Siesta Key Observer 5.20.21

SIESTA KEY

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Cooped up. PAGE 14A

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

VOLUME 51, NO. 45

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

Sarasota Bay’s struggling seagrass points to bigger eco-problems. PAGE 3A

Harry Sayer

A big climb

It wasn’t Mount Sinai, but it was as close as Sarasota County can come.

Dozens of members of Temple Sinai came to Celery Fields on May 16 to climb to the top of the county’s highest point on the Shavuot holiday, recognizing the Jewish people receiving the Torah atop Mount Sinai.

Members (including Edein Tibi, above) walked to the top of the hill, where they had a Ten Commandments lesson. People wore green and brought flowers to symbolize the spring harvest and the tradition of bringing fruit to the temple.

Families and members then headed back down and enjoyed ice cream.

CLEAN SWEEP 16-year-old Eagle Scout collects all 137 merit badges. SEE PAGE 1B

On the move

The Embracing Our Differences art exhibit spent months at Bayfront Park showcasing billboard-sized pieces of artwork promoting diversity and inclusion.

The exhibit was recently taken down and moved to Nathan Benderson Park.

It’s a special encore series that will run through Aug. 8 and will return downtown for its 2022 series in January.

Embracing Our Differences staff said the exhibit will be in a good position for the children taking part in the park’s many summer camps to learn about diversity and friendship.

Harry Sayer

Owen Eakle says he is proud of his sash displaying his 137 badges. Among his biggest challenges: learning to roller skate backwards.

A+E

Turtle Tracks AS OF APRIL 25 TOTAL NESTS:

2021 2020 Siesta Key 30 50 Lido Key 1 25 Casey Key 72 102 TOTAL FALSE CRAWLS:

2021 2020 Siesta Key 35 25 Lido Key 9 18 Casey Key 114 108 Source: Mote Marine Laboratory

Courtesy rendering

The concept includes a mixed-use complex with public parking, a gourmet market, a boutique hotel and town homes.

City open to hotel ideas St. Armands Circle concept gets initial OK to further proceed.

SEE PAGE 10A

‘Pipeline’ delivers punch.

SEE PAGE 4B

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WH AT’S H A PPENING

SARASOTA OBSERVER

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“We have a hard time turning away stuff because it’s Sarasota’s past, and it’s really important to maintain it because it isn’t our stuff.

It’s the people’s stuff.”

WEEK OF MAY 20, 2021

READ MORE ON PAGE 15A

Reading program gains national recognition

820

Approximate number of children 12 and over to be vaccinated at the county’s COVID-19 site.

PAGE 6A

8,854

Acres of healthy seagrass in the Sarasota Bay system in 2016.

PAGE 3A

21

Merit badges needed to qualify for Eagle Scout.

PAGE 1B

CALENDAR n Special Sarasota City Commission meeting — 6 p.m. Thursday, May 27, Commission Chambers, City Hall, 1565 First St. n Sarasota County School Board meeting— 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 1, Board Chambers, Administrative Complex, 1980 Landings Blvd. n Sarasota County Commission meeting — 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 8, Commission Chambers, County Administration Building, 1660 Ringling Blvd.

R

egistration is underway for a summer reading program that recently received national acclaim.

The Campaign for GradeLevel Reading honored the Patterson Foundation’s Suncoast Campaign for GradeLevel Reading as a Bright Spot community for its This Book is Cool! program.

The web series helped children progress toward third grade reading proficiency throughout the summer of 2020. In each episode, host Beth Duda talks about the featured book, highlights a word bank pertaining to the book, creates a craft and interviews a community member.

“We are so honored to be recognized as a Bright Spot community,” said Duda, who also is the director of the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, in a news release. “I’m grateful for The Patterson Foundation’s support, the enthusiasm and skill of all our engagement team members and the commitment of the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading’s part-

com use.

Th

Legacy segment opens in July

Rob Bendus, Sarasota County’s manager of historical resources

BY THE NUMBERS

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

Brynn Mechem

In each episode, host Beth Duda talks about the featured book, highlights a word bank pertaining to the book, creates a craft and interviews a community member through Zoom.

LEARN MORE

To learn more about This Book Is Cool and see a video about the program, hover your smartphone camera over the QR code.

ners for coming together during an unprecedented time to start This Book is Cool! and ensure children, particularly from assetlimited families, are able to

stay engaged and continue learning.”

Information for the program can be found at GradeLevelReadingSuncoast.net/ project/this-book-is-cool.

County leaders will officially open the first segment of the northern extension to the Legacy Trail on July 6.

When completed, the trail will run from Payne Park in downtown Sarasota to Venice.

Asphalt has been laid on segment one, which runs from Proctor Road to Bahia Vista Street. Crews are finishing final touches including landscaping and cleanup.

A ribbon-cutting to open that segment will be held July 6. Segments two and three, which will link the Proctor-Bahia Vista segment to downtown and Culverhouse Nature Park, are scheduled for completion in early 2022.

Interim principal gets the job McHenry Lerebours, an educator for more than 15 years and most recently interim principal at McIntosh Middle School, was named permanent principal last week.

“I am honored to serve as the next principal of McIntosh Middle,” Lerebours said in a news release. “It is an immense blessing to be a part of such a wonderful school community. Our teachers and staff members all work together to uplift and guide our students, and our students never cease to amaze me with their innovative perspectives and big dreams.”

Lerebours received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida A&M University and a master’s degree in educational leadership from University of South Florida.

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File photo

A survey of Sarasota Bay shows an 18% decline in seagrass.

STAFF WRITER

J

ust as land animals can be affected by deforestation, marine animals can be affected by a decline in seagrass growth, and recent data shows area wildlife could be in trouble.

Following a variety of environmental and human-made factors, Sarasota Bay is experiencing a 12-year loss in seagrass growth.

Preliminary results from the Southwest Florida Water Management District show an 18% decline in seagrass across Sarasota Bay, Roberts Bay and Little Sarasota Bay from 2018 to 2020.

The decline equates to loss of 2,300 acres of seagrass.

“A healthy bay leads to a healthy bay, so everything is tied together,” Sarasota Bay Watch Secretary John Ryan said. “Having healthy seagrass is really important to our bay ecosystem because about 75% of marine life have some part of their life in seagrass, so this is not great.”

Blackburn Bay showed a slight increase of about 13 acres, but the total acreage of seagrass coverage in the area is down from 12,853 in 2018 to 10,540 in 2020, officials reported. Seagrass levels have not been so low since 2006, when numbers were around 8,854 acres.

Numbers in the 1950s sat at about 10,246 acres and steadily built from there, but now the loss, which scientists say is largely due to red tide and Hurricane Irma, means the area basically has to start over.

“We’re back to where we were 30 years ago,” Sarasota Bay Estuary Program Executive Director David Tomasko said. “The good news is it may be able to stabilize because a lot of things that got us into trouble have been acted upon, and maybe we’ll soon start plateauing and improving.”

often overlooked because it’s underwater, and not many people stick their head under water,” said Sheila Scolaro, Sarasota County’s sampling and outreach coordinator, in a previous interview.

The decline, which amounts to 31% since 2000, is destructive to the bay’s natural habitat. Seagrass provides natural habitat for marine life, stabilizes sediment and captures about 27 million tons of carbon a year.

It also supports about 70% of commercial fish species in Florida and provides food and shelter for marine organisms.

However, local organizations are taking steps to help the health of the bay.

A major step is being made

by Sarasota County to overhaul its wastewater treatment plant into an advanced wastewater treatment plant. The $157 million upgrade will reduce the level of harmful nutrients in treated water.

Local efforts, including Sarasota Bay Watch’s clam program and Solutions To Avoid Red Tide’s oyster program, are helping remove harmful nutrients from the water. Since beginning their programs, Bay Watch has placed more than 100,000 clams into the bay, and START has reused about 60 tons of oyster shells.

“But because of the problem with the seagrass and how bad it’s gotten, we all feel we need to do more and go to the source to keep nutrients out of the water in the first place,” said Sandy Gilbert, the chair of START. To do so, a variety of projects

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Area experts say residents can take a variety of small actions to help limit their nutrient footprint.

Here’s just a few of their suggestions: n Turn off your sprinkler system during the rainy season; n Reroute gutter downspouts to avoid emptying on paved ground; n Tell your elected officials water quality should be a priority; n Make sure your glass clippings don’t find their way into stormwater drains; n Leave living shorelines, such as mangroves, alone; n Avoid seagrass meadows when boating; and n Skip the fertilizer during the rainy season.

have sprung up throughout Sarasota County, including a program to improve neighborhood stormwater ponds that are responsible for about 65% of the nutrients in the bay.

A microforest was planted on one-third of an acre at Celery Fields to filter stormwater. The $25,000 project is in the process of being replicated at the Venice Area Audubon Society bird rookery and Nathan Benderson Park.

Tomasko said residents should also try to curtail their nutrient footprint.

“We’re not a natural landscape, and so we need to be more careful moving into the future than we have in the last five to 10 years because I think we took our eye off the ball, and that’s how we got to some of our problems,” Tomasko said.

A survey shows an 18% decline in seagrass in Sarasota Bay. Seagrass affects more than 75% of marine life.

CANARY IN THE COAL MINE

Seagrass is major indicator of water quality because it is sensitive to alterations, particularly those stemming from nitrogen increases as a result of fertilizers, wastewater runoff and pet waste. Elevation in nutrients also stimulates algal blooms, which can reduce the light necessary for seagrass growth.

“Seagrass is considered the canary in the coal mine, and it’s

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

CASE STUDIES: PROJECT IMPACTS

CAUSE FOR CONCERN BRYNN MECHEM

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Photo courtesy Damen Shaqiri

When The Bay Sarasota developed a master plan in 2018 for building a park on the land surrounding the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, the cityendorsed vision included two parallel piers extending over the water near the end of Boulevard of the Arts.

A seagrass survey changed that vision.

The Bay, a private group working with the city on managing the park project, teamed with a coastal engineer to examine the status of the marine ecosystem in the area the group intended to build. The survey showed seagrasses and coral in significant enough volume that the design would be detrimental to the environment.

The Bay pivoted, designing a spiral boardwalk that largely avoids the seagrass beds.

For smaller portions that still cross over the seagrass, the boardwalk will feature transparent decking, so sunlight can get through, and the vegetation can still grow.

Another major city project — the dredging of Big Pass to renourish Lido Key — drew resident concern for its effects on seagrass beds. Because the sand dredging was expected to damage seagrass, the city was responsible for mitigating the issue. The city struck a deal with Manatee County to plant up to 3.2 acres of seagrass at Perico Preserve.

Although the city said efforts to find a site within Sarasota County were unsuccessful, some members of the public questioned why the city was mitigating the effects of its project on a site outside the county.

In 2019, when the city approved the mitigation plan, then-City Manager Tom Barwin argued the Manatee site would provide benefits for the area as a whole.

“This whole situation with water quality does need to be addressed on a regional basis,” Barwin said.

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

City considers new look for logo, seal DAVID CONWAY

Courtesy city of

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

Sarasota

Does David represent the city of Sarasota?

That’s a subject of disagreement among city officials and a question that will get further consideration as staff explores the possibility of revising the city’s logo and seal.

On Monday, the City Commission voted 4-1 to consider possible changes to the city’s iconography. The logo features a silhouette of the statue of David, the iconic Michelangelo sculpture with a replica located at The Ringling.

The seal highlights marine and coastal imagery with the text “May Sarasota Prosper.”

Mayor Hagen Brody placed an item on the commission’s agenda advocating for the exploration of new branding for the city. Brody said he felt both the seal and the logo were dated.

The commission was divided on the aesthetic merits of the David logo. Commissioner Jen AhearnKoch said she felt strongly about maintaining the logo, citing the sculpture’s history in Italy and the symbolism connected to the story of David. Commissioner Liz Alpert said she liked featuring David because it spoke to Sarasota’s pride in its arts community.

City Manager Marlon Brown said he felt the sculpture did not speak to Sarasota specifically.

He also cited a practical issue the

Commissioners suggested consulting a design firm or holding a public contest to identify possibilities for a new logo.

Mayor’s conduct causes concern among residents, officials An argument at City Hall regarding a vaccination clinic has led to criticism of Mayor Hagen Brody’s behavior.

DAVID CONWAY DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

T

hree city staff members reported that Mayor Hagen Brody had an extended angry outburst March 29 at City Hall because of his displeasure with a video posted to the city’s Facebook page.

All three reports to human resources state Brody called City Hall prior to 9 a.m. to schedule a meeting with City Manager Marlon Brown to discuss a video publicizing a COVID-19 vaccination clinic held at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. The staff members said Brody’s anger escalated when he was told Brown’s schedule would not allow him to meet before noon.

Brody arrived at City Hall between 9 and 9:30 a.m., staff said, and yelled about his need to talk to Brown while Brown was meeting remotely with other officials. While Brody was at City Hall, Brown and other employees told him his behavior was inappropriate and attempted to get him to calm down.

Brody made complaints about Van Wezel Executive Director

city has encountered with the logo, noting the Sarasota Police Department does not use it because the image led to too many vandalism incidents.

“It is strange to me as a manager to not have a department using that logo,” Brown said. “That speaks to something about the logo.”

No commissioner offered a strong defense for the design of the existing seal.

“It looks like a seal — like a dead seal,” Commissioner Kyle Battie said.

Ahearn-Koch expressed concern about the costs associated with updating the city’s logo and seal imagery, suggesting it was not an appropriate time to embark on the endeavor with the city still facing pandemic-related budget challenges.

“We don’t have to commit to anything,” Commissioner Erik Arroyo said.

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Mary Bensel, who was featured in the video, and Senior Communications Manager Jan Thornburg, who posted the video, asking for salary information for both employees. Brown eventually met with Brody in Brody’s office, and Brody left City Hall before noon, staff said.

One staff member said Brody’s behavior was unprecedented in her 15 years with the city. Another said she questioned whether the mayor was in control of his emotions, stating the incident caused sleepless nights and that she would resign if that sort of conduct continued. A third accused Brody of creating a toxic work environment.

“I have never seen anyone in the workplace act out like this, filled with so much rage,” the third report stated.

