Siesta Key Observer 9.16.21

SIESTA KEY

Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

VOLUME 52, NO. 10

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

Trolley dispute goes on

YOUR TOWN

Harry Sayer

Happy new year

Temple Emanu-El families celebrated the beginning of Rosh Hashanah with the traditional sounding of the shofar during an afternoon festival event Sept. 7.

Although it was a quick event due to early afternoon heat, families made the most of the day by visiting various learning stations and teaching their children about the Jewish New Year.

Families and children — including 6-year-old Dylan Baker and Nina Mendola (above) — picked up food and then got to coloring in special Rosh Hashanahthemed arts and crafts projects, such as a shofar coloring page.

Cruise of the century

People usually celebrate birthdays in style, but Millie Miller and Fran Saylor did a lot more than that for their 100th birthdays.

The women turned 100 a day apart in July and marked the occasion with a Sarasota Bay cruise planned by the Second Wind Dreams nonprofit.

Miller and Saylor embarked on the trip Sept. 3 to sightsee around Bird Key and Lido Key, checking out areas past Ringling Bridge into North Sarasota Bay. The duo ate lunch together and enjoyed the views — the weather couldn’t have been better.

Downtown owners chafe over budget request for $150,000.

PAGE 4A

ON TARGET WITH ART

Museum’s new assistant curator is at home, in more ways than one. SEE PAGE 1B

A+E

File photo

A trolley between downtown and South Lido Key has been proposed.

Emotions run deep at memorial

SINCE APRIL 25 TOTAL NESTS:

2021 2020 Siesta Key 521 465 Lido Key 107 152 Casey Key 1,471 1,515

Source: Mote Marine Laboratory

Since joining Sarasota Art Museum, Emory Conetta says she has enjoyed talking with visitors and seeing how the artwork impacts them.

Harry Sayer

Turtle Tracks

TOTAL FALSE CRAWLS:

2021 2020 Siesta Key 603 581 Lido Key 279 220 Casey Key 1,773 1,985

Thanking those who care. PAGE 12A

On a mission.

SEE PAGE 14A

9/11 ceremony marks darkest day.

SEE PAGE 7B

Harry Sayer

Sarasota police, fire and sheriff honor guard figures perform the posting of the colors at the 20th anniversary memorial.

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WH AT’S H APPENING

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

“We throw these terms around — elected mayor, strong mayor, weak mayor.”

WEEK OF SEPT. 16, 2021

Red tide warning signs taken down County leaders have removed red tide advisory signs on all 16 Sarasota beaches, indicating water sampling by the Florida Department of Health-Sarasota shows no sign of the microscopic Karenia brevis organism responsible for the blooms.

“Enjoy the Beach!” signs replaced the “Red Tide Present” advisories at the beaches last week.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported that a patchy bloom remains offshore Pinellas County, and high concentrations of Karenia brevis were reported offshore Charlotte County. But in 25 gulf and bay shoreline sampling locations from the northern tip of Anna Maria Island to Manasota Beach south of Venice, testing this week found either no concentrations of red tide or background levels.

Eileen Normile, member of the city’s Charter Review Committee.

READ MORE ON PAGE 10A

BY THE NUMBERS $150,000

Donation toward barrier island trolley-bus service sought from city leaders from the Downtown Improvement District.

PAGE 4A

2022

Sarasota Orchestra hopes to complete its search for a new home by spring of next year.

PAGE 6A File photo

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United Airlines is one of 10 carriers serving Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.

Athletes expected in January for a women’s baseball tournament.

SRQ breaks year’s record in 8 months

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CALENDAR n Sarasota City Commission regular meeting — 6 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 20 and Tuesday, Sept. 21, Commission meeting chambers, City Hall, 1565 First St. n Sarasota County School Board regular meeting — 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 21, Board meeting chambers, Landings Administration Building, 1960 Landings Blvd.

T

he year has three months and change remaining — including the all-important holiday travel season— but Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport is already celebrating a 2021 to remember.

The airport by the end of August set a 12-month record for passenger traffic, breaking the mark set in 1990.

“It is amazing to see us break our annual passenger record only eight months

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into the calendar year,’’ said Rick Piccolo, the airport’s president and CEO, in a prepared statement. “While this incredible growth has resulted in added revenues that resulted in a continued decrease in costs for our airline partners, it has created the need for a number of significant capital improvements that the airport is moving on as quickly as possible.”

In the first eight months of 2021, 2.03 million pas-

Joint meeting set with Longboat

sengers passed through the airport, eclipsing the record of 2.01 million set 31 year ago. In August, passenger traffic reached 247,900, 83% higher than the pre-pandemic levels of 2019 and more than three times the passenger traffic of August 2020.

Ten airlines — Delta, United, American, Southwest, Allegiant, Jet Blue, Sun Country, Elite, Frontier and Air Canada — operate to and from 50 destinations from the airport.

Sarasota City commissioners and staffers are scheduled to sit down with Longboat Key leaders in November.

The joint meeting will take place 1:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at Sarasota City Hall.

The two groups will discuss matters of mutual interest, such as roads and transportation.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

“There’s so much interest in Sarasota and the west coast of Florida that people with development concepts are just looking for places to place them.”

The future of the county’s downtown office building is in question, but any changes could add to a residential-leaning redevelopment trend on Ringling Boulevard that dates back to 2014.

— John Harshman, commercial real estate professional

RINGLING

REIMAGINED The potential redevelopment of the Sarasota County Administration Center is likely years away, but it could be a piece of a larger series of changes along Ringling Boulevard.

DAVID CONWAY DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

S

arasota County is taking steps to move out of its longtime administrative home at 1660 Ringling Blvd., removing hundreds of workers from an office building in downtown Sarasota while creating an opening for the redevelopment of a 5.3-acre site.

County officials are sorting through options for selling the property, negotiating with six companies that submitted offers of $20 million or higher. The county isn’t expected to relocate for a few years to allow time for the construction of a new office facility on Cattleman Road. Still, the eventual construction of a new project on the land is poised to contribute to a larger transformation of the Ringling Boulevard corridor, particularly between Pine Place and Pineapple Avenue.

Although redeveloping the county building site would be a notable change on a block that predominantly features buildings that date to 1972 or earlier, commercial real estate professional John Harshman said that the property hitting the market wouldn’t be a catalyst for the area south of Main Street — because demand for buildable land there is already high.

“There’s so much interest in Sarasota and the west coast of Florida that people with development concepts are just looking for places to place them,” Harshman said.

Indeed, there are a number of other projects that demonstrate developer interest in Ringling

Boulevard that predates the county building hitting the market. In 2014, Jebco Ventures constructed a 40-unit town home project called The Q in the 1700 block of Ringling. The Aloft Sarasota hotel and One Palm condominium opened in the 1400 block of Ringling in 2016, and the 10-story Sansara condominium opened at Ringling and Pineapple in 2017.

In 2018, law firm Williams Parker Harrison Dietz & Getzen sold its 3.3-acre office property to Capstone Group Holdings, a New Hampshire-based investment company. Capstone planned to eventually replace the one- to three-story buildings on the site with a 10-story, mixed-use building at the southwest corner of Ringling and Orange Avenue.

Capstone has invested significantly in the Ringling Boulevard corridor. The company also purchased the PNC Bank building at 1549 Ringling Blvd. and the Ringling Square building at the southeast corner of Ringling and Orange. In May, the city approved plans for Ringling Square South, the firm’s planned 10-story office and parking development at 243 S. Orange Ave. A representative for Capstone did not respond to a request for comment.

In addition to new buildings on Ringling Boulevard, the city has identified additional construction projects it hopes will enliven the corridor: the extension of the Legacy Trail to Payne Park and a redesigned streetscape along Ringling. In February, the city offered preliminary approval for Ringling Trail, an initiative that would add bike lanes and enhanced landscaping to a 1-mile

Harry Sayer

SIX DEVELOPERS, SIX OFFERS Here are the six companies that offered more than $20 million for the site of the county administration building on Ringling Boulevard. Lease-back terms allow developers to close on the sale while county officials are still building a new site.

BENDERSON DEVELOPMENT, SARASOTA Offer: $20 million ($200,000 deposit) Lease-back: $0 with a “reciprocal invitation to relocate” to property near The Mall at University Town Center; one-year term with three one-year renewal options GATEWAY MEGA INVESTMENT, MIAMI BEACH Offer: $20 million ($200,000 deposit) Lease-back: Four years at $15 per square foot ($2.3 million annually, based on 158,149 square feet); 3% increase each year RENAISSANCE CENTRO, MCLEAN, VIRGINIA Offer: $22.1 million ($1.5 million deposit) Lease-back: Four years at $13.50 per square foot ($2.13 million annually); 2% increase each year THE SENG CO. AND WEAVER CAPITAL PARTNERS, DECATUR, GEORGIA Offer: $23.5 million ($250,000 deposit) Lease-back: Four years at $13 per square foot ($2.05 million annually); 3% increase each year TRICERA CAPITAL, MIAMI Offer: $22.5 million ($500,000 deposit) Lease-back: Four years at $1.8 million per year plus the property’s full operating expenses, real estate taxes and insurance; 3% increase each year TWENTY LAKES HOLDINGS, STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT Offer: $20.1 million ($1 million deposit) Lease-back: Four years at $1.6 million per year; 3% annual increase

stretch from Lime Avenue to Pineapple Avenue.

City staff estimated build-out of the bike lanes would take five to 10 years and cost $10 million, but officials expressed optimism about the transformative power of inviting more cyclist traffic on Ringling.

“We’re incentivizing economic development,” Commissioner Erik Arroyo said in February. “We are providing connectivity.”

Although some residents and city officials have raised the prospect of redeveloping the 3.3-acre post office site at 1661 Ringling Blvd., a spokesperson for the U.S. Postal Service said the property is not for sale.

County officials indicated a buyer of the 1660 Ringling Blvd. property would likely seek a rezone to the downtown core zoning classification, which allows buildings up to 10 stories tall and a residential density of up to 25 units per acre. Just one interested purchaser detailed their vision for the land: Tricera Capital said it intends to modernize and beautify the existing county building, adding retail space and other amenities to the ground floor.

The company proposed building town homes on the sites at 1646 and 1703 Morrill St., part of the land package the county is selling Another respondent, Renaissance Centro, indicated plans to build a mixed-use project, though the submission did not provide any specifics. The companies interested in buying the land tout experience managing office buildings and developing residential, commercial, office and mixed-use properties. Given the market conditions downtown, however, Harshman predicted residences would be a central component of any project that pops up on the county property. “​​The market is driving it, the market determines what’s going to go in there, and the market is residentially based,” Harshman said.

“I’d be surprised at the end of the day if it’s not residentially based.”

If a new owner reduces the office space on the county property or eliminates it altogether, Harshman said there’s some potential downsides. The presence of workers helps steer traffic to restaurants in the area, and the departure of county employees would diminish a downtown office scene that experts have said needs improvement for more than five years.

“It’s never good when you lose activity that contributes to the livelihood of downtown,” Harshman said. “The office market is struggling. It was struggling before the pandemic, and that really nailed it pretty hard.”

Still, Harshman said the loss of daytime workers might be offset by the addition of more residents in the heart of the city. If another condo, apartment or town home project comes to Ringling Boulevard, it’s evidence that potential buyers continue to see the street as an attractive destination — which would likely benefit nearby retailers and restaurants too.

“What’s driving the demand for residential is an influx of people,” Harshman said.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

P E R F O R M I N G

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named Michael Saunders & Company’s Top Producing Producing Group Group · Consistently Volume of Cumulative Siesta Key Sales for Past Fifteen Years Years ·· Highest 38 Years of Unrivaled Market Knowledge 38 Years of Unrivaled Market Knowledge

H H EE A AD D LL I N E H E R E

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1+ ACRE BAYFRONT ESTATE NEXT TO THE FIELD CLUB

Herein lies the best waterfront opportunity that you will find in Sarasota. The seller is offering a flexible sales structure to include subdividing the parcel with the waterfront lot/home priced at $5,450,000 and the easternmost vacant 17,000+ sq. ft lot at $1,200,000. The front parcel offers a storied setting of wide-open Bay views and a grandfathered boat house. Enjoying 112.5 feet of shoreline, possibilities lie in either constructing a new residence or remodeling the existing structure which is perfect for multi-generational families. Distinct wings offer privacy and the ability to have family members work at home.

Last remodeled in 2005 in early Coastal Traditional architecture, the floor plan offers the ultimate in flexibility. The bayside master suite of rooms is located on the first level. An expansive living room/dining room are along-side the kitchen. One staircase leads to massive dual offices/gyms/dens and the other staircase accesses 2 guest bedroom suites and separate self-contained 2 bedroom/2 bath guest quarters with kitchenette. Features include a metal roof, wrap around porches, and an open free form pool. The pool-side cabana provides a summer kitchen and pool bath. $6,650,000

The City Commission is set to overrule the Downtown Improvement District’s proposed budget for the first time ever, a source of alarm among the self-taxing group.

DAVID CONWAY DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

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Still, the board approved $50,000 toward the project for fiscal year CALL TODAY TO INQUIRE ABOUT RESIDENCES THESE ONE-OF-A-KIND RESIDENCES K I M O G® I L V I E 2022. Members who favored the RE ALTOR , G RI contribution framed it as an act K I M O G® I L V I E RE ALTOR , G RI of goodwill toward the city.

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district toward the trolley project, which would run from east of U.S. 301 to south Lido Key. On Sept.

8, the City Commission voted 3-2 to approve a budget with the $150,000 allocation.

If the City Commission formally adopts that budget, city officials will be using never-beforeinvoked powers to dictate the use of DID funds.

At a separate Sept. 8 meeting, DID board members expressed displeasure with city officials.

