. 15 73 40 88 (1975) 31 (1971) Average Gulf water temperature: 61

Larry McNally submitted this sunset photo, taken on the New College campus, overlooking the bay.

RED TIDE

Sunrise/sunset Sunrise 7:06 7:05 7:04 7:03 7:03 7:02 7:01

photo contest, sponsored by Cool Today. Please include where you took the photo when submitting photos, as well as your mailing address. Each week’s winner will receive a $50 restaurant gift card. Please send your photos to the Sarasota Observer, 1970 Main St., fourth floor, Sarasota, Fla., 34236, or e-mail them to nschwartz@yourobserver.com.

Visit YourObserver.com to click on our interactive weather button, which features current weather conditions, weather radar and a five-day forecast.

52544

Thurs., Feb. 17 Fri., Feb. 18 Sat., Feb. 19 Sun., Feb. 20 Mon., Feb. 21 Tues., Feb. 22 Wed., Feb. 23

PHOTO CONTEST: Enter your local sunset, sunrise or weather-related photos for The Observer’s weather

Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected alongshore or offshore Sarasota Friday, Feb. 11, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.

Sunset 6:23 6:24 6:25 6:25 6:26 6:27 6:27

T H E O B S E R V E R C R O S S WO R D Edited by Timothy E. Parker

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ARE YOU ALRIGHT? by Judith Hanks

ACROSS 1 Sound after coming up for air 5 Work monotonously 9 Coarse file 13 Undeserving of a padded cell 17 Where the ancient Greeks shopped 19 Talladega event 20 WWII convoy raider 22 On the rocks 23 In bad temper 25 On the warpath 27 “I’m always the ___ know!”

28 One with a wideopen mouth 30 Tangolike dance 31 Wriggly swimmer 32 ___-Eaters (shoe inserts) 33 Large swallow 34 Sprouted anew 37 Steady gaze 40 Wisest 44 Elegant and sumptuous 45 Fulfilled 47 In ___ (matching, as audio and video) 49 Appeared to be 51 Troublemaking toddler 52 Sound from a bay 55 At the summit 57 Wrap around 58 Good-humored parody 61 Jeopardy 63 Obligation 65 Where the flock may relax 66 Make inevitable 68 Beating the tag, for example 69 Nervous 72 Three-wheeled vehicle, for short 74 Gunpowder stuff 76 Unmovable

77 Upset 80 The sego lily is its flower 82 Name on the cover 85 Texaco’s business 86 Lose it 87 Missionary’s target 89 Beauty pageant wear 90 Partner of “desist” 93 Very light brown 95 Spanish address 97 Vocalist ___ “King” Cole 98 Key concept in criminal law 100 Trading day extreme 102 Word on an invoice 103 Eyeball 104 Farming machine 106 Nelson Mandela’s mother tongue 109 Jitters 111 Shaft entrance 113 Invisible glow 115 One opposed 116 It’s burned on the road 120 Spend, as energy 121 Icy moon of Jupiter 125 Bewildered 127 Hardly happy 129 Motel room 130 Canadian measurement of length 131 ___-steven 132 Vegetarian’s choice 133 Solidifies 134 “Aw, phooey!”

135 Park bench or recliner 136 Hunan frying pans

dOwn 1 Wilde’s “The Ballad of Reading ___” 2 Marine introduction?

3 They’re often pickled

4 One under another’s wing 5 Paid-to-play player 6 Key ___, Fla. 7 Groups of eight 8 Vlad the Impaler, e.g.

9 Essen’s region 10 Blood classification syst.

11 Short tenthgraders?

12 Some tropical trees 13 Talk with one’s hands 14 Zenith 15 Warm, so to speak 16 Centuries-old Icelandic work 18 Following 21 They connect to the knees 24 Very serious 26 Was shrewish 29 Notable time periods 34 Some cuts of beef 35 Try to dissuade with reason 36 Blubber 38 Scandinavian rug 39 VIP’s following 41 Eternally, in poetry 42 Nickels and dimes 43 Conical home on the prairie, once 44 Sax-playing Simpson 46 Gets even 48 The Nutmeg State (Abbr.)

50 Lifeless, as a party 53 19-Across based on car endurance 54 Spinner for the Spinners 56 “___ in Boots” 59 Belonging to both of us 60 Material for making glass 62 Stop pushing so

hard 64 Words with “goal” or “course” 67 ___ out a living (barely manages to survive) 70 Promote strongly 71 Brazilian monkey 73 White-tailed sea eagle 75 Some flight data 77 Places where lines meet 78 Bank claims 79 For every one 81 Straight or full house 83 Certain exams 84 Give stars to 88 Verb accompanier 91 Go out with 92 Ultimate goal 94 Disgusted reply 96 “___ Madness” (anti-marijuana film) 99 Yawn inducer 101 Elaborate fraud 103 Managed 105 Removed suds from 107 Upholstery materials, sometimes 108 Swing into town 110 Lounge lizards 112 Seed’s coat 114 Befuddled 116 Wildebeests 117 Top-notch 118 Huffy state 119 Chooses 120 Where the forbidden fruit was eaten 122 Scandinavian seaport 123 Reach a high point 124 Does sum work?

126 Write down the wrong answer, e.g.

128 It can make molehills out of mountains

Last weeks Cryptograms 1. A roofer had a bad reputation for messing up his contracts. He apparently climbed his ladder wrong by wrong.

2. A famously wacky scientist was known for being hands on. He wanted to drink some boiling water so he could whistle

Items Under $200 For Sale Items Under $200 For Sale

Boats Boats

CARDBOARD BOXES- For shipping.

CARDBOARD BOXES- For shipping.

18x18x28. I have 200 boxes. Sell for $1 18x18x28. I have 200 boxes. Sell for $1 each. 941-918-9171 each. 941-918-9171 COFFEE TABLE- Teak, Danish, rectangular, COFFEE TABLE- Teak, Danish, rectangular, large Sacrifice $200. 941-925-1074 large Sacrifice $200. 941-925-1074 EXERCISE EQUIPMENTSchwinn EXERCISE EQUIPMENTSchwinn Stationery Bike $100. Body Shaping Stationery Bike $100. Body Shaping +AbBlaster w/mat & CD $100. 941-349-5363 +AbBlaster w/mat & CD $100. 941-349-5363 FLOOR LAMP- 3 Swivel arms, polished FLOOR LAMP- 3 Swivel arms, polished chrome finish, with marble base. $65 Call chrome finish, with marble base. $65 Call 941-927-5331 941-927-5331 FURNITURE- SWIVEL/ Rocker Chair $200.

FURNITURE- SWIVEL/ Rocker Chair $200.

Pictures available. bmerrittl@comcast.net Pictures available. bmerrittl@comcast.net HOME SAFE. Sentry Model 1170.

HOME SAFE. Sentry Model 1170.

Fireproof. $50/OBO. 924-0876 Fireproof. $50/OBO. 924-0876 LEATHER FURNITURE- Off-white sofa and LEATHER FURNITURE- Off-white sofa and over-sized chair, $200. You must move it. over-sized chair, $200. You must move it.

941-539-7775 941-539-7775 LIONEL TRAIN Highway Flasher, Gray Work LIONEL TRAIN Highway Flasher, Gray Work Caboose, Searchlight car, pair 022 switches, Caboose, Searchlight car, pair 022 switches, all $195. 941-735-1452 all $195. 941-735-1452 REVERSE OSMOSIS drinking water system REVERSE OSMOSIS drinking water system

by Toma. Originally over $400. Selling for

by Toma. Originally over $400. Selling for $120. 941-923-6464 $120. 941-923-6464 SPEAKERS- EPI loud speakers $40. Model SPEAKERS- EPI loud speakers $40. Model #100 loud speakers, series 3. Component #100 loud speakers, series 3. Component stand $30. 941-320-3828 stand $30. 941-320-3828

TIP TOP Canvas Shop. Book now to be TIP TOP Canvas Shop. Book now to be completed before summer! Premium canvas completed before summer! Premium canvas shop featuring Makrolon semi-ridged shop featuring Makrolon semi-ridged windows for fly-bridge enclosures, aft deck windows for fly-bridge enclosures, aft deck enclosures and dodgers for sail and center enclosures and dodgers for sail and center console boats. Completed on time, on console boats. Completed on time, on budget and exceeding every expectation of budget and exceeding every expectation of discriminating boat owners. Dock side discriminating boat owners. Dock side service. 941-932-8872. service. 941-932-8872.

E-mail: TipTopCanvasShop@gmail.com E-mail: TipTopCanvasShop@gmail.com Web: TipTopCanvasShop.com Web: TipTopCanvasShop.com

Antiques/Collectibles Antiques/Collectibles

BUYING OLDER paintings; landscapes, BUYING OLDER paintings; landscapes, beach, watercolors, any subject. Early furnibeach, watercolors, any subject. Early furniture, oriental rugs, silver, etc. Quality items. ture, oriental rugs, silver, etc. Quality items.

Terry, 941-349-8560.

Terry, 941-349-8560.

Appliances Appliances

GE REFRIGERATOR- Arctica series, GE REFRIGERATOR- Arctica series, side by side. Dimensions approximately side by side. Dimensions approximately 69H, 36W, 27D. Thru door ice/water. Black 69H, 36W, 27D. Thru door ice/water. Black w/removable custom white front panels. w/removable custom white front panels. $400. 941-360-0700 $400. 941-360-0700

Boat Slips For Rent/Sale Boat Slips For Rent/Sale

LBK MOORINGS; 45’ slip LBK MOORINGS; 45’ slip by owner. Good monthly by owner. Good monthly 941-383-3103.

941-383-3103.

near bay for rent near bay for rent or longer rates. or longer rates.

Consignments Consignments

SARASOTA BARGAIN Center Thrift Store SARASOTA BARGAIN Center Thrift Store & Consignment Center. Furniture, & Consignment Center. Furniture, Appliances, Antiques, Collectables. 8000 sf Appliances, Antiques, Collectables. 8000 sf of consignments.

10am -6pm M-S. of consignments.

10am -6pm M-S. Consignments accepted. We buy & sell.

Consignments accepted. We buy & sell.

Delivery & pick up available. 1635 12th Delivery & pick up available. 1635 12th Street Sarasota, Fl. 34236. 941-812-0587 Street Sarasota, Fl. 34236. 941-812-0587 Credit cards accepted.

Credit cards accepted.

Classified Ads Bring Results 941-955-4888 Furnishings Furnishings DREXEL “BOMBE” China Cabinet $699.

DREXEL “BOMBE” China Cabinet $699.

Stanley Bar, Marble Top, 4 Stools. 3-piece Stanley Bar, Marble Top, 4 Stools. 3-piece Robb & Stucky Leather Sofa Group.

Robb & Stucky Leather Sofa Group.

5-piece Marble Top Home Office $799.

5-piece Marble Top Home Office $799.

Henredon Secretary Desk $899; Henredon Secretary Desk $899; 68” Detagon Aluminum Patio Table & 6 sling 68” Detagon Aluminum Patio Table & 6 sling chairs $599; 5-piece Rattan Dinette on chairs $599; 5-piece Rattan Dinette on casters $399; 3-piece White (Cottage) casters $399; 3-piece White (Cottage) Klaussner Wall Unit $850. Cherry Regency Klaussner Wall Unit $850. Cherry Regency Buffet “Baker” $699; 3-piece Sofa Group Buffet “Baker” $699; 3-piece Sofa Group (Lloyd Flander) $995. Herman Cherry Desk (Lloyd Flander) $995. Herman Cherry Desk & Hutch $245. Giant 4-poster Bed with & Hutch $245. Giant 4-poster Bed with Armoire & 2 marble-top night stands Armoire & 2 marble-top night stands (Collezione).

