Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer 4.20.23

YOU YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

YOUR TOWN

One Park proposal in limbo

An investigation has brought hearings to a halt on the downtown development. SEE PAGE 4A

Carrying the torch

Continuing a tradition more than two decades old, the Sarasota Police Department will participate in the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics on Friday, April 21. Officers and civilian runners will join more than 300 Florida law enforcement agencies in the statewide torch run to benefit the athletes of Special Olympics Florida. More than 5,000 officers annually participate in the 1,500-mile relay across the state.

The SPD will take the torch from members of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office in the parking lot of Paradise Plaza Publix, 3825 S. Osprey Ave., at approximately 8:30 a.m.

The first leg of the route through the city will take the torch north on Tamiami Trail past the split with North Washington Boulevard, and continue north with a right turn on Adams Lane, ending at SPD headquarters.

The art of juggling

A workshop and film premiere at the Ringling Museum celebrated the cultural impact of this iconic circus tradition.

SEE PAGE 10B

A place for cookies and community

Bea Grimme and her husband, Thomas Grimme, both former engineers, were looking to get more in touch with the community.

Their journey led to the grand opening of their second Crumbl Cookies location in Sarasota, at Landings Plaza at 4910 S. Tamiami Trail, on April 7. They also own the location at University Town Center.

“We really liked the concept of Crumbl and thought it was just something fun that brings people together,” she said, noting she was glad to help reinvigorate the plaza.

Grimme said the couple chose the business for its simplicity, freshness and vibrance, although they have found that the complexity involved in coordinating the from-scratch cookie making each day brings their former engineering operations to mind.

SEE PAGE

Ian Swaby

Filmmaker and juggler Paprika Leaverton with Ringling Circus Collections Curator Jennifer Lemmer Posey

Frankel

File photo

Ian Swaby

Employee Lily Dreier shows off some Crumbl Cookies’ treats.

WEEK OF APRIL 20, 2023

BY THE NUMBERS

Siesta Key hotel opponent Lourdes Ramirez. Read more on page

Literacy council seeks volunteer tutors

The Literacy Council of Sarasota is offering tutor training workshops in May for volunteers to help fellow adults improve their basic English communication and literacy skills. Workshops will meet at the Glasser/ Schoenbaum Human Services Center, Building J, 1750 17th St. in Sarasota.

No previous experience required. Volunteers will receive approximately 18 hours of interactive ProLiteracy-certified instruction and support over the course of four weekday sessions. Sessions will focus on teaching adults to read, write, comprehend and/or improve their English language skills.

Training sessions will be held at the same time from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Monday, May 1, Wednesday, May 3, Friday, May 5, and Tuesday, May 9.

Space is limited and pre-registration is required by April 21 by calling LCS Program Associate Sandra Beltran at 941-955-0421 or email to SBeltran@SarasotaLiteracy.org.

Slow left lane drivers may soon be ticketed

Siesta home hits the market at $16 million

room; even the elevator has a bay-view window. The floor plan features six en-suite bedrooms, 8 1/2 baths, balconies off almost every room, a wine room and a gourmet kitchen. Glass-covered front and rear elevations bring in natural light.

Slow left-hand lane drivers beware. Now blocking the left lane of a highway with slow driving may become more than a nuisance to others. If a bill that cleared the Florida Senate Transportation Appropriations Committee last week makes it way into law, it will be a moving violation.

home offers water views from every

The resort-style owners’ suite has two private balconies, walk-in closets and spa-like bath. The custom reef aquarium with handcarved coral stone is a nautical centerpiece in the living space. Gathering areas include a movie theater, fitness center and family

room opening to a covered patio and balcony, all complemented by 360-degree bay views.

Recent upgrades include top-of-the-line home systems, security, landscaping, riprap and limestone seawalls. The entire interior was also refreshed with new paint, marble touches, lighting and window treatments.

Outside are 546 feet of waterfront with a heated pool and spa, beach kayak launch, Tiki hut gazebo, in-ground fire pit and deep-water boat dock with additional recreational craft lift.

Senate Bill 464 would make illegal continuously traveling in the furthermost left-hand general purpose lane of streets and highways with two or more lanes and a posted speed limit of at least 65 miles per hour except when passing another vehicle, preparing to exit or when otherwise directed by an official traffic control device.

Drivers who are stopped for the violation would receive a ticket. If passed, the bill would take effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

The law would not apply to authorized emergency vehicles and vehicles engaged in highway maintenance or construction operations.

“The county doesn’t care about Siesta Key, and we have proof that they don’t care about the Siesta Key.”

12A

Courtesy photo The listing at 1414 Point Crisp Road is surrounded by the waters of Little Sarasota Bay.

Andrew Warfield Burying overhead utility lines is a key component to beautifying and activating alleys in downtown Sarasota.

Commissioners back re-alley-cation study proposal

City Commission backs Erik Arroyo’s request to clean up and activate downtown alleyways.

Sarasota City Commissioner Erik Arroyo wants residents and visitors to find themselves in a downtown alley. Just not a dark one.

Or a smelly one.

During Monday’s commission meeting, Arroyo proposed that the city embark on an alley beautification program intended to activate the space between the backs of buildings along select streets with art, lighting, outdoor dining, pedestrian pathways and more.

The idea is to enhance the downtown environment and boost economic opportunity for businesses while remedying eyesores and assaults on other senses.

“In the ’90s, there was a large movement for an alley beautification here in Sarasota that was dormant, but still devoted, up until recently,” Arroyo said. “Today we stand before you with a vision that is vibrant, welcoming and full of life.”

Commissioners unanimously approved assigning staff to prepare proposals for the most feasible alley project to start with, to estimate maintenance costs and prepare an action plan for implementation.

For Arroyo’s presentation, staff prepared a feasibility study for six alleys — three in downtown and three in the Rosemary District. Some are more involved than others, ranging from some basic reconstruction and decor to undergrounding overhead utilities and commercial garbage receptacles.

“We have seen the success of

similar initiatives in other cities where the transformation of alleys and artistic masterpieces have led to increased safety, community engagement and a sense of pride for the residents,” Arroyo said. “By investing in this program, we’re not only contributing to the aesthetic appeal of our city but also fostering a safer, cleaner and more connected environment for all.”

Arroyo isn’t suggesting a wholesale program just yet, but rather identifying one alley to start with and delving into further feasibility research and eventual implementation. The cited prospective projects range in estimated costs from $260,000 behind the 1400 Fifth Way block to $1.8 million behind the north side of 1500 block of Main Street.

TRASH TALK

Commissioners were all on board with the concept, particularly Vice Mayor Liz Alpert who is a staunch advocate of undergrounding garbage disposal and collection systems.

Already deployed in two Florida cities, heavy steel bins are buried in concrete vaults topped by receptacles. A specialized truck with a mechanical arm pulls the dumpster up from underground, empties it into the truck and then replaces it. All that shows above the ground is a curbside mailbox-sized depository.

“It’s long bothered me what the condition of our alleys are,” Alpert said. “I’ve been advocating for the underground garbage receptacles for a while, so I’m hoping that we can figure out a way to come up with some money to do these projects and start working on the alleyways.”

Money was the sticking point for Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch, who noted that nowhere in the presentation was there a plan to pay for the program.

“Where’s the money coming from? That’s my big concern,” Ahearn-Koch said. “The garbage idea, I’m all in for that. I don’t know what the cons are to that, but I know it’s funding. It’s a big cost, but alleys do have a function. They still have to function for deliveries. They still have to function for garbage and they do serve a really unsavory function sometimes, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do what we can do to try to

THE ALLEYS

beautify them.”

Finding the funding as budget season approaches is up to the commission, Arroyo said, suggesting one source is drawing from the general fund balance, which at more than $32 million is well in excess of the city’s policy of maintaining a fund balance that is 25% of the annual city budget.

A logistical challenge in some of the alleys is available space to run specialized garbage trucks to serve the underground dumpsters. All alley services, such as refuse collection and deliveries, must end at 5 p.m., leaving the day for functionality and the nights for public use.

Particularly for the downtown alleys, centralizing refuse disposal in some fashion versus multiple dumpsters behind each business will be a prerequisite. Some applications of underground garbage dumpsters are in the street rather than in the alleys. Whether that’s a palatable solution remains to be seen.

“The problem that we’re faced with is the right of way that we have to be able to work within,” said Public Works Director Doug Jeffcoat. “Where you’ve got dumpsters, you’re up against the property. And now we’re starting to put things more into the actual roadway to deal with.

“Can it be done? Yes, it can be done, but you also have to understand is we only control one part of this,” he continued. “We also have recycling containers. You have grease traps where there are restaurants and things of that nature, and all those things are going to have to be considered as we move forward with this.”

Jeffcoat had no estimates for the cost to retrofit or purchase a truck for underground garbage collection, and Commissioner Debbie Trice suggested that he may find the city needs a certain percentage of underground collection implemented to make the limited transition more cost effective.

“Everything’s going have a costbenefit ratio” Jeffcoat agreed. “But that’s what we’ll bring back with regard to saying here’s the menu and here is what it costs for us to be able to move forward with that.”

ANDREW WARFIELD | STAFF WRITER

One Park developer calls bribe investigation a ‘delay tactic’

contact to the city attorney’s office the week prior, setting the wheels in motion for the hearing cancellation.

The hearing was over a requested amendment to the general development plan that would allow One Park to be built over Quay Commons with a breezeway. The GDP agreement for The Quay was reached in 2016 between the city and GreenPointe Development of Jacksonville.

The cancellation of a legislative public hearing before the city Planning Board regarding the continuing One Park saga has left the proposal in limbo until an investigation into an alleged inducement to a board member is completed.

The hearing was scheduled to be continued at the April 12 regular meeting of the Planning Board but was canceled by City Manager Marlon Brown after he learned that a board member, Michael Halflants, an architect, was contacted by one of the partners in the One Park condominium tower project, who was interviewing architecture firms for preliminary work on another project.

The two did not come to terms, and Halflants remained involved in the hearing process and reported the

The investigation has since been referred by the Sarasota Police Department to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for “transparency and public confidence in the investigative process.”

Longtime Sarasota developer Jim Bridges, CEO of One Park investor Jebco Ventures, had included Halflants’ firm — Halflants + Pichette — among others he was interviewing for the unrelated project. Jebco Ventures put the lots in The Quay under contract, then turned the contract over to developer Property Markets Group of Miami.