Multiple members said that they did not know the commission had the authority to allocate DID funds without the board’s approval. Some board members suggested the budget change could cause property owners to dissolve the district.

“The 240 members could actually vote to disband the DID if the city’s going to use it as a slush fund for their enjoyment,” board member Ron Soto said. “There could be repercussions that are going to happen because of this.”

HISTORY LESSON

Although some DID board members assumed the group had autonomy over its budgetary decisions, DID Operations Manager John Moran affirmed the City Commission had final say.

Moran, a participant in the DID’s founding, said the hierarchy of power was a byproduct of the laws used to establish the district in 2006. Those lobbying

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The city hopes to replicate the success of the Siesta Key Breeze and mitigate traffic congestion by launching a trolley traveling from downtown to Lido Key. The service is expected to cost $1.5 million annually.

POTENTIAL TROLLEY ROUTE

for the formation of an improvement district looked for state legislation that could make it happen without necessitating a referendum among property owners who would be subject to an extra 2-mill tax. The city authorized the creation of the DID as a dependent special district. Per state law, the budget of a dependent special district is subject to approval or veto by a municipal government.

For more than a decade, the

Plans for the trolley route have not been finalized, but the city is exploring a service that will travel from east of U.S. 301 to south Lido Key.

city has adopted resolutions approving the DID budget with a clause that states the commission has the authority to appropriate unallocated funds. Until this year, the city hasn’t adjusted the DID board’s budget recommendations, but top officials looked to taxing districts downtown and on St. Armands Circle as partners to help launch the trolley service.

Brown framed the initiative as an economic development program.

At the Sept. 8 meeting, Brown pushed back on the idea the trolley funding undermined the DID’s authority.

“This one time that they’re asking for funding for one project is creating dissension,” Brown said.

PRECEDENT SETTING

DID board member Mark Kauffman said he feared the budget adjustment would not be a onetime aberration.

“The commission is establishing a precedent that whenever they so desire, they can have the ability to invade the cash remaining in our voluntary fund,” Kauffman said.

The commission was divided on the best approach to managing the DID’s budget. Commissioners Liz Alpert and Jen Ahearn-Koch were opposed to allocating the full $150,000 toward the trolley. ​​“I don’t think it’s right to dictate to them that we’re going to basically sweep their funds,” Alpert said.

Mayor Hagen Brody said he thought it was reasonable to ask the DID to contribute $150,000

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toward a transportation project that would include several stops within the district’s boundaries.

He said he viewed the trolley service as a better investment than other DID initiatives, specifically mentioning the $194,000 the district spends annually on flower baskets. And despite the DID’s concerns the trolley would take potential customers from downtown to St. Armands and Lido, Brody said the commission was positioned to make a more holistic evaluation of the project.

“There’s been a lot of protectionist talk, and I also hear it on the Circle,” Brody said. “The Circle is worried downtown is going to steal their customers. Downtown is worried the Circle is going to steal their customers. Our job is to look at the whole up here, to improve the city as a whole.”

The majority of the board voted to support Brown’s budget proposal, with commissioners Erik Arroyo and Kyle Battie joining Brody. Arroyo said he believed the DID would benefit from the trolley and that the project would be well received.

DID board members remain disconcerted. Later this year, the DID is scheduled to hold a joint meeting with the City Commission to discuss topics of joint interest.

“I am aghast at the idea that the city wants to have the right to confiscate any unused funds,” Kauffman said.

Although city leaders called the standoff over trolley funding a singular point of disagreement, several DID board members see it as an issue that could call the district’s future into question.

“We might as well just disband and get our 2 mills back,” board member Eileen Hampshire said.

5A

FIRST FRIDAY DETAILS LEFT UNSETTLED The City Commission is committed to launching a series of events on the first Friday of each month in downtown Sarasota, but it doesn’t know what those events will entail.

On Sept. 8, the commission voted to hold off on locking in specific plans — or funding. The board agreed to wait for a planning update from the Downtown Improvement District, which budgeted $60,000 for a series of six events, before deciding how the city may choose to augment or support those gatherings.

The commission was split on the question of whether to close streets as part of the First Friday festivities.

Commissioners Jen AhearnKoch and Liz Alpert said they did not believe a street closure was necessary.

“I don’t know why we would spend in-kind money or services on doing something they already want to do themselves and don’t need street closures for,” Ahearn-Koch said.

Commissioners Hagen Brody and Kyle Battie said they supported a street closure on Main Street, calling it a necessary measure for the volume of pedestrian activity they hoped to attract.

“That’s the hope, that there’s so many people that we need to close the streets down,” Brody said.

SARASOTA OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

Orchestra rules out Payne Park as new home

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espite work by residents and officials to rally support for retaining the Sarasota Orchestra within city limits, orchestra President and CEO Joe McKenna said the group is focusing its search for a new home elsewhere in Sarasota County.

Since 2019, the orchestra has identified Payne Park as the lone viable site for a new music hall within city limits as the organization plans to relocate from its primary venue on the bayfront.

Although the city initially rejected a proposal to use 7 acres in Payne Park for an orchestra facility, the City Commission reversed course this year, empowering staff to include parkland in its negotiations with McKenna.

In June, McKenna said the orchestra considered Payne Park to be “off the table,” citing legal issues and questioning the city’s openness to allowing the orchestra to use a portion of the property. At the time, city officials expressed optimism the orchestra was still willing to negotiate.

In a Sept. 9 email to the Sarasota Observer, McKenna said the orchestra has kept in contact with city administration since June.

Despite any ongoing overtures, though, he once again said Payne Park is not an option.

“But again, to be very clear, the orchestra is not and will not be seeking to build a music center in or around Payne Park,” McKenna said.

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McKenna said the orchestra intends on staying within Sarasota County and hopes to conclude its site analysis work by spring 2022. In a statement Friday, the orchestra said it has not entirely ruled out the possibility of finding a site within city limits, but it said there appear to be no viable options at this time.

“Since Payne Park is not an option, and other locations we reviewed with city officials have all been ruled out, we are currently concentrating on opportunities in Sarasota County,” McKenna said in Friday’s statement.

On Sept. 9, a city spokesperson said the orchestra had not shared information about abandoning consideration of Payne Park as a potential home. On Friday, following the release of the orchestra’s statement, the city issued a joint statement from City Manager Marlon Brown and Mayor Hagen Brody acknowledging the orchestra was within its rights to move on if it so desired.

“Of the city locations previously offered and considered, including its current location on the bayfront and in or around Payne Park, the Sarasota Orchestra is clearly not open to those locations and desires to look elsewhere,” the statement said. “We wish the orchestra the best of luck in its relocation search and extend our continued offer to assist with any additional support with a location in the city limits that it may find suitable. That offer remains on the table.”

McKenna said the organization would update the public on the site selection process at the appropriate time.

“We are as eager as the community to share news as soon as it is possible, and we remain very committed to our goal of bringing a world class music center to our Sarasota community,” he said.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

SARASOTA / SIESTA KEY

OPINION / OUR VIEW

Hey Joe: Take your mandate and shove it The president’s mandate to require businesses with more than 100 employees to be vaccinated is a farce, hypocritical and destructive — just another day of Joe Biden incompetence and tyranny.

MATT WALSH

“All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives.”

— Article I, Section I, U.S. Constitution

T

he above provision is the first provision in the U.S. Constitution. In fact, nowhere in the Constitution does it specify, or even hint, that the president has any power to make laws or mandate the citizens of the U.S. to do anything.

And yet, there he was last week, doddering, incompetent President Joe Biden, mandating that all businesses with 100 or more employees will be required to have all of their employees vaccinated or tested every week for COVID-19, subject to a $14,000 fine for each violation.

This is laughable for its absurdity, infuriating for its authoritarianism. For four years, we heard Trump-deranged Democrats incessantly harp on the bogus accusation that Donald Trump was a dictatorial tyrant destroying our democracy.

But as it turns out, Trump, in comparison to Biden, was nothing of the sort.

Now we see and feel who the real tyrant is and who is destroying, not democracy, but our republic. With each week Biden is in the White House, you can’t help but wonder: How much more of this embarrassing, destructive incompetence

must we endure? At this rate, our democratic republic won’t make it through three more years.

Someone, please, tell us one thing Biden has done to make America better and not worse.

There can be no arguing, for instance, that the Afghanistan tragedy, debacle and surrender are the worst of the worst, the most stunning, egregious examples of incompetence of any president in the past century and a quarter.

Under normal standards, public anger and backlash would be so great that it would force Biden and the whole cabal of Biden’s top advisers to resign for the sake of the country and the U.S.’s standing in the world. They have made us the laughing stock.

And now this — a new tipping point: the vaccine mandate.

It is so farcical, hypocritical and destructive on so many levels that it makes you truly wonder: Who are the boobs who come up with this stuff? They are mad — mad for power and clueless to how destructive their fiats are to ordinary Americans.

Let’s start with the hypocrisy.

While Biden is issuing vaccine mandates for U.S. employers, the rest of us are watching his administration allow hundreds of thousands of unvaccinated undocumented immigrants — many of them already carrying COVID-19 — pour across the U.S. southern border every day into U.S. communities. And nothing is being done to stop them. No, as Biden sees it, American employers and employees are the ones who deserve punishment, not undocumented immigrants. Outrageous.

What’s more, there are the newly relocated Afghans. Biden already has welcomed 24,000 of the expected 50,000 Afghan refugees into the U.S. — untold numbers of them unvaccinated.

They are being shipped to seven military bases, where they are being housed and fed on our tax dollars — and in the process exposing our military to who knows what that these unvetted refugees might be carrying.

The Biden administration says the U.S. government (i.e., taxpayers) will pay to have the refugees vaccinated. But what if they don’t get vaccinated, will they be fined, too?

More hypocrisy: According to Biden’s order, congressional members and their staffs and U.S. judiciary members and their staffs will be exempt from the mandate. Once again, the ruling elite are not required to live by the same laws as we peons.

That is yet another example why so many Americans despise the whole of Washington, D.C. We pay those people; they work for us. But in their minds, it’s the other way around: They are our rulers; we are their slaves.

The farce of the mandate: Small businesses comprise 99.9% of the U.S. businesses.

That’s 37.1 million businesses.

They employ 60.6 million people, or 47% of private-sector employees, according to Small Business Trends.

That means 37,137 businesses have more than 100 employees.

Their numbers total 68.3 million employees.

So how does that make sense that roughly half of the private-sector employees will be required and coerced to be vaccinated or tested, and the other half will not? How does that selectiveness make any sense?

Or look at it this way: Employer A makes widgets and has 101 employees. A competitor, Employer B, makes similar widgets and has 99 employees. Because of the mandate, Employer A will be forced to implement new and disruptive costs, procedures, recordkeeping and reporting to satisfy Biden’s mandates and bureaucrats. Employer B will not.

Because of these new regulations and costs, Employer A will become less profitable and competitive, likely losing market share to Employer B. So although Employer A might end up with more vaccinated employees than Employer B, Employer A and its employees actually are being punished,

How many bars is too many? Let the market decide Neighborhood zoning is always such a touchy, volatile subject in Sarasota.

Neighbors don’t want commercial development at Stickney Point and U.S. 41. They don’t want new hotels on Siesta Key. They don’t want a mixed-use project on a dumpy parking lot at St. Armands Circle. And they don’t want a cigar bar downtown.

It’s always the classic: “Not in my backyard” syndrome.

We know, of course, developers often push beyond the limits and ask for more than the zoning

ordinances allow. In those cases, neighbors have every right to object and require the developer to make a convincing case.

But likewise, there are just as many instances, such as the Corona Cigar Co.’s proposed cigar bar for the vacated Sur la Table site in downtown Sarasota.

One of the arguments neighbors are proffering is that there already are enough liquor establishments downtown. Some downtown residents believe there are too many already. They want limits on the number.

We get it. People want to protect the value of their property and be able to live in peace.

But it’s always perplexing when residents who choose to live in a downtown, high-density, commercially oriented setting think they should be entitled to noise and use restrictions you would expect in a rural, low-density neighborhood.

How many bars are too many?

Who should be the judge of that, a city planner? The City Commission? The downtown neighborhood associations? City voters?

forfeiting their freedom of choice and losing out economically. Employer B, meanwhile, will prosper, and likely hire more people, all the while dealing with COVID-19 without the coercive hand of government.

That illustration is the farcical nature of government. It is always picking winners by force at the expense of others.

To draw out the farce even more, what is the purpose of these mandated vaccines and bureaucratic testing costs? The recovery rate for COVID-19, after all, is 97% to 99.5%.

The mandate’s destructiveness: There is nothing constructive or productive in government coercion. “Coercion destroys your freedom of choice,” the late Leonard Read said in his seminal book, “Anything That’s Peaceful.” Coercion, by its nature, is always destructive.

Although some of you might say requiring these employer vaccines will ensure well-being of our society as a whole, you are missing the larger, more significant point: What freedom will Joe Biden and the Democrats take from you next?

Our puppet-in-chief is doing exactly what his socialist string pullers want: ignoring the limits on government in the Constitution, acting as if they have unlimited powers, behaving as if they are answerable to no one, controlling more of everyone’s lives and enslaving us to them.

This is not government for the people and by the people. This is government force on the people.

Read wrote: “The idea set forth in the Declaration of Independence that each person has an inherent and inalienable right to life becomes meaningless when a person loses the authority for his own decisions and must act according to someone else’s dictates.”

Biden, how business owners interact with their employees is none of your business.

To paraphrase the Moonshine Bandits: “Take your mandate and shove it.”

All of those choices would be bad. The outcomes of placing a numerical limit on any use would do more harm than good. Limiting supply always drives up prices and lowers consumer choices. Do you want a limit on coffee shops?