(Collezione).

Manatee Furniture Manatee Furniture 941-745-2596

941-745-2596 3015 1st St. (US Hwy 41) Bradenton 3015 1st St. (US Hwy 41) Bradenton

Garage/Moving/Estate Sales Garage/Moving/Estate Sales COMMUNITY SALE COMMUNITY SALE Saturday 8am-1pm Saturday 8am-1pm Woodside South Clubhouse Woodside South Clubhouse 7100 Bright Creek 7100 Bright Creek off Bispham between 41 & Gulf Gate off Bispham between 41 & Gulf Gate

Garage/Moving/Estate Sales Garage/Moving/Estate Sales MARBELLA COMMUNITY MARBELLA COMMUNITY Yard Sale Yard Sale Saturday. February 19, 9a.m.-2p.m.

Saturday. February 19, 9a.m.-2p.m.

Gates Open at 9:00 A.M. Gates Open at 9:00 A.M. Palmer Ranch Pkwy. Off So. Beneva Palmer Ranch Pkwy. Off So. Beneva or Macintosh Off Clark or U.S. 41 or Macintosh Off Clark or U.S. 41 Look For large yellow Signs Look For large yellow Signs MOVING SALE: 5230 Winding Way off MOVING SALE: 5230 Winding Way off Midnight Pass. Feb. 19th, 8a.m. Tools, Civil Midnight Pass. Feb. 19th, 8a.m. Tools, Civil War books, glasstop bamboo table with 4 War books, glasstop bamboo table with 4 chairs, and household items. chairs, and household items.

Health/Fitness/Beauty Health/Fitness/Beauty

EXERCISE BIKE, Schwinn- Recumbent, EXERCISE BIKE, Schwinn- Recumbent, onboard computer w/12 preset programs & onboard computer w/12 preset programs & custom options, hand pulse sensors, custom options, hand pulse sensors, padded seat & hand grips, transport wheels. padded seat & hand grips, transport wheels. $225. 941-360-0700. $225. 941-360-0700.

Motor Homes/RVs Motor Homes/RVs

MOBILE HOME 21 Twin Shores. Best deal MOBILE HOME 21 Twin Shores. Best deal on LBK. Turnkey, completely remodeled, on LBK. Turnkey, completely remodeled, access to Gulf and docking available. access to Gulf and docking available. $89,900 includes share price. 941-387-1232 $89,900 includes share price. 941-387-1232 or 941-388-7284. or 941-388-7284.

Musical Instruments Musical Instruments

BABY GRAND Piano and bench: Krakauer, BABY GRAND Piano and bench: Krakauer, 1930’s, refurbished in 1980’s, brown 1930’s, refurbished in 1980’s, brown mahogany. Superior condition and tuned. mahogany. Superior condition and tuned. $3500 o/b/o. 941-355-5220. $3500 o/b/o. 941-355-5220.

GUITAR- BASS 4 string Jay Turser Model, GUITAR- BASS 4 string Jay Turser Model, red +case+ amp. $325obo. Call for info: red +case+ amp. $325obo. Call for info: 941-915-9862 941-915-9862 PIANO- BALDWIN acrosonic Spinet with PIANO- BALDWIN acrosonic Spinet with bench. Maple, great condition. $650 obo. bench. Maple, great condition. $650 obo.

941-915-9862 941-915-9862

Good Things To Eat Good Things To Eat

Krystal’s Culinary Delights. Personalized Krystal’s Culinary Delights. Personalized Grocery Shopping and Low Fat, High-Taste Grocery Shopping and Low Fat, High-Taste Meals Prepared in YOUR Kitchen! Call Meals Prepared in YOUR Kitchen! Call today and receive a FREE 30 minute consultoday and receive a FREE 30 minute consultation with this ad! Contact Krystal at tation with this ad! Contact Krystal at 941-993-7302.

941-993-7302.

Investment Opportunities Investment Opportunities

INVESTOR WANTED - $125,000 for 24 INVESTOR WANTED - $125,000 for 24 months. 8% annual interest with payments months. 8% annual interest with payments monthly. Well secured. 941-306-6715. monthly. Well secured. 941-306-6715.

Storage Storage

THE THE LP LP

OBSERVER OBSERVER # 39521 # 39521

STORAGE FACILITY Boat/ RV/ Trailer.

STORAGE FACILITY Boat/ RV/ Trailer.

Secure facility, low monthly rentals, Clark Rd Secure facility, low monthly rentals, Clark Rd area. 941-809-3660, 941-809-3662 area. 941-809-3660, 941-809-3662

ADVERTISING SALES PERSON- FT. ADVERTISING SALES PERSON- FT. Established business seeks experienced Established business seeks experienced Telephone Sales Person for Business to Telephone Sales Person for Business to Business sales. Must be Internet proficient Business sales. Must be Internet proficient and have telephone sales experience. $14 and have telephone sales experience. $14 hourly. Monday- Thursday 9am-4:30pm. In hourly. Monday- Thursday 9am-4:30pm. In Office only. Start Immediately. 941-955-2500 Office only. Start Immediately. 941-955-2500

Homemakers/ Companions Homemakers/ Companions CNA’S/ HHA’S CNA’S/ HHA’S You Can Make a Difference. Help seniors

You Can Make a Difference. Help seniors stay independent. We provide: non medical stay independent. We provide: non medical care, personal care, meals, light housekeepcare, personal care, meals, light housekeeping, transportation & companionship. ing, transportation & companionship.

Flexible hours available- F/T, P/T, Overnight, Flexible hours available- F/T, P/T, Overnight, Weekends and Live-In. Positions available in Weekends and Live-In. Positions available in Sarasota/ Bradenton/ Venice. To work now Sarasota/ Bradenton/ Venice. To work now fax resume to 941-929-7438 or email: fax resume to 941-929-7438 or email: joanieck@comcast.net joanieck@comcast.net

REAL ESTATE AGENTS WANTED REAL ESTATE AGENTS WANTED

Star Realty Group has openings for Realtors Star Realty Group has openings for Realtors with proven track records. Generous with proven track records. Generous Compensation. Call Steven 349-0330 Compensation. Call Steven 349-0330

Positions Wanted Positions Wanted

L’S CLEANING Services, Etc. Residential/ L’S CLEANING Services, Etc. Residential/ Office, Move In/Out, Organizing, Pet & Office, Move In/Out, Organizing, Pet & House Sitting, Errands, Meals, etc. Daily, House Sitting, Errands, Meals, etc. Daily, Weekly, Monthly. 941-504-7868.

Weekly, Monthly. 941-504-7868.

Commercial Property For Rent Commercial Property For Rent

EXECUTIVE SUITES: South Tamiami Trail, EXECUTIVE SUITES: South Tamiami Trail, Gulf Gate area. Full service conference Gulf Gate area. Full service conference room. One month free rent. Wireless internet room. One month free rent. Wireless internet and utilities included. From $250/mo. Call and utilities included. From $250/mo. Call 941-923-6050.

941-923-6050.

Condos/Apts. For Rent Condos/Apts. For Rent

HIDDEN LAKES: 1BR/1BA, immaculate, HIDDEN LAKES: 1BR/1BA, immaculate, screened lanai, pool, tennis courts, weight screened lanai, pool, tennis courts, weight room, sauna. $615/mo. annual. No pets. room, sauna. $615/mo. annual. No pets.

374-3401.

374-3401.

PALM AIRE: 1BR/1BA, upstairs (private PALM AIRE: 1BR/1BA, upstairs (private entrance), screened patio, W/D, pool/ tennis entrance), screened patio, W/D, pool/ tennis available. Annual $650/mo. First/ security. available. Annual $650/mo. First/ security.

No pets. N/S. 366-3282, 355-3915 evenings/ No pets. N/S. 366-3282, 355-3915 evenings/ weekends. weekends.

PALMER RANCH condo: 1BR/1BA, PALMER RANCH condo: 1BR/1BA, $840/mo. Gated, W/D, new carpet/ paint, $840/mo. Gated, W/D, new carpet/ paint, pool, parking, gym, tennis. 941-302-0621. pool, parking, gym, tennis. 941-302-0621.

Condos For Sale Condos For Sale

2BR/2BA TOWNHOUSE: near Centre Shops 2BR/2BA TOWNHOUSE: near Centre Shops Tennis, pool, boat dock, beach access, Tennis, pool, boat dock, beach access, animal friendly. $247,000. 941-383-5781. animal friendly. $247,000. 941-383-5781.

This week’s crossword answers

Business Opportunities Business Opportunities

INTERESTED IN Sales? GREAT New Low INTERESTED IN Sales? GREAT New Low Cost Franchise Opportunity. Home based, Cost Franchise Opportunity. Home based, Low Startup, Low Overhead and Great Low Startup, Low Overhead and Great Income. waitinggamepublications.com, Income. waitinggamepublications.com, 877-444-WAIT (9248). Work for yourself!

877-444-WAIT (9248). Work for yourself!

www.yourobserver.com The The

Ready When You Are – Classified Ads, The Way to Sell

Thursday, February 17, 2011 Thursday, February 17, 2011 Help Wanted Help Wanted

BIG TYPE. BIG TYPE. EASY READ. FAST RESULTS. EASY READ. FAST RESULTS.

Observer Classifi Classifieds eds Observer 955-4888 955-4888

THE THE LP LP

OBSERVER OBSERVER # 39513 # 39513

The Observer THEsarasota SARASOTA OBSERVER THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

17A Classifieds 17A

CLASSIFIEDS

www.YourObserver.com

www.yourobserver.com

Thursday, February 17, 2011 Condos For Sale

Homes For Sale

Adult Care Services

Painting/Wallpapering

OPEN SUN 12-3PM

CNA/HHA WILL take care of your loved one.

Excellent references. Great rates. Flexible hours. Call 941-726-0392.

CARLO DATTILO PAINTING. Licensed & insured. Interior/ Exterior painting including drywall repair and retexturing. Wallpaper installation & removal, pressure washing.

Residential & commercial, condos. Honest & reliable. Free estimates. 941-744-1020.

35+ years experience.

IN HOME PERSONAL CARE

Experienced & Caring. Meal preparation, light housekeeping, errands, doctors appointments.

Excellent references.

941-961-4674

Auto Transport ENJOY THE Downtown Lifestyle at "1350 Main" the best location in town.

2BR/2BA with pool & city views, 1336 sf, wood floors, custom built-ins, $495,000.

2BR/2BA 1395 sf with dynamic Bay & Marina views from 40' terrace. This home has 12' ceilings, California Closets,murphy beds/desk unit in guest room, bamboo wood floors $559,000 2BR/2BA + separate dining room 1597 sf with wrap around terrace giving 180 degree view of Bay and Main St $599,000.

Call Michael Granston 941-504-8018 Prudential Palms Realty

Homes For Rent LUXOR MHP $425mo-1 bed/bath mobile homes.

