Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer 11.24.22

(Really) Big Brother

Carlos Bates, a Sarasota-chapter volunteer since 2010, was named Big Brother of the Year for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast.

Bates, who began as a Big Brother in 2010, has volunteered with little brother Mihretu since 2017. He shares the honor with Big Sister of the Year Harriet Thompson of Venice.

A contract administrator for Verizon, Bates puts the Big in Big Brother naturally, something he explained to his little brother from the outset. When Mihretu and Bates met, the youngster asked “Why are you so tall?”

“I was born this way.” Carlos responded, and then joked, “Why are you so short?” At that, Mihretu pulled up a chair, climbed up and looked as squarely as he could at Carlos. “I’m not short. I am tall like you!”

Going, going, almost gone

Hurricane debris disappearing thanks to preset planning, arcane U.S. laws.

Breakfast with Santa coming

Before making the rounds on Christmas Eve, Santa Claus is planning a breakfast stop from 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 17 in Sarasota County to meet with kids and families a week before the big night.

And because Santa is magical, he’ll be at Newtown Estates Park and Laurel Park at the same time.

Along with a chance to chat with the Jolly Old Elf, kids and their families can enjoy breakfast and holiday music at both events. Parents can sign their kids up for either of the events before Dec. 9 at TinyURL. com/57e2r7dm

Also, unwrapped gift donations for the event can be dropped off before Dec. 12 at a variety of Sarasota County parks and libraries, including: Colonial Oaks; Pompano Trailhead; Longwood Park; Fruitville Library; Gulf Gate Library; North Sarasota Library and Selby Library.

Courtesy photo

Lesley Dwyer

Shirley Matthews and Stephen Barnes are new to Longboat Key and excited about the Winter Spectacular in St. Armands Circle.

Dariela Delgado

Volunteer Scott Weiner waits to load up the next vehicle.

TABS WHAT’S HAPPENING

WEEK OF NOV. 24, 2022

BY THE NUMBERS

Outgoing City Commissioner Hagen Brody, Read more on page 4

Number of turkeys and sides packaged to be distributed by All Faiths Food Bank with funds from the ThankFULL campaign.

PAGE 18 7

STEAM-learning stations visited by Wilkinson Elementary students during their Trotting through Florida event before Thanksgiving break.

PAGE 20

CALENDAR

n Sarasota City Commission regular meeting — 9 a.m., Monday, Dec. 5, Commission

Chambers, City Hall, 1660 First St.

n Sarasota County Commission strategic planning retreat — 8 a.m., Friday, Dec. 9, Sarasota

County Terrace Building, 101 S. Washington Blvd.

Awards surprise top principals

he principal of Pine View School and the assistant principal of Brookside Middle School were honored as Sarasota County Schools’ top school administrators and are now eligible for statewide honors.

Stephen Covert and Jessica Fuesy were both surprised on their respective campuses by school officials and well-wishers.

As the top principal and assistant principal in the Sarasota County public school district, both are among those considered for Florida Department of Education

Awards. Finalists will be chosen in the spring, and winners announced in the summer of 2023.

Covert, principal at Pine View, has been an educator for 30 years. He received a bachelor’s degree in Spanish language and literature/geography from Mary Washington College in Fredricksburg, Virginia and a doctorate in education from Virginia Commonwealth. He’s served in a variety of administrative and educational roles.

Fuesy, assistant principal at Brookside, received a bachelor’s

degree in middle grades mathematics education from Florida State and a master’s in educational leadership from St. Leo College. She’s taught mathematics in seventh and eighth grades along with serving in administrative roles in Leon County.

Sarasota County Schools has received two prior Florida Principal of the Year awards.

Alta Vista Elementary School’s Barbara Shirley received the honor in 2014, and Booker High School’s Rachel Shelley received the honor in 2017.

Airport serves 3.8M passengers in year

Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport this week reported passenger numbers for the past 12 months were at roughly 3.78 million.

Last month alone, the airport had 308,012 passengers travel through, a 12% increase from October 2021.

Rick Piccolo, president and CEO, said in a release that he encourages travelers arrive two hours early, check flight status and look over TSA’s website before heading to the airport.

So far in 2022, there have been 3.1 million passengers. Reaching that number seemed impossible a few years ago before the airport offered 11 airlines and 53 nonstop destinations. The airport recently announced a new flight through Avelo Airlines to Raleigh-Durham International Airport that is expected to begin Feb. 13.

Selby Foundation names new CEO

The William G. and Marie Selby Foundation’s board of directors announced this week the hiring of Susie Bowie as its next CEO, effective March 1.

Carol Butera will retire from the position in April. Bowie is executive director of the Manatee Community Foundation.

“I have been privileged to spend the past 17 years in philanthropy at community foundations, immersed in the work of supporting donor aspirations, building strong nonprofits, and bringing people together to contribute their lived experiences to address the challenges of our time,” she said in a prepared statement.

Before leading MCF, Bowie was vice president of philanthropic education and marketing at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, where she designed and led the first Giving Challenge events in this region. She is a 1998 graduate of the University of Florida.

The foundation supports Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties through capital grants and scholarships. To date, it has awarded more than $120 million to the community.

“A lot of these issues that we have in our community are broader than just the city limits.”

Courtesy photo

Jessica Fuesy, center, is congratulated by students, staff and school district officials at Brookside Middle School.

MILES AND PILES

Plant debris cleanup operations brought workers and equipment from across the country to Sarasota on a moment’s notice. Disaster-stricken areas have a former congressman from Vermont to thank for it.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

Cleaning up after a hurricane or other natural disaster doesn’t require an act of Congress, but there actu ally is one to credit for the rapid mobilization and deployment of relief efforts.

Within days after Hurricane Ian blew through Sarasota, trucks emblazoned with names of compa nies and area codes from across the country began to fan out throughout the city and county; massive claw trucks followed by debris haulers plucking piles of limbs, branches and tree trunks from the sides of streets and delivered them to a makeshift debris site, in the case of the city of Sarasota, off Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Similar drop-off sites exist countywide, where thousands of truckloads of debris are collected and often chipped into mulch. More than a million cubic yards have already been collected. (Think 1 mil lion boxes measuring three feet on every side.)

The efficiency of vegetative and other debris clearing is largely credited to the Robert T. Stafford Disas ter Relief and Emergency Assistance Act — or Stafford Act for short — a 1988 federal law designed to bring an orderly means of natural disaster assistance to local governments.

Less than a week after Ian struck, city of Sarasota Public Works Direc tor Doug Jeffcoat told city commis sioners that, with roughly double the debris left behind by Hurricane Irma in 2017, it could take twice as long to clean it up.

Irma debris took three months to clear.

Last week, though, seven weeks after landfall, the city of Sara sota announced the beginning of the final pass to collect remaining debris amid a noticeable reduction of crews operating on city streets. On a countywide scale, crews are making the last runs at their initial pass, with another still to come.

But where do these workers and

pieces of equipment come from, and how is an emergency operation of that size and scope mobilized? And how are their activities monitored and documented?

And who pays for all this?

“The Stafford Act is a policy guide with regard to how local govern ments must procure the services and how they have to operate within those guidelines,” Jeffcoat said. “The contractors that we have do this all over the U.S. These contractors try to hire as many local firms to come in and help, but the benefit to us is that they have access to crews from all over the country.”

For governments such as Saraso ta’s to qualify for relief funds, paid by FEMA, they must conform to a specific set of rules.

Not having debris cleanup vehi cles in its fleet, the city contracts with debris contractors, each spe cializing in three specific categories: vegetative (tree limbs, tree trunks and similar); vessels (wrecked boats and cars); and household (shingles, siding, fencing, ruined drywall and carpets, appliances and furniture).

Some of the vendors in the vegeta tive debris contractors’ stables per form only disaster recovery work. Others may be tree service compa nies that are on call as disasters loom.

Local jurisdictions aren’t bound to follow the Stafford Act protocols, as long as they don’t expect FEMA to pay for it.

“If I had to do this with our staff it would probably take nine months to a year, where we’ve been able to do this in almost two months,” Jeffcoat said.

FEMA KEEPS A WATCHFUL EYE

Qualifying for FEMA relief funds requires ongoing preparedness for disaster.

Sarasota typically enters into threeyear agreements with debris con tractors with optional renewals.

“Procurement has Stafford Act guidelines, so we have to make sure that we follow that,” Jeffcoat said. “When FEMA shows up, we then start this process of working with

TAKING A BREAK

In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, Sarasota County’s Disaster Recovery Center will be closed Nov. 24-27. It will reopen Nov. 28, operating 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and is closed on Sundays.

