Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer 5.18.23

YOUR TOWN

Familiar place, new face

Take us with you!

Are you headed to the Egyptian pyramids this summer? Or maybe you’re going on a nice Alaskan cruise?

No matter where you’re traveling, we want to go, too!

The Observer recently kicked off its annual It’s Read Everywhere contest, in which readers submit photos of themselves taking the Observer on their travels.

In November, a lucky winner will receive a seven-night cruise in a balcony cabin for two, courtesy of this year’s sponsor, Marc Bokoff of Cruise Planners.

To submit your entry, visit YourObserver.com/Contests/ Its-Read-Everywhere.

Special delivery

The U.S. Postal Service handled a special delivery for the community when the National Association of Letter Carriers labor union held its Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive on May 13.

The event, held across the country, benefited All Faiths Food Bank in the Sarasota area.

Letter carriers collected bags of nonperishable food donations, left beside mailboxes by residents, during their regular mail routes, with food bank staff gathering at post office sites to sort and transport the donations.

Rachel Bradley, director of philanthropy at the food bank, said the opportunity makes it easy for everyone in the community to participate in a food drive.

“We’re grateful for this opportunity, because the timing couldn’t be more perfect to be able to do a mass collection of this type,” she said.

SEE PAGE 2B

Ian Swaby

Emm and Chelsea Noble at the Be Fabulous Music & Arts Fest.

Courtesy photo

Staff Sgt. Michael “KG” Kargauer and Kevin Anderson take the Observer to North Pole, Alaska.

WEEK OF MAY 18, 2023

BY THE NUMBERS

County Commissioner Mike Moran

Read more on page 4A

Program teaches USF students to HUSTLE

A program created by a Sarasota businessman to teach University of South Florida students how to be entrepreneurs has crowned its first winning team.

David Chessler, of Chessler Holdings LCC, founded the Hustle program to give students the opportunity to run their own business. Hustle is the acronym for Helping Undergraduate Students Tackle Leadership and Entrepreneurship. Three finalists from an initial field of 64 teams were given a $250,000 operating budget to place hot food vending machines around Tampa. The

teams presented a business plan, created a budget and reported monthly to the Chessler Holdings board of directors.

The winning team received $75,000 in prize money. Runners-up split $35,000. The winners were chosen based on revenue, income and enterprise value.

“When I heard about this, it blew my mind,” said Viviane Kunak, a member of the winning team. To practice entrepreneurship without the risk of your own capital, this has been an opportunity of a lifetime.”

$69999

Chessler, who spent nearly $1 million to fund the program, plans to grow content among other Florida colleges.

“This is the sort of opportunity that forces students to set aside the textbooks, roll up their sleeves and get real world business experience,” he said.

Moez Limayem, dean of the USF Muma School of Business, described the program as transformational.

“We have not seen it anywhere else,” he said. “Students worked on a real startup making real decisions and earning real money.”

Road rage ends in shooting death

A case of road rage resulted in the shooting death of a man on Fruitville Road near I-75 Saturday night. The scene is east of the Sarasota city limit.

According to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, at around 8:08 p.m., occupants of two vehicles became involved in a verbal dispute at the intersection of Paramount Drive just east of the interstate. Deputies said the driver of a vehicle, a female, and her male passenger reported a man in a pickup got into an argument with them before pointing a gun at them and firing.

The male passenger, who is a valid concealed carry permit holder, then exited the sedan and fired several rounds into the truck, fatally wounding the driver. The two occupants of the sedan were released pending further investigation. None of the individuals involved have been identified.

Insurance agent guilty of defrauding seniors

A federal jury in Tampa has convicted a Sarasota insurance agent and former attorney, who called himself the Annuity King, of bilking senior citizens out of millions and using the money to buy a luxury home, Tampa Bay Lightning season tickets, Jet Skis and assorted other items for himself and his family.

Phillip Roy Wasserman, 66, was found guilty on nine counts, ranging from wire fraud to issuing false statements to lying to investors about the state of his company and previous financial problems. He was also found guilty of an attempt to evade taxes.

Given Wasserman’s age, he faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison. According to the Department of Justice, the mail and wire fraud convictions and a conspiracy conviction each carry a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Along with prison time, the government seeks at least $6.3 million in restitution, the amount of the proceeds from the fraud.

