Children First is Sarasota County’s exclusive provider of Head Start and Early Head Start educational services, and with the help of a donation by the Sarasota Yacht Club, the renovations were complete for the playground at the Dr. Elaine Marieb Early Learning Center. On Oct. 22, the center held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the space, which features added equipment and new, expanded padding.
“All of these spaces are bursting with color, creativity and opportunity, and they represent so much more to us and our children than solely being a place to play,” said Jessica Rogers, vice president of philanthropy at Children First.
and
County approves dredging
shoes
FemCity is working to support HOPE Family Services with its next Roaring ’20sthemed gala, FemCity Gatsby Night. Tickets are now available for the fundraiser that takes place from 6-9 p.m. on Nov. 7 at Marina Jack, 2 Marina Plaza. Attendees can enjoy prosecco, hors d’oeuvres, a live DJ bringing dancers to the floor with a Great Gatsby-inspired playlist, a fashion show by local designers and an auction. Visit EventBrite.com for more information. The Bradenton-based organization offers 24/7 helpline assistance for survivors of domestic violence, along with its emergency shelter and other resources. See HopeFamilyService.org.
$0.10 Great Gatsby gala Dust off the
Ian Swaby
Ian Swaby Stephania Feltz, with Sarasota Yacht Club, and Michael Suarez, of Children First, cut the ribbon.
WEEK OF OCT. 23, 2025
BY THE NUMBERS
7 If all goes to plan, the amount of years it will take for St. Armands and Lido Keys to have utility lines placed underground. PAGE 9
$20 MILLION
Requested bond to be issued for partial construction and design of The Bay Phase 3 PAGE 10
7,000
The estimated number of people attending and tasting chili at the Morton’s Firehouse Chili Cook-Off competition PAGE 22 CALENDAR
n Sarasota City Commission special meeting — 1 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 30, Commission Chambers, City Hall, 1565 First St.
n Sarasota County Commission regular meeting — 9 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 5, South County Administration Building, 4000 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice.
“We felt it prudent to have additional security measures in place just to ensure that nothing happens ... ”
Deputy City Manager Patrick Robinson on officers with long guns at City Commission meetings. Read more on page 3
Florida Studio Theatre will break ground on the McGillicuddy Arts Plaza on Wednesday, Oct. 29, marking the start of the most ambitious expansion in the theater’s history. The new facility will be the centerpiece of FST’s campus, anchoring a vision designed to meet the growing needs of FST’s artists and audiences.
The morning’s celebration will begin at 10 a.m. in The Green Room Café, followed by a welcome ceremony at 10:30 a.m. in The Gompertz Theatre. At 11 a.m., FST leadership, donors and
community members will gather at the construction site for the official shovel ceremony.
The Arts Plaza will be adjacent to FST’s facilities on First Street.
“We are building because of need,” said Producing Artistic Director Richard Hopkins in a news release.
“We need more seats to serve our growing audience. We need more parking for that audience. And we need excellent low-cost housing to serve the artists who serve Sarasota.”
The new complex will expand FST’s campus to include a
modern Mainstage Theatre, two additional cabarets, three floors of parking and on-site artist housing to cultivate local talent.
Fundraising for the $57 million Arts Plaza remains underway.
“This groundbreaking reflects the generosity of so many who believe in the power of the arts,” said Dennis McGillicuddy in the release. He and his wife, Graci, are the namesakes of the new facility. “We are deeply grateful to the donors, leaders and community members who made this moment possible.”
SMH studies dialysis treatment option
In an effort to minimize dialysis complications for those living with end-stage kidney disease, Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s Kolschowsky Research and Education Institute is exploring a new treatment option.
The clinical study aims to provide a safer, more reliable access point for patients who may experience infections, blood clots and stenosis while undergoing dialysis treatment. Led locally by vascular surgeon Dr. Jason Wagner, the multicenter study sponsored by Xeltis — a Netherlands-based medical device maker — is testing the safety and effectiveness of aXess, a restorative vascular access conduit.
The study will enroll up to 140 patients at 20 sites. Eligible participants must be 18 years or older, have end-stage kidney disease, are expected to need dialysis within the next six months and are suitable for placement of an aXess conduit. For more information or to determine eligibility to participate in the local study, contact the research team at 941-917-2225 or ResearchInstitute@SMH.com. For information about the trial, visit ClinicalTrials.gov.
Shred Stock, the sequel set for Nov. 8
In partnership with The Bay, the city of Sarasota will host Shred Stock, a free drive-up document shredding event in the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall parking lot from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 8.
City residents may securely destroy up to four boxes of documents, including papers and file folders with or without staples and paper clips. Materials should be placed in the trunk to be removed and destroyed on-site by Records and Information Management Division staff. Empty boxes will be returned.
Local band The Garbage Men will perform 1960s hits on their homebuilt instruments. More than 180 documents were disposed of at the first Shred Stock in March. Shred Stock is available for city of Sarasota residents only. Participants may be asked to show proof of residency upon arrival.
Security beefs up at City Hall
New open carry law means SPD adds officers to City Commission meetings.
cannot enforce will enable the commission meetings to resume without fear of disruption by gunfire.”
Sarasota residents attending City Commission meetings may be surprised to see extra security in the form of an officer posted in the meeting chamber clad in tactical gear and holding a long gun.
He isn’t there because of a specific threat or, for that matter, any threat at all. For the time being, at least, the Sarasota Police Department and city administration have him there because, thanks to the recent McDaniels versus State ruling by the Florida First District Court of Appeals, the state’s ban on open carry was recently struck down.
That means, pending further clarification or legislative action, anyone may enter the meeting chamber carrying a rifle.
The officer is there to remind everyone that law enforcement carries long guns, as well.
“With the advent of the new stipulation under Florida state law that an individual can carry a long gun into a government facility, specifically the Commission Chamber,” said Deputy City Manager Patrick Robinson, “we felt it prudent to have additional security measures in place just to ensure that nothing happens, and for the comfort of the individuals who come for the meeting, as well as the commissioners themselves.”
In a regulatory gap left open by the ruling, however, while long guns are permitted to be openly carried nearly anywhere, handguns are prohibited in the meeting chamber.
“I regret that added security appears to be necessary,” said Vice Mayor Debbie Trice. “I don’t know the details of the court decision that prompted it, but I hope that further clarification of what SPD can and
Commissioner Kyle Battie said he was surprised to see the extra armed presence beginning at the Oct. 6 meeting, but he doesn’t find it alarming.
“It was surprising to see the gentleman standing in the corner holding a long gun, but after finding out it was because of a loophole in a court ruling, it was not alarming,” Battie said. “I can understand how it might be unnerving to people attending the meeting, but I guess you have to take that extra precaution when you’re allowing long guns in a city building.”
That a rifle may be carried into a government meeting but a handgun may not, may lead to confusion.
“No prohibition exists against openly carrying a long gun into the very same locations where persons are forbidden from openly carrying handguns and carrying firearms in a concealed manner,” reads guidance provided to officers of the Sarasota Police Department by Deputy Police Chief Scott Mayforth.
Sarasota County government has not mirrored the city’s action by placing additional armed sheriff’s deputies in the meeting chamber, although two officers are on duty there during meetings.
Confused about who can openly carry and where? Robinson said you’re probably not alone. Shortly following the McDaniels ruling, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued guidance for local law enforcement on how to interact with law-abiding citizens who are otherwise eligible to possess a firearm.
That’s where the guidance from Tallahassee shared with officers by Mayforth is significant. According to Robinson, a former officer and detective whose office oversees the SPD, officers’ interactions with open carriers may deviate somewhat from routine.
“That is based on the predicate of what’s going on, and obviously, what information the officer receives when they’re on their way to the call,” he said. “In my years on the
KEY IMPACTS OF MCDANIELS
■ Open carry legalization: Lawful firearm owners may now openly carry firearms in public, subject only to other specific statutory restrictions and private property restrictions.
■ Young adults (18–20): Those between 18 and 20 years old may openly carry firearms, even though they remain barred from purchasing or carrying concealed weapons under existing statutes.
■ Concealed carry licensing limits: Florida statutes do not create a general prohibition on open carry in the listed locations. Officers are cautioned not to rely on this statute as authority for arrest relating to constitutional open carry.
“There will be some angst, I’m sure, but I think, over time, that angst will be reduced as long as there are not massive issues that occur with it. This is the status of the law, and we don’t have a choice and we’re going to abide by it.”
Deputy City Manager Patrick Robinson
carry handguns or long guns carte blanche.
Schools, for one, are off limits. Mayforth’s guidance reads it is “a felony to exhibit a firearm in a rude, careless, angry or threatening manner, when not in lawful self-defense, within 1,000 feet of a school during school hours or during the time of a school-sanctioned activity.”
Private property owners may also prohibit open or concealed carry of any guns on their premises. Refusal to comply may result in a charge of armed trespassing, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
According to national law firm
Fisher Phillips, with offices in Florida, the McDaniels ruling doesn’t allow for open or concealed carry in:
■ Places of nuisance, such as buildings where prostitution, gambling or criminal gang activity occurs
■ Law enforcement facilities
■ Correctional facilities
■ Courthouses
■ Polling places
■ Government meeting locations
WHAT IS MCDANIELS V. STATE?
In a landmark September 2025 decision, the First District Court of Appeals of Florida in McDaniels v. State struck down Florida’s ban on the open carrying of firearms, ruling it unconstitutional. This ruling reversed the conviction of Stanley McDaniels, whose 2022 arrest for openly carrying a holstered handgun in Pensacola brought the case to court. Following the ruling, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that the state would no longer defend the ban, effectively making Florida an open carry state.
road and as a detective, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary to ask somebody if they have a weapon on them. The issue now is they’re absolutely allowed to be carrying, and most folks will either carry it openly, or if they are carrying concealed, they’re trained and they’ll self-disclose.
“Every scenario, every call for service, is an armed encounter, because the officer brings a firearm with them. It’s just the acknowledgement of the fact that there is a secondary firearm in place.”