The deadline to apply for FEMA assistance has been extended to Jan. 12. FEMA individual assistance, U.S. Small Business Administration and other resources are available at the DRC.

The county’s debris contractors will break for Thanksgiving from Nov. 22-27 with debris collection resuming Monday, Nov. 28. The two public dropoff sites for vegetative debris permanently closed on Nov. 21.

FEMA reimbursement. They want to see our procurement policies, they want to see the contracts that we have and to ensure that they were done in a proper manner.”

FEMA also requires a separate contractor to monitor the debris col lection, documenting that it meets requirements that include not col lecting household or demolition debris or that which is bagged.

“When you see the crews out col lecting, that’s one contractor, but we have to have two contractors for that,” Jeffcoat said. “We have a con tractor that collects, and then we have to have a contractor that moni tors and documents the collection process. That’s in keeping with the Stafford Act, and what it does is identifies exactly where the debris is coming from. It ensures that a gov ernment agency is collecting debris that is eligible. We are not allowed, for example, to go and collect debris for Sarasota County. They have their own contractors.”

Cities will typically work with multiple contractors for each cat egory of debris although, depending on the severity of the disaster, they may deploy only one.

In multiple contractor scenarios, such as Ian, the city is divided into zones and auditors are responsible for ensuring each contractor remains within its assigned boundaries. Because there was little damage to cars and boats here, there was no need to deploy a vessels contractor.

For Ian, the process began once the storm entered the Gulf of Mexico, days before it approached Sarasota. Although it has been five years since Irma, Jeffcoat said the city’s contacts remained the same from 2017.

“As the storm moves closer, our telephone calls become more fre quent with regard to what does it look like,” Jeffcoat said. “Are we talking about category 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; or just a tropical storm? And then we start putting together action plans as to how many crews we antici pate based on what type of storm we have. Within 12 hours after the storm is over, I’m meeting with them and we’re driving the city to determine what actual debris is sitting out there. That gives us the capability to start moving within days of bringing

these trucks in to start collecting.”

All trucks must be certified.

They must carry identifying plac ards on the sides and their dimen tions are confirmed before collection begins because payments are based on cubic yards.

All that information is typically written on the side of a truck.

“This process starts immediately for us,” Jeffcoat said. “If we did not have these contracts in place, I could not start this process for probably 45 days because I would have to have 30 contracts approved by the City Commission. Then my biggest issue would be how many resources are still available because they’re already out in other places.”

A SUPPORTING ROLE

City crews do work alongside the contractors, but in a different capac ity.

They perform tasks not regu lated under the Stafford Act, such as collecting debris that has been bagged or otherwise containerized, or household or demolition items stacked alongside vegetative debris.

Not carefully maintaining the FEMA protocols is not an option.

Jeffcoat estimates the cost of clear ing the debris at about $5 million.

Most disaster relief contractors, Jeffcoat said, will hire as many local companies as possible. Those are typically development companies that have the trailers, skid load ers, specialty equipment and staff already in place. They then aug ment their stock by mobilizing ven dors already under contract in other locations for localized disasters else where.

“That’s why you see license plates here from all over,” Jeffcoat said. “I was talking to one of the contrac tors in debris management who said they have companies from all over the country.

“These subcontractors will follow them. They will be at a forest fire, then they might be at a tornado, and then they end up coming down here after a hurricane.”

STAFFORD?

The 71st governor of Vermont, Robert T. Stafford (19132006) also served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. He is credited for ushering the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assis tance Act, which was signed into law in 1988, amending the Disaster Relief Act of 1974. The law constitutes the statutory authority for most federal disaster response activities especially as they pertain to FEMA and FEMA programs.

A hand-painted sign marks the entrance to a hurricane vegetative debris delivery site off Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Sarasota.

Vegetative debris haulers await deployment at the delivery site off Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Sarasota.

A pile of vegetative debris left behind by Hurricane Ian awaits processing into mulch at the delivery site off Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Sarasota.

Photos by Andrew Warfield

From restoration of the Bobby Jones Golf Complex to the Bay Runner trolley to comprehensive plan amendments intended to incentivize affordable and workforce housing, Hagen Brody looks back on the accomplishments of the city during his five-and-a-half years as a city commissioner. After stepping down from the dais on Monday following an unsuccessful bid for a seat on the Sarasota County Commission, he discussed his time as an elected official during a Q&A with the Sarasota Observer

Why did you become involved in local politics?

I’ve always had a draw to public service and trying to improve the community, and having grown up here only enhances my desire to make Sarasota a great place. I had a great experience as a child in Sarasota, and I wanted to ensure that future generations have a great community to grow up in like I did.

How is the city different from your childhood?

My grandparents moved here in the ’70s and it was very much a golf and fishing town. The natural beauty of Sarasota has been discovered. It was kind of a well-kept secret back then, but we’ve seen Sarasota become an incredibly desirable place for people to move. That’s really put us on a new trajectory, and we’re still trying to come to terms with that and figure out what kind what kind of community we want to be because there’s just no denying that people are going to continue to want to live here. That comes down to how we’re going to manage that.

What progress has been made to manage that while in office?

We’ve made a lot of changes at City Hall in our management and management practices over that period of time. We have a much more responsive and professional city government than we had and it is well-positioned to deliver for the residents. We’ve made a lot of headway in dealing with longstanding issues when I came into office that had been lingering and festering for a long time.

What were those issues?

The big ones for me were the Lido Beach renourishment, which had been going on for decades, and also the Bobby Jones golf complex. We brought both of those to positive conclusions that are going to continue to be great assets. Not just those lingering issues, but we also made progress on important issues to the community like affordable housing, bringing online a number of new units in partnership with the Housing Authority through Lofts on Lemon. We also laid the groundwork through the comprehensive plan changes to create the framework for the next commission to really make headway on improving the housing options for working people in our community.

The planning department was one of the casualties of the Great Recession when the city scaled back services. You’ve spoken in the past about the commission having rebuilt that department. How important is that?

I just think it is critical to the intelligent redevelopment of our community. They’re now working diligently on affordable housing changes that just wouldn’t be possible otherwise. Having professional planners who work for the citizens is important because these are tough issues, complicated issues, and you need people who have the education and experience in these areas in order to get the best result possible.

The redevelopment of the bayfront has brought significant

Courtesy photo

Hagen Brody served five-and-a-half years on Sarasota City Commission.

– Former Sarasota City Commissioner Hagen Brody

ANDREW WARFIELD | STAFF WRITER

As the Sarasota native steps away from the dais, he discusses progress the city made during his five-plus years as a city commissioner.

new property tax revenue to the city, but it has also contributed to the attainable housing crisis. How has the city worked toward creating a balance between the two?

The first thing to understand is that what we have today is the product of our rules and regulations that have been in place. Some of it has produced positive change, some not so positive. Now is the time to reflect on what’s been produced and ask, ‘Do we need more of this or do we need to change course?’

The affordable housing crisis in our community really has spoken for itself that we’re not getting the spectrum of housing that either we had hoped for, or that we need. And so we’ve taken a critical look at our codes and rules and regulations and asked why haven’t we produced this important part of that process?

The direction we’re going is a change for the better in that we’ll be able to see more affordable units being produced not just through mandatory inclusionary zoning, but also through market rate units that are going to be smaller and more affordable than the large luxury units that are that are produced today.

The comprehensive plan amendments were among the most controversial issues during your time on the commission. How will they eventually result in more attainable and affordable housing?

The spirit of the amendments is going to not only add more affordable options for working people, but they’re also going to improve the experience and the quality of life of the people affected by these changes whether you look at downtown where we really have an exclusionary zoning code now that only produces large luxury units — many of which are filled with part-time residents and are just unaffordable to our working class — to our commercial corridors that have just long been a problem. The North Trail and even along U.S. 41 in the southern part of the city are in need of redevelopment, and I think everybody understands that acknowledges that. Redevelopment can be a good thing if it’s done right,

and I think that that’s what these zoning changes will ultimately accomplish.

What was your thinking behind running for the County Commission?

A lot of these issues that we have in our community are broader than just the city limits. These are things that are not just our county, but our region has to deal with. I felt good about the trajectory of the city and where the city was at both internally at City Hall and externally, and I just felt that I could make a little bit of a broader difference in the county, but it didn’t work out.

Second thoughts?

I try to not dwell on those types of decisions. I’m really just thankful that I got an opportunity to make a difference in the city.