A note to the judge posted on the federal court’s website says the jury reached a unanimous verdict on the nine counts.

“I feel like I’m in ‘Groundhog Day’ with this because a lot of these conversations are literally the same wording coming full circle all the way back to six years ago.”

Courtesy photo

David Chessler presents the grand prize to the first Hustle entrepreneurship winning team.

New life for Sarasota Square mall

Torburn Partners plans

1,200 apartments and 500,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and commercial space on the former mall site.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

Anew lifestyle mixed-use center is coming to a familiar place as the newest owner of Sarasota Square mall has begun the process of turning the once-bustling retail center into a town center-style mix of apart ments, retail stores, restaurants and activity centers.

Last week, Torburn Partners of Northbrook, Illinois, and Fort Lau derdale hosted a virtual neighbor hood workshop to introduce its pre liminary concept for the 81.5 acres along U.S. 41 at South Beneva Road. The plan includes up to 1,200 mar ket-rate apartments and as much as 500,000 square feet of retail, res taurant and office space to replace the roughly 1 million-square-foot vacant mall.

The entire mall property, including outparcels, occupies approximately 93.5 acres. The redevelopment will not include the Costco store and fuel outparcel, the JCPenney building, AMC Theatres and a bank outpar cel. The mall will be demolished and replaced by the open-air multiuse concept.

“The project will be designed to be very pedestrian friendly and interconnect with the surrounding neighborhoods,” said Robert Horne, a principal with Torburn Partners. “The uses that are contemplated include a grocery store, furniture, apparel, entertainment, retail and numerous food and beverage outlets that include full-service dining, fast-casual dining, and multiple sitdown concepts.”

Horne didn’t identify any of the prospective tenants, but said there is more interest expressed in retail space than is available.

As for dining options, “We have a number of restaurants, probably more than we can build on this property,” he said. “It won’t all be fast food. In fact I would consider it limited fast food. I think that the community will be extremely pleased with the restaurants that are expressing interest in this property.”

Through multiple acquisitions over the past two years, Torburn Partners has spent $35.3 million on Sarasota Square properties, including the mall structure itself for $19 million in September 2021. The previous owner, Uniobail-Rodamco Westfield, spent $77 million for the mall in 2003, then lost it in bankruptcy during COVID.

The neighborhood workshop was a prerequisite to submitting an application to Sarasota County, a process that will require comprehensive plan amendments and rezoning to conform. Representatives of the developer, who included Sarasota attorney Charles Bailey, pointed out that the conceptual site plan is a fair representation of the ambitions and any significant changes once approved by the county will require another

CONCEPTUAL VISION PLAN FOR SARASOTA SQUARE

and a fitness center. Tucked behind the retail along Sarasota Square Boulevard are three blocks of residential, with the apartment buildings wrapping around parking structures for concealment.

REGIONAL INFLUENCE

In 1974, Sarasota Square was designated as the first Development of Regional Impact in the county and was among the first in Florida. A DRI is defined by state statute as “any development which, because of its character, magnitude or location would have a substantial effect upon the health, safety or welfare of citizens of more than one county.”

Development plans for changes within a DRI must be submitted to a regional planning council for approval, which Torburn Partners has done. The neighborhood workshop completed, it now will run through county protocols for comprehensive plan amendment and rezoning approvals.

“It’s our goal through these planning efforts to strengthen the retailers that are already there to drive both pedestrian and car traffic to their locations,” Horne said. “We are intending to put in an event lawn that will serve the greater community with concerts and activities that will energize the entire area. Our traffic consultants have studied our plan and concluded that the mix of residential and commercial densities proposed will generate less traffic than the current regional mall.”

Engineering consultant Stantec is currently conducting a traffic impact

KEY TAKEAWAYS

n Sarasota Square mall will be demolished and redeveloped as a town center-style mixeduse community offering retail, restaurant and commercial space.

n Costco, JCPenney, AMC Theatres and a bank outparcel will remain.

n 1,200 market-rate apartments are expected to be phased in over five to seven years.

n Total commercial space will be reduced by 360,000 square feet.

analysis, but typically, Horne said, residential creates fewer vehicle trips than does commercial, and that the analysis will show trip reductions over what the full 1 million square feet of mall space — which hasn’t been fully activated for many years — would generate. Redevelopment will reduce retail and commercial space to approximately 640,000 square feet — including Costco, JCPenney, AMC and the bank parcel.