RULING CONFUSION
While law enforcement officers are provided clear guidance on any perceived ambiguities surrounding the McDaniels ruling and Florida law, residents are left to discern the new rules on their own. Constitutional carry doesn’t mean they can open
■ School, college or professional athletic events not related to fire-
arms
■ Public and private elementary and secondary schools, bus stops, and school-sponsored events
■ Career centers
■ Places licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages
■ College or university facilities
■ Passenger terminals and sterile areas of airports
■ State and federal government buildings Guns allowed here, but not there.
Long guns are permitted in places where handguns are not. Sarasota police officers — and sheriff’s deputies who received similar guidance from their command staff — have been made aware the changes may cause confusion among the public.
“Officers should expect that members of the public will express concern, confusion or even alarm as they adjust to the sight of firearms in places where they were not previously accustomed to seeing them,” Mayforth’s guidance reads. “Officers should respond to such situations with professionalism, patience and respect for the law. Our role is not only to enforce the statutes but also to serve as educators and peacekeepers during this period of transition.”
Among those places the general public may be unaccustomed to spotting weapons is inside the meeting chamber. Besides the officer regularly seated to the right end of the dais, there is now an officer with a long gun posted in the opposite corner of the chamber and another outside in the lobby. Also present is private security personnel who will search bags and scan attendees with a metal detector, a practice in place long prior to the McDaniels ruling.
CONTINUING RESTRICTIONS
■ Firearms prohibitions remain fully enforceable in other statutorily enumerated areas, including schools, county detention facilities and courthouses.
■ Statutes barring improper exhibition, possession by felons and possession while under the influence remain in full effect.
■ Private property owners retain the right to prohibit firearms on their premises, with trespass laws available for enforcement when necessary.
OPERATIONAL GUIDANCE FOR OFFICERS
Detentions: The presence of a firearm alone does not constitute reasonable suspicion for a stop. Detentions must be supported by articulable facts suggesting unlawful conduct.
Courthouse security: Officers must enforce existing judicial administrative orders barring firearms in courthouses.
Public concerns: Officers should anticipate heightened public unease and respond with professionalism, patience and clear communication.
Police station: The presence of a properly open-carried long gun does not constitute a crime. Open carried handguns and concealed carry of firearms and other weapons are prohibited.
City Commission chambers: Same status as police station.
ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER
DENTAL IMPLANTS
Hermitage declines county’s ultimatum
Artist Retreat opts to have Sarasota County repair the campus rather than take a lump sum offer.
It’s back to square one with A Squared (A2) for hurricane damage restoration at Hermitage Artist Retreat on the southern end of Manasota Key.
With little discussion among Sarasota County commissioners at their Oct. 21 meeting, the county accepted the Hermitage Board of Trustees decision to not exercise the “Option 3” offer extended at its Oct. 8 meeting to the lessee of county property. Commissioners offered the organization a lump sum of $172,258 toward the repairs, providing it never returns to the county for future maintenance or mitigation.
At its Oct. 21 meeting, the commissioners learned of the Hermitage board’s rejection, which returned the lengthy issue to its original state: waiting at least a year for campus restoration.
That’s how long it will take for A2, the county’s retained contractor, to design, engineer and execute the restorations. Included in that time frame is adherence to both county and FEMA protocols required to qualify for federal reimbursement.
No representatives of Hermitage spoke on Tuesday, but did notify commissioners via email in advance of the meeting with the acknowledgment that declining the county offer and automatically reverts to the first option, which is the status quo.
Taken from the email after being contacted by the Observer for comment, Hermitage President Carole Crosby wrote, “After a thoughtful discussion, the Hermitage board unanimously agreed that we could
not accept Option 3. This new proposal came with the stipulation that included a liability we, as a tenant, could not reasonably agree to accept, asking us to essentially waive a key aspect of your landlord responsibility and our tenant rights.
“The requirement that the Hermitage would be fully responsible going forward for all repairs of the county’s property is not a reasonable financial risk for our donors to assume. Without property ownership and the ability to have our own hazard insurance, this option simply is not viable for our organization.”
An offer by the Hermitage to purchase the 6.1-acre portion of Blind Pass Beach Park it leases from the county, which includes a reverter clause should it cease operations there, remained on the table although commissioners previously expressed their disinterest. Hermitage had offered $600,000 and assumption of all liabilities.
“We do feel that we had offered two alternative solutions — between our proposal for repairs at our own expense and the land conveyance proposal with a reverter clause — that would have saved the taxpayers considerable dollars and expedited the repair process,” Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg told the Observer.
Courtesy image
The campus of the Hermitage Artist Retreat on Oct. 10, 2024, the day after Hurricane Milton made landfall.
Phillippi Creek dredging is a done deal
With permits and contracts finalized, work smoothing the flow of drainage is soon to start.
If all goes according to plan along Phillippi Creek, stormwater should flow more freely within its banks next year, reducing the flood threat after downpours in neighborhoods along its banks.
In the works since not long after 2024’s devastating tropical-weather season delivered wave upon wave of rain and rising waters along the waterway on the periphery of Sarasota’s city limits, a dredging plan to eliminate shallow choke points is ready to begin.
The latest step: Tuesday’s approval by Sarasota County commissioners of contracts with a Miami company to begin the multistep dredging proj-
ect. Though no start date is specified, the contract calls for completing the job in 180 days or less, with a further 30 days to address “punch-list” concerns. Stormwater Division Director Ben Quartermaine said in a previous meeting that work would likely begin four to six weeks after contracts were finalized.
In addition to finalizing agreements with Continental Heavy Civil Corp. to dredge a 50-foot-wide passage to a depth of 4 feet from Beneva Road in Pinecraft to Tuttle Avenue in Southgate, commissioners also approved an amendment to their recently adopted budget to allocate $14.48 million for “Phillippi Creek High Spots Stormwater Conveyance Dredging.”
A further phase of the project, Tuttle to Bee Ridge Road, is still to come, said Quartermaine, adding the permit application for that stretch could be revised to include residential canals that connect to the creek, often referred to as oxbow canals.
But more than move money and approve legal documents, what
commissioners did was set in motion the means by which residents along the south- and westward-flowing creek can rest easier when storms threaten.
“I know there are people out there listening, and that means a lot,” said Commissioner Mark Smith. “As far as capacity, the more capacity we have, we create, the less chance anyone gets flooded.”
Phillippi Creek runs just over 7 miles from Beneva Road between Fruitville Road and Bahia Vista Street to its mouth at Little Sarasota Bay, just west of Tamiami Trail. Its watershed, though, covers about 56 square miles, ranging as far north as University Parkway, as far east as Rothenbach Park and as far south as Clark Road. Dozens of branching canals find their way into the creek’s main channel. And therein lies the historical problem.
Runoff from the watershed ultimately brings sediment of all sorts to Phillippi Creek, depositing it along the way and reducing its effective-
GROWING UP
The Sarasota County Stormwater Department was spun off from the Public Works Department last summer.
County commissioners earlier this month amended their weeks-old budget to appropriate $7.8 million more to the new department for a “stormwater level of service increase.” Here’s what that money is paying for.
STAFFING Full-time roles in these positions:
■ Business Professional II
■ Supervisor
■ Two Manager IIs
■ Crew Leader
■ Three Equipment Operator
IIIs
■ Three Skilled Trades Worker Is
■ Two Skilled Trades Worker IIs
EQUIPMENT
■ Two Menzi earth-movers with attachments
■ Two four-wheel-drive Ford F-350 trucks
■ One Kenworth dump truck
■ One trailer
■ One Ford F-550 truck for inspection of pipes
■ One T-880 Aquatech watersuction truck/tank
■ One four-wheel drive Ford F-150 Extended Cab truck
■ One Ford F-550 Single Cab with lighted arrow board to direct road traffic
Source: Sarasota County
ness as a stormwater drainage artery. County analysis shows the sedimentation to be dredged not only is the result of natural forces over decades, but also material washed into the creek by the recent storms themselves. Studies show a portion of the creek as shallow as 2 feet. Residential canals are sometimes walkable. At issue for months was a permit the Army Corps of Engineers required as original work, not ongoing maintenance. That hurdle was cleared earlier this month, a fact delivered via email by Sarasota County Watershed
Planning Manager John Morgan on Oct. 9, a day after county commissioners approved moving $7.8 million more than originally budgeted into the Stormwater Department. “I have some great news to share!” he wrote to residents. “The (U.S. Army) Corps (of Engineers) came through and late yesterday afternoon, issued our permit.”
It was a major victory for the county’s not-even-6-month-old Stormwater Department, spun off in July from the Public Works Department in the face of public discontent.
“I said this may be the most highly anticipated savior since Jesus Christ — and with a bit of Moses in there — and that we don’t need you to part the water,” Smith said at the time.
“You need to part the sand.”
Bulked up with millions in additional funding and tasked with a higher level of service, the department sought the county’s first such increase since 2022.
Instead, county commissioners rejected the fee increase and said they would rely on millions in storm aid and $18 million in departmental reserves.
Up and running through the heart of 2025’s quiet hurricane season, the new department is “laser-focused” on Phillippi Creek, Commissioner Tom Knight said, but broader work is underway to assess countywide needs and find funding solutions for all of them. County Administrator Jonathan Lewis said the Sarasota County delegation in Tallahassee has also been receptive to potential alternative funding sources.
Lewis said that should be an ongoing process. Quartermaine said some results of that progress in some areas is in the final stages.
“We’ll come back to you with recommendations on what to do in the other creeks,” Quartermaine said.
For now, though, Phillippi Creek is taking center stage, Quartermaine said, adding county staff has already met with the contractor in the field to scope out and main initial preparations for creek-access points and sites to gather dredging discharge before its ultimately removed.
“Any resource the contractor needs to ensure this project goes smoothly and quickly, that will be our priority,” he said. “Any equipment, any staff time necessary.”
