Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer 5.12.22

SARASOTA/SIESTA KEY

Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

Fresh Friday goes folksy.

PAGE 12 FREE • THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

VOLUME 18, NO. 24

YOUR TOWN

New city tree rules sprout Split decision favors a citywide emphasis on shade trees and canopies. SEE PAGE 3

Harry Sayer

Sandy Nichols made the most of the day with her sand sculpture.

Making the most of it Siesta Key was poised to host an amateur sand-sculpting competition last Saturday, with adults and children alike signed up to dig, smooth and shape the beach’s raw materials.

But storms ruined those plans for almost all of the event’s participants.

New Jersey resident and sand-sculpture competitor Sandy Nichols, however, didn’t let the gray skies keep her down. She and her husband, Jim, still made the trek to Siesta Key Beach to create artwork in the sand.

Nichols acknowledged that it was frustrating to see the competition canceled, but she found her calm and groove working on her sand sculpture: a human woman crafting a sand sculpture.

Heroes and villains Harry Sayer

Caleb and Heidi Brethauer and Vincent Nolan with the 501st and Rebel Legion.

Comic Book Day brings out the curious and the experienced fans of fiction. SEE PAGE 25

Courtesy photo

Officer Adam Bearden and K-9 Bruin.

A+E

New dogs on the job Sarasota Police have a pair of new officers on the job – fourlegged ones, in fact.

Bruin and Brody were accepted as new members of the force recently, joining their two-legged partners after 600 hours of training that included tracking, obedience, area searches and more. They are now part of the department’s patrol division.

Both Bruin and Brody are Belgian Malinois-German shepherd mixes from Hungary.

Brody is a month older, having been born in April 2020.

Brody has been partnered with Officer Jacob Nelson, and Bruin joins Officer Adam Bearden (shown above).

Courtesy rendering

Another try at art City committee resets following rejected choice for traffic circle. SEE PAGE 5

Night of unity.

PAGE 15

TABS

W HAT ’S HAPPENING

SARASOTA OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

WEEK OF MAY 12, 2022

Girl, 16, reports being kidnapped at beach

“This is an absolutely wonderful thing. This is a long time coming.”

County Commissioner Al Maio, on plans to build a sports complex at Nathan Benderson Park. Read more on page 6

BY THE NUMBERS $20 MILLION

Tourist tax revenue proposed for a boathouse and sports events area at Benderson Park.

PAGE 6

10

Artists on a new list of potential creators of artwork destined for the Fruitville Road roundabout.

PAGE 5

1941

Year Myakka Rive State Park is established by the state of Florida.

PAGE 33

CALENDAR n Sarasota City Commission regular meeting — 9 a.m. Monday, May 16, Commission Chambers, City Hall, 1565 First St. n Sarasota City Commission special meeting — 5:30 p.m. a.m. Monday, May 16, Commission Chambers, City Hall, 1565 First St.. n Sarasota County School Board regular meeting — 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 17, Commission Chambers, North Port City Hall, 4790 City Hall Blvd. n Sarasota County Commission budget workshop — 9 a.m.

Wednesday, May 25, Third Floor Think Tank, County Administration Building, 1660 Ringling Blvd.

Courtesy photo

RCLA President Emily Walsh and the board of directors present Ringling President Larry Thompson with a check.

RCLA presents Ringling with $600K check As part of its commitment of support, the Ringling College Library Association has granted $600,000 to Ringling College of Art and Design President Larry Thompson. The RCLA board of directors and President Emily Walsh presented Thompson with the check at the organization’s May meeting.

The funds are part of RCLA’s most recent gift commitment of $3 million to support the Alfred R. Goldstein Library and student scholarships.

“We are thankful to RCLA for

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its longtime partnership with Ringling College, and we look forward to many more years of serving Ringling College students together,” Thompson said.

Since the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020, RCLA’s often sold-out Town Hall Lecture Series has experienced disruptions and delays. The series resumed with speakers in November 2021.

“Just as we have done since 1981, the RCLA board is pleased to honor our gift commitment to Ringling College of Art and Design,” said RCLA Executive

Director Stephanie Grosskreutz.

RCLA recently announced the Town Hall Lecture Series 2023 lineup featuring Maria Ressa, co-founder and CEO of Philippine online news organization rappler.com; Michael Phelps, winner of 28 Olympic medals in swimming; Adm. James Stavridis, vice chair of global affairs of The Carlyle Group; Jose Andres, an internationally recognized author, educator and chef/owner of ThinkFoodGroup; and Thomas Friedman, a New York Times foreign affairs columnist.

Sarasota Police arrested a Fort Myers woman on charges of false imprisonment following an incident in which a 16-year-old girl reported being forced to drive the woman around at gunpoint to search for jumper cables and convenience store food.

Dina Wilson, 61, was arrested on May 4 after witnesses said she pointed a gun at the girl who drove her to an area business just before 10 p.m. May 4.

The victim told SPD officers that she had driven to Lido Beach to watch the sunset. As she opened her trunk, Wilson approached to ask for jumper cables.

Wilson then brandished a small gun and told the victim to drive her to her car at South Lido Beach.

The victim drove Wilson to a convenience store in the 1000 block of North Tamiami Trail. When Wilson went inside, the victim sent text messages to her friend, telling her she was being forced to drive her around.

The friend called 911, and the victim updated her friend to say they were heading back to the Lido Beach area.

An SPD officer was already inside South Lido Park after locking the entry gate for the night. Other officers shared that the victim was driving a gray SUV, which moments later entered the park through the exit gate and drove quickly toward the officer’s patrol car.

The officer stopped the vehicle and ordered Wilson out.

Financial firm’s chief found guilty A federal jury has convicted the former head of a Longboat Key financial firm of running an $80 million Ponzi scheme.

Michael J. DaCorta, 57, was convicted May 4 after a 13-day trial. He faces more than 30 years in prison.

According to testimony, DaCorta ran Oasis International Group Limited at 444 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

DaCorta was convicted of fraudulently soliciting and misappropriating money from more than 700 U.S. residents.

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SARASOTA OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

Eric Garwood

Oaks and other hardwoods are considered desirable replacement trees for their ability to grow into a canopy.

Unswayed City commissioners stick with rules that emphasize canopy trees over palms as replacements.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

V

isitors come to Florida’s Gulf Coast expecting to experience its many varieties of palm trees swaying in the gentle sea breeze. The local environment, though, relies on a lush canopy provided by “grand trees” to provide shade, shelter and natural habitats.

Last week, Sarasota City commissioners debated the merits of those competing interests as they approved an amended tree ordinance intended to preserve and enhance the canopy provided by live oaks and other preferred hardwoods while eliminating palms as an option for replacing shade trees removed from singlefamily residential lots.

The hearing sparked a 90-minute discussion that ended in a split 3-2 approval. Mayor Erik Arroyo and Commissioner Hagen Brody cast the dissenting votes.

“The idea is to replace our canopy.

That’s what we’re trying to do with this,” said Commissioner Liz Alpert.

“I get questions and comments all the time about, ‘Will this ordinance save our canopy?’ and I say it’s a step in the right direction. It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.”

The amended ordinance incorporated recommendations of the Tree Advisory Committee and city staff to decrease the size of required replacement trees, change the methodology for determining required mitigation, allow residential property owners to remove trees for landscaping and create site evaluation and species selection criteria for replacement trees.

It also created categories of recommended trees and undesirable trees, the latter of which don’t provide homeowners credit under the tree replacement rules.

The replacement formula for removed trees is intended to include simpler and less burdensome requirements for residential property. The tree replacement formula remains unchanged from the prior code section for all property other than single-family residential.

‘WAR ON PALM TREES’

Foremost among the changes from the draft ordinance recommended by staff was the elimination of exemptions of certain tree replacement rules for the barrier islands and the use of palm trees as mitigation for the removal of grand trees.

Staff recommended a “3-6-9 rule,” which would have required three palms to be planted per tree removed of 4- to 16-inch trunk diameter, six palms per tree removed of 16- to 30-inch trunk diameter

LEAFY RULES

The purpose of the tree regulations is to promote a healthy, diverse and resilient tree canopy while allowing for reasonable flexibility. Among the objectives: n Encourage use of native and Florida-friendly trees. n Eliminate invasive species that threaten the native ecosystem. n Encourage planting of trees suited to local conditions. n Facilitate the planting of the right tree in the right location. n Improve air quality. n Provide a reasonable mechanism for the removal of trees with appropriate impact mitigation. n Encourage planting and protection of shade trees.

and nine palms for trees with trunks larger than 30 inches in diameter.

The palm mitigation would have applied only to the barrier islands out of concern that some trees cannot thrive in coastal conditions.

“One of the reasons we started to go down this road was to allow people on the barrier islands, who are the biggest proponents of it, to use utilize palm trees,” Arroyo said. “I feel, as staff does, that it should be equitable, that it should be applied citywide.”

Added Brody on the mainland prohibition: “I don’t understand the war on palm trees.”

Commissioner Jen AhearnKoch sought clarification of the staff’s position with regard to palms while questioning senior arborist Mark Miller and General Manager of Development Services Kevin McAndrew. “ C a n yo u explain to me why staff recommends going citywide with palm trees as mitigation trees as opposed to just on the barrier islands?” she asked. “The point of equity doesn’t really come into play for me. The point was there are special conditions out there with the sea and the sand and so forth. Am I misunderstanding that?”

“Staff is very much behind the idea that tree replacement be canopy trees,”

Miller said. “The issue, though, with the exemption on the barrier islands, is that there are a number of professionals that work in this city, as well as in-house on staff, that believe that canopy trees can thrive and do well on the barrier islands. And that is our position. We do think there is an equity issue then, that if there is this exemption on the barrier islands it should be applied citywide.”

Or not applied at all, as the palm tree mitigation option was eventually removed entirely, and although that sentiment eventually carried the day, it wasn’t unanimous.

Brody said it was hypocritical to scratch the palm tree option in light of the city’s liberal use of palms on streetscapes and public property.

“I don’t think we should eliminate the possibility of using palm trees for mitigation,” Brody said. “We as a city choose that all the time. We want palm trees downtown. We want palm trees on our some of our main corridors. We’re making a law we wouldn’t even want to follow ourselves.”

Brody objected to an $8,700 fee in lieu of replacing trees, saying it is too high. Arroyo said the fee has too much of an impact on lesser-affluent neighborhoods.

“If you take down a 29-inch tree, you have to plant two 3-inch trees, which is like $675 a tree, so you come in at $1,350,” Arroyo said. “But if you were to donate to the tree fund, you’d have to pay $8,700, so there’s a great disparity.”

“It’s an attempt at incentivizing planting versus paying,” replied Assistant City Attorney Joe Mladinich.

Added Arroyo, “I believe this is more burdensome, especially on our poorer neighborhoods who maybe don’t follow city commission meetings, and it doesn’t provide flexibility. The fees are just out of control, and it creates a different class. You never want to create different classes of residents.”

BAD, BETTER, BEST

Not all grand trees are all that grand.

Here are preferred, not-so-preferred and prohibited species for planting in Sarasota: RECOMMENED n Red maple n Gumbo limbo n Fringe tree n Pitch apple n Pigeon plum n Buttonwood n Geiger n Royal poinciana n Spanish stopper n Holly n Southern red cedar n Crape myrtle n Magnolia n Sweetly n Simpson stopper n Slash pine n Longleaf pine n Sycamore n Chickasaw plum n Flatwoods plum n Sand live oak n Live oak n Cabbage palm n Pink tabebuia n Silver trumpet n Black olive n Winged elm UNDESIRABLE* n Earleaf acacia n Mimosa n Monkey puzzle n Norfolk Island pine n Hong Kong orchid n Bischoifia n Bottlebrush n Floss silk tree n Camphor tree n Indian rosewood n Elephant’s ear n Silk oak n Golden rain tree n Schefelera n Java plum n Mahoe PROHIBITED (per state statute) n Punk tree n Brazilian pepper n Australian pine n Carrotwood n Chinaberry n Chinese tallow n Cuban laurel *No credit toward mitigation

Commissioner Hagen Brody said it was hypocritical to scratch the palm tree option in light of the city’s liberal use of palms on streetscapes and public property.

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

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Commisssioners let Brown decide on staff ride-sharing

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City manager given choice of how to handle situations of staff riding with elected officials.

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Should Sarasota city commissioners ask city staffers for rides to a common destination on city business?

Should they accept rides if offered?

Is there really a problem, or is it a solution looking for one?

Those were questions looking for answers, or perhaps vice-versa, during a sharing discussion at a Sarasota City Commission meeting May 2. At issue is whether city staff members, either charter or rank-and-file, are uncomfortable with elected officials hitching rides to meetings or events.

According to a policy put in effect earlier this year, staff members have the latitude to deny giving commissioners a lift, but the fact that they still ask might put staffers in a tight spot.

“I don’t think it’s a problem. I don’t think it has been a problem,” said Commissioner Liz Alpert. “We used to have to go to meetings in Orlando for the Florida League of Cities committees, but we would ride-share.

