Sarasota/Siesta Key 5.11.23

YOU YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

YOUR TOWN

Condo buyers still flocking

Even with more than 600 luxury units planned, Sarasota developers can’t keep up with the influx of demand. SEE PAGE 3A

FIESTA CITY

Growing scholars

Students giving Mother Nature a helping hand got a little help themselves recently.

The Sarasota Garden Club on May 1 awarded $30,000 in scholarships to eight students from colleges and high schools in the Sarasota area.

To be eligible for the Judith Woodbridge Schneider Memorial Legacy Scholarship program, applicants must concentrate their studies in the natural science fields.

Scholarship winners this year are pursuing careers in conservation and a wide variety of environmental disciplines.

Award recipients currently enrolled in colleges in Florida include Maya Lander, Nicole Norwine, Carter Oleckna and Sophia Pearce. Local high school awardees entering college this fall are Alyssa Collier, Vivienna Coppa, Sophia Famiglio and Ambrynn Julius.

Downtown turned it up for Cinco de Mayo with block parties, street celebrations and more.

SEE PAGE 3B

Mayor for a day

Second grade student Daniel Hernandez had somewhere more important to be than school on May 5 — the mayor’s seat.

He was there to sign a proclamation declaring himself Mayor for a Day.

Of course, he still had plenty of guidance for his new position. Over the course of the morning, Mayor Kyle Battie led him through the city of Sarasota to explain how it operates.

Accompanied by his mother, Anna Hernandez, Daniel became acquainted with the city’s IT department and police departments (the stop for which he was most excited), had the chance to bang the gavel in the commission chambers and enjoyed lunch with Battie at The Bay Park.

The rare opportunity arrived due to a silent auction held in support of Dreamer’s Academy in which one of the winners was his grandfather, Danny Bilyeu.

Sarasota superpower

The city’s public art lead, Mary Davis Wallace, unveiled a seven-year plan for harnessing Sarasota’s superpower — the arts.

SEE PAGE 6A

A+E Film festival favorite

SEE PAGE 15A

Ian Swaby

Seven-year-old Olivia Dendy and 9-year-old Grace Dendy attend the Cinco de Mayo celebration May 5 at Circo.

Andrew Warfield

Davis Wallace speaks to

Courtesy photo Maya Lander, Nicole Norwine and Carter Oleckna were among those who received scholarships from Sarasota Garden Club.

Ian Swaby

WEEK OF MAY 11, 2023

BY THE NUMBERS

Indian Beach estate offered at $10.9M

For the first time in 40 years, a large estate in the oldest settlement in Sarasota is available for purchase. Located on 210 feet of private waterfront at Indian Beach, 900 Alameda Lane is listed for $10.9 million.

The estate stands on nearly two acres of manicured gardens with a resort-style pool and features a 3,209-square-foot, two-bedroom, three-bath main house, a guest cottage and a carriage house above one of the two-car garages. The property dates back to 1894. The original 20-by-30-foot,

two-story farmhouse was incorporated in the remodel.

The main house has wideplanked pine floors and high cedar-paneled ceilings with westward views of Sarasota Bay.

The tranquility porch offers views of the lawn with sunset vistas over the bay. Complete with a large island, the kitchen opens to the family room. The downstairs primary bedroom has a private ensuite bathroom, while the upstairs primary suite includes an attached library, two large custom closets and a bathroom.

The open floor plan is filled

County fire service seeks assessment hike

As Sarasota County Emergency Services will hold public meetings to discuss a requested 15% ad valorem increase on residential and commercial structures for fiscal year 2023. This means an increase of:

■ $2.42 monthly for the average 2,500-square-foot home.

■ $2.50 monthly for the average 1,600-square-foot multifamily home.

■ $24.50 per month for the average 10,000-square-foot commercial property.

Each year, fire assessment rates and ad valorem taxes are evaluated as part of the budgetary process. The department is not recommending any increases in the EMS ad valorem.

Meetings are planned to last one hour, beginning at 6 p.m. on:

■ Tuesday, May 16 — Gulf Gate Public Library, 7112 Curtiss Ave., Sarasota.

■ Thursday, May 18 — William H. Jervey Jr. Venice Public Library, 300 Nokomis Ave. S., Venice.

Fire assessments are the primary funding mechanism for fire protection services in unincorporated areas of Sarasota County and the city of Sarasota. Fire assessment fees are based on square footage of a building and charges are imposed against real property only.

Rhode Island firm buys hotel near Siesta Key

with natural light with walls of windows and doors overlooking the grounds, the beach and “Ozzy the Osprey’s” perch. Giant oaks provide shade and protection around the property.

The 912-square-foot guest cottage has two bedrooms, 1.5 baths and a full kitchen and porch. The carriage house is 678 square feet with one bedroom, one bathroom and a kitchenette.

The property is listed by Martha Thorn of Thorn Collection, Coldwell Banker Realty, Tampa office.

The Best Western Siesta Key in Sarasota County has sold for $13.5 million, according to county property records. The hotel is at 6600 S. Tamiami Trail and was bought by Magna Hospitality Group, a privately held hotel real estate investment firm from Rhode Island.

According to county property records, the hotel was built in 1986 and has 130 rooms. The previous owner paid $5.8 million in 2013. Magna was founded in 1998 and has owned and operated hotels across the U.S. and Canada.

On its website, the company says it is approved to own and/or operate franchises for Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt and the InterContinental Hotel Group.

“This is really your plan. I’m just the ghost writer. So whatever we decide to do as a city is what we will do together.”

Sarasota Public Art Lead Mary Davis Wallace. Read more on page 6A

LUXURY CONDOS IN THE WORKS

Condominium developments in application, approved or under construction in the downtown Sarasota area:

■ Bayso, The Quay: 149 units

■ DeMarcay, downtown: 39 units

■ The Edge, downtown: 27 units

■ Evolution, Golden Gate Point: 20 units

■ Obsidian, downtown: 14 units

■ The Owen, Golden Gate Point: 29 units

■ One Park, The Quay: 123 units

■ Ritz-Carlton Residences II, The Quay: 78 units

■ Rosewood Residences, Lido Beach: 65 units

■ Sota, downtown: 35 units

■ 531 Golden Gate Point: 8 units

■ 625 Golden Gate Residences: 12 units

■ 780 SRQ Condos, downtown: 34 units

■ Total: 633 units

Source: Premier Sotheby’s International

Prices on resales have eased a bit, according to Cerreta, but not much. Lack of inventory combined with solid demand is keeping them high.

Luxury condo supply remains shy of demand

Although more than 600 units are planned or under development, the influx of buyers from across the country, many of them paying cash, still outpaces development.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

As cranes continue to rise from the ground in downtown Sarasota bringing a continuously growing supply of skyward-reaching luxury condominium towers, it raises the question: When is that supply going to outpace the demand?

The answer from those whose job it is to sell those units, which can cost upwards of the midteen millions, is not anytime soon.

Developers continue to wedge 18-story towers onto downtown lots smaller than an acre, with prices for units starting in the millions. The hotspots are downtown one or two streets removed from the bayfront, on Golden Gate Point and even on the beaches of the barrier islands.

In addition to resale inventory, there are hundreds of new construction condos either under development or planned.

Who are all the buyers for these homes, where are they coming from and are there enough to sustain the current pace of development?

Anecdotally, the COVID-era Florida migration has seen a shift in buyers’ origins from the Midwest to the Northeast, and for the first time, buyers in appreciable numbers are coming to Florida from California.

And when they come here, many are finding Sarasota to their liking. As baby boomers continue to consider or enter retirement, the supply of buyers appears vast.

“You’ve got 10,000 people turning 65 years of age every day in the U.S.,”

CONDO AND TOWNHOME SUPPLY

Market supply in the SarasotaBradenton area.

■ Under $500,000: 2.7 months

■ $500,000-$1M: 4.4 months

■ $1M-2.5M: 4.6 months

■ $2.5M-$5M: 8.3 months

■ $5M-plus: 21 months

■ Combined: 3.4 months

Source: Premier Sotheby’s International

said Simon Bacon, executive director of developer services of Sarasota-based real estate firm Michael Saunders and Co. “This is typically a very strong market for people who are looking to either be snowbirds spending a portion of the year here or thinking about retiring in a few years. There are a lot of reasons for people to come to Florida, and many of those people are part of the most affluent section of the market in the U.S. today.”

That continued flow, said Premier Sotheby’s International Managing Broker Craig Cerreta, leaves the market undersupplied for luxury condo buyers.

“Bottom line, all price points have seen an increase, but overall we are still undersupplied,” Cerreta said. “For condos, we are actually more undersupplied than single family. The sweet spot is in the $1 million to $2.5 million segment, which is very undersupplied with only four months (of inventory). That price point would not be considered balanced until it got up to about eight months’ supply.”

A NORMAL MARKET

Among condo projects ranging from eight units to 149 in either application, approved or under construction, there are 633 units in the downtown area, including Golden Gate Point and Lido Key.  Many are already under contract. All of the 149 units in Bayso at The Quay, for example, are sold, and sales have been brisk in most of the other projects that are being marketed.

Buyers are plentiful, and they’re qualified, many pulling cash from the stock market and other less stable investment vehicles and putting it into real estate.

“One of our managers does a luxury market snapshot quarterly, and for the first quarter of 2023, 81% of the transactions north of $3 million were cash,” said Cerreta. “When you start to mix in market dynamics, it has been pretty turbulent for the last 12 months. You’ve seen historic inflation. Historically, real estate is a pretty stable place to put your money.”

According to Premier Sotheby’s data, condo new construction and resales priced between $2.5 million and $5 million is balanced, and below $2.5 million is undersupplied. The market priced above $5 million is saturated, but 50% of that inventory is new construction, which won’t be completed for two years, meaning that market segment is not as oversupplied as it might appear. All combined, the company says the market remains undersupplied.

Sales are not as brisk as they were in 2021 and 2022, according to Cerreta, but they are still well ahead of the pace at the same time in 2018 and 2019. “And those were great years,” he said. “The frantic pace is over, but high-demand units on the beach or downtown that are in great condition are still getting multiple offers,” Cerreta said. “The market is normal, not irrational.”

Bacon joined Michael Saunders two years ago, relocating here from New York City. He said he’s not unlike other Northeasterners from major metropolitan areas who, in the past, traditionally gravitated to the east coast of the state but are now finding superior values and lifestyle on the Gulf Coast.

“I knew nothing about Sarasota,” Bacon said. “When I started researching, what I found was the west coast of Florida from Tampa down to Naples was not really the redheaded stepchild anymore. It was a first choice for people as far as lifestyle and the character of the people down here.”

COUNTY IS BUILDING OUT

The luxury condominium market is reflective of continuing strong market conditions in general in Florida and in the Sarasota area. Neal Homes Chairman Pat Neal said the pace of new home sales is restricted only by the speed of the supply chain, which he said is much improved over 2021 and 2022, although not yet back to normal.

Homebuilders in Florida built 190,000 homes in 2022 he said, compared to 90,000 in 2019. Additional supply — and labor — constraints followed Hurricane Ian, after which much of both went to ongoing recovery efforts south of here.

“People still want to be in Florida in great numbers. Our sales for 2023 are well ahead of our projections, and we anticipate that they will stay well ahead of the forecast for 2023,” Neal said.

The post-pandemic migration pattern to Florida, Neal said, is expanding from historical points of origin.

“Over the years, we have sold very few homes to people from California,” he said. “Everything changed in 2021 and 2022. In 2022 we sold 39 homes to people who had a California address at the time of purchase, and we see people who are leaving other states to move to Florida. Illinois has gone from the No. 6 sales state for Neal to a tie for No. 3. Minnesota has gone from off the list to on the list as a place people are migrating from to Florida.”

Bacon has seen a similar pattern for luxury condos.

“We’ve seen buyers for some of our new buildings that have come from California,” he said. “We’ve seen them come from Seattle. There’s a great migration going on. I think Florida is having a moment, and I don’t think it’s stopping.”

Whether in town or in the suburbs, Neal expects a perpetually undersupplied market locally, one that will sustain prices.

“Sarasota County is now building up to the urban growth boundary both in north and central county, so there will be a built-up condition not unlike Broward or Palm Beach ... so I expect prices in Sarasota County for the luxury home market to increase dramatically over the next few years.”

Courtesy photos

Simon Bacon is executive director developer services of Michael Saunders & Co.

Craig Cerreta is managing broker of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty Sarasota/Bradenton and the Keys.

Photos by Andrew Warfield

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

Now that the Bay Park Conservancy has secured more than $4 million in city and county deposits into its trust fund, it can officially begin planning and design for Phase 2 of The Bay.

Following the Sarasota City Commission’s prior unanimous approval, the BPC on April 25 secured an identical deposit of just more than $2 million by a 3-1 vote of the County Commission, with Commissioner Mike Moran dissenting. Moran didn’t voice his objection prior to the vote, which was otherwise supported by Commissioners Mark Smith, Joe Neunder and Chairman Ron Cutsinger.

Those deposits will more than meet the annual payment for a $48 million city bond, set to close on May 11.

The Bay, planned for 53 acres of city-owned land on Sarasota Bay, is a 10-year, $200 million buildout to create a multifaceted public park financially supported equally by city and county government and private philanthropy and grants. City and county funds come from a tax increment financing district that surrounds the park — tax revenue resulting from the increased value of property as it is developed and improved.

