Police officers and sheriff’s deputies in Sarasota are planning to again take part in annual torch run through the county in advance of Florida’s Special Olympics.
On April 17, Sheriff’s Office members, alongside Special Olympics athletes, will embark on the run starting at Gulf Gate Pavilion at 8 a.m., proceeding north along U.S. 41 until it ends at Bay Plaza on Bay Road.
On April 24, officers from the Sarasota Police Department will carry the torch through the city from Bay Plaza north. Motorists are advised to expect potential traffic delays, police advise.
The Special Olympics Florida State Summer Games are scheduled for May 15 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports near Orlando.
A fab design
It was the Didier siblings’ first time participating in the Annual RC Custom Car Open. Yet they didn’t hold back when it came to designing their car for the event, which is now in its 11th year at Faulhaber Fab Lab.
Margot Didier, 9, said they wanted to participate in the event because it was “very creative,” having worked on the vehicle over a few months.
She and her twin brothers, Gavin and Griffin Didier, 7, topped their car with a mountain landscape to match this year’s “four seasons” theme. Their father, Kurt Didier, said while creativity was the focus this year, next year they want to focus on winning the race and create a more streamlined vehicle instead of one sporting a vacuum-formed volcano, clouds and figurines.
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Ian Swaby
WEEK OF APRIL 16, 2026
BY THE NUMBERS
3,000
40 Years Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium has held the Run for Turtles
CALENDAR
n Sarasota City Commission regular meeting — 9 a.m., Monday, April 20, Commission Chambers, City Hall, 1565 First St.
n Sarasota County Commission regular meeting — 9 a.m., Tuesday, April 21, South County Administration Building, 4000 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice
n Sarasota County School Board regular meeting — 10 a.m., Tuesday, April 21, Board Chambers, Landings Administration Complex, 1960 Landings Blvd. (black awning entrance)
“Welcome to Sarasota. The good news is you’re here. The bad news is that you got here too late.”
Sarasota historian Jeff LaHurd on what he calls overdevelopment of downtown Sarasota Read more on page 6A
Ikea plans store at University Town Center
Popular global furniture retailer Ikea plans to open a 48,000-square-foot store near The Mall at University Town Center this summer.
The store will be at 147 N.
Cattlemen Road, which, for several months from late 2024 to early 2025, housed Rugs As Art following storm damage at its U.S. 41 location. The space has also been an outpost for Christmas Tree Shops. The Swedish furniture retailer plans to have 5,000 items on display there, of which 3,000
will be available for immediate takeaway, including home furnishings and accessories, such as textiles, lighting, accent pieces and more than 100 smaller furniture items. Larger items, including sofas and beds, can be ordered online or in store for free pickup or delivery at cost. There will also be a central planning area where experts can help customers design kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as other spaces.
The location will also have a Swedish deli with dishes includ-
ing meatballs, falafel balls, cinnamon buns, plant balls and veggie dogs for in-store dining or takeout. There will also be an “as-is section” featuring gently used products and discontinued items at discounted prices. The store will employ 46.
The UTC location will be the sixth Ikea store in Florida. Others are in Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville and Sunrise. There are also “plan and order” points that offer pickup at select Best Buy locations around the state.
Japanese restaurant opens in Rosemary
A nearly 7,500-square-foot restaurant has opened in Sarasota’s Rosemary District. Hanami Sushi Cocktails & Grill is welcoming diners for its contemporary Japanese cuisine at 1525 Fourth St., Suite C. The building where Hanami Sushi Cocktails & Grill is located dates to 1925 and was originally known as The Citrus Exchange, according to MSC Commercial, which represented both the tenant and landlord in the lease.
Since taking over the lease, Tsunami Restaurant Services LLC has spearheaded an extensive renovation that has lasted more than a year.
Some of the major changes to the building in the Rosemary District included moving the front entrance, removing an apartment with a wall blocking some windows and changing the angle of the bar.
“Hanami” is the Japanese word for flower viewing, which traditionally involves picnicking under cherry blossom trees in spring. Hanami Sushi Cocktails & Grill has re-created that experience with cherry blossom branches hanging in the new restaurant.
EDC launches CEO Academy
To help leaders of growing companies enter the next phase of expansion, the Economic Development Corp. of Sarasota County is starting a new program in partnership with the nonprofit GrowFL. The EDC is accepting online interest forms for the initiative, called the CEO Academy, through May 8. Designed for leaders of companies that have found success and are gearing up for second-stage growth, the CEO Academy will enroll eight to 12 CEOs in its first cohort. The nine-month program will run from September to May 2027.
To qualify, CEOs must be running for-profit, private companies with annual revenue from $750,000 to $100 million with six to 150 employees. Companies should operate beyond the local market.
Photo by Elizabeth King
Ikea will be located between DSW and Golf Galaxy in the University Town Center shops in Sarasota.
DUNES’ DAY
As renourishment winds down, the city of Sarasota is gearing up for a project to build 6-foot-plus dunes for much of Lido Key.
ANDREW WARFIELD | STAFF WRITER
Like most of the Sarasota County coastline after the backto-back visits by the 2024 power couple of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, much of the beach and dune sand from Lido Beach was left strewn about on roads, parking lots and inside homes.
DUNE FORMATION AND BENEFITS
According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a line of sand dunes can provide protection from flooding resulting from high water levels and overtopping waves. They can also reduce wave damage in developed areas by breaking up waves as they cross over dunes.
Sand that comprises the dunes also serves as a sacrificial contribution to the increased sand transport during storms, which can reduce the landward movement of the shoreline during storm events.
Dunes may also naturally form when vegetation or other obstructions to the wind results in sand being trapped. In areas of sufficient sand where the beach is wide, dunes can be encouraged to develop naturally by planting dune grass or other vegetation or by installing sand fences to trap blowing sand.
According to the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, protective functions of dunes include:
Storm surge buffer: Dunes act as a physical barrier that breaks the force of waves and slows water velocity, preventing or delaying the flooding of inland areas.
Sand reservoir: During intense storms, dunes erode, releasing sand into the nearshore system, helping to create offshore bars that force waves to break farther offshore, reducing energy reaching the beach.
Vegetation stabilization: Coastal plants such as sea oats have extensive root systems that trap sand and hold it in place, allowing dunes to naturally build height and width.
Post-storm recovery: In calmer periods, wind blows sand back into the dune system, allowing them to rebuild and recover after sustaining damage.
Dunes also provide essential habitat and food source for wildlife, including: Nesting and breeding: Dunes provide safe, elevated and dry areas for sea turtles to lay eggs and are critical nesting sites for shorebirds.
Refuge from storms: Dunes protect inland habitats, providing a barrier of protection against high waves and storm surges, shielding species that live adjacent to the shoreline.
Foraging: Many insects and small mammals live in the sand dune environment, providing a food source for birds and reptiles.
plete Lido Beach renourishment, this fall the city will begin a project to raise the protective dunes from Lido Beach Pavilion south to, but not including, Ted Sperling Park.
the height of dunes that exist along Lido Beach by 2 feet to an elevation of 6.6 feet — and build them where they currently don’t — to improve storm protection from a 10-year to a 25-year event. Included will be installation of native salt-tolerant plants for added storm protection.
dunes got hit pretty hard,” said Sarasota City Engineer Sage (pro nounced sah-jee) Kamiya. “There are locations that do have what is left of dunes, and they were higher before the storms lowered them and spread all the sand everywhere that we didn’t want it. This project will restore and increase them for added storm protection and also environ mental benefit for native plants and flora and fauna alike.”
mately 75 days. Unlike the under way beach renourishment work, the selected contractor will have to haul some 3,000 cubic yards of sand by truck to the site from an inland mine approved by the city, according to Kamiya. That will require 215 to 300 dump truck loads, depending upon the trucks’ capacity.
plantings will follow. A mainte nance period will follow to ensure the plantings have taken root. The project is funded 50% by tourist development tax revenues, charged to occupants of hotel rooms, and 50% by Florida Department of Envi ronmental Protection grants.
renourishment projects will effec tively create a new beach. While the work is taking place, access will be maintained. In all, there will be more than 30 beach access locations avail able during and after the work, which will include post-and-rope barriers bordering the pedestrian areas.
$1.2 million, including construction costs of nearly $700,000.
the removal and replacement of three beach walkovers, one at the pavilion, one at the north end of the pavilion parking lot and the other at the North Lido Beach access at the curve of John Ringling and Benjamin Franklin boulevards. Cost of the walkovers project is $840,000, including construction cost of $770,000. The funding formula for the wooden boardwalk areas will mirror that of the dunes project.
“It’s going to have to be done in stages, and as they are done, there are going to be crossings between the dunes marked with posts and ropes,” Kamiya said. “There will always be access to the beach.”
JohnRinglingBlvd.
BenjaminFranklinDr
“It’s going to have to be done in stages, and as they are done, there are going to be crossings between the dunes marked with posts and ropes. There will always be access to the beach.”
Sage Kamiya, Sarasota City Engineer
RENOURISHMENT COMPLETION
EXPECTED SOON
As planning continues in advance of Lido Beach dunes installation, the beach renourishment project on 1.2 miles of shoreline is nearing completion, which is expected by the end of April.
For now, the black pipe still stretches from New Pass — where a dredging project supplies the sand for the renourishment — along Lido Beach, through which the sand is pumped. Sand bridges provide crossing access to the water for beachgoers.
It’s a separate project executed by
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in partnership with the city of Sarasota, part of a 50-year agreement for sand replacement to occur at approximately five-year intervals. That project cost is approximately $12 million, paid for with federal funding. Funds for the restoration of the federally authorized beach template were secured through the work of the city’s federal government lobbyist the Color Nine Group, in coordination with the offices of U.S. Rep. Greg Steube and Florida Sen. Rick Scott.