“The 1,200 apartments don’t generate more trips than 60,000 square feet of retail or commercial, so that’s where the trip reduction is coming from,” Horne said.

The apartment buildings will not exceed 85 feet in height, and the unit mix remains under consideration. Units are expected to range from 500 to 1,300 square feet, averaging approximately 800 square feet. All will be market rate with no affordable housing component.

The apartments, Horne said will be developed in phases, while the commercial space will likely be com-

KEY Residential Grocery

Food and Beverage

Retail

complete if not more, depending on how the market absorbs those units. But I would say generally the commercial will happen readily and the residential will happen on a more phased, thoughtful development schedule.”

NO ADDITIONAL RESIDENTIAL

Filing for applications with the county will likely begin in early June. Public hearings will be scheduled before the Planning Commission followed by the County Commission. Once applications are approved, next are site and development plan approvals followed by construction plan approvals. Development would begin shortly after those processes are completed.

During the question-and-answer session following the presentation — more than 130 questions were posed in the chat box — stormwater runoff was mentioned, the questioner noting that pooling of runoff in the parking lot is commonplace.

“Sarasota Square mall was constructed in the ’70s, and Sarasota County government didn’t have land development regulations until the early ’80s,” said attorney Charles Bailey. “Those adopted land development regulations have a requirement that we design to a 100-year storm event, so I think you’ll see a newer and more improved stormwater management system that meets today’s current stringent requirements.”

Another participant asked if more apartments will be considered if the retail demand doesn’t meet expectations.

“Not likely. We’ve had more interest in the retail than we have room for, so I don’t think that will be a problem,” Horne said. “It is not our plan to add residential areas that are currently shown as retail.”

SARASOTA SQUARE BACKGROUND

n Development of Regional Impact approved in 1974.

n Property zoned Commercial Shopping Center.

n Mall opened in August 1977.

n DRI amended and restated in 1987.

n Comprehensive plan designation is Regional Commercial Center.

n Approved for a maximum of just more than 1 million square feet of commercial uses.

Sarasota Square mall:

n Notice of proposed change to the Sarasota Square Mall Development of Regional Impact.

n Small-scale comprehensive plan amendment to the future land use map for 2.8 acres.

n Sector plan amendment application to amend the U.S. 41/Beneva Road Sector Plan.

n Rezone application to amend the zoning atlas from Commercial Shopping Center and Residential, Mobile Home to General Commercial.

NEXT STEPS

Once the application for redevelopment off Sarasota Square is submitted, it will be reviewed by various applicable county departments, called Development Review Coordination or the DRC. Similar to the city of Sarasota’s Development Review Committee, county DRC members provide comments to the applicant on the proposed applications regarding applicable codes, ordinances and regulations.

Once the application has been reviewed by the DRC it will be scheduled for a public hearing before the Planning Commission. Once the Planning Commission votes on a recommendation, a public hearing will be scheduled before the County Commission, which will make the final decision on the application.

41

LAKE VIEW DR.

PARK DR.

S. BENEVA RD.

Andrew Warfield

An entrance to the vacant Sarasota Square mall near the AMC theater, which will remain when the mall is razed for redevelopment.

County reinstates full Economic Development Corp. funding, for now

With new leadership and a new board, county commissioners decided to give the Economic Development Corp. one year to prove itself — or risk a funding cut.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

The Sarasota County Commission has fully restored the county’s portion of funding to the Economic Development Corp. of Sarasota County for the next fiscal year, with conditions.

Among them: Show measurable, tangible results in one year or lose a large chunk of the county’s approximately $1 million contribution to the EDC’s annual budget.

With mixed reviews from the four commissioners, the long-running tenuous relationship between the EDC and county of years past was front and center during a May 9 meeting as they debated the merits of intangible benefits of the organization’s work against measurables demanded by Commissioners Mike Moran and Joe Neunder.

The decision reverses, for now, a 2022 decision by the commission to reduce the county’s contribution of revenue from business taxes only — approximately 44% of the total — to the EDC by one-third each year through 2025. For fiscal year 2023, that amounted to approximately $321,600, which, if eventually eliminated, would reduce the public funding by just less than one-third.