Four Decades of Innovation. One Family. One Mission
For nearly four decades, World Class Dentistry has set the standard for personalized care in Sarasota. Founded by accredited cosmetic dentist Dr. Jill Morris and her husband, dental surgeon Dr. Burr Bakke, the family-run practice has built its reputation on trust, artistry, and innovation-qualities that are increasingly rare in today’s world of corporate-owned dentistry. Patients come not just for beautiful, lasting results, but for the sense of continuity and care that only a dedicated, independent team can provide.
Now, that legacy of excellence continues as Dr. Morris’s children join the practice, each bringing their own expertise and
passion for patient-centered care. “The power of two has become the power of family,” says Dr. Morris. “We support one another in every decision, and we’re always collaborating. Although we each have our own specialties, we’re united by the same goal: to do what’s best for every patient,” she adds.
Their son, Dr. Cameron Johnson, focuses on biological dentistry and early airway development, guiding healthy growth for children and adults alike. Dr. Sydney Johnson, a holistic dentist, explores the vital connection between oral health and whole-body wellness. Kelton Johnson oversees the on-site lab, crafting custom restorations, veneers, and crowns-often the same day.
Together with Dr. Bakke’s expertise in surgical and neuromuscular dentistry, the team offers patients the advantage of comprehensive care in one place. Every step of treatment, from consultation to lab fabrication, happens under the same roof, ensuring precision, collaboration, and accountability.
In an era when more than seventy percent of dental practices are owned by corporations, World Class Dentistry remains proudly independent. “Corporate dentistry answers to stockholders,” Dr. Morris explains. “We answer to our patients. Our recommendations are the same ones we’d make for ourselves or our loved ones.”
That philosophy, which is rooted in family values, artistry, and excellence, has earned World Class Dentistry generational trust.
“I still see patients who first came to me 38 years ago,” says Dr. Morris. “That continuity matters. We get to see what works, refine what we do, and grow right alongside the people we care for.”
To learn more visit SarasotaDentist.com, where you can also schedule a discovery call, or call 941-923-6363 directly.
Recycler polluting?
A local scrap metal and construction recycling plant has been accused of polluting Sarasota Bay.
to sue a scrap metal and concrete recycling facility for allegedly violating the Clean Water Act.
Suncoast Waterkeeper — a nonprofit with the mission of protecting Gulf Coast waters through environmental monitoring, advocacy and legal action — issued a notice of intent to sue U.S. Recycling, which recycles scrap metal and concrete at its Industrial Court facility in Sarasota.
A news release from the Waterkeeper alleges that U.S. Recycling, a construction and demolition debris recycling company, is violating the Clean Water Act by not abiding by requirements set out in a Florida Department of Environmental Protection permit.
Suncoast Waterkeeper alleges that elevated levels of pollutants have been discharged to Hog Creek, a tributary of Sarasota Bay, after rainfall.
“They’re not generating water from their activities. This is when it rains, there are these exposed materials, rain falls over the site and stormwater flows off the site into the municipal drainage system, which then flows into Hog Creek,” said Justin Bloom, Suncoast Waterkeeper founder and environmental attorney.
Hog Creek, which runs through the adjacent Pioneer and Centennial Parks, is designated by the state of Florida as an impaired water body, according to the notice of intent. Mercury levels are in excess, which leads to the impaired designation, the notice reads. FDEP did not respond to a request confirming Hog Creek’s current impairment.
Test results from water samples that were collected next to the facility showed increased levels of aluminum, iron, total suspended sol-
ids and chemical oxygen demand. Bloom said those four items are required from FDEP to be under certain “benchmark levels,” which Bloom said are being exceeded. Those four metrics are easy-to-test warning signs for other, more harmful contaminants.
According to the notice of intent, “scrap metal in different stages of corrosion and decay may release a variety of harmful substances,” including heavy metals, asbestos, paint, grease and other contaminants.
U.S. Recycling declined to comment on the matter.
Not a lawsuit yet, Bloom said he hopes the filed notice of intent begins a conversation with U.S. Recycling to fix the issues and avoid a court date.
“What they’re doing is, I think, an important industrial activity. Recycling building materials is something we support, but it needs to be done in a way that is protective of the environment,” Bloom said. “We don’t expect the pollution coming off the site to stop entirely, we just hope that they abide by the permit.”
The water quality complaint isn’t the first time U.S. Recycling has drawn headlines. In 2022, a group of homeowners in the Central Cocoanut neighborhood petitioned the city of Sarasota to address noise and poor air quality caused by dust from the plant’s concrete grinding.
Bloom said he hopes U.S. Recycling will respond and allow Suncoast Waterkeeper to inspect the facility and collaborate with engineers to come up with better practices for the facility.
S.T. Cardinal
U.S. Recycling is a construction and demolition recycling facility that borders the Central Cocoanut neighborhood in Sarasota. Suncoast Waterkeeper has filed a notice of intent to
Catch the Ski-A-Rees before winter break.
Ski-Do
Viewers have two more chances to catch the highflying waterside action of the Ski-A-Rees this season.
The acrobats will don their waterskis at 2 p.m. on Oct. 25 and Nov. 1 for the last time before their winter break. They will return in February.
Teams delighted audiences last Sunday on Sarasota Bay.
Despite choppy conditions, they pulled off their famous three-tier pyramid, swivel tricks, ramp jumps and many other impressive moves.
One star of the show was Lyla Robbins, who celebrated her second birthday two weeks ago. She may be the group’s youngest member, but with father, Lance Robbins, holding her securely on his shoulders while skiing, she beamed and blew kisses to the audience like any professional performer.
Lyla is part of the third generation of skilled water skiers in her family. Lance and her mother, Jennifer, met on the team. He has long performed with his brother, Brian, and his father, Russ, along with other family members.
“There are a lot of multigenerational families on the team, which is part of what makes it so great,” he said.
The show is free to attend, but organizers noted that donations go a long way in helping support their ongoing efforts to rebuild the hurricane-damaged facilities.
— DANA KAMPA
IF YOU GO
SARASOTA SKI-A-REES WATER SKI SHOW TEAM
When: 2 p.m. on Oct. 25 and Nov. 1, then returns in February
Where: Stadium seating is available at 1602 Ken Thompson Parkway, and visitors can bring folding chairs.
Seating is first come, first served, and organizers recommend arriving early, especially for shows during the busy season. Tickets: Attendance is free, though donations are welcome. Info: Visit SkiARees.com or call 941-388-1666.
Lance and 2-year-old Lyla
the water on Sunday. “If
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Photos by Dana Kampa
Abby Duplissey and Lance Robbins go flying across Sarasota Bay.
The Sarasota Ski-A-Rees maintain a synchronized line even with challenging wave conditions.
Despite choppy conditions, the Sarasota Ski-A-Rees managed to finish this past Sunday’s show with a grand finale three-tier pyramid.
Steph Ouellette stands on one ski.
The jumping team of brothers — Ryan, Garrett and Travis Bouley — pulls off a helicopter move even in less-than-ideal water skiing conditions.
Robbins hit
Power to the people
With strong community support demonstrated to bury utilities on the barrier islands and enhance lighting in a mainland neighborhood, the City Commission directs staff to proceed.
t
ing the groundwork to create special tax districts for the burying of utility lines on St. Armands and Lido keys and for enhanced neighborhood lighting within the South Poinsettia Park neighborhood. Representatives of all the wouldbe special assessment districts expressed their support during the Oct. 20 commission meeting, backed by neighborhood surveys that demonstrate overwhelming support of willingness to pay more to address their utility needs.
Surveys among the affected groups
of property owners for the proposal showed approximately 87% support of the St. Armands Residents Association, 97% among members of the Lido Shores Property Owners Association, and 93% from the Lido Key Residents Association.
A St. Armands Circle Association merchant survey also reportedly showed strong, though not a specific percentage, support.
The city attorney’s office has confirmed that no statutory threshold is required to begin the feasibility phase and the City Commission may determine what level of support is sufficient to move forward. Staff advised that a demonstration of strong community backing of 75% or greater helps ensure political and financial viability.
For the South Poinsettia Park Neighborhood Association, a survey showed 70% support for the enhanced street lighting South Poinsettia Park spans 19 streets bounded by Hyde Park Street to the north, Jasmine Drive to the south, Tamiami Trail to the east and Osprey Avenue to the west. According to the neighborhood association website, it is home to 380 residences and approximately 50 businesses.
“If you ask 1,000 people would you like the city to bury your power lines, 1,000 people would say yes,”
St. Armands Residents Association
President Chris Goglia told commissioners. “But if you told those same 1,000 people you’ve got to have a metal box on the ground in front of your house and you’ve got to pay for it, all those 1,000 people might not say yes anymore.”
But 87% of those residents did, that number climbing to 93% among survey respondents whose primary residence is St. Armands.
With the commission’s direction staff will prepare the legal and procedural documents required to form the special assessment dis -
A TAXING PROCESS
Preliminary steps in creating a special tax assessment district to cover the cost of burying utility lines on St. Armands and Lido Keys.
■ Engage a consultant to prepare an assessment report summarizing the benefits of underground utilities versus cost.
■ Determine the project cost estimate of all costs to be recovered through assessments, including cost to develop the assessment, legal expenses, hard and soft project costs and financing costs.
■ Determine if securing the consent of the majority of property owners in the proposed tax district is desired. If so, develop and implement a nonbinding petition or ballot process. Note that neither the petition process or consent of individual property owners are required by state law or city ordinance, but may be politically expedient.
tricts, estimate costs for the projects, schedule a public hearing and prepare a time line.
Public Works Director Nikesh Patel suggested should the underground-
CALENDAR YEAR BEFORE TAX BILL COLLECTION BEGINS
■ Adopt a resolution expressing intent to begin tax bill collection within the special assessment district the following year, typically by December.
■ Resolution adoption must be preceded by a weekly published notice for four consecutive weeks.
■ Forward copies of the executed resolution to the tax collector, property appraiser and Florida Department of Revenue.