Will you consider making another run for City Commission?

I am not running for anything in the foreseeable future. It’s a unique experience, being in an elected position. I still have a desire to make positive impact in my community, but I can do that in other ways.

What are the important matters facing the new commission?

Redeveloping some of our downtown corridors like Main Street and improving those streetscapes is going to be really important to continue to allow our small businesses and restaurants to compete with other areas that are that are doing a great job. I think that affordable housing and workforce housing zoning text amendments is going to be an incredibly important moment in the future of our city. This next Commission is going to have to address and make some tough decisions. The performing arts center is another one that I think is going to be critical to the future of our arts and cultural identity.

If a new performing arts center moves forward, should the Van Wezel be preserved?

There are some folks who are trying to drive that discussion into

it’s either the Van Wezel or it’s a new performing arts center, and I don’t think anybody at City Hall is looking at it that way. I think we all want to see the Van Wezel as an architecturally significant icon of our community evolve, but also have a next-generation, top-tier performing arts center for the future. I’ve never looked at those as mutually exclusive. I think we have the bandwidth where the Van Wezel can be reimagined into something that offers something different, or can maybe house another cultural organization, but also have a flagship performing arts center that can accommodate top-tier entertainers and performances.

As a public investment, how does bringing top-tier performances here benefit the city?

Arts and culture brings up to $350 million of economic benefit to our community. Most of it is in the city of Sarasota. If we lose organizations, that benefit is diluted.

What was the most significant challenge of the past five years?

The biggest curveball we’ve had was COVID, and so when we talk about the future you don’t know what the next big thing might be.

I think having a city government that is able to address anything that comes our way is really the most important thing that we’ve done. One of the foreseeable possibilities is an economic downturn to some degree, and that’s why getting our fiscal house in order and building up our reserves was so important.

When I look about at my time in office, a measure that I use is what issues were at the forefront when I was first elected, and you don’t hear about those issues anymore because we really addressed them. When I was elected it was unfunded liabilities in the pension system. It was relationships between the city and county. It was homelessness, which you still hear about but we’ve made incredible progress there. Those lingering issues like Bobby Jones, a lot of that has gone away, and so it’s new issues and new challenges that the new commission will be addressing.

block of Ken Thompson Parkway Burglary of unoccupied building: Police took a fish hook and fishing line into evidence to aid in their investigation of a burglary and a bit of improper fishing in a shark tank at a location on City Island, the name of which was redacted in a police incident report, as often is the case with burglary reports.

Marine-wildlife experts at the laboratory and aquarium reported finding a 4-foot shark in one of its tanks with a baited hook in its mouth and a length of fishing line trailing behind. Experts were able to remove the hook without injury to the shark.

Officers were told the felonious angler likely dipped the line overnight while the facility was closed, because no one noticed anything wrong with the shark at closing time the evening before.

The experts showed officers the offlimits-to-the-public area where the fishing likely took place. Additional evidence was found there.

Entry to the facility was potentially through the rear delivery door, officials said. No camera coverage of that area exists, the report said.

THURSDAY, NOV. 17

TREE LIMBS BEWARE 8:30 a.m., Fruitville Road and North Tuttle Avenue

Suspicious incident: An officer briefly detained a man with a machete on a sidewalk. The man told the officer he wasn’t trying to hurt anyone, but rather was cutting tree limbs. The man agreed to not cut any more tree limbs. After checking for wants or warrants, the officer released the man and told him to leave the area, which he did.

Planning Board OKs North Trail apartments

ments at North Tamiami Trail and 24th Street.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

With last week’s unanimous approval of the Sarasota Plan ning Board, a pair of twin, but not identical, apartment developments are coming to North Tamiami Trail. The board unani mously approved Sapphire North and Sapphire South, which com bined will bring 120 apartments to the North Trail Overlay District.

The matter was continued from Oct. 12 because Hurricane Ian pre vented city staff from placing signs announcing the hearing in advance of that meeting. Jarzi Realty Advi sors plans to build Sapphire North at 4501 and 4415, and Sapphire South at 4229 and 4211 N. Tamiami Trail, both on property cleared of prior buildings and adjacent to the Indian Beach/Sapphire Shores neighbor hood.

Sapphire North will comprise 61 units on 2.17 acres and Sapphire South 59 units on 2.05 acres, both conforming to the overlay district design standards of buildings adja cent to Tamiami Trail with parking and amenities in the rear. The build ings will be four stories.

There are no units in the afford able housing classification included in the projects.

“This is workforce housing. It’s not affordable,” said Brent Parker of the Sarasota architecture firm Parker Walter Group. “They paid full-boat retail for the property and so that opportunity wasn’t there.”

The two properties are separated by two blocks along the west side of U.S. 41.

The projects will be similar in scope and architecture to another Jarzi development, Solle Apart

The new urbanism design concept of both projects pushes the build ings adjacent to the roadway and hides parking and amenities behind the structures. Such developments are incentivized in the North Trail Overlay District in part by requiring fewer parking spaces per unit in an effort to encourage transit-oriented redevelopment along U.S. 41.

The two properties will average a combined 1.46 parking spaces per unit, nearly 50% more than the required one space per unit.

The reduced parking in the North Trail District was a topic of discus sion among the Planning Board members who wondered if parking would spill over into adjacent neigh borhood streets.

“I know that’s part of new urban ism where we’re looking to require fewer parking spaces to encourage people to walk and those who don’t even have cars,” said Planning Board member Daniel Clermont. “What I want to know is have we had experi ence with that in the city and how is it going?”

While there isn’t enough experi ence in Sarasota to render an opinion on that, Senior Planner Dan Ohren stein said the concept is incorporat ed across the country.

“It is commonplace in the city’s historical neighborhoods such as Laurel Park and other areas to have one parking space per unit,” Ohren stein said. “You can look at any historical district in America and they don’t have two parking spaces per unit. It is part of the downtown code where we do have one parking space per unit, but most of the recent buildings that have been built have been luxury units and they haven’t taken advantage of the one parking space per unit.”

In addition to parking, the devel oper addressed concerns about how the project will impact infra structure, particularly storm drain age. Jarzi’s Marlon Matza said the redevelopment will enhance the streetscape and the drainage there.

The Sarasota Planning Board has approved the plan for twin apartment developments that will bring 120 units to the northern end of North Trail Overlay District.

THE BEDROCKS OF AMERICA

Thanksgiving is much more than remembering the Pilgrims’ and Native Americans’ first feast and being thankful for what we have. It reminds us why the Pilgrims came to America: for the freedom to worship.

What drove the Pilgrims to America

The roots of Thanksgiving Day go far deeper than the story of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony in 1621. Yes, they were thankful to God for their bountiful harvest and their newfound Native American friends.

23, 2017.

Kirsten Hazelton, a secondgrade teacher at Southside Elementary School in Sarasota, gave her students an assignment for Veterans Day. One of those students, Rhys Parry, 7, wrote a letter to his uncle, a captain in the Marine Corps Raiders, its special forces division.

Parry thanked his uncle for serving. And by way of every child’s uncanny ability to state simple, direct truths and profound common sense, young Parry wrote:

“Freedom is the best thing in the world.”

If only every American took that to heart. Especially today. What a tragedy that so many don’t appreciate that truth. They take their freedom for granted, oblivious to this extraordinary gift.

So be thankful today. Block out the noise, the national politics, the cultural strife and the depravity that has consumed us. As you gather with family and friends for your traditional Thanksgiving feast, we take this space this week to urge our readers to take stock, at least for a few minutes.

If you think deeply enough about the meaning of Thanksgiving, there is so much more to this day than being thankful for the bounty on our tables. So much more to Thanksgiving than the story of the Plymouth Colony Pilgrims celebrating the harvest with the Wampanoag Native Americans in 1621, or thanking God for the end of the drought in 1622.

To a great extent, the first Thanksgivings were the celebratory culminations of the miraculous journey of a small band of Europeans in search of a place to be free — to escape persecution and be free to practice their religion and their way of life.

That was their raison d’être — freedom of religion. And today, you can say that principle is the fundamental rock, the bedrock, the perpetual birthstone of America.

And yet, here we are, 400 years later, continuing to fight for that right and principle. And if you think about that, consider also what it will require to preserve that right — and the other rights granted to us in the Constitution.

Take inspiration from the courage of the Pilgrims and how they persevered through the long, harrowing journey from England to Holland to Plymouth Rock. Freedom will always be a difficult journey.