“We wouldn’t ride-share with another commissioner, but if one of the staff was driving over — usually it would be two or three staff driving over together — we’re all going to the same place, so it would seem silly for us to have to drive in separate cars. I think it’s a solution trying to find a problem.”

Mayor Erik Arroyo said he wasn’t referring to long road trips but rather official events in town or not far away, adding that bumming rides from staff has the potential to get out of control.

Commissioner Jennifer AhernKoch suggested a policy that would require the approval of City Manager Marlon Brown for a commissioner to

File photo

ride-share with a staff member, adding, “I don’t know if that would help alleviate the concern, or if that’s just adding unnecessary verbiage to rules that we don’t even have.”

Commissioner Hagen Brody said that rather than implementing a policy at the commission level, Brown should have the latitude to make a rule, if he feels it necessary. Brody further suggested any long road trips on city business should be in a cityowned car, perhaps alleviating any discomfort among staff.

“I know that there’s been some long trips with city staff and commissioners that they’ve been uncomfortable with, so I do think it needs to be addressed,” Brody said.

“Long trips in a car with staff other than charter officials, I think can be uncomfortable for them, and I don’t think they can really say no even if they do feel uncomfortable with it.”

In the end, Arroyo agreed that a ride-sharing policy, if any, could be drafted by Brown.

“We don’t have to regulate that,” he said. “And that’s it.”

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SARASOTA OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

5

Sarasota art board won’t Dwell on rejected proposal After the City Commission turned away a coral-like sculpture for Fruitville traffic circle, advisory group heads back to drawing board for a revised recommendation.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

E

ven when you mind your p’s and q’s, sometimes you can still find yourself in a quandary. That’s where Sarasota’s Public Arts Committee found itself when the City Commission on April 18 rejected its recommendation of “Dwell,” a coral-style sculpture by artist Sujin Lim, for the roundabout at Fruitville Road and Tamiami Trail.

The “Dwell” recommendation was the first product of the PAC’s new request for quote process, having previously procured options for pieces via request for proposal.

Underwhelmed by the PAC’s preferred “Dwell” — and not much more enthusiastic about its other two finalists — the commission sent PAC Chair Wendy Lerner and Sarasota Senior Planner Mary Davis Wallace back to the committee with a message: Bring back something locally relevant, and bring more than a single recommendation.

“I was hoping in this different (request for quote) process that we would bring a single selection to you,” Wallace, who heads the Office of Public Art, told commissioners at that meeting. “That way, the efficacy of the Public Art Committee is preserved. It’s difficult when the Public Art Committee makes a decision, but then we go back to the drawing board

when we bring it to commission.”

Back to the drawing board they went, but not back to the beginning.

During the PAC meeting, members discussed for some 90 minutes options ranging from initiating a new request for quote to working singularly with Lim to submit a new piece.

Options included revisiting the original 140 applicants for the project, reconsidering the PAC’s top 10 and considering only the three finalists plus two previous selected alternates. The other two finalists — which were included in the commissioners’ packets but not recommended by the PAC — were “Whorligig,” a stainless-steel representation of orchids by Mark Aeling of St. Petersburg, and “Open Gate,” a blue archway made of glass over a steel structure by Shan Shan Sheng of San Francisco.

Ultimately, the committee decided to revisit the top 10 artists and either reconsider prior submissions for the roundabout or invite new ones. The general consensus was that reopening the process from the beginning would result in largely the same field.

Wallace said she will construct a new time frame for the PAC’s work relative to the roundabout project and suggest dates for a special meeting in June.

City commissioners generally agreed that none of the finalists spoke to Sarasota’s history or geographic relevance. The PAC’s mission now is to invite candidates to try again without stifling creativity.

Lerner said she viewed the commissioners’ rejection of “Dwell” and the others as an opportunity for the PAC to step up its game. She also said it was a signal for members of the committee to become more involved in their advocacy of recommended pieces. Two other PAC members

File photos

Above: The requested artwork is intended to be displayed in the Fruitville Road roundabout at Tamiami Trail.

Left: The “Dwell” recommendation was the first product of the PAC’s new request for quote process, having previously procured options for public pieces via request for proposal.

WHAT’S AN RFQ?

An RFQ is a request for quote; an RFP is a request for proposal. Entities will invite an RFQ when they know what products or services are desired. An RFP is opened when more complicated factors must be evaluated. An RFQ is a more simple purchase process as opposed to a lengthier buying process.

RFQs reduce the amount of time needed to procure goods or services because the entity receives only bids from preferred submitters. RFPs advise bidders with specific guidance on how the bids should be presented.

attended the April 18 meeting.

“I think that a lot of times some of us are just amenable to pieces that we know should be reworked,” Lerner said. “I think the other thing is, as we’re making decisions, even more broadly think about the overall collection. The commission has asked us to go back and rethink this choice, and it’s an opportunity for us to do better.”

Wallace advised the committee that, in the interest of efficiency,

it should work within the current request for quote, with one important tweak: Assuming they all wish to continue to participate, provide the candidates with a creative brief that lays out parameters that stop short of a theme. The idea is to foster creativity within the realm of what commissioners — who have a vocal and critical citizenry in their ears — are seeking in public art.

“I got some conflicting information because on the one hand we are saying we need to listen to what the commissioners are saying, and then within that same conversation, turned it around and said we all need to fight for our choice,” said PAC member Joanne McCobb. “I don’t know. I just feels like there’s a conflict there.”

Wallace said that where public

art intersects with politics, conflict is inevitable.

“We’re dealing with elected officials,” she said. “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.

“There was a missing step there because you were unanimous on what you felt, but not one time did anybody ask how is this going to be seen by the City Commission. I think that the responsibility of this committee is to be considerate of the next step.”

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

Can you top this?

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www.CoolToday.com

Sarasota County commissioners commit $20 million in tourist tax to put a sports complex on top of a Benderson Park boathouse.

BACK TO BUSINESS

Upcoming major rowing and paddling events at Nathan Benderson Park have picked up following the pandemic slowdown of the past two years.

JAY HEATER MANAGING EDITOR

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ith four major rowing or paddling events on the horizon, Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy CEO and President Stephen Rodriguez is excited that business is returning to normal at the park.

But as the Sarasota County Commission went into session May 10, it was anything but business as usual for the park.

Commissioners voted 5-0 to commit $20 million in tourist tax money toward a boathouse and indoor sports event center. The event center would be 100,000 square feet and be the second floor of the boathouse.

Nicole Rissler, director of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources for Sarasota County, made a presentation to county commissioners in which the county’s staff recommended dedicating the funding from the third additional 1 cent levy of tourist development tax to the boathouse and indoor sports complex.

Rissler said that “in round numbers,” she estimated the project would cost $40 million. She estimated the boathouse on its own would be a $10 million project.

She said that besides the $20 million committed by Sarasota County, the other funds would need to be raised privately.

Nathan Benderson Park Board Chair Michael Taaffe said in March his nonprofit had raised about $7 million toward the boathouse. It was a reaction to the commissioners approving the 2022 Sarasota County Strategic Plan Jan. 11. That plan recognized the importance of the boathouse and indoor sports complex.

Rissler said Sarasota County’s staff would develop a new capital improve-

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ment project and work with Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy on conceptual plans, a budget and an analysis on operations and maintenance.

She said those plans and concepts would be presented to the commision late this year.

“This is the beginning of a lot of work to determine what will go into this building,” Rissler said. “All the programming is yet to come.”

Although Commissioner Nancy Detert voted in favor of the monetary commitment, she said the commission session was like talking about how much you love baseball “when the thing before us is a baseball stadium.”

The rest of the commissioners showed enthusiasm for the idea.

“This is an absolutely wonderful thing,” Commissioner Alan Maio.

“This is a long time coming.”

Commissioner Mike Moran told his fellow commissioners to remember when the park was “an empty hole in the ground ... a borrow pit.”

“This is a no brainer to me. This opens the door to some extraordinary possibilities,” he said.

Moran said he envisions a time when the indoor sports event center will host a national tournament, and families in town would visit the Mote Science Education Aquarium, play at PopStroke and spend a day at Siesta Key. Besides attracting visitors, Moran said a sports events center would fill

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

7

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a gap in the community’s ability to host national events.

The push toward an indoor sports event center comes at a time when Nathan Benderson Park continues to develop its image as a community park with many assets.

It had developed its reputation as the top rowing facility in North America and enhanced that reputation by hosting the 2017 World Rowing Championships.

As Rodriguez said, the plans for a new boathouse and event center also come at a time when the park’s events schedule is picking up.

The International Dragon Boat Federation Club Crew World Championships July 18-24 is expected to have competitors from 12 nations and more than 3,500 participants.

The park in the past month has signed agreements to host 13 national and international rowing, canoe and dragon boat events.

Sarasota County staff recommended the tax commitment after a feasibility study on the indoor sports facility was completed by Johnson Consulting of Chicago.

That study estimated an initial economic impact of $20 million a year connected with the new facility.

Rodriguez emphasized the fact that the proposed indoor sports complex was “the county’s project.”

In 2018, Suncoast Aquatics Nature Center Associates, now the conservancy, said it had two plans for either

a one-level boathouse that would include boat storage, locker rooms and a fitness facility, or a two-level facility with a banquet hall on the second floor for hosting weddings, community events and park programming. The estimate for the two-story facility was $10 million at the time.

Rodriguez said the feasibility study was not about construction.

The study told the county that it had a need for indoor competition space for basketball, volleyball, pickleball, cheer competitions, dance competitions, martial arts and more.

Rodriguez said that obviously the pursuit of a new boathouse/indoor sports event center would be the most-exciting news coming out of the 2022 calendar year, but he noted that right behind it in the top three would be the International Dragon Boat Federation Club Crew World Championships and the USRowing Masters National Championships Aug. 11-14.

Rodriguez also is excited about the park’s training programs filling up once again, which means increasing revenue for the park.

He said the need for the boathouse is more about programming than hosting rowing or paddling events, since the park already can host those events.

Programming numbers over the past five years at the park are up 1,800% to more than 7,000 participants.

The boathouse would be constructed just behind the docks on the shore at Nathan Benderson Park.

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

OPINION / OUR VIEW

SARASOTA/SIESTA KEY

Not learning from history on affordable housing The labor market in Sarasota is adjusting all the time — and fairly quickly.

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 Staff Writer / Andrew Warfield, AWarfield@YourObserver.com Digital & Engagement Editor / Kaelyn Adix, KAdix@YourObserver.com Copy Editor / Shawn Candela, SCandela@YourObserver.com Editorial Designers / Melissa Leduc, MLeduc@YourObserver.com; José Valle, JValle@YourObserver.com A+E Editor / Spencer Fordin, SFordin@YourObserver.com Black Tie Editor / Harry Sayer, HSayer@YourObserver.com

ADRIAN MOORE

R

ecently, the Manatee County Commission decided to spend county funds buying land to set aside for affordable housing, arguing that it would take the cost of land out of the equation for those seeking affordable housing. And the Sarasota County Commission is applying $25 million of COVID-19 relief funds to subsidize homebuilders to build affordable housing.

Both ideas might have sounded brilliant decades ago when first proposed, but you would think they would learn from their consistent failure. Decades of subsidizing land, subsidizing construction costs, mandating affordable set-asides and constructing public housing have failed to cause even a blip in housing prices and the stock of affordable housing.

That’s because both counties — and the major cities in them — don’t want to confront the fundamental reality of affordable housing. Every year both counties gain thousands of new residents and allow the construction of only hundreds of new homes. Every year that population growth outstrips housing growth makes housing more scarce and less affordable.

The problem is made worse by the counties and their cities rarely, if ever, permitting the construction of low-cost housing, despite many applications by some developers.

For housing to be affordable, supply must be allowed to keep up with demand, and even better if developers are allowed to build some low-rent, mixed-use projects along with grand 5,000-square-foot single-family homes.

But “not in my backyard” activists who oppose housing growth in general and low-rent projects in particular carry too much weight with local governments. Local land-use restrictions in the form of density laws, exclusionary zoning, lot size requirements, caps on construction, impact fees and many other laws raise costs of development and restrict supply of housing.

Harvard scholar Ed Glaeser and his colleagues have conducted a series of studies over the past two decades that examine the connection between housing regulation policies and housing prices. They conclude that local government restrictions on the supply of new housing is directly responsible for

“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.”

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about 90% of the rise in a local market’s housing costs. A World Bank analysis of this phenomenon around the globe concluded that local governments that restrict housing supply can see up to 60% less affordable housing than markets that allow housing supply to keep up with demand. And since 2007, the famous Wharton Residential Land Use Regulatory Index has shown that while construction costs are similar across the nation, housing prices are much higher in localities that restrict housing supply or impose higher-than-average fees and costs for development.

I think all of that research just formalizes what is really common sense and what we all know about housing markets. We need to confront the reality that our quality of life and local economy rely on many working class individuals in service, tourism and recreation industries.

We regularly see new reports showing that the average salaries paid for many good jobs in Sarasota are not sufficient to pay average housing prices in the area.

Now, the market for labor and the market for housing are very, very different. Labor is mobile, as people move to chase jobs or better pay all the time.

