After introducing dual-language learning to Sarasota, Dreamers Academy moved to a new, bigger campus in Newtown in 2023, and opened its first dual-language library in 2024.
On April 3, the charter school hosted its first Scholastic Book Fair.
“We want to build a love for reading,” said Head of School Catherine Rodríguez.
The event also showcased other subjects in the specials category, including music, visual arts, P.E. and science, with a performance by the school’s choir.
“We normally have a lot of parental engagement, so it’s not rare that this was packed,” Rodríguez said.
A striking performance
Since Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe began in 1999, it has worked to diversify its audience and widen its exposure.
One example was its performance of “Brer Tiger & The Big Wind,” held outdoors at The Bay on April 5.
Part of the theater’s Jazzlinks Touring Education Program, the performance, led by Education Director Jim Weaver, reimagined the African American folktale in a musical format.
About 100 registrants signed up to see the story of how Brer Tiger hoards pears on a pear tree during a famine, before Brer Rabbit arrives and ultimately tricks him into sharing them.
$0.10
■ City of Sarasota, county fund balances take a hit in hurricane cost. SEE PAGE 9A
■ St. Armands Circle is 75% occupied with more on the way.
SEE PAGE 10A
■ Siesta, Sarasota beaches are open but still trying to recover. SEE PAGE 14A
■ Tourism numbers take hit, but recovery is strong.
SEE PAGE 16A
Coming Next Week
A look at the long process to get back home and lessons from the storms. SIX MONTHS LATER, INSIDE
Six months ago, Hurricanes Helene and Milton flooded St. Armands Circle. Today, a sense of normalcy has returned.
Dana Kampa
Ian Swaby
Gloria Lopez and her son, first grader Vince Tellez, peruse the books on display.
Courtesy image
Brian L. Boyd played the role of Brer Rabbit.
Ian Swaby
Nara Horn prepares chocolate turtles at the Fudge Factory on Siesta Key, which is going strong after the hurricanes.
WEEK OF APRIL 10, 2025
BY THE NUMBERS
“You definitely feel the absence of some neighbors and friends around your house and when you’re out and about on St. Armands Circle.”
St. Armands resident Chris Goglia. Read more beginning on page 3A
Abay front home in Sarasota’s Harbor Acres has sold for what officials with Michael Saunders & Co. say is the highest price for a home or condominium sale in Sarasota County so far this calendar year.
The house at 1490 Hillview Drive sold for $14.8 million on March 10, according to Sarasota County property records. It remains under construction by Sarasota luxury home builder Voigt Brothers. Spanning 6,500 square feet, the residence includes five bedrooms. five-
and-a-half baths and a three-car garage with side entry. Additional features include an elevator, infinity-edge pool, outdoor terraces and whole-house generator, according to a news release.
The property spans a half-acre, including 100 feet of southfacing open waterfront along Sarasota Bay, and it is two blocks from Southside Village.
SRQ Home Holdings LLC is the seller, according to Sarasota County property records. The seller purchased the property in 2022 for $12 million.
The buyer is listed as 1490 Hillview Dr LLC, which corresponds to a residential address in Libertyville, Illinois, owned by Allyson D. Cayce, according to Illinois property records.
While this may represent the highest home sale price so far in 2025, a $30 million home being built on Siesta Key and a $25 million home under construction on Longboat Key were listed in January, while a Siesta Key estate hit the market for $31.5 million in February.
SPAF names chief development officer
The Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation has named Kelly Addington chief development officer. She will oversee the foundation’s capital campaign for the proposed Sarasota Performing Arts Center and to advance arts education.
“Kelly’s exceptional experience in fundraising, strategic leadership and relationship building makes her the perfect addition to our team,” said Foundation CEO Tania Castroverde Moskalenko in a news release. Addington brings more than two decades of experience in philanthropy and mission-driven impact. Previously, she was senior director of development for the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Florida, where she led fundraising efforts that collectively raised $700 million over six years for the USF Foundation.
“It’s an honor to work alongside Tania Castroverde Moskalenko and the passionate board of directors to lead a transformative capital campaign,” Addington said in the news release. “Together, we’ll build on Sarasota’s vibrant arts culture, ensuring the performing arts continue to inspire and connect our community for generations to come.”
Aqua Egg Hunt set for April 12
The Sarasota Parks and Recreation Department will host its annual Aqua Egg Hunt at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 12, at the Arlington Park & Aquatic Complex at 2650 Waldemere St. Groups will be divided by age to ensure each child can gather eggs safely. Special prizes will be awarded to those who find the “golden” eggs, and all children will have the opportunity to meet the Easter Bunny and take home a goody bag.
Parents must enter the water with children who are 5 years old and
Courtesy Michael Saunders & Co.
The home at 1490 Hillview Drive boasts an expansive view of Sarasota Bay.
WORK IN PROGRESS
ANDREW WARFIELD, CARTER WEINHOFER, DANA KAMPA AND IAN SWABY STAFF WRITERS
From the southern tip of Siesta Key to the northern edge of Longboat Key, life after the 2024 hurricane season along Sarasota County’s barrier islands is largely similar.
Some steadfast residents have vowed, and are doing whatever they can, to stay. Those who do stay know they are losing neighbors they have lived alongside for years, if not decades. Relationships will be lost, perhaps new ones forged in their stead.
“Life feels like it is mostly back to normal, except for the fact many people aren’t here,” St. Armands resident Chris Goglia said. “You definitely feel the absence of some neighbors and friends around your house and when you’re out and about on St. Armands Circle. But aside from that — going out to dinner, doing whatever activities you do like golf or boating — life seems mostly back to normal.”
On Sept. 26, Hurricane Helene, a category 4 storm, roared past the coast, more than 100 miles offshore on its way to landfall in the Big Bend. However, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it sent a storm surge of 6.68 feet to Longboat Key. NOAA didn’t have official numbers for Siesta Key, but its storm surge is estimated at between 5.7 and 6.7 feet.
Two weeks later, at 12:30 a.m. on Oct. 10, Hurricane Milton landed on Siesta Key Beach as a Category 3 with 115 mph winds ripping off roofs, downing trees and causing power outages throughout Siesta Key and Sarasota.
After the hurricanes, Longboat Key suffered more than $180 million in damages, and all of Sarasota County suffered $440 million.
Cleanup of the coastline with sand pushed everywhere took time, effort and money. But, beaches at Siesta Key and Lido Beach reopened quickly in November.
With all the repairs, damage and inhabitable areas, tourism numbers expectantly took a drop before regaining footing in the latter months of January through March.
Area businesses have suffered the most, especially on St. Armands Circle, where life is still trying to return to normal, with some businesses trying to rebound or others that have just left.
Mainstays like the Old Salty Dog on City Island only recently reopened in early March, while O’Leary’s Tiki Bar at Bayfront Park remains closed.
In some ways, our area is returning to normal after the storms. In others, it will never be the same.
Water from Milton flooded the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and canceled events from October through New Year’s Eve.
The ceiling at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport collapsed at Concourse B, but in a show of resilience, not only was the ceiling replaced, but SRQ opened its new Concourse A in January.
In the next two editions of the Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer, we will look back and forward to what happened to residents, and where the town, city and county stand in recovery efforts. We’ll look at permitting, including who has been getting permits and who hasn’t, and what businesses have suffered from the storms while others received a boost.
Deep down, it’s the residents of Longboat Key and Sarasota who have been through the most, and their stories shed the best light of where we were and where we are today.
What they all share in common is their affinity for living in their coastal communities from the north end of Longboat Key to the southern tip of Siesta Key, and everywhere in between.
Six months after Milton punctuated the stormy season with its landfall directly over the Sarasota area, residents shared with the Observer their stories of resilience and resignation as the long road to recovery continues.
“Life feels like it is mostly back to normal, except for the fact many people aren’t here.”
—St. Armands resident Chris Goglia
HELENE BROUGHT THE WATER
It was 9 p.m. and Hurricane Helene was heading to the Florida panhandle when Lourdes Ramirez recalls losing power in her Siesta Key home. No big deal, she thought, believing she and her husband, Eric, dodged another one. Then she heard the sound of water sloshing outside the house.
Living just less than a mile from the coast and not along a canal, she never considered storm surge to be a danger, especially from a storm 100 miles off the coast and heading north.
“We took a flashlight and looked in our backyard and saw water. We knew because it hadn’t been raining that much so we knew that it was storm surge,” she said. “Fortunately, my next door neighbor had a second-story patio and the house is on stilts. She was not there, so we spent the night on her patio waiting out the storm. It was my husband, myself and our cat up there waiting to be rescued the next morning.”
Partially covered by a roof, they were high, but not dry, as winddriven squalls rained on them throughout the night.
Among the Longboat Key residents who navigated the worst of
the storms is Deborah DiCarlo as Helene ravaged her home.
“The water must have come in pretty forcefully, because everything we thought we lifted high enough got knocked over or was floating,” she said. “Practically everything below four feet down there was destroyed.”
Hurricane Helene Sept. 24-27, 2024
Hurricane Milton Oct. 5-10, 2024
MAP KEY Hurricane Helene HurricaneMilton
St. Armands Residents Association President Chris Goglia and his wife, Cathy.
Andrew Warfield
The damage at 335 N. Washington Blvd. on St. Armands Key following Hurricane Milton.
Courtesy images The high water mark from the Hurricane Helene storm surge marks the Siesta Key home of Lourdes Ramirez.
Hugh and Anne Fiore at their new home in Sarasota. They lived in a home Hugh Fiore’s family had owned for 47 years.
“... I got two builders out there. They both told me the same thing — that we’d have to take the house down and build a new house.”
— Hugh Fiore
WHAT HELENE DIDN’T DO, MILTON DID
After Helene flooded their St. Armands Key home for the first time in the 47 years their family owned it, Hugh and Anne Fiore were working to restore it. Sheetrock was removed at the four-foot line and most of their possessions discarded. Then came Hurricane Milton.
This time, they evacuated to the East Coast and, upon returning to find their hurricane-impact slider cracked, additional home damage and their dock washed away, they decided it was time to move.
Quickly closing on the sale in January, the Fiores moved across the Ringling Bridge to the Indian Shores neighborhood on the mainland, just across the street from Sarasota Bay but elevated in a modern architecture home.
“My father purchased on St. Armands in 1977,” said the 82-yearold Hugh Fiore. “I’m not sure if we had 100-mile-per-hour winds or if the older part of the house settled a little bit, but it cracked the slider, at which point I got two builders out there. They both told me the same thing: that we’d have to take the house down and build a new house.”
Longboat Key Village resident Rusty Chinnis was away at a conference when Hurricanes Helene and Milton swept past the island.
Before he left, he prepared the best he could. He thought he raised tools and other items high enough off of the ground. “We thought we prepared,” Chinnis said. “The worst I’ve ever had in that garage is 18 inches (of water), so we put everything up 36 inches and then we had a four-foot storm surge.”
Chinnis said his property never lost power through Helene or Milton, thanks to the solar panels on his roof. “We’ve had solar panels for a really long time, but that really played out,” Chinnis said. “We never lost power through any of the hurricanes.”
While he was still away from the island, Chinnis invited neighbors to use his porch’s electricity to charge cell phones in the days immediately following the hurricanes. When he returned to his home, he found the garage flooded. The storm surge destroyed one of their cars, plenty of tools, fishing equipment and art supplies.
PICKING UP THE PIECES
When allowed to return to their home, the Ramirezes found the high water line of three feet outside the house and two feet inside. All furniture, keepsakes, antiques and other contents were ruined.
“I thought I knew about hur-
ricanes living on Siesta Key,” she said. “I always felt like I was prepared. But the water that intrudes the house is not only salt water, but you’ve also got sewage and other debris. And of course, that makes things not salvageable, and we had to toss most of that stuff out.”
Fortunately, for DiCarlo, the kitchen and main living areas were located on the second floor, so they made do living above the damage. Still, they had plenty to tackle in the aftermath, which took out their router, left debris splashed on the walls, and eventually caused mold damage they have since fixed.
Carlos Peralta and his wife, Johanna Jacome, both had a dream of raising their family on Siesta Key Beach.
“This storm had a profound impact on our family,” Carlos said.
“We lost everything — our home, our cars and all of our belongings. It was especially hard for my wife and kids ... because this was a new, complete new life for us. It was a very difficult adjustment as well, but I guess we all pulled together as a family and found a strength we didn’t know we had.”
The family spent weeks, even working with Carlos’ mother-inlaw, to remove everything from the home, yet life still went on.
Their children, Mia Peralta, 11, and Santhiago Peralta, 15, are looking to follow in the footsteps of the family’s oldest child, Alejandro Peralta, who is currently studying to become a neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins University and has returned home twice during the construction.
Carlos said one of the first things the family did after the storm was set up a room for Mia and Santhiago to study and for Mia to practice the piano.
REBUILDING TAKES TIME
About two weeks ago, Peralta’s family finalized the repairs on their Siesta Key home, where they have been living amid the ongoing work since Hurricane Helene.
“It feels a little weird because everything is new, and I guess you have to get used to your new bed, your new living room your new kitchen cabinets,” said Peralta.
On Longboat Key, the upper
“The water must have come in pretty forcefully because everything we thought we lifted high enough got knocked over or was floating. Practically everything below four feet down there was destroyed.”
floors of Chinnis’ house were fine, but he’s now at work redoing the garage and making renovations to elevate other objects, for example, placing tools on higher racks and installing additional shelving.
“Basically, I’m just going to put everything in the house assuming that it’s going to flood. If it doesn’t, then fine, but we’re not going to get caught again,” Chinnis said.
He also replanted his entire garden and lawn, making a switch to native plants more salt-tolerant and less likely to be killed in future storm surges.
Like Chinnis’ recovery, there are many places on Longboat Key further along in their recovery than Spanish Main Yacht Club.
Hurricanes Helene and Milton left the entire Spanish Main community and its 212 units in disarray, its residents displaced.
