Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer 6.11.26

SARASOTA/SIESTA KEY

Observer

Hangin’ with Spider-Man. PAGE 15

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026

VOLUME 22, NO. 44

YOUR TOWN

Decoding the tax proposal A primer on what the possible property tax change means for you, see PAGE 4.

With an ad valorem overhaul on the ballot, on PAGE 5, city dives into possibilities.

Ian Swaby

The show must go on, one night only The Queen of the Night blooms once a year, and a forecast of gusty weather on June 3 wasn’t going to stop it or its fans.

So, a crowd at Marie Selby Botantical Gardens gathered with lawn chairs to watch buds of the plant open. A cactus genus whose scientific name is Selenicereus, the plant is native to Central America, the Caribbean and northern portions of South America.

Mike McLaughlin, Selby Gardens’ director of horticulture, said the plant was unfazed by the weather and called the turnout “fantastic.”

“People are completely undeterred by threat of rain, and it thrills us, of course, because these are people that just come to watch a plant do what it normally does,” he said. “Just pure fascination with nature.”

Ian Swaby

Amy Snider and Julie Waters bring some ribbon energy to the dance floor at the Senior Friendship Centers.

Courtesy image

A formula for learning Access to science materials is limited by cost, storage, and time, according to Suncoast Science Center/Faulhaber Fab Lab. That’s why the organization created the Science Lending Library, which provides free STEM kits to schools and homeschool families.

The program is now set to expand thanks to a $450,000 grant from the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation.

“This is a powerful investment in our students and our schools,” said Ping Faulhaber, executive director of the Fab Lab. “We’re expanding access to hands-on learning while empowering students to take an active role in their education by creating resources that will be used by their peers.”

A new color of the rainbow

Silver Pride draws nearly 1,000 people. SEE PAGE 16

A+E

Plastic makes a round trip

$0.10

Courtesy image

Much of the plastic recycled in Sarasota and Manatee counties heads to Georgia carpet mills.

That plastic bottle in the bin likely will return someday as carpet or some other kind of commercial product. SEE PAGE 3

The world comes to Venice theater.

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YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026

WEEK OF JUNE 11, 2026

“When I look at the pending referendum language, nowhere do you see those two words — ‘park’ and ‘recreation’. How is that possible?”

Two illegal gambling sites raided by SCSO Authorities in Sarasota and Manatee counties recently seized 334 slot machines and nearly $200,000 in cash from businesses they allege were running illegal gambling sites.

The raids were carried out in May through a collaboration between local law enforcement and the Florida Gaming Control Commission.

In Sarasota County, the Sheriff’s Office and FGCC raided two locations on May 27: Bingo Palace at 2029 S. Tamiami Trail in Venice, where 39 slot machines were found; and a casino at 4235 Clark Road, where 30 slot machines were located. Deputies recovered $62,376 in cash from the devices, according to a statement.

Sarasota City Manager Karie Frilng. Read more on page 5

BY THE NUMBERS $5.5 MILLION

Estimated annual lost revenue to the city of Sarasota if property tax reform referendum is approved.

PAGE 5

150 FEET

The height of the flagpole at Sarasota Ford, which has won approval to relocate.

PAGE 6

Patterson Foundation boosts disaster fund

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Athletes from Sarasota Crew competing this week in the USRowing Youth National Championships at Nathan Benderson Park.

PAGE 20

CALENDAR n Sarasota County Commission budget workshop — 9 a.m., Tuesday, June 16, South County Administration Building, 4000 S, Tamiami Trail, Venice. n Sarasota County School Board regular meeting — 10 a.m., Tuesday, June 16, North Port City Hall, 4970 City Hall Blvd., North Port. n Sarasota County Commission budget workshop — 9 a.m., Wednesday, June 17, South County Administration Building, 4000 S, Tamiami Trail, Venice.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Gamma Photography

The Crystal Waters estate on Siesta Key covers nearly 3 acres along Little Sarasota Bay.

Siesta estate relisted for nearly $30M

A

nearly 3-acre waterfront Siesta Key estate has returned to the market at a new, lower price. Located at 8501 Midnight Pass Road, Crystal Waters is offered at $29,995,000.

The home was first listed in February 2025 at $31.5 million.

Designed by the Florida firm Stofft Cooney Architects, the main residence covers 10,267 square feet of living space with 217 feet of direct frontage on Little Sarasota Bay. The Palm Beach-inspired residence, custom built by

Chris Jorgensen of Florida West Builders, includes five bedrooms, six full baths and two half-baths.

The main house is complemented by a guest house, expansive garages, a tennis court and private tennis pavilion, a 56-foot vanishing-edge saltwater pool that appears to merge with the bay beyond, and a 90-foot dock with deep-water access and a 20,000-pound boat lift.

The property is listed by Kim Ogilvie and Lynn Morris of the Kim Ogilvie Group at Michael

Saunders & Company.

Outdoor living extends across tropical gardens, waterfront seating, covered entertainment spaces, recreational amenities and resort-inspired gathering areas, as described in the release.

The separate Old Floridastyle guest house has 1,605 square feet of living space in a 1-bedroom, 1.5-bath layout providing privacy for both owners and guests.

There is also a separate beach access lot directly across Midnight Pass Road.

The Patterson Foundation has committed $500,000 to the Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s Suncoast Disaster Recovery Fund.

The funding will support longterm storm recovery and resilience efforts in Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Established in 2022, the fund identifies needs after initial emergency response and short-term relief efforts have concluded.

In addition to recovery, the fund helps cover costs of mental and behavioral health, legal services, case management, children and youth services, and long-term recovery efforts to repair and rebuild homes.

CORRECTION

In last week’s edition, a word was omitted from a quote by Natalie Gutwein about the new Siesta Key Beautification Task Force.

It should have read: “We’re not just looking to do things to improve the Vlllage.”

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W HAT ’S HAPPENING

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YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE Recycling plastic packaging can extend the material’s useful life from five minutes to 10 years or more.

A truckload of recyclables dumps a load onto the tipping room floor of Circular Services’ materials recovery facility in Sarasota. Both Manatee and Sarasota counties contract with Circular Services to process their curbside recyclables.

S.T. CARDINAL STAFF WRITER

A

common refrain by those who don’t recycle is: “It all just ends up in the landfill, anyway.”

That’s often true, but the journey of a plastic

water bottle, for example, can be a lot more complicated than going from shelf to recycling bin to landfill. A bottle can live a whole new life as a different product, extending the material’s useful life from five minutes to 10 years or more. Your feet could be resting against

Plastic bottles have been separated from other recyclables as they travel along a conveyor line at the Circular Services materials recovery facility in Sarasota.

a plastic bottle right now, or you could be wearing one.

Plastic bottles are made of polyurethane (or PET), a popular plastic with a wide range of uses.

According to the National Association of PET Container Resources, nearly 2 billion pounds’ worth of plastic bottles are collected each year in America for recycling.

In Sarasota and Manatee counties, PET is mixed with various other recyclable materials and placed into recycling bins that are pulled out to the curb next to the garbage bins.

That’s the beginning of an elaborate operation to extend the life of “single-use” plastics, cardboard and other materials.

But we wanted to know: What happens to a plastic bottle thrown in a recycling bin in Sarasota?

SORTING IT OUT

Recycling has changed since the widespread adoption of the practice that occurred alongside rising environmental awareness in the 1960s.

Now, AI-powered “optical sorters” are used to separate recyclables rather than leaving the sorting to consumers who would place recyclables into separate bins.

Locally, the company Circular Services is contracted to process and sell curbside recyclables picked up by both Sarasota and Manatee counties. Doing so diverts tons of recyclable materials away from local landfills, extending the lifespan of the facilities, which are costly to cap and maintain once they are at capacity.

The elaborate separation of recyclables in Sarasota and Manatee starts at the tipping room floor of Circular Services’ materials recovery facility off Myrtle Street and North Orange Avenue in Sarasota.

Circular Services Operations Manager Andrea McCauley compares the facility to the Mouse Trap

At the end of a day’s work at the MRF, Circular Services has converted the thousands of pounds of recyclables into bales of separated materials. The products are put out to bid and purchased by manufacturers.

board game.

“There’s so many different levels and things it all has to go through,” McCauley said.

Truckloads of recyclables are dumped onto the facility floor that resembles a warehouse and then are pushed onto a conveyor belt. Workers (the facility has 70 employees) stand on the conveyor line looking for “contaminants” like plastic bags that could damage mechanical sorting equipment, batteries that can cause fires and other nonrecyclables that make their way to the facility.

The conveyor belts travel quickly in places, which help to automatically separate materials, with heavier objects like HDPE being catapulted past a tube below where lighter products fall.

“Basically, we’re relying on force and gravity,” said Circular Services Facility Manager Chris Massey.

“We’ve got spinning wheels that essentially move fiber one way and they let containers go another way, they let them drop down.”

There’s mechanical separation, separation by employees and then there are the optical sorters, which McCauley compares to a grocery store product scanner. The AIequipped camera measures the heat signature of items and, as they reach the end of the conveyor belt, a burst of air catapults them into a separate chute.

BALE BUYER

At the end of a day’s work at the MRF, Circular Services has converted the thousands of pounds of recyclables into bales of separated materials. The products are put out to bid and purchased by manufacturers.

Circular Services would not disclose the companies who purchase PET or other materials, but McCauley said “we are business partners with all the main players” and that a vast majority of its product stays in America.

In northwest Georgia, Mohawk Industries could be considered a main player when comparing manufacturers that use recycled PET. The flooring manufacturer purchases around 6 billion plastic bottles per year, according to Mohawk Senior Director of Sustainability Jonathan North.

Once a truckload of PET bales arrives at Mohawk’s Summerville, Georgia manufacturing facility, the bottles are put through what is essentially an industrial sized tumble dryer. This breaks apart the bales back to individual bottles. Any remaining non-PET contaminants are removed in another round of decontamination. That process is a financial lift for the company, North said.

“We’ve invested a tremendous amount of money in that facility in equipment to sort and separate, to remove any contamination, to wash those materials, to flake them, to do all the sorting and separating to get to the purity of material that we need,” North said. “That is a very capitally intensive business.”

Photos by S.T. Cardinal

After processing, the bottles are chopped up, melted down and formed into pellets, which are then melted down and spun into carpet fibers for residential uses.

“The bit that you, as a consumer, interact with, the bit you sit and stand on, is primarily PET fiber,” North said. “And then we use a little bit of it in certain commercial applications, (such) as the cushion on the back of those commercial flooring products.”

According to Mohawk, it takes about 63 plastic bottles to produce one square yard of carpeting.

Mohawk makes a wide range of flooring products with different materials. Nylon is the typical product used in commercial applications because it’s more durable than PET. The company also purchases “virgin PET,” produced using oil, which has a volatile price.

“The price of recycled PET and the price of virgin material is volatile, and those numbers change on a weekly basis,” North said. “We’ve been very steadfast in our commitment to and our use of recycled content.”

The flooring company is also looking at how to expand its environmentally conscience efforts by researching ways to extend the life of the product it sells, explains Mohawk Sustainability Manager Preston Poag. The idea is to collect carpet the company has produced years after it has been installed to reuse it once more, extending the life of the carpet that was produced using a plastic bottle even further.

“What we’re working to do is eventually close the loop,” Poag said.

“Eventually we’re looking at how can we bring material at end of life, bring it back to our manufacturing facilities, process material and make new material out of it.”

Doing so is a large ask, and the process isn’t feasible yet.

“We’ve got to shred it and apply technologies to extract, ideally, the nylon and the PET and all the components that have gone into making the carpet so that we can extract as much value for that material and feed it back into the process again,” North said. “That is an emerging area. It’s an emerging opportunity, and one that we are intensifying our efforts in.”

THE COST OF SORTING THROUGH TRASH What locals dispose of in their recycling bins are useless to them and valuable to the company that processes them. And for county governments, keeping product out of the landfill to extend its lifespan also holds value.

Both Manatee County and Sarasota County pay Circular Services to accept and process recyclables that are picked up curbside.

Manatee County’s contract with Circular Services is billed monthly and varies based upon the market price of recyclables.

According to a 2025 contract agreement with Manatee County, market prices in January 2025 were 19 cents per pound for PET, 88 cents per pound for uncolored HDPE (high density polyurethane) and 17 cents per pound for polypropylene.

Manatee County pays a $100 per ton processing fee to Circular Services.

If the recyclables sold by Circular Services exceed the value of $100 per ton, the county and Circular Services have a revenue sharing agreement, with 95% of revenue excess of the $100 per ton paid back to the county.

Sarasota County’s agreement with Circular Services is more straightforward.

Sarasota County paid Circular Service $18 million to enter into a seven-year contract that expires this October but can be renewed in four two-year increments if both parties agree.

Plastics are separated and baled at the Circular Services materials recovery facility. Polyurethane can be seen to the left, with uncolored and colored high-density polyethylene to the middle and right.

The recovered plastic is sold by the truckload to manufacturers who repurpose the plastic into a new product.