In an April 6 email to other planning staff members from Senior Planner Tom Sacharski, he wrote, “I just heard from (Deputy City Attorney) Mike Connolly that we will

WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

The suspension of a Planning Board hearing over a conflict of interest charge is called ‘a joke’ by Property Markets Group CEO.

Andrew Warfield

Some future buyers of Bayso (left) and owners of Ritz-Carlton Residences are opposing the One Park development plan at the north end of Quay Commons in The Quay.

only have four members available for the Quay 1 and 9 (development agreement) on April 12th. Michael Halflants has entered into an agreement with one of the members of the development team and will not be able to vote. Mike said that (alternate) Doug Christy cannot vote, as his wife is in real estate and will be part of closing for several buyers in the proposed One Park building. If it comes down to a 2-2 vote, Mike said that the application will move forward to CC without a recommendation.”

That elicited an email response from Halflants that read, “There’s clearly been some miscommunication here. I have no intention nor do I have any reason to recuse myself from participating in the upcoming Planning Board meeting.”

Halflants and Christy were still recused, which would have left open the door to a possible tie vote and advancement of the amendment request to the City Commission without recommendation.

One Park developer Kevin Maloney, founder and CEO of Property Markets Group of Miami, said the criminal inquiry into an alleged bribe is only a delay tactic to keep the issue from going before the commission before the expiration of his agreement to purchase Blocks 1 and 9 in The Quay.

“It’s disgusting and inappropriate and salacious. It’s another delay tactic, but now it’s really getting dirty and the city attorney’s office is right in the middle of it.”

The city attorney’s office did not respond to requests to reply to Maloney’s charge. For his part, Halflants also did not offer comment.

“It’s a joke. It doesn’t meet the standard for garbage,” Maloney said. “What they’re saying then is you’re not ever allowed to hire anyone who’s sitting on that planning board or city commission because ultimately your project should go through the process and they may recuse themselves and it might be misconstrued that there is some connection there. It’s just a ridiculous, disgusting claim.”

Bridges has had no direct involvement in the One Park project other than as a passive minor investor, Maloney said, calling him a “tangential” partner. His total investment is slightly more than $1 million in

the estimated $500 million project.

Morgan Bentley, an attorney who represents residents of the RitzCarlton Residences who oppose One Park — collectively known as Block 6 — said Bridges is more than that.

“The idea that Jim Bridges was some kind of minor partner really flies in the face of reality when he was on their visionary page of the One Park website up until (several) days ago,” Bentley said. “He has been the face of the local development, so I don’t know why (Maloney) would try to portray him as a minor partner. He may be a minority owner, but he’s the face of the organization.”

According to Levy Public Relations, which manages the One Park website, Bridges and Jebco Ventures were removed from the page on Feb. 21. Maloney said the intention was to remove any ambiguity over who was in charge of the project.

“There has never been a deal I’ve been involved where I haven’t been in charge,” he said. “Jim did the right thing because he needed an architect. Michael Halflants did the right thing. If you didn’t take (the job), don’t recuse yourself. I don’t care if he’s voting for me or not. It’s an advisory position. This will never rise to the occasion of a nothing sandwich. And then, of course, I’ll be back in line again and they’ll try to put me back a period of time and screw up my project.”

Owners in the Ritz-Carlton Residences have been joined by future owners of a second The Quay condominium tower, Bayso, in opposing the One Park project. They have described the building as monolithic and charged the breezeway over Quay Commons violates the air rights ownership of the master association. The air rights dispute is scheduled to go before the 12th Judicial Circuit Court in June.

Should One Park receive comprehensive plan amendment approval that would allow it to span over two lots, the next step would be quasijudicial hearings for the site plan approval before the Planning Board and then the City Commission.

Maloney said he plans to close on the lots later this year regardless of the current delay. By right, he said, PMG could erect two structures of even higher density than One Park, but that’s not his preference.

Legislative vs. quasi-judicial hearings: Why they are different

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

Often when it comes to matters of development before the Sarasota City Commission and Planning Commission, there are two types of hearings that follow very different procedures. Some are legislative in nature; others are quasi-judicial. The differences between the two — and why — can lead to some confusion among the general public.

Although not strictly related to approving or denying developments, that process provides clear examples and distinctions between the two.

“When you’re deciding on a legislative matter you are formulating policy. You’re making a policy decision,” said Sarasota City Attorney Robert Fournier. “When you have a quasi-judicial matter, you’re applying policy that’s already been formulated.”

Beyond comprehensive plan amendments, matters of policy that affect the public at large, for example, can include whether to place parking meters downtown. In February, the City Commission was required to hold a legislative public hearing to amend the city code to adopt the new city seal.

In quasi-judicial proceedings that have a more localized impact than do legislative actions, the City Commission must follow stricter procedural requirements, similar to those in court proceedings. If the requirements are not followed, a court could invalidate the decision if challenged.

When it comes to the development approval process, a proposed project

may require both legislative and quasi-judicial proceedings. Two recent high-profile examples are projects proposed for the former Sarasota Kennel Club and in The Quay.

On its way to the approval of an apartment complex at the kennel club site, the City Commission first had to undergo the legislative process to amend the city’s comprehensive plan to allow rezoning consideration of the site. It then underwent a quasi-judicial hearing to rezone the property and approve the site plan.

Months of effort by staff, the Planning Board and City Commission were for naught, however, as lawsuits brought by Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport delayed the close on the property by the developer — quasi-judicial decisions can be challenged in Circuit Court — eventually prompting the owner to terminate the sale of the property and request the rezoning be reversed.

Meanwhile, a series of delays have afflicted the proposed One Park project in The Quay, which had been undergoing a legislative hearing before the Planning Board. That was over a petition to amend the general development agreement, which would eventually go before the City Commission. If that were to be approved, One Park would move to a quasi-judicial hearing process for approval or denial of the site plan.

“If it’s a legislative matter, there’s much broader latitude,” Fournier said. “The commissioners have to exercise their own legislative judgement representing the best interests of the citizens. They must ask themselves: ‘Is this in the best interest of

the city? Is this in the best interest of the public? Is this good for the community?’”

Unlike a legislative determination, a quasi-judicial decision can be challenged in court but only on whether the outcome met the standards outlined in the city code, which is written by legislative action. Whether commissioners like the project is not a valid argument.

“You’re sitting in a quasi-judicial capacity, so that’s why they have to act more like judges,” Fournier said. “That’s part of the reason for the ex parte disclosures because the process includes the right of interested parties to know who the decision makers have communicated with, and if they want to pursue asking questions. And on appeal, the Circuit Court is restricted to looking at three things: Did they follow the correct law? Did they apply the right criteria? Was there substantial, competent evidence to support the decision, meaning evidence to support that criteria was either satisfied or not satisfied?”

Another difference is how the hearings are held. Legislative hearings provide time for staff and petitioners to make their separate proposals, followed by public input when speakers have five minutes

each to voice their opinions. That is followed by questioning the petitioners and staff by board members or commissioners, deliberation and final determination.

Quasi-judicial hearings are like mini trials, whereby a petitioner makes its proposal, a legally recognized opposing group may argue against, legally recognized affected parties have three minutes each to speak, cross-examination of witnesses is permitted and petitioners are given the opportunity for rebuttal before questioning by commissioners. All who speak are sworn in under oath.

During a Circuit Court challenge, the judge will make a determination based on the record of the hearing. There is yet another challenge route, the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings, which may occur under limited circumstances.

“There’s a statute that states if you approve a development that includes a rezoning or a site plan that is not consistent with the comprehensive plan, you can take that to Circuit Court,” Fournier said. “But if it’s about the validity of the amendment to the comprehensive plan to begin with, that goes to (the Division of Administrative Hearings).”

How decisions are made at the local level depends on policy versus implementation.

File photo

Before becoming entangled in legal disputes, the former Sarasota Kennel Club site was approved for an apartment complex through both legislative proceedings to amend the city’s comprehensive plan and the quasi-judicial process for rezoning and site plan approval.

Read print, digitally!

switched from an experiment to more of a nuisance during my first official job at the Longboat Observer. I was one of the office janitors, earning my weekly allowance. Every week, there were black ink fingerprints all over the door knobs and walls. Still to this day, at our current headquarters on the east end of Main Street in downtown Sarasota, you can find me cleaning ink-fingerprints off our doors with a trusty bottle of Windex from time to time.

Recently, I moved from Longboat Key, my home for the past 12 years, to mainland Sarasota. (Longboaters, we still have our eyes on you.

My parents and Observer Media Group founders Matt and Lisa Walsh are still residents on Longboat Key, and my son, Rhys Parry, and I will be marching in the annual Fourth of July Freedom Fest parade — one of my favorite events of the year.) When moving, you unearth a lot of stuff. All of you snowbirds and new transplants are surely familiar with this phenomenon.

While trying to pare down items, I took a trip down memory lane going through boxes of keepsakes from my childhood. In one of those boxes, I found my first-place plaque from the Pinellas County Science Fair.

In sixth grade, at Southside Fundamental Middle School in St. Petersburg, I won first place for my project that was based on whether oil-based or soy-based newspaper ink was better for the environment. Conclusion: Soy-based ink was better because it was more soluble.

The methodology used to come to this conclusion included interviews with the pressmen at the then St. Petersburg Times (now Tampa Bay Times) and a series of experiments based on the ink left on your fingers after reading a newspaper.

At the time, the Tampa Tribune was still using oil-based ink, while the St. Petersburg Times had recently switched to soy-based ink. My experiments thumbing through both newspapers and swiping fingers on cotton swabs concluded that the soy-based ink used by the St. Petersburg Times left less residue on your fingertips.

Those experiments also resulted in the first time I used a curse word in front of my mother, but that is a whopper of a story for another time.

Years later, ink-stained fingertips

So, much to my delight, and never in that 12-year-old’s wildest dreams, I’m happy to introduce a way to read our printed papers each week without getting ink on your fingers.

Welcome to your new e-Newspaper app — Your Observer.

The Your Observer e-Newspaper app is available in both the Apple App store and Google Play, free to download. Now our hyperlocal news and information is available to you, at your fingertips, anywhere in the world in an easy-to-use digital format on your desktop, tablet or mobile phone.

Each week, the printed version of our papers will be available to you in a new way. Flip through the pages on your favorite device like you would the printed pages. Pinch and grab the pages to zoom in and out.

Tap on headlines to view a mobile-friendly reading experience and jump to pages with a tap of the finger. Tap a photo to scroll through an entire picture gallery or view a video.