Spanish Main is a 55-and-older community with one-story villas
HURRICANES
Courtesy image
— Deborah DiCarlo as Helene ravaged her Sleepy Lagoon home
Dana Kampa
ACTIONABLE RESPONSE
as many as 275,860 Florida Power & Light customers were without power, which is 88% of Sarasota County.
In a matter of 24 hours, that number reduced to 181,230, leaving 61% without power. By 6 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, the number was cut in half at 30% with 89,310 without power. By Tuesday Oct. 15, only 14,480, or less than 5%, were without power and that was because of heavy damage suffered.
Throughout the state, FPL had a restoration workforce of 20,000 from 41 states and Canada.
Staging for Sarasota County was at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds during the time of restoration.
SARASOTA COUNTY RESPONSE
Sarasota County has spent approximately $85 million to date in recovery efforts for the three named storms. That total includes the total do-date billed debris removal costs at just less than $59.6 million.
County staff has confirmed it is investigating all eligible reimbursements from FEMA and expects to receive reimbursements of approximately $75 million. Until then, those costs are paid out of the county’s general fund, which at the end of fiscal year 2024 showed a fund balance of $133.6 million, $74.2 million of that earmarked for contingency/emergency/disaster relief reserves.
The county’s contracted haulers collected approximately 32 million cubic yards of vegetative debris from Siesta Key, which was reduced to mulch and relocated, plus 45,415 cubic yards of mixed debris. The data does not include sand, appliances or household hazardous
waste and applies only to unincorporated Siesta Key. The northern end of the key is in the Sarasota city limit.
CITY OF SARASOTA RESPONSE
The city’s cleanup response following the 2024 storms, which included severe flooding the Pinecraft area from Phillippi Creek caused by the heavy rains of Tropical Storm Debby, totaled about 320,000 cubic yards of vegetative and household debris.
Including nearly $10 million to get the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall up and running in time for the second half of the performance season, the cleanup and recovery bill exceeded $17 million, well more than half of the city’s $28.7 million in general fund reserves.
The city did receive an advance of more than $7.7 million from FEMA, leaving a nearly $10 million gap. But that’s not all. Several city parks are awaiting repairs and restoration, some of those not expected to be complete until 2027.
LONGBOAT KEY RESPONSE
Immediately following Hurricane Milton, the town of Longboat Key requested outside help and additional resources from regional and state departments. The town requests help from a county emergency operations center and first receives resources available regionally. If the resources are not available, the EOC then sends the request further out to other parts of the state and, sometimes, other states.
It’s a need-based system, said Town Manager Howard Tipton, and, if asked in the future, the town would send resources or personnel it could spare to assist municipalities in a similar situation.
Officers and fire department
crew members from municipalities such as Miami-Dade Police Department, Biscayne Park Police Department and Jacksonville Fire and Rescue traveled more than 200 miles to assist Longboat Key with extra patrols and traffic control.
The town also requested assistance in getting its lift stations operational, and the city of Bonita Springs showed up to help.
Sand and debris covered Longboat Key’s roads and some properties, after Helene and Milton. It was the town’s responsibility to clean up debris along town-owned roads, which Tipton said cost more than $4 million.
The Florida Department of Transportation handled debris cleanup from Gulf of Mexico Drive, which is a state-owned road. Altogether,
Tipton estimated $10 million was spent on Longboat Key’s roadway debris cleanup between the town and FDOT.
After crews removed the debris from the roads, it was staged in a vacant lot on the island where some of it was processed and ground to finer pieces to make it easier to pack. Then, the debris was sent off to a landfill on the mainland.
Moving forward, Tipton said one of the biggest takeaways from Helene and Milton was that hurricanes and large storms don’t need to be directly hitting an area to cause significant damage.
“I think there has to be this reckoning that it doesn’t have to be a direct line to us, it doesn’t have to be close ... everybody has to be
on their game when something is in the general area,” Tipton said. That anticipation will become a new normal, Tipton said, and one that he thinks will keep resiliency projects front of mind.
“I think it’s getting to the infrastructure projects and understanding that resiliency is the No. 1 issue for our island,” Tipton said. “It’s the cloud that hangs over us, or as I like to look at it, the opportunity in front of us.”
Projects like beach nourishment, roadway drainage improvements and canal dredging — which is a part of the town’s stormwater drainage — will likely be given a higher priority, Tipton said.
The Sarasota County Fairgrounds is a staging area for post-hurricane recovery efforts.
“Our dream of raising a family here has always been a part of who we are. This disaster, though incredibly challenging, ultimately made us stronger as a family, as individuals, and our commitment to this place remains intact.”
— Carlos Peralta, Siesta Key resident
that finished construction in 1972. The community is situated on a unique plot of land with a canal, which is likely why Helene’s storm surge was this damaging to the community. Permitting required to rebuild has been slow.
One resident said they don’t even have drywall replaced, for they have been stuck in the permitting and inspection without much progress.
Another resident, Adrienne
Scott, said she was not aware of anyone who has been able to move back to their residence at Spanish Main. Scott and her husband, Bill Anderson, both local real estate agents, can’t wait to move back home.
“My husband and I are still looking forward to getting back into our house. We have some wonderful memories there,” Scott said.
TOUGH DECISIONS:
STAY OR GO?
For Ramirez, the decision to renovate and stay on Siesta Key was never in question. Shortly after the storm, she said 75% of people she knows there said they were leaving. As time passed, that percentage, she said, is down to about half. Even at that, she said the back-toback hurricanes are likely to change Siesta Key forever.
“My neighbors across the street sold her house for the land, and my neighbor down the street just put theirs out on the market,” she said.
“I do see a lot of people putting their houses up for sale because they just don’t want to go through that experience again.”
The result, she expects, is a lot of renovated and rebuilt homes will become short-term rentals, and she is losing neighbors with whom she was close.
Fiore inherited his St. Armands home in 2004 when his mother died. They homesteaded here that same year and moved here permanently in 2010 after selling his auto dealership in Connecticut.
If he were 20 years younger, Fiore said they might have entertained rebuilding, but at his age he didn’t want to spend the next two years or more on such a project.
They also didn’t want to move far away, either.
“I like Sarasota a lot. My father bought his first house in Southgate in 1973, so my wife and I have been coming here for a long time,” Fiore said. “It’s near and dear to my heart.”
Longboat Key Town Commissioner-At-Large BJ Bishop is among the residents wanting to rebuild.
Although she has to rebuild her Buttonwood Harbour house completely, she said her neighborhood is seeing a variety of outcomes.
She filed for a demolition permit, but said the process overall has been slow, especially awaiting approvals from Florida Power & Light.
But there are a number of houses in Buttonwood that are also getting demolished. Others, she said, have left their properties altogether.
“There were a lot of houses that were torn down in Buttonwood. There are no plans for those people to rebuild,” Bishop said. “Those are neighbors that we’ve lost forever.”
The emotional toll of living in a flood-prone area and the financial burden of rebuilding and elevating homes proved too much for some of Bishop’s neighbors. About onethird of Buttonwood neighbors are rebuilding, one-third are leaving or selling and the rest are repairing at their current elevation.
After everything that has taken place, Peralta says the family’s desire to live on Siesta Key remains unchanged.
“We never considered leaving the island because living near the beach comes with risk, and we understood that from the beginning,” he said. “Our dream of raising a family here has always been a part of who we are. This disaster, though incredibly challenging, ultimately made us stronger as a family, as individuals, and our commitment to this place remains intact.”
Bishop is taking steps to elevate her home.
The current structure sits at about four feet above sea level, but she plans to add eight feet of elevation with the rebuild.
As president of the St. Armands Residents Association, Goglia has his fingers more firmly on the pulse that most of his fellow homeowners’ response. Just weeks after Hurricane Milton, he told the Observer he expects equal numbers of residents leaving versus staying.
In the months since, his assessment remains the same.
“Of the 200 houses here, roughly half had been built in the last 20 years and had limited damage,” said Goglia, who is staying on St. Armands. “It’s only the other half of the houses, generally the interior houses, that were damaged the worst by the storms. Many people are just trying to figure out how to stay.”
Courtesy image
HURRICANES FROM PAGE 4A
Alejandro and Santhiago Peralta works on repairs to the family home on Siesta Key.
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AI: The next new frontier?
While some media organizations are clamoring to be leaders in artificial intelligence, the Observer is following a different approach.
KAT WINGERT EXECUTIVE EDITOR & COO
As a child of the ’80s growing up during the popularity of the two “Terminator” movies — stories built around the dystopian theme that learning machines become self-aware and start a war to exterminate humans — the idea of artificial intelligence is a bit unsettling.
I know I’m not in the minority here. The spectrum of fear surrounding AI ranges from general uneasiness with having computers specifically programmed to emulate human beings to doomsday scenarios of all of us losing our jobs and becoming enslaved to our computer overlords.
I don’t know what the future of AI looks like. And, from a two-day summit I attended this past week on AI Ethics in Journalism put together by the Poynter Institute and hosted by the Associated Press in New York City, I can confidently say: No one else does, either. But here’s one thing I do know: It’s here, whether we like it or not. Even if you don’t realize it, you’re most likely using it daily.
Aside from the platforms set up to use AI via prompts from humans, such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini, companies have been baking AI into their technology in more subtle ways you may not have noticed. For example, ever been writing an email and it starts suggesting how you can finish your sentence? That’s AI. Ever used a chat feature with specific prompts during a customer service call or online session? More AI. Ever search for something in Google and a paragraph pops up at the top of the results with an overview answering your question? 100% AI.
In a 2024 study by the Reuters Institute, researchers found that, in the U.S., fewer than half of people over the age of 35 have heard “a large or moderate amount about AI.”
Three years after ChatGPT’s launch in 2022, that means the majority of our population still doesn’t really know that much about it.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR NEWS
AI is a complicated, double-edged sword of epic proportions. On one hand, it has the potential to do amazing things that could benefit readers and, possibly, humans in general.
For example, some publications are using it as an accessibility tool to read news for those who are vision impaired in a better, more lively way than our typical monotone text readers.
It also can help journalists with the needle-in-a-haystack problem. When data or investigative journalists are working with large volumes of documents, AI can help sift through and flag important things that can lead to more-informed and thorough stories. Some would argue this is its greatest strength: identifying and pointing out patterns.
For large news organizations that have trimmed many of the reporters who used to cover things like school boards and town councils in small communities, they are investigating using AI to summarize government meetings so readers have some idea of what’s going on.
Or, even further, using AI to create entire newscasts using AI-generated news anchors who look and
Reuters Institute
A 2024 study by the Reuters Institute found that across several markets worldwide, more than half of respondents over 35 had not heard “a large or moderate amount about AI.” Furthermore, it showed that 52% of respondents in the U.S. were uncomfortable with news generated mostly by AI, while 23% said they were comfortable with news produced mostly by AI.
sound like real people. Creepy. On the negative side, especially with AI inserting itself at the top of your search results, it’s effectively diverting traffic that would go to the news source, in our case, YourObserver.com.
This has two negative outcomes for us and our readers. First, we lose the traffic that otherwise would come to our page, which we monetize by connecting readers with our advertising partners. They are essentially taking information that we spent money and time on to synthesize answers, often poorly and without credit. You may not think that’s a big deal, but the second outcome is that the information provided in AI overviews is often incomplete, misleading and inaccurate.
For example, I Googled, “What are historic property tax rates on Longboat Key, Florida?” The AI Overview from Google responded: “Longboat Key, Florida, located within Sarasota County, offers an ad valorem tax exemption program for property owners making qualifying improvements to properties listed on the Sarasota County Register of Historic Places or similar registers within the county’s municipalities.” Huh?
Its sources, the links shown to the right of the answer, link to the Sarasota County Libraries, Florida Department of State and How to Find Property Tax Records in Florida on a bogus county lookalike account on YouTube.
OK, it thought I meant taxes for historic properties. Let’s try again, with different phrasing.
This time I received an overview of property taxes and how they work … in Sarasota County. No mention of half of Longboat Key even being in Manatee County. That’s when I know we will always need human reporters to make sure we see the full picture.
HOW THE OBSERVER IS USING AI
So, how are we at the Observer using AI for our news content?
In short, we aren’t.
About eight months ago, the newsroom met to discuss what we know about AI, how reporters use any AI tools and whether we think they might be useful in the future. Although many of our reporters had played around with ChatGPT, there was 100% consensus, from reporters aged 22 to 67: We don’t trust it, and we’re not going to use it.
I was surprised. I thought for sure someone would see value in it.
Help in writing headlines? Using it to rewrite calendar entries? Nope, they said.
This is not because they were scared of losing their jobs. I challenge AI to go cover the county fair, or write a balanced, well-contextualized story on a contentious county commission vote.
They don’t value it because they don’t trust it.
As I’m sure you’ve heard, AI has a tendency to “hallucinate,” meaning it comes up with completely false information while trying to answer a question. Just like a human who is hallucinating might be a little scary and unsettling, we as journalists feel the same way when computers do it.
If we can’t rely on this information, then readers can’t rely on us. That’s a non starter.
The exception to this is transposing software, such as Otter. ai, which helps reporters translate recorded interviews into notes more efficiently. We have also tested some copy-editing tools, but, again, not great. No improvement over the regular spell and grammar checkers, anyway.
Are there potential uses in the future in which we might use, say, a graphic generated by AI to visualize information that we have reported independently and verified? It’s possible.
Will we keep an open mind about new tools that can augment our journalists in their work? Definitely. Will we be transparent about our efforts? Always.
But for now, we as a newsroom decided being 100% humanpowered is a unique thing these days, and as it becomes more rare, it’s only going to make what we do more valuable.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
What does this mean for you?
Unfortunately, it means now legitimate news is swimming in the same internet information stream that delivers “AI Slop” begging for your attention and spreading misinformation. Think of it as spam, only in your social media and search feed. So, if you care about things that are real, you’re going to have to be more discerning.