INSIDE LOOK
A cut-away view of the planned dunes along Lido Beach shows the slope, height and vegetation, which will solidify the dunes and naturally trap blowing sand.
Sarasota City Engineer Sage Kamiya at the Lido Beach Pavilion walkover, which will be replaced when 6-foot-high dunes are built in the area.
Andrew Warfield
County opens new ‘one-stop shop’
ith the ceremonial snip of a green ribbon, a building to consolidate all of Sarasota County’s development services personnel and functions under one roof was opened on April 14.
The Planning and Development Services “one-stop shop” is the latest facility to open in the county’s growing campus in the Fruitville Commons area just east of Interstate 75 between Fruitville Road and Palmer Boulevard. Located at 870 Apex Road, ground was broken on the 55,600-square-foot, $33 million facility in May 2024.
“The new one-stop shop for Planning and Development Services centralizes all of our five major divisions and brings them under one roof for our staff and the community they serve,” said department Director Matt Osterhoudt. “Having all the professionals under one roof creates an opportunity for the public to have a true one-stop destination and customer experience for their planning development services needs.”
Consolidation of all the services within a single building, Osterhoudt said, brings efficiencies and greater collaboration opportunities not only for the staff, but also for clients.
“Having that disconnect between the locations sometimes would create disconnects among communications,” Osterhoudt said. “Bringing them here under one roof creates not just an environment for staff to be able to connect, but also then to be able to connect with the members of the community that we serve.”
Those functions include the county’s property management, planning and zoning, environmental protection, building code enforcement, business administration, neighborhood services and development review.
In his remarks at the ceremony, County Commission Chairman Ron Cutsinger said the department over the last five years has executed more than 800,000 inspections, and in 2025 issued nearly 59,000 permits supporting residential, commercial and infrastructure growth projects.
“When you’re going through the planning and development services permitting processes, there are multiple technical disciplines that could be anything from planning, building, zoning, environmental protection, stormwater utilities and so forth,” Osterhoudt said. “Having all those professionals at one stop allows the public an opportunity to interact and engage and get their answers in a quicker, more efficient manner.”
Don’t miss this opportunity
Andrew Warfield
Assistant County Administrator Brad Johnson, County Administrator Jonathan Lewis and County commissioners Teresa Mast, Ron Cutsinger, Mark Smith, Joe Neunder and Tom Knight flank Matt Osterhoudt (center with the scissors) as he cuts the ribbon at the new development services onestop shop.
St. Armands visioning wraps up, but more work remains
Following two public workshops, Sarasota city staff now has its list of priorities, as planning and projects for a more resilient St. Armands Circle continue.
ANDREW WARFIELD
fter the completion of two visioning sessions regarding the future of St. Armands Circle, city of Sarasota staff will continue to execute the wishlist generated, with the promise of continuing coordination with stakeholders.
The second and final visioning session was held April 13, with facilitator David Brain leading the audience through the results garnered from the first meeting, which generated some 61 ideas of what St. Armands should be.
Like the first session, Monday’s workshop was at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium on City Island, but the format was decidedly different. Rather than arranging attendees at 20 round work tables — at which they conceived more than 61 suggestions for improvements to St. Armands and its recurring traffic and flooding issues, retail tenant mix and the condition of commercial buildings and public realm amenities — chairs were arranged in rows for a presentation of results of the first session and to discuss projects already underway.
Chief among them is traffic, which comprised 27.86% of the table responses’ lists of three issues, followed by concerns about redevelopment of the commercial district at 24.59% with flooding at the Circle’s boutique character at 18.03% each. Public realm — conditions of sidewalks, landscaping, etc., completed the list at 11.47%.
Although it was the last of two sessions, the visioning work will be ongoing, Brain pledged, as staff will revisit comments from both workshops as the city works to balance the needs and desires of the residents and those of the commercial property owners and the merchants, which at times can be at odds.
ST. ARMANDS IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS
SHORT-TERM ACTIONS (0-5 YEARS)
RESILIENT SRQ DRAINAGE AND EVACUATION ROUTE RECOVERY
Lead: Sarasota County
Funding: $13.5 million county, $479,000 city
Status: Preliminary work is underway. The intent is to improve how quickly water is removed from critical evacuation and recovery routes.
STATE ROAD 789
During the Q&A, and, as it turned out, comments portion of the workshop, residents generally agreed that until persistent flooding is addressed — even that resulting from occasional heavy rains — little else matters when it comes to the vitality of St. Armands Circle.
Hannah Brechue, who represented the year-old Sarasota County Stormwater Division, said planning for relief is under way with how to most effectively spend $13.5 million in Resilient SRQ federal funding.
“After this meeting, we are going to move forward with the solicitation scope for design so that we can get a good design put together, and then from there, we will go through permitting processes that we need to go through,” she said. “We are estimated to start construction in 2029, but again, that all depends on solicitation.”
IMPROVEMENTS FROM BIRD KEY DRIVE TO SUNSET DRIVE
Lead: FDOT
Funding: $12.3 million from state
Status: Construction is under way. Adds dedicated bicycle and transit lanes on the Ringling Bridge, drainage upgrades, raised seawall cap near Sunset Drive, resurfacing and new traffic signals. Completion anticipated in early 2027.
LIDO BEACH RENOURISHMENT AND NEW PASS DREDGING
Lead: Army Corps of Engineers and city
Funding: $12 million federal
Status: Expected completion April. Restores 1.2 miles of shoreline using up to 300,000 cubic
yards of sand sourced from dredging project.
BUSINESS SUPPORT AND RETAIL STRATEGY
Lead: City and Economic Development Corp. of Sarasota County
Status: Business and commercial property discussions to continue alongside infrastructure work to address vacancies, tenant mix, storefront reinvestment and long-term retail competitiveness.
LONG-TERM ACTIONS (5-20 YEARS)
BARRIER ISLAND UNDERGROUNDING AND RESILIENCY DISTRICT
Lead: City, utility companies, property owners
Estimated Cost: $30 million to $50 million
Concept: If supported by City Commission and affected property owners, the program would bury power and communication lines, reduce outage vulnerability, improve recovery after storms and strengthen the public realm. Potential delivery window 20312033.
LITTLE RINGLING BRIDGE REPLACEMENT
Lead: FDOT
Funding: $74 million state
Status: Design stage of project to replace Little Ringing Bridge structures to improve emergency evacuations and add bike and
The dredging machine “Clearwater” digs a 13-foot, 180-foot-wide ditch on the bottom of New Pass, using pumps to carry the dredged sediment through pipes onto the northern end of Lido Key for a renourishment project.
pedestrian lanes. Construction anticipated later this decade.
ST. ARMANDS CORRIDOR/ PUBLIC REALM IMPROVEMENTS
Lead: City Cost: Not available
Concept: Improvements to sidewalk, crosswalk, curb, drainage, lighting, signage, landscape and speed management. Project currently on hold because of funding constraints. Park activation is also anticipated to be considered.
PRIVATE PROPERTY RESILIENCE
Lead: Home, commercial property and business owners
Cost: Not available
Concept: Property-level adaptation to augment infrastructure improvements. Includes front and rear entry flood barriers, flood proofing, elevation where appropriate, seawall improvements where permitted, resilient utilities and improved on-site drainage.
MULTIMODAL ACCESS AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
Lead: City, county and FDOT
Cost: Not available
Status: In addition to more roadway capacity is better crossing management, safer walking and bicycling, more reliable barrier island access and continued evaluation of transit, shuttle, water transit and advanced air mobility options where feasible.
Andrew Warfield
Hannah Brechue of the Sarasota County Stormwater Division said county-funded storm resilience work at St. Armands may begin by 2029.
S.T. Cardinal
Condo group panel decries outcome of Downtown Master Plan
A panel discussion arranged by the Downtown Sarasota Condominium Association largely criticized development enabled by the city’s execution of the 25-year-old vision.
ANDREW WARFIELD
About a year into its two-year mandate to develop and recommend an update to the 2020 Downtown Sarasota Master Plan, the direction of the 13-member City Commission panel remains unclear.
In the midst of the ad-hoc committee’s work, the Downtown Sarasota Condominium Association assembled a panel to discuss with its membership what they believe the outcome should be. The general consensus of four of the five panelists speaking to DSCA members on April 9 at that Sarasota Garden Club — excluding Capital Projects Manager Alvimarie Corales, who represented city staff — was:
n The administrative approval process for development within the downtown zone districts is flawed.
n City commissions since the plan was implemented 26 years ago have lacked the courage to say no to developers.
n Sarasota is no longer the lowkey “summer resort” absent commercialism it was originally planned to be.
n Land planner Andres Duany’s New Urbanism approach to the master plan is idealistic but often in conflict with real world application.
n All of that has resulted in the façade of a boomtown that was once a jewel, as described by panelist and local historian Jeff LaHurd, that was allowed to be damaged and dese -
crated by overdevelopment, namely condo towers.
That last point elicited a round of applause, ironically, from the condominium owners.
“First of all, I’d like to say, ‘Welcome to Sarasota,’” LaHurd said.
“The good news is you’re here. The bad news is that you got here too late.”
LaHurd went on to trace the history of the city, describing its early political leadership as real estate speculators who had a deep interest in making Sarasota a success.
“Today, I’m hearing about how the process is community driven, the voice of the people. I just don’t really see it that way,” he said. “I think Sarasota has typically been driven by the speculative dollar. In the old days, people like Owen Burns, John Ringling and Charles Ringling, they were investing their own money in these places. They had a vested interest in what they were investing in.”
