Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer 5.28.26

SARASOTA/SIESTA KEY

Observer

A force for good

PAGE 14A

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

VOLUME 22, NO. 42

YOUR TOWN

Calm street idea raises rancor Proposals for Main Street makeover aim to be more inviting, designers say. SEE PAGE 3A

A DAY FOR MEMORIES Courtesy image

A piece of history arrives

Memorial Day Parade pays tribute to those who gave all in service to the country. SEE PAGE 1B

Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota serves as a landmark of national history.

The school is the site where President George W. Bush learned of and announced the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

That history was commemorated on May 19, as a steel beam recovered from the South Tower of the original World Trade Center was displayed at the school, amid a ceremony.

The event honored victims, first responders and service members affected by the events of 9/11 and involved the participation of Andy Card, former chief of staff and secretary of transportation, who returned for the school for the first time since he broke the news to Bush.

Ian Swaby

Mary Foushi and Judy Martin stand at the doorway.

Dancing in the deep blue Mary Foushi was never invited to dance at a prom, but she finally had the chance to attend one at her senior living community on May 22.

The event, hosted by the Arietta community, also offered a unique atmosphere with the theme of “Under the Sea.” The theme was also a celebration. The previous week, the community had adopted a sea turtle nest in Siesta Key, through Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium.

Guests enjoyed oceanthemed decor, including doorways decorated with ocean-themed streamers and a table of food and treats found beneath the tentacles of large jellyfish decorations.

Ian Swaby

Mark Weppner and his son Nick Weppner of Florida Military Vehicle Heritage Group, prepare for the Memorial Day parade with their M923 military vehicle.

They hope to honor their father and grandfather, Gene Weppner, who received a Purple Heart medal in World War II.

A+E

Condo, rental towers move closer to city OK Adagio’s 18-story luxury building would stand alongside a 10-story attainable housing building.

SEE PAGES 5A

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A show for the ages PAGE 16A

Courtesy image

A Kobi Karp Architecture rendering of the 18-story Adagio luxury condo tower as viewed at the northwest corner of South Palm Avenue and Ringling Boulevard.

YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

WEEK OF MAY 28, 2026

“I will not put up with our staff being disrespected. ...

If you have concerns, come talk to me. Do not yell out at my staff.”

Spring Ripple Effect teacher awards given

Interim City Manager Jennifer Jorgensen during the May 21 Main Street complete streets meeting. Read more on page 3A

BY THE NUMBERS 189

Combined market rate and attainable residences planned for Adagio at Ringling Boulevard and Burns Court PAGE 5A

79,200

Commercial square footage under lease at under-construction Sarasota Square redevelopment PAGE 6A

32

Acres that make up the USF Sarasota-Manatee Campus, which will be folded into New College of Florida under a budget approved by state legislators PAGE 4A

CALENDAR

n Sarasota County Commission regular meeting — 9 a.m., Tuesday, June 2, South County Administration Building, 4000 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice n Sarasota Planning Board regular meeting — 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 10, Commission Chambers, City Hall, 1565 First St.

Andrew Warfield

Sarasota Mayor Debbie Trice and Congressman Greg Steube are front and center for the ribbon cutting to mark the completion of Lido Beach renourishment.

Lido Beach renourishment complete I

n what can be described as a chamber of commerce day, local, state and federal officials gathered Tuesday afternoon to cut the ribbon in celebration of the restoration of one of Sarasota’s important tourist attractions — Lido Beach.

After years of erosion and storm damage, beachgoers now have a wider, cleaner and softer beach to enjoy.

During the tropical weather body blows of 2024, Lido Beach experienced accelerated shoreline degradation.

At a cost of $12 million paid for by federal funding, the project restored 1.2 miles of eroded shoreline from just north of Ted Sperling Park at South Lido Beach.

“Since 2021 we’ve had multiple federally declared disasters, and we’ve had a lot of erosion of the sand,” said city Engineer Nikesh Patel. “After this project, we see that we’ve added approximately 60 to 100 feet of sand that’s out there on Lido Beach.”

Using sand from the New Pass dredging project, the U.S. Army

Corps of Engineers pumped some 300,000 cubic yards of sand south to the project area.

The renourishment is being paired with a project to rebuild dunes along Lido Beach, the two combining to add resilience to the shoreline while providing habitat for seabirds and other coastal wildlife.

In addition to the wider beach, Patel said the project carries the dual benefit of navigational improvements at New Pass, which separates Lido and Longboat keys.

Six Sarasota County educators were recently honored as the latest recipients of the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation’s Ripple Effect teacher award.

Awarded twice a year, marked by the birthdates of the late founders of the philanthropic organization, the honors are meant to be emblematic of teachers whose “influence extends beyond the classroom and leaves a lasting mark on students’ lives,’’ the Foundation says. Winners receive a $5,000 award.

The spring 2026 recipients are: ■ Hal Anderson, Law Academy coordinator/instructor, Booker High School ■ Megan Ehlers, marine science teacher, Sarasota High School ■ Ken Hall, ACCESS teacher (middle school), Oak Park School ■ Stacy Lenz, math teacher (Grades 2-3), Gulf Gate Elementary School ■ Tonya Quinn, literacy Coach/ interventionist, Phillippi Shores Elementary School ■ Erin Tuttle, ESE resource teacher (Grades 4-5), Brentwood Elementary School A total of 10 Ripple Effect awards have been presented annually since 2022, in May and September.

Allegiant welcomes 5 millionth passenger Since it began flying to SarasotaBradenton International Airport in 2018, Allegiant Air has now served more than 5 million passengers there.

On May 22, the airline identified the milestone passenger on a flight arriving from McGhee Tyson Airport near Knoxville, Tennessee.

For being in the right place at the right time, the lucky passenger, who was not identified in a news release, was awarded free Allegiant flights for a year.

SRQ serves as one of Allegiant’s largest destinations. As a leisurefocused airline, Allegiant builds schedules around vacation seasons.

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W HAT ’S HAPPENING

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

Reimagining

Sarasota Chief Transportation Planner Corinne Arriaga makes opening remarks at the May 21 Main Street complete street public meeting.

Main Street A public meeting to introduce design concepts for a Main Street makeover gets off to a rough start.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

S

ince the start of the visioning stage of the Main Street complete street design process, the

Andrew Warfield

subject has generated intense response, especially from retail businesses along the 1.2-mile stretch between School Avenue and U.S. 41 concerned about losing storefront parking spaces.

Even as the format of the evening’s proceedings was being described by staff at the May 21 public workshop at Selby Library to gather input on three concepts, frequent city policy critic Dan Lobeck interrupted by objecting to the format. He was engaged by another attendee who shouted, “Sit down and be respectful! Be respectful!”

“You do this every time,” Lobeck continued. “This is not asking the people what they think.”

Added another audience member, “This is a 20-minute video that we’ve seen before!”

Only it wasn’t.

The video presented by Chief Transportation Planner Corinne Arriaga and representatives of consultant Kimley-Horn highlighted the three concepts intended to create a consistent motif over the length of the project begin considered before the non-funded project — the city is seeking construction funding through appropriations and federal grants — transitions from visioning to the design phase. Those concepts include: ■ Concept A: Expanding on elements of the current streetscape ■ Concept B: Drawing on Sarasota’s early architecture incorporating geometry and softer forms ■ Concept C: Incorporating the natural movement of sea and sand of the coastline What they all had in common, though, was a reduction in on-street parking as angle spaces on several, but not all, the blocks are replaced with parallel spaces to make way for wider sidewalks. The idea is to better

Courtesy images

Here is a look of the study area of the Main Street complete streets project.

accommodate multimodal mobility as well as streetscape and humanscale activation. Also, in select areas, raised curbs may be replaced with a flush curb, similar to Lemon Avenue where the weekly Sarasota Farmers Market takes place.

“The goal is to create a street environment that feels calmer, more inviting and easier to navigate on foot, while supporting expanded opportunities for gathering spaces, outdoor dining and retail businesses,” said the voice narrating the video. “By giving people more room to walk, pause and interact, this will encourage visitors and residents to slow down, explore, shop and spend more time on Main Street.”

The video also cited a parking study that concluded city parking garages are one-third empty during peak times and half empty at most times. It also claimed the results of a visioning phase survey, with some 1,500 respondents, concluded: ■ Although many people prefer to park next to their destination, that is rarely a reality in downtown settings, and the majority of respondents said they are comfortable parking a block or two away or using a parking garage or public lot.

HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY? An online survey remains available through June 19 at the project page on the city’s website at Engage.Sarasota.gov.

There, the full video presentation may also be viewed.

■ 90% of respondents said they were willing to walk more than 10 minutes to their destination, and garages near Main Street are a twoto five-minute walk to most desired locations.

■ That’s enough data, staff and Kimley-Horn have determined, to move forward with a design proposal that includes a reduction in on-street parking, regardless of conceptual preference.

LOOKING AHEAD

The rancor at the onset was enough to bring police officer presence to the Jack J. Geldbart Auditorium at Selby Library, and to prompt Interim City Manager Jennifer Jorgensen to take the microphone and quell further outbursts.

With civility restored at the conclusion of the video, surrounding

the rear walls of the auditorium were display boards of the various hardscape and landscape materials being considered.

“We’re early in the design process,” said James Pankonin of Kimley-Horn. “We’re picking up where the vision document left off.”

An in-person survey available to attendees asked to rank the concepts in order of preference, which elements they like or dislike about each, and space for additional comments.

The input will be incorporated to refine final concept design.

A follow-up meeting will be scheduled later this year to present a final concept and, by early 2027 the project will reach the 60% design phase.

At that point, the city will prioritize segments of the project, which will be built as funding becomes available.

“Your thoughts, your feedback that you give to us will contribute to a final concept and you’ll be able to see that actualized formation for many years to come,” Arriaga told the audience.

“Your thoughts are really important because we’re going to whittle down the concepts to a final one, and that’s what we’re going to move forward when we start to implement the treatments.”

MAIN STREET COMPLETE STREET CONCEPTS

CONCEPT A Draws inspiration from the existing streetscape of Main Street, reinforcing the traditional character of downtown’s familiar materials, patterns and forms.

CONCEPT B Draws inspiration from the city’s early architecture and most iconic buildings, incorporating independent geometry and softer forms.

Key elements: ■ Brick pavers mirrored with concrete laid out in squares and rectangles ■ Traditional-style furnishings and amenities creating a classic streetscape grounded in the existing identity ■ Pedestrian zone of brick and amenity zone of concrete separated by a concrete band ■ Square, free-standing planters and benches ■ Bollards separating parking from the amenity area designed and oriented to sit or lean on facing the sidewalk ■ Curbside management areas incorporating shade structures with traditional benches in addition to the multipurpose bollards

Key elements: ■ Increased use of arches in curvilinear geometry and decorative motif paving patterns to create a streetscape reflective of Sarasota’s architectural heritage ■ Decorative paving banding to separate the brick paver pedestrian zone from the amenity zone of varied patterns and colors ■ Low, raised walls along the front edge of landscape planters raised in select locations to serve as seat walls ■ Low, free-standing planters in place of bollards ■ Optional shade structures

CONCEPT C Pays homage to the bayfront and natural movement of the coastline incorporating ripple patterns created by waves as they meet the sand, reflective of the city’s coastal identity.

Key elements: ■ Use of concrete along the primary sidewalk corridors, limiting pavers to key activity areas ■ Pedestrian and amenity zones defined by two concrete finishes separated by a wave patterned band ■ Parking and pedestrian areas separated using curvilinear bollards that also function as informal seating ■ A curved landscape pattern with borders that in select areas rises to become a seat wall ■ Free-standing stone seating elements positioned between the landscape and hardscape areas, blurring the boundary between planted space and pavement ■ Design allows for wider sidewalks and more room for activity and additional seating space

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

USF shift to New College nearly complete Vote to send the state’s budget to governor is expected on Friday.

ERIC GARWOOD DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR

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arring a last-minute budget rewrite, or an even less-likely line-item veto from the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis, University of South Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus will be absorbed into the New College of Florida’s organization.

State lawmakers on Friday are scheduled to take a final vote on Florida’s $116 billion budget, a document that includes provisions to shift USF’s 32 acres, buildings and millions of dollars in debt to New College.

This is after a proposal in DeSantis’ 2025-26 budget to transfer both the USFSM campus and the nearby John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, run

by Florida State University, to New College failed to come to fruition.

In a social media post on X, New College President Richard Corcoran hailed the move.

“As the end of the special legislation approaches, the potential transition represents a thoughtful and forward-looking opportunity to expand New College’s capacity while preserving continuity for the Sarasota-Manatee community, its students, faculty and staff,” Corcoran wrote.

Will Weatherford, chair of the USF Board of Trustees, said the transition is a prudent thing to do.

“I am confident we will be able to protect our exceptional students, faculty and staff, which has been our priority,” he wrote in an X post.

“While we may no longer have the same physical footprint we do now, I know that USF can maintain a meaningful presence in the Sarasota-Manatee (area) with opportunities for our university to continue delivering world-class academic programming.”

The agreement requires USF students admitted before July 1 to keep

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A list of questions and answers for USF students, posted on the university website, said the so-called teach-out period will take years to complete.

“Students who enrolled at USF will have the opportunity to finish their desired academic program as USF students taught by USF faculty.

The teach-out is expected to be a multiyear process,” the May 26 post says.

A letter to the editor published two weeks ago in the Observer, signed by more three dozen campus and community leaders, urged the status quo for the USF campus, saying its 50-year history in the region was never considered and the fiscal realities of the deal do not benefit taxpayers.

“For months, students, parents, business leaders, educators, veterans and concerned residents have spoken with one unmistakable voice: Do not close our hometown campus. Nearly 350 community members gathered at a public forum in March, delivering a resounding message — shutting down USFSM to pursue New College’s goals is unnecessary and unjustified,” they wrote.

The state budget customarily is locked for 72 hours preceding a final vote, which is scheduled on Friday.

Once passed, DeSantis’ signature makes it official.

The USF SarasotaManatee campus has steadily grown over the past 20 years on Tamiami Trail.

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

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Adagio moves closer to approval The 189-unit, two-tower Live Local Act development has received partial sign-off.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

S

arasota’s first condominium project that incorporates elements of the city’s affordable and attainable housing density bonus and the Florida Live Local Act has moved closer to administrative approval.

Adagio, proposed for the intersection of Ringling Boulevard and South Pineapple Avenue, achieved partial sign-off by the city’s Development Review Committee during its May 20 meeting.

As a Live Local Act development, it must meet state standards for attainable residences for multifamily or mixed-use residential projects

in areas currently zoned for commercial, industrial or mixed-use in exchange for bypassing the local public process for approval. The legislation also permits such developments to meet density and height limits of more-intense zoning districts within 1 mile of the project site.

Although zoned Downtown Core with a base height limit of 10 stories, Live Local permits Adagio to build its market-rate tower at 18 stories, matching the height limit of the nearby Downtown Bayfront zone district. That’s where developer The Lutgert Cos. of Naples plans to build 113 condominiums adjacent to a 10-story tower of 76 attainablepriced rental units.

The definition of attainable under Live Local is households earning 120% or less of the area median income. A project proposed under the city’s affordable and attainable housing ordinance in downtown zone districts would have to be

A schematic drawing of Adagio shows the 18-story condo tower to the left and a 10-story attainable housing rental building to the right atop a parking and commercial space podium.

Courtesy images

A rendering by Kobi Karp Architecture provides a street-level view of Adagio traveling northwest on Burns Court.

equally divided among 80% or below AMI, 100% or below AMI and 120% or below AMI. In the case of Adagio, the Live Local threshold applies.

The towers will both stand above a podium that will include parking internal to the development enveloped by 31,315 square feet of commercial and retail space.

The project is seeking three administrative adjustments: ■ To reduce the required awning width along Pineapple Avenue from 8 feet to 6 feet ■ To reduce the required parallel façade length along Pineapple Avenue by 23.4 feet or approximately 16.8% ■ To reduce the required habitable space along Pineapple Avenue by 25.7 feet or approximately 22.1% Once final sign-off by the DRC is granted, those adjustments will be considered by Director of Building Services Lucia Panica. As a Live Local Act project and being located within a downtown zoning district, the project does not require approval by either the Planning Board or the City Commission.

Designed by Kobi Karp Architecture of Miami, Adagio positions the tallest of the two towers closer to the bay at the roundabout of South Palm

Avenue and Ringling Boulevard, and the lower tower along Pineapple Avenue and Burns Court.

The site currently is occupied by the former U.S. Garage building and surface parking used by the nearby Church of the Redeemer.

The structure, which most recently has hosted commercial tenants, is significant to historic preservation advocates, but not officially considered historic. That has resulted in an unsuccessful challenge to its demolition permit by the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation.