We already know this from social media algorithms. Nothing has been more effective at filtering other points of view from your feed. Just “like” one thing leaning one way or the other politically and you will be swooped into a land of agreement and posts that reinforce
President and Publisher / Emily Walsh, EWalsh@YourObserver.com
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The same is true with AI. If you, say, hit “like” on an AI-generated image of Shrimp Jesus just for fun, you may notice that you are soon served up AI-created videos of cats attacking alligators, people saving drowning kids from a flood and all sorts of things that are unbelievable … because they’re not real.
There are people who make money by creating AI images and videos and then monetizing them via websites, social media, YouTube and other online platforms. All fine if you want to entertain yourself that way, but just know those platforms are prioritizing these kinds of content over news.
The more you watch, the more you’ll see.
The way around all of this AI tomfoolery, fake videos and inaccurate content is what it has always been: Select a trusted source of news when you’re reading, and be intentional on what you reward as a consumer.
In the “you vote with your dollars” adage, you also vote with your time, your clicks and your likes. Be judicious with them.
Now more than ever, it is essential to know your source and be mindful of increasing your media literacy. Call us old-fashioned, but we think there’s value to being able to connect with a real human who creates the content you consume.
Someone with a byline, a phone, an email ... and a pulse.
At the Observer, that will remain at the heart of the stories and images our journalists create and the type of community we want to foster.
Sorry, Shrimp Jesus.
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City, county fund balances take a hit
Storm recovery costs, FEMA reimbursement delays will be a factor entering budget season.
s both the city of Sarasota and Sarasota County governments enter budget season, the health of their respective general fund balances is always top of mind.
While there is no minimum percentage of fund balance to general fund required for cities and counties in Florida, the Government Finance Officers Association recommends at least two months of emergency spending set aside. The city and county routinely exceed reserving the minimum.
The general fund balance, among other factors, also affects a local government’s bond rating, which influences interest rates on debt.
Going into the current fiscal year, the city carried a fund balance of $28.7 million, and the county had $163 million across its emergency/ disaster-related reserves. Although FEMA will reimburse most of the local governments’ recovery expenses, it won’t likely cover them all, and it can take years.
The city, for example, expects to be reimbursed for expenses in some capacity by FEMA, but a city spokesman said when and by how much remains to be seen. Communications Assistant Luke Mocherman said nearly five years elapsed between Hurricane Irma’s 2017 damage and federal reimbursement, adding that process is long and complex. On a similar timeline, the town of Longboat Key in 2019 received FEMA money for beach damage that occurred in 2012.
Those kinds of delays will leave a
COMMUNITY CONVERSATION
gap in planning the fiscal year 2026 budgets for both governments.
“We don’t have any estimate on FEMA reimbursement amounts or an estimated timeline for reimbursement at this point in time,” Mocherman said.
The city did receive more than $7.7 million up front from FEMA to help cover recovery costs connected to the 2024 spate of storms. In total, Mocherman said, the city racked up more than $17 million in recovery expenses, as of March 31, the balance of which was paid from Sarasota’s reserves to the tune of $9.4 million.
The city’s budget began the fiscal year with about $28.7 million in reserve, which is about 27% of the total budget, according to city data. Standard practice is to operate with
a reserve of about 22%, which can keep the city running for about three months following an emergency.
Last fall, Deputy City Manager Patrick Robinson said a worse storm surge would have increased damages and the need for deeper reserves. “We had about 6-foot to 10-foot storm surge,” he said. “I can’t imagine what 10-to 15-foot storm surge would be, so I think having that change in your pocket goes a long way for situations like that.”
Among the projects in the city still awaiting completion are repairs and restoration of several key parks. Bayfront Park, Bird Key Park, Ken Thompson Park, Doc and Eloise Werlin Park and its adjacent Tony Saprito Fishing Pier each will
need more than $1 million in work.
The city says it doesn’t expect the last of those fixes to be complete until 2027.
Discussions with FEMA continue in connection with those projects, said City Engineer Nik Patel. Damage to city and private property within the city limits reached beyond $50 million from the three storms. About 320,000 cubic yards of debris — the equivalent of nearly 10,000 typical truckloads — was collected and hauled to disposal sites around the state. That was nearly four times the debris from Irma.
Sarasota County officials expect to be reimbursed for storm recovery costs in the amount of $75 million, about $10 million shy of the $85 million spent to date.
In advance of the 2025 hurricane season, Sarasota County government will host a community conversation on hurricane preparedness from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, May 8, at Riverview High School, 1 Ram Way in Sarasota. Doors will open at 5 p.m. Residents will hear from representatives of county departments, municipalities and environmental experts about personal and home preparation, evacuation procedures, shelter options and special needs as well as vital resources and what to expect from national forecasting models in 2025. The event is free to attend, but registration is encouraged. Questions for event panelists will be collected as part of the registration process. Register and learn more at SCGov.net/ CommunityConversations.
Among the $17 million in Hurricane Milton damage to city property was the shoreline behind the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.
Circle of life
The head of the St. Armands Circle Association discussed the state of St. Armands Circle in April — as the 2025 hurricane season looms.
ELIZABETH KING BUSINESS OBSERVER
At St. Armands Circle on a recent Thursday afternoon, diners packed tables from Crab & Fin to Columbia and Lynches Pub to the Daiquiri Deck. Boutiques and beachy shops were abuzz with groups of shoppers.
But every so often storefronts sat empty, with “now leasing” signs or covered windows — a reminder of the destruction Hurricanes Helene and Milton left behind.
Some 75% of stores on St. Armands Circle have reopened following the 2024 hurricanes, said Rachel Burns, executive director of the St. Armands Circle Association, in an early April interview.
The Circle is home to more than 100 merchants, and she said 84 were open by late March.
From October through December, amid recovery efforts, things looked significantly different.
“We’ve never had a hurricane season that affected so many merchants,” Burns said. “Typically, damage is isolated to one section of the circle.”
But in Hurricanes Helene and Milton, no one was spared.
“Every store flooded,” said Annika Sandstrom, owner of Olivia boutique at 17 S. Boulevard of the Presidents. “It was a nightmare,” she said, recalling knee-high water and not being able to open the door to her store, which at the time was several doors down.
“It was like a war zone,” she said, with mannequins and a fridge floating in the shop. Insurance paid nothing, she said, because she did not have flood insurance.
TOURISM SLOWDOWN
Because Sandstrom had spring
merchandise on the way after the hurricanes, she had to find a place where she could reopen sooner than in her old shop at 9 Boulevard of the Presidents. She opened in mid-January at her new location.
“January and February were not what (they) should be” as far as sales, said Sandstrom, who has owned Olivia for 38 years. “March was really good.”
Her experience in the winter months aligns with that of other merchants, according to Burns.
“Definitely, it is a slower tourism season than we would typically see,” Burns said. “Tourism ... has been down overall for the area, and I believe that falls in line, unfortunately, with what we’re seeing for Sarasota as a whole.”
Area residents who love St. Armands have been coming out to support the local businesses, Burns added, and the Circle will again begin hosting its special events in May with Corvettes on the Circle set for May 3, hoping to drive foot traffic to the area.
Sandstrom said she is unsure what the summer will bring, adding: “If we all work together to make the Circle great again, we can do it.”
BUILD ANEW
Water damage was the chief issue after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Burns said, adding it “affected so many people that just have never had to make repairs like this.”
Six months later, much of the structural work is complete.
Karyn Powell, who owns Jewelry by Cole at 7 N. Boulevard of the Presidents with her husband, Stephen Cole Powell, reopened for business March 15.
Powell’s store had to be stripped down to the studs, with no walls, as the shop was rebuilt.
“We had to replace everything,” she said, except for the merchandise, which she took to safety deposit boxes before the storms.
FEMA provided some financial assistance, while insurance did not, Powell said, because she did not have wind insurance.
“I have used personal money, everything I’ve got,” said Powell, to reopen the store, which she has owned for more than 30 years. “We were going to retire this year. That’s not going to happen.”
Since the hurricanes, Jewelry by Cole has gotten a refreshed interior, as well as new display cases, including two towers to showcase its handcrafted jewelry.
“It’s been exciting to be brandnew and different,” Powell said, reflecting on the upside. “We’re grateful that we could reopen.”
HOLDUPS, DELAYS
Many merchants have faced delays beyond their control for reopening, Burns said.
“Initially, it was supply issues,” she said. “Really the whole west coast of Florida had so much damage” that it was difficult to get drywall and contractors, she added.
“One of the biggest holdups for a lot of people reopening has been reordering cases and display units and cabinetry — the finishes,” Burns said.
Photos by Elizabeth King
The Daiquiri Deck hums with activity, while a neighboring resort-wear store is boarded up and closed for renovation.
The Beaufort Bonnet Co. is opening on North Boulevard of the Presidents.
AHEAD
In addition to more businesses reopening, a landscaping face lift is in the works for St. Armands Circle, said St. Armands Circle Association Executive Director Rachel Burns.
The city of Sarasota will “be investing some money into the beautification of the area,” Burns said.
Landscaping on St. Armands is expected to take place in May or June, according to city spokesperson Jan Thornburg.
Both the city and Sarasota County officials will also be looking at infrastructure issues.
“Hopefully, in the next couple of months, we’ll be hearing more from them on allocation of funding or ... grants that they’re applying for in order to really have a plan that can make an impact,” Burns said, “so we don’t have catastrophic disasters like this in the future.”
One merchant told Burns the business was using fold-out tables as displays because its cabinets have been on order since November.
“They got to the point where they just had to make that decision,” Burns said. “They couldn’t go all year without an income.”
Getting permits has also “really held people up quite a bit,” Burns said, noting St. Armands has had more permits issued so far in 2025 than it had in all of 2024.
“The city was attempting to expedite all the permits for people impacted by the hurricane. Given the number of permits that inundated the permitting office, we’ve been assured that they are approving them as fast as they can,” Burns said.
“Unfortunately, that doesn’t always feel fast enough.”
COME ALIVE
Meanwhile, several prominent businesses on the Circle are working toward reopening, including:
n Lily Pulitzer is planning to reopen in mid-April following a store redesign, Burns said, and related chil-
dren’s brand Beaufort Bonnet Co. is opening soon as well.
n White House Black Market, Chico’s and Soma are all under the same parent company and will be opening “soon,” Burns reported in early April.
n Kilwins is also planning to welcome customers again shortly.
n Starbucks, which closed after Hurricane Helene, plans to reopen in the near future, the company said in a statement.
n Tommy Bahama, which closed its restaurant at 300 John Ringling Blvd. after the hurricanes, plans to reopen where Shore used to be, at 465 John Ringling Blvd., in the months ahead.
n Sunglass Hut and Armel Jewelers will be “opening as soon as possible,” according to the St. Armands Circle Association.
Meanwhile, several new stores have come online.
Merci Boutique at 486 John Ringling Blvd. and Breeza beachwear at 16 Boulevard of the Presidents recently opened, according to Burns, who said women’s clothing store Salty Stitch opened a second location called Kismet, where Little Bo-Tique used to be, at 17 Boulevard of the Presidents.
Others have changed locations, like Olivia. After a fire broke out in January at Rochelle’s Boutique, neighbor Sea Glass Lane moved across the street to 59 S. Boulevard of the Presidents. Garden Argosy, whose previous building was sold, has moved to 18 S. Boulevard of the Presidents.
Olivia moved a few doors down from 9 to 17 S. Boulevard of the Presidents.
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SAND SAVE
Whether sifted, saved or shipped out, posthurricane beach sand posed a gritty predicament.
ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER
Just more than a month after Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida’s west coast, Siesta Beach offered a respite of normalcy with the annual Siesta Key Crystal Classic sand sculpture competition.
among the two dozen artists as they sprayed, scraped and brushed their piles of powdered quartz into masterpieces.
Outside the makeshift arena, beachgoers swam, sunbathed, played volleyball and enjoyed other seaside activities as if it were just another mid-November day on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Just beyond the Siesta Beach Pavilion, though, things were far from normal. Along Ocean Boulevard to the north and Midnight Pass Road to the south, debris piles of the vegetative and demolition varieties remained uncollected. Businesses in Siesta Village were slowly reopening, and sand remained in locations where it otherwise wouldn’t be.
The beach was wide and expansive as always, as vendors lined the perimeter of the sun swept competition area and visitors meandered
Along Turtle Beach, tons of sand in high piles awaited sifting for contaminants to either be pushed back onto the degraded beach or hauled away. Some piles of sand even remained adjacent to the pavilion parking lot.
With the eye of Milton passing
above Siesta Key, shoreline damage was heavier to the south, the result of the onshore winds pushing seawater and sand at even higher volumes and farther inland, the most severe conditions from Turtle Beach south to Manasota Key.
Along Midnight Pass Road, piles of sand as high as 10 feet stood between the road and the Gulf, the result of earth-moving equipment plowing access for residents and contractors to condominium developments on the southern tip of the Key.
“The priority was first to clear the road for emergency vehicles and to give people access and just push sand out of the way,” said Sarasota County Emergency Management Chief Sandra Tapfumaneyi. “That was followed up by needing to do something with the sand. It was quite the operation. It was a lot of hard work on our Public Works and Solid Waste staff to get out there to get that done.”
Now six months removed from the one-two punch of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and to a lesser extent Hurricane Debby, Siesta Beach and Turtle Beach are doing well, if not yet completely, recovered. The massive sand piles that once stood between Blind Pass Road and Turtle Beach are removed and, in a pleasant twist of fate, the natural reopening of Midnight Pass between Siesta and Casey keys remains that way.
“The Department of Environmental Protection gave direction that if the sand was not contaminated, if it could safely be moved. You were allowed to put it back on the beach,” Tapfumaneyi said.
“We worked very hard to try to save as much sand as possible so we wouldn’t not have to repurchase it again.”
Turtle Beach had been repaired, not renourished, in 2023 using 92,500 cubic yards of sand trucked in from Lake Wales in Polk County.
Now somewhat back to normal, the county’s work on the beaches continues. County staff is exploring beach revitalization opportunities, Tapfumaneyi said, as well as replenishment of lost sand. It could have been a lot worse for Siesta and Turtle beaches, she
LIDO BEACH OPEN, BUT WORK REMAINS
In 2021, the widening of a 1.56-mile section of the beach by an average of 300 feet is thanks to a renourishment that bought in 700,000 cubic yards of sand. The city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed the replenishment. The idea was dormant until reintroduced in 2013. The sand for the project came from the dredging of Big Pass on Siesta Key.