55+ community. No Pets.

5811 14th St. W. Bradenton.

Sarasota Real Estate Assoc, Inc. Greg Nowak 941-809-6034

Homes For Sale

6 OPEN HOUSES IN ONE NEIGHBORHOOD! ROSEDALE GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB Gated, golf, clubhouse, tennis, No CDD Fees. SR70, BRADENTON. STOP AT Rosedale Realty Office at 5415 87th St. E. for map. 941-751-9070

Vacation/Seasonal Rentals ASHTON LAKES 2BR/2BA Clark Road, 2 miles from Siesta Key. Heated pool, tennis courts, walk to shopping. Available March & April or Annual.

Ashton Realty, Joe Bonsall, 941-923-1945 or cell 941-356-6356.

LBK: TIFFANY Plaza Beachfront Condos, 1st floor, 2BR/2BA, walk out to beach.

Beautifully furnished, heated pool, covered parking. 1 mo. min. 941-383-3338.

RENT SEASONAL/YEARLY- 2 BEDROOM, 2 BATH, 4TH FLOOR, GULF FRONT CONDO W/WRAP AROUND BALCONY @ SUNSET BEACH, LBK. 217-493-6216

Waterfront Property

3650 POND View Lane ~ $209,900 3BR/2BA/2CG -UPDATED! Gorgeous!

Move in ready, new stainless appliances, 1776sf. Quiet cul-de-sac, large fenced yard, minutes to downtown. Christina Magilson 941-388-2345. MY Realty Company CANAL FRONT Home, Siesta Key- 3/2 Split Plan, upgraded kitchen, new A/C, tile floors, well maintained, pre-inspected, ready to move in! OPEN EVERY SUNDAY 1 to 4. 5049 Higel Ave. $537,000.00 941-388-2460 YOUR SOURCE FOR SARASOTA REAL ESTATE www.LarrySellsSarasota.com LARRY BRZOSTEK RE/MAX Alliance Group.

941-993-3125

RETIRED LONGBOAT KEY police officer & associate. Drive your car to the North and back. 941-720-0426, 941-713-1596.

Cleaning A CLEANING EVEN YOUR MOTHER-INLAW WILL APPROVE! Every time, guaranteed! Licensed/Insured. Bonded. www.CleanTimeServices.com Pamela, 941-320-0023.

I come to your home or office.

 Bill Paying & Account Reconciliation  Organizing Personal and Business Files  Budgets & Financial Reports  Federal and State Tax Returns

CLEANING SERVICE- Home or Office, Daily, Weekly, Monthly. Quality Work!

Free Estimates. Call 941-301-3623 CUSTOM CLEANING for home, office, RV, boat. Eco friendly. Call Carolyn 961-0889 or Terry 966-2027.

FREE ESTIMATES! Call Dottie, detailed cleaning. 24 Years Exp. Lic./ Ins. Residential/ Commercial. Dottie, 941-321-6645.

HIGH-END HOUSEKEEPER/ NANNY House Manager. Thorough and meticulous.

Excellent references. Call 941-993-2517.

HOMEMAID CLEANING Service. Fourteen years on the Key. Reasonable rates.

LBK References. 795-1705, 401-835-0503.

BONDED & INSURED Over 25 yrs. experience Telephone: 941-749-5646 yourbookkeeper@tampabay.rr.com

Professional Services FREE TV SERVICE! Free Reception Report for your address. #1 Best HD. For equipment estimate call Set You Free TV 941-223-7887

INSTANT CASH GOLD Scrap Gold � Broken Gold Jewelry � Necklaces � Bracelets Charms � Rings � Class Rings

L’S CLEANING SERVICE, Etc. Free estimates. Your neighbors’ best kept secret!

Residential & Office, Move in/out.

Reliable, Friendly, Professional. Insured.

941-504-7868.

Kamax Corp.

3434 N. Tamiami Trail Sarasota, FL 34234 941-359-2868 (next to the Winn Dixie Plaza, 1 Block South of Myrtle)

Adult Care Services

Computer Services

Tile

A LENDING HAND

COMPUTER REPAIR, Installation and Training.

Fast and Reliable.

Call “The Computer Doctors”. 941-586-8535.

STEVE ALLEN FLOOR COVERINGS

COMPLETE IN-HOME PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL HEALTH CARE is available through ElderCare Services Unlimited.

Companionship/ caregiving, medical and non-medical, meal preparation, light housekeeping, transportation. Medicare/ Medicaid affiliated. 3 hours to 24/7. Lic. #30211372 Bonded/Insured.

941-377-4465, Eldercaresarasota.com

Flooring R.J. DAVIS WHOLESALE FLOORING: Sales & installation. Tile, stone, wood, pavers, laminates & Travertine. Specializing in exotic & design flooring. 18 years Lic./Ins. Low overhead low prices. Call me and I will absolutely save you money. Free estimates.

941-586-8996 ☺ .

Home Improvement/ Remodeling WATER HEATERS, faucets and small plumbing repairs. Reasonable rates. License #CFC1426756. 941-737-0349.

Get all 3 Observers for only $99 Stand out from the crowd and get widespread exposure with The Observer ‘Make Your Move’ real estate ad. Your ad will appear in all 3 Observers–reaching prime prospects in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Reserved Space LP Reserved Space

That’s over 53,500 in circulation and more than 110,000 readers!

You. Your Neighbors. Your Neighborhood.

Personal & Business Bookkeeping Accounting/ Taxes

TURN YOUR GOLD INTO CASH

SERVICES INCLUDE: Personal Care Help with Transportation Meal Prep Shopping and much more!

Companions & Certified Nursing Assistants available from 4 hours to 24/7.

Same Day Service Available.

Call for info: 941-809-3725 or 877-507-4040

The Observer

YOUR PERSONAL BOOKKEEPER, LLC Gail Sunray, Owner

HOUSE CLEANING, housekeeping, pet sitting, window washing. Excellent services

by European couple. 941-350-8072

BREATHTAKING WATERFRONT parcel.

Fully engineered, approved and ready for development of 7 SF homes and 5 boat dock on fabulous Palma Sola Bay. Or use all 3.9 acres for your own retreat. Will trade for waterfront Sarasota home or negotiate on sale. $1.8M Marcia Wood, Broker, marcia@marciawood.com 941-350-2285

The Longboat Observer The Sarasota Observer The East County Observer

Personal Services

  ANYTHING GOLD  

PROFESSIONAL TILE & MARBLE INSTALLATION 20 YRS. EXPERIENCE CALL FOR FREE ESTIMATE 726-1802 LIC/ INS

Tutoring NEED A TUTOR? Patient, experienced, teacher, K through 6th grade. Reading, math, writing, FCAT prep. Call Creative Classroom Solutions, 941-704-8658.

Buy Now

e l P M

Ad Specifications

Ad Size: 2.5” x 3” Photo size: 2.5” x 1.5” Avg # of words: 40 Full color available!

No logos.

Designate your headline.

To advertise your listing call (941) 955-4888 or email classified@yourobserver.com

A S

absolutely elegant home in silver oak.

Model perfect Biscayne floor plan by Bamboo Builders. One of best lots w/lake & Private Views. Over 3400 sq. ft. under air. 4 BD + den, 3 1/2 BA. Gourmet kitchen w/wood cabinets, granite counters, stainless appl. 3 car gar., large htd pool & spa w/outdoor kitchen. Built in 2001! $899,900. John Doe Real Estate.

John Doe

941-555-5555

18A Classifieds 18A

The sarasota Observer THE SARASOTA OBSERVER THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011 Thursday, February 17, 2011

CLASSIFIEDS www.yourobserver.com

www.YourObserver.com

ACCOUNTING

CUSTOM WOODWORKING

Sarasota Tax Planning

40 52184

All tax preparers are licensed to practice before the Internal Revenue Service.

Coupon is for Federal 1040 only. Additional schedules are extra.

ALTERATIONS/UPHOLSTERY

We consign ďŹ ne furnishings from Interior Designers and the Public.

DOG GROOMING

1416 Fruitville Road Sarasota, FL 34236

Frank Beck Upholstery

(941) 312-4126

Home Furnishing Restoration and Upholstery Specialist!

www.designersalley.com

In shop free estimates Pick up and delivery services available

LANDSCAPING & LAWN

ESTABLISHED 1975!

52742

941s 925 s 2447 ELECTRIC 941-756-5465

WILLS, TRUSTS, PROBATE, ELDER LAW Law OfďŹ ce of

Sharon M. Guy, P.A.

SMS Mobile Marine Service *36 )LVKILQGHU ,QVWDOODWLRQ ‡ 2XWERDUGV , 2ªV ‡ ,QERDUGV Call for appointment ‡ 941-232-3523

#USHIONS s 3LINGS s 5MBRELLAS HANDYMAN

Frustrated depending on unreliable servicemen?

COMPUTER

52734

(OUSEHOLD 2EPAIRS s 0AINTING s 4ILE s #ARPENTRY &ANS ,IGHT &IXTURES s 0RESSURE 7ASHING -ORE Licensed/Insured 941-544-0920 Free Estimates

52207

51766

Repair Express

CERTIFIED & INSURED

SALES & SERVICE NEW & REFURBISHED NETWORKING DSL AND CABLE SETUPS TRAINING BACKUP & RECOVERY SETUP, INSTALL, UPGRADE AFFORDABLE RATES

31 Years Experience, Prompt, Reliable Service, I Call Back My Customers, Keep My Appointments, AND Your Satisfaction is My Goal.

UĂŠ >ÀiÂ˜ĂŒĂ€ĂžĂŠEĂŠ >Lˆ˜iĂŒĂƒĂŠUĂŠ >Ă€>}iĂŠ Â?ÂœÂœĂ€ĂŠ-Ă•Ă€v>ViĂƒĂŠ UĂŠ Ă•ĂŒĂŒiĂ€ĂƒĂŠEĂŠ Ă•ĂŒĂŒiÀÊ7ÂœĂ€ÂŽĂŠUĂŠ Ă?ÂŤiĂ€ĂŒĂŠ/Ă€ÂœĂ•LÂ?iĂŠ-Â…ÂœÂœĂŒiĂ€ ĂŠUĂŠ,ÂœĂŒĂŒi`ĂŠ7œœ`ĂŠ,iÂŤÂ?>Vi`ĂŠUĂŠ Ă€ĂžĂœ>Â?Â?ĂŠ,iÂŤ>ÂˆĂ€ UĂŠ*>ÂˆÂ˜ĂŒÂˆÂ˜}ĂŠUĂŠ/ˆÂ?iĂŠUĂŠ Â˜ĂƒĂ•Ă€i`

52619

Call Anytime

941-536-1770

scottmwoolf1@gmail.com

U.S. DOT No. 1915800

LYLE’S HANDYMAN SERVICES No job is too small, We will do it all!

Servicing the Residental and Commercial Communities for over MENTION 25 Years THIS AD 10% OFF

LOCAL - LONG DISTANCE FREE ESTIMATES ) # # s $/4 &, -/6%23 )-

Dave McCarthy

‘Peace of mind is priceless’ Weekly Services from $15 (941) 928-0391 Karen@the-lyons.com

Phone (941) 704-4278 Fax (941) 538-3781

Operator/Owner

PAINTING

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52236

52240

Home Watch Services 51315

MO V I N G Dave McCarthy

HOME SERVICES

Lyon

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Fully Licensed and Insured

“Will move anything from a couch to a household�

52751

941-256-2027

lyleshandymanservice@hotmail.com

359-1904 We sell boxes!

