Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer 1.26.23

YOUR TOWN

Art in City Hall

An open house reception this week will celebrate Sarasota’s arts connection to architecture, the circus and tourism.

Visitors can enjoy two 15-minute lectures and a guided tour of the exhibition, which showcases Sarasota’s cultural history through photographs and paintings by local mid-century artists.

“We have deep roots with the circus dating back to when Sarasota was the winter home for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the Sarasota School of Architecture and Major League Baseball spring training with legend Babe Ruth and the Tin Can Tourists,” said Mary Davis Wallace, a senior planner and Office of Public Art lead, in a release. “The exhibit is an opportunity for anyone to experience quality art that is precious to our Sarasota history.”

The City Hall Cultural Arts Exhibit Open House and Lecture will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Jan. 26 at City Hall and is free to attend.

The exhibit will run through November, with a rotation of new artwork in May.

Say I Do, Again

Sshhh. Can we keep something just between us?

Did you know that every Valentine’s Day, couples renew their love on Siesta Beach at Sarasota County’s annual Say I Do, Again event?

It’s a sweet evening that makes for some amazing memories and photos. It’s a $15 fee ($25 day of), and you can register online at SCGov. net/parks or by calling 8615000.

It’s even better if you keep it quiet and surprise your sweetie with a spontaneous (to them) 4:30 p.m. drive to the beach. Give it a try on Feb 14.

(We won’t say a word. We promise.)

File photo

Gary and Marylou Palumbo celebrated 49 years of marriage in 2022.

Dariela Delgado

Exhibit Director Sheila McKoy, Executive Director Sarah Wertheimer and Judge Charles E. Williams greet the community.

Courtesy rendering

“Sun Always Shines” was the finalist concept submitted by South Korean Artist Sujin Lim by the city’s Public Arts Committee.

Dariela Delgado

The City Hall Cultural Arts Exhibit Open House and Lecture will take place on Jan. 26 at City Hall.

Phillips, Sarasota High’s new football coach Read more on page 16

BY THE NUMBERS

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$250,000

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$10 MILLION

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Volunteers needed for a hunger-fighting project.

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CALENDAR

n City Commission workshop — 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 30, City Commission Chambers, City Hall, 1565 First St.

n County Commission regular meeting — 9 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 31, County Commission Chambers, County Administration Building, 1660 Ringling Blvd. n Sarasota County School Board regular meeting — 6 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 7, School Board Chambers, Landings Administration Complex, 1960 Landings Blvd.

Arts Center receives $10 million donation

a proposed Sarasota Performing Arts

Center has received a $10 million boost.

The gift from Canadian businessman Paul Seed, who in 2021 purchased a seasonal home on Longboat Key, is earmarked to support the architecture team, to be selected this spring.

Seed founded StarTech.com in 1985, an Ontario company specializing in connectivity accessories for IT professionals. Seed is an amateur musician and has worked to develop relationships

with local musicians.

Seed also sought opportunities to engage with the city’s performing arts community, regularly attending music performances at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Now, he wants to give back to the arts community.

“Paul is a role model by believing and investing in making a major philanthropic inspirational gift,” said SPAC Foundation Board Chairman Jim Travers.

Design is included in the projected overall cost of $275 million. The SPAC Foundation

Officer injured in scuffle with suspect

A Sarasota Police officer was injured Sunday when a suspect bit her and would not initially let go during a scuffle outside a grocery store.

Police said officers were searching for Darryl Williams, 36, of the 2800 block of Goodrich Avenue on an arrest warrant stemming from an incident the day before in which a pregnant woman reported being assaulted. Williams was spotted by officers the next day entering a store in the 1400 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way. In trying to arrest Williams on charges of aggravated battery on a pregnant woman, police reported, he ran, leading to a scuffle. The female officer was not named but received a deep wound on her left hand as other officers hit Williams in an attempt to force him to release his bite. A male officer, who was not named, was spit on while officers struggled to put the now handcuffed Williams in the back of a patrol vehicle.

In addition to the original charge, Williams was charged with three additional felonies:

n Aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer

n Battery on a law enforcement officer

n Resisting officer with violence with serious injury.

Say good-bye to Harmer

Former Sarasota County Administrator Tom Harmer is retiring from his latest role, that of town manager of Longboat Key, and the town is throwing him a good-bye party.

has committed to raise 50% of the cost, to be matched by public grants, penny sales tax revenue and Bayfront district tax increment financing revenue.

The proposed SPAC is a centerpiece of The Bay, which is being developed and managed by the Bay Park Conservancy.

The architect selection process to design the new performing arts center is currently underway, using an open public procurement process with community engagement and collaboration.

Harmer announced his retirement last summer and agreed to stay on to help Howard Tipton get started. That transition begins Monday, Jan. 30, but on Feb. 6, Town Hall wellwishers will present a farewell event from 10 a.m. to noon.

Harmer will be moving with his wife, Dee, to Winter Garden to be closer to his sons and grandchildren.

After announcing his intent to retire in June 2022, Harmer has often said that finishing his 38-year career in public service on Longboat Key was an “honor.”

“I believe these kids can achieve anything if they set their minds to it.”

Josh

Courtesy photo

Paul Seed stands alongside Sarasota Performing Arts Center Foundation Chair Jim Travers.

BUILDING UP to affordable housing

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

For some two decades, Sarasota city leaders have talked about the need for more workforce and affordable housing.

Beyond efforts by the Sarasota Housing Authority, though, little brick-and-mortar progress has been made. Even creating an overlay in the Rosemary District to include affordable housing in new developments yielded no results after two-plus years.

So, when city commissioners approved changes to long-range land use plans this past October, it established what they described as a framework in which affordable and attainable housing may be incentivized with density bonuses and other inducements.

Commissioners and city staff said then that work on the plan was only beginning. Zoning changes must be made in select locations throughout the city, a process that could require more than a year.

Last week, the Planning Department took the first step in applying long-range changes to the city’s zoning code by holding an open house with a standing-room-only crowd of residents and other city stakeholders.

Planning Director Steve Cover and  his staff provided an overview of the program, then opened the floor to questions and comments, which they answered.

They told the audience their feedback will be incorporated into a preliminary plan for downtown and presented in a second open house on March 1.

Any developer entering into the voluntary program will be required to designate the units as affordable for 30 years. That legally binding commitment will run with the property for the duration, regardless of ownership.

Here are some questions about the program from participants in the forum and answers from city leaders.

Has there been consideration to working with Sarasota Housing Authority to build a prototype affordable housing project?

The city wants to broadly spread affordable housing projects beyond downtown. For that to happen quickly, the private sector must get involved. Typically, in other cities, attainable housing gathers in one or two areas. Sarasota is hoping to avoid that and encourage affordable development around the city.

What do you envision as the breakdown of each development for different levels of Area Median Income?

One-third at 80% or less, onethird at 80% to 100% and one-third between 100% and 120%.

Is that balance agreed to before construction of a project that includes affordable housing?

Yes. That’s an affordable housing agreement that’s recorded in the official records of Sarasota County.

Where are the zones where you’re planning to implement this?

Later this year, the city will start discussions along North Tamiami Trail and South Tamiami Trail, considered two important corridors. Downtown is first, because history is already established for the North Trail and South Trail future land use designation. Zoning districts need to be created to implement that future land use designation, so that’s the next step as part of this process.

There will be tools in place to incentivize attainable housing. The private sector really hasn’t provided

RENT AT A GLANCE

„ Since the beginning of COVID-19, rent in Sarasota has increased by 46.9%.

„ The average rent for a onebedroom apartment in the city has jumped from $1,250 per month in 2020 to $2,200 per month in December 2022.

„ Meanwhile, the median home price in the North PortSarasota-Bradenton MSA surpassed $500,000 for the first time.

attainable housing because there hasn’t been an incentive or mandate to do so.

Years ago, a downtown residential overlay district existed that didn’t mandate units be designated as attainable. What’s being discussed will provide a vehicle for the private sector to construct these units because right now, the incentive is not there.

Is there an example in Florida where the real estate is similar to ours in terms of the skyrocketing marketing costs where this has succeeded?

There are other local governments in the state that have used density bonuses as incentives. Palm Beach County is one, Orlando and St. Petersburg. How will concentrating density impact traffic?

By increasing the density in downtown, that actually helps traffic.

Right now, everybody is commuting into the city. If you have people living downtown where they can walk to work or they can take the trolley, it eliminates all those trips from outlying areas into the downtown. Transportation options will also be expanded. It really helps traffic. That might be a little counterintuitive.

Will the bonus density allow taller building heights in the downtown district?

There is no proposal for height increase. In other words, the developer has to increase the density within the current building structure that we have in place.

We know that there’s an immense need for workforce housing, and you’re saying people will walk to work. What’s your thought as to where these buildings are going to be?

The area just east of U.S. 301 south of Fruitville is one area. Other areas are within the downtown core. But market forces will ultimately decide what gets built where.

How long will it take to catch up to the housing shortage?

This is going to take a pretty long time. If every project provided

attainable housing that would have a huge impact, 54% of all rental households are cost-burdened and almost one-third of all rental households are severely cost-burdened.

Are the affordable units required to be identical to the market rate units?