Supply and demand for labor change a lot and rapidly with changes in the national, regional and local economy. Housing obviously is not mobile, and supply and demand change much more slowly — especially supply, because building housing takes time. That is why it is important not to fall behind on housing supply, as the Sarasota region has.

But if businesses have a hard time finding certain workers at the salary

they are offering, they will have to raise pay to attract the workers they need, or new workers who are willing to work for that pay will move in, if they can find housing, or the business will suffer worker shortage and be unable to serve customers.

Put simply, the labor market in Sarasota is adjusting all the time — and fairly quickly. If we allow the housing supply to adjust too, even if more slowly, things will balance out. Especially if we let go of the strange notion that everyone needs to be able to buy a house, rather than embrace the idea that everyone needs to be able to find a good place to live, including renting and low-rent housing.

Unwilling to let housing supply keep up with demand or to allow markets to supply low-cost housing, our local governments resort to subsidizing a trickle of affordable housing projects at high cost with very low benefits. It has failed for years and will continue to fail.

This needs to be reversed. Local governments should get out of directly intervening in a pitiful handful of affordable housing projects and instead commit to working with developers and planners to allow adequate housing growth to keep up with demand for the construction of low-rent and affordable homes. At the same time, they need to review and reconsider rules that needlessly increase housing costs, including some parking requirements, impact fees and zoning and density rules, as well as standing up to NIMBY groups.

Adrian Moore is vice president at Reason Foundation and a resident of Sarasota.

Unwilling to let housing supply keep up with demand or to allow markets to supply low-cost housing, our local governments resort to subsidizing a trickle of affordable housing projects at high cost with very low benefits. It has failed for years and will continue to fail.

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From my reading of your April 27 editorial regarding the Melissa Bakondy matter, it appears you are missing a good bit of the history.

I would suggest you review the last nine months or so of Sarasota County School board meetings. Or you are ignoring the facts.

I prefer to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume the former.

By now, we are all familiar with the story of Ms. Bakondy and her removal from the April 19 school board meeting.

I am a regular attendee of the school board meetings, and I have seen her on multiple occasions.

What many people may not be aware of is the history that Ms. Bakondy has of violating, with impunity, the rules that govern school board meetings.

As for your commentary about shouting and clapping, yes, there are rules about shouting and clapping. Would you behave that way at a county commissioners meeting? During a business meeting? Why should the school board lower its standards?

School board meetings are governed by Policy 2.22, “Board Meetings” of The School Board Policies. Under Section V(D)(6) of board policy 2.22, “The chair may: a) Interrupt, warn or terminate a participant’s statement when the statement is too lengthy, personally directed, abusive, threatening, defamatory, obscene, or irrelevant; b) If a speaker is called during the agenda public comment time, but their comment is not in regard to an agenda item, the chair may interrupt their comment and move them to the non-agenda portion of the meeting; c) Request any individual to leave the meeting when that person does not comply with these rules or observe reasonable decorum and has been warned by the board chair or a police officer; d) Request the assistance of law enforcement officers in the removal of a disorderly person when that person’s conduct interferes with the orderly progress of the meeting; e) call for a recess or an adjournment to another time when the lack of

decorum interferes with the orderly conduct of the meeting so as to warrant such action.

Under the rules, public commentary is split between agenda and non-agenda items.

Before the public commentary begins, the chair reads Section V(D)(6) of policy 2.22 so that anyone who is not familiar with the procedures will be fully aware before they begin speaking.

During her speaking time on April 19, Ms. Bakondy began one of her personal attacks against a board member. As per board policy 2.22, the board chair went through items a-e above, with the result that Ms.Bakondy, who refused to leave, was escorted from the podium.

As a taxpayer and a resident of Sarasota County, she still has every right to attend and comment at all board meetings, regardless of where her children are being educated.

Jane Goodwin was wrong in asking if her children attended the public schools and should apologize.

If you review Ms. Bakondy’s public commentary at the board meetings, you will see that she consistently makes personal attacks and accusations of criminal activity of the board members with no proof offered.

I find it offensive that you have written this article in such a manner as to infer that Ms. Bakondy is a victim. Ms. Bakondy has brought this situation upon herself.

Both the chair and the former chair have not been consistent in enforcing the rules, allowing Ms. Bakondy and others like her to behave badly.

For that failure, they have only themselves to blame. And it is a shame it took them this long to enforce the rules.

Many people who attend board meetings do not like these rules, but we follow them.

If she believes her First Amendment rights are being violated, she has the right to seek redress of her grievances in court.

I would suggest that is the more appropriate forum.

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LETTERS

School board speaker violated policy

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PAY ME WHAT YOU OWE ME 3:19 p.m., 1000 block of University Parkway Dispute: A former employee created a disturbance in a business lobby over a final paycheck but left when a manager called police. The officer who responded asked the manager to call again if the former employee returned.

TUESDAY, MAY 3

IT’S GONE 7:44 p.m., 1200 block of Palm Avenue Lost property: A business patron sought police help in filing a report for a lost “man bag.” The patron said he had been to a performing arts location with his spouse and subsequently realized he had lost his property, which contained cash, identification, a phone and other items. The patron said business personnel helped look but could not find the bag, so he went to the police station to make a report.

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NO VIDEO 10:30 a.m., 2000 block of Fruitville Road Property damage: A business operator told police a decorative awning and mailbox were damaged overnight. The operator said a security system the night before had alerted to a person on the property, who was told to leave via the system’s intercom. The business operator said there was no video of the damage being done but suspected the same person was responsible.

NOT LOUD ENOUGH 12:38 a.m., 1400 block of Main Street Noise: A downtown club was found to be in compliance with sound rules following a call to police complaining about loud cars and loud music.

The officer sent to investigate saw no cars in front of the business, and operators of the business said they had no control over vehicles out-

doors. The business said it would attempt to quiet the music and close doors. A sound-meter reading indicated the sound of passing vehicles and pedestrians was louder than the noise produced by the club.

SUNDAY, MAY 8

WHODUNIT? 8 p.m., 1500 block of Orange Avenue Property damage: A resident called police after discovering her car’s rear window had been broken, possibly by a shot from a pellet gun.

The resident said the incident likely took place overnight and that local youths have been seen with such guns. The resident said a neighbor’s security system might have captured video that she would share with police if available. The resident said she had no idea who specifically could have done the damage, which was estimated at $200.

NO CRIME, NO FOUL 7:48 p.m., 1200 block of Tamiami Trail Suspicion: Police spoke to a man and woman following a call that indicated the two might be arguing in public. The man and woman told an officer that they were waiting for a ride-sharing service car to arrive.

The woman conceded she might have been speaking loudly but affirmed that no argument took place and no laws were broken. The person who called police also conceded she saw no crime. With no evidence of an altercation, the officer checked the couple for warrants without result. The man and woman were allowed to depart.

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

Folksy and Fresh

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he latest Fresh Fridays event brought folk music and flowers to Five Points Park on May 6.

The monthly event saw locals arriving to pick up flowers and celebrate the spring by sipping drinks and enjoying folk music.

Attendees mingled, enjoyed drinks and snacks and sat down to hear music from the Cassie Jean and the Fireflies band.

— HARRY SAYER

Photos by Harry Sayer

Above: Chris Voelker welcomes the audience.

Left: Kyndall and Kat Stelly sit and listen to music with Gregg Quinn.

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

13

The Tallest Trees Have The Strongest Roots And at Sarasota Memorial, we stand tall thanks to the tireless efforts of the finest nurses in the profession. They are the living foundation of what we do and the source of our greatest strength. When they dig deep, we all rise to the challenge.

And when the storm hits, they are the ones who keep us upright through the worst of it.

To all of our extraordinary nurses, we see you and we thank you.

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

Above: Doug Deming sings to the crowd.

Right: Dawn Wash carries her dog Atlas.

Photos by Harry Sayer

Harry and Diane Katz sample the barbecue.

Blues and BBQ Fest B

lues fans took to the Sarasota Fairgrounds for a weekend of music and food on May 6-8.

The Sarasota Blues & BBQ festival took over the fairgrounds and featured musical acts jamming for the crowd.

Guests picked up all sorts of barbecue and drinks and listened to the show.

Above: Guests enjoyed a variety of food.

Left: Guests relaxed in the sun and shade to listen to music.

— HARRY SAYER

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UnidosNow is celebrating its belated 10th anniversary with an event that aims to recognize the union of culture and tradition.

SPENCER FORDIN A+E EDITOR

W

hat happens when you take a classical art form and merge it with something equally distinctive from a different culture?

They make beautiful music together.

That’s the lesson UnidosNow has been preaching for 12 years as it seeks to level the playing field for the Latino population of Sarasota and Manatee counties, and it’s the recipe for success that it designed for its longdelayed 10th anniversary celebration.

Held over two “For us, as an days at Van Wezel organization Performing Arts Hall and Venice Perthat seeks to forming Arts Center, NocheUnidos will integrate our merge the talents of an orchestra and a immigrant world famous mariachi band. community Kelly Kirschner, co-founder of Uniinto the fabric dosNow, said he had seen a similar perof our region formance a decade ago with Mariaculturally and chi Cobre and the Philharpolitically and Orlando monic Orchestra.

Now it’s Mariaeconomically, chi Cobre and the 72-piece Venice it’s really such Symphony combining their talents. a beautiful “From the moment we saw it, it genermetaphor of ated goosebumps,” said Kirschner, the our work.” mayor of Sarasota from 2010 to 2011.

— Kelly Kirschner “When you think about it initially, it’s like, ‘How in the heck is that going to work?’

“But then when it happens, it’s just such a rich sound. For us, as an organization that seeks to integrate our immigrant community into the fabric of our region culturally and politically and economically, it’s really such a beautiful metaphor of our work.”

UnidosNow was born to confront a simple reality: The Latino population of Sarasota and Manatee counties was exploding, but representation was not moving along with it. Kirschner said he initially was moved by the 2010 census, which showed that the local Latin American community had grown by 300%

UNITY

Courtesy photos

SEE NOCHEUNIDOS, PAGE 16

At top: Mariachi Cobre is one of the world’s foremost ambassadors of mariachi music. Above: This painting by Yulner Diaz will be auctioned off at the May 20 performance at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

JOIN US THIS JUNE AND JULY FOR

NocheUnidos

SUMMER TEEN STUDIOS

FROM PAGE 15

Photos: Daniel Perales

THE STUDIOS @ SAM Let’s Make Some Art!

SarasotaArtMuseum.org/studios-at-sam Photo: Ryan Gamma

Photo: Matt Holler

Photo: Rich Schineller

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ART + SHOP + BISTRO

NOCHEUNIDOS When: 7:30 p.m. May 20; 2:30 p.m. May 21 Where: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on 5/20, Venice Performing Arts Center on 5/21 Tickets: $30-$120 Info: UnidosNow.org/NocheUnidos

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over a 20-year span. And as far as Kirschner could tell, there was no nonprofit organization dedicated to nurturing that demographic.

UnidosNow filled that niche and has assisted more than 3,000 students over the last 12 years.

It’s helped its students earn more than $8 million in scholarships to higher education, paving the way for a generational shift in Sarasota over the coming decades.

“If you look downstream at where we’re headed and the future of this community, many of the Manatee County elementary and middle schools are already at majority Latin populations,” said Kirschner. “High school is getting that way. As a community, we have to start looking at that and make sure that this is not an isolated and segregated community.

“We have to make sure we’re working very closely with them to push engagement across all sectors.”

It isn’t just about education, but that’s an important place to start.

One of the signature achievements of UnidosNow is its Future Leaders Academy. Kirschner said that it’s like a college prep program that prepares students for their lives at a major university and beyond, and he hopes that many of its alumni will someday come home and pay it forward.

For Christina Unkel, the honorary chair of NocheUnidos, that’s an amazing development.

Unkel, a local attorney, said that her parents immigrated to America with the hope of giving her a better future, and UnidosNow is providing a road

“When I learned what UnidosNow is doing with all their programming and helping to fill those gaps, I was like, ‘Shoot, my family could’ve used that.’”

— Christina Unkel

map to success for the next generation.

“It’s knowing what opportunities are out there and how to go about those opportunities,” she said.

“When I learned what UnidosNow is doing with all their programming and helping to fill those gaps, I was like, ‘Shoot, my family could’ve used that. Families now can use that. Families moving forward can use that.’ This can launch our current generation and our next generation to do so much more and to truly have a seat at the table. If you see someone that looks like you succeeding, consciously or subconsciously, you believe you can fill that position at some point in the future. You can be that person.”

Unkel, a groundbreaking soccer referee in her spare time, said that phenomenon was hammered home for her at an event sponsored by The Florida Bar. Law Day exposes students to practicing attorneys who tell them about their career. The first question that day, said Unkel, came from a young Hispanic boy who didn’t know that Hispanic women could be lawyers.

The teacher looked mortified, said Unkel, and then a young Hispanic girl spoke up and said that she also didn’t know about the possibility.

“That’s when it hit me. For me, I’m just doing my thing,” said Unkel. “This generation of kids — and they’re probably now 10 or 11 years old — didn’t know Hispanic women could be attorneys because their moms and aunts are working jobs in the service industry. They’re not seeing women in professional capacities; they’re only seeing men in professional capacities. I want to make sure those kids get it and do it.