After the incident became publicized, members of the public began to raise concerns about Brody’s conduct as mayor. Speakers at the May 3 and May 18 meetings called on the commission to consider removing Brody from his position as mayor, questioning whether he had the temperament for the ceremonial role leading city meetings.

“Being a mayor is not a right.

It’s a privilege. It’s a ceremonial function,” resident Cathy Antunes said. “If you’re demonstrating difficulty in demonstrating equanimity and fair treatment as a mayor, time to take a break.”

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At the conclusion of the May 18 meeting, commissioners spent about 30 minutes discussing the incident. Commissioner Liz Alpert called on Brody to issue a public apology to staff, and Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch suggested the city might need to conduct a formal investigation.

“It would be egregious for this commission to ignore it because silence is condoning it,” Alpert said.

Brody said he had apologized privately to staff and that he made a mistake but also said the dispute was solely between him and Brown and that his behavior was a reflection of his passion.

That drew pushback from Alpert, who called it “a non-recognition of having done anything wrong.”

Brody later said he could have handled himself better, that he felt badly when he read staff’s account of the morning and that he would strive to improve his conduct moving forward.

“I’m learning,” Brody said. “All of this is a learning experience.”

In an interview prior to the meeting, Brody expressed some regret for his behavior and said his frustrations with the Facebook video fueled his emotions.

Although one staff account said Brody was upset that the video did not highlight his involvement in organizing the vaccination clinic, Brody said he felt a message centered on the prospect of resuming shows at the Van Wezel was inappropriate given the circumstances of the event.

Brody said the tone of the argument was partially reflective of the working relationship he had with Brown.

“We have disagreements from time to time, rarely, but we have a relationship where we let each

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

5A

“I’m passionate about what I do, and I’m passionate about working for the people of this community, and my passion is visible sometimes.”

— Mayor Hagen Brody

Image courtesy the city of Sarasota

In addition to featuring volunteers, a photo posted to the city’s Twitter account March 27 showed Mayor Hagen Brody at a Van Wezel vaccination event.

other know what is on each other’s mind in a very frank and blunt way,” Brody said. “I was definitely irritated and agitated, but at the end of the day, it was a dispute — kind of an animated dispute.”

The three city staff members submitted their testimony to HR the week of April 5, one week following the incident. After a public records request produced those reports, two additional individuals submitted their accounts of the day on May 12: City Commissioner Erik Arroyo and thenPlanning Board applicant Dan Clermont. Arroyo was meeting with Clermont at City Hall, and both parties downplayed the severity of the argument, stating that they only heard elevated voices for eight to 12 seconds.

“I was surprised, considering my experience that day, that this experience has been document-

ed,” Clermont wrote.

Speakers at the May 3 and May 18 meetings raised other issues they saw with Brody’s conduct as mayor, including his enforcement of time limits for commissioner questions despite the protests of Ahearn-Koch. At the May 18 meeting, Alpert said the March 29 dispute was not the first account she’s heard of problematic behavior from Brody toward city staff.

Former City Commissioner Susan Chapman, who appeared at the May 3 commission meeting at the request of other residents, said Brody was overstepping his bounds by pushing for policy action that is the purview of the entire commission.

Chapman, who lost a bid for reelection in 2017, acknowledged that a majority of the commission has not publicly raised concerns about Brody’s conduct. At

the May 18 meeting, Commissioner Kyle Battie said he did not approve of Brody’s behavior but that he did not want to dwell on the matter, either. Chapman expressed broader displeasure with the current makeup of the city’s elected body.

“I want to leave the city,” Chapman said. “It’s depressing to pay double taxes for a crummy government of people who never attended a meeting before they got elected.”

Brody rejected the idea that his actions undermined his ability to act effectively as mayor, stating he strives to uniformly apply time limits and other restrictions to individuals participating in commission meetings. He said he was proactive in sharing his perspective with Brown, but he maintained that he remained just one voice among five commissioners.

Brody said he can get agitated at times during city meetings, and he said his behavior in public settings is largely consistent with his conduct in private.

“The way I am at the commission dais is how I am,” Brody said.

“I’m passionate about what I do, and I’m passionate about working for the people of this community, and my passion is visible sometimes.”

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Board members Bridget Ziegler and Karen Rose would like an optional requirement as soon as

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possible, even if that means the change takes effect before the end of the year. Friday, June 11 is the final day of classes.

“The win-win for me is giving families the option of deciding whether they send their child to school with a mask or without,” Rose said.

However, the other three board members favored of leaving the existing policy, which requires anyone on district campuses or vehicles to wear a mask, in place until the end of the school year.

Superintendent Brennan Asplen agreed. He feared that a change in the middle of state testing and end-of-the-year celebrations would be disruptive. He said he polled principals who largely felt the same as him.

“We need to be consistent and keep things the way that they are for the rest of the school year, so we don’t create a chaotic situation or even a situation that’s just a disruption,” he said. “To go and make changes at this point in time with everything going on at school, I think, would be a mistake from an educational standpoint.”

Board member Tom Edwards was in favor of keeping the current policy as is. He said he wouldn’t want to ask principals or students to make another drastic change in a year that has been difficult.

“They have bent themselves over backwards, and I couldn’t possibly for a minute ask them to make another change,” Edwards said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines state fully vaccinated individuals can resume normal activities without wearing a mask, indoors or out.

Michael Drennon, an epidemiologist with the Florida

Department of Health in Sarasota County, told board members about 820 students have received a COVID-19 vaccination through the county’s clinic at Sarasota Square Mall.

Children younger than 12, who are not yet cleared for the vaccine, would remain vulnerable without masks.

Because of this, the CDC issued a statement that said the new guidelines do not apply to schools and that district administrators should keep their current guidelines in place.

Additionally, because the board’s current mask policy is an emergency policy, board attorney Patrick Duggan said the board must give legal notice and call a special meeting to make any changes to the policy.

Typically, policy changes take about a month to enact and with three weeks left in the school year, most board members agreed it was best to let the current policy sunset June 30.

“As chair, I would find it very difficult to call an emergency meeting,” school board member Shirley Brown said. “Just judging from what we had from input before is that it would be more of a risk if we took the masks off those kids now.”

Board member Jane Goodwin said that although she is fully vaccinated, she will continue to wear her mask in solidarity as long as students do.

Ziegler asked Asplen to draft a policy allowing for optional mask use starting July 1. The motion carried with a 3-2 vote, with Ziegler, Rose and Edwards voting in favor.

The board members will revisit the policy during their next meeting June 1.

“We need to be consistent and keep things the way that they are for the rest of the school year, so we don’t create a chaotic situation, or even a situation that’s just a disruption.”

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SARASOTA OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

SARASOTA / SIESTA KEY

OPINION / OUR VIEW

Siesta city: Is it worth cost?

The appeal for incorporating Siesta Key is its residents controlling the island’s land-use destiny.

A vote inevitably will come down to cost. Is the benefit worth the cost? On Longboat, it is.

W

e all know that saying: Third time is a charm.

Perhaps that will be the case for John Davidson, arguably deserving of the title of Mr. Siesta Key. Davidson — the founder of Davidson Drugs and the Pelican Press (now Siesta Key Observer) and a longtime commercial property owner in the Village — is trying for the third time to persuade his fellow Siesta Key residents to incorporate the barrier island. As Observer staff writer Brynn Mechem reported last week, Davidson and seven other Save Siesta Key board members are leading the efforts.

Attempts in the 1960s and 1990s failed.

Each time, the drive to make Siesta Key its own city came as a result of the Sarasota County Commission making land-use decisions that many Siesta Key residents opposed. So it is this time, too.

Davidson and his colleagues want the island’s taxpayers to be able to control their own landuse destiny.

It’s a hard sell. A group tried in Lakewood Ranch in the past decade, in part because residents there felt the Manatee County Sheriff’s Department was not providing adequate protection.

Future development also was on the minds of the organizers. But that effort failed, too.

The big obstacle is the cost of an additional property tax.

As Mechem reported last week, property owners in the city of Sarasota pay an additional 3.497 mills for all of the city’s services on top of all the other county, schools and state property taxes (total: 12.3976 mills).

Longboat Key property owners pay an additional 2.6685 mills.

For a homeowner or condo owner whose property has a taxable value of $800,000, that would mean an additional $2,797

in annual property taxes in Sarasota and $2,134 on Longboat Key. For a condo with a taxable value of $1.5 million, that would be an extra $5,245 in Sarasota and an extra $4,000 on Longboat Key. What do the taxpayers of Longboat Key get for those additional property taxes?

That extra tax includes the cost of the town’s own police, fire and emergency services departments and its own public works department, as well as all of the town’s administrative services. Public safety on Longboat typically consumes about 26% of the town’s $39.3 million annual general fund. The planning and zoning department consumes 4.5%.

If you took a poll on Longboat Key on whether the additional tax provides commensurate, or better, benefits, you can bet the vast majority of property owners would say they gladly pay the

extra tax for the town’s services. Longboaters cherish local control.

As Davidson and his fellow Save Siesta Key board members go through the state-required steps toward incorporation, they will address the likely costs for Siesta property owners. And when the process is completed and comes to a vote, timing will be everything.

Will Siesta residents continue to be so fed up with the county that they’ll take on the extra tax?

Or will inflation be so persistent that rising costs for everything will squelch what most Longboat residents would say is a cost well worth bearing?

There is much good to be said about local control. For 60 years, even though the cost of their government has grown, the citizens of Longboat Key have managed to keep it in check.

And that’s with an all-volunteer, non-paid Town Commission.

A gemstone for St. Armands We’ve seen this movie so many times. Sometimes the ending changes, but up to the end, it’s always another version of “Groundhog Day.” You know how it goes: The opening scene is a peaceful, charming community, much like Garrison Keillor’s fictional town where everyone is above average and happy.

Then along comes, ugh, the developer. He wants to build on a vacant lot. And then all hell breaks loose.

What? More traffic? More noise? Block my view? No, no, no!

Our lives will be ruined! You can’t do that!

So here we go again. Groundhog Day on St. Armands Circle.

We knew the Roman candle would be ignited and spit out its first fireball as soon as we read in the May 6 Sarasota Observer that Gavin Meshad; his father, John; and Dennis McGillicuddy wanted to begin discussions about a development idea for the asphalt public parking lot behind the Met, Alvin’s and the Crab & Fin on the southeast quadrant of St. Armands Circle.

And right on cue, it did.

Emails sizzled across the Ringling Bridge in the ether from St. Armands Key residents to Sarasota City commissioners, expressing concerns (in reality, opposition) to developing the parking lot.

They continued Monday night with nine speakers, including Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier and residents who live near or across the street from the parking lot.

There were no ad-lib departures from the script. The speakers predicted the doom of more traffic, noise, trash and delivery trucks; too much density of people; and shadows of darkness from a 45-foot-high building.

But before you take any side,

ST. ARMANDS PRESENTATION Visit Sarasota.Granicus. com/player/clip/10768 to watch the presentation.

we urge you to go online and watch the presentation of the Meshads and McGillicuddy (see the link in the box).

To begin with, all three are about as Sarasota-through-andthrough as you can get — nearly life-long residents of the city; longtime, reputable property and business owners on St. Armands Circle and elsewhere; philanthropists to many local causes and not-for-profits;

builders and developers of many community assets that have contributed positively to job creation and the local economy.

The point, which is often lost when the word “developer” is mentioned, is that these three citizens have had a lifelong interest in the betterment of Greater Sarasota. If anyone is to develop anything on that parking lot, you can be sure these three would want to make it a class-

SECOND BRIDGE UNAVOIDABLE To their credit, a few of the residents who addressed the Sarasota City Commission about the Fillmore development concept acknowledged that they know that parking lot one day will be developed.

It is a terribly wasted land mass as a ground-level asphalt parking lot. Indeed, the city should sell that property, regardless of who proposes what development on it.

As the prospect of developing that property is contemplated, that idea also should trigger discussions about another potential asset that is sorely needed now and in the future: a route to Long-

boat Key that avoids traveling through St. Armands Circle — a second bridge.

Talk of a second bridge has surfaced and died multiple times over the past 40 years.

But as Sarasota continues to grow, a second bridge will become unavoidable.

Surely there must be a way to build a spur that can take motorists from the start of the eastern edge of the John Ringling Bridge to City Island, which could accommodate a roadway for people wanting to go to and from Longboat Key directly and avoid the Circle.

act project. They aren’t looking to rip off the city and run.

“What we’re here for today,” John Meshad told commissioners, “is simply to start the game with a serve and see what the community response is. We don’t want to be contentious.

We’re not trying to force this on anybody. We just think the Circle is not what it used to be.

We think it needs a face-lift and some injections of steroids.”

(He’s right.)

Meshad emphasized the trio’s concept was just that — a concept: a 98-room, boutique hotel, a Morton’s Market (they have a letter of intent with Morton’s), six town homes, public restrooms and a 270-car parking garage. It doesn’t have to be this; it’s a starting point.

For anyone who doesn’t live next to the Fillmore parking lot, what they presented indeed would add a badly needed gemstone to the Circle.

But like any proposed development in Sarasota, it’s a long, arduous, costly, contentious road to reality. We credit the bravery and vision of the Meshads and McGillicuddy.

Let the conversation and process begin.

Footnote: There is always an easy answer to these development proposals. If the neighbors don’t want that property developed, they can stop any development forever: Buy the property themselves.