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YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026

Property tax overhaul: What you should know

HOW THE REFORM WOULD CHANGE TAX BILLS

Here are the basics of what Florida voters will be deciding in November and what it might mean for property owners.

HOMESTEAD HOME #1

ERIC GARWOOD DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR

W

hile the reports of property taxes’ demise in Florida were greatly exaggerated this month in headlines and instant-news stories, the deeper details of what the state Legislature approved in special session June 2 are far more nuanced than a click-grabbing headline.

First off, it’s not a done deal.

To be enacted, the proposed taxsystem overhaul put forth two weeks ago requires 60% approval in the November election. Initially, that bar doesn’t appear insurmountable, based on polling data.

A query by Stetson University shows 77% of respondents would “definitely” or “probably” vote yes.

A similar poll by the James Madison Institute found 77% in favor, and 54% said they pay more in property taxes now than they did five years ago.

Here’s a deeper dive into what you’re going to see on the ballot this fall.

HOW IT WORKS NOW Florida’s ad valorem system of assessing and collecting property taxes has several mechanisms to reduce tax burden.

HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION

Within the first year of ownership, Florida residents may apply for a homestead exemption on their primary residences by March 1 of each year if they lived in the home on Jan. 1 of the same year. Once in force, the first $25,000 of this exemption applies to all taxing authorities. The second $25,000 excludes School Board taxes. And since Jan. 1, 2025, the annual exemptions are indexed for inflation, amounting to $51,411 for the 2026 tax year.

SAVE OUR HOMES

Florida’s Save of Homes provisions are designed to insulate taxpayers from sharp rises in assessed values, allowing for no more than a 3% yearto-year increase for homesteaded properties. But, if that owner sells, the baseline taxable value resets to current levels for the new owner and then is subject to the 3% ceiling once again.

Nonhomesteaded properties, such as second homes owned by residents of other states, can gain a maximum 10% annually in assessed value and routinely do during times of increasing property values.

In Manatee County, about 47% of residential and real property is homesteaded. In Sarasota County, it’s about 45%.

IF IT PASSES The constitutional amendment would build toward a so-called super homestead exemption, totaling $250,000 for bona fide residents of the state before Dec. 31, 2026 — though still not applying to school districts. There, only the original $25,000 exemption still applies. n Beginning on Jan. 1, 2027, homesteaded owners would be entitled to a $150,000 exemption from taxable assessed value, three times the current value. n That exemption increases to $250,000 on Jan. 1, 2028 and would adjust annually to the Consumer Price Index. n People who move to Florida after Jan. 1, 2027 would have a $50,000 exemption for their first five years before qualifying for the super exemption. n Nonhomesteaded properties would see a 5% cap on assessed taxable values.

Local governments would be restricted to funding only specific segments of spending with money derived from property taxes. They are: n Public safety, including law enforcement, fire service, and emergency medical service n Education and public schools (additional funds beyond opera-

tional expenses covered by school board taxes) n Road and bridge construction and maintenance, stormwater control, and other infrastructure projects n Natural resource projects, including flood control measures n Retirement benefits of local government employees n Bond obligations n Operations and administration of county officers and commissioners and municipalities Once a part of the plan, a state trust fund to help small, rural counties offset the losses of property tax revenue was removed before the final vote by the Legislature.

POTENTIAL SIDE EFFECTS HIGHER PROPERTY TAX RATES?

Florida municipalities are restricted by law in raising tax rates above 10 mills ($10 per assessed $1,000 of assessed value), not to mention public sentiment on election day. Manatee County currently totals 7.856 mills in aggregate. Sarasota County levies an aggregate millage of 5.3787.

HIGHER SALES TAXES?

A study undertaken by the Tax Foundation found that complete property tax elimination would require an average combined state-local sales tax rate of 15.34% to break even, more than double what residents pay in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

And that would require unlikely state approval and voter approval locally.

TOTAL ELIMINATION?

Though more work remains and nothing yet has been proposed, part of the amendment makes it possible for counties, municipalities and school districts to provide additional forms of tax relief, up to full elimination of taxes by voter approval.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

In some cases, part-time residents of Florida could shift residency to the Sunshine State to qualify for the exemption. In those cases, a Declaration of Domicile would have to be filed with the county clerk, proving rescinded residency elsewhere.

Like with most issues involving taxes, no two situations are identical.

Here are four property scenarios and what effect tax changes might have. In all cases, the data uses the aggregate ad valorem millage (5.3787) for an unincorporated Sarasota County property, keeping assessed values steady.

CURRENT TAX BILL 2026 Market value: $1.1 million. Purchased in 2021 for $650,000 2022 Assessed: $699,200 2025 Assessed: $773,800 2025 Tax Bill: $8,424 ($3,860 county / $4,564 schools) 2022 Tax Bill: $7,744 ($3,515 county / $4,229 schools) Average annual percentage increase: 2.2%

TAX BILL UNDER PROPOSED REFORM IN FIRST YEAR (2027) Assessed value: $773,800 $150,000 homestead exemption applied Tax Bill: $7,919 ($3,355 county / $4,564 schools) Annual savings: $505 TAX BILL UNDER PROPOSED REFORM IN SECOND YEAR (2028) Assessed value: $773,800 $250,000 homestead exemption applied Tax bill: $7,381 ($2,817 county / $4,564 schools) Annual savings: $1,042

HOMESTEAD HOME #2 CURRENT TAX BILL 2026 Market Value: $700,000 Purchased in 2013 for $340,000 2015 Assessed: $214,099 2025 Assessed: $267,123 2025 Tax Bill: $2,639 ($1,163 county / $1,476 schools) 2015 Tax Bill: $2,369 ($1,009 county / $1,468 schools) Average annual percentage increase: 1.14%

TAX BILL UNDER PROPOSED REFORM IN FIRST YEAR (2027) Assessed value: $267,123 $150,000 homestead exemption applied Tax Bill: $2,105 ($629 county / $1,476 schools) Annual savings: $534 TAX BILL UNDER PROPOSED REFORM IN SECOND YEAR (2028) Assessed value: $267,123 $250,000 homestead exemption applied Tax bill: $1,568 ($92 county / $1,476 schools) Annual savings: $1,071

NONHOMESTEADED PROPERTIES RENTERS As the resident of a leased space, this measure doesn’t directly benefit you. But your landlord does pay property tax, and in all likelihood, the owner of your apartment, house or condo isn’t entitled to a homestead exemption. So, the benefit you gain is indirect: Your landlord’s property now can’t increase in taxable assessed value more than 5% a year vs.

10% previously. Will you get a break on rent? Maybe.

NONHOMESTEADED PROPERTY

Your condo has a market value of $2.6 million. It was assessed in 2025 at $1.026 million, rising from $933,570 the year before, nearly hitting the 10% cap. In 2023, you did hit the 10% cap, and the same happened in 2022. Had the 5% cap been in place since 2022, the 2025 assessment would be $937,642 — $88,358 less. Your tax savings would be about $478 ($5,496 vs. $5,018).

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PUBLIC NOTICES Sarasota/Siesta Key, East County and Longboat Observers meet the legal requirements to Call toyour schedule free pick up. l to schedule Call to schedule freeCall pick toyour up. schedule free pick your free pickTheup.

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026

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City eyes cuts ahead of potential voter approval of tax change Should voters approve the property tax reform, the city of Sarasota projects losing at least $5.5 million in revenue.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

O

ver the past week, city of Sarasota senior staff members have huddled to plan for a budgetary “what if” … a scenario in which millions of property tax dollars the city allocates to fund multiple departments and functions are lost to a statewide property tax overhaul.

Even as budgeting was well underway for fiscal year 2027, Financial Administration personnel, interim Deputy City Manager Jennifer Jorgensen and new City Manager Karie Friling — at the time with just a few days on the job — have pivoted to grapple with the prospect that a statewide referendum to dramatically increase Florida’s homestead exemption for resident homeowners garners 60% of the vote needed for approval.

The constitutional amendment would increase the homestead exemption from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027, and increase it to

$250,000 in 2028. City staff estimates the increased exemptions would reduce city property tax revenues by approximately $5.5 million in fiscal year 2029, the exemption adjusted for inflation each year thereafter. That’s about 9.5% of the funding property taxes contribute to the general fund.

That doesn’t include uncertainties resulting from other measures in the referendum that may impact the city’s budget.

Staff are currently working on the fiscal year 2027 budget. If the referendum is approved in November, the first-year impact of some $3 million will be felt in FY 2028.

Friling said the state Legislature’s approval of placing the tax referendum on the November ballot prompted a shift from her initial priorities in her first week behind the city manager’s desk.

“I have immediately pivoted, and my top priority is right now is how we’re going to deal with this,” Friling said on Tuesday. “My focus has shifted away from long-term plan-

The waterfront at Whitaker Gateway Park has been closed since the 2024 hurricanes. The property tax reform referendum may prohibit spending on public parks if approved by Florida voters.

Karie Friling discusses her first week on the job as Sarasota City Manager, and how the state property tax referendum has shifted her initial priorities.

Photos by Andrew Warfield

ning projects — whether its community development or economic development focused — to what are we going to do because we’ll have a significant impact to our budget if this is approved in November.

“Now we’re really going through what does this mean, reading the language, talking to our attorneys, talking to our lobbyists who are in the room at the time, and trying to get to what our playbook is going to be as we move forward.”

For now it remains speculative, but Liz Alpert, the longest-tenured city commissioner and two-time mayor, said planning for the impact of referendum approval is paramount.

“I think what we’re going to do is prepare as if it passes so that we’re hopefully as ready for that as we possibly can be,” Alpert said. That includes the possibility that the general fund hit could put a stop on projects as the city eyes the possibility, perhaps likelihood, that tens of millions spent on 2024 hurricane recovery are not reimbursed by FEMA. Such projects include planned non-enterprise expenditures such as funding for The Bay park, a clubhouse at Bobby Jones Golf Club, Sarasota Performing Arts Center and more.

“It’s going to be a real problem,”

Alpert said. “We just may not be able to do some of the things. They may have to either wait or never get done.”

Most of the city’s operate budget, though, is tied up in personnel.

In the current fiscal year, personnel and all related costs such as benefits and pension are 71% of the total operating budget, with 52.6% dedicated to the Sarasota Police Department. And, Alpert said, the city is not overstaffed.

Not only does the referendum amendment increase the homestead exemption, it also limits where the property tax revenue may be spent.

That list does not, for example, specifically include parks and recreation.

“We’re looking at getting an opinion from our city attorney about whether we can spend money on parks at all based on the limitations that they put in the bill,” Alpert said.

“If it can’t be spent on parks, that’s going to be a huge issue. Everything is on the table for cutting.”

Friling, an environmental enthusiast who has spent the last five years overseeing the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, Illinois, shares Alpert’s concerns.

“When I look at the pending referendum language, nowhere do you

WHERE CUTS MAY BE MADE Departments funded partially or fully by property tax revenues: ■ City Attorney Office ■ City Auditor and Clerk Office ■ City Commission ■ City Manager’s Office ■ Code Compliance ■ Engineering ■ Development Services ■ Economic Development ■ Facilities Management ■ Financial Administration ■ Homelessness Response ■ Human Resources ■ Office of Public Information ■ Non-parks Maintenance ■ Parks and Recreation ■ Planning Department ■ Police Department ■ Special Events ■ Streets and Highways

see those two words — park and recreation,” she said. “How is that possible?”

The general fund for the current fiscal year is $108.3 million.

Of that, the property tax revenue is $57.3 million, or just less than 53%.

At a potential $3.18 million revenue reduction resulting from the firstyear $150,000 exemption, that’s 3% of the general fund.

And don’t look to non-residential properties to make up the difference.

The amendment provides additional tax savings for non-residential property. Currently, the cap on annual assessment increase for a non-residential property is limited to 10%.

The amendment limits the increases on commercial, apartment complexes and other non-homestead properties to 5% beginning Jan. 1, 2027.

That leaves the annual millage rate as the only source to make up lost revenue, which is short of politically expedient for those who wish to remain in office during the succeeding election cycle.

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026

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t isn’t often a city Board of Adjustment meeting draws a crowd. Even more rare is a standing ovation.

But it’s also not every day the board has before it a request to relocate 150-foot flag pole that supports an 1,800-square-foot American flag.

With no discussion last week, the adjustments were approved unanimously.

Since the 1970s, the flag has flown above Sarasota Ford at the intersection of U.S. highways 301 and 41.

Dealership owner Matt Buchanan told the board the pole was failing and the flag has been removed, but he wants to relocate the pole to the northwest corner of the property.

That move, though, runs afoul of the zoning code, which restricts the height of accessory structures in the Commercial Intensive district to 45 feet. That leaves the total variance request at 105 feet. A second variance was requested to allow the pole to exceed the height of the principal building by 128 feet, 8 inches.

“Growing up here in town, it’s something I’ve always known. It’s a local landmark, but it served its time structurally,” said attorney Steve Rees, who represented the petitioner. “It’s not able to support the flag there anymore, and to move it, we realized the variances were required.”

The Buchanan family acquired the dealership in 1995 when Matt Buchanan was a middle school student.