If you have a building that has 2,500-square-foot luxury condominiums, and then you have attainable units, this can be really hard for the developer to make work if the attainable units were 2,500 square feet. That’s something we are working on. The attainable units are not mandated to be identical to all the other units that are being built. An attainable unit could be 750 square feet versus the market rate that could be 1,500 square feet.

TIMELINE

Downtown zoning text amendment

JAN. 19, 2023

Town Hall No. 1. Initial education, discussion and input for attainable housing in the downtown zone districts.

FEBRUARY 2023

Downtown outreach. Presentations before the DID, DSCA, Chamber of Commerce, neighborhood associations, Argus Foundation, CCNA and others.

MARCH 1, 2023 Town Hall No. 2. Overview and feedback of a proposal for attainable housing in the downtown zone districts.

NEXT STEPS

File zoning text amendment; and discussions with Development Review Committee, Planning Board and City Commission.

It was standing room only at last week’s affordable housing town hall meeting.

With initial land-use changes in place, city embarks on the path forward toward more granular changes that open the doors for private development.

Photos by Andrew Warfield

Sarasota Planning Director Steve Cover is leading the city’s effort to incentivize affordable housing development, starting with the downtown zoning districts.

QUICK BITES

Restaurant news around Sarasota

Pizza maker settles down in Gulf Gate

A nomadic pizza maker is soon to settle down in its first home. Tralia, which is known as a pop-up, offers its popular pies at local watering holes and other locations. Now it’s open for takeout and delivery from Gulf Gate and is planning to welcome dine-in customers in midFebruary.

Founded by Anthony Petalia, Tralia offers Detroit-style and “sourdough rounds” that resemble traditional Neapolitan pizza. The brick-andmortar location at 6596 Superior Ave. is the former home of Your Culinary Place, a shared kitchen business. Tralia will add seating and is working to obtain a beer and wine license.

Hours will be noon to 10 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, noon to midnight Fridays and Saturdays and noon to 8 p.m. Sundays.

Owen’s hopes to open new site in March

Although supply shortages have slowed the construction of Owen’s Fish Camp at Center Point in Lakewood Ranch, co-owner Mark Caragiulo remains undaunted.

“We’re taking our time, doing it right,” he said.

Caragiulo said he hopes to open the restaurant in March, and his customers will find the restaurant to be every bit as good as Owens Fish Camp in Sarasota, if not better.

“We can expand on that Southern food-centric aspect but will flex our muscles a little bit,” he said. “It’s just fun experimentation. Playing, cooking, eating, imagining what we’re trying to do.”

For instance, one item on the menu, which he said will be comprised of about 25% new items compared to the Sarasota location, is the Pimento Chive Drop Biscuits

“It’s a mouthful,” he said.

Ribs are another possibility that aren’t served at Sarasota’s location.

Primo! site sold in two parcel deal

The site of a former well-known Italian restaurant in Sarasota was sold in late 2022 alongside another parcel for $2.2 million.

For the past 36 years, Primo! Ristorante occupied 11,500 square feet of space, though the building was originally built in 1953.

The sale of the two parcels at 8076 N. Tamiami Trail was managed by SVN Commercial Advisory Group, according to a statement. The buyer and seller of the transaction were represented by Gail Bowden, senior investment adviser. The second parcel features a two-bedroom, twobathroom house that was built in 1950, the release adds.

“It’s a very high-visibility spot on a well-lit corner, and it’s close to nearly everything,” Bowden says in the release. “Having the residential house next door to the commercial parcel is a bonus – just a terrific opportunity.”

CLAM CHOWDER

with Bread and Butter Pickle Butter.

Eric Garwood

Founded by Anthony Petalia, Tralia offers Detroitstyle and “sourdough rounds” that resemble traditional Neapolitan pizza.

SRQ aims to build up its wide-open spaces

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

As construction continues at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport on new boarding gates, the airport is planning for further growth outside of the passenger terminal with a focus on resolving its parking shortage.

Airport representatives are working with the Sarasota Development Review Committee to rescind its Development of Regional Impact classification and replace it with a general development plan to develop parcels on airport property that lie within the city limits.

The airport is seeking an agreement with the city on 88.84 acres at the southwest corner of its property.

The airport sits in three governmental jurisdictions — the city and Sarasota and Manatee counties.

By Florida statute, a development of regional impact is  “any development which, because of its character, magnitude or location, would have a substantial effect upon the health, safety or welfare of citizens of more than one county.”

Lakewood Ranch, for example, was established as a Development of Regional Impact. In 2015 and 2016, state legislation eliminated the DRI review process, and amendments to development orders for existing DRIs are now considered by the local governments.

The airport went under DRI designation in the 1980s.

Last week, the airport took the first step in terminating its DRI per-

taining to parcels within the city. In the short term, the airport wants to consolidate car rental facilities — now scattered along Rental Car Road, which runs parallel to University Parkway between a string of hotels and the airport terminal — to a shared facility near the shaded parking lot.

That would allow a new cellphone lot to be developed, which would include restrooms. The current cellphone lot is not paved, and those waiting to pick up arriving passengers often park along the shoulder of Rental Car Road for quicker entries and exits.

Additionally, a temporary remote parking lot will be developed at the northeast corner of University Parkway and Old Bradenton Road.

Those are projects SRQ General Counsel Dan Bailey said will begin as soon as the airport secures approvals from the city.

That’s the near-term plan.

Looking at the long-range view, consolidating car rental facilities will open opportunities to develop

Sarasota Memorial Presents

prime commercial property along University Parkway, all of which will comprise the SRQ Gateway Centre.  That will eventually be developed by various tenants under long-term leases. Uses may include fast food, a high-turnover, full-service restaurant, a convenience store with gas and a car wash, general retail, a hotel, self-storage, general office space and others. All of that will provide additional revenue for the airport.

“We’ve tried to do the commercial along University, but we’ve been kind of overcome by all the traffic we get at the airport,” Bailey said. “Now we have a greater need for these parking facilities, so we’re having to commingle what we were trying to do with that commercial development being superseded by the need to get plans moving for these parking lots, even though some of them are going be temporary.”

On an interim basis, the airport will rely on temporary parking space until a more permanent solution is devised.

With no room to expand beyond

its current footprint, SRQ’s ultimate parking solution is likely a vertical structure. Bailey said if and when that is built, it would be at the current short-term lot, which will force the airport at that time to find another interim parking solution.

“It’s like a Rubik’s Cube,” Bailey said.

Parking is an ongoing challenge at SRQ, which will only be exacerbated with the additional capacity of five ground-based boarding gates  under development.

The airport has 13 gates in Concourse B. Concourse A will eventually be built, opening up travel capacity for even more passengers and their cars. During busy travel periods such as the holidays, cars are parked in a fenced-in area on the tarmac.

Some 3.87 million passengers traveled through the airport in 2022, a 21.6% increase over the record-setting 3.16 million passengers in 2021.

The airport expects serve 7 million passengers per year in 2025 when the ground-based boarding facility is in operation.

Vehicles regularly wait on the shoulder of Rental Car Road to pick up passengers rather than at SarasotaBradenton International Airport’s designated cell phone lot.

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The Sarasota-Manatee International Airport has begun working with the city to address its parking problems and plans to develop a commercial node along University Parkway.

Andrew Warfield

Airport apartments make Progress at differing speeds

is being made on a new apartment development on DeSoto Road near SarasotaBradenton International Airport. Meanwhile, the fate of an adjacent rental community is awaiting its days in court.

Last week, the Sarasota City Commission approved by a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch opposed, Progress at University, a 280-unit project on 16.5 acres once rezoned and approved for a community by Habitat for Humanity. The property at 1400 DeSoto Road is bordered to the west by Aventon Sarasota, a 372-unit apartment complex planned for the former Sarasota Kennel Club site, which was approved by the City Commission last November.

That approval is being legally challenged by the airport, charging it is in violation of an agreement with the city that prohibits residential development beneath the 65 decibel day-night average sound level contour. The Aventon project is located just 1,500 feet from the end of SRQ’s main runway. Progress at University is just as close — in fact, directly beneath the glide path.

Because the site had been zoned for multifamily and the Habitat project was approved by Sarasota County prior to it being annexed by the city in 2006, it predates the 2018 agreement. As a result, the residential use cannot be challenged by the airport, SRQ General Counsel Dan Bailey told commissioners.

“This particular site has certain grandfathered status,” Bailey said. “It was Habitat for Humanity at that time that came in with a program that included not only affordable housing, but also a child-care facility. That didn’t go forward and

another applicant came in 2011 with a site plan that has expired, but unfortunately the airport is not in a position to contest that grandfathered status.”

Planned by MMI Development with offices in Orlando and Oxford, Mississippi, Progress at University modified the site plan to move many buildings away from the perimeter of the site in contrast to the previously approved 2011 plan, which is bordered to the east and south by the Tri-Par age-restricted community.

Some Tri-Par residents expressed concerns over the new site plan to the Planning Board, which endorsed it in December 2022, but the board determined the site had adequate natural buffering to mitigate vehicular activity disturbances, and relocating the four-story buildings away from Tri-Par would have less impact on immediate neighbors than the previously approved plan.

There is no affordable housing component to the development, but the developer told commissioners the proximity to the airport will effectively cap rents below market rate, even though the company specializes in noise mitigation.