“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

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944

Publisher / Emily Walsh EWalsh@YourObserver.com Executive Editor / Kat Hughes KHughes@YourObserver.com Managing Editor / Eric Garwood EGarwood@YourObserver.com Deputy Managing Editor / David Conway, DConway@YourObserver.com Staff Writers / Brynn Mechem, BMechem@YourObserver.com Sports Reporter / Ryan Kohn, RKohn@YourObserver.com Copy Editor/ Kaelyn Adix, KAdix@YourObserver.com Editorial Designers / Melissa Leduc, MLeduc@YourObserver.com; Carol Parker, CParker@YourObserver.com Black Tie Editor / Harry Sayer, HSayer@ YourObserver.com Director of Advertising / Jill Raleigh JRaleigh@YourObserver.com Sales Manager / Penny DiGregorio PDiGregorio@YourObserver.com Digital Sales and Business Development Manager / Kathleen O’Hara, KOHara@YourObserver.com Senior Advertising Executive / Laura Ritter, LRitter@YourObserver.com Advertising Executives / Richeal Bair, RBair@YourObserver. com; Chrissy Guevera, CGuevara@ YourObserver.com; Beth Jacobson, BJacobson@YourObserver.com; Jennifer Kane, JKane@YourObserver.com; Honesty Mantkowski, HMantkowski@ YourObserver.com; Bob Lewis, BLewis@ YourObserver.com; Toni Perren, TPerren@YourObserver.com Classified Advertising Sales Executive / Audri Ferguson, AFerguson@ YourObserver.com Sales Operations Manager / Susan Leedom, SLeedom@YourObserver.com Sales Coordinator / Account Manager Emma Burke, EBurke@YourObserver. com; Lori Downey, LDowney@ YourObserver.com Director of Marketing / Robin Lankton, RLankton@YourObserver.com Director of Creative Services / Caleb Stanton, CStanton@YourObserver.com Creative Services Administrator / Marjorie Holloway, MHolloway@ YourObserver.com Advertising Graphic Designers / Luis Trujillo, Allison Wampole Digital Developer / Jason Camillo, JCamillo@YourObserver.com Director of Information Technology / Adam Quinlin, AQuinlin@YourObserver. com Chief Financial Officer / Laura Strickland, LStrickland@ YourObserver.com Controller / Rafael Labrin, RLabrin@YourObserver.com Office and Accounting Coordinator / Donna Condon, DCondon@YourObserver. com

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YourObserver.com

Totalitarian crazies will lose again

I heard stories from my two Russian professors during four years of college classes and afterward from the many Chinese teachers I had while studying Chinese at the Defense Language Institute. All were natives of their respective countries and fled the nightmares they were living through.

Marxism sounds ever so friendly, but in practice it becomes deadly as witnessed by 70 years of Soviet Union government viciousness — destroy the family unit, forbid religious practice, encourage friends and relatives to report anticommunist behavior and expression to the authorities, and more.

Does this sound familiar to what is happening today?

Thought control results in behavior control. Constant repetition makes lies become truth.

This is not my America nor that for countless others. The U.S. is the wealthiest, most powerful, most generous and still the freest country in the world and has been the savior of the free world through two great wars. But the ignorance and self-guilt being perpetrated are destructive to the core of American society.

Who could have imagined that after centuries America would be debased by violent mobs aided and abetted by government authorities and the press? To be brainwashed by lowly idiots who want to destroy our self-respect and pride and not fight back is despicable. Our founding fathers fought the good war to make real the idea of America as a free country.

Great editorial on totalitarianism.

As a political science (government) college student in the mid-1960s, I saw everything covered in your editorial and in James Lombard’s government classes at Harvard.

The points the editorial makes reflect the modern American version of the totalitarian movement, not with the point of a gun as in the past, but a constant barrage of propaganda, repetitive condemnation and speaking great lies about the great country of America.

It’s like watching “The Manchurian Candidate,” starring Frank Sinatra and Lawrence Harvey, where the incessant brainwashing of captured American prisoners by the North Korean enemy results in them turning against each other and against their country.

I doubt many Americans have ever met any former residents of communist countries. The stories they tell will scare the hell out of any aspirant to totalitarianism unless they aspire to be a member of the ruling class — and yes, there is a ruling class in totalitarian countries past and present.

After World War II, my family and many others helped displaced people relocate to the U.S. We heard the stories. They were fleeing en masse from the newly formed communist Eastern European countries and witnessed firsthand what it was like then and imagined what it would become years hence.

The 1960s and 1970s were a precursor to the chaos happening now. The crazies lost. And they will lose again.

MILAN V. ADRIAN LONGBOAT KEY

‘Not the country I knew and loved’ I agree totally with your article on totalitarianism!

I had a bad fall March 15 and later another illness that kept me hospitalized for a month.

This resulted in not watching television (I still don’t!) and not reading newspapers. Hopefully, my blood pressure has improved somewhat with not witnessing the political scene.

I heartily endorse “This is not the country that I knew and loved.”

Our family legally immigrated to the U.S. by choice, not birth.

We became U.S. citizens willingly, but it is not the country that it was even 20 years ago, despite changes in political leaders and parties.

Frankly, I am afraid for my adult children and grandchildren with the direction in which the U.S. is heading: It’s totalitarianism — by any other word or phrase.

MAUREEN HYDE SARASOTA

Expert Sees Life-altering Improvements with Hormone Replacement Therapy Hormone imbalance happens to us all as we age, according to Dr. Dana Fabiani, the founder and owner of Sarasota Wellness MD. Board-certified in Anti-aging and Regenerative medicine, she prescribes bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) for her patients to alleviate their symptoms and give them their lives back.

Hormones are chemicals our bodies produce to communicate throughout the body to regulate functions like sleep, cognition, digestion and bone turnover. Common symptoms of hormonal imbalance include fatigue, brain fog, hair thinning, hot flashes, anxiety and a decreased sex drive.

Symptoms can range from mild to severe.

“Everyone goes through hormonal decreases throughout their lives,” Dr. Fabiani says. “A lot of people may not recognize that their symptoms are due to an imbalance or even what hormones are.”

While the natural aging process has the biggest impact on your hormone level, stress, poor diet, lack of sleep and toxin buildup in the body all can play a role in making things worse.

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Pastors to speak on overcoming racism Richard Harris and Kenneth Stephens come from different backgrounds to speak at Church of the Redeemer.

HARRY SAYER

IF YOU GO ‘STEEPED IN HATE, SAVED BY LOVE’ When: 6 p.m. May 25 Where: Church of the Redeemer, 222 S. Palm Ave. Information: 955-4263

STAFF WRITER

R

ichard Harris and Kenneth Stephens used to have nothing in common besides hate.

Harris was a small, bullied, white child growing up in Indiana in the 1970s and said he felt a visceral need to inflict payback on others.

When his school became desegregated, and he met Black students for the first time, he decided he had a direction for his anger.

That hate stayed with him as he was recruited by the Ku Klux Klan at age 16, eventually becoming the leader of the Indiana chapter.

Stephens, a Black man born and raised in Florida, found his hate later in life. His brother was killed by two white soldiers while serving in the military. The incident left Stephens with deep mistrust and anger.

“I’m serving with people who I was supposed to trust with my life, and they took my brother’s life,” Stephens said.

Both Harris and Stephens say they found salvation through God

— Harris, 63, learned more about Jesus’ teachings that weren’t conveyed to him in the Klan; Stephens, 58, found forgiveness working for a church — and both eventually found themselves working as professors at Southeastern University and as pastors at Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Bartow.

Harris and Stephens now work to connect with communities to encourage communication across racial lines. They will be speaking May 25 at Church of the Redeemer as part of the “Steeped in Hate, Saved by Love” event.

“We both had the same yet very different journey,” Harris said.

“We both had racism steeped in our lives but overcame it.”

The pair will discuss practical ways to see other people differently and how to approach friends and family who might need help.

“We talk about reconciliation, and we talk about hate and how it turned in into love,” Stephens said.

Dr. Dana Fabiani Dr. Dana Fabiani, founder and owner of Sarasota Wellness MD, is board certified in Family Medicine & Anti-aging and Regenerative Medicine.

If you have noticed changes in your body recently, ask your doctor, “could these be related to my hormones?” Often, your lab results may show your hormones fall in the normal range, but they might be low for you. Don’t be afraid to get a second opinion.

Dr. Fabiani says BHRT has been life-changing for her patients. She works very closely with Sarasota Compounding Pharmacy to compound specific doses of BHRT for each patient. Hormones come in a variety of different delivery systems that Sarasota Compounding Pharmacy can formulate for each patient’s needs. This is especially great for sensitive individuals. For example, a 66-year-old woman came to her with a poor memory, brain fog and a habit of repeating herself. Now that she’s on BHRT, she’s one of Dr. Fabiani’s sharpest patients.

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Men who are in andropause, the male equivalent to menopause, also benefit from BHRT. Unlike synthetic hormones, bioidentical hormones replace what your body is used to making but not making anymore. Because they’re the same as our body’s hormones on a molecular level, bio-identical hormones are received by the body readily. Synthetic hormones, on the other hand, can cause serious side effects, such as blood clots and heart disease. Many of Dr. Fabiani’s patients have stayed on BHRT for years with only positive results.

She encourages people suffering from any of these symptoms to be proactive: take a ZRT Saliva test to help identify current hormone levels, speak to a physician, or visit a clinic specializing in BHRT.

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LETTERS

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

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10A

SARASOTA OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

Officials entertain St. Armands hotel plan Despite concerns from some barrier islands stakeholders, the City Commission will continue to explore the possibility of developing the Fillmore Drive parking lot.

DAVID CONWAY DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

There’s a long way to go before a proposed mixed-use complex anchored by a hotel and a grocery store could possibly be built on St. Armands Circle, but the concept cleared its first hurdle at Monday’s City Commission meeting.

The development team of John Meshad, Gavin Meshad and Dennis McGillicuddy appeared at the meeting to present their vision for a project on the Fillmore Drive parking lot adjacent to the Circle. The concept plan includes a 98-room hotel, a 15,000-squarefoot Morton’s grocery store, six town homes and 270 covered public parking spaces to maintain the capacity of the existing lot.

The proposed structure would be 45 feet tall, 10 feet above the maximum height allowed on St. Armands.

A majority of the commission expressed an interest in exploring the proposal further. In a 4-1 vote, the board directed the city manager and city attorney to work with the development team to clearly outline what steps would need to be taken for the project to

Courtesy rendering

A development group is asking the city to consider facilitating a mixed-use project featuring a boutique hotel and gourmet market on St. Armands Circle.

eventually become reality.

Commissioners made clear their vote was not a firm endorsement of the development concept but a means to continue to entertain the idea while facilitating a community conversation.

“This is very preliminary,” Commissioner Kyle Battie said.

“Extremely preliminary.”

During his presentation, John Meshad said the group’s interest in developing the St. Armands parking lot dates back to 2007.

A variety of factors — including a recession and the process of constructing a parking garage on another St. Armands parking lot — stopped the group from sharing the proposal with officials until recently. Now, Meshad believes the time is right to seriously consider the idea.

“We want to tee this up, serve the ball and see what the community has to say about it,” he said.

Already, the concept has triggered concern from some St. Armands residents and Longboat Key officials. Residents living near the site raised questions about the proposed height and asked how a development might affect traffic, noise and other quality-of-life dynamics in the area.

“Please take your time and look at all the issues that are involved here,” said Lenny Owens, a resident on Adams Drive. “If something does happen, we hope it happens in a way that suits everyone that’s around there.”

Longboat Town Manager Tom Harmer sent an email to Sarasota City Manager Marlon Brown expressing a desire to provide

input on the project if plans advance. Longboat Mayor Ken Schneier appeared at the meeting to expand on the town’s interest in mitigating potential traffic issues.

“It’s a tremendous concern on Longboat Key,” Schneier said.

Members of the commission encouraged the development team to meet with neighbors in an effort to address those concerns before the project gets any further consideration from the city, which the group pledged to do.

“We don’t want to be contentious,” Meshad said. “We’re not trying to force this on anybody.”

Meshad said he was sensitive to concerns, but he and other presenters argued the project would provide meaningful public benefits. Meshad said providing structured parking would be a

multimillion-dollar value for the city. The proposal includes plans to bury power lines around the project site and incorporate landscaping and other design buffers facing residential areas. Meshad said the group intended to pay fair market value to the city in exchange for the land.

It’s unclear what, exactly, the next steps might be regarding the proposal. Commissioners discussed the possibility of soliciting submittals from other parties that might be interested in developing the site, but the board did not commit to undertaking such a process.

Commissioner Jen AhearnKoch cast the vote against giving the proposal further consideration. Although she said she understood the project could provide some benefits, she was worried about how such a development might affect its surroundings.

“I just am very concerned about the intensity and the compatibility of something like this,” Ahearn-Koch said.

Mayor Hagen Brody and Commissioner Liz Alpert spoke favorably about the concept, with Brody speaking about the benefits of having a grocery store on the barrier islands within city limits.

Those commissioners, along with Battie and Erik Arroyo, indicated they thought the idea merited further consideration to see if it could ultimately be viable.

“All they’re asking for is for a conversation, to meet with the neighbors and see how this plan evolves,” Arroyo said.

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

Main Street businesses protest streetscape idea Although city officials and property owners have expressed a desire to redesign two key downtown blocks, merchants aren’t happy with the prospect of losing parking spaces.

DAVID CONWAY DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

A group of downtown business owners is asking the city not to proceed with a plan to widen sidewalks in the 1400 and 1500 blocks of Main Street by replacing angled parking with a reduced number of parallel parking spaces.

Although the project is still in the conceptual stage, merchants on the blocks are raising concerns about shrinking the on-street parking supply. Darci Jacob, the owner of clothing boutique Darci, and Harmoni Krusing Bens, the owner of Lotus Boutique, gathered signatures from businesses opposing the concept unless a series of other issues are addressed first.

Jacob and Krusing Bens see the stakes as severe, and they’re working to persuade city officials to see it the same way. Between a lengthy construction period and the elimination of the most convenient parking spaces, the merchants fear an intended beautification project could jeopardize the future of Main Street stores and restaurants.

“Do they want the small businesses to succeed, or do they want to close us?” Jacob said.

The idea for a Main Street streetscape project originated

with the Downtown Improvement District, a self-taxing group of property owners in the downtown core. This year, DID board members have discussed the potential benefits of widening sidewalks, creating a more pedestrian-friendly environment and providing more room for outdoor cafes. The group paid a consultant to produce a conceptual design for the project, which emulates the look of the nearby brick-paved Lemon Avenue mall.

The plans would reduce the number of parking spaces on the two blocks from 98 to 23.

City planning staff praised the design, adding that the elimination of angled parking would help reduce traffic collisions.

“We were just amazed with it,” Planning Director Steve Cover said in May. “Not only does it tie in beautifully to Lemon, but it gives complete flexibility on Main Street.”