LaHurd and Corales were joined by Jon Thaxton, director of policy and advocacy of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Planning Board member Dan DeLeo and Laurel Park neighborhood advocate Ron Kashden.
The discussion was, by and large, an indictment of the administrative review and approval of development in the downtown zone districts — perhaps the most controversial of Duany’s recommendations in the current master plan — that sidesteps the political and public process. It indeed resulted in the transformation of downtown from blight to vibrancy, but how much of the vision of Duany and the city at the time needs revision is the subject of the committee’s work.
“A master plan is a vision document that’s created with this very delicate but critical balance between the community, the elected officials and your professional staff and con-
sultants that you hire,” said Thaxton, a former Sarasota County commissioner. “I find all too often that this balance is disrupted, and it’s usually disrupted because the public gets the short end of the stick and the paid consultants and the staff get the upper hand.”
Depending on perspective, the current master plan — the principles of which were codified in the city’s Comprehensive Plan and zoning code based on Duany’s new urbanism model — was a success or a failure.
“They were trying to solve a problem that people found vexing, which was suburban sprawl,” Kashden said. “Cities were spreading apart, so Duany and his peers came up with this idea of new urbanism. Let’s create denser environments, things in an area that mix both commercial and residential. You keep on hearing the phrase ‘live, work, play’ in the same spot. That’s what Duany and his peers were trying to get across.”
Twenty-five years of real-world application of the vision crafted at the turn of the century, it is now incumbent upon the Downtown Master Plan Update Committee to
recommend, and the City Commission to consider, adjustments for modern-day application.
As the committee zeroes in on hiring a consultant to aid in completing its work, Corales was asked what she would tell the firm to ensure master plan update success.
“I would tell the consultant to begin with a robust public engagement strategy, because it’s about getting that community buy-in,” she said. “It’s about getting the public from beginning to end through the process, and public engagement is a vital component to every plan and every project that we do in the city.”
She cited as an example the public engagement for the Main Street Complete Street visioning, to which the transportation planning staff dedicated a full year. Building trust in the process, Thaxton added, is paramount.
“Government deals in one commodity and one commodity only, and that’s trust,” Thaxton said. “And so the only way that these master plans, these strategic plans, are going to work is if they embody the trust of the citizens themselves.”
Andrew Warfield From left, Jon Thaxton speaks to members of the Downtown Sarasota Condominium Association as Sarasota Capital Projects Manager Alvimarie Corales and local historian Jeff LaHurd look on.
A GIFT THAT KEEPS GIVING
Ron Cornella is among the longest-living transplant recipients in the United States, receiving his new liver at the age of 26 in 1980.
IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER
Today, Ron Cornella lives an active life in Sarasota, a place where he lives with his wife, just 15 minutes from his daughter and two grandchildren, and enjoys pickleball and golf.
However, at age 26, in 1980, there was a time when the odds did not favor his survival.
While living in northern New Jersey and working in the automobile industry, he became ill with what doctors initially thought was hepatitis.
He says with liver functions that were “off the charts,” he was told to stay home and rest, but his health took a turn for the worse six weeks later.
It was a liver transplant, at the time an experimental procedure, that gave him a new chance at life.
As one of the longest-lived liver transplant recipients in the country at age 72, Cornella doesn’t take his good health today for granted.
April is National Donate Life Month, a time during which Cornella hopes people can be made aware of the impact of organ donation.
However, he’s always spreading awareness, and as he drives around Sarasota, his front license plate, which he made up himself with the year of his donation, and his back license plate frame, both promote organ donation.
Cornella still recalls plenty of the details of his hospitalization and eventual surgery in 1980.
After being admitted to a local hospital, he transferred after two days to Cornell Medical Center in New York with liver failure, and only 5% to 10% liver function remaining. With a diagnosis of active fulminant hepatitis, later thought to be autoimmune hepatitis, he spent six weeks there while doctors tried treatments that included human growth hormone shots. Then, he found out that his gastroenterologists had been in touch with the University of Colorado in Denver. There, Dr. Thomas Starzl was pioneering liver transplants.
Starzl has been referred to as the “father of modern transplantation.”
“After six weeks, there wasn’t much they could do, and they thought, well, at least there’s a chance,” he said.
Doctors gave Cornella a 10% chance. But on May 2, the birthday of his wife, Jackie, the couple, his parents and his mother-in-law headed for Denver.
His family began the difficult process of waiting for a liver. Two weeks later, one had been found. The medical team prepped him for surgery, which included painful intramuscular injections of the anti-rejection
drug cyclosporine.
“It’s basically a science project,”
he said. “I mean, he was the only one who was doing this.”
According to Dr. James Markmann of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the process of liver transplantation has evolved.
“It’s a world of difference,” he said.
“It’s amazing that they were even successful back in the early 1980s, and so much has advanced since then. It’s even hard to compare what it would have been like then compared to what it is now.”
Markmann said today, a liver transplant typically takes about four hours. Cornella’s transplant took 14. When it was over, his family was astonished by how well he looked.
“If you’ve seen someone who’s got hepatitis, they’re yellow,” he said. “Well, I was almost green. I mean, that’s how sick I was ... I’ll never forget, my wife told me, my mom and dad told me, when I came back from surgery, I was basically almost normal color. That’s how quickly it worked.”
Cornella was number 177 among Starzl’s transplant patients.
He was also the seventh liver transplant patient to use cyclospo-
“I don’t take anything for granted anymore,” he said. “Life is precious. Basically, stay as healthy as you can; don’t abuse your body.”
rine, with March 1980 having been a breakthrough for the drug.
“That basically increased their survival rate significantly,” he said. “I’m still on it today; very, very, very little, but I’m still on it today.”
What followed was a grueling healing process, which included physical therapy.
By late July, he was discharged for his return home to New Jersey, with a follow-up scheduled in Colorado for September.
ONE DAY AT A TIME
About eight months after returning home, Cornella resumed work and become more active, determined to live life as normally as possible.
Today, that continues.
One of the only times he becomes stressed about his health, he says, is when he gets bloodwork done every three months.
“I think there was one time I had a little bit of rejection. I had to go to Pittsburgh, but relatively minor,” he said. “But overall, it’s been good.”
He says his experience left him wanting to make the most of life.
“I don’t take anything for granted anymore,” he said. “Life is precious. Basically, stay as healthy as you can; don’t abuse your body.”
He says he tries to maintain a healthy diet and tries to stay active. While never a drinker in the past, he avoids alcohol and watches his diet.
Over the years, he kept in touch with Starzl, who died in 2017 at the age of 90. He calls him a “special man,” having attended his 70th birthday party.
When an assistant to Starzl, Dr. Goran Klintmalm, asked him to speak at an event by the American Society of Transplant Surgeons in 2024, it was something that seemed daunting at first, but he was welcomed.
“First, they gave me a standing ovation before I even spoke a word, and then again after I was finished,” Cornella said.
In 2020, he moved from New Jersey to be with his daughter, Nicole Zimmerman. Today, he lives 15 minutes from her family and enjoys helping with her grandchildren, Asher Zimmerman, 5, and Nella Zimmerman, 3.
When people talk about health topics, he has a simple message.
“Basically, don’t be afraid of it,” he said. “It might not be the right word, but just, despite what’s in the press now, it works. Just follow your doctor’s orders as you can. I want to say a lot of these surgeons are excellent, excellent surgeons.”
Markmann also says cases like Cornella’s are important for the medical field, and for public awareness.
“It shows what’s possible, and the fact that there was such a success like Ron’s, was a real positive outcome that showed what was possible and helped push the field forward,” he said.
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Dr. Goran Klintmalm and Ron Cornella
Ron Cornella boats with his grandchild.
Ron Cornella still takes anti-rejection drugs and watches what he eats more than 40 years after becoming one of the first liver recipients.
Ian Swaby
Multistate softball tournament coming to 17th Street Park in ’27
ERIC GARWOOD DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
Although still under construc-
tion with a completion date of late this year, the 17th Street Park Regional Sports Complex now has its second major softball tournament lined up for early 2027.
A high school sports promoter based in Celebration announced last week a 64-team event called the National High School Softball Invitational for April 1-3 at the north Sarasota County facility. Both Visit Sarasota County and Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources confirmed the tournament announcement.
A year in advance, Diamond 9 Sports is billing the tournament as a showcase of top softball talent. According to a news release, initial invitations have gone out with at least eight teams from around the country agreeing to participate.
The invitational will include four team pools with 16 teams in each, all playing toward the championship game. Each team will be guaranteed four games, and losing teams will continue competing in a consolation bracket.
“The invitational is more than a tournament,” Diamond 9 President Kevin O’Donnell said in a prepared statement. “It is a national showcase experience designed to bring together the best high school programs in the country into one championship-level environment.”
In December, Sarasota County announced a partnership with another sports-promotion company to bring a six-team college softball event, featuring Alabama, Baylor, Florida State, James Madison, Ohio State and Texas State.
The 2027 Sarasota Classic will host 15 games over four days at the 17th Street Regional Sports Complex, which is scheduled for
completion December 2026. Four games will be held each on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and three on Sunday. All games will be held at the facility’s new championship field.
With an eye toward attracting overnight visitors for multiday events, the athletic complex at the park will feature three new adult softball fields with the supporting amenities such as restrooms, concessions, dugouts and more, at the entrance off 17th Street. South of the adult fields is an eight-field youth softball complex for Miss Sarasota Softball and other league uses designed to host large tournaments.
The championship field is oriented toward the northeast for optimum sunlight positioning with an outfield berm for spectator seating.
The fields are divided into two quads, each with a center plaza for pedestrian movement wide enough to accommodate portable restroom facilities for large events and areas for food trucks. The cost of the project is estimated at $65 million.