“Our goal and wish is to restore it to safe standards for the new placement of (a flagpole) and bring back that American flag to downtown,” Buchanan said. “I know the flagpole and the flag sits on our property. In my opinion, it’s not ours. It’s the community of downtown Sarasota’s. It belongs to our veterans and the men and women who’ve fought for our country, and so today we fight for them.”

No one spoke against the variance with two residents speaking in favor,

File photo

FLYING HIGH Specifications for the new Sarasota Ford flagpole.

Material: A-36 carbon steel Expose height: 150 feet Total height: 165 feet Top diameter: 6 inches Total weight: 14,261 pounds Flagged wind load: 115 miles per hour Unflagged wind load: 150 miles per hour Flag dimensions: 30 feet by 60 feet

A giant American flag has flown above Sarasota Ford since the 1970s.

including Melissa Morsli.

“I moved here 17 years ago, and Sarasota is my home now and the flag has always been a great source of pride,” she told the board. “I think it’s a beautiful symbol of unity, no matter what is going on in our city, our country or the world, to look at that big, huge flag every time you drive by just creates such a sense of pride, and I love it.”

After the applause stopped supporters were buzzing as they left the City Hall meeting chamber. As the board paused to allow the din to fade, one member said over a hot mic “How dare we vote against it.” Said others, “Very emotional. It was very nice.” And, “What a great city.”

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YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026

SARASOTA/SIESTA KEY

Liz Chappell, DJ and Maddie Lessig

“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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Inclusion in action

Camp Shriver continues to grow at Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School, now in its third year of creating a place of connection for athletes with intellectual disabilities.

IAN SWABY | STAFF WRITER

W

hen Camp Shriver began at Cardinal Mooney Catho-

lic High School, there were some nerves involved, says volunteer Maddie Lessig.

However, the sports camp for people with intellectual disabilities returned for its third year, kicking off its week of activities with a game of lacrosse on June 8.

Lessig, a rising senior at Cardinal Mooney, has grown up with a sister who has autism.

She was excited to hear all about the camp when Liz Chappell, a teacher who is the club mentor for Special Olympics, came to her with news it was being started by theology teacher and cheerleading coach McKenna Garner with the help of Chappell and other faculty.

She quickly joined in the work to start Sarasota’s first Camp Shriver, which allows athletes with intellectual disabilities to participate in sports activities, through partnerships with student volunteers.

“It all came together, and now we’re here with 20 kids, which, we started with eight kids,” Lessig said.

Isabella DeCarlo, a junior, hugs Emmy, 12.

Photos by Ian Swaby

Aitan, 15, catches a ball in lacrosse.

Lexi, 14, enjoys lunchtime alongside Sarenna Borda, a senior.

BUILDING BONDS

Chappell says the purpose of the camp was to give kids with different abilities an opportunity to connect with their peers, while also giving students at the school the chance to make friends with those of different abilities.

She says the volunteer turnout has come to exceed the demand, with the school having to turn away 25 people this year.

The camp, also held in other locations, is modeled after one started at the home of Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. It is focused on learning through interaction and allowing those with and without intellectual disabilities to work together.

That includes making sure that campers and counselors all wear the same shirts and enjoy the same meals, Chappell notes.

Since the program’s inception, its costs, including meals and supplies, have been covered through Suncoast Charities for Children in partnership with the Sarasota Tarpon Tournament, allowing athletes to attend free of charge.

“We’ve just come such a far way, and obviously the first year was kind of a learning year, what the kids like to do, what they don’t like to do, and then we built where we are now,” Lessig said.

She said some of the changes since its start include limiting outside time to 20 minutes, for attendees can get too hot outside. They’ve started indoor activities that include crafts,

like coloring and bracelet making, as well as indoor games like spike ball.

Another initiative that Lessig has led includes bringing kids back to camp during the year through activities like a Christmas party. She says attendees have continued to show up to these events.

“We just want to make sure there’s a bunch of things throughout the year that they can be included in, because I mean, the summer is one week,” Lessig said.

She says the relationships the counselors form with the attendees become bonds like those they share with siblings, and says that they offer the campers a friendly face to go to.

“It’s truly changed my life and my perspective on everything,” she said.

“It’s heartwarming to know we’re including them. They have a safe place to go, and they feel heard, seen, and everything. We’re all one here.”

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026

Neighborhood coalition’s forum highlights City Commission candidates The five at-large hopefuls for Sarasota City Commission agreed on most policy issues as they made their case at the CCNA forum.

MEET THE CANDIDATES JEN AHEARN-KOCH Ahearn-Koch is a two-term incumbent and former Planning Board member whose parents moved to Sarasota in 1970 where she attended high school before earning degrees at American University in Paris, France and Columbia University in New York City. She returned to Sarasota in 1996 as art director of Asolo Repertory Theatre before starting her own company, JNK Consultants, and entered neighborhood advocacy realm in 2001 in opposition to a development. She was re-elected to her second City Commission term in 2022.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

T

o have a shot at advancing from the Sarasota City Commission at-large primary to the November general election, candidates must first run the gauntlet of the Coalition of City Neighborhoods Association forum.

Held June 6, at the recently renovated Bayfront Community Center, five candidates for the two at-large seats at the dais — Flo Entler, John Harshman, Rob Rominiecki, Jaime Loomis and incumbent Jen AhearnKoch — faced more than 100 CCNA members. In a two-hour panel-style discussion, they addressed matters such as affordable housing, development approval processes, funded park districts, vacation rentals, a new performing arts center and the prime issue of the day — potential property tax reduction — all in an attempt to distinguish themselves from one another.

The candidates had two minutes to answer each question and two more minutes each to make their final pitch at the end of the forum.

As it turned out, they are in general agreement about most key policy issues. They also found nothing to debate as each had access to one rebuttal, which none of them used.

Absent such differentiation, some of the candidates can rely in part on name recognition as the Aug. 18 primary draws near.

Incumbent Ahearn-Koch has nearly a quarter-century of community involvement and elected office exposure as she runs for her

Andrew Warfield

From left, City Commission at-large candidates Jen Ahearn-Koch, Flo Entler, John Harshman, Jaime Loomis and Rob Rominiecki at the CCNA candidate forum.

WATCH THE FORUM

A video presentation of the CCNA candidate forum is available to be viewed on YouTube.

third four-year term in one of two citywide-elected seats. She is joined

by Entler, a long-time Arlington Park neighborhood advocate and leader, and Harshman, a commercial real estate firm owner of more than four decades.

Rominiecki has a familiar last name and deep connections as husband of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens President Jennifer Rominiecki.

He was also a security and safety consultant and former director of security at New York’s Guggenheim Museum.

Meanwhile, newcomer Jaime Loomis, a doctor of physical therapy and clinic owner and certified professional trainer, moved to Sarasota in 2022.

The commission will have at least one new member this fall as oneterm commissioner and current mayor Debbie Trice, as facilitator and CCNA President Kelly Brown said at the onset, “as of right this minute, is not re-running. So these wonderful people right here have decided that they’d like to be a city commissioner, and we’re going to talk with them today.”

City voters will cast ballots for two of the five candidates in the primary.

The three top vote recipients will advance to the general election on Nov. 3, when voters may again select from two of the three finalists.

FLO ENTLER A Long Island, New York native and resident of Sarasota for 37 years, Entler is a longtime advocate and current president of the Arlington Park Neighborhood Association and served as second vice president of the CCNA before resigning to run for office. A frequent public speaker at City Commission meetings, she is a neighborhood activist whose professional experience includes bookkeeping, law office administration, advertising sales and human resources. She owns and operates a small business as a fitness instructor, coach and personal trainer.

JOHN HARSHMAN Owner of Harshman & Company, a commercial real estate firm, the University of South Florida graduate and Dayton, Ohio native has lived in Sarasota for 42 years. He says he hitchhiked to Sarasota with $20 in his pocket and put himself through college.

He has served on a number of not-for-profit boards, including the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, Association of Down-

town Commercial Property Owners, Downtown Sarasota Alliance, Sarasota Community Redevelopment Advisory Board, Sarasota County Environmental Lands Oversight Committee, Sarasota Ballet and more. In his spare time, he said he has taught taekwondo for 25 years to hundreds of Sarasota students and adults, and won a national championship in sparring.

JAIME LOOMIS A doctor of physical therapy and certified professional trainer, Loomis is the lead clinician of Tideline Sports Performance and owner of physical therapy clinic TheraTrain.

Moving to Sarasota in 2022, she has worked and lived in multiple locations across the country from Vero Beach to Waikiki and has been a physical therapist for 14 years. She says the qualities she will bring from her profession to the City Commission include listening with intent, thinking critically under pressure and devising practical solutions to problems.

ROB ROMINIECKI A native of Brooklyn, New York, Rominiecki spent 15 years at the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan where he served as director of security in charge of protection and preservation of the $8 billion art collection and safety training of more than 500 employees. He moved to Sarasota in 2015 with his wife, Jennifer, when she was named president and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. He is self-employed as a consultant for security, safety and museum operations, which enabled him to become a stay-at-home father to their two sons.

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026

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EXPERT FOOT CARE IS JUST A STEP AWAY.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13

BROTHERLY LOVER 6:44 p.m., 2800 block of Dixie Avenue Fight: A pair of sisters were fighting with a third woman near the intersection of Gillespie Avenue and Dr. MLK Jr. Way when officers arrived and managed to separate the combatants.

One of the officers interviewed the third woman while another spoke with the sisters. The third woman reported she was sprayed with mace but wasn’t certain which of the two sisters sprayed her. Other than that she wasn’t interested in cooperating with the officers. Her clothes were slightly ripped, but she otherwise showed no visible evidence of injury.

The sisters, meanwhile, were still acting in an aggressive manner and were yelling at her from across the street. Sister A (her name did begin with the letter A) was also uncooperative. Sister B (her name also began with B) was somewhat cooperative, but according to the incident report, “was still more focused on instigating a fight with” the third woman.

The altercation appeared to stem from a dispute about a relationship between the third woman and a man who is alleged to be the sisters’ brother. Sister B added she was pregnant and requested EMS response to evaluate her.

Based on the mutual combatant nature of the conflict, it was determined that there was no probable cause to make an arrest and no further action was taken.

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HOLY WATER BREAK 10:10 a.m., 1800 block of Gillespie Avenue Property damage: A church member reported an unknown subject had pulled a copper water pipe out of the ground, resulting in water discharging into the street. An officer observed the area where the pipe was located, where it appeared the excavation caused a PVC pipe connected to it to break.

The officer alerted the city utilities department to respond and turn off the water. The area was canvassed in an attempt to locate surveillance cameras that may have captured the incident, but to no avail.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20

PIPING HOT TEMPER 9:50 p.m., 2100 block of Benjamin Franklin Drive Dispute: Diverse tastes in music were at the root of a dispute between two male guests of a Lido Beach resort. An officer was told by one of the verbal combatants the argument began when the other party was in the main courtyard of the resort listening to music when he arrived to serenade the sunset ... on his bagpipes. The bagpipe lullaby, the officer was advised by the front desk clerk, is something the man does nightly for a brief period of time.

That’s when the man listening to an undisclosed genre of music began yelling at the bagpiper for disrupting his own listening pleasure. After the bagpiper returned to his room, the other man knocked on his door and threatened litigation. He closed the door and contacted law enforcement.

Both responding officers spoke with the would-be litigant in his room, which he shared with his wife and granddaughter. According to the incident report, the man appeared to be intoxicated. He told officers he believed the bagpiper was intentionally attempting to annoy him for playing his music too loudly.

Speaking with the piper, officers were informed he was not bothered by the other man’s music and was going to play his bagpipes in another area. He said the man told him about how much he was paying to stay at the resort and his threat to sue was based on the loss of ease of enjoyment of the otherwise serene environment — himself playing amplified music in a common space notwithstanding.

Both men were advised to avoid each other for the remainder of their stay, and no further action was taken.

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10

JUNE 11, 2026

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group of Memphis will be representing Latin culture at AACTWorldFest, which runs from June 15-20 at the Venice Theatre.

An exterior view of Venice Theatre, which has rebuilt its Jervey Theatre and its fly tower following its destruction by Hurricane Ian in 2022.

A world of THEATER Venice Theatre hosts WorldFest, a showcase of productions from around the globe.

MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER A+E EDITOR

S

arasota is a friendly place, but sometimes, a little snobbery creeps in when it comes to our neighbor 18 miles south. Venice is smaller and doesn’t have all of Sarasota’s worldclass cultural institutions.

There is one area, however, where Venice towers over Sarasota — community theater. That’s particularly true when the Venice Theatre hosts the American Association of American Community Theatre’s WorldFest, which it has since 2010, pandemics and hurricanes notwithstanding.

WorldFest runs June 15-20 and includes 11 plays from around the globe as well as parties and workshops.

Asked why Venice Theatre hosts

WorldFest, Venice Theatre Executive Director Kristofer Geddie says, “No one else has the capacity to handle it.”

Of approximately 6,000 community theaters in the U.S., Venice Theatre is recognized as the second largest, as measured by its operating budget. (Omaha Community Playhouse claims first place.) Not to be confused with regional theaters that pay actors, community theaters fill their stages with volunteers who perform for applause and recognition, but not money.