Ron Soto, a DID board member and the president of the Sarasota Downtown Enrichment Association, said a survey of merchants showed more support than opposition, though opposition was concentrated in the 1400 and 1500 blocks.

The merchant petition outlines some preconditions business owners would like to see before

David Conway

Downtown merchants Darci Jacob, Ron Soto and Harmoni Krusing Bens say they could be amenable to eventually eliminating some Main Street parking spaces — but only if the city significantly expanded the nearby parking supply.

“Do they want the small businesses to succeed, or do they want to close us?”

— Darci Jacob

the city considers the project: expanding the nearby parking supply, addressing issues related to homelessness and filling existing vacancies on Main Street.

Soto suggested the city should build a parking garage at First Street and Lemon Avenue at the

site of the SCAT transfer station before eliminating any spaces on Main Street.

“We need to get the parking in place and then talk about this other type of thing,” Soto said.

Other merchants agreed parking is a principal point of contention. Although city officials and DID board members have highlighted the availability of parking garages on First Street, State Street and Palm Avenue, Soto said those garages have a finite supply — a portion of which is already reserved for residents and businesses. Both Jacob and Krusing Bens said they hear feedback from patrons who would rather park on

the street.

“Our local clients, they don’t want to park in the garages,” Krusing Bens said. “They’ll circle around three times and leave before they park in a garage.”

Fatigue is also fueling the opposition. Merchants cited COVID-19, the installation of parking meters, red tide and other construction projects as challenges they’ve faced in the past five years. Krusing Bens suggested the city should wait five to 10 years before considering a major renovation on Main Street.

“Each hurdle we get over, there’s another hurdle,” Jacob said.

The city has no clear timeline for the proposal. In a statement issued through spokesperson Jason Bartolone, the city said it is working to get the project “as shovel-ready as possible” in the event funding becomes available.

City commissioners Jen Ahearn-Koch and Hagen Brody have said they would like to prioritize a broader Main Street improvement project extending from U.S. 301 to U.S. 41. City staff said the city is seeking state grants for that initiative that likely won’t be available for at least five years.

The city said it would evaluate parking needs and communicate with stakeholders as plans advance.

“We are sensitive to the needs and concerns of the business community, and public input will continue to help shape the project going forward,” the statement said.

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

Courtesy photo

Agricultural sciences teacher Meg Lea shows students how to piece the chicken coop together.

Coop build teaches lesson Middle school students used geometry to design and construct a home for four campus hens.

into the garden to help build a home for a family of four.

Seventh and eighth grade students first planned the home using geometry and algebra.

They then priced materials before finally using saws to cut the lumber necessary for the home.

Working together, they put up wall by wall until they had completed a two-story home that fit the family’s needs: a large living space and individual bedrooms.

No interior design decisions had to be made or plumbing work

BRYNN MECHEM STAFF WRITER

S

tudents at the Hershorin Schiff Community Day School recently stepped out of the classroom and

figured out because the students’ client family has feathers, wings and beaks.

The middle school students were creating a new chicken coop for the school’s four chickens: Hope, Coco Puff, Pepper and Buttercup.

The build was part of a legacy project the middle school students will leave behind for future generations.

Michel Mayer, an eighth grade student who has attended Community Day School for four years,

said he was proud to build something future students will enjoy.

“It makes me pretty happy that after all this time in the school I get to help with this project, and it will be one of the first at the new school, which is pretty exciting,” Mayer said.

Community Day School will open its new, larger campus for the 2021-22 school year. Because the coop will be transported to the school’s new campus at 4335 Wilkinson Road, just west of McIntosh Road, it had to be built in two parts, which challenged the students.

Agricultural sciences teacher Meg Lea, who led the project, said in a typical year, eighth graders volunteer within the community and take part in school improvement projects throughout the course of their final year.

However, because of COVID-19, the students haven’t been able to take part in traditional activities, which led them to think outside the box.

“They have wondered out loud about what thing future students would have to look back on to say this was their contribution,” Lea said. “Between their love of our hens and their aptitude for math and engineering, this project came together pretty organically and became the perfect way for our middle school students to leave their mark on our new campus.”

Students had about two weeks to pull the project together, and although it was a short turnaround, Mayer said the most challenging part wasn’t the time constraint.

“The hardest part was definitely looking at the math and thinking we had it figured out, and then we looked at the prices

of materials and found out we didn’t,” Mayer said. “But it was so fun. We felt like we were really responsible for it, so it’s exciting to see it all come together.”

The project follow’s the school’s philosophy of projectbased learning. A tenet of Community Day School is tikkun olam, or behaving in a way that is constructive and beneficial to society.

A method the school uses to teach that tenet is its outdoor garden and classroom, which teaches students the benefits of agricultural science and caring for live creatures through handson learning.

Head of School Dan Ceaser said there’s a correlation between student engagement and student achievement, so school leaders try to get students involved as often as possible.

“When kids feel like they’re partners, they’re invested in their learning, and they know why they’re learning, and they feel it’s connected to their lives, they give more effort to perform at a higher level,” Ceaser said. “So projects like these not only make school more fun, but they make kids more invested.”

Ceaser said such projects as the chicken coop allow students to utilize the necessary leadership to create projects not just for the grade but also to feel a part of the community.

“We want our kids at the end of the day to have the ability to look back on their learning and say, ‘I did this not because I was told to do it but because it matters to me,’” he said.

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SARASOTA OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

Artifacts tell Sarasota’s story During the centennial, historical resources employees reflect on the past and look toward the future.

BRYNN MECHEM STAFF WRITER

As Rob Bendus winds his way through the maze that is the county’s historical resources building, he points out artifacts that reflect Sarasota’s history.

Here are original blueprints from the Sarasota County Courthouse, dated 1926. On a table rests a letter from Herbert Hoover to a Sarasota resident, and on a shelf in the corner is the typewriter Walter Farley used to write “The Black Stallion” series.

“We are here to be stewards,” said Bendus, the manager of historical resources. “We are just protecting these items, so we can show other people what life was like in Sarasota. That tangible connection to the past is really powerful.”

That’s a role Bendus and his colleagues take more seriously during Sarasota County’s centennial year.

Rooms upon rooms have been filled with artifacts. One is full of maps, another contains newspaper clippings, another holds textiles and large objects, while still another houses archaeological findings.

And the collection keeps growing. Members of the historical resources team regularly collect items from archaeological digs and donations.

“We have a hard time turning

away stuff because it’s Sarasota’s past, and it’s really important to maintain it because it isn’t our stuff — it’s the people’s stuff,” Bendus said.

The historical resources department used to be located in the Chidsey Building along Tamiami Trail. However, Sarasota experienced several hurricanes in 2005, so leaders moved the contents to 6062 Porter Way, east of Cattlemen Road and just south of Bahia Vista Street.

The move was to be temporary, but now after 15 years in the building, the department is out of room. Many artifacts are stacked in cabinets from floor to ceiling.

The building is kept as cool as possible to preserve the artifacts, though the temperature fluctuates throughout. Most artifacts need to be kept at around 40 degrees, though most of the rooms sit in the 60s.

The most troubling issue is a lack of a fire-suppression system.

“If there were a fire like there was two or three weeks ago in the library of South Africa or the National Museum of Brazil or Notre Dame, we will lose just about everything connected to Sarasota’s history,” Bendus said.

However, as the county plans to move to a new administrative building, there are plans to move the historical resources department.

There, items would be stored

Photos by Brynn Mechem

properly, and historical resource employees would have the space to house a variety of programs.

Leaders also are keeping an eye out for land for the possibility of building a history museum in the future.

Talks of a museum have been in the works for 30 years, but because museums are so expensive, the county would need a public-private partnership to help fund the cost.

“It’s so important to preserve these things because they add to our quality of life,” Bendus said.

“When it comes down to it, it’s about developing a sense of place, what is that history. It’s our job to preserve that.”

Anyone can tour the historical resources department by setting up an appointment at 861-6090.

Above: Historical Resources Manager Rob Bendus says it’s important to preserve the county’s history to add to quality of life.

Left: The historical resources facility houses a Louis Vuitton steamer trunk that belonged to Gordon Palmer.

|

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

15A

FIVE FABULOUS ARTIFACTS Mastodon tusk — There are more than 800 archaeological sites in the county. Among some of the most interesting finds are a mastodon tusk, a hip socket from a mastodon and a mastodon tooth.

Louis Vuitton steamer trunk — The building houses a variety of trunks from local historical figures. Perhaps the most expensive is a Louis Vuitton steamer trunk owned by Gordon Palmer.

John Hamilton Gillespie’s golf club — One of the first things Gillespie did when he moved to Florida was build a golf course along Ringling Boulevard.

The department has one of his golf clubs made originally in Scotland.

Bertha Palmer’s textiles — The department has a majority of Palmer’s wardrobe, including dresses, hats and hair pins. Palmer was a businesswoman, socialite and philanthropist who bought more than 80,000 acres in Sarasota and began a successful ranching business.

Original arrest records — A handwritten arrest log from 1924 contains arrests for crimes including killing grey squirrels, possession of squirrels and “adultery with Rose.”

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SARASOTA OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

MAY 15

FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE 3:30 p.m. — 3500 block of South Tamiami Trail Dispute: A locksmith said he opened a locked car door, at which point he asked for payment. The driver said his keys and wallet were in the trunk, which the locksmith said the man failed to tell him. The two argued when the man said he wouldn’t pay if the locksmith couldn’t open the trunk. The man said he never got his keys, so he felt he shouldn’t have to pay. An officer said the locksmith provided a service, so the man was responsible for paying. The man agreed to pay and had a friend bring a second set of keys, so he could get his wallet. The man attempted to pay with a card, but the locksmith said he only took cash. The man said the locksmith never informed him of that, and he didn’t have access to an ATM card or a way to withdraw cash. Both parties acknowledged they failed to communicate and agreed to settle the payment the next day.

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The government has also reopened enrollment in ACA plans until August 15. This means you can take advantage of the new financial assistance options that are available.

OPEN UP 2:24 a.m. — 1000 block of Boulevard of the Arts Misc. officer: After receiving noise complaints about music, hotel staff attempted to contact the guests by calling and knocking on the door but were unsuccessful. Staff could not enter with an access key because the door was latched. Police were unable to force open the door, so staff used bolt cutters to gain entry.

Staff asked the guests to leave.

One guest asked if it was normal to remove people from the

property in this manner, but both agreed to leave the premises.

OPEN-DOOR POLICY 8:26 p.m. — 3300 block of Fruitville Road Property damage: A man received a tip that a door at a building under construction appeared to be cracked open. The man confirmed a door had been forced open. He estimated there was about $250 in damage to the door, but no items had been taken. The building was not in use, so it was possible the door had been broken for some time.

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SARASOTA OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

Caring for another is a trying task. Here are five tips learned from going through the process firsthand.

KRISTINE NICKEL

A

t its very core, caregiving is the embodiment of love and commitment to others.

If the past 15 months have demonstrated anything, it’s that we are all very human — vulnerable, fragile, prone to be frightened individuals who will need some element of care during our lifetimes.

Caregiving can range from assisting someone who is recovering from an illness that leaves them flat on their back to joining someone in the long road of a terminal illness. It often involves a spectrum of tasks spanning the occasional trip to the grocery store, lending a hand with laundry and grabbing the mail to helping transfer from bed to bath, ensuring medicines

are taken or even given, and holding hands while listening to memories of a life filled with blessings and regrets.

Develop a plan. I had a pretty good sense of what his diagnosis might entail for care, but that quickly changed when the following week he decided he did not want to aggressively treat the cancer but preferred palliative care.

That shifted the care plan from me providing oversight for his meals and medications with the assistance of a parttime professional caregiver to reassessing his emotional, psychological and physical needs and figuring out a plan to meet those.

Reality check. I came to grips that change is one of the few certainties of caregiving. I learned that my master plan required reevaluating our situation on a daily basis.

Turn to the experts. His decision for palliative care caused his dismissal from his original oncologist. I needed to find another one to assist me and ultimately refer us for hospice and palliative care.

And although I assumed what his life span might be, the palliative/hospice doctor who made a home visit shortened that span considerably.

Although that was heartbreaking, it did spur me on to look for more and different home health care.

This is not a solo act. You must involve the care receiver.

My initial tendency was to be very bossy, acting like I knew best. I ultimately recognized that behavior was spurred by

A PERSONAL JOURNEY

It has been a decade since I assumed care for my stepfather, who had been a loving presence in my life for 40 years.

He had been treated for prostate cancer eight years earlier and pronounced cancer-free; however, it had poked its ugly head up again, this time requiring the removal of his bladder.

My mother and he, both approaching their 80s, took this in stride, and he was again pronounced cancer-free. A few short years later, my mother had a brain aneurism and was dead within a few days.

My stepfather missed her terribly but resumed his normal activities with church and socializing with friends. But within six months he was hospitalized with a urinary track infection that ultimately was diagnosed as cancer.

Upon discharge from the hospital to a rehab facility, he was quite unhappy. I continued to ferry him to medical appointments, sorting out the orders and prescriptions. Following one appointment for a PET scan, we returned to his facility. He refused to leave the car. I tried reasoning with him, then cajoling him and finally realized this was the beginning of a whole new chapter.

My learnings?

LIFESTYLE RX

Lessons from a caregiver

17A

my fears, latent grief and, yes, a certain amount of anger.

Bottom line: Respond to the person, not the illness. This was an intelligent and highly accomplished adult, and I was treating him like a child.

Be honest. It doesn’t matter whether the recovery might spoil a long anticipated travel plan, breaking the news that you have to take away the keys to the car or the need to put someone in a long-term care facility, shading the truth is disrespectful. It’s better to get all the cards on the table and then deal with the emotions surrounding the situation.

In our case, that meant dropping the platitudes and focusing on what was important to him. Who did he want to see? What foods did he love?

Did he feel insecure staying alone at night? Where were the important papers? These discussions gave him a sense of comfort.

BUT WHAT ABOUT ME?

I would be violating my fifth step — honestly — if I told you care giving is easy. This is stressful stuff.