The city and county make identical annual payments with revenues from the TIF district to the trust fund, provided the approval of the commissioners. The BPC will have collected $8.7 million combined after the

fiscal year 2024 payments are made, estimated at just more than $2 million each, based on a projected 7.2% increase in subject property values. The actual payment, though, will be based on the assessed value as of July 2023, which could be significantly higher according to the county.

The Bay serves the dual purpose of public passive and active park and water conservation.

“This site, which was all built before the Clean Water Act in the late ’70s, drains about 300 million gallons of polluted stormwater every year directly into Sarasota Bay,” BPC Chief Operating Officer Bill Waddill told county commissioners. “As we build each phase of our park we put every drop of that rain through our stormwater treatment train to pre-treat it and quit polluting the environment, and then restore the environment as we go.”

The 10-acre first phase of The Bay opened in October 2022 on the southern end of the site. Phase 2 will focus on the Canal District, the public boat launch area on the north side of the park, and will include rebuilding some 800 feet of failing sea wall on the south side of the canal and adding 20 to 25 day docks.

It will also include improvements to the Cultural District along U.S. 41, western shoreline improvements and the Sunset Pier. That all comes at a projected cost of $65 million, $48 million of which is covered by TIF-

backed city bonds.

The $30.5 million first phase received 90% of its funding from private philanthropy. Although it took 10 years from conception and six years of planning and development to open the first 10 acres, Waddill said the 14-acre Phase 2 will be completed much more quickly.

“We're going to design and build all of this within about three years,” Waddill said. “A lot of times for these sorts of initiatives, getting past the initial inertia is one of the hardest things to do. It took us six years to get 10 acres of park at $35 million built. We’re going to build twice as much park in half the time.”

The first two phases effectively encircle the parking lot and the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, with parking lot and roads covering 35 of the 53 acres. That impervious space will be addressed in future phases, with planning currently including preservation of the Van Wezel on the southwest corner of the site and a proposed new Sarasota Performing Arts Center on the northeast corner.

“We’re going to be transforming that from two-thirds parking and paving to two-thirds green park with all of the focus on water qual-

ity,” Waddill said. Phase 2 work in the Canal District will primarily focus on the south side of the canal. In addition to the day docks, plans include some structures to serve light retail, create shade and a staging area for portable food service.

The BPC has proposed future permanent restaurant sites for waterfront dining intended to supply revenue streams to help meet future operation costs of the entire park.

In the Cultural District, there will be an event lawn and recreation lawn to the north of the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, and 5,600-squarefoot and 5,200-square-foot areas identified as North Plaza and South Plaza will flank the auditorium. That’s in addition to heavy landscaping throughout the area.

Currently, the Bay Park Trust Fund balance is $4.68 million, which includes the $1.7 million from last year’s county and city TIF deposits. With the projected $4 million for fiscal year 2024, minus the bond payment of $2.77 million, that leaves a balance of $5.91 million.

“That’s plenty of coverage to make sure that there’s plenty of money in there for the bond payments moving forward,” Waddill said.

Photo: Barbara Banks

Suzette Steiger, World Traveler, Collector and Passionate Member of Impact100 SRQ

Courtesy renderings

A rendering of The Bay Cultural District along U.S. 41 between 10th Street and Boulevard of the Arts.

A rendering of the Canal District at The Bay at the 10th Street boat launch.

To the first-time mother looking for assurance before the big day. To the child spending their first night in the hospital and searching for a friendly face. To the fighter who needed encouragement and the survivor who needed a coach. To all the friends and family members who rest easier knowing their loved ones will always be safe in your care.

Being a nurse isn’t easy, and some days it might seem like too much. But to every patient in need of your strength and your support, You make a world of difference.

A law to aid prison reform

The Legislature unanimously approved legislation that will eliminate jail time for technical probation infractions.

supervision. When a person’s probation is revoked, a judge may impose any sentence that was permissible at the offender’s initial sentence.

Often, that means some time in jail or prison.

According to a recent report from the Crime and Justice Institute, 48% of annual community supervision exits in Florida are because of revocation rather than successful completion of sentences. Approximately 57% of revocations in Florida are because of technical violations rather than new felony or misdemeanor offenses.

These data suggest that revocations resulting from technical violations of community supervision substantially contribute to Florida’s incarcerated population.

Florida’s ASP to address certain technical violations of community supervision.

Probation officers would be required (rather than allowed) to resolve an offender’s first or second low-risk violations through the ASP. This would help avoid disproportionate responses to technical violations. However, if a court finds a specific, identified risk to public safety, the court may instruct the probation officer to submit an affidavit of violation.

“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.”

Friedrich Hayek

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944

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Probation is intended to provide a more constructive alternative to incarceration by rehabilitating lowrisk criminal offenders in their communities. But in Florida, minor technical violations of probation send many probationers to incarceration each year — even if they haven’t committed a new crime.

Punishing small matters, like missing a meeting with incarceration, is out of proportion and helps neither the offender nor society because disproportionate sanctions for technical violations do not improve public safety and waste precious taxpayer dollars.

Fortunately, the Legislature unanimously voted this past session in favor of Senate Bill 1478 to help address this problem. The bill is awaiting Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signature.

People on probation are typically subject to a variety of conditions, including regular check-ins, drug testing, mandatory treatment or counseling and the payment of fines and fees. In Florida, violations of these conditions may result in the revocation, modification or continuation probation

In recent years, lawmakers, agency leaders and courts have pursued reforms to reduce revocations and incarceration attributed to technical violations of community supervision. In 2016, the Legislature passed legislation authorizing the chief judge in each of the state’s 20 judicial circuits to establish Alternative Sanctioning Programs to resolve technical violations without revoking supervision. Three years later in 2019, the Legislature created a standardized statewide ASP that allows probation officers to resolve low- and moderate-risk technical violations without initiating the court process or arresting and booking the offender.

SB 1478 builds on these prior reforms to address some of the many remaining pitfalls associated with Florida’s probation program. The bill makes targeted changes to Florida’s sentencing policies related to violations of probation.

Technical violations resolved through the Florida’s Alternative Sanctioning Program would not be factored into the point system used by courts to determine the lowest permissible sentence in each case. This would help avoid unnecessary incarceration because of technical violations.

The bill also expands the use of

Finally, SB 1478 provides for the timely resolution of violations. In cases where a probationer is arrested for a low-risk violation, a court must hear the case within 30 days of the probationer’s arrest. If a hearing is not held within the 30-day period, the probationer must be released without bail, but the court may impose nonmonetary conditions of release. This requirement would avoid situations where people are needlessly stuck in jail because of court delays.

As the latest in a series of legislative reforms, SB 1478 offers Gov. DeSantis a great opportunity to further improve Florida’s parole and community supervision programs.

Adrian Moore is the vice president of Reason Foundation and lives in Sarasota. Vittorio Nastasi is director of criminal justice policy at Reason Foundation.

‘VECTORS’ PART II: Q&A WITH AUTHOR

As a follow-up to last week’s review of “Vectors,” an Amazon bestseller, author and Former Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas B. Modly discusses some of the intricacies of how “Vectors” came to be and illuminating details of the workings of the Navy and Pentagon in a Q&A with Observer founder Matt Walsh. Go to: YourObserver.com/ Opinion-Modly

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ADRIAN MOORE AND VITTORIO NASTASI

“Punishing small matters, like missing a meeting with incarceration, is out of proportion and helps neither the offender nor society ...”

City seeks seven members for Purple Ribbon Committee

With the Purple Ribbon Committee mission clarified, seven seats to recommend future use of the iconic performing arts hall are up for grabs.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

On Monday, the Sarasota City Commission approved the composition of a Purple Ribbon Committee to explore the continued use of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and the role it might play in tandem with a new Sarasota Performing Arts Center just a few hundred yards away.

The seven-member ad hoc committee will have two years to bring its recommendations to the City Commission, providing they don’t include the word “reuse,” which was removed from the ordinance unanimously approved by commissioners.

The city is now accepting applications for the committee, which will be tasked to study financially sustainable options for the Van Wezel as well as the use, purpose and lease of the facility.

The committee will be made up of seven members from the following categories:

■ One with expertise in architecture and also with expertise in the design of performing arts centers and the reuse of large public structures and buildings.

■ One with expertise in historical preservation.

■ One with expertise in civil structural engineering.

■ One with financial expertise in the field of the performing arts.

■ One with expertise in climate adaptation, FEMA and flood plains.

■ Two residents of the city of Sarasota.

Other than the two at-large citizens, there are no residency requirements for the five remaining members.

Among the primary points of discussion by commissioners on Monday were residency of the members

HOW TO APPLY

An online application is available at the city’s website, SarasotaFL.gov, on the Advisory Board page. Click on “Ad Hoc Van Wezel Purple Ribbon Committee” then “Apply” to complete the application. Applications must be submitted by June 15, 2023. The City Commission will then appoint the seven committee members. Once appointed, the committee will have two years to provide the City Commission with recommendations.

and the removal of reuse from the ordinance. Reuse, commissioners agreed, would limit the scope of potential functions of the Van Wezel. Also adjusted in the drafting of the ordinance over several weeks was the removal of noncompete language with the proposed SPAC.

“Something of this magnitude and this importance to the city should involve people from wherever,” said Mayor Kyle Battie. “I think we should open it up to those who have expertise in the various fields pertaining to this project from wherever they may come from.”

Commissioner Debbie Trice said, depending on the committee’s findings, the Van Wezel could possibly serve as the smaller performance hall currently included in plans for the SPAC. To accomplish that, she suggested a one-year time frame for the committee’s work.

“We don’t want to give it too much time because I think we want recommendations coming back early enough to influence the design of the new performing arts center,” Trice

said. “For example, if a restored Van Wezel could fill the SPAC’s requirement for a smaller supplemental auditorium, then there would be no need to include that in the performing arts center design. It’s important to get recommendations back from the Purple Ribbon Committee before the SPAC’s job is done and the design is completed.”

A task force of the city and the SPAC Foundation is in the latter stages of selecting an architect for

the proposed performing arts cen-

ter, which includes a 2,200-seat main theater and a 300-seat flexible performance space. The Van Wezel seats 1,741.

Vice Mayor Liz Alpert said a twoyear window is a more likely scenario for the committee to finish its work.

“I was going to throw out two years just knowing how difficult it is,” Alpert said.  “First we’ve got to find the people and then how often can they really meet with their time con -

straints. I think your points are good ones as to why make it a year, and if they can get done in a year that would be wonderful, but I don’t think they could.”

Applicants will be reviewed by commissioners who will, as a body, appoint members. They will have the latitude to choose among the atlarge citizen members an additional person with expertise among the five categories.

Andrew Warfield

The city of Sarasota is exploring future uses of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall once a new Sarasota Performing Arts Center is built.

PAC says the ‘Sun Always Shines’ on Fruitville roundabout

The way the majority of the Sarasota Public Art Committee sees it, the sun always shines on the roundabout at Fruitville Road and U.S. 41.

Now the committee hopes the City Commission agrees. Last Wednesday, the PAC selected the Sun Always Shines, a sculpture to be created by New York artist Sujin Lim, to recommend for approval by the commission as the next in the city’s Art in the Roundabouts collection.

The decision comes more than a year after commissioners rejected Dwell — also by Lim — generally agreeing that the sculpture of coral bore no relevance to Sarasota, sending the committee back to the drawing board and reopening the process to receive proposals and start again.

Lim took literally the local relevance cue from commissioners, evoking imagery of the suspension cables of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge as angled sunbeams pouring down between coastal clouds, atop which a small house perched, conveying the message of finding home in the place where the sun always shines.

On a second round of voting on Wednesday — the first was a 2-2 tie with San Francisco artist Shan Shan Sheng’s Dancing Clouds — the PAC, on a 3-1 vote, favored Lim. The third finalist, New York artist Mark Reigelman’s Snowbirds, received no votes on either ballot.

The PAC favored Sun Always Shines over Dancing Clouds in part for its simplicity, agreeing with former committee member Leslie Butterfield, that Dancing Clouds — several multicolored architectural glass panels perched atop steel rods — was more decorative than iconic, and perhaps too distracting for the most heavily traveled roundabout in the city.

“I feel like our collection could use a piece that’s more like The Bean in

Chicago that’s really remarkable, and I feel like Sujin Lim came through with a piece like that that’s positive and fun,” Butterfield told the committee during the public comments period.

During an April virtual meeting with the public, Lim said she was inspired by sunbeams poking through clouds to Earth. Her concept was to combine the image of clouds as a metaphor of nature with the small house on top representing the human experience with nature by symbolically bringing the human habitat into the natural world.

The sun represents what people love about living in Florida, she said, with the small house imparting the cozy, intimate sensation of a cottage with a warm golden glow. The sculpture would be lighted from within, the muted glow of the clouds and the house in contrast to the bright yellow sunbeams anchoring to the ground.

Unlike the selection process for Dwell, the PAC held multiple meetings with the finalists to provide input on refining their finished concepts to achieve “their best work.”

Mary Davis Wallace, Public Art program lead, will present the option to the City Commission at a meeting still to be scheduled.

Like the rest of the city’s public art collection, Art in the Roundabouts is funded by a 0.5% surcharge on commercial construction projects that cost more than $1 million.

Sujin Lim’s concept of her Sun Always Shines proposal.

Courtesy rendering

Home is where health is

Lakewood Ranch resident

Jennifer Currier said since becoming a certified nursing assistant in 1999, she has served as the sole caregiver for as many as 120 residents of a care facility in one night.