Founded in 1950, Venice Theatre has more than 1,300 volunteers. Not bad for a city of about 30,000.

The last time Venice Theatre rolled out the red carpet for WorldFest was in June 2022. A few months later, Hurricane Ian destroyed Venice Theatre’s mainstage Jervey Theatre and its fly tower. Those who don’t visit Venice often may be surprised to see the tower intact again.

The inside of the 432-seat Jervey Theatre won’t open until 2027, but the outside is a thrilling site, especially if you saw it after Ian ripped through town in September 2022.

After the Jervey was knocked out of commission, the Venice Theatre continued to perform in its black box Pinkerton Theatre, which seats 90, and transformed its education building, the Raymond Center, into a temporary theater with a capacity of 130, while it raised money for construction.

A BIGGER JOB THAN EXPECTED

Monica Gagnier

Alyssa Goudy is coordinator of AACTWorldFest, which takes place June 15-20 at Venice Theatre, where Kristofer Geddie is executive director.

“The language of theater is universal. A lot is communicated through action and emotion.”

— Kristofer Geddie, Venice Theatre executive director

The cost of restoring the Jervey and bringing its systems up to code turned out to be $25 million, which was raised through government grants and private donations, with a few bumps in the road. In May, the Sarasota County Commission allocated the Venice Theatre $2 million to renovate the Raymond Center and return it to its original role as an education center.

Even though the Jervey Theatre isn’t open yet, WorldFest represents a “soft opening” of sorts. The staff and volunteers at Venice Theatre are ready to celebrate not just that global theater festival, but the end of the dark days when funding for the restoration hung in the balance.

Rebuilding after the storm was a lot harder than everyone expected.

But in the wake of the storm, Geddie and WorldFest coordinator Alyssa Goudy have become ace problem solvers. When they were curating this year’s WorldFest, they were mindful of the difficulties that some foreign performers have recently experienced in obtaining visas. “Some of our troupes are representing foreign cultures and speak languages besides English, but they are already in the U.S.,” Goudy says.

A good example is Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group from Memphis. The only bilingual (Spanish-

Britain’s Scrambled Egg Theatre Co. will present “Exposure” at AACTWorldFest at the Venice Theatre on June 18-19.

Courtesy images

English) theater troupe in the midSouth, Cazateatro was founded in 2010 with a mission of celebrating Latino culture and uniting diverse cultures. Its entry in WorldFest is “I Was There: Memories of Those Who Had No Choice.”

One of the hottest WorldFest tickets is for Britain’s Scrambled Egg Theatre Co., which is presenting “Exposure,” a show that is reminiscent of Alfred’s Hitchcock’s classic films of the 1950s and 1960s.

Don’t assume a theater troupe speaks English because it hails from the land where the language originated. Scrambled Egg is known to perform in what Goudy calls “gibberish.”

What if you can’t understand the language being spoken in a play?

After all, the troupes at WorldFest represent countries such as Ghana, Israel, Italy, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Switzerland and Ukraine.

Not to worry, says Geddie. “The language of theater is universal. A lot is communicated through action and emotion,” he says. “When I watch a video of a play being submitted for WorldFest, I turn the sound off.”

A military brat who tried his luck as an actor in New York after earning a bachelor’s degree in musical theater, Geddie performed on Norwegian Cruise Lines for nearly a decade.

That experience helped him hone his improv skills, on stage and off.

Geddie first came to Venice Theatre to play Coalhouse Walker in “Ragtime” in 2010 and was hired the following year as the theater’s first director of diversity.

In 2023, Venice Theatre’s board promoted Geddie to executive director. He succeeded Murray Chase, who had held that position since 1995.

Before getting the top job, Geddie served as the community theater’s general manager for six years, during which time he earned a master’s in arts administration from Goucher College in Maryland.

Chase planned to retire, but agreed to stay to oversee the restoration of the Jervey Theatre. He is currently interim artistic director, following the exit of Benny Sato Ambush

in May 2025. Ambush joined Venice Theatre as artistic director on a temporary basis in January 2021 and ended up staying four years instead of one.

It was WorldFest that originally brought Ambush to town. He came as an adjudicator for the festival in 2010 and again in 2014. He liked what he saw enough to return full time seven years later.

That’s the thing about WorldFest: You never know who’s going to show up and make Venice their next home.

BREATHING THE SAME AIR

The excitement in the air in the days leading up to WorldFest is reason enough to make the trip from Sarasota for the festival, which promises to be a veritable United Nations of theater. At the end of the festival, one troupe will walk away with the coveted Audience Choice Award.

One of this year’s entries, “Common Air” features actors from two countries currently at war. Olga was born in Moscow and Iryna was born in Ukraine, but they both currently live in the U.S. Through movement and improvisational music, the two women come to an understanding.

A play from Israel follows an AI character who joins a women’s support office and upends routines and relationships. Presented by the Yoram Loewenstein Acting School, the dark comedy is called “Haviva, You’re Fired.”

The provocative show “Playing God” comes from Slovakia’s dNO Co. Inspired by a real-life mass murder at a church in that country, it puts judges and juries under the microscope.

Before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, theater was often used as a form of political dissent, assisted by disguised stories that would escape the notice of censors.

With authoritarian regimes cracking down on their opponents in various countries around the world, is theater once again becoming a fulcrum for political dissent?

“Theater is always political,” Geddie says. “That’s the nature of the beast.”

IF YOU GO AACTWORLDFEST When: June 15-20 Where: Venice Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave. W., Venice Passes: $250$570; $45 day passes available by calling 941-488-1115 Info: Visit VeniceTheatre.org.

YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026

THIS WEEK

If you’re a fan of Imani Winds, the Grammy-winning quartet, you won’t want to miss this Sarasota Music Festival concert. It features SMF faculty member and Imani Winds co-founder Jeffrey Scott on the horn playing “Tzigane” by Imani’s Valerie Coleman along with SMF faculty member Benjamin Kamins on bassoon.

SATURDAY COMEDY LOTTERY 7:30 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre’s Bowne’s Lab, 1265 First St. $15-$18 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Florida Studio Theatre’s own improv troupe takes over Bowne’s Lab with “Comedy Lottery,” giving the audience the chance to select the night’s games. If FST Improv isn’t on your radar, it’s time for a new machine. Runs through June 27.

OUR PICK ‘HONKY TONK ANGELS’ Follow three Dolly Parton wannabes on a road trip to Nashville as Angela, Darlene and Sue Ellen chase their dreams of country music stardom and forge lasting bonds of friendship along the way. Runs through June 21.

IF YOU GO When: 7 p.m. Thursday, June 11 Where: Florida Studio Theatre’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St. Tickets: $25-$59 Info: Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

THURSDAY JAZZ THURSDAY AT SAM 5:30 p.m. at Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail Free-$30 Visit SarasotaArtMuseum.org.

Sarasota Art Museum and the Jazz Club of Sarasota team up to host jazz al fresco. Enjoy the Robert Nissim Quintet and extended hours in the galleries, Bistro and shop.

Image courtesy of Sorcha Augustine

Alexandra Melrose, Hailie Lucille and Hannah Taylor star in Florida Studio Theatre’s “Honky Tonk Angels.”

‘LADY DISDAIN’ 7:30 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $31-$77 Visit AsoloRep.org.

as Eartha Mae, a country girl from South Carolina who became a citizen of the world. Jade Wheeler created and stars in this show with piano accompaniment by Catherine Stornetta. Runs through June 21.

Lauren Gunderson, one of America’s most produced playwrights, takes on the world of fantasy romance novels with “Lady Disdain,” a rolling world premiere at Asolo Repertory Theatre.

Audiobook narrators Beatrice and Benedict are rivals whose witty banter masks sexual chemistry.

Runs through June 27.

FRIDAY

‘WHO IS EARTHA MAE?’ 7:30 p.m. at Urbanite Theatre, 1487 Second St. $5-$44 Visit UrbaniteTheatre.com.

You may know singer Eartha Kitt as the sultry siren who sang “Santa Baby,” a 1950s holiday ditty. Maybe you remember her as Catwoman in the 1960s TV series “Batman.” One thing is sure: You’ve never seen the glamorous entertainer backstage

SCD IN THE ROUND 7 p.m. at SCD Home Studio, 1400 Boulevard of the Arts, Suite 300 $20 Visit SarasotaContemporaryDance. org.

Sarasota Contemporary Dance’s inthe-round performances give rising choreographers a chance to develop and present a work during SCD’s Summer Intensive. Choreographers receive audience feedback in a process facilitated by SCD Artistic Director Leymis Bolaños Wilmott.

TCHAIKOVSKY, RAVEL & DVOŘÁK 7:30 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail $35-$50 Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.

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

GARDEN MUSIC SERIES: JAZZ PERFORMANCES 1 p.m. at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound St. Included with $28 admission; members free Visit Selby.org.

Come rain or shine to Selby Garden’s jazz concert featuring Brenda Watty, Suzanne Lucas and James Jones Quartet. Chairs will be provided for guests who pre-register.

Others can bring their own chairs.

DON’T MISS

CLASSIC MOVIES AT THE OPERA HOUSE: ‘THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH’ The last time Cecile B. DeMille’s circus extravaganza, “The Greatest Show on Earth,” was scheduled to unspool at Classic Movies at the Opera House, a hurricane came to town and the screening was canceled. We’re hoping for better luck this time for the movie about Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which was filmed in Sarasota and had its 1952 premiere at the Florida Theatre, now known as the Sarasota Opera House. The film stars Charlton Heston and features some locals who are still alive.

IF YOU GO When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 12 Where: Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. Tickets: $12 Info: Visit SarasotaOpera.org.

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, JUNE 11, 2026

Steven High to retire as executive director of The Ringling High has led the museum, founded by circus magnate John Ringling and now administered by Florida State University, since 2011.

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Steven High is retiring as executive director of The Ringling, a position he has held since 2011.

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ensure those investments created lasting impact for the museum, its visitors and our students.”

High began his career with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the MIT Museum in Massachusetts. Following graduate work at Williams College, he held leadership and academic roles at institutions such as the Portland (Maine) School of Art and Virginia Commonwealth University. He also led the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno and Telfair Museums in Savannah, Georgia.

During High’s tenure, The Ringling more than doubled its collections, expanded its programming and educational offerings, installed major additions and undertook significant restorations. Some repairs weren’t planned for, such as damage to the grounds and the Ca’ d’Zan when Hurricane Milton made landfall in October 2024.

High’s stewardship saw the opening of the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Center for Asian Art, the Kotler-Coville Glass Pavilion and the Turrell Skyspace Joseph’s Coat installation.

He also expanded educational outreach, accessibility initiatives and multidisciplinary programming, including the Art of Performance series, whose events take place in the jewelbox Historic Asolo Theater, or The HAT, for short.

The courtyard in the middle of the U-shaped John and Mable Ringling Art Museum is filled with statues, the most prominent of which is a 16-foot bronze replica of Michelangelo’s David. The Ringling Courtyard hosts public music and dance parties under David’s watchful eye.

FSU and the Ringling Museum of Art Foundation have hired Isaacson, Miller, a national search firm, to help identify High’s successor. The search committee will be led by Meg Hausberg, chair of the Foundation Board, and Michael Bush, incoming chair.

High’s retirement marks the latest in a series of management changes at Sarasota’s premier cultural and educational organizations. Larry Thompson retired on May 31 after 26 years at Ringling College of Art and Design, another outgrowth of John and Mable Ringling’s plans to transform a sleepy fishing village into a major cultural destination.

That was also the last day of work for Maestro Victor DeRenzi, who served as artistic director and conductor of the Sarasota Opera for 44 years.

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

ADULT

l o r i d a S ta te Un ive rs i ty announced that Steven High will retire as executive director of The Ringling, which operates as Florida’s State Art Museum, as soon as his successor can be found.

High joined The Ringling in 2011.

The cultural institution that grew out of John and Mable Ringling’s gift to the people of Florida in 1936 has been administered by FSU for 25 years.

The Ringling is a sprawling 66-acre campus composed of an art museum filled with European baroque masterpieces and a substantial Cypriot art collection, a circus museum and the affiliated Tibbals Learning Center, the Ca’ d’Zan (House of John) Venetian-style mansion and the Historic Asolo Theater, a jewelbox theater rescued from a palace in Italy.

One of the leading tourist destinations in the state of Florida, The Ringling hosts more than 400,000 visitors annually. That might not seem like much compared to Disney World’s 50 million visitors each year, but The Ringling is a major tourist draw in Sarasota along with beaches and the performing arts, including opera, ballet, orchestra and theater.

In a statement, High called serving as executive director of The Ringling the “highlight of his career” and credited the museum’s growth to the work of its staff, foundation board, university leadership and community supporters.

“Together, we strengthened The Ringling’s financial foundation, expanded its reach and preserved its remarkable collections and historic campus for future generations,” High said in a statement. “I am deeply grateful to Florida State University, our supporters and the Sarasota community for their partnership and trust.”