In a National Alliance of Caregiving study, 38% of the responders found it highly stressful. Another study found that 40%-70% of caregivers had significant symptoms of depression. So how do you prevent being one of those statistics? There are many resources available to give you practical ideas for lessening the burdens.

Seek them out. The greatest lesson I learned was to accept people’s offer to help. Have a list of tasks needed to be done.

Keep repeating to yourself: People do not offer to help unless they mean it.

Kristine Nickel is a marketing communications consultant.

For more than 30 years, she has relieved her stress by writing features for publications across the country.

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SPORTS 10

GREATNESS

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7

RYAN KOHN | SPORTS REPORTER

I

t is hard to believe, but another sports year for Sarasota schools is now complete. Like most years, the 2020-21 school year was filled with triumph — and some heartbreak, though the joyous moments

far outweighed the tough ones. Here are the top 10 moments from File photos

Sarasota schools’ year in sports.

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Senior forward Jayven Millien finished with 17 points in Riverview’s win against Alonso High.

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RIVERVIEW HIGH GIRLS GOLF WINS STATE TITLE After finishing third in 2019 at the Class 3A state tournament, the Riverview High girls golf team turned disappointment into motivation a season later.

The Rams — senior Aaron Whitley, junior Jacqueline Putrino, junior Rachel Carlson and freshman Alana Kutt — were not going to finish anywhere but first place in 2020.

They followed through on that goal. The Rams won the tournament in November, shooting 589 as a team over two days at the Mission Inn Resort and Spa in Howey-in-the-Hills. That was 10 strokes better than second-place Niceville High. Putrino repeated as the tournament’s individual champion, shooting a 36-hole total of 141 (three under par), including a two-under final day to hold off Bartram Trail High’s Elizabeth Kondal (142) and Lakeland High’s Analiese Raath (143).

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Above: Booker girls soccer Coach Jammie Jordan led the team to its first win in three seasons.

Right: Rams senior Carlye Perrigo says the state championship win was the perfect way to close out her career.

4

SARASOTA OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

3

MOONEY SWIMMER TAKES TWO INDIVIDUAL GOLDS Cardinal Mooney High sophomore girls swimmer Michaela Mattes would not be denied.

After winning one gold medal at the 2019 state meet, Mattes won two gold medals at the 2020 state meet Nov. 15 in Stuart, one in the Class 1A 200 individual medley (2:01.10) and one in the Class 1A 500 freestyle (4:47.19).

Mattes said some of her motivation comes from her father, Jason, who reminds her that “hard work beats talent when talent does not work hard.”

4

RIVERVIEW BEACH VOLLEYBALL ACES STATE TOURNAMENT It came down to one final matchup.

The Riverview Rams beach volleyball team, undefeated through the regular season, found itself in a tussle with Bishop Kenny High last week in the Sunshine State Athletic Conference’s Class AA state title match. It was the final match of a two-day tournament in Tavares, held April 30 and May 1, to determine the best in Florida, and it was tied 2-2. The Rams’ No. 1 and No. 2 pairs had won their individual match-ups, but their No. 3 and No. 5 pairs had lost.

It came down to a battle of No. 4 pairs in a best of three-set match. Seniors Carlye Perrigo and Ella McMullen were ready for the challenge. Perrigo said she will never forget watching the ball hit the sand to win the final point and then turning to see her teammates running toward her in celebration.

5

COUGARS, TORNADOES TRACK STARS TAKE SILVER AT STATES At the state track and field meet, held May 7-8 at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, some local athletes took home hardware.

Cardinal Mooney High senior Max Middleton finished second in the 2A boys discus with a throw of 45.95 meters (150 feet, 9 inches). It was the last and best throw of his career, and considering he started throwing the discus in 2019, Middleton was happy with the results.

The Booker High girls 4x100 relay team took second place in Class 2A (49.40 seconds). The team, composed of seniors Domi-

7

RIVERVIEW BOYS BASKETBALL ADVANCES TO ELITE EIGHT The Riverview High boys basketball team reached the Class 7A regional finals (elite eight) after defeating Alonso High 78-71 on Feb. 23 at home. It was a gutsy performance, taking the lead in the fourth quarter after trailing for the first three. Senior forward Jayven Millien finished with 17 points, and sophomore Jason Jackson finished with 16.

The Rams lost in the next round but finished the year 22-7 and played up-tempo, aggressive basketball, and it made for a team that was as tough to play against as it was fun for fans to watch.

9

Allison Kukanza became the first female athlete to score a point for the Riverview High football team.

nique Starr and Raja Arrington and freshmen Terrietta Smith and Jakai Peterson, said that the key to its success was its handoffs, which allowed them to get to full speed quickly.

6

MOONEY GIRLS BASKETBALL FINISHES AS RUNNER-UP The state championship game didn’t end how the Cardinal Mooney girls basketball team wanted it to end, but even reaching that point was an accomplishment.

Thanks to stellar play from sophomore guard Olivia Davis and sophomore forward Jordyn Byrd, plus the team’s gritty junior class, the Cougars had the best season in program history, finishing with a 20-9 record. It culminated in a 47-32 win against The Master’s Academy in the Class 3A state semifinals. Byrd had 15 points, and Davis had 14 points.

8

MOONEY INDOOR VOLLEYBALL REACHES REGIONAL FINALS A year after winning the Class 3A state title, anything less than a repeat would seem to be a disappointment for Cardinal Mooney volleyball.

But after losing three key seniors from the championship team and going through mid-season struggles — as well as going through the worst of a global pandemic — the Cougars reaching the regional finals is an accomplishment of its own.

Cardinal Mooney finished the season 19-9 and defeated the Community School of Naples (216) on the road in straight sets Oct. 27 to reach the regional finals.

Freshman Lola Buck-Taylor had 13 digs, freshman Helena Hebda had 31 assists, and sophomore Madeline Carson had five kills.

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

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9

ALLISON KUKANZA MAKES HISTORY FOR RIVERVIEW FOOTBALL What started as a way to stay active during a pandemic break from girls club soccer turned into history.

Riverview High senior Allison Kukanza first asked her friends about the idea — “What if I joined the football team as a kicker?” — as a half-joke. But they responded positively, so Kukanza reached out to Rams Coach Josh Smithers. From there, a talk and video proof of her skills led to a tryout, which led to Kukanza joining the team for real.

On Oct. 2, Kukanza connected on an extra point in the Rams’ victory over Lennard High. In the process, Kukanza became the first female athlete to score a point for the Riverview football team.

The Rams consistently used Kukanza at kicker after that moment through the end of their season.

10

BOOKER GIRLS SOCCER GETS FIRST WIN IN THREE SEASONS It had been a while since the Booker High girls soccer team was able to win one.

It was Dec. 12, 2017, to be exact.

A 2-1 over Southeast High. That means the team had played 37 games without a victory — until Dec. 5. Led by a strong game from freshman goalie Laila Ward (15 saves), who Coach Jammie Jordan spotted in the cafeteria and asked to try out despite no soccer experience, Booker defeated Sarasota Christian 2-0, exorcising a 3-year-old demon.

Sophomore Kayla Corea and junior Jazmene Perez supplied the goals.

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2

SARASOTA BOYS SWIMMING RIDES TEAM EFFORT TO STATE TITLE If you ranked every swim team title from “least team effort” to “most team effort,” the Sarasota High boys swim team’s Class 3A state title win Nov. 6 would place close to the “most” edge.

That’s because the Sailors won the title without winning a single event. And it was not close: The Sailors finished with 254.5 points, besting second-place Barron Collier High (200 points).

How did they do it? By believing in the value of depth and of one another. The Sailors were helped by the arrival of senior Owen Matteson, who moved to the area from Buffalo, New York, during the offseason. Matteson was part of the team’s 200 medley (1:33.17) and 400 freestyle (3:09.12) relay teams, both of which finished second, and finished fourth in the individual 200 freestyle (1:41.67) and 100 butterfly (49.43).

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YOUR NEIGHBORS Badges of honor

EAKLE’S FAVORITE BADGES

Eagle Scout Owen Eakle has earned every merit badge possible.

HARRY SAYER STAFF WRITER

M

any people picked up a hobby during the pandemic. Eagle Scout Owen Eakle tried out more than 100.

The 16-year-old Out-of-Door Academy student spent days upon days cultivating a vegetable garden. He’s taken in the importance of fiscal responsibility by tracking his finances over a matter of weeks. He’s learned the various workings of the ocean at Mote Marine Laboratory, how to hammer and shape metals in Tennessee, and much more.

There was a greater purpose to Eakle’s explorations. He’s one of few Boy Scouts to earn all 137 merit badges possible. Fewer than 500 Scouts (of 110 million) have ever done it.

“I knew we’d be able to figure it out eventually,” Eakle said, going well past the 21 to qualify for Eagle. “[The Scouts] were just trying to get me to learn something. I’d just need to be persistent and get them done.”

Eakle’s journey started years ago when he started collecting badges out of fun and interest at a pace of around five badges a month. But when the pandemic arrived, and he found himself stuck in quarantine, Eakle decided to truly go for it and acquire every badge he could.

“When I started, [collecting 137 badges] seemed way out of where I could go,” he said. “I had 60 merit badges at the beginning of quarantine last year. … At that point I was just like, ‘Let’s go for the rest of them’. I was so close and didn’t want to waste the opportunity.”

Eakle had to find a council member to approve his work for each merit badge, and not all of them were in Florida. His troop counselors were on hand to help

Photos by Harry Sayer

with the more immediate badges, but Eakle had to search extensively on the internet to find the many others to finish his quest.

“Something like a truck transportation merit badge is so obscure [that] it was so incredibly hard to find a counselor who even knew about it,” Eakle said.

His badge quest sometimes became a family road trip when his father, Jim, drove their family to various other cities and states to acquire more badges. Some places, such as Tampa, were a short drive, but the family drove to Tennessee to get the whitewater rafting, metalworking and kayaking training.

“We always encouraged him to go for the badges that were profession based,” Jim Eakle said.

“They run from plumbing to nuclear science to chemistry. …

[Most badges] were easy to find, but those last 20% were rare.”

Every journey has its moments of crisis. Although Eakle found himself adept at completing dozens upon dozens of tasks, there were other challenges that were

simply hard to accomplish. He said there were truly dark days where he found himself struggling to roller skate backwards and later trying to play musical notes with a bugle.

“Bugling was not one of the good ones,” Eakle said.

His journey recently ended when he earned his rowing badge at Nathan Benderson Park. Like many accomplishments, it came with a feeling of intense satisfaction with a touch of sadness at being finished.

“I’ve been thinking about how relieved I’d feel when I got all of them.” Eakle said. ‘It was like: ‘I’m here. What do I do now?’”

Eakle has thought more about what he wants to do for his career as he progresses further into high school. He thinks he’ll go for a career in medicine but said it’s good to know he has options.

“I know I can do anything I can set my mind to,” Eakle said.

“I have 137 [badges] to show for that.”

Jim Eakle drove his son, Owen, to various states to secure the badges.

Nuclear science. Eakle learned about the many moving pieces and scientific innovations that go into creating nuclear power around a year ago. He had to put together a molecule of uranium that’s used on nuclear submarines using clay.

Small-boat sailing. Eakle spent his Christmas break last year sailing at a scout camp in Central Florida. Luckily, he already had some expertise in the hobby and spent his time cruising while others learned the basics.

“While everybody else was kind of like doing the class work, I was just making rounds back and forth,” Eakle said.

Climbing. Eakle spent a few days climbing at a tower in North Carolina three years ago. There were a few close calls where he almost slipped and went tumbling, but he still managed to reach the top.

Movie-making. Eakle made the most of the early days of quarantine last year going after his movie-making badge. He learned how to transition and set up scenes by positioning himself in different clothes and having a filmed conversation with himself.

Genealogy. Eakle went researching his family tree and learned that most of his family was clustered around a small area in Western Europe.

A full list of merit badges offered by the Boy Scouts of America can be found here: Scouting.org/programs/ scouts-bsa/advancement-andawards/merit-badges.

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

Students fill halls of Van Wezel with music The daylong Booker Middle School festival featured visual and performing arts as well.

HARRY SAYER STAFF WRITER

F

or a long season, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall has been quieter than usual.

That changed May 15, when the Van Wezel space and grounds were filled with music, singing and laughter of Booker Middle School students and families as part of a new partnership.

The first VPA Festival of the Arts — a joint effort among Booker Middle School, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and the Van Wezel Foundation — highlighted the middle school’s various visual and performing arts programs by giving more than 100 students the chance to share their artwork, music and performances in the Van Wezel and its outdoor area. Students took existing performances and artwork they had been practicing and brought them to the Van Wezel to entertain friends and family.

Families and groups arrived at the Van Wezel for scheduled segments to see their children perform to reduce crowding and keep social distancing rules in place.

Alix Leinweber plays guitar for the crowd.

Photos by Harry Sayer

Above: Ariyana Rivera and Sondra Jimenez act together on stage.

Right: The 2D/3D art display has a number of detailed pieces.

Sixth grader Ezra Lerario and seventh grader Alix Leinweber put on a show on the patio by playing guitar and singing with other modern-band class students. Lerario picked his favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers song, “Can’t Stop,” while Leinweber was drawn to “How to Save a Life” by The Fray because she felt it matched her voice.

The pair ended with the internet joke hit “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley. They said they had a blast getting ready for the show and being able to perform it live together.

“It’s amazing playing live because everyone has eyes on you,” Leinweber said. “Sometimes that can make you feel enclosed, while other times you’re like ‘Oh, my gosh, this is actually happening.’”

“This is our second [live performance],” Lerario said. “This is definitely bigger.”

Students’ 2D and 3D art was put on display inside the Van Wezel main lobby area where families looked through the many types of art.

Sixth grader Matilda Casart had a painting of two faces close together. She picked up the idea while learning about abstract selfportraits in class and used acrylic paints to paint the full picture.

“It shows there’s two sides to things, but they’re together still,” Casart said.

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Beth Jacobson Multi-Media Account Executive 8 Years with The Observer

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Photos courtesy Sorcha Augustine

High school teacher Nya (Renata Eastlick) and her co-worker Laurie (Emilia Sargent) during a scene in “Pipeline.”