“It’s a Class A product, but it’s market rate,” said MMI Development Chief Operating Officer David Brim. “We develop luxury apartments, but it is a market rate price, which to a certain degree rent in this particular site will be constrained just due to location with the airport. MMI has developed other airport properties, so they’re very familiar with what those market ranges are for the proximity to the airport, but it also goes to their experience with developing the product that mitigates for the potential for sound impacts.”

The Progress at University site was formerly used as overflow parking for the kennel club, which closed

in 2019 after a statewide vote to end dog racing by 2020. Combined with Aventon, the two projects would add 652 apartments to the city’s rental housing stock and help provide downward pressure on rents with greater supply.

That was the justification the City Commission used in September 2022 to approve Aventon in the face of certain legal challenge by the airport, which still has a long way to go before resolution. The airport’s comprehensive plan amendment challenge before the Department of Administrative Hearings is expected to be scheduled for April 12-14.

The city and Aventon have until Jan. 26 to respond to a consistency challenge to the city’s comprehen-

sive plan, but either party could ask for more time. That case is before Judge Stephen Walker of the 12th Circuit District Court.

Meanwhile Judge Hunter Carroll of the 12th Circuit has yet to issue an order to show cause over SRQ’s certiorari petition, which is a higher court review of a lower court decision. In this case the lower court is the City Commission as Aventon’s approval was the result of a quasijudicial hearing.

The deadlines for the city and Aventon to respond don’t begin running until that order is issued.

Courtesy rendering Progress at University will be located next to the former Sarasota Kennel Club, which may be developed into another apartment complex.

City Commission gives the go-ahead for the 280-unit Progress at University apartment development. Meanwhile, the legal battle over Aventon apartments next door will go on through spring.

What is ‘effective’ notice?

YOU BE THE COMMISSIONER: HOW WOULD YOU VOTE?

It always comes across as selfserving when newspaper executives argue to keep public notices in the newspapers.

In fact, Sarasota County Commissioner Nancy Detert pointed out the irony of things when, with a smile, she started her remarks by saying:

Watch the Sarasota County Commission public hearing on public notices here: YourObserver.com/publichearing

many people in this room right now literally have the internet in their pocket?

“You can get the internet anywhere,” he said. His point made.

“If

Friedrich Hayek “Road to Serfdom,” 1944

President and Publisher / Emily Walsh, EWalsh@YourObserver.com

Executive Editor and COO / Kat Hughes, KHughes@YourObserver.com

Managing Editor / Eric Garwood, EGarwood@YourObserver.com

Sports Editor / Ryan Kohn, RKohn@YourObserver.com

MATT WALSH

No one reads public notices.”

“They’re just a subsidy for newspapers.”

“Newspapers are a dying breed.”

“It’s all about the money.”

For 25 years, with the advent of the internet and with Republicans controlling more and more legislatures nationwide, Republican lawmakers have been trying to eliminate public-notice advertising in newspapers.

Their goal is becoming increasingly within reach.

One step toward that came last week when the Sarasota County Commission adopted an ordinance giving the Sarasota County administration permission to publish its public notices on the county website instead of publishing them in a newspaper and the newspaper’s website.

And last month, the Manatee County Commission did the same — in about 14 minutes.

In both cases, commissioners touted the same motivation: to save “six figures” of taxpayers’ money.

This scene is playing out all across Florida. In virtually every county, the county commissions and staffs are moving quickly toward eliminating public notice advertising in newspapers and shifting to publishing them on their county websites.

For many people, especially those who don’t give a squat about what their governments are doing to them or for them, this business about public notices and newspapers is meaningless. It’s a headline on their phones they immediately swoosh off their phone screens.

But for those who do care what the county or city commissions are doing with your tax dollars and to your neighborhoods, perhaps you might want to give this subject some thought.

IT’S MORE THAN JUST MONEY It’s not all about the money. There is more to it than that — more nuance about which lawmakers and commissioners appear to have little concern.

It’s about a safeguard that helps keep the government honest. It’s a safeguard that helps citizens monitor and watchdog their government. It’s about creating guardrails that force governments to be almost excessive in their openness and transparency.

For gosh sakes, look at Washington and the hullabaloos over the handling of classified documents. What more convincing does the citizenry need to be convinced that honest transparency is essential to the success of democracy?

Surely you agree: Public notice is essential to the successful functioning of a democracy.

The question is: What is the most effective way to achieve that?

From what we’ve heard, most lawmakers are of the same mind: It’s all about saving money.

Manatee Commissioner George Kruse, Dec. 15: Publishing public notices on MyManatee.org “is a better system overall. It’s also saving us countless hours … It’s also saving us six figures of cost to the

“All the stuff about public and not one person from the public showed up to defend you all. No one.”

Yeah, it always looks like newspaper people are the only ones who care about public notice.

But you could argue with Commissioner Detert that those newspaper people represent the public.

That is what the Fourth Estate does and is supposed to do. We were at the hearing on behalf of the public.

Nonetheless, if you have an interest in how government works and government transparency, you

taxpayers.”

Sarasota County Commissioner Nancy Detert, Jan. 18: “It basically comes down to our budget. We’re going into a recession. We have to pull in our horns in every way that we can.”

Ah, there is great irony here with the Republicans chomping to get their notices out of newspapers. To borrow a phrase: They speak with forked tongues.

For 25 years, in election campaign after election campaign, we’ve heard conservative Republican candidates and officeholders blather on about their unwavering commitment to government transparency, open government, smaller government, less regulation, fiscal restraint and free enterprise.

And yet, here they are adopting legislation that shifts public notices from wide dissemination via local newspapers and the newspapers’ websites and the statewide aggregation site, FloridaPublicNotices. com, to arguably obscure government-controlled websites.

Those newspaper websites, by the way, reach 51 million unique users a month. No one reads newspapers anymore? Print is declining for dailies (not weeklies), but newspapers’ website readership is growing. In fact, it’s typically 10 times greater than local government website readership.

And yet, here are the free-market Republicans crafting legislation to take public-notice advertising out of the private sector and increase the size, scope, control and cost of government.

This issue isn’t just about the money.

It is also about this: Republican legislators and county and city commissioners all across Florida hate their communities’ daily newspaper. They cannot stand how the local dailies constantly criticize them. And they hate even more that county and city governments, until now, were forced by statute to pay to advertise public notices in the daily newspapers.

Decades ago, the daily newspaper industry successfully persuaded lawmakers (mostly Democrats) to create public-notice laws that gave the dailies a monopoly on public notices — no competition.

And for Rep. Randy Fine, R-Melbourne, the champion of newspaper haters, that sweet deal for dailies convinced him public notice advertising was indeed a subsidy for newspapers. It didn’t matter that newspapers were performing a service, just as other county vendors do. But for Fine, the notices merely

Housing for the working class

It’s encouraging to see Sarasota city officials trying to do something to help bring about more affordable housing for the working class.

Last week, the city held the first of two Town Hall meetings to gauge the public’s reaction to an idea to

may find it of value to watch last week’s public hearing. It is illustrative of the conversations occurring throughout the state on this subject.

There was no specific evidence comparing the public’s use of county government websites versus newspaper websites. Commissioners in Sarasota and Manatee intuitively made the conclusion that publishing public notices on their websites will be less expensive and more efficient.

Manatee Commissioner George Kruse asked citizens before the vote on the issue: “How many people have a copy of the newspaper in their hands? (None) … How

Or, as Sarasota County Commission Chair Ron Cutsinger said: “I’m a fiscal conservative. It just seems to me if we can do it efficiently and if we can save dollars, I’m all for it.”

It didn’t and doesn’t matter what arguments are presented. Nothing will convince commissioners otherwise.

Even so, you be the judge. Imagine you were a county commissioner presented with this subject and imagine being in their shoes at the Sarasota County Commission hearing last week. How would you have voted?

Send your thoughts on the hearing and public notice advertising — MWalsh@YourObserver.com.

ARE THE SAVINGS FOR REAL?

One of the provisions of the legislation permitting local governments to publish their public notices on a county website is they must prove they can do so at less cost than newspapers. Asked for computations show-

ing that to be the case, Sarasota County officials have not produced figures showing how they calculate cost.

Taxpayers apparently must take them at their word.

HOW COSTLY ARE NEWSPAPER NOTICES?

For most people, $300,000 is still a lot of money and tax dollars. Nonetheless, here is some perspective on how much it costs to publish public notices in newspapers and their websites: Manatee County Budget: $923,388,305

Public notice advertising: $300,000 (estimated) Percent of total: 0.03%

have been providing taxpayer money to keep newspapers alive.

That’s what Commissioner Detert meant when she said last week “It’s all about the money” — revenue that newspapers are trying to protect.

For the hedge funds and big, New York-based companies that own newspaper chains, that is likely so. But for those of us Pollyannas who believe the Fourth Estate is essential to democracy, it’s not about the money. We believe news media have an obligation to protect taxpayers from tyranny and that when independent, private enterprise publishes public notices, it helps ensure government transparency and honesty.

ONLINE AUDIENCES

When newspaper representatives made their case before the Sarasota County Commission last Wednesday, commissioners fixated on what they repeatedly called the “dying breed” of print newspapers. They totally ignored newspapers’ online audiences and the effectiveness of newspaper companies’ total reach — in print, on their websites and on FloridaPublicNotices.com.