And then there’s another generation

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

Courtesy photo

Local attorney Christina Unkel has warmed to being a part of the NocheUnidos mission.

“They’re not seeing women in professional capacities; they’re only seeing men in professional capacities. ...

I want to make sure those kids get it and do it.”

R O T C E P S ES N N A O J H E T N A R E N V O A J L y B NCA y BIA

b Directed

— Christina Unkel

of the audience,” he said.

“What we saw in Orlando — and what we expect to see on May 20 and 21 — is a wide range of our Latin American community that will be there. But we also hope that the people who love orchestral music and go to Sarasota Orchestra or the Venice Symphony will attend as well. On the stage, it’s going to be a reflection of that rich diversity, but hopefully it will also be one in the seats in both the Van Wezel and the Venice Performing Arts Center.”

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behind them. That’s what UnidosNow is really doing. When I learned that there was not just their mission but truly what they’re practicing, I wanted to be a part of it.”

That same mindset — wanting to be part of the change in the making — is what inspired artist Yulner Diaz, who designed the poster for NocheUnidos. Kirschner said that Diaz arrived in Sarasota as an undocumented immigrant with a dream of making it as an artist.

He attended Ringling College of Art and Design and ultimately moved to Europe, but he’s been active in Sarasota’s community and was thrilled to be a part of NocheUnidos.

His poster, which fuses the elements of the upcoming performance, speaks volumes.

Kirschner went through just a few of the images portrayed; there’s the Sarasota Bay at sunset and the iconic Ringling Bridge.

Then there’s a piñata, shaped like a cello, flanked by mariachi band members and an image of guest conductor Michelle Merrill.

The cello is emblazoned with the colors of the American flag, and the knot fastening it consists of red and blue threads symbolizing political divisions in America.

But the hope behind it all, said Kirschner, is that these disparate elements strengthen one another.

“Immigration can be additive,” he said. “It’s not a zero-sum game that it steals jobs and leads to issues of crime in a community. It builds upon what a community already has.

“You have that Old World genre of music in your classical orchestral music, and you have this New World genre of the iconic Mexican music that’s celebrated all throughout Latin America. You’re bringing them together to create something that’s really new. It has both aspects but is something unique and beautiful.”

At root, said Kirschner, NocheUnidos is all about improving access and strengthening the community.

He hopes this festival will become an annual tradition, and over time, he wants to help Sarasota and Manatee counties do a better job of strengthening the figurative knot imagined by Diaz.

“What I think will be really unique and rewarding is to see the diversity

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

THIS WEEK Derric Gobourne Jr. will perform songs from his album “SH!NE” on Monday, May 16, at the Donelly Theatre.

THURSDAY MATT HOLT 7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theater, 1923 Ringling Blvd. $25 Visit McCurdysComedy.com Matt Holt isn’t going to let you leave without laughing. Holt has been touring comedy clubs for two decades, and his schtick is only getting richer. Holt will bring jokes, but he’ll also spend some time just riffing on the audience. Show up and settle in for an evening of conversational comedy. Runs through May 15.

JAZZ THURSDAYS AT THE SAM 5:30 p.m. at Sarasota Art Museum.

Members free, non-members $20 Visit JazzClubSarasota.org The Paul Gavin Quartet will rock the Marcy and Michael Klein Plaza, bringing smooth jazz sounds to one of the most-scenic settings in Sarasota. Gavin will be supported

by James Suggs, Zach Bartholomew and Brandon Robertson.

‘LEGALLY BLONDE’ 7:30 p.m. at Rise Above Performing Arts Center, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 1105 $15-$30 Visit RiseAboveArts.com.

Don’t underestimate Elle Woods.

The impeccably attired law student, brooking no backtalk from skeptics, is determined to make her dreams of becoming an attorney come true no matter the cost. Runs through May 22.

FRIDAY ‘HAMLET’ 7:30 p.m. at Pinkerton Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave. W. $25 adult, $20 college, $12 youth Visit VeniceTheatre.org.

www.manasotaonline.com

Shakespeare’s beloved drama about murder, betrayal and family intrigue has thrilled worldwide audiences for four centuries and will come to the Venice Theatre for a fortnight. Vera Samuels stars as the titular Prince of Denmark, and Murray Chase directs. Runs through May 29.

TONY MONACO HAMMOND B3 ORGAN TRIO 8 p.m. at Fogartyville, 525 Kumquat Court $20 members, $22 non-members Visit WSLR.org/Fogartyville He’s billed as the best organ player you haven’t heard of, and he’s coming to Fogartyville. Tony Monaco has been tickling the ivories since age 8 and began working jazz clubs while still a teenager in Columbus, Ohio.

Monaco will be supported by guitarist LaRue Nicholson and drummer Rick Costa.

SATURDAY BROADWAY MEMORIES 11 a.m. at Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton $9.80-$20 Visit ManateePerformingArtsCenter. org.

This show will feature kids and young adults ages 7 to 17 who have trained for months. The youngsters will take on songs from hit shows like “Pippin,” “Gypsy,” “Chicago,” “Frozen,” “Matilda” and more.

SUNCOAST MUSIC SCHOLARSHIPS 2022 WINNERS CONCERT 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Sarasota, 2050 Oak St. Free Visit SarasotaMusicClub.org See Sarasota’s best and brightest before they embark on their careers.

Talented musicians from seven area

1734 South Tamiami Trail Venice, FL 34293 941.493.7441

high schools will perform works by Beethoven, Bach, Vivaldi, Chopin and other masters in this celebration of local students.

‘OOPS UPON A TIME’ 7 p.m. at Studio 1130 – Crossings at Siesta Key $15 Visit ThePlayers.org.

The Players Kids presents this play about a young writer attempting to write a story for her sister. The nascent playwright pulls out all the stops and receives assistance from her fairy godmother in this comingof-age tale.

POETS UNPLUGGED: AN EVENING OF SPOKEN WORD & MUSIC 7 p.m. at Fogartyville Community Media & Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Court $5 Visit WSLR.org/Fogartyville.

It’s the final episode in a four-part series hosted by spoken word artist Melanie Lavender, and many of the area’s top poets will be coming down to get back on the mic. Lavender will also present a segment highlighting students from Booker Middle School who participate in a spoken word program of their own.

DON’T MISS ‘DISCOVER MOZART 3: GENIUS OF YOUTH’ Genius is stunning enough, but it’s even harder to comprehend when it comes from a prodigy.

Sarasota Orchestra will celebrate the early works of Mozart at this concert conducted by Stephen Mulligan, formerly associate conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Violinist Maria Ioudenitch and viola player Jordan Bak will play on Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante for Violin and Viola, written when the phenom was just 23 years old.

The orchestra will also play Benjamin Britten’s “Sinfionetta,” written when he was just 18 years old, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 25, composed when the master was 17 and making his mark on the world.

IF YOU GO When: 7:30 p.m., May 14 Where: Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. Tickets: $27-$65 Info: SarasotaOrchestra.org

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IN-STUDIO PERFORMANCE SERIES FEATURING SCDE: SPRING SHOWCASE Settle in for the Spring Showcase, which will feature choreography by Sarasota Contemporary Dance Ensemble codirectors Melissa Rummel and Xiao-Xuan Yang Dancigers. The ensemble consists of aspiring student dancers who are afforded not just top-notch tutelage but

also the opportunity to dance alongside professional dancers.

IF YOU GO When: 7 p.m. May 13; 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

May 14 Where: SCD Home Studio, 1400 Boulevard of the Arts Tickets: $20 Info: SarasotaContemporaryDance.org

SUNDAY

TUESDAY

GARDEN MUSIC SERIES — HALIE LOREN 1-3 p.m. at Selby Gardens Spanish Point Campus, 337 N. Tamiami Trail, Osprey Free; included with general admission for non-members Visit Selby.org

BROADWAY ON THE BAY — SARASOTA DIVAS 6:30 p.m. at Selby Gardens, 1534 Mound St. $25 Visit ThePlayers.org

Halie Loren, the pride of Sitka, Alaska, is performing about as far as she can get from home without leaving the continent. Loren, now based in Oregon, will bring her rich timbre and deep catalogue of jazz-inflected songs to the lovely backdrop of Selby Gardens’ Spanish Point Campus for one performance only.

MONDAY DERRIC GOBOURNE JR. — SH!NE 7:30 p.m. at the Donelly Theatre, 1012 N. Orange Ave. $27 Visit WestcoastBlackTheatre.org Derric Gobourne Jr. will hit the stage as part of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s Young Artist Program and play through many of the tracks on his album “SH!NE.” Gobourne, who will be joined by several guest artists, will play several instruments during the show. He’ll be supported by drummer Fancy Karema.

A number of talented local performers, including Kathryn Parks, Berry Ayers and Eve Caballero, will take on some familiar Broadway tunes right in the shadow of Sarasota Bay, and the lush and fertile backdrop of Selby Gardens will serve as a perfect sounding board for their voices. Performances will run through Friday.

A unique, first of its kind concert for the region that ill feature the internationally acclaimed Mariachi Cobre band and the 72-piece Venice Symphony

WEDNESDAY WORLD SERIES OF COMEDY 7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theater, 1928 Ringling Blvd. $25 Visit McCurdysComedy.com

www.unidosnow.org/nocheunidos

This traveling comedic showcase is going around the country and trying to find talented performers to compete on a grand stage. Forty professional comedians will be hitting the McCurdy’s stage as part of this event, which runs through Saturday, and a spot in the finals in Las Vegas will be on the line.

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William and Karen Soscia

DICK VITALE GALA

Kevin Negandhi, honorees Scott Drew and Rod Gilmore, Dick Vitale, honoree Keyshawn Johnson and V Foundation CEO Shane Jacobson

Friday, May 6, at The RitzCarlton, Sarasota | Benefiting V Foundation for Cancer Research

S

ports celebrities made their way to The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota for the annual Dick Vitale gala on May 6.

Around 900 guests attended this year’s event benefiting the V Foundation for Cancer Research. The annual fundraiser has brought in more than $40 million for pediatric cancer research.

This year’s event honored NFL player and ESPN host Keyshawn Johnson, tennis hall of famer and analyst Chris Evert and Baylor University men’s basketball coach Scott Drew. ESPN college football analyst Rod Gilmore also received the V Foundation John Sanders Courage Award.

Vitale, V Foundation CEO Shane Jacobson and other figures spoke about the importance of ending pediatric cancer at a pre-event news conference.

Vitale and other celebrities then mingled with guests during the cocktail hour before it was time for the dinner and the program to start.

Pat, Josh and Jessica Fisher and Brian Ford

Above: Bryant Young autographs a helmet.

Left: Elizabeth Holland, Jeane Bowman and Jammie Serrano

—HARRY SAYER Chris and Ryan Sforzo with Lorraine and Terri Vitale

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1534 Mound St., Downtown Sarasota

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

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The C rys Tal G a la Celebrating Iain Webb’s 15 th Season as Director

Thanks to the generosity of our table sponsors and paddle raise participants, we were able to achieve and surpass our goal of $1 Million to support The Sarasota Ballet’s artistic, education, and community programs for the upcoming Season.

Bud and Betty Shapiro

DIAMOND PATRONS

Karol Foss Patricia A. Golemme and Timothy Fullum Julie A. Harris Frank and Katherine Martucci

EMERALD PATRONS

Sydney Goldstein Joe and Mary Kay Henson Richard Johnson Harry Leopold and Audrey Robbins Jean Weiller

SAPPHIRE PATRONS

George Allison, ASID and Alan Watkins, ASID Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation BMO Wealth Management Community Foundation of Sarasota County Jan and Bill Farber Marnie and Stephen Grossman Gulf Coast Community Foundation JoAnn Heffernan Heisen Pat and Ann Kenny Phil and Kim Lombardo Richard March Bill and Linda Mitchell Stu and Gini Peltz Kimberley Anne Pelyk Micki Sellman Alison Gardner and Jan Sirota Hillary Steele Melliss Swenson Marcia Jean Taub and Peter Swain David Welle and Rosemary Reinhardt Anonymous

RUBY PATRONS

Bob and Ginger Cannon Bailey Neil and Sandra DeFeo Fred and Lynda Doery Richard and Cornelia Matson Peter B. Miller and Dr. Martha Harrison Rosemary and Lou Oberndorf Mercedita OConnor Rich and Clare Segall Maureen and Tom Steiner Robin Klein-Strauss and Michael Strauss

PEARL PATRONS

Peggy and Ken Abt Carol Arscott Ronelle Ashby Shari and Steve Ashman Sumner and Irene Bagby Ruth Barker Maria Beck Isabel Anchin Becker Patricia Belote Marty and Barbara Bowling James Brooks Bonnie and William Chapman Katie Couchot Cumberland Advisors Robin and Chase Curtis Sona and David Degann Kay Delaney and Murray Bring Rosalyn and Joel Ehrenpreis Laura Feder Frances D. Fergusson and John Bradbury Geoffrey W. Fulton Martine Flamen Patsy and Ed Garno Valerie Gill Suzanne Gladfelter

Jane C. Gould and Stephen W. Fillo Gerald and Deborah Hamburg Family Foundation Amy Harding Charlie Huisking D’Anne Hurd and George Forsythe Ann and Robert Jackson Barbara Jacob Andrea Justiniano Merrill Kaegi Erika Kahwaty Henry Kahwaty and Mary Dooher Linda Klein Vivian Kouvant Waldron Kraemer and Joan Lovell Peter E. Kretzmer Joan Switt Langbord Ron and Katherine Lee Alan Lenowitz Melvy Erman Lewis Tina and Rick Lieberman Dr. and Mrs. Louis Marquet Joan Mathews Donna Maytham Dorothy O’Brien and Richard Antoine Rose Marie Proietti Pamela Revels Arthur Siciliano and B. Aline Blanchard Barbara Staton Michael Thompson and Cindy Thronson University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee Campus Joan Volpe and Ronald Kluck Lauren Walsh Thomas and Gwendolyn Watson Anonymous 1st Source Bank Williams Parker Attorneys at Law

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

Celebration luncheon Tuesday, May 3, at Sarasota Municipal Auditorium | Benefiting Girls Inc. of Sarasota County

G Photos by Harry Sayer

The program started with singing by the Girls Inc. choir.

irls Inc. made a lively return to the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium for its 32nd Annual Celebration luncheon on May 3.