■ Enter into reimbursement agreement with the tax collector.
ing in particular move forward, it will take three to four years to implement and up to seven years to complete.
Overhead utility lines behind commercial buildings on St. Armands Circle.
Photos by Andrew Warfield
St. Armands Residents Association President Chris Goglia states the case for burying utility lines on St. Armands Key.
Make A Plan.
It Makes a Difference.
Taking a few moments now can make a significant difference for your loved ones down the road. From removing the stress and financial burdens to fulfilling your exact wishes for your celebration of life, pre-planning is the best gift you can give your family.
We’re here to help. Give us a call today to start the conversation.
Bay watch
The Bay Park Conservancy secures a funding plan with the city and county to proceed with the third phase of The Bay Park.
ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER
As The Bay Park is in the midst of its October-long, three-year anniversary celebration of the opening of Phase 1, work on Phase 2 and planning for Phase 3 remains ongoing.
With the Oct. 16 endorsement of the city-county Bay Park Improvement Board, the Sarasota City Commission and County Commission this week approved funding, but at different levels, for design and development of improvements to the Centennial Park boat launch and surrounding area, and for design and planning of the center of the park, which is now the parking lot of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.
On Oct. 20, the City Commission approved $20 million for Phase 3 work plus $1 million to begin design work for that third phase. On Oct. 21, though, the County Commission took a more cautious approach, holding off on the approval of issuing $20 million in debt — which is set against tax increment financing district tax revenues on properties immediately surrounding The Bay park — but approved the $1 million.
County commissioners cited uncertainty of the future of property tax in Florida, opting to await more clarity from the state Legislature before considering the $20 million borrow. The Bay Park Conservancy proposed the city and county each provide one-third of the repayment from the TIF with the BPC covering the remainder.
The Bay Park improvement Board is composed of Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert and Vice Mayor Debbie Trice, county commissioners Mark Smith and Ron Cutsinger, and at-large
member Jon Thaxton.
Among the most significant changes made to the park’s master plan since the last BPIB meeting is removal of restaurant sites in Centennial Park — moving them to elevated positions south of the 10th Street boat basin — plus the elimination of a brick-and-mortar bait shop in favor of a mobile vendor, elimination of the pedestrian bridge over the 10th Street boat basin and a parking deck just south of Van Wezel Way.
Missing from the updated master plan is a Sarasota Performing Arts Center, only because, at the time, there is no set location other than south of the basin.
“There’s still three to four acres north of Municipal Auditorium between Van Wezel Way and North Tamiami Trail, and there are plenty of options for the performing arts center in different configurations,” Bay Park Conservancy Founder AG Lafley said.
Like the rest of the park plans executed thus far, Lafley and Shaheen said they are adaptable to changing conditions.
Lafley would provide no details about the occupant of the first restaurant, but said the architect and restaurateur are ready to move forward with design. The restaurant’s primary location, he said, serves about 200,000 customers per year.
For now at least, the plan shows only three restaurants, two adjacent to the parking deck and a third along the south seawall of the boat basin.
“We had four, five and six restaurants ringing that boat basin, and it just doesn’t work,” Lafley said. “We moved them south and they’re actually in a better location.”
St. George’s University, Grenada, West Indies HCA Oak Hill Hospital, Brooksville,
The Bay recently completed the pedestrian promenade along North Tamiami Trail.
Image courtesy of Downtown Sarasota Condominium Association
MONDAY, SEPT. 15
TELL HER TO CALM DOWN
11:12 p.m., 400 block of Quay Commons
Dispute: A musician accused by his girlfriend of having an affair with his manager escalated into a disturbance that required law enforcement response. Upon arrival, officers met with the man, identified as the complainant, in the lobby of a residential building. He advised he had been embroiled in an argument with his significant other over a three-hour period and asked for their assistance to calm the woman down.
An officer entered the residence and spoke with the woman, who said she believed the man was engaged in an affair. Her demeanor was described in the incident report as calm but upset. The officer suggested both parties remain separated for the rest of the night, and they agreed to stay in separate rooms. No further action was taken.
MONDAY, SEPT. 22
CAR TROUBLE
9:02 a.m., 1900 block of Central Avenue
Civil dispute: A complainant advised an officer that she wants the license plate from a vehicle she shares with her sister. She said although her sister purchased the SUV, the complainant is the registered owner. Why that arrangement was made was not included in the incident report, but she said the arrangement was no longer working. The complainant advised she intends to sign the title over to her sister, but she wants the license plate returned because the sister had been running red lights and, thanks to license plate readers, the complainant had been receiving citations in the mail.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 16
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT PLANTS
600 block of North Jefferson Avenue Civil disturbance: A resident told a responding officer that her neighbor, who is also the HOA president, had entered her property and was pulling plants out of the ground. The complainant advised she does not care if she is breaking the HOA rules with her plantings outside of restricted landscaping space around her residence. She stated that the plants are her “emotional support” and does not believe she is doing anything wrong. The officer contacted the HOA president, who advised the woman’s violations of the HOA restrictive covenants have been ongoing for years. Residents, he said, are permitted to plant only within a three-foot space around their buildings and that the woman is planting trees and bamboo some 40 feet away from her residence. He said he was only taking photos to report her to the HOA board.
What she wanted, she said, was law enforcement’s assistance in retrieving the plate. What she got was much more. Upon further investigation, it was discovered the vehicle’s registration had been suspended and the plate ordered seized. Additionally, the vehicle is not insured, and neither party pos-
Both parties were separated and advised to remain that way until the HOA board determines an action to take.
sesses a valid driver’s license. Contacted by phone, an officer explained the circumstances to the sister and the necessity to re-register the vehicle in her name. A deputy from Manatee County Sheriff’s Office responded to her address in Manatee County, collected the license plate without issue, and provided it to the SPD officer.
Five Points project nears approval
The Development Review Committee gives partial sign-off to Zenith redevelopment and North Tamiami Trail site rezoning, as Midtown Plaza faces more scrutiny.
ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER
Redevelopment of the Zenith tower at Five Points inched closer to approval as the city’s Development Review Committee issued partial sign-off on Oct. 16 for the plan to replace the 12-story office building and parking garage with a mixed-use development.
Partial sign-off means the project need not appear again before the entire committee but rather may pursue complete sign-off with individual staff project reviewers.
Developer Jebcore Z Tower of Sarasota, a subsidiary of Jebcore Cos., is pursuing administrative approval on the split-zoned site to build an 18-story tower that will include 96 dwelling units — seven of which to be designated as affordable under the city’s downtown attainable housing density bonus — and 41,837 square feet of commercial and office space.
The 18-story portion of the project will be built in the portion of the property zoned Downtown Bayfront.
The 1.18-acre site is at the southwest quadrant of the roundabout at Main Street, Pineapple Avenue and Central Avenue. It lies in both the Downtown Bayfront and Downtown Core zone districts, and did not request any rezoning.
n n n
With dozens of comments remaining unresolved, a plan to redevelop a portion of Midtown Plaza at 1299 S. Tamiami Trail will require a third submission. Owner Midtown Associates and principal Gavin Meshad are seeking site plan approval to redevelop 5.57 acres of the 7.51-acre site to replace approximately 45,860 square feet of commercial space with a 145-room hotel, 91-unit apartment building, 5,800 square feet of retail, and a three-story parking structure.
Sunday, November 2 • 3:00 PM St. Armands Room, Palms Memorial Park 170 Honore Ave. Sarasota 34232
This heartfelt tribute celebrates the lives and service of our veterans who have bravely served our country.
In cooperation with the Squires of the Knights of Columbus in Sarasota and Manatee counties, we are collecting retired U.S. flags throughout the month of October. These flags will be presented to the Squires for a proper retirement ceremony on November 2. Please join us in honoring those who have served and in giving our nation’s flags the respect they deserve. (941) 371-4962
Much of the commercial space had been occupied by a WinnDixie grocery store that closed in 2018 and has been vacant since.
The remainder of Midtown Plaza will not be affected by the project.
n n n
Meanwhile, on North Tamiami Trail, Modera Sarasota, at the 1700 block, had its first appearance before the DRC with a request for rezoning without site plan approval the 3.28-acre property, currently the site of the former Sunshine Inn & Suites plus adjacent vacant property. The street addresses include 1750, 1716 and 1770 N. Tamiami Trail; and 1232 18th St. The application has received partial sign-off.
The site is zoned Residential Multiple Family and located with the North Trail Overlay District with a future land use designation of Urban Mixed-Use 3, which is only available in the NTOD. That permits a base density of 35 residential units per acre, a maximum bonus density of 105 units per acre if 15% of those bonus units are priced as attainable, and a maximum height of four stories, up to five stories if affordable housing thresholds are met.
The property owner is listed as MCRT Investments of Orlando.
PLAZA REDEVELOPMENT n 91-unit apartment building n 145-room hotel n 5,800 square feet of retail
n Three-story parking deck MODERA SARASOTA n No site plan submitted
$18,900,000
$6,250,000
$2,225,000
Learning the rhythm
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
aige Hernandez’s participation play “Havana Hop” is about a girl with a multicultural heritage, who travels to Cuba to add salsa to her hip-hop performances while overcoming her stage fright.
Students at Tuttle Elementary School, who participated in a scaledback version of the play, weren’t showing any signs of stage fright on Oct. 20 as they found their rhythm alongside Hernandez.
Hernandez, the current artist in residence with Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation, visited the school to host two back-to-back performances for students from kindergarten through fifth grade.
“We truly feel honored to be able to be the Sarasota County school that she visited and performed for,” said Principal Patti Folino, noting Hernandez’s accomplishments.
Havana Hop: A Children’s Tale of Culture and Confidence! ■ 2-3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26 at Harvest House, 3650 17th St.
While in Sarasota, Hernandez will share her offerings with others including Girls Inc., Booker High School Visual and Performing Arts students, and local teaching artists.