Public funding is projected at approximately $1.05 million of the EDC’s $1.7 million fiscal year 2024 budget. That comes from local business tax, a per capita allocation and tourist development tax revenues. The remaining $656,500 will be raised through private investors, grants, events and other fundraising.

In making his motion to approve full county funding for the next fiscal year, Neunder said, “The expectation for me is that you come back incrementally to report to us on your project. If I don’t feel like there is measurable, quantifiable outcomes next year, I’ll be the first person to make a motion to deny the funding.” Neunder’s motion passed 3-1. Moran dissented.

Although they acknowledged much of the animosity between the commission and the EDC is long in the past — the organization has a reconstituted board of directors, new staff and a new leadership — the objection to funding the EDC remains the same in that, according to Moran, it has failed to demonstrate return on investment.

Erin Silk, recently named by the EDC board to succeed interim Executive Director Lisa Krouse, countered that much of the EDC’s work is intangible, that corporate recruiting efforts typically take years to be quantifiable and that this nextgeneration EDC is making strides to meet the county’s expectations. Those include closing in on balanced financial support from government and private philanthropy.

“When I stepped into a leadership role with Lisa 18 months ago, our budget was 20% from private sources,” Silk said. “Today, as we look toward the end of 2023, we’re close to 40% in private funding. I am committed to continue moving this ratio closer to 50-50.”

Of the $1.07 million public portion of the EDC’s budget, 44% comes from the county’s business tax and 20% from its per capita contribution.

Since 2009, the EDC has received $14.4 million in public funding, averaging about $1 million per year. The only year-over-year increase during that time, Silk told commissioners, is in the per capita contribution as the population grew. For that

investment, she attempted to offer commissioners some tangible data.

“Since we implemented (a) Salesforce CRM tracking system in 2019, the organization has received $4.2 million in public funding,” she said.

“Of the business expansion and relocations we contributed to, they reported over $58 million in capital investment, 1,200 projected new jobs, almost $60 million in new yearly payroll, and the local taxing entities will collect $6 million over the next 10 years alone from those projects.”

Moran and other commissioners repeatedly pointed out that their concerns are not directed at Silk or the new board, but contended they had heard the same arguments from the EDC for years.

“I feel like I’m in ‘Groundhog Day’ with this because a lot of these conversations are literally the same wording coming full circle all the way back to six years ago,” Moran said.

Silk said losing the funding would severely curtail the EDC’s activities, particularly its core mission of business recruiting.

“Our aggressive marketing programs and our business park initiative will no longer be an option for us,” she said. “We will only have the resources to address the incoming requests for service, and I believe our community deserves an economic development plan that aggressively chases down the diverse projects we want rather than sits around and waits for them to come to us.”

It appeared through the discussion that a vote to further reduce EDC funding would be deadlocked at 2-2 before Commission Chairman Ron Cutsinger, who is the commission’s representative on the EDC board, stepped in to describe it as a new EDC building a stronger relationship with the business community and local governments.

“Ask the business community do they support this? I’ve asked as many

people as I can to tell me about your thoughts about the EDC,” Cutsinger said. “I’ve had everyone say to me, ‘This is a new EDC, and we’re very excited about it. We support it.’ I’m concerned that perhaps we’re moving into a time of lower economic activity, but I think it’s important to continue driving forward with diversifying our economy and I think the EDC is a huge help and bringing companies that are year-round, high-paying jobs that will help through a time of slower economic activity when you have not as much tourism, not as much construction and other things that we normally rely on.”

Courtesy photo Erin Silk will succeed Lisa Krouse as executive director of the EDC of Sarasota County.

City to consider solid waste rate hikes

Rising costs of collection and disposal along with lower recycling revenues have resulted in a request to raise monthly sanitation rates for the first time since 2018.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

Market and inflationary forces beyond the city’s control are driving a request by the Sarasota Solid Waste Division for a rate increase for fiscal year 2024.

During a May 9 workshop, city commissioners heard a request from department management for a 16.5% residential rate increase to offset rising costs in the commodities market for recyclables, increased tipping fees at county landfills, inflationary pressures and others.

If approved by commissioners during the coming budget cycle, it would be the first rate increase on trash collection fees since 2018.

At the workshop, Public Works Director Doug Jeffcoat and General Manager of Public Services Todd Kucharski highlighted ordinance changes they would seek in addition to the rate hikes, including bulk waste and improperly prepared waste issues, specifically whether those costs should be shared by the rate base or by the specific users of the services.