Standing at the northwestern edge of the Burns Court commercial district, U.S. Garage is among the alliance’s 2025 “Six to Save” structures.

Built in 1924 as the city’s first parking garage, it was later host to an auto dealership. In 1984, it was adapted into commercial space by noted architect Frank Folsom Smith.

Lutgert Cos. acquired the property in 2025, paying $11 million for the U.S. Garage parcel at 330 S. Pineapple Ave. and $15 million for the two church-owned parking lots at 301 and 303 S. Palm Ave. and 1360 Ringling Blvd.

HUNDREDS OF NEW RESIDENCES Should Adagio clear all regulatory hurdles, it will join a busy corner of downtown redevelopment. Just one block to the north on South Palm Avenue, work is already underway to stabilize and restore the historic Mira Mar building, a project upwards of $30 million that will be joined, and funded by, Mira Mar Residences — two 18-story luxury condominium towers totaling 70 residential units.

To the west of that project immediately across Mira Mar Court, the Zenith building at the corner of Main Street and South Pineapple Avenue will be razed to make way for Waldorf Astoria Residences and its 86 luxury condos plus seven attainable housing units in an 18-story building.

All told, that will increase the residential inventory in the three-block area to 352, plus nearly 100,000 square feet of retail and commercial space.

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

Sarasota Square developer pre-leases 88% of initial commercial space Torburn Partners has also hired a firm to handle placemaking for the former mall project, which is being redeveloped in phases.

BY THE NUMBERS: SARASOTA SQUARE REDEVELOPMENT Overall, the Sarasota Square redevelopment project will span almost 100 acres.

When complete, it will include 530,000 square feet of retail, dining, wellness and experiential concepts as well as office space.

The project will also deliver 1,200 residential units to the market.

ELIZABETH KING BUSINESS OBSERVER

T

he developer of the Sarasota Square property at the corner of South Tamiami Trail and South Beneva Road has almost fully leased its first wave of commercial buildings, which are under construction. When complete, the former mall site will be turned into a mixed-use town center that incorporates retail, dining, residential and outdoor areas, according to Torburn Partners, the Illinois commercial real estate investment firm developing the property.

After the firm spent millions acquiring the nearly 100-acre site and obtained county approval for the mixed-use project, demolition of the Sarasota Square Mall began in February 2025 and took months.

Since then, buildings have been cropping up on the property that will soon house tenants, from a grocery store to a financial services firm.

In all, phase one of the redevelopment project calls for 90,000 square feet of commercial space.

Tenants so far include Whole Foods, Homesense, Charles Schwab, Cava, Joe & the Juice and Chipotle Mexican Grill.

With the addition of eyewear brand Warby Parker — which recently signed a lease for a 2,040-squarefoot store next to Whole Foods — the first phase is 88% pre-leased, according to a statement. That means 79,200 square feet has been accounted for so far.

Delivery for the first phase of the project is projected for the first

Courtesy images

Fashion brands, restaurants and boutique fitness operators will be part of the second phase of commercial development at Sarasota Square, set to open by the end of 2028.

quarter of 2027.

“With Phase 1 nearly fully leased and construction well underway, the vision is no longer abstract — it’s becoming real,” Torburn Partners CEO Michael Burns says in the statement. “Phase 2 will take that ambition further, creating the kind of walkable, experience-driven environment that Sarasota has been waiting for and that today’s consumer actively seeks out.”

PHASE TWO: PLACEMAKING

For its second phase, the Sarasota Square project calls for 160,000 square feet of street-oriented shopping and dining space, designed around a central lawn.

The merchandising strategy focuses on premier fashion brands, chefdriven restaurants and boutique fitness operators, according to the statement. It is expected to open by the end of 2028.

To handle leasing for the second phase as well as placemaking for the project, Torburn Partners has enlisted Atlanta-based real

estate investment and management company Jamestown. Among Jamestown’s portfolio projects are One Times Square and Chelsea Market in New York; Industry City in Brooklyn; Ponce City Market in Atlanta; Ghirardelli Square and Levi’s Plaza in San Francisco; and Groot Handelsgebouw in Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

“Sarasota Square represents a rare opportunity to curate a next-generation retail and dining environment in one of Florida’s most compelling coastal markets,” Jamestown Head of Retail Leasing Adam Schwegman says in the statement.

Jamestown has created a new brand identity for the Sarasota Square project, positioning it as a “timeless coastal destination” with Mediterranean influence and modernist, climate-responsive design. The redevelopment will include lush landscaping, shaded pedestrian corridors and gathering spaces.

“With Phase 2, we’re targeting operators that deliver a sense

become a true community destination centered around experience, connection and everyday use.”

Partners in the Sarasota Square project include OKW Architects of Chicago; Canadian-based engineering, architecture and environmental consulting firm Stantec; and Retail Strategy and Brand Partnerships Advisor Holly Cohen, a Miami-based retail strategist whose clients include Nike, J. Crew, Banana Republic and Old Navy.

APARTMENTS COMING

The Sarasota Square redevelopment project will include lush landscaping, pedestrian corridors and gathering spaces.

of discovery and a unique point of view,” Schwegman says. “The early response from prospective tenants has been incredibly strong, reinforcing our belief that this will

Another component of the Sarasota Square project is apartments, which will likely begin development in the months ahead.

Torburn Partners recently sold a 4.5-acre parcel designated for a future multifamily community to North Carolina-headquartered Woodfield Development. The property along Sarasota Square Boulevard sold for $18.2 million in March, according to Sarasota County property records.

Woodfield Development has more than 60 multifamily projects from the eastern seaboard to Texas in its portfolio.

In Sarasota, plans call for a 360unit apartment complex with garage parking.

Groundbreaking for the apartment project is expected this summer.

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

OPINION / MY VIEW

SARASOTA/SIESTA KEY

Cash grab in Manatee, too While the Sarasota County tax collector has drawn ire for taking school district money, the Manatee County tax collector has taken even more and been doing it longer.

MATT WALSH

O

ver the past month, this page has reported twice on Sarasota County Tax Collector Mike Moran and the prickly dispute over $2,055,798.65 in commissions Moran entitled his office to take from the Sarasota County School District — much to the district’s surprise and shock.

That, of course, has now become a prickly dispute in circuit court.

Meanwhile, in Manatee County, the story is similar. Longtime Tax Collector Ken Burton has been

doing the same thing as Moran — albeit longer, for even more money and with slightly less public contentiousness. The Manatee School Board hasn’t sued Burton, although its members are plenty irritated, to put it mildly.

In the box, you can see in fiscal year 2025 and the current fiscal year, Burton’s office has withheld $2,506,224.95 from the Manatee school district.

And like his counterpart in Sarasota, Burton has been taking the position that state statutes require him to charge a commission on Manatee’s voter-approved, onemill ad valorem tax for schools.

Burton’s decision to start charging this commission actually came to public light in July 2025.

The East County Observer reported Burton began charging a 2% commission in October 2024 — a month before Moran was elected.

In that report, the East County Observer noted how Burton, like Moran, surprised the district: “We were unaware that the tax collector was going to start taking a commission,” Rachel Sellers,

BUCHANAN, ROBINSON PROVIDE RELIEF Legislative relief for Florida’s school districts is on the way — starting July 1.

Thanks to a recent dinner in Tallahassee and thanks to the driving impetus of Reps. James Buchanan, R-Sarasota, and Will Robinson, R-Bradenton.

Unbeknown to each other, Buchanan and Robinson separately were aware of the tax collector-school board controversies in their respective counties. But then the two of them had dinner together a few weeks ago with the Budget Committee Chairman Lawrence McClure, R-Dover (Hillsborough), and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Wyman Duggan, R-Jacksonville (Duval).

The topic came up. The conversation mushroomed. Not only was this an issue in Sarasota and Manatee, but it’s even bigger in Broward County, where the school board stands to lose as much as $10 million to the tax collector.

The four legislators agreed that is a fix is needed.

Since then, Buchanan became designated to take the lead on crafting language to be inserted this week into the Legislature’s special session tax legislation.

Approval is expected. Buchanan and Robinson said the insert has the backing of House and Senate leadership.

The legislation’s wording

definitively says county commissions are to pay all commissions on all school millages. Tax Collectors Mike Moran and Ken Burton have contended they are required to charge a commission to the school districts on school districts’ voter-approved millages as well.

In the previous 23 years, Sarasota Tax Collector Barbara Ford-Coates charged a commission on the local, staterequired school millage rate but no commission on the special, voter-approved school tax.

The Buchanan-Robinson legislation also gives tax collectors the option to waive their commission on votedapproved school millages.

The legislation would go into effect July 1 only for one year.

“We have an opportunity in this tax package to provide statutory clarity and flexibility so these dollars are used the way voters intended,” Buchanan said. “When it comes to our kids and their education, it’s simply the right thing to do.

Meantime, in separate interviews, Buchanan and Robinson said they expect more comprehensive legislation will be addressed in the 2027 legislative session.

“I want to dig into all of this,” Buchanan said.

— MW

No good deed goes … his is a Longboat Key classic: T The town and owner of the St. Regis Longboat Key Resort are now

fighting in court over a small sign.

It’s so Longboat.

The sign is atop an archway that St. Regis owner/developer Chuck Whittall installed on the 60-yearold Makepeace groin that was one of the late Murf Klauber’s pride and joys when he owned and operated the Colony Beach & Tennis Resort.

For Whittall, the archway and sign have become a popular attraction for St. Regis guests to take “selfies” and spread the accolades of St. Regis and Longboat Key all over the world. You can’t buy that kind of advertising.

But for the town, rules are rules.

Achtung!

To be frank, if you believe the town’s lawsuit is factual, Whittall didn’t follow Longboat’s rules to the “T.” He didn’t specifically apply to the town for a sign permit as the town requires.

When the town called him on it, he asked the town to change the

Photo Courtesy of Chuck Whittall

The St. Regis archway

code on his behalf.

Egad, the zoning board said. We can’t do that. If we do that for the guy who resurrected a dilapidated, abandoned and rat-infested property; invested nearly $1 billion to develop the region’s most spectacular resort (which provides hundreds of jobs, will raise property values and draw wealthy, moneyspending tourists to the region) … what if every property on the beach wanted to erect a similar sign? We can’t set a precedent, the zoning board said.

Whittall being Whittall — bold,

MANATEE TAX COLLECTOR’S COMMISSION ON VOTER-APPROVED SCHOOL TAX FY 2025 Total collected from taxpayers Tax collector 2% commission Net returned to school district Unused revenue returned to district 10.25 Total commission not returned to district

$74,999,301.56 $1,499,986.04 $73,499,315.52 ($474,855.91) $1,025,130.13

FY 2026* Total collected from taxpayers Tax collector 2% commission Net returned to school district Total commission not returned to district

$74,054,741.79 $1,481,094.82 $72,573,646.97 $1,481,094.82

Total commission withheld

$2,506,224.95

*Through March 2026

Source: Manatee County School District

HOW TAX COLLECTOR EXPENSES COMPARE SARASOTA FY 2025 Total $11,734,439 Employees 103 Population/cost per capita 487,640 MANATEE Total $19,250,384 Employees 116 Population/cost per capita 466,845

FY 2026 $15,741,407 117 $24.06

% Chg. 34.1% 13.6%

$20,515,391 124 $41.23

6.6% 6.9%

Source: Tax collectors’ budgets

deputy superintendent of business services, told Manatee school board members.

School Board Member Chad Choate also said Burton gave no warning to the board of the 2% commission. Choate said he had met with Burton June 27, 2025, to discuss the commission, but the meeting ended with no resolution.

“Everybody was very nice and cooperative,” Choate told the Observer. “I don’t think there was any malice.”

Nevertheless, Manatee School Board members viewed the new charge with disdain and outrage.

The Observer reported board member Heather Felton saying: “The tax collector didn’t get out there and do anything to get this millage. The fact that he gets a commission off doing nothing is disgusting to me. And yes, I’m very irritated about this.”

After that July 2025 school board meeting, the lawyers on both sides became involved. Around late August, early September 2025, Burton and his lawyers mollified the school board’s angst by telling the district Burton’s office had requested a ruling from the Florida attorney general to determine whether the tax collector was entitled to the commission.

The school board stood down.

(Moran tried the same approach just a few weeks ago in Sarasota.)

But you could say the attorney general tactic was a blatant stall and subterfuge on Burton’s part.

For the next nine months, Burton’s office continued to collect the commission, while the school board awaited the opinion.

And yet, on May 8, 2026, asked to confirm if the request for the opinion had been submitted to the attorney general, Burton’s office said it had been drafted but never submitted. Most people would say

risk-taking, visionary entrepreneur (and builder of great real estate developments all over Florida) — essentially said, “Fine, sue me.”

Well, that is what the courts are for in our democracy — to settle disputes.

It’s lamentable when two parties end up in the courts. The common refrain is that the only winners are the lawyers who argue their clients’ cases.

But as always, all of this could have been avoided. Yes, Whittall could have/should have followed the town procedures. Our guess is he knew the town would say no.

But here is what is missing too often in disputes between citizens and their governments: The government’s first response typically is “No. The rules don’t allow it.” But the government’s second response should be: “Let’s see if we can find a way to make it work.” Rarely does that occur.

You can understand Whittall’s exasperation. He risked nearly $1 billion to add a new landmark to Longboat Key. In return, surely it feels like no good deed goes unpunished.

— MW

Burton’s office lied.

Manatee School Superintendent Laurie Breslin told us last week: “When I stepped into my role midSeptember, my understanding at that time was that we were waiting on this opinion from the attorney general.

“I did meet with the tax collector about two weeks ago. And during that meeting, we learned that that request was never sent to the attorney general, and they have no intention of sending it at this time, pending the litigation that has been filed in Sarasota and now in South Florida as well.”

Breslin said the school district and Burton’s office “at this point have agreed to continue the conversation this summer to see if we can come to a resolution.

I would like not to end up in a situation where we are spending costly dollars in litigation. That defeats the purpose that I want to achieve — and that is to get this money into our schools to support our students.”

In each case, the postures and justifications of the tax collectors are flimsy, see-through fabrications. If, for example, you read Burton’s July 11, 2025, “Setting the record straight” online memo (Google “manatee tax collector setting the record straight.”), it’s spin that uses a poorly worded state statute as a cover.

The two sagas are clearly a money grab and about power. To wit: Asked what prompted Burton’s office to begin charging for the first time a commission on the voterapproved tax — was it a change in the law? No. Burton’s explanation was in his memo: “After an internal review in 2024, our office made a necessary correction … ” No warning. No vote. No change in the law. Just self-appointed, selfanointed abuse of power.

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

Friedrich Hayek

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More than 38,000 veterans and dependents are buried and interred at the Sarasota National Cemetery.

BELATED MEMORIAM If you didn’t or forgot Monday, even now a moment of silence at 3 p.m. today is a worthy gesture to the more than 1.3 million American men and women who died for us and our liberty.

— MW

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

COPS CORNER

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

Marcia and Danny Williams check the weather radar before they head out.

Photos by Ian Swaby

About 130 cyclists took part in the 7-mile ride.

A message through silence Ride of Silence honors cyclists injured or killed on public roadways while the cycling community mourns recent losses.

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

A

lthough there was a record turnout, with an estimated 130 people participating, it was still quiet as cyclists set out through downtown Sarasota.

The Ride of Silence, an international event, is held in honor of those killed or injured while cycling on public roadways, with the goal of raising awareness.

The slow, processional ride includes no talking or music, allowing only hand signals for navigation.

This year’s ride for Sarasota and Manatee counties, held May 20, came at an especially difficult time for the community, with the recent loss of two well-known cyclists.

Attendees joined together from

Leslie Jones plays the bagpipes.

organizations that included the Sarasota Manatee Bicycle Club and the Village Idiots Cycling Club in Lakewood Ranch, among others, for the 7-mile ride with escorts from the Sarasota Police Department.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, there have been 3,277 cycling crashes in the state of Flor-

ida and 199 crashes in Manatee and Sarasota counties this year.

Event organizers said participants remember seven cyclists killed in 2025, and five killed so far in 2026, in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

In January, Patrick Franklin was struck and killed by a truck while riding in the bike lane on El Conquistador Parkway in Bradenton.

On the Saturday before the event, Craig Prather, who worked at Village Bikes as head mechanic, was killed while riding in the bike lane on 53rd Avenue in Bradenton.

Even as the weather appeared uncertain, riders gathered at Robarts Arena, with rain emerging as they set out. However, participants said that by the time the group had returned, a large rainbow awaited.

Among those is attendance were Franklin’s son, Patrick Franklin Jr., who was joined by numerous family members, including Patrick Franklin Sr.’s wife, Pam Franklin.