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‘Pipeline’ lands emotional punch Dominique Morisseau’s searing play isn’t lost in translation to streaming video in WBTT production.

MARTY FUGATE CONTRIBUTOR

Dominique Morisseau’s “Pipeline” is timely. (It’s a shame, but it’s a fact.)

The “Pipeline” of the play’s title refers to the school-to-

prison “pipeline” for Black teenagers. For Black youth, an outburst of adolescent anger can be a “Go Directly to Jail” card in the Monopoly game of life.

Nya (Renata Eastlick) knows this pipeline all too well. She’s a recently divorced single mother who teaches in a public high school in the inner city. She sees outbursts of violence every day — and knows that a few seconds of rage can translate to a life behind bars. To spare her son, Omari (Donovan Whitney), this fate, Nya and her ex-husband,

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Xavier (Joel P.E. King), sent him to a private boarding school.

But Omari has a temper — and just slammed a white teacher into a smartboard over a perceived racist slur. It’s Omari’s third strike. At best, the school will expel him. At worst, he’s on the prison pipeline. As the play opens, Nya’s circling the vortex of a panic attack after hearing this bad news. When Omari runs away, she gets pulled in.

Why is Omari such an angry young man? A lesser playwright would offer a buzzword equation. White privilege plus systemic racism equals Black rage.

Morisseau doesn’t. Her play doesn’t even define “pipeline.”

You either know it, or you get it.

Morisseau’s characters feel like real people. But they’re larger than life — and burn far brighter.

It’s the difference between a flashlight and a laser beam.

L. Peter Callender’s direction honors the playwright’s hyperreality. His approach to dialogue and physicalization seem natural, never stagey. But he doesn’t shy away from the white-hot intensity of the play’s brightest and darkest moments. When it’s time to go big, he doesn’t play it small. The actors don’t either.

Eastlick’s Nya is a powerful woman — more importantly, she’s real. Eastlick avoids the tropes of the saintly single mother. Her Nya is flesh and blood.

She feels and she bleeds. Whitney’s characterization of Omari also defies cliche. He’s an angry young Black man. His sense that others have reduced him to that stereotype explains much of his anger. Emerald Rose Sullivan is great as Jasmine, Omari’s fiery, fearless, eloquent girlfriend.

King is understated and

Xavier (Joel P.E. King) and his son, Omari (Donovan Whitney), talk after Omari’s altercation with a teacher.

IF YOU GO

‘PIPELINE’ When: Through May 23 Tickets: $20 Visit: WestcoastBlack Theatre.org Phone: 366-1505

wounded as Xavier, Omari’s father and Nya’s ex. Xavier pays for his offspring’s boarding school — but his bond with his son is broken. King is heartbreaking in the scene where Omari declares his hatred and total rejection of his father.

Xavier walks away — and he might not come back.

Emilia Sargent is a spitfire as Laurie, Nya’s friend and fellow teacher. Her character has just

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returned to school after a bit of reconstructive surgery. (An angry parent slashed her face.) Laurie’s outer scar can be repaired. Her inner scar? Maybe not.

Isaac Esau Gay is also affecting as Dun, the school’s overworked security officer. The man does his best, but he can only be in one place at a time. The students’ rage is everywhere.

It all adds up to an incandescent script and unforgettable characters. It’s powerful on stage and isn’t lost in translation to streaming video.

Bill Wagy understands the logic (and magic) of film. What you’ll see is a three-camera video, edited from two live performances. Starting with this footage, Wagy created a subtle editing rhythm from different camera angles. It’s a record of a

stage performance, but it’s also a movie, and it works on those terms. Nicely done.

Kudos also to Adrienne Pitts’ true-to-life costumes and Adam Spencer’s stark set design for conveying this world’s unforgiving exterior reality. Patrick Russini’s soundscape, Jay Poppe’s video projections, and Alex Pinchin and Joseph Oshry’s lighting pull you into the characters’ interior lives. Their alchemy transmutes their stream of consciousness to sight and sound.

Now let’s get back to the playwright. She defies expectations, and I want to make sure you don’t have any before experiencing her work.

Morisseau is a master of language. Her play delivers several hypnotic soliloquies — disguised as long cellphone messages or

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

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angry monologues. Words matter in her play, and she frames the action as a counterpoint between two works of literature: Gwendolyn Brooks’ poem “We Real Cool” and Richard Wright’s novel “Native Son.” The poem is an incantatory ode to hopelessness: a prophecy of death for young Black males and Nya’s greatest fear. Wright’s novel revolves around the fear, loathing and killings of a 20-something Black man named Bigger Thomas. Omari’s white teacher repeatedly asks him if he can relate to the character’s “animalistic rage.” Omari asks the teacher to drop it. The teacher doesn’t and gets an answer he wasn’t ready for. As to the playwright — she refuses to give you the answer.

“Pipeline” is a political play but not a polemic. Morisseau lets you think for yourself and doesn’t do your homework for you. Her strategy is empathy.

The playwright gets you inside the characters’ skins. But she goes for the head as well as the heart. She raises challenging issues, but that’s a side effect.

“Pipeline” begins and ends with character. Morisseau’s people are complicated, messy and full of contradictions. They’re all too human and living in a world that’s blind to their humanity.

Our future depends on that perception. And it’s not always easy.

At the play’s end, Omari offers his mother a 10-point checklist to help Nya see his humanity. The 10th commandment is missing. Why? He’s still working on it.

In the end, there’s no final answer.

The playwright leaves it up to you to fill in the blank.

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MAY 22

MARKET AT THE OVERTON 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Overton, 1420 Boulevard of the Arts. The Overton’s courtyard will be full of local creators and vendors showing off their goods. Free.

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newspaper publisher Rose Phillips Wilson (played by Kathryn Chesley) going through the last century of Sarasota’s development.

MAY 27

HERMITAGE SUNSETS AT SELBY GARDENS 6 p.m. at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound St. Award-winning composer and music director Rona Siddiqui will give a sneak peek into her work. $5. For information, go to HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

7B

Curios for a good cause

T

he Karin’s Causes organization put on its annual estate sale May 13-15 at the Women’s Resource Center.

This year’s event had plenty of interesting jewelry, artwork, artifacts and other items on sale to benefit the Animal Rescue Coalition, New College Foundation’s scholarship fund, and Women’s Resource Center.

Guests perused the various items — which were found by Karin Gustafson and a volunteer over the course of the year — and picked out their favorite pieces to take home.

The 2021 event was in honor of longtime volunteers Larry and Nola Hietbrink.

— HARRY SAYER

Above: Monica Van Buskirk, Founder Karin Gustafson and Sarah WalcottFebish Right: All sorts of dolls and figurines were available.

Above: The sale had plenty of carvings and statues.

Left: Glass items were popular during the sale.

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

Photos by Harry Sayer

Above: Kristen Barbarito receives her diploma.

Left: Graduates walk to their seats.

Cardinal Mooney celebrates its 2021 graduates

C

ardinal Mooney High School celebrated its 166 seniors at a graduation ceremony May 14 at LECOM Park. Mark Heuberger, a 1972 graduate of the school, delivered the commencement address. Families and graduates also heard from Valedictorian Grace Callahan, student government President JilliAnn Berendes and Assistant Principal Stefan Gates.

— HARRY SAYER

Valedictorian Grace Callahan with student government President JilliAnn Berendes.

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REAL ESTATE

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

9B

RESIDENTIAL TRANSACTIONS MAY 3-7

Bay Island home sells for $6.6 million SARASOTA

THE BLVD OF SARASOTA The BLVD Sarasota LLC sold the Unit 801 condominium at 540 N. Tamiami Trail to Robert Gordon and Joann Shrier, of Sarasota, for $2.75 million. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, four-anda-half baths and 3,698 square feet of living area.

Courtesy photo

The waterfront home at 835 Norsota Way was built in 1991 and has four bedrooms, four-and-two-half baths, a pool and 6,339 square feet of living area.

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

A

home in Bay Island tops all transactions in this week’s real estate.

Billy Pullman Jr., trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 835 Norsota Way to David and Lisa Leland, of Sarasota, for $6.6 million.

Built in 1991, it has four bedrooms, four-andtwo-half baths, a pool and 6,339 square feet of living area. It sold for $3.2 million in 2010.

THE RESIDENCES Robert and Elaine Harar, trustees, of Alexandria, Virginia, sold the Unit 1105 condominium at 1111 Ritz Carlton Drive to Joel Stuart Herman and Milton Howard Sleeter, of New York City, for $1.63 million. Built in 2001, it has two bedrooms, two-anda-half baths and 2,246 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.4 million in 2016.

SHORELAND WOODS FSKS Rental LLC sold the home at 1722 Shoreland Drive to Donald Joseph Longueuil and Mackenzie Mudgett Longueuil, of Sarasota, for $1.54 million.

Built in 2017, it has five bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,672 square feet of living area.

EMBASSY HOUSE Thomas and Eileen Murphy, of Sarasota, sold their Unit PH-1 condominium at 770 S. Palm Ave. to Jeffrey and Nikki Sedacca, of Sarasota, for $1.44 million. Built in 1975, it has two

bedrooms, two baths and 1,597 square feet of living area. It sold for $90,000 in 1976.

ONE ONE PALM Frederick and Katherine White, of Glenview, Illinois, sold their Unit 403 condominium at 711 S. Palm Ave. to Scott and Kimberly Penning, of Sarasota, for $1.44 million. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 1,815 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.3 million in 2019.

BUCCANEER BAY Yvonne and John Corrigan, of Sarasota, sold their home at 1839 Buccaneer Court to Scott John King and Emily Anne King, of Granger, Indiana, for $1.23 million. Built in 2009, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,442 square feet of living area.

RIDGEWOOD

Kathleen Babcock, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 2376 Sandrala Drive to Robert and Leonie McDonald, of Sarasota, for $1.3 million. Built in 1988, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,893 square feet of living area. It sold for $795,000 in 2015.

BURNS REALTY CO. Patti and Gregory Bell, of Sarasota, sold their home and vacant lot at 1663 Laurel St. to Laurel Park OZF LLC for $1.25

million. Built in 2006, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,494 square feet of living area. It sold for $750,000 in 2020.

VISTA BAY POINT Frederick Wurlitzer and Ann Allan-Wurlitzer, of British Columbia, Canada, sold their Unit 301 condominium at 128 Golden Gate Point to Sean Patrick Casey and Laura Kristen Casey, of Birmingham, Alabama, for $1.2 million. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, four baths and 3,000 square feet of living area. It sold for $245,000 in 2012.

THE OSPREY AVENUE Gary Ackersviller and Petra Krebs, of Speyer, Germany, sold two properties at 542 Ohio Place to Green Opportunity Investments LLC for $1.06 million. The first property was built in 1942; it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 1,649 square feet of living area. The second property was built in 2005; it has two bedrooms, one bath and 576 square feet of living area. They sold for $900,000 in 2016.

THE CONDOMINIUM ON THE BAY Peter Gaess and Nancy AbramsGaess, of Fairport, New York, sold their Unit 308 condoSEE REAL ESTATE, PAGE 10B

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10B

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

FROM PAGE 9B

Other top sales by area SARASOTA

The BLVD of Sarasota The BLVD Sarasota LLC sold the Unit 1102 condominium at 540 N. Tamiami Trail to Peter and Judith Wasserman, of Sarasota, for $2.96 million. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 3,962 square feet of living area.

PALMER RANCH

Silver Oak Frank Del Greco and Susan Del Greco, trustees, of Bradenton, sold the home at 8964 Rocky Lake Court to Leo and Yuliya FoxRabinovitz, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, for $1.08 million. Built in 2006, it has four bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths, a pool and 3,080 square feet of living area.

OSPREY

Oaks Morgan and Barbara Whitney, of St. Clair Shores, Michigan, sold their home at 265 Osprey Point Drive to Marc Henderson, of Ontario, Canada, for $1.16 million. Built in 1997, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,632 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.25 million in 2006.

NOKOMIS

Calusa Lakes Totiana Pillsbury, trustee, of Venice, sold the home at 1999 White Feather Lane to William Passmore and Cheri Dilday Hamilton, of Glenwood, Maryland, for $629,900. Built in 1997, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,570 square feet of living area. It sold for $365,000 in 2013.

minium at 888 Blvd. of the Arts to Arnold and Gail Waldman, of Sarasota, for $950,000. Built in 1982, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,642 square feet of living area. It sold for $465,000 in 2012.

home at 2412 Clematis St. to Eduardo Alejandro Lacayo and Diana Revelo, of Sarasota, for $660,000. Built in 1962, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,085 square feet of living area. It sold for $300,000 in 2014.

Q Jebco Ventures Inc. sold the home at 217 Cosmopolitan Court to Ashlee Pendleton and Steven Harasyna, of Sarasota, for $940,000. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, three-and-ahalf baths and 2,588 square feet of living area.

Phillip McCown Jr., of Sarasota, sold his home at 2604 Sunnybrook Drive to Alexander Mellor and Maya Milkina Mellor, of Sarasota, for $510,000. Built in 1956, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,007 square feet of living area. It sold for $285,000 in 2016.

ROLAND OAKS ESTATES Brian and Margaret Timson, of Sarasota, sold their home at 7103 Roland Oaks Circle to Overture Investments LLC for $824,000.

Built in 1998, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,439 square feet of living area. It sold for $565,000 in 2017.

Preston and Summer Harcup sold their home at 3724 Key Place to Candice Clough, of Germantown, Maryland, for $394,000. Built in 1962, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,957 square feet of living area. It sold for $280,000 in 2017.

SOUTH GATE Adam and Karen Sailor, of Sarasota, sold their home at 2479 Sunnyside Lane to Michael Thomas Hagan and Michael William Hagan, of Sarasota, for $800,000. Built in 1960, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,568 square feet of living area. It sold for $226,000 in 2016.

Michael Murphy and Anne Frame, of Osprey, sold their

1,144 square feet of living area. It sold for $205,000 in 2018.

CEDAR COVE ESTATES Robert and Leonie McDonald sold their home at 1932 Baywood Terrace to Laura Ann Theriot, of Sarasota, for $780,000. Built in 1985, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,065 square feet of living area. It sold for $495,000 in 2015.