While you’re driving your morning or evening commute from work, you can have an article read to you. Share articles easily and have them translated into 25 different languages.

Interested in a service or product advertised by one of our partners?

Tap on the phone number and call directly from the app or be linked to their website. Download the digital edition and save articles to read offline. Print articles and crossword puzzles anytime.

People may say that print is dead or antiquated. Let us be clear: Print is not going away. The e-Newspaper app is a new way to read print, digitally. It’s also one of the ways we are staying true to our vision: innovate and elevate.

Ever since the rise of the internet in the late ’90s, the print media businesses have been constantly innovating with their online offerings and revolutionizing their business models. This new e-Newspaper app is the latest iteration.

To ensure our news and information is up-to-date and provided to you in every way you consume news, we utilize more than 30 different vendors and software providers, giving us the technology to print our papers and provide news online 24 hours, seven days a week. In fact, our IT partner, Thrive, has told us that we are one of their most complicated clients with the number of different systems we utilize to get news and information out to you every day.

So while we may be complicated internally, we want to offer you the easiest way to access our news with our new e-Newspaper app.

Our app is free to download, and for the first month we’re offering access for only 99 cents. After that, you can subscribe to our app for $5 per month, or $50 per year.

Meantime, our printed editions will remain free via home and commercial delivery, and our content on YourObserver.com will remain free.

If you opt for the Your Observer e-Newspaper app, you should consider going one step further and becoming an Observer Newsie. That’s our membership program, which has grown to nearly 500 members.

For an annual membership of $65, Newsies receive access to the Your Observer e-Newspaper app and invitations to members-only events. In fact, on Thursday, April 20, our Newsies will participate in a “Wine Walk” at The Bay with AG Lafley, former CEO of Procter & Gamble and outgoing CEO of The Bay Conservancy.

This has been a long journey — going from ink-stained fingers to creating our digital editions that will read our stories to you or translate them into multiple languages.

While I will always have ink in my blood, I am excited that with our new Your Observer e-Newspaper app, there won’t be as much of it on my fingers. I hope you download it and give it a try. I’d love to hear what you think.

Emily Walsh is president of the Observer Media Group Inc. She can be reached at EWalsh@ YourObserver.com.

SIGN UP TODAY!

STEP 1 Visit YourObserver.com

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STEP 3 Select “Newsie Membership” or “e-Newspaper Access”

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ONLINE: TOAST THE BUD LIGHT DISTRIBUTORS

Matt Walsh comments on the Bud Light marketing controversy. Go to: YourObserver.com/Opinion-Bud-Light.

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EMILY WALSH

Hillsdale dogma should not dominate schools

districts by offering universal voucher programs that siphon money into private schools, some of which teach a noninclusive Christian nationalist worldview.

LISA

Support Our Schools was founded with the mission of educating the public about the risks facing our system of public education and providing a platform for advocacy to protect and strengthen public education for all children. Integral to this mission is:

n Defending our teachers and administrators from ideological pressure and political attacks

n Preserving a modern, scientific and fact-based standard for the educational curriculum

n Maintaining programs and policies that promote understanding and cooperation as well as the health and well-being of all students.

Support Our Schools members are Christians, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists. Some of us practice no formal religion. Some of us are atheists. We decry attacks on any person because of the religion he or she practices or the choice not to practice a religion or belief system.

Support Our Schools strongly believes in the separation of church and state, a principle enshrined in the Constitution and embedded in the policies and practices of public schools and governmental institutions for hundreds of years. No religion should be elevated and promoted

within the classrooms of our public schools, and no religion should be discriminated against. Religion should not be in our public schools.

The last few years have seen the rise of a concerted and aggressive national effort by right-wing think tanks and other organizations to alter the direction of public schools. The blueprint for achieving this goal, created by Hillsdale College, is a comprehensive K-12 curriculum that emphasizes a narrower, much more conservative worldview usually found in private Christian and “classical” schools. Support Our Schools strongly believes that our public schools are not the place for a regime of religious-nationalist indoctrination.

There appear to be distinct efforts underway to undermine public schools across the country. Public schools, as opposed to private schools, are obligated to educate all children, regardless of socioeconomic background, religious affiliations or sexual orientation. Private schools may pick and choose which students they wish to educate with no governmental oversight or accountability.

These efforts appear intended to do more than reshape and eliminate certain course work and topics from academia. We are particularly concerned to see efforts by the Sarasota County School Board to bring changes to public school curricula that rely on the religious dogma espoused by Hillsdale College.

Of particular concern is the current attempt by the chair of the Sarasota County School Board, Bridget Ziegler, to enter a contract with a months-old company, Vermilion Education, which was

founded by a young man, Jordan Adams, with no experience in teaching in public education.

Ms. Ziegler and the board sought no other bids. She apparently decided that Vermilion was qualified to do the job, even though Mr. Adams’ sole experience is five years teaching in Hillsdale charter schools and a private religious school.

He also has worked on developing the Hillsdale K-12 curriculum and was involved in the review of math books for the state of Florida (looking for the dreaded CRT) and the Hillsdale 1776 curriculum. We are concerned that the board is entering into a contract at a cost of $28,000 with a company/individual who is woefully unqualified. We believe this is fiscally and legally irresponsible.

At a Florida Department of Education-sponsored training session on the recently revised Florida civics curriculum developed under Hillsdale College’s leadership, much of the material presented through slides was infused with Christian and conservative ideology. One slide

stated that America’s “founders expected religion to be promoted because they believed it to be essential to civic virtue,” while an accompanying slide stated that “without virtue” (i.e., religion) citizens would become “licentious” and “subject to tyranny.”

Another slide stated it was a misconception that the “founders desired strict separation of church and state.” A slide quoted New England colonist Jonathan Edwards saying, “Political prosperity requires the general practice of a strict morality … as by a belief of Christianity.”

In the new Florida civics curriculum and in the Hillsdale College K-12 1776 Curriculum, one side of an argument is often presented, and historical figures are frequently cherry-picked to support the Hillsdale College narrative. Its view teaches that Christianity is and should be the dominant religion in our national life and that it should have a more prominent role in public schools.

It is clear to us there is a coordinated strategy by Gov. DeSantis and the GOP-controlled Legislature to defund public school

We are also concerned that the majority of our current Sarasota County School Board is taking direction directly from the governor rather than the stakeholders of our school district.

For the record, Support Our Schools believes that all parents should have the right to send their children to private Christian schools or “classical” academies if they wish. However, this should not be at the expense of the health and stability of our public education system.

If this plan succeeds, we believe it will hollow out our public schools to the detriment of the economy, our democracy and the overall well-being of the Sarasota community.

Any attempt by right-wing groups to label Support Our Schools as anti-Christian is completely unfounded. It is a cynical attempt to create divisions and stir up anger. Many Sarasota Christians standing with Support Our Schools have a strong faith in God. They strongly believe in Jesus Christ’s principle teachings of love thy neighbor, humility, charity, forgiveness, service to others and empathy. These principles are not the exclusive province of Christians. These qualities are needed now more than ever to push back against the surge in hate and intolerance directed toward some Sarasota educators, students and their families. Support our Schools and many Sarasota parents prefer that divisive culture war issues stay out of the classroom. Most parents just want a positive, safe and supportive learning environment for their children.

We ask that politicians keep their personal religious views separate from educational policy decisions in our public schools.

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SCHURR CO-FOUNDER AND CEO SUPPORT OUR SCHOOLS

Support Our Schools supports the separation of church and state and questions the school board’s efforts to adopt Hillsdale dogma.

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City expects to hold property tax rate steady for 2024

City of Sarasota property owners shouldn’t expect a third straight millage reduction on their property taxes next year.

During the City Commission’s first budget workshop for fiscal year 2024 on April 10, City Manager Marlon Brown said he doesn’t anticipate recommending another rate cut as property value increases return to more normal pre-COVID levels.

Brown reminded commissioners the prior two reductions occurred amid the rapidly rising property values, which for the current fiscal year was a nearly 18% increase, according to the Sarasota County Property Assessor’s Office. In response, the City Commission reduced this year’s ad valorem rate from 3.1372 mils to 3.0 mils for 2023.

With the rate remaining flat, Brown said he has told department heads to hold the line on spending requests for fiscal 2024.

With that, the bulk of the discussion centered on the city’s general fund balance and the philosophy of both Brown and Director of Financial Administration Kelly Strickland to maintain a balance that exceeds the Governmental Finance Officers Association recommendation of a fund balance of 17% to 25% of the city’s overall budget.

For the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2022, the city transferred $1.58 million from the general fund balance to balance the budget. Still, that left a $32.16 million general fund balance — 35.3% of the city’s budget. Of that, $27 million is unassigned and may be used for any purpose.

A minimum fund balance is recommended to provide two to three months of operations in the event of a disaster.

“I’ve always said we need 25% or more because we live right next to the beach,” Strickland said.

As commissioners consider next

year’s budget, Brown suggested they keep in mind the critical nature of the general fund balance; he advised against spending it down.

“One of the things that we have never really accounted for are things like hurricanes and red tide,” Brown said. “We’ve come to you on several occasions and asked for budget amendments when these things occur in order to pre-fund a lot of the recovery efforts. Some of these are reimbursable through FEMA or the state, but those dollars come in two, sometimes three years after we spend the money. And also we only get up to 70% to 80% of those dollars back, so that is something to keep in mind.”

Strickland told commissioners she expects a citywide property value increase of about 10% for the next fiscal year. If correct, based on an assumed collection rate of 96.5%, that represents an additional $3.37 million in revenue with the millage rate remaining at 3.0. The official estimate of assessed value is provided by Sarasota County on July 1, which determines the property tax revenue estimates for the next fiscal year.

Adoption of the fiscal 2024 budget is due by the end of September.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

Alligator activity on the rise

Staying a safe distance from these vital members of wetland ecosystems will help keep all out of danger.

As a rain-fed river, the Wild and Scenic Myakka River has dramatically illustrated over recent months how its levels are affected by precipitation — or the lack thereof.

After historic flood levels associated with Hurricane Ian rainfall followed by little rain in recent months, water levels in Myakka River State Park have dropped significantly and are currently very low. Myakka’s wetlands, which absorb and slow floodwaters during periods of excessive rain, are drying up as well.

When water levels in Myakka’s floodplain marshes and wetlands are high, American alligators spread out and enjoy their expanded habitats. Considered almost extinct in the 1950s and ’60s because of habitat loss and hunting, these iconic, critical members of our region’s ecosystems depend on wetlands; our ecosystems depend on them.