Under High’s leadership, The Ringling’s annual operating budget grew from $12 million to $28 million, and its endowment increased from $27 million to $67 million. The museum completed a $100 million capital campaign in 2019 and expanded its campus through a series of major projects and initiatives.

“Steven High strengthened The Ringling’s role as both a world-class museum and an important part of Florida State University’s academic mission,” said FSU Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Jim Clark in a statement.

Clark added: “He expanded opportunities for student learning, research and community engagement while helping preserve and enhance one of Florida’s great cultural institutions. FSU has invested in The Ringling’s growth and success, and Steven’s leadership helped

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A+E EDITOR

YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026

The Railroad Education and Learning Center of Florida, Inc. Presents

A+E REVIEW

FATHER’S DAY

OPEN HOUSE & MODEL

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The festival’s spirit and artistic excellence remains intact, despite fewer concerts, fellows and faculty artists.

GAYLE WILLIAMS

IF YOU GO

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Saturday, June 20th, 2026 at 1 PM FREE ADMISSION Join WBTT in celebrating Juneteenth! Enjoy live performances from local artists, a free art exhibit, short films and more.

Shop black-owned vendors and end the day with a FREE performance of Brian L. Boyd’s Young Artist Showcase ENIGMA.

he opening weekend of the Sarasota Music Festival’s 62nd season provided convincing evidence that the core spirit and artistic excellence of one of America’s premier chamber music training festivals remain intact.

Though this year’s festival has fewer concerts, fellows and faculty artists, the caliber of the young musicians remains exceptionally high. The most significant change is that public concerts now primarily showcase fellows performing alongside a single faculty mentor, rather than featuring faculty-dominated ensembles.

While moments of less-thanperfect ensemble cohesion surfaced, the vast majority of the June 5-6 performances in Holley Hall rivaled some of the finest of previous seasons.

On Friday, in Beethoven’s Septet in E-flat Major, Op. 20, violinist Salvador Riera stood out for her remarkable shimmering tone.

Faculty violinist David Bowlin led Mendelssohn’s blockbuster Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20. The musicians expressed the virtuosity, exuberance and overabundance of joy in the score.

A memorable Saturday finale with Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44 displayed an astounding level of confidence and artistry. Four students — Gabriela Salvador Riera and Minkyung Kang (violins), Elizabeth Chernyak (viola) and Amy Minchae Jo (cello) — matched the trademark virtuosity and collaborative sensitivity of pianist and faculty artist Michael Stephen Brown.

Two larger ensemble works topped Saturday night’s concert:

SARASOTA MUSIC FESTIVAL When: Through June 13 Where: Holley Hall and Sarasota Opera House.

Info: Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.

Louis Spohr’s Nonet in F Major, Op. 31 and Mozart’s Serenade No. 11 in E-flat Major, K. 375. The performances were excellent, displaying fine collaboration, balance and artistry.

Three works by American women composers deserve special mention — not as exercises in diversity programming, but because each makes a compelling case for a permanent place in the standard repertoire.

Short but nonetheless lovely was Florence Price’s reverent “Adoration,” featuring clarinetist Kevin Jin as the lone wind voice alongside a string quartet.

Composer Ruth Crawford Seeger’s Suite for Wind Quintet deserves wider recognition for her fresh take on 20th-century modernism. The five musicians, each with a strong solo voice, blended effectively while navigating unorthodox turns and twists.

Violins Gabriel Roth and Sydney Scarlett, faculty violist Teng Li, cellist Joie Kuo and pianist Qinghong Lian delivered Amy Beach’s Piano Quintet in F-sharp Minor, Op. 67 as the masterpiece it is. The collaborative spirit was strong, as was the ensemble’s cohesion. Similar to the Schumann Quintet, the score offers a starring role to the piano. Lian played with sensitivity, fluency and beguiling flair. If opening weekend is any indication, the Sarasota Music Festival’s future remains in very capable hands.

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JUNE 11, 2026

YOUR NEIGHBORS Stephen Cook, Emerson Cook, 6, Elliott Cook, 8 and Jennifer Cook create a set of buttons.

Photos by Ian Swaby

Cole Ralston and Aether Baskin enjoy the experience.

Leveling up community

T

here was more than reading material to check out at Selby Library on June 6.

Visitors dressed as characters from superheroes to anime icons filled the library as it hosted SRQCon. Among those excited by the experience was Rodolfo Murillo, 18, who was attending his first comic convention.

“I’ve got to say, dude, this event has been phenomenal, spectacular, amazing — whatever words you could put before Spider-man,” he said. “The costume contest was amazing. I’ve been chatting to very nice folks. … It’s a good environment, fun environment. A lot of people having fun.”

His friend Jackson Velazquez, 18, said making the event free to the public offered the chance for people to connect.

“I feel like there should be more experiences like this for free, especially nowadays,” he said. “It’s a real treat to have something like this completely for free, so people can connect. Look at all these people going out and talking to each other.”

He also said the convention offered something for a wide range of interests.

The experience included panels, demonstrations, video games, an escape room, crafts, a cosplay contest and other activities and offerings.

“It could be a fun day Esperanza for the family, a fun day Paulino shows for a couple,” Velasquez her claws as said. “It could just be Bowser. anything for anyone, and that’s, I feel, one of the best parts of these cons.”

Ashley Giacchino and her Cambria Billings, 11, enjoy the event.

Nienna Nir and Renee Haggerty dressed as Princess Vespa and Barf from “Spaceballs.”

Milo Harvey, 3, looks over a Lego display.

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026

Cindy Effron blows a bubble.

Photos by Ian Swaby

Tom Poklewski, Jory Courtier and Brad Blethen pose inside a frame from First Congregational United Church of Christ.

Golden years, Silver Pride Susan Mintz and Fuzzy Mintz watch a performance.

J

ory Courtier, an attendee at Silver Pride, noted that while a new generation is rising, he had the chance to represent his own generation.

He said that in the past, the LGBTQ+ community was not represented.

He was among the approximately 1,000 attendees at the event, held June 6 at Senior Friendship Centers and presented by the organization alongside Project Pride and Golden Girls Solutions.

“It was nice they had a variety of people that they brought in with the different generations,” said attendee Tom Poklewski, a friend of Courtier.

“It’s great to get everybody out, have a good time, to celebrate. I think it’s wonderful. I just hope the funding continues with everything that’s going on.”

Declan Sheehy, chief advancement officer at Senior Friendship Centers, said that amid the current political

climate, some larger companies at the national level withdrew their support.

Nonetheless, he said significant local support resulted in the costs of the event being fully covered.

The event featured entertainment like Azara Ballet, the Chorus of the Keys, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe and the Diversity: The Voices of Sarasota choir.

It also helped to connect members of the community with resources, and featured a tribute that invited couples on stage to celebrate their varying spans of years spent together.

In total, 51 sponsors and vendors were present.

“We come every year,” said attendee Susan Mintz, who came with her husband, Fuzzy Mintz, to support the LGBTQ+ community. “It’s just nice to see something for older folks.”

The Diversity: The Voices of Sarasota choir performs, with sign language interpretation Janine McCarthy at the front of the stage.

James Warren and Gus Butera go for a dance after being among the couples recognized for 25 years together.

— IAN SWABY

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NEIL DIAMOND JULY 25, 2026 | 7:00PM

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971) August 28

HD at the OPERA HOUSE

Performing Arts Films from Around the World Sunday Matinees at 1:30 pm • TICKETS $20 Saint-Saëns: Samson Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake Offenbach: The Tales and Delilah (The Royal Ballet) of Hoffmann (The Royal Opera) July 12 (The Royal Opera) August 16 June 14 Minkus: Don Quixote Verdi: Rigoletto (The Royal Ballet) (The Royal Opera) October 4 September 20

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026

TAI CHI | QIGONG 8 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. at Sarasota Garden Club, 1130 Boulevard of the Arts. Free. Learn and practice the ancient Chinese exercise forms of tai chi and qigong to detach from the stress of everyday life. Gail is a level 3 graduate and certified teacher of integral qigong and tai chi with over a decade of experience teaching in Sarasota. Registration requested.

Visit TheBaySarasota.org.

PARENTING MATTERS IMPACT CELEBRATION 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. at 3650 17th St. Free. Parenting Matters hosts its Impact Celebration, an event honoring parents and their journeys.

Parents, caregivers and supporters are invited to attend the gathering, featuring complimentary lunch. Visit EventBrite.com.

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CINEMA AT THE BAY: ‘INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE’ 7:30 p.m. to 9:40 p.m. at The Oval, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts. Free.

Enjoy an outdoor movie (PG-13).

Indiana Jones must find his kidnapped father, while stopping Nazis from obtaining the Holy Grail. Visit TheBaySarasota.org.

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ASTRALIS CHAMBER ENSEMBLE PRESENTS ‘FOREST WHISPERS’ 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Selby Library, 1331 First St. Free. One of the country’s most active chamber ensembles, the Astralis Chamber Ensemble, join with flutist Angela Massey for a series of nature-inspired works.

Registration required. Visit SCGovLibrary.LibraryMarket.com.

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DANCE AT THE BAY: DANCING WITH DONALD 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at The Nest, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts. Free.

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s resident choreographer Donald Frison leads these dance sessions, with each session featuring a new dance. No partner or experience is required. Registration requested.

Visit TheBaySarasota.org.

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LIVE PROFESSIONAL BOXING 6 p.m. at Robarts Arena, 3000 Ringling Blvd. General admission $52.37. This live professional boxing presentation features Tyler Yavalar, Sonny Duversonne, Johnnie Langston, Adrian Perez, Brian Peterson, David Fecteau, Sylus Echerverria, Augustus Angelo, John Garcia, Oscar Membreno, Tony Grables, and Rosemon Alexis. Visit PurplePass.com.

WORLD CUP WATCH PARTY AT THE BAY KICK-OFF FESTIVAL WITH SARASOTA PARADISE 12:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at The Bay, 1055 Boulevard of The Arts. Free. This festival-style celebration kicks off the celebration of the FIFA World Cup 2026 at The Bay, part of a free series of World Cup watch parties. It features matches Germany vs. Curacao at 1 p.m. and Netherlands vs. Japan at 4 p.m., with the 3v3 Round Robin Community Soccer Tournament from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Reservations requested.

Visit EventBrite.com.

LUNCH SPECIALS

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MRS. ROPER’S ROMP 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime, 821 Apricot Ave. Free. The Bazaar hosts the second annual Mrs. Roper’s Romp, featuring live music, specialty drinks, prizes, and a beauty pageant at 2 p.m. Visit BazaaronApricotandLime.com.

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FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT AT THE BAY: ‘THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS’ 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Oval, The Bay, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts.

Free. Enjoy a free outdoor movie (PG). SpongeBob sets out to prove his bravery to Mr. Krabs by following the Flying Dutchman, a swashbuckling ghost pirate, to the underworld.

Registration requested. Visit TheBaySarasota.org.

YOUR CALENDAR

FRIDAY, JUNE 12

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SIESTA KEY 4708 Ocean Boulevard #E4 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,277 Sq. Ft. Mina Johnson & Ethel Lovelace 941.404.9347 A4689440 $2,199,000

TANGERINE BAY CLUB 360 Gulf Of Mexico Drive #333 3 Beds 3/1 Baths 2,581 Sq. Ft. Sherry Dominick 203.605.9582 A4675387 $1,795,000

SIESTA COVE 5231 Siesta Cove Drive 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 2,557 Sq. Ft. Natalie Gutwein & Madison J Brown 941.993.2660 A4686013 $1,600,000

SIESTA KEY 3360 Higel Avenue 4 Beds 3 Baths 2,006 Sq. Ft. Natalie Gutwein & Madison J Brown 941.993.2660 A4682008 $1,549,000

SIESTA KEY 5880 Midnight Pass Road #704 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,498 Sq. Ft. Linda Stowe 941.228.5685 A4685065 $1,495,000

SIESTA KEY 6300 Midnight Pass Road #708 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,271 Sq. Ft. Rudy Dudon & Sophia Dudon 941.234.3991 A4684587 $1,350,000

GULF AND BAY CLUB 5780 Midnight Pass Road #110 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,361 Sq. Ft. Natalie Gutwein & Madison J Brown 941.993.2660 A4683108 $1,299,000

SIESTA COVE 5345 Siesta Court 3 Beds 2 Baths 2,272 Sq. Ft. Fred Sassen & Barbara May 404.408.5956 A4685607 $1,160,000

SIESTA KEY 6234 Midnight Pass Road #307 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,105 Sq. Ft. Marlene Marshall 941.539.8850 A4692040 $1,100,000

SIESTA KEY 611 Venice Lane 3 Beds 2 Baths 2,168 Sq. Ft. Christine Pope & Paul Pope 941.685.5565 A4686684 $1,072,000

SIESTA KEY 6312 Midnight Pass Road #305S 2 Beds 2 Baths 894 Sq. Ft. Ryndie Brusco 941.809.6913 A4684866 $775,000

GULF AND BAY CLUB 1332 Siesta Bayside Drive #1332C 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,280 Sq. Ft. Shane Lewis 941.685.3252 A4689488 $699,900