We’ve made a tradition each year of retelling the story and roots of Thanksgiving because the story of the Pilgrims helps reset our compass. It reminds us how we came to be — the New Hope in the New World. It reminds us of why we came to be. It reminds us of the price our ancestors paid to be free and to be free to worship as they wished. It reminds us to be thankful for all the blessings we have. And it reminds us that Rhys Parry is right: “Freedom is the best thing in the world.”

Happy Thanksgiving.

But if you can imagine yourself in the shoes of any of the original 102 Pilgrims who sailed from Leiden, Holland, for America, a land unknown, and who survived that tumultuous journey, followed by two years of near starvation, your gratitude simply for being alive would put a whole new perspective on Thanksgiving. It was far more than being thankful for a big fall harvest and feast.

Seldom, if ever, do we focus in our history texts on the details that compelled the Pilgrims — also known as separatists, Puritans and Calvinists — to set sail. The textbooks typically mention they fled religious persecution. But especially today, in this world of widespread and horrific religious persecutions, it’s instructive to remember the details of why the Pilgrims mustered the courage to cross the Unknown Ocean for freedom: for religious freedom.

In his 500-page account of Plymouth Plantation, Gov. William Bradford wrote how his fellow Calvinists in England became “hunted and persecuted on every side, so as their former afflictions were but as flea-bitings in comparison of these which now came upon them.

“For some were taken and clapped up in prison; others had their houses beset and watched night and day, and hardly escaped their hands; and most were fain to flee and leave their houses and habitations, and the means of their livelihood,” Bradford wrote.

After a year of this and meeting in secret to practice their worship of God, they saw “they could no longer continue in this condition,” and “resolved to get over into Holland.”

The people of Amsterdam, they had heard, accepted the free practice of religion.

MISERY WORSE THAN DEATH

But sailing 200 miles to the Netherlands was no small matter. It was a monumental ordeal. Bradford describes the fear many of the separatists had of leaving England, as bad as it was, as “a misery worse than death.”

“But these things did not dismay them — for their desires were set on the ways of God and to enjoy his

ordinances,” Bradford wrote.

The trip to Holland was horrible for many. Chartered ship operators, once at sea with the separatists, robbed them, ransacked their belongings, molested many of the women and then sailed back into the original port and turned over the separatists to local authorities, who then imprisoned them.

Amazingly, the separatists didn’t give up. “Some few shrunk at these first conflicts and sharp beginnings,” Bradford wrote, “yet many more came on with fresh courage and greatly animated others. And in the end, notwithstanding all these storms of opposition, they all got over at length.”

For 12 years, the Calvinist-separatist-Pilgrims lived and practiced their religion in freedom and peace in Leiden, an area within Holland where many of them became weavers.

And then the trouble began again.

Bradford wrote of “Arminians, who greatly molested the whole state” and university professors and other preachers who began to slander the Pilgrims’ religious practices.

The tormenting rose to such a level that Bradford said some of his neighbors preferred being in prison in England than “this liberty in Holland, with these afflictions.”

Distressed by the increasing abuse, the separatists’ elders began to look ahead. They believed within a few years they “were fearful either to be entrapped or surrounded by their enemies” and unable to flee.

What’s more, they worried about their children. It was common for children to labor long hours in the

mills, “their bodies bowed under the weight.” Many children also were falling to the temptations of youthful “licentiousness” and being drawn into “extravagant and dangerous courses,” Bradford wrote. Parents saw “their posterity would be in danger to degenerate and be corrupted.”

At the same time, many of the separatists looked outward and spoke among their neighbors of “advancing the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of the world,” Bradford wrote.

DIFFICULT, BUT NOT INVINCIBLE All three of these influences — persecution, the well-being of their families’ future generations and spreading God’s word — combined to motivate the Pilgrims to seek a new beginning. As they discussed their options, Bradford wrote, “It was answered. … The difficulties were many, but not invincible.”

So they set sail to a land unknown. Bradford wrote of “winds so fierce and the seas so high” and the Mayflower “shroudly shaken” and leaky, raising the constant fear the ship would sink and that they would perish at sea.

When they finally stepped on land in the Cape Cod harbor, Bradford wrote, the Pilgrims “fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven, who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof.”

Freedom and freedom of religion — these are the bedrocks of America. — MW

There’s a right way to start a term

Next Tuesday will be the first meeting for the four newly elected members of the Sarasota County Public Hospital Board. We hope they have the good sense to begin their fouryear terms with the dignity, decorum, deference, professionalism and wisdom their new positions require.

And that they remain levelheaded when the Sarasota County Moms for America and Dr. Stephen Guffanti appear at Tuesday’s meeting. As the accompanying flyer says, the Moms plan to ask the hospital board “to launch an investigation committee to determine the bizarre medical care of the hospital covid protocols.”

Huh? To determine what?

The choice of words is, well, a bit “bizarre” in itself. And for sure, those words have the effect — whether intentional or not — of signaling confrontation is on the minds of the Moms, or at least its president, Tonya Parus.

Parus told The Observer she created the flyer after recent conversations with Guffanti. She says the flyer came about “from a request by many people in the

community” who want to know why Sarasota Memorial Hospital used the protocols it did in the treatment of patients during the COVID outbreak.

“We did the flyer so we could tell community members if they wanted to come show their support” at the meeting, Parus said.

Mind you, Guffanti has a motive for seeking an “investigation committee” as well. He has protested his treatment at Sarasota Me-

morial when he had COVID and has been an outspoken critic of hospital management.

Parus said her aim for seeking the committee is to bring about more transparency to the hospital’s protocols, particularly for “all those whose loved ones” were treated at Sarasota Memorial during the height of the pandemic.

Worth noting: Asked if she consulted with the three new hospital board members whose photos appear on her flyer, Parus said she did not.

While those three board members — Bridgette Fiorucci, Patricia Maraia and Victor Rohe — campaigned for their seats in part because they, too, want more transparency, surely they are smart enough to know that beginning their four-year terms by declaring war Tuesday on the hospital’s management and medical corps is not the right strategy to effect whatever positive changes they seek to make.

To his credit, Rohe told us: “I don’t think it will be helpful to have a lot of people there. Anything that’s done needs to be deliberative.”

Friedrich Hayek “Road to Serfdom,” 1944

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British artist Bernard Gribble’s painting of the Pilgrims boarding the Mayflower

Planning Board rejects plan for Bahia Vista Apartments

The Sarasota Planning Board recommends against approval of a 250-unit apartment community on the former Doctors Hospital site. The plans call for 42 affordable housing units.

Sarasota’s recently approved com prehensive plan amendments had their first test last Friday before the city’s Planning Board. They didn’t pass.

By a 3-2 vote, the Planning Board voted not to recommend rezoning and site plan approval for Bahia Vista Apartments, a proposed four-story, 250-unit multifamily community on a six-acre site at the southwest cor

ner of Bahia Vista Road and South Tuttle Avenue. The site is the for mer location of Doctors Hospital of Sarasota.

After more than a year of dor mancy, the project resurfaced on the heels of approval of the city’s comprehensive plan amendments that allow for density bonuses as an incentive to incorporate affordable housing units in new residential and mixed-use developments. Residents of the surrounding Arlington Park neighborhood objected then as they

did this past Friday that the size and the scale of the multifamily project were incompatible with the com munity and would only exacerbate existing traffic congestion in and around their community.

In agreement with them was the majority of the Planning Board, with Kathy Kelley Ohlrich, Michael Blumetti and Douglas Christy vot ing to not recommend approval of the rezoning and site plan. Assistant City Engineer Daniel Clermont, who chaired the meeting in the absence of Chairman Terrill Salem, and Michael Halflants opposed the motion to deny.

The project is the first proposal before the Planning Board that con forms to the comprehensive plan amendments that allow greater densities outside the downtown core, providing the project includes a minimum of 25% of the bonus den sity as affordable housing units.

The permitted density on the site is 25 units per acre. The devel oper seeks affordable housing den sity bonus of 17 additional units per acre, eight fewer than the comp plan amendment allows providing rezon ing approval.

“In our case, there are 150 units that can be provided by right. That’s the 25 units per acre,” said Joel Freed man of Freedman Consulting Group, representing developer Bahia Vista Associates.

“We’re asking for 100 bonus units. To be able to do that, we need to provide at least 25 affordable units. In this case, nine of the units would be for people with 80% or less area median income, eight of the units would be for people 80% to 100% of AMI and then the other eight units would be for people with 100% to 120% AMI. In addition, the applicant is proffering that they will provide 10 additional affordable housing units for 30 years.”