Patrick Franklin Jr., who sometimes cycles himself, said there is not enough space given to cyclists on local roads.

“My father was doing everything

right,” he said. “He always wore high-visibility clothing, was always really strict about following the rules of the road, and somehow even then, he wasn’t seen.”

He said he hopes that features like the large protected bike lanes in downtown Sarasota can be implemented on other local routes.

“In riding, you really feel like you’re exposed,” he said. “You’re kind of at the mercy of, ‘Is the driver next to you on their phone? Are they looking down at their touch screen, radio, or are they paying attention?’ You’re at their mercy of whether or not they see you. There’s not much a cyclist can do when they’re put up against a 3,000-pound, 4,000-pound car.”

Joshua Titsworth and his fiancee, Stephanie Scheller, heard about the Ride of Silence shortly after the death of Prather, a friend of theirs.

Titsworth said that Prather, also an experienced cyclist, was riding properly, using lights and following requirements.

“I love bicycles, and he lived them,” Titsworth said. “He wanted to ride all the time. He also battled many health conditions, and every time he beat it, he was back on his bike.”

“I think it’s an incredible thing that they’re doing,” Scheller said.

“I’ve had many friends hit by cars. I mean, (Joshua) has been bumped on the road multiple times, so it’s giving a moment for those who have been injured or are no longer with us.”

Florida Bicycle Association Vice

President Eugene Rider believes the grief in the cycling community, as well as frustration, is one of the reasons why participation this year was so high.

He says improvements are needed in regards to infrastructure planning, as well as education on cycling safety, and he says the penalties motorists receive when cyclists are killed are not high enough.

“It gives us a sense of continuing our community and extending those personal bonds with other folks to help us to deal with the shock, and really frustration, for some people, about how little it means to the state of Florida when a cyclist is killed,” he said.

He said some of the Florida Bicycle Association’s efforts include seminars and classes, bike rodeos, lecture series and talks with homeowners associations.

He said they are also working with local organizations to create what he says are better initial designs for infrastructure going forward, since it is extremely difficult to retrofit the needed safety features.

Scheller said she hoped that the event would draw attention to the issue of safety for an activity she says is unifying, a passion for many people as well as a form of exercise.

“I think it’s uniting all the cyclists in the area,” she said. “It’s bringing light to a massive fault. You have designated bike lanes, but a painted line doesn’t necessarily save a life.”

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Formative Force

Drinkwater shared a story in which Norton made her own dress to attend one of Randy’s first big company functions. When she arrived at the party, she was horrified to discover that the fabric of her dress matched the hostess’ drapes.

She led in an unobtrusive manner, but also had a sense of when to step forward and guide with firmness. And, she never forgot the power of a sense of humor, with a well-aimed “Bless their heart,” to communicate the unsaid.

Through over 50 years of gentle leadership, Isabel Norton shaped everything from education to libraries.

KAT WINGERT

IN REMEMBRANCE

EXECUTIVE EDITOR & COO

I

f there was a cause or an organization that would make the Sarasota community better, Isabel Scott Norton was part of it. Or, if she saw a need, she would create it.

A founding member of SCOPE (Sarasota County Openly Plans for Excellence). President of the Ringling College Library Association. Board member of Suncoast Workforce Board. President of the Library Foundation for Sarasota County. An honored member of Leadership Florida.

It’s difficult enough to list Norton’s many acts of service over more than 50 years of giving back to Sarasota as a business owner and philanthropist. But it’s even harder to convey the grace, intelligence and strength she exhibited while doing them.

Norton died May 22. According to her daughter, Leslie Drinkwater, she died peacefully within 24 hours of the first time she had ever stayed in bed past 8 a.m. She was 86.

Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Norton’s family moved to Gainesville when she was 3. She married her high school sweetheart, Randy Norton, in 1957 and they headed to the University of Florida together.

Norton was a part-time student in 1958-59, majoring in English and working in the university library to help Randy obtain his degree.

After the death of their second daughter, the couple moved to Sarasota so Randy could work in Norton’s family business, what became Scott Sign Systems, a sign manufacturing company. Although he was eventually named president of the business, the couple worked side by side throughout the years, inseparable partners in the company and in life.

The family requests donations be made to the Library Foundation for Sarasota County and the Norton Family Scholarship at the Ringling College of Art and Design.

But family and community were the focus of Norton’s work.

When one of her daughters was diagnosed with an eye disease she was told would leave her blind, Norton became a certified literary Braille transcriber so she could reproduce books for her daughter.

When the Americans with Disabilities Act was adopted in 1990, this knowledge helped Scott Sign Systems become the pre-eminent sign manufacturer in the country for ADA-compliant signage. That success continued until Randy and Norton sold the business in 1998, with more than 300 employees in Florida, Virginia and Utah.

That cause also became another passion of Norton’s, as she served in leadership for years with Prevent Blindness Florida and Prevent Blindness America.

Shortly after arriving in Sarasota, Norton became a troop leader for her daughters’ Girl Scout troop.

But, of course, learning the needs of the organization, Norton turned into a lifelong champion of the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, said CEO Mary Anne Servian.

That included everything from serving on the board to helping raise $7.5 million for the Girl Scouts’ building.

“She was a true Girl Scout,” said Servian, describing outings to Myakka State Park and beyond.

Drinkwater said her mother prided herself on this fact, and instilled both toughness and decorum in

BIGGEST HONOR

File photo

Among her many years of service for numerous organizations, Isabel Norton served as president of the Library Foundation for Sarasota County.

her family life in equal measure.

“Everyone in the family knows that she wanted all of us to be able to go camping OR dine with the queen,” she said in an email.

GENTLE LEADER

Never one to shy away from a challenge or let a need go unmet, Norton stepped forward when the community needed leadership most.

Seeing the public school system struggling at the time, Norton chaired the Sarasota County School Board Advisory Committee from 1981-1983.

When decorum in public meetings was reaching a new low, she helped draft a Pledge of Public Conduct that is still in use to guide public comment at government boards nearly 30 years later.

She often rose to leadership positions when an organization was undergoing transformation, helping usher in an era of new growth.

At the Library Foundation for Sarasota County, she became president in 2018 and led the way to hiring the organization’s first executive director.

Libraries were a lifelong passion for Norton, who often recalled being transfixed after walking into her local library and discovering a two-story room filled floor-to-

ceiling with bookshelves. “The books I read were a window to the world and helped me form a blueprint for my own life,” she wrote in a 2020 editorial.

One of Norton’s most notable accomplishments was co-chairing a capital campaign with longtime friend Carolyn Johnson to raise $16.9 million to build Ringling College of Art and Design’s Alfred R. Goldstein Library. The pair raised the amount with a year to spare.

Although diminutive in stature, Norton was a formidable fundraiser, friends say, not because she was tough, but quite the opposite.

Despite leading efforts that raised more than $30 million in the community, Norton didn’t call it fundraising — she called it “friend raising.”

And her friendship was her biggest asset, Servian said. “Everyone should have an Isabel in their life.”

“She was small, not a big person,” said Charlie Huisking, who served on the Library Foundation for Sarasota County board with Norton for three years. “And she had a Southern genteel way about her, but also a spine of steel.”

This gentility didn’t come from a place of privilege, Huisking noted, who said Norton told him stories of a hard-scrabble childhood.

Despite her many esteemed accomplishments and awards, there was one thing that eluded Norton: a college diploma.

As a person who spent her life championing education and libraries, Norton was only able to attend some classes at the University of Florida before family life took priority, something UF recognized at the time as a P.H.T. — “Putting Husbands Through” degree.

In 2020, Drinkwater led an effort to get her mom the degree she coveted, from the place she was proud to support as a lifelong Gator: UF. In 2020, the University of Florida awarded Norton its Stephen C. O’Connell Distinguished Service Award. She was only the fifth person to receive the award in UF’s history, and she went to UF’s December 2021 commencement to receive it. It was one of her proudest moments, Drinkwater said.

Throughout her life, Norton faced unimaginable tragedies, including surviving four of her five children and her beloved husband, but Drinkwater said she always responded with gratitude and forward momentum.

This positive energy was contagious.

“Every time I left an interaction with her, I felt better about the world,” Huisking said.

According to Drinkwater, Norton wanted her tombstone to read: “She did the best she could.”

Drinkwater said: “And, I would add, ‘And her best was about as good as it gets.’”

The author is president of the Library Foundation for Sarasota County.

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MAY 28, 2026

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

FOREVER

Ann Morrison played the titular role in the Broadway touring production of “Kimberly Akimbo” for 10 months.

YOUNG Ann Morrison, 70, just wrapped a national tour playing the teenaged lead in ‘Kimberly Akimbo.’

MARTY FUGATE

Courtesy images

CONTRIBUTOR

A

nn Morrison is an elfin, tireless, ageless Sarasota-based actor, producer and playwright. If you live here, you already know that. For decades, her best-known role was that of the original Mary Flynn in the ill-starred 1981 production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along.” The rare Broadway flop in Sondheim’s storied career later became the subject of a 2016 documentary, “Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened.” To outsiders, Morrison’s career suddenly skyrocketed, but she’s been a fixture of local theater for years.

After playing Herod in Josh Rhodes’ production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” at Sarasota’s Asolo Repertory Theatre in 2025, she landed the lead in the Broadway touring production of “Kimberly Akimbo.” In the heartbreaking yet funny tale, Morrison played a teenage girl with a premature aging disease. The whirlwind 10-month national road show went to 45 theaters. Now, Morrison’s back in town. She shares the twists and turns of life on the road.

How did you land this amazing role?

By not trying! I’ve lived my whole life by not being a pursuer. I still don’t have an agent.

I just like to go where doors open. The “Kimberly Akimbo” casting office kept calling me.

“Would you like to audition as Victoria Clark’s understudy on Broadway?” My answer was “No.” They called again while I was getting ready to play Herod in “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Asolo. This time, my answer was “yes.” (Producer) David Stone said he’d pushed for me after seeing the documentary about “Merrily We Roll Along.”

Who is Kimberly Akimbo? How would you describe her?

Kimberly’s been on this planet for 16 years, but her body ages four to five times faster than normal. Unlike most teens, she has impulse control — and she’s upbeat. But intellectually, Kim knows her time is short.

That doesn’t hit her emotionally until she hears other teens discussing their futures. That’s when she realizes she doesn’t have one.

What’s the essence of Kimberly’s personality?

The most important thing is she’s never a victim. She stays optimistic, even despite her condition and her wildly dysfunctional family.

What’s your take on the musical itself?

It’s fun. It’s original. It’s got so many great oddball characters. As dysfunctional as they are, you fall in love with them. It’s a beautiful, beautiful show and funny, funny, funny.

It’s a musical about a rapidly aging teenage girl. That’s a heartbreaking premise. So how

put our heads together remotely.

He kept our SaraSolo company alive and continued teaching. He also discovered new things like weight training. We had similar paths of exploration.

How did the musical change you? How did you grow?

On stage, I stretched my acting muscles — and my actual muscles.

Back at my hotel, my meditations became deeper. After each show, I’d go back to my room and put my thoughts down on paper. I germinated a lot of good stuff.

Image courtesy of Sorcha Augustine

Blake Walton and Ann Morrison are cofounders of the artist incubator SaraSolo Productions.

to the universe in some strange, holy way. I felt a sense of wonder — the way you feel when you’re a kid.

Ann Morrison starred as Mary in the ill-fated Broadway premiere of Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along,” which closed after 16 performances in 1981.

could it be funny?

David Lindsey-Abaire’s genius is how. He’s amazingly good at looking at human behavior and finding love and compassion. He adapted the musical from his play — and I think it’s better than the original.

You had to make magic on the stage night after night. How did you do that?

By staying fully present. Every night I was a different Annie, with a different audience, in a different show. Once I realized that, I listened more closely to the other actors and followed my instinctive shifts in the moment.

What version of Kimberly did you create?

Just being myself. I really am a 16-year-old trapped in a 70-yearold body, so I wasn’t really acting. I just showed up.

What did you love best about life on the road?

The alone time. The “creative quietude.” Many people won’t relate. ... But being alone tapped me into different forms of creativity — a sacred creativity. I was connected

What surprised you the most?

Mother Nature! We spent 10 straight weeks in winter weather.

I couldn’t walk barefoot outside because there was snow everywhere. Since I’ve got Florida blood, I was cold all the time.

To quote the great Frank Zappa, “Touring can make you crazy.”

How did you keep your sanity?

Well, I studied. Constantly. I designed my own curriculum — quantum physics, spirituality, metaphysics, and even how to grow trees.

I watched short films on and studied the acting, editing and cinematography. And I also stayed creatively engaged. I rewrote an art song and brainstormed a new show.

Did you also have a routine like yoga or meditation?

I did at first. Walking is big for me, but in the winter, that didn’t happen. I just stayed active in the hotel the best possible way.

Did you tour on buses or fly?

Both. If the next theater was a short drive, we took the bus. If it was one or two states away, we flew.

Was it a continuous tour or did you get any breaks?

I came home for about three weeks in September and two weeks at Christmas.

How’d you stay in touch with your Sarasota supporters?

Zoom sessions?

My companion Blake (Walton) and I sometimes talked three times a day. He was without me for 10 months. We’d compare notes and

How many creative talents toured with you?

I traveled with 42 people — cast, musicians, crew, company managers, understudies, everybody. We all genuinely adored each other. That’s rare. If something went wrong, everybody just laughed. A prop disappeared, the food for a dinner scene wasn’t there, somebody missed a cue — we’d improvise and just keep going.

The other actors were in their teens and 20s. How did you keep up?

They struggled to keep up with me.

From their point of view, my energy level would exhaust kindergartners.

They even gave me an award: “Ann Morrison: Legendary Old Broad.”

Speaking of cool, I understand your character ice skates.

Yep. Kimberly ice skates, so I skate.

Don’t tell my osteoporosis doctor.

She’d have a heart attack. I hadn’t been on skates since I was 17.

Was skating a challenge for you at age 70?

Nah. Thankfully, everybody else does the flips and spins. Kimberly only skates down a single line and then turns around.

“Merrily We Roll Along” has had a resurgence. Would you say your acting career has had a comeback as a result?

No, I wouldn’t. I can’t come back because I never went away. I’ve always been working — just not in New York City. The illusion is that if you’re not acting in New York, you’re on hiatus. That’s bull.

There’s great theater everywhere.

Just do it. Just go for it. Create your own work. Follow your passion — even if it doesn’t lead to Broadway.

Now, pretend you have a time machine. You set the dial to 1981. What would you say to the young Ann Morrison?

Keep going, Kid. Everything you do leads to the next thing. Don’t judge it; experience it. Life is short, so just enjoy the ride. Annie’s going to turn out fine.

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

the Schmidt Vocal Arts National Competition. A total of 58 teen singers have advanced to the semifinals, presented in partnership with the Sarasota Opera. Cash prizes of up to $10,000 will be awarded and three semi-finalists will be selected to participate in a master class before the final round.

Continues May 31.

ALEXANDER CALDER: THE NATURE OF MOVEMENT 10 a.m. at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound St. $28 Visit Selby.org.

THIS WEEK

Courtesy image

Hermitage Fellow and Grammy-nominated musical theater composer Rona Siddiqui teams up with Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe performers Raleigh Moseley II and Maicy Powell for Hermitage Sunset Music on the Beach on Thursday, May 28.

THURSDAY ‘LEAVING ON A JET PLANE’ 7 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre’s Goldstein Cabaret, 1239 N. Palm Ave. $42 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

“Leaving on a Jet Plane” features an acoustic trio that takes you on a flight to the feel-good era of folk music in the late 1960s and 1970s.

‘HONKY TONK ANGELS’ 7 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St. $25-$59 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Join three Dolly Parton wannabes on a road trip to Nashville as they follow their dreams of country music stardom. This musical journey gives its stars the chance to belt out country favorites like Parton’s “9 to 5” and Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man.” Runs through June 21.

‘MARIE AND ROSETTA’ 7:30 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $65-$71 Visit AsoloRep.org.

Students of popular music know that Sister Rosetta Tharpe earned

DON’T MISS

SUNSET MUSIC ON THE BEACH Hermitage Fellow Rona Siddiqui, a Grammy-nominated musical theater composer, shares the stage with local performers Raleigh Moseley II and Maicy Powell of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe. Siddiqui will discuss her approach to songwriting and Moseley and Powell will perform as the sun sets on this beachfront performance. This is one of

the nickname “the godmother of rock ’n’ roll” for transforming gospel music with her fierce guitar playing. Asolo Repertory Theatre’s latest production captures the first rehearsal between Tharpe (Maiesha McQueen) and one of her acolytes, Marie Knight (Alexis J. Roston), as they prepare for a world tour. Runs through May 31.