The impacts of Milton and Helene changed all that three years later, depositing much of that sand along Benjamin Franklin Boulevard and along the side streets of Lido Key. The city was responsible for sifting, replacing and removing sand and the beach was reopened in early November.
Although Lido Beach reopened on Nov. 2, it isn’t back to its prior pristine condition. According to a city spokesperson, additional repair and renourishment efforts are ongoing.
South Lido Beach at Ted Sperling Park, which is owned and operated by the county, reopened in midMarch following an extensive recovery operation that included sand cleaning and replacement. Volumes of sand for both Lido Beach and South Lido Beach were not available.
added.
“We’re very, very fortunate that the height of the storm surge was down in Manasota Key,” Tapfumaneyi said. “We just received the National Hurricane Center report for Milton and the official amount was 10 feet of storm surge in Manasota Key. Had that been over Siesta Key, we would be having a very different conversation.”
Ian Swaby
The sun sets over Siesta Key Beach in late February, four months after Hurricane Milton.
Andrew Warfield Sarasota County Emergency Management Chief Sandra Tapfumaneyi addresses the media prior to one of the 2024 hurricanes as Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt Hoffman looks on.
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At Emerson Lakes, Every Day Is a Holiday
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Tourist recovery in reach
Numbers were expectantly down, but industry leaders celebrate a good recovery.
of local tourism in areas from Siesta Key to Longboat Key.
Kay Kouvatsos said when Village Café reopened in midNovember, after the hurricanes, she and her husband and co-owner, Tom Kouvatsos, were asking the question: Where is everybody?
Nonetheless, she said “extremely generous” customers handed over extra money to help support employees who had been out of work at the Siesta Key restaurant.
“We didn’t lose anybody. Every server came back,” she said.
The month of March finally brought a return to normal numbers for the restaurant.
Business owners said after Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, supportive visitors and a supportive community are aiding the return
Sarasota County records show a year-over-year countywide decrease of $2,177,434, or 10.5%, in tourism development tax revenue, known as the bed tax, from October through February.
They also show that revenue in February, the latest month available, was down 6.52% at $5,633,478.08 in February 2025, compared to $6,026,516.18 in February 2024.
Ann Frescura, executive director of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce, says for many establishments, it’s business as usual.
“We’re very happy to report that the majority of the businesses are up and running and rolling out the red carpet for visitors and residents alike, and they’re functioning at full capacity, but I think we need
to be mindful that some could also still be financially trying to catch up from the loss or reduction of business that occurred previously due to the impact of the hurricane,” Frescura said.
She said most accommodations are taking reservations, although some are working to complete repairs.
Visitor Andrew Cangelosi, of New York, said although signs of hurricane damage remained, the scenery was “nice.”
“They’re doing a good job with it, but you can definitely still see it, which is understandable,” he said.
Steven Zarnecki hadn’t returned to Florida since before Hurricane Ian struck in 2022. His family comes from Illinois to visit relatives in Fort Myers.
“It really is nice being back out here,” he said of Florida, saying that “everything’s great.”
Zarnecki, when asked if he could see signs of hurricanes, replied, “Not here.”
Kristin Hale, operations director of Siesta Key Oyster Bar, said the restaurant being a local staple helps with business.
“I feel like we are maybe slightly slower, but for the most part, pretty much the entire month of March
was rocking, which was great, and a few days we actually exceeded sales from last year,” she said.
“Actually, I see more (people) than usual,” said Nara Horn, a manager at Siesta Key Fudge factory. “I feel a lot of people are coming in to help our economy on our little island here.”
COMMUNITY STEPS UP
Businesses on Longboat Key continue to work toward fully recovering from the storms that devastated many neighborhoods and businesses, particularly those in low-lying areas.
But Longboat Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kim Verreault said both tourists and fellow residents have stepped up to support the Key’s recovery, which she hopes will steadily continue.
“We all saw how the local business community came together to support one another when they needed it the most,” she said.
Many hospitality businesses made quick work of their initial cleanup, including Zota Beach Resort and Casa Del Mar Beach Resort. Rebuilding work continues, especially in residential areas, but she noted that almost all the businesses on the Key that closed after the storms have since reopened.
The timing of the storms posed a particular challenge, for many businesses were preparing for the start of the peak season. But locals supported one another in getting the sector up and running as quickly as possible, which “allows people to get back to having joy and being a community again.”
Community stalwarts, like Harry’s Continental Kitchens, have also forged a way forward. Verreault noted the business, which recently celebrated its 45th anniversary, had to juggle the three arms of the combined restaurant, deli and convenience store.
Seeing such staples in the community return to form is heartwarming, she said, and vital to the tourism industry as many visitors plan to pack lunches for beach trips and other plans.
Verreault said the community made the most of the season, even seeing the launch of new businesses including Three Island Monkeys
STATUS UPDATE ON LOCAL PARKS
CITY OF SARASOTA
Out of 61 city parks, 49 are currently open, seven are partially closed, and five are closed. Partially closed parks include Gillespie Park (which has damage to its playground) and Ken Thompson Park (which has damage to shelters, its mangrove boardwalk and shoreline). Closed parks include Nora Patterson Bay Island Park North.
SARASOTA COUNTY
Out of 154 parks, 123 are open, 23 are partially closed and eight are closed. All Siesta Key Beach access points, except for #1 (3940 N. Shell Road) are open.
LONGBOAT KEY
Main nature trail walkways at Joan M. Durante and Quick Point Nature Preserve remain closed. Replacing the parks’ boardwalks, the town dock and the boat ramp could cost around $2 million and take an undetermined amount of time. Longboat Key Garden Club is spearheading remedial works, starting at Bicentennial Park, which members hope to restore before Fourth of July celebrations.
and Lo’ Key Island Grille. Some shops also took the opportunity to renovate their spaces.
In the long run, the community has built up its resiliency to such extreme weather, and Verreault commended those who stepped up to help start its path to recovery. As the peak season winds down, she encourages residents to take advantage of the amenities in their own backyard. Besides shopping, she said there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy local events, charters, trips to nearby parks and the cleared beaches that once again have their aquamarine sparkle.
DANA KAMPA AND IAN SWABY STAFF WRITERS
Ian Swaby
A line forms in front of Meaney’s Mini Donuts on April 3.
Debris removed to sites across the state
Some of it recycled, the rest buried in landfills, debris removed across the county numbered in the millions of cubic yards.
ANDREW
WARFIELD STAFF WRITER
For weeks, the giant piles of poststorm debris collected from Siesta Key and other nearby areas of unincorporated Sarasota County continued to grow at the future site of Siesta Promenade.
The 28-acre site at Stickney Point Road and U.S. 41 — where Benderson Development plans to build a mixeduse development of hotel, retail and 414 apartments — was the staging area before the vegetative, demolition and household debris moved on to their permanent destinations throughout the state.
Just east of Siesta Key on the mainland, the vacant site proved to be a convenient location for the operations.
“We were fortunate that we had that property that was not developed yet, and it was perfect because it was very close to Siesta Key and the barrier islands,” said Sarasota County Emergency Chief Sandra Tapfumaneyi. “The challenge we will have moving forward, because that property is going to be developed now, is finding areas close by to the devastation.”
So where did all that debris go from there?
The county reduced vegetative debris into mulch and it was taken to Dakin Natural Soils in Manatee County for further processing into soil amendment products. Crush-It in Nokomis took concrete to process into new aggregate products. Suncoast Metals in Sarasota took appliances that did not contain food waste in them for recycling. The county sent mixed debris, including
construction debris and household items, to the DRD Landfill and EcoSouth Landfill in Desoto County for burial.
Sarasota County collected and managed household hazardous materials.
From unincorporated Siesta Key, the county removed 45,415 cubic yards of mixed debris and 32,404 cubic yards of vegetative debris.
Countywide, debris contractors completed emergency debris removal operations in the unincorporated areas on Jan. 10, meeting the 90-day target completion date approved by the state. In the collection, there were more than 2.3 million cubic yards of vegetative material, household goods and construction and demolition materials. Removal of any material remaining curbside or on private property is now the property owners’ responsibility.
The volume of debris collected by the contractors for the city was 321,239 cubic yards, the equivalent of 10,000 truckloads. That amount was four times the debris removed in the wake of Hurricane Irma.
According to the city, crews hauled the debris to disposal sites throughout the state.
Widening, bridges move forward along Legacy Trail
Overpasses at Clark Road and Bee Ridge Road expected to wrap up in June.
ERIC GARWOOD
DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
As work progresses on overpasses designed to carry Legacy Trail users over a pair of busy, multilane thoroughfares, Sarasota County is moving ahead with plans to widen a segment of the popular cycling and pedestrian byway.
Contractors lowered into place concrete support beams, blocking traffic along Clark Road on April 3, which will form the backbone of one bridge. Lane closures and detours on Bee Ridge Road will begin in midApril into May to allow for similar overhead work, said Florida Department of Transportation spokeswoman Barbara Catlin. According to the Florida Department of Transportation, the expected completion of $13.2 million worth of projects will be in June.
The overpasses will be the trail’s third and fourth such structures, the most recent opening in 2019 over Laurel Road. Another spans Tamiami Trail in Venice. Previously, cyclists, runners and pedestrians had to cross highways with the use of surface crosswalks, which trail advocates complained was unsafe.
Also in the name of user safety, a long-envisioned widening of one of the busiest sections of the trail is moving toward reality. Contractor bids are being accepted through early May to build the 1.4-mile first phase of an additional lane from Shade Avenue in Sarasota to Beneva Road, designed to separate those on foot from those on wheels.
Using the existing trail, the project calls for construction of a parallel
pathway separated from the original by a grass median.
When designers initially lengthened the Legacy Trail between downtown Sarasota and the Palmer Ranch area, they left space for eventual widening in some of the busiest sections, such as the segments north of Clark Road traversing densely populated neighborhoods and urban settings. Sarasota County commissioners in 2023 approved the widening plan, funding it with a combination of state grants, impact fee revenue and private donations. May 6 is when expected bids will open. The county originally opened initial construction bids in late 2024, but they did not receive a successful bid, according to county documents, so they are redoing the process. Construction of the first phase, expected to begin this summer, is part of an overall 4.18-mile widening project, with completion envisioned in winter 2025, according to Sarasota County. Design of the project was
completed last year by Kimley-Horn and Associates for $59,950, county documents show.
The construction will be financed with a combination of $400,000 in grants, $497,000 in grant-matching money, $117,000 in impact fee revenue and $320,000 in private donations.
Plans are also in the works to build a spur that would someday route toward a nature park at Bobby Jones Golf Club, Sarasota County’s remodeled 17th Street Park and perhaps on to Nathan Benderson Park. The voter-approved 2018 referendum that paved the way for the trail’s expansion to the north also set in motion expansions on the south end of the trail, which had previously ended in Venice. Now, a connector links all the way to North Port. About 644,400 trail users were recorded in 2024. User figures for 2025 are lower through March than the January-March during the previous three years.
LakeHouse Cove at Waterside, Sarasota
Near Close Out
Shellstone at Waterside, Sarasota
Now Selling
Palmera at Wellen Park, Venice
Now Pre-Selling
Models Opening Soon
Photo courtesy of Sarasota County Crews remove debris in the wake of Hurricane Milton.
NAVIGATING TAX CHANGES IN 2025 & 2026
HOW J.L. BAINBRIDGE HELPS SECURE YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE
If one thing is certain about taxes, it’s that they always change. Some adjustments are modest, such as the standard deduction increases coming in 2025, notes J.L. Bainbridge Family Wealth Advisor and Vice President Ryan Thompson, CPA. But others could significantly reshape financial planning.
“There is a gigantic thing in 2025 that everyone should be watching,” says Thompson That is whether the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 will sunset as scheduled or be extended. Either outcome will impact tax liabilities in 2026.
Originally enacted for 2018, the TCJA lowered corporate and individual tax rates, increased the standard deduction, limited certain deductions, and restructured international tax rules. “It also significantly raised the estate tax exemption,” Thompson adds.
final decision until the very end of 2025. It could be down to the wire.”
HOW TO PREPARE NOW
“Working with the right professionals in your corner, ones who prioritize your best interests, is critical,” says Thompson. To fully understand how tax law changes will impact your financial strategies and how financial decisions affect your tax situation, work with both your financial advisor and tax preparer and ensure both have a broad understanding of your entire financial picture. Otherwise, they will offer advice based only on their own expertise. “A CPA will prioritize minimizing taxes, while a financial advisor will focus on maximizing performance within your risk tolerance,” he explains. For example, if you’re considering selling real estate, should you wait or act now? The answer isn’t always clear-cut. “It’s a complex decision,” Thompson notes, “which is why I believe having a financial advisor who understands your tax situation is invaluable.”
At J.L. Bainbridge, our approach to financial planning is all-inclusive.
“We call ourselves family wealth advisors,” says Thompson. “We chose those words carefully to reflect our commitment to helping clients navigate financial decisions as comprehensively as possible within the legal framework.”
“If the TCJA isn’t extended or made permanent for individual taxpayers, the result, though nuanced, could mean tax increases for almost everyone in 2026,” Thompson explains. “And we may not know the
With tax laws in flux and major changes on the horizon, proactive planning is essential. The right strategy today can help protect your wealth and minimize surprises in 2026 and beyond. J.L. Bainbridge’s team of family wealth advisors is ready to guide you through these uncertainties with knowledgeable and personalized advice. time to take control of your financial future. Visit jlbainbridge.com or call 941.365.3435 to schedule a consultation today.
THURSDAY, MARCH 27
TARDY RENTAL TRUCK RETURN
12:08 p.m., 1800 block of North Washington Boulevard
Civil dispute: The manager of a truck rental business said a customer had returned a vehicle to his location and then rerented it until April 18. The truck had not yet been returned.