While that exceeds the afford able housing goals for an individual project, the majority of the Plan ning Board sided with residents who called it the wrong project at the wrong location, being bounded on three sides by single-family homes.

Clermont warned residents, though, that something will eventually be built by-right on the site that would likely generate more traffic than the

apartments. The current zoning allows for medical and charitable institutional use, and multifamily with a density of up to 25 units per acre.

Medical offices that currently operate there, said Freedman, gen erate more traffic than would the apartments. The current 400-space parking structure would remain and be renovated.

“The 67,000-square-foot exist ing office building generates 233 p.m. peak hour trips. We’re going to generate 110 p.m. peak hour trips,” Freedman said. “The existing traffic out there is not fun to be around, but it’s because of the existing condi tions. We believe, and these numbers show, we’re going to generate less traffic. Go to some of these apart ment complexes and watch what happens with the traffic. It’ isn’t as bad as everyone perceives.”

Sarasota Senior Planner Dan Ohrenstein said 250 apartments will result in an average of two vehicles per minute during peak morning and afternoon rush hours.

Clermont attempted to alleviate traffic concerns by asking Ohren stein about the difference in the number of vehicle trips 25 units per acre generate, the current by-right residential zoning of the site, and requested 42 units per acre.

“That would be about 70 to 80 vehicles,” Ohrenstein said of the peak hour average traffic count for the lower density model, 30 to 40 fewer than the higher density plan.

Among concessions the developer offered are the removal of balconies on one side of the building facing single-family homes, adding four feet of screening on each level of the parking deck to prevent headlight glare from leaving the structure, deeper than required setbacks on all sides of the project, and dense natu ral screening to buffer the parking structure from the residences.

The existence of that 400-space parking deck suggests something eventually will be built there, neigh bors were told. It may still be the Bahia Vista Apartments. Assistant City Attorney Michael Connelly said he expects the matter will go before the Sarasota City Commission on Jan. 17.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

File photo

Arlington Park residents have objected in the past to residential development plans at the site.

Winter Spectacular wows St. Armands Circle visitors

Fans of all things festive enjoyed Friday night’s opening of the six-week Winter Spectacular in St. Armands Circle.

Shirley Matthews and Stephen Barnes are new to Longboat Key from Hawaii and wanted to get in the Christmas spirit, so Matthews arrived wearing an elf sweater dress and light-up glasses. Her outfit summed up the energy of opening night. Not all the spectacular has to offer was on display yet. The virtual sleigh ride with Santa was still en route, along with the Elfie Selfie station, Letters to Santa mailbox and a “Disney-grade” snow machine that launches 75 feet.

There was still plenty to enjoy. The carousel and a ride-on train were in constant motion. First-time skaters were hitting the synthetic ice rink, and foam filled the air from the temporary snow machine. Not nearly Disney-grade, the bubbly snow caused audible delight in children and adults alike each time it turned on.

For the tourists, the holiday stop was a happy

surprise after dinner in the circle. Three generations of Fletchers were visiting from Orlando.

“This is awesome,” Susan Fletcher said, “We were so excited to see this for the grandkids.”

Locals agreed. Melody Kroth had little ones in ballet class and needed something to do with her teenagers. And Sam Wade saw the event on Facebook.

“I thought, what are we going to do Friday night?” Wade said. “They love the carousel. We went on three times.”

Most evenings feature live entertainment from local school children and area arts organizations. Movies play on Tuesday nights at 6 p.m. The website includes a complete list of performances.

The Winter Spectacular will be in the circle until Jan. 3 and is a cashless event. It’s easiest to book online at WinterOnTheCircle.com before going, but there are tablets and staff members at the entrance to help with purchases.

—LESLEY DWYER

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

Nicole, Natalie and Anthony Lamberti take a train ride around St. Armands Circle Park.

Nancy Wellford (nee Clark) is a long-time Sarasota resident, having moved from Tennessee with her husband Marion and their children in the 50s. She grew up in Michigan during the Depression, and her parents, Randall and Marie Clark, were both artists. Nancy came of age during WWII, during which time she left Colorado College and joined the WAVES (Women’s Navel Reserve).

She developed an early love of travel and, after the war, went to Mexico City alone to study silversmith ing. She met her husband Marion Wellford in Mem phis, Tennessee, where she gave birth to their children Robin, Lin, Karen, and Philip, before moving the family to Sarasota, where their youngest son, Eric, was born. In Sarasota, she became involved in the local arts community, dividing

her time between raising her children and creating beautiful sculptures out of clay and marble. Later, she turned her skills to basket-weaving. Nancy continued to travel the world into her 80s, visiting Egypt, the Galapagos, Morocco and Thailand. Her beautiful Sarasota school of architecture home reflects her varied interests and artistic sensibilities.

She has a longtime involvement in the Sarasota Succulent Society, and was the president of that organization into her 90s. Nancy is still an avid gardening enthusiast and bird-watching hobbyist as well as a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother: the matriarch of her family. Happy 100th birthday to Nancy Wellford! She will be celebrating this special day surrounded by friends and family.

National project blooms at ODA

LIZ RAMOS STAFF WRITER

Celia Rayman, a sophomore at the Out-of-Door Academy, care fully applied paint to her brush before dabbing pink on a flower petal on the mural in front of her.

It might only be one flower among 10,000, but this one was going to be as good as possible. Every time she walks past the mural in the stairwell of the upper school’s arts center in Lakewood Ranch, she will know she was part of something special.

That something special is the Ten Thousand Flowers project of Penn sylvania artist Tim Gibson.

So far, Gibson has traveled and completed murals in 17 states. Once he reaches 10,000 flowers, his mis sion will be complete. After the contributions of ODA’s lower school Nov. 9 and upper school Nov. 11, the flower count stands at 2,860.

“It doesn’t matter what state you’re from, what your background is, who you are,” Gibson said. “We’re here having fun painting flowers and connecting everything.”

ODA’s lower school in Siesta Key was his first stop in Florida.

Gibson outlined the mural for the students who then painted the mural using a paint-by-numbers method.

Every ODA student had an oppor tunity to paint the mural.

Senior Harper Campbell was sur prised to take part.

“I have a class upstairs, so I walk up the stairwell every day,” Camp bell said. “I thought it was crazy, seeing all the outlines. Then one of my classmates actually told me we were going to be the ones to actually be able to paint it. I thought it was so cool.”

Leslie Garasic, an ODA high school art teacher, was scrolling through Facebook looking for a group activity for middle and high school students

when she stumbled on the project.

“I thought, ‘What a cool idea,’” Garasic said. “He’s bringing all these murals together as puzzle pieces.”

For ODA, the mural serves a dual purpose. It’s an opportunity for all students to work together, but also it links the school’s two campuses.

“Our roots are from the lower campus,” Garasic said. “Our history was made there. Sometimes I think we forget about that little magical place down on the key that feeds into here, where it becomes more of a col legiate type of atmosphere.”

Georgia Henry, a sixth-grader, said participating in the mural project gave each of the students an oppor tunity to leave their mark.

Sixth-grader Mason Hunn said it was a privilege to be a part of a national project.

At the upper school, a small group of middle and high school students would go into the stairwell for about 15 minutes to paint before another group would paint.

Campbell said being able to paint the mural was a good break from the day and a mindless activity where they could have fun.

TEN THOUSAND FLOWERS

Tim Gibson, who is from Pennsylvania, started the project in 2018 in Perkasie, Pennsylvania.

Gibson, whose love of art started when he was 6 years old, wanted to help community leaders find a project that could be done with the community’s help.

He pitched the idea of painting a mural of simple flowers. He saw the potential to have the project be more than just one mural.

Gibson decided to travel across the country to get schools and communities together to create floral murals. The murals, if put together like puzzle pieces, would create one giant mural stretching more than a mile long and filled with 10,000 flowers.

Gibson starts a mural by creating an outline. Then people come to paint in a paint-by-numbers fashion, matching the color paint in their cup to the dots on the wall.

The mural is a simple design so anyone can paint.

ODA students are the first in Florida to be part of the Ten Thousand Flowers project.

Liz Ramos

Sophomore Travis Novak works on the mural with artist Tim Gibson and sophomore Collin Dillingham. The Ten Thousand Flowers Project has 2,860 flowers and growing.