Total Superior Maintenance

941-921-7552

MOVERS

SCOTT WOOLF HANDYMAN EXTRAORDINAIRE

PC & LAPTOP REPAIR

3204 Gulf Gate Dr., Sarasota (Across from the Library)

LAWN CARE

PATIO REPAIRS Furniture Sales & Repairs 941-504-0903

DOCKSIDE BOAT REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE

VIRUS & SPYWARE EXPERTS! LAPTOP REPAIR SPECIALISTS

365-2407

,%7)3 !6% s */(. -!'')% &2/34 /7.%23

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BOAT SERVICES

On Site or In Shop

%XPERIENCED s )NSURED 7ORKER S #OMP Lic. #RGLAN-SL-A1815

52745 38056

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www.YourObserver.com

Timing Is Everything There would be fewer real estate booms and busts if regions typically prone to these extremes—mainly within Florida and other Sunbelt states—weren’t so desirable as to periodically invite rampant, unsustainable property speculation. This happens to be the basic premise behind Brett Ahrends’ latest real estate column in the Wall Street Journal.

Entitled “Here Comes the Sunbelt” the article essentially blames Florida’s enviable winter weather for the up and down cycles that occasionally affect our state’s real estate markets. Ahrends then goes on to suggest that the exquisite timing of three horrific winters in a row—combined with the imminent retirement of the first of 77 million baby boomers—could be the perfect storm that ultimately revitalizes our local property market.

For sure, home buyers are combing Southwest Florida neighborhoods with a vengeance this winter; and doing way more than simply having a look-see. They’re buying in numbers we’ve not experienced in some time. Nevertheless, it takes more than the weatherman to explain why all this is suddenly happening now.

“This has been the third appalling winter in a row,” explains Ahrends to his readers. “And if you think this weather is miserable when you’re 50, just try it when you’re 75.”

Ahrends is suggesting that many Baby Boomers—though on the immediate verge of retirement—are woefully unprepared to meet the

financial challenges of their golden years. Therefore many of those who aspire to weather such as ours will want to conserve as much of their accumulated home equity as possible by opting for less expensive markets. Which, of course, would have totally excluded Southwest Florida just a few years ago.

At the height of our property boom in 2005, home prices here were at parity with such snowy and expensive metro areas as Chicago. Now with prices 40% (or more) below their highs, it’s as if the boom never happened; making Southwest Florida less than half as expensive as living in Manhattan or the Windy City. That’s a huge consideration, even for affluent retirees.

“In practical terms, the price gap today may be even wider than it appears,” Ahrends continues. “That’s because there now are so many foreclosures down here that an aggressive shopper can find ridiculous bargains.”

These days you don’t need a weather vane to decipher which way the economic winds are blowing. In addition to low housing prices and historically low interest rates more and more home buyers are discovering the incredible values in our market just as their own property markets and local economies are beginning to recover. A 2% reduction in payroll taxes, a vastly recovered stock market and a slow decline in the jobless rate are clearly behind the recent surge in discretionary spending on big-ticket items. The Dow Jones is above

12,000 for the first time since June 2008 and last week saw seven straight days of positive gains.

Meanwhile, perennially singled-out as one of the best places in the U.S. to retire, Southwest Florida’s has recently garnered even wider acclaim by being named one of the top places in the world to retire.

Author and essayist Ted Fishman, who has circled the globe to catch “a glimpse of a world population that is growing ever older,” concluded in his new book Shock of Gray that few American communities outside of Sarasota offer a more invigorating venue in which to age well. In his estimation, our region is doing everything “exactly right” to engage its aging demographic; in stark contrast to other communities which he says “often communicate to people in their 50’s and older that they are well past their use-by dates.” Meanwhile, an invigorated downtown— with its burgeoning arts and entertainment scene—is simultaneously attracting the younger demographic that used to pass us by.

Bouncing back from this “mother of all recessions” could never be fast enough to suit anyone. Still, all signs appear to be lining up at just the right moment to convert Southwest Florida’s first tentative steps toward recovery into much more confident strides. Who knew that Old Man Winter would also get into the act at just the right time by making Florida the only state in the Union to miss out on all the ice and snow? Timing, as they say, is everything.

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Diversions

A R T S | E N T E R TA I N M E N T | S O C I E T Y | F O O D | F A S H I O N | D é C O R

CHIP’S AHOY

The Observer www.YourObserver.com

thursday FEBRUARy 17, 2011

by Heidi Kurpiela | A&E Editor

Heidi Kurpiela

“We’re just taking it a day at a time on the road,” says Julie Hocker, pictured here helping her son, Sheffield, slip in to costume backstage at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.

Tea party Seven-year-old Sheffield Hocker has spent the past four months on the road playing Chip in the touring production of “Beauty and the Beast.”

T

he road can make an actor Harrison Ford one day. weary.

Living out of a suitcase gets old.

It doesn’t matter if Sheffield Hocker knows this — you’re a veteran of the stage or and he’s only in the first grade. a starry-eyed 7-year-old who Sitting backstage at the Van dreams of being as famous as Wezel Performing Arts Hall, the

Sarasota boy who has spent the past four months on the road with the national tour of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” has less than an hour to spare before the show’s 7 p.m. curtain call.

HOCKER CONTINUED ON PAGE 2B

INSIDE

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

COVER STORY

HOCKER from 1B Dressed in a blue Southside Elementary School cardigan, Sheffield, who left his classmates in October to join the 60-person cast and crew to play the musical’s precocious teacup Chip, looks sleepy.

“It’s hard,” Sheffield says of his new routine. “It’s a different schedule every day. You get a little bit busy, and sometimes you miss your friends.”

His mother, Julie Hocker, a gracious North Florida native with a sweet Southern accent, perks up.

She’s racked up the same miles as her son.

After Sheffield nailed his Chip audition in New York City earlier this fall, Hocker joined the tour to supervise and homeschool her son while her husband, Ken, a real-estate developer, stayed home to care for the couple’s 9-year-old daughter Zanna.

“It’s been a life-changing experience for the whole family,” Hocker says.

The comment feels like an understatement.

The whole family is together backstage at the Van Wezel. Though it’s only a meetand-greet room, the space feels like a living room. Not because it’s especially cozy, but because the Hocker family, curled up together on a loveseat, has unknowingly slipped into a state of domesticity, as if they might not get another opportunity to snuggle for a while.

The sound of the Beast (aka actor Justin Glaser) warming up his voice can be heard drifting down the hall. The sounds, sights and smells of a major theatrical production bring the Van Wezel’s concrete halls to life.

Zanna, who’s appeared in the Sarasota Ballet’s “The Nutcracker,” two Sarasota Opera productions and one Sarasota Youth Opera show, is shuffled off for a backstage tour of the performance hall.

“It’s more pressure to do the show here

DID YOU KNOW?

Heidi Kurpiela

Sheffield has played with his Legos in every dressing room on every stop of the tour. than anywhere else,” Sheffield says. “Because you know a lot of your friends are watching you.”

Several of the actor’s Southside classmates turned out for the Monday night performance. As the show let out, they bombarded Sheffield with hugs.

“Every time someone would walk over they’d have their arms out like this,” Sheffield says, spreading his arms wide to demonstrate a bear hug.

“I think they miss you,” his mother interjects.

The Florida leg of the tour is almost over.

“Beauty and The Beast,” which touched in Sarasota last week, will send Sheffield and Hocker off to Springfield, Mo., in two days.

To date, Sheffield and 8-year-old Chip alternate Sebastian Thomas have performed in a combined 136 shows in more than 20 cities across the United States.

In the 16 years Disney has toured the production, Sheffield is the youngest Chip to ever be cast.

“It makes me feel very unusual,” Sheffield says.

In two days, Sheffield and Hocker will

hop a plane to Kansas City, Mo. and then board a bus bound for Springfield, Mo., where Sheffield will perform in a threeday run at Hammons Hall, followed by five days at the Civic Center Music Hall, in Oklahoma City.

In between these two stops, he and his fellow Chip castmate will perform a song and dance skit at a cabaret fundraiser with the rest of the “Beauty and The Beast” cast.

The tour, which has no end date yet, will likely carry on into the summer.

“We’re not like those stage parents you see that force their kids into performing,” Ken Hocker says. “Sheffield loves it. He wanted to audition for Chip. He saw his sister in the opera, and he wanted to be on stage, too. When he gets up there, he just lights up.”

Other than “Beauty and The Beast,” Sheffield has performed in a talent show at Southside Elementary, a small holiday revue at The Players Theatre and last year’s Sarasota Youth Opera production of “The Black Spider.”

As tired as he appears right now, he says he has no intentions of hanging up his teacup costume anytime soon.

 “Beauty and the Beast” is the seventh-longest running production in Broadway history.  In 2006, Sarasota child actor Austin Abrams played Chip in the Golden Apple Dinner Theatre’s production of “Beauty and the Beast.” Abrams has since gone on to star in the Cuba Gooding Jr. thriller, “Ticking Clock.”  Bradley Pierce, who voiced the original Chip in Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” cartoon, went on to star in the Robin Williams flick, “Jumanji.”

“I want to be on Broadway when I grow up,” Sheffield says. “It’s a real fun job. You get to see a different city almost every week and perform in front of a million, zillion, thousand people and play Legos in the dressing room.”

He fidgets in place, slips his Airwalk sneakers on and off and nestles up beside his father. His hair, dyed bright copper for the role, is disheveled.

Ken Hocker slides over to make room for his son on the loveseat. Sheffield, however, is more interested in sitting on the floor, where he ties and unties his father’s shoes and quietly announces that he’s run out of words for the evening.

His parents gently goad him into answering one last question: What has playing Chip taught him?

“To be on time,” Sheffield answers.

“That’s pretty much it.”

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Diversions ■ 3B

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

COLUMN

art scene HEARD

+ Radioheads rejoice over new WUSF studio WUSF Public Media proved that radio hasn’t killed the classical music star.

Following much fanfare, the public Heidi Kurpiela broadcasting Russell Gant station cut the ribbon Feb. 10 on its new studio space at USF Sarasota-Manatee.

The studio, which will serve as a new broadcast and production studio for WSMR 89.1, will expand the Tampa-based station’s broadcasting capabilities in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

by Heidi Kurpiela | A&E Editor

+ Wirries sells out her first solo show The Maria Wirries Fan Club is still raving about the teen’s Feb. 6 solo concert, at Faith Lutheran Church.

True to her showstopper reputation, Wirries belted out a sundry mix of songs, including “God Bless America,” “Scotland the Brave,” “Don Quixote” and the Dolly Parton classic, “Coat of Many Colors.”

And, if that weren’t enough, the Haitian-born Wirries sang in English, Italian, Gaelic and French.

The concert, which marked Wirries’ first solo concert in Sarasota, raised more than $5,000 for Faith Lutheran Haiti Missions.

Following the performance, the 13-year-old East County resident was asked to perform in two more upcoming Haiti benefits.

“It was incredible,” Wirries says.

“I didn’t expect to see so many

WUSF, which serves as the NPR station for West Central Florida, switched its daytime classical programs to WSMR earlier this fall after purchasing the Sarasota-based Christian station from Northwestern College.