A performer, director and educator, the Baltimore native is known for her work combining theater, hip-hop, dance, and education, and has collaborated with institutions including the Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian, and La Jolla Playhouse.
She has received honors including four Helen Hayes nominations and the Maryland State Arts Council Award.
“Because hip-hop is so young, it’s always been a youthful medium,” Hernandez said. “It’s fresh; it’s contemporary. It’s got this infectious rhythm and beat. It also allows you to kind of be yourself, so you can meet someone wherever they are. They don’t have to be an amazing dancer or have technique, but instead, they just need confidence, and really, you can pull off any hip-hop. So I think that’s something that a lot of students relate to.”
Paige Hernandez leads students.
Ian Swaby
SPORTS
FAST BREAK
for the fourthstraight time and Riverview for the
time.
Even in an off year relative to program standards, the Cougars still picked up a district championship. Cardinal Mooney girls’ volleyball swept both Sarasota Military Academy and Avon Park in the Class 3A-District 11 tournament last week without surrendering more than 15 points in any of the six total sets played. In the Oct. 16 title match against the Red Devils, junior outside hitter Charlee Hermann had a team-high 12 kills while junior outside hitter/ right setter Abby Johnson racked up seven service aces. Sophomore setter Brooke Gruhl submitted 26 assists to increase her team-best season total to 512. ... The Rams played in a district final of their own, but to a different result. Riverview girls’ volleyball fell to Venice, 3-1 (18-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-19), in their Oct. 16 match to crown a 7A-12 champion. It marked the third defeat in as many attempts against the Indians this season for coach Jason Mocherman and crew. Riverview, though, still qualified for the Class 7A tournament as the No. 8 seed in Region 3. ... Sarasota Christian football (5-4) secured its first shutout of 2025 against Babcock (1-7) on Oct. 17, with a decisive 42-0 effort. The Blazers were anchored under center by senior quarterback Ben Milliken, who went 16-for-24 through the air for 249 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Wide receiver/ cornerback Justin Brock and Colton Loftus — both fellow seniors — pitched in 77 receiving yards on three catches and 68 on six, respectively. The team’s regular-season finale at Keswick Christian (6-3) now awaits at 7 p.m. on Oct. 24. ... District meets for FHSAA swimming and diving teams are underway Oct. 20-25. Riverview and Sarasota compete in 4A-9, Cardinal Mooney is in 1A-8 and Booker is in 2A-9. The Rams are four-time defending girls state champions for their class — yet to give up the mantle since 2021. On the boys’ side, Riverview finished third in the state last season, and was followed closely by Sarasota in fourth.
“I feel like every single race is a memory.”
—
SEE PAGE 18
MOONEY’S GOLDEN RULE
JACK NELSON SPORTS REPORTER
Three states. 852 miles. A 14-hour drive. That’s the distance between Elijah Golden and his father, Ketaa, on any given day. They’ve lived separately for the better part of three years.
Leaving family behind was a price the defensive end had to pay when he transferred to IMG Academy — a boarding school — for his sophomore season. But when he shifted to Cardinal Mooney afterward, only his mother, Tina, was able to move with him to Sarasota.
Rarely, if ever, does Golden spot his father sitting in the bleachers or standing along the fence encircling Austin Smithers Stadium. Their bond, though, transcends blood and flesh.
“I still feel his presence when he’s calling me and stuff after the game, getting on me about stuff,” Golden said. “It’s almost like he’s here.”
The senior has gained a reputation for blowing by offensive linemen and blowing up plays. Ketaa Golden is known in Falls Church, Virginia, as a Realtor for Fairfax Realty Select, dedicating his time to assisting prospective buyers and sellers.
His own home has been quiet, but then again, Tina Golden’s will be too. Their son’s path is soon to diverge from both Florida and Virginia.
Elijah Golden joins Notre Dame in just a few months, set to enroll midyear to get a jump start on his freshman campaign next fall. The four-star recruit committed on Aug. 9 and is the No. 85 overall prospect in the Class of 2026, per the ESPN 300. Offers came in droves. There were 41 NCAA Division I coaches who sought his services, but against fellow finalists Alabama, Oklahoma and Virginia Tech, no program seemed a better fit than Notre Dame, the reigning College Football Playoff runner-
Every day in practice, Clark witnesses one of the state’s top young talents tear up the turf in his own backyard, having also spent his entire high school career with the Cougars.
At this time next year, he could be watching Golden register an emphatic sack or crucial pass deflection on TV, donning that signature gold helmet for his other alma mater.
“I haven’t had many 6-foot-4, 267-pound guys that move the way he moves. Those guys don’t grow on trees,” Clark said. “I think what makes Eli different, and I think the reason he’s going to be very successful no matter what he does, is because of his work ethic.”
Golden is the best defensive player — arguably the best player, period — on one of the best teams in the state. He boasts a team-high 11.0 sacks and 22.0 TFLs through Week 8 for Cardinal Mooney, which, as of Oct. 14, is ranked No. 2 overall by the FHSAA.
With every stop he spearheads, and every game the Cougars win, he’s not just inching closer to becoming a state champion. His high school days are nearing an end.
A whirlwind journey hit several stops en route to Sarasota.
Football formally entered his life at the recommendation of a neighbor by his childhood home in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Golden got into the game, but didn’t truly turn up the heat until Dixon-Smith Middle School, where the trenches became his place of comfort.
“I was a D-lineman, beating running backs to speed drives, and I just knew that I was different,” Golden said. “And that this is my dream — to go to the NFL.”
His freshman season at King George put him on the map. Still competing in his home state, he tallied 9.0 TFLs and 23 total tackles, good for T-5th and 7th on the team, respectively.
Paired with Golden’s physical attributes at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, those numbers attracted the watchful eye of Notre Dame’s thendefensive coordinator Al Golden, who visited him that year. But IMG Academy was watch -
ing too. The Ascenders offer a sort of college-style training that high schools can’t, and with Elijah Golden’s sky-high aspirations, a transition seemed natural.
He waved goodbye to his parents as part of the sophomore move to Bradenton. That came with its challenges, but in time, he got accustomed to flying solo. A larger issue loomed in the long-term as he questioned whether IMG was really the right home for his development.
Golden was only part of the picture there — a speck in an ever-swirling sea of talents. The defensive line wasn’t built around him, nor did he get the varsity experience he desired.
Cardinal Mooney was different. He sensed that in the lead-up to his junior season, and in those first few games as a Cougar, the coaching staff identified him as a difference-maker.
“Guys who are committed to P4 schools and ready to go, sometimes it’s hard to coach those guys because they’re so talented,” Clark said. “He does not approach it that way. He encourages coaching. He’s asking questions after practice.”
Not dissimilar from his days of pummeling middle-school ball-carriers, there’s now some stability for Golden. He’s spending multiple seasons with the same program for the first time in his high school career.
And his love for the grind burns bright, hoping to ultimately do something he never did at either of his previous two destinations — bring home a state title.
“It’s fun getting better and seeing yourself grow from this stepping stone to this stepping stone,” Golden said. “I just want to see how much better I got from the day before.”
He’ll have to start anew when he enrolls at Notre Dame for the spring semester. An awakening awaits on Jan. 12, when classes begin.
Although neither of his parents will be living with him, he’ll get calls from both on the regular, much like any other college newcomer.
Ketaa Golden is sure to come prepared with notes on academics, athletics and anything and everything in between.
ELIJAH GOLDEN TAKES IT TO THE MATS
Midway through his junior year, Golden joined Cardinal Mooney wrestling, in hopes of staying in shape and improving his technique during the football offseason.
He won’t wrestle again this winter because of his midyear enrollment at Notre Dame, but he enjoyed translating his close-combat skills and learning how to better leverage his body.
“My first time, I was very nervous. Very nervous — out of this world,” Golden said. “Once you get the hang of it, it’s very fun, but it’s like you’re going against the O-lineman one-on-one and you’re just trying to beat him for about eight minutes.”
Jasmine France, Sarasota girls’ cross-country
Courtesy image
The Sarasota High boys team and the Riverview High girls team repeated as state swimming champions in November — Sarasota
third-straight
Elijah Golden anchors a powerful defense for the Cougars.
Photos by Jack Nelson Golden (right) goes after a Lakewood offensive lineman. Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing in at 260-plus pounds, he’s been the anchor of Cardinal Mooney’s defensive line. Golden gets into his stance at the line of scrimmage on Oct. 10 for a Week 8 contest. Cardinal Mooney knocked off previously undefeated Lakewood, 35-12, while the senior racked up five sacks.
Elijah Golden poses for a photo on Oct. 17 at Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School.
After seasons with King George (VA) and IMG Academy, he’s found a home with Cardinal Mooney, and has helped the squad to the state’s No. 1 overall ranking.
It takes more than talent
Booker football is on roll winning seven straight.
The sheer talent suiting up for the Tornadoes this season is undeniable. On both sides of the ball, they boast multiple guys poised to join Power Four programs next fall. No binoculars are necessary to see that. Stop by practice and stay for a little while. Tight-window passes, acrobatic catches and ferocious tackling will more than likely be on display.
Even with the abundance of athletes crammed into Southwest Florida, talent can never be treated as anything less than the luxury it is. Talent alone doesn’t win games, but it always helps.
Coach Carlos Woods and his staff approach talent with one word — mutuality.
“We talk to those guys about it on a consistent basis. And when I’m saying mutuality, it’s not necessarily give-take,” Woods said. “It’s like we each have to do our part.”
That philosophy has worked wonders for Booker football thus far. Now 7-1 entering Week 10, the Tornadoes have stacked seven straight victories, and as of Oct. 14 per the FHSAA, are ranked No. 1 in Class 3A as well as No. 15 overall in the state.
It hasn’t been like the points parade of a year ago, when they scored 50 or more in six of 14 contests en route to the state semifinals. But they’re finding ways to win week after week.