FRIDAY ‘ONE HIT WONDERS’ 9 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre’s John C. Court Cabaret, 1265 First St. $37-$42 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Is it better to have had just one song top the charts than to have

those sublime experiences sure to spark the sentiment, “This is why we live here.” Bring your own refreshments.

IF YOU GO When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 28 Where: Hermitage Artist Retreat, 6630 Manasota Key Road, Englewood Tickets: $5 with registration Info: Visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

none at all? You’ll have time to think about that question as you listen to such hit songs as Don McLean’s “American Pie,” a runaway hit that eclipsed nearly everything else in the troubadour’s career, and “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” from Bobby McFerrin. Runs through June 21.

SATURDAY SCHMIDT VOCAL ARTS NATIONAL COMPETITION 9:45 a.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. $15.45, students $10 Visit SarasotaOpera.org.

High school students from around the country compete for up to 16 places in the final round of

It’s last call for Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ tribute to Alexander Calder and his abstract moving sculptures, dubbed “mobiles.” Calder’s interest in suspension provides a provocative pairing with Selby’s collection of epiphytes, or air plants, in Selby’s annual Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition. Runs through May 31.

‘BLOCKBUSTED’ 7:30 p.m. at FST’s Bowne’s Lab, 1265 First St. $15-$18 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

What’s the best entertainment bargain in town? It’s the Saturday night performances of Florida Studio Theatre Improv, which top out at $18 a ticket. You’ll laugh so hard you cry at these ever-changing lineups. “Blockbusted” takes audiences back to the days of the video store as fearless improvisers face off against each in sketches powered by audience suggestions.

It’s the perfect date night for young and old.

SUNDAY ‘SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING NEW’ 11 a.m. at the Sarasota Art Museum campus of Ringling College, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail $20 Visit SarasotaArtMuseum.org.

“Something Borrowed, Something New” features major modern artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Chuck Close, David Hockney, Yoko Ono, Kara Walker and Ai Weiwei. Their

17A

OUR PICK

LEVIN LECTURE This year’s Sarasota Music Festival is a slimmed-down affair following the departure of longtime artistic director Jeffrey Kahane in 2025. But some things won’t change, namely the annual lecture by Kahane’s predecessor, Robert D. Levin. The pianist, composer and conductor was head of the Sarasota Music Festival for a decade and was a professor of music at Harvard University from 1993 to 2014. Levin is an expert on improvisation in classical music, and this lecture is sure to include musical interludes.

IF YOU GO When: 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 3 Where: Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail Tickets: $15-$25 Info: Visit SarasotaOrchestra. org.

works have been loaned by private collectors in Southwest Florida to SAM for the show, which runs from April 19 through Sept. 27.

MONDAY ANCIENT ART FROM CYPRUS AND THE MEDITERRANEAN 10 a.m. at The John and Mable Ringling Art Museum, 5401 Bay Shore Road Free with $30 admission; Mondays free Visit Ringling.org.

In 1928, circus magnate John Ringling moved beyond collecting Baroque paintings with a major acquisition of more than 2,000 pieces of Cypriot art at the Anderson Galleries in New York, where the Metropolitan Museum was selling parts of its ancient art collection. For the first time, Ringling’s treasures have a permanent home in Gallery 12 after a decadelong project.

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

Sarasota’s Squeaky Wheel Fringe Festival keeps making noise The funky festival returns for its fourth edition from June 2-7 at the Jane B. Cook Theatre.

MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER A+E EDITOR

E

veryone knows the squeaky wheel gets the grease. But what happens after that? When founder Megan Radish unveiled her Squeaky Wheel Fringe Festival in 2023, she wasn’t sure whether she was producing a one-time event or creating a Sarasota mainstay inspired by the venerable Edinburgh Fringe, known as the “world’s great platform for creative freedom.”

Luckily for performers and audiences, Squeaky Wheel Fringe is making more noise than ever for its fourth edition, which runs from June 2-7 at the Cook Theatre in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts.

“We started out with a hope and dream,” Radish said in an interview.

“People seem to have embraced it.

There aren’t a lot of opportunities that aren’t professional for artists to get paid to do their art. I’m glad that we’ve gotten the following we have.”

Radish says she’s billing this year’s Squeaky Wheel as a “homecoming” because several performers are returning to the festival, which features a smorgasbord of nine noholds-barred performances, including spoken word, dance, song and cross-genre.

Tania Vergara Dance Theatre, previously known as Endedans Dance company, is coming back to Squeaky Wheel with “Casa Havana,” which explores family dynamics as it celebrates Cuban rhythms. Last year, the dance troupe won the audience choice award for its multidisciplinary piece, “Paradox of the Mirror.”

Former Sarasota theater kid Victoria Montalbano is back in town with a one-person show called “Timey Wimey Stuff: The Mid Life Crisis of a Time Traveling Space Archaeologist.” With its off-the-wall format, fringe festivals give artists the chance to present their work as they wish it to be seen, and also to come up with really long titles.

A native of Chicago, Montalbano was in the debut edition of Squeaky Wheel Fringe in 2023, with her “Star Wars”infused piece, “The Princess Strikes Back: One Woman’s Search for the Space Cowboy of her Dreams.”

An ensemble consisting of some familiar faces from The Sarasota Players community theater will be presenting “The Pep Rally: A ‘Religious’ Variety Show.” In this m u l t i ge n re s h ow, the protagonist, Ezra

IF YOU GO

Mathers, returns to his Christian college to lead a homecoming pep rally. Ezra has an ax to grind because he was never cast in any shows when he was in school. So watch out!

That “I coulda been a contender” theme runs through another Squeaky Wheel Fringe show, “Grease is the Word.” Co-written by Kallista Schneiderman and her mother, Kelly Haramis, the piece was inspired by a snub Haramis received in high school. Back in 1989, when she was an aspiring actor at Deltona High in Florida, Haramis wasn’t cast as Rizzo in “Grease.”

Fast-forward to 2026: Her daughter, a student at USC in Los Angeles, has decided to right this wrong by staging a fake production of “Grease” at a senior center so her mom’s theater dreams can finally come true. That’s the story line for their fringe piece.

In real life, Haramis is a Chicago actor, writer and improviser. She’s married to incoming Ringling College of Art and Design President Davis Schneiderman, who starts June 1.

When Haramis and her daughter heard the family was moving to Sarasota, they looked around for venues that would be right for “Grease Is the Word.” As fate would have it, they discovered that the Squeaky Wheel Fringe was happening just as Schneiderman was starting his new job.

A CAMEO ROLE FOR A NEW COLLEGE PRESIDENT

“There’s a reason I didn’t get cast as Rizzo,” Haramis says. “I can’t sing.” To solve that problem, Kallista Schneiderman and her friend, NYU student Nora Sharman, will perform in “Grease is the Word,” which was written by Haramis and Kallista.

Those who want to get a peek at Ringling College’s new president can see him in the play, which is billed as “part heartfelt comedy, part loving prank.”

SQUEAKY WHEEL FRINGE FESTIVAL TEASER SHOW When: 7 p.m. June 2 Where: Jane B. Cook Theatre, FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail Tickets: Pay what you will Info: Visit SqueakyWheelTheatre.org.

This is not the Schneiderman family’s first theatrical collaboration.

Last summer, Haramis performed in a staged reading in Chicago of the play, “You can Call Me Al,” which she wrote with her husband. Haramis is a graduate of Penn State and the Second City Conservatory.

Other productions on tap at the Squeaky Wheel Fringe Festival include a dance theater piece called “The One,” an improv show from Orlando titled “It’s Alive! Live,” “Confessions of a Theme Park Worker,” “My Life as an ‘Inspirational Porn’ Star” and “The Common Ground,” an import from New Jersey set in a suburban coffee shop that follows a young woman trying to rebuild her life.

This year’s Squeaky Wheel Fringe, which is supported by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, includes more visual projections and other bells and whistles than previous festivals, Radish notes.

If you’re not sure which, if any, of these grassroots productions appeal to you, the best way to find out is by attending the Squeaky Wheel Fringe teaser on June 2, which gives audiences a sample of each show.

“To encourage people to attend, we’ve made it pay what you will,” Radish says. Tickets for each fringe performance are no more than $20.70, including a $4 festival fee.

Except for the fest fee, all proceeds benefit the artists.

Courtesy image

Kallista Schneiderman and Kelly Haramis rehearse for their upcoming performance of “Grease is the Word,” at the Squeaky Wheel Fringe Festival.

1734 South Tamiami Trail Venice, FL 34293 941.493.7441

4551 N. Washington Blvd.

Sarasota, FL 34234 941.355.8437

2510 1st Street West Bradenton, FL 34208 941.748.4679

Savor Sarasota Restaurant Week kicks off its 21st edition OBSERVER STAFF

M

ay’s graduations give way to the weddings of June, and for more than two decades, Savor Sarasota Restaurant Week, which runs from June 1-14 this year.

During this fun-filled promotional period, more than 50 eateries in Sarasota County will serve two-course lunches for just $25 and three-course dinners for $45, with many offering extras, such as wine pairings and signature cocktails.

Originally started by the predecessor to the tourist group Visit Sarasota in 2005 to drum up business after the snowbirds leave, Savor Sarasota has become a much-anticipated event.

It’s right up there with the Forks & Corks Festival at The Ringling Courtyard, scheduled for Jan. 21-25, 2027.

Savor Sarasota is an excuse to get out of your culinary comfort zone and try a new restaurant or to take a budget-oriented trip to one of your pricier favorites. It’s also a way to show support for local businesses.

When Visit Sarasota surveyed last year’s 62 participants in Savor Sarasota, the 26 restaurants that disclosed their numbers (42% of participants) said they served 6,520 lunches and 24,101 dinners. Those seatings brought in $163,000 in lunch revenue and $1,084,545 in dinner sales.

“Savor Sarasota really is my favorite time of the year,” says Erin Duggan, president and CEO of Visit Sarasota County. “It’s exciting to see our restaurant community come together to create multicourse dining experiences, while giving chefs a

Monica Roman Gagnier

Arts and Central, the Rosemary District restaurant founded in 2024

by Dan Henson Jr. and Dan Henson, is participating in the 21st annual Savor Sarasota Restaurant Week.

IF YOU GO SAVOR SARASOTA RESTAURANT WEEK When: June 1-14 Where: Eateries in downtown Sarasota, St. Armands Circle, Lakewood Ranch, Siesta Key and Venice Tickets: $25 for lunch; $45 for dinner Info: Go to VisitSarasota.com.

chance to showcase new dishes and guest favorites.

There’s even a digital app that can be downloaded to guide your journey on what is billed as the “Flavor Trail.”

It can be downloaded at VisitSarasota.com.

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www.manasotaonline.com

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

EATING WITH EMMA

Holy smoke! National Brisket Day is May 28 STOTTLEMYER’S SMOKEHOUSE

A

s season draws to a close and the slow days of summer arrive, May has a way of making me think more intentionally about time. How fast it moves, how much we try to control it and how often the best moments in life are the ones that refuse to be rushed.

That’s where National Brisket Day, on May 28, comes in.

In its own smoky, slow-cooked way, brisket is really all about time.

It doesn’t hurry, it doesn’t cut corners, it asks you to wait, gather and sit around a table with people you care about while something low and slow becomes something worth remembering.

In honor of National Brisket Day, I’m serving up local eateries with the best brisket plates around. You might not even know some of these places exist. One is a food truck and another is takeout only. When it comes to slow-cooked meat, it’s all about the flavor, not the ambience of the vendor.

JOE THE BOAR

941-203-0013; JoeTheBoar.com

Holy Smoke: This food truck makes you rethink whatever quick lunch plan you had planned for the day. The brisket sandwich ($15) is tender, smoky and stacked just right. The brisket and pork plate ($18) leans all the way into comfort with sides like smokehouse dirty rice, sweet potatoes or classic coleslaw rounding everything out.

Pit Happens: And if we’re not counting calories, which, honestly, we’re not today, the brisket mac and cheese ($8) is my move. Creamy and loaded with smoky brisket folded into every bite, it’s the kind of dish that quietly keeps you searching for this food truck’s location time and time again.

19 East Road, Sarasota; 941-3125969; StottlemyersSmokehouse.com

Holy Smoke: In a town where Old Florida charm feels harder than heck to hold onto, this pecanwood smokery continues to carry the smoky, soulful and deliciously nostalgic torch. And honestly, the Cornbread Smokestack ($20.99, add brisket +$2) might be the best representation of that comfortfood legacy.

Pit Happens: The mini BBQ sampler ($25.99) happily solves any indecisive eater (me) problem because you git a lil’ bit of everything. A smoky spread of half baby backs, 4 oz. brisket, and choice of light or dark smoked chicken, which arrives like the kind of feast that requires extra napkins and absolutely no shame. Or level up with the east road sampler for 6oz. brisket ($23.99).

SIGN UP FOR HOME DELIVERED MEALS.

PERRY’S ROADSIDE BBQ

936 42nd St., Sarasota; 941-3511445; PerrysSauce.com

Holy Smoke: This takeout-only spot keeps the focus exactly where it belongs — on tender beef brisket by the pound ($28), piled onto dinner platters ($22) with comforting sides like baked beans, collard greens, mac and cheese, or potato salad that redefines home-cooked family dining. And yes, adding the cornbread for $2 is your responsibility.

Pit Happens: Feeding an army?

Perry’s has you covered with its three-meat family meal ($80), stacked with a full rack of St. Louisstyle ribs, a half chicken, 1 pound of beef brisket, baked beans and your choice of large coleslaw or potato salad. It’s comfort-food excellence with a spread that turns an ordinary night into a “grab extra napkins and loosen your belt” occasion.

421 N Lime Ave • Sarasota FL 34237 (941) 366-6693 • MealsOnWheelsOfSarasota.org

SCAN TO LEARN MORE

A registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization established in 1971

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MAY 28, 2026

YOUR NEIGHBORS

Photos by Ian Swaby

Jeffrey and Candice Hill, Silas Hill, 4, Faith Curtis, 7, and Harry Steever of Sons of The American Legion, Erith Curtis, 9, and John Curtis enjoyed watching the parade.

Dwight Thompson and Dale Aylward of Florida Military Vehicle Heritage Group chat as the parade gets underway.

Marching in memory A ll ages could be found at Sarasota’s Memorial Day Parade, from kids representing organizations, such as Children of the American Revolution, to students from Sarasota Military Academy, to families watching from the sidewalks.

Among the participants were the Hill family, who arrived in patriotic colors.

Candace Hill, who has a child at Sarasota Military Academy, said they enjoy coming out to the Memorial Day parade and Veterans Day parade every year.

Held along Main Street, from Osprey Avenue to J.D. Hamel Park, the parade featured local organizations and government agencies commemorating those who died while serving in the Armed Forces.

The parade concluded with a ceremony at J.D. Hamel Park, which featured guest speaker Charlie Halley, a U.S. Army veteran, radio personality and the founder of DD214 Jeepers, an organization that works to improve the lives of veterans.

The ceremony also included a moment of silence for former emcee Sonny Bywaters, who died since handing the role, which he held for 45 years, to Darrell Butler during 2025’s Veterans Day parade.

Among those participating in the parade was Cadet Col. Heloisa Monteiro, a rising eighth grader at Sarasota Military Academy.

“I have so much honor in being able to march and respect all those that have died in a war for us, and I am just so grateful,” she said. “I feel like if anyone has a chance to come march in the parade, you should, because it’s a great honor, and it’s a great opportunity to meet new people and to try new things.”

Darrell Butler, the chief veterans service officer with Sarasota County, serves as emcee.

Members of Sons of the American Revolution lead the parade.

John Semmes, 10, Maura Semmes and Wrigley visit J.D. Hamel Park for the ceremony.

Color Guard Cmdr. Lillian Matthews and Cadet Col. Heloisa Monteiro, rising eighth graders at Sarasota Military Academy, prepare for the parade.

— IAN SWABY

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

Leader in the lane Tuttle Elementary fifth grader named AAA School Safety Patroller of the Year.

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

T

Superintendent of Schools Terry Connor speaks to Noah Moise.

as teachers and students in lower grades.

Teacher Justine Holcomb, the school safety patrol supervisor, says it was in kindergarten that Moise began earning the respect of his peers.

“He’s going to be a person that I remember forever, and he’s made that kind of impact, and if you saw them with him, they respect him so very much, and he earned it,” she said. “He didn’t demand it, it’s not a popularity contest. He earned their respect, and it began way before this year.”

Holcomb spearheaded the effort to have Moise recognized with the award.