Consider the contrast:

When a public notice advertisement appears in a print newspaper, the newspaper, by law, must upload the public notice to its website (free to the public) and to FloridaPublicNotices.com (also free). FloridaPublicNotices.com in turn houses every public notice published in newspapers throughout the state. Altogether, the public has three

Sarasota County Budget: $1,257,065,021

Public notice advertising: $300,000 Percent of total: 0.02%

Worth noting: County governments recover thousands of dollars of that amount via fees they charge development applicants seeking zoning changes.

opportunities to see the notice. Print reaches Florida’s elder demographics (21% of the population); and online notices are free for all.

In contrast, when a public notice is published on, say, MyManatee. org, or any government website for that matter, while that notice can be viewed for free, it will be seen only on that website.

Clearly, less visible. Less effective.

At this point, there is little likelihood of lawmakers turning back. When Manatee commissioners voted in favor of publishing notices on the county website, Chair Kevin van Ostenbridge sounded giddy about the savings for taxpayers — say, $100,000 to $200,000 a year (albeit not proven yet). It’s the money.

But Manatee and Sarasota commissioners also said they are willing to compromise or change if this new approach doesn’t work. Or to put it another way, if this new approach is not effective.

Of course, that makes sense. But in their haste and giddiness to pull out of newspapers and rush to expanding government, commissioners in Sarasota and Manatee missed an approach that makes sense: Put the job out to the private sector for bid. Give the private sector the opportunity to compete — to show whether it can deliver the most effective public notices at the best price and best service.

Isn’t that what real Republicans would do?

Matt Walsh can be reached at mwalsh@YourObserver.com

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amend the city’s codes to allow increased density in exchange for the construction of more affordable units. The second hearing will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m. March 1 at City Hall.

This is the never-ending issue. And

we all know the city’s downtown core has become out of reach for most working people. Everything going up has the word “luxury” in its promo materials — and prices. And that’s not going to change.

So what can be done to increase the supply of affordable housing surrounding the city’s central downtown?

Increased densities with a stipulation that a percentage of units must be affordably priced is one way. But that’s a slow-drip process.

Instead of that, perhaps this discussion might start with this question: What obstacles can the government remove that would make it less costly to build?

Observer Media Group Inc. is locally owned. Publisher of the Longboat Observer, East County Observer, Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer, Palm Coast Observer, Ormond Beach Observer, West Orange Times & Observer, Southwest Orange Observer, Business Observer, Jacksonville Daily Record, LWR Life Magazine, Baldwin Park Living Magazine and Season Magazine

1970 Main St. Sarasota, FL 34236 941-366-3468

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.”

CEO / Matt Walsh

Vice President / Lisa Walsh Chairman Emeritus / David Beliles

Florida’s Republican lawmakers hate the daily newspapers and for 25 years have sought to end laws requiring public notices in newspapers. Their answer: Let government control public notice. Ha!

Roundabout ideas get a fresh, airy look

City’s public art panel cuts the field to three for Fruitville Road, but will clouds or birds fly with City Commission?

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

hen the Sarasota Public Art Committee presented its recommendation for a sculpture in the roundabout at Fruitville Road and U.S. 41 in April 2022, the Sarasota City Commission sent it back to the drawing board.

The committee’s choice — a colorful coral sculpture titled “Dwell” by artist Sujin Lim — was rejected by commissioners because, among other reasons, they said it bore no representation of Sarasota.

There are no coral reefs here.

Commissioners further suggested the committee bring back more than one preferred option from which they might select the winning entry. In the nine months since, the committee opened up the competition to new submissions with instructions to consider more local relevance in their designs.

Last week, the Public Art Committee received concepts by the three finalists it previously selected and met virtually with them individually to discuss and consider options they presented.

Among them: Lim, San Francisco resident Shan Shan Sheng and Mark Reigelman of New York.

The Fruitville Road roundabout is nestled among towering buildings, including hotels and condominiums, most of them white, so height, scope and color to make the sculpture stand out was a topic of consideration among committee members. This stage of the process was to choose a preferred concept from

each of the three — Sheng provided only one — and provide feedback to guide the artists in refining their ideas before they are presented to the City Commission for consideration.

That is where the delicate balance of art meeting public perception becomes paramount.

“We’re dealing with elected officials,” Senior Planner Mary Davis Wallace, who spearheads the city’s public arts program, told committee members last May. “We’re dealing with people who are constantly being barraged with public comment. I can tell you that it’s very difficult sometimes to not listen to public feedback, and we encourage public feedback, but I also feel like there’s a difference between this committee unanimously selecting something and standing behind this process and not seeing that through the lens of the people we’re trying to convince.”

They’re hoping at least one of the three fully developed concepts that eventually will be presented to commissioners will be convincing.

Lim, known for her stylistic cloud sculptures, returned to her roots with “Sun Always Shines.” The committee chose her depiction of two clouds, both perched atop angled supports that evoke rain, the largest cloud with a house perched atop. At night, the supports are lit with a yellowish hue and both clouds and the house are lighted from the interior.

Sheng’s “Clouds” features multiple colorful, irregularly shaped glass panels, each supported by a single rod offering contrasting views when viewing from above and from below. At street level, the piece offers unobstructed views of buildings in the backdrop and traffic navigating the circle.

Reigelman’s submissions took a less abstract view of Sarasota, paying homage to the city’s coastal, circus and seasonal characteristics. The committee selected a concept not

included among his own top three submissions, titled “Snow Birds.”

The concept shows two totems of two bird species, and Reigelman suggested a final concept might vary the sizes of the birds and have them point in different directions. The

ironic aspect: One species, the darkeyed junco, is not a migratory bird.

Roundabout and other public art is funded by a 0.5% fee on any construction project exceeding $1 million. Last fall, the city and the Florida Department of Transportation

overlooking the Oaks

reached a partnership agreement to install preselected sculptures on U.S. 41 roundabouts at 10th Street and 14th Street.

The Fruitville Road roundabout sculpture is budgeted at $250,000.

Extensive custom home renovation just completed! As soon as you cross the threshold, you’re greeted by a grand 2-story tall foyer, and long golf course views of the Oaks Club main clubhouse. Trees, ponds, and fairways are your rear sightlines – not homes. The first floor features a master suite on the main level, formal living and dining at the front of the home, separate family room at the rear facing the golf course, a breakfast room with 2 walls of windows, kitchen with both a large eat-in kitchen island and additional serving counter for the family room, a 22’ long butler’s pantry hallway

11’ x 19’ in itself. The second floor features a sizable loft/sitting room at the top of the stairs and two large guestrooms (with ensuite full baths).

Call Paul Stern at 941.330.3051 for further details.

941.330.3051 for further details.

JAMIE STERN 210.612.6654M jamie@sarasotabrokers.com

Extensive custom home renovation just completed! As soon as you cross the threshold, you’re greeted by a grand 2-story tall foyer, and long golf course views of the Oaks Club main clubhouse. Trees, ponds, and fairways are your rear sightlines – not homes. The first floor features a master suite on the main level, formal living and dining at the front of the home, separate family room at the rear facing the golf course, a breakfast room with 2 walls of windows, kitchen with both a large eat-in kitchen island and additional serving counter for the family room, a 22’ long butler’s pantry hallwaywith both upper and lower cabinets, and an immense laundry/craft room/home office that’s 11’ x 19’ in itself. The second floor features a sizable loft/sitting room at the top of the stairs and two large guestrooms (with ensuite full baths). Call Paul Stern at 941.330.3051 for further details. PAUL STERN 941.330.3051 paul@sarasotabrokers.com

Courtesy renderings

The Public Art Committee selected “Clouds” is a finalist concept by Chinese-born San Francisco artist Shan Shan Sheng for the Fruitville Road roundabout.

“Sun Always Shines” was the finalist concept submitted by South Korean Artist Sujin Lim by the city’s Public Arts Committee.

The “Snowbirds” concept by New York artist Mark Reigelman is a finalist for the Fruitville Road roundabout, selected by the city’s Public Art Committee.

Modern masterpiece with walls of glass and expansive north and south Bay views. Perfect escape, stunning Siesta Key home on exclusive Point Crisp. Guest casita, private beach, dock and pool. 16,872 SqFt Lot MLS A4555983

New Listing: 3455 Anglin Dr $2,350,000 TOTALLY RENOVATED! Open floorplan, perfect for entertaining. On Bay Island, just minutes to the mainland, yet close to Siesta Key Beach and Siesta Village. New heated salt water pool and inviting outdoor living spaces. Move in ready.

COPS CORNER

INVESTMENT GULFVIEW

MLS A4557968 395191-1

THURSDAY, JAN. 19

GARBAGE GRAFFITI

11:12 a.m., 100 block of South Tuttle Avenue Criminal mischief: A business’ two garbage dumpsters victimized by graffiti brought police to investigate what amounts to approximately $20 in damage for street art spray painted on two city of Sarasota trash receptacles. The victim stated there is a camera located on the side of the building where the dumpsters are located but is not functional. There are no witnesses or suspect information, and the victim said he does not wish to file charges at this time. Nothing further pending investigation of a suspect.

SUNDAY, JAN. 15

UNWELCOME GUESTS

2:46 p.m. 4300 block of North Tamiami Trail

Dispute: The manager of a motor lodge with an ongoing problem with a guest asked police to help evict the man. The manager said the man violated motel policy with pets and multiple other people staying with him. The charity that paid for the man’s room agreed with the eviction plan, but the man would not go.