As apex predators, alligators help control rodent populations and other animals that might otherwise overtax marsh vegetation. The “gator holes” that adult

alligators create and expand stay full of water even after the rains stop. By providing vital water for themselves, as well as for many other species, American alligators help keep unique Florida ecosystems at Myakka and beyond healthy for years to come. This time of year, late in our dry season, the chance increases of encountering an alligator making its way from drying wetlands back to rivers or other wet locations. They’re also more likely to be visible, due to lower water levels, the onset of breeding season and warmer (but not oppressively hot) temperatures, all of which result in higher levels of activity for these cold-blooded reptiles. For everyone’s safety, if you encounter an alligator on the move, give it plenty of space — at least 25 feet is recommended — and don’t try to hurry it along. Also, as is the law, never harass or feed alligators. When alligators are fed, they lose their natural wariness of humans and start to associate people with food. Because dogs and cats are the same size as natural alligator prey, keep them well away from possible alligator habitats.

— MIRI HARDY, FRIENDS OF THE MYAKKA RIVER CONTRIBUTOR

Friends of Myakka River exists to support Myakka River State Park and the Wild and Scenic Myakka River. Follow us @FriendsOfMyakkaRiver

easy The Living is

Miri Hardy

If you encounter American alligators on the move, give them plenty of space and allow them to proceed at their own pace.

SERVICE.

It’s a frustrating reality for many Gulf Coast homeowners – discolored, pitted and tarnished exterior door hardware caused by our harsh salt-rich air.

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Siesta Key hotel plans face more legal scrutiny

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

Although Siesta Key residents opposed to two planned hotels on the barrier island recently scored an initial victory in their effort to keep them from being built, there remains a lengthy legal battle ahead.

On April 3, Administrative Law Judge Suzanne Van Wyk ruled in favor of plaintiff Lourdes Ramirez that Sarasota County’s 2021 approval of a 170-room hotel on a 0.97-acre site on Calle Miramar in Siesta Key Village violated the county’s comprehensive plan that, since 1981, had set density limits of residential developments at 26 units per acre. The county and the developer have 30 days to respond.

At the time, hotels were categorized as residential as Siesta Key was experiencing rapid growth in both development and tourism.

In fall 2021, the Sarasota County Commission approved not only the new hotel in Siesta Key Village but also a second 120-room hotel on 1.17 acres on the south of the island at 1260 Old Stickney Point Road. In the process, hotels were reclassified from residential to commercial use, clearing the way for rezoning and approval of the projects. County staff at the time said removing the residential density cap did not violate the comprehensive plan because hotels were no longer residential and therefore not subject to the limits.

New hotels had been discussed since 2016, Ramirez said, but prior to 2021 density had not been among the details.

“And then we found out that there

was a proposed ordinance that eliminated the density for hotels, saying hotels are not a residential use and it should be based on square footage,” Ramirez said. “I found that problematic because since the 1980s on Siesta Key, we’ve had a maximum number of units that can be built.”

The Division of Administrative Hearings is a state-level process that is one of two parallel legal tracks affecting the hotels. The division ruling applies to the challenge over an alleged violation of a county’s comprehensive plan because the state does not intervene on developments, only on zoning ordinances.

In her ruling, Van Wyk found that the county’s 1981 Comprehensive Plan “specifically discusses the barrier islands as an area of special concern,” acknowledging the “problems associated with development on the barrier islands,” including “the detrimental effect of building along the active beach areas” and “difficulties of evacuating large numbers of people from the keys in time of emergency.”

Further, she wrote, “Barrier Islands are so designated because they help protect the mainland from storm damage in hurricanes and other storms,” and “The entirety of Siesta Key is designated Coastal High Hazard Area … and is within the

With a state ruling favoring opposition, two approved hotels have been challenged over their consistency with the Sarasota County comprehensive plan.

Courtesy photo Lourdes Ramirez is challenging a 170room hotel on Calle Miramar in Siesta Key Village.

county’s Hurricane Evacuation Zone A, which is required to evacuate for a Category 1 hurricane.”

CONSOLIDATED CASES

The 12th Judicial Circuit Court will preside over a local case on whether the approval of the hotels themselves are in violation of the comprehensive plan.

“If you read the zoning ordinance, it does violate the comprehensive plan, so the zoning ordinance is kind of null and void,” Ramirez said. “But the county approved the hotels with that zoning ordinance in place. In that case, you’ve got to go to Circuit Court to say hotels on these plots of land are in violation of the comprehensive plan.”

As the Division of Administrative Hearings awaits a response to Van Wyk’s ruling, action continues at the 12th Judicial Circuit Court. The cases against both Siesta Key hotels were consolidated for trial purposes because of overlap between the two lawsuits.

While Ramirez’s lawsuit focused on the Calle Miramar hotel and the single issue of its inconsistency with the comprehensive plan, the suit against the Old Stickney Point Road project includes five causes of action, among with is the comprehensive plan issue. Judge Mark Walker ruled the two cases could be consolidated because expert testimony on both will be provided by the same witnesses.

Walker later recused himself from

the case when he discovered he had a professional and personal relationship with the attorneys in the Old Stickney Point Road case, turning it over to Judge Hunter Carroll, who was scheduled to hold a case management hearing on Thursday regarding the consolidated cases trial scheduled for October.

Carroll has filed a notice of disclosure, revealing he had once represented Gary Kompethecras, who owns the property for the Stickney Point Road hotel, while he was a practicing lawyer, but had not, as of yet, recused himself from the case.

Meanwhile, the hotels are in limbo as they await rulings, which could be appealed by either party. The hotel controversy helped galvanize the movement to incorporate Siesta Key as its own town. Although Ramirez is not involved in that effort, she does support it.

Whether to permit a referendum in November 2024 for affected residents to vote on incorporation is currently working its way through the Florida House of Representatives.

“The county doesn’t care about Siesta Key, and we have proof that they don’t care about the Siesta Key,” Ramirez said. “They are willing to ignore their own laws to our detriment. I’m not into wanting to pay for more taxes, but what is going on here when the county blatantly ignores rules that have been existence for decades, I think we will be in better hands.”

A 2021 rendering of the proposed hotel on Calle Miramar in Siesta Key Village.

Courtesy rendering

Changing the picture of mental heath for Latinos

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

At the same time evocative photographs lined gallery walls, a conversation became the centerpiece of Art Center Sarasota on April 12.

“It’s not something you normally see in the community — there’s an art center, and let’s talk about this,” said attendee Natalie Caukwell.

Held as a tie-in event with the ongoing exhibition “Rearview Mirror”/“El Retrovisor” by Karen Arango, the artist talk “Mental Health Care in the Latinx Community” brought together a four-member panel to discuss current issues in mental health impacting the Latino community.

The exhibition was sponsored by a $10,000 grant from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, the second time the foundation and art center collaborated on a project intended to impact the community.

Arango, a Sarasota-based freelance photographer and videographer, said the photos of her exhibition were inspired by her own past struggles with mental health, a topic

IF YOU GO ‘REARVIEW MIRROR’

When: Through April 29

Where: Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami Trail Info: Visit ArtSarasota.org

she said is generally highly stigmatized in Latino culture.

Arango has a bachelor’s degree in photography and imaging from Ringling College of Art and Design and a master’s in digital journalism from the University of South Florida. Over a period of about four months, she photographed other Latinos in the community, documenting their stories. Some of the subjects she knew personally; others she sought out.

Gallery visitors can read the stories behind each photo by scanning QR codes accompanying the artwork.

The panel discussion was moderated by Stacie Herrera, owner of Herrera Psychology, a youth-based private practice in Osprey. Other panelists included Yesenia Reta, a clinical social worker who special-

izes in treating adults with anxiety, depression, complex and acute trauma and relationship issues; Carolina Zuluaga, a graduate student in the clinical psychology doctorate program at National Louis University completing a dissertation about the impact of COVID-19 on the Black and Latino communities; and Arango herself.

Kinsey Robb, executive director of Art Center Sarasota, said the art center aimed to make the event as bilingual as possible by offering a projection screen displaying an AI real-time speech-to-text Spanish translation.

Herrera said research by the CDC said Latinos were disproportionately affected by mental health issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. She said among Latinos, the prevalence of depression was 40%, compared to 25% among non-Hispanic white individuals, while suicidal thoughts reached 23% among Latinos, compared to 5% among Blacks and 5% among Caucasians.

The discussion repeatedly involved the stigma surrounding mental health treatments. Reta said it usu-

ally begins in the family, with the belief that individuals should help themselves, seek help from family or talk to a faith or spiritual leader.

The panelists said other barriers exist.

“I think the language barrier is a huge thing,” said Zuluaga. She said the affordability of health care was a problem, with many not having access to health insurance, while transportation to services also needs to be addressed.

While Arango chose to focus her artwork on individuals seeking treatment, she noted another side of the story was captured through Jesus Hernandez, who chose to avoid treatment, fearing it could impact his immigration status.

“I once went to see a psychologist,” Arango said. “She didn’t speak Spanish, and we didn’t really connect. And then I started seeing someone who spoke Spanish, and I said, ‘This is what I need.’”

As the panel emphasized, forming interpersonal connections in the community is key to maintaining mental health.

Robb said the discussion was

important for bringing the issue into the public eye.

“I love these types of discussions because sometimes it just opens the door to let people know a topic can be discussed in public, out in the open.”

She said artwork was an important outlet for expression regarding the topic.

“These are powerful images,” she said, adding she was proud of Arango, as well as the subjects who chose to reveal their stories to the public.

Arango said she was grateful to the community for coming together in support of the gallery and event.

“It’s inspiring and refreshing,” said Arango. “It’s just great to see this kind of work about a minority group of people being displayed here in Sarasota. It feels very inclusive. I feel very supported by the community; it’s a big collaboration between all of us, and it’s what makes the community a community.”

A portion of the proceeds from sales of the photos will go toward the Women’s Resource Center to support its mental health programs.

A panel discussion on mental health issues impacting the local community accompanied Karen Arango’s photography exhibition ‘Rearview Mirror’/ ‘El Retrovisor.’

Stacie Herrera, owner of Herrera Psychology, speaks with photographer Karen Arango.

Shannon Rohrer-Phillips explains the artwork to her son, Reece Phillips.

Photos by Ian Swaby

Your Friends Are Waiting

When was the last time you swung a racket or hit a golf ball, biked the trail or simply took a long walk with your favorite person to talk to?