THE LANDINGS 1475 Landings Circle #43 3 Beds 2 Baths 2,040 Sq. Ft. Judy Greene & Mickey Kiernan 941.350.0451 A4694471 $629,000

SIESTA KEY 6154 Midnight Pass Road #A-05 2 Beds 1/1 Baths 836 Sq. Ft. Rudy Dudon & Sophia Dudon 941.234.3991 A4687809 $625,000

SIESTA KEY 6154 Midnight Pass Road #A-3 2 Beds 1/1 Baths 836 Sq. Ft. Ryndie Brusco 941.809.6913 A4689306 $619,000

SIESTA KEY 8767 Midnight Pass Road #505F 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,421 Sq. Ft. Kaitlin Kuhn 941.400.7861 A4686097 $600,000

SIESTA KEY 8773 Midnight Pass Road #302G 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,303 Sq. Ft. Marlene Marshall & George Marshall 941.539.8850 A4691760 $500,000

THE LANDINGS 4820 Kestral Park Circle #18 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,570 Sq. Ft. Judy Greene & Mickey Kiernan 941.350.0451 A4694438 $499,000

GULF AND BAY CLUB 1203 Siesta Bayside Drive #1203-D 1 Beds 1 Baths 959 Sq. Ft. Rachelle Golden 941.538.8998 A4690769 $498,000

SARASOTA (WEST OF I-75) 3696 Quiet Pond Lane 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,800 Sq. Ft. Beth Helvey 941.330.3600 A4683404 $450,000

GULF GATE 2706 White Sands Drive 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,600 Sq. Ft. Bob Moffatt & Dennis Schulte 941.232.3370 A4694861 $414,500

SIESTA KEY 1249 S Basin Lane 6 Beds 6/2 Baths 8,737 Sq. Ft. Kim Ogilvie 941.376.1717 A4690355 $8,950,000

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

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

888.552.5228 | MICHAELSAUNDERS.COM

458509-1

18

YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026

MAY 25-29

ADAM HUGHES

Other top sales by area

RESEARCH EDITOR

M

ission Property Partners LLC sold the home at 1915 Tulip Drive to Edward and Janet Bortz, of Sarasota, for $2.5 million. Built in 2025, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 2,918 square feet of living area.

SIESTA KEY: $2 MILLION

Sarasota Beach Joseph and Patricia Rossi, of Sarasota, sold their home at 605 Avenida De Mayo to James Hodges and Andrea Wine, of Siesta Key, for $2 million. Built in 2003, it has five bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 4,210 square feet of living area.

PALMER RANCH: $1.18 MILLION

SARASOTA

WHITAKER’S Ian Martin Collins, of Hayesville, North Carolina, sold his home at 1617 Palmetto Lane to Pavo88 LLC for $2.25 million. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, two-and-ahalf baths, a pool and 2,812 square feet of living area.

Ian Swaby

The home at 1915 Tulip Drive was built in 2025 and has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 2,918 square feet of living area.

HANSEN’S Mangrove Properties LLC sold the home at 4013 Red Rock Lane to Eric and Elizabeth Bobb, of Sarasota, for $2.22 million. Built in 2021, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,844 square feet of living area. It sold for $2.2 million in 2023.

ALFRED PARK Douglas James Brown, of Indianapolis, sold his home at 1661 S. Jefferson Ave. to Manuel Gordillo, of Sarasota, for $1,225,000. Built in 1953, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,388 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,044,500 in 2021.

EVOLUTION FLP Golden Gate LLC sold the Unit 402 condominium at 111 Golden Gate Point to John Pahura Jr. and Gail Marilyn Kidder, of Sarasota, for $2.1 million. Built in 2024, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,160 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,999,400 in 2024.

CORAL COVE Thomas James Michalik, of Woodstock, Georgia, sold the home at 1837 Upper Cove Terrace to James Carey Jr., trustee, of Sarasota, for $1.19 million. Built in 1959, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,964 square feet of living area. It sold for $90,000 in 1984.

DESOTA PARK Nahla Rizkallah, of Aventura, sold the home at 1934 Datura St. to Joseph and Patricia Rossi, of Sarasota, for $1.5 million. Built in 2001, it has four bedrooms, three-and-ahalf baths and 3,091 square feet of living area. It sold for $715,000 in 2002.

PHILLIPPI GARDENS Ronald and Katherine Servidio, of N. Redington Beach, sold their home at 5507 America Drive to Kevin and Leslie Burke, of Sarasota, for $1,175,000. Built in 1970, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,744 square feet of living area.

It sold for $480,000 in 2004.

ONE ONE PALM Michael Fischer and Marie Fischer, trustees, of Garden City, New York, sold the Unit 303 condominium at 711 S. Palm Ave. to Gary John Iskra and Deborah Iskra, of Sarasota, for $1.5 million. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 1,815 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,164,900 in 2019.

THE CONDOMINIUM ON THE BAY Elizabeth Walker, of Bradenton, sold her Unit 1205 condominium at 888 Blvd. of the Arts to James and Catherine Macphaille, of Sarasota, for $1,021,000. Built in 1982, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,729 square feet of living area. It sold for $575,000 in 2013.

ALINARI Geoffrey and Elizabeth Frazier, of Longboat Key, sold their Units 505 and 507 condominiums at 800 N. Tamiami Trail to Keith and Hope Seltzer, of Dania Beach, for $1.45 million. Built in 2007, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,981 square feet of living area.

It sold for $1.5 million in 2021.

332 COCOANUT Aldina LC, trustee, sold the Unit 505 condominium at 1338 Fourth St. to William and Bonnie Baldassano, of Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, for $879,000. Built in 2021, it has one bedroom, one bath and 897 square feet of living area. It sold for $879,000 in 2025.

BAYSO SARASOTA Gabriela Wagner, trustee, of Miami, sold the Unit 1707 condominium at 301 Quay Commons to Timothy Bakeman and Susan Green, of Sarasota, for $1,425,000. Built in 2023, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,578 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,259,000 in 2023.

REAL ESTATE

Hartland Park home sells for $2.5 million

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

19

HOMECROFT Linda Sue Yoder and David Ray Nisley, of Sarasota, and Mary Lou Fisher, of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, sold their home at 3458 Bimini St. to Sarasota Stay LLC for $775,000.

Built in 1971, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 1,494 square feet of living area.

La Vista Nasrollah Saidian Pour and Nancy Saidian, trustees, of Sarasota, sold their home at 7551 Calle Facil to Michael and Susan Lukasik, of Weston, Wisconsin, for $1.18 million. Built in 1991, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,353 square feet of living area. It sold for $435,000 in 2018.

OSPREY: $690,000

Blackburn Harbor Residences Glen Simmonds, of St. Charles, Illinois, sold his Unit 6103 condominium at 6100 Jessie Harbor Drive to Keith Schneck and Linda Chisholm, of Ambler, Pennsylvania, for $690,000. Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,632 square feet of living area. It sold for $610,000 in 2021.

NOKOMIS: $675,000

ONLINE

Q Valerie Sachs, of Sarasota, sold her home at 209 Cosmopolitan Court to Susan Sloan, of Sarasota, for $830,000. Built in 2015, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,680 square feet of living area.

It sold for $457,600 in 2015.

TOP BUILDING PERMITS These are the largest city of Sarasota building permits issued for the week of May 25-29, in order of dollar amounts.

See more transactions at YourObserver.com

Calusa Lakes William Yopp, of Sarasota, sold his home at 2116 Muskogee Trail to James and Isolde Andrews, of Marco Island, for $675,000. Built in 1999, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,700 square feet of living area. It sold for $435,000 in 2004.

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CITY OF SARASOTA Address

Permit

Applicant

Amount

888 S. Orange Ave. #3-D

Remodel

Michael Glickman

$650,535

1155 N. Gulfstream Ave.

Remodel

Robert Frey, trustee

$315,000

888 Blvd. of the Arts #403

Remodel

David McLaren

$150,000

1622 Bay Point Circle

Pool

Artem Korban

$116,000

755 S. Palm Ave. #105

Alterations

James Wilson

$100,000

2309 Alameda Ave.

Pool

Eric Felix

$98,000

800 S. Shade Ave.

Pool/Deck

Douglas Conroy

$80,725

2300 Mietaw Drive

Remodel

Daniel Frank, trustee

$65,000

3923 Bay Shore Road

Wall/Fence

Philip Conti

$45,000

1545 Blue Heron Drive

Windows

Thomas Kelly

$27,882

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

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Prices as of January 2025

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

460074-1

Source: city of Sarasota

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JUNE 11, 2026

SPORTS FAST

BREAK

“I love how, even though most people don’t see it as a team sport, it really is.”

— Annabella Cicilioni, Sarasota High track and field SEE PAGE 22

LOCAL ATHLETES AT USROWING YOUTH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Olivia Mulliner, a rising senior at Riverview High, will row in the Youth Women’s Eight for Sarasota Crew at the USRowing Youth National Championships.

YOUTH WOMEN’S FOUR

Karley Hendricks, first seat, rising senior, Riverview High Annalise Naylor, second seat, rising senior, Riverview High Adrianna Cavallo, third seat, graduate, Riverview High Audrey Reuter, fourth seat, rising junior, Cardinal Mooney Catholic High

U17 WOMEN’S FOUR

Kensey Isaacson, first seat, rising sophomore, Sarasota High Megan Murdock, second seat, rising sophomore, Riverview High Leenoy August, third seat, rising junior, Riverview High Tali Hazan, fourth seat, rising junior, Riverview High

Built-in motivation

Jack Nelson

Sarasota High rising senior Nathanael Mazon (left) gets by Riverview High graduate Luke Robbins (right). The 2026-27 season is months away, but a new summer league has offered local boys basketball players a chance to sharpen their skills in June.

T

he inaugural Hoop Vibe Summer League began June 2 and will run through June 25 with games held at Braden River High School. It features 16 high school boys basketball teams from across Sarasota and Manatee counties, including Riverview and Booker. The fourth of eight sessions is scheduled for June 11, when Riverview faces Bayshore Elite at 4:30 p.m. and Booker faces The Out-of-Door Academy at 7:30 p.m. This past season, the Tornadoes finished 13-15 and reached the 4A-3 regional quarterfinals, while the Rams went 16-11 and reached the 7A-3 regional quarterfinals. ... Amelia Malkin, who attended Riverview from 2019-21, has transferred to South Florida women’s soccer following three seasons with Florida. She had initially transferred to SMU in December 2025, but ended up never playing a game for the Mustangs. The 5-foot-8 forward appeared in 45 of 53 matches for the Gators from 2023-25 as the team went 16-20-17 during that span. She played 158 minutes as a junior, which represented a decline in usage relative to the 532 minutes she played as a sophomore.

With Riverview, she recorded 19 goals and eight assists in 2020-21, but competed with IMG Academy for her final two seasons of high school soccer. ... Rising sophomore defensive back/wide receiver Amarian McRae of Cardinal Mooney football has already received multiple offers from Power Four programs. On June 1, he added an offer from Florida to a list that already includes East Carolina, Louisville, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Maryland and Toledo. As a freshman, he recorded 35 total tackles, two interceptions and one fumble recovery for the FHSAA Class 2A state champions. Cardinal Mooney opens its season with a kickoff classic at home Aug. 14 against St. Thomas Aquinas, the reigning 5A state champion. ... Rising senior Logan Carrillo, who is projected to start at quarterback for Riverview this fall, received his first offer from Carleton College on May 31. The Knights are a NCAA Division III program competing in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and finished 6-4 last season. In 2025, Carrillo posted 433 yards and two touchdowns against three interceptions on a 64.4% pass completion rate.

Photos by Jack Nelson

Olivia Mulliner sits in the first seat of the Youth Women’s Eight for Sarasota Crew — a change in position made after the boat’s fourth-place finish at the USRowing Southeast Youth Championships.

JACK NELSON SPORTS REPORTER

O

livia Mulliner agreed to tag along with her older sister, Isabella Mulliner, for one practice with Sarasota Crew.

Their mother proposed the idea — it could be fun, she said.

That it was, and then some. Olivia Mulliner let her competitive nature take over. She wanted to be faster than her sister, who was more seasoned on the water.

“It’s funny. She kind of took the sport as a joke,” Mulliner said. “But I’m very competitive, so the first day I got here, I was already beating all of her times.”

That was five years ago. Their paths have since diverged.

Isabella Mulliner, who’s now a rising sophomore at Florida State University, left rowing behind. Her younger sister has stayed competitive with an oar in her hands.

From June 11-14, Olivia Mulliner will compete in the Youth Women’s Eight of the USRowing Youth National Championships, held at Nathan Benderson Park. She’s a rising senior at Riverview High, now wrapping up the penultimate season of her high school rowing career.

Her boat is one of 16 entries for Sarasota Crew, which is tied for second-most among the 236 clubs set to converge on the park. Mari-

time Rowing Club of Connecticut also boasts 16, while RowAmerica Rye of New York leads with 21 entries.

“We’ve definitely gained a lot of speed as a boat,” Mulliner said. “Last year, we had a little bit of an off year.