After joining the patrol, Moise took over the duty of raising and

Photos by Ian Swaby

lowering the school’s American and Florida flags each day, before his peers elected him as patrol captain.

Moise serves in a morning post where he is responsible for opening car doors to make sure students walk from their cars to the classroom safely, and an afternoon post, where he monitors students waiting for gate pickup.

He also takes daily attendance during the morning meetings of the patrol. He is involved in training new patrols, communicating with his team, reporting safety concerns and selecting the patroller of the month with his lieutenant.

He said since joining the program and becoming a captain, he has seen a lot of growth in himself. He’s learned to be more mindful, to better support others and to be a better leader.

Moise said when he started the program, he didn’t really know anyone there, but began to notice it was offering “social skills, friendships,

Teacher Amber Williams and Noah Moise’s nephew, Dakari Douglas, sister Gallandy Moise and mother Ligardy Moise cheer him on as he receives the award.

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Moise was honored with a plaque, as well as a $300 Visa gift card for his family.

His sister Gallandy Moise called the family “so happy” that Noah was chosen from all patrols within the state of Florida.

“This is amazing, like this is a big deal, to see all of our hard work paying off, to see the young man that he is, to know that everybody picked him as a leader,” she said.

The reason for the award, she says, is about more than just the duties of the role itself.

“I think mostly, it’s like his character, being the person that he is— like he always leads by example,” she said. “I don’t know how to really explain him, but I just know his character is out of this world, his way of caring for others, the things that he do, so I think he deserves it, and I’m glad that all of his other patrols see that he deserves it.”

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he qualities that make an effective student safety patroller aren’t complicated, according to fifth grader Noah Moise.

“It’s really basic, simple,” he said.

“You just have to be kind, respectful, care for others, and just be responsible, noticing a problem and then trying to fix it the best way you can.”

Nonetheless, the Tuttle Elementary student received a rare honor when he was recognized as School Safety Patroller of the Year by AAA, which sponsors the school’s safety patrol program.

Principal Patti Folino said staff believe the honor to be a first not only for the school, but also for Sarasota County’s school district as a whole.

“I feel ecstatic; I feel excited; I feel thankful,” Moise said. “I’m going to keep suggesting that we also give thanks to my peers, my lieutenant and my student patrollers of the month because I wouldn’t really be here without them, and my family.”

Moise said he joined the program in the fourth grade because he wanted to help people at his school, such

YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

3B

CLASS OF 2026

Emerson Lepper greets Principal Ben Hopper.

Photos by Ian Swaby

Tim Montenegro, Joey Antonucci and Logan Patel celebrate new horizons.

Trevor DuttingMorrell matches the crowd’s energy.

Forward in faith

W

Rodesaline Cadet shakes hands with the Rev. John Belmonte, superintendent of Catholic education for the Diocese of Venice.

hen he came to Florida and started at Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School, he didn’t know anyone, Gabriel Mehlum told an audience of graduates during his salutatorian address.

However, he says was not the only one on that position.

“High school might have started as being difficult, but as time passed, it became easy to excel at it,” he said.

At the ceremony, students had a chance to walk the floor and turn their tassels during the graduation of the private school, held May 22 at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.

Mehlum said some of the accomplishments of students over the last four years were winning academic awards, being MVP of their sports and performing work in the community.

During their time in school, he

said, graduates faced “multiple hurricanes, death, a global pandemic, and about 4,680 hours of school.”

“It’s time for us to move on to the next part of our lives,” said Mehlum, who is headed for the University of Florida. “Whether it is college, the workforce, or the military, God has a plan for you, and it is our duty to follow it.”

Micah Page and his girlfriend, Ava Lamorey, await graduation.

— IAN SWABY

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

SIESTA KEY 3750 Bayou Louise Lane 5 Beds 6/1 Baths 5,273 Sq. Ft. Nora Johnson 941.809.1700 A4686535 $12,900,000

HARBOR ACRES 1394 Harbor Drive 4 Beds 6 Baths 5,913 Sq. Ft. Kim Ogilvie & Lynn Morris 941.376.1717 A4682309 $7,750,000

DOWNTOWN SARASOTA 1621 Bay Point Court 4 Beds 4/1 Baths 3,645 Sq. Ft. Barbara May & Fred Sassen 404.822.9264 A4683737 $5,950,000

SIESTA KEY 6536 Peacock Road 7 Beds 7/2 Baths 4,697 Sq. Ft. Rudy Dudon & Brian Loebker 941.234.3991 A4688703 $5,650,000

HARBOR ACRES 1365 Harbor Drive 4 Beds 4/1 Baths 4,978 Sq. Ft. Kim Ogilvie & Lynn Morris 941.376.1717 A4672827 $5,495,000

SIESTA ISLES 5569 Cape Leyte Drive 5 Beds 4 Baths 3,654 Sq. Ft. Steven Hagan 941.900.4126 A4685577 $4,495,000

SIESTA KEY 7233 Pine Needle Road 3 Beds 3/2 Baths 4,294 Sq. Ft. Rudy Dudon & Allison Werner 941.234.3991 A4688394 $4,300,000

DOWNTOWN SARASOTA 1905 Alta Vista Street 4 Beds 3/1 Baths 3,813 Sq. Ft. Lisa Rooks Morris 941.544.3332 A4683764 $3,975,000

DOWNTOWN SARASOTA 1717 Alta Vista Street 5 Beds 4/1 Baths 3,267 Sq. Ft. Fred Sassen & Barbara May 404.408.5956 A4689355 $3,500,000

SIESTA KEY 4938 Commonwealth Drive 4 Beds 3/1 Baths 2,169 Sq. Ft. Maurice Menager & Lin Dunn 941.238.8119 A4683758 $2,900,000

GOLDEN GATE POINT 660 Golden Gate Point #61 2 Beds 2/1 Baths 3,405 Sq. Ft. Kelly Quigley 941.356.9954 A4677999 $2,695,000

SARASOTA (WEST OF I-75) 1725 Baywood Drive 4 Beds 4 Baths 3,612 Sq. Ft. Kelly Quigley 941.356.9954 A4680848 $2,595,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH COUNTRY CLUB 7527 Greystone Street 4 Beds 4 Baths 3,850 Sq. Ft. Victoria "Tori" Turner 662.614.2783 A4692043 $2,075,000

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SIESTA KEY 1163 Coquille Street #207 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,760 Sq. Ft. Kim Ogilvie & Lynn Morris 941.376.1717 A4676221 $995,000

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DOWNTOWN SARASOTA 825 Osprey Avenue #108 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,260 Sq. Ft. Dave Hall & Bibi-Ann Allard 646.256.6524 A4684762 $495,000

DOWNTOWN SARASOTA 101 S Gulfstream Avenue #9A 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,200 Sq. Ft. Susan Katanic 941.400.0601 A4678189 $490,000

CHEROKEE PARK 3000 Southwest Drive 5 Beds 4/3 Baths 8,125 Sq. Ft. Kim Ogilvie & Lynn Morris 941.376.1717 A4672971 $12,750,000

HARBOR ACRES 1340 Harbor Drive 4 Beds 5/2 Baths 5,157 Sq. Ft. Barbara May & Fred Sassen 404.822.9264 A4680096 $10,995,000

BAY ISLAND 3820 Flamingo Avenue 4 Beds 4/2 Baths 4,775 Sq. Ft. Fred Sassen & Barbara May 404.408.5956 A4673215 $8,395,000

888.552.5228 | MICHAELSAUNDERS.COM

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YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

ADAM HUGHES

Other top sales by area

RESEARCH EDITOR

T

homas and Margaret Wiegand, of Chicago, sold two properties at 943 Pomelo Place to Nicholas and Jennifer Esposito, of Sarasota, for $4,825,000. The first property was built in 2005 and has four bedrooms, four-and-two-half baths, a pool and 5,764 square feet of living area. The second property was built in 2005 and has one bedroom, one bath and 528 square feet of living area.

They sold for $1.38 million in 2020.

SARASOTA

BAYVIEW HEIGHTS Michael Strauss and Robin KleinStrauss sold their home at 2624 Mulberry Terrace to William Schwarz, of Sarasota, for $3.1 million. Built in 2021, it has five bedrooms, five baths, a pool and 3,744 square feet of living area. It sold for $3.35 million in 2023.

PENINSULA SARASOTA 223 Golden Gate LLC sold the Unit 503 condominium at 253 Golden Gate Point to Yue Zhou, of Palmetto, for $3 million. Built in 2025, it has three bedrooms, three-anda-half baths and 2,761 square feet of living area.

DESOTO TERRACE Adnan Dedic sold the home at 3500 Bay Shore Road to Steen and Dale Adler, of Fort Myers, for $1,875,000.

Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,003 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,665,000 in 2025.

VUE Miluro LLC sold the Unit 508 condominium at 1155 N. Gulfstream Ave. to William Gerald Platt and Marjo Hannele Mitsutomi, of Sarasota, for $1,475,000. Built in 2017, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,591 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,070,800 in 2017.

Q Christopher Rex, trustee, of Lakewood Ranch, sold the home at 211 Cosmopolitan Court to Ann Fritts Syring, trustee, of Longboat Key, for $1,105,000. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,588 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.3 million in 2023.

THE LANDINGS John Robenalt, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 4672 Pine Harrier Drive to Matthew and BreAnn Smallwood, of Sarasota, for $995,000. Built in 1985, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,558 square feet of living area. It sold for $683,600 in 2019.

MAY 11-15

REAL ESTATE

Pomelo Place properties sell for $4,825,000

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

5B

SIESTA KEY: $3.6 MILLION 329 Beach Condominium 329 Beach Road Siesta LLC sold the Unit A condominium at 329 Beach Road to Kemmor Investments LLC for $3.6 million. Built in 2020, it has six bedrooms, sixand-a-half baths, a pool and 3,447 square feet of living area.

Ian Swaby

The first property at 943 Pomelo Place was built in 2005 and has four bedrooms, four-and-two-half baths, a pool and 5,764 square feet of living area. The second property was built in 2005 and has one bedroom, one bath and 528 square feet of living area.

RHODES AND HALE Ryan and Theresa Skrzykowski, of Sarasota, sold their home at 407 Ohio Place to Brett Patrick Owen, of Old Lyme, Connecticut, for $980,000. Built in 1940, it has one bedroom, three baths and 1,826 square feet of living area. It sold for $715,000 in 2020.

FLORENCE Joel James Pye, of Sarasota, sold his home at 1855 Sherwood St. to Troy Edward Chayce Crouch, of Phoenix, for $852,500. Built in 1953, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,380 square feet of living area.

It sold for $300,000 in 2008.

Lane to Tanya and Jason Wick, of Siesta Key, for $1.7 million. Built in 2007, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths and 2,110 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.6 million in 2022.

SARASOTA BEACH MARKERR LLC sold the home at 312 Canal Road to Canal Holding Group LLC for $1,525,000. Built in 1986, it has four bedrooms, fourand-two-half baths, a pool and 1,792 square feet of living area. It sold for $990,600 in 2020.

ONLINE

SCHOOL AVENUE TOWNHOMES Collage on 5th LLC sold the home at 2200 Fruitville Road to Michael and Teresa Gish, of York, Pennsylvania, for $800,000. Built in 2024, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,168 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.5 million in 2021.

See more transactions at YourObserver.com.

329 Beach Road Siesta LLC sold the Unit B condominium at 329 Beach Road to Kemmor Investments LLC for $3.6 million. Built in 2020, it has five bedrooms, twoand-two-half baths, a pool and 4,563 square feet of living area.

NOKOMIS: $3 MILLION Casey Key Anthony Badala and Charles Lomangino, trustees, sold the home at 3743 Casey Key Road to Garcia Land Co. LLC for $3 million. Built in 1969, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,753 square feet of living area. It sold for $2.7 million in 2021.

Timothy and Tiffany Riehl, of Bartlett, Illinois, sold their home at 2508 Casey Key Road to Casey Key LLC for $3 million. Built in 2013, it has four bedrooms, fourand-a-half baths, a pool and 3,536 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.6 million in 2016.

SUNNYSIDE PARK Katie Joem Wren, of Lakewood Ranch, sold her home at 2311 Sunnyside Place to Joan Kaiser, of Sarasota, for $590,000. Built in 1957, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,218 square feet of living area. It sold for $575,000 in 2022.

RENAISSANCE David Meadow and Robert Silvagni, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 1005 condominium at 750 N. Tamiami Trail to Lori Ann Young and Justin Corte Reddick, of Indianapolis, for $560,000. Built in 2001, it has one bedroom, one bath and 695 square feet of living area. It sold for $615,000 in 2023.

PHILLIPPI LANDINGS Cody and Ciera Stokes, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their Unit 1102 condominium at 1904 Monte Carlo Drive to Jacob Miller, of Sarasota, for $540,000. Built in 2021, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 1,745 square feet of living area. It sold for $680,000 in 2024.

SIESTA KEY SUMMER COVE ON SIESTA James and Tracey Gans, trustees, of St. Louis, sold the Unit 402C condominium at 1660 Summerhouse

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These are the largest city of Sarasota building permits issued for the week of May 11-15 in order of dollar amounts.

CITY OF SARASOTA Permit

Applicant

Amount

874 Hudson Ave.

Remodel

Tomislav Juric

$100,000

1513 Palmetto Lane

Wall

Mark Mulligan

$80,000

100 Central Ave. #G813

Remodel

Michael Bush

$70,000

1667 Alta Vista St.

Pool/Deck

Margaret Barnes, trustee

$67,802

5074 Barrington Circle

Windows

Suanne Maloney

$54,413

1655 Laurel St.

Windows

George Steitz, trustee

$27,295

3152 Bay St.

Windows

Lee Zittle

$25,686

2841 Michigan St.

Generator

Steven Wall

$23,000

1960 Boyce St.

Fence/Gate

Lorraine Provenzano

$22,500

2995 Wood St.

Re-roof

Gerald Hassebrock, trustee $19,119 Source: City of Sarasota

The Edge Sarasota | 941.866.3068 | From Mid $3M Sales Gallery at 1801 Main Street | TheEdgeSarasota.com

941.951.6650 MSCDeveloperServices.com

Prices as of January 2025

Issa Homes at SeaFlower | 941.491.7879 From $1.29M | SeaFlower.IssaHomes.com

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MAY 28, 2026

SPORTS FAST

BREAK

Jack Nelson

Hudson West’s spring season with Sarasota High football is complete.

Along the way, he’s collected several offers from NCAA Division I FBS programs.

S

arasota High rising junior quarterback Hudson West received his 20th offer from a college football program May 17 — this one from Iowa State.

He’s reeled in 11 of those offers since April 28, including from Colorado on May 12, South Florida on May 6 and Florida State on April 29. West threw for 2,836 yards and 26 touchdowns against five interceptions with a 55.1% completion rate as a sophomore. Last season, the Sailors lost their final five games en route to a 4-7 finish and were 0-3 in FHSAA Class 7A-District 8 play.

They did not reach the regional tournament. ... Recruitment for Travion Lester has picked up recently.

The rising junior linebacker for Cardinal Mooney football received offers from Temple on May 15, Toledo on May 14, Louisville on May 13 and Maryland on May 12. As a sophomore, his 96 total tackles and 12 sacks were both third-most on the team, while his 31 tackles for loss qualified as fourth-most.

Cardinal Mooney’s spring game, scheduled for May 21 vs.

St. John Neumann at Ave Maria University, was cancelled due to “unfortunate circumstances,” per the team’s X post May 20. ... Carley Ramsden, who graduated from Sarasota High in 2025, entered the transfer portal May 18 after her freshman season with Georgia Southern softball. The infielder/ outfielder hit .213 across 80 at-bats with eight RBIs and one home run. The Eagles finished 11-13 in the Sun Belt Conference and 24-29 overall. ... Ella Menke, who graduated from Sarasota High in 2024, now competes for Florida State women’s track and field. At the ACC outdoor championships held from May 14-16, she finished 15th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at 10:38.89. The sophomore won the 1,500-meter run (4:25.89) of the Dick Roberts Invitational.

SPRING FORWARD PAGE 7B

“I just want to lock it down, really cement myself as a Division I player and get ready for the next level.”

— Casey Izquierdo, Riverview High football SEE PAGE 8B

NEW FACE, FAMILIAR PLACE

After 17 years of coaching basketball, Amanda Boswell has made Cardinal Mooney her first high school stint.

JACK NELSON SPORTS REPORTER

T

here’s a long line of athletes Amanda Boswell has worked with during her 17-plus years in coaching. Along the way, 80 to 90 of them have gone on to the college level, she said.

Some of those names are more recognizable than others. Only one, though, holds distinction as the greatest in Cardinal Mooney girls basketball history.

Kali Barrett is that one.