Joint pain can creep up on us, faster than we’d expect, robbing us of the activities and experiences we used to treasure. Shoulders get stiff. Hips hurt. Knees creak and the back aches.

Before you know it, you’re spending more time watching Friends than seeing your own.

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Climate awards showcase the impact of individuals

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

From the wrath of Hurricane Ian

to flooding in Fort Lauderdale on April 12, severe weather events induced and intensified by climate change are experienced by many Floridians, said Robert Bunting, CEO and chair of the Climate Adaptation Center.

Yet many individuals don’t know what they can do to address climate change, he said.

He hopes the center’s 2023 Climate Champions Award Ceremony will offer the public an example. The inaugural event was held April 18 at Michael’s On East.

The CAC itself started off with a simple idea, after Realtor Janet Walter introduced community activist and philanthropist Elizabeth Moore to Bunting.

The two sat down for wine at Art Ovation Hotel, where Bunting told her something he’d been thinking

about. Moore knew immediately she wanted to be involved with the organization for which she now serves as director. Moore says it is the only Florida-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to the climate and its impact.

The organization’s continual growth, which Bunting said has resulted in 4,000 readers of its newsletter and its events always selling out, eventually led it to hold the ceremony recognizing the efforts of the wider community.

Honorees included Charles Reith of Sarasota Urban Reforesters (SURF); Bill Waddill, chief operating officer of Bay Park Conservancy; Ed Chiles, founding board member of All Clams on Deck; Jennifer and David Shafer of the Science and Environment Council; and Jon Thaxton, senior vice president for community leadership at Gulf Coast Community Foundation.

“The times are changing,” Thaxton said. “The question of climate change and sea level rise has been put to rest, and I think people are now acknowledging the need to take action.”

“We are all part of the climate system,” Moore said. “What we do

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The awards ceremony was the first held by Sarasota’s Climate Adaptation Center.

Elizabeth Moore, director of the Climate Adaptation Center

Ian Swaby

THE HONOREES

impacts the climate, and the climate impacts all of us in its turn.”

Also in attendance were city of Sarasota commissioners Jen AhearnKoch and Erik Arroyo and Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton, Director of Support Services Carolyn Brown and Commissioner B.J. Bishop.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS SPANNING

A RANGE OF ENVIRONMENTS

Bunting said programs like the awards are a crucial first step to recognizing good work in the community, educating and inspiring others in turn.

“I am flattered to be considered,” said Ed Chiles of All Clams on Deck, who is also known for his ownership of local restaurants including Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub in Longboat Key. “It’s great to be recognized. I’m inspired by the leadership in this room.”

The accomplishments of honorees involved a range of initiatives in the local area.

Charles Reith accepted the award of Sarasota Urban Reforesters, which is responsible for numerous microforests on small parcels of undeveloped land. Reith said these systems divert excess waters, prevent excess nutrients from reaching the bay, cool the surrounding area and restore habitats.

Jennifer Compton, secretary of the board at the Bay Park Conservancy, accepted an award on behalf of COO Bill Waddill.

Waddill, who has more than 36 years of experience as a planner and

PRICE IMPROVEMENT

landscape architect, said in a video statement that when teams designed The Bay Park, which opened in 2022, they created the roughly 10-foothigh surrounding pathway to separate lower areas to the west — which are equipped to deal with flooding due to features including the choice of plants — and the higher ground to the east.

“I think the ability to leverage the public and private sector and partner together to do something like this is really a model for the future,” he said in the video.

Chiles said he had become increasingly concerned about the environment and involved in environmental causes over his 45 years in the area, establishing All Clams on Deck after the 2021 crisis at Piney Point in Manatee County.

The organization helps restore seagrass and high-density clam sites to improve water quality and promote economic growth.

While Jennifer and David Shafer, executive directors of the Science and Environment Council, were said by Moore to be unable to attend, the award was personally delivered by Moore and Bunting. The pair have been involved in leadership, education and strategic planning roles for various community organizations, and currently are working with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program on a climate adaptation plan.

Thaxton, who has participated in panel discussions and been a local advocate for resilience strategies, said among his roles was a project replacing 53 acres of hardened shoreline on Sarasota’s bayfront with a soft shoreline he said would allow habitats to migrate as sea levels rise, with the project also moving structures and adding filtering mechanisms for waters entering the bay.

Bunting said the event would guide the public in the actions that can be taken and “make us feel that we all, as individuals, have a say in the outcome, and to inspire people to become climate champions, maybe not in the big way that some of these people are, but in our everyday lives.”

Ed Chiles – a founding board member of All Clams on Deck

Bill Waddill – chief operating officer of the Bay Park Conservancy

Charles Reith – Sarasota Urban Reforesters (SURF)

Jennifer and David Shafer –executive directors of Science and Environment Council

Jon Thaxton – senior vice president for community leadership at the Gulf Coast Community Foundation

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THURSDAY, APRIL 6 ASSAULT WITH A PLANK

12:01 p.m., 2200 block of 12th Street

Battery: During a fight between two men, one was hit in the back of the head with a wooden plank. The victim told police the two have had altercations in the past, and during an argument he turned his head and was struck with a white plank of wood.

The accused told police the victim first “knocked into him” during the argument, and that he struck him with the plank in self defense. There was no video evidence of the altercation. He showed the officer the plank that was used, which had a small amount of blood on it. Probable cause existed to charge the accused with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, but the victim declined to press charges. He was provided with a case number and was advised that he can change his mind and prosecute at a later time.

MONDAY, APRIL 10 NOT EVERYONE LOVES A PARADE

3:10 a.m., 2000 block of 29th Street

Noise complaint: Officers met with a man who wanted to express his displeasure with the city allowing an Easter parade and the loud noise that it produces. The complainant explained that shootings have occurred during past Easter parades.

TUESDAY, APRIL 11

NASTY NOTE

12:45 a.m., 2000 block of Hyde Park Street

Dispute: A woman found what she described as a hostile note on her car. She told police she discovered the note on her passenger side window while taking trash outside. She advised that she has had previous verbal altercations with an acquaintance and suspected this incident to be related but did not know for certain. The complainant was educated on injunction procedures and no further action was taken.

SUSPECTED PROWLERS

9:20 p.m., 1000 block of North Washington Boulevard

Burglary: A nearby business owner called police after seeing what he suspected was a possible burglary in process after seeing four males checking doors and carrying what appeared to be burglary tools. A fifth man was described as wearing shorts. No video surveillance of

the alleged incident was available. An officer located a suspect nearby who did fit a description. The man provided police with his information and was released because there was no evidence of a burglary having taken place. Officers checked the area for any signs of vehicle burglaries or suspicious groups in the area, finding none.

LACK OF COMMITMENT

11:40 p.m., 5100 block of North Tamiami Trail

Disturbance: Officers were dispatched to a dispute in the parking lot of a business, where two men were hanging out before the girlfriend of one of them arrived and began to argue with him. As they entered his friend’s vehicle to leave, the complainant told police the woman began to chase and throw rocks at the friend’s vehicle, although she missed.

The complainant told police he wanted his girlfriend to be evaluated under the Baker Act because she was behaving irrationally. She was evaluated by police, but it was determined she did not meet the criteria for involuntary detention at a medical facility.

SPORTS

Fast Break

Sarasota’s Jake Ilardi, a Tokyo Olympics skateboarding participant, is ranked 10th in The Boardr’s global overall rankings as of April 18 (ninth in street rankings, 74th in park rankings).

... The Sarasota High diamond sports continue to roll thanks to their pitching. The Sailors baseball team is 15-5 as of April 18 and holds a team ERA of 2.00. The softball team is even better, sitting at 16-3, and has found success by leaning on senior Ryleigh Bennett, who has a 1.33 ERA in 110.2 innings. The softball team also has five regulars hitting .370 or better.

... Sarasota Sharks swimmers Michaela Mattes (Cardinal Mooney High) and Gracie Weyant (Riverview High) spent the week of April 5 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, training with the U.S. Junior National team. Sarasota BMX celebrated its 49th anniversary on April 14, with commemorative medals going to every rider that participated in the evening’s races and commemorative plates going to the races’ winners.

... Sarasota High senior Caleb Bradley had a full day at the Sarasota County Track and Field Championships, held April 13 at Venice High. Bradley won the boys 200-meter dash (21.62 seconds), the 100-meter hurdles (15.47 seconds) and the 400-meter hurdles (57.95 seconds) at the championships.

...Booker High junior Terrietta Smith also had a big day at the Sarasota County championships, winning the girls 100-meter dash (12.29 seconds), the 200-meter dash (25.52 seconds), and the long jump (5.26 meters).

... Former Sailors baseball player Owen Ayers has started all 21 games for Marshall University in 2023 after transferring to the Thundering Herd from State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. Ayers, a first baseman/catcher, is hitting .256 with nine doubles, two home runs and 17 RBIs and has a .983 fielding percentage.

HURRICANE SEASON

RYAN KOHN SPORTS EDITOR

Stone Springman visualized his greatest moment.

The Riverview High football team was facing a fourth and long from the Lehigh High 31-yard line. The teams were tied at 28 in the fourth quarter of their Sept. 16 contest; the Rams were up 21-0 before letting Lehigh back into the game via turnovers and other miscues. But all of that could be erased — or exacerbated — by the next play: either a fourth-down conversion attempt, which Riverview is not shy about trying, or a 48-yard field goal attempt from Springman.

It wasn’t an easy call. The game was being played in a light but steady rain, so the field was slick, and Springman, a senior, was returning from a broken vertebrate in his back, an injury he suffered in spring practice. It would be his first field goal attempt of the season.

Either way, the decision was a risk. But in his mind, Springman saw himself making the kick. Slick grass and back injuries were not a concern to him. He knew he would come through.

One look at his kicker, and Rams coach Josh Smithers knew it, too.

“Stone had that look in his eyes,” Smithers said after the game. “He was excited to be back. I don’t think there was anything that was going to stop him tonight.”

Springman nailed the kick, giving the Rams a 31-28 win. It was one of the bright spots in a challenging season for Springman, who would reinjure his back soon after and miss much of the year. But it was enough to prove to colleges what Springman could do in pressure situations and adverse conditions.

On April 13, Springman’s arduous year got a positive ending when he committed to the University of Miami.

“(Hurricanes special teams coach Marwan) Maalouf has been amazing through this whole process,” Spring-

Stone Springman fought through a broken back to earn a spot with the Hurricanes.

man said. “Miami always is right back in touch. That’s super rare with coaches. It’s usually hit or miss. They are all about you one week and forget about you the next week. But they (the Hurricanes) have believed in me since I went to their camp.”