Luxury Villas
FRIDAY, MARCH 13
THE OFFSPRING ON SPRINGS
7:56 p.m., 200 block of Sunway Avenue
Dispute: A woman reported a disturbance, complaining that her rear yard-bordering neighbor was jumping on a trampoline in his backyard while bellowing lyrics by punk rock band The Offspring. Whether he could carry a tune — assuming there was a tune to be carried — was not disclosed in the incident report, but the complainant’s concern was the lyrics were not family friendly.
That prompted a shouting match between the two combatants as the complainant reported to one of the responding officers the singing backyard gymnast made threats against her and her husband, a charge the man denied.
All parties involved were advised not to speak with each other and to seek a protection order if further action was needed. Whether the impromptu punk performance was ordered to cease and desist was not disclosed in the incident report.
FRIDAY, MARCH 13
OVERSTAYED HIS WELCOME
1:27 a.m., 400 block of South Lime
Avenue
The 2027 Sarasota Classic will host 15 games over four days at the 17th Street Regional Sports Complex, which is scheduled for completion in December 2026.
Family disturbance: Complaining her ex-husband showed up at her home without having been invited, a woman claimed the estranged couple had not seen each other in the six years since their divorce. She decided, however, to invite him to spend some time inside the home they once shared during more amicable times.
However, she told officers the man began drinking and left the house, returning some time later knocking on the door and demanding to be allowed inside. She said she informed him he could no longer stay at the house, but he refused to leave. That’s when the complainant’s son called police.
The son told officers his father comes and visits often, and it was agreed by all parties on this occasion he could spend the night. He confirmed he began drinking “a lot” according to the incident report, and the couple became embroiled in a verbal dispute.
By the time officers arrived, the man was seated outside the residence. He told an officer he came to visit from Orlando and had planned to spend the night. He also characterized the argument as more of a conversation.
He agreed to move to a hotel room for the night, called for a ride and left the residence.
BREAKING UP IS
HARD TO DO
12:24 p.m., 2700 block of Bay Street
Dispute: A couple was breaking up, but the now ex-girlfriend was having none of it. An officer responding to the residence was told by a man that the woman was refusing to leave. She exited the home while the officer was at the scene and, in an apparent attempt at revenge, informed the officer she had lied to police during a previous incident to prevent the man from being arrested.
She said officers responded to the address in December regarding a domestic dispute call, at the time reporting the incident as merely verbal in nature, now claiming he actually had struck and choked her.
When told the incident report from December indicated she had no injuries, she replied, “That’s funny, because I had a black eye.”
She then produced several photos of injuries, which included bruising on her face, neck, arms and shoulders date-stamped just after the alleged incident.
The officer reviewed body-worn camera footage of that previous call, the video showing no injuries. By the time the most recent incident report was filed, she had also not submitted the photos to SPD. She had no visible evidence of injuries during either call and no further action was taken.
Image courtesy of Sarasota County
Work proceeds on the fields at 17th Street Park in northeastern Sarasota County. Completion is expected late this year
ISPR GOVERNING BOARD MEETING
MY VIEW
When looking at the numbers, allowing New College to absorb the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus makes zero financial sense.
Aproposal to shut down the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus and transfer its buildings and grounds to New College of Florida is sold as “strategic alignment.” The central question is simple: Does the math work? If not, taxpayers would underwrite a bad deal.
USFSM is a thriving institution. It serves roughly 2,000 students, many of them working adults, transfer students and future nurses and teachers who rely on access close to home. Its programs align with workforce needs and operates on a sound financial foundation. Consider USFSM’s student housing and student center, often cited in discussions of NCF’s future. It was financed through bonds backed by strong fundamentals: a high credit rating, dedicated student fee contributions and reliable revenue. USF’s AA bond rating secured favorable rates, while students provided about $11 million upfront and contribute roughly $200,000 in annual debt service through fees.
NCF cannot replicate that. It has fewer students, fewer fee-based revenue streams and a weaker financial profile. Any attempt to assume or refinance similar debt would come at higher rates, higher costs and risk, and would require bondholder approval. That leaves two options: demonstrate revenue it does not have or rely on additional state subsidies.
NCF is already one of the most heavily subsidized institutions in Florida’s university system. Recent analyses show it costs roughly $85,000 per student per year to operate — compared to the state average of $22,000 — and close to $500,000 per degree, compared to about $72,000 at the University of South Florida. Tuition revenue covers a small share of those costs. The institution relies heavily on state funding and widespread use of state-supported scholarships and incentives to attract students.
Despite that level of investment, outcomes lag. Retention rates have fallen to roughly 65%, among the lowest in the state system, with graduations similarly trailing. Taxpayers are already paying more — and getting less. Shutting down a functioning campus to expand that model does not solve a problem; it
compounds it.
New College has lost its spot in the Fiske Guide to Colleges and fell 59 spots in national rankings.
Supporters argue that NCF needs room to grow. Growth is not an end in itself, especially when the model is high-cost and underperforming.
Last year, New College sought to absorb another high-performing institution, the 66-acre campus of The Ringling Museum of Art rather than demonstrating it can succeed within its own footprint.
If NCF cannot independently support USFSM’s facilities, that alone is not a reason to proceed — it is a reason to pause.
Public higher education works best when investments are grounded in both mission and math. USF Sarasota-Manatee meets that standard. It sustainably serves a regional purpose delivering workforce-ready graduates. Shutting it down to expand a smaller, less secure institution is not strategic. It is less efficient and more costly.
At a time when Florida leaders are calling for DOGE-style scrutiny of spending, this proposal asks taxpayers to support a move that is less efficient, more costly and financially uncertain. If this is what “efficiency” looks like, public officials owe taxpayers an explanation. This debate should be about accountability: Do the numbers add up? Can the acquiring institution support the debt without state subsidy? Will this strengthen — or weaken — higher education in our region? The answers raise more concerns than confidence.
Florida has long prided itself on responsible fiscal management. Public higher education depends on taxpayer support, but this level of subsidy is neither justified nor responsible.
Florida taxpayers should not be asked to spend more to get less.
Nancy Parrish is the former chair of The Ringling Museum of Art and founder of the
Citizens to Protect The Ringling.
Courtesy image A proposal to allow the New College of Florida to take over the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus may still have life at the state level.
Education evolution
IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER
t’s not an ordinary time for Sarasota’s school district.
The district has had to contend with a variety of issues — nine, to be precise — that Superintendent of Schools Terry Connor has identified as affecting its financial state.
However, he says there are promising developments, as well.
During the State of the Community luncheon on April 14, an event series hosted by the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, Connor addressed a room of officials and business leaders to paint a picture of the district at the Carlisle Inn and Conference Center.
It was a conversation he described as both “sobering” and “optimistic.”
The district, which serves about 45,000 students in 57 schools, is being affected by issues at both the national and local level, he said.
“Orange County just closed seven schools in the last week,” he said. “Hillsborough just consolidated five schools in the last week. Broward is cutting 3,000 jobs over the next three years,” he said.
Connor said one of the factors behind the changing educational landscape is declining enrollment, driven partly by an increase in options beyond public schools.
About 81% of students choose a traditional public school nationally, Connor said, as well as about 69% in Florida and about 70%, or around 36,800 students, in Sarasota.
Since 2020, according to his presentation, there were about 116,725 students who left Florida’s public schools for charter schools.
Meanwhile, he said, microschools that serve eight to 12 students, have grown 300% in the last four years, along with a rise in homeschooling.
Another factor he noted was declining birthrates, with more than 600 more seniors in the cohort than incoming kindergartners.
FINANCIAL STATE OF THE DISTRICT AS SEEN IN STATE OF THE COMMUNITY PRESENTATION
Challenges facing the district
■ Declining enrollment
■ Flat state revenue
■ Rising costs and inflation
■ Infrastructure overhead
■ Impact of Florida Empowerment
Scholarship
■ Sunset of COVID-19 relief funds
■ Maintaining competitive compensation
■ Imposed millage commission
■ Colocation (due to Schools of Hope legislation)
Strategic actions being undertaken by school district
■ Aligning staffing to enrollment for long-term sustainability
■ Sustaining high-quality benefits
while managing costs
■ Flattening and reducing district roles for long-term stability
■ Phasing out one-time funded expenses for long-term stability
He said among the 4,800 students have accepted the Florida Family Empowerment Scholarship, which funds private school tuition and fees.
He explained that fixed costs, like those of school resource officers, utilities and other resources remain.
Another issue Connor cited was a 2% commission charged on the district’s referendum, which has been passed by taxpayers for 24 years.
The referendum increases property taxes by one mill to provide the school district with additional resources, although he says 2% of the funds will now go toward the Sarasota County Tax Collector.
He said the district is working with its legal team around this change, which is estimated to cost the district $2.2 million in one year.
However, Connor discussed ways the district is consolidating its operations through aligning staff to enrollment, managing costs of benefits while sustaining high-quality ones and removing expenses that relied on one-time funding.
LIQUIDATION SALE END OF SEASON
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
Playing with
PRIMARY COLORS
Selby Gardens’ horticultural ode to Alexander Calder’s sculptures and mobiles creates an adult playground.
MARTY FUGATE
CONTRIBUTOR
“Alexander Calder: The Nature of Movement” finds a new spin on Calder’s kinetic creations at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. We take his restless “mobiles” for granted today, but they challenged a basic sculptural assumption of his time.
Sculpture isn’t supposed to move. If it does, it’s probably falling over. Calder disproved that assumption when he created his first mobile in 1931. His sculpture moved — without falling over! A simple idea — and simply radical.