The Tornadoes have now battled four opponents who they had faced by this time in 2024 — Tampa Berkeley Prep, Sebring, Naples Lely and Bayshore. Those former two
outings both wound up as losses.
Booker, though, held off Berkeley Prep, 29-23, in Week 2 this season. Later on in Week 7, it survived Sebring 27-20. Those are the two most obvious pieces of evidence that talent has gelled in a manner it never did last year.
More players have excelled in their individual roles. As a result, the likelihood of failure in crucial close-game situations has noticeably decreased.
“That’s the beautiful thing about this game that we call football and that we all love. All 11 have to do their job,” Woods said. “If you just execute your one-on-one, whatever we ask you to do, to the best of your ability, there’s a high probability that we’re going to have success.”
This is not the same defense that took the field early in the campaign.
Personnel may be similar, but execution has reached a whole new level.
After allowing 68 points through their first three games — Auburn (Alabama) being the only loss — the Tornadoes have surrendered 34 across their last five. Three of those results were shutouts.
Contributions have been remarkably well-balanced. Seven players have at least 30 total tackles, and there’s just as many who boast 10-plus tackles for loss.
Senior wide receiver/cornerback and three-star recruit Karaijus Hayes has a fifth-best 34 tackles to his name. Then there’s Florida State commit Chauncey Kennon, a senior cornerback/wide receiver who ranks No. 48 overall in the Class of 2026, per the ESPN 300.
Booker’s defensive stats-sheet stuffer, though, is a 6-foot-3, 245-pound menace who thrives not in coverage, but in the trenches.
Kevontay Hugan leads the Tornadoes in several respects — 8.0 sacks,
22.0 TFLs and 38 total tackles. Until he takes his talents to Indiana, this squad can only benefit from the senior’s waning days of high school dominance.
“Personally, it means a lot that I’m able to do things like that,” Hugan said. “But it’s also telling me that I could do more, and I could probably teach and help other players out.” Offensively, it would be an insult
to the football gods not to applaud senior quarterback Joel Morris. He returned from a season-ending injury in 2024 and, without a doubt, has been the best signal-caller in the area.
He’s thrown 22 touchdowns without a single interception.
Paired with that perfection is 1,670 passing yards on a 63.6% completion rate, all accomplished through eight starts under center.
If Morris keeps doing what he’s been doing, and Booker eventually turns its laundry list of victories into a championship, the Sarasota area will have a new folk hero.
“We always knew he was ubertalented. We always knew he was highly intelligent,” Woods said. “It was just a matter of it all coming together for him, and it’s all coming together for him at the right time for us, fortunately.”
Seniors Tyren Wortham and Dylan Wester — a Pittsburgh commit — are the primary beneficiaries of Morris’ MVP-caliber effort. Both of the two wideouts have 500 or more receiving yards and average
15-plus per catch.
Combined, they account for 15 of their resurgent quarterback’s 22 scores through the air.
“It’s been better, getting with Joel in practice,” Wortham said. “Just working and repping every play. Getting better at it.”
Chatter continues to circulate regarding the ever-elusive first state title in program history, and the hype isn’t hollow. Booker is still back-to-back state semifinalists.
This winning streak has only offered more fodder. The Tornadoes have playmakers aplenty, but what they’ve done with them is distinct from seasons past.
There’s more than just talent in these waters.
Jack Nelson is the sports reporter for the East County and Sarasota/Siesta Key Observers. Contact him at JNelson@ YourObserver.com.
Photos by Ian Swaby
Junior Max Taken and sophomore Carter Atwood of Berkeley Prep are on the tail of senior Tyren Wortham of Booker High.
Coach Carlos Woods
OF THE WEEK
ATHLETE
Jasmine France
By the time dust had settled at The Out-of-Door Invitational on Oct. 18, Sarasota girls’ cross-country stood atop the podium. Jasmine France was first among the Sailors to cross the finish line. The junior placed third in a field of 63 runners at the 3-mile race with a mark of 20:02.4, clocking in nearly 30 seconds faster than the team’s average on the day. France’s team-best performance earns her selection as the Sarasota Athlete of the Week.
When and why did you start running?
So my dad, he actually had a heart attack in 2016, so he started running to stay in shape. And of course, he couldn’t leave me at home, so that’s kind of how it started — me running at (Nathan) Benderson (Park) with him.
What do you enjoy most about competing in this sport?
The girls. I love hanging out with them and running with them. They’re such a good group and they’re always just so funny. They always make me smile.
What’s your all-time favorite cross-country memory? I feel like every single race is a memory.
What’s been the most humbling moment of your running career?
Knowing that people who I used to beat are now minutes ahead of me. It just doesn’t sit right with me.
What have been your goals for your junior season with I hadn’t broken 20 minutes in a couple of years, so my goal for this year was to come in and break 20 — to run a 19 again. I’ve done that, so goal accomplished.
Pete Capobianco, also known as Pickleballing Pete, is heading to Texas in November to compete in the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour 2025 World Championships.
A former tennis instructor, he switched to pickleball after retiring from the automotive industry and moving to Florida a few years ago. He quickly became adept at his new sport, earning him his new nickname and a second career.
If you would like to make a recommendation for the Sarasota Observer’s Athlete of the Week feature, send it to Jack Nelson at JNelson@ YourObserver.com.
What’s been a recent focus in practice and preparing for competition?
Previous years, I have really been down in the mental side of running, so the goal is just to get through the workouts and not tell myself I can’t do it, and not quit during them.
What’s one quote, if any, that you live your life by?
“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”
If you could meet any professional athlete, who would you meet and why?
It would probably be Allison Felix, because she’s one of the greatest 400-meter runners of all time, and that’s my track race. So it has to be her.
If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go and why?
Probably Thailand. There’s no real reason to it, but it just looks like a very fun place to go with all their street food and night life.
If you were stuck on a desert island with only one item, what would you bring and why? Well, if it’s an island, I’d probably say water. You’ve got to stay hydrated.
What’s your favorite meal?
I love Thai food, so anything that’s curry or noodles, I’ll eat.
What’s your go-to music while running?
Anything that’s on Spotify. Anything that’s up, I’ll just click shuffle. If (our team) had to pick one song, it would be “The Fox” (What Does The Fox Say?).
Finish this sentence. Jasmine France is ... Blunt.
“It wasn’t something I was planning on,” he said of his pickleball career. “I don’t consider it work. You know, when you’re doing something you love, it’s not work.”
With a motto of “Don’t just play pickleball. Play BETTER,” Pete offers instruction to everyone from beginners to intermediate-level players who want to improve specific skill sets.
Not only is Pete an international competitor, but luckily for Florida’s Gulf Coast residents, he also teaches lessons and clinics as a Professional Pickleball Registry certified teaching professional.
“Regardless of where you find yourself, everyone can benefit from some type of coaching and or evaluation,” he said.
Pete will travel as far north as Tampa and as far south as Fort Myers to give one-on-one or small group lessons.
“As long as there’s a court available, we’re going to teach,” he said.
Pete’s schedule is seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., except for November
when he’ll be participating in the
World Championships.
RETIREMENT WITH A RIFF
Bird Key resident finds post-retirement success as folk musician.
IAN SWABY | STAFF WRITER
Bird Key resident Jim Stanard was happy in his career as an actuary, calculating risk for financial organizations, yet throughout that time, he was still listening to music.
When he retired in New Jersey, he found himself thinking about what he was going to do next, and he picked up his guitar again. That led to what he calls an obsession, “in a good way,” with the process of songwriting, and a realization that it was something he could do — although he didn’t expect his later success.
Stanard’s latest album, “Magical,” released in January of this year, repeatedly achieved the No. 1 slot on the Roots Music Report Country and Country Americana charts, while his singles “Lookin’ Back” and “The Minotaur” reached No. 1 and No. 2 on those charts.
A LESS RISKY CAREER FIELD
From the time he was young, Stanard enjoyed activities that involved calculating risk and probabilities.
However, he also had an interest in music, including bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, and folk music including artists like Bob Dylan, although he says his biggest influence is Warren Zevon because of his dark humor, irony and historical fiction songs.
“The earlier hit music, really was not lyric heavy, from the ’50s and early ’60s, although it sounded great, so the lyrics becoming important was something and … I love the simplicity of folk and the simple, clean structure,” he said.
Stanard says while he respects forms of music like jazz with more spontaneity, his favorite music is “structured and intricate.” That is the reason his favorite composer in the classical genre, which he also enjoys, is Bach.
At about age 15, Stanard began playing guitar, and from his home in the western suburbs of Philadelphia, had the chance to see performers like Tom Rush and Tom Paxton at The Main Point in Bryn Mawr, and Bob Dylan at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia.
However, Stanard ultimately graduated from Lehigh University in
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, as a math major, a choice he doesn’t regret.
“I think it was a good decision because music is a tough business,” he said.
He says his career in the actuarial field was “very interesting and very good to me.”
While he became busy with his career, also attending graduate school to earn a doctorate in finance at New York University, he stepped away from guitar before he was drawn to it again in what he says was probably 2008 or 2009, a few years after his retirement.
“I decided I would try to see if I could get back into playing music, and see how far I could go, and it was an experiment,” he said.
A NEW PHASE OF LIFE
The first step for Stanard was to seek out mentors who could help him build on what knowledge he already had.
He became connected with guitarist Jon Skibic, a member of the band
The Afghan Whigs, who lived near him in New Jersey, and then, through a friend in the music industry, Kip Winger of the rock band Winger, for a set of six vocal lessons.
Both musicians have continued to be involved with his albums.
After he moved to Sarasota at the end of 2015, Stanard was impressed with the local music scene and gave his first performance at Elixir Tea House’s open mic session.
“It’s a great place to play for a first time, and they get some really good performers too,” he said.
He says although he was nervous during that initial performance, he continued practicing and taking lessons before Winger suggested he start writing songs.
Stanard sought out songwriting teachers, attended seminars and did other activities to learn the craft.
Later, Winger suggested they make an album, so they collaborated on Stanard’s first album, “Bucket List,” released in 2018, with Winger
continuing to produce his albums.