“The new studio offers so many opportunities to bring this community closer,” says Russell Gant, WUSF’s classical music director.

“So many local musicians were making the three-hour trip back and forth to Tampa. Now we’ll be able to host more live performances.”

An ensemble from the Sarasota Orchestra has already booked the studio’s first on-air slot. Tune in this April for the studio’s first live recital.

+ Harvard dance director joins Carreño staff File photo

Singing sensation Maria Wirries

people. I walked out on stage and I almost screamed, which would have been embarrassing since it was my concert.”

Wirries, whom The Observer featured on the Jan. 20 cover of Diversions, credits her cover-girl exposure for the spike in ticket sales.

“A lot of people showed up because they saw me in the paper,” says the singer. “It was so cool.”

The Carreño Dance Festival continues to pad its summer faculty with A-list dance insiders.

The latest addition to the Carreño dance staff: former Harvard dance Director Elizabeth Bergmann.

Bergmann recently retired to Sarasota after serving 11 years in Harvard’s Office for the Arts.

A graduate of the Juilliard School, Bergmann, a former dancer, taught in New York, Florida, and Michigan, where she devel-

oped a dance department at the University of Michigan.

Registration is still open for the festival’s summer intensive Courtesy photo workshops.

Elizabeth With Bergmann Bergmann’s name added to the roster, classes are sure to fill up fast.

the experience, including a board member from a high-profile opera company, the tour didn’t net as many takers as organizers had hoped.

It turns out that many potential tourists had already scheduled travel plans for February.

So, what now for the 300 ambassadors who signed on to “sell” the trip to out-of-town family and friends?

The Community Foundation says it’s “postponing the trip in favor of a larger group in 2012.”

+ Arts Discovery Tour postponed until 2012 After nearly four months of rounding up ambassadors for its Sarasota Arts Discovery Tour, The Community Foundation of Sarasota has decided to put its four-day VIP cultural tour on hold.

The tour, which was originally

scheduled for the end of February, included stops at the John and Mable Ringling Museum, the Asolo Repertory Theatre, the Sarasota Orchestra, the Sarasota Opera and Florida Studio Theatre.

Although 10 people signed up for

HOT TICKETS

Matt Facciolla

Courtesy photo

Matthew Facciolla at The Loft: Talented

musicians abound in Sarasota, and somehow they’re always linked to an Allman brother. Matthew Facciolla is no exception.

The rocker will perform at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19 with “Dangerous” Dan Toler, former guitar player for The Allman Brothers Band, at The Loft Ristobar on Fruitville Road. Still not sold? Facciolla, who’s set to release his latest album this June, recorded three songs for the independent zombie flick, “The Final Night and Day,” which was shot last year near his hometown in Buffalo, N.Y. For more information, call 312-6994.

52416

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

BACKSTAGE PASS by Heidi Kurpiela | A&E Editor

Chorus line

Eight months into his new gig as director of Chorus of the Keys, Chris Owens says that even when he’s conducting, he’s singing in his head.

Chris Owens is standing in front of Chorus of the Keys at First Baptist Church, in downtown Sarasota.

Commanding a sea of men on risers, Owens leads the group through the Everly Brothers’ “All I Have to Do Is Dream.”

When the refrain kicks in, two men step forward and begin to strum air guitars as the rest of the chorus croons and swoons to the song’s familiar lyrics.

From his spot in front of the risers, Owens gestures wildly and points to his open lips.

The singers dutifully project their voices, creating the nostalgic harmonic sound audiences have grown to expect from the 61-year-old barbershop chorus.

Even the men playing air guitars begin to strum with more vigor.

A small audience has gathered for the weekly rehearsal. They sit on folding chairs, bobbing their heads to the a cappella music.

In the middle of this, Owens’ cell phone rings. He takes the call.

It’s his teenage step-daughter, who’s calling to report that her 10-year-old brother is not helping dry the dishes.

The conversation lasts all of 10 seconds; long enough for Owens to solve the matter and return to directing the last refrain of “Dream.”

As he stuffs the cell phone back into his

OWENS’ FAVORITE BARBERSHOP MELODIES

Heidi Kurpiela

‘Sweet and Lovely’

“The chorus’ main goal is to entertain the audience,” Chris Owens says. “My goal is to make sure people get that goose bump-y feeling on their arms.”

“You’ve gotta sing it to understand it. It’s like eating the best ice cream.”

IF YOU GO

‘After You’ve Gone’

Sarasota Chorus of the Keys will perform its 61st annual show, “Classic Harmonies You Love to Hear,” at 2:30 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, at the Riverview Performing Arts Center. For tickets, call 484-7589 or visit www. chorusofthekeys.org.

“It’s fun, fast and drives all the way to the end. It’s about a breakup, and the song just keeps going and going.”

‘On a Wonderful Day Like Today’

“Every time we sing it, it’s like we’re doing it just to get to the grand finale, like playing a whole game of football just to score in the end zone.”

pants pocket, he apologizes for the interruption. The guys, however, don’t seem to notice. They’re still belting out the Everly Brothers.

Only his 14-year-old step-son, Ben Lovett — the youngest member of the chorus — acknowledges the phone call with a nod and a smile.

Though only eight months into the job,

Owens, 51, seems to have attained a comfort level some directors take years to hone.

“I’ve got a full plate,” he says. “But when I’m dog-tired, this chorus lifts me up. These guys are funny. They don’t care what they say or how they say it and they just crack me up. Plus, they sing well.

They take instruction well, and they’re not afraid to tell me when I’m wrong.”

Owens has spent his entire life making music.

The band director at Heron Creek Middle School, Owens, a Bradenton resident

and father of four, is also the director of Englewood’s Lemon Bay Chord Company.

Until recently, Owens, a baritone, sang in a Sarasota barbershop quartet and ran a music ministry program in Bradenton.

He dropped out of both this year to focus on his new role with Chorus of the Keys.

Rather than dive into all-new songs for his first concert as director, Owens decided to choose several audience favorites, including The Beatles’ “Yesterday,” Man of La Mancha’s “The Impossible Dream,” Disney’s “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” and The Beach Boys’ “Barbara Ann.” As a member of the chorus for two years, Owens say she has a keen sense of what the guys like to sing and the audience likes to hear.

And, contrary to what you might think, he doesn’t miss singing.

“When I’m directing, I’m still singing in my mind,” Owens says. “Sometimes, I sing under my breath. I can’t help it. The music is just too good.”

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HIGHLIGHTS by Heidi Kurpiela | A&E Editor

Crafty ladies spill tricks of the trade

vorite. I like his watery images.

They calm the soul.”

Meyer: “Spontaneity. I can’t follow directions. This goes for everything — cooking, getting up in the morning, you name it.

I plan too much in advance.”

Johnson: “That feeling you get when you open a jewelry box with the little ballerina spinning on top. No matter how old we get, we still love shiny, sparkly things.”

Five female artists from last week’s ‘Fabulous Arts Boutique’ at Art Center Sarasota explain why they love working with their hands.

If you were in the market for handmade goods last week, the “Fabulous Arts Boutique” at Art Center Sarasota was the place to be.

The downtown arts center played host to members of Surface Design of Sarasota, Manatee Weavers’ Guild, Florida West Coast Bead Society and the Venetian Society of Basket Weavers.

Among the Sarasota arts and crafters were artists Marge Schemanski, Lois Mills, Karen Johnson, Betsy Meyer and Kathie Hayes — a chatty five-some with enough creative juices to power their own four-day arts festival.

If you don’t believe me, just ask Mills, a soft-spoken weaver, whose business card reads: Lois Mills, weaver and maker of buttons.

Said Mills: “I had an art critic tell me once that I mix yarns like a painter mixes paint. That’s exactly what I strive for.”

What materials are you drawn to?

Johnson: “Pearls and natural

stones. I like anything that represents the sea.”

Hayes: “Fiber and beads.

There’s something about working your hands over them.

They’re soothing just to hold.”

Mills: “Yarn. I’ve been weaving for 35 years. From the first shuttle I threw, I was hooked. It spoke to me. I knew I could do with it whatever I wanted.”

Meyer: “Knitted and crocheted fibers.”

How has your art evolved over the years?

Schemanski: “When I started basket weaving in 1985, primitive country-style was very popular. It’s gone out of style since.

Country baskets have become much more sophisticated, which is why I’ve embraced a contemporary version of the Nantucket basket.”

Hayes: “Three years ago I started creating something called a free-lace scarf. Basically, you sandwich together paper, yarn and transparent film. You sew over it with a sewing machine,

Do you have a favorite piece?

Photos by Heidi Kurpiela

Meyer: “I did a whole series of free-form knitted animals and dolls: a puffer fish, an emu, an octopus, a fallen angle and a dancer.”

Artists Lois Mills, Betsy Meyer, Kathie Hayes, Marge Schemanski and Karen Johnson drop it in water, and the paper dissolves. I’m wearing one now.”

Johnson: “I worked for a long time as a manager at a battered women’s shelter. I used all my creativity for them, so I wasn’t artistic for a long time. When I moved to Florida, I promised myself that I’d get back into art.

It was my first love.”

Do you ever buy what you can make from a department store?

Hayes: “Very rarely. I will make a pair of earrings if I need something to go with an outfit for an event.”

Johnson: “If I buy jewelry from a store, it’s because I’m foraging beads. I tend to take things apart and rework them.”

Schemanski: “You should absolutely buy from the artist.

These sound like good gifts for grandchildren. Do you Some people are very content have any? to buy a basket at Michael’s, but the people that are here tonight appreciate handmade goods.”

What item is the hottestselling tonight?

Meyer: “I made these paper roses out of cut magazine pages. They seem to be making the biggest splash.”

Johnson: “Typically, the first night we sell a lot of woolen goods, because we get a lot of weavers looking for fabric materials.”

Schemanski: “My purses. Wearable art is very popular.”

Meyer: “I have four grandsons. But these are art dolls.

They’re much too expensive for children!”

“There’s a lot more woodworking involved than people realize,” says Marge Schemanski of her Nantucket baskets.

What inspires you?

Mills: “Monet. He’s my fa-

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

EDIBLES: Guest Food Editor by Molly Schechter | Food Editor

Megan Greenberg Megan Greenberg says she is a “momtaught cook,” who has been cooking since she was a little girl in Fort Pierce. When she went away to college, she pursued more than academics.

“I realized I didn’t want to eat ramen noodles all the time, so I stepped it up a bit in the kitchen,” she says.

The more she learned about cooking, the more she loved it. Today, her primary occupation is a freelance production coordinator/project manager, but she has recently started to offer personal chef services under the name “Megan Cooks for You.” What Greenberg cooked for The Observer was a lovely, light entrée that looks intimidating but is easy to prepare.

Flounder en papillote is really just fish baked in parchment paper, which you can buy in the supermarket.

“You cut up some herbs, throw some fish on top and cook it,” she says.

The paper wrap contains the moisture, so the fish is enveloped in seasoned stem for a delicious result that requires remarkably little effort by the cook. Greenberg’s entire menu can be prepared in 45 minutes plus or minus, including prep time.