Yet an overall lack of access to quality care, she said, is exacerbated by the fact that at-home care is extremely expensive, typically more than $100,000 a year for 24-hour care.

One day, she shared a business idea with her friend, Sarasota resident Laritha Burks, who has been a certified nursing assistant since 2004. What about training people to become at-home caregivers themselves? On Valentine’s Day of 2023, they launched the recently licensed business, Senior Consulting & Staff Support, which will serve Manatee and Sarasota counties as well as some locations outside that area.

“You have to think outside the box in nursing because every single person is different, every single family dynamic is different,” Currier said.

She said while it’s easy for workers to follow a set pattern for how a job is done, when dealing with patients with disabilities or diseases, including those such as Alzheimer’s that affect the mind, it requires an understanding of the patient that only people who know them thoroughly can provide.

Currier and Burks said they know this because of their experience operating as independent nursing contractors.

“We’re able to map out and point

ABOUT SENIOR CONSULTING & STAFF SUPPORT

For more information, visitMVCARD.net/scss or call:

Jennifer Currier: 879-4801 Laritha Burks: 544-1140

out things that somebody from an agency wouldn’t be able to, because we know an individual’s baseline,” Burks said.

Currier also said an understanding of those diseases themselves is not being provided in the training that certified nursing assistants receive today, which she said is extremely time-compressed.

With their new business, Currier and Burks will focus on offering consultations to improve safety and quality of life, provide education and connect caregivers to resources they need. They will make an assessment of homes and determine what features they need, be it a ramp to get in out of the house, a driveway that is not too steep, a bed that is closer to the floor or Meals on Wheels.

Also on board with the initiative are two registered nurses, including Alicia Lynch, who are able to aid the decisions of Currier and Burks.

4801 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota Across from The Landings

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

Two certified nursing assistants have launched Senior Consulting & Staff Support, whose goal is to offer caregivers the resources they need to keep seniors at home.

Ian Swaby

Jennifer Currier, Jeff Kahn and Laritha Burks

Say

SKYSCRAPER to a ADVERTISEMENT

• A massive 342-foot skyscraper towering over North Palm Avenue, more than 100 feet taller than any other existing condominium building.1

• Built on a tiny footprint (0.28 acre) abutting neighboring property lines by mere inches and potentially threatening their structural integrity. 2

• Requiring the demolition of seven retail businesses (6,350 sf) and replacing them with only one small retail space (640 sf).3

• Obscuring an architecturally distinguished building designed by famed Sarasota School architect Tim Seibert.4

THE PROPOSED 1260 N. PALM AVENUE TOWER IS INCONSISTENT WITH THE CITY’S STATED DESIRE FOR A PEDESTRIAN-FRIENDLY DOWNTOWN WITH A VIBRANT RETAIL CLIMATE.

WE URGE CITY OFFICIALS TO DENY THE PROPOSAL FOR THIS BEHEMOTH SKYSCRAPER.

EMAIL YOUR OBJECTIONS TO:

Lucia Panica, Development Services Director

Lucia.Panica@sarasotafl.gov

Marlon Brown, City Manager Marlon.Brown@sarasotafl.gov City Commissioners CityCommissioners@sarasotafl.gov

(1) Hoyt Architects, 1260 Palm Avenue Architectural Site Plan, dated October 28, 2022 (2) Hoyt Architects, 1260 Palm Avenue Architectural Site Plan, dated October 28, 2022 (3) Freedman Consulting & Development Application for Administrative Site Plan on behalf of Palm Properties, LLC, dated October 2022, page 1 (4) Bay Plaza, designed by famed architect Tim Seibert, one of the founders of the Sarasota School of Architecture 403397-1

Image: Hoyt/Hal/Imerza

COPS CORNER

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26 WORKPLACE DISTURBANCE

9:46 a.m., 2800 block of Fruitville Road

Disturbance: A fired employee’s boyfriend created a disturbance at her former place of business. An officer met with the complainant at the location who advised he had earlier in the day terminated a female employee. Approximately 30 minutes later, her boyfriend arrived at the office and began cursing at other employees. The complainant stated the man left after being told multiple times to leave the property and that there were no direct threats made to himself or the staff. The complainant wanted the incident documented for future reference, if necessary.

PARKING TICKET DISPUTE

4:01 p.m., 400 block of John Ringling Boulevard

Civil dispute: A disputed parking ticket sparked an argument between the driver of the car and a ticket issuer. Upon arrival, the officer met with a complainant who stated the driver was upset about a ticket he issued for failing to pay for parking. He advised the man was blocking the path and “cussing him out.” The officer spoke with the driver, who said he was trying to explain that he was in the process of paying for parking after escorting his family to a restaurant. The driver further stated the complainant became defensive and said “You’re harassing me” when he was asking for more information regarding the citation. The officer concluded no crime was committed and that the incident is civil in nature.

SATURDAY, APRIL 29

SQUATTER’S RIGHTS

7:04 p.m. 2900 block of Fruitville Road

Civil dispute: A squatter who refused to leave a residence resulted in a dispute when the complainant told police she wanted to have a subject removed from the residence. She said she allowed the subject to stay at the residence beginning in January but was supposed to stay for only one month. An officer told the complainant that she had allowed the subject to effectively establish residency in the unit and would have to pursue civil eviction proceedings.

FRIDAY, APRIL 28

NIGHT FISHING

2 a.m., Siesta Drive Bridge

Disturbance: An irate man broke off a sign that read “No Fishing on the Bridge” then tossed it into the water, drawing a police response to the Siesta Drive bridge. The officer met with the complainant who was in with the bridge tender. He reported the suspect — described as approximately 5-foot-9, heavy build and wearing no shirt — appeared to be intoxicated and was yelling at vehicles passing by while fishing off the bridge. During the incident, the irate man broke off the sign, pole still attached, and threw it into the bay. The complainant said he did not confront the man, but saw him walking in the direction of the 1300 block of Siesta Drive. The officer located the sign and collected photographic evidence. The suspect was not located and the investigation remained open.

MONDAY, MAY 1 TRACKING STOLEN BACKPACK

1:03 a.m., 700 block of Flint River Court

Vehicle burglary: Officers met with two victims who said a black Lululemon backpack was stolen from their vehicle while they were inside a nearby bar. The owner of the backpack said she tracked her ear buds, which were inside, to the address on Flint River Court, where she went before calling police for assistance. She said she did not wish to press charges, but only wanted her belongings returned. In addition to the ear buds, the backpack contained a blue makeup bag, clothing, Gucci slides and a Ford Mustang key. The male victim said he had left the vehicle unlocked and nothing missing from the vehicle belonged to him. He said he confronted two males regarding the missing items, but after they left the area the tracking of the ear buds showed they remained at the location.

After officers arrived, they attempted to knock on doors but were only able to make contact with two residents there and were unable to locate missing property. There were no suspects and the case was forwarded to the criminal investigations division.

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

KT Curran builds a bridge of

EMPATHY

Local director’s film shines a light on ‘compassion fatigue’ among first responders.

MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Director KT Curran is no stranger to the film festival circuit.

For the past eight months, she’s shown her stunning feature, “Bridge to the Other Side,” at about a dozen festivals, including the Sarasota Film Festival, where the film won two awards in April, and the Fort Myers Film Festival, where it will be presented on May 18.

But the May 2 presentation of “Bridge to the Other Side” at Resilient Retreat, a lush 84-acre compound down Fruitville Road, was different than the other screenings.

Curran’s emotional antennae were more attuned than usual and with good reason: It was the first time the director had shown her film to an audience of first responders, the subject of her film.

There were no visible tears shed after the screening, though there may have been when the lights were down. But there was a palpable sense of discomfort as the film unspooled to the sounds of coughing, bodies shifting in chairs and nervous fidgeting in the audience.

“Bridge to the Other Side” is a raw, emotional journey that follows Max Toussante, a former high school guidance counselor who is drowning in alcohol and grief after losing her firefighter husband to COVID. On a whim, she decides to join a crisis response team being formed by her late husband’s fire department. Her partner is Jake Monroe, a firefighter who has given up rescue diving because of the toll it has taken on his psyche and his family; he is divorced.

Curran wrote and directed “Bridge to the Other Side” after interviewing 150 first responders and their family members. She spent mornings writing her script and put a producer’s hat of sorts on in the afternoon, she says, although the film had a real producer in the form of Jerry Chambless.

The firefighters, police officers, chaplains and other first responders who gathered at Resilient Retreat to watch Curran’s film may not have experienced the exact losses suffered by Toussante (Valerie LeBlanc) and Monroe (Chase Garland) or had their community outreach efforts

“I knew there was a high level of depression, divorce and other serious issues among our most heroic members of society. But until COVID, I hadn’t realized how much firefighters and police officers can be affected by compassion fatigue. I wanted to celebrate the efforts of first responders and try to destigmatize mental health issues for them.”

KT Curran

In search of the perfect 10

“The play’s the thing,” Shakespeare once wrote. With all due respect to The Bard, the 10-minute play will be the thing in Sarasota from May 11-14.

Now in its 18th season, Theatre Odyssey’s Ten-Minute Play Festival will feature eight plays in competition and will take place at the Jane B. Cook Theatre at the FSU/Asolo Center for the Performing Arts.

“The beauty of the 10-minute play is if you don’t like it, you only have to sit through 10 minutes,” says Michael Bille, president of Theatre Odyssey.

But this is no amateur hour — or sixth of an hour. Everyone involved in the plays gets paid, Bille says. That includes playwrights, directors, actors and production professionals. “They’re not going to get rich, but they’re going to be compensated for their time and talent.”

One could be forgiven for assuming the phenomenon of the 10-minute play has something to do with the internet and the shorter attention spans it has spawned.

But the genre actually got its start back in 1977 at the Actors Theatre of Louisville’s Humana Festival of New American.

These days, the guru of the genre is none other than Gary Garrison, author of “A More Perfect Ten: Writing and Producing the Ten-Minute Play.”

Garrison’s 10-minute street cred also derives from an earlier book, “Perfect 10: Writing and Producing the Ten-Minute Play,” as well as an award in his name for university playwrights of 10-minute plays the Kennedy Center instituted in 2014.

Garrison was the executive director of the Dramatist Guild of America from 2007-17 and was associate chair, artistic director and master teacher of playwriting in the Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Sarasota’s Ten-Minute Play Festival will feature a Q&A; session with Garrison, who also will serve as one of the fest’s “adjudicators.”

The other three individuals judging the 10-minute plays will be playwright and TV host Gabe Ortiz, founder of the Take Theatre Ensemble for inner-city youth; Blake Walton, who has directed seven plays for Theatre Odyssey and has appeared in award-winning performances at Florida Studio Theatre, and Carolyn Michel, who just completed a sold-out run of “Family Secrets” at the Sarasota Jewish Festival.

Here’s how the festival works: Once the eight plays have been selected, Theatre Odyssey assigns each of them a director,

< Q+A: An impossible dream comes true for ‘Man of La Mancha’ star Mauricio Martínez. 17A

FOOD: Matriarchal traditions take center stage in the Mother’s Day ‘Eating With Emma.’ 18A >

Courtesy photo Gary Garrison

Courtesy photos

Above: Valerie LeBlanc stars in KT Curran's “Bridge to the Other Side,” a feature about first responders that has been making the film festival circuit. Below: Director KT Curran attends the opening night of The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Nov. 4, 2022.

threatened by government cuts, it was obvious that they identified with the film nonetheless.

A reporter attending the Resilient Retreat screening promised to be a fly on the wall, lest any questions act as a trigger for the first responders who watched the film. But it can be observed that the most honest and emotional responses came from older audience members who were retired from protecting the public and, as a result, were not jeopardizing their livelihoods by talking about their feelings.

During a Q&A session after the film, Curran and members of Resilient Retreat’s board, including Chaplain Kelvin Foster, a former firefighter and EMT, discussed the challenges that face first responders and health care professionals following the onslaught of COVID and the stigmatism facing those who reach out for help.

One former firefighter at the Resilient Retreat screening described being led away in handcuffs by the police, who were called to escort him from his firehouse after he told his boss that he was no longer up to the job emotionally.

One of the characters in Curran’s film who contemplates ending it all by jumping off the bridge is a nurse who has lost patients to COVID and feels like a failure because she wasn’t able to save their lives.

Resilient Retreat offers workshops and weekend programs free of charge for first responders and health care professionals who need to recuperate from trauma and strengthen their emotional well-being.

Curran used real actors and places in “Bridge to the Other Side,” which was filmed in and around Sarasota during December 2021. The bridge in “Bridge to the Other Side” is the Ringling Bridge, but the small city in the film is named Sunrise, not Sarasota. The panoramic shots delivered by a drone give the film a high-quality feel that is typically found in a high-end, Hollywood production.

Some of the performers in Curran’s film were real-life responders. She credits the participation of the Cape Coral Fire Department with helping to make the film a reality.

When Curran started thinking about her script for “Bridge to the Other Side,” she was focused primarily on the daily traumas experienced by public safety and health care professionals.

But with the pandemic, she began hearing more and more about the burnout on the front lines among doctors, nurses and others being overwhelmed by the physical burdens of caring for the sick and dying and the emotional pain of being separated from loved ones to prevent the virus from spreading.

“I knew there was a high level of depression, divorce and other serious issues among our most heroic members of society. But until COVID, I hadn’t realized how much firefighters and police officers can be affected by compassion fatigue,” Curran said. “I wanted to celebrate the efforts of first responders and try to destigmatize mental health issues for them.”