When Barrett moved to Florida in 2019, Boswell was one of her first coaches on the travel ball circuit. The then-eighth grader soaked up what knowledge she could when they crossed paths.

Barrett eventually helped Cardinal Mooney to the FHSAA Class 3A state title in 2025, and that season, became the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,632 points.

For nearly a month, Boswell has served as the Cougars’ new coach, getting familiar with the former stomping grounds of one of her most successful students. She was hired April 30 and represents the program’s first female coach since at least 2005-06, per MaxPreps.

It also marks her first time as a head at the high school level. And it’s not just any run-of-the-mill program with which she’ll make her debut.

Cardinal Mooney has set a higher standard than most over the past five years.

“I wanted to be with a school where it was about the full picture and not only about one thing — whether academics or athletics,” Boswell said.

“Being able to coach highlevel girls, develop them and get them ready for the next level of college was really what attracted me most.”

Cardinal Mooney had appeared in five consecutive state title games entering last season, but after losing four of five starters, that streak snapped.

The squad lost its most games since 2017-18.

The Cougars barely finished above .500 with a 16-14 record. They failed to win the district 3A-8 title and were ultimately stopped in the 3A-2 regional semifinals.

When 2026-27 gets underway, Boswell will be the Cougars’ third coach in three seasons. Marlon Williams stepped down after 2024-25 and was succeeded by assistant Cortney Sawyer.

Jadyn Watts will be a senior guard for the Cougars in 2026-27. As a transfer from Sickles, last season was her first with Cardinal Mooney.

Image courtesy of Amanda Boswell

Amanda Boswell has taken over a program with a historically high standard. The Cougars won the 2025 FHSAA Class 3A state championship after four consecutive seasons of losing in the final.

Boswell inherits a team which returns its top two scorers in rising senior guards Jayla Griffin and Jadyn Watts, who averaged 15.7 and 14.9 points per game, respectively.

“It’s not only about the talent. I’ve seen a lot of talented teams lose,” Boswell said. “It’s about the discipline (and) it’s about the standards that I hold in practice every single day. If we can meet that standard and we can play hard and do all the little things on the court, we will win.”

Alexandria, Virginia, is her hometown. Her love for basketball began there at 6 years old and has only blossomed throughout the decades since.

She eventually competed for Mount Vernon High School and graduated in 2006. As a player, her game was elite enough to earn offers from NCAA Division I programs.

Moving on to the collegiate level was, indeed, her goal — that is, until a career-ending injury prevented her from doing so.

“Through that heartbreak, I went directly into coaching, and I have been coaching ever since,” Boswell said. “It’s a huge, huge part of my life.

It’s built me into the person I am.”

She moved to Florida at 30 years old and has been heavily involved in travel basketball during the seven years since.

That avenue afforded her the opportunity to work with athletes who have high aspirations in the sport. For a time, it was a gratifying process to be a part of.

But as months turned into years, the travel basketball landscape changed around her. Boswell felt that not enough time was allotted for practice and that too much of an emphasis was put on tournament play.

She found herself attracted

to the high school level — an environment that would better suit her style of coaching. Cardinal Mooney had an opening.

“I wanted to be involved with my girls more on a daily basis,” Boswell said. “For high school basketball, we’re with them five or six days a week, and that’s where I knew that I could impact the girls the most. I didn’t just want to show up to tournaments and play a couple of games.”

Two players she won’t be working with are Talia Busser and Charlie Scibelli, who graduated last week.

Busser, with a third-best 8.7 points per game in 2025-26, was the only remaining piece from the program’s title-winning starting five.

Griffin and Watts, though, are Division I prospects, having picked up their most recent offers from Florida A&M on May 21 and Lehigh on May 20, respectively.

Considering the players she’s losing, the players returning and the players she’s welcoming in, Boswell believes her team will win more than people might expect.

“My goal is to go to states, and we can definitely do that,” Boswell said.

“We are going to step out there and really, really surprise some people.”

She’s already taken the time to meet with each of her players. Those meetings gave her the chance to tell them what she’s all about and learn their individual goals.

Next season won’t begin until November, but the Cougars can start summer workouts as early as June 1.

That will be the first date they gather together as one.

That’s when the work formally starts for Boswell in the house that Barrett built.

“I’m trying to give them everything I have in my brain and in my heart,” Boswell said. “To help them get to whatever their goal is.”

NOTABLE NAMES Amanda Boswell crossed paths with multiple people during her playing days who eventually made it to the WNBA. She still hasn’t forgotten about them.

Jasmine Thomas, vice president of basketball operations and assistant general manager for the Dallas Wings, is one. Thomas was a five-time All-Defensive honoree while in the league from 2011-23.

Boswell also mentioned Monica Wright Rogers, the general manager for the Toronto Tempo, and Lynetta Kizer, who played in the WNBA from 2012-18.

Rising junior guard Emily Wilson (center) offers continuity for Amanda Boswell to work with in her first year as the Cougars’ coach.

Photos by Jack Nelson

YourObserver.com

7B

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

NELSON’S NOGGIN

JACK NELSON

High school coaches defend relevancy of spring football Although it’s the only sport allowed to have two separate seasons, coaches say it is an important developmental tool.

T

here were 19 sports sanctioned by the Florida High School Athletic Association for the 2025-26 academic year.

In each of them, the season’s schedule was roughly the same.

They began with preseason practices and ended at the state championships.

Football is the singular exception.

Its season only goes on hiatus when trophies are hoisted by the best teams. Following fall competition, that sport returns in the spring.

May 22 was the final date for high school football teams across Florida to practice or compete until the fall. Some of them participated in jamborees, where multiple teams scrimmage each other, while others were involved in exhibition games.

Not one snap counted toward the 2026 season. The only statistics were those recorded by coaches for reference, and will be thrown away soon, if not discarded already.

The spring is essentially meaningless. So in this state, why has it become so meaningful?

“It’s a weird event, in reality, because you do all this work for one game,” said Scott Paravicini, the Lakewood Ranch High football coach. “The game really doesn’t count, but there’s so much weight put on the game because it springboards you into the summer, and you’ve either got a good taste in your mouth or a bad taste in your mouth.”

Spring football is not universal across the U.S. There are parts of the country where it isn’t as orga-

nized as it is in Florida, and parts where it doesn’t exist at all.

Favorable weather here, of course, facilitates a spring season. Much like California and Texas, this is a state where football truly reigns supreme among high school sports.

Decades have come and gone, and still, spring football remains a statewide staple.

“It could be a chicken and the egg scenario — which came first?” said Mark Cristiani, Riverview High’s football coach. “Was it always a football state, so they allowed spring football? Or because we have a spring football season, is that why (we’ve) become a football state?”

Cristiani graduated from Venice High in 2003 and was a sophomore when the Indians won the 2000 FHSAA Class 5A state title. He knows what this time of year means to a player.

In the transition from his sophomore to junior season, he moved from playing mostly special teams to becoming a full-time starter on the defensive line. Making that switch in the spring as opposed to the fall made it so that he wasn’t thrown to the wolves.

During his playing days, teams had an allotted number of spring sessions, as outlined by the FHSAA. How many of those sessions each team held was at the discretion of their coaches.

“It was usually referred to as, ‘The Tough 20,’” Cristiani said.

“You had 20 days, and it was usually a very physical time. (It was a) very intense time to give you a preview of what fall camp would look like as a player and as a coach.”

That remains the standard. The FHSAA gave schools a maximum of 20 sessions this spring, in which graduating seniors and incoming transfers were not eligible, but returners and rising freshmen were.

Only one session could be used for a jamboree or exhibition game.

Paravicini chose April 27 through

“It could be a chicken and the egg scenario — which came first?

Was it always a football state, so they allowed spring football? Or because we have a spring football season, is that why (we’ve) become a football state?”

— Mark Cristiani, Riverview High football coach

May 15 and had Lakewood Ranch’s game against Bayshore on May 15.

Cristiani, meanwhile, put his team to work from April 27 through May 20, capped with a jamboree vs.

Lakewood and Largo on May 20.

Neither of them held sessions on weekends.

Different programs choose different schedules because no two programs’ needs are the same.

Some coaches cram the most they can into 20 days, while others are content with less.

Whatever the number of practices, whatever the format of competition, the objective is generally the same — player development.

“Spring ball is a definite positive,” said Rick Farmer, the Braden River High football coach. “There’s such a long period of time between when you play and waiting all the way to the following August. It’s not a sport like basketball, where they can practice year-round.”

Development, though, is not the only benefit of spring football. It also puts talent on display for colleges to recruit and allows coaches to begin installing plays on both sides of the ball.

Giving rising freshmen a look at the varsity level is also crucial. Few of them will actually start in the fall, but their early introduction to the program should be valued nonetheless.

Further priorities vary program

File image

Mark Cristiani has learned to appreciate spring football as both a former player for Venice High and now as the coach for Riverview High. He believes that if approached correctly, the spring can be a beneficial time of year for his team.

to program. Sarasota High football coach Anthony Campbell has prioritized the improvement of his star quarterback’s leadership ability.

“I expect more out of Hudson West now because he’s going to be a rising junior, but he’s still a sophomore,” Campbell said. “So his leadership skill — now — has to take another approach, because I’m expecting more out of him this upcoming season.”

Spring has remained an important part of the yearly schedule.

All teams participate in one way or another to set up their respective programs for success when snaps start to matter.

No other sport sanctioned by the FHSAA has a second season during the academic year. That’s because no other sport is like football in this state.

A singular sport warrants a singular exception.

Jack Nelson is the sports reporter for the East County and Sarasota/Siesta Key Observers. Contact him at JNelson@ YourObserver.com.

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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

“Bringing Helpful To Your Home”

Casey Izquierdo College football recruiters have frequented Sarasota in recent weeks, and Casey Izquierdo has drawn their attention. The rising junior cornerback for Riverview High football received offers from Florida International and Toledo on May 15 and 19, respectively. The Panthers’ offer was his first from an NCAA Division I FBS program. Izquierdo is the Sarasota Athlete of the Week.

How did the spring season go?

Spring was great for me. I got to develop and grow more as a player, and get stronger and better every day. I feel like I’m getting more exposure as an athlete. My coach (Mark Cristiani) has been pushing me, so it’s honestly a really good experience over at Riverview.

What does it mean to receive your first Division I offer?

It’s just a reflection of all the work I’ve put in. It’s a blessing and an honor to even be able to be where I’m at today. Two years ago, I wouldn’t even think I would have made it this far. I’ve just kept putting in that work and grinding.

What are your goals this season?

I just want to be the best corner in the area, to be honest. I just want to lock it down, really cement myself as a Division I player and get ready for the next level.

What do you enjoy about Riverview’s program?

It’s a great culture run by (Cristiani). He does a really good job. He’s been pushing me this offseason in every way possible. On the other side at the corner, I’ve got my dawg (rising junior cornerback Davtavius “Pinot”

Parks) and we just push each other every day. We try to go against the best receivers and just (maintain an) “iron sharpens iron” mentality.

You’ve got to get better every day.

Why did you start football?

I used to live up in New Jersey, and my dad (Victor Izquierdo) was a coach. I used to play when I was younger — 6-7 years old — then I moved down to Florida, and I played for a year with the (Sarasota Sun Devils’ Tiny Mites) and then I took a year off. I didn’t really enjoy the sport back in the day. Then I came back, and I switched over to the Sarasota Seminoles, and that’s where I flipped the switch. I started getting better. The coaches there, that culture and all those boys really pushed me. I was literally competing with the best of the best. If you look at our 14U championship team, everyone on that team’s (going to the Division I level).

Why have you stuck with it?

To be honest, I was thinking about quitting football a few years back.

But the coaches and my parents just kept pushing me, and that just built passion behind it.

What quote or piece of advice have you always carried with you?

The name of the game is “GABOS.” The game ain’t based on sympathy.

What’s a fun fact about you?

I’m a really good fisherman. I’m pretty established in that area.

Who is your favorite professional athlete and why?

It has to be Jalen Ramsey with his mentality at (cornerback).

Finish this sentence. Casey Izquierdo is ...

A dawg.

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If you would like to make a recommendation for the Sarasota Observer’s Athlete of the Week feature, send it to Jack Nelson at JNelson@ YourObserver.com.

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8B

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HEALTH OBSERVED | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

9B

MAY 2026

Protecting Mobility and Independence 461819-1

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SFORZO | DILLINGHAM STEWART | ORTHOPEDICS + SPORTS MEDICINE

WELCOMES FRANK EBERT, M.D. BOARD-CERTIFIED. FELLOWSHIP-TRAINED.

BOARD-CERTIFIED. FELLOWSHIP-TRAINED. ORTHOPEDIC SURGEONS.

CHRISTOPHER CHRISTOPHER SFORZO, M.D. DILLINGHAM, M.D. HAND TO SHOULDER HAND TO SHOULDER, FOOT, ANKLE

CHARLES STEWART, M.D. HIP AND KNEE

RAVI KUMAR PONNAPPAN, M.D. SPINE

ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON. Frank Ebert, M.D. has dedicated more than 40 years to performing total hip and knee replacements, including revisions. His career has been defined by genuine compassion, surgical excellence, patients place in him.

5831 BEE RIDGE ROAD • SUITE 300 • SARASOTA, FL 34233

941.378.5100 • sforzodillingham.com

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and a deep respect for the trust his

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YourObserver.com/health

HEALTH OBSERVED | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

Manatee Memorial Hospital Earns an “A” Hospital Safety Grade

M

anatee Memorial Hospital earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit watchdog focused on patient safety. Leapfrog assigns an “A”, “B”, “C”, “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country using evidence-based measures of patient safety, focused exclusively on errors, accidents, injuries and infections.

“Earning an ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade reflects the unwavering commitment of the physicians, nurses and entire care team to delivering the highest standards of safe, quality care,” said Judy Young, Chief Nursing Officer.

“Patient safety is at the core of everything we do, and this recognition reinforces our mission to protect and care for every patient who entrusts us with their health.

DRIVING REAL CHANGE IN PATIENT CARE

Medical errors and safety events remain a persistent challenge in hospitals across the United States.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 1.5 million people visit emergency departments each year due to medical-related harm, resulting in nearly 500,000 annual hospitalizations. The National Institutes of Health estimate that adverse events affect millions of hospitalized patients each year, despite decades of improvement efforts.

PROGRESS YOU CAN MEASURE When choosing where to receive care, Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Grade offers patients and families transparency and easy-tounderstand information across several categories. Earning an “A” grade means excelling in critical areas such as: ■ Preventing medical errors and complications.

■ Reducing hospital-acquired infections.

■ Ensuring strong safety protocols and procedures.

■ Delivering patient-centered care.

MOVING HEALTHCARE FORWARD

The ongoing need for improvement is what makes Manatee Memorial Hospital’s first-ever “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group especially meaningful.

Leapfrog is a nationally respected nonprofit that evaluates hospitals using more than 30 rigorous, publicly reported measures, including infection rates, medication safety systems, staffing practices and error prevention.

For Manatee Memorial, the “A” is a clear indicator of progress on a demanding national scale – one that operates in real healthcare settings, not just on paper.

“An ‘A’ Grade is a strong sign that Manatee Memorial Hospital is deeply committed to protecting patients from harm,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We commend the leadership, Board, clinicians, staff and volunteers for the role each

played in earning this distinction.”

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade stands as the only hospital ratings program focused solely on preventable medical errors, infections and injuries that claim more than 500 lives per day in the United States. This program is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.

Physicians are on the medical staff of Manatee Memorial Hospital but, with limited exceptions, are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Manatee Memorial Hospital.

The hospital shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians. For language assistance, disability accommodations and the nondiscrimination notice, visit our website.

Patient safety is at the core of everything we do, and this recognition reinforces our mission to protect and care for every patient who entrusts us with their health.”

— Judy Young, Chief Nursing Officer

MANATEE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL ADDRESS: 206 2nd St East Bradenton, FL 34208 PHONE: 941-746-5111 WEBSITE: ManateeMemorial.com

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Spring 2026 Safety Grade is a national recognition for commitment to patient safety.

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YourObserver.com/health

HEALTH OBSERVED | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

11B

Protecting Mobility and Independence Why early treatment for cervical myelopathy matters.

REVEAL THE FUTURE OF YOUR HEALTH

POSSIBLE SIGNS OF CERVICAL MYELOPATHY ■ Hand clumsiness or trouble with fine motor tasks.

■ Changes in balance or walking stability.

■ Weakness, numbness, or neck stiffness.

■ Frequent falls or worsening coordination.

■ Loss of bladder or bowel control in advanced cases.

Did you know that 70% of heart attacks occur with little to no warning signs? Traditional health screenings can be outdated, leaving critical issues undetected.