The complainant advised last contact made with the renter was April 17 and sent a demand letter to a Bradenton address on March 25, delivered by a major shipping company and signed for by one “L. Harlov.” He also advised the GPS tracking shows the location of the truck at the Miami-Dade Fair Exposition grounds since April 23.
Contact was made with the subject via cell phone. He advised that he had not signed for the demand letter, and did not know who “L. Harlov” is and that the address he provided was the Red Barn Flea Market in Bradenton. He added he had been in contact with an individual from the dealership regarding payment for the truck and, inexplicably, did not realize it had been nine days since his last payment or contact.
The complainant provided the laggard lessee with the address of location in Miami where he could return the tardy truck and that, if not done by the end of the day, it would be reported as stolen and charges would be pursued.
SUNDAY, MARCH 30
WOMAN PUNCHES BAR BOUNCER
12:23 a.m., 1500 block of Main Street
Disturbance: In this week’s after midnight, alcohol-induced disturbance at one of Main Street’s popular pubs, officers were flagged down for a possible battery between an employee and a female customer.
The bouncer said the woman, who had been ejected from the premises because of her high level of intoxication and resulting behavior, had returned and, in the course of removing her a second time, punched him in the face. This occurred after he noticed her sneaking back inside and, after refusing to leave he “grabbed” her to escort her to the door. Asked to demonstrate how he grabbed the woman, it was determined to be a simple escort by the arm.
Once reaching the door, the employee said the woman, fueled by liquid courage, got up in his face and said, “Do not touch me or I will punch you,” making good on the threat by punching him in the face.
He stated that he did not wish to press charges against the woman, but wanted her trespassed from the property.
The woman, naturally, said the bouncer “came after her and kicked her out for the bar for no reason,” according to the incident report, and that she reentered to gather her friends who, possibly in a demonstration of sound judgment, remained inside. She said the bouncer choked her while inside, then changed her story that he escorted her to the door and then choked her and that she punched him in self-defense. After being told the man escorted her to the door in a lawful manner, she changed her story again, stating she punched him anyway for “putting his hands on her.”
After being advised the man did not wish to press charges for battery, the subject was told she was being issued a trespassing warning and was free to leave the scene. Whether her companions left with her was not disclosed in the incident report.
TAKE ACTION
- Ryan Thompson
SPORTS
FAST
Cardinal Mooney baseball won back-to-back games against Bradenton Inspiration Academy Red and North Port from April 1 to 3. Leading the Cougars (166) was sophomore J.D. James who went 4-for-6 with three runs across the two wins.
... Sarasota senior Blake Norman has been lights out on the mound this season. Norman delivered five shutout innings with six strikeouts in a 1-0 win over Bartow on April 4 to improve his record to 4-0 with a 0.37 ERA and 37 strikeouts across 38 innings. The Sailors (18-4-1) have won 13 of their last 14 games, ranking them as the No. 104 team in the state, best in the Sarasota area.
... Former Riverview pitcher Karson Ligon had a standout performance for Mississippi State (19-13) against South Carolina on April 6. The senior right-hander delivered six shutout innings with eight strikeouts as he allowed just one hit and one walk in a 6-0 win.
... The Cardinal Mooney boys and girls track and field teams both finished in first place at the ODA Thunder Classic 2025. The boys team placed first in six events while the girls team placed first in seven events.
... The Booker boys track and field team won the Palmetto High Invitational on April 2. Leading the Tornadoes were first-place finishes from junior Chauncey Kennon (11.12 seconds in 100-meter run), junior Jacobey Mobley (48.48 seconds in 400-meter run), senior Treyvion Timmons (12.62 meters in the triple jump), sophomore Maleek Lee (34.85 meters in discus) and the 4x100 relay team (42.08 seconds).
... Sarasota sophomore swimmer Jackson Irwin won the 7.5K Junior National Championships in the USA Swimming Open Water Championships at Nathan Benderson Park on April 5. Irwin swam 7.5 kilometers in 1:31:01, beating the field by one minute and 45 seconds.
... The LECOM Suncoast Classic — a Korn Ferry Golf Tour event — returns to Lakewood National from April 16-19 and will feature Sarasota resident Davis Shore and former Sarasota resident Neal Shipley
“I’ve had a lot of success trusting my defense more this year.”
The 2025 prep softball and baseball stars of Sarasota
VINNIE PORTELL STAFF WRITER
The postseason is just a few weeks away for prep baseball and softball teams in the Sarasota area, and the best has started to separate themselves from the rest this spring.
There have been several types of success on the diamond this year, from seasoned seniors leading their teams to winning records to ridiculous stat lines and some unexpected success stories.
Below are the top five baseball and softball players this spring season:
SOFTBALL STANDOUTS
Riverview was counting on having a successful season with several key senior returners, but the Rams have surpassed even their own expectations. Riverview (15-1) ranked No. 24 in the state and second in Class 7A-Region 3. Sarasota has been close behind. The Sailors (13-5) have used a deep lineup and a few ace pitchers to have one of its best seasons in years. Sitting at No. 64 in the state and fifth in 7A-3, Sarasota might have to face Riverview in the district and regional playoffs.
Other area teams like Cardinal Mooney (9-5) and Booker (4-5) aren’t ranked as high, but both have improved this season.
SIERRA LIPTON
RIVERVIEW SENIOR
Lipton has played a vital role for Riverview as the team’s starting shortstop and catalyst of the lineup. She leads the Rams in batting average (.431), hits (22), runs (22), doubles (four), stolen bases (10) and assists in the field (16).
ALLISON COLE
RIVERVIEW SENIOR
Anyone familiar with local prep
These players have been the best on the diamond this spring.
softball has likely heard of Cole, who has been not only the top pitcher in Sarasota but also one of the best in the state. She owns a 13-0 record with a 0.28 ERA and 204 strikeouts.
The senior has also been reliable on a day-to-day basis, pitching 101 1/3 of Riverview’s 108 innings this year.
Cole has also been a top hitter for the Rams with a .412 batting average, 21 hits, 11 RBIs and five extrabase hits.
ASHLAN GUENGERICH
SARASOTA JUNIOR
The Sailors have talented seniors who led the way this season, but it’s been Guengerich who has posted the best stats.
The junior pitcher/third baseman is hitting a team-best .467 with 28 hits, 15 runs, 33 RBIs and 12 extrabase hits in 60 at-bats.
Guengerich has also been a go-to pitcher for the Sailors. She is 6-1 with a 0.71 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 29 innings.
OLIVIA LOCKHART
CARDINAL MOONEY SOPHOMORE
Lockhart burst onto the scene with a breakout freshman season and she’s followed that up with another impressive year at the plate.
Cardinal Mooney scheduled stiffer competition this year, but Lockhart still has some of the best stats in the area. She leads the Cougars with a .526 batting average, 16 runs, 20 hits, 14 RBIs and seven extra-base hits, while striking out just twice in 38 at-bats.
A’RAYIA DAVIS
BOOKER SOPHOMORE
The Tornadoes have had some wildly high-scoring games this year, averaging 32 runs per game in their four wins, and Davis has played a big part in that offensive outburst. The sophomore third baseman/left fielder is batting .667 with 20 runs, 14 hits and 38 stolen bases through eight games.
BASEBALL STANDOUTS
None of the Sarasota-area baseball teams hold a ranking inside the top 100 teams in the state, but don’t assume that means there isn’t talent worth watching. Sarasota (19-4-1) has respond ed well after recording one of its
worst seasons in program history last year. The Sailors have won 14 of their last 15 games with a pitching staff that owns a collective 1.27 ERA and hitters who have come up in timely spots.
Cardinal Mooney (16-7) lost several players this past offseason via graduation and transfer, but that hasn’t fazed the Cougars, who have relied on underclassmen to fill the void.
Booker (8-9) and Riverview (517) have been on the losing side of games more often than not, but still have some players who give them a chance to win.
MARK METCALF
SARASOTA JUNIOR
The grandson of former longtime Sailors coach Clyde Metcalf, Mark transferred to Sarasota from Florida State University High School ahead of this season and has made a major difference.
The junior shortstop leads the Sailors in hits (29), runs (28) and stolen bases (19) while sporting a .387 batting average, a .495 on-base percentage and eight extra-base hits through 75 at-bats.
BRAEDON MACKAY SARASOTA SOPHOMORE
MacKay may be just a sophomore, but doesn’t play like it. The pitcher/ third baseman is hitting .325 with 16 runs, 25 hits, a team-leading 25 RBIs and 10 extra-base hits. He’s been more than effective on the mound, too, with a 3-2 record, a 1.46 ERA and 30 strikeouts across 24 innings.
WYATT HOSSENLOPP
CARDINAL MOONEY JUNIOR
Hossenlopp has been especially valuable this year for a Cougars team lacking veteran returners. He’s hit .311 while leading the team in runs (23), RBIs (17), walks (12) and stolen bases (13). The infielder/ pitcher has thrown just 9 1/3 innings on the mound this year, but has allowed just one earned run on six hits and one walk with nine strikeouts.
MORGAN PEGGS
RIVERVIEW SENIOR
Riverview has struggled on the mound this year, but Peggs has held the Rams together. The senior righthander is the only pitcher on his team with a sub-3.00 ERA (2.88).
Peggs has pitched well. He’s thrown a team-high 41 1/3 innings with 54 strikeouts and just 19 hits allowed.
DAMEER WATFORD
BOOKER FRESHMAN
Watford’s debut season couldn’t be going much better. The freshman first baseman/pitcher has paced the Tornadoes with a .514 batting average, a .640 on-base percentage, 16 runs, 19 hits 16 RBIs and seven extra-base hits across 37 at-bats. Watford has also stolen nine bases and has committed just one error in the field (94.4 fielding percentage).
— Morgan Peggs, senior, Riverview baseball SEE PAGE 21A
FRESH FROSH
Vinnie Portell
Cardinal Mooney sophomore J.D. James (.370 batting average) is one of nine Cougars players with 20-plus at-bats who is hitting over .300 this season.
Photos by Vinnie Portell
Sarasota High sophomore Braedon MacKay dials in against Riverview earlier this year. MacKay is hitting .325 with 25 RBIs and 16 runs.
A more challenging schedule this year hasn’t stopped Cardinal Mooney sophomore Olivia Lockhart from hitting above .500 for a second straight season.
Mark Metcalf, Sarasota
Young Riverview girls lacrosse team eyes district title
11th-year Rams coach Ashley McLeod has put a freshman-laden team to the test.
Predicting the future isn’t as easy as it used to be for Ashley McLeod.
The 11th-year girls lacrosse coach at Riverview High has had a good idea of which players were coming up the pipeline since she started the program in 2015, but that cycle is coming to an end.
McLeod stopped coaching youth lacrosse in the area six years ago when her son was born, which means this year’s freshmen mark the last crop of players she coached before high school.
Though the future is less certain for a Rams team that has gone 83-46-1 under McLeod, that’s something she’s planned to face for at least the next three years.
“I’ve been doing this long enough that you know when a girl comes in as a freshman you’re gonna lose them, and you prepare for that for four years,” McLeod said. “You know that’s gonna happen, so I’m constantly thinking about who’s going to shift in.”
McLeod’s preparations have set Riverview up with the No. 1 seed in the Class 2A-District 12 tournament,
which begins for the Rams on April 10 at 7 p.m. with a semifinal matchup at home against the winner of No. 4 Venice vs. No. 5 Cape Coral.
RIVERVIEW’S RESTART
Riverview faced somewhat of a rebuild coming into this season. Susan Lowther, one of the area’s best players last year, is now playing at Clemson. Other key seniors, like Alexandra Hernandez and Emily Honish, graduated. To top it off, junior Chloe Hackl didn’t return for her senior season.
That left precious few starters remaining, which forced McLeod to turn to freshmen Ella Berzins (32 goals, five assists), Madison Muller (13 goals, five assists) and Kinley McCaw (12 goals, five assists) into key players.
Knowing her team needed seasoning quickly, McLeod threw them into the fire. The Rams played the fifth-toughest schedule in Class 2A, and that caught up to them.
After starting with a 6-3 record, the team lost six straight games — the longest losing streak in program history.
RIVERVIEW’S PATH TO A
DISTRICT
CHAMPIONSHIP
April 10, 7 p.m.: Riverview hosts winner of No. 4 Venice vs. No. 5 Cape Coral in the semifinal round.
April 15, 7 p.m.: If Riverview wins, Rams host No. 2 Lakewood Ranch, No. 3 Sarasota, No. 6 Fort Myers Gateway or No. 7 Palmetto Ridge in championship round.
As far as the freshmen are concerned, however, that was the best thing that could have happened.
“We were used to going against lower-level competition, so we kinda froze up a bit against those higher-level teams,” Berzins said.
“As it kept going on, we continued to progress against those teams. We did a lot better, even though they were still losses, we kept getting better.”
The Rams ended their season with a pair of bounce-back wins — 18-7 over Naples Barron Collier and 17-7 over Cardinal Mooney.
Now that they’ve adjusted to the pace, size and skill of seasoned high school competition, they’re not shy about shooting for a district championship and more this postseason.
THE FUTURE STARTS NOW Riverview (8-9) finished with a losing record in the regular season for the first time this year, but that doesn’t matter in the bigger picture.
Despite that record, Riverview is the only team in District 12 with an undefeated record in district play and ranked No. 34 in the state.
It’s not as if these players are brand new to McLeod’s coaching, however.
McLeod said she has been waiting for Muller’s arrival for years. The freshman finished second at the cross-country 4A state championships (17:54.20) and has shown plenty of promise in lacrosse.
“I’ve been waiting for Maddie to get here since she’s been in kindergarten,” McLeod said. “It’s something that I look forward to. She’s a workhorse, and she’s been working hard since she was 7 years old. You can tell when they’re little kids how much they’re gonna be involved, how hard they’re gonna work and how tough they’re gonna be.”
Other Rams who played for McLeod growing up include Ella and Maria Berzins, McCaw and senior goal-leader Caroline Steinwachs (62 goals, 13 assists).