A former actress, Curran is a playwright who has published 20 plays primarily dealing with social issues. She’s also skilled at improvisation, a requirement for any successful independent filmmaker.

Prior to forming the nonprofit Wingspan three years ago, Curran was best known for a 2019 film about high school called “Surviving Lunch.”

Her experience telling the stories of troubled teens shines through in “Bridge to the Other Side,” when Max and Jake answer a call for help at Max’s former school, where a student is distraught because her father has succumbed to COVID.

“Bridge to the Other Side” may be the first feature from Curran’s company, Wingspan Productions, but it is just the latest example of how Curran uses art to educate filmgoers about mental health and break down cultural barriers deterring survivors of abuse and trauma from seeking help.

During the production of “Bridge to the Other Side,” Curran and her cast and crew were caught in the crosshairs of COVID themselves.

Curran thought the coast would be clear when she and her cinematographer Ryan Patrick Dean were scheduled to start shooting the film during the first week of December 2021. But

that’s when the Omnicron variant of COVID hit Sarasota.

“We formed a bubble. We had nurses coming on the set and testing everyone. A magical muse was following us. Nobody tested positive until the end,” Curran recalled.

After eight months of nonstop engagements and travel to support “Bridge from the Other Side,” Curran is ready to take a breather.

After being the recipient of an impromptu birthday party at Resilient Retreat, replete with cupcakes for the audience and one with a candle for Curran, the director drove into Sarasota for a celebration hosted by friends. The next day, she was scheduled to fly to Los Angeles to visit family.

Curran’s not ready to talk about her next project, but she promises it will stay true to Wingspan’s mission, which is nothing less than producing films that “deal with life-altering issues, have high production values and help the world.”

Curran wants to save the world, one film at a time.

In the meantime, her goal is the same as that of every indie filmmaker: maximizing exposure for her production in the hopes of getting a distribution deal of some kind.

PLAYS FROM PAGE 15A

who does casting and sets up their own rehearsals. But they aren’t allowed to change the words.

A playwright is allowed to attend rehearsals and give notes, but that’s the extent of their involvement in the production.

The plays selected for this year’s Ten-Minute Film Festival are “15 Seconds” (Bruce Karp), “Back to One” (Keith Whalen), “Eternity” (Elan David Garonzik), “In Remembrance” (Michelle Pascua), “Paradise Breakup” (Risa Lewak), “Pity Mourner” (Paul Donnelly), “A Squad of Their Own” (Bethany Dickens Assaf) and “Steam Fog” (John J. Kelly). During Covid, the festival used a radio play format from 202021 but has been back with live performances since last year.

Bille says he expects to fill most of the 160 seats in the Cook Theatre for this year’s festival. He warns that tickets for the Sunday performance will sell out quickly because that’s when the winners are announced and family members attend the festival.

“Sign Here” was the winner of last year’s festival.

IF YOU GO

When: 7:30 p.m. May 11-13, 2 p.m. on May 14

Where: Jane B. Cook Theatre, FSU/Asolo Center for the Performing Arts

Tickets: $29

Info: Visit TheatreOdyssey.org.

We put the people of Florida first and we know you depend on reliable energy. That’s why we use drone technology in good weather and bad to inspect power lines and identify potential issues before an outage can occur. After a storm, drones help us assess damage so we can restore power safely and as quickly as possible. Learn more at FPL.com/Value

Director KT Curran on the set of the film “Bridge to the Other Side,” which was filmed in and around Sarasota in December 2021.

Courtesy photos

‘Man of La Mancha’ is a dream come true for Mauricio Martínez

The noted Latino actor/singer stars in Asolo Rep’s twist on the classic Don Quixote musical.

MARTY FUGATE CONTRIBUTOR

Mauricio Martínez is a dreamer. He’s also a versatile actor/singer with an enviable track record in Mexico and the U.S. He’s appeared in plays, musicals, concerts, films and television in both countries — and released two Latin pop albums in his spare time. He’s earned a shelf full of awards, including a Mexican Emmy.

None of those honors came easily. Martínez is a fighter, though his easygoing nature makes that easy to miss. He fought cancer and won — four times. His creative quest now continues in the U.S.

Martínez is fiercely proud of his Mexican heritage. His fighting spirit is part of it; his impossible dreams are, too. Those dreams are what drive him. Many became realities.  His dream of playing Don Quixote remained impossible for decades. But it recently came true. “Man of La Mancha” is coming to the Asolo Rep stage. Martínez will bring the musical’s quixotic hero to life. He’s one dreamer playing another. And he was happy to share what that means to him.

“Man of La Mancha” takes many twists and turns. What’s the heart of the story?

In the musical, it’s the story that the old Don Quixote tells in a prison. It begins in his younger days, when he was a country squire named Alonso Quixano. He’s very literate and he reads romantic novels from dawn

to dusk. Alonso gets lost in dreams of knights and daring deeds in the Middle Ages. He wants to live in those dreams. Alonso wants to turn back time — to a golden age that never existed. Yes, exactly. Alonso decides to bring back the age of chivalry. So, he reinvents himself as “Don Quixote,” a knight-errant who longs to be a knight. To prove himself worthy, he goes on a quest to battle the forces of evil and right all the wrongs in this world. Unfortunately, Don Quixote lives in a dream world, not the real world. He doesn’t see things as they are. He thinks windmills are giants. Yes. Don Quixote is missing a few marbles upstairs. In his heart, he’s still a heroic, noble soul and one of the greatest characters in all of literature.

How’d he wind up in a Broadway musical?

That’s very, very complicated. You want the short version?

That’d be great. OK … In 1605, Miguel de Cervantes wrote “Don Quixote” — one of the greatest stories of all time. In 1959, Dale Wasserman adapted his beautiful epic novel as a beautiful teleplay. In 1965, Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion added music and lyrics, and turned it into “Man of La Mancha.”

The musical we all know and love. Yes. And it deserves our love!

It has some of the most unforgettable songs in Broadway musical theater history. I sang them as a teenager while studying musical theater in New York City. Those songs have really stood the test of

time. I feel so honored to be singing them again as an adult in my time.

What do you love about this musical? What’s the hard part?

I love so much about it … the language, the poetry, the story and the courage it gives you to dream. And “La Mancha” has so many great characters. But Don Quixote is my favorite. I love him. But he’s not so easy to play. I’m on stage for most of the time without taking a break.

I play the same person — but it’s like playing three different characters. In “La Mancha,” Don Quixote is a younger man, a middle-aged man and an old man. That’s all me. So, I literally transform myself in front of the audience. I bounce back and forth in time, shift accents, change costumes. The role is also physically demanding. I wrestle with giants and windmills, get thrown off the stage, wave my sword and ride a horse. Don Quixote’s language is also very flowery and Shakespearean. For an actor, his dialogue is tough to speak. If you don’t get it right, you sound unnatural or phony.

You’ve played gangsters, scientists and Mayan priests. What inspired you to play Don Quixote?

Because it’s always been my dream.

I’m not alone. For any Latino musical performer, Don Quixote is the role of a lifetime. In American musical theater, there are few iconic Spanish characters and very few leading roles for male performers with a Spanish heritage. Right now, Molina from “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” Ché from “Evita,” and Bernardo from “West Side Story” are the only ones I can think of. But Don Quixote will always be the most iconic Spanish hero.

What are your favorite songs in this musical?

All of them.  But “Impossible Dream” is my absolute favorite.

What else could it be?

Is “Man of La Mancha” still relevant in 2023?

I think it’s more relevant than ever. The world of today can kill your dreams. You go on Twitter or just open the newspaper — and there’s war, racism, homophobia, exploitation, climate change. It’s all so hopeless and depressing. It’s so easy to give up.

Nothing to be done. Don Quixote wouldn’t agree. He didn’t give up. He wanted to inspire people to see the world as it should be. He was crazy enough to try to change the world. That’s a good kind of crazy.

What’s Director Peter Rothstein’s take on this musical?

“Man of La Mancha” is a beautiful dream. Peter honors that dream. But he’s reimagined it with a brilliant creative choice. The original musical is set in 1605. And Don Quixote tells his story in a Spanish prison. Rothstein shifts it forward to 2023. Don Quixote is now in a modern Ameri-

can detention center — and surrounded by “Dreamers” (immigrants brought to the U.S. as children who have been caught in an American regulatory battle). He tells the same story — but you see it with new eyes. It’s so amazingly relevant and timely. What’s your advice to any readers with impossible dreams?

“Man of La Mancha” dares you to dream. Your dream may be impossible today. In the future, your dream may come true. I know that from my own experience. I’m a Mexican immigrant, and I’m living the American Dream. I’ve also found acceptance for my gay orientation. That’s been an impossible dream for centuries around the world. Impossible dreams do come true!

IF YOU GO

‘MAN OF LA MANCHA’

When: May 13 through June 11

Where: FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail

Tickets: $33-$93

Info: Visit AsoloRep.org.

Presented by:

rings-true, … and above all, entertaining.”extremely

LARRY AND SHEREE Z.

Courtesy photo

Mauricio Martínez stars in "Man of La Mancha," which opens May 13 at the Asolo Rep and runs through June 11.

Mangia with Your Mama

feeling we locals get when we spy multiple parking spots in multiple quadrants on St. Armands Circle. That’s why I know Mimi would be walking into Speaks with coiffed hair, pink lipstick and dressed to the nines ordering the shrimp cocktail ($12). This appetizer is served in a chic martini glass with savory cocktail sauce tucked beneath each deliciously chilled crustacean. I can see her smile between each bite — because ladies never talk, or smile, with their mouth full.

Cat Mom’s Choice: Next up, sweet treats. Any mama on a “I’m watching what I eat” diet can devour these delicate dessert shooters free of any guilt. Options include four flavors: tiramisu, deconstructed peanut butter pie, chocolate hazelnut mousse and key lime. There are also two rotating flavors of Oreo cheesecake and strawberry cheesecake. But why stop at one flavor when you can get an entire desert flight? No one should count calories on Mother’s Day.

MICHAEL’S ON EAST

1212 S. East Ave., Sarasota; 941-366-0007, BestFood.com

Just in time for Mother’s Day, here’s an ode to the favorite restaurants of my family’s matriarchs.

My mom is my best friend.

While it wasn’t always that way (high school hormones, boyfriends of yore monopolizing my free time, moving nonstop to evolve, etc.), at 26 I learned that I couldn’t go a day without talking to my mom.

Whether it’s a text asking how the dogs are handling another Connecticut winter, an hourlong Facetime discussing the weather and my outdoor plants or a too-long-toadmit phone call to ask whether my latest ailment is normal — Amy and I are in constant communication.

My mother was taught how to be a strong soul by her mother, Barbara, my late Mimi. I would not be writing these words without their guidance, compassion and love.

So on Mother’s Day, I wanted to share the matriarchs’ favorite restaurants. Since our family started coming to Longboat Key in 1974, we’ve eaten at a place or two over the years. Here are three tasty spots where you should mangia with your mama

TOASTED MANGO CAFÉ

430 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, 941-388-7728; 6621 Midnight Pass Road, Sarasota, 941-5526485, ToastedMangoCafe.com

According to Amy: My mom has recently added this diner destination to her must-stop-eats after dining here the day after our hurricane wedding. Order up! French toast ($9.99) and an iced tea ($3.29) for Amy, who has officially entered her sweet tooth era. Seriously, if the Mango was open for dinner, you’d find my mom snacking on French toast as an evening entrée. Before embarking on her you-only-liveonce eating habits, my mother typically ordered two eggs sunnyside up with a side of Rye toast. Now, she lights up like the Ringling Bridge at sunset when she even hears the words, “French toast.” She might even swap out the iced tea for a mimosa ($10.99) depending on her sun-seeker mood.

A Bite for Barbara: Mimi wasn’t a huge breakfast gal, but she loved a classic bowl o’ oats or yogurt. She would have either ordered the slowcooked homemade oatmeal (cup, $5.29 or bowl, $6.99) and added seasonal fruit or nuts for $2 or the breakfast banana split ($11.99). No chocolate or ice cream with this split but rather yogurt with strawberries, blueberries, mango sliced

banana and granola crumbles. While these light breakfast offerings would get Mimi in the door, it’s the fact that the Toasted Mango Cafe is a dog-friendly eatery and that alone would get her to sit — and stay for a while. Cat Mom’s Choice: Count me among millennials that, if given the chance, would give birth to fur babies. Taking care of two 20-pound dog-like cats makes me a mom, too, so I’ve included myself in this Mother’s Day extravaganza. My pick pulls in the greatness of my mom’s go-to, but adds fresh mango, house toasted coconut (to die for!) and real whipped cream for Toasted Mango French toast ($12.99). The bread is fluffy, the powdered sugar is the muse all nonsavory breakfast food items should be seeking and the fresh fruit makes you feel fitish. Skip the syrup when slurping up this bountiful breakfast creation because it’s sensational as is and a sweet start to any day!

SPEAKS CLAM BAR

29 N. Boulevard of the Presidents, Sarasota; 941-232-7633, 8764 State Road 70 E., Lakewood Ranch; 941232-7646, SpeaksClamBar.com

According to Amy: “One order of broccoli rabe and sausage rigatoni” ($18) are eight words my mother says at least once every time she is in town. Who can blame her? If this mouthwatering meal wasn’t her top choice, it certainly would be mine. A trifecta of ingredients makes the house-made rigatoni rather remarkable. The mild sausage leaves subtle sweet notes and hints of heat, the bites of broccoli rabe are bitter yet buttery and the cream sauce is so luscious that you’ll want to keep it in your fridge. (My mom does because it’s available for purchase.) Gluten-free pasta is also an option. You dairy-free peeps can ask for oil instead of cream and each bite is just as iconic.