This year’s “Growing The Girl” theme brought supporters wearing their most-vibrant and elegant floral patterns to the luncheon to celebrate this year’s honorees. The audience shopped at the Dream Harbor market and then sat for the program, which featured songs from Girls Inc. choir members.

Co-Chairwomen Mary Pat Radford and Tammy Karp welcomed the audience and thanked them for supporting the nonprofit’s programs encouraging growth for girls in the community. Laura Kingsley, Aaliyah Mitchell-Davis, Dr. Heidi Anderson, her daughter Avery Brannan and Zuleima Martinez were this year’s honorees.

—HARRY SAYER

President and CEO Angie Stringer with Claudia Cardillo and Lisa Binkley Jody Beresford, Maria Mandler and June Adesanya

Above: CoChairwomen Tammy Karp and Mary Pat Radford welcome the audience.

Left: Lauren Wohlwend, Nikki Taylor and Beth Green

Honorees Laura Kingsley and Dr. Heidi Anderson

Knickole Barger, Tamara Williams and board Chair LaShawn Frost

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

Sarasota High and Cardinal Mooney High also lost their regional quarterfinal games Tuesday night.

SPORTS

Baseball teams bow out of playoffs

23

RYAN KOHN SPORTS EDITOR

G

iven the circumstances, the Riverview High baseball team was happy it had a chance.

After falling behind to East Lake High (21-5) 4-1 in the second inning, the Rams immediately got two runs back in the third on a double by sophomore Cooper Backman that scored seniors Christopher “Pip” Smalley and Cooper Bowditch.

Neither team scored in the fourth, fifth or sixth. In the seventh, with their season on the line, the Rams collected a walk from senior Chris Barr and a single from Smalley, putting the tying run in scoring position with one out.

Then East Lake pitcher Jayden Harriel shut the door, getting senior Dylan Wilds to fly out and Bowditch to strike out. Harriel, a sophomore, has not allowed an earned run all season; he pitched the final two innings against Riverview, taking over for senior Nathan Norwood. The Rams had the heart of their order up to try to become the first team chip a run off him, but they came up short.

“We came within one,” Rams Coach Jeremy Schmidt said.

“That’s all you can ask for is (being within) striking distance. We had the opportunities. They were just better tonight.”

The Rams’ troubles began in the second inning when, after taking a 1-0 lead, Smalley — the team’s starting pitcher — got his plant foot stuck in the pitching mound clay on the first pitch of the inning, which caused his knee to move awkwardly. Schmidt came out to assess the

Photos by Ryan Kohn

Rams junior Sam Klanot threw five scoreless innings in relief against East Lake High. Klanot will be a key member of the team’s pitching staff in 2023.

injury, and though Smalley stayed in the game, he was not as effective as he was in the first inning.

The Eagles scored all four of their runs in the inning, though none of them were earned runs charged to Smalley because of various errors in the field.

Smalley was replaced on the mound in the third by junior Sam Klanot, who held the Eagles scoreless the rest of the way; Smalley stayed in the game as a hitter.

“He (Smalley) could not get his push-off on his drive,” Schmidt said. “We didn’t want to push him.

We had Sam ready to go.”

It was an unfortunate break for the Rams, who ended their season with an 18-9 record and a Class 7A district title. The Rams will graduate 12 seniors this spring, so next year’s team will look quite different, though Schmidt is excited for the graduating class’s future.

“A lot of those guys are going to play at the next level,” Schmidt said. “That’s our job as coaches, to move guys on and see them succeed. Just because you don’t win a

The Rams tried to use “rally caps” to motivate the team to a comeback.

(state) championship doesn’t mean the year was not successful.”

The other two playoff baseball teams in the Sarasota area also saw their seasons end Tuesday night.

Sarasota High (18-8) lost 4-0 to Durant High (18-8) on the road. The Sailors managed just three hits off Durant sophomore pitcher Blaine Rowland, a Florida commit who threw 6-2/3 innings before junior Gavin Florio came in to strike out Sailors junior Luke Binswanger and end the game. Bernard Barnes Jr. started for the Sailors, allowing two earned runs (four total runs) on seven hits in 3-1/3 innings. Senior Bradley Ramsden pitched 2-2/3 scoreless innings in relief.

Cardinal Mooney High (12-10) lost 6-2 to Berkeley Prep (25-3) at home. The Cougars were close enough for a realistic comeback, trailing 3-1 through five innings, until the Buccaneers scored three more in the top of the sixth to make the score 6-1. The Cougars added a run in the bottom of the sixth but never threatened the lead. Bronson Sessa pitched a complete game for Mooney, allowing three earned runs (six total runs) on nine hits with three strikeouts. The Cougars got four hits off three Berkeley Prep pitchers; senior Landon Jensen had the lone RBI on a double.

TIP OF THE CAP

Riverview High baseball’s graduating seniors: n Chris Barr, shortstop n Colby Byrd, pitcher n Cooper Bowditch, catcher n Nicholas Garcia, pitcher n Austin Harford, pitcher n William Johnson, left field n Nicholas Polk, pitcher n Clayton Russin, first base n Christopher “Pip” Smalley,

third base/pitcher n Victor Snyder, outfield n Brandon Viera, pitcher n Dylan Wilds, second base

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For the Sailors, 20 athletes (10 boys and 10 girls) qualified. Junior boys runner Alec Miller enters the Class 4A event seeded first in the 1,600-meter run (4:19.86), and junior boys hurdler Tyler Boyer enters ranked fourth in the 300-meter hurdles (38.42 seconds) and seventh in the 110-meter hurdles (15.00 seconds). The boys 4x800-meter relay team is ranked sixth (8:07.61).

On the girls side, junior runner/ hurdler Isabella Nebel has the best shot at a medal. She enters the event ranked fourth in the 300-meter hurdles (43.94 seconds). Nebel is also part of both the Sailors’ 4x400meter (18th; 4:07.05) and 4x800meter (15th; 10:01.23) relay teams.

RIVERVIEW HIGH

The Rams have three athletes (two boys and one girl) attending this year’s championships.

Sophomore boys athlete Luis Castaneda enters the Class 4A event ranked seventh in the discus (44.60 meters), and senior boys runner Riccardo Testini enters the event ranked 10th in the 1,600-meter run (4:27.62). Sophomore Susan Lowther is ranked 15th (34.32 meters) in girls discus.

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Booker sophomore Jakai Peterson enters the Class 2A championships ranked fourth in the long jump (5.49 meters) and 11th in the 400-meter run (57.96 seconds).

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CARDINAL MOONEY

The Cougars have 11 girls attending the Class 1A event. In the discus, junior Madeline Carson is ranked third (34.39 meters), and senior McKayla Cantrell is ranked 10th (30.04 meters). Cantrell is also sixth in the shot put (10.48 meters). The Cougars’ 4x400-meter relay team enters ranked fifth (4:09.48).

On the boys side, the Cougars have just one participant: junior Cooper Flerlage. He’s ranked ninth in the discus (40.88 meters).

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YOUR NEIGHBORS

Photos by Harry Sayer

Above: Akoya, Tru and Sceno Robinson pick up some comics.

Left: Dr. Brian and Mischa Nell

Dagny Murdock, made up as Rey from “Star Wars,” has been dressing up for conventions.

Heroes come to life Costumes range from simple to extravagant at annual event designed to connect readers with a classic art form.

HARRY SAYER STAFF WRITER

R

ussell Kasper likes comic books, but that’s just the start.

Reading them came naturally; he’s been doing that for decades, starting as a kid growing up in Sarasota. But as his interest deep-

ened, so did his participation, and he said he started attending conventions and dressing as the characters he reads, which fans of the pursuit call cosplaying.

Now married, Russell and his wife, Crystal, often bring their 9-yearold daughter, Magnolia, along for the fun. Most recently, on May 7’s Free Comic Book Day, the family cosplayed as their favorite characters: Russell as noir detective The Shadow and Magnolia as a “Star Wars” Jedi carrying a light saber.

“We’ve made friends over the years going to conventions. I’ve been to their weddings,” Russell said. “Now there’s all these people I know all around the region with these similar likes.”

Joining the Kaspers at Dark Side, a Beneva Road comic book and game shop, for their part in a national celebration for all things nerdy were dozens of other passionate locals, some portraying characters, some just interested in watching the spectacle and picking up, well, free comic books set out by store manager Paul Eisnaugle and owner Brian Polizzi.

“It’s national promotion; we get a lot of exposure,” Polizzi said. “Plus there’s turnover in Sarasota. New people are moving in all the time. It’s also just a reason for us to have a par-

ty and to get comics in kids’ hands. A lot of kids have seen the Marvel movies but don’t know there’s a whole catalog of stories available.”

Sarasota resident Shelli DiConstanzo brought grandchildren Akoya, Tru and Sceno Robinson to the shop. The trio loves superhero movies, particularly “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” “(I love) that Spider-Man can shoot webs and climb walls,” Tru said. “I like the cartoons outside that are dressed up.”

The event prompts a number of cosplayers and cosplay groups, including the “Star Wars”-centric 501st Legion, Outer Rims Guild, Rebel Legion and the superherofocused Gotham Underground, to put on their best costumes and keep families and kids entertained.

“It’s great seeing the kids having their minds blown by the cosplayers,” Polizzi said. “It’s celebrating everything we like to do here.”

Some visitors were trying out cosplay of their own. Henry and Andrew Huffman arrived at the shop dressed as Marvel Comics character Moon Knight and

“Kingdom Hearts” character Sora, respectively. Henry picked up his costume on Amazon and he and his brother had their simulated weapons 3D-printed to complete their looks. “(The suit) stays clean if you don’t sit down, don’t touch anything, don’t go near anyone, and you’re fine,” Henry Huffman joked.

Mischa Nell, who leads the Sarasota-based ShimmyBOOM belly dance troupe and has been a longtime friend of Polizzi, brought dancers to the shop for a superhero-themed improvisational number. Nell, dressed as Marvel Comics character Moon Knight, led her fellow dancers who were dressed as the Scarlet Witch, Thor, Doctor Strange, Venom and more.

Troupe member Stephanie Johns ordered her initial Scarlet Witch costume online and added to it.

“I picked the Scarlet Witch because my head was red,” Johns said. “The costume has evolved over time.”

Joseph Vabrik as the Penguin

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

Photos by Harry Sayer

Amanda Stewart, Lori Ruth, Janet Youn and Bryana Reyes

Derby day delights

K

entucky Derby fans met at the Laurel Oak Country Club for a lively and colorful party to support the Sunshine Kids foundation on May 7.

More than 100 attendees put on their finest hats and derby wear for the event benefiting the foundation’s programs creating fun experiences for children with

LONGBOAT KEY

5809 GULF OF MEXICO DRIVE PENDING $2,290,000

THE LANDINGS

5450 EAGLES POINT CIR UNIT #305 ACTIVE LISTING $995,000

4005 CASEY KEY ROAD ACTIVE LISTING $3,990,000

1507 BAY POINT DRIVE ACTIVE LISTING $9,499,000

BIRD KEY

394 BOB WHITE DRIVE PENDING $5,295,000

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Ken and Angie Chapman with Andrea and Mark Guthrie

CASEY KEY

DOWNTOWN SARASOTA

cancer. Amanda Stewart and Briana Reyes of Sunshine Kids joined the party to speak of their experiences with the foundation.

Guests sat for dinner, participated in a live auction and later hit the gambling tables while enjoying music by the Blue Pelicans.