The Rams aren’t taking this season lightly.
The freshmen agreed they “definitely” want to win their district tournament and said their experience transitioning from club lacrosse to the varsity level together has forced them to learn how to play as a team.
And with veteran players on the roster like Steinwachs, Meghan Cox (14 goals, four assists) and Hailey Domenick, the Rams have the experience and leadership to guide them into the postseason and beyond.
Photos by Vinnie Portell
Riverview senior Caroline Steinwachs has provided invaluable leadership for a young girls lacrosse team chasing a district championship.
Vinnie Portell
Riverview girls lacrosse has turned to freshmen Nina Rizzo, Kinley McCaw, Ella Berzins, Madison Muller, Kendall Fout and Olivia Berke to play critical roles for the varsity team this season.
Morgan Peggs
Riverview senior Morgan Peggs
allowed one run over six innings to help the Rams secure what could be a season-changing 4-1 win over Venice at CoolToday Park on April 4.
The Rams (5-16) entered that game with just one win over their last 11 games, but were able to pull out a win over the Indians (18-3), ranked No. 20 in the nation.
Peggs allowed one hit and five walks while striking out three batters against a lineup that has averaged 6.7 runs per game this season.
The senior right-hander has a 2.88 ERA and has struck out 54 batters in 41 1/3 innings this season.
When and why did you start playing baseball?
I started probably when I was about 6 playing coach-pitch with my brother at Twin Lakes. Honestly, I think my dad just wanted to get us out of the house.
What has been the most memorable moment this season?
Beating Venice in that stadium. First of all, in that stadium, everyone wants to play well and have fun. And it was a district rival team. It was great to beat them, especially with the season they’re having.
What is your favorite all-time baseball memory?
When I was 12, I hit four home runs in a Little League game.
What did that win against Venice mean for this team?
I think everyone is fired up for the rest of the season and the playoffs after beating Venice.
What has gone right for you this season?
I’ve had a lot of success trusting my defense more this year. I know they’ll make the plays behind me. I let them hit into ground balls and pop flies because I trust my defense to make the plays.
What’s your favorite meal? A good steak cooked medium-rare
If you would like to make a recommendation for the Sarasota Observer’s Athlete of the Week feature, send it to Vinnie Portell at VPortell@ YourObserver.com.
with mashed potatoes. I like to get that at The Capital Grille.
What’s your favorite TV show or movie?
‘Every Which Way But Loose.’ It’s an old Clint Eastwood movie. It’s funny. There’s an orangutan and he hangs out with it the whole time.
What’s your go-to warm-up song?
‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ by Metallica. There’s a loud bell that rings in the beginning and then the rock music starts. I think that’s pretty sick.
If you’re not playing baseball, what are you doing?
I like to fish and golf. Otherwise, I’m just chilling and hanging with my friends.
What’s the most humbling moment in your baseball career?
In my sophomore year, I made my first varsity start against Venice and I didn’t get a single out and let up 10 runs in the first inning. That was my ‘Welcome to varsity moment,’ and I knew I had to step up my game.
Who’s your favorite baseball player and why?
I think Tyler Glasnow. He was with the Rays, and I’m a big Rays fan. Pitching style-wise, I think we have some things in common.
Finish this sentence. Morgan Peggs is ... An athlete.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
A head start in startups
Young entrepreneurs sell their creations at The Bazaar.
IAN SWABY STAFF
WRITER
Safiya Tine has gotten off to an early start in the business world.
“It feels really nice to only be 11 and already be selling my paintings. I feel really lucky for that,” she said.
Tine, who makes sculptures of dogs in addition to her paintings that feature positive images and often messages, says she wants to obtain a scholarship to Ringling College of Art and Design.
Her business, Artsy Fartsy by Safiya — alongside her sister Jarrah’s business, Bella’s Dog Bandanas — was one of the businesses found at the Young Entrepreneur Market, held April 5 at The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime.
The event brought together entrepreneurs from ages 8 to 17, amid live music by students from Music Compound.
RESOURCEFUL CONCEPTS Entrepreneurs showcased a variety of creations.
Lanie Fineman and Sophie Huralde, who are both 17, showed the potential of an idea.
They created their business, Positively Sweet, through the Perlman Price Young Entrepreneurs Program at the Boys & Girls Club, winning a pitch competition.
Positively Sweet, abbreviated as P.S., doubles in meaning as “postscript.” Each of the boards, jars and bags of sweets feature a short, positive message, with customizable messages available.
“If it’s your friend’s birthday, it could be P.S., happy birthday, like, I’m so happy to have you as a friend,”
IF YOU GO
Bazaar on Apricot and Lime, 821 Apricot Ave. Visit BazaarOnApricotAndLime.com.
Huralde said.
During their time with the program, they worked through lessons that included picking a business plan, mission statement and vision statement, and performing demographics and market research.
Since August, they’ve been selling their products, mainly through Instagram and word of mouth, but were glad to have the chance to attend the market and face the public.
“I would say overall, we’ve had a very positive response on a lot of our products,” Fineman said. “Like, they’ve been very well-received, and we’ve been really happy with some of the events we’ve been able to do them for.”
Brody Noble, 13, of Brody’s Pictures and Paintings, started his business in his backyard.
Scott, 15, of Music Compound,
running, put it together, so I think anyone should, if they have an idea ... take some time learn how to invest their resources properly,” he said.
Pollack said Nowakowski came to him with news of the market about two weeks ago.
They spent a couple of days finding the right models to print and paying licensing fees and then kept the printers running about 24 hours a day to keep up with the expected demand.
They also create some of their own designs as well.
They said attendees at the market were eager to buy their products, including dragons and travel tic-tactoe boards.
He spray paints two colors onto a blank canvas, dabbing them with paper to blend them together. Then, covering up part of the paper with a cup, he spray paints the paper black, and shakes a glove over it to spatter it with white paint.
Safiya Tine, 11, created Artsy Fartsy by Safiya, while her sister, Jarrah Tine, 14, sold dog products, including bandanas.
The result is an outer space scene featuring a planet and stars.
“I just saw this thing on online, and I thought it looked easy to make, so I just started spray painting and experimenting, and they ended up looking pretty good,” he said. “So I said, ‘Oh, I should probably sell these.’ And I just started taking pictures as well.”
He gets his photos mainly from places he sees while fishing.
“I’m always by the water, and when it’s sunset, it’s always so pretty here in Florida, so they’re all just so pretty,” he said.
He said he was glad to get out and showcase his artwork.
Oliver Nowakowski and Ozan Pollack, both 13, created a business based on something they had in common — owning 3D printers.
Nowakowski said just a few months ago, they both had minimal business skills.
“It was a pretty simple process to learn how to set all this up, get it
“Both my parents and his parents are very invested in this,” said Pollack. “They feel like this is a great business concept ... We brought the machine to draw more customers, and it’s worked, because they all came to see what’s going on, and they think it’s really cool, and they usually end up buying something.”
Layla Ahlbom, a 10th grader in the Visual and Performing Arts program at Booker High, is hoping to attend Ringling College, and had the chance to showcase some of her work.
She says she thinks the stimulating experience of seeing colors organized in a particular way is what draws her to art, and in the future hopes to pursue wedding planning and designing.
“I love talking with the people. It’s like my favorite part about my job,” she said. “I like to communicate with everybody and see what they think, what’s popular, what’s not.”
It was during an event in middle school that she started selling her artwork, and she never stopped.
“I would just say, start small, think big about it,” she said. “Always have too much and just kind of always save up your stuff over time. Keep the ones that are valuable, but sell everything else.”
—John G.
Lanie Fineman, 17, and Sophie Huralde, 17, created Positively Sweet.
Photos by Ian Swaby
Chase
performs at the market.
A stage for the arts
Suncoast Black Arts Collaborative hosts exhibition at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.
hen Jeannette Bradley once saw four ballerinas, who were all white, looking at her painting “Four Ballerinas” and stating, “This is us,” she knew she’d accomplished her mission. As a child, she had to see herself in images where the people didn’t necessarily look like her, such as Norman Rockwell paintings.
She invites viewers to share the same experience with her paintings featuring Black abstract figures. Her work is part of the Suncoast Black Arts Collaborative’s “Tradition and the Abstract: Improvisations and the Norm,” a sevenpainting exhibition also featuring artist Shannon Elyse Curry at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.
Paul Toliver, a board member of the SBAC, said the concept of boundaries represents not only a physical
YOU GO
line, but that the exhibition is also about breaking past other lines that keep people “within their sections, their place.”
AMPLIFYING VOICES
The exhibition is part of the Art Innovation Zone, a year-long program that also involves other venues, including Sarasota Opera, Sarasota Orchestra, Manatee Performing Arts Center and WSLR + Fogartyville.
Justin Gomlak, director of education and community engagement at the venue, said he hopes the exhibition will be the beginning of many such future collaborations.
“We should be the place that not only features incredible work from members of our community, but amplifies their work for the large numbers of people who come to our lobbies,” he said.
IF
Through April 28, at Grand Foyer, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota
Photos by Ian Swaby
Paul Toliver, Shannon Elyse Curry, Michéle des Verney Redwine, Jeannette Bradley and Justin Gomlak
The artists, who come from the Tampa Bay area, said they were glad for the opportunity to be featured.
“It’s such an honor,” said Curry. “It feels great to come to Sarasota — I’ve never been — and to see this beautiful building and to meet all of these
wonderful people and to gain exposure in a new city.”
“If I’m all by myself and I’m doing my thing, it’s venues like this that allows me to say, ‘OK,’” said Bradley.
“It’s sort of a validation. So it’s pretty thrilling.”
Curry, a jazz musician, vocalist, book cover illustrator, muralist and painter, said her work spans areas that include photorealism, abstract work and even sculpture, and says color is a “huge vehicle” through which she communicates.
“I hope that I can impact the community in a positive way,” she said.
“I hope I can bring back a joy and passion for things that are beautiful. My work really seeks to be aesthetically pleasing, and I like to focus on the beauty of people and the beauty of life, and so I want people to walk away from my work having had a dialogue, that they’re ready to share about, and I want them to have a personal experience with the work that they walk away from it with.”
Bradley minored in art 30 years ago at Florida State University, but ultimately chose a career in the corporate world.
However, after retirement, she decided, “I want to do what I want to do.”
For a nonprofit she started, which aims to shift the thinking of young children about how they fit into the world, she started creating paintings to convey her message.
She hopes every person will be able to see themselves in the individuals she portrays.
“All of them are Black, but they’re really not all Black, but they are, because I want whoever you are to be able to see yourself in the experience of that game, and so I’m kind of shifting it where the experience that I had, now I’m saying to you, have that same experience,” she said.
Michéle des Verney Redwine, founder and executive director of the Suncoast Black Arts Collaborative, said in many communities, the arts are not being funded, calling them “the most important thing in our life ... because it’s the essence of who we are.”
“It’s what we see, it’s what we hear, it’s what we feel, it’s how we dress. It’s all about art. It’s all about creativity. It’s all about embracing your emotions and celebrating the arts.”
“The Sax” by Jeannette Bradley
“The Blues,” is a self-portrait by Shannon Elyse Curry.
JOURNEY
Siesta Key Public Beach near historic pavilion ~ Bring a Beach Chair or Blanket ~ Palm Sunday April 13th at 9:45 a.m. in the Sanctuary Maundy Thursday Service April 17th at 6:00 p.m. in the Community Center Easter Worship Service (April 20th) 9:45 a.m. in the Sanctuary with Full Choir & Brass Nursery Provided • Hearing Loop System Available Easter Egg Hunt
Sunday, April 20th at 11:00 a.m. - Community Center Free and open to the public
St. Michael The Archangel Holy Week Schedule
PALM SUNDAY | April 13th, 2025
Saturday, April 12th Palm Sunday Vigil 4:00pm Sunday, April 13th 8:00am and 10:00am* (Church)
HOLY THURSDAY | April 17th 2025
No 9:00am Mass Mass of the Lord’s Supper 7:00pm Adoration following the Mass concluding with Night Prayer 9:45pm
GOOD FRIDAY | April 18th, 2025
No 9:00am Mass Passion of the Lord 3:00pm
HOLY SATURDAY | April 19th, 2025
Easter Egg Hunt 9:30am Blessing of the Easter Food/Baskets - 12 Noon Easter Vigil Mass 8:30pm
EASTER SUNDAY | April 20th, 2025
Sunrise Mass 6:00am (Outdoor under Portico) Masses (Church) 7:15am, 9:00am and 10:45am*
Through Holy Week With Us
AN ALL-STAR AWARD
officials in attendance were Florida State Sens. Joe Gruters and Jim Boyd, and Florida House Reps. Will Robinson, James Buchanan and Fiona McFarland.
Graci McGillicuddy’s service didn’t end with her time as a teacher.
On April 4, the Republican Party of Sarasota County honored the child welfare advocate with its Lifetime Achievement Award during a luncheon at Michael’s On East.
McGillicuddy, 83, has been an advocate against child abuse and neglect since 1986. She is co-founder and chair of All Star Children’s Foundation and a longtime supporter of the Republican Party. Some of the many local and state
McGillicuddy’s early work involved joining the Child Protection Center as a board member in 1987. In 2009, she led its $6 million capital campaign for the construction of its Child Advocacy Center.
She is known for her work with officials on the local, state and federal levels.
In 2022, she received the Spirit of Service Award, the highest honor possible from the Florida Senate, and in 2024, Gov. Ron DeSantis chose her for the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame.
Her dedication to her work has continued even after a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in 2023, for which she has been undergoing chemo -
By Nicole Kenedy, DOGPerfect Operations Manager
Thinking about changing your dog’s food? Great idea! Rotating foods can boost nutrition, support gut health, and prevent picky eating. Just remember —a gradual transition keeps their tummy happy.
Here’s an easy guide:
Have questions? Our pet nutrition experts are here to guide you every step of the way!
therapy for a recurrence.
“You never ran for office, but you’ve done more for this community and for the children of Florida than almost anybody that’s ever been elected in Florida,” said Gruters.