You can use this method with other firm-fleshed white fish, such as halibut or cod. Flounder is typically the least expensive at around $15 per pound, so you can serve dinner for four, including side dishes, for less than $30. Greenberg buys her fish from Whole Foods. She unwraps it before serving, but you can plate the fish still in its paper and let diners open their own if you like. The wrapping technique is easy; see how Greenberg does it in a video at YourObserver.com.

Greenberg’s tastes run to the fresh and

TM

RECIPE

Flounder en papillote (Serves four)

8 scallions, white part thinly sliced crosswise; green tops reserved 12 cilantro sprigs, leaves removed and chopped, stems reserved 4 flounder fillets (total 1 pound) Coarse salt Freshly ground pepper (can use white pepper) 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter 1 teaspoon ginger juice* 3 tablespoons light sesame oil or walnut oil 1/4 cup soy sauce

Flounder en papillote with sautéed kale and jasmine rice *Ginger juice is available at Whole Foods in the Asian aisle. Greenberg uses the Ginger Man brand, which is all-natural and shelf stable. It costs about $3.

Photos by Rachel S. O’Hara

Guest Food Editor Megan Greenberg

Mise en place

MORE INFO

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Prepare four 10-inch squares of parchment paper and fold in half. In the center of each piece, make a bed of scallion tops and cilantro stems. Season the fish fillets on both sides with salt and pepper, and place one fillet on top of each herb bed. Scatter the lemon zest over the fish, and top each fillet with one tablespoon of the butter.  In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, ginger juice, sesame oil and soy sauce. Spoon the mixture over the fish. Fold the squares in half diagonally and seal all the edges by crimping them together. Put the packets on a cookie sheet.  Put the sheet in the oven and bake until the packets puff slightly — eight minutes 

Visit Greenberg at MeganCooksForYou.com.



“less frou-frou.” She uses nothing processed and believes “cooking light is not just steamed carrots; healthy food can be both decadent and flavorful.” Her favorite cuisines are French and Italian; her passions include the judicious use of butter, cream, garlic, wine and lemon.

“Megan Cooks for You” services range from baking cookies and family dinners to catering private parties.

“I would like to be a fixture in someone’s home and get to know their likes and dislikes,” she says.

Fish ready to be wrapped

Opening the packet

for thinner fillets, 10 minutes for thicker.

Remove the packets from the oven.  To serve, cut open each packet, being careful not to spill any liquids and avoiding hot steam that may escape as you open it.

Use a slotted spatula to transfer one fillet to each of four dinner plates, leaving the herbs behind. Pour cooking liquid from the packets into a bowl, and spoon some over each fish. Scatter chopped cilantro and sliced scallions over the fish. Serve immediately.  You may substitute flounder with any fish of your liking, preferable a white fish, such as Asian striped bass, halibut or cod.

Pair with sautéed kale with olive oil and garlic and a side of jasmine rice with mint.

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REVIEW

Music Opera: ‘Don Giovanni’ servant, reads the immense list of his master’s amorous conquests to Donna Elvira — herself another acquisition of Giovanni who’s been savored and dumped — there’s laughter and sadness in her plight, especially when Leporello tells her that in Spain he’s had a mere 1,003 women … (“Ma in Ispagna son già mille e tre”). And their names, ages and measurements are all listed in his little black book.

Stage Director Peter Kozma managed to combine Mozart’s wondrous sense of humor with the pathos of the characters and made them flesh-and-blood humans who happened to be singing as they told us their tales. The second act was a bit more static than necessary, but the overall energy kept the story moving with funny and poignant bits of acting adding to each character’s delineation.

David P. Gordon outdid himself with a set that cleverly opened and closed, revealing palaces, gardens, courtyards, cemeteries and intimate and formal interior rooms. Ken Yunker’s lighting illumined those sets deftly, while Howard Tsvi Kaplan’s costumes seemed historically correct while also flattering the various body types on stage.

Vocally, this was one of the finest casts we’ve seen in this opera.

Lee Poulis makes a lithe, young,

virile Don Giovanni who shows no trepidation or apprehension about his inordinately twisted lifestyle, until he grasps the icy hand of the Commendatore’s ghost and is plummeted into the fiery depths of the netherworld. Benjamin Gelfand’s Commendatore was stalwart and gratifyingly unwavering (something that cannot be said of some others in this role, who display such a wide vibrato one wonders how the stone in which they’re cast hasn’t shattered like cement in an earthquake).

Andrew Gangestad keeps getting better and better as Leporello, displaying a flair for comedy while his beautifully colored voice soars across the footlights with depth and substance.

Joshua Kohl, whom we last saw as Tamino in last season’s “Magic Flute,” has a brilliant tenor that, like last year, resounds and pings in ensembles but seems a little choked in solo arias. Still, his “Il mio tesoro” was a masterpiece of breath control and lovely line.

Patrick McNally, a most promising Studio Artist, had just the right blend of bumbling peasant and heroic lover to make his Masetto endearing.

Sarah Asmar, another Studio Artist, is not just another pretty face or voice. Her clear, well-produced soprano balanced charmingly with her excellent under-

Courtesy photo

Christina Pier and Lee Poulis in Sarasota Opera’s “Don Giovanni.” standing of her role to make her a delightful Zerlina, the innocent peasant willing to be seduced by the Don but also wise enough to know Masetto is the better man.

Danielle Walker’s Donna Elvira had just the right touch of a woman scorned melded with a loving tenderness to make her a sympathetic, rather than a wimpy, woman. Her “Mi Tradi” held just the right combination of fury, moral rectitude and pity to make her a vocally and emotion-

ally interesting character. And Christina Pier’s radiant voice and firm resolve to seek vengeance made her Donna Anna shine.

This “Don Giovanni” was exceptional in all ways, especially in the beautiful musical ornaments that were added to every aria by every character. They were stylistically correct and perfectly conceived, giving those of us with a past history of this opera a chance to hear it again for the first time.

— June LeBell

50169

Every once in a while, I have to wonder, “What would Mozart think?” I got an answer at the season’s opening of “Don Giovanni” Saturday evening, because, in the production by Sarasota Opera, Mozart’s masterpiece was probably as close to its original concept as you could get. The result was an evening of truly satisfying music-making and theater.

Conductor Anthony Barrese kept the music going at a clip that was just a little faster than most other productions and recordings, but never so fast that the singers couldn’t breathe and phrase beautifully. The orchestra’s ability to play at that pace showed off its remarkable facility. And, in all, it was three of the shortest, most enjoyable hours we’ve spent in the theater in a long time.

Mozart called this opera a “Dramma Giocoso,” meaning it’s to be played as a serious work with humor. Lorenzo Da Ponte played with that dichotomy by making each of his characters a contradiction in human emotions, with Don Ottavio pushing his fiancée, Donna Anna, to marry him seconds after her father’s murder at the hands of Don Giovanni, who’d just attempted to rape Anna. Not the best of times for a marriage proposal, so, in its untimeliness, it becomes amusing.

When Leporello, the Don’s

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Company Men’

Actor/director/producer/ writer Ben Affleck is a guy who grows on you. I n his directorial debut, “Gone B aby Gone,” I was stunned by his talent. Prior to that, his acting ability and choices left me cold (Think “Gigli” and “Jersey Girl”). I n the new film, “The C ompany M en,” Affleck proves that he can be as brilliant in front of the camera as he is behind it.

The film’s storyline is an all-too-familiar one in today’s economy: corporate downsizing. Affleck plays B obby C ourtesy photo W alker, a 37-year old hot-shot Tommy Lee Jones and Ben Affleck in “The C ompany Men.” corporate executive who’s got it all. W hen he suddenly gets fired from his six-figure salaried job, his it their all. Affleck (who was also terrific world falls apart. I t gets so bad that he’s in “The Town” last year), C ooper (who forced to move his family out of his manreceived an O scar for “Adaptation”) and sion and into his parents’ home.

Jones (who received an O scar for “The B obby’s not the only one to get axed.

Fugitive”) are the guys who make this film Phil W oodward (the excellent Chris great. B ut the gals involved soar as well.

Cooper), a 30-year veteran with the comMaria Bello (“The C ooler”) is sexy slick pany, and Gene M cC lary (Tommy Lee as the corporation’s purveyor of pink slips.

Jones), top executive and co-founder of And Rosemarie DeWitt (“R achel Getting the business, also receive their walking M arried”) shines as B obby’s loyal wife, papers. CEO and Gene’s “best friend” providing the emotional glue and hope that (Craig T. Nelson) becomes the guru of keeps the family together. greed when we realize the layoffs weren’t I ’m not certain that “The C ompany meant to keep the company afloat but to M en” can make us feel sorry for wealthy keep stock prices high in a bid to restrucpeople who lose everything. I ts message ture. seems to be on a more universal level, one O ne might pose the question: Does “The that ponders the concept that sometimes C ompany M en” qualify as entertainment our own self-importance may, in fact, be in this stormy climate of foreclosures and fictitious. I t also tells us to be aware. You high unemployment? And the answer is may not be that which you do. yes, if you appreciate fine actors giving — Pam N adon

SARASOTA ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION PRESENTS

MASTERWORKS

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SHOWCASE A TOUR OF LUXURY HOMES OPUS I Friday, March 4, 2011 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

A Frolic in The Oaks and Casey Key

OPUS II Saturday, March 5, 2011 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

A Frolic on Bird Key and St. Armands

Tour 10 magnificent homes in the area’s most sought-after neighborhoods and support our Sarasota Orchestra and its Youth Orchestra Program.

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REVIEW

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COLUMN

black tie tales

+ Black Tie Affair 12th annual Fat Tuesday Street Party Goodwill Industries • 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 8 • Michael’s On East • Tickets $100; patron $200 • Reservations 3552721, Ext. 113

by Molly Schechter | Social Editor

+ Let me call you sweetheart Renowned baritone Dominic Cossa, now retired and a professor of voice at University of Maryland, is the first man to be selected as its sweetheart by the Sarasota Opera Guild. He charmed many a guest at two recent events in his honor. Among them: opera board member Elayne Kalberman, who was certain she had heard Cossa sing at the Met but wasn’t sure what role. She asked him, “Did you sing Pagliacci at the Met in the early ’70s?” His reply: “Thousands of times.” See more photos on page 13 and online at www.YourObserver.com.

This Sarasota favorite sells out virtually every year, and it is well on its way to doing so again with only a few reservations remaining at press time. Co-Chairs Stephanie Hannum and Molly Klauber got it off to a good start with a charity bartender pre-party last fall. The town loves the event for its fabulous New Orleans food, for its freedom of dress

+ The elemental Element Au Molly Schechter

Dominic Cossa and Elayne Kalberman

+ Tidbits One Woman in Power is enough … the wise-and-wonderfully-community-minded Matthew Bower, managing director of PNC Wealth Management, in Sarasota, is changing the name of his bank-sponsored luncheon series from “Women in Power” to “Women in Partnership” ... Heartwarming housewarming … Barely three months after moving into a new condo at Regent Place, Joe and Ora Mendels hosted a friendraiser for Jewish Family & Children’s Service. Dr. Joe Mendels said, “In these economic times, JFCS services are more needed than ever, and we feel it is particularly urgent to support them” …

Here’s a first … Key Chorale will perform with Circus Sarasota for Cirque des Voix Friday, Feb. 25. Light bites and libations at 5:30 p.m. precede the 7:30 p.m. show; tickets starting at $100 include both. Judy

Courtesy photo

JFCS Board Chairwoman Marie Monsky with Dr. Joe and Ora Mendels Bloch, Marian Moss and her mom, Gloria Moss, are co-chairs. For info and tickets, contact Jan Docking at dockhere@msn. com or 924-0790, or Susan Brainerd at 387-8414 … And here’s another …

Rising ballroom dance stars Frantiska

e u'r yinovi ted... goodwill street party

12th Annual

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(street party casual and costumes welcome) and for the opportunity to vote for the Mardi Gras king and queen. This year’s candidates are K.C. and Tami Fox, Sheriff Tom and Tracy Knight and Maurice and Vanessa Opstal. It’s $1 per vote, and you can start supporting your choice now by voting online at www.goodwillindustries. org/get_involved/donations.