Fast Break

Cardinal Mooney High senior Michaela Mattes made it four for four Nov. 18 at the Florida

High School Athletic Associa tion Class 1A state swimming championships. Mattes won the girls 500-yard freestyle in 4:43.80, 9.20 seconds faster than second-place Adele Sands of Carrollwood Day School. With the win, Mattes has now captured a gold medal in the event each of her four years at Mooney.

… Not much is cooler than a hat trick. Congrats to Sarasota High girls soccer sophomore Zitlaly Salinas-Sanchez on achieving the feat (plus two assists) in the team’s 9-0 win over Lehigh High on Nov. 18.

… Former Booker High running back Marlon Mack has bounced around this NFL season, but he seems to have found a home with the Denver Broncos. Because of injuries, Mack looks set to be the primary backup to Latavius Murray when the Broncos play Carolina on Sunday, meaning he should get at least a handful of opportunities to shine.

… Think you have elite stamina? Test yourself by participating in the Last Paddler Standing event at Nathan Benderson Park on Dec. 3. This stand-up paddling event challenges athletes to paddle a 3.33-mile loop in less than an hour or face elimination. Those still paddling will face another 3.33 miles in the following hour, and so on. The event will continue until there is one paddler left standing, however long it takes. Registration is $125. For information or to register, visit LastPaddlerStanding.com.

… Putting out another call: If you know of any area athletes doing something charitable during this holiday season, let us know by sending an email to RKohn@YourObserver.com. We love to feature athletes doing right by their community.

Next rival, please

The Rams meet their South County nemesis Venice on Friday after stopping Sarasota High 28-7.

RYAN KOHN SPORTS EDITOR

Another week, another rematch for the Riverview High football team. After defeating neighbor ing rival Sarasota High for the 12thstraight time, 28-7, on Nov. 18 in the Florida High School Athletic Asso ciation Class 4S regional semifinals, the Rams (5-6) will face another familiar foe in the regional final (Elite Eight). This time, it is Venice High (7-3), with whom the Rams share much history. Riverview has dropped five straight to the Indians, includ ing a 31-21 loss on Oct. 21 and a 56-14 loss in last year’s playoffs.

The Rams believe the version of their team that will take the Venice field at 7:30 p.m. Friday is not the same one who took the field against the Indians in October. After playing four games in 12 days to end the reg ular season, losing the finale against Cardinal Mooney High (4-7), the Rams were tired and thought their season was over. But after it turned out Riverview did just enough to impress the FHSAA algorithm and sneak into a No. 7 seed, Rams coach Josh Smithers said the team came back to practice with a renewed focus.

“Credit to our seniors,” Smithers said. “They have been unbelievable this year with all the adversity we had to go through. Our kids are resilient.

“They are an unbelievable group of young men. I love them.”

Even though Riverview lost the season’s first matchup with Venice, the Rams feel like they played well, even holding a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. Venice is undefeat ed against fellow Suburban-class teams in 2022. The only Suburban team to keep the game closer was Naples High (9-2), which lost 12-11 on Sept. 2.

The Rams’ defense has played the biggest part in the team’s increased level of play. Riverview has allowed 36 points over its past four games. Football fans know about Charles Lester III, the Rams’ cornerback with offers from Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State and Florida, among many others.

Lester is the No. 22 player in the Class of 2024 on the 247 Sports Composite ranking. But the defen sive success has been the result of a unit working in sync. Against Sara sota High last week, an interception from senior safety Lauriel “Scoota” Trotman, returned to the Sailors’ 20-yard line, led to a touchdown run from sophomore DJ Johnson. Mean while, the team’s run defense, led by senior end/tackle Demarcus Abner,

senior linebacker Deshaun Olave and others, left the Sailors’ trio of backs little room to maneuver, holding them to 97 yards on 24 carries. The Rams will need the unit to stand strong again Friday. After a slow start, the Venice offense has caught fire of late; the Indians dropped 39 points on Lehigh High (5-4) last week and a video gamelike 87 points on Riverdale High (4-4) the prior week. Senior quar terback Brooks Bentley has thrown 16 touchdowns to one interception, with seven of those touchdowns going to senior wideout Keyon Sears. Sears is 5-foot-7 but uses his speed to find space over the middle and is difficult to catch in the open field. On the ground,junior Alvin Johnson III and sophomore Jamarice Wilder have gained 1,222 yards and 15 touch downs.

Lester is typically in a class by him self on the field, but this time around Venice’s defense has two players who could argue their way into his ech elon. Senior defensive back Elliott Washington is committed to Penn State; Washington is the No. 142 player in the Class of 2023 on the 247 Sports Composite. Senior linebacker Damon Wilson is uncommitted, but is No. 19 on the composite and holds offers from Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Miami and more.

Getting points on that unit is a must if Riverview is to advance to the state Final Four. While River view’s offensive production has not been elite, but has picked up the pace in the postseason. DJ Johnson ran for 163 yards against the Sailors and 182 yards the week before against Gulf

Coast High (8-3). Junior quarter back Jeremiah Dawson threw two touchdowns against the Sailors, one to Lester on a 53-yard screen pass and one to senior Marshall Thomp son on a red zone pass that Thomp son caught over multiple defenders while tapping his feet in the back of the end zone.

The Rams also got a touchdown in tricky fashion. Facing a fourth and 10 from the Sailors’ 11-yard line, Smithers said he considered kicking a field goal, but was worried about his special teams unit’s ability to fend off Sailors rushers. Instead, the Rams had Dawson throw another screen pass to Lester — who this time did not sprint upfield but turned and threw the ball again himself. The pass found senior tight end Luke Petitta open in the end zone.

The Rams will take points however they can get them. All that matters at this stage of the season is the result.

“We have to keep our wits about us,” Smithers said. “We can’t turn the ball over. Defensively, we have to stay in our gaps. I’m proud of our guys. If we can keep getting a little bit better this week, we’ll see what happens.”

IF YOU GO

What: Riverview High football (5-6) vs. Venice High (7-3) When: 7:30 p.m. Friday Where: Venice High At stake: A spot in the FHSAA Class 4S state semifinals Last meeting: Venice won 31-21 on Oct. 21

“I’m more vocal now and I try to take charge. I just want to lead the team to wins any way possible.”

— Riverview High’s Demarcus Abner SEE PAGE 16

File photo

Michaela Mattes.

Photos by Ryan Kohn

Rams wideout Marshall Thompson fights through a tackle from Sailors safety Nick Wasowicz.

Rams defensive lineman Henry Fioriglio dances after his team secured a 28-7 win over Sarasota.

Rams coach Josh Smithers congratulates his team on reaching the third round of the postseason after a 28-7 road win over Sarasota.

“They have been unbelievable this year with all the adversity we had to go through. Our kids are resilient.”

— Head coach Josh Smithers

Sarasota nets soccer team

ing, made up of club and USL staff and people in the Sarasota soccer and business communities, was kicked off by club founder Marcus Walfridson and served as both an initial opportunity to secure ticket purchases and a chance for the club to pitch itself to the community.

Who is ready to embrace a new city sports team?

Starting in May, Sarasota will be the home of a United Soccer League team, classified into the USL’s League Two.

The U.S. soccer pyramid is a complex beast, but it can be helpful, if a bit reductive, to think of it in baseball terms.

If Major League Soccer is the equivalent of Major League Baseball, then the USL’s Championship division is akin to triple-A baseball — minus the “farm system” aspects — the USL’s League One is akin to double-A baseball and the USL’s League Two is single-A baseball.

The Tampa Bay Rowdies play in the USL’s Championship division.

Like I said, this is not a perfect comparison. The USL has more leagues than this, and there are other leagues outside of the USL umbrella that also slot into these levels at various places. The important thing to know is this: Sarasota is getting a “pre-professional” soccer team. The league is meant to help young players with their development and, ideally, have them reach higher levels of the sport.

The league is mostly a U23 league, though teams can carry eight players older than that restriction to serve as mentors for their young teammates.

NO NAME YET

The Sarasota team, right now still unnamed, will play games at Sarasota High during its initial 2023 season.

The club launched itself with a small gathering Nov. 19 at the Sarasota Art Museum. The gather-

“What is Sarasota?” Walfridson said. “It is beautiful. There are a lot of awesome people. A lot of art, a lot of culture. Those are good things. But I’ve been looking for the identity. I think we as a club, all of us here, can help form the identity. We can make it possible for people who move to Sarasota to come to our games, put up a scarf and say, ‘We are Sarasotans.’”

Over a little more than six years on the beat, I have seen a handful of semi-pro sports teams try to use the Sarasota-Bradenton area as a base. Most of them have failed. The fact is, unless you’re a die-hard sports fan, you probably don’t care about seeing mid-talent athletes with no big-time prospects play games on high school athletic facilities.