PORTOFINO ON THE BAY Randy and Susan Murphy, of North Bend, Ohio, sold their Unit 2 condominium at 1790 Assisi Drive to Charles Barber and Lori Vega Barber, trustees, of Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, for $750,000. Built in 2002, it has three bedrooms, two-andtwo-half baths, a pool and 2,959 square feet of living area. It sold for $587,500 in 2013.

Julie Naidel sold the home at 2767 Goldenrod St. to Jose Roberto Lemus Gonzalez and Guadalupe Lizeth Castanon Barajas, of North Port, for $362,500. Built in 1957, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,526 square feet of living area. It sold for $190,800 in 2016.

ESSEX HOUSE Robert Thorpe and Danielle Marie Thorpe, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 308 condominium at 707 S. Gulfstream Ave. to Mira Coluccio, of Sarasota, for $742,000. Built in 1974, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,717 square feet of living area. It sold for $650,000 in 2016.

Kitchen Design LLC sold the home at 2780 Wisteria Place to Hannah Elisabeth Reinhardt, of Richmond, Virginia, for $360,000. Built in 1958, it has three bedrooms, two baths and

BADGER HEIGHTS Patricia Pullman, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 1219 Osprey Ave. to FP Silver Sands LLC for $735,000. Built in 2002, it has three bedrooms, two

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baths and 1,938 square feet of living area. It sold for $425,000 in 2002.

THE ROYAL ST. ANDREW Robert Hopkins, of Sarasota, sold the Unit 1004 condominium at 555 S. Gulfstream Ave. to Ann Loudermilk, of Sarasota, for $735,000. Built in 1969, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,440 square feet of living area.

It sold for $135,000 in 1993.

BAY PLAZA Darrel Reece, of Sarasota, sold the Unit 204 condominium at 1255 N. Gulfstream Ave. to Hans and Kimberly Schmeits, of Sarasota, for $675,000. Built in 1982, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,822 square feet of living area. It sold for $504,800 in 2018.

TOWN OF SARASOTA Guy and Barbara Johnson, of Sarasota, sold their home at 200 Cocoanut Ave. #3 to Edward and Karen Hasler, of Sarasota, for $660,000. Built in 2000, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,554 square feet of living area. It sold for $335,000 in 2000.

SARASOTA-VENICE CO. Theresa Decker, of Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota, sold her home at 2850 Alliance Ave. to Scott Bryan Miller and Wanda Lynn Miller, of Olmsted Falls, Ohio, for $635,000. Built in 2005, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,211 square feet of living area. It sold for $439,000 in 2018.

SOUTHPOINTE DRIVE Foresta Lane LLC sold the home at 1885 Southpointe Drive to Algirdas Pasakinskas, of

Sarasota, for $610,000. Built in 1965, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,568 square feet of living area. It sold for $490,000 in 2008.

VAMO Jeffrey and Lecia Carr, of Sarasota, sold their home at 1887 Vamo Way to Deborah Schatz, of Wayzata, Minnesota, for $596,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 1,742 square feet of living area.

HARBOR HOUSE WEST Estina Thompson, trustee, of University Park, Maryland, sold the Unit 34 condominium at 226 Golden Gate Point to KE-DA 2017 Exchange LLC for $575,000. Built in 1968, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,396 square feet of living area. It sold for $450,000 in 2004.

SOUTHPOINTE SHORES Roy Sprinkle, of Sarasota, sold his home at 1865 Sandalwood Drive to Courtney Carter, of Snellville, Georgia, for $575,000.

Built in 1970, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,041 square feet of living area. It sold for $168,000 in 1999.

|

11B

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

These are the largest city of Sarasota and Sarasota County building permits issued for the week of May 5-7, in order of dollar amounts.

C I T Y O F SA RA S O TA Address

Permit

Applicant

Amount

800 N. Tamiami Trail #715

Renovations

Samy Desouky

$117,000

1846 Lincoln Drive

Addition

Robert Jordan

$105,400

1922 Irving St.

Pool Cage

Evan Berlin

$105,325

1869 Wisteria Place

Guest House

Craig McLeod

$90,000

1857 Tulip Drive

Pool/Spa/Deck

Matthew Quattro

$74,000

763 Freeling Drive

Pool/Spa

Gilman Farley IV

$67,267

635 Ohio Place

Renovations

Dale Hall

1810 S. Osprey Ave.

Re-roof

John Saba Jr.

1859 Loma Linda St.

Solar System

Terry Brackett, trustee $35,955

1350 Main St. #1201

Renovations

William Spence

$51,552 $49,300 $32,681

SA RA S O TA CO U N T Y Address

Permit Applicant Amount

1240 Dolphin Bay Way #301 Remodel

Robert Hough

$165,400

6727 Midnight Pass #306A

Remodel

Michael Pecak

$89,089

4480 Lords Drive

Garage

Eric Hockett

$85,000

1413 Westbrook Drive

Alterations

Richard Weintraub

$81,374

1714 Kenilwoth St.

Pool/Deck

Steven Stegall

$74,000

1741 Stanford Lane

Shutters

Dalia Shyevitch

$71,700

515 S. Shore Drive

Spa

Zenobio Aguila

$69,322

312 Avenida Madera

Pool/Spa/Deck

Jeremy Garrett

$65,000

8963 Bloomfield Blvd.

Re-roof

Laura Scott

$62,565

452 Walls Way

Re-roof

Crimm Massey

$58,500

Source: Sarasota County, city of Sarasota

ONLINE See more transactions at YourObserver.com

SOLD

PENDING

W ho you list with matters SELLER | $1.975M

317 BEACH RD | $3.4M

3 DAYS | SELLER | $1.399M

548 BEACH RD | $1.695M

4 DAYS | SELLER | $1.1M

5506 CAPE LEYTE DR | $1.2M

SOLD

PENDING

BUYER | $2M LP

SOLD

PENDING

3 DAYS - OVER LP | SELLER | $1.010M SP

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12B

SARASOTA OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

FORECAST

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

THURSDAY, MAY 20 High: 90 Low: 67 Chance of rain: 4%

FRIDAY, MAY 21 High: 92 Low: 67 Chance of rain: 4%

SATURDAY, MAY 22 High: 90 Low: 65 Chance of rain: 4%

SUNDAY, MAY 23 High: 90 Low: 67 Chance of rain: 6%

Sofia Van Dyke captured this photo of a young blue jay in her backyard in Sarasota.

Submit your photos at YourObserver.com/Weather. All submissions will be entered for the 2021-22 Weather and Nature photo contest. In February 2022, you will vote for your favorite photo, and the submission with the most votes will win a $500 gift card.

SUNRISE / SUNSET

Sunrise Sunset

Thursday, May 20

6:38a 8:13p

Friday, May 21

6:38a

8:14p

Saturday, May 22

6:37a

8:14p

Sunday, May 23

6:37a

8:15p

Monday, May 24

6:36a

8:15p

Tuesday, May 25

6:36a

8:16p

Wednesday, May 26

6:36a

8:16p

MOON PHASES

June 10 New

June 17 First

June 24 Full

July 1 Last

RAINFALL Monday, May 10

0

Tuesday, May 11

0

Wednesday, May 12

0

Thursday, May 13

0

Friday, May 14

0.07

Saturday, May 15

0

Sunday, May 16

0

YEAR TO DATE:

MONTH TO DATE:

2021 8.89 in.

2021 0.07 in.

2020 13.22 in.

2020 1.88 in.

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FANTASTIC BEINGS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM by Paul Coulter; 109 “Finally!”

Edited by David Steinberg 113 Recoil in pain

©2021 Universal Uclick

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27 “Didn’t I tell you?!”

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9 to 12) 44 Stage presence?

45 Certain Native American gathering 46 Squirrel away 47 Treating very harshly (...

7 to 11)) 51 Chess club’s purchases

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54 Casting requirement?

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82 “Cheers” regular 84 Archipelago off South America (... 8 to 10) 91 Baffled 92 Romantic hopeful 93 Milky gems 94 Tax list (... 10 to 14) 98 Test the limits 99 Seven, on a sundial 100 In shape 101 “Wheels” 102 Buck ___, first Black MLB coach 105 Blog feed letters 106 Aggravate

57 Tool thrown at a trendy bar 58 Fossil preserver 114 State something differ59 Objective ently (... 3 to 7) 60 Overlooks 118 Kofi in Ghanaian history 61 Certain Caribbean islander, 119 Lent a hand colloquially 120 “Pong” company 62 Canon camera series 121 Tilts 63 ___-friendly (green) 122 Clothing line?

64 Woman who takes three 123 “Don’t just give up!” vows 66 “How obvious!”

124 Camera setting 67 In-flight guess, for short 68 Earthy color DOWN 69 Appropriate 1 Barely make, with “out” 70 Where to wear a flipper or 2 Sunbathe 3 Animal that technically isn’t a slipper 74 Online chuckle a whale 77 Beloved celebrity 4 “Rubaiyat” poet Khayyam 78 The “p” in mpg 5 African desert 79 “Right on!”

6 Santa’s reindeer, e.g.

80 Wrinkly fruit 7 First name?

81 Lion’s share 8 Blows it 83 It holds a sail 9 Speck of land 85 Abbr. before a founding 10 Boston Celtics’ org. year 11 TV journalist Katie 86 Palindromic play about 12 Per se robots 13 “Come no closer!”

14 Side length squared, for a 87 Major Brazilian city, familiarly square 88 Busiest airport in Ga. 15 Kid who may be both 89 Uncommon clover claspopular and unpopular sification 16 Dressed like a judge 90 Prosperous periods 17 “Cheers” star Ted 91 Inane 20 What keeps champagne 94 Frank acknowledgment cold 95 Transform, in sci-fi 21 Artist Matisse 96 Follows as a result 24 Hardly at all 97 Get cozy 31 Bryn ___ 98 Way from point A to 32 Circus cries point B 34 Foolhardy 101 Like a spiteful remark 35 Advil target 103 Volunteer’s words 36 Stash away 104 Glasses piece 37 Partner of the five W’s 106 Any thing 38 Small horse 107 “Awesome!”

39 ___ Jima 40 Certain guy in a personal 108 Windsor ___ (tie-tying option) ad (Abbr.)

110 The “A” in BA 41 Boot tip 111 Hit at, as a gnat 42 Flips out 112 Poi source 43 Made nervous 115 Beer that may be hazy, 45 Sports org. with a Tour briefly 48 “Science Guy” Bill 116 Lord’s Prayer start 49 Grouches 50 Lotus position’s discipline 117 Pekingese sound 55 Bear’s home

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.

“W HEFZYJ’C HUXI ZIDD UAEFC UHCEXD’ CXUWZIXD UJY LEEY EJ DICD UJY DCFLL ZWBI CVUC -- W KFDC MUJC CE UHC.” HVEM GFJ-LUC

“CFKJ X TMKC OV, CFGH CGB XJHKMKBHXJT NSM ZK CGB HFGH ZOBXL CGB LSYSM GJW YXNK CGB TMGP.”

VKHK HSCJBFKJW Puzzle Two Clue: P equals Y

Sarasota

ALL COLORS • ALL STYLES

Puzzle One Clue B equals K

WOOD FLOORING

© 2021 NEA, Inc.

SUDOKU

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

©2021 Andrews McMeel Syndicate

05-20-21

Made for where you live. Here!

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

INFORMATION & RATES: 941-955-4888

Condos/Apts. for Sale

DEADLINES: Classifieds - Tuesday at Noon

OPEN HOUSE Sunday, May 23, and May 30 from 1-4 pm Windward Bay 4900 Gulf Of Mexico Dr. B 303 Longboat Key, FL 34228 Condo, completely remodeled, 2BR/2BA. Every room has unobscured panoramic view of Sarasota Bay. Marina with boat slips available. Deeded access to beaches on the Gulf. Must See! For photos https://sjones598.wixsite.com/ website or call 812-499-2215.

redpages@yourobserver.com • yourobserver.com/redpages Service Directory - Friday at 3PM • PAYMENT: Cash, Check or Credit Card 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.

Items Under $200

PLACE YOUR AD ONLINE: YourObserver.com/RedPages

Medical Supplies/ Equipment UPRIGHT WALKER, brand new, fully assembled. seat and storage, collapsible. $350 941-383-1899

FRANCISCANWARE DESERT Rose china set. 1 dinner, 12 bowls, 6 saucers. $35 (941) 966-6816 HOOVER AND Shark hard floor cleaners, like new, $45 each, Total Vibration exercise machine $100 941-925-3084 ICE MAKER, countertop, $65, Holmes floor fan 3’ tall $30, Keurig coffee maker - new $30, office chair has wheels $30 941-359-8460 LARGE METAL toolbox loaded with tools of all kinds, 2 levels $50 for all. 941-349-4875 PERFECT AA Citron gemstone rectangular 13.5mm x 10.5mm. $199 310-720-7285 WINDOW AC, 5000 BTU, $95 941-350-4481

auto

EXPENSIVE ROOM Darking Curtains - 4 pinch-pleated curtain panels (2@ 80”wx80”l) and (2@62”wx80”l). Needs cleaning $75 for all. 941-922-4122

Autos Wanted STORAGE FACILITY Boat/ RV/ Trailer. Secure facility, low monthly rentals, Clark Rd area.

941-809-3660, 941-809-3662.

OR RENT ANNA MARIA FO ISLAND UPDATED 5 STAR CONDO. Available May-November (monthly with multimonth discounts) millions $ waterview, first floor, 2br/2b, patio, walk to beach, pool, tennis, smoke free, boat slip available. marketreps@aol.com

SELL YOUR STUFF HERE! SARASOTA 55+ condo, nice area, elevator, 2 beds,2 bath, not furnished, $1400 month, close to I75, shopping & more!

Drive by to see, 1620 Gleanoaks Drive East or call 941-536-7706

CALL 941-955-4888

Rentals Wanted WRITER SEEKS affordable, COVID-Safe mother-in-law suite or private room. I’m quiet, clean, professional & discreet.

Will caretake or housesit for snowbirds.

Excellent references.

941-271-1778.

Adult Care Services PERSONAL CARE GIVERPrivate care: Meal preparation, errands, shopping, and more.