Springman attended a Hurricanes camp, as well as other camps, in June 2022 — weeks after breaking his vertebrate in spring practice, though at the time, he didn’t know it was broken. He kicked through the pain he felt and did well enough at the Miami camp to hold the Hurricanes’ attention for the long term. But it was not easy.

“By the end of each camp session I did, I would be hunched over on the ground, just trying not to die,” Springman said with a laugh. “It was unbearable.”

Springman said once he officially found out his back was broken, he began telling colleges. Most wanted to wait and see how it healed before promising anything.

Not Miami.

“They said, ‘If that’s what you did with a broken back, then what can you do (healthy)?’” Springman said. “They didn’t see it as a bad thing. They believe that I can come back and be even better.”

After reinjuring his back during the season, Springman has been taking things easy, following his doctor’s orders and only restarting his training in February. He has slowly been building his kicking strength back since then, averaging 30-35 kicks per week; Springman said most healthy kickers do 70-80 per week, but after going through the year he did, he’s taking his time getting to that point. The good news: His back feels 100%, he said.

Springman said he’s looking forward to proving himself again on the Hurricanes. It is something he’s had to do his whole football career.

Springman started his athletic career as a soccer player at Cherry Creek High in Greenwood Village, Colorado, before joining the school’s junior varsity football team as a kicker his

sophomore season. He had taken up field goal kicking out of boredom during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, and wanted to see if he could replicate his success during games.

He did, and began working with kicking specialist Matt Thompson to improve as much as he could. Springman said having a soccer background helped him pick up the technique right away; there’s more of a sweeping motion to football kicks, he said, but making that change felt natural.

When Springman transferred to Riverview High for his junior year, he immediately won the varsity kicking job. He also started attending Kornblue Kicking camps to go against the best competition he could. Entering his senior season, Springman was rated a 4.5-star kicker by the service.

As of April 18, he’s ranked the No. 26 kicker on the service’s “Fab 50” list of upperclassmen.

Now healthy and with a home for the 2023 season, Springman’s future appears bright — something that will not surprise witnesses to his 48-yard field goal against Lehigh.

“I have done a lot of musical theater and dance. I guess that has helped me with the turns and getting the rhythm of the throws down ... ”

— Cardinal Mooney’s Marc Dalmau SEE PAGE 21A

Courtesy photo

Jake Ilardi

File photo Rams kicker Stone Springman committed to the University of Miami on April 13.

Miami special teams Coach Marwan Maalouf and Stone Springman form “The U” hand gesture on Springman’s visit to the school.

Courtesy photo

Cougars beach volleyball eyes repeat title

season game, Davis said.

“I told the team, there are always ramifications of certain things,” Davis said. “But the good news is, home court is not quite as important in beach volleyball as it is during indoor volleyball. It’s different outdoors, but it still would have been nice to have it here.”

The Cardinal Mooney High beach volleyball team’s hopes of an undefeated regular season fell a few points short, but the Cougars are keeping their heads up as the postseason approaches.

Before the team’s regular-season finale April 18, a match against Braden River High, the Cougars (14-1) jogged around their home courts with determined looks, ready to avenge a 3-2 loss to Bradenton Christian School (12-0) seven days before. Their preparation — and their mental strength to move on — showed in their play: The Cougars beat the Pirates 5-0.

While no team ever wants to lose, especially with a potential undefeated season in play, the BCS loss is an understandable one. As of April 18, Cardinal Mooney is No. 18 in MaxPreps’ national rankings and No. 10 in Florida; BCS is No. 4 nationally and No. 2 in Florida.

Cougars coach Chad Davis said the loss was tough because of how it happened. Two Cougars pairs won their matches 2-0, but the other three pairs lost in three sets — with two of the losses being 15-13 decisions. Davis said the loss came down to a mixture of bad bounces and errors at critical times.

“We were five minutes away from winning the match 3-0,” Davis said. “Then things started turning on us. But you have to give (BCS) credit; they played well. We just made mistakes at the highest pressure points of the matches.”

Davis said his message to the team, other than fixing the things that went wrong, was that the loss did nothing to compromise the

team’s dreams of a state title run (or two). And while not fun to experience, Davis said the loss didn’t dent the team’s confidence should the two squads meet again.

That could happen as soon as this weekend, when Mooney heads to Orlando’s Game Point Events Center April 21-22 to compete in the Sunshine State Athletic Conference state tournament. It is the same state tournament that the Cougars won a season ago, and they are hungry to not let the title slip into anyone else’s claws.

If the bracket breaks how Davis and the Cougars think it can, the Cougars may meet the Panthers in the finals, and they are eager for a chance at redemption. Davis called the potential rematch “a good

motivator,” and his team agreed. “We know what to do now,” senior Madeline Carson said. “I think it was actually good that we experienced that. It was valuable. We know how we can beat them (in the postseason).”

Davis said winning the tournament in 2022 should give his team a boost heading into this weekend. There won’t be any change in the coaches’ messages now that the postseason is here. The Cougars are experienced; they know what needs to be done now that there are no do-overs.

One difference between the 2022 and 2023 SSAC events: while last year’s tournament was a traditional best-of-five event, the 2023 event is best of three. The shortening of

each match has allowed Mooney to field three different teams for the event, so it’s possible that multiple Cougars teams could make it deep into play.

But the SSAC event is only the beginning. Assuming both teams keep winning throughout district play, they could face each other in a Class 1A play-in game for the Florida High School Athletic Association state tournament as well.

While both events are state title events, the FHSAA event features more teams and thus more competition. The FHSAA play-in match will be on May 1 — and if it is indeed those two teams, Mooney would be on the road, not at its sparkling home facilities. It’s one of the consequences of dropping the regular-

Time will tell if these rematches will happen, and who will win if they do. What I do know is this:

A Sarasota-Manatee area rivalry like this is good for the sport of beach volleyball. Indoor volleyball gets a lot of respect around here, and rightfully so, but a competitive beach volleyball match can be just as compelling. The sport is growing at the college level — up nearly 1,000 athletes compared to a decade ago, according to NCAA data — and as more teams add it to their offerings in Florida, I would not be shocked to see its popularity explode in the coming years.

Rivalries like this one, between nationally ranked teams playing close-as-can-be matches, can be a spark. Throw in the backdrop of a state tournament and the rivalry becomes a rocket ship.

“When there’s a big reward, I think everyone’s intensity goes up,” Davis said. “Everyone knows what is at stake. You can feel the excitement building. Everyone’s talking about it.”

Even if the two teams don’t meet this weekend, Mooney has a chance to repeat as state champions, another notch on the belt of a historic season.

For results from Orlando, check YourObserver.com.

PROSE AND KOHN RYAN KOHN

The Cougars lost 3-2 to Bradenton Christian on April 13, but they are confident heading into the SSAC tournament.

Ryan Kohn

The Cardinal Mooney beach volleyball team captured the Sunshine State Athletic Conference state title on April 30, 2022, in Taveras.

Marc Dalmau

Marc Dalmau is a senior track and field athlete at Cardinal Mooney High. As of April 18, Dalmau is second in Class 2A in the boys discus (48.77 meters) according to Athletic. net data. He is also 15th in the class in the shot put (14.91 meters) and 18th in the javelin (45.02 meters).

When did you start participating in track and field?

When I was a sophomore. I was at Lakewood Ranch High then. I played football, and the coaches required us to do an additional sport. I decided to do throwing because it was an individual sport, which meant I didn’t have to worry about dragging other people down or them dragging me down. It was more internal. I just had to focus on myself. That is how I improved.

What is the appeal to you?

This is going to sound weird, but I like the spinning motions of throwing (discus and shot put). I like the synchronized rhythm. I like that you only have a split second to perfectly perform your technique. It gives me an adrenaline rush.

What is your favorite event?

It’s discus, since that is my best one, relative to the others. I have done a lot of musical theater and dance. I guess that has helped me with the turns and getting the rhythm of the throws down, and helped with my coordination in general.

What is your favorite track and field memory?

It’s a constant memory, but I love making fun of our runners. (Laughs.) We all heckle each other, but it’s in good fun. Everyone gets along, and at meets we all support each other.

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

What are your goals for the postseason?

I’m trying to break 15 meters in shot put. For javelin, I am feeling a big PR soon. I want to hit 50 meters by the end of the season. Same for discus.

I’d actually like to get past 52 meters.

What is your favorite food?

Cheeseburgers. You can consistently find good cheeseburgers anywhere you go. It’s a safe food for me.

What is your favorite TV show?

I like “Family Guy” and “South Park” if I’m going pure comedy. For dramas, I like “Breaking Bad” and “Stranger Things.”

Superpower you would pick?

Either the power to stop time or to have a photographic memory.

What is your favorite subject?

I like math and literature out of the core subjects. But if I can pick an elective, then musical theater. I’m actually going to college for it (at Baldwin Wallace University in

Finish this sentence: ‘Marc Dalmau is ...’ ... Energetic.

A humble beginning to countywide gift-giving

Since 2006, Sarasota Toys for Tots has gone from giving an estimated 8,000 toys annually to more than 28,000.

together different things, just like when I took over, I made a lot of changes,” Lamb said.

ABOUT TOYS FOR TOTS

“I miss the service in a lot of ways because there is a comradeship you don’t find very often in civilian life,” Lamb said.

He didn’t stray too far from the military by aligning himself with Toys for Tots. The organization is operated nationally by the U.S. Marine Corps.

Moving to Ruskin after his service, he worked in various capacities, including for the country’s largest tomato packing house and as superintendent of the Islandside Golf Club in Longboat Key, but he eventually received word of distribution struggles at Toys for Tots.

At the time, the organization was based in Bradenton and had no branch to serve Sarasota specifically. Lamb joined in a support capacity, but after a few years worked his way up to coordinator.

NEEDED: SPACE

Despite the growing support, one concern remains for staff of Toys for Tots.

Previously a warehouse facility had been provided by Gary Kompothecras, a wealthy Sarasota chiropractor, but about two years ago the situation changed, Watson said.

Although the organization currently utilizes two unused store spaces at Sarasota Square Mall, Watson said there is the looming possibility that the mall could choose to use them once again, in which case Toys for Tots would have nine months to vacate the spaces.

“We’re in limbo,” she said. Toys for Tots is searching the community for another available site.