SENSE OF COMMUNITY

The USL seems to get that and pledges that its league is different, that this team will give fans a reason to watch. It’s why the club is appealing to a sense of community, but it is also why USL Vice President Joel Nash mentioned in his presentation that eight of the 26 U.S. national team players in Qatar for the World Cup players played in USL2, as it is commonly referred. That group includes goalkeeper Matt Turner, who on Monday started in net for the United States as the team tied Wales 1-1.

That, to me, is a compelling narrative. These players will not be adults looking to relive their glory days for some cash. They will be kids with real talent looking to better themselves for a shot at something more, a dream that not only can be achieved but has been

achieved by others. And, to top it all off, Walfridson promised that the club would try to fill its roster with as many players native to Sarasota as possible. It shouldn’t be a problem; Walfridson said that the club has had approximately 60 players reach out with interest. Based on last year’s Olympics, we know the city can produce world-class talent, but in my time here, not much of that talent has gone to soccer. How cool would it be to cheer on a Sarasota native at the World Cup, still the world’s biggest sporting event, in 2030 or 2034, after watching them learn their craft here?

TRYOUTS IN 2023

The club will hold tryouts early next year, as soon as it hires a coach, which Walfridson said it hopes to have in mid-January.

There’s no logo or uniform designs available for the club yet, but the club’s creative director, Liam Murtaugh, gave a leng thy presentation on the things he and the club are taking into consideration while building the team’s brand. Those things include physical things like the city’s proximity to the Gulf of Mexico and public art like the newly created Buck O’Neil mural, but they also include more abstract ideas like the city’s changing population size and demographics. This will be a modernlooking club, staff promised.

It was a thoughtful presentation. That thoughtfulness permeated the whole event and is the main reason I am optimistic about the club’s future. Nothing about this club is being thrown together on a lark. The USL itself is headquartered in Tampa. Whatever support the Sarasota club needs at the start, I’m confident the USL will provide it. This initial presentation made it clear that the club wants to be entrenched in the community for a long time.

It will need fan support to do

that, of course. Walfridson said the team will host at least seven regular-season matches in its inaugural season, with a preseason match likely. It will play other USL2 teams based in Florida. Season tickets are already available: a seasonlong seat in the west-side stands costs $149 while a seat on the east-side stands costs $79. Those packages come with a T-shirt and other goodies.

If you’re feeling especially bullish, you can secure one of 25 “Founding Member” packages for $1,499, which will get your name featured

on the team website and in the stadium, a jersey, VIP credentials and other perks.

A full breakdown of the packages is on SarasotaUSL.com.

RKohn@ YourObserver.com.

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

The as-yet-unnamed team will begin play in the United Soccer League’s League Two in May 2023.

Ryan Kohn

USL Vice President Joel Nash said eight of the 26 players on the U.S. Men’s National Team played in the USL2.

OF THE WEEK

ATHLETE

Demarcus Abner

When did you start playing football?

I have played since I was 4 years old. I started with the Sarasota Gators as soon as I could and have been playing ever since. I was actually a linebacker through my freshman year here, but after that I moved to the defensive line.

What is the appeal of football to you?

It’s a legal way to hit people and get some aggression out. You can do whatever you want out here.

What is your best skill?

I think it’s my leadership, which had improved a lot since I first joined the team. I’m more vocal now, and I try to take charge. I just want to lead the team to wins any way possible.

What is your favorite memory? Earlier this season against Venice High, I retuned a blocked punt for a touchdown. It was my first varsity touchdown.

What have you been working to improve?

It’s about the team, really. Everyone can improve everything. That’s the biggest thing I’ve focused on. I need to help the team win more, as many games as possible.

What is the biggest key to Friday’s playoff rematch against Venice? Execution. That’s it. We just have to execute our plays and not take

If you would like to make a recommendation for the Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer’s Athlete of the Week feature, send it to Ryan Kohn at RKohn@YourObserver.com.

many penalties. If we do that we can come out with a win.

What is your favorite food? I love macaroni and cheese.

What is your favorite movie? I have to go with “Major Payne.”

What is your favorite subject? I have to go with history class. It’s crazy to me that all the stuff we learn about really happened.

Which superpower would you pick?

Invisibility. You could do whatever you wanted if no one could see you.

What is the best advice you have received?

Don’t take anything for granted. That’s real. Take things seriously because not everyone has the same opportunities that you have, and when they’re done, they’re done.

Finish this sentence: “Demarcus Abner is …” … Goofy. Ambitious. Outgoing. Let’s go with those.

Demarcus Abner is a senior defen sive end/defensive tackle on the Riverview High football team. Rams coach Josh Smithers said Abner has been a difference-maker for the team’s defense in 2022.

FOCUSED ON DESSERT

The smell of toasty pumpkin perfumed the air at Faulhaber Fab Lab.

But no, this was not a baking lab or an experimental dessert scheme.

Families were engraving pumpkin pies with lasers.

The educational site annually hosts a special kind of workshop during the holiday season.

This year, STEM enthusiasts were able to get hands-on experience choosing a graphic design and having it etched onto their pumpkin pie using the lab’s laser cutter and engraver.

“This is hands-on. They will learn about things they wouldn’t normally learn at school,” says Roman Tuero who participated with his two sons, Luca and Enzo Tuero.

Fab Lab staff and volunteers helped attendees with picking a graphic. After the graphics were been picked, they were programmed into a laser that would engrave a pumpkin pie.

The EPILOG Mini Laser Cutter and Trotec Speedy 400 Laser Cutter are the two ma-

Luca and Enzo Tuero demonstrate their finished laser-engraved pie.

Marketing and Communications Director Jenn Sam Scott helps Shawn and Christopher McCullough choose designs while Sue McCullough looks on.

Photos by Dariela Delgado

David Li and Lawrence Zhang show their masterpiece.

The Epilog Mini Laser was used to engrave a cat on a pumpkin pie.

Amara Weiner shows her masterpiece.

Enzo, Roman and Luca Tuero work with Fab Lab staffer Steven Piskoty to create their designs.

All Faiths distributes turkeys

All Faiths Food Bank had to postpone

its turkey distribution from this past week to Thursday evening at Ed Smith Stadium, but the delay brought about because of Hurricane Nicole had little effect.

Florida has faced a set of challenges in these recent months, especially Sarasota County. Hurricane Ian made its mark on Florida in late September — affecting thousands of Sarasota residents — making the holiday season stressful.

“As our community continues to face challenging economic conditions and recover from Hurricane Ian, we find already stretched resources reaching the breaking point,” said All Faiths Food Bank’s CEO Sandra Frank.

The thought of not being able to feed one’s family shouldn’t cross one’s mind. However, it is the reality of many Sarasota families.

All Faiths Food Bank is determined to help alleviate this concern for the fast approaching holidays. Funds from the ThankFULL campaign will enable the distribution of more than 13,000 turkeys and sides — the largest number ever — in advance of Thanksgiving, and a total of 3.6 million holiday meals.

According to the All Faiths Food Bank website, this campaign was created with the intention to turn empty plates into thankful ones by providing meals for the community and neighbors who struggle with hunger during the holidays.

— DARIELA DELGADO

Photos by Dariela Delgado

Jo Jadin loads vehicles with side dishes and a turkey.

Volunteers

Elodie Ward, Sandra Frank,

Wilkinson kids learn before the holiday

he Friday before the Thanksgiving holiday was an energetic day for students at Wilkinson Elementary. They did their version of a turkey trot with a twist. Wilkinson Elementary did a STEAM-focused event for its students before their school break.

“This year’s theme is Trotting through Florida. All the handson learning spaces are Floridathemed. We have people from our community that are here to help and reinforce what the kids are learning about Florida nature and wildlife with hands-on fun,” said Wilkinson Elementary’s Turkey Trot Coordinator, Tessa Healy.

The day started off with a school-wide gathering in its courtyard where students sang their signature tune, “Try a Little Kindness.” The students then headed off to their first learning station, where they spent 40 minutes before they rotated and headed off to their next station.

Students spent the day visiting seven science, technology, engineering, arts and math learning stations throughout the campus. Each station contained a lesson that was STEAM-focused and related to the Sunshine State.

Principal Susan Nations started this turkey trot four years ago as a kickoff to the holiday break in an effort to keep the last day before Thanksgiving focused on learning.