A Bite for Barbara: During the summer, Mimi would drive over and sit on our porch with a plate of shrimp, my mother’s homemade cocktail sauce and Dewar’s on the rocks. I remember watching simple happiness overcome her — that

According to Amy: My mom used to go to The Colony with her parents, then with my father and then her girlfriends on weekend getaways for years. In fact, I had my first adult-style piña colada to go with my mom on our way to SRQ airport when we had a girls’ trip of our own. So, when she saw that Michael’s On East had the Colony snapper ($58) on the menu, I watched her travel back in time to the days both her parents danced around the Monkey Bar — the same bar where my mother accused one of the Beach Boys of stealing her purse. But I digress. The snapper is superbly stacked with lump crabmeat that melts in your mouth instantly, basil and sun-dried tomato beurre blanc, sweet potato planks that I wish were part of every meal and haricots vert that elevate your foodie senses in all the best ways.

A Bite for Barbara: My grandmother knew what she liked: singing in church on Sundays, picking the pink and purple hydrangeas that bloomed outside her kitchen window and being in the front row at her grandkids’ extracurricular activities. But truth be told, she loved a rare steak. I’m sure she would have loved what’s served by Michael’s. The USDA Prime New York Strip, 14 oz. (Market Price) is hand-cut, handpicked and aged a minimum of 25 days. Don’t miss adding sides like the roasted Brussels sprouts, Molly’s truffled mac and cheese and creamed spinach.

Cat Mom Choice: Do I mention the magnificent Mezze spread appetizer with spicy Greek feta? Do I showcase Michael’s seasonal salad with fantastic figs? Do I choose the Chilean sea bass with lemon lobster risotto? All great, but one thing reigns supreme. No one makes an Espresso Martini ($17) like Michael’s. Mixed with Smirnoff vanilla vodka, dark crème de cacao, Kahlua, espresso and finished with a chocolate/sugar rim. You can find me sipping these dangerously delicious drinks any day Tuesday through Saturday at the piano bar around 6:30 p.m. while enjoying the sounds of the talented Joe Micals.

Treat Your Mom: Michael’s is hosting a brunch buffet on Mother’s Day, May 14, at 10:30 a.m. in its ballroom. For $84.95/adults and $44.95/kids, enjoy salads, omelet, pancake and carving stations, an endless dessert display and more. Plus mimosas and bloody mary’s!

To mothers who have lost children and to those who have lost their mother, to the foster moms and the stepmoms, to the not-yet moms and the fur baby mamas, to the single moms and new moms and to my mom and all the other moms out there — I hope you treat yourself or get treated to one, if not all, of these three tasty spots.  Happy Mother’s Day.

Colony snapper ($58) takes my mom right back to her day at the Monkey Bar. Courtesy photo

EMMA JOLLY CONTRIBUTOR

Emma Jolly

My mom has been eating at, I mean coming down to, Longboat Key since 1974.

Emma Jolly Toasted Mango French toast ($12.99) with powdered sugar — a muse all nonsavory breakfast food items should be eyeing.

Courtesy photo Little dessert shooters at Speaks are sweet treats sans guilt.

THIS WEEK

FRIDAY

‘BLACK WOMEN IN OUR COLLECTIVE CULTURE’

6:30 p.m. at Hermitage Beach (entrance at 6660 Manasota Key Road, Englewood)

$5 per person. Registration required Visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

Two acclaimed Hermitage Fellows – visual artist Delita Martin and author Imani Perry – have a common goal: redefining the role and representation of Black women.

SPRING SHOWCASE WITH GIUSEPPINA CARLA

7 p.m. at Sarasota Contemporary Dance, 1400 Boulevard of the Arts

$20; students with ID $10 Visit SarasotaContemporaryDance. org.

Sarasota Contemporary Dance’s InStudio Series serves as an incubator for artists at different stages in their career. This performance features a harpist and dancers. Continues Friday and Saturday.

ABBY POSNER + BABYL

8 p.m. at Fogartyville, 525 Kumquat Court

$15 members; $18; $9 students Visit WSLR.org/Fogartyville.

Abby Posner is best known for her ability to play nearly any instrument that she can get her hands on and pushing the definitions of folk, roots, electronic, and pop music, making her “genre fluid.”

SATURDAY CELEBRATING YOUNG TALENT

3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Sarasota, 2050 Oak St. Free

Visit SarasotaMusicClub.org.

Six talented Suncoast Music Scholarship 2023 winners will perform a free concert to celebrate their earning a music scholarship. The young musicians selected to receive scholarships will be featured in voice, piano, violin, cello, flute and French horn performances.

PRIDE: BE FABULOUS FESTIVAL

3 p.m. at Fogartyville, 525 Kumquat Court Free Visit FabAF.org.

For over a decade the Pride: Be Fabulous Festival has been known as the Harvey Milk Festival. It recently changed its name to provide greater support for the LGBTQ+ community. As in previous years, the 13th edition of the fest includes arts and music.

TOM JONES: AGES & STAGES TOUR

7:30 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail Regularly priced tickets are sold out, but private vendors have seats available online.

Visit VanWezel.org.

With a career spanning over 50 years, Tom Jones has recorded enduring hits such as “It’s Not Unusual,” “Kiss,” “Delilah” and “What’s New Pussycat?” and more. The Welshman continues to garner critical acclaim with the release of his 2022 album, “Surrounded By Time,” his latest collaboration with producer Ethan Johns.

DISCOVERIES: ‘MUSICAL

POSTCARDS’

7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.

$32-$70

Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.

Sarasota Orchestra’s final concert of the season takes listeners on a whirlwind journey guided by guest conductor Joseph Young. Villa-Lobos traces connections between the German composer J.S. Bach and the music of Brazil in his “Bachianas Brasileiras.” Korean guitarist Bokyung

Byun brings Joaquín Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez” to life, while Mendelssohn’s vacation to Italy spawned his joyful “Italian” Symphony.

the Swedish

SUNDAY STILL FRIENDS

2 p.m. at Fogartyville, 525 Kumquat Court

$15 members Visit WSLR.org/Fogartyville.

On Mother’s Day, why not treat mom to a performance by Still Friends, an acoustic group that combines strong songwriting with elements of folk, rock, bluegrass, jazz and soul?

VIOLA ROYALE

4 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 2050 Oak St. $40 Visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org.

Brothers Paul and Steven Laraia are both world-class violists. Paul is with the Grammy Award-winning Catalyst String Quartet, while Steven is with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, having previously been principal violist of the Sarasota Orchestra. Their program features music by composers who played the viola, including a viola quintet by Mozart..

‘CINDERELLA’

4 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail

$27-$86

Visit VanWezel.org.

Professional dancers and students of the International Ballet of Florida will perform the timeless classic “Cinderella.” IBF welcomes principal guest artists from the National Ballet of Ukraine, Lithuanian Ballet, Dance Alive National Ballet and more.

THE TEENYBOPPERS TEEN IMPROV TROUPE

7:30 p.m. at Venice Theatre’s Raymond Center, 140 Tampa Ave. W., Venice $15

Visit VeniceTheatre.org.

Members of the 2023 edition of The Teenyboppers include Delaney Lockwood, Hannah Randi, Haley Fadley, Julia Whittaker and Anika Hulshoff. They are directed by Natalia Mock.

‘ANNIE KIDS’ PENGUIN PLAYERS

7:30 p.m. at Manatee Performing Arts Center, Third Avenue W., Bradenton $11.50-$20

Visit ManateePerformingArtsCenter. com.

This adaptation of the Tony Awardwinning musical follows little orphan Annie as she searches for the parents who left her years ago at an orphanage. Continues Monday.

TUESDAY BEHIND THE CURTAIN: EXPLORING THE VAN WEZEL FROM THE ART TO THE STAGE

1:30 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail $15

Visit ArtsAdvocates.org.

In this two-part tour, a docent will guide you through the paintings and sculptures within the Van Wezel on loan from Arts Advocates. And that’s just the beginning of the show!

OUR PICK

MIKE PARAMORE

A featured comedian on FOX’s hit show

DON’T MISS

‘THE CONCERT: A TRIBUTE TO ABBA’

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 11, at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail

Tickets: $52-$72

Info: Visit VanWezel. org.

“The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA” will present the Swedish superstar group’s most iconic hits, including “Mamma Mia,” “Waterloo” and “Dancing Queen.”

“Laughs,” Mike Paramore has performed at the Just for Laughs Festival and the Cleveland Comedy Festival. He was the winner of Laughing Devil Festival in New York City, the Laugh Fest’s Best in the Midwest competition and the Best of the Fest Big Pine Comedy Festival. Runs through May 21.

IF YOU GO

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 17 through May 21

Where: McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd.

Tickets: $25 Info: Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

Courtesy photo

“The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA” will feature

supergroup’s iconic hits May 11 at the Van Wezel.

Mauricio Martinez in Asolo Rep’s Man of La Mancha Photo SRQ Headshots.

Scan below for a full list of O pen Houses, property details, driving directions and more

YOUR NEIGHBORS

The preservationists

Sarasota County Heritage Awards recognize residents who have preserved historic structures and collections.

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

“Historic preservation is good for communities, and it’s essential to great cities,” said Lori Muldowney, president of the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation, explaining the reason for the 2023 Sarasota County Heritage Awards.

More than 120 people turned out May 6 at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall for the ceremony, which was hosted by John McCarthy, vice president of regional history at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

The awards spanned residents’ accomplishments in multiple categories, including adaptive re-use and historic collections preserva

tion, with some projects impacting the Sarasota area itself.

During her remarks, Muldowney described a “painstaking” process in the restoration of the Eagle House by Carrie and Ken Cox that involved replacing the windows and even giving up bedroom space to restore a garage.

The result, Muldowney said, was a structure that retained the character of the 1949 home.

Along with visual character, other reasons to preserve buildings, Muldowney said, are the interest they can generate in a city, the jobs in restoration they can provide, and the environmental benefits of retaining old buildings.

THE MCCULLOCH PAVILION

As Cindy Peterson drove past what is now known as the McCulloch Pavilion at 265 S. Orange Ave. “day and night,” she experienced a vision.

“I liked the honesty of the structure,” she said, stating that its largely glass walls made it seem inviting.

Commissioned in 1959 and established as the Scott Building, the pavilion once housed a showroom for the Barkus Furniture Co., but Sarasota County bought it in 1999 and converted it to a print shop.

When Cindy Peterson began the renovation project in 2011 with her husband, renowned architect Guy Peterson, the building was a mail room with reflective film on the windows and spikes on the roof to deter birds. As of 2015, it now houses Center for Architecture Sarasota, a nonprofit that preserves the legacy of Sarasota architecture.

Guy Peterson said the building is an example of modernist architecture because of its transparency, its use of concrete and its terrazzo

2023 HERITAGE AWARD RECIPIENTS

ADAPTIVE RE-USE

n First Place Winner: The McCulloch Pavilion, Architecture Sarasota, 265 S. Orange Ave., Sarasota.

n Citation of Merit: Sarasota

Waterworks, 1005 N. Orange Ave., Sarasota.

n Honorable Mention: Caldwell Trust Building, 27 S. Orange Ave., Sarasota.

HISTORIC REHABILITATION

n The Eagle House, 2516 Mulberry Terrace, Sarasota

HISTORICAL RESEARCH

n U.S. Modernist (Modernist Archive Inc.), Durham, North Carolina

HISTORIC COLLECTIONS

PRESERVATION

n Ana McGrath, MLIS, Jane Bancroft Cook Library, New College, Sarasota

LILLIAN BURNS INDIVIDUAL

ACHIEVEMENT

n First Place Winner: Don Bayley, Englewood, Florida

n Distinguished Service: Harold Bubil, Punta Gorda, Florida

n Honorable Mention: Becky Ayech, Sarasota, Florida

ORGANIZATIONAL

ACHIEVEMENT

n First Place Winner: Venice Area Historical Society, Venice

n Special Recognition: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota and Osprey

n Honorable Mention: Denise Kowal and Avenida De Colores (Chalk Festival), Sarasota

ARCHEOLOGICAL CONSERVANCY

n Time Sifters Archeological Society, Sarasota

floors. In fact, Cindy Peterson said current building codes would not allow it to be built today because of its extensive use of glass.

The county was highly receptive to her goal, she said, offering a long-term lease with the condition that it be restored and only used for nonprofit purposes.

The vision further materialized as the couple managed to contact Joseph Farrell, who designed the building alongside William Rupp. Guy Peterson said it was an incredible experience to work with the architect on the project.

“It was a great comfort for me as

the restoration architect to be able to get his blessing,” he said, noting that Farrell, who he said was very eager to be involved, never objected to any decisions.

“This wonderful Heritage Award heightens the importance of this building to the community. It is a community building — it was built by the community,” said Cindy Peterson.

The first donor was Heather Chapell, whose late husband, Don Chapell, was an architect in Sarasota, while the last was Nathalie McCulloch.

The Petersons believe the pavilion to be the first retail and commercial building in Sarasota to be fully restored and placed on The National Register of Historic Places, as well as the only cultural institution in Sarasota’s Downtown Core.

Cindy Peterson said the center hosts a “wonderful litany” of renowned speakers and noted that in the past it also hosted CityLabSarasota, a satellite program of the University of Florida.