BIRD KEY

422 MEADOW LARK DRIVE SOLD $6,995,000

LONGBOAT KEY

5840 GULF OF MEXICO DRIVE SOLD $4,860,000 375355-1

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

THE ACKERMAN GROUP 941.387.1820 TOP PRODUCING SMALL TEAM IN SARASOTA COUNTY RYAN ACKERMAN

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SARASOTA OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

SARASOTA 1423 Hillview Drive 6 Beds 7/2 Baths 11,588 Sq. Ft. Linda Driggs & Kim Ogilvie 941-374-2920 A4525534 $21,600,000

LONGBOAT KEY 540 Harbor Cove Circle 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 2,081 Sq. Ft. Julie Klick & Beverly St Hilaire 941-780-6001 A4534178 $3,600,000

MANASOTA KEY 6860 Manasota Key Road 4 Beds 3/1 Baths 3,867 Sq. Ft. Maryann Casey 941-468-3741 D6124931 $3,475,000

SARASOTA 1771 Ringling Boulevard PH302 3 Beds 3/1 Baths 2,873 Sq. Ft. Michael Moulton 941-928-3559 A4532280 $3,200,000

SIESTA KEY 3913 Roberts Point Road 4 Beds 4/1 Baths 2,793 Sq. Ft. Denise Mei 941-685-3198 A4522985 $2,950,000

SARASOTA 8188 Grande Shores Drive 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 2,797 Sq. Ft. Stacy Haas 941-587-4359 A4532966 $1,795,000

UNIVERSITY PARK 8171 Abingdon Court 2 Beds 2/2 Baths 2,609 Sq. Ft. Rachel Benderson 941-376-0218 A4525357 $1,650,000

SIESTA KEY 6146 Midnight Pass Road 10S 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,204 Sq. Ft. Marlene & George Marshall 941-539-8850 A4527968 $1,500,000

SIESTA KEY 19 Whispering Sands Drive 102 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,464 Sq. Ft. Mary Jo Violett 941-928-8474 A4533091 $1,395,000

SIESTA KEY 1280 Dolphin Bay Way 504 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,840 Sq. Ft. Diana Kryszak 941-993-4078 A4533845 $1,390,000

SARASOTA 1646 7th Street 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,340 Sq. Ft. Valarie Wadsworth 941-780-3858 A4528362 $1,369,000

LONGBOAT KEY 775 Longboat Club Road 906 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,524 Sq. Ft. Lenore Treiman 941-356-9642 A4527843 $1,299,000

PARRISH 16003 39th Glen E 4 Beds 3 Baths 3,225 Sq. Ft. Laura Navratil & Mary Pat Pihl 941-806-7436 A4532572 $1,295,000

SARASOTA 1651 4th Street 2 Beds 2 Baths 2,640 Sq. Ft. Valarie Wadsworth 941-780-3858 A4533056 $1,250,000

SIESTA KEY 5920 Midnight Pass Road 304TOW 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,234 Sq. Ft. Rudy Dudon 941-234-3991 A4528197 $1,200,000

SIESTA KEY 6140 Midnight Pass Road 502 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,521 Sq. Ft. Barbara Dumbaugh & Victoria Lear 941-951-6660 A4532193 $1,200,000

NOKOMIS 516 Tamiami Trail S 302 3 Beds 3/1 Baths 2,158 Sq. Ft. Camille Buck 941-894-4771 A4527984 $1,100,000

SIESTA KEY 5760 Midnight Pass Road 404D 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,361 Sq. Ft. Joseph McDonald 941-375-9646 A4531860 $1,100,000

LONGBOAT KEY 1926 Harbourside Drive 1304 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,135 Sq. Ft. Cindy Fischer & Mark J Baron 941-465-1124 A4528490 $1,095,000

SIESTA KEY 5128 Oxford Drive 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,908 Sq. Ft. Mimi Kruk 941-587-5188 A4533555 $990,000

SARASOTA 628 42nd Street 3 Beds 2 Baths 2,506 Sq. Ft. Francoise Borel 941-228-3768 A4534123 $949,000

LIDO KEY 2110 Benjamin Franklin Drive 104 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,248 Sq. Ft. Drew Russell 941-993-3739 A4532913 $915,000

LONGBOAT KEY 4600 Gulf Of Mexico Drive 205 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,312 Sq. Ft. Ann Martin & Joanna Benante 941-356-7717 A4529849 $875,000

SIESTA KEY 6236 Midnight Pass Road 107 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,150 Sq. Ft. Tara Lamb & Judy Greene 941-266-4873 A4528175 $849,000

SARASOTA 871 Cedarcrest Court 4 Beds 3 Baths 2,576 Sq. Ft. Victoria Beckham 941-544-6734 A4530932 $849,000

BRADENTON 5708 Inspiration Terrace 4 Beds 5/1 Baths 6,326 Sq. Ft. Fran DeDona & Pam Goodwin 941-812-5023 A4528037 $4,995,000

ENGLEWOOD 802 N Manasota Key Road 4 Beds 4 Baths 3,786 Sq. Ft. Maryann Casey 941-468-3741 D6125235 $4,750,000

SARASOTA 491 Partridge Circle 4 Beds 5/1 Baths 4,535 Sq. Ft. Joanna Benante & Ann Martin 941-356-7717 A4533316 $4,000,000

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SARASOTA OBSERVER

Quay penthouse sells for $9.75 million

Other top sales by area

A

condominium in Block 6 tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. Mark and Robyn Jones, of Westlake, Texas, sold their Unit PH-1901 condominium at 401 Quay Commons to Paul Verrochi and Joseph D’Arrigo, trustees, of Cohasset, Massachusetts, for $9.75 million. Built in 2021, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths and 5,893 square feet of living area. It sold for $7.85 million in 2021.

SIESTA KEY: $6.25 MILLION

Bay Island Shores Dilip Mathew and Cynthia Adams sold their home at 852 Freeling Drive to Patrick and Jennifer Burnam, of Columbia, Missouri, for $6.25 million. Built in 1963, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,212 square feet of living area. It sold for $2.65 million in 2018.

PALMER RANCH: $820,000

SARASOTA

Susan Morin, trustee, sold the home at 603 Indian Beach Lane to 603 IBL LLC for $3.55 million.

Built in 1971, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,883 square feet of living area. It sold for $126,000 in 1979.

KIMLIRA LANE Raymond Williams Jr. sold the home at 1430 Kimlira Lane to Stephen and Bridgit Dowling, of Kamuela, Hawaii, for $2.4 million.

Built in 1980, it has five bedrooms, five baths, a pool and 4,362 square feet of living area. It sold for $1 million in 2015.

THE CONDOMINIUM ON THE BAY Alain Bilodeau, of Quebec, Canada, sold his Unit 609 condominium at 988 Blvd. of the Arts to C. Eva Thomson, trustee, of Sarasota, for $1,855,000. Built in 1982, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,315 square feet of living area. It sold for $228,700 in 1989.

LA LINDA TERRACE David Lynch and Susan Tetrick

REAL ESTATE

APRIL 25-29

RESEARCH EDITOR

Courtesy rendering

The PH-1901 unit at 401 Quay Commons sold for $7.85 million in 2021.

Lynch, of Sarasota, sold their home at 1715 S. School Ave. to Theodore and Judith Beilman, of Sarasota, for $1.68 million. Built in 2017, it has four bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,387 square feet of living area. It sold for $691,500 in 2017.

GRANADA TrafficSoup LLC sold two properties at 1730 Fortuna St. to David and Maureen Phifer, of Sarasota, for $1.5 million. The first property was built in 2008, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,602 square feet of living area. The second property was built in 2008, it has one bedroom, one bath and 436 square feet of living area. They sold for $975,000 in 2021.

Arbor Lakes on Palmer Ranch Thomas Urfer, of Sarasota, sold his home at 5713 Wild Sage Circle to Ting Li Bork and Jeffrey Thomas Bork, of Sarasota, for $820,000. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,664 square feet of living area. It sold for $466,700 in 2018.

square feet of living area. It sold for $190,000 in 1999.

29

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

ADAM HUGHES

INDIAN BEACH Charles and Nancy Parrish, trustees, of Sarasota, sold two properties at 3139 Bay Shore Road to John and Kathleen Szabo, of Sarasota, for $7.48 million. The first property was built in 1912, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,140 square feet of living area. The second property was built in 1912, it has one bath and 825 square feet of living area. They sold for $2.5 million in 2012.

|

OSPREY: $2.55 MILLION

Oaks II Edward and Lucy McCullough, of Franklin, Tennessee, sold their home at 542 Dove Pointe to Tiffane Ferrer and Gerard Albert Ferrer, of Wayzata, Minnesota, for $2.55 million. Built in 2001, it has four bedrooms, four-and-twohalf baths, a pool and 5,196 square feet of living area. It sold for $875,000 in 2012.

NOKOMIS: $2.2 MILLION

Casa Bonitas Kathleen Rajca, trustee, sold the home at 2287 Bayshore Road to John and Kristin LaRocca, of Ambler, Pennsylvania, for $2,206,500. Built in 1988, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,388 square feet of living area.

It sold for $412,000 in 1997.

2001 LBI LLC sold the home at 1956 Rose St. to Christopher Samuel Wilson and Selma Goker Wilson, of Sarasota, for $500,000. Built in 1949, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 982 square feet of living area. It sold for $350,000 in 2018.

SEE REAL ESTATE, PAGE 31

In with the new

Filipe Fortes and Manuela Bastos Fortes, of Sarasota, sold their home at 3528 Palonia Court to Jose Antonio Baptista Fortes and Ana Fortes, of Gainesville, for $1,336,000. Built in 2014, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,047 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,336,000 in 2021.

NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Longboat Key

POINSETTIA PARK Andre Hoefer and Elizabeth Bertelsen, of Sarasota, sold their home at 1917 Rose St. to Matthew and Bonnie Biagioli, of Sarasota, for $1.05 million. Built in 1951, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,790

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

Downtown St. Petersburg

CITY OF SARASOTA Address

Permit

Applicant

Amount

800 N. Tamiami Trail #407

Alterations

James Manson

505 S. Orange Ave. #1101

Remodel

Constance Kayser, trustee$119,500

2850 Bon Air Ave.

Windows/Doors

Claudia Cumbie-Jones

$72,645

1840 Hyde Park St.

Remodel

Gabriele Fischer

$64,800

850 S. Tamiami Trail #404

Remodel

Steven Bang

$58,000

3224 S. East Ave.

Windows

Samuel Schmitt

$55,000

1595 Bay Point Drive

Pool

Daniel Hagan

$43,000

226 Golden Gate Point #21

Windows/Doors

Erin Morphy

$37,215

2332 Hawthorne St.

Re-roof

Brian Hyde, trustee

$25,746

1538 S. Orange Ave.

Re-roof

Joann Laird, trustee

$20,000

$123,000

400 Central | 727.209.7848 | From the $1MM’s | Call for appointment. | Residences400central.com 2 UNITS LEFT

Downtown Sarasota

SARASOTA COUNTY Address

Permit

Applicant

3003 Homasassa Road

Addition

Sean Stanley

$200,000

Amount

5541 Avellino Place

Remodel

Harvey Weiss

$132,500

6211 Anise Drive

Pool/Deck

Michael Coverstone

$86,560

1618 Stickney Point Road

Remodel

Christina Haddad

$82,500

12532 Night View Drive

Pool/Deck

Patrick Dempsey

$78,000

740 Arabian Circle

Pool Cage

Lori Falcone

231 Hidden Bay Dive #203

Windows/Doors

Rick Dumler

$63,035

5920 Midnight Pass Road

Alterations

Scott Wolffis

$62,480

The Collection | 941.232.2868 | From the $2MM’s | Call for appointment. | thecollection1335.com

Sales galleries open and available for virtual or in-person presentations.

Virtual home tours | OnDemand local experts | Interactive site and floorplans

#102 $67,677

373652-1

#804 Source: Sarasota County, city of Sarasota

MichaelSaunders.com/New-Homes | 844.591.4333 | Sarasota, Florida Prices as of February 2022.

Licensed Real Estate Broker

SARASOTA OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

Thank I am honored and most humbled to accept this lifetime achievement award.

It has been my privilege to serve the Sarasota community.

48 CAR CENTEDIOVASCU LA R OF SARA R SOTA

YEARS

SERVING THE SARASOTA COMMUNITY The City of Sarasota proclaims February 4, 2022 as Dr. El Shahawy Day in recognition of his 48 outstanding years of dedication to our community healthcare and cardiovascular disease prevention.

DR. MAHFOUZ EL SHAHAWY

380810-1

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AND

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SARASOTA OBSERVER

HUDSON PARK Lilly Frances Crew, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 2574 Bay St. to Bay Street Hideaway LLC for $1,004,000. Built in 2016, it has four bedrooms, three-anda-half baths, a pool and 2,647 square feet of living area. It sold for $585,000 in 2018.

EMBASSY HOUSE Scott Blum, of Sarasota, sold his Unit 1103 condominium at 770 S. Palm Ave. to Marilyn Wolff, of Sarasota, for $995,000. Built in 1975, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,284 square feet of living area. It sold for $375,000 in 2009.

Q Theodore and Judith Beilman sold their home at 239 Cosmopolitan Court to Nabothian Systems LLC, trustee, for $994,000. Built in 2016, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,699 square feet of living area. It sold for $563,100 in 2016.