“We have the hauling contract that takes (solid waste) from our transfer station and delivers it to the landfill,” said Jeffcoat. “We’re looking at since the last time we had a rate increase,

KEY TAKEAWAYS

n Inflation and increased hauling and tipping fees are driving up solid waste services.

n A downturn in the recyclable materials market has cut recycling revenue by more than half.

n A residential solid waste increase of $4.04 is proposed.

n Ordinance changes seek to shift cost of improperly prepared and bulk pickup from rate base to property owners.

which was back in 2018, the landfill disposal cost is now $3.15 (per truckload) more.”

That’s just one of the cost pressures on the department. Since 2018, recycling processing costs are up $16.63 per ton, yard waste processing up $7 per ton for waste in plastic bags and $12.75 not in plastic bags and contract hauling cost to the county landfill in Nokomis is up $33.12 per truckload.

Other cost pressures include the department’s street sweeping program and declining shared revenues for the recyclables market. The city received only two bids for a new

street sweeping contract, the lowest from its current contractor at $141,893 per year, up 21% from the current contract of $116,860. The second bid was $216,000.

While that cost goes up, because of a downturn in the market for recyclable materials, recycling revenues for the current fiscal year are estimated at $198,000, down more than 50% from $415,826 in fiscal 2022. No estimate is available for recycling revenue next fiscal year.

In addition to rising costs for containers and equipment, increases in salary and benefits and general fund support services such as weekend downtown street cleaning, clearing homeless encampment debris and illegal dumping, means the result is a requested increase of $4.04 per month for residents to a new rate of $28.59.

Jeffcoat and Kucharski are also seeking policy changes for bulk and improperly prepared waste, specifically shifting the cost from the rate base to specific customers. Bulk waste left behind by renters, for example, is typically moved to the curb either by vacating renters or the property owners for a special pickup by the Solid Waste Division. The account holder — the renter — bears the cost obligation, but renters can be difficult to pursue once they’ve moved on. As a result, all customers currently pay for that service.

“Our biggest issue right now is that we don’t really have a means and method of going after anybody once the account is closed,” Jeffcoat said. “The ordinance that we’re going to be bringing to you proposes changing that responsibility to the property owner. This is a method for us to be able to collect those costs that we’re taking on to pick this up.”

They also propose an ordinance to increase fees for improperly prepared waste to cover the operational costs of increased tipping fees and fuel. Any ordinance changes will require a public process.

“Anything that we do ordinancewise will come through a public hearing,” said City Manager Marlon

Brown. “We will have to go through that process and have public hearings to make these changes. The rate payers are paying the costs. When we bring this back, if it’s the will of the commission to allow these situations that fall on the backs of every rate payer, then that would be a discussion.”

RESIDENTIAL RATES REQUEST

The residential solid rate increase of $4.04 per month includes: Disposal Costs: $1.88

$0.61

Fund Support

$0.45

and Equipment Cost: $1.10

Courtesy photos

Among the ordinance changes sought by the Sarasota Solid Waste Division is holding property owners responsible for the cost of bulk pickup of debris left behind by renters.

FROM THE PLUMBING PLACE

Beautiful AND Durable Exterior Door Hardware

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

We eventually learn that the tease of “lifetime brass” really means a lifetime of maintenance and repair. There is a practical solution to this common problem – Bronze or Stainless

Both materials offer excellent salt tolerance and oxidation/corrosion resistance with a minimum of maintenance. A variety of styles and finishes provide a perfect match to existing color schemes including rich patinas of classic bronze, contemporary polished or matte nickel, and black.

One Park attorney calls reopened state inquiry ‘baseless’

proved false time and time again.”

Adeveloper is crying foul after the Florida Department of Law

Enforcement reopened the preliminary inquiry into alleged improper contact between an investor in the proposed One Park development in The Quay and a member of the Planning Board.

The agency confirmed it had reopened the case after it received new evidence only hours after the Observer reported on May 10 that a letter received by Sarasota Police Chief Rex Troche from the FDLE stated the inquiry had been closed.

Since it was proposed, the project has been vigorously opposed by some residents of the Ritz-Carlton Residences, the only currently occupied building in The Quay.