THE EAGLE HOUSE After Carrie and Ken Cox received word of a historic home at 2516 Mulberry Terrace being sold in 2019 as a tear-down, the two preservationists visited the site and found it unlike any other Sarasota home.

Carrie Cox said the home’s build-

SIMPLY THE BEST

“Personable, Attentive and Great Follow up. Anne patiently worked with me over the course of two years to find the right home in a difficult market. She was personable, patient, provided great feedback and follow up and was a great guide through the process.”

— Todd, Siesta Key

er, Nate Eagle, a Ringling Circus barker and ringmaster whose wife was Muriel Eagle, participated in the country’s major world’s fairs, at which the architectural style was Streamlined Moderne.

This, she said, might explain how that style, which emerged in the 1930s, ended up being used for a 1949 home, which Muldowney called transitional between that style and a ranch house.

Streamlined Moderne blends the Art Deco style and its more elaborate designs with the austerity and industrialization that arose in the 1930s with the Great Depression. Some features that exemplify the style are the home’s steel-frame windows and porthole windows, Cox said.

The window frames have been repainted to match their original green and the glass replaced with tempered glass, while the original windowsills and door handles remain. They also removed previous modifications to the home, including a 1960s fireplace and a conversion of the garage to a bedroom. However, they raised the ceiling.

The home’s floors are original, and Carrie Cox said the intricate, handapplied terrazzo on some sections of the floor is unique to the home.

Artist John Pirman provided a finishing touch, with a sculpture representing both the home’s circus connection and Streamlined Moderne

design. The home is now inhabited by Ken Cox’s sister, Brenda Cox.

“It’s the kind of house in Sarasota that is too easily torn down,” said Carrie Cox. “We would encourage more people in Sarasota to save more houses, because there are a lot of great ones.”

NEW COLLEGE COLLECTIONS

Ana McGrath, a digital imaging technician at Jane Bancroft Cook Library at New College of Florida, said interest arose in the college’s collections during Architecture Sarasota MOD Weekend in November.

Specifically, there was interest in possible materials in the college’s archives concerning Philip Hanson Hiss III, an influential real estate developer in Sarasota.

“When this question arose, it was like, ‘These are really here; this is really interesting, really exciting. We’ve got to try and make it available for people,’” said McGrath, who holds a master’s degree in library and information science from University of South Florida.

A member of Sarasota’s school board, Hiss oversaw the building of nine new schools in the area and was also chairman and trustee of New College, which he helped found.

The materials, she said, contained several binders of Hiss’ manuscripts for a pre-published book, “Architecture and/for Education,” as well as transcribed interviews with architects including I.M. Pei and Louis Kahn, and correspondences by Hiss.

Over a period of five months, McGrath verified what materials were present, added them to the library catalog and moved the collections from old binders to folders, which she placed in archival boxes.

She said it was her supervisor, Tammera Race, who nominated her for the award.

“I was very surprised, and also very touched,” McGrath said.

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Photos by Ian Swaby Cindy and Guy Peterson at the McCulloch Pavilion, which houses Center for Architecture Sarasota.

Carrie and Ken Cox at the Eagle House

Celebrations take to the streets

Diane Lane had the chance to do something a little different during Sarasota’s Cinco de Mayo celebrations on May 5 — stroll down the city streets with a drink in hand.

“It’s great, so great, to see Sarasota so vibrant on a holiday, with three different venues,” she said.

The holiday saw multiple block parties, including the Second Street Carnival at Circo, a Tex-Mex restaurant; the monthly Fresh Fridays event; and the Cinco de Mayo Block Party by El Melvin Cocina Mexicana.

Joseph Grano, president of NextMark, which organizes Fresh Fridays on behalf of the Downtown Improvement District, said the goal of the event is to bring people downtown, make them aware of the amenities there and involve them in the community while offering live entertainment not typically seen in Sarasota.

Talent present at the event included Jonathan Cortez, a former “American Idol” finalist.

“This is an amazing night,” he said. “We have a very elevated experience for people and they’re enjoying the music, and they feel like they’re part of the downtown community.”

The night was also a chance to better the community. The Circo event benefited the charity Blaze of Hope, which provides funds to families with children suffering from life-threatening medical conditions.

“It’s a great way to spend a Friday,” said the group’s president, Shawn Platt. “What an unbelievable place to have a block party and have the support of the vendors and the support of the local charities.”

“Love it — absolutely love it, said Cameron Richardson, who was attending the Circo event with his wife Katie Richardson. “I just think we need a bigger event and to shut down more roads. I like to dance, and she does after a couple of margaritas. And it goes until midnight — I like that, too.”

— IAN SWABY

Photos by Ian Swaby

Julia King pours Patrón tequila for Cedric Sullivan, Kyle Wilkinson and Eduardo Stefonias at the Circo Cinco de Mayo event.

Raygoza and Steven Wertheimer at the Fresh

block party

John Scieszinski and Diane Blake dance at the Fresh Fridays celebration.

Joseph Antonelli-Pike

David Bailey

Maria Ballesteros

Ashley Balot

Valentina Baretta

Sage Barger

Rachel Benson

Lance Blackwell

Rebekah Bourque

Jacob Burns

Addie Butler

Jordyn Byrd

Peter Carlo

Joseph Carlo

Madeline Carson

Andrew Carter

Jacob Charles

Aidan Cheperka

Owen Clough

Micaela Coluzzi

Matthew Compa

Kyle Cooke

Blakeley Coyne

’Vettes take over circle

Corvette show dazzles on St. Armands Circle on Saturday.

JAMES PETER MANAGING EDITOR

Cherry reds, banana yellows and tropical blues sparkled on the green lawn of St. Armands Circle on May 6 for the 25th annual Corvettes on the Circle car show.

It was another near-capacity turnout with 174 Corvettes on display, explained Allen Harmsen, vice president and show chairman for host Skyway Corvette Club of Sarasota and Manatee counties.

The beautiful weather was a key component to drawing the large crowd of car owners and spectators. The brightly polished Corvettes had nothing to fear from above, with hardly a cloud in the sky.

The show awarded a number of prizes, including Best by Corvette Generation, Club Participation, Best of Show and Skyway Corvette Club Favorite. The award statuettes are modeled after the Unconditional Surrender statue on Sarasota’s bayfront. This year, the awards were painted silver to commemorate the car show’s 25th anniversary.

The cars on display spanned every decade of the vehicle’s history from the 1950s onward.

“It’s the largest Corvette-only show on the west coast of Florida,” said Harmsen. “And the most scenic.”

Harmsen explained that most car shows are held in parking lots.

“This is the big show,” said Paul A. Budick, a Bradenton resident and owner of a 1962 Corvette convertible.

His silver ride is one of the rarest Corvettes, because it features a golden grille on its front end.

Budick explained that only 50 Corvettes were factory produced with the combination of a highhorsepower engine and the golden grille. Of those 50, only a handful are around today. Budick said that many have likely been destroyed in wrecks or were mistreated.

Budick has owned the car for 42 years after buying it from a friend. Budick said that it’s hard to find fuel

for his classic car. Thanks to its powerful engine, the Corvette with the golden grille requires high-octane racing fuel, to the tune of $9 per gallon. While the event was free for visitors, proceeds from the Corvettes’ registration fees and the event will be donated to The Honor Flight of West Central Florida, as has been the case for the past eight years. The nonprofit flies World War II veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the war memorials that honor their service.

Harmsen said that the Skyway Corvette Club show has sponsored 30 World War II veterans so far.

Cameron Curran

Ella Curran

Marc Dalmau

Taylor Daly

Madelyn Davenport

Olivia Davis

Cameron de Boer

Brennan Dearing

Mallory DeBlauw

Matthew Delzer

Kayla DesJardins

Sawyer DeYoung

Abigail Duplissey

Anna Farley

Abigail Fayette

Cooper Flerlage

Kendall Flury

Trinity Forgét

Erin Galvin

Hayden Garriott

Noah Gregory

Bryanna Gropo

Luke Halfpenny

Zoe Halfpenny

Leah Hamilton

Mason Handloser

Chloe Harpsoe

Celeste Harrell

Gage Hassler

Lucas Hassler

Terry Higgins

Jonathan Howard

Isabella Iglesias

Dylan Ittig

Nathan Johnson

Gabrielle Joyce

Paige Judson

Joseph Jurgielewicz

Charles Justus

Jessica Kaszubski

Kate Kochis

Sally Koscho

Amy Kurinets

Carter Lambert

Sean Laureano

Justina Lekaj

Alexander Liebel

Finley Linehan

Ophelia Linger

Mallory Lumpkin

Jack MacKinnon

Matthew Maloni

Scott Martz Jr.

Luca Mascaro

Thomas Matt

Michaela Mattes

Simon Maun

Joseph McCoy

Erin McCusker

Liam McDonough

Sofia McFadden

Stuart McFall

Andrew Mellon

Macy Meshad

Pearson Miller

Taylor Milligan

Annika Miltenberger

Allie Moore

Christina Mroczkowski

Luke Nelson

Cade Norman

Austin Olander

Easton Olthoff

Sydney Opstal

Anna Page

Malcome Paine

Christopher Palmer

Nathaniel Parker

Mary Patterson

Perla Pelegrin-Santos

Alyssa Prima

Michael Ramsamooj

Zachary Redgrave

Connor Reindel

Niti Romeri

James Rosenberg

Mariclare Ruben

Katherine Ruona

Taden Russell

Giulia Saccani

Cecilia Sanchez

Ella Schaefer

Christopher Schultz

Norah Secord

Aiden Shea

James Peter

Paul A. Budick, of Bradenton, shows off his rare 1962 Corvette convertible, complete with its original golden grille.

David Baxter, from Sarasota, stands next to his 1959 Corvette.

Sidra Wali

A Wildly Successful Launch

Wild Blue at Waterside by Stock Development has dazzled homeowners with its spectacular location in Lakewood Ranch, incredible lifestyle amenities, and luxury single-family homes from 2,300 to over 4,000 square feet, built by some of the area’s finest luxury homebuilders.

You can live your best life at Wild Blue at Waterside. With a 13-acre sports complex featuring tennis and pickleball, kayak launch, and walking trails, there’s something for everyone. The 25,000-square-foot social clubhouse offers indoor and outdoor dining, two pools, a movie theater, and a fitness center. Plus, our lifestyle director organizes social events to bring the community together.

The launch of this new waterfront community has been a tremendous success. Visit our sales center today and learn about all that’s new.

SATURDAY, MAY 13

PET SHABBAT/BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS

10 a.m. to noon at Temple Emanu-El, 151 McIntosh Road. Honor your pet and the special animals in your lives at this signature Temple Emanu-El event. Each pet will receive a special blessing from the temple’s rabbis, a family pet portrait taken by Alice Cotman and a free veterinary consultation. This event is free. For information and to register, visit SarasotaTemple.org.

FLORIDA FESTIVAL POLONAISE

3:30-9 p.m. at JD Hamel Park, 199 Bayfront Drive. The easiest and cheapest trip to Poland is just a few miles away for Polish American community on the west coast of Florida. For two days in May, Polish culture, music, dance, celebrities, food and beverages can all be experienced at Florida Festival Polonaise. This event is free. For information, visit EventBrite.com.

CELEBRATING YOUNG TALENT

3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Sarasota, 2050 Oak St. Six talented Suncoast Music Scholarship 2023 winners will perform a free concert to celebrate earning a music scholarship. The young musicians selected to receive scholarships come from six area high schools and will be featured in voice, piano, violin, cello, flute and French horn performances. This event is free. For information, visit SarasotaMusicClub.org.

SUNDAY, MAY 14

MOTHER’S DAY BUFFET AT TZEVA

11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Tzeva, 1255 N. Palm Ave. Chef Ken is putting together a buffet to celebrate mom.

BEST BET BE FABULOUS

SATURDAY, MAY 13

3-10 p.m. at 525 Kumquat Court. For over a decade, this celebration has been known to the community as the Harvey Milk Festival, but it recently changed its name to keep growing in its mission and support the community further. With vendors and LGBTQ+ music acts from all over, this is also an opportunity to see what WSLR-Fogartyville has been up to. Tickets $5. Entry at door $7. To register visit EventBrite. com. For information, visit FabAF.org.

The selection includes lemon ricotta pancakes, mushroom and caramelized onion quiche with black truffles, Farmland hickory smoked pit ham en croute, two salad stations, an omelette station and much more. $65 per person. For reservations, visit OpenTable.com.

TUESDAY, MAY 16 TO TUESDAY, MAY 30

WHAT IS YOUR HAPPINESS FORMULA?

Tuesdays 10:30 a.m. to noon at Glenridge Academy, 7333 Scotland Way. Join Polina Windsor in this course on this journey of selfdiscovery and self-enrichment. In this class by Adult & Community Enrichment at Suncoast Technical College, you will explore your unique ingredients: what contributes to or/ and sabotages your happiness and how our bodies, mind and spirit can help. $45. For information, visit CampusCE.net.

YOUTH PROGRAMS

Church of the Redeemer is located at 222 S. Palm Ave.

For more information on the church’s various youth programs, visit RedeemerSarasota.org/Youth.

Offering their support

Church

As 11-year-old Adela Saladino added colorful letters to a wooden board, her thoughts were on more than just the words in front of her.

“A tiny thing that we’re doing is helping a lot of kids,” she said.

At Church of the Redeemer on May 6, members young and old turned out to sand, decorate and assemble wooden beds for children entering foster care as well as families who need beds to for their children at home.