Restaurants? Hair salons?

How about this: letting the marketplace and property owners determine what’s best. They have an inherent self-interest to use their property in ways that will benefit them and their neighbors.

And for those who live downtown, you have made a choice.

It’s like buying a home in the path of the airport runway.

“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

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

9A

City holds off on tree-rule changes A series of recommended revisions to the city’s tree regulations are years in the making, but officials are still not ready to adopt new rules.

DAVID CONWAY DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

I

n response to dissatisfaction with the city’s tree protection ordinance, a group of citizen volunteers met for 15 months to conduct a thorough review and recommend a robust series of policy changes to the City Commission.

The robustness of those recommendations has proven to be an obstacle for the commission, which has repeatedly put off consideration of adopting the revisions that the city’s Tree Advisory Committee initially proposed in 2019.

On Sept. 8, the commission once again declined to take any major action on the committee’s recommendations, instead voting to schedule a special meeting to discuss a draft ordinance that incorporates the suggested changes.

Commissioners said they did not want to delve into the tree proposals after 10 p.m. at the Sept. 8 meeting, stating it could take hours to explore the entirety of the recommendations the committee made. Still, advocates for tree protection urged the commission to take the advice of

File photo

The removal of trees associated with development led to concerns from residents about enforcement of protection rules, while some landowners had concerns about whether city regulations were flexible enough.

its advisory board and adopt the changes soon.

“Moving forward with the (committee’s) recommendations would benefit all of our citizens by protecting and enhancing our tree canopy and our future health,” resident Jude Levy said.

According to a presentation at the Sept. 8 meeting, the Tree Advisory Committee identified three major themes that emerged over the course of 26 meetings from 2017 to 2019: n Challenges related to flexibility; n The need to adhere to the “Right tree, right location“ principle for planting trees; and n A desire for the city to establish a long-term urban forestry man-

agement plan.

The committee identified a variety of strategies for addressing those themes. To improve flexibility, the group sought to streamline the permitting process for residential property owners undertaking landscaping projects and simplify the calculations that the city uses to mitigate tree removal. To promote more thoughtful tree planting, the committee created a list of “preferred” and “undesirable” trees to incentivize planting species that are likely to thrive and discourage planting invasive trees.

The group’s ultimate goal was to facilitate the creation of an urban forestry management plan,

a program that would allow the city to take a proactive approach to managing its tree canopy rather than a reactive response to tree removal. In April, the city heard a presentation on options for creating a holistic, systematic strategy for managing trees, and staff recommended the creation of an urban forestry coordinator position to lead such a program.

The commission took no action at that meeting.

Members of the Tree Advisory Committee acknowledged the challenge the commission faced in reviewing all 27 specific policy recommendations the group advanced. Committee member Rob Patten, who previously served as director of Sarasota County’s environmental services department, encouraged the commission to follow the guidance of the advisory board it assembled rather than get bogged down in minutia.

Michael Gilkey, a committee member and landscape architect, said it was possible to give even lengthier consideration to details regarding tree management than the committee did.

He saw the recommended policy changes as an improvement over what’s currently in place but also as a means of establishing a more comprehensive tree program via an urban forestry division.

“There are a lot of variables in this that need more time than we could give in the 24 meetings we had,” Gilkey said. “It’s a stopgap for getting this urban forestry program in place.”

Despite the advocacy from

committee members and some residents, not everyone embraced the proposed regulatory changes.

Landscape architect and arborist Phil Smith emailed city officials a list of potential issues with the committee’s recommendations. Smith alleged the proposed changes lacked specificity in some places and created challenges for landscapers in others.

“To me, the proposed changes will make it more difficult and more costly for all involved,” Smith said in an email. “Does it really accomplish what we want or need for our city to protect and plant trees?”

Mayor Hagen Brody expressed concern about the complexity of the proposed regulations, arguing that officials should place a priority on making the tree ordinance easy to understand.

“We have to create something that achieves the goal that we all want to achieve but is also digestible for our public, because it’s the common person that has to live and work and deal with this ordinance,” Brody said.

Commissioner Jen AhearnKoch initially advocated for moving forward with consideration of the committee’s proposal. Acknowledging the rest of the commission’s disinterest in extending the length of the meeting, Ahearn-Koch said it was important to move forward and have a substantive conversation about the future of tree regulations in Sarasota.

“We have pushed this down the road two years now,” AhearnKoch said.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

Panel looks at mayoral election options Charter review board intends to hold a meeting this fall to deeply discuss potential revisions to the city’s government form.

DAVID CONWAY DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

Starting from the beginning of the city’s foundational governing document, it didn’t take long for the Charter Review Committee to hit on a potentially controversial topic that could headline the board’s future recommendations to the City Commission.

Article I, Section 4 of the charter establishes the city’s form of government as a commissionmanager system, with five elected commissioners overseeing a manager hired to serve as chief administrator. Since the late 1990s, there have been a series of efforts to alter that form of government and create an elected mayor. None have succeeded, but there remain vocal proponents of a major change to the hierarchy of the city government.

On Monday, the Charter Review Committee began its discussion of possible revisions to the commission-manager system as it examined the first three articles of the charter. The advisory group, which convenes once a decade to recommend charter amendments to the City Commission for consideration, held off on digging too deep into the issue. Instead, the board voted unanimously to hold

a special meeting focused solely on matters related to the city’s form of government in October or November.

At the recommendation of board member Eileen Normile, the committee agreed to bring in an outside expert to help lead the discussion. Normile said an elected mayor could take many forms.

A “strong mayor” is generally the chief executive in a mayor-council form of government. A system with a “weak mayor” reserves most legislative and executive power for the commission.

A commission-manager form of government can still have an elected mayor position, rather than the rotating mayor position that currently exists in the city, but that role remains largely ceremonial with no legislative power over the commission as a whole. Normile suggested hosting a presentation from a representative for the Florida League of Cities to get insight into the options that the committee might be able to consider.

“We throw these terms around — elected mayor, strong mayor, weak mayor,” Normile said. “I didn’t really know what the definitions were.”

The committee also agreed to examine potential changes to the makeup of the City Commission at a special meeting. Currently, there are three district representatives on the commission and two at-large members who are elected citywide. Committee member Dan Clermont proposed exploring the possibility of switching to a board composed entirely of district representa-

David Conway

The 10-member Charter Review Committee will make recommendations on potential revisions in March, at which point the City Commission will decide which items it wants to set for a voter referendum.

tives, suggesting it could allow for a more direct connection between commissioners and constituents.

“There are cities where you have a dozen different city councilpeople and none that are atlarge, and they have very small races and very close representation,” Clermont said.

The form and makeup of city government wasn’t the only item the committee explored Monday.

Here’s some other major topics the board added to its to-do list: COMMISSION COMPENSATION

There are two former city commissioners on the Charter Review Committee. Both of them were vocal advocates for increasing the salary for elected officials, which is $29,515 annually.

Committee member Carolyn Mason rejected the idea that serving on the commission is a parttime job. City Auditor and Clerk Shayla Griggs noted there is no language in the charter identifying city commissioner as a part-

time job, calling that characterization a matter of perception.

“When I was elected in 1999, it was a full-time job, and today it’s only compounded,” Mason said.

Committee member Cathy Antunes suggested a salary of $60,000 annually, while other members suggested a formula tied to a metric, such as area median income. The board ultimately decided to explore its options for increasing the salary, but it was united in agreeing that a pay raise was a sensible idea.

“To me, it’s a matter of, do we take our government seriously here?” Clermont said.

COMMISSION OVERSIGHT

Antunes proposed holding another special meeting to discuss establishing a procedure for dealing with allegations of commissioner misconduct in the workplace.

“Do we have to wait four years to bring accountability to our workplace, or can we have some-

thing that we put in our local constitution to say there’s a process for people who feel they’ve been aggrieved by your conduct?”

Antunes said.

Mason questioned whether the mechanism for investigating and potentially reprimanding elected officials needed to be written out in the charter, suggesting instead the city manager could be empowered to lead the response to such an issue. City Attorney Robert Fournier noted there is a provision in the charter stating commissioners are only allowed to deal with non-charter staff members through the charter official who supervises them, but there is no provision for dealing with a violation of that rule.

Ultimately, the committee decided to take that issue up with the Florida League of Cities as well, agreeing to ask the group how other governments handle matters of censure and removal from office.

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SEPT. 11

IMPROVEMENT INTRIGUE 1:34 p.m. — 100 block of McKinley Drive Dispute: A construction worker said he had a contract to paint a house, but when he arrived, he found another worker already at work there. The first worker said the other worker used to work for him but had been fired two weeks earlier. The first worker went into the house and got into an argument before leaving. An officer spoke to the other worker, who was caulking inside the house. The other worker said the homeowner hired him and shared text messages to that effect. The other worker said he was only caulking and not painting.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

dence and resumed playing video games. The man said he would try speaking to the property owner if any problems persist.

SEPT. 11

HOLD OFF 8:05 a.m. — 1500 block of Benjamin Franklin Drive Dispute: A manager at a hotel said two guests had registered a series of complaints and became verbally abusive over their bank holding a deposit on their debit card. The manager said she had no control over the deposit and offered to talk to the bank to release some funds, but the guests continued to blame her for the issue. The manager said she was willing to refund their money but wanted them to leave. The guests entered the lobby and were immediately confrontational. They declined to share their names with the officer and said they wanted to check out and leave.

The manager issued a refund for their stay, and an officer gave the guests a copy of the paperwork before they left the area.

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SEPT. 12 SMOKE SIGNALS 8:47 p.m. — 2000 block of Fifth Street Dispute: A man said he did not like the smell of cannabis coming from the other half of the duplex where he resides, and he wanted his neighbor to know. The man said he has not spoken to the neighbor directly because of a language barrier. An officer spoke to the neighbor, who said he did not have an issue opening a window or smoking outside to avoid bothering the man. The neighbor then went back into his resi-

UNDER THE WIRE 11:25 p.m. — 0 block of Lemon Avenue Noise complaint: An officer received a complaint about loud music coming from a restaurant.

The officer took a reading with his noise meter, and the results would have been in excess of the maximum volume the city permits. However, those regulations do not take effect until 11:59 p.m. on Saturdays, and the band stopped playing music right after the officer conducted the meeting. As a result, no violation occurred.

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BLACK TIE Above: Club members Jorge Hernandez-Perez, Nathan Widjaja and Mykalya Graham Left: Board of Directors Chair Lee DeLieto, Nancy Arbuckle and Michael Doyle

Leadership breakfast Stock in Children Sarasota nonprofit.

Boys & Girls Clubs CEO and President Bill Sadlo also updated the audience on the organization’s activities.

Griffin addressed the audience virtually.

Bechtold, who had recently returned from taking her son to college, spoke about how much the award meant to her and her appreciation for those who helped her get to where she was today.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

Sarasota’s best performers, musicians and visual artists will take center stage at St. Armands Circle. So bring a seat and join us for a day of memorable performances, including: Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe Chamber Orchestra of Sarasota Jazz Club of Sarasota The Alan Grant Band Florida Studio Theatre

S l OF THE CIRCLE

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he Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto counties made a celebratory return with its 15th annual Intertape Polymer Group Leadership Breakfast on Sept. 9.

Supporters returned to the Lee Wetherington Boys & Girls Club after a year away for a breakfast event that recognized people who have worked to empower teenagers. This year’s breakfast honored Archie Griffin, a two-time Heisman Trophy winner, and Lisa Bechtold, the executive director of the Take

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

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What lured you to Sarasota?

I came down to visit a friend in Sarasota, and I met many people in leadership positions in the arts and music. I loved their energy.

I also liked the city itself. What’s not to like?

I also recently recovered from cancer (diagnosed in 2019), and I felt the universe say to me, “Go for it.” The cancer journey was life-enhancing for me. I learned how to be a better human being as a result.

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Every article I read about you speaks to your charismatic ways with the audience. What is your personal style?

Making a connection with my audience is very important to me. I believe in being authentic — audiences can tell if someone is authentic or not — and I’ve learned to say the right thing at the right moment.

I like to have intense visual contact with my audience as I believe the eyes are the windows to the soul and help to build trust. I like to talk softly and intimately to my audience, making sure I don’t use artificial verbiage that’s technical

Tell us about your passion of mentoring youth and opening them up to music.

I love to ignite young souls.

When I was music director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, I created the VSO School of Music, … where students of all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds could enjoy lifelong learning, and the majority of instructors would be members of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Funding allowed a new community music school, serving students from 3 months old to senior citizens, catering to

Einstein’s Circle: State of Water, State of Mind (Online) Wednesday, Sept. 29 • 3-4:30 PM • Speaker: Cynthia Barnett CONNECTIONS: Documentary Film Series Monday, Oct. 4 • 2:30-4:30 PM • Worn Stories Monday, Nov. 1 • 2:30-4:30 PM • Tell Me Who I Am Moderator: Julie Cotton OLLI at Ringling College Ringling College Museum Campus

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You’ve said that “the power of music changes lives.” What does that mean to you?

Words can’t describe the nuances of life, but music can. Music influences us in so many ways in a harmonious fashion. Sounds generate emotions, and when we’re all put into a room together playing instruments, we are in harmony, and that brings us all together.

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maestro at the peak of his career, Bramwell Tovey might be new to Sarasota audiences, but Sarasota isn’t new to the British-born conductor. Sarasota had a brief taste of Tovey when he guest-conducted the Sarasota Orchestra in the 2019-20 season. This time, he’s here to stay.

Tovey’s track record has been a successful one, working with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra and Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as orchestras across Europe and Asia. He’s also a pianist and composer and a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music.