Affordable hourly rates, available weekdays, weekends, and holidays.

Temporary or long term care.

Over 10+ experience.

References available. No new faces, one consistent caregiver.

COVID Negative.

Call Kati: 941-536-7706.

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

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

Cleaning BRAZILIAN CLEANING Service by Maria. Residential.

Meticulous Cleaning. Excellent References. Free Estimates.

Reliable. Lic./Ins. 941-400-3342. www.braziliancleaningbymk.com

CLEANING BY Brazilian Lady.

Meticulous, reliable, deep cleaning specialist. Residential.

Commercial. New Construction. 941-400-2866.

Advertise your business or service in the Observer

RED PAGES CALL TODAY 941-955-4888

Landscaping/ Lawn Services Professional Gardener Design, installation, maintenance, flowers, herbs, vegetables, and exotic gardens.

Regular weekly lawn maintenance and restoration 40+ years experience.

Tomlarsen559@gmail.com farmgirlfarmboyorganics.com 941-357-7750 business or 678-755-3804 cell

SELL IT NOW! 941-955-4888 YourObserver.com/RedPages

This week’s Crossword answers

GARAGE SALE Advertise as low as $17.50 per week!

941-955-4888

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

Wallpaper installation & removal, pressure washing.

Residential & commercial, condos. Honest & reliable.

Free estimates. 941-744-1020.

35+ years experience.

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers

Puzzle One Solution: “I couldn’t care less about actors’ trailers and food on sets and stuff like that -- I just want to act.”

Chow Yun-Fat Puzzle Two Solution: “When I grew up, what was interesting for me was that music was color and life was gray.”

Pete Townshend

This week’s Sudoku answers

©2021 Universal Uclick

RED PAGES. MADE FOR WHERE YOU LIVE. HERE! TO ADVERTISE CALL 941-955-4888 OR VISIT YOUROBSERVER.COM/REDPAGES

©2021 NEA, Inc.

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

941-955-4888

You’re only cheating yourself.

2013-2014 Ford Focus wheel $125 good condition, do not text. 941-879-7105

CLEAN OUT YOUR GARAGE!

home services

Condos/Apts. for Rent

Items Under $200

peekers’ place

stuff

SELL YOUR STUFF HERE!

real estate

WATER GLASSES, 6 different state emblems, collectable and usable, nice, $25.

941-755-6864

We’ll SWEEP you off your feet!

RED PAGES

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

Computer

Concrete

Michael Koch Concrete, Inc.

FAST • EASY • SAFE

356664

HoHoBuysCars.com

“FIX IT - DON’T REPLACE” New Deluxe Rollers Will Make Your Doors Roll Better Than Ever Call Mark 928-2263 proslidingglassdoorrepair.com

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Furniture Repair

Pegatronics.com

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941.270.4400

358097

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

SELL YOUR CAR!

Patio Furniture Repairs.com patio RepaiRS

941-735-3362

FurnitureSales Sales &&Repairs Furniture Repairs Cushions • Slings • Re-powdercoating Cushions • Slings • Umbrellas

Concrete

Find anything in the RED PAGES | 941-955-4888 State Lic. CR CO25291

941-504-0903 941-504-0903

LACIVITA CONCRETE

/ DELIVERY FREE PICKUP ONSITE QUOTES outdoor furniture experts• •FREE www .patiorepairs .net

Residential Concrete Specialist

Handyman

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Since 1967

Patios - Driveways - Sidewalks

922-3157

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

3680493-01

CONSTRUCTION HANDYMAN

357150

• Home Repairs & Maintenance • Interior & Exterior • Garage Floor Paint • Power Wash

Doors

DON’T let your PATIO DOORS be a DRAG or your WINDOWS be a PANE!!

357169

Realtors

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Licensed Lic. #38333 References

941.504.2745 941.400.1563

“OUR ESTIMATES & ADVICE ARE FREE”

(941) 504-3168 Health

Call us today!

941.628.8579

Naji Aoun

✦ Carpentry ✦ Indoors ✦ Remodeling ✦ Ceramic Tile ✦ Water & Fire Damage ✦ Kitchen/Baths

• Window Repairs • Sliding Glass Door Repairs • Sliding Glass Door Deadbolts

www.ezslider.com

Free Estimates

Sliding Glass Door Repair

941-929-9095

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

Licensed & Insured

Doors

(Next to Beneva Flowers)

Auto Service

WE COME TO YOU

Reasonable Prices

6968 Beneva Road

357650

918-8587

Also Laying Stone

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

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Owner / Operator Insured

Servicing the Sarasota area since 1999

Driveways • Sidewalks

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

“Specializing in 6” Seamless Gutters”

Dustin Yoder

“No Job Too Small”

334711

COMPUTER REPAIR SALES & SERVICE

357140

Aluminum

357083 38056

|

357141

SARASOTA OBSERVER

358098

14B

FREE IN-HOME ESTIMATE S

THE BEST This Doctor is Among

SPINAL DECOMPRESSION PHYSICIANS IN AMERICA “Medical Breakthrough Technology for bulging, herniated and degenerative disc ...

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FREE CONSULTATION

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

Made for where you live. Here.

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RED PAGES YourObserver.com/RedPages

358076

Call 941.358.2224 today to schedule a

SARASOTA OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

|

Home Services

Kitchen/Bath Remodeling

Roofing

Pinnacle Home Watch.com Stop Worrying About Your Home While Away

SHOWER & BATH MAKEOVERS

LEAKY ROOF?

Cleaned - Regrouted - Caulked - Sealed

www.showerandbathsarasota.com

by

Melanie Gates

• Pet Sitting • Dog Walking • Over 24 years experience • Excellent references

357172

357151

Licensed & Insured

Complete Plumbing Services & Repairs Residential, New Construction and Commercial Serving the area since 1993 No Job Too BIG or Too SMALL. We DO IT ALL!

Veteran Owned & Operated • Third Generation Master Plumber All Major Credit Cards Accepted Generalplumbingsarasota.com

941-923-8140

Kitchen/Bath Remodeling

357728

• Drain & Sewer Cleaning • Backflows Installation • Natural Gas Installations - Appliance Hook ups • Power Flush & Comfort Height Toilets • All Water Heaters - Tankless - Gas - Solar • All Major Plumbing Fixtures Repaired or Replaced • Garbage Disposals • New Water & Sewer Services • Dishwashers Installed • Wells & Pump Repairs Licensed & Insured State Lic CFC056748

Power Washing Pressure Washing

CALL BEFORE YOU FALL

• Pool Cage Restoration • Rescreening Specialists • Specialty Screens • Paint • Doors and more!

Satisfaction guarantee Satisfaction Guarantee Pool cage Restoration/ Rescreening specialists Manufacture and Workmanship Warranties

941-345-5264

specialty screens / screw replacement / paint Doors and more!

Windows

Manufacture and workmanship Warranties

Res./Com.

941.966.0333

Form Serving Longboat Key Since 2005

Pressure Washing

Honesty, Integrity and Pride • Roofs • PoolCages Cages•• Decks Decks ••Driveways • Roofs • Pool Driveways • Deck/Paver Sealing • Gutter Cleaning • Deck/PaverAnd Sealing • And Much More Much More!

DrGrabBars.com

Serving Sarasota/Manatee Area Since 2004

LIFETIME GUARANTEE

25

STANDARD WINDOWS AFTER

BEFORE

THE GRAB BAR GUY 954-1878

357146

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“No Job Too Small”

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941-270-1561

YOUR HOME found here.

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

RED PAGES Made for where you live. Here!

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

358078

5

$

senior citizen discount. www.sunsetwindowcleaningsrq.com

Purified water window cleaning available!!

Call Tibor for FREE ESTIMATES | 941- 284 - 5880

RED PAGES

Eldridge Re-Screen

120

$

SPECIAL 00

| scaperotta@aol.com

Italian American Owned

Rescreening & Repairs

GLENN KROECKER

(cell) 780-3346 Licensed & Insured

941-544-1066

ows

INCLUDING SCREENS, TRACKS, MIRRORS & FANS

Licensed • Bonded • Insured COVERAGE AREA: LAKEWOOD RANCH ƭƨ S. VENICE

Lic./Ins.

w & Pressure Cl indo345-5264 eani et W(941) s n ng wn as Sunrise Win Su erly kno d UP TO

357762

357145

Screening

Plumbing

General Plumbing Services Inc.

INCLUDES 2 MOEN STAINLESS STEEL ANTI SLIP CONCEALED SCREW GRAB BARS (16” & 24”)

358077

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

Bob & Carol Guthrie 941.993.6613

235

941-626-3194

Licensed & Insured CCC - 058059 CBC - 1253936

(941) 966-2960

Watching your home while you’re away

www.PalmerRanchHomewatchers.com PalmerRanchHomewatchers@comcast.net

• Aluminum, Vinyl, & Wood Soffit & Fascia Repair & Installation • Roofing Repair & Installation • Metal Roofing & Tile Roof Repair Specialists

357142

Pet Care

PALMER RANCH HOMEWATCHERS®

$

Building & Roofing Contractor

BOOST YOUR BUSINESS Showcase your products or services.

CALL 941-955-4888

357143

High Tech Home Watch and Concierge Service available Who is checking the house while you are gone?

GRAB BARS

Kenneth Fuhlman Inc.

Pet Services

HighTechHomeWatch.com Rita@hightechhomewatch.com

COMPLETE INSTALLATION PACKAGE

724-2945

Lic. & Ins.

Fully Insured 358084

357152

3687676-01

941-315-2415

Serving the Palmer Ranch Area Since 2007

Joe Murray, Owner

356696

356700

Retired Police Officer

BONDED/INSURED

941-228-9850

Free Estimates Lawn & Landscape Maintenance

373-9299

38 Years Experience

All Work Guaranteed

Curt’s Lawn Service

CALL PINNACLE TODAY! 941-306-1999

Gulf Gate RoofinG inc.

Specializing in Re-Roofing & Repairs

Lawn Care

Dave and Connie Grundy

Rita Raimer

356668

Call John 941.377.2940

Free Estimates • Sarasota Resident Since 1974

15B

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

SARASOTA OBSERVER

|

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

DOING MORE IS OUR DISTINCTION

$

WWW.SCHEMMELGROUP.COM

104

T H E OA KS 470 E A S T M AC E W E N D RI V E | $1 , 8 70,0 0 0 Near perfect setting in The Oaks.

CLOSED IN 2020

A R L I N GTO N PA R K 2 5 3 0 P R O S P EC T S T R E E T | $1 , 2 5 9,0 0 0 Historic East of Trail home just minutes from downtown Sarasota.

G O L D E N G AT E P O I N T 1 2 8 G O L D E N G AT E P O I N T # 9 01- #10 01 | $ 3 ,49 5 ,0 0 0 Three-story penthouse in one of the best locations in downtown Sarasota.

$

100

MILLION

CLOSED OR PENDING IN 2021

S I E S TA K E Y 8 4 2 3 M I D N I G H T PA S S R OA D | $7, 9 9 5 ,0 0 0 Grand waterfront estate with 100 feet of frontage.

S I E S TA K E Y 8 2 1 8 S A N D E R L I N G R OA D | $14 ,0 0 0,0 0 0 The ultimate beachfront compound encompassing over four acres on Siesta Key.

SOLD

MILLION

PRICE REDUCED

D OW N TOW N S A R A S OTA 101 S O U T H G U L F S T R E A M AV E N U E # 6 C | $ 3 2 6 ,0 0 0 Great downtown location.

SOLD

S I E S TA K E Y 1 14 2 H O R I ZO N V I E W D R I V E | $ 3 , 5 0 0,0 0 0 Direct beachfront on Siesta Key.

IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING SELLING YOUR HOME, NOW IS THE TIME. There is unprecedented demand for luxury properties in our area. With the increased demand, the right representation is very important. As a result of our extensive marketing reach and in-depth understanding of our local market, we can provide our customers with the best possible experience when buying or selling a home. Please contact us!

JOEL SCHEMMEL, J.D., REALTOR® 941.587.4894 | JOEL.SCHEMMEL@PREMIERSIR.COM SHARON CHIODI, REALTOR® 941.809.0380 | SHARON.CHIODI@PREMIERSIR.COM SCHEMMELGROUP

SCHEMMELGROUP

SCHEMMELGROUP

SCHEMMELGROUP

Sotheby’s International Realty® and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered service marks used with permission. Each office is independently owned and operated. Equal Housing Opportunity. Property information herein is derived from various sources including, but not limited to, county records and multiple listing services, and may include approximations. All information is deemed accurate and neither suggests nor infers that Sotheby’s International Realty participated as either the listing or cooperating agent or broker in the sale or purchase of the properties depicted.

356997-1

16B

. . . t i a W But

S ’ E R THE !

E R MO

XNLV19038

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longer other no

the

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THURSDAY PRINT DISTRIBUTION 60,000

The Observers* 50,000

40,000

30,000

20,000

59,286

Sarasota Observer Longboat Observer East County Observer Siesta Key Observer

Sarasota Herald-Tribune** 31,712 Bradenton Herald*** 18,632

10,000

*Source: Verified Audit Circulation Annual Audit ending March 31, 2020. **Source: Alliance for Audited Media Annual Audit ending Dec. 31, 2019, does not include Venice and North Port in Sarasota or Charlotte counties. ***Source: Alliance for Audited Media, 24 months ending Dec. 31, 2019.

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LWR 941-359-BTOX(2869) | SRQ 941-360-BTOX(2869) www.bowtiquemedspa.com 355583-1

Beauty is Our Business OFFERS GOOD AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS

6277 Lake Osprey Drive Lakewood Ranch, FL 34240 6118 S. Tamiami Trail Sarasota, FL 34231 MUST BOOK AND PREPAY. Must bring this ad in to receive offer.

Cannot be combined with any other discounts or offers. No exchanges or refunds. All sales final.

Limited availability. Se habla español.

Offers expire 5/31/2021.

Est. 1987

Cosmetics, Implants and Bite Reconstruction Actual Patients

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Advanced Care and Dental Technology at One Location Stay Connected With Us

(941) 999-3205 | 3951 Swift Rd., Sarasota, FL 34231