7TH STREET Damien and Angela Sausa, of Windermere, sold two properties at 1911 and 1915 Seventh St. to Ruby Dollins, of Temecula, California, for $936,500. The property at 1911 was built in 1972, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,343 square feet of living area. The property at 1915 was built in 1972, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,344 square feet of living area. They sold for $635,000 in 2020.

MARQUEE EN VILLE Marc and Janet Epstein, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 128-E condominium at 235 Cocoanut Ave. to Victor Jackovich and Deborah Jones, trustees, of Venice, for $929,000.

Built in 2006, it has two bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,093 square feet of living area. It sold for $595,000 in 2014.

PATRICIA MANOR Albert Gadbois, of Sarasota, sold three properties at 2825, 2835, 2840

PATTI SMITH

Louise St. to The Alex Lancaster Revocable Trust & The Marlene A. Lancaster Revocable Trust for $910,000. The property at 2825 was built in 1954. It has three bedrooms, one bath and 910 square feet of living area. It sold for $78,600 in 2000. The property at 2835 was built in 1953 and has three bedrooms, one-and-a-half baths and 1,304 square feet of living area.

It sold for $77,000 in 2002. The property at 2840 was built in 1954 and has three bedrooms, one bath and 1,234 square feet of living area.

It sold for $66,800 in 1999.

FLORENCE Scott Michelson Murphy, trustee, of Scottsdale, Arizona, sold the home at 1850 Sherwood St. to Long Duy Tran and Lan Anh Nguyen, of Sarasota, for $875,000. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,070 square feet of living area. It sold for $694,700 in February.

SOUTH GATE A. Michele Chapel, of Roswell, Georgia, sold the home at 3519 Mineola Drive to Valerie and Brian Jones, of Sarasota, for $850,000.

Built in 1960, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,812 square feet of living area. It sold for $318,500 in 2014.

F LOW E R S , P O E T RY, AND L I G H T

Melissa Johantgen and Scott Nichols, trustees, of Orlando, sold the home at 3511 Jaffa Drive to Sitka Properties LLC for $550,000. Built in 1971, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,631 square feet of living area.

FEBRUARY 13 - JUNE 26

Arthur and Dorota Bobko, of Riverdale, New York, sold their home at 2916 Woodcrest Drive to Natalia Kachtanova, of Aliso Viejo, California, for $525,000. Built in 1963, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,576 square feet of living area. It sold for $209,500 in 2004.

NOW THROUGH JUNE 26 PRESENTING SPONSORS Drs. Joel Morganroth and Gail Morrison Morganroth LEAD SPONSORS

Marianne and William McComb

ONLINE See more transactions at YourObserver.com SELBY.ORG

WHO YOU WORK WITH MATTERS $137 MILLION PENDING & SOLD IN 2021

PENDING

SUCCESS STORIES

SOLD

SIESTA ISLES | $3M

SANDERLING CLUB | ABOVE LIST | $3.5M

“I did 2 transactions (sale of a home and purchase of another) with Judie within 30 days and in both cases they were the result of her initiative, professionalism, local knowledge and tuning in to what I wanted/needed to do. She was always available, responsive and went above and beyond. She is a true professional and makes you feel as if you are the only one she is working with even though she may be one of the busiest Realtors® on Siesta Key.”

405 BEACH RD | OFFERED AT $4.25M

MIDNIGHT PASS | OFFERED AT $3M

1

No.

SIESTA KEY’S TOP SELLING REALTOR ® SINCE 2005

NORTH SIESTA KEY | ABOVE LIST | $2.5M

NEW

SOLD

JACK IMPERATO

5780 MIDNIGHT PASS RD, #110B | OFFERED AT $1.55M

23 Years Connecting Buyers and Sellers Ranked in the Top 1% of Realtors® in the USA YOUR HOME HAS NEVER BEEN WORTH MORE BUYING OR SELLING? SCAN THE CODE FOR MORE INFO 941.928.3424 | judie.berger@premiersir.com 380423-1

31

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.

378504-1

FROM PAGE 29

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

Robert Mapplethorpe, Hyacinth, 1987. Courtesy of Graphicstudio, University of South Florida Collection and Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation.

Real estate

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32

WEATHER

SARASOTA OBSERVER

|

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

FORECAST THURSDAY, MAY 12

Submit your photos at YourObserver. com/Weather.

All submissions will be entered for the 2022-23 Weather and Nature photo contest. In February 2023, you will vote for your favorite photo, and the submission with the most votes will win a $500 gift card.

High: 84 Low: 65 Chance of rain: 15%

FRIDAY, MAY 13 High: 83 Low: 67 Chance of rain: 24%

SUNRISE / SUNSET Sunrise Sunset Thursday, May 12

6:43a

8:09p

Friday, May 13

6:42a

8:10p

Saturday, May 14

6:42a

8:11p

Sunday, May 15

6:41a

8:11p

Monday, May 16

6:40a

8:12p

Tuesday, May 17

6:40a

8:12p

Wednesday, May 18

6:39a

8:13p

MOON PHASES

SATURDAY, MAY 14 High: 85 Low: 72 Chance of rain: 7%

SUNDAY, MAY 15 High: 85 Low: 72 Chance of rain: 12%

June 14 Full

June 20 Last

June 28 New

July 6 First

RAINFALL Monday, May 2

0.25

Tuesday, May 3

0

Wednesday, May 4

0

Thursday, May 5

0

Friday, May 6

0

Saturday, May 7

0.73

Sunday, May 8

0.04

*Rainfall totals from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport

Diane Suner captured a curious seagull on Lido Beach.

YEAR TO DATE: 2022 6.82 in.

2021 8.82 in.

MONTH TO DATE: 2022 1.19 in.

2021 0.00 in.

The Observer’s

Weather ENTER: &Nature

Sponsored by

YourObserver.com/contests KITCHEN | CABINETRY OUTDOOR PAVERS

381856-1

2022-23 PHOTO CONTEST

A REFLECTION OF NATURE’S BEAUTY

celebrity cipher

©2022 Universal Uclick

ACROSS

38 Prefix for “nautical” 39 Make a typo, say 1 Of the mouth 40 Chophouse cut 5 Caribou’s kin 41 ... about contestants 8 At the ready navigating a gigantic corn 14 Sickly white maze?

19 Mani’s mate 48 Forty winks 20 “I’ll be!”

49 Zombie’s sound 21 Heath bar base 50 Photo finish?

22 Concave navel 23 Reality show “remake” 51 Tree with acorns about aspiring actors who 53 Rambunctious 57 Binary digits won’t settle for bit parts?

59 One may wear black 26 Add sequins to, say lipstick 27 Black Friday events 61 Sombrero features 28 In favor of 63 Shade 29 Follow, as a tip 64 Dolphins’ home 31 Cheerios grain 67 Lasagna cheese 32 They rarely pass to 69 Chick’s chirp teammates 70 ... about choreographic 35 ... about a single guy whose dates aren’t private? pairs dressed like Romanov

rulers?

74 Muppet with a unibrow 75 Fall sign 76 English county 77 Tats 78 Cheese that may be smoked 79 Boxing bout enders, briefly 82 ___ fright 85 How ocean liners travel 87 Go bad 88 Words on Alice’s cake 91 Congresswoman Ilhan 92 Umami enhancer, for short 94 ... about people investigating an Area 51 conspiracy theory?

98 Make no changes 101 Beatle’s hairdo

102 “Frozen” queen 103 ... about meetups at a Hoboken sub shop?

106 Protected against competitors, in a way 110 Environmental prefix 111 “Till ___ do us part” 112 Kid-lit’s Sam-___ 113 Was broadcast 115 Jazz great who claimed to be from Saturn 117 ... about a superhero’s crusade to teach ASL? 122 Test run 123 The Onion genre 124 Same old routine 125 Bring on board 126 Splinter groups 127 Punctual 128 Tempeh protein 129 Ticked (off)

“L IVAY KIY MYXK SNM LW KIY ENJHO: L FJYKYWO CNJ V HLALWU. TNB DVW’K UYK KNN FJYDLNBX VMNBK KIVK.” – JNXVJLN OVEXNW

“GPX LSRPG GM AX SLLXEDMBESAFX TBO EGZDSO SE EMJXGPSBR S PMFO WXLC OXTL. TBO FZNVSFC SG SE EMJXGPSBR S OM IXFF.”

– AMBM

“NVXXYRBFNJ FN IYNKXVSKFPY, AVK FK IYNKXHCN HZBC DURK FK SHZNFIYXN KH AY NURSLBYN BFJFKFZT HVX – NRBPRIHX IRBF

PFNFHZ.”

Puzzle Three Clue: T equals G

62 The “M” of STEM 65 Paste in Japanese 1 Decides (to) cuisine 2 Building restoration, for 66 Rack up short 68 Get very emotional 3 Screenwriter ___ Rogers 69 Integral to St. Johns 70 Turn down 4 Written defamation 71 “Waiting for ___” (Beck5 One might be poached ett play) 6 Triangle side 72 Intense anger 7 “Continue!”

73 Venus, to Serena, 8 Palindromic Italian informally number 74 Crab shack wear 9 Here-there link 78 Accelerators 10 Corp. $$$ overseer 80 Rower’s implement 11 Insurer with a spokes81 They’re seen hanging at duck some parties 12 Freeloader 83 ___ pal (female friend) 13 NBC anchor Holt 84 Before, to a bard 14 Establishments with 86 Accident responders benches and stools (Abbr.)

15 Fish-chips link 89 Hot sandwich 16 “Peanuts” pooch 90 Lessen, as pain 17 Angry tweetstorm 93 “Marvin ___” (2015 hit) 18 Shtetl busybody 95 Angsty music genre 24 Quran’s religion 96 Distress call letters 25 Some ACT takers 97 Island west of Maui 30 Lena of “Chocolat” 98 Clinch 33 Recover 99 Like a driving instructor 34 Minestrone pasta, getting ticketed perhaps 100 “For real?”

35 It may be wireless 103 Kids around 36 Sun’s path, seemingly 104 Actor Hawke 37 Seized property, slangily 105 “Country Again” singer 39 “Journey” you take by Thomas yourself 106 Neighbor of India 41 Celebrity news site (Abbr.)

42 Clod-busting tool 107 Word before “squeeze” 43 Appropriates, as funds or “schedule” 44 Bless with oil 108 74-Across’ bestie 45 Grp. such as World 109 Big name in tractors Vision India 112 “Got it!”

46 Roomba, e.g.

114 Scott who sued for 47 Mother ___ (our home) freedom 52 High flyers 116 Snitch 54 Lost person’s question 118 Personal racer in 55 Union fees “Mario Kart 8” 56 “Uh-huh!”

119 Humerus’s limb 58 Cul-de-___ 120 Wayne and Garth, for 60 “Start playing,” to a one bandleader 121 Pigs’ digs

DOWN

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

Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

Puzzle Two Clue: N equals C

UNREAL! by Tracy Gray and Tom Pepper. Edited by David Steinberg

Puzzle One Clue: C equals F

crossword

© 2022 NEA, Inc.

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

©2022 Andrews McMeel Syndicate

5-12-22

YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER

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33

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

WILD FLORIDA An exploration beyond the pavement.

White-tailed deer nearly hunted to extinction W

hite-tailed deer are an integral part of Myakka’s ecosystems, but by the 1930s, unregulated hunting practically eliminated deer from Sarasota County. In fact, when Myakka River State Park was established in 1941, to protect the Myakka River valley from development, many species of wildlife, including deer, had been hunted to near extinction. To restore deer, Allen Crowley, one of the park’s first managers, brought them from the Everglades and bred them in a 6-acre fenced area in the park. They were then introduced into the newly protected lands, where they now thrive.

Deer are herbivores whose diet consists of leaves and tender tips of shrubs and vines, as well as many plants, acorns and mushrooms. As a prey species popular with predators such as humans, Florida panthers, bobcats and even American alligators, speed is a deer’s primary defense.

When they sense danger, before bolting to safety, they hold their tail upright, exposing its white underside for which they are named. This quietly alerts other deer nearby and also might signal to the predator they’ve been spotted. The white flag of the doe’s tail also helps her fawns

ENJOY THE WILD Wild Florida is a monthly feature written by Miri Hardy, the first executive director of the Friends of Myakka River. Miri has been a Sarasota resident since 2014 and holds a doctorate in social psy-

follow her in dimly lit forests.

Fawns are able to stand, walk and even run shortly after birth. But because their legs are still weak, running from danger is not a viable option. As the fawns have no scent, predators can’t detect their presence unless they’re seen.

Therefore, they spend most of their time hiding from predators in tall vegetation, aided by their spotted coat, which keeps them practically invisible. Other than quick visits for nursing, does will limit contact with their offspring so as not to attract predators.

So, this spring, if you find a young fawn curled up in the woods or hiding in tall grass, please leave it alone and quickly move away from the area. Its mother is likely nearby, and

chology from Washington University in St. Louis. She is happiest exploring wild Florida, often on her bike, and capturing its beauty though the lens of her camera.

a fawn’s best chances of survival are with her.

Also, when driving through wooded areas, please be mindful of deer near the road, who might be getting ready to cross with precious little ones likely close behind.