The Observer spoke with Tovey about his musical experience and his plans for the Sarasota Orchestra.

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all ability levels from beginners to aspiring professionals. I also believe that we need to teach our youth more about the famous composers so they can identify with them. Beethoven was a rock star. And he looked a little like Mick Jagger, you know. Kids can relate to that.

What is the Sarasota Orchestra’s five-year plan?

I want to help the orchestra develop and fulfill its growth potential, especially through recruitment. I also want to address areas of repertoire that we haven’t yet tackled, such as looking at different ways of presenting “tried and trusted” pieces of music and other types of repertoire.

This year I’m hoping to explore a brilliant composer, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor whose work was performed in the U.S. in the early 1900s. Of course, we

You’ve said your father had a profound influence on you growing up.

I was born in England, and my father died at a young age. When he was alive, he recognized that I was a very shy little boy and that I loved to listen to music. He encouraged me to play an instrument, and I played in the school orchestra, and he never missed a concert to show his support.

I was trained for classical, but when I joined the Salvation Army Orchestra, I was influenced by other types of music.

You know something about me?

I’m a bit of a jazzer, too.

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Any other thoughts to share?

My decision to join the Sarasota Orchestra was made because the musicians’ artistry and dedication and the organization’s health and community’s support all resonated with an inspirational unanimity of vision.

For me, music is a profound language that addresses humanity at a level that is beyond words. To have been able to spend my entire career sharing music through the power of the modern symphony orchestra has been an extraordinary privilege.

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SARASOTA ORCHESTRA SEASON OPENING When: Oct. 30 Where: Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. Tickets: $26-$41 Info: Call 953-3434.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

Brittany Bryant-Swift and Randy Connery Swift II Wedding Announcement

Curtains up Testing requirements, voluntary vaccine proof among new plans for largest indoor performances.

Courtesy photos

ANDRÉA MARTONE A+E EDITOR

The 2021 wedding season kicked off this past Labor Day weekend with Sarasota residents Brittany BryantSwift and Randy Connery Swift II. This dynamic power couple was joined by friends and family from around the country on September 4, 2021 at the breathtaking Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Local partners include Elizabeth Topp, Michaels on East, Cakes By Ron, Sweets Bakehouse, Lauren Galloway Photography, and The Modern Girl Party & Co., among others. Mr. & Mrs. Swift are ecstatic to start their life together and continue to work, live, and play in our community. Congratulations to the happy couple!

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After 18 months in darkness, the lights will again shine on Sarasota’s indoor arts stages soon but under new pandemic protocols including masks and the requirement of a negative COVID-19 test for admittance or the voluntary production of vaccination proof, say leaders of Sarasota County’s nine major arts organizations.

Beginning Sept. 26, a negative COVID-19 test will be required for anyone attending a performance of Asolo Repertory Theatre, Circus Arts Conservatory, Florida Studio Theatre, The Hermitage Artist Retreat, Sarasota Ballet, Sarasota Opera, Sarasota Orchestra, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe. Leaders of the nine groups said if patrons prefer, proof of vaccination would be acceptable as an alternative to a negative test result.

The move back indoors with COVID-19 protocols marks a shift in thinking amid a resurgence of COVID-19 over the summer. In the most recent report, Sarasota County’s COVID-19 positivity rate is 14%, though the seven-day average of new cases peaked in late

August and has declined since.

About 75% of Sarasota’s over-12 population is vaccinated. In Manatee County, that figure is 66%.

Gov. Ron DeSantis last week stood by a bill he signed earlier this summer, which takes effect Sept. 16, that allows organizations and businesses to be fined $5,000 for requiring proof of vaccination.

Sarasota Opera General Director Richard Russell said the arts organizations purposely are avoiding the bill’s specifics by offering patrons an option of bypassing testing.

“The stated fine is part of a law passed by the legislature, which bans proof of vaccination as a requirement,” Russell said. “Our policy is to require a negative test but to accept a vaccination document if a patron voluntarily wants to provide it as an alternative. We are assured that this does not violate the law and therefore would not be subject to fines. We have no intention of violating the law.”

Arts leaders have been sharing experiences and research from their March initiative #SafeArtsSarasota, which helped enable local arts organizations to safely reopen to audiences.

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THE RULES Effective Sept. 26 for indoor shows, patrons age 12 and up of Asolo Repertory Theatre, Circus Arts Conservatory, Florida Studio Theatre, The Hermitage Artist Retreat, Sarasota Ballet, Sarasota Opera, Sarasota Orchestra, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe must be masked at all times and produce one of the following: n A negative PCR COVID-19 test administered by a medical provider/official testing center no earlier than 72 hours before show time. n A negative rapid antigen COVID-19 test administered by a medical provider/official testing center no earlier than 24 hours before the performance. n In lieu of testing results, an official vaccination record showing at least 14 days since the final dose.

Arts leaders in Sarasota have worked for six months on new protocols to allow for indoor performances.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

5

1

Sarasota High senior wide receiver T.J. McKay caught five passes for 141 yards and five touchdowns Sept. 10 in the Sailors’ 64-0 win against Booker High.

2

Cardinal Mooney High golfer Nico Bencomo shot the low round (67) at the George Jenkins Invitational, held Sept. 13 at The Club at Eaglebrooke in Lakeland. The Cougars’ boys team (296) won the tournament in a three-team playoff.

3

Riverview High sophomore Charles Lester intercepted a pass, caught a touchdown pass and scored a twopoint conversion Sept. 10 in the Rams’ 22-19 home win against Palmetto High.

4

Cardinal Mooney High sophomore volleyball player Helena Hebda had 47 assists Sept. 10 in the Cougars’ 3-0 road win against Sarasota Christian.

5

Sarasota High junior girls cross-country runner Ella Menke (20:26.24) finished sixth out of 113 runners at the Seffner Christian Invitational, held Sept. 11 at Holloway Park in Lakeland.

www.manasotaonline.com

RAMMING

AHEAD

The Rams scheduled a difficult first five games but are still 2-1.

IF YOU GO

RYAN KOHN SPORTS REPORTER

B

efore football season opened, Riverview High Coach Josh Smithers joked about opposing teams telling the Rams on social media that they would start 0-5 in 2021.

He was confident his team would prove people wrong while also acknowledging the difficulty of those games, originally supposed to be against Seminole High, Braden River High, Palmetto High, Sebring High and Lake Gibson High. The Braden River game was postponed, but the Rams replaced it with a road game against Lehigh High, which was just as tough.

It’s been as thorny a road as many thought, but Smithers was right, too: The Rams appear to be meeting the challenge.

It did start on a conspicuous note. Riverview (2-1) lost 35-6 on the road to Seminole High (3-0).

It was a tough opening game, Smithers said, especially because the Rams’ Kickoff Classic game was canceled for lightning in the area. The Rams did not have a chance to get on the field and gel, a detriment to any team but especially one introducing as many new components to the starting units as Riverview.

The Rams’ biggest adjustment came on offense. Not only did Riverview need to find a new starting quarterback, but the offensive line had to replace multiple starters, and running back Jay’den Birch was adjusting to his new role as the primary back.

That’s not an easy ask when going against Seminole, which is ranked 17th in the state and 77th in the country by MaxPreps.

The tough start hurt in the moment but might prove invaluable. In the team’s two games since, both wins, the Rams have started putting everything together.

At quarterback, Riverview

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What: Riverview High football (2-1) vs. Sebring High (2-1) When: 7 p.m. Friday Where: Riverview High Rams player to watch: Senior wide receiver Jaron Glover, who is committed to Michigan State and caught a touchdown last week against Palmetto High Blue Streaks player to watch: Senior offensive tackle Beau Riley, who is committed to Lafayette and will challenge the Rams’ defensive linemen

elected to rely on junior Will Carter, who manned the junior varsity team a season ago, and junior Joe Borchers, who transferred to the Rams from IMG Academy. Carter has been used as both a thrower and a runner.

In a 22-19 win against Palmetto High (0-2), Carter completed five of 10 passes for 65 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, but he also ran for 53 yards on 10 carries. Borchers completed five of seven passes for 26 yards.

Smithers said the team will continue to use both players, taking advantage of their skill sets.

The offensive line, too, is settling in, though their task has been difficult. All three opponents have been stout on the defensive line. Birch was able to get 63 yards on 22 carries against Palmetto. Smithers said the task will be just as tough this week when the team hosts Sebring High (2-1) at 7 p.m. Friday.

“The No. 1 thing is they are physical,” Smithers said of Sebring. “They don’t give up anything easy. You have to earn it.”

There’s still a ways to go. Smithers said that the offense needs to start scoring more points if Riverview wants to keep winning. Thus far, the defense has been stout

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Ryan Kohn

enough for the offense’s struggles not to matter.

The Rams held Palmetto to one offensive touchdown; the other came on a kick return in the second quarter. The Rams also recovered two Palmetto fumbles. Riverview is strong at each level of the defense, led by senior linebacker Tyre Smith and sophomore defensive back Charles Lester. Smithers said he’s been thrilled how that unit has handled business in 2021, especially against good competition.

Against Lehigh High on Sept. 3, the Rams held the nation’s No. 1-ranked running back, Richard Young, without a touchdown in a 14-2 win. They also forced Young into two fumbles.

The defense has put the Rams in position to end this five-game stretch with a winning record, something that would set the team up for a strong second half of the year. The Blue Streaks game won’t be any easier than the first three, but it will be fun for fans to watch, and the Rams’ success has them feeling confident.

“We’re getting there,” Smithers said. “Once the offense gets going, we feel like we’re going to have a pretty good football team.”

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Will Carter hands off to wide receiver Johnell Williams during Tuesday’s practice.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

PROSE AND KOHN

RYAN KOHN

Spinning up E

Ryan Kohn

Lesa Snipes-Williams sets a ball for Booker High against Parrish Community High. Coach Blair Woods praised Snipes-Williams work as a setter.

ven in a loss, the improvement is impossible not to notice.

The Booker High volleyball team (4-4) fell to Parrish Community High (6-2) in four sets at home Tuesday night, but the team’s spirit was not down.

In fact, Coach Blair Woods was downright pleased.

“I have no complaints,” Woods said. “We fought hard against a good team. I’m proud of them.

They dug deep.”

Look at the program’s history, and it’s easy to see why Woods is so chipper. The Tornadoes have already matched last season’s victory total with 10 matches remaining. I’ll take a risk and say they win at least one more match this year — I have guts, I know — which would mean that this year’s team will have more than, well, than any Booker team since at least 2007, when MaxPreps started keeping records. In nine of the seasons in that time, the Tornadoes recorded zero wins.

Things are changing, though.

Woods said he thought the team should have won more than it did last year. It had the talent, just

Personalized Treatments for Depression - Because We’re Not All the Same Over the past year and a half, mental health issues have increased and also have become more openly discussed. The pandemic is one of the contributing factors, says psychiatrist Dr. Cynthia Higgins. “Everyone is aware of the stress this pandemic has created,” she says. “It’s not only showing up in mental but in physical health, too.”

Globally, the number of patients with high blood pressure doubled from 650 million globally to 1.3 billion in a twoyear period. “Depression and anxiety increase blood pressure,” Dr. Higgins says.

She explains that depression is a consequence of anxiety, which can cause the patient to feel hopeless.

To differentiate depression from adjustment disorder, look for a series of symptoms that last at least two weeks, including sleep disturbances, energy level changes, a decrease in motivation, socially withdrawing, mood shifts and anhedonia, which is defined as a loss of interest in former joys.

In her practice, Dr. Higgins treats depression in a very individualized way, often combining medication with energy therapy, which delves into the root causes of the patient’s anxiety

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not the execution. This year, that balance is evening out. Against Parrish Community, the Tornadoes showed touch around the net and an ability to keep balls alive when I thought there was no way they would; a few times, Tornadoes players came charging through the team’s bench and scoring table areas to save a possession. If nothing else, the effort was impressive.

But the team has talent, too. In a 3-0 sweep of Bayshore High on Sept. 9, junior Lesa Snipes-Williams had seven kills, 14 assists and two aces. Woods credited Snipes-Williams, a setter, with helping the team’s turnaround.

He also pointed out the team’s freshman class, including defensive specialist Marisa Von Bender, as giving great effort and providing depth in the middle of the court. Woods also said the team’s back-line play has been phenomenal.

Woods said he expects the team to win its next three matches, against Saint Stephen’s Episcopal, Southeast High and Bayshore High. If they do, that would put the team at 7-4 and right in the thick of the regularseason district standings. Just having that as a possibility would have been unthinkable a few seasons ago, but give credit to the Tornadoes. They’re mak-

“We’re playing like we mean it.

The girls are excited about it, and I’m excited about it.”

— Blair Woods, Booker High volleyball coach

ing it happen. Now that his team has had a taste of victory, Woods said, they’re hungry for more.

“It’s had a huge psychological impact,” Woods said. “One of our biggest problems in the past is we make a mistake, and it doesn’t just cost us one point. It costs us five or six because we’re still worrying about the mistake we made. This year, it’s like, OK, we have to change. We’re playing like we mean it. The girls are excited about it, and I’m excited about it.”

A state title might not be in the cards for Booker just yet, but every program has to start with a single step forward. It appears that 2021 is Booker’s first step.

Ryan Kohn is the sports writer for the Sarasota Observer. Contact him at RKohn@ YourObserver.com.

Dr. Cynthia Higgins, MD Dr. Cynthia Higgins is an Integrative Psychiatrist, Practitioner of Energy Psychology, and trained in Alternative Medicine. Using a hybrid technique, often combining medication with energy therapy, she delves into the root causes of a patient’s mental and emotional issues. She’s a member of the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology

and emotional issues. This hybrid technique “completely shifts the paradigms around what’s possible in the patients’ lives,” she says.

