PelicanPRESS SIESTA KEY FREE • THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2014
AN OBSERVER NEWSPAPER
NEWS
Siesta Key considers new roundabout. PAGE 7A
OUR TOWN
NEWS
DIVERSIONS
New College student adds wind to others’ sails. PAGE 20A
Raj and Nita Mathur school others on the flavors of home. INSIDE
development
by David Conway | News Editor
New luxury condo announced A Toronto-based developer plans to build a mid-rise waterfront condominium on Golden Gate Point — and is eyeing future projects in the Sarasota market.
Kelsey Grau
Co-Chairwoman of the event Julie Friedman, Honoree Ruth Ades, Rabbi Charles Savenor and Co-Chairwoman of the event Betty Levitt
+ Ades honored as ‘Light of Torah’ Mazel tov to Ruth Ades. Temple Beth Sholom honored Ades as the “Light of Torah” at its annual Torah Fund Study Day and Award Luncheon Jan. 7. Ades received the honor for her involvement in local and national Jewish organizations throughout her life. Ades has traveled to Israel more than 40 times to support the peace process and has worked with organizations including the Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, the Jewish Federation of Greater New Bedford, in Massachusetts, and the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee.
+ And the winner is … Daniel Hammon won the holiday edition of the Observer’s 2013 “It’s Read Everywhere” contest for his photo of himself and his dog, Maggie, pictured above at Lucylocks Pet Studio. Hammon will receive a $250 gift card, along with a $250 Gulf Coast Gives card to donate to a charity of his choice. Hammon’s wife, Amy, is SMH Team Captain for Relay for Life in April, and together they decided to use the $250 gift card as a raffle prize. “Sometimes, I think that we as people don’t consider our neighbors,” says Hammon. “And I just like to give, so charity is what we do.”
A Canadian developer has chosen Sarasota as its entry point into the American market, as Vandyk USA announced plans to develop a mid-rise condominium building on Golden Gate Point. The Vandyk group of companies, based in Toronto, ended up in Sarasota after its president, John Vandyk, became familiar with
the area when visiting Canadian friends who live here seasonally. “He came down here and he just fell in love with the place,” said Karin Silver, vice president of marketing and sales for Vandyk USA. “He calls it a little cultural haven, a hidden jewel.” In the process — and after purchasing a condo himself on Golden Gate Point
— he noticed vacancies in the area and felt he should capitalize on that opportunity. One88, located at 188 Golden Gate Point, is slated to become Vandyk’s first project in the United States. One88 will consist of eight residences in a fivestory building, with each condo featuring a view of Image courtesy VANDYK USA
SEE CONDOS / 13A One88’s future location on Golden Gate Point.
BEST FOOT FORWARD
Jen Blanco
Cardinal Mooney senior defender Jasmine Rosales controls the ball around a host of Booker midfielders in a Class 2A-District 11 semifinal match Tuesday. The Cardinal Mooney High girls soccer team blanked Booker 8-0. For more on Cardinal Mooney’s soccer team, see page 17A.
WHO DUNNIT?
by Nolan Peterson | News Editor
Beach modifications rake in controversy Siesta Key residents say a local beach rake operator continues to illegally modify Siesta beaches under the direction of beachfront property owners seeking to skirt state and county rules. On Dec. 30, Siesta Key resident Dr. Allan Worms watched in frustration as a tractor dug a channel connecting the Gulf of Mexico to a tidal pool that had collected at the north end of Siesta Beach. The 3-foot-deep body of water
spanning several acres, which had become a popular feeding area for a variety of migrant and local bird species over the winter, eventually drained through what Worms called a “rapidly widening channel.” The shore-
birds that Worms was at the beach to observe that morning abandoned the area surrounding the tidal pool as swiftly as the disappearing water. The tidal pool incident was the latest chapter in an ongoing
cat-and-mouse drama between Worms and Siesta beach rake operator Mark Clippard, whom Worms has repeatedly accused of conducting illegal, off-the-
SEE TIDAL POOLS / 2A
INDEX Opinion.................8A Classifieds .......... 9B
Cops Corner....... 11A Crossword............ 8B
Good News........ 10A Permits................ 5B
Real Estate.......... 4B Vol. 44, No. 25 | Three sections YourObserver.com Sports................ 17A