Visit SforzoOrtho.com or call 941-378-5100 to schedule a consultation.

In just 45 minutes, get a Comprehensive Health Assessment that includes:

• InBody Composition Analysis • Vascular & Nervous System Testing • Functional Movement Screening • Grip Strength Assessment

Ravi Kumar Ponnappan, M.D.

All for just $399.

SFORZO | DILLINGHAM | STEWART ORTHOPEDICS

Your body has a story. We help you read it—then write the next chapter.

ADDRESS: 5831 Bee Ridge Road, Suite 300, Sarasota, FL 34233 PHONE: 941-378-5100 WEBSITE: SforzoDillingham.com

Call now to book an assessment appointment at 941-217-2777 or scan the QR code for more details.

W

info@revealvitality.com 1990 Main Street Suite 202

459512-1

Sarasota, FL 34237

e all know the feeling: waking up with a stiff neck, sleeping wrong, or carrying stress in our shoulders.

Usually, it passes. But what if, a while later, you’re dropping your coffee mug, fumbling with buttons, or feeling strangely unsteady on your feet?

Those symptoms may point to something far more serious: cervical myelopathy, caused by spinal cord compression in the neck. It’s a condition that can develop quietly and can be mistaken for normal aging. So says Ravi K. Ponnappan, MD, FAAOS, a boardcertified and fellowship-trained orthopedic spine surgeon at Sforzo | Dillingham | Stewart Orthopedics.

“Symptoms can be subtle for months,” says Dr. Ponnappan. “But they should never be dismissed as insignificant.”

Dr. Ponnappan explains that cervical myelopathy occurs when age-related changes—such as disc degeneration, arthritis, or narrowing of the spinal canal—begin pressing on the spinal cord. Over time, that pressure can interfere with nerve signals that control the hands, legs, balance, and even bladder or bowel function.

Early signs may include hand clumsiness, trouble with fine motor tasks, changes in handwriting, weakness, neck stiffness, or a sense that walking feels “off.” More advanced symptoms can include frequent falls, worsening weakness, or loss of bladder and bowel control.

The reason paying attention to these symptoms matters is that spinal cord damage can become permanent. “The earlier the condition is recognized, the better the chance to prevent lasting nerve injury,” Dr. Ponnappan confirms.

At Sforzo | Dillingham | Stewart Orthopedics evaluation typically begins with a medical history and neurological exam, followed by imaging such as X-rays and an MRI to confirm spinal cord compression and rule out other causes.

For mild, stable cases, treatment may begin conservatively with physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, or shortterm steroids, along with close monitoring.

However, these measures generally do not reverse spinal cord compression.

When symptoms are moderate, worsening, or progressive, surgery is often recommended to relieve pressure on the spinal cord and protect future function.

The biggest mistake, Dr. Ponnappan warns, is waiting too long.

The earlier the condition is recognized, the better the chance to prevent lasting nerve injury.”

— Ravi K. Ponnappan, M.D. If you are becoming clumsier, less steady, or losing strength, don’t just chalk it up to age or fatigue. A stiff neck may be common— but losing hand function, balance, or independence should never be considered normal.

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Step into a new era of wellness at Reveal Vitality—where advanced diagnostics, AI-powered fitness tech, and personalized longevity plans come together for real, lasting change.

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HEALTH OBSERVED | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

Self-Care, Simplified Cutting through the noise of modern aesthetics with expert, personalized care.

Pam Kyger, Medical Aesthetician

SALORA MED SPA

UNIVERSITY TOWN CENTER LOCATION: 8512 Cooper Creek Blvd #107, University Park, FL 34201 LAKEWOOD RANCH LOCATION: 14628 State Road 70 E, Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202 PHONE: 941-357-7230 WEBSITE: SaloraMedSpa.com

L

ooking and feeling your best shouldn’t be complicated, intimidating or overwhelming. But with so many treatments, products and trends out there, it often can be.

That’s where the right guidance

There are so many options now, it can feel overwhelming. That’s where we come in—to explain, to listen and to help clients find what’s right for them.”

— Pam Kyger, Medical Aesthetician facial, which includes a professional skin analysis and personalized recommendations. From there, treatments can range from relaxing, hands-on services to advanced, technology-driven options. Offerings include DiamondGlow facials, dermaplaning and other non-invasive treatments, along with body contouring options like T-Shape 2.

Beyond the treatments them-

selves, the experience is rooted in education and trust. Kyger often shares simple, practical tips clients can use at home to support their results. Something as small as changing a pillowcase nightly can make a noticeable difference for acne-prone skin. And one recommendation she gives every client, regardless of age, is sunscreen.

“It’s essential, even when you’re not planning to be outside much,” she says.

The full-service approach extends well beyond skincare, with options that include massage, hair and nail services, injectables like Botox and fillers, and even teeth whitening. Whether stopping in for a quick refresh or planning a more indulgent visit, clients can tailor their experience to fit their lifestyle.

At its core, Salora Med Spa offers more than treatments. It provides a place where self-care feels approachable, personalized and genuinely supportive.

SIMPLE WAYS TO SUPPORT HEALTHY SKIN ■ Consistent skincare routines deliver the best long-term results.

■ Professional treatments should be tailored to your skin’s needs.

■ Daily sunscreen is essential at any age.

■ Small habits, like clean pillowcases, can improve skin clarity.

■ Expert guidance helps simplify choices and avoid overwhelm.

Visit SaloraMedSpa.com or call 941-357-7230 to schedule a consultation.

LIC.39300MM# 461826-1

makes all the difference.

“Most people come in knowing they want to look younger and healthier,” says medical aesthetician Pam Kyger. “But there are so many options now, it can feel overwhelming. That’s where we come in, to explain, to listen and to help them figure out what’s right for them.”

At Salora Med Spa, that philosophy shapes every interaction. The focus is on simplifying self-care through personalized recommendations, expert insight and a full range of services designed to meet each client’s unique needs.

Kyger, a seasoned aesthetician with more than 20 years of experience, brings a calm and approachable energy to every appointment.

She works with clients of all ages, from teens navigating acne to adults looking to refresh and restore their skin, always with a thoughtful, no-pressure approach.

For many clients, that journey begins with Salora’s signature

Your hearing. Your life.

Hearing Health is Essential Health.

Good hearing is about more than just hearing sounds.

Did you know treating hearing loss can help decrease the risk of other health conditions and improve your overall quality of life?

DEMENTIA

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FALLING

TINNITUS

Treating hearing loss may reduce the risk of dementia1 by nearly 40%.

Reduce your likelihood of depression and social isolation2 with better hearing.

Hearing aids can help reduce the risk of falling3 by 300%.

60% of tinnitus patients report relief4 wearing hearing aids.

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1. Lin. F. R., et al. (2011). Hearing loss and incident dementia, Archives of Neurology. 2. Cosh, S., et al. (2018) Hearing loss and depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Otolaryngology. 3. Livingston, G., et al. (2017). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission. The Lancet. 4. Cima, R.F.F., et al. (2019). A systematic review of the association between hearing loss and tinnitus. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology.

463121-1 463105-1

SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES FOR OVER 75 YEARS

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YourObserver.com

Headed on a trip? Snap a photo of you on vacation holding your Observer, then submit your photo at YourObserver.com/ ItsReadEverywhere for a chance to win.

FRIDAY, MAY 29

DIVERSITY: THE VOICES OF SARASOTA PRIDE MONTH KICK-OFF CONCERT 7-8 p.m. at First Congregational UCC, 1031 S. Euclid Ave. Free. The Diversity: The Voices of Sarasota choir presents this free Pride Month kickoff concert at First Congregational UCC Sarasota, featuring songs centered on hope and inclusion. Donations will be accepted at the door.

Visit DiversitySarasota.org.

FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT AT THE BAY: ‘E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL’ 7:30-9:30 p.m. at The Oval, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts. Free. Enjoy an outdoor screening of this classic (PG) about a boy who befriends an alien looking to return to his home planet. Registration requested. Visit TheBaySarasota.org.

SATURDAY, MAY 30

ARTSELF: NO RULES ART JOURNALING 2:30-4 p.m. at Bayfront Community Center, 803 N. Tamiami Trail. Free.

In this workshop by Kat Sjogren, explore multimedia art, working with materials including vintage papers, and engage in creative expression.

Registration requested. Visit TheBaySarasota.org.

MONDAY, JUNE 1

YOUTH LAB: HERO CAPES 3-4:30 p.m. at Selby Library, 1331 First St. Free. Recommended for ages 5-9. Use fabric markers to create a design on a child-sized fabric cape. Registration required. Visit SCGovLibrary.LibraryMarket.com.

TUESDAY, JUNE 2

FAR-FLUNG READING: Mikael and Karen Hansen pose with a copy of the Sarasota Observer at Selinda Camp in Botswana, Africa.

VISUAL STORYTELLING WITH DEAN: ILLUSTRATION AND COMICS 1-3 p.m. at Selby Library, 1331 First St. Free. For ages 16 and up. Learn how to illustrate your own comics.

After each class, students will leave with a comic strip made with a story and characters of their own design.

Students will create and discuss alongside their tablemates. At the end of each class and take the time to read other students’ work. Registration required. Visit SCGovLibrary.

LibraryMarket.com.

Courtesy image

BEST BET

SUNDAY, MAY 31

SUNDAYS AT THE BAY FEATURING TASA + ROB 6-7 p.m. at The Oval, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts. Free. This concert series features a different local performer each week. This week’s featured artist is Tasa + Rob, who perform unique renditions of cover tunes from a wide range of genres, using voice, guitar, violin and Cajun. Registration requested. Visit TheBaySarasota.org.

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YOUR CALENDAR

IT’S READ EVERYWHERE

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

ARTS & CRAFTS: BEACH TIME IN A JAR 2-4 p.m. at Gulf Gate Library, 7112 Curtiss Ave. Free. Make an oasis for your desk or shelf. Materials provided. Line-up tickets are available at the Reference Desk from 10 a.m. the day of the event. One ticket per person. Visit SCGovLibrary.LibraryMarket.com.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3

UF/IFAS GREEN LIVING CLASS 1:30-2:30 p.m. at Gulf Gate Library, 7112 Curtiss Ave. Free. Learn how to live your life more sustainably.

This class will introduce ideas in the categories of energy, water, waste, transportation and food. Registration required. Visit SCGovLibrary.

LibraryMarket.com.

THURSDAY, JUNE 4

UF/IFAS PLANT A SEED CREATING YOUR EDIBLE GARDEN 2-:30 p.m. at Gulf Gate Library, 7112 Curtiss Ave. Free. Learn how to create your own veggie garden, including what items you need to start, how to find a spot and what veggies you can harvest yourself. Registration required. Visit SCGovLibrary.

LibraryMarket.com.

Anytime.

Anywhere.

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YOUR APP for FREE.

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WEATHER

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

FORECAST THURSDAY, MAY 28

SUNRISE / SUNSET Sunrise Sunset

High: 87 Low: 77 Chance of rain: 49%

FRIDAY, MAY 29 High: 89 Low: 78 Chance of rain: 24%

Thursday, May 28

6:35a

8:18p

Friday, May 29

6:35a

8:19p

Saturday, May 30

6:35a

8:19p

Sunday, May 31

6:35a

8:20p

Monday, June 1

6:34a

8:20p

Tuesday, June 2

6:34a

8:20p

Wednesday, June 3

6:34a

8:21p

MOON PHASES

SATURDAY, MAY 30 High: 86 Low: 79 Chance of rain: 35%

May 31 Full

June 8 Last

June 14 New

June 21 First

RAINFALL

SUNDAY, MAY 31 High: 87 Low: 78 Chance of rain: 24%

Monday, May 18

0.1

Tuesday, May 19

0.18

Wednesday, May 20

0

Thursday, May 21

0.26

Friday, May 22

Manjesh Lingamurthy took this photo of an osprey with a double catch on Siesta Key Beach.

0

Saturday, May 23

0.02

Sunday, May 24

0.05

*Rainfall totals from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport

Submit your photos at YourObserver.com/Contests. All submissions will be entered in the 2026-27 Weather and Nature photo contest. In February 2027, you will vote for your favorite photo, and the submission with the most votes will win a $500 gift card.

YEAR TO DATE: 2026 12.28 in.

2025 7.55 in.

MONTH TO DATE: 2026 5.04 in.

2025 1.68 in.

We have all of your luxury flooring needs carpet | hardwood | tile | stone | pavers | and more

Daily crossword puzzles available at YourObserver.com/crossword

MEGA FREESTYLE 5 by August Miller, edited by Jared Goudsmit Day 104 Merely 105 High-pitched voices 106 “All ___ go!”

49 Gymnast Lee who has won two Olympic gold medals 51 Like sourdough loaves 52 Mural on plaster DOWN 53 Towering sights at 1 Thwart, like an evil plan construction sites 2 Rattle off 56 South American prairies 3 All together 57 Boxing Day mo.

4 Sports org. with Scottie 58 Cheddar breakfast Scheffler and Xander pastries Schauffele 59 “My wish is to reach that 5 Rolls with the punches goal” 6 “A Prayer for ___ Meany” 60 Rock hit with the lyric (John Irving novel) “Where can I find a woman 7 Ravioli or bow ties like that?”

8 Field goal squads 61 “Just watch me!”

9 Rabbit’s relative 62 Raised ___ (resistance 10 Rage symbol) 11 Codes for withdrawing 66 Apt rhyme of “on fleek” cash, briefly 67 Search for 68-Down, say 12 Prom queens’ head68 Easter basket items pieces 71 Tea with tapioca 13 Passover meal “bubbles” 14 Applications 72 “The ___ Trilogy” (Satya15 Wristbone-related jit Ray film series) 16 Outraged “And this is 73 Some reproductive cells what you chose?!”

76 Openly challenge 17 Flat expanses near 77 Part of a BBQ rack ©2026 Universal Uclick volcanoes 79 Like the Zapfino font 33 Serengeti expeditions animated film 55 X’s mark these spots ACROSS 18 Three-pointer 81 Circled square on a 37 Some Palestinians 60 “I could really use a win” 80 City in ancient Egypt or 1 Ketchup bottle’s cap 19 ABC a.m. show calendar 39 Boston NBA player ancient Greece 61 Ideal outcomes 8 Japanese massage 20 “Star Wars” ship shaped 82 Go back on a promise 41 Rite aide 82 Full of strong flavor 62 End of Oktober? technique like the 25th letter 83 Yam or cassava 42 Parts of chairs or relay 84 Takes away in a UFO 63 How much ‘90s music 15 Young male horse 27 Place for garden tools 86 Spelunker races 85 “You wish!” was stored 19 Celebratory send-offs 29 Cook, like peanuts 88 Gains altitude 43 Ruby’s hue 86 “Arrested Development” 64 “Yipes, a mouse!”

21 A ways off 31 Trails behind 90 With 24-Across, Bay 44 Sly chuckle 65 Indigenous Southwest- actor Michael 22 Error message?

33 Draw a line in the ___ Area city ern people 45 Snatch 87 Letters aptly missing 23 Five-star review 34 Smoothie berry 91 Ernie’s best bud 69 Wee 46 ___ bar (place to buy from “s_o_nd_el” 24 See 90-Down 35 Key chain items 92 Speck of dust 70 Dairy farm sound shellfish) 89 ___-El (Superman’s 25 Tempt 36 Use a needle 93 ___ Macbeth 71 “Upright” string instru- father) 47 Numbered lines on 26 Start a TV show and thread 95 Chemistry unit ment maps (Abbr.)

90 Kid’s coin container 28 Six-pt. football feats 38 Zambia’s leader?

96 First-aid sets 92 Toy over a crib 30 Darth Vader’s childhood 48 Note between fa and la 73 Copa Mundial cheer 39 Things viewed through 97 Unreturned serve 49 Grain-storing structure 74 Embrace 94 Soccer great Bukayo nickname telescopes 100 Designer monogram 75 Physics or astronomy 50 Dance halls with mirror 98 Low-pH substance 31 Disinformation spreader 40 Train sound syllable hidden in “ruby slippers” (Abbr.) balls 99 “Ugh, so much judg32 Glass ___ Full (New 43 Rabble-___ (agitator) 101 “Utter hogwash!” ment” 76 ___ Moines Orleans recycling company 52 Enemy 47 Firmly embedded 102 Tomb raider Croft with an optimistic-sound- 53 One of 130 in this puzzle 77 Title for Leo XIV 48 Hungarian’s neighbor 78 Playing, like a role in an 103 Prepared for Election 54 Ctrl+Z function ing name)

celebrity cipher

By Luis Campos Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present.

Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

“XH HWU UQO PG HWU OXC, XMHSQD SK ZUHHUE ... QPZPOC ULUE XKJUO NU SG S RXQHUO X FUYYUDESQP SQ HWU RESHUE’K EPPN.”

OPQXYO DYPLUE

“X SHIOCHT GVIG X SXEHT GVH QDOEXCA POHQ GVH ZDRG, ZDOH GVIC GVH RGIOR ... GVH POHQ QDOEHT DC ISZDRG ISS DB ZJ BXSZR.” RVXOSHJ GHZUSH

“JB’WB HCO NBWB OH JWMOB YBIOBIDBY ONB YTBDMBY NZY IBUBW BIDHCIOBWBS, ZIS MO’Y THYYMGKB MI ONMY KMABOMQB.”

HDBZI UCHIL

Puzzle Three Clue: W equals R

crossword

Puzzle Two Clue: X equals I

457538-1

Sarasota 941.355.8437 | Bradenton 941.748.4679 | Venice 941.493.7441 | manasotaonline.com

Come Shop our Showrooms!

Puzzle Two Clue: E equals R

at MANASOTA FLOORING INC

sudoku

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.

©2026 Andrews McMeel Syndicate

05-28-26

Made for where you live. Here!

THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

RED PAGES INFORMATION & RATES: 941-955-4888

Open House

redpages@yourobserver.com •yourobserver.com/redpages DEADLINES: Classifieds - Tuesday at Noon

stuff

ANTIQUES WANTED

Items Under $200 ADVERTISE YOUR MERCHANDISE with the total value of all items $200 or less in this section for FREE! Limit 1 ad per month,15 words or less. Price must be included next to each item. No commercial advertising.

Ad runs 2 consecutive weeks in 1 Observer.

Call 941-955-4888 Or Email ad to: classified@yourobserver.com (Please provide your name and address) Or Online at: www.yourobserver.com Or mail to: The Observer Group 1970 Main St. - 3rd Floor Sarasota, Fl 34236

WANTED Paintings •B Bronzes •P Sculptures •O Oriental Rugs •S Asian Art •A Antique Furniture •A

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941-400-8811 Merchandise Wanted BUYING GOLD, SILVER W/ CASH. RETIRED INVESTOR Diamonds, Coins, Jewelry, Watches & Pocket Watches.

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Please call Marc: 941-321-0707

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Condos/Apts. for Sale 1BR/1BA CONDO SRQ/Palmer Ranch - 1st floor w/carport.

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Homes for Sale

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Vacation/ WEEKLY MONTHLY Seasonal Rentals WEEKLY MONTHLY SEASONAL RATES WEEKLY MONTHLY SEASONAL RATES Beachfront, Bayfront and In

SEASONAL RATES Beachfront, Bayfront and In Between Beachfront, Bayfront and In Between Houses or Condos Between Houses or Condos Houses or Condos Reservations 941-383-5577 Reservations 941-383-5577 wagnerlbkrentals@gmail.com Reservations 941-383-5577 wagnerlbkrentals@gmail.com Visa/MC wagnerlbkrentals@gmail.com Visa/MC Visa/MC 5360 Gulf of Mexico Dr., Suite 5360 Gulf of Mexico Dr., Suite 101 5360 Gulf of Mexico Suite 101 FL Dr., Longboat Key, 34228 101 Longboat Key, FL 34228 Rental office 9a.m.

- 5p.m.

Longboat Key, FL 34228 Rental office 9a.m.

- 5p.m.

M-F Rental office 9a.m.

- 5p.m.

M-F Ask about our special rates!

M-F Ask about our special Wagner Realty rates!

Ask about our 1939 special Wagner Realty rates!

Since

www.rentalsonlongboat.com

House on Canal with Pool & Dock $1,250,000

Help Wanted Autos Wanted CASH FOR YOUR CAR We come to you!

Ho Ho Buys cars.

941-270-4400.

View our listings online: www.bahiavistafl.com

Wagner Realty Since 1939 www.rentalsonlongboat.com Since 1939 www.rentalsonlongboat.com

WHITE WHICKER Bin, great for toys or other things. Size 35” x 20” x 20” $45 (941)661-3457

941-955-4888

3901 Bahia Vista St., Sarasota

Advertise as low as $17.50 per week!

KITCHEN AIDE Mixer, Black, lightly used. $150 or Best Offer (914)693-6564

FIND BUYERS & SELLERS HERE!

Open House 1st Saturday of the month 10am-2pm

MAINTENANCE/GROUNDS TECHNICIAN The Out-of-Door Academy seeks a qualified individual to join our Facilities team. Apply today for FT or PT opportunities. www.oda.edu About Us/Careers at ODA

YOUR HOME found here.

Find a place where you can visit listings, not just imagine them.

RED PAGES Made for where you live. Here!

Call 941-955-4888 or visit YourObserver.com/redpages

Luxury Sarasota Bay views 4 Bed 5 Bath with Boat Dock $1.76 million Near South bridge to Siesta One level, heated pool, stroll to shops. 3Bed-2.5Bath $1,250,000 Brooke O’Malley CLUB REALTY Call 941-726-2677

FIND IT IN THE RED PAGES 941-955-4888 YourObserver.com/RedPages

Use the RED PAGES to clean out your garage

CALL 941-955-4888

home services

Antiques/ Collectibles

Manufactured Home Community 55+ Active Lifestyle

the town RED! PaintPaint the town RED!

The Sarasota and Siesta Key Observer reserves the right to classify and edit copy, or to reject or cancel an advertisement at any time. Corrections after first insertion only. *All ads are subject to the approval of the Publisher. *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.

real estate

Service Directory - Friday at 3PM • PAYMENT: Cash, Check or Credit Card

Advertise your business or service in the Observer

RED PAGES CALL TODAY 941-955-4888 Advertise your business or service in the Observer

Adult Care Services RED PAGES CAREGIVER, ADVOCATE, CALL TODAY MINISTRY

941-955-4888

If you’re overwhelmed with caring for your elderly parents either in their home or in a facility, the Advocate For Life can help. Please call so we can discuss possibilities in improving the situation.

941-650-1197 YourAdvocateForLife.Com

Auto Transport SHIP YOUR car, truck or SUV anywhere in the United States.

Great rates, fast quotes. Call Hawley Motors: 941-923-3421.

Cleaning BRAZILIAN CLEANING Service

by Maria. Residential. Meticulous Cleaning. Excellent References.

Free Estimates. Reliable. Lic./Ins. 941-400-3342. Instagram: Braziliancleaningsrq

Handyman Services JAMES BOTTORFF EXPERIENCED HANDYMAN SERVICES Call or Text 941-807-0032 Registered in the state of FL. MITCHELL HANDYMAN. Painting, Carpentry, Tile, Pressure Cleaning.

Home Improvements, Repairs.

Small and large! 941-284-8488.

Painting Adult Care Services EXPERIENCED CAREGIVER 40+ YEARS NURSING/ CAREGIVING REASONABLE RATES (NON- AGENCY) FLEXIBLE HOURS. REFERENCES AVAILABLE CALL JODI (941-962-6148)

CARL DATTILO Painting Licensed & insured. Interior/ Exterior painting including drywall repair and retexturing.

Wallpaper installation & removal, pressure washing. Residential & condos.

Honest & reliable.

For Free estimates call CARL 941-448-8468 35+ years experience.

YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

Handyman

Kitchen/Bath Remodeling

C.T. MALLETT

Carpentry • Painting Pressure Washing

HANDYMAN SERVICES

Accepting Credit Cards

941.302.5850

SERVING SIESTA KEY & SARASOTA COUNTY

Lic./ Insured

Give Us a Call - We Can Help

463018

453817

MAKE YOUR

GROUT LOOK LIKE

NEW AGAIN

Call us today!

941.628.8579 www.ezslider.com

Made for where you live. Here!

RED PAGES YourObserver.com/RedPages

DON DI STEFANO (941) 893.8475

463011

DO YOU HAVE LOOSE & HOLLOW TILES?

Serving South Sarasota Only including: Palmer Ranch – Osprey – Nokomis

Dog Sitting (sm/md) Dog Walking (sm/md) Cat sitting & Cat/Kitten Introductions

Home Watch

Pinnacle Home Watch.com Stop Worrying About Your Home While Away Dave and Connie Grundy

CALL PINNACLE TODAY! 941-306-1999

Administering medication 30+ years Exp. & Excellent References

(941) 966-2960

BOOST YOUR BUSINESS Showcase your products or services each week in the Red Pages.

CALL 941-955-4888

This week’s Crossword answers

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers

Puzzle One Solution: “At the end of the day, acting is better ... nobody ever asked me if I wanted a Pellegrino in the writer’s room.”

Donald Glover

Puzzle Two Solution: “I learned that I liked the working crew the most, more than the stars ... The crew worked on almost all of my films.”

Shirley Temple Puzzle Three Solution: “We’re out here to write sentences the species has never encountered, and it’s possible in this lifetime.”

Ocean Vuong

This week’s Sudoku answers

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IN-HOAMTEES ESTIM

Pet Care by Melanie Gates

RED PAGES

FREE

Licensed and Insured | Call Owner Joe Costa (941) 504-4413 | jacosta4650@gmail.com

Pet Services INJECT-AFLOOR SYSTEM

You’re only cheating yourself.

Sliding Glass Door Repairs Sliding Glass Door Deadbolts | Window Repairs

Interior • Exterior • Cabinets • Deck Staining • Epoxy Floors

Home Services

peekers’ place

WINDOWS be a PANE!!

SHINE BRIGHT PAINTING & PRESSURE CLEANING

The Only Thing You Have To Lose ... Is The Pain!!

941-735-3362

PATIO DOORS be a DRAG or your

Painting

www.SarasotaDiscCenter.com DrCifra@SarasotaDiscCenter.com

Learn Computer Basics Phones/Tablet Help Apple & Microsoft Problems Solved On-Site and Off Much More! Call Today!

DON’T let your

Licensed and insured #IMT708

Midtown Medical Park 1215 S. East Ave. Suite 210 Sarasota, FL 34239

Pegatronics Computer Instruction and Repair It’s Easier Than You Think!

Doors

make your moving day a pleasure.

DR. DAVID CIFRA, DC

6968 Beneva Road

Pegatronics.com

For $149 per hour you get:

A truck, 2 men with equipment, experience and a great attitude to

Board Certified in the specialty of non-surgical spinal decompression

DON’T THROW YOUR COMPUTER OUT THE WINDOW – CALL LORITECH!

941-929-9095

Wizard Moving SRQ

Recognized Among the Best Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Physicians in America

New & Refurbished Computers Servicing PC & MAC on Site or In Shop Virus and Spyware Removal- Free Software We Make Windows 10 User-Friendly!

(Next to Beneva Flowers)

Movers

FREE CONSULTATION 941.358.2224

COMPUTER REPAIR SALES & SERVICE

462824

Rich Briandi | 941-356-5616

462550

462546

Shell Work & Landscape Stone Driveways | Yards | Dirt Work | Light Demo

Do You Have Neck or Low Back Pain?

Do You Want To Avoid Surgery?

Computer

462820

462557

GET YOUR LIFE BACK!

5-Star Rated

DAVID -(941) 228-6479- INSTALLED

462560

WE COME TO YOU

Hardware Repair Virus / Malware Cleanup Software & Printer Install New Computer Setups New Purchase Consults Seniors & Beginners

462872

Health

BRICK PAVERS, PATIO, DRIVEWAY WASHED SHELL, LIMESTONE, YARD, DRIVEWAY LARGE + SMALL BOULDERS, SHORELINE REBUILD

463020

FAST • EASY • SAFE

FREE (941) 809-7311 ESTIMATES!

DRGRABBARS.COM

*DRILLING CHARGES MAY APPLY FOR MARBLE, GRANITE OR PORCELAIN. COUPON REQUIRED.

ROCK & SHELL LANDSCAPING

Home RepaiR SeRvice • No JoB Too SmaLL • ScReeN RepaiRS • paiNTiNG/DRY WaLL • TiLe RepaiRS • & mUcH moRe!

24/7 SERVICE

LIFETIME GUARANTEE • LICENSED • BONDED • INSURED COVERAGEAREA: AREA:LAKEWOOD PARRISH TO NORTHPORT COVERAGE RANCH TO S. VENICE

Landscaping & Lawn

STEVE PANEBIANCO

SELL YOUR CAR! HoHoBuysCars.com

INCLUDES22MOEN MOEN STAINLESS INCLUDES STAINLESS STEEL STEELANTI ANTISLIP SLIP CONCEALED PEEN CONCEALED SCREW SCREW GRAB GRAB BARS (16”BARS & 24”)(16” & 24”)

CALL 941-955-4888 YourObserver.com/RedPages

©2026 NEA, Inc.

Auto Service

941.270.4400

249 235

* $ $235

$

941.966.0333

462549

462819

Owner /Insured Operator Insured

COMPLETE INSTALLATION PACKAGE

364556 463061

INTERIOR RENOVATIONS • DRYWALL • PAINT • TRIM • DOORS 941.650.9790 • TILE • FLOORING • SHOWER 941.650.9790 YoderAluminum.com TEXT OR CALL 574-354-7772 YoderAluminum.com

Dustin Owner Yoder/ Operator

GRAB BARS GRAB BARS

KEENS HANDYMAN SERVICES

“Specializing inin6” Gutters” “Specializing 6” Seamless Seamless Gutters” Dustin Yoder

CALL BEFOREYOU YOU FALL CALL BEFORE FALL

462600

Aluminum

462554

16B

YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

Rescreening & Repairs

Screening

Eldridge Re-Screen

SCREEN MACHINE

Serving Longboat Key Since 2005

RE-SCREENING

941-879-3136

• Pet Screen • 20/20 No-See-Um Screening • We Paint Pool Cages

GROW YOUR BUSINESS Formerly known as Sunrise Windows

Call to reserve your ad space: 941-955-4888

UP TO

Transportation

BLACK LABEL CAR SERVICE “Luxury for Less”

Kenneth Fuhlman Inc.

INCLUDING SCREENS, TRACKS, MIRRORS & FANS

941 - 248 - 4734 463014

• Aluminum, Vinyl, & Wood Soffit and Fascia • Metal & Shingle Roofing • Pool Cage, Pan Roofs & Lania Fabrication • Aluminum Welding & Fabrication

All Florida Airports, Concerts & Dinners - Hourly Cruise Ships & Medical | See Specials at: www.blacklabelcarservice.com

SPECIAL 00 5

Trees

$

941-626-3194 kennethfuhlmaninc.com

462551

CREATE BUZZ!

Advertise your business in the Red Pages. Call 941-955-4888

Screening

Trees

Pool Enclosure Specialists

Tree Removal Tree Trimming Lawn Maintenance and More!

20 years local experience Licensed & Insured

Established in 1989 Serving Our Area for Over 35 Years • Pool Enclosures • Front Entry Screens • Lanais • Concrete & Pavers

Call Today: (941) 925-3200 info@bishopsaluminum.com 463017

www.sunsetwindowcleaningsrq.com

PURIFIED WATER WINDOW CLEANING AVAIL ABLE!!

463012

Licensed & Insured CCC - 058059 CBC - 1253936

senior citizen discount.

FREE ESTIMATES, CALL TODAY!

(941) 544.5663 | luislopezlanwservice@gmail.com

TREASURES

found here.

Looking for something? Your lucky discovery is closer than you think.

RED PAGES Made for where you live. Here!

Call 941-955-4888 or visit YourObserver.com/redpages

Call Tibor for FREE ESTIMATES 941- 284 - 5880

463015

Building & Roofing Contractor

160

25 $

STANDARD WINDOWS

Window Cleaning

WINDOW CLEANING, PRESSURE WASHING, & GUTTERS CLEANING! CALL JUAN & CINDY LICENSED & INSURED 239-203-5913 l 407-902-7845 jccpcleaning@aol.com | jccpwindowcleaning.net

462795

463062

WITH THE RED PAGES

Roofing

SCC131150987

Res. | Com. | Lic. | Ins.

462822

Screen Repair | Per Panel Pricing Building | Under Truss | Lanais | Entryways Prompt Estimates (usually no visit necessary)

“No Job Too Small” Insured

941-270-1561

Windows

410036

Licensed

17B

YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

Congratulations to the Class of 2026

423 79 10

COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES

G R A D U AT E S

$11.4M 11,367

R E C R U I T E D AT H L E T E S

TOTAL SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

SERVICE HOURS

462790-1

18B

941-349-3223 • oda.edu Schedule your tour today and discover ODA. Historic Siesta Key Campus Pre-K - Grade 5 | Lower School Campus on Clark Road Pre-K - Grade 3 | Uihlein Campus in Lakewood Ranch Grades 6 - 12