The lead-up to Element Au, the season’s grand-finale benefit for the YMCA Foundation in May, got under way with a thank-you party for sponsors and patrons Feb. 7, at the Ritz Beach Club … Take two: Debbie Seitl, one of four chairs two years ago, is doing a solo turn this year. Her hubby, Wayne, has had a strong Y affiliation for 35 years …

Short game … Norman Cavedo and Amy Owen were perfecting their putting on a mini green in the dining room with RitzCarlton assistant golf pro Nicholas Arthur … Ich bin ein Berliner … Sharon Petrik surprised many guests with the announcement that she is leaving in July for Berlin to run a company in the nano-technology field.

See photos on page 15 and online at www.

YourObserver.com

Yordanova and Thomas Papkala will make their Sarasota debut as part of Sarasota Orchestra’s “Behind the Mask” gala March 5, at the Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota. The team represents Poland in international competitions and placed in the finals of the European Championships in November. The graceful hand of symphony supporter and ballroom enthusiast Bev Marsh is evident here. Anne Folsom Smith and Beathe Elden co-chair the event, which also includes Broadway tunes performed by the Sarasota Orchestra, dinner and dancing to the music of Double Vision.

Tickets are $295 from Rebecca Campbell at 487-2743 … A model Michael … Real-

tor Michael Moulton made his runway debut at SPARCC’s Second Hand Rose luncheon supported by a table of cheerleaders, including his wife, Katie Moulton, Eileen Curd, Graci McGillicuddy, Jeanne Russell and Charlene Wolff. The not-tooquiet ladies were armed with shakers, a big “MICHAEL” sign and confetti …

Stephanie Hannum

Michael Moulton

together

we can...

Birds of a feather give together Harry and Victoria Leopold, dressed as Pappageno and Pappagena from the Sarasota Opera’s production of The Magic Flute, will do anything to get you to attend the opera!

In fact, they love and support the whole gamut of the arts in Sarasota and would bring everyone in the world here to share their enthusiasm if they could.

When it comes to giving back to their community and strengthening the arts, the Leopolds put their trust in the expertise of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. By partnering with us, they learn of the best opportunities for their charitable giving, while enjoying peace of mind and the added value of leadership, stability and donor service.

Costume Design by Howard Tsvi Kaplan

30 Y E A R S 941.955.3000 | www.CFSarasota.org

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Together we make beautiful music.

THE SOCIAL OBSERVER

Black Tie

The Observer www.yourobserver.com

thursday FEBRUARY 17, 2011

Sarasota celebrates

NEW COLLEGE 50

th

By Molly Schechter | Social Editor All of Sarasota was there to fête a local jewel: the school ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the No. 5 public liberal-arts college in the entire nation. Old Sarasota mingled with new Sarasota, senior with junior, and staff past and present with

alumni — long-standing and recent. Guests came with classmates, friends and family members to enjoy reminiscing and looking ahead. There were 575 attending for a glorious evening Friday, Feb. 11, at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota.

Classmates from the class of ’81: Nina Anderson, Sandra Williamson and Cindy Ochi

Honorary Chair Jean Martin and her daughter, Kathleen Hunt

Shirley Osen, Ray Watson, Helen Lodge and Betty Schoenbaum

Co-Chairwoman Elaine Keating and Dr. Sidney Katz

Photos by Molly Schechter

Right: Mary Lou and Dave Couch Alumni Association Student Liaison Chris Mulholland, ‘12, with his mother, Dr. Annette Maddox, ’93, and her husband, Rick

Phil King and Dennis Stover

New College Foundation Trustee Lt. Gen. Roland and Gwen Heiser

Flori Roberts

New College President Dr. Gordon Michalson with Carol and Mort Siegler

New College Foundation President and CEO Andy Walker and CoChairwoman Charlene Callahan

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

CAMERA READY

Second Hand Rose Fashion Show and Luncheon

Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center | Thursday, Feb. 10 The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota

Photos by Stephanie Hannum

Cindy Wolfendale, Jane Matson, Susan Coyne and Donna Frieze

Jackie Blanchard, Nina Schluffel and Susan Kelley Chairwoman Sandy Strom and fashion show Chairwoman Gay Zuercher

Deborah Bill

Diana Armbrust and Glo Reber

Stephanie Hefner

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America’s Premier Folk Ensemble is Back Again in Sarasota!

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

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13B

CAMERA READY

Photos by Stephanie Hannum

Carolynne Smith, Pat Shrope and Ute Hargreaves

Photos by Molly Schechter

Reva van der Heym with George and Merle Chorba

Sweetheart Reception honoring Dominic Cossa

Frances Gower and daughter Pat Reinhart

Hope Byrnes and Eva Slane

Sweetheart Luncheon

Sarasota Opera Guild Monday, Feb. 7 | Alinari Club Room

Sarasota Opera Guild | Tuesday, Feb. 8 | Michael’s On East Janet and honoree Dominic Cossa

Bert and Ellie Fivelson

Mary Cook and Carol Von Allmen

Margaret Romanes, Joyce Hesson and Louise Spellman

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14B

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Join Us For Two Special

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March 6&7

Events

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

CAMERA READY

‘It’s a Small World’ Gala

St. Jude Catholic Church and Hispanic American Center Friday, Feb. 11 | Michael’s On East

Open House March 6 1-4 p.m.

See the new Benderson Family Skilled & Rehabilitation Center.

Discover highly-skilled, 24-hour care in a residential setting that values privacy, personal dignity, and quality of life.

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A Beloved Wife, a Celebrated Journalist...

&the Long Goodbye of Alzheimer’s

Distinguished CBS News Correspondent, Barry Petersen reported overseas from London, Beijing, Tokyo, Moscow and was a veteran war correspondent.

But his greatest challenge was confronting his wife’s Alzheimer’s disease.

Books available for purchase along with a personalized autograph after the presentation.

Photos by Maria Amodio

Marilyn Maleckas and Bob Donetti

March 7 9:30 a.m.

Michael’s on East • Sarasota

For Tickets: Call (941) 377-0781

A portion of the proceeds will benefit Anchin Pavilion Memory Support.

Sponsored by The Jewish Housing Council Foundation

50640

$36 Breakfast Presentation followed

by Book Signing

Rick and Sandra Gomez

Peter and Kathy Tortolano

Co-Chairwoman Kathy Schersten, The Rev. Celestino Gutierrez and Co-Chairwoman Diana Olivieri

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

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15B

Floor Model Clearance!

CAMERA READY

STILL AVAILABLE

• Home Office Units • Tempur-pedic Mattresses

Visit Our New Larger Store 3906 South Tamiami Trial

Paul and Denise Smith with Nola and Larry Hietbrink

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Element Au Patron Party

YMCA Foundation of Sarasota Tuesday, Feb. 8 | The Ritz-Carlton Members Beach Club

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Photos by Molly Schechter

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(just south of Bee Ridge Rd)

Linda A. Page

Chairwoman Debbie and Wayne Seitl

R Av en ail tal ab s le

Featuring Sarasota’s Finest Properties

Roberto and Denise Mei

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Chuck Brown and Wendy DiMeo

Custom Re-Finishing

Beau Ciel Uniquely Creative – Remarkably Private – Dramatically Beautiful

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3 Beau Ciel residences under contract - call for current availability!

Visit www.BeauCiel.net for photos, plans and details.

Longbay Boulevard Best waterfront value

near downtown Sarasota! 3/2 w/pool - 2 minutes to Ringling grounds. Fantastic location at ridiculously low price. Bay front parcel and dock are part of purchase. Seller will consider financing or trade. $649,000

Beau Ciel New Price – 3134 s.f. “C” floor plan.

Exquisite finishes and wonderful design and with separate family and living rooms both with water views. Wet bar, wood floors – gorgeous! $1,299,000

Tidy Island Direct Bayfront 3 bedroom townhome, with elevator, on this idyllic private island paradise.

Sophisticated yet casual contemporary and beautifully finished. Tennis, Clubhouse, Pool, etc. $525,000

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

CAMERA READY

Vintage Collectibles, Silver, Coins, Glass, China, Jewelry, Porcelains, Linens & Lace, Historical Doll Clothes, Collectible Post Cards, Rugs, and much more.

50 QUALITY DEALERS GLASS/CRYSTAL REPAIR & GOLD BUYER ON SITE Antique Appraisal Fair Sat Feb 26th 10am til 3pm

46th Annual Service Club

2011 Antiques

&

Collectibles Show

Benefiting Local Children's Organizations

Manatee Convention & Civic Center, Palmetto, Florida

Admission: Friday Preview Advance Tickets: $10.00 / $20 at the door - Good for the entire weekend Saturday or Sunday - $6.00 Good for both days Info & Sales Ticket941-749-5378 Sales Info & Ticket www.ManateeServiceClub.com 941-749-5378 or www.ManateeServiceClub.com

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Preview Gala - Friday, February 25 - 5 pm-9 pm Saturday, February 26 - 10 am-5 pm Sunday, February 27 - 11am - 4 pm

Photos by Molly Schechter

Scott Collins, Mary Lee Richey, Salena Wilhoit, Susan Brennan and Matthew Bower

Sunday Brunch at the Cà d’Zan Terrace

Women in Power Luncheon Girls Inc. of Sarasota County Friday, Feb. 11 | Ringling College of Art and Design

Featuring carved prime rib, shrimp cocktail, imported cheese display, frittatas, smoked salmon, assorted salads and desserts, and much more.

Beverly Bartner, Nancy Markle and Aimee Cogan

Recipient of the 2010 Wine Spectator “Award of Excellence” Sunday, February 20, 2011 Sunday, March 20, 2011 Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011 $34.95 Adults/$15 Children (5-12) Free for children under 5. Plus tax & gratuity.

Stephania Feltz and Olivia Thomas

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Creative Kitchen & Baths

by Bob Elmes, Inc.

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talk to me about Golf Cart insurance. Did you know that you can get a policy for about $5 a month? Call me and i can help you select the right coverage to fit your needs and your driving preference. (941) 366-0100 Average monthly premium based on Florida customer data for policies written in 2008. Actual premium will vary based on amount of insurance purchased and other factors.

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

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17B

So you got engaged for Valentine’s Day? Congratulations!

Make

your next stop!

Wedding gowns • Mothers • Bridesmaids • Flower girls tuxedos • gala gowns • Evening Wear • Cocktail Dresses

service

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Bunny Skirboll, Richard Bergman, Bobbi Bernstein and Sandra Hanan

Don’t Struggle to keep your

Lion of Judah Luncheon

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18B

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

■

FASHION by Stephanie Hannum | Black Tie Editor

guestfashioneditor DOREEN SUTHERLAND

A Season CALL TO ARTISTS Celebrate the at Longboat Key Center for the Arts!