One medication she prescribes regularly is ketamine, an FDAapproved treatment for severe depression. It’s especially helpful for her patients who can’t tolerate traditional medicines or tried many and didn’t get the anticipated results. There has been evidence of neurogenesis, meaning that ketamine can create new neural pathways.

Using a compounding pharmacy to prepare the medication is beneficial for many reasons, Dr. Higgins says.

These range from being able to adapt to a patient’s particular sensitivities to being able to help the patient gradually reduce a medication’s dosage instead of stopping cold turkey. Side effects can be better avoided through the use of a compounding pharmacy, as well.

Dr. Higgins shares a story of a patient who suffered from multiple forms of anxiety. The most crippling was obsessive-compulsive disorder. It showed up for him as excessive worry about specific things. A series of ketamine treatments helped his

awareness change. Initially he wasn’t in tune with how much time he was spending on obsessive thoughts.

Once he was aware, he could make healthier decisions and shift his focus to other things.

“Awareness changes everything because we can make other choices,” Dr. Higgins says. “It was very gratifying to see that evolution.”

September 10th was World Suicide Prevention Day. If you are experiencing depression and want to learn more how ketamine may help you, call Dr. Higgins at 941.378.9959, or call Gerry at Sarasota Compounding Pharmacy at 941.366.0880 for more information.

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The Tornadoes’ volleyball team has matched its victory total from 2020.

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There will also be a free clinic for local players at Ed Smith Stadium.

RYAN KOHN SPORTS REPORTER

In January, 60 of the world’s best female athletes are expected to arrive at Ed Smith Stadium for a baseball tournament.

The All-American Women’s Baseball Classic will be held at the stadium Jan. 6-9, 2022. Seven games will be held over four days, culminating in a championship.

The players will be split into four teams honoring four of the teams from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, the league depicted in the 1992 film “A League of Their Own”: the Rockford Peaches, the South Bend Blue Sox, the Racine Belles and the Kenosha Comets.

The players will be the world’s best, including Anna Kimbrell and Marti Sementelli, who both played in the 2015 XVII Pan American Games and in the 2019 COPABE Pan-American Championships, helping Team USA win gold at both events.

Tickets are $10 a day for adults; $8 for seniors, ages 55 and up; and $5 for juniors, ages 13-18. Kids 12 and under get in for free and must be accompanied by an adult.

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There are also ticket bundles for the tournament for $35 ($18 for juniors).

Tickets will soon be available to purchase at AmericanGirlsBaseball.org.

The event will also feature a free skills clinic Jan. 3 for local female baseball players under 18 years old. The players will get to learn from the women playing and coaching in the event.

Sponsorship opportunities are also available, for the teams ($10,000), the clinic ($1,000), the umpires ($1,500) and the event’s title ($10,000).

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YOUR NEIGHBORS Emory Conetta is particularly proud of the Robert Colescott gallery space.

Reading the room Sarasota native Emory Conetta has returned to her hometown to be Sarasota Art Museum’s assistant curator.

Harry Sayer

HARRY SAYER STAFF WRITER

T

here’s a hidden language to placing artwork in a museum.

There are the expected logistics — avoiding

traffic jams of viewers, direct sunlight and overhead vents, to name a few — but then there are the deeper considerations, such as how to place artwork together that are in thematic conversation with one another or how to line up a chronology of an artist’s career.

Emory Conetta knows the language well. The 25-year-old has been studying the intricacies of art and its placement since she was a young girl exploring museums in Sarasota.

That interest in art and museums has taken her far and wide, first in a personal capacity and then a professional one where she moved to London for her postgraduate studies to take a job with a renowned art house.

Conetta has returned to her hometown for a new endeavor: working as an assistant curator at the Sarasota Art Museum.

She spends her days planning

exhibitions, organizing artwork and researching future projects.

It’s a welcome return for the Sarasota resident, who said she’s embraced the city in a new way.

“You grow up, you see the same things, … but when all that changes, you have a fresh perspective,” Conetta said. “It’s been like falling in love with Sarasota all over again.”

In her eyes, her role at the museum is as a caretaker for the artists and to translate their works by bringing them to the public space.

“In a way, I’m like artwork,” Conetta said. “Artwork is the conduit between the artist and other

people. I try to do that as well.”

Conetta grew up going to The Ringling with her mother and observing the many art installations that moved in and out of the institution over the years.

She was also fortunate enough to travel and said checking out art museums was a staple of any trip.

A formative moment when Conetta was 15 was seeing a Felix Gonzalez-Torres sculpture made from cellophane-wrapped candy that contrasted the sweetness of candy with the bitterness of losing his partner to AIDS. She said she remembers being moved by that dissonance and being on the same wavelength as the artist.

Her desire to pursue art personally and professionally started after she took an impactful art class at Riverview High School.

Conetta later attended Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, on a studio art scholarship but eventually fell into the idea of pursuing art history.

She said that largely left her with two career tracks in her field: teaching or curating.

“I thought, ‘This is what I really like, talking about art and artists,’” Conetta said. “Curation is applying (information) to real-life experiences. Getting to see how people interact with the work and how it is in real time is special.”

For Conetta and her new position at Sarasota Art Museum, everything old is new again.

She previously worked at the museum as an assistant to thenExecutive Director Anne-Marie Russell over a summer during college — she said they bonded over Etruscan tombs.

The new space is a different animal entirely.

She started at Sarasota Art Museum in December 2020, the first day it reopened during the pandemic, and was thrown into understanding its layout and special features.

As for arraying the artwork that comes into the museum, Conetta typically puts them together chronologically or by thematic resonance.

Some exhibitions are a timeline of an artist’s career while others, such as one focusing on painter Robert Colescott, have works metered out by their messages and themes.

“You don’t want to say you have a favorite child, but (the Colescott exhibition) would be my favorite child,” Conetta said.

Conetta often helps plan the layout ahead of time using a small model but said it’s hard to truly know where to put things until she’s standing in the space.

“We always joke that the artwork tells you where it wants to go,” Conetta said. “Sometimes it falls into place. Other times there’s interesting dialogue between two pieces talking about the same themes or events.”

The most rewarding part of her time so far has been talking with people and seeing how artwork impacts them.

She recently received a thankyou letter from an attendee who walked through the Charles McGill exhibition concerning the relationship between golf and racial prejudice. He said the exhibition recontextualized the sport for him. It brought Conetta to tears.

“It’s what you hope for, right?”

Conetta said. “Art is the ultimate form of vulnerability. So we can meet it with our vulnerability or we can’t, but every visitor is going to take what they want from the experience.”

FOR ART BEGINNERS Art can at times come off insular or intimidating for newcomers. Conetta has advice for people looking to try out art museums.

DO SOME PREP WORK Conetta says that much like looking up a restaurant’s menu ahead of time, it’s good to get an idea about an artist before heading to their exhibition.

CLEAR YOUR MIND Digesting art is subjective and personal, so a bad morning or mood the day of visiting a museum can put a damper on the experience.

Conetta encourages attendees to let go of the day’s events before heading into the exhibition.

DO A QUICK WALKTHROUGH Conetta said there’s plenty to enjoy by taking in the tangible aspect of artwork and that it’s good to do a quick first pass walking through an exhibit and getting a feel for the materials. Then she heads back to the start of the exhibit.

READ THE WORDS After seeing the visual aspect, Conetta recommends taking in the written passages that accompany the art to get a better idea of the artist’s intent, though sometimes, she admits, there doesn’t have to be a deeper point at all.

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Shep Englander is deeply involved with the Jewish community.

The 58-year-old didn’t grow up in New York attending a Jewish academy or spending time playing at Jewish summer camps. His connection comes from somewhere more personal.

Englander comes from a long line of Jewish ancestors from Europe, many of whom suffered and died in the Holocaust. His father escaped with his parents from Eastern Europe to New York.

Many of his extended family who didn’t make the journey with them were killed.

The survivors from that time eventually connected with their family, and Englander grew up hearing stories of surviving the Holocaust from his father’s cousins.

“My cousins talked about they survived the concentrations camp — I heard that from them at a very early age,” Englander said. “My family represented the tragedies and triumphs of Jewish history in the 20th century.”

It’s those memories that set him on a path working for The Jewish Federation.

It’s been a full career so far of work for a few branches of the national organization, which are found all across the country.

Englander most recently has been the CEO of The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati for 16 years, but he has decided it’s time for a change.

Englander is the new CEO of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota. He replaces Howard Tevlowitz, who was with the organization for 21 years.

Englander comes from a law family; his father worked as a lawyer in New York, and he set out to do the same. Eventually, though, he pivoted toward working for a Jewish organization during his time in law school.

He first started practicing law in Washington, D.C. before working with The Jewish Federation in that area in his early 20s. He later headed to Pittsburgh and finally became the CEO at the Cincinnati organization for 16 years.

It was a sizable stretch of time at the organization, and Englander looks back at it with pride.

Specifically, he’s happy with the work he did reestablishing a community center campus in the area, which he said drew in a greater number of Jewish residents and resparked enthusiasm.

Beyond that, Englander said he feels he did a good job launching a services group that provided budgeting and finance services for other nonprofits. But after 16 years, he felt there was only so much more he could do.

“I love building and fixing, and there was plenty of that to do when I got to Cincinnati,” Englander said. “There’s not much still to be done, and I was ready to build and fix somewhere else.

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already been underway on the new campus. Englander said COVID-19 had paused fundraising, which along with rising construction costs have caused Jewish Federation staff to reconsider how to schedule construction and what to work on first.

The first phase, the entrance to campus and administration building, should be finished by the end of this month.

It helps that he’s long enjoyed the Sarasota area visiting his mother. Both he and his wife consider themselves outdoors people, and he said the prospect of being able to kayak and enjoy the environment all year-round was a big pull. The couple moved to the area in late July and have been spending their time getting used to the area.

“We now have three kayaks,” Englander said. “We drag them out onto the Braden River almost every weekend.”

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There’s enormous opportunities here (in Sarasota).”

Englander heard of Tevlowitz’s retirement and was told by colleagues that the Sarasota organization was looking for a replacement. He knew of Sarasota through his mother; she had already vacationed in the area for five winters in a row, and she was ecstatic at the news that Englander had put his hat in the ring, he said.

Something that excites Englander is the size of the Jewish population in Sarasota, which he believes continues to grow and present new opportunities. The chance to build another campus, which he considers a highlight of his career in Cincinnati, was too attractive to pass up, he said. The reimagined Larry & Mary Greenspon Family Campus For Jewish Life is planned to be 32 acres and to have more space for community events.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

Speakeasy Soiree

T

he Artful Giraffe was home to a plethora of artists, vendors and curious visitors during an outdoor art show Sept. 12.

The Sunday “Speakeasy Soiree” get-together had guests stopping for a variety of activities ranging from checking out handmade art gifts to picking up food and drinks.

Siegfried’s Restaurant and Biergarten provided all sorts of foods and drinks while other libations were offered by Dive Wine & Spirits.

A number of vendors were on-hand to sell their artistic creations that included handmade sculptures, craft items, paintings, wreaths, jewelry and cactuses. Musician Sean Adam Walsh played his guitar and sang to the moving crowds throughout the event.

A portion of the proceeds were donated to the nonprofit Save Our Seabirds.

Above: Paula Knudsen sells her frumple art with Mango the dog.

Left: Selinah Eldridge sells handmade ceramic figures.

—HARRY SAYER

Photos by Harry Sayer

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Below: Drita Hajroja of the Drita Dawn business works on her art.

JULY 18 - SEPTEMBER 30 EASTERSEALS IS PARTNERING WITH THE FLANZER TRUST IN A MATCHING GIFT CAMPAIGN, TO HONOR EASTERSEALS’ 75th ANNIVERSARY AND SUPPORT THE MISSION TO SERVE THOSE WITH DISABILITIES.

this week, join ambassadors SHELLY PANAS / CENTURY 21 OBSERVER MEDIA GROUP EMILY WALSH KATHY PAULSEN DEBBIE TIMPONE GEORGE PFEIFFER MARY BETH BOS KAITLYN YELLE EASTERSEALS ACADEMY ALSO JOIN

RISE & NYE’S EVERY SATURDAY UNTIL SEPTEMBER 30 IN DOWNTOWN SARASOTA!

Sat, Sept 25, 2pm • SAILOR CIRCUS ARENA Sun, Sept 26, 4pm • GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH Key Chorale celebrates the powerful legacy of African American spirituals and Gospel music in a feel-good concert experience. Joined by the energetic pulse of The Stephen Lynerd Group and the soulful sounds of the Hammond B-3 organ, this opening concert is full of upbeat, joyful music sure to raise the roof!

Go to FlanzerTrust.org

and click on the Donate button.

Select Easterseals Southwest Florida from the menu.

Purchase your tickets today at:

KeyChorale.org

IN HONOR OF

941.552.8768

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6B

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

COMMUNITY FRIDAY, SEPT. 17

SUNCOAST SPEARFISHING CHALLENGE Sept. 17-19 at Marina Jack, 2 Marina Plaza. The annual spearfishing challenge will go throughout the weekend and will support the Operation Second Chance nonprofit. For information, go to SuncoastSpearFishingChallenge.com.

WELCOMES Nataly Bruk, MD

ROB LITTLE AT MCCURDY’S Sept. 17-19 at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd.

Comedian Rob Little performs at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre.

Tickets $19. For information, call 925-3869.

Internal Medicine

Dr. Nataly Bruk brings to Intercoastal Medical Group at the Hyde Park East office a wealth of knowledge and experience in Internal Medicine.