One of Saladino’s favorite parts, she said, was painting the pieces of wood, which she found meaningful because she could write Bible verses

on them for the kids to read, though she also enjoyed sanding the wood.

Volunteer Jason Kubisiak, who led the assembly of the 20 beds, said the intergenerational event was useful not only for meeting lots of other church members but also because it gave children and adults the chance to work together.

“Most of the kids I don’t think had ever used a sander or a drill,” he said.

The event saw a turnout of 45 individuals, said Youth Minister Jackie

Overton, a number that was higher than expected and resulted in the materials being ready quickly and loaded onto a truck for transportation to the Azinger Family Compassion Center, a donation and distribution center in Palmetto.

Claire Bragg, 8 years old, said she enjoyed learning how to drill, which meant starting it slowly before pressing down much harder.

“It was really fun,” she said. “The best part was drilling.”

The project was part of the church’s Serve on Saturday events, which the church’s youth ministry established in summer 2022.

Although Hurricane Ian somewhat interfered with plans, Overton said, past events have included packing seeds for sustainable farm-

ing efforts in Haiti with Hope Seeds, hurricane clean-up days in Punta Gorda and Pine Island with Church of the Good Shepherd and St. John’s Episcopal Church in St. James City, and a breakfast with Santa for families identified by the Safe Children Coalition.

When the church received news through an app called CarePortal it uses to remain connected with community needs that beds were one of the major needs in the area, Overton decided to act on the information.

The project was made easier by the fact that Kubisiak was able to obtain lumber from Kimal Lumber and Hardware, where his brotherin-law, Mike Orlikowski, works.

Kubisiak, who brings experience in design as the owner of Start to Finish Drafting, said he started with a generic design, modifying it to make it easier for kids to work with. Two weeks ago, he began cutting and preparing the wood in his spacious garage before transporting it to the church.

Overton said the finishing touch of the art and Bible verses on the beds allowed participants to write prayers, or wellnesses or reminders to the children that they are loved.

The 20 beds will complement 20 mattresses already delivered to the Azinger Family Compassion Center by the retailer Malouf.

Member Linda Leparulo said it was heartwarming to see the young children and the adults working together.

“I feel so blessed to belong to Church of the Redeemer because we’re not just preaching the Gospel, we’re doing the Gospel,” she said. “It’s just an example, and there are lots of other examples as well.”

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

Photos by Ian Swaby

Joe Silva, Jennifer White, Ben Strom, and 14-year-old Morgan Silva

Eight-year-old Claire Bragg sands a piece of wood.

Creatives come together

career that took her everywhere from establishing art galleries, including one in The Venetian hotel in Las Vegas, to working for a licensee of the Vatican Library.

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

Jeanna Mumford was excited by what she saw as she browsed the rows of stands at the third Annual Downtown Sarasota Spring Craft Fair on May 6.

“It was really cool; there were lots of very unique items,” she said.  Items on offer at the festival, which was held at Central Avenue and First Street on May 6-7, and presented by Howard Alan Events, included paintings, glassware, toys and food.

Some vendors present were from the area, sometimes bringing a touch of Sarasota to their work. Here are a few of their stories.

She finds much of her inspiration locally and said the surf depicted in some paintings was based on scenes at Siesta Key and Turtle Beach.

Sax will walk the beaches, taking photos of what she finds — perhaps a dirty wave — and returns home with inspiration.

“I transform it — make it my own,” she said.

Yet she also brings her own touch to the process itself, applying glazes to the canvas to create transparent layers of color. As a result, a small change in light can subtly alter the paint colors, for instance, seeming to shine through a crest of water.

She said the technique comes from Maxfield Parrish, an American illustrator who was popular in the first half of the 20th century, but she said her own special glazing technique is involved — a secret she can’t reveal.

LORETTA SAX

Loretta Sax traveled the globe for leisure, visiting places like Peru, Egypt, Dubai, China and India, but everywhere she went, there was one feature she tended to notice.

“I’m drawn to the water and boats,” she said. “Even when I’m traveling, my eye goes to the water.”

A painting in her stand depicted a boat filled with fruits and vegetables at a farmers market on the water in Curaçao, while another portrayed working boats near Mazatlán, Mexico.

Sax began painting when she was 18, but it was two years ago that she returned to it professionally, after a

Once Maya Wultzer started making quilts, word spread among friends, and community demand grew.

As a result, she decided to start Quilts by Maya.

“They’re unique and one of a kind. I can’t duplicate them,” she said.

The quilts are made from composites of fabrics, including special order items, which she acquires from sources around the country.

“Whenever I travel, I Google ‘quilt shop near me,’” she said.

Wultzer said while planning the designs is the most fun part of

MAYA WULTZER

Local vendors attended the downtown fair, which also brought artists from afar.

Photos by Ian Swaby

quilting, the work comes in as she machine and hand-sews the quilts, which are 100% cotton and 46 by 66 inches in length.

Although she will be attending a Christmas show in Tennessee this year, she rarely ventures out of Florida; she is a massage therapist and teacher as well.

“It’s a creative outlet for me,” she said of her craft pursuits.

JULIE WOIK

Julie Woik never expected to become an author, but a conversation with a friend who worked at a publishing house set her on a course toward writing books she believes are needed by children today.

CRAIG SHEFFIELD

While most people don’t look forward to summer storms, Craig Sheffield often seeks them out.

After reaching a storm, he’ll set up his camera tripod, using distant light sources to set the focus, and perform long exposures to capture the distant lightning bolts.

Storm chasing is just one of the ways he likes to share the beauty of the world through photographs.

It was sightings of whale sharks, while fishing in his boat off the coast of Sarasota, that sparked his interest in taking his hobby professional and starting Craig’s Clicks LLC, after he recorded the sharks with a GoPro from within the water.

“I’m able to show people stuff that they may have never even seen, or from a perspective they’ve never seen,” he said.

Some images he’s shared include a row of roseate spoonbills spaced perfectly evenly apart, alligators and a lightning strike that came within about 100 feet of two boats in Sarasota Bay.

He said his method ensures the photos contain all the detail they need before he raises the vibrance of their colors.

“When I don’t have a good lighting situation, I don’t try to make something out of that,” he said. “I really strive to get those moments of good light.”

After the first book of “The Life and Times of Lilly the Lash” debuted in 2007, the “overwhelming” response, she said, required her to focus her life on the books, which she said teach children about good character, how it makes the world a better place and its importance in being good community and family members.

The idea started when Woik, who worked in psychiatry for 12 years and business for 15 years, woke up in the middle of the night, wet her cheek and found finding an eyelash on her hand. She suddenly thought of a poem about Lilly the Lash that she wanted to give to a friend she was worried about.

Each volume in the series illustrated by Marc Tobin involves an eyelash-winged fairy, Lilly the Lash, traveling to a different location such as a garden, a toy store in New York City, and even Sarasota, but each one also contains a different lesson in character building such as selfimage, honesty, or responsibility.

Woik believes the lessons are timeless and good reminders for adults, too.

FOR MORE ARTWORK

Loretta Sax: LorettaSaxArt.com

Maya Wultzer (Quilts by Maya): Etsy. com/Shop/QuiltsByMayaStudio

Craig Sheffield (Craig’s Clicks LLC): CraigsClicksLLC.com

Julie Woik (The Life and Times of Lilly the Lash): LillyTheLash.com

Nokomis property sells for $3.35 million

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

Ahome on Roberts Road in Nokomis tops all transactions in this week’s real estate.

Steven and Kathleen Day, of Nokomis, sold their home at 331 Roberts Road to Shanghi Enterprises LLC for $3.35 million. Built in 1994, it has three bedrooms, four baths and 2,696 square feet of living area. It sold for $2.75 million in 2005.

SARASOTA

THE PHOENIX

John Vandyk and Jurate Jankauskaite, of Ontario, Canada, sold their Unit 402 condominium at 136 Golden Gate Point to Stuart Suls, of Sarasota, for $3.1 million. Built in 2001, it has three bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths and 3,785 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.7 million in 2013.

CORAL COVE

Kirk Wayne Jobe and Belinda Jobe, of Bradenton, sold their home at 7351 Periwinkle Drive to Matthew Perry and Mariana Garcia Perry, of Sarasota, for $2.5 million. Built in 2007, it has five bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 4,512 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.29 million in 2013.

SAPPHIRE SHORES

Olivier Van Lindonk and Karen Fay

Van Lindonk, of Bradenton, sold their home at 481 N. Shore Drive to Jay and Jill Alexander, of Sarasota, for $1,976,000. Built in 1955, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,238 square feet of living area. It sold for $650,000 in 2011.

SIESTA ISLES

Kerry and Georgia Reisinger, of Lemoyne, Pennsylvania, sold their home at 927 Contento St. to 927 Contento LLC for $1.5 million. Built in 1969, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,815 square feet of living area. It sold for $595,000 in 2013.

THE LANDINGS

Donna Griffin and MaryAnn Vitiello,of Interlaken, New Jersey, sold their home at 4638 Pine Harrier Drive to Charles Stephen Keller, of Sarasota, for $1.35 million. Built in 1986, it has four bedrooms, three

baths, a pool and 2,068 square feet of living area. It sold for $640,000 in 2017.

SARASOTA BAY CLUB

Sarasota Bay Club LLC sold the Unit 123 condominium at 1299 Tamiami Trail to Joanne Olian, of Sarasota, for $1,275,000. Built in 2003, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,790 square feet of living area. It sold for $595,000 in 2005.

ALINARI

Brigitte Spiro, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the Unit 603 condominium at 800 N. Tamiami Trail to Randolph Lee Kelly, trustee, of Sarasota, for $1 million. Built in 2007, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,323 square feet of living area. It sold for $697,000 in 2021.

SOUTH GATE

Jeff and Lindsay Sherwin, of Lambertville, New Jersey, sold their home at 2101 River Ridge Drive to TMG Ventures LLC for $940,000. Built in 1972, it has five bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,747 square feet of living area. It sold for $900,000 in 2022.

Andrew and Jessica Bush, of Sarasota, sold their home at 2114 Ivory Place to Ryan Matthew Nadeau and Rachel Francoise Nadeau, of Sarasota, for $550,000. Built in 1962, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,492 square feet of living area. It sold for $332,500 in 2020.

Mark Mead and Rosa Garcia-Hernandez, of Jesup, Georgia, sold their home at 3245 Elmore Place to Little Friendship LLC for $505,000. Built

TOP BUILDING PERMITS

of April 24-28, in order of dollar amounts.

Other top sales by area

SARASOTA: $3.15 MILLION

La Bellasara

S. Robert Casper, trustee, of West Chester, Ohio, sold the Unit 202 condominium at 464 Golden Gate Point to James William Brown, trustee, of Sarasota, for $3.15 million. Built in 2006, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 3,135 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.1 million in 2006.

SIESTA KEY: $3.1 MILLION

Shell Road

Therese Lehman, of Placitas, New Mexico, sold her home at 4163 Shell Road to Three Birds Partners LLC for $3.1 million. Built in 1957, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 3,158 square feet of living area.

PALMER RANCH: $1,125,000

Hammock Preserve

in 1969, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,047 square feet of living area.

1350 MAIN RESIDENTIAL

Marguerite Marie Surette, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the Unit 808 condominium at 1350 Main St. to Alicia Christine Margoles, trustee, of Sarasota, for $850,000. Built in 2007, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,336 square feet of living area. It sold for $638,000 in 2020.

ONLINE

See more transactions at YourObserver.com

Kevin and Michelle Rentzel sold their home at 5812 Hidden Willow Court to Frank and Suzanne Kaiser, of Sarasota, for $1,125,000. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,489 square feet of living area. It sold for $703,600 in 2018.

OSPREY: $3 MILLION

Southbay Yacht and Racquet Club

Christine Harman, trustee, of Weehawken, New Jersey, sold the home at 349 Yacht Harbor Drive to Jennifer Roberta Collins and John Esplen, of Ontario, Canada, for $3 million. Built in 1978, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,202 square feet of living area. It sold for $980,000 in 1999.

Courtesy photo

A home on Roberts Road in Nokomis tops all transactions in this week’s real estate at $3.35 million. Built in 1994, it has three bedrooms, four baths and 2,696 square feet of living area.

Fast Break SAILORS STILL AFLOAT

The Sailors are 20-4 and won their district championship game 5-3 over Lakewood Ranch High.

RYAN KOHN SPORTS EDITOR

If the Sarasota High softball team had nerves about being in the thick of the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 7A regional playoffs, they didn’t show it during a May 9 intrasquad scrimmage.

The Cardinal Mooney

High beach volleyball program is headed to the Florida High School Athletic Association state tournament in Tallahassee, held May 12-13, after defeating Berkeley Prep 3-2 on May 5. The Cougars (22-1) are seeking a sweep of beach volleyball state titles after winning the Sunshine State Athletic Conference title April 22 in Orlando.

… The Survivors in Sync breast cancer survivor dragon boat team, based out of Nathan Benderson Park, placed second overall at the 2023 International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission Participatory Dragon Boat Festival, held April 15-16 at Lake Karapiro in Cambridge, New Zealand. SIS saw 24 team members travel and participate in racing at the event, which is noncompetitive and designed for breast cancer paddler teams.

… Nathan Benderson Park will host its own Sarasota International Dragon Boat Festival May 20, featuring both a competitive Sport Division and a more relaxed Community Division. Admission is free for spectators, but parking on the island is $5. For more information, visit NathanBendersonPark.org.