An officer tried to speak with the man, but he initially wouldn’t open the door. Once it was opened slightly, the officer used an old doorto-door sales trick and put his foot in the way of it being closed.

The man inside was told he had to leave and removed a car battery, large bag and blanket with which he barricaded the door closed. Police waited until the man packed up and left, which he did.

SUNDAY, JAN. 15 SOFA SURFERS NOT TRESPASSING

5:17 a.m., 500 block of North Tarpon Avenue

Property damage: Officers responded to a report of a man throwing rocks at a house. The resident said he was asleep when he heard yelling outside followed by rocks thrown through his bedroom window. The victim pointed out two broken windows and identified two likely suspects who he said also

lived there. The two suspects first denied they ever lived there, then later stated they did but moved out in September. Finally, they admitted they live at the home but are only allowed to sleep outside.

The men’s story changed again, claiming they lived there for two years and have property inside the house, and in exchange for $100 a week are allowed to sleep on a couch. With residency confirmed, the officer was not able to issue a trespassing warning as the home owner, who declined to press charges, had requested.

TUESDAY, JAN. 17

LOBBY POSSE SQUABBLE

5:24 p.m., 800 block of North Lemon Avenue

Dispute: Two bickering groups of women in a community prompted one resident to call police to complain of being bullied and harassed by another woman who is not a resident.

The accused, who does not live in the building but frequently hangs out there with a group of women, told police the caller has made negative remarks about her husband. The caller said she has never “talked about her directly” and that she “talks generally,” and “if someone is offended, that is not her problem.’’

All parties were advised to contact community management and inform them of the ongoing dispute.

The Milestone Financial Group At Morgan Stanley Proudly Presents The

S.T.A.R. INVESTOR’S CONFERENCE

FEATURED SPEAKER: Ned Davis

Senior Investment Strategist, Ned Davis Research

Ned Davis, Senior Investment Strategist, founded Ned Davis Research Group (NDRG), in 1980. Ned has been professionally involved in the stock market for over 40 years. While arguing that forecasting reliably (“Being Right”) is impossibly difficult, he espouses a philosophy that he feels can consistently win (“Make Money”) through a disciplined strategy of following the weight of objective indicator evidence. Because he also believes flexibility (ability to adapt) is crucial, Ned Davis Research Group also produces many sentiment indicators warning investors to be wary at crowd extremes and helping them to be open-minded about potential trend changes. A self-proclaimed risk manager, Ned dedicates his research to avoiding major mistakes, cutting losses short, and letting profits run.

Ned is the author of Being Right or Making Money and The Triumph of Contrarian Investing. He has been the subject of numerous featured interviews in Barron’s and has been a featured guest many times on the late Lou Rukeyser’s Wall Street Week. NDRG is widely quoted by various media and Wall Street sources.

Ned is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He attended the Harvard Business School. 294026-1

Top

are neither employees

affiliated

Management. Opinions expressed by the

are solely their own and do not necessarily

those of

Stanley. Individuals should consult with their tax/legal advisors before making any tax/legal-related investment decisions as Morgan Stanley and its Financial Advisors do not provide tax/legal advice. There will be no discussion of, or distribution of written materials relating to, specific products or investments at this presentation. Alternative Investments are speculative and include a high degree of risk. An investor could lose all or a substantial amount of his/her investment. Alternative investments are appropriate only for qualified, long-term investors who are willing to forgo liquidity and put capital at risk for an indefinite period of time. The appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor’s individual circumstances and objectives. Principal value and return of an invest-ment will fluctuate with changes in market conditions. This presentation is for informational purposes only and is not to be considered a solicitation on our part with respect to the purchase or sale of any securities, investments, strategies or products that may be mentioned. The organizations represented by the speakers provided financial support for this Forum. Investments and services offered through Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC.

Event courtesy of John Vita, Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor, with local office at 1401 Manatee Ave W, Bradenton, FL 34205. The guest speakers

nor

with Morgan Stanley Wealth

guest speakers

reflect

Morgan

Postmodern masterpiece on market for $10 million

The Sarasota school of architecture residence on Morningside Drive overlooks Pansy Bayou.

ERIC GARWOOD MANAGING EDITOR

ALido Shores home with a unique look from the past featuring postmodern design cues throughout is now on the market for $10 million.

The property at 150 Morningside Drive, which overlooks Pansy Bayou west of John Ringling Parkway, is listed by Lisa Rooks Morris and Amy Drake of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty’s downtown office.

Completed in 2001, the pastelcolored home evokes designs of the 1960s, when architects turned their backs on the formality and lack of originality in contemporary buildings.

It was designed and built by Don Chapell — a follower of the Sarasota school of architecture — as his personal residence, but he died in 1999 before it was complete. His widow oversaw completion of the work.

In a prepared statement, Morris and Drake said, “As one of Florida’s most architecturally significant homes, this exceptional residential offering presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Its versatile living areas, natural setting and enviable location will appeal to the discerning buyer seeking an extraordinary design paired with a luxurious Sarasota lifestyle.”

The home features six bedrooms, six full baths and two half-baths and covers 6,800 square feet.

The main living area features 17-foot ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the waters of Pansy Bayou and the coastal landscape surrounding it.

A lap pool and large deck highlight the outdoor spaces.

Courtesy photo

Authentic postmodern design elements are seen throughout the property.

Our differences on display

“Don’t let what anyone says hold you back, and always embrace yourself, your body and your culture,” said 2023 Best in Show Student Art Winner Alexis Lee.

Embracing Our Differences held its 20th anniversary grand opening celebration at Bayfront Park on Jan. 22.

Hundreds gathered to admire and recognize the artwork that embraces diversity. The grand opening featured performances from Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s Jazzlinks, music by Jah Movement and spoken word by Cedric Hameed and Whit the Poet.

“We think that it is more impor-

tant today than ever before for us to come together as one, for us to meet people who are different from us, who have different perspectives and life experiences,” said Embracing Our Differences Executive Director Sarah Wertheimer.

This year, 13,733 submissions were received. The 2023 Best in Show Art Winner were Whittney de Araujo from Recife, Brazil, and tenth grader Alexis Lee from Irvine, California. The 2023 Best in Show Quote Winners were Alexis Morrell from Connecticut and Hartley Livesey from Sarasota.

— DARIELA DELGADO

Quinn is lauded for his energetic,

sensitive conducting. He is Music Director of the Owensboro Symphony in Kentucky, the Music Director of the Venice Symphony, and the new Music Director of the Santa Monica Symphony.

Photos by Dariela Delgado

Roberto Villanueva, Clara Reynardus de Villanueva, Kaitlin Yelle, Zayd Yelle and Kayan Yelle.

Fast Break

SEA CHANGE

Sarasota High boys basketball Coach B.J. Ivey recorded the 300th win of his career Tuesday night when the Sailors beat Braden River High 55-43 on the road. The Sailors are now 18-4.

… The Sarasota Paradise USL League Two soccer team is holding an open tryout from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 4 at the Tatum Ridge Soccer Complex. Registration is $50. Interested players can register for the tryout at SarasotaParadise.US/ Tryouts.

High school postseason soccer begins this week, with district quarterfinal games taking place Jan. 26 and tournaments finishing next week with championship games on Feb. 2.

The Riverview High girls team (6-1-3) is one to watch. The Rams are second in their district and ranked No. 22 in Class 7A according to MaxPreps.

Serious about your putting? Golf equipment company TaylorMade has joined Tiger Woods and the ownership group of PopStroke, the putting and dining venue that has a location in University Town Center. Special TaylorMade putters will be available at a price for those seeking that perfect round.

Don’t forget about the inaugural NBP Paddling Classic coming to Nathan Benderson Park on Feb. 4. It will see dragon boats compete in 200- and 500-meter races in various divisions, including a newly formed 18+ division. Food and beverage trucks will be on site. The event is free for spectators. For more information visit NathanBendersonPark.org.

A new NFL-affiliated youth flag football league, BFL Flag Football, has come to Sarasota. It’s a chance for kids to learn the fundamentals of football while eliminating the contact part of the sport. The league’s upcoming season begins April 1. For information or to register for a spot, visit BFLFlagFootballLeague.com.

RYAN KOHN SPORTS EDITOR

Josh Phillips did not feel compelled to leave Bradenton at first.

He was comfortable there, and it kept his commutes to a minimum. Phillips worked as the offensive coordinator for Bradenton Christian School’s football program before being named the Manatee High defensive coordinator and strength and conditioning coach in 2022. A move to Sarasota, where Phillips’ wife, Traci Ruth Phillips, owns property, would complicate things. But there were certain scenarios that, should they ever arise, would make a move worth it for Phillips.

A prime example: While walking out the side door of one of Traci’s properties one day, Phillips noticed he could see the Sarasota High football stadium in the distance.

“We kind of joked and dreamed about it,” Phillips said. “You know, ‘Wouldn’t it be wild if you coached here someday? Are we going to make this our permanent home?’ But I never expected the job to come open.”

It’s no longer simply a dream. On Monday, Sarasota High announced Phillips, 43, as its next football coach. Phillips replaces Brody Wiseman, who was let go after the 2022 season. Wiseman finished his Sailors tenure with a 16-15 record over three seasons, including a 5-5 mark and a playoff win over Manatee in 2022. Wiseman has since been hired as offensive coordinator at Riverview High.