SAT, SEPT. 18

INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP 8 a.m. at several Sarasota and Suncoast locations. The fall cleanup event, part of the Keep Sarasota Beautiful initiative, has volunteers cleaning up a number of areas including Oscar Scherer State Park and Potter Park. For information, call 861-5000.

Temple University, Philadelphia, PA Master of Business Administration, Keller University Graduate School of Management, Downers Grove, IL Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine, Dominica, West Indies Residency: Internal Medicine, St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, Far Rockaway, NY Certification: Board Eligible, American Board of Internal Medicine Hospital Affiliations: Sarasota Memorial Hospital; Doctors Hospital Undergraduate: Graduate:

FLIP FLOP WALK FOR AUTISM AWARENESS 8 a.m. at J.D. Hamel Park, 199 Bayfront Drive. Face Autism hosts a walk across Ringling Bridge to raise funds and promote autism awareness. Tickets $20. For information, call 240-3044

NOW ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS! TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT, PLEASE CALL

941-366-2460 Hyde Park East Office www.intercoastalmedical.com Medicare and most insurances accepted

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MUSIC & FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL 4:30 p.m. at the Sarasota Farm Bureau Pavilion, 7289 Palmer Blvd. The Pepper Team group puts its first festival with live music, food, games and more. Free.

For information, call 400-8227.

Courtesy photo

BEST BET SAT, SEPT. 18

VETERANS NEW PADDLERS DAY 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle. Veterans are encouraged to attend this dragon boat race group that will start with an orientation followed by a paddling session and then a 200-meter race. Free. For information, go to NathanBendersonPark.org.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 21

YOGA BY THE BAY WITH ERIN 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Bayfront Park, 5 Bayfront Drive. Erin Hurter leads a weekly yoga session. Free. Visit Facebook.com/ YogaByTheBayWithErin.

‘JUKEBOX SATURDAYS WITH THE SWINGEROOS’ 7:30 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre, 1241 N Palm Ave. Florida Studio Theatre kicks off a jazzy jukebox music revue at the Bowne’s Lab Theatre. Tickets start at $18. For information, call 366-9000.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

7B

Somber memories

S

Above: Richard Bouchard accepts a commemorative coin.

Below: Sarasota police, fire and sheriff‘s departments’ honor guard members perform the posting of the colors.

arasota residents and people from across the Suncoast gathered Saturday at Sarasota National Cemetery for a 20th anniversary memorial ceremony recognizing the sacrifices made on 9/11.

Despite gathering storm clouds, attendees headed to the cemetery’s Patriot Plaza for a ceremony featuring words from U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, Bishop Frank J. Dewane of the Catholic Diocese of Venice, Sarasota Sheriff Kurt Hoffman and others. The memorial recognized the many first responders who worked to save people that day as well as the many of the families of those who lost loved ones.

Attendees stood for the 2,977 people who died on 9/11. Later on, the audience heard from Jonny Schroeder, a retired firefighter who was on the ground in New York during the attacks. A plaque was also unveiled.

The ceremony concluded with a 21-gun salute and playing of taps.

Photos by Harry Sayer

Fire Chief Michael Regnier, Acting Police Chief Rex Troche and Sheriff Kurt Hoffman place a memorial wreath as part of the 9/11 anniversary ceremony.

— HARRY SAYER

Many supporters fill Patriot Plaza, which protected them from occasional rain.

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8B

SARASOTA OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

SARASOTA The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Residences, Penthouse 1701 3 Beds 3/1 Baths 4,951 Sq. Ft. Beth Afflebach & Joan Dickinson 941-737-1756 A4499645 $5,795,000

BRADENTON 8341 Lindrick Lane 4 Beds 4/1 Baths 5,193 Sq. Ft. Sara Boudarga & Nancie Kalin 941-321-6352 A4511384 $3,750,000

SARASOTA 473 Partridge Circle 4 Beds 3/1 Baths 3,226 Sq. Ft. Drew Russell 941-993-3739 A4511642 $3,095,000

SARASOTA 1335 2nd Street PH-7 4 Beds 3/1 Baths 3,363 Sq. Ft. Jonathan Abrams 941-232-2868 A4495711 $2,999,900

SIESTA KEY 1660 Summerhouse Lane 503 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 2,400 Sq. Ft. Kevin Wiegand 941-350-7345 A4510014 $2,795,000

ANNA MARIA ISLAND 520 77th Street 2 Beds 2/2 Baths 3,241 Sq. Ft. Leah Secondo & Lynne Callahan 941-545-4430 A4508576 $2,650,000

SIESTA KEY 1281 Tree Bay Lane 3 Beds 4/1 Baths 4,616 Sq. Ft. Kelly Quigley 941-356-9954 A4505720 $2,600,000

BRADENTON 5948 Riverview Boulevard 5 Beds 4/1 Baths 5,091 Sq. Ft. Kathy Valente & Gregory Zies, LLC 941-685-6767 A4504528 $2,195,000

SARASOTA 1723 Oak Street 4 Beds 3/1 Baths 2,862 Sq. Ft. Judy Nimz 941-374-0196 A4510139 $1,750,000

SARASOTA 3501 Founders Club Drive 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,836 Sq. Ft. Richard Hearn 941-313-1591 A4497661 $1,585,000

SARASOTA 1233 N Gulfstream Avenue 602 2 Beds 2/1 Baths 1,780 Sq. Ft. Barbara May 941-312-1302 A4506289 $1,500,000

SIESTA KEY 5770 Midnight Pass Road 607 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,447 Sq. Ft. Karen Chandler 941-544-4919 A4505576 $1,250,000

SARASOTA 1711 Baywood Way 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,358 Sq. Ft. Jami Kellogg 941-809-6931 A4488310 $1,200,000

SARASOTA 5925 Anise Drive 4 Beds 3/1 Baths 3,487 Sq. Ft. Lorraine Neal 941-350-0997 A4509323 $1,150,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH 17641 Azul Drive 4 Beds 3 Baths 2,872 Sq. Ft. Gloria Bracciano 941-229-4000 A4509926 $1,150,000

BRADENTON 1523 1st Avenue W 4 Beds 3 Baths 3,500 Sq. Ft. Fran DeDona & Pam Goodwin 941-812-5023 A4505327 $1,050,000

SARASOTA 1771 Ringling Boulevard 1101 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,895 Sq. Ft. Linda Driggs & Sara Boudarga 941-374-2920 A4511187 $1,050,000

SARASOTA 17773 Deer Prairie Drive 3 Beds 2 Baths 2,360 Sq. Ft. Tina Von Kessel & Brigitte Von Kessel 941-266-2848 A4504988 $899,999

SARASOTA 3624 S Lockwood Ridge Road 4 Beds 3/1 Baths 4,013 Sq. Ft. Rudy Dudon 941-234-3991 A4508564 $895,000

SARASOTA 1518 Bel Air Star Parkway 4 Beds 4/1 Baths 3,475 Sq. Ft. Cheryl Roberts 941-266-1450 A4506654 $875,000

SIESTA KEY 5858 Midnight Pass Road 12 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,071 Sq. Ft. Veronika Bajtala 941-504-0307 A4505766 $825,000

SARASOTA 4291 Highlands Bridge Road 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,524 Sq. Ft. Amy Chapman 941-225-1500 A4511153 $799,900

LONGBOAT KEY 691 Broadway Street 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,189 Sq. Ft. Cindy Fischer 941-465-1124 A4511396 $789,000

SARASOTA 2582 Bay Street 4 Beds 2/1 Baths 2,800 Sq. Ft. Nancie Kalin 941-928-8833 A4507964 $760,000

VENICE 147 Tampa Avenue E 702 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,705 Sq. Ft. Helen Moore 941-724-2030 N6116949 $640,000

VENICE 445 Fairway Isles Drive 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,171 Sq. Ft. Jo-Anne Sckowska 941-321-8975 N6117423 $580,000

VENICE 12480 Ghiberti Circle 102 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,741 Sq. Ft. Tracy Pierce & David Anthony 941-275-1570 N6117177 $399,000

SARASOTA 4619 Oak Trail Drive 48 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 2,124 Sq. Ft. Sally Piccolo 941-525-8295 A4509346 $365,000

SARASOTA 1122 44th Street 2 Beds 1 Baths 1,120 Sq. Ft. Rachelle Golden & Peter Salefsky 941-538-8998 A4510661 $199,900

ANNA MARIA ISLAND 112 Mangrove Avenue 4 Beds 2/1 Baths 3,577 Sq. Ft. Hannah Hillyard & George Myers 941-744-7358 A4502423 $4,350,000

UNIVERSITY PARK 7320 Barclay Court 4 Beds 5/1 Baths 7,579 Sq. Ft. Bernadette Caswell & Victoria Turner 941-320-8265 A4500081 $3,950,000

888.552.5228 | MICHAELSAUNDERS.COM

357360-1

SARASOTA 2052 Benjamin Franklin Drive D202 3 Beds 3/1 Baths 3,697 Sq. Ft. Kim Ogilvie 941-376-1717 A4503738 $4,700,000

SARASOTA OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

Casey Key properties sell for $9.25 million

|

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

9B

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

AUG. 30-SEPT. 3

Other top sales by area SARASOTA

Poinsettia Park Madge Taylor and Virginia Taylor Scott, trustees, sold the home at 1908 Oleander St. to Robert Dacanay and Maria Patricia Lim, trustees, of Sarasota, for $2.35 million. Built in 2017, it has three bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,843 square feet of living area. It sold for $650,000 in 2016.

Courtesy photo

SARASOTA

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

A

multiple-property sale in Palmers tops all transactions in this week’s real estate.

Raymond and Jeanne Conrad sold two properties at 1588 N. Casey Key Road to 1588 North Casey Key LLC for $9.25 million. The first property was built in 1993; it has four bedrooms, fiveand-two-half baths, a pool and 6,321 square feet of living area. The second property was built in 1993; it has two bedrooms, one bath and 1,416 square feet of living area. They sold for $9.9 million in 2009.

SANSARA Matthew, trustee, and Merissa Kihnke, of Sarasota, sold the Unit 901 condominium at 300 S. Pineapple Ave. to Charlotte Bimba, trustee, of Sarasota, for $2.35 million. Built in 2016, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,702 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.6 million in 2018.

The properties at 1588 N. Casey Key Road face the Gulf of Mexico and Little Sarasota Bay.

SIESTA KEY

Harmony Evangelo and Constance Ferreira sold their home at 290 Treasure Boat Way to Gail Daubert, of Washington, D.C., for $1.84 million. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,866 square feet of living area.

PALMER RANCH

Deer Creek Charles and Sheryl Ward, of Sarasota, sold their home at 8620 Woodbriar Drive to Jed and Cynthia Herman, of Sarasota, for $609,100. Built in 1995, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,990 square feet of living area. It sold for $725,000 in 2006.

NOKOMIS

Kings Way Drive Erich Swatek and Marcela Serio, of Nokomis, sold their home at 1245 Kings Way Drive to Andrew Bausch and Jane Landis, of Nokomis, for $1.7 million. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,570 square feet of living area.

GROVE HEIGHTS TCMAX LLC sold the home at 1924 Grove St. to Grove Time LLC for $2.25 million. Built in 2014, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,607 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.5 million in June.

THE TOWER RESIDENCES Wendell and Jennifer Anderson, trustees, of Los Angeles, sold the Unit 606 condominium at 35 Watergate Drive to Jeffrey and Lisa Silvershein, of New York City, for $1.73 million. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,799 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.03 million in 2003.

Kim Ogilvie

1605 Main Street | Sarasota | 941.376.1717

Why do Sarasota’s luxury sellers choose Kim Ogilvie? Quite simply, a remarkable track record of success. Kim is the Sarasota/Manatee Association of Realtors Sales Leader of $1 Million plus single family homes over a cumulative 15 year period.

Kim has mastered the market in an extraordinary way.

SEE REAL ESTATE, PAGE 10B

Contact Kim today for your exceptional real estate experience.

These are the largest city of Sarasota and Sarasota County building permits issued for the week of Aug. 30 to Sept. 3, in order of dollar amounts.

C I T Y O F SA RAS O TA Address

Permit

Applicant

Amount

2595 Belvoir Blvd.

Pool

Susan Burk

$134,744

401 Quay Commons #1405

Alterations

William Stark

$82,878

2160 Sunnyside Place

Pool/Deck

Michael Demarco

$62,007

401 Quay Commons #1602

Alterations

Jay Kilduff

$35,000

21 Lands End Lane

Re-roof

Allen Baidey

$34,856

1363 Tangier Way

Alterations

Sherill Sutton

$20,270

859 Patterson Drive

Re-roof

Elisabeth Arguelles

$17,724

2100 Clematis Place

Mechanical

Livia Marques

$17,350

SA R A S O TA CO U N T Y Address

Permit Applicant Amount

5780 Midnight Pass Road

Remodel

Timothy Thompson

$237,299

1409 Westbrook Drive

Pool

Robert Sabatino

$101,660

3457 Bimini St.

Accessory Dwelling Ivan Stoltzfus

$98,000

5247 Landings Blvd.

Remodel

Linda Calvert

$73,000

5780 Midnight Pass Road

Windows/Doors

Daniel Demarco

$70,530

5424 Greenbrook Drive

Pool/Spa

Joseph Breen

$68,000

4562 Woodside Road

Addition

Stephen Wenke

$66,493

436 S. Shore Drive

Solar System

John Mowery

$65,000

SARASOTA 1400 Ladue Lane 6 Beds 6.2 Baths 9,052 SF A4491567 $6,650,000

SARASOTA 2052 Benjamin Franklin Drive D202 3 Beds 3.5 Baths 3,697 SF A4503738 $4,700,000

LONGBOAT KEY 415 L Ambiance Drive D906 2 Beds 2.5 Baths 2,634 SF A4503404 $4,295,000

SIESTA KEY 1291 Southport Drive 4 Beds 5.5 Baths 4,149 SF A4485002 $3,495,000

#101

#401

Source: Sarasota County, city of Sarasota

364316-1

PENDING

Licensed Real Estate Broker

SARASOTA OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

• Pizzeria • Wings • Subs • Salads • Beer • Wine • Catering

Real estate FROM PAGE 9B

LA LINDA TERRACE Courtyard Modern Builders LLC and Tedco Florida LLC sold the home at 2261 Hyde Park St. to Patrick Doyle and Karen Oleyar, of Pittsburg, for $1.26 million. Built in 1957, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,026 square feet of living area. It sold for $255,000 in March.