Stanard says he spends so much time on a song, that each one probably takes as long as writing five songs.
“My writing process is very slow, because I just keep going back, and back, and back and changing and changing and I never can get it perfect, but … I want to try to get everything as good as I can make it,” he said.
Stanard keeps a hook book in which he writes down ideas that come to mind at random times, perhaps from a comment someone makes. He tends to write the lyrics to songs first.
“If I have a little musical idea, I’ll go down the hook book and sort of try to come up with something that fits with that musical idea, or if I want to write a happy song or a sad song, I’ll go through and just sort of see what grabs me,” he said.
Stanard says a quality he’s always searching for is irony.
“Not always, but usually, you want something that has irony or a double meaning, or you come up with something that has an unusual meaning,” he said. “The other thing I like is alliteration … which is having the words start with the same letter.”
Stanard often writes historical songs, like one ballad on his new album titled “When the West Was Won,” which tells about the displacement of Native Americans in the United States along the Trail of Tears.
He says when writing from the perspective of one of the displaced people, he tried to keep in mind that a song is always about the audience, and ensure the story wasn’t exclusive to him but expressed feelings others could relate to.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Schedule: Stanard doesn’t have any upcoming shows but often performs at Tuesday night Open Mic at Elixir Tea House. 1926 Hillview St. Visit JimStanardMusic.com.
Despite the support of other notable musicians he’s had along the way, however, one friendship he describes as a close one, didn’t start with music at all.
He says when he met Peter Yarrow of the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, it was at an event by former President Jimmy Carter at The Carter Center.
Stanard, who says he would describe himself as center-right, and Yarrow, who was an activist for liberal causes, bonded over their belief in the need for dialogue between political aisles, Stanard said.
Yarrow was a member of Braver Angels, which centers on that goal, and he drew Stanard into the organization as well.
“Not
always, but usually, you want something that has irony or a double meaning, or you come up with something that has an unusual meaning.”
“He liked a lot of my music, not all of it, but he wanted to play on it,” Stanard said.
Yarrow and his daughter, Bethany Yarrow, performed on Stanard’s album “Color Outside the Lines,” including on the song “Home,” which Stanard noted is about the country being a nation of immigrants, and also the song “Arkansas.”
Yarrow, who died in January of this year after a battle with bladder cancer, was set to play on “Magical” as well, although those plans did not come to fruition.
“He was magnetic … He was such a charming, funny guy. He was just delightful to hang out with,” Stanard said.
Stanard says polarization is the theme of his song “You Turned Red and That Made Me Blue,” and says when that song debuted, it hadn’t crossed his mind that he would see online comments criticizing it as anti-Republican.
“It was simply that it worked,” he said. “You turned red and that made me blue’ made sense. If I said ‘you turned blue and that made me red,’ it wouldn’t make any sense. But as I was writing the song, it was entirely just poking fun at the polarization, and writing the song as a double entendre (that) could be interpreted as a political song or a relationship song ... It was like, ‘Oh my gosh. I didn’t even realize it could be taken that way.’ But anyway, it is what it is.”
Stanard says he’s glad for the success and calls his time in music “very gratifying.”
However, just like any endeavor, the results don’t come without hard work. He says a musician has to keep working, even when they’re not in the mood, and even when the music doesn’t work out.
Jim Stanard’s most recent album is “Magical.”
Courtesy images
After a career as an actuary, Jim Stanard has started a new career as a songwriter.
Beyond CompareOutdoor
Amped-up for Rocktoberfest
Sandy Stolp just returned from a vacation to Hudson, North Carolina.
She says although many streets there were filled with wineries and breweries, no place compares to Sarasota.
Stolp, who also goes by the name “Sarasota Sandy,” was glad to be at J.D. Hamel Park for Rocktoberfest Downtown Sarasota, enjoying the music of the band Big Night Out on Oct. 18.
The event, held from Oct. 17-19, featured a variety of area bands from Crossfire Creek Band to Gas House Gorillas, as well as vendors offering food including Oktoberfest cuisine, crafts and other items.
Stolp said she appreciated that the community offers events where families can attend without having to pay admission.
“It’s just wonderful to be here, and what a beautiful time to be here,” she said.
— IAN SWABY
Glen and Monica Greenleaf, visitors from Apollo Beach, applaud the performance.
Kevin Celebi performs on stage.
Noah Roman, 5, his mother, Kiersten Perez, Salem Friday, 4, her mother, Tabitha Lenz, and brother Teddy Friday, 2, came dressed for the season.
Photos by Ian Swaby
Family friendly frights
As Robert Banta departed Boo! at The Bay the night of Oct. 18 with his wife, Grace Banta, he was among the numerous attendees sporting a clever costume. With a bowler hat and a large artificial apple hanging in front of his face, he was costumed as the surrealist painting “The Son of Man” by René Magritte.
However, despite the large fruit that was in his field of vision, he still had plans to watch the sunset that evening.
He said since the park was in development, a place to relax and watch the sunset, in addition to enjoying events, was what he had always wanted from the space.
Amid the large turnout for Boo! at The Bay, he said he still hopes even more people discover the space, which he says does a “great job” with its events.
“It’s still not known to enough people in the community,” he said.
Families had the chance to enjoy activities including trick-or-treating, a “not-really haunted” decorated trail, and a showing of “A Minecraft Movie.”
Pumpkins were offered to the first 1,800 kids, while teaching artists from Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation assisted kids in decorating their pumpkins.
— IAN SWABY
Photos by Ian Swaby Maverick Mathis, 1, heads down the trail with his family.
Leisa Wilhelm leads her boyfriend, Austin Bronkhorst, across the park.
William Howarth, 7, his mother, Ilysa Howarth, sister, Huxley Howarth, 7, and father, Jeremy Howarth, stand on the trail.
THE HOT SPOT
Staff from fire departments including those of Sarasota County, North Port, Englewood, Charlotte County and Venice lined the streets of Southside Village on Oct. 19. However, one thing all of the firefighters shared in common was familiarity with chili.
“You always have firehouse chili,” said Battalion Chief Ryan Jekonski of Sarasota County, one of the event’s co-chairs. “That’s one of the staples of the fire department, cooking and just getting around the table and having a good time.”
He said the firefighters practice throughout the year for the 25th Annual Morton’s Firehouse Chili Cook-Off, which also involves votes cast for the best chili and themed booth.
Jekonski said around 7,000 people turned out to enjoy the chili, as well.
The event benefits the Sarasota Firefighters Benevolent Fund, which serves the families of firefighters during times of need.
IAN SWABY
Sarasota firefighter Ryan Gonzalez of Station 1 poses with his mother, Dawn Gonzalez.
Tara Piedra, and Ariel Betancourt and Michael Matheis of Station 9, prepare chili.
Jenn Burns poses with her son, Dylan Burns, 2.
Station 11 brought a 1776 theme. Front: Event attendee Brantley Door, 10, Maxx Jakimer and Logan Kramer. Back: Mason Waters, Glenn Galbraith, Mark Courtenay, Ryan Kriegel, Hector Almeida, Jake Shaffer, Johnny Rosenfeldt and Kai Collazo
Place: Longboat Key Fire Rescue
Chili)
Photos by Ian Swaby
Ellie Bowlin, 9, sets down a tray of chili at the Longboat Key Fire Rescue’s tent.
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Trick or treat, and compete
Laurel Park resident places in quarterfinals of national Halloween fan contest.
IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER
Laurel Park resident MJ Price is no stranger to the spotlight. Circus performer, radio host; stand-up comic; yoga, tai chi and exercise teacher; Mrs. Zephyrhills and Ms. Pasco County, and volunteer with numerous organizations are a few of the items on her resume.
However, she says she’s always been a fan of Halloween and “all things ghostly and unexplained.”
That was part of why she joined the Face of Halloween costume competition, in which individuals compete to be chosen as the ultimate Halloween fan across all of North America, with the exception of Quebec.
Price placed third in the quarterfinals, and the winner will have the chance to meet Jamie Lee Curtis (“Halloween”), Matthew Lillard (“Scream”) and Kane Hodder (“Friday the 13th”), with a prize of $13,000.
The competition also includes the Kane’s Choice and People’s Choice awards that have yet to be decided.
In the competition, the public casts free votes or paid votes that benefit the Starlight Children’s Foundation.
Price said she loved being in the spotlight since she was young, which according to her family became evident early, partly through a Halloween display around their fireplace.
“Apparently, the legend is ... that I jumped up there, grabbed one of the misshapen gourds and started singing ‘microphone!’” she said.
She also said she’s always been driven to be engaged in the community. After relocating from Zephyrhills following Hurricane Milton, Price found a new community in Sarasota, a place she knew through her grandparents, as well as performing with Fantazia Circus.
include serving as a volunteer at Senior Friendship Centers and as front-woman of the Sarasota-based Christian heavy metal band Jesus Caravan, playing the saxophone at Covenant Life Presbyterian Church, and taking the stage at comedy clubs that include McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre.
She is also in a main role in a film titled “202” that is being created by American rapper Comethazine.
“Now that I have been able to find all these wonderful organizations, the sense of creative community and the warmth of the people of Sarasota and Bradenton is beyond compare,” she said. “I am beyond not lonely.”
Price had planned, if she won the competition, to use the prize money for her faith-based documentary series “Unfolding,” which she is producing herself with help from others that include Ringling College students.
The series explores the stories of trauma survivors, a group Price says she belongs to. She is currently seeking a distributor and plans to send out the trailer to different film festivals.
“To even be able to compete, that was super fun, and it’s a great charity, so great organization,” she said. “I hope people will continue to vote for the folks who are still in the running.”
Today, some of her activities
Ian Swaby
MJ Price competed in the Face of Halloween contest, which involves fans of the holiday from across North America.