Neuro Challenge Foundation President Doreen Sutherland, who is currently planning the organization’s Cause 4 Fashion event, knows what she likes when it comes to style. The mother of four wears what she loves, even if that means showing up to meetings in jeans and boots.

Take advantage Durante Gallery of this opportunity to show your artwork!

Ed Brickman

LBKCA Annual Juried Members Show - Durante Gallery “Legal Forging” March 3 – March 31, 2011 December 2 – 16, 2010 Opening Reception: Thursday, March 3 • 5 – 7 pm

Opening Reception | Thursday | December 2 | 5 -7 pm Please to 941.383.2345 30 for Fee: the Dec 2 reception. $20 per entry Cash rsvp Prizes: First Placeby-November $650 Entry

Second Place - $400

LILLY PULITZER BRACELETS

limit 2 entries

“These bracelets give me some color when I’m wearing black.”

A selection of Ed’s work will be for sale to benefit the Longboat Key Center Third Place - $200 for the Arts

Become a new 2011 member or renew your membership Ed Brickman has been making jewelry since he was a teenager and has never by February 28th and save $20 if you submit entries! lost his enthusiasm for the creative process. His work can be 2found in the permanent collections of the Newark Museum in Newark, New Jersey, and

LBKCA STudenT ShOw Room the Museum of Arts and Design- inCultural New York Media City. Ed has been teaching March – many March 31, 2011 This is the first time Ed will be showcasing jewelry3for years at LBKCA. Opening Reception: Thursday, 3 miss • 5 this -7 pm over 200 pieces from his collection.

You’ll March not want to show!

Cash Prizes: First Place - $350

Entry Fee: $5 per entry

Cultural Media Room Second Place - $200 ‘Open Trunk’ Holiday Sale by 3 Honorable Mentions - Gift Certificate for 1 class ($100 value) December 2 - 16, 2010 FindFor thatMember unique holiday gift for your loved ones made by Ringling and Student Exhibition Requirements goCollege to students and alumni.

You’ll find paintings, sculpture, crafts, andDate lbkca.ringling.edu.

Entry forms will be available onjewelry, the Receiving much, much more!!

Receiving Date: Monday, February 28 10 am to 2 pm Hours for the Sale: Monday through Friday, 9 am to 4 pm Pick-up Date: Friday, April 1 10 am to 2 pm

Special Saturday hours!!

Saturday, December 4, 11 am to 3 pm & Saturday, December 11, 11 am to 3 pm

To RSVP for the Opening Reception please

ROBERT GRAHAM SHIRT

Opening Reception and Sale | or Thursday | December 2 | 5 -7 pm call 941.383.2345 email lbkca@ringling.edu Please rsvp to 941.383.2345 by November 30 for the Dec 2 reception.

Reception sponsored by: The

“This feels beautiful on, and he always has unexpected designs on his clothing.

I’m trying to come into bright colors.”

Observer

You. Your Neighbor. Your Neighborhood.

46028

6860 Longboat Drive S | Longboat Key, FL 34228 www.lbkca.ringling.edu | 941.383.2345 Hours: Monday – Friday | 9 am to 4 pm

NICOLE BAKTI DRESS

KOOBA HANDBAG

“This dress is fabulous and fits perfectly. Always find what you love and what fits well.” (back shown)

Save T he Date

“I am a one purse kind of woman — I find one I love and stick with it.”

CONVERSE SHOES “These are my most comfortable shoes and the ones that I end up feeling the most happy in.”

10th Anniversary Cattle Barons’ Ball

“My style is authentic to who I am — wearing the clothes you love is the privilege that comes with knowing who you are and what you want. Loving what you wear is always in style.”

ENIGMA BOOTS “Comfortable, fun and unexpected for me.”

date...

savthee

goodwill

“White Out Cancer”

street party

12th Annual

Tuesday, March 8, 2011 | Michael’s On East | 6:30 PM

April 16, 2011

Goodwill turns donations into good jobs, good homes & good neighborhoods.

Michael’s On East

Please come to Sarasota’s Bourbon Street à la Michael’s for authentic New Orleans food, music, open bar & fun all night long.

Sponsorship opportunities available For information contact Iris Starr 941-328-3760 iris.starr@cancer.org

King & Queen Crowning!

Street Entertainers!

Jazz Band!

Beads Galore & more!

magrradsi

45711

fanciful costumes, masks or street party casual attire Tickets $100 | RSVP by March 1, 2011 | goodwillindustries.org | 941.355.2721

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

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19B

FASHION ONE ACTIVE FAMILY. ONE ORTHOPAEDIC CENTER.

“This suit can be worn as separates or together — it’s very practical and high quality.”

MILLY JACKET LANGUAGE LANGUAGETOP

“This, with jeans and boots, is part of my everyday look.”

“This is a more upscale jacket if I’m out and need something more elegant. If I invest in a piece, I want to be able to wear it in a number of ways, and I can wear this jacket with jeans, too.”

PAUL MAYER SHOES

“These sparkly flats give a little pizzazz to an outfit, which is great especially because I wear a lot of black.”

“This jacket is real leather, so it’s really soft and high quality. I love the unexpected sparkle on top.”

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PLG WORLDWIDE JACKET “I bought this in a vintage shop in Miami — I had always wanted a motorcycle jacket. I love that this looks like it’s been worn by other motorcyclists.”

THE ORTHOPAEDIC CENTER OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA, PLLC

CHRISTOPHER R. SFORZO, M.D. CHRISTOPHER L. DILLINGHAM, M.D.

“I love Trish McEvoy’s custom makeup; it’s definitely part of my style. Every woman’s makeup is unique to them.”

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5831 Bee Ridge Road • Suite 200 • Sarasota, FL 34233

showtime: 6:30 pm tickets: on-sale now dress: cocktail attire where: Senior Friendship Centers

Join us for a madcap evening filled with fun and Marx Brothers antics,

Sarasota Campus

all to benefit

Senior Friendship Centers. at the

F E AT U R IN G

M A RCH 15 • 2011

Performances by Circus Sarasota popular demand Lydia the Tattooed Lady … back by An Opera Interlude bar Dinner by Michael’s on East … open 3-Ring Auction

Sponsorship Opportunities & Reservations Available.

Last Year Sold Out – Call Now!

(941) 556-3205 A SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE BY

GIBRALTAR www.FriendshipCenters.org 52150

“I like the athletic fit of this shirt, it’s almost like a man’s shirt. I love the high-quality embroidery and buttons up the back.”

Finding specialized care for the entire family isn’t always easy. The Kane-Hartnett family chose The Orthopaedic Center because we provide quality care, expertise in a broad range of orthopaedic treatments, and a dedication to the best patient experience. With a state-of-the-art facility featuring the latest in technology and a highly skilled staff, your family can count on our family for unparalleled expertise and patient care.

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20B

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

National Name .

Community Focus.

Personal Service. homes for sale ,000 $70 ced Redu

All Signs Point UP!

homes for sale Shor

le

t Sa

After a few tough years, things are looking up in our local real estate market. More buyers are looking, sales are increasing and people are moving again. If you spent the past couple years waiting for the market to improve, now is the time to act. $295,000 Sutton Place Townhome, Pools, Beach & Club House + Boat Docks.

A3903837 Bruce & Jenine Meyer 266-8152 00

,0 $50 ced Redu

In 2011, we’re the agency to trust with your real estate investment.

$175,000 Gulfstream Towers Downtown Sarasota across from Island Park, 2BR/2BA + den.

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ed List

Call today to let us help you buy, sell or rent a home: (941)

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Sales ~ Property management ~ Rentals $599,000 Sea Twig Direct beachfront, Turnkey furnished, Small pet allowed.

A3914848 Marty Benson 232-9264

international buyers & sellers

Join Us For Our Free Seminar ! $649,000 St. Armands Tower North Full Gulf views, Updated , Covered parking, Pool.

A3934614 Michelle Musto 809-3714 ,000 274 ed $ c u d Re

Learn how Florida real estate works: • latest market statistics • U.S. tax implications • tips on buying and selling WHEN: March 2nd, 3 - 4:30pm WHERE: Robb & Stucky Furniture RSVP: 941-926-0791 SeatiNg iS Limited

$559,000 1350 Main Downtown 40’ Terrace, Bamboo floors, pool & fitness rm.

A3938806 Michael Granston 504-8018

other listings TivOli By The Sea, SieSTa Key - Open Sun 1-4 625 Beach Rd #401 Gorgeous 4th floor end unit w/balcony. 2BR/2BA turnkey furnished condo. Updated baths, hurricane shutters. Washer & dryer in unit. $625,000 A3936963 Mitchell Team 586-1754 JUST liSTed! Bird Key Charming 3BR/2BA Garden Home with

a galley kitchen & liv/dining rm combo. Covered lanai with large pool & lush landscaping. $499,000 A3939091 Team McDonald 302-0054

Seaplace ii Spacious, updated TKF condo. Resort style living

by the beach. Flat screen tv, fully equipped kitchen, W/D in unit, 2 pools. Reduced $114K $485,000 A3928641 Jan Huff 735-8700

cOndO On The Bay

Very attractive 6th floor unit. Full bay views & stunning sunsets in desirable gated waterfront gated complex. $439,900 A3931370 Team Nordstrom 228-7356

$699,000 Palm Bay Club Gulf views, Turnkey furnished, Updated, Great Amenities A3938326 Rudy Dudon 234-3991 0 0,00 $25 d e c Redu

villaS On laUrel 3 Bdrm Condo near Main Street. Fine

design w/hdwd flooring, granite counters & stainless appliances.

Maint.-Free living. Reduced $110K $380,000 A3912147 Lisa Morris 544-3332 00 100,0

$ ced Redu

$1,325,000 L’Elegance Lido Beach, Full Gulf & Bay views,Gated A3921840 David & Lori Simon 400-8764

$950,000 Manatee River Views of the River. Deep water dockage.

A3919430 Courtney Campbell 806-7238 00 30,0 ed $ c u d Re

0 0,05 $25 d e c Redu

Longboat Harbour Towers $1,499,950 Islander Club $1,395,000 Balconies w/Gulf, Bay & golf views! Completely Redone. Total renovation, Huge balcony, Penthouse perfection.

Mark Huber 356-2435 A3915704 Team Cashi 527-9088 M5812749

$1,575,000 Emerald Harbor Waterfront lot at end of cul-de-sac, 150’ of bay front!

A3911502 Teri Sax 228-5578

$1,299,000 Beau Ciel Lux. Downtown Bayfront, Concierge, Priv. Elevator.

A3922970 Linda A. Page 504-0123

941-926-7000 ~ Over 5,000 listings on our website: www.prudentialpalmsrealty.com Agents conveniently located at: Lakewood Ranch Main Street ~ Market Street in Lakewood Ranch ~ Siesta Key Downtown Sarasota, Tamiami Trail ~ Palmer Ranch ~ St. Armand’s Circle ~ Stoneybrook ~ Longboat Key

Prudential Lakewood Ranch Realty and Prudential Palms Realty are sister companies serving Manatee and Sarasota Counties. © 2011. An independently owned and operated member

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