“Graci is more than an advocate,” said Sandy Buchanan, the wife of Rep. Vern Buchanan, who attended on his behalf. “She is a champion for children’s rights. With unwavering dedication, she has devoted her life to protecting and uplifting Florida’s most valuable children.”
Some services offered by All Star Children’s Foundation include foster care placement, evidence-based mental health services, advanced training in trauma-informed foster parenting and the recording of data on interactions during a child’s foster care experience.
In 2021, it opened its Campus of Hope and Healing, a five-acre facil-
ity for children in foster care, with homes, outdoor spaces, tutoring programs and a library. Stephen Fancher, chief advancement officer of All Star Children’s Foundation, recently told the Observer that the foundation is consulting on similar services in Miami and California.
“Our model that’s based here in little old Sarasota is now creating models and services that can be replicated around the country,” he said.
Taking to the stage, McGillicuddy thanked everyone for their recognition, and also noted the contributions of others, including elected officials.
“I couldn’t have done any of this without you all,” she said. “One person can’t do it by themselves.”
She said she hopes the programs she has founded will leave a lasting impact as time goes on.
“When I started All Star, I wanted it to go way beyond my lifetime,” she said. “The work that we’re doing here is really transformative, because it’s ... transforming the foster care through innovation, science and compassion, and having an open architecture so that we can fix what needs to be fixed, and add things and improve and get better and better and better. I just feel blessed that I love what I do, and I’ve got this great community to help me preach my dreams.” FOR MORE INFORMATION Visit AllStarChildren.org.
Every dog is different, so go at your pup’s pace. If you notice any digestive upset, slow the transition or check in with your vet.
Mixing things up with quality proteins and formulas keeps mealtime exciting and supports long-term wellness.
Ranch, and University Park.
Visit DOGPerfect.com to learn more and book a FREE Nutrition Consult!
IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER
Graci McGillicuddy honored with Lifetime Achievement Award.
Photos by Ian Swaby
Jack Brill, chair of the Republican Party of Sarasota County, Sen. Joe Gruters, Sen. Jim Boyd, Graci McGillicuddy, Rep. Fiona McFarland, Rep. James Buchanan and Rep. Will Robinson
Sandy Buchanan applauds during the event.
3 Non-Surgical Paths to Younger Skin
Plasma energy is quickly becoming a game - changer for those seeking to look younger without going under the knife. Offering everything from gentle facial rejuvenation to non-invasive alternatives for face, eye, and neck lifts, it’s a powerful solution for those who want to avoid injections, fillers, or plastic surgery altogether.
It’s important to note that Plexr ® plasma energy has nothing to do with blood plasma. Instead, this innovative technique uses a controlled electrical current to activate nitrogen in the air, creating tiny sunburst-like energy pulses just above the skin. By applying this energy in different ways, we can tailor treatments to your specific needs and rejuvenate your skin effectively.
For those looking for a Hollywood secret, the “Rockstar Facial” is a favorite among stars and a great option for those in their 30s to 50s looking to refresh their complexion and combat collagen loss. This is the lightest technique, known as a “plasma shower.” It uses microscopic plasma energy to create tiny channels in the skin that stimulate collagen production, tighten the skin, and promote healthier, smoother texture. Plus, it helps absorb serums for enhanced results, all with zero downtime. It’s perfect for reducing fine lines, improving texture, and even managing acne!
If you’re struggling with crepey skin or sagging in areas like the eyelids, there’s a more targeted approach available. This treatment, called “Cat Resurfacing,” can address the entire face or focus on specific areas. With just a few days of social downtime, it resurfaces and tightens the skin, leaving you with smoother, firmer results.
TEAM TURTLE
Dr. Sam at Warm Sands Wellness has a warm and caring bedside manner. He listens to concerns, answers all questions and really works to personalize treatment based on individual needs.
The Plasma Shower treatment was the perfect glow up and the aftercare was well defined and easy to follow.
- Jeanie D.
For those seeking more dramatic skin tightening without surgery, the strongest plasma technique may be the solution. It’s a non-surgical alternative to facelifts, eye lifts, and neck lifts, and it’s even effective for older patients. Often referred to as “Soft Surgery,” this treatment can tighten loose skin on the eyelids, jowls, and neck with results comparable to traditional surgery. It’s a fraction of the cost and downtime of surgery, providing powerful results like skin tightening, mole removal, and scar revision-all without a scalpel.
Plasma energy is a revolutionary way to maintain a youthful look with minimal downtime and much less risk than traditional surgery. It’s a safe, effective, and non-invasive way to enhance your appearance - no knives required.
Give us a call at (941)202-4051 to schedule a free, one-on-one consultation with Dr. Sam.
SCAN HERE To view the “Rockstar Facial” or “Plasma Shower” in action. Results are instant and cumulative.
After 7-year-old Eve Barniskis reached the finish line on the beach sands, her mother, Stephanie Barniskis, who ran with her, said she did “awesome” job.
“She didn’t like anyone passing her,” said Stephanie Barniskis.
Eve was just one of the many community members energized for the 39th annual Run for the Turtles, the main fundraiser for the Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, which was held April 5 on Siesta Beach.
Melissa Macksey, a senior biologist and data manager for the program, said the race is a “huge” component of spreading awareness about sea turtle conservation and raising funds for the program’s activities including marking nests, tracking trends and collecting data.
The run kicks off the sea turtle nesting season, which runs from April 15 to Oct. 31 in Southwest Florida, and the aquarium says the run attracts more than 1,000 runners annually. It includes a one-mile fun run, as well as a 5K race sanctioned by Manasota Track Club.
“It’s a tradition,” said Cathi Skuba. She enjoys running that race, and the Sandy Claws Beach Run, each year with her grandson, Jack Skuba, 3.
— IAN SWABY
From buttery lobster rolls to
Kelly’s legendary Roast Beef Sandwiches and Fresh New England Seafood.
Keep Morse slaps hands with Mote’s mascot, Gilly.
Carey Beychok, Lorrie Muldowney, Jake Lasala, staff scientist and program manager with Mote, Sandy Moutoux and Tina Williams
Photos by Ian Swaby Michelle Lugo, 9, and Sebastian Kovendy await the start of the 5K.
Eleanor Spalding, 3, watches for her mother, Christina Spalding, with her father, Joshua Spalding, and sister, Maeve Spalding, 1.
for this vibrant festival of sports, music and local flavor. Come explore Lakewood Ranch’s most exciting new outdoor destination.
St. Mary, Star of the Sea, CATHOLIC CHURCH
Welcomes You, Your Family Members, & Friends to Celebrate Holy Week with Our Parish Community
MASS SCHEDULE
CONFESSIONS: Friday, April 11, 4:00-6:00pm Wednesday, April 16, 9:30-Noon
HOLY THURSDAY: 9am Liturgy of the Hours Prayers, 4pm Mass-Lord’s Supper & Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament after Mass until 7pm
GOOD FRIDAY: 9am Liturgy of the Hours Prayers, 12pm Stations of the Cross • 3pm The Lord’s Passion, Veneration of the Cross, Holy Communion
HOLY SATURDAY: 10:00am Blessing of the Easter Baskets Meal • 6pm Easter Vigil
EASTER SUNDAY: Mass in the church at 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 OVERFLOW Mass in Father Pick Hall at 9:45 a.m. 4280 Gulf of Mexico Drive • Longboat Key, FL 34228 • 383-1255 • www.stmarylbk.org
IF YOU GO
HOUSE OF HISTORY
Rev. Robert Dziedziak, Pastor IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER
Nicole Rissler said when she took over as director of Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources, the first thing someone said to her was, “That’s wonderful. When are we going to get that farmhouse done?”
On April 2, Sarasota County celebrated the restoration of the Keith Farmhouse with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Built in 1916, the farmhouse, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is considered one of Sarasota County’s most significant historic structures.
Completion of the renovations means the space is now ready to be turned into an interpretive center highlighting the area’s history, archaeology and native habitats.
“This recently completed project wraps up a long-term effort toward restoring this significant historic building,” said Rissler.
The ceremony was attended by all three past Sarasota County parks directors, Walt Rothenbach, John McCarthy and Carolyn Brown.
When Edson Keith bought the 60-acre property after his retirement from the hat-making business in Chicago, he lived in the farmhouse, a Sears catalog home, until
the completion of the Edson Keith Mansion.
The house then became home to farm workers and household staff.
“Keith didn’t feel the need to paint the baseboards and all the moldings and all, so he didn’t,” said Priscilla Brown, program coordinator for parks. “This was for servants. There’s no landscaping outside, because you didn’t landscape a servant’s building.”
Restoration efforts involved structural repairs, installation of a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, electrical and plumbing upgrades and the addition of ADAaccessible features.
Fundraising by the friends, Rissler said, totaled nearly $500,000, while the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources awarded two grants for the project.
Brown said she remembers talking with Kim Heuberger, a senior manager of Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources, about her desire to restore the home, at the time Brown joined the county in 2003.
“People say, ‘You can just tear down that old house.’ No, you don’t tear down old houses, you restore them, and I thought this house had something to say to people, and I still think that way,” Brown said.
commissioners@sarasotafl.gov
Andrew L. Clark, Esq.
M. Michelle Robles, Esq.
Emily M. Flinchpaugh, Esq.
Ian Swaby Commissioner Joe Neunder cuts the ribbon.
A sweet tribute
April 7 was the day the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation presented its annual college scholarships for Girls Inc., to a group of eight girls facing financial difficulties.
It also was National Coffee Cake Day, and coffee cake happened to be a dessert beloved by Sarasota philanthropist Virginia B. Toulmin during her lifetime.
The foundation partnered with Young Chefs Academy to offer something additional: one-year scholarships of $23,000 to the academy spread out for 10 girls, which kicked off with a coffee cake and coffee cupcake-making session.
The event featured a reading of an excerpt from the soon-to-be-published children’s book “Virginia B. Goes to the Symphony,” by its author Kevin Pease.
“We do a lot of health and nutrition classes with the girls, so this is a very good tie in with all of those classes that we do,” said Angie Stringer, president and CEO of Girls Inc. “We have a whole mind and body curriculum that we use to teach girls about health and wellness and nutrition as well.”
“It feels like I’m special in a way, because not many people get to have that scholarship,” said Mahogany, a third grader. “There are only, like, 10 kids, so I’m one of those 10 kids, so it makes me feel like I’m a part of something.”
— IAN SWABY
Ryker, a fourth grader, measures cinnamon.
Fifth graders Jaleeyah and Journee mix the coffee cake.
Sixth graders Meadow and Emma carefully measure an ingredient.
Emma, a sixth grader, Gloria, a fourth grader, and Arianny, a sixth grader, add icing to a coffee cake.
Photos by Ian Swaby
Bill Villafranco, trustee of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, speaks to the girls, telling them about the accomplishments of Virginia B. Toulmin.
CONSTRUCTION RISES ALONG TAMPA RIVERWALK ON PENDRY HOTEL & RESIDENCES
Following the successful completion of the building’s foundation with a massive concrete pour, construction for Pendry Residences Tampa has gone vertical along the Tampa Riverwalk. Two 40-story tower cranes are now onsite to lift materials and equipment as this luxury condominium address rises floor by floor for the next 18 months.
Situated beside this 2.4-mile waterfront pathway, Pendry Residences Tampa offers private condominiums atop a stylish hotel. A refined expression of the polished comfort and contemporary luxury of the esteemed Montage Hotels & Resorts lineage, Pendry Tampa offers unrivaled amenities and a renowned culture of hospitality, amid one of the nation’s hottest downtowns.
EXCEPTIONAL AMENITIES AND GLOBALLY RENOWNED SERVICE
Owners at Pendry Residences Tampa appreciate an unprecedented living experience including unique and thoughtful dining concepts, a rooftop pool, an elite Fitness center, and stunning social lounges and guest suites. In addition, world-class Spa Pendry is an on-site beauty and wellness haven featuring best-inclass treatments, products, skincare innovation and more. Personalized services by the dedicated staff embrace everything from in-residence dining and chef-catered events to specialty provisioning, gift wrapping, and pet walking. Residents also enjoy travel privileges that extend to Montage Hotels & Resorts and Pendry Hotels & Resorts around the world in existing and planned locations like Park City, Manhattan, and the Caribbean.
ON THE CELEBRATED TAMPA RIVERWALK
Ranked among the most vibrant urban waterfront environments in the
nation, downtown Tampa is brimming with exciting new destinations for nightlife, dining, and championship sports. It’s all within a short stroll, river taxi or trolley ride from home.
Pendry Residences Tampa is situated on the Tampa Riverwalk with Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa Museum of Art, and Florida Museum of Photographic Arts at its doorstep. The central location is also convenient to the area’s finest attractions, including world-famous Gulf beaches, the airport, and top-rated centers of healthcare, education, and employment.
ELEVATED LUXURY LIVING WITH EXHILARATING VIEWS
Ascending to the highest floors of the glass-lined tower, Pendry Residences Tampa is where luxury living reaches new heights. With the south view overlooking the majestic bay, the vistas are endless and nothing less than breathtaking. These fully-serviced, designer-appointed Residences boast one- to three-bedroom floorplans, featuring expansive floor-to-ceiling windows and private terraces for dining, relaxing, and entertaining.
Owners experience exclusivity with a private lobby and elevator, along with an exquisite rooftop pool and lounge overlooking the city and bay. The dedicated staff is attuned to meeting every need, from theater tickets to home care, ensuring the ease of turn-key ownership whether owners are in residence or miles away. An onsite signature restaurant will soon be announced, adding to the anticipation surrounding the new era of contemporary luxury represented by Pendry Residences Tampa.
A Siesta Cove home sells
ADAM
HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
Nicholas and Kathryn Gard, of Sarasota, sold their home at 5306 Siesta Cove Drive to Thomas Chesna and Colette Adams, of Sarasota, for $3,995,000. Built in 1981, it has four bedrooms, five-and-ahalf baths, a pool and 4,573 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,412,500 in 2019.