Calder wasn’t the first sculptor to incorporate motion. But he was the first to make motion an artistic principle, not a gimmick.
David Berry, Selby Gardens’ chief curator, notes that Calder was both a trained engineer and an artist. He grasped how materials worked — and his mobiles were rooted in practical, engineering knowledge. The members of Selby Gardens’ horticultural team share that understanding.
“They know what they’re doing,” Berry says. “They really did their homework.”
Their horticultural vignettes in the 10th installment of the annual Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition Series aren’t re-creations of specific Calder pieces. They’re original creations inspired by his kinetic sculpture and following his principles. Where Calder worked
IF YOU GO ‘ALEXANDER CALDER: THE NATURE OF MOVEMENT
When: Through May 31
Where: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound St.
Tickets: $28 Info: Visit Selby.org.
Where Calder shouted in primary colors, they whisper in earth tones. Minor differences. Calder’s sculpture had its own visual language. Selby Gardens’ team speaks it fluently. And they’ve got a lot to say.
Expressive logic drives the vignettes they’ve created in Calder’s vocabulary. This show’s not an academic exercise. You might learn something, but it’s an experience, not a lecture.
A FLASHBACK TO A YES ALBUM?
The experience begins in the Display Conservatory. Before entering, you pass below “Plants Above All,” a mobile of hanging air plants, swaying gently on red discs. More smallscale vignettes await inside.
A mobile of black stones and rugged bonsai hovers against a bloodred backdrop. It reminds one of Roger Dean’s floating islands on several “Yes” album covers. Or James Cameron’s rip-offs in the “Avatar” series.
Another untitled mobile balances black-and-white shapes resembling guitar picks. Palms, bromeliads and a calathea sprout in front of them in shades of riotous red, deep purple and dark green. More installations flank the serpentine path through the botanical gardens. The horticultural team created these as well. But on a much larger scale.
The “Calder Cascade” splashes down on the lily pond garden. Three metal sculptures: yellow, red and blue. Each is a waterfall. The water splashes down on tiered shapes resembling water lilies or the dancing forms of Calder’s mobiles.
“Red Mangrove” echoes a mangrove’s arching, crimson roots. It’s structured like one of Calder’s massive, motionless sculptures. Not a mobile, but a “stabile.” (Jean Arp, Calder’s friend and fellow artist, jokingly coined the term and it stuck.)
“Rooted in Nature” is a trio of gargantuan sculptures. These lovingly mimic the prop roots of the Selby Gardens iconic Moreton Bay fig tree.
“Sabal Stabiles” is a cluster of Calder-like forms facing Sarasota Bay. Instead of dangling from a mobile, they’re planted in ground. These brightly colored blobs resemble giant artist’s palettes. Each has a giant hole — with a sable palm threading its way through it. Art and nature become one.
“Passiflora” blossoms in huge red shapes like passiflora petals. (The real thing grows on a trellis a few steps away.) Metal flowers sprout in front of them. Like Calder’s wire sculptures, they’re just outlines and don’t block the view.
TAKING COUNTLESS
CALCULATIONS INTO ACCOUNT
Big or small, inside or out, these vignettes are impressive. According to Berry, that’s thanks to the horticultural team’s countless calculations.
These included weather patterns, topography, the optimum plants for each vignette, the quirks and needs of these plants, how they change over the seasons, and how visitors will respond.
It’s a lot of hard work. If it sparks a
with sheet metal and wire, Selby Gardens’ creators employ the living medium of air plants.
Image courtesy of Matthew Holler
In “Sabal Stabiles,” each of the artist palette-like sculptures facing Sarasota Bay at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens has a giant hole with a sable palm threading its way through it.
Janet Combs Calder’s use of primary colors contrasts with the lush greenery of Selby Gardens.
Courtesy image
Sculptor Alexander Calder is given credit for inventing the art form known as the “mobile.”
A trio of gargantuan sculptures mimic the roots of Selby’s iconic Moreton Bay fig tree.
Photos by Marty Fugate
“Red Mangrove” is one of the most striking displays in the Calder show at Selby Gardens.
sense of wonder, it’s worth it.
The Museum of Botany & the Arts circles back to Calder’s two-dimensional source code. The work you’ll see is his — not a homage. Reproductions of the artist’s early images include drawings, lithographs, illustrations and in-the-moment figure sketches of the horses, humans, lions and elephants at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at Madison Square Garden (1925).
LOVE LETTER TO THE CIRCUS Calder’s circus studies vibrate with implied motion. Limbs kick. Horses rear. Acrobats tense like coiled springs. This art may be flat, but it’s charged with kinetic energy. It’s also Calder’s love letter to the circus. In fact, the artist loved the circus so much, he created his own miniature circus — the Cirque du Calder. With that, his art officially entered the third dimension.
André Kertész’ photos (1929) capture Calder hard at work on his tiny circus. He’s having fun with puppets and wagons — and he’s also making them move. It’s a baby step. But the artist’s vector of motion leads directly to his later mobiles. Thanks to a loan from The Ringling, the museum boasts an actual Calder mobile. “Black Cascade — 12 Verticals” (1953) is delicately hypnotic. It’s a chain of black metal shapes that seem to fall like drifting leaves. But that’s an illusion. Because the mobile is perfectly balanced on spidery legs,
they never hit the ground.
It’s a stunning exhibition. The talents of Selby Gardens design and horticultural teams did outstanding work. Berry worked with Nathan Burnaman, Ian Cole, Nadine Kremblas, Angel Lara and Mike McLaughlin on Selby Gardens’ horticulture team. He also collaborated with Abby Wright Day, Craig Kroeger and Megan Laureno on the museum exhibition team.
But is Calder’s art right for Selby Gardens?
Previous exhibitions in this series typically revolved around artistic depictions of nature. Calder’s art is far from typical. At first glance, his mobiles seem utterly unnatural.
Even their birth process was industrial. To make them, the artist cut out crazy shapes from sheet metal, painted them in race-car colors, then hung them from wires. But look closer. You’ll see they’re subtle imitations of life.
Like leaves, clouds and butterfly wings, the abstract shapes of Calder’s mobiles have no right angles. (They’re “biomorphic,” if you’ll pardon my artspeak.)
More importantly, Calder’s kinetic sculpture shares the key distinction between the living and the dead. His mobiles move — just like every living thing on the planet.
Calder’s art is exactly right for Selby Gardens.
You’ll be moved when you see it.
Florida Studio Theatre puts its summer improv festival on ice for a year
The wildly popular weekend event will return in 2027 with a spring date.
“We’re in the middle of this massive $57 million construction project, which is putting a lot of pressure on the theater. We decided we were going to take a year off to catch our breath.”
— Rebecca Hopkins, FST managing director
MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER A+E EDITOR
Florida Studio Theatre will suspend its wildly popular summer improv festival for a year due to construction and project management demands for its new McGillicuddy Arts Plaza.
Founded in 2009 by FST Managing Director Rebecca Hopkins, the FST Improv Festival is one of the most anticipated events of the summer.
“We’re in the middle of this massive $57 million construction project, which is putting a lot of pressure on the theater,” Hopkins said in a telephone interview. “We decided we were going to take a year off to catch our breath.”
The Improv Festival typically runs over a weekend in July. It requires a lot of planning and coordination that isn’t possible while the 144,000-square-foot complex is going up on FST’s downtown campus, Hopkins says.
She expects that enough progress will have been made to allow the FST Improv Festival to return in 2027. She says FST is eyeing a May date, rather than its typical July run.
The hiatus will give Hopkins and Sarah Durham, associate director of improv and resident artist, the opportunity to “reimagine the festival,” Hopkins says.
This is not the first pause the FST Improv Festival has taken during its history. In 2020, it was presented in digital form due to the pandemic and didn’t happen at all in 2021-22. In 2023, it came back in full force.
Instead of booking popular improv troupes from New York, Chicago and Austin during a single festival weekend this summer, FST is spreading out their appearances, alternating them with FST’s own improv troupe.
The improv fun starts April 24-25 with Shitzprobe, whose profane name is a nod to the theater term
New York City, Shitzprobe improvises a musical based on audience suggestions.
During last year’s FST Improv Festival, TV host and actor Joey Panek joined the troupe as they created a musical based on the “kisscam” scandal that occurred days earlier at a Coldplay concert.
The “Coldplay Kisscam Caper” came together seamlessly with a standout performance from the troupe’s keyboardist, who apparently had Coldplay hits in his repertoire. Of course, the troupe had juicy material to work with and a built-in soundtrack.
FST’s own Improv troupe will play Bowne’s Lab from June 6-27 and again from July 11-25, presenting “Comedy Lottery.” In this show, audience members select the night’s lineup of games.
We can’t wait to see the America 250 edition of FST Improv’s annual July Fourth event, “Freedom! The Musical.” It will be presented July 4. Be prepared for some events in U.S. history that you didn’t read about in school before the fireworks outside.
Orlando’s Forgotten Broadway improv troupe takes the FST stage July 31 and Aug. 1. Theater critic Marty Fugate calls its show “a love letter to Broadway flops you’ve never heard of.”
From Aug. 8 through Sept. 19, FST Improv takes over Bowne’s Lab with its “Out of Bounds.” The show is a smackdown between two teams who face off with games, skits and songs. Those who like improv on the wild side will welcome the return of Dad’s Garage to FST on Sept. 25-26. The Atlanta troupe’s inclusive cast teams with drag queens, puppet masters and a broad spectrum of no-holdsbarred performers to hilarious effect. For more information about FST Improv, visit FloridaStudioTheatre. org. Don’t wait until the last minute to order tickets because shows
Marty Fugate
An interior view of a Calder-inspired mobile juxtaposed with botanical creations at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.