Phillips may come from Manatee, but the former Yale University football player has a lot of experience. After graduating Yale, where he played wide receiver/defensive back, Phillips played for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe in 2002, then went to training camp with the Houston Texans that fall. In 200304, Phillips played for the Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League.

Once his playing days were over, Phillips got into coaching. His stops

outside of the Sarasota-Bradenton area include stints with University of California-Berkeley as a strength and conditioning coach, with Wagner College as a defensive backs and special teams coach and with Granada High in Livermore, California, where he was defensive and passing game coordinator.

X’S AND O’S

Phillips knows what he believes. That includes his faith — Phillips identifies as a Christian and minored in religious philosophy at Yale  — but it also extends to the football field. While Phillips was hesitant to get specific, he said a tenet of his offensive playbook is the running and passing games working in tandem. That doesn’t necessarily mean a perfect balance of the two, but Phillips emphasized the importance of things like play-action passes that cause the defense to be hesitant or out of position.

“You need to have things that look the same, but they’re not,” Phillips said. “I’m going to use multiple formations, multiple personnel groups and motion to give myself advantages on offense — to see what the defense is doing, to let me outnumber people, to give me angles.”

Defensively, Phillips said he likes to play in a four linemen, three linebacker scheme if possible, but more than on offense, a defensive scheme relies on the talent available. Last year, Manatee had the defensive

line talent and depth to run the 4-3. Phillips said it remains to be seen whether the Sailors will in 2023. If they don’t, Phillips said he’s also comfortable coaching the 3-4 and other formations.

MAKING WORDS MATTER

Phillips said he held a team meeting with the Sailors on Monday and shook everyone’s hand afterwards.

On Tuesday, he watched players work out informally, and Phillips started his individual meetings with players to pick their brains and evaluate how they feel about the program and the 2022 season.

While it will take awhile to get through every player, Phillips said multiple players have noted they believe the team underachieved in 2022, for various reasons, despite the Sailors winning their first playoff game in 18 years. Phillips said he likes that the players’ expectations are that high. It matches what he expects from his first season, which is to best the team’s 5-5 mark from 2022.

It has not been the Sailors doing all the talking. In his first two days as  coach, Phillips has had a message for them as well: if they’re going to be part of the team, they better be all the way in it.

“Football takes way too much work and is too hard, too physical, to just have your toe in it,” Phillips said. “And if you say you’re all in, you should set goals for yourself. Are you willing to do the things it takes for you to get to those goals? You have got to show me that.”

Phillips said it is easy for players to say they want to get faster or add 10 pounds of muscle, but many players don’t exhibit the follow-through to make it happen.

What Phillips wants is for his team to do what it takes.

To get faster, Phillips said he might tell a player to join the track and field team or to participate in additional speed workouts. If a players wants that extra muscle? Phillips said he had better see them in the weight room consistently and they had better be eating right.

“Do they have the discipline it takes to actually achieve their goals?” Phillips said. “We’re going to find out.”

TALENT ON DECK Phillips said he felt like the Sarasota program was the right fit for him not only because of the view from his wife’s property, but because of the Sailors’ talent. Phillips said he views

Ryan Kohn

Sailors boys basketball head coach B.J. Ivey won his 300th game on Tuesday against Braden River High.

Josh Phillips comes to Sarasota High with a variety of experience in the sport.

Josh Phillips went to training camp with the Houston Texans in 2002.

“If you say you’re all in, you should set goals for yourself. Are you willing to do the things it takes for you to get to those goals? You have got to show me that.”

— Josh Phillips

Courtesy photos

New Sailors football coach Josh Phillips played college football at Yale University.

Winner, winner

tools to take over matches.”

With her high school indoor volleyball career in the rear-view mirror — and with strong academics allowing her to get ahead — Byrd enrolled a semester early at Texas. When we spoke on the phone Jan. 24, she was on a break from classes.

It is difficult to imagine now, but Jordyn Byrd insists it is true.

“When I (first) tried volleyball, I sucked,” Byrd said. “Really, really bad.”

Hearing Byrd say those words is comical now. On Jan. 13, the 6-foot-4 Byrd was named the 2022-23 Gatorade Florida Volleyball Player of the Year for her performance at Cardinal Mooney High. It was her second straight year to win the award. Only one other Florida volleyball player, Jordan Burgess (2010-11 and 2011-12), has accomplished that feat since the award was created in 1995. Byrd’s stats for this past season: 571 kills, 206 digs, 52 service aces and 48 blocks, with a .571 kill percentage and a .439 hitting percentage.

Byrd’s team accomplishments are just as numerous. She was a key piece of Cardinal Mooney’s 2019 indoor volleyball team that won a state championship and led the 2022 beach volleyball team to a state title as well. It is no surprise that the best college teams in the country wanted Byrd’s talent. In November, Byrd signed with the University of Texas, which, on Dec. 17, beat the University of Louisville in straight sets to win the NCAA Championship.

At the time of her signing, Texas coach Jerritt Elliott had high praise for Byrd’s abilities.

“Jordyn is a really physical player out of Florida that played multiple positions growing up,” Elliott said in a release. “We’re excited about where she is as an athlete and we think she has the capability of being the kind of a player that has the

Though Byrd does not have an official team practice until next week, she’s been working out informally with her team and even got in some hits with other freshman enrollees.

Byrd said it finally hit her this week that she’s an NCAA Division I athlete. Not because of the workouts or the classes but because of the other, more mundane stuff.

“We’re doing everything on our own,” Byrd said. “Like, we have to go to the store. We can’t just say, ‘Oh, Mom, Dad, pick something up.’ No, you have to go by yourself. That made me realize I’m in college now. It’s weird.”

How did Byrd become an awardwinning player at a national championship institution? It wasn’t always her plan. For a long time, Byrd said, she refused to play volleyball. Her mother, Angie Byrd, has been a volleyball coach since before Byrd was born, working mostly at the NCAA Division II and junior college levels. Byrd said constantly being in the gym during her mother’s practices and games put her off from the sport.

Eventually, at 12 years old, Byrd did relent, but as she said it wasn’t a smooth beginning. Byrd said she had grown tall by then but had little control over her body. It got to the point where she told her mother she didn’t want to play anymore.

“It was my legs,” Byrd said. “I would trip over myself. It was kind of embarrassing.”

Her mother persuaded her to keep trying, and as she grew into her body, her play improved. She started figuring out the finer details of the sport. Once she started hit-

ting the court every day, she took off. As “one humongous 12 year old,” Byrd said, she began playing middle blocker, but in her first year playing U15 travel volleyball, her team moved her to right-side hitter, a.k.a. opposite-side hitter. This position is more offensive in nature than middle blocker, and it was more in line with her natural skills, Byrd said. It allowed her to flourish. She’d stay there until her junior year at Mooney, when the Cougars asked her to play outside hitter. That position is usually reserved for the best hitter on the squad — really, the best overall player, in most cases. It’s not a coincidence that Byrd’s two years in the position were the ones that won her Gatorade awards.

Byrd said she has not spent much time thinking about what being a back-to-back winner means to her. It’s understandable, given her transition to college happening at the same time.

“It’s cool to do something you can be remembered in your community for,” Byrd said.

Though Byrd played for the Cougars as recently as Nov. 1, high school is nothing but a collection of memories for her now. The ones that stand out? The indoor state title win in 2019, of course, and last year’s beach title. But more than anything else, Byrd wanted to laud this year’s team. Byrd said the team heard a lot of talk before the season about how the Cougars were too young and inexperienced. Mooney didn’t win a state title in 2022, it’s true, but the team finished 18-10 — including a seven-match streak in October — and reach the Class 3A regional finals (Elite Eight) before losing 3-1 to eventual state champion Clearwater Central Catholic.

“This season was the year I was closest with everyone on the team,” Byrd said. “I felt like I could go talk to every one of my teammates. If

I needed help, I could call them. I made 15 long-term friends.”

For all the awards and titles to be won, aren’t the relationships made what sports are about? Byrd certainly thinks so. It’s a large part of why she picked Texas, too. Byrd said she was looking a family atmosphere and she got that from the coaching staff. They checked up on her, not to pester her with volleyball questions, but to make sure she was doing OK.

She also wanted to venture out of state on her own and start a new volleyball journey. There are plenty of chapters in Byrd’s story yet to be

written. If they are anything like the chapters before, they’ll be full of challenges, but also victories.

“I know I have to work hard, so that’s what I’m going to do,” Byrd said. “I’ll do whatever it takes to play on this team.”

RKohn@ YourObserver.com.

Ryan Kohn is the sports editor for the Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer. Contact him at

Jordyn Byrd settles in at the University of Texas after her second statewide award as volleyball player of the year.

Ryan Kohn

Jordyn Byrd said winning a beach volleyball state title with the Cougars this past season is one of her favorite memories.

Phillips

Sarasota as a program on the rise in the Sarasota-Bradenton area.

He didn’t get the idea from looking at stats or highlight film.

He saw it up close — three times. The Sailors played against Manatee in their spring game, in the regular season (a 42-20 Manatee win) and in the postseason (a 30-20 Sarasota win).

Phillips said in those games he saw a team with natural ability, but that wasn’t all.

“I also saw resiliency in the kids,” Phillips said. “When I looked at that and the facilities they have, I thought they had a good foundation in place.”