An attorney for One Park developer Property Markets Group called the introduction of new evidence after the inquiry was closed a delay tactic by opponents of the project.

“It is clear that those making these baseless allegations are doing so in hopes that it will continue to delay this project,” said Jason Stearns, an attorney with the firm Smith, Gambrell & Russell, which has an office in Tampa.

“Our clients have been the victims of a witch hunt motivated by individuals who want to halt the benefits to Sarasota that will come about through The Quay project. These baseless accusations have been

Sarasota attorney Morgan Bentley, who represents the Ritz-Carlton Residences group — collectively known as Block 6 — said he is unaware of why the inquiry was reopened.

“I know nothing about the new evidence,” Bentley said. “It was as much a surprise to all of us as it was to anyone else. I still don’t even know what it is or what it might relate to.”

A spokesperson for FDLE declined to describe the new evidence.

As long as the state investigation remains open, the Planning Board will not hear One Park’s general development plan amendment request. Dan Kaplan, managing partner of PMG, said the investigation was without merit.

“Just as the other investigation concluded no evidence of wrongdoing, this will, too,” Kaplan said. “There is a handful of individuals whose goal is to eliminate forward growth in Sarasota no matter what. We will continue to fight back and call this behavior out when we see it.”

Bentley said the investigation was warranted.

“The city did the right thing under the facts and circumstances to ensure the public’s confidence in the development process by pausing One Park’s development application while FDLE conducted its preliminary investigation,” he said. “Legitimate questions arose from those facts and circumstances that warranted review.”

The breezeway over Quay Commons in the proposed One Park development. A transfer of air rights to the developer to allow its construction is being challenged in 12th Judicial Circuit Court.

OWNER SARASOTA, FL  34232 THEPLUMBINGPLACE.COM

Smitty’s Architectural Hardware, located

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

The Plumbing Place, displays many lines of door hardware in beautiful styles for your home that are well suited for our demanding environment, and will create the first impression your front door deserves.

Beautifully crafted bathroom and kitchen fixtures, fittings and accessories from leading designers. Masterpieces of functionality and style showcased in an astounding showroom.

We eventually learn that the tease of “lifetime brass” really means a lifetime of maintenance and repair. There is a practical solution to this common problem – Bronze or Stainless

Visit our showroom or call to arrange an appointment. 5678 Fruitville Road • Sarasota • Florida 34232 • 941.378.5678

KNOWLEDGE. SERVICE.

Both materials offer excellent salt tolerance and oxidation/corrosion resistance with a minimum of maintenance. A variety of styles and finishes provide a perfect match to existing color schemes including rich patinas of classic bronze, contemporary polished or matte nickel, and black.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

Courtesy rendering

Your Friends Are Waiting

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

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

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

At Sarasota Memorial, our award-winning team of orthopedic specialists and surgeons is nationally recognized for excellence in joint repair and joint replacement, using the latest robotic and minimally invasive techniques to rebuild and restore, so you can get back to the things you love and the people you love sharing them with.

smh.com/ortho

So don’t wait . Life’s too short to spend it on the sidelines.

Will of the people denied

Advocates for incorporating Siesta Key spent fulfilled state requirements to conduct a referendum. But so much for government ‘by the people.’ Florida lawmakers decided they know better than citizens.

and Siesta Key, would have given the residents of Siesta Key the opportunity to vote on whether to incorporate. It was not a bill for lawmakers to decide whether they want Siesta Key to become a selfgoverned municipality. It was a bill that would have given the registered voters living on Siesta Key the choice to decide whether to become a new city.

But alas, the philosophical preferences of one lawmaker, that of Rep. Lawrence McClure, R-Plant City, stood in the way of letting the people vote.

Sorry, we don’t care what the will of the people is. We know what’s best for you minions.

Essentially, that’s the message once again to the leaders and members of Save Siesta Key Inc., the group that keeps trying to incorporate the island with its own town government.

Despite spending thousands of dollars to gather and provide the Legislature with virtually all the information state statutes require and to hire lobbyists to push their case, the power politics of Tallahassee sent House Bill 923 to its death in the most recent legislative session.

That bill, sponsored by Rep. Fiona McFarland, our Republican legislator who represents Sarasota

It’s a frustrating, maddening process the way laws are made. The higher you go on the legislative food chain, the worse it is. Washington is the worst; Tallahassee is second worst.