THIS WEEK
DON’T MISS
Theatre.
THURSDAY
ARTS ADVOCATES LUNCHEON:
JOSEPH MCKENNA
11 a.m. at Sarasota Yacht Club, 1100 John Ringling Blvd. $50 Visit Arts Advocates.org.
Joseph McKenna is celebrating 25 years as president of the Sarasota Orchestra, but he’s not coming to the Arts Advocates luncheon to toot his own horn. McKenna will be on the podium to talk about the new $400 million-plus Music Center that the orchestra is building near the intersection of Fruitville Road and Interstate 75. No doubt he’ll also be discussing Giancarlo Guerrero’s first season as music director and the upcoming 2026-27 season.
‘FIDDLER ON THE ROOF’
7:30 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $37-$99 Visit AsoloRep.org.
At Asolo Repertory Theatre, what’s old is new again under Producing Artistic Director Peter Rothstein. We expect Rothstein to breathe new life into “Fiddler on the Roof,” the feel-good musical set in a Russian village circa 1900. Famous from both stage and screen, “Fiddler” follows Tevye’s efforts to find husbands for his daughters as he balances the traditions of the past and the opportunities of the present. Runs through May 24.
OUR PICK MASTERWORKS 7
Sarasota Orchestra Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero returns to the podium for the final Masterworks concert of the season, “Bernstein and Mahler.” Violinist Chee-Yun will join the orchestra on Bernstein’s “Serenade,” one of the composer’s most lyrical works. Mahler’s emotional Fifth Symphony is a fitting climax to the maestro’s first season as music director and showcases the orchestra’s considerable talents. Runs through April 19.
IF YOU GO
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 17
Where: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail
Tickets: $39 and up
Info: Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.
‘A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN’
7:30 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre’s Keating Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave. $59
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
Francesca Ferrari gets top billing as Janis Joplin, a member of the “27 Club” (stars who died at age 27), in Randy Johnson’s show at Florida Studio Theatre. But the Black singers who helped inform Joplin’s singing style (Odetta, Bessie Smith, Aretha Franklin, Etta James and others) are more than just backup singers in this knockout production directed by Ben Liebert. Runs through April 26.
‘BIRTHDAY CANDLES’
8 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St.
$46 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
“Birthday Candles” stars Sarasota favorite Rachel Moulton as Ernestine Ashworth, whose 17th birthday celebration does a time warp and moves ahead to her 41st, 70th and 107th birthdays, all with the same cake. A goldfish gets a supporting role and actors portray several characters as the years pass. This Southeastern premiere is directed by Kate Alexander. Runs through May 17.
FRIDAY
JAZZ AT TWO: THOMAS CARABASI QUARTET
2 p.m. at Unitarian Universalists of SRQ, 3975 Fruitville Road
$20
Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.
There’s no better way to roll into the weekend than Jazz Club of Sarasota’s Jazz at Two series. This week’s featured performer is Thomas Carabasi, who returns with an all-new program. Carabasi will play a mix of classic jazz, popular standards and some Samba and bossa nova sounds from Brazil.
SATURDAY
WORLD CIRCUS DAY
10 a.m. at The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Road
Free Visit Ringling.org.
‘LIES, SPELLS & OLD WIVES’ TALES’
Westcoast Black Theatre
Troupe founder and artistic director Nate Jacobs is teaming up with his brother, retired attorney Michael Jacobs, again. Their last outing was the 2024 drama “Ruby,” about a wealthy Black woman who murdered her white physician in 1950s Florida. This Jacobs Brothers production is more lighthearted. “Lies, Spells & Old Wives’ Tales” is a musical comedy inspired by the sayings, stories and beliefs passed from one generation to the next. Runs through May 17.
IF YOU GO
When: 7:30 p.m. April 16
Where: Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N. Orange Ave.
Tickets: $50
Info: Visit WestcoastBlackTheatre.org.
Locals and tourists who take advantage of The Ringling’s free admission on Monday are often disappointed to learn it doesn’t apply to the Circus Museum, only the Art Museum. If you’ve ever wanted to see The Ringling’s unparalleled collection of circus posters, costumes, wagons and interactive exhibits, as well as Howard Tibbals’ miniature circus model with 42,000 pieces, this is your chance. There will be activities throughout the day. Come one, come all!
‘THE PIRATE SHIP AND THE SEA MONSTER & OTHER WINNING PLAYS’
10 a.m. and noon at FST’s Keating Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave.
$12 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
Don’t let the kids spend weekends glued to digital devices. Bring them out to Florida Studio Theatre for family oriented fare. A 50-minute program of short plays written by grade schoolers from around the world features professional actors bringing heroes of all kinds to life.
2026 SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL CLOSING NIGHT FILM
6 p.m. at New College of Florida/ Sainer Pavilion, 5315 Bay Shore Road
$40 Visit SarasotaFilmFestival.org.
SFF’s closing-night film will be Julian Schnabel’s “In the Hand of Dante,” featuring an all-star cast including Oscar Isaac, Gal Gadot, Al Pacino and Martin Scorsese. The film follows the journey of a handwritten manuscript from a priest to a mob boss to novelist Nick Tosches, who’s asked to prove its authenticity.
Schnabel will attend the screening, where he will be honored with the Achievement in Directing Award.
NASHVILLE BRASS BAND
7 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail $50 and up Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.
If you like your jazz with a country twang, this is the ticket for you. The Jazz Club of Sarasota presents the Nashville Brass Band, who’ve been performing for decades. Now led by trombonist Herb Bruce, the Nashville Brass carries on the legacy of founder Danny Davis, a legendary musician some will remember from the TV show “Hee Haw.” The band also features drummer Larry Hendrixson and trumpeter Ed Gaston.
RADIANCE — A CONCERT IN CANDLELIGHT
8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 1031 S. Euclid Ave. $45 Visit KeyChorale.org.
Hundreds of candles will illuminate the stage as the Key Chorale Chamber Singers are joined by violin and cello soloists for a sublime concert featuring ethereal music by Fauré, Paulus, Gjeiloº and Ešenvalds. There will be no intermission to disturb the celestial vibe during this 80-minute program.
SUNDAY
JAZZ AMBASSADORS
3 p.m. at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 3131 61st St. $5 Visit SuncoastConcertBand.org.
Now in its 39th season, this volunteer band of seasoned musicians is led by David DeWitt. The Jazz Ambassadors are known for their renditions of Big Band favorites made famous by Count Basie and Duke Ellington. This program is called “History of the Big Band, Part 1.” Call 941-907-4123 to check on ticket availability.
WEDNESDAY
THE NAKED MAGICIANS
7 p.m. Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail $46-$116 Visit VanWezel.org.
It’s adults night out for a cheeky performance by the R-rated Australian magic duo Mike Tyler and Chris Wayne. Known for their “sleeves up, pants down” style of magic for audiences 18 and older, The Naked Magicians have shocked and amazed audiences during their Las Vegas residency and on TV, where their performances are toned down, but just a bit.
Courtesy image
Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s “Spells, Lies & Old Wives’ Tales” runs through May 17 at WBTT’s Donelly
Mission Possible luncheon
Photos by Janet Combs Roseanne and Bianca Martorella with the “greatest of all time” Larry Goats.
Centennial Celebration cochairs are Sue Neumann and Lynn Blackledge.
Louis Kosiba, Ina Goldberg and Greg Campbell
Libbie and Tom Glembocki with Julie Planck and Chuck Albers
Audrey Robbins and Harry Leopold wave their Victor DeRenzi stick-heads
Dr. Nainesh Parikh, Event Chair Eileen Curd, Graci McGillicuddy and guest speaker Josh Carpenter head into the event.
Beth Wexler, Katherine Harris, Alyssa Fiumano and Barbara Kelly
Photos by Janet Combs Evella Feldhacker and Debi Wheeler
Photos by Janet Combs
Executive Director Doug Staley with his wife, Sabrina Left: Co-chairs are the husband and wife team of Toni and David Zarghami
Above: Fay and Jerry Bainbridge are longtime supporters of the CPC.
Welcoming the world
Friendship Force creates connections between people around the world, including residents of Sarasota.
or Tony Bouzaid, what he calls “after dinner stories” are an experience repeatedly enjoyed.
He’s part of Friendship Force International, an organization that centers on home stays around the world.
Bouzaid says he’s met a man from Hawaii who played golf with Tiger Woods when Woods was 12 years old, a Russian man who created covers for Stephen King’s novels and a Sarasota man who was in charge of the navigational computer during Apollo 13.
The New Zealand resident says he and his wife, Lynnda Bouzaid, enjoy the window into others’ lives. Some people he has stayed in contact with include those from the organization’s Sarasota club.
Like other clubs in the organization, the Sarasota branch of Friendship Force welcomes guests from clubs around the world, while also giving members the chance to stay in the homes of members abroad.
While it may not be everyone’s way of traveling, it’s a way to which some members keep returning.
FRIENDS FROM AFAR
Founded by Presbyterian minister Wayne Smith in 1977, Friendship Force has the goal of facilitating intercultural relations.
At that time, during a gathering of governors, President Jimmy Carter told state leaders to each establish a director for the organization.
“By getting to know people and other cultures, it promotes, at the individual level, a lot more understanding of other cultures,” said Sarasota’s Membership Chair Abe Lederman.
Today, the organization includes clubs in more than 359 communities on six continents.
That includes six in Florida, among them the Sarasota chapter, which has
existed for about 36 years.
Members, known as “friendship ambassadors,” will travel abroad, while hosts arrange opportunities that include sightseeing and learning about culture — although one of the important parts of the experience is making friends.
President Terri Holsinger says it’s an organization for those who are “a little bit adventurous.”