SARASOTA
BAY VIEW ACRES
Kimberly Spencer, of Bradenton, sold her home at 1720 Anchorage St. to Laurie Stinson-Wagner and Gerald Wagner, of Newburgh, New York, for $2.3 million. Built in 1961, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,812 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.13 million in 2020.
SARASOTA BAY CLUB
Sarasota Bay Club LLC sold the Unit 821 condominium at 1299 Tamiami Trail to Claus Martin Cooper and Ursula Cooper, of Sarasota, for $1.75 million. Built in 2003, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,052 square feet of living area. It sold for $909,000 in 2017.
AKIN ACRES
Clark Horne Construction LLC sold the home at 2165 Rose St. to Thomas Bridgham and Claudia Bridgham, trustees, of Sarasota, for $1,525,000. Built in 2024, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,214 square feet of living area.
HARBOR HOUSE
Kimberly and Nathaniel Ide, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 11 condominium at 174 Golden Gate Point to Michael and Lisa Finn, of Sarasota, for $1.32 million. Built in 1967, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,735 square feet of living area. It sold for $805,000 in 2019.
PAYNE PARK VILLAGE
Thomas Bridgham and Claudia Bridgham, trustees, of Sarasota, sold the home at 405 Gowdy Road to Mary Elizabeth Harper and Randolf Mikkelson, of Sarasota, for $1,234,000. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,468 square feet of living area. It sold for $649,000 in 2020.
Kenneth Hunt, of Jamestown, North Carolina, sold the home at 2308 Lindstrom St. to Janet Bausch, of Sarasota, for $760,000. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 1,729 square feet of living area. It sold for $449,300 in 2021.
THE OSPREY AVENUE
Other top sales by area
SARASOTA: $2.45 MILLION
McClellan Park
M&J Pham Development LLC sold the home at 2171 McClellan Parkway to Keith and Carolyn Flanagan, of La Grange, Illinois, for $2.45 million. Built in 2023, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,592 square feet of living area.
PALMER RANCH: $842,000
Turtle Rock
Claudia Sefton, trustee, of Edina, Minnesota, sold the home at 4901 Sabal Lake Circle to David and Shelayne Larson, of Sarasota, for $842,000. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,703 square feet of living area. It sold for $530,000 in 2004.
OSPREY: $3.55 MILLION
Southbay Yacht and Racquet Club
LYNWOOD PARK
Daniel Paul Allen and Randal Scott Allen, trustees, of Clive, Iowa, sold the home at 3960 Sunshine Ave. to JC Hause LLC for $900,000. Built in 1976, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,717 square feet of living area. It sold for $96,000 in 1987.
PALM LAKES
Muriel Gonzalez Grandoli and Giovanni Dalotto, of Sarasota, sold their home at 3026 Mayflower St. to Tamara Budec and Patrick Marchand, of Southold, New York, for $875,000. Built in 1965, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,860 square feet of living area. It sold for $750,000 in 2023.
ALINARI
Carol Horowitz, of McLean, Virginia, sold her Unit 517 condominium at 800 N. Tamiami Trail to Yan Yu and Lydia Liao, of Sarasota, for $839,900. Built in 2007, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,830 square feet of living area. It sold for $899,000 in 2007.
332 COCOANUT
Michael Adam Pawlus, of Sarasota, sold his Unit 511 condominium at 1338 Fourth St. to John Hall and Lakshmi Hall, trustees, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for $720,000. Built in 2021, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 967 square feet of living area. It sold for $562,300 in 2021.
JAMES S. HALL
Paul and Barbara Lebras, of West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, sold their home at 1675 Seventh St. to Jody Dumas and Diane Cominotti, of Sarasota, for $650,000. Built in 1924, it has three bedrooms, one bath, a pool and 1,233 square feet of living area. It sold for $205,000 in 2003.
PELICAN COVE
Richard and Kristine Parins, trustees, sold the Unit 191 condominium at 1519 Pelican Point Drive to Bobette Takiff, of Glencoe, Illinois, for $555,000. Built in 1978, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,368
Jody Kashden, of Boca Raton, sold her home at 635 Ohio Place to Gabrielle Perrone, of Sarasota, for $975,000. Built in 1925, it has four bedrooms, one bath and 1,302 square feet of living area. It sold for $715,000 in 2021.
TOP BUILDING PERMITS
square feet of living area. It sold for $315,000 in 2017.
IDLE LANE
Stephen and Carolyn Donnelly, trustees, of Sarasota, sold the home at 1648 Idle Lane to Robert and Sarah Ghabel, of Sarasota, for $500,000. Built in 1962, it has two bedrooms, one-and-a-half baths and 1,098 square feet of living area. It sold for $158,000 in 2004.
ONLINE
See more transactions at YourObserver.com
Ralph and Carol Thompson, trustees, of Nokomis, sold the home at 293 Lookout Point Drive to Paul Christopher Burbank and Deborah Burbank, of Osprey, for $3.55 million. Built in 2013, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,589 square feet of living area.
NOKOMIS
Calusa Lakes
Grzegorz Tokarczyk and Katarzyna Janczarek sold their home at 2008 Tocobaga Lane to Richard and Nancy Swanson, of Nokomis, for $869,000. Built in 1994, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,824 square feet of living area. It sold for $722,300 in 2023.
Source: Sarasota County, city of
Photo courtesy of realtor Claude Pierre
The home at 4901 Sabal Lake Circle was built in 2000 and has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,703 square feet of living area.
4,594
YOUR CALENDAR
a special “Rocking into Springtime” concert with the local group The Hawaiian Shirts, part of the Music in the Libraries program. Visit SCGovLibrary. LibraryMarket.com.
FRIDAY, APRIL 11
TO SATURDAY, APRIL 12
FLORIDANIA FEST — THE FLORIDA MEMORABILIA SHOW
3-6 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, 801 N. Tamiami Trail. $8 Friday; $5 Saturday. Admission good for both days. At the “ultimate marketplace for Florida kitsch and collectibles,” find souvenirs, postcards, advertising, art and ephemera. Visit Facebook.com.
SATURDAY, APRIL 12
SIGNATURE ARTISTS AT THE BAY: THE PERLMAN MUSIC PROGRAM PRESENTS: AEOLUS QUARTET
4-5 p.m. at The Oval, The Bay, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts. Free. Enjoy a free performance by The Sarasota Ballet Studio Company, and students from The Margaret Barbieri Conservatory, at The Bay, showcasing a mix of traditional ballet and contemporary dance. Visit TheBaySarasota.org.
WALK TO DEFEAT ALS
Walk Check-in 9 a.m. and walk starts at 10 a.m., Payne Park, 2010 Adams Lane. Free; fundraising encouraged. Walk to raise funds for innovation toward a treatment and a cure for ALS. Visit Secure2Convio.net.
BLOCK PARTY AT SARASOTA SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, 6010 Cattleridge Blvd. Free. Citizens are invited to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office headquarters for a family friendly event with food, music, demonstrations, games, and giveaways. Visit SarasotaSheriff.org.
7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at intersection of Main Street and Lemon Avenue. Free. Support the community as you browse products from local farmers, businesses and artisans. Visit SarasotaFarmersMarket.org.
the Sarasota Police Department for a night that includes live music, food, face-painting, K-9 demos, monster trucks, a SWAT Course, police motorcycles, boats and more. Visit SarasotaFL.gov.
THURSDAY, APRIL 17
CINEMA AT THE BAY: ‘FREE SOLO’ 7-8:40 p.m. at The Oval, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts. Free. Watch the true story of rock climber Alex Honnold and his record-breaking 2017 ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without a rope. The film includes the impact that climbing has on the environment and the importance of preserving wild natural spaces. Visit TheBaySarasota.org.
THURSDAY, APRIL 17 AND FRIDAY, APRIL 18
THE GOTHIC LIBRARY PRESENTS
‘THE HOUSE ON POOH CORNER’
7:30-9 p.m. at Bookstore1Sarasota, 117 S. Pineapple Ave. Free. In a departure from The Gothic Library’s darker productions, enjoy an immersive audio experience of A. A. Milne’s classic “The House on Pooh Corner,” as live voice artists, with sound design, transport listeners to the Hundred Acre Wood. Visit EventBrite.com.
File image
Maggie Poppoon, 6, a visitor from Texas, examines stone items at the market.
Hearing connects us. It makes us feel a part of our world. Whether it’s laughter at the family dinner table, a rousing debate at work, the eclectic energy of a live concert or even the quiet rustling of leaves on a warm summer night, hearing is so much more than a simple sense. It is simply part of who you are.
At AudioNova, we want to restore your sense of hearing so that you can get back what you’ve been missing. So you can feel like you again. If you’ve been putting off getting your hearing checked for another day, there’s never been a better time to take that important first step.
and receive a FREE DEMONSTRATION of the latest
NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH
A++ by Will Nediger, edited by Jared Goudsmit
By Luis Campos
Darlene
INFORMATION & RATES: 941-955-4888 redpages@yourobserver.com •yourobserver.com/redpages
DEADLINES: Classifieds - Tuesday at Noon Service Directory - Friday at 3PM • PAYMENT: Cash, Check or Credit Card
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*It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in the Sarasota and Siesta Key Observer to meet all applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with towncodes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, or residential rental property.
Notice: All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.
Homes for Sale FOR SALE BY OWNER
8315 Eagle Crossing, Sarasota (Misty Creek Preserve)
•Gated/Secure Private Community
•4 bd, 3 upgraded baths, 3 car garage.
•Lap pool (resurfaced), oversized lanai, & new pavers
•NEW water heaters (‘23/’25) & barrel tile roof (‘23)
•NEW a/c unit (‘23), outdoor kitchen, & exterior paint (‘24)
2BR/3BA LONGBOAT KEY Gulf & city views, spacious 2 bedroom unit with multi terraces overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, and Sarasota Bay. 2 parking spots in covered garage, all amenities including: stunning pool, spa, gym, wine storage and private beachfront access. Private security and concierge services included. Partially furnished if desired. Absolute luxury living on LBK. 12K/month. Move in ready! Min. 6 months. Please text (941) 928-0079
LARGE 2BR/2BA, 55+, LONG TERM, RENT TO OWN! 1/2 Villa, 2/2 + ex. $1800 includes W/D, cable TV, water, sewer and trash. Beneva/Clark area. Partially Furnished. (941) 539-6233
Condos/Apts. for Sale
TORTUGA, SIESTA KEY
and Fan Expo). Coach, advise, & develop business strategic. Req’s bachelor’s degree (or foreign equivalent) in Bus. Admin., Mgmt., or related eld, & 8 yrs. exp as an HR Manager or Admin.; or no degree & 10 yrs. exp. as an HR Manager or Admin. Req’s experience ensuring compliance with U.S. & Canadian employment law incl. Canadian provincial Employment Standards Act & U.S. federal/state labor laws and workers’ protection acts including FLSA, FMLA & Equal Pay Act. To apply, email usjobs@informa.com & reference Job ID HRBP010 in subject line.
TORTUGA, SIESTA KEY
Beachfront, Updated 2/2 Condo
TORTUGA, SIESTA KEY
TORTUGA, SIESTA KEY
Beachfront, Updated 2/2 Condo
Beachfront, Updated 2/2 Condo
Beachfront, Updated 2/2 Condo
2nd oor, 1,232 SqFt
TORTUGA, SIESTA KEY
2nd oor, 1,232 SqFt
Furnished, Water View, Boat
2nd oor, 1,232 SqFt
Beachfront, Updated 2/2 Condo
Furnished, Water View, Boat
Docks, Fishing Pier, Rentals ok,
Furnished, Water View, Boat
2nd oor, 1,232 SqFt Furnished, Water View, Boat
2nd oor, 1,232 SqFt
Furnished, Water View, Boat
Docks, Fishing Pier, Rentals ok, Assessment Paid in Full, Impact resistant windows/ doors, New HVAC, New Roof, W/D in unit, Heated Pool, Sauna, Tennis, Pickleball, Parking garage and Trolley stop!
Docks, Fishing Pier, Rentals ok, Assessment Paid in Full, Impact resistant windows/ doors, New HVAC, New Roof, W/D in unit, Heated Pool, Sauna, Tennis, Pickleball, Parking garage and Trolley stop!
Docks, Fishing Pier, Rentals ok, Assessment Paid in Full, Impact resistant windows/ doors, New HVAC, New Roof, W/D in unit, Heated Pool, Sauna, Tennis, Pickleball, Parking garage and Trolley stop!
Assessment Paid in Full, Impact resistant windows/ doors, New HVAC, New Roof, W/D in unit, Heated Pool, Sauna, Tennis, Pickleball, Parking garage and Trolley stop!
Docks, Fishing Pier, Rentals ok, Assessment Paid in Full, Impact resistant windows/ doors, New HVAC, New Roof, W/D in unit, Heated Pool, Sauna, Tennis, Pickleball, Parking garage and Trolley stop!
$849,999
$849,999
$849,999
$849,999
Call Rachelle Tirey, Preferred Shore 941-301-9187
$849,999
Call Rachelle Tirey, Preferred Shore 941-301-9187
Call Rachelle Tirey, Preferred Shore 941-301-9187
Call Rachelle Tirey, Preferred Shore 941-301-9187
Call Rachelle Tirey, Preferred Shore 941-301-9187
In A Class All Its Own
At Sarasota Memorial, our expert team of cardiologists, radiologists, surgeons, nurses and more elevate heart health to the honor roll with the most comprehensive and advanced cardiac care in the region. Our structural heart specialists master the blueprint of the heart, ensuring every valve and chamber functions at the top of its class, and in electrophysiology, we ace the rhythm test, diagnosing and treating irregular heartbeats with unparalleled precision. Breakthroughs in surgical technique and medical implants ensure even the most complex cases get gold-star treatment and our dedicated cardiovascular health experts help patients pass every check-up with flying colors. With the latest medical technology in our curriculum and cutting-edge clinical trials pushing us forward, we’re always at the head of the class, turning research into real results
Because when it comes to keeping hearts strong and steady, we don’t just meet the standard — we set it