A two-property sale on Irving St. sells for $3.8 million
ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
Analytical Sciences Marketing Group LLC sold two properties at 1714 Irving St. to Ryan and Ashley Kube, of Sarasota, for $3.8 million. The first property was built in 2012 and has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,718 square feet of living area. The second property was built in 2012 and has one bedroom, one bath and 797 square feet of living area. They sold for $3.8 million in July.
SARASOTA
OYSTER BAY ESTATES
Margaret Irene Varner and Elizabeth Billue Guignard, trustees, of Sarasota, sold the home at 1909 Field Road to David Foster Coleman and Kelli Elizabeth Coleman, trustees, of Sarasota, for $2,015,000. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,997 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,028,000 in 2020.
BAYSO Michael and Carey Powers, of San Juan Capistrano, California, sold their Unit 1110 condominium at 301 Quay Commons to Ross Raymond Titus and Sandra Lee Titus, of Sarasota, for $1.8 million. Built in 2023, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,184 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,380,900 in 2023.
RIDGEWOOD
Mission Property Partners LLC sold the home at 2249 Oak Terrace to Matthew Issa Sawaged and Maria Barsoum Barsoum, of Sarasota, for $1.5 million. Built in 2025, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,900 square feet of living area.
Amanda Leigh Rico and Ryan Rico sold their home at 2246 Fiesta Drive to Michael and Ashely Fay, of Sarasota, for $875,000. Built in 2017, it has four bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,471 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,125,000 in 2023.
THE LANDINGS
Carole Ann Ranz Welch, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 4701 Pine Harrier Drive to Jeffrey McCalla, of Sarasota, for $800,000. Built in 1985, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,460 square feet of living area. It sold for $250,000 in 1988.
HUNTINGTON POINTE
Howard Mills, of St. Petersburg, sold the home at 8824 Havenridge Drive to Anna Del Mastro and Vanessa Del Mastro, of Sarasota, for $570,000. Built in 1994, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,601 square feet of living area. It sold for $222,500 in 1998.
GULF GATE WEST
Michael Volovick Leshchenko and Marta Leshchenko, of Batavia,
Other top sales by area
SIESTA KEY: $962,500
Gulf and Bay Club
LCS Holdings of Florida LLC sold the Unit 203 condominium at 5750 Midnight Pass Road to George and Maria Leontarakis, of Weston, for $962,500. Built in 1984, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,335 square feet of living area. It sold for $209,000 in 1984.
PALMER RANCH: $845,000
Sandhill Preserve
Illinois, sold their home at 2512 Regatta Drive to Jacqueline Demeglio and Ellen Demaio, of Sarasota, for $540,000. Built in 1980, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,148 square feet of living area. It sold for $440,000 in 2021.
GULF GATE WOODS
Kathryn and Rodney McMillen, trustees, of Sarasota, sold the home at 2418 Cardwell Way to John Philip Lacivita, of Sarasota, for $510,000. Built in 1971, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,801 square feet of living area. It sold for $89,000 in 1977.
SIESTA KEY
SARASOTA BEACH
Halls Avenida Siesta Paradise LLC sold the home at 5385 Avenida Del Mare to Blue Dolphin AMI LLC for $913,500. Built in 1981, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,956 square feet of living area. It sold for $98,000 in 1982.
OUR HOUSE AT THE BEACH Lisa Stverak, of Elliston, Virginia, sold her Unit B-302 condominium at 1055 Beach Road to Eric Olson, trustee, of Stoughton, Wisconsin, for $860,000. Built in 1981, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,204 square feet of living area. It sold for $90,900 in 1980.
SIESTA BEACH
Marsha Levkoff, of Longmont, Colorado, sold her home at 755 Edgemere Lane to Raymond Ruhlmann III and Dandrea Lynn Ruhlman, of Rochester, New York, for $715,000. Built in 1968, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,652 square feet of living area. It sold for $49,500 in 1976.
EXCELSIOR BEACH TO BAY
Patricia Bjelland and Glen Paine sold their Unit 201 condominium at 6285 Midnight Pass Road to John Robert Canavan and Kathleen Elizabeth Canavan, of Hershey, Pennsylvania, for $692,000. Built in 1981, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,387 square feet of living area. It sold for $155,000 in 1992.
FISHERMAN’S COVE
William Bortz, of Sarasota, sold his Unit 108 condominium at 9000 Blind Pass Road to Thomas and
TOP BUILDING PERMITS
Tiffany Grimm, of Norton Shores, Michigan, for $650,000. Built in 1968, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,090 square feet of living area. It sold for $382,500 in 2012.
PALM BAY CLUB OF SARASOTA
Joseph and Janice Agro, of Manasquan, New Jersey, sold their Unit N-16 condominium at 5964 Midnight Pass Road to Eric Olson, trustee, of Stoughton, Wisconsin, for $650,000. Built in 1975, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,268 square feet of living area. It sold for $470,000 in 2016.
ONLINE
See more transactions at YourObserver.com.
Michael and Rebecca Hunzeker, of Manchester, New Hampshire, sold their home at 11200 Whimbrel Lane to Joseph Brann and Lauren Salata, of Sarasota, for $845,000. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,512 square feet of living area. It sold for $525,000 in 2015.
OSPREY: $700,000
Park Trace Estates
Frank Schurgers and Karin Hildegard Schurgers, of Sarasota, sold their home at 826 Oak Briair Lane to Hussein Ajami and Bassam Hussein, of Canton, Michigan, for $700,000. Built in 2003, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,589 square feet of living area. It sold for $397,900 in 2008.
NOKOMIS: $2 MILLION
Casey Key Al Besse and Scott Evers, of Media, Pennsylvania, sold their home at 325 Casey Key Road to Cyr Property Investments LLC for $2 million. Built in 1947, it has two bedrooms, one-and-a-half baths and 892 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.2 million in 2014.
Source: City of Sarasota
Dr. Kristin Roussillon brings to Intercoastal
University of Richmond, Richmond, VA
University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD
University of Virginia Medical Center, Charlottesville, VA
University of Maryland Medical Center Baltimore, MD
lnterventional Cardiology Fellow; Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Philadelphia, PA Clinical Fellow, Department of Cardiology
American Board of Internal Medicine; Internal Medicine & Cardiology
Hospital Affiliations: Sarasota Memorial Hospital
Cattleridge Medical Building II 5951 Cattleridge Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34232 www.intercoastalmedical.com
and most insurances
FRIDAY, OCT. 24
YOUR CALENDAR
TRICK-OR-TRIPLES
TENNIS TOURNAMENT
Noon to 4 p.m. at Payne Park Tennis Center, 2050 Adams Lane. Free. All players are welcome at this tennis tournament, where they are invited to come in costumes. Call 941-2636641 or stop at the front desk to register. Visit LetsPlaySarasota.com.
HAUNTED TRAIL
AT ARLINGTON PARK
5-7 p.m. at Arlington Park & Aquatic Complex, 2650 Waldemere St. Free. Enjoy games and trick-or-treating at this haunted trail carnival on Arlington Park’s half-mile walking trail. Children under 5 must be accompanied by an adult. Visit SarasotaFL.gov.
SATURDAY, OCT. 25
BOO! AT THE BAZAAR
BEST BET
SUNDAY, OCT. 26
TASTE OF THE BAY PRESENTED BY SARASOTA-MANATEE ORIGINALS
Noon to 3 p.m. at The Oval Parking Lot, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts. Free to attend. Five food tickets for $5, purchasable at event. Most food items range between three and five tickets. Taste some of Sarasota’s popular locally owned restaurants at this outdoor food festival hosted in partnership with the SarasotaManatee Originals and featuring live music by The Rockefellers. Visit TheBaySarasota.org.
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime, 821 Apricot Ave. Free. Enjoy trick or treating throughout the Bazaar, as well as a photo opp with Belle’s Princess Parties that includes Cinderella, Ariel, and others. Visit HamletsEatery.com.
PROJECT PRIDE SARASOTA
PRESENTS GULFCOAST
PRIDE FESTIVAL
Noon to 5 p.m. at Overtown Square Park and surrounding streets, 1386 Boulevard of the Arts. Free. Sarasota’s largest Pride Festival features over 100 vendors, live performances from local and international entertainers, and food from Sarasota’s top local restaurants. Visit SarasotaFL.gov.
SWEET SCIENCE: CHOCOLATE THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHEMICAL ENGINEER
1:30-2:30 p.m. at Fab Lab, 4452 S. Beneva Road. Free. Learn about chocolate, including how the science of chocolate-making creates the smooth texture of chocolate and how advanced biotechnological processes like fermentation unlock its rich flavors. Visit Mailchi.MP/SuncoastScience/September-2025.
SIGNATURE ARTISTS AT THE BAY: HIP HOP BODY ROCK DANCE WORKSHOP
4-5 p.m. at The Oval, 1055 Boule-
vard of the Arts. Free. Join Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation’s artist in residence, Paige Hernandez, for an interactive workshop exploring hip hop and dance. Hernandez is a performer, director, choreographer and playwright, who has performed nationwide and worked with institutions including the Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center. Visit TheBaySarasota.org.
ASTRONOMY AT THE BAY
7:30-9:30 p.m. at Common Ground, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts. Free. Join Suncoast Stargazers as you view the skies through the telescopes on site, or bring your own. Visit TheBaySarasota.org.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 29
TRUNK OR TREAT
5-8 p.m. at Robert L. Taylor Community Complex, 1845 34th St. Free. Enjoy a family friendly evening featuring games, candy, and a contest for costumes and best trunk decorations. Visit LetsPlaySarasota.com.
THURSDAY, OCT. 30
HAUNTED LIBRARY MINI GOLF
2:30-4:30 p.m. at Betty J. Johnson North Sarasota Library, 2801 Newtown Blvd. Free. Recommended for ages 5 and up. Enjoy rounds of spooky mini golf at the library. Visit SCGovLibrary.LibraryMarket.com.
Stephenie Whitfield President,
NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH
CREATIVE THINKING by Jared Goudsmit, edited by Jared Goudsmit