“I do think that all of us do have the travel bug, just the idea that you’re a little bit inquisitive,” she said. “This isn’t for everyone, because a lot of people don’t want to be in some stranger’s house. But the minute they walk through our front door, they’re not a stranger anymore; they’re a friend, and that’s the way it was every place we’ve stayed, whether it was in the backwoods of Indonesia, or Kenya or Russia, you were in their home and you were their friend.”
With the organization, Holsinger has had the chance to visit countries that include China, Russia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and Nepal, and since joining in 2012, she’s kept in touch with many people from her trips.
Currently, Sarasota’s club has about 45 members, Holsinger says, although before COVID-19, there were approximately 110.
She says many members are growing older and moving away from international travel, although many still enjoy trips within the country, or serving as hosts.
“COVID really took the starch out of travel, and it’s been a slow recovery for lots of clubs,” she said.
Travelers will find an experience that isn’t typical. In Sarasota, she says, food is provided for free to visitors, although members pay ticket prices for attractions and airfare.
But members say that part of the experience is also meeting people’s families and hearing stories.
Tuxtlas) were very, very friendly,” he said. “They hosted a lot of, obviously, events. It’s a small club, all the members attended. There was a lot of partying. It just was a very positive kind of experience for me. And again, it helped that I speak Spanish, and they love the fact that I speak Spanish to them.”
A TRIP TO SARASOTA
Traveling to Florida in 2017, from Wellington, New Zealand, wasn’t an experience Tony and Lynnda Bouzaid had expected, but it was one for which they were eager.
After staying in New York and South Carolina through the club, they enjoyed a stay in Sarasota.
(They also added their own trips to Washington, D.C., and Miami.)
“It’s a big thing,” Bouzaid said. “It’s a big thing to come to New Zealand, but for us going to Florida, we never thought that would be on our list.”
They have been members for 24 years. Lynnda Bouzaid serves as treasurer, and previously served as president for six years, while Tony Bouzaid served as auditor for more than a decade.
During that time, they have hosted about 25 people, sometimes couples.
“You build up lifelong friendships with people if you have common interests or common personalities,” Tony Bouzaid said.
For Lederman, one of the highlights of the experience was a trip to an area called Los Tuxtlas in southern Mexico, which also included a post-trip visit to the Palenque Mayan ruins.
“What I found, the folks in (Los
He says when they came to Sarasota, Holsinger was careful to pair them with people with whom they had something in common, so they stayed with Frank Hearon and his wife, Michele Pariseau, who share their respective mutual interests in golf and quilting.
“We hadn’t been there very long and Frank said, ‘Right, Tony, Wednes-
Courtesy images
Lynnda and Tony Bouzaid
IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER
A member views a windmill in the Netherlands.
Mouth Implant Dentistry
day, we’re playing golf,’ which was something for me,” he recounted. “I’ve been lucky enough to now say, I’ve played in United States, a game of golf. A lot more water on the golf course than we had, though, in New Zealand. So that made it quite cool. And I was very lucky. I never once went in the water.”
Another standout, he says, was the visit to Siesta Beach.
“We were actually quite thrilled to go there,” he said. “A beautiful pristine beach.”
During a visit to Sarasota National Cemetery, they saw flowers placed on the graves, which he said he found “very moving.” He said he was impressed with the commitment people in the area displayed to honoring veterans, although residents might take it for granted.
His father, Ward Bouzaid, served with an American station in the Solomon Islands during World War II, as a gunner in the Third Division of the Eighth Infantry, and was lucky to have survived many battles.
“It was something that Michele and Frank were very motivated toward, doing that, so we were quite impressed,” he said.
After Sarasota, they decided to visit Miami and the Everglades.
“They were a great club,” he said. “They really were. They went out of their way. They put on all sorts of functions and activities for us, both as a group and individually. The people we stayed with, we’ve kept friendships with them, with Christmas newsletters, and so we had quite common interests.”
Bouzaid says one thing he likes about Friendship Force is that it gives travelers a chance to experience things they never could.
“You go to somewhere else, and you see something totally different, and the locals can get you into special places that someone might know, someone who knows someone, who goes, ‘Yes, I can get the group to go there,’” he said.
He says after years of experience, they’ve now learned what visitors enjoy when coming to New Zealand.
One of their offerings is a trip to a school of Maori and local children.
“They get to go and see children
perform festival type activities, and go and meet them in the classroom, and a lot of women in Friendship Force are retired teachers, so they find that really, really good,” he said.
Some other stops will include the coast and beaches, the city of Wellingotn; Wētā Workshop, which designed props for the “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” films, and “Avatar;” and the forest, where they will teach about medicinal plants.
There will also be activities like flax weaving; Bouzaid notes that guests get the chance to take something back, as well.
“I think we’re all people, and so it’s nonpolitical, nonreligious, and you just open up your house to them, allow them to have the opportunity to come and share in your activities,” he said.
Terri Holsinger, Bruce Green and Marilyn Green, of Northwest Territories, Canada, and Terri Holsinger’s husband, Stan Holsinger, visit Siesta Key Beach.
Courtesy images
Donna Schaeffer Ange Wanless and Debbie Kuhns attend an international dinner in 2018.
Vibrant Senior Living Coming Soon to Lakewood Ranch!
Emerson Lakes Is Now Accepting Reservations.
The first phase of construction is now underway. This includes the beautiful Coral Ridge Clubhouse and three residence buildings: Sandhill Point, anticipated to open in the fall of 2026, followed by Laguna Springs and Mangrove Run, opening in the first half of 2027.
Everyday Resort Living
Here are just a few resort-style amenities you can expect:
• Multiple dining venues
• Outdoor pool with a walk-up bar
• State-of-the-art fitness center
• Pickleball and bocce ball courts
• Outdoor fitness center with meditation garden
• Firepits
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On track for conservation
lthough running on sand has its challenges, it’s an experience that keeps Alexis Giraudineau coming back.
He said although the sand on Siesta Key Beach on April 11 was dry, which makes it a challenge the Run for the Turtles is “always cool” and always draws a crowd.
“There’s a good crowd here; everyone’s supporting each other,” he said. “That’s why we come on this race. So, a lot of fun; hard for the legs, but a lot of fun.”
The longest-running fundraiser by Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, this year’s run marked its 40th year. Proceeds from the event support the organization’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program.
The program monitors and marks nests along 35 miles of beach from Longboat Key south.
“This run helps make sure that the public stays engaged with us, because even though we’ve moved our aquarium, we’ll still be out on the beach,” said Jake Lasala, manager of the program.
Emory University School of Medicine, Fellowship, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
Fellowship: Emory University School of Medicine, Fellowship, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
Board
Surgery Hospital Affiliations: Sarasota Memorial Hospital; Sarasota Doctors Hospital; Lakewood Ranch Medical Center
Certification: Board Certified, American Board of Surgery, Vascular Surgery & General Surgery
Hospital Affiliations: Sarasota Memorial Hospital; Sarasota Doctors Hospital; Lakewood Ranch Medical Center
Cattleridge
Although nesting season starts May 1, staff and volunteers will start monitoring the beaches on April 15, Lasala said.
“We ask that people turn their lights off at night so that we can encourage turtles to come onto the beach, and we ask that people bring their chairs back and fill in holes so that we’re not having an impact on their behavior,” he said.
— IAN SWABY
Damian Najera, 9, of the Gocio Elementary School Runners Club, arrives at the finish line.
Photos by Ian Swaby
Avery Frye, 2, her father, Sean Frye, her brother, Aiden Frye, 5, her aunt, Kyla Cuomo, and her mother, Kyra Frye, prepare for the race.
Elizabeth Wiegner and Sarah Degroot take a picture with Shelley.
TRIBUTES
Thomas H Wentz, III
1943-2026
Thomas H Wentz, III, 82, passed away on February 6, 2026. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on May 31, 1943, to Thomas H Wentz and Mary Jane Miller Wentz. Thomas’s life was defined by devotion, care, and passion—qualities that guided his relationships, work, and service. He was best known for a boundless kindness, a ready sense of humor, and a generous spirit that lifted others and strengthened the communities he loved.
A graduate of the Perkiomen School, Pennsburg Pennsylvania. He received his undergraduate degree in Economics from Grove City College in Pennsylvania. This was followed by Juris Doctorate from Mercer Law School, Macon Georgia.
Thomas built a distinguished career as a successful attorney, later dedicating his retirement to philanthropy and cultural stewardship. A gentleman farmer and avid gardener, he found peace in tending the land with the help of Ethan Martin, finding joy in sharing its bounty. A steadfast supporter of the arts, education, and human services, he gave his time and resources to organizations including Trinity Lutheran Church; Lancaster
Symphony Orchestra; the Fulton, Gretna, EPAC and Asolo Theaters; Sarasota Orchestra, Sarasota Opera; the Royal Oak Foundation; Crossnet Ministries; All Faiths Food Bank; Colonial Williamsburg Burgesses; Winterthur; the Ringling Museum; and the Children’s Guardian Fund. An active Member of the Sarasota Garden Club as well as the Pennsylvania and Maryland Horticultural and the Oregon Hardy Plant Society. Travel broadened his world and deepened his gratitude; he especially cherished journeys through England and Europe, where history, music, and gardens intertwined with friendships and memories he treasured. At the heart of Thomas’s life was love. He shared his days with his beloved spouse, James J. Whalen, whose companionship of Thirty-Eight years was his greatest blessing. He was
also cherished by Jim and David Wentz, Mary Martin, and Steve Forry, along with a wide circle of friends who knew him as “Tommy” and felt the warmth of his welcome. To each, he offered steady encouragement, thoughtful counsel, and laughter that lingers still.