—MIRI HARDY FRIENDS OF MYAKKA RIVER

Friends of Myakka River exists to support Myakka River State Park and the Wild and Scenic Myakka River. Together, we’re protecting and sharing Myakka’s Magic, to the benefit of future generations and our own.

Made for where you live. Here!

Miri Hardy

In a remarkable adaptation, a fawn’s spotted coat blends in with the dappled pattern of sunlight on the forest floor, helping conceal it from predators.

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

RED PAGES INFORMATION & RATES: 941-955-4888

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

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 PUB TABLE- made by Thomasville. Painted, wedgewood blue, maple top with 2 chairs. $199. (941)800-4476

Items Under $200

RED PADDLEBOARD, 11.5L, W/ PADDLE, LIKE NEW $199 941-920-2494

ARIES TOWER Fan. CT-290TF. Oscillates, 29" tall, 3 speed. Pic online. $10 (941) 966-6816

Announcements

DESK & Futon for sale. 7 drawer wood desk w chair $75, Futon $125. (941) 773-4347 MICROWAVE OVEN. Excellent condition, for countertop. $65.

941-400-4808 NEW LAWNMOWER still in original box. $175.

(941)376-3289 PIANO ROLLS 40 various piano rolls with songs of the 40’s, 50’s & 60’s. $190 takes all.

(941)926-7254

ST JUDES NOVENA May the Sacred Heart Of Jesus be adored, glorified, loved and preserved throughout the world now and forever. Sacred heart of Jesus Pray for me, St Jude, worker of miracles, pray for me, St. Jude, help of the hopeless, pray for me. Say this prayer nine times a day, by the 8th day your prayers will be answered. Say it for nine days, it has never been known to fail. Publication must be promised.

Announcements SUMMER KICK Off! Free Community Event May 28 - 10:00 am - 1:00 pm Bloodmobile, K9 Unit, Mounted Patrol, Bike Safety.

Beneva Christian Church 4835 Beneva Road (941) 924-8713 www.benevachristian.com

Medical Supplies/ Equipment PENTAIR POOL-LIFT Like new mobile Pentair Aqua Trim pool lift.

Serial# baj1-u022-00. Perfect for condo, hotel or private residence.

400 LB capacity. (941)350-1395

Merchandise Wanted BUYING BASEBALL card collections! Looking to free up space and make $$? Need to sell sports cards? Collector looking to expand collection.

Pay top dollar. Text/call 941 548 6492 with photos.

Autos Wanted

Business Opportunities

CASH FOR YOUR CAR We come to you!

Ho Ho Buys cars.

941-270-4400.

BE YOUR Own Boss! As Low As $ 800.00 Down. We Get You Clients! We Have Accounts Now! (941) 907-3200 www.cleaningbutlers.com

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

941809-3660, 941-809-3662.

Help Wanted

SELL IT FAST!

Place Your Ad Online YourObserver.com/RedPages WE BUY cars. top $$ paid for your vehicles.

Call Hawley Motors: 941-923-3421.

DRIVER WANTED- We are seeking an experienced driver for an old family member on a parttime basis (Monday & Fridays only.) Weekly salary very attractive, $55 per hour/$765 weekly. Must have a valid stateissued driver's license. Must be professional, safe, patient and an attentive chauffeur at all times.

Kindly E-mail or call 209-840-6585 Resume/References: suepatrick112@att.net

MOW OVER the competition!

stuff

Items Under $200

jobs

The Sarasota and Siesta Key Observer reserves the right to classify and edit copy, or to reject or cancel an advertisement at any time. Corrections after first insertion only. *All ads are subject to the approval of the Publisher. *It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in the Sarasota and Siesta Key Observer to meet all applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with towncodes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, or residential rental property.

Notice: All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.

auto

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

SELL MORE STUFF AT YOUR NEXT

GARAGE SALE CALL 941-955-4888

Advertise your business or service in the Observer

RED PAGES CALL TODAY 941-955-4888

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

real estate

Condos/Apts. for Sale

Condos/Apts. for Rent LUXURIOUS CONDO on Anna Maria Island For Rent - Upgraded granite/strainless kitchen.

Incredible water views through floor length windows. Waterfront patio, luxury furnishings, 2BD/2BR, king bed. Pool, tennis, walk to the beach. Private carport.

Monthly rent May-November.

Owner/renter. Flexible terms.

570-239-0431 marketreps@aol.com

Vacation/ Seasonal Rentals

1BR/1BA GULF of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key Fully furnished beachfront condo located on Gulf of Mexico Drive. 35 unit, 2 story beachfront complex. Heated pool, owner laundry, on-site management. Perfect for rental income and/or personal use.

Enjoy beautiful sunsets from your living room, bedroom, or private balcony. Unit 238. $676,000.

(313) 820-6900 www.seahorsebeachresort.com

WEEKLY MONTHLY SEASONAL Rates Beachfront, Bayfront and In Between Houses or Condos Reservations 941-383-5577 wagnerlbkrentals@gmail.com Visa/MC

SELL IT FAST!

5360 Gulf of Mexico Dr., Suite 101

Place Your Ad Online

Longboat Key, FL 34228

YourObserver.com/RedPages

Rental office 9a.m. - 5p.m.

Homes for Sale

M-F Ask about our special rates!

LONGBOAT KEY Incredible views Private boat dock Pet friendly condo Owner/agent $650,000

Adult Care 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 Epic Home Care Personal Care-Respite Care Alzheimer’s Care Light Cleaning Med Administration Meal Prep Shopping, Errands & More Call for a FREE Evaluation!

941-536-6372 EpicHomeCare@yahoo.com Rosa Torres- Owner

Wagner Realty Since 1939

Auto Transport

www.rentalsonlongboat.com

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

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

The Lake Club LWR 4 bed 4.5 bath Pool/Spa Dazzling with upgrades 2.5 Million

Cleaning

Buy or Sell with Brooke O’Malley as your Realtor, and CLUB REALTY will Pay your title insurance.

Call 941-726-2677.

BRAZILIAN CLEANING Service

by Maria. Residential. Meticulous Cleaning. Excellent References.

Free Estimates. Reliable. Lic./Ins. 941-400-3342.

Use the RED PAGES to clean out your garage CALL 941-955-4888

Aluminum

GARAGE SALE Advertise as low as $17.50 per week!

941-955-4888

www.braziliancleaningbymk.com

Auto Service

WE COME TO YOU

381029

Owner /Insured Operator Insured

941.270.4400

HoHoBuysCars.com

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YoderAluminum.com

YourObserver.com/RedPages

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.

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

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

5-Star Rated

6968 Beneva Road (Next to Beneva Flowers)

941-929-9095

381025

Dustin Yoder

941-955-4888

COMPUTER REPAIR SALES & SERVICE

FAST • EASY • SAFE

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FIND BUYERS & SELLERS HERE!

Computer

SELL YOUR CAR! “Specializing inin6” Gutters” “Specializing 6” Seamless Seamless Gutters”

Landscaping/ Lawn Services

381034

SARASOTA OBSERVER

home services

34

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

Doors

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

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

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

Pegatronics.com 381307

941-735-3362

Window Repairs • Sliding Glass Door Repairs Sliding Glass Door Deadbolts

Doors

Sliding Glass Door Repair

Call us today! 941.628.8579 www.ezslider.com

Realtors

NEED HELP?

Find local business and service professionals in the Observer Red Pages.

YourObserver.com/RedPages

Furniture Repair

Patio Furniture Repairs.com Furniture Sales & Repairs Cushions • Slings • Re-powdercoating

941-504-0903

381780

381325

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

381324

“FIX IT - DON’T REPLACE”

FREE IN-HOM ESTIMATEE S

FREE PICKUP / DELIVERY • FREE ONSITE QUOTES

380573

381026

Handyman

CONSTRUCTION HANDYMAN • Home Repairs & Maintenance • Interior & Exterior 941.504.2745 • Garage Floor Paint 941.400.1563 • Power Wash

Naji Aoun

GladysKhabbaz@gmail.com 805 Molly Circle, Sarasota

YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER

Lawn Care

373-9299

Movers

GET YOUR LIFE BACK!

Pet Care

by

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

381789

Building & Roofing Contractor

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

Melanie Gates

941-626-3194

Licensed & Insured CCC - 058059 CBC - 1253936 381037

(941) 966-2960

RIGHT ON TARGET

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

Home Services

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

381036

CALL PINNACLE TODAY! 941-306-1999

Plumbing

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

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

941-923-8140

Watching your home while you’re away

Licensed & Insured State Lic CFC056748

“No Job Too Small”

specialty screens / screw replacement / paint Doors and more!

Manufacture and workmanship Warranties

Made for where you live. Here!

COMPLETE INSTALLATION PACKAGE

(941) 345-5264

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

YourObserver.com/RedPages

Kitchen/Bath Remodeling

THE GRAB BAR GUY GLENN KROECKER

954-1878 (cell) 780-3346 Licensed & Insured

SHOWER & BATH MAKEOVERS Cleaned - Regrouted - Caulked - Sealed

Call John 941.377.2940

Free Estimates • Sarasota Resident Since 1974

www.showerandbathsarasota.com

peekers’ place

DRGRABBARS.COM

You’re only cheating yourself.

380532 364556

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Res./Com. 380574 381311

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CALL BEFOREYOU YOU FALL CALL BEFORE FALL

Windows

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

Serving the Palmer Ranch Area Since 2007 Licensed & Insured

GRAB BARS GRAB BARS

Call 941-955-4888 YourObserver.com/RedPages

Eldridge Re-Screen Rescreening & Repairs

Kitchen/Bath Remodeling

OBSERVER RED PAGES

Trees

941-270-1561

Bob & Carol Guthrie 941.993.6613

www.PalmerRanchHomewatchers.com PalmerRanchHomewatchers@comcast.net

• 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

Rescreening & Repairs

Licensed

PALMER RANCH HOMEWATCHERS®

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

381039

381313

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

381038

www.SarasotaDiscCenter.com DrCifra@SarasotaDiscCenter.com

381790

Kenneth Fuhlman Inc.

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

DR. DAVID CIFRA, DC

Fully Insured

State Licensed Contractor #CCC057066

Pet Services

Board Certified in the specialty of non-surgical spinal decompression

381326

Joe Murray, Owner

Licensed and insured #IMT708

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

381032

941-228-9850

make your moving day a pleasure.

FREE CONSULTATION 941.358.2224

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This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers Puzzle One Solution: “I have the best job in the world: I pretend for a living. You can’t get too precious about that.”

Rosario Dawson Puzzle Two Solution: “The right to be irresponsible and stupid is something I hold very dear. And luckily it is something I do well.”

Bono Puzzle Three Solution: “Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision.”

Salvador Dali

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

Premier Sotheby’s International Realty’s TOP PRODUCING TEAM in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

JUST LISTED WEST OF TRAIL 6 4 20 HOLLY WOOD BOULE VARD | $6,9 0 0,0 0 0 This private bayfront estate is located just off Siesta Key’s south bridge and is perfectly positioned to deliver endless sunsets and water views. The walled and gated residence boasts just over 300 feet of water frontage.

U N D ER C O N T R AC T I N 2 DAYS

LI D O 1 3 0 0 BENJAMIN FR ANK LIN DRIVE #10 02 | $ 5,9 8 5,0 0 0 Offering one of the most luxurious lifestyles in Sarasota.

U N D ER C O N T R AC T

G O L D EN G AT E P O I N T 1 8 8 GOLDEN G ATE POINT #101 | $ 5,4 5 0,0 0 0 Located directly on Sarasota Bay and home to only eight waterfront condominiums.

J US T LIS T ED

P O LO RU N 17417 P O LO T R A I L | $1 ,49 9,0 0 0 This luxurious lakefront single-family home has been extensively upgraded.

SI E S TA K E Y 4 02 8 RO B ER T S P O I N T ROA D | $ 3 ,9 0 0,0 0 0 This waterfront residence is positioned amidst the lush, mature landscaping.

J US T LIS T ED

S O LD

D EER C REEK 8 5 51 WO O D B RI A R D RI V E | $1 ,4 2 5 ,0 0 0 Located in the heart of Palmer Ranch, this home has tranquil lake views.

J US T LIS T ED

SI E S TA K E Y 7 9 31 M I D N I G H T PA S S ROA D | $ 6 , 2 5 0,0 0 0 This stunning Siesta Key bayfront home was built in 2020 and has an amazing indoor/outdoor entertainment space.

PRE S TA N C I A 7 2 9 0 A LI CA N T E D RI V E | $ 6 2 5 ,0 0 0 This courtyard-style villa features three bedrooms, three baths and a screen-enclosed pool.

U N D ER C O N T R AC T

LO N G B OAT K E Y 310 5 G U L F O F M E X I C O D RI V E | $1 2,9 0 0,0 0 0 With over 176 feet of direct beachfront, this is one of the most significant beachfront properties available on Longboat Key.

From the ISLANDS to the GREENS Joel Schemmel, J.D., REALTOR® 941.587.4894 Donna Soda, REALTOR® 941.961.5857

381104-1

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Equal Housing Opportunity. Property information herein is derived from various sources including, but not limited to, county records and multiple listing services, and may include approximations. All information is deemed accurate.