“This whole day is about working together. It’s about being kind and going into the Thanksgiving holiday with gratitude. It was a way for us to fill this day with meaningful learning while having fun. It’s a way to get our students involved with STEAM learning,” she said.

Students from all grade levels worked together and participated in hands-on learning with experts as they learned more about the state they live in.

— DARIELA DELGADO

Photos by Dariela Delgado

At the Everglades Literacy Exploration station, Tate Vangellow teaches the importance of the Florida Everglades.

The Little Medical station shows students how to assemble their own first-aid kit.

Landon Minnis, Geken Farlin and Cristopher Cardenas gather around the moo-vie star to give it gentle pets.

Wilkinson students hug each other as they sing with the school.

Alayna Becker, Tessa Healy, Nathan Dasilva and Janalee Klinger take the stage to sing “Try a Little Kindness.”

Coral Cove property sells for $2 million

HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

Ahome in Coral Cove tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. Anthony Minicucci and Celeste Gruenstein, of Sarasota, sold their home at 1707 Caribbean Drive to Suncoast Opportunities LLC for $2.05 million. It has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 5,012 square feet of living area. It sold for $800,000 in 2013.

SARASOTA

PAYNE PARK VILLAGE

Mary Beth Anderson, of Dewitt, Michigan, sold the home at 381 Gowdy Road to William Jackson McAdams and Kristin Marie McAdams, trustees, of Sarasota, for $959,000. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,444 square feet of living area. It sold for $636,400 in 2020.

THE VILLAS ON LAUREL

Charlene Guller, of Boca Raton, sold her Unit 9 condominium at 1685 Laurel St. to John and Janice Shelton, of Sarasota, for $935,000. Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,891 square feet of living area. It sold for $571,000 in 2016.

RUSTIC LODGE

Carolyn Lowell, trustee, and Michael Mansfield, of Sarasota, sold the home at 2569 Prospect St. to Man Van Truong and Dieu Vuong Hong Ha, of Woodstock, Georgia, for $810,000. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,241 square feet of living area. It sold for $710,000 in 2021.

WILLOWBROOK

Sheila Povoski-Butler and William Butler, of Sarasota, sold their home at 9144 Willowbrook Drive to Ian Zukauskas and Andrea Acuna Alsina, of Fairfax, Virginia, for $650,000. Built in 2002, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,249 square feet of living area. It sold for $395,000 in 2016.

The home at 1707 Caribbean Drive has four bedrooms and more than 5,000 square feet.

SOUTH GATE

David Bishop and Kirsty Gough, of Ontario, Canada, sold their home at 2523 Sheridan Drive to Gideon and Rhonda Lapp and Jacob and Rebecca Blank, of Lewisville, Texas, for $560,000. Built in 1961, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,811 square feet of living area. It sold for $173,000 in 2009.

RIDGEWOOD Mainstreet Homes LLC sold the home at 2310 James Lane to Kristen Leigh Hilligoss, of Sarasota, for $545,000. Built in 1987, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,696 square feet of living area. It sold for $342,000 in 2021.

OSPREY

BAY OAKS ESTATES

Alonso and Areka Gomez, of Covington, Louisiana, sold their home at 594 Pine Ranch E. Road to Erick Thai Branton and Lucia Branton, of Osprey, for $675,000. Built in 1997, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,298 square feet of living area. It sold for $339,900 in 2014.

Other top sales by area

SIESTA KEY: $1.3 MILLION

Sara Sands Darren Gallo, trustee, of Sarasota, sold two properties at 5174 Sandy Cove Ave. to TNC SRQ LLC for $1.3 million. The first property was built in 1970, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,233 square feet of living area. The second property was built in 2003, it has one bedroom, one bath and 1,144 square feet of living area. They sold for $450,000 in 2013.

OSPREY: $990,000 Meridian at the Oaks Preserve Greg and Connie Carlson, of The

Colony, Texas, sold their Unit 902 condominium at 409 N. Point Road to Geoffrey White, of Osprey, for $990,000. Built in 2004, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,055 square feet of living area. It sold for $637,500 in 2018.

NOKOMIS: $855,000

Sorrento Woods Terri and Hector Melendez, of Venice, sold their home at 1117 Wyeth Drive to Rochelle Larue Gallo and Pasquale Lorenzo Gallo, of Nokomis, for $855,000. Built in 1995, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,922 square feet of living area. It sold for $485,000 in 2020.

See more transactions at YourObserver.com

TOP BUILDING PERMITS

ADAM

Eric Garwood

Logan T. Shannon, DPM Podiatric Surgery

YOUR CALENDAR

SATURDAY, NOV. 26

BEST BET: ATOMIC HOLIDAY BAZAAR Noon-7 p.m. at Robarts Arena, 3000 Ringling Blvd. Get a head start on holiday shopping with quirky, whimsical and unusual crafts Admission for adults is $6; children 12 and younger admitted free. For information, visit AtomicHolidayb Bazaar.com.

SUNDAY, NOV. 27

SUNDAYS AT THE BAY FEATURING TREVOR BYSTROM 4:30-5:30 p.m. at The Bay Sarasota. 1055 Boulevard of the Arts. Enjoy a free outdoor performance from Trevor Bystrom alongside the water. This is a free event. For information, visit TheBaySarasota.org/event/ Sundays-At-The-Bay-Featuring-Trevor-Bystrom.

FRIENDSGIVING AT THE MEADOWS FARMERS MARKET 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at The Meadows Farmers Market. 5041 Ringwood Meadow. Enjoy a Thanksgiving with your neighbors at The Meadows. Shop local gifts, food, music and art for your family. Free admission. For information, call 315-7773.

MONDAY, NOV. 28

CORESRQ AT THE BAY: BOOTCAMP 7:30-8:15 a.m. at The Bay, 801 N. Tamiami Trail. Don’t wait until the new year to start getting fit. CoreSRQ will lead this fitness event for the community. Free. For information, call 203-5316.

TUESDAY, NOV. 29

THE ELIXIR ACOUSTIC OPEN MIC 7-10 p.m. at The Elixir Tea House. 1926 Hillview St. Spend your evening surrounded by music. If you are a musician and are interested in play-

ing a song, don’t be shy and sign up. Admission is free. For information, call 373-1800.

WEDNESDAY,

NOV. 30

YOGA UNDER THE HOLIDAY LIGHTS

5:30-6:30 p.m. at The Green in UTC. Stretch your muscles and de-stress during the holidays under the UTC holiday lights. Free. For information, visit UTCSarasota.com/event/YogaUnder-The-Holiday-Lights-3.

THURSDAY, DEC. 1

TOYS FOR TOTS

5-8 p.m. at John Ringling Museum. 5401 Bay Shore Road. Join the Ringling in supporting the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots. Toys that are donated will be gifted to children less fortunate in the Sarasota community. Admission is free with one unwrapped toy. Regular admission is $15 per adult; $5 per child. For information, call 359-5700.

THURSDAYS AT THE BAZAAR

10 a.m.-3 p.m. at The Bazaar on Apricot and Lime, 821 Apricot Ave. Come out and shop for the holidays by shopping locally. Admission is free. For information, call 445-1938.

File photo

Designed by the highly renowned DSDG Architects,

N Polk Drive, The Pirate House is an influence of the modern Miami Beach Art Deco movement, a trend-inspiring design that is first of its kind on Lido Key. This contemporary masterpiece, with expansive beach views from all angles, is mere steps to the white sands of Lido Key Beach, with

views of the crystal clear turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

THURSDAY, NOV. 24

High: 81 Low: 68

Chance of rain: 9%

FRIDAY, NOV. 25 High: 81 Low: 68 Chance of rain: 10%

SATURDAY, NOV. 26

High: 81 Low: 71

Chance of rain: 23%

SUNDAY, NOV. 27

Thursday, Nov. 24 6:57a 5:35p

Friday, Nov. 25 6:58a 5:35p

Saturday, Nov. 26 6:59a 5:35p

Sunday, Nov. 27 6:59a 5:35p

Monday, Nov. 28 7:00a 5:35p

Tuesday, Nov. 29 7:01a 5:35p

Wednesday, Nov. 30 7:02a 5:35p

MOON PHASES

RAINFALL

Monday, Nov. 14 0

Tuesday, Nov. 15 0

Wednesday, Nov. 16 0

Thursday, Nov. 17 0

Friday, Nov. 18 0

Saturday, Nov. 19 0

Sunday, Nov. 20 0.98

MEN IN BLACK by Morton J. Mendelson. Edited by Ross Trudeau

By Luis Campos