… After reaching the major leagues with the Atlanta Braves in 2015, former Sarasota High baseball player Joey Terdoslavich has bounced around the baseball world, but he’s found a home with Bravos de Leon of the Mexican League of Baseball. Terdoslavich is hitting .300 with two home runs and 12 RBIs in 2023.

… The pre-professional Sarasota Paradise soccer team, of the United Soccer League’s League Two, held its first training session May 9 at the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex. The team’s first home game is at 7:30 p.m. on June 3 at Sarasota High. For more information, visit SarasotaParaside.us.

… Cardinal Mooney High football rising senior defensive back Teddy Foster and rising senior running back Carson Beach received scholarship offers to West Virginia University on May 3 and May 4 respectively.

The opposite was on display. The Sailors were loose, players and coaches alike rapping along to 1990s and 2000s hits like Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby.” They laughed when teammates were tagged out on the bases via clever plays and joked about wanting their pictures taken a lot (or not at all). An onlooker would be forgiven for thinking it was an offseason practice.

It was not; that’s just how the Sailors are, coach Heather Mushrush said.

In fact, the Sailors still believe they have much to accomplish. After beating two-time defending state champion Lakewood Ranch High 5-3 in the district championship May 4, Sarasota (20-4) will now host West Orange High (17-8-1) at 7 p.m. on May 11 in the regional semifinals. It is the program’s third-straight season reaching this point in the postseason; the Sailors lost the previous two years, including a 6-3 loss to Mitchell High in 2022.

Because of the team’s positive attitude — as well as its skill — the Sailors believe this is the year they can break into the regional semifinals and beyond.

“We’re goofy, but it’s a good goofy,” junior centerfielder Abbey Johns said. “And we all know what we are. We’re not a home-run hitting team. We’re scrappy. We just keep pushing.”

The Sailors are outscoring opponents 171-66 this season, a per-game average of 7.13 to 2.75. Not much of that scoring, as Johns said, comes from the long ball. Sarasota has hit just eight home runs in 2023, according to MaxPreps data, and five of those eight have come off the bat of junior Brooke Bendel.

Instead, the Sailors have scored by pelting opponents with contact and forcing the other team to make plays.

Of the Sailors’ players with 21 or more games played, five of them have batting averages of .300 or better, and the team’s leadoff and two-hole hitters, sophomore Sommer Speers and freshman Gianna Williams, are hitting .427 and .417 respectively.

“My job is just to get on base,” Speers said. “We (Speers and Williams) have Abbey (Johns) and Brooke (Bendel) right behind us. We want to produce opportunities for us to score, however that happens.”

The offense works as a unit. For the Sailors to have as much success as they think they can, they need everyone to be doing their job within the lineup. It’s another way the team’s attitude has helped; everyone is willing to do whatever is necessary.

“They are acknowledging each other,” Mushrush said. “We’re peaking when we want to peak.”

The offense may spread the love, but on the mound, the Sailors have a distinct headliner — senior Ryleigh Bennett, who has sustained her scorching start to 2023 all season.

As of May 9, Bennett holds a 1.23 ERA over 136.2 innings. On the rare occasion that the Sailors’ offense has sputtered, or started slow, Bennett has kept the team in games. Against Lakewood Ranch in the district championship, the Sailors fell behind 2-0 in the second inning on a home run by University of Florida signee Cassidy McLellan, but Bennett shook it off and held the Mustangs off the board again until the seventh inning; by that time, the Sailors had put five runs on the board over the third, fourth and fifth innings.

Bennett’s teammates said playing

behind the senior is a dream. Speers went as far as to say Bennett’s performance has “100%” been the single biggest key to the team’s success.

“I can’t even … I mean, she’s just thrown so well this year,” Speers said. “She and our defense make it hard for teams to get momentum. We just want to make it as easy for her to go back to the mound as possible.”

West Orange will put the Sailors’ defense to the test. Senior second baseman Addisyn Schwied said the team has been preparing for the Vikings’ “slappers,” a term used to describe a style of hitting in softball that focuses on putting the ball in play and having it bounce on purpose, creating a higher percentage of errors and grounders that go for singles. Schwied said the team wants to limit how much West Orange can get on base by slapping the ball.

The Vikings use a stable of pitchers, but their most effective has been freshman Rylee Lenzi, who holds a 1.85 ERA and an 8-6 record. It won’t necessarily be easy to solve Lenzi, but that isn’t a worry for the Sailors, who have been getting results all year, regardless of the challenge in front of them.

“We always get going eventually,” sophomore shortstop Carley Ramsden said. “It happened last year, too. I think it just comes naturally to this group. We have become close. We know how to talk to each other to get ready. We just have a good vibe. I think that’s a big part of our success. We have the right attitude.

“We know we have worked hard enough. We know how to play. We just have to go do it.”

Courtesy photo

The 2023 Survivors in Sync dragon boat team

“I need to keep going. I need to keep breaking records, if just for myself. “ — Caleb Bradley

Sailors senior pitcher Ryleigh Bennett holds a 1.23 ERA in 2023. Photos by Ryan Kohn

Sailors senior Addisyn Schwied singles up the middle during a scrimmage.

Sailors senior second baseman Addisyn Schwied catches a pop-up.

Dick Vitale Gala does it again

The event raised $12.4 million for The V Foundation for Cancer Research, breaking last year’s record.

The passion never wavers.

It’s the thing that continues to surprise me most about Dick Vitale, though at this point it shouldn’t. Vitale, the Hall of Fame college basketball broadcaster and a Lakewood Ranch resident, has been hosting the Dick Vitale Gala for 18 years now. It started as a party in his backyard, a way to help The V Foundation for Cancer Research as much as he could. It has grown into a multimillion-dollar fundraiser.

But a lot of people host fundraisers. A lot of people say they care about the causes behind them. I’m sure plenty of them actually do. But few, if any, speak about the cause as frequently and with as much passion as Vitale speaks on pediatric cancer.

The 2023 Dick Vitale Gala, held May 5 at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, was no different. At a pregala press conference, Vitale said his goal, as usual, was to break the previous year’s fundraising record. It’s never an easy task, but to do it in 2023 was a bit more challenging than usual. All year, he’s known it would be. The 2022 gala raised $11.1 million for pediatric cancer research, beating the 2021 mark by approximately $4 million. That was wonderful, but unexpected, he said, and it caused him a bit of panic, wondering how he’d pull enough funds to beat it this year.

He shouldn’t have worried.

Vitale announced May 6 that the gala raised $12.4 million, making it another record-breaking night. Part of that fundraising comes from the

event’s appealing experiences and trips put into the silent auction for bidding, like a trip to the U.S. Open tennis tournament. It includes VIP tickets to the men’s and women’s doubles finals in the ESPN suite and a chance to mingle with legends like John McEnroe and Patrick McEnroe, two of the gala’s 2023 honorees. Another part comes from things like a car raffle. The prize this year was a 2023 Porsche Taycan.

But a lot of the fundraising also comes from people who hear Vitale’s passion and want to help.

Vitale tweeted that Mark and Cindy Pentecost, founders of It Works!, gave $2 million at the gala, for instance. Not as part of a bid, mind

you, just as a donation.

It’s a common sentiment among the event’s honorees, too: Hear Vitale speak, and it’s hard not to come away invigorated.

“The reason I got into broadcasting was because of Dick,” Patrick McEnroe, an ESPN tennis analyst, said. “I heard this guy screaming and yelling and said, ‘That sounds like fun.’

“But as I said to him in numerous texts as we became good friends over the last few years, he’s left a mark on broadcasting, but he’s left an even bigger mark with what he’s doing here.”

And it’s not only about the event with Vitale’s name on it, either.

He’ll help raise funds for other events supporting pediatric cancer patients. Former San Francisco Giants catcher and 2012 National League MVP Buster Posey, a 2023 honoree, said that in 2016, Vitale visited UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco with Posey and his wife, Kristen Posey, as part of an event hosted by BP28, the Posey family’s charity dedicated to helping pediatric cancer patients.

Maybe ESPN’s Kevin Negandhi, who served as the event’s emcee, summed up the special appeal of the night best.

“We are here to kick cancer’s ass,” Negandhi said. “You cannot face cancer by yourself and beat cancer.

What you need is a team. What Dick has done here with The V Foundation, what Lorraine (Vitale, Dick Vitale’s wife) has done here, we’re a team. We are here to support the families and friends and kids that go through this day in and day out.

This is Dick’s lasting legacy because from the beginning, he’s gone all the way with the sincerity.”

Since going through his own cancer scare in 2021-2022 with melanoma and lymphoma, Vitale has only increased his efforts. He knows now what the kids he’s fighting for go through, he said. And he had a lot of people in his corner. Some he knew well, but others, like 2023 gala honoree Rick Barnes, he did not. That didn’t stop Barnes, the University of Tennessee men’s basketball coach, from helping however he could.

“All of a sudden, I get a text message (from Barnes),” Vitale said. “For five straight months, I kid you not, I got a personal prayer from him, encouraging and inspiring me. In those dark moments when I was down, laying in the hospital, he gave me a lift.”

When you’re good to people, people are good back to you. The way Vitale has dedicated his time to pediatric cancer patients is always inspiring. The 2023 gala was no exception. Vitale joked that he’ll spend the day after the gala wondering how he’ll top it in 2024, but he’ll find a way.

His passion never fails to amaze.

Ryan Kohn

Dick Vitale and the 2023 Dick Vitale Gala raised $12.4 million for The V Foundation for Cancer Research.

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

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Caleb Bradley

Caleb Bradley is a senior on the Sarasota High track and field team. Bradley holds the school record in the 200-meter dash (21.35 seconds) and the 400-meter dash (47.90 seconds). Bradley is seeded seventh overall in Class 4A in the 200 and fifth in the 400 entering the state meet, held May 20 in Jacksonville. Bradley is also committed to Northwest Missouri State University for football. He played wide receiver and defensive back for Sarasota High.

When did you start running track?

I started in eighth grade. People were telling me I should try it because I had the height (He is 6-foot-1 according to MaxPreps.) and the long legs. That is a big factor in track success. So I gave it a shot. I wasn’t much of a competitor then, but I saw it as a way to progress and push myself.

What is the appeal to you now?

You build a brotherhood with other runners and with the coaches. At meets, people come up to you. Some you know and some you don’t. It’s always a new experience.

What is your favorite event?

The 200 meters for sure. I have long legs like I said, so I’ve never been a “short steps” person. My speed takes a second to kick in. And longdistance races are a lot of work to get in condition. I feel like the 200 is just right for me.

What is your favorite track memory?

My junior year, before the state meet, we were all in a hotel room watching the other regions’ races on this small laptop. We were watching the 4x400 relay, and this one kid’s name was King Mack. It was a crazy finish; we couldn’t tell who won, but they announced King Mack as the win ner. We all jumped up. We got so loud that someone knocked on the door asking what happened, but it was fun.

How does it feel to own school records in the 200 and 400?

It feels good, but I don’t want to stop there. I need to keep going. I

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.

need to keep breaking records, if just for myself.

What are your goals for the state meet?

I want to break 46 seconds in the 400 and 20 seconds in the 200.

That’s pretty much my whole focus.

What is your favorite food?

It’s probably chicken lasagna.

What are your hobbies?

I listen to music. I draw. I dance. I go to the beach.

What is your favorite school subject?

Math. I like that there’s only one solution to everything.

What is the best advice you have received?

If you want this bag (success), you’ll work for it. When it comes down to it, it’s about you, not other people.

Finish this sentence: Caleb Bradley is … … Social.

FL

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

*Rainfall totals from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport

Blake Fleetwood captured this photo of sailboats riding the wind on Sarasota

or TA

82 Car that rhymes with “see it” in “Jiggle Jiggle”

83 Book ID

84 Tennis player’s headwear

88 Genetic messenger (Abbr.)

89 Switch from a GR86 to a Prius, say

90 Agent Jimmy Woo’s org.

91 One can be drawn, figuratively or literally

93 Baking soda amt.

98 Gumbo vegetable

99 Composure

100 Chip dips

101 Bit of ink

103 Operatic solos

107 Stockholm citizen

108 Hathaway and Rice

109 Constellation component

110 Word before “vault” or “dance”

111 Slid into an inbox (Abbr.)

112 One of the seven deadly sins

113 “May It Be” singer

114 ___ in (join a Zoom call)

116 Actress Moore

118 iPhone purchase

119 Cavs, on scoreboards

120 Chinese philosopher

Lao-___

122 ___ and downs

By Luis Campos

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

“UOXWBABK DGC ZG WG FXHL ECTTBEE, DGC OXAB WG OXLF HL WOBKB XLZ OGJB FGGZ WOHLFE OXJJBL. XVUXDE WOHLI JGEHWHAB.” ZGL KHTIVBE I

“K’T EVARORPN YVKZKSF THGKJ SAY UAV ZXB GOTB VBOGAS OG K GZOVZBC YVKZKSF GASFG YXBS K YOG 14 -- ZA TBBZ YATBS.” MSLXNPCJ MKLLANN

“KD SHDHPTR CHBCRH COI IBB WOZX VTKIX KD IXH PKZX, IXH VTWBOF, IXH CBRKIKZKTDF, TDJ DBI HDBOSX VTKIX KD IXHWFHRNHF.” MBDB

COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS by May Huang, edited by Jeff Chen

*It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in the Sarasota and Siesta Key Observer to meet all applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with towncodes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, or residential rental property.

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

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