SIESTA KEY 941-800-5570 215 Avenida Madera Siesta Key, FL 34242

GULF GATE 941-921-5570 2053 Reynolds St. Sarasota, FL 34231

SARASOTA BAY CLUB Sarasota Bay Club LLC sold the Unit 826 condominium at 1299 Tamiami Trail to Richard and Joan Bernhard, of Sarasota, for $960,000. Built in 2000, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,524 square feet of living area. It sold for $675,000 in 2011.

DOWNTOWN SRQ 941-366-5570 1703 Main St. Sarasota, FL 34236

Curbside Pickup • Deliver • Dine-In • PanificioUSA.com

Protect Your Family Tree

Sarasota Bay Club LLC sold the Unit 809 condominium at 1301 Tamiami Trail to Burton and Elaine Herman, of Sarasota, for $913,000. Built in 2000, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,546 square feet of living area. It sold for $633,000 in 2013.

Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning

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SOUTHPOINTE SHORES Thomas and Kari Vernon, of Worthington, Ohio, sold their home at 7642 Cove Terrace to Timothy Videnka and Eleanor Grayson Tyler Videnka, of Sarasota, for $860,000. Built in 1970, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,383 square feet of living area. It sold for $550,000 in 2019.

941-315-2114 M. Michelle Robles, Esq.

Robles Law, P.A. www.RoblesLawPA.com

8592 Potter Park Drive, Suite 150 | Sarasota, FL 34238

360813-1

363576-1

FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED SINCE 1991

SCHOOL AVENUE TOWNHOMES BC School Ave LLC sold the home at 112 Audubon Place to Richard John Urra and Derrek Preston Wayne Steele, of Sarasota, for $800,000. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, three-anda-half baths and 2,332 square feet of living area.

BC School Ave LLC sold the home at 22 N. School Ave. to Sandor Braun and Dana Marie Byrd-Braun, of Sarasota, for $799,900. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, three-and-ahalf baths and 2,571 square feet of living area.

RIVO AT RINGLING Robert and Jacqueline Florio, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 1201 condominium at 1771 Ringling Blvd. to Denise Karagianis, of Sarasota, for $785,000. Built in 2006, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,808 square feet of living area. It sold for $575,000 in 2008.

COTTAGE WALK 439 S. Osprey Ave. LLC sold the Unit 3 condominium at 439 Osprey Ave. to William Jula Jr. and Angela Noelle Jula, of Sarasota, for $750,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, four baths and 2,100 square feet of living area. It sold for $610,000 in 2015.

FLORENCE Sera Balderston, of Sarasota, sold the home at 1720 Southwood St. to Arkady Medovoy and Virginia Louise Shearer, of Sarasota, for $695,000. Built in 1960, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 1,896 square feet of living area. It sold for $335,000 in 2007.

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10B

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SARASOTA OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

SCHOONER BAY Robert Ierardi Jr. and Jeannette Ierardi, trustees, of Sarasota, sold the Unit 6738 condominium at 6738 Schooner Bay Circle to Lisa Mudd-Keenan, of Bellingham, Washington, for $580,000.

Built in 1987, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,250 square feet of living area. It sold for $475,000 in 2020.

GULF GATE EAST Jerry and Jerra Alexander, trustees, of Sarasota, sold the home at 6724 Easton Lane to Susan and Paul Jimenez, of Sarasota, for $555,000. Built in 1982, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,666 square feet of living area. It sold for $153,000 in 1997.

Loyd Wollstadt, trustee, of Rockford, Illinois, sold the home at 3960 Kingston Drive to John and Barbara Dumbaugh, of Sarasota, for $445,000. Built in 1986, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,114 square feet of living area. It sold for $181,000 in 1994.

Landz Management and Consulting LLC sold the home at 6659 Easton Drive to Ruth Taylor, of Sarasota, for $425,000.

Built in 1982, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,325 square feet of living area. It sold for $200,000 in March.

5TH & CENTRAL

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

11B

First Physicians Group

Fifth & Central LLC sold the Unit 204 condominium at 431 Central Ave. to 431 Central Avenue LLC for $544,000. Built in 2008, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,475 square feet of living area.

Welcomes Ralph P. Tufano, MD, MBA, FACS

FLOYD & CAMERON Michele Diane Lipman, trustee, sold two properties at 1871 Prospect St. to Malorie Lipman, of Sarasota, for $541,000. The first property was built in 1924; it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,420 square feet of living area.

The second property was built in 1947; it has one bedroom, one bath and 270 square feet of living area. They sold for $541,000 in February.

We are pleased to welcome our first Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgeon to the First Physicians Group network. Ralph P. Tufano, MD, joins FPG from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Hospital. Dr. Tufano will manage and provide surgical treatment for thyroid nodules, thyroid cancer, benign thyroid disease causing symptoms and hyperparathyroidism.

His novel treatment techniques, including scarless transoral thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) will provide more treatment options and improve surgical outcomes for patients with these conditions.

SOUTH GATE Ryan and Elizabeth McBride, of Sarasota, sold their home at 2650 Hyde Park St. to Rebekah and George Prieto, of Sarasota, for $500,000. Built in 1963, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,083 square feet of living area. It sold for $320,000 in 2019.

Board Certification: American Board of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery

Specialty: Thyroid nodules, thyroid cancer, neck lymph node metastases, advanced and recurrent thyroid cancer, goiters, Graves’ disease, hyperparathyroidism, scarless surgery and radiofrequency ablation

Medical School: State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Internship & Residency: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Sara Fluty, of Sarasota, sold her home at 2416 S. Brink Ave. to Lorenzo Mario Ciccone and Sandra Mari Brown, of Los Angeles, for $430,000. Built in 1958, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,271 square feet of living area.

Fellowship: Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD

To schedule an appointment, call (941) 262-0500

ONLINE

First Physicians Group Thyroid and Parathyroid Center

See more transactions

1901 Floyd Street, Sarasota, FL 34239 www.smhthyroidandparathyroid.com • www.firstphysiciansgroup.com

at YourObserver.com

361815-1

PIER 550 Morning Glory Properties LLC sold the Unit 6 condominium at 522 Golden Gate Point to Hengrave LLC for $625,000. Built in 1948, it has one bedroom, one bath and 563 square feet of living area. It sold for $415,000 in 2020.

|

Your home has never been worth more SOLD

The Florida Gulf Coast Luxury Leader

1 No.2 No.

Siesta Key’s Top Selling REALTOR* 1013 BAYSHORE RD | $5M

SOLD

BUYER | $9.2M LP

Sotheby’s International Realty® Affiliate in The World*

270 ISLAND CIR | $2.195M

No.

317 BEACH RD | $3.5M

PENDING

PENDING

BUYER | $5.25 LP

4

REAL Trends Small Team

by Sales Volume in Sarasota*

Our 2021 Sarasota-Manatee Market Update at jb.media/2021Q2 548 BEACH RD | $1.695M

*Numbers and ranking based on MLS data, Premier Sotheby’s International Realty reporting and REAL Trends 2020 data as of 8/11/2021.

Who you work with matters SIESTA KEY’S TOP SELLING REALTOR® SINCE 2005 23 Years Selling Sarasota’s Luxury Real Estate $114 Million Pending & Sold 2021 Year-to-Date Ranked in the Top 1.5% in the USA | #58 in Florida out of 200,000+ Realtors

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.

363799-1

941.928.3424 | judie.berger@premiersir.com | www.homesofsarasota.com |

12B

SARASOTA OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

FORECAST

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

THURSDAY, SEPT. 16

Submit your photos at YourObserver. com/ Weather. All submissions will be entered for the 202122 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.

Richard Bottorff captured this image of an egret resting on one leg taking in the sunlight in Selby Gardens.

High: 85 Low: 75 Chance of rain: 58%

FRIDAY, SEPT. 17 High: 84 Low: 75 Chance of rain: 73%

SATURDAY, SEPT. 18 High: 88 Low: 75 Chance of rain: 58%

SUNDAY, SEPT. 19 High: 88 Low: 75 Chance of rain: 75%

SUNRISE / SUNSET

Sunrise Sunset

Thursday, Sept. 16

7:15a 7:32p

Friday, Sept. 17

7:16a

7:31p

Saturday, Sept. 18

7:16a

7:30p

Sunday, Sept. 19

7:16a

7:29p

Monday, Sept. 20

7:17a

7:28p

Tuesday, Sept. 21

7:17a

7:26p

Wednesday, Sept. 22

7:18a 7:25p

MOON PHASES

Oct. 6 New

Oct. 12 First

Oct.20 Full

Oct. 28 Last

RAINFALL Monday, Sept. 6

0

Tuesday, Sept. 7

0

Wednesday, Sept. 8

0

Thursday, Sept. 9

0

Friday, Sept. 10

0.01

Saturday, Sept. 11

0

Sunday, Sept. 12

0

YEAR TO DATE:

MONTH TO DATE:

2021 41.67 in.

2021 3.65 in.

2020 42.31 in.

2020 6.03 in.

MANASOTA FLOORING INC CROSSWORD

©2021 Universal Uclick

ACROSS 1 Chew like a rodent 5 NYSE news source 8 Printer tray filler 13 Cut corners 18 Speedy competition 19 ___ butter (moisturizer) 20 Solo 21 French for "the sea" 22 And others (Abbr.)

23 Sonar sound 24 Weather-inspired mahjongg tiles 25 Wizards game setting 26 *USS Nautilus, e.g. (Hint: A chain's name is hidden across each pair of starred

941.748.4679 | Venice

POP-UP RESTAURANT by Dylan Schiff; Edited by David Steinberg

clues' answers, minus one letter that's above a black square. These letters spell something apt.)

29 *Sailor's assent 31 Spring zodiac sign 32 Common piercing sites 34 Alphabetically second mo.

35 Cul-de-___ 36 **Like a dry delivery?

39 **Competes in a lyrical battle 44 Biblical beast of burden 45 Cowboy Rogers 47 Shoes with a kitten variety

941.493.7441 | www.manasotaonline.com 104 *****Got away 107 Male cat 108 Protein in an unagi roll 109 People who can't live without video games?

111 Bugs Bunny animator Tex 112 ******Tried to hit the softball 117 ******Most influential people 120 Go in 121 Some succulents 123 "Joey" co-author Biden 124 Cozy lodgings 125 Drawn-out attack 126 Maui neighbor 127 Swedish meatball seller 128 Mother ___ (bonanza) 129 Thompson of "Creed" 130 Rose protector 131 Use thread 132 Go to and fro

43 Russian ruler, once 46 Hearty laugh 49 Fix, as torn pants 50 Go on to say 51 Marshy muck 54 "The Karate Kid" mentor 55 Squish with one's shoe 56 Hair-preserving garment 57 Expresses a view 58 Take care of 60 Doze (off) 61 TiVo, e.g.

62 Temporary castle material 63 Sporty Ford, informally 65 Little nick, perhaps 71 Family room 72 Honeybunch 73 Distinctive atmosphere 74 Snatches 76 About, in dates 77 Word before "game" or "guess" 78 Marvel villain who colDOWN lected the Infinity Stones 1 The Caribbean's Spice Isle 80 Great Lakes natives 2 Dispositions 81 Corn core 3 Trees with symbiotic ants 83 "Jurassic Park" dino 4 ___ up (rose, like tears) 84 Representative Ilhan 5 Fan's sound 85 Chicken (out) 6 Feel 86 ___'s Pie (ice cream bar) 7 Spotted big cat 91 Author Harper 8 Lab hand?

93 She betrayed Samson 9 Jamaican swimmer 94 Co Sign in front of a new Atkinson business 10 Small horse 97 Partially enclosed porch 11 Makes beloved 98 Long voyage 12 Coast Guard's operation 99 Certify to be true 48 Pump purchase 76 Sugar source 13 Hockey shot sound 100 Canadian dollar coin, 49 Large champagne bottle 78 Sigma follower 14 Mario ___ Tour slangily 79 Ten-sided shape 52 Contents of 21-Across 15 "Doesn't matter to me" 101 Hams it up 53 Surname of two U.S. 82 ****Spinning one's 16 Like lowly labor 102 Power tool giant wheels presidents 17 Move like a horse 103 Faces and such in texts 56 ***College URL closer 87 ****Dressing for gradu- 19 Sauna's place 105 One may contain a whole 59 ***Similar people ation 27 Medium's claim, briefly chicken 64 Flipped over 88 Apologetic 28 Dude 106 Is of use 66 Kanga's kid 89 Unaccounted for, briefly 30 Differences some couples 110 Sharp uptick 67 Flower holder 90 Makes up lines will always have 113 They're tapped at parties 68 Thus far 92 Prefix for "system" 33 Small swimsuit 114 Region 69 Zest source 93 Denounces 37 Squabble 115 Toddler's taboo 70 Verified the age of, 95 "___-haw!"

38 Nice refusal?

116 Stuff in a camper's pack informally 96 Ab ___ (Latin for "from 40 Brown, as meat 118 Played the trumpet 72 Stable place? the egg") 41 Chimney passage 119 Pie ___ mode 74 Cabbage type 99 *****"An Essay on Criti- 42 ___ Hawkins dance 122 Sloth, e.g.