On paper, the talent Sarasota has matches up with Phillips’ philosophy. Barring offseason transfers, the Sailors are in line to return all three of its main running backs. Joe Ziegler and Jaden Judge will be seniors, while Takurian Smith will be a junior. The trio combined for 1,724 yards and 14 touchdowns on 300 carries (5.75 yards per carry).

On defense, the Sailors are in line to return key players like linebackers Nick Wasowicz and Kyser Bordones and defensive end Bradford Stough. All three players will be seniors.

The Sailors will lose starting wide receivers/defensive backs Tyler Pack and Caleb Bradley, plus starting offensive/defensive lineman Maddox Marchbank, to graduation, among other players. Quarterback Alex Diaz, who started all eight of the Sailors’ regular season games, has already transferred to Booker High, so questions remain about the team’s roster. But Phillips is bullish on what the team can accomplish, not just this fall but in the years to come.

ALL HEART

No matter what happens on the field this fall, Phillips emphasized that just as many important developments will happen off the field. Phillips said he cares more about molding his players into people of character than he does winning games — and he cares about winning quite a bit.

Phillips said he’s going to challenge his players to be the best versions of themselves, and he’s going to love and support them while they get there.

“I believe these kids can achieve anything if they set their minds to it,” Phillips said. “Football is a game that, for most of them, they can only play for so long. They’re not all going to play in college. I want to help them be ready for life. Football teaches the best lessons in the world, I think.”

FROM PAGE 16

Courtesy photo

New Sarasota High football coach Josh Phillips was previously the defensive coordinator at Manatee High.

SCIENCE AND WHIMSY

The circus took a spin with Newton’s Laws of Motion at the Circus Arts Conservatory’s Education Outreach.

About 2,000 Sarasota and Manatee county students saw the whimsical but still educational shows at Sailor Circus.

The Circus Arts Conservatory showcased a curriculum it has developed that demonstrates the physics, engineering, art and collaborative problem-solving required to produce a contraptionfilled performance that’s equal parts thrilling and fact-based.

“Today’s program is a presentation of the educational curriculum that fifth graders study with Newton’s Law,” said CAC Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Mitchell. “We partnered with USF and local educators to develop this curriculum that brings to life these difficult scientific concepts.”

The circus science machine demonstrates physics, gravity, force and motion as it links to inclass curriculum.

“This is the culmination of the curriculum they are doing in the classroom,” said Education Outreach Program Manager Karen Bell. “What we are doing is showing the same scientific concepts

that apply in a small way. We hit the learners in all the different learning styles: Reading, vocal, visual, kinesthetic learners, audio learners, which make this a deeper curriculum so they learn at a deeper level. We have been doing this since 2012.”

The circus machine is divided into sections on stage: balls rolling down ramps, dominoes being knocked over and mouse traps being set off.

After each demonstration, a circus act follows. Elementary and middle school students cheered after each performance and laughed with Bucky the clown.

“I’m excited to be here and see how the circus works,” said Manatee Elementary fifth grader Jarques Randall.

“Local Sarasota high school circus magnet students are the performers. They are also bringing circus arts to these fifth graders,” said Mitchell. “They are infusing science, math, engineering and the performing arts. These kids wouldn’t get out to a show, so this kind of opportunity exposes them to performing arts and teaches these really difficult scientific concepts.”

— DARIELA DELGADO

The Circus Arts Conservatory’s Education Outreach invited more than 2,000 Sarasota and Manatee county students to Sailor Circus.

Performer Rikki HettigRolfe Meaux, CAC Executive Vice President and COO Jennifer Mitchell and Education Outreach Program Manager Karen Bell

Manatee Elementary teacher Jessica Nunemaker and Sabrina Hamilton with Manatee Elementary students Jarques Randell, Shawn Ogletree, Landon Whaley and Maria Estrada Perez.Bucky demonstrates how Newton’s Laws works in Circus Arts Conservatory’s Circus Machine.

Photos by Dariela Delgado

Karen Bell and Kepler Henry demonstrate Newton’s Law of Motion.

Logan T. Shannon, DPM Podiatric Surgery

Church looks for help in feeding the hungry

service ministry. “It’s open to all ages. We have a job for everybody.”

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

St. Armands Key Lutheran Church held a tasting event on Sunday. But it wasn’t the typical wine and cheese gathering you’d normally find on St. Armands Circle; congregation members were tasting a vitamin-fortified, rice, soy and vegetable mix.

Not only did it have flavor, but the church will be feeding thousands of hungry people with the pre-packaged mix.

Members raised $6,800 to hold a packaging event for Kids Against Hunger. They’re looking for 100 volunteers to pack and seal 3,500 bags, which works out to feed either 21,000 adults or 42,000 children.

The event is being held at the church, 40 N. Adams Drive, from noon to 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 11.

“Anyone can show up. Even teenagers and children can do this. They can participate because a lot of schools do this as well,” said Ann Walborn, chair of the community

When the project came about, the rice packs were going to be sent to Ukraine, but the church is leaning toward keeping them local now. Organizations in Fort Myers are being discussed since Hurricane Ian left so many people homeless, and two Sarasota/Manatee organizations are also being considered: Feeding Empty Little Tummies and Second Chance Last Opportunity.

“People didn’t realize the hunger needs in Sarasota and Manatee counties,” Walborn said. “I think it’s been an educational process that people are beginning to see that there are incredible needs here.”

Now that the fundraising is over, contributing only requires a couple hours of scooping and funneling. Supplies, gloves, bags and funnels are provided.

Kids Against Hunger’s mission is to eradicate world hunger.

“We’re keeping people alive. If you want to talk about kids and hunger, there are approximately 16,500 that die every day from hunger. That’s about one every six seconds,” Executive Director Todd Clevenger said.

“I’ll count to six, and another child died. So if we’re doing 42,000 meals, we’re feeding three days’ worth of children. If you think about it that way, it’s phenomenal.”

Sarasota County Sheriff’s

believe it is

as

“It’s

community.

proud

with

Company to host this annual event and look forward to showing our gratitude year after year. In addition, thank you to Sutter Quality Foods for saving the day with a donation of eggs.”

From 7am - 9am, Aqua Plumbing & Air staff, along with support from Gorman Company, served 500 Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office employees breakfast at the SCSO headquarters, located in Sarasota, Florida.

“We are beyond grateful to Skip, Chuck, and their team, who come out every year to show us their appreciation for our profession. Now more than ever, we feel fortunate to be supported by the community we serve,” said Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman.

The annual event, started by Aqua Plumbing & Air co-owners

Stanton and Chuck Jacobson, began in 2017. To learn more, visit www.aquaplumbingsarasota.com

Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office

St. Armands Key Lutheran Church is lining up volunteers to help package a special mix of food for those in need around Southwest Florida.

Ann Walborn and

Karyn Smith prepare samples.

Lesley Dwyer

FRIDAY, JAN. 27

HOUND HAPPY HOUR 5-8 p.m. at Hamlet’s Eatery, 821 Apricot Ave. Bring your four-legged friends to this gathering. Satchel’s Last Resort is bringing puppies for adoption, and Chris Lincoln will be play live music. Free. For information, call 445-1938.

SATURDAY, JAN. 28

SUNDAY, JAN. 29

INDIAN BEACH-SAPPHIRE SHORES YARD SALE 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Indian Beach-Sapphire Shores neighborhood, west of North Tamiami Trail from University Parkway to Whitaker Bayou. Come out and find treasures in this local neighborhood. Free. For information, visit ibssa.ws.

SUNDAY, JAN. 29

SUNDAYS AT THE BAY 4:30-5:30 p.m. at The Oval, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts. Adrian Anantawan a world-renowned, one-handed violinist, educator and Tanglewood faculty member will share the stage with one-handed pianist and Boston Conservatory graduate, Leigh McAllister. Free. For information, visit TheBaySarasota.com.

MONDAY, JAN. 30

SILL MUSIC MONDAY: CONDUCTOR TROY QUINN 10:30-11:30 a.m. at Church of the Palms, 3224 Bee Ridge Road. Troy Quinn, music director of the Venice Symphony, will perform. Tickets are $10 at the door. For information, visit SillSarasota.org.

INDIVIDUALIZED IPAD AND IPHONE WORKSHOPS 10:30-11:30 a.m. at Friendship Centers, 1888 Brother Geenen Way. Come to the Friendship Centers in downtown Sarasota for one-on-one workshops to help you navigate your iPhones and iPads. Sessions are $3 for members; $6 for others. For information, call 556-3265.

TUESDAY, JAN. 31

CORESRQ: PRIMETIME + 7:30-8:15 a.m. at Sunset Deck, 655 N. Tamiami Trail. Enjoy a low-impact cardiovascular class that includes resistance training. This total body conditioning class spotlights the

FRIDAY, JAN. 27 SUNDAY JAN. 29

SARASOTA SEAFOOD AND MUSIC FESTIVAL

muscles in your core, which includes the abs, glutes and more. This is a free event. For information, visit TheBaySarasota.org.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 1

UNDERSTANDING OBESITY FROM A WHOLE HEALTH PERSPECTIVE 1-2:30 p.m. at Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail. Osher Lifelong Learning Institute explores obesity as a chronic disease from a broad perspective that involves physical, mental, emotional, nutritional, environmental and spiritual dimensions of health. Tickets are $60. For information, call 941-309-5111.