We did not take our varsity eight ...

This year, going back into the big premier event and putting our name back on the map has been super exciting.”

Their boat also features Lakewood Ranch graduate Madison McKay, Pine View graduate Gabi DeLeo, homeschooled graduate Eliana Fanders, Sarasota graduate Sydney Dalton, Venice graduate Anna Raney, Pine View rising junior Sydney Soboleski, Pine View graduate Sofia Yu and Pine View rising senior coxswain Kaylie Dominguez.

At the USRowing Southeast Youth Championships from May 9-10, they placed fourth with a 6:44.41 finish, and were just over nine seconds behind the winning boat from Winter Park Crew. Mulliner sat in the third seat for that race.

But the lineup has changed. She was moved to the first seat at the back of the boat, and will play that role at the national championships.

“A lot of the cleanliness, a lot of the support starts all the way back with her,” said Sebastian Spivey, the lead girls coach for Sarasota Crew.

“She’s the one who sees everyone in her peripheral. She feels the least amount of resistance, but she’s the one that has to stay the most locked in.”

Spivey also pointed to consistency as essential in Mulliner’s position.

If she makes a mistake, it can have a ripple effect on everyone sitting in front of her. Every stroke needs to be in sync.

Their Youth Women’s Eight is humble in stature. They don’t fit what some people view as the physical archetype for success in the sport, but they’re here nonetheless.

Mulliner, who stands at 5-foot-8, is one of the tallest girls in the boat.

“In rowing, it’s kind of told that you want to be super big and strong

and muscular, but we have absolutely one of the smallest crews in the area,” Mulliner said. “So we say the power of friendship gets us across the line.”

When she was first introduced to rowing five years ago, she loved the competitiveness of it, but quickly learned it would test her limits. The schedule was rigorous then, and still is now.

Sarasota Crew practices an average of 20 hours per week during the season with regattas on select weekends.

It encourages rowers to set their own goals and vows to provide individualized development so they can achieve them.

Mulliner, being her competitive self, wanted to be a winner on the water. She wanted to continue improving her times while holding herself to ambitious goals.

“It’s 20 hours of good, hard work and you absolutely get put around people that want to work hard, want to go fast,” Mulliner said. “A new breed of people are here, and you kind of adapt into a new person.”

She’s proud to have served as girls sophomore captain in 2024-25, and to be wrapping up her stint as girls junior captain for 2025-26.

She’s proud to still be with Sarasota Crew after five years. In that time, she’s grown up alongside other rowers with goals comparable to her own.

And ultimately, she’s proud to be in a sport where chemistry is so integral to success.

“I’m able to row with my friends, and my friends that I’ve chosen are the girls that work the hardest and have put themselves in the best positions,” Mulliner said. “Being able to cross the finish line with the people that I love most, and being able to gain those great friendships has absolutely been the biggest prize.”

Rowing started as a family rivalry of sorts for Mulliner. She saw an opportunity to beat her older sister at her own game.

Something greater is on the line now — a junior national title.

“Being able to cross the finish line with the people that I love most, and being able to gain those great friendships has absolutely been the biggest prize.”

— Olivia Mulliner

SECOND YOUTH MEN’S EIGHT

Landon Pangallo, third seat, rising senior, Riverview High Tripp Lindell, fourth seat, rising senior, Riverview High Gavin Bower, sixth seat, rising senior, Riverview High

U17 MEN’S EIGHT

Will Lindell, second seat, rising junior, Riverview High Parker Morrison, sixth seat, rising junior, Sarasota High Iouri Marcel, eighth seat, rising junior, Sarasota High

U16 MEN’S EIGHT

Jan Stachovec, eighth seat, rising freshman, formerly of Sarasota Middle Caiden Moskowitz, seventh seat, rising freshman, formerly of Brookside Middle Asher Woods, coxswain, rising sophomore, Sarasota High

YOUTH MEN’S EIGHT

Ronan Keys, first seat, rising senior, Riverview High Mike Dakhlalla, sixth seat, rising senior, Suncoast Polytechnical High

YOUTH WOMEN’S EIGHT

Olivia Mulliner, first seat, rising senior, Riverview High Sydney Dalton, fourth seat, graduate, Sarasota High

YOUTH MEN’S FOUR

Spencer Johnson, first seat, rising junior, Cardinal Mooney Catholic High Lawrence Downyok, fourth seat, rising junior, Sarasota High

SECOND YOUTH WOMEN’S FOUR

Ruby Obine-Galvin, first seat, rising senior, Booker High Megan Scarbrough, fourth seat, graduate, Riverview High

U16 WOMEN’S EIGHT

Eleda Ward, fourth seat, rising sophomore, Suncoast Polytechnical High Livia Reuter, fifth seat, rising sophomore, Riverview High

SECOND U16 MEN’S EIGHT

Beau Harvey, third seat, rising freshman, formerly of Sarasota Middle

SECOND U16 WOMEN’S EIGHT

Ela Kideys, sixth seat, rising freshman, formerly of Sarasota Middle

YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026

NELSON’S NOGGIN

JACK NELSON

Sarasota’s top high school athletes of the year

S

et down those pencils. Put that backpack in the closet. Toss away old papers, or set them ablaze in a bonfire, if you so desire.

The 2025-26 academic year ended in late May. With it, high school athletics are on summer break.

Before the countdown to August and 2026-27 begins, here are the five athletes from Sarasota who impressed most this past academic year: BOGDAN ZVEREV, BOYS SWIMMING, SARASOTA

For the first time in a long time, Sarasota boys swimming seemed human. The Sailors’ failure to win a state title in 2024 snapped a streak of four in a row.

They were also without their longtime coach, Andrew Eckhart, in 2025 following his departure for North Carolina. But the team still had an ace up its sleeve — Bogdan Zverev.

Zverev, who has signed with Alabama, guided the program back to smooth waters. He won gold in the 100-yard butterfly (46.99) and 200yard individual medley (1:45.23) while the Sailors secured the FHSAA Class 4A team state title.

As a senior, he also earned silver in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:05.39) and 200-yard medley relay (1:33.26), meaning that he finished no worse than second place in all four events he swam.

It was an all-time performance.

If it was any indication of what’s to come, there should be more than a few medals in Zverev’s future.

MADISON MULLER, CROSS-COUNTRY/TRACK AND FIELD, RIVERVIEW

It was quite the year for Madison Muller. As a sophomore at Riverview, she solidified her place among

21

the state’s elite runners.

Muller won the FHSAA Class 4A cross-country state championship, and her competition wasn’t much competition at all. She crossed the finish line in 17:37.70 with a staggering 22.6-second margin of victory.

At the 4A track and field state championships, she flexed her distance-running strengths again. Muller secured silver in the 3,200-meter run (10:31.95) and earned bronze as part of the Rams’ 3,200-meter relay team (9:10.01).

This fall, she could become only the second runner in program history to win multiple cross-country state titles, joining Alyssa Hendrix (2018-19).

And it’s not a reach to say she could become the first to threepeat. The 2025-26 Gatorade Player of the Year in Florida for girls crosscountry is just that good.

freestyle relay team, which finished in 3:25.64.

Paced by the NC State signee, the Rams extended their already impressive streak to an even-moreimpressive five consecutive state titles. That broke a tie with 2010-13 for the longest such streak in program history.

Odds are, Riverview will find a way to add yet another trophy this fall. Schwenk won’t be there, but with the Wolfpack, she’ll have her own hardware to pursue.

JOHNNY LACKAFF, BOYS BASKETBALL, SARASOTA Photos by Jack Nelson

Connail Jackson (right) was a true workhorse for the Cougars and their fiery offense last fall. The UCF commit recorded 12 games with 100 or more rushing yards as a junior.

CONNAIL JACKSON, FOOTBALL, CARDINAL MOONEY

Cardinal Mooney football was not lacking in the talent department last season. On both sides of the ball, plenty of Power Four prospects were present.

Running back Connail Jackson, though, made life particularly miserable for opponents. He ripped defensive game plans to shreds by embarrassing tacklers on a regular basis.

With the then-junior powering the ground attack, the Cougars secured the FHSAA Class 2A state title in 2025. They averaged a blistering 45.3 points per game and scored on every drive in the championship, trouncing Jacksonville Bolles, 52-28.

Jackson posted similarly eyepopping numbers — 2,452 yards, 39 touchdowns, 11.3 yards per carry and 163.5 yards per game.

Taylor Schwenk put on one of the area’s most dominant performances of 2025-26 — in any sport — with three gold medals and one silver at the FHSAA Class 4A swimming and diving state championships.

He was borderline unstoppable out of the backfield, and alongside then-junior signal-caller Davin Davidson, constituted a formidable duo.

UCF will benefit from the threestar running back’s services next fall, but for now, Jackson returns to Cardinal Mooney looking to become a two-time state champion.

TAYLOR SCHWENK, GIRLS SWIMMING, RIVERVIEW

Winning titles was already second

Luxury Villas

Johnny Lackaff (left) is a three-star recruit, per Rivals, and ran point for the Sailors in 2025-26. His contributions were crucial to Sarasota earning its first state championship berth.

nature to Taylor Schwenk. Entering her senior season, Riverview girls swimming was the four-time defending FHSAA Class 4A team state champions.

The Rams’ reign over the pool only continued as her high school career neared its close. And she was the one who led the effort.

Schwenk was golden — three times — in the 200-yard freestyle (1:47.97), 100-yard butterfly (54.54) and 200-yard freestyle relay (1:33.58). She also earned silver as part of Riverview’s 400-yard

The 2025-26 season was nothing short of magical for Sarasota boys basketball. Johnny Lackaff was the all-important magician, doing whatever he could to ensure victory at every turn.

For the first time in program history, the Sailors reached a state title game, appearing in the FHSAA Class 7A state championship. The team went toe-to-toe with the Goliath that is Miami Columbus and very nearly slayed the beast, losing 53-50 in nail-biting fashion.

Lackaff missed a game-tying 3-pointer in the waning seconds of that defeat, but it shouldn’t haunt him. Sarasota finished 25-7 and defended its regional title — largely thanks to him.

The rising senior guard averaged 23.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game as a junior. He shot 54% from the field and 47.2% beyond the arc compared to 50.3% and 37.7%, respectively, during his sophomore season.

And he’s not done yet. Lackaff will be back in 2026-27, and with several of his teammates returning, the Sailors will be a state title contender once again.

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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How was your experience?

It was really interesting to be there for their first-ever meet. I thought a lot of the structure of it was really nice. It was all very high-level, and it was really nice to compete with people that are really fast.

What were your goals for this past season with Sarasota?

Definitely become really fast in the distance events, and help my team out in a (3,200-meter relay).

Contact us today for a complimentary rental income estimate and market analysis to discover what your property could earn, or sell for in today’s market.

patriceivan@wagnerrealty.com

The steeplechase was not an event Annabella Cicilioni had much familiarity with — none, in fact. She had never run it until the inaugural Under Armour Track and Field Nationals from May 29-31 at IMG Academy.

But the rising junior at Sarasota High placed fifth in the 2,000-meter event with a time of 7:44.33. Cicilioni, who competes cross country and track with the Sailors, is the Sarasota Athlete of the Week.

Did you have any expectations?

Not really, because I was training by myself, and running steeplechase was very unexpected for me. I didn’t know I was doing it until the Thursday before. The meet director sent out an e-mail to the accepted 1-mile and 2-mile athletes, and he said that not many people wanted to race (2,000-meter steeplechase), so if anyone wanted to do it, then they should just e-mail him, and I did. On my packet pick-up day, I just went and practiced steeplechase for the first time.

Our Full-Service Management Includes:

Patrice Ivan, REALTOR® Cell: 941.993.0823

Annabella Cicilioni

When and why did you start running track?

My brother, Orlando (Cicilioni), started running in middle school and then he became really good in high school. He

Richard Ivan, REALTOR® Cell: 941.800.8891 richardivan@wagnerrealty.com

463238-1

www.SarasotaLuxuryLeasing.com 1440 First Street | Sarasota, FL 34236

ended up going to (the University of Florida) for running. My other brother, Grayson (Cicilioni), he started running too, so it’s a family thing.

How would you describe the passion you have for running?

I love how, even though most people don’t see it as a team sport, it really is. How you do kind of depends on how everyone around you is doing.

Everyone is there to help you out, and everyone’s uplifting.

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

“Pain is temporary.”

What’s a fun fact about you not many people know?

I play tuba. Most people wouldn’t expect it because of my height. I’ve played since sixth grade. I was going to do trumpet, but after I tried out all the mouthpieces, my band director was like, “You should do tuba,” so I did it.

Where would you go for a dream vacation?

I’d go to Italy because it’s really pretty. I’d just love to be there and eat all the food.

If you could have any superpower, which would you choose and why?

Flight. I’d like to get everywhere faster.

What music helps you get in the zone while running?

We typically aren’t allowed to have music while we run at practice. We just talk to each other as a team, and I’d say that’s what helps strengthen our bond and it ultimately affects how we do in our races. But if I had to do music, I’d probably do a mix of pop and alternative.