Jim Lamb, the coordinator at Sarasota County’s Toys for Tots, has a simple objective: to make sure every child has toys at Christmastime.

“I know what it is to go without Christmas,” Lamb said.

Turned away at age 12 from his home in Homestead, in Miami-Dade County, it was only through the help of others that Lamb came to be where he is today.

When Lamb stepped into the coordinator role at the organization in 2006, Toys for Tots provided about 8,000 toys annually. Now that number has reached about 28,000.

“One person can’t make it all happen,” he said. “What we started with and what we’ve ended up with is because of the county, the merchants in the county and the volunteers we have.”

As he nears the end of his 22-year career at the nonprofit, he isn’t worried for the organization’s future. He said that at 80 years old, he knows it’s time for him to move on.

“New blood always helps put

“He has put together a very good organization from the top down, because even though you don’t think of it this way, there’s many facets to this,” said volunteer Liz Watson, citing the different challenges including accounting, technology, warehouse management, ordering items and managing donation boxes.

20-PLUS YEARS OF GIVING BACK

Toys for Tots fills a need that is often neglected, Lamb said.

“There’s a lot of people out there working their butts off; they just don’t have the money to get toys. It’s either toys or food.”

Part of Lamb’s role involves coordinating more than 105 donation boxes placed across Sarasota County from October until December, which must be emptied often so that the toys can be transported to the warehouse space at Sarasota Square Mall.

The result is four to five toys, with smaller stocking stuffers, that can be provided to each child, in addition to bicycles, of which 235 were distributed last year. Despite the “tots” in

the organization’s name, recipients can be up to 17 years old.

Lamb said his life experiences demonstrate the desperation others may have for these services.

“On the way, if there hadn’t been people helping me, I’d probably be in jail or dead by now,” he said.

After Lamb left his home, he slept in a tent, delivering newspapers by bicycle in the mornings, attending school afterwards and then stocking shelves at a local supermarket later in the day. He eventually found hope after a former circus performer and co-worker at the supermarket offered him a residence in a small, backyard circus trailer.

Lamb lived there until he was 17 years old — old enough to join the Air Force, where he performed three tours of duty, serving in Vietnam and retiring as a master sergeant in 1981.

He attributes the nonprofit’s growth to “amazing” volunteers and several other organizations in the community that have provided assistance. Among the organizations that have pitched in to help are the Sarasota Branches of Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Elks Club, American Legion and Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. Help comes from outside the city’s borders, too. St. Jude Catholic Church in Venice, The American Legion in North Port, and the Elks Club in Venice have helped with distribution south of the city.

For about 20 years, Lamb has worked alongside Watson, who once held a managerial position but has stepped back to focus on bicycle distribution.

“It’s amazing how easily he can suck you in,” she said.

A former Marine, Steven Rose, joined two years ago. Watson said he has been instrumental in securing additional bikes, as well as donations of items that can be raffled off.

Rose works with Walmart on Cattlemen Road to acquire donations of bikes with minor defects. Then he

repairs them himself, based on what he learned growing up in Willliamsburg, Kentucky.

“The only bike I ever had when I was a kid was a garbage bike,” he said. “You’d go walk around the neighborhood when you were a kid and find parts out of the garbage and make you a bike.”

Rose said sometimes when parents receive bikes they will kneel on the ground and cry.

Watson said Lamb has also been responsible for helping toys get to many recipients, including to blind children, children in hospice care, victims of Hurricane Ian in the south, and, during a time of surplus, children in the emergency room.

After retirement, Lamb said he’ll spend more time with his wife, Margaret. He said doing so is currently difficult due to the 50 to 70 phone calls he answers each day, along with the same number of emails. “She says, ‘I can’t get in two words because you’re on the phone or on the computer,’” he said.

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

Courtesy photo

Bicycles await distribution in the warehouse.

Steven Rose, Jim Lamb and Liz Watson

Ian Swaby

Photobomber poses to create smiles

involves meeting people from Canada, South America, Europe and more, all along Siesta Key Beach.

“(Sunset) is when I slip into the Siesta Photo Bomber,” he said.

Larry Frankel starts his daily routine by downing two cups of coffee then doing about 300 pushups and 250 arm curls.

After that, he may go to work, traveling the country to acquire art and collectibles to sell.

But it’s the sunsets on Siesta Key Beach that lately, he really can’t wait for.

At sunset, he enjoys a different type of exercise — the kind where he makes many stops — and that

It was a year ago that Frankel began surprising beachgoers by dashing into their photos. He decided to try it one evening as he was emerging from an eight-year hiatus from running caused by a hip issue.

Frankel said the great majority of beachgoers “get” why he does it. It’s not about bothering anyone, but in fact, it’s the opposite, he said.

“It’s refreshing. I like it because I’m passing on good vibes. I just want to see people happy.”

He said those vibes seem to emanate from Siesta Key Beach itself.

“This is a special place,” said Frankel, who has lived in the area for more

than two years and enjoys spending time outdoors. He said his sense of fun is catching on with the public, as many of the 15-20 stops he makes during his beach runs are now the result of beachgoers recognizing him and calling him over for a photo.

Since launching his Instagram account on May 1, 2022, he has acquired more than 1,600 photos and 2,100 followers. He also said he has over 150,000 views on his Instagram video reels — not to mention a collection of 75 different Siesta Photo Bomber T-shirts he designed himself.

He also has a book he continually updates with positive comments he receives.

This is not to say that rejection is never an issue, but he said as a former

member of the U.S. Marine Corps, he’s willing to try anything, and his skin is thick enough that he can manage rejection when it does occur. There are times, he said, when beachgoers are less than enthralled. In those cases, he’ll simply move on.

“In the beginning, I had a woman who didn’t actually do it, but motioned to kick me in the butt, and honestly, in a year, that’s the worst that’s happened to me.”

Someone else, he said, once threw a football.

Frankel does not consider himself the source of anger for those individuals.

“They’re just kind of angry in general,” he said. “They can’t possibly be angry with me because they don’t know me.”

One of his favorite parts of being the Siesta Photo Bomber, he said, is meeting the people who travel from all over the world to visit Siesta Key Beach. At one point, he encoun -

tered a vacationing group from Iceland, where he had been stationed for more than a year as a Marine.

“I was blowing their minds with some of the towns, and some of the bands, and some of the places to hang out we both knew up there. They actually gave me their number and said, ‘If you’re ever back up in Iceland, stop in.’ That’s pretty cool.”

Yet Frankel wants to rake in more than smiles and views — he hopes at some point to encourage donations to charities.

The two organizations he hopes to support are Toys for Tots, for it is run by the Marine Corps, and the American Lung Association, which he said represents a cause “near and dear to my heart.”

“I’m just a common Joe who likes to run and have fun, and it’s staggering to me that I’m getting close to 2,000 pictures of people on the beach. That’s pretty neat.”

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

Larry Frankel is celebrating one full year as the Siesta Photo Bomber.

Ian Swaby

Larry Frankel strikes his classic pose.

Courtesy photos Larry Frankel participates in group shots.

COMMUNITY

SATURDAY, APRIL 22

EARTH DAY AT THE BAY

The Bay Park, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts. This Earth Day celebration at Sarasota’s newest signature park will include kid-friendly nature walks and family friendly yoga in partnership with Wholehearted Education, tandem kayaking opportunities provided by Ride & Paddle, seed planting activities by First 1,000 Days Suncoast, S.T.E.M. activities by University of Florida’s Innovation Station, and more. This event is free. For information and event times, visit TheBaySarasota.org.

MULTISENSORY EARTH DAY

10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Selby Gardens Historic Spanish Point Campus, 401 North Tamiami Trail, Osprey. Participants can use all of their senses at this family friendly event featuring activities such as “guess the scent” and “match the sound,” a special color- changing experiment using butterfly pea flower plants, make-and-take arts and crafts, and a plant scavenger hunt. Adult admission to Historic Spanish Point Campus $16; ages 5-17 $11; free for children 4 and younger, and members. Visit Selby.org.

OSCAR SCHERER STATE PARK

ANNUAL EARTH DAY AND ANNUAL SCRUB JAY FEST

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Oscar Scherer State Park, 1843 S. Tamiami Trail. Oschar Scherer State Park hosts both its Annual Earth Day and Annual Scrub Jay Fest. Events on offer include earth-friendly vendors, photo contests and exhibits, a scrub

jay presentation, and other offerings. For information, visit Facebook. com/FriendsofOscarSchererPark.

SATURDAY, APRIL 22 TO

SUNDAY, APRIL 23

THE VENICE SHARKS TOOTH

FESTIVAL 2023

10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 23, at Centennial Park, 200 W. Venice Ave., Venice. This festival features live music, food trucks, fun family activities, and of course, vendors selling shark’s teeth, from fossil teeth to jewelry items. For information, visit VeniceSharksToothFestival.com.

SUNDAY, APRIL 23

SARASOTA SKI-A-REES WEEKLY

SUNDAY WATER SKI SHOW

2-3 p.m. at Sarasota-Ski-A-Rees, 1602 Ken Thompson Parkway. This free, amateur water ski show is hosted each week by the Ski-ARees, a nonprofit waterskiing group spanning several decades and generations. For information, visit SkiARees.com.

SUNDAY, APRIL 23 TO

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26

RHEA LANA’S SARASOTA

CONSIGNMENT DAY

Robarts Arena, 3000 Ringling Boulevard. Enjoy various consignment shopping events featuring clothing for ages form newborn to teens, and save on items. Events include freeto-the-public shopping on Sunday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Monday, April 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more times and information, visit Sarasota.RheaLana.com.

BEST BET SUNCOAST BOAT SHOW

FRIDAY, APRIL 21 TO SUNDAY, APRIL 23

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Marina

Jack, 2 Marina Plaza. The Suncoast Boat Show marks 41 years of presenting a selection of sportfishing boats, powerboats, and motor yachts, in a show that takes place both in the water, and on land. Adults $18; military veterans and active duty service members, and children under 16 admitted free. For information, visit SuncoastBoatShow.com.

TUESDAY, APRIL 25 TO WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26

SENIOR FRIENDSHIP CHALLENGE

12 p.m. April 25 to 12 p.m. April 26 at 1888 Brother Greenen Way, Sarasota and 2350 Scenic Drive, Venice. This 24-hour giving event supports seniors in the community. Donations up to up to $50,000 will be eligible for matched funds as the Sarasota and Venice activity Centers offer programs, prizes, entertainment, and treats. This event is free. For information, visit FriendshipCenters. org.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26

LUNCH IN THE GARDENS

11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Selby Gardens

Downtown Sarasota Campus, 1534

Mound Street. Enjoy a delicious lunch in a lush bayfront setting, and a special presentation, The Ladies Behind Tiffany’s Lamps, by Lindsy Parrott, the Executive Director and Curator of The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass in Long Island City, New York. Individual tickets $150. For information, visit Selby.org.