75 "Your point is?" cism" writer

349236-1

349236-1

941.355.8437 | Bradenton

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.

"CUZGTFPGCFIG RA RGXFT KFRKBF MFYPNZF 'U'C MFGGFT GXPI HRN PTF' UZ ZNYX P ZPL KPTG RA GXF VRTBL."

CFBUZZP BFR

"CPBSY KAY SYUK KANWV RFDMI SY KF LFHVYK SYNWV HNVAK FH RHFWV PSFDK EYFEMY PWI TDUK VF PMFWV LFH KAY HNIY." EANMNE HFKA Puzzle Two Clue B equals Y

Sarasota

KITCHENS, BATHROOMS, BEDROOMS & MORE

Puzzle One Clues A equals F

HARDWOOD

© 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

9-16-21

Made for where you live. Here!

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

RED PAGES 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.

YourObserver.com/RedPages

Boat Slips for Rent/Sale TWO SLIPS BOATHOUSE ON LONGBOAT. For sale by owner. Slips 2304 and 1203. Both currently leased, cash positive. Free indoor boat storage, unlimited in-out. Monohull only, max 8.5’ beam, 30’ LOA. $125,000 for both. 941-951-8929.

Merchandise Wanted SENIOR LOOKING to purchase precious metals, diamonds, time pieces, coins, jewelry, antique and estate jewelry, and collectors plates.

Personal and confidential.

Please call Marc: 941-321-0707.

ROUND TABLE-45"DIA. Tile top w/wood edging and 4 chairs. Great for kitchen,den or patio. $90. 941-250-6205 SLEEPSOFA BEIGE One seat cushion has small tear. P/U Lockwood&Whitfield; $0. (941) 704-2368 Standing Mirror, $45 941-923-3386 WHEELCHAIR STILL in package, brand new $50. TV stand with glass doors, 4’ long, $50 CA King mattress/frame/headboard $75 941-730-0038

auto

FRANCISCANWARE DESERT Rose china set. 1 dinner, 12 bowls, 6 saucers. $25 (941) 966-6816

LOOKING FOR a condo to lease for 3 months. In LBK, Lido or Downtown Sarasota.

Must be at least 2,000 sq ft no steps, and nicely furnished 3 bedrooms. December - February or January - March. Brokers welcome. Respond to:Brenbrook234@gmail.com

Real Estate Wanted

YourObserver.com/RedPages

DELUXE EMPTY American Eagle silver dollar coin album, very nice. $20 941-755-6864

OR RENT ANNA MARIA FO ISLAND UPDATED 5 STAR CONDO. Available September 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

YourObserver.com/RedPages

BUY & SELL HERE!

CEMENT PELICAN 2 feet tall $65. Ceramic garden stool 2’ tall $70. Golf putter 10K gold plated $65. 941-359-8460

Condos/Apts. for Rent

BUY STUFF HERE!

4 FT glass patio table set, brown wicker frame, including 4 chairs LWR. $180.

941-388-8916

BIKES: 26” 18 speed Women’s Mongoose $50. Men’s 26” D Vega 18 speed $50. 26” Men’s Schwinn 21 speed, cruiser $50.

941-350-9431.

real estate

Place Your Ad Online

Autos Wanted CASH FOR YOUR CAR We come to you!

Ho Ho Buys cars.

941-270-4400.

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

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

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

Call Hawley Motors: 941-923-3421.

WM wants to buy home for sale by owner. Deposit and terms negotiable and according to the owner.

Contact Tom 678-755-3804 tomlarsen559@gmail.com

Adult Care Services A LENDING HAND Looking for HHA'S AND Certified Nursing Assistants Flexible Schedules/ Weekly pay Call 941 809-3725. # 30211577 PERSONAL CARE GIVERPrivate care: Meal preparation, errands, shopping, and more.

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

Minimal shift 5 hours can also provide overnight care.

Temporary or long term care.

Over 10+ years 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.

CLEAN OUT YOUR GARAGE! CALL 941-955-4888

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.

GRAB BAR Installation 20 YEARS experience (212) 804-8525

SELL YOUR STUFF HERE!

941-955-4888

PLACE YOUR AD ONLINE: YourObserver.com/RedPages HOME INSPECTIONS and walk throughs, while home or away $50 per month by a FL licensed home inspector.

Lic. #DBPR#HI14065 and insured. 866-492-8374 clark@ cleanwatercompany.com

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 SEARAY SPRINKLER SERVICES Repairs, Additions, Drip, Timer/Head Adjustment Call Rick Today: Office 941-920-0775

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.

ES HANDYMAN & REMODELING. Hardwood flooring, kitchens, painting and electrical.

Honest and best prices.

30+ years exp. Fully ins/lic.

716-474-8492.

This week’s Crossword answers

Advertise your business or service in the Observer

RED PAGES CALL TODAY 941-955-4888

REAL LOCAL STUFF HERE!

YourObserver.com/RedPages

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers

Puzzle One Solution: “Mistreatment of other people because ‘I’m better than you are’ is such a sad part of the world.”

Melissa Leo

Puzzle Two Solution: “Maybe the best thing would be to forget being right or wrong about people and just go along for the ride.”

Philip Roth

This week’s Sudoku answers

©2021 Universal Uclick

©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

SELL IT FAST!

You’re only cheating yourself.

Items Under $200

COINS, STAMPS & PAPER MONEY WANTED We are always buying! Suncoast Stamp & Coin 8520 S Tamiami Trail Sarasota FL 34238 (941) 921-9761 WWW.SUNCOAST STAMP.COM

peekers’ place

stuff

Antiques/ Collectibles

Home Services

Paint the town RED!

DEADLINES: Classifieds - Tuesday at Noon

home services

INFORMATION & RATES: 941-955-4888

redpages@yourobserver.com • yourobserver.com/redpages

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

Aluminum

Beauty

Computer

SERVING YOU IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR HOME 363101

COMPUTER REPAIR SALES & SERVICE

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

941.650.9790 YoderAluminum.com

Owner / Operator Insured

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

AMANDA 424-333-0713 | rockstarmobilehair@gmail.com www.rockstarmobilehairsalon.com

363487

Auto Service

6968 Beneva Road (Next to Beneva Flowers)

941-929-9095

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

Cleaning

SELL YOUR CAR!

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

FAST • EASY • SAFE

941-735-3362

363659

HoHoBuysCars.com

364260

941.270.4400

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

Pegatronics.com

5-Star Rated 363489

WE COME TO YOU

363982

SARASOTA OBSERVER

Concrete

Michael Koch Concrete, Inc.

Doors

“No Job Too Small”

Servicing the Sarasota area since 1999

918-8587

Driveways • Sidewalks

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

Also Laying Stone

Reasonable Prices

Licensed & Insured

360495

14B

Free Estimates

Doors

Sliding Glass Door Repair

Window Repairs • Sliding Glass Door Repairs Sliding Glass Door Deadbolts

10% OFF

New Deluxe Rollers Will Make Your Doors Roll Better Than Ever Call Mark 928-2263 proslidingglassdoorrepair.com

2 PANELS OR MORE For the Month of July.

Call us today! 941.628.8579

Realtors

Furniture Repair

FREE IN-HOM ESTIMATEE S

Patio Furniture Repairs.com patio RepaiRS FurnitureSales Sales &&Repairs Furniture Repairs Cushions • Slings • Re-powdercoating Cushions • Slings • Umbrellas

941-504-0903 941-504-0903

363115 38056

363123

www.ezslider.com

363105

“FIX IT - DON’T REPLACE”

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

Find anything in the RED PAGES 941-955-4888 Handyman

CONSTRUCTION HANDYMAN

Naji Aoun GladysKhabbaz@gmail.com 805 Molly Circle, Sarasota

941.504.2745 941.400.1563

363116

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

Licensed Lic. #38333 References

“OUR ESTIMATES & ADVICE ARE FREE”

(941) 504-3168

CALL 941-955-4888 YourObserver.com/RedPages

364256

363984

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

SARASOTA OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

Health

38 Years Experience

(941) 580-0060

Specializing in Re-Roofing & Repairs

- Lawn Maintenance - Landscaping - Irrigation - Sprinkler Install & Repair - Yard Cleanup - And Much More For AFFORDABLE PRICES.

Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression provides safe, gentle & effective relief for upwards of 90% of patients that qualify for care.

All Work Guaranteed

941-228-9850

362955

alvarado19777@gmail.com

Lawn Care

Board Certified in the specialty of non-surgical spinal decompression

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

724-2945

Lic. & Ins.

Movers

941-626-3194

For $135 per hour you get: A truck, 2 men with equipment, experience and a great attitude to

Home Services

Ray - 941-313-4538

Pet Care

Melanie Gates

941-345-5264

specialty screens / screw replacement / paint Doors and more!

Warranties

(941) 345-5264 363285

(941) 966-2960

Watching your home while you’re away

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

General Plumbing Services Inc. Licensed & Insured 363130

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

941-923-8140

RED PAGES

Kitchen/Bath Remodeling

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!

CALL BEFOREYOU YOU FALL CALL BEFORE FALL

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

• 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

BOOST YOUR BUSINESS

941-232-1192 Windows Res./Com.

Lic./Ins.

& Pressure C Window lean t e s ing as Sunrise Wi n w o n k Sun y l nd er Form Serving Longboat Key Since 2005

Showcase your products or services.

25

UP TO

CALL 941-955-4888

Power Washing Pressure Washing

Pressure Washing

STANDARD WINDOWS

ows

120

$

363126

INCLUDING SCREENS, TRACKS, MIRRORS & FANS

DRGRABBARS.COM

Honesty, Integrity and Pride

THE GRAB BAR GUY

• Roofs • PoolCages Cages•• Decks Decks ••Driveways • Roofs • Pool Driveways • Deck/Paver Sealing • Gutter Cleaning • Deck/PaverAnd Sealing • And Much More Much More!

363483

Serving Sarasota/Manatee Area Since 2004

941-544-1066

AFTER

BEFORE

| scaperotta@aol.com

363125

954-1878

SHOWER & BATH MAKEOVERS 364253

Cleaned - Regrouted - Caulked - Sealed

www.showerandbathsarasota.com

RED PAGES Bring Results | 941-955-4888

5

$

senior citizen discount. www.sunsetwindowcleaningsrq.com

Call Tibor for FREE ESTIMATES | 941- 284 - 5880

Eldridge Re-Screen Licensed

SPECIAL 00 Purified water window cleaning available!!

Italian American Owned

Rescreening & Repairs

GLENN KROECKER

Call John 941.377.2940

Licensed & Insured

10 Years Experience

Plumbing

363132

Bob & Carol Guthrie 941.993.6613

Free Estimates • Sarasota Resident Since 1974

Trees

Manufacture and workmanship

364258

364257

by

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

PALMER RANCH HOMEWATCHERS®

(cell) 780-3346 Licensed & Insured

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

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

Licensed and insured #IMT708

Pet Services

CALL PINNACLE TODAY! 941-306-1999

941.966.0333

Screening

make your moving day a pleasure.

Dave and Connie Grundy

www.PalmerRanchHomewatchers.com PalmerRanchHomewatchers@comcast.net

363981

364104

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

LIFETIME GUARANTEE • LICENSED • BONDED • INSURED

363158

Wizard Moving SRQ

Licensed & Insured CCC - 058059 CBC - 1253936

363117

363980

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

COVERAGE AREA: LAKEWOOD RANCH TO S. VENICE

Building & Roofing Contractor

363983

373-9299

363989

“No Job Too Small”

Insured

941-270-1561 363987

RIGHT ON TARGET Advertise your business, starting at only $85 per month.

OBSERVER RED PAGES

Call 941-955-4888 YourObserver.com/RedPages

363118

www.SarasotaDiscCenter.com DrCifra@SarasotaDiscCenter.com

Fully Insured

State Licensed Contractor #CCC057066

Free Estimates Lawn & Landscape Maintenance

3687676-01

University Health Park 2415 University Parkway Bldg. 3, Suite 216 Sarasota, FL 34243

Joe Murray, Owner

Kenneth Fuhlman Inc.

Curt’s Lawn Service

DR. DAVID CIFRA, DC

235

Gulf Gate RoofinG inc.

Residential & Commercial

FREE CONSULTATION 941.358.2224

$ 235

LEAKY ROOF?

& IRRIGATION LLC

Give Us a Call - We Can Help

$

Roofing

ALVARADO LANDSCAPING

Do You Have Neck or Low Back Pain?

Do You Want To Avoid Surgery?

15B

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

Landscaping & Lawn

GET YOUR LIFE BACK!

Serving the Palmer Ranch Area Since 2007

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SARASOTA OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

Whoever said you can’t take it with you...

Never shopped at the Pamaro Shop!

OUR WAREHOUSE & STORES ARE FULL!

IMMEDIATE ONE-TIME

FREE DELIVERY

FOR ORDERS 9/16/21 - 9/30/21

Coastal - Chic - Beachy - BoHo - Urban - Farmhouse - Natural - Neutral

Customers love that they can buy off the floor at all 3 stores

12 MONTHS INTEREST FREE FINANCING* Pamaro East

www.thepamaroshop.com

5465 University Pkwy University Park, FL 34201 Phone: (941) 359-0025

Pamaro South

4586 S Tamiami Trl Sarasota, FL 34231 Phone: (941) 923-3299

Pamaro North

7782 N Tamiami Trail Sarasota, FL 34243 Phone: (941) 355-5619

* WITH APPROVED CREDIT. PLEASE NOTE SOME ITEMS PICTURED HERE MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE 364492-1

16B