Finish this sentence. Annabella Cicilioni is ...

Determined.

Struggling with Depression or Anxiety?

Best Seat

The

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.

Of the

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026

23

Quality Education.

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State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate and baccalaureate degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota does not discriminate on the basis of sex, pregnancy, race, religion, age, national origin/ethnicity, color, marital status, disability, genetic information or sexual orientation in any of its educational programs, services and activities, including admission and employment. Direct inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies to Equal Opportunity Officer, 941-752-5599, 5840 26th St. W., Bradenton, FL 34207.

24

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WEATHER

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

FORECAST THURSDAY, JUNE 11

SUNRISE / SUNSET Sunrise Sunset

High: 88 Low: 77 Chance of rain: 50%

FRIDAY, JUNE 12 High: 89 Low: 78 Chance of rain: 45%

Thursday, June 11

6:34a

8:24p

Friday, June 12

6:34a

8:25p

Saturday, June 13

6:34a

8:25p

Sunday, June 14

6:34a

8:26p

Monday, June 15

6:34a

8:26p

Tuesday, June 16

6:34a

8:26p

Wednesday, June 17

6:35a

8:26p

MOON PHASES

SATURDAY, JUNE 13 High: 90 Low: 79 Chance of rain: 24%

June 14 New

June 29 Full

July 7 Last

RAINFALL

SUNDAY, JUNE 14 High: 89 Low: 79 Chance of rain: 24%

Manjesh Lingamurthy took this photo of a monarch butterfly at Celery Fields in Sarasota.

June 21 First

Monday, June 1

0

Tuesday, June 2

0

Wednesday, June 3

0

Thursday, June 4

0

Friday, June 5

0

Saturday, June 6

0

Sunday, June 7

0

*Rainfall totals from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport

Submit your photos at YourObserver.com/Contests. All submissions will be entered for 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 12.31 in.

2025 13.13 in.

MONTH TO DATE: 0 in.

2026 2025 4.46 in.

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

Daily crossword puzzles available at YourObserver.com/crossword

SHORT LIST by Rebecca Goldstein, edited by Jared Goudsmit Park” 61 Teachers who help you with your notes?

62 Give comfort to 63 Conservation org.

DOWN 64 Certain indoor shoe 1 Jetta’s fuel 68 Businesses with mud 2 Quantity (Abbr.)

3 Guide with a hiking path baths 69 Business (Abbr.)

4 News article intro 5 Girder that sounds like an 70 Soup recipe verb 73 Comic Galifianakis Apple product 74 Assumed name 6 “Just watch me!”

77 Dunks in milk, say 7 Create uncertainty 8 “Famous” cookie maker 78 Cost of some marketing 80 ___ saltado (Peruvian 9 Opposite of 10-Down stir-fry) 10 Opposite of 9-Down 11 Crumble like a coastline 82 Lemon drop vessel 84 Raised, like spirits 12 Paltry amount 85 “I’ll pay!”

13 Antlered deer 86 S.F.-to-Monterey dir.

14 Speck in the sea 87 Shop with package 15 Barre rooms deals?

16 Make harmonious 88 Closes, like a sleeping 17 Really bug bag 21 Permit 89 Name that rhymes with 23 ___ Aviv “mane” 24 Bright star, or a type 92 ___ Moines of lox 94 Word before “number” 28 Cacao bit or “dater” 29 Scratch that!

95 Immediately 30 Oh-so 97 Bird that can’t walk 32 Lose elasticity backward 33 Basketball shot from 98 Tony winner Tyne downtown 103 Lip cosmetic 36 “___ of cake!”

105 Crew propeller 38 Rx writers 106 R&B singer Day 40 Love god hidden in 107 Home Depot rival “white rose” 110 Baby fox 41 Sprint toward 111 “The Bear” actor Moss44 About 0.035 ounces Bachrach 45 ___ Aires, Argentina 112 Fork’s piercer 46 Symbolic carvings 113 Toenail treatment, 48 Kuwaiti ruler briefly 50 Stuff (in) 114 Mountain range that’s 52 Language in Pakistan an anagram of “Raul” 53 Instagram video 54 “Scream” character ___ 117 Luau strings, for short 118 He/___/his Riley 119 Once known as 55 “Put ‘er ___!”

59 Smoke detector’s “low 120 National econ. measure battery” sound 60 Tree resin in “Jurassic

Flanders 126 Big rigs 127 Slumbering

©2026 Universal Uclick

ACROSS

67 *The Kremlin ponders 35 Winter worker, e.g. over a decision?

37 Actor/rapper Epps 1 Vampire-repelling bulb 71 Belonging to us 39 Abolitionist ___ Hunt 7 Summer camp boat 72 Spanish island known Francis 12 Tire pressure initials for its nightlife 42 To be, in Spanish 15 Nonverbal greeting 75 Parodies 43 Daniel who plays Benoit 18 Single-celled organism 76 “I’m the guilty party!”

Blanc 19 Love, in Paris 79 Remember 45 Financial plan 20 “Time for bed” 81 Creative pursuit 47 Salad dressing container 22 *Vegetable grown in a 49 *Energetic baby bears? 82 Eavesdropped school garden?

51 *”Time to film a scene, 83 *Valuable noodle soup?

25 Special skills 86 *Five-o’clock shadow, Fido!”?

26 Dolls’ dish collections e.g.?

56 One of two in this emoti27 *”Avoid making blunders 90 Big winner con: ^_^ at tryouts”?

91 Concludes with 57 Three, on the Amalfi 29 “___ seen enough” 93 Antique photo’s hue Coast 31 Plastic-shaping con94 ___ Paulo 58 Vocalized for an ENT tainer 96 Rubber-___ shoes 59 Stone Age guy 32 Sweetener in a green 99 Apt rhyme of “greet” 62 Stockholm residents packet 100 Best WWE Moment 65 Banal 34 Suffix with “ethyl” award, e.g.

66 Med. care option

101 “will u b late?”

102 Pictures 104 Soccer score 108 Tax ID 109 *Subject line of an email excluding an astronaut from a mission?

113 Carefully cook up, like a scheme 115 Obstruct 116 “The rumors aren’t true!,” or a phonetic hint to the transformations at the ends of the starred clues’ answers 121 Nail polish remover ingredient 122 Loses traction 123 Raised, like kids 124 “___ Miz” 125 Homer’s “neighborino”

457540-1

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.

“P ONAX HFVPT SDB P RCPDU VPDJPDJ PV S BPKXTR OPDX RN MNFK CXSKR ...

NDX NE RCX JKXSRXVR RXSTCXKV P CSB ZSV RCX VPDJPDJ RXSTCXK.” HXKMO VRKXXQ

“TRX VGLHS TRXZ OJLH JHM TRXZ GNJZVAZNJS JZN XHOZNINMNHVNM LH VGN GLWVRZT RQ VGN YRZPM, AXV VGNH TRX ZNJM.”

BJKNW AJPMYLH

“NX UBKQBN HXZJ XOB TUAQ’P GQIBUBE UP BXN QIPH, MZN UN’P PNUTT ITTXOQV, IBV U NCUBL HXZ’TT MQ CIDDUQJ AXJ NCQ NJXZMTQ.”

MUTT OINNQJPXB Puzzle Three Clue: J equals R

crossword

Puzzle Two Clue: X equals U

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

The Grounded Feeling Everyone will Enjoy

Puzzle Two Clue: N equals G

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

06-11-26

Made for where you live. Here!

THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026

RED PAGES Positions Wanted

DEADLINES: Classifieds - Tuesday at Noon

POSITION NEEDED Accountant/Bookkeeper needed part-time for a small HVAC Company in Bradenton. Please send resume'/inquiry to Sales@ckphvac.com. or Rae@ckphvac.com (330) 413-2740 Rae@ckphvac.com

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.

Antiques/ Collectibles

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

Al Tomlinson 40+ years in Sarasota Honest Evaluations NO ONE PAYS MORE!

941-400-8811

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 2 BLACK leather ottomans in great shape. $20 ea. $30 for both.

Never used front and rear seat car mats. $15 941-925-3084 2 HAMPTON Bay ceiling fans, white, excellent condition $25 each. Call (941)724-9477 32 PIECES of metal hurricane window pannels. Various lengths, perfect condition $200 Call/Text Tom (941)780-5623 4 RUFF RACING Black Aluminum 18” Mags.

Brand new. $200 or best offer (941)914-8318 COLLECTION SPRINGBOK and Eaton Vintage 500 piece puzzles.

Great Condition Single or Bundle $7 Each (941)504-0165 MICROWAVES. 3 sizes. (L) Sharp $30, (M) GE $10. (S) Mainstays $20. $60 (941) 966-6816 PUMA MENS size 7, 2 pairs like new $50. Patio chairs, resin weave, excellent condition, 2 for $60 Call (941)321-2694

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Garage/ Moving/ Estate Sales Coastal Estate Sale 4514 Trails Drive Sarasota Fl, 34232 Friday and Saturday June 12th & June 13th #’s Out at 8:00am

auto

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WE BUY cars. top $$ paid for your vehicles.

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Condos/Apts. for Rent THREE BEDROOM CONDO Unit 1701 available for monthly rental in Copperleaf the Brooks.

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Call Ken for more information (941) 356-3318 Or Visit: Antimonarchicalness.coma Estate Sales Conducted by: Antiques & Chatchkes

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

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M-F Ask about our special rates!

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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

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House filled with lovely coastal furniture by Lexington. Beautiful Glass/Kitchen ware meant for entertainment. Bedroom Suites and Linens. Listed artist artwork, Including a Peter Max.

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We’ll SWEEP you off your feet!

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Honest & reliable.

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

YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026

Home Services

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

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Made for where you live. Here!

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24/7 SERVICE

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GET YOUR LIFE BACK!

Puzzle Three Solution: “To invent your own life’s meaning is not easy, but it’s still allowed, and I think you’ll be happier for the trouble.”

Bill Watterson

Give Us a Call - We Can Help

This week’s Sudoku answers

30+ years Exp. & Excellent References

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GROW

Health

Puzzle Two Solution: “You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read.”

James Baldwin

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ome epaiR eRvice • No JoB Too SmaLL • ScReeN RepaiRS • paiNTiNG/DRY WaLL • TiLe RepaiRS • & mUcH moRe! 463071

Puzzle One Solution: “I love music and I think singing is a direct line to your heart ... one of the greatest teachers I had was the singing teacher.”

Meryl Streep

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STEVE PANEBIANCO H R S This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers

Pet Services

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26

YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026

Rescreening & Repairs

Screening

Eldridge Re-Screen

SCREEN MACHINE

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5

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Established in 1989 Serving Our Area for Over 35 Years

(941) 544.5663 | luislopezlanwservice@gmail.com

• Pool Enclosures • Front Entry Screens • Lanais • Concrete & Pavers

GROW YOUR BUSINESS

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

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

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Roofing

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

Licensed & Insured CCC - 058059 CBC - 1253936

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463456

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Licensed

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ACTIVE | 1542 4TH STREET, #210 | ZAHRADA | SARASOTA $2,375,000 | WEB# A4669223

ACTIVE | 101 OSPREY POINT DRIVE | THE OAKS | OSPREY $4,790,000 | WEB# A4694716

1350 MAIN STREET, SARASOTA, FL 34236. 941.867.6199 © 2026 DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE. ALL MATERIAL PRESENTED HEREIN IS INTENDED FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY. WHILE THIS INFORMATION IS BELIEVED TO BE CORRECT, IT IS REPRESENTED SUBJECT TO ERRORS, OMISSIONS, CHANGES OR WITHDRAWAL WITHOUT NOTICE. ALL PROPERTY INFORMATION, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO SQUARE FOOTAGE, ROOM COUNT, NUMBER OF BEDROOMS AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IN PROPERTY LISTINGS SHOULD BE VERIFIED BY YOUR OWN ATTORNEY, ARCHITECT OR ZONING EXPERT. EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY. *REALTRENDS VERIFIED BASED ON 2025 SALES. **BASED ON CAREER SALES. ***BASED ON 2026 DOUGLAS ELLIMAN TRANSACTIONS (BOTH PENDING AND CLOSED).

ACTIVE | 761 NORTON STREET | SLEEPY LAGOON PARK | LONGBOAT KEY $4,290,000 | WEB#A4677200

PRICE IMPROVEMENT

ACTIVE | 3631 SAN REMO TERRACE | SAN REMO ESTATES | SARASOTA $7,995,000 | WEB# A4669078

ACTIVE | 612 LAUREL ROAD W | NOKOMIS | $5,495,000 | WEB# A4694029

M: 941.587.4894 | O: 941.867.6199 joel.schemmel@elliman.com schemmelsodagroup.com

Sales Associate Executive Director of Luxury Sales

JOEL SCHEMMEL

Trust Is the Difference

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026

455393-1

SOLD AND PENDING IN 2026 ***

+ $85M

SMALL TEAM BY SALES VOLUME IN FLORIDA*

#25

IN CAREER SALES **

+ $1.2B

SMALL TEAM BY SALES VOLUME IN SARASOTA*

#2

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