Bay Island home sells for $3.55 million

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

Ahome in Bay Island tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. Lynne Marie Laube, of Decatur, Georgia, sold her home at 3810 Flamingo Ave. to Kevin Hanna, of Boston, for $3.55 million. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, three full bathrooms, two halfbathrooms, a pool and 3,960 square feet of living area. It sold for $2.4 million in 2020.

POINSETTIA PARK

Jeffrey Feig sold the home at 1844 Oleander St. to Scott and Elizabeth Smith, of Sarasota, for $1.94 million. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,574 square feet of living area. It sold for $645,000 in 2003.

RUSTIC LODGE

Sandra Van Langen, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 2586 Prospect St. to Francis Suits III, of Sarasota, for $1,721,000. Built in 2020, it has four bedrooms, four baths and 3,434 square feet of living area. It sold for $971,500 in 2021.

William and Deborah Davis, trustees, of Sarasota, sold the home at 2576 Prospect St. to David and Barbara Kay, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, for $1.35 million. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, three-and-ahalf baths and 2,863 square feet. It sold for $853,000 in 2021.

OSPREY AVENUE

Timothy Christensen, of Racine, Wisconsin, sold two properties at 301 and 305 S. Osprey Ave. to Mark and Amy Karch, of Newtown, Pennsylvania, for $1,217,000. The property at 301 was built in 1914 and has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,491 square feet of living area. The property at 305 was built in 1975 and has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,416 square feet of living area. It sold for $875,000 in 2021.

Other top sales by area

SARASOTA: $2,075,000

The Landings

Carol Beth Cotner, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 5155 Kestral Park Lane to Mark Scott and Lois Bates, trustees, of Sarasota, for $2,075,000. Built in 1988, it has four bedrooms, three-and-two-half baths, a pool and 4,130 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.35 million in 2018.

PALMER RANCH:

$1,275,000

Esplanade on Palmer Ranch

Ian

This home at 3810 Flamingo Ave. sold for $3.55 million. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, three full baths, a pool and 3,960 square feet of living area.

GRANADA Matthew Thompson and Jane Cirksena, of Sarasota, sold their home at 1648 Bonita Lane to 1648 Bonita LLC for $1.14 million. Built in 1955, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,124 square feet of living area. It sold for $492,500 in 2011.

BAY PLAZA Phyllis Bailey, of Cockeysville, Maryland, sold her Unit 208 condominium at 1255 N. Gulfstream Ave. to Donald Vercauteren, of Sarasota, for $1.1 million. Built in 1982, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 2,055 square feet of living area. It sold for $141,000 in 1998.

GROVE LAWN

Christi Madrid and Marco Madrid

Zagazeta, of Sarasota, sold their home at 2060 Hibiscus St. to Malgorzata Borysiewicz, of Chicago, for $800,000. Built in 1954, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,820 square feet of living area. It sold for $178,000 in 2020.

332 COCOANUT Janoquin Properties LLC sold the Unit 308 condominium at 1338 Fourth St. to Mark Michael Jindra and Tamara Jo Jindra, of Valparaiso, Indiana, for $767,000. Built in 2021, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,117 square feet of living area. It sold for $590,000 in 2021.

WESLO WILLOWS

Magdalena Marzec and Andrzej

Zorychta, of Sarasota, sold their home at 2428 Whippoorwill Circle to Joseph Tennes, of Mount Carmel, Illinois, for $765,000. Built in 1973, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,921 square feet of living area. It sold for $410,000 in 2021.

COLONIAL TERRACE Maria Maksimov, of Houston, sold

TOP BUILDING PERMITS

her home at 2902 Mayflower St. to Clayton Omar Robinson and Staraya McKinstry, of Sarasota, for $749,000. Built in 1970, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,579 square feet of living area. It sold for $293,000 in 2020.

NORTH VAMO

Yulia Morgun sold her home at 1870 Livingstone St. to Kimberly Freda Peterson and Thaddeus Louis Peterson, of Loretto, Kentucky, for $685,000. Built in 2009, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,569 square feet of living area.

See more transactions at YourObserver.com

Peter and Carolyn Waanders, of Fairlawn, Ohio, sold their home at 5299 Cicerone St. to Gregory Alan Fortier and Donna Fortier, of York, Pennsylvania, for $1,275,000. Built in 2021, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,554 square feet of living area. It sold for $810,900 in 2021.

OSPREY: $725,000

Bishops Court at the Oaks Preserve

Dean and Donna Lebaron, of Cohasset, Massachusetts, sold their home at 84 Bishops Court Road to Timothy Capadalis, of Sarasota, for $725,000. Built in 1989, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,573 square feet of living area. It sold for $600,000 in 2022.

NOKOMIS:

$845,000

Mission Valley Estates

Ronald and Doris Likens, of Venice, sold their home at 941 Pinto Circle to Michael Joseph Bishop and Felicia Bishop, of Nokomis, for $845,000. Built in 1978, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,475 square feet of living area. It sold for $430,000 in 2019.

Swaby

Ringling attendees discover joy in juggling

Filmmaker and juggler Paprika Leaverton hosted a juggling workshop at Ringling Museum alongside the premiere of her film ‘The Queen’s Influence –The Vanishing Culture of Hiko in Tonga.’

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

At first, 7-year-old Adrienne Miller threw her oranges to the ground in frustration.

Yet, as she walked to lunch inside the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art with other members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County, suddenly she was tossing fruit through the air.

She was juggling.

Held in honor of World Circus Day, the public juggling workshop at the museum’s Bayfront Gardens on April 15 was part of a celebration of the global reach of circus arts, said Jennifer Lemmer Posey, curator of circus collections at the museum.

“I love that the museum is holding this special celebration on a day when we know colleagues and artists around the world are also recognizing the special nature of the circus, so it feels like it unites us in this one specific moment,” Posey said.

The workshop, hosted by Colorado juggler and filmmaker Paprika Leaverton, was followed by a free film screening which marked the East Coast premiere of Leaverton’s 2022 documentary “The Queen’s Influence — The Vanishing Culture of Hiko in Tonga,” that afternoon at the Historic Asolo Theater.

Leaverton journeyed extensively in the Polynesian country of Tonga to create the film, which explores a culture known as “hiko” in which girls and women juggle tui tui nuts for entertainment and as a pastime.

The film deals with the influence of Sālote Tupou III, who was Queen of Tonga from 1918 to her death in 1965, on hiko, as well as a decline Leaverton said is taking place in the amount of women practicing hiko.

Leaverton said juggling worldwide

WHERE TO WATCH THE FILM

“The Queen’s Influence — The Vanishing Culture of Hiko in Tonga” is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video and Tubi.

involves about 20% women, but in Tonga, that’s not the case.

“There’s that 1% of the men that might try to juggle, but it’s all women’s work. About 100% of the women juggle in Tonga, or at least have tried it,” she said. “It’s such a beautiful, amazing culture.”

Posey said the film and workshop were both tied to the concept of the celebrations.

“Paprika’s recognition of this tradition in Tonga helped us show that when you look around, you can see the circus arts in many unexpected places, and then, the fact that she did this workshop is the icing on top,” Posey said.

The two events were accompanied by family art-making sessions held in the museum’s classrooms as well as a screening of archival footage of the The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, with free admission to the Circus Museum.

The museum has participated in the celebration each year since its founding by the Fédération Mondiale du Cirque in Monaco in 2010.

HANDS-ON WITH JUGGLING Leaverton said the workshop and the film screening were intended for anyone in the community.

“Juggling is such an uplifting thing for people of all ages,” said Leaverton, who has taught the art extensively,

including at schools, at events and internationally. “My goal is to uplift spirits and get people happy, not worrying, and just be in the moment with me and have some fun.”

She said juggling provides physical exercise, helps build grey matter and connect neurons in the brain, helps with ADD and dementia and uses both sides of the body and therefore both sides of the brain.

Leaverton was joined by Sarasota juggler Gena Shvartsman Cristiani, who was featured in the film and closed out the workshop with an exclusive performance.

A fifth-generation circus performer from Russia, Cristiani was a star attraction at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus at the age of 13 and has been a recipient of awards including the gold medal at the World Juggling Federation Championships in Las Vegas.

Cristiani said when she first came to the U.S. from Russia, the circus world seemed small, until she began attending circus festivals.

“Once I did, it was really outstanding because there are hundreds and hundreds, actually thousands of people in America that love juggling, and I found my community there instantly.”

Attendee Linda Gottlieb said the workshop was fun for kids, as it kept them physically engaged.

“The kids really liked it. My grandkid went crazy over it,” she said. “It’s nice to be involved rather than listening. Juggling with fruit is a lot of fun, and you can eat it.”

Robert Rogers, volunteer and community relations manager with Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee, said the opportunity was impactful for the kids in the clubs, many of whom have experienced a certain lack of resources. The Ringling has invited

the organization to multiple events, he said.

Thirteen-year-old X’zyria Martin, a Boys & Girls Clubs member, said it was helpful to have someone walk her through the steps of juggling.

“When I was little, I kept messing up and I kept messing up, and I just got frustrated and I stopped,” she said.

She said when she found out she would be headed to the Ringling to juggle, she was “actually excited.”

A TONGAN TRADITION GAINS WIDER VISIBILITY

Leaverton said the hiko culture is slowly vanishing in Tonga. It is largely this subject on which the film is focused.

An increase in technology, such as phones and computers, is leading some children to not pursue hiko, she said, while many Tongans have not carried over the tradition after moving outside the country. She said funding for hiko competitions is beginning to disappear.

Meanwhile, she said little documentation had taken place of hiko, until now.

Leaverton said many older Tongan women to whom she had shown the film were extremely receptive to the subject matter and that she hopes to screen it for Tongans Tonga, New Zealand and Australia.

She hopes that screenings of the film will raise money in support of hiko, although the film has also taken on the purpose of funding water purity in Tongan villages following the 2022 volcanic eruption and tsunami.

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Seven-year-old Jahmir Brydson of Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee practices juggling an orange.

Photos by Ian Swaby

Sarasota juggler Gena Schvartsman Cristiani juggles with four clubs.

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