THURSDAY, FEB. 2

CORESRQ AT THE BAY: PRIMETIME 7:30-8:30 a.m. at The Oval, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts. Join this low impact class. Bring your own mat or towel. Free, but registration is required. For information, visit TheBaySarasota.org.

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Teens’ work aims to lift off this year

DARIELA DELGADO STAFF WRITER

Twenty students from eight high schools came together at Fab Lab to combine their knowledge and create a team with the lofty goal.

The effort is led by Riverview High School senior Sebastian Grabowski, who wanted to branch out when his rocketry club at Riverview didn’t gain altitude as quickly as he hoped.

“There weren’t a lot of peo -

ple interested,” Grabowski said. “Towards the end of my sophomore year, I joined Fab Lab as a summer camp volunteer. I was like, ‘Oh my God. This place is so cool.’ There were a lot of people from different schools. So, if I would create the club over here, I would have those connections to different schools instead of focusing on Riverview.”

Sebastian proposed the idea of a rocketry club at Fab Lab after volunteering for their engineering summer camp in 2022.

Grabowski is part of the Tripoli Rocket Association, an organization dedicated to education, advancement and safe operation of amateur rockets. “It’s a worldwide known organization for amateur rocketeers. It’s in Tampa. That’s where this rocket came from,” he said.

“I made the proposal to Riverview as a science project focusing on Earth space and they liked it,” said Grabowski. “I got approved by the school board because dealing with chemicals, I needed approval, but they didn’t want to fund me.”

Grabowski immediately thought of Fab Lab and how they have  hardware to use and manufacture their own parts instead of buying them. “We can even expand that learning experience,” said Grabowski.

This project provides students with experience in physics, engineering, computer programming, chemistry and mathematics.

With guidance from professional mentors, including Fab Lab Board Member and Suncoast Polytechnical High School chemistry, physics and calculus teacher Russell Finger, the Rocketry Club student members spent fall 2022 determining plans, goals, testing fuels, designing the rocket nozzle and cone and programming adjustable fins to control the rocket’s flight.

The club aims to launch this spring.

The Rocketry Club is raising money for chemicals used as engine fuel.

“The chemicals are the most expensive part of the rocket. It’s like a car. Repairing the engine is expensive especially when you have to replace it every time (the rocket is used),” said Grabowski.

In addition to monetary support, the group seeks in-kind donations of metal stock and fiberglass tubing as well as support from mentors in the field of aerospace and/or mechanical engineering. For information, contact info@SuncoastScience.org or call 941-840-4394.

Photos by Dariela Delgado

The Rocketry Club at Suncoast Science Center/Faulhaber Fab Lab is on a quest to launch a rocket at least 15,000 feet into the sky.

Sebastian Grabowski is the student leader of The Rocketry Club at Suncoast Science Center/Faulhaber Fab Lab.

Siesta property sells for $5.8 million

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

Ahome on Siesta Key tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. Christopher and Laura Jessen, of Sarasota, sold their home at 3360 Gulfmead Drive to 3360 Valhalla Holdings LLC for $5.8 million. Built in 1951, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,559 square feet of living area. It sold for $3.5 million in 2021.

SARASOTA

INDIAN BEACH COURT

Barbara and John Esau sold their home at 636 Indian Beach Lane to Kendall Phillips Kellaway III and Anna Kellaway, of Sarasota, for $2,545,000. Built in 1955, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,339 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,525,000 in 2019.

THE STRAND OF SARASOTA

James Bridges, of Sarasota, sold his Units A523 and A524 condominiums at 1709 N. Tamiami Trail to Kenneth and Sandra Sue Doonan, of Wichita, Kansas, for $1.45 million. Built in 2022, it has two bedrooms, three baths and 1,739 square feet of living area. It sold for $779,400 in 2022.

MCCLELLAN PARK

Alisa and Michael Lewis, of Nokomis, sold their home at 2331 McClellan Parkway to Talbott Ramsay Quinn and Catherine Jennings Quinn, of Sarasota, for $1.35 million. Built in 1940, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,025 square feet of living area. It sold for $770,000 in 2020.

THE CONDOMINIUM ON THE BAY

John Brink, of Sarasota, sold his Unit 202 condominium at 888 Boulevard of the Arts to P&M Properties LLC for $975,000. Built in 1982, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,288 square feet of living area. It sold for $630,000 in 2020.

ONE WATERGATE

Patricia Ann Strassner-Berns, of Sarasota, sold her Unit 8-E condominium at 1111 N. Gulfstream Ave. to Michael Picariello and Irene Darocha, of West Chester, Pennsylvania, for $865,000. Built in 1974,

The home at

it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,575 square feet of living area. It sold for $550,000 in 2019.

SARASOTA BAY CLUB

Sarasota Bay Club LLC sold Unit 1003 condominium at 1301 Tamiami Trail to Betty Perlmutter, of Sarasota, for $865,000. Built in 2000, it has one bedroom, one-and-a-half baths and 1,161 square feet of living area. It sold for $730,000 in 2021.

SAPPHIRE SHORES

Frank Zimmerman and Anita Swift Zimmerman, of Sarasota, sold their home at 336 N. Shore Drive to Kelvin and Marlene Womack, of Sarasota, for $855,000. Built in 1973, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 2,261 square feet of living area. It sold for $181,000 in 1994.

GULF GATE EAST

Dana Blatti, trustee, of Sarasota, Christopher Sienko, of Palmetto, Scott Sienko, of Sarasota, and Mark Sienko, of Sequin, Washington, sold their home at 4038 Kingston Terrace to Renata Dimitrievic, of Lakewood Ranch, for $592,000. Built in 1986, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,257 square feet of living area. It sold for $279,000 in 2003.

SOUTH GATE

Becky Trotter and Lane Philip Trotter, of Ferrum, Virginia, sold their home at 2724 Hyde Park St. to Luis Sosa, of Sarasota, for $591,800. Built in 1963, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,460 square feet of living area. It sold for $399,000 in 2020.

LOMA LINDA PARK

Jacqulynn Eager sold her home at 2215 Floyd St. to Logan and Lori Archer, of Sarasota, for $500,000.

TOP BUILDING PERMITS

Other top sales by area

SARASOTA: $3.2 MILLION

Johnson Estates Mission Property Partners LLC sold the home at 1524 Pine Bay Drive to Mark and Patricia Felsmann, of Sarasota, for $3.2 million. Built in 2022, it has four bedrooms, four-and-two-half baths, a pool and 4,120 square feet of living area.

PALMER RANCH: $900,000 Turtle Rock

John Forst and James Forst sold their home at 4774 Watermark Lane to Peter Bowen and Charlotte Swann, of Howell, Michigan, for $900,000. Built in 1996, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,557 square feet of living area.

NOKOMIS: $5.75 MILLION

Built in 1954, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,428 square feet of living area.

SIESTA KEY

SARASOTA BEACH

Ki Life Inc. sold the home at 614 Avenida De Mayo to Wesolve Properties LLC for $2,275,000. Built in 2014, it has five bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,930 square feet of living area. It sold for $170,000 in 2011.

GULF AND BAY CLUB

Norman Hoey, of Ontario, Canada, sold the Unit 310 condominium at 5770 Midnight Pass Road to Diane Peyser, of Plandome, New York, for $875,000. Built in 1980, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,337 square feet of living area. It sold for $195,000 in 1989.

Lychee Road

David Jernigan and Keeley Dodd, of Thompson Station, Tennessee, sold three properties at 411 Lychee Road to Edward Douglas, trustee, of Mendham, New Jersey, for $5.75 million. The first property was built in 1989 and has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 6,182 square feet of living area. The second property was built in 2004 and has one bedroom, one bath and 1,017 square feet of living area. The third property was built in 2004 and has one bath and 553 square feet of living area. They sold for $4.55 million in 2021.

ONLINE

See more transactions at YourObserver.com

Courtesy photo

3360 Gulfmead Drive was built in 1951. It has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,559 square feet of living area.

THURSDAY, JAN. 26

High: 65 Low: 46 Chance of rain: 6%

FRIDAY, JAN. 27 High: 65 Low: 48 Chance of rain: 2%

SATURDAY, JAN. 28 High: 74 Low: 59 Chance of rain: 1%

SUNDAY, JAN. 29 High: 81 Low: 64 Chance of rain: 10%

Sunrise Sunset

Thursday, Jan. 26 7:18a 6:06p

Friday, Jan. 27 7:17a 6:06p

Saturday, Jan. 28 7:17a 6:07p

Sunday, Jan. 29 7:16a 6:08p

Monday, Jan. 30 7:16a 6:04p

Tuesday, Jan. 31 7:16a 6:10p

Wednesday, Feb. 1 7:15a 6:10p

Monday, Jan. 16 0

Tuesday, Jan. 17 0

Wednesday, Jan. 18 0 Thursday, Jan. 19 0 Friday, Jan. 20 0.01 Saturday, Jan. 21 0 Sunday, Jan. 22 0

YEAR TO DATE: 2023 1.20 in. 2022 0.12 in.

MONTH TO DATE: 2023 1.20 in. 2022 0.12 in.

Luis Campos

mail only to: Patty Breitfelder, Human Resource, Florida Service Painting Inc. DBA Service Contracting Solutions, 12140 Metro Parkway, Suite K, Fort Myers, FL 33966.