SERVICE:
Honoring Thomas’s wishes, a private graveside service will take place in Pennsylvania
DONATIONS:
n lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to either Crossnet Ministries Food Bank, PO Box 154, New Holland, Pennsylvania, 17557 or All Faiths Food Bank, 8171 Blaikie Ct., Sarasota, Florida 34240 —causes Thomas championed with gratitude and resolve. The family extends heartfelt thanks to Tidewell Hospice House for their excellent, compassionate care of Tommy. May we remember him most for his kindness and his generous spirit and may the gardens he tended—in the earth and in our hearts—continue to grow.
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Helga Williams 1941-2026
Helga Williams, 84, passed away peacefully on March 27, 2026, in Siesta Key, Florida. Born on April 30, 1941, Helga lived a life defined by strength, resilience, and unwavering devotion to those she loved.
A graduate of the University of South Florida, Helga pursued a successful career as a real estate broker. Her determination and independence were hallmarks of her professional and personal life. She was known for her love of learning and her ability to inspire and guide others with her wisdom and quiet strength.
Helga found joy in tennis, reading, and walking along the beach. She was a devoted member of the Siesta Key Chapel community, where her presence was cherished by many. Her life was a testament to caregiving and
compassion, as she showed her love through her actions and steady support. She is lovingly remembered by her grandson, Brennan Williams, and his husband Cody Williams, as well as her daughter-in-law Becky Williams. Helga was predeceased by her beloved husband, Hank Williams. Helga will be deeply missed by all who knew her. Her legacy of strength and love will continue to inspire those whose lives she touched. May her memory bring comfort to all who mourn her passing.
SERVICE: A funeral service to celebrate Helga’s life will be held on Sunday, April 19, 2026, at 12:00 noon at Siesta Key Chapel, located at 4615 Gleason Ave., Sarasota, FL 34242.
DONATIONS: In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota in her memory.
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AMENITIES
• Second resort-style pool
• Bahama Bar
services available exclusively to Esplanade residents.
• Second state-of-the-art fitness center
• Pickleball complex
NOW OPEN RESORT AMENITIES
• Multiple pools
• Fitness center
• Indoor gymnasium with basketball courts
• Sports fields • Tennis, bocce and pickleball
By the water, in the water, on the water. Whenever you wish. Wherever you want. All this, steps to Sarasota, yet tucked privately away on Golden Gate Point. This is the incomparable life Amara, unquestionably, Sarasota’s most exciting and remarkable residences, ever.
Spring showcase
The
Officer Matthew Grochowski of the department’s Community Relations Unit said the spring offered more desirable weather as people gathered outside the department’s headquarters April 14.
Intended to build connections between members of the agency and the community, the family event showcased aspects of the department, with many community partners and vendors joining in.
Offerings included displays by specialty units such as the Marine Patrol Unit, a junior SWAT obstacle course, a K-9 Unit demonstration, a petting zoo, a Grave Digger monster truck, free food and a DJ.
“We love the community that comes out and supports us, and we love all the entertainers that come out, so each year keeps getting bigger,” Grochowski said. “I think it’s probably the most important event for us to really get out there in the community and showcase what we have, and thank you to all our specialty units that come out and put on such a great show, as well.”
— IAN SWABY
Officer Michael Colatorti, with his protective wear in the grip of Brody’s jaw, offers a demonstration of the K-9 unit.
Mia Martinez, 6, emerges from a tunnel in the obstacle course.
Photos by Ian Swaby
Za’Tajh Coach, 3, climbs over a barrier on the obstacle course.
Sarasota Bay home tops
ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
Mary Jane Cooper and C. Anderson
Cooper, of Sarasota, sold their home at 1225 Quail Drive to David and Helen Harris, of Sarasota, for $5.3 million. Built in 1977, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 3,548 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.1 million in 2000.
SAN REMO ESTATES
Justin and Jaime Lee sold their home at 1300 Tangier Way to Jason and Taylor Murphy, of Sarasota, for $5.25 million. Built in 2022, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,358 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,885,000 in 2018.
POINSETTIA PARK
Andrew Salzberg, of Santa Monica, California, sold his home at 1873 Rose St. to John Didovic and Melissa Zolmierski, of Sarasota, for $3,775,000. Built in 2023, it has five bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,550 square feet of living area.
GRANADA
1648 Bonita LLC sold the home at 1648 Bonita Lane to Stuart and Robin Jones, of Annapolis, Maryland, for $2.95 million. Built in 2025, it has five bedrooms, four-and-ahalf baths, a pool and 3,908 square feet of living area.
Elizabeth Lou Burton, trustee, sold the home at 1642 Catalonia Lane to Jennifer Wronski, of Bentonville, Arkansas, for $642,500. Built in 1955, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,436 square feet of living area. It sold for $100,000 in 1999.
BLOSSOM BROOK
TDI Coastal Homes LLC sold the home at 2226 Grove St. to Jackson Matthew Holliday and Chloe Renae Holliday, trustees, of Stillwater, Oklahoma, for $2.2 million. Built in 2025, it has four bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths, a pool and 3,343 square feet of living area.
McCLELLAN PARK
Jonathan Yunis, trustee, and Hilary Yunis sold three properties at 2200 Mietaw Drive to Anthony and Kristi Sabella, of Sarasota, for $2,075,000. The first property was built in 1935 and has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,335 square feet of living area. The second property was built in 2005 and has one bedroom, one bath and 720 square feet of living area. The third property was built in 2005, it has one bath and 224 square feet of living area. They sold for $900,000 in 2012.
VUE John Georgiopoulos and Toni Carlock sold their Unit 1006 condominium at 1155 N. Gulfstream Ave. to Carolyn Mary Tricomi, trustee, of Sarasota, for $1.85 million.
Built in 2017, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,701 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,335,000 in 2020.
Alfred and Sandra Eansor, of Ontario, Canada, sold their Unit 907 condominium at 1155 N. Tamiami Trail to Craig Thomas Hoekenga II and Tracy Marie Hoekenga, of Sarasota, for $1,725,000. Built in 2017, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,580 feet of living area. It sold for $1.26 million in 2018.
BAYSO SARASOTA
Rajvi Berry, of San Francisco, sold her Unit 1809 condominium at 301 Quay Commons to Nicolay and Elena Mirchef, of Barrington, Illinois, for $1.64 million. Built in 2023, it has two bedrooms, three baths and 1,856 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,392,300 in 2023.
CONDOMINIUM ON THE BAY Gregory and Renee Wolf, of Punta Gorda, sold their Unit 1405 condominium at 888 Boulevard of the Arts to Mary Matalin, of Alexandria, Virginia, for $1.17 million. Built in 1982, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,729 square feet of living area. It sold for $820,000 in 2017.
Judson Cressey Jr., Suzanne Schauble, of Sarasota, Michelle Cressey, of Delta, Colorado, Geraldine Cressey, Weddington, North Carolina, and Stuart Cressey, of Suffern, New York, sold their Unit 707 condominium at 888 Boulevard of the Arts to Deerfield Developers Inc. for $725,000. Built in 1982, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,288 square feet of living area. It sold for $126,000 in 1988.
PELICAN COVE
Bruce and Gabriele Charity, trustees, of Nokomis, sold the Unit 166 condominium at 1507 Clower Creek Drive to Mark Angelini and Micheline Martin, of Quebec, Canada, for $850,000. Built in 1979, it has three bedrooms, three-anda-half baths and 2,100 square feet of living area. It sold for $510,000 in 2019.
OSPREY AVENUE
Bonnie Strickland, of St. Petersburg, sold her home at 652 Ohio Place to Joni Kahn, of Huntertown, Indiana, for $842,500. Built in 1925, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,072 square feet of living area. It
TOP BUILDING PERMITS
sold for $1,125,000 in 2023.
ESPLANADE BY SIESTA KEY
Marie Baumann, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 8191 Gabanna Drive to Nicklas Hanes, of Greenville, Ohio, for $799,000. Built in 2015, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,832 square feet of living area. It sold for $618,500 in 2015.
Nicklas Hanes and Derek Platfoot, trustees, of Greenville, Ohio, sold the home at 5866 Cavano Drive to Todd Prey, of Sarasota, for $680,000. Built in 2013, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,639 square feet of living area. It sold for $700,000 in 2024.
RIVERWOOD PARK Anthony Lee, of Delaware, Ohio, and Susan Lee, of Colorado Springs,
Other top sales by area
SIESTA KEY: $4.7 MILLION
Bay Island Shores Glenn Cooper and Tessa Cooper, trustees, of Wayland, Massachusetts, sold the home at 749 Freeling Drive to Robert and Jeanne Dinicola, of Sarasota, for $4.7 million. Built in 1997, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 6,827 square feet of
area. It sold for $3.2 million in 2015.
PALMER RANCH: $680,000
Esplanade on Palmer Ranch
Debby Renee Miedema, of Sarasota, sold her home at 5400 Lampiasi St. to James and Maryann Lyle, of Middletown, Ohio, for $680,000. Built in 2020, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,682 square feet of living area. It sold for $416,500 in 2020.
OSPREY: $700,000
The Woodlands at Rivendell Opendoor Property Trust I sold the home at 851 Placid Lake Drive to Zhihui Yang and Yi Lu, of Osprey, for $700,000. Built in 2002, it has five bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,395 square feet of living area. It sold for $681,400 in 2025.
NOKOMIS: $800,000
Calusa Lakes
Ella Mae Thurston, trustee, of Venice, sold the home at 2026 Micanopy Trail to Tamara and Richard Adelblue, of Huntington, Indiana, for $800,000. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,256 square feet of living area.