Here is how it works in Tallahassee. If you’re a state legislator and want a particular bill to become law or win the approval of the House and Senate, the most sure-fire way is to win the support of the governor, House Speaker and Senate president before the session begins — preferably during the summer.

If your bill has their spoken support, you can count on that bill moving quickly through the requisite committees to the House and Senate floors. The word gets

out to the committee chairs: “The governor wants this.” Or, “This is high on the president’s list.” Or, “This is important to the speaker.” In turn, the committee chairs spread the word among their committee members. So, often times the fix is in even before the session begins. But it’s not all that easy to get the support of the Big Three. Keep in mind, more than 1,000 bills are filed each year. If lawmakers can’t get buy-in from the Big Three early on, they must wait to see which committees will hear their bills; do their own lobbying; and hope to win the favor of committee chairs to at least bring up the bill in the committee.

Rep. McFarland knows this game. Prior to session, she had the support of Speaker Paul Renner — that it made sense to give Siesta residents the opportunity to decide their fate. But Renner, unlike his predecessor, gives committee chairs much more leeway in deciding what bills were to be heard. That’s where the chances for HB 923 ran into the politics of Tallahassee.

Even though McFarland’s bill made it easily through its first committee, it was then slated to go to the House Ways and Means Committee and then on to the

Longboat’s hot topic: A garage

Thank goodness for Longboat

Key resident Bob Gault. He is what we all should be: passionately and patriotically engaged in the affairs of his town, state and country.

Some might say too involved. Judging from the emails he sends our way, Gault seemingly must be monitoring and reading the content of two dozen or more news sources 24-7. But that’s OK.

If you know Gault, you know the retired CEO of Universal Studios-Orlando and Sea World is a constitutionalist and freemarketeer. And he doesn’t hesitate to let local politicians know how he feels about the issues of the day. Indeed, we would be much better off as a country if more people were watchdogging government as doggedly as Gault.

On most issues, Gault’s political philosophy and ours are in perfect sync. But there is one issue on which we are not: The proposed parking garage for the new St. Regis hotel and resort.

Gault is adamantly opposed to the garage — as noted in his letter to the editor last week in the Observer. He wrote another letter this week to Longboat Key commissioners, urging them to reject the two-story St. Regis parking garage at the commission’s June 5 meeting. He says it would be “a major deviation” from the vision Longboat Key residents have expressed year after year in citizen surveys to “Keep Longboat Longboat.”

One of the comments Gault has made is he thinks the Marriott Corp., operator of the St. Regis hotel, must be pressuring developer Chuck Whittall and his Unicorp Developments to scrap the original car lift plans in favor of building a garage. So we went to the source — Whittall himself — and asked if he is acquiescing to Marriott’s demands. Here’s what he told us:

“St. Regis (Marriott) didn’t pressure me into anything.

“Marriott has been saying it expects this hotel to do significantly better than we anticipated because of the desire of people to travel to Florida now.

“When I was at the (planning and zoning) hearing, a guy gets up and says: ‘Why are you asking for this change. Nothing has changed.’ And I said, ‘Well, no, that’s not accurate.’ I said, ‘The world has changed, because ever since COVID, Florida growth has exploded.’

“People are staying on Longboat Key longer. People are there more permanently than before.

“We just think this hotel is going to be so successful that we want to make sure we can accommodate everybody. Because I know the locals are going to want to come and have dinner.

“When I go to the Salty Dog, and I see you’re going to have an hour wait or an hour-and-a-half wait at the Dry Dock, there is a demand for restaurants out there.

“If the hotel is full and our parking lot is full, we will have to turn people away. We just don’t want to have to turn anybody away. And so we want to make sure we have adequate parking.

“It’s going to be hidden by landscaping. It’s going to be part of a five-star hotel.” (Whittall audibly exhales in apparent exasperation.)

“People jump off on these tangents for some reason. It’s just crazy.

“(Marriott is) not pressuring me in the least. We’ve just had conversations, and everybody believes the hotel is going to be so successful that we really want to make sure we have enough parking. It’s to accommodate not only our guests, but the locals.

“Everybody at the hearing was saying, ‘We love the hotel. We’re definitely going to be there.’ If they say they’re going to be there, and I run out of parking spaces, what do you want me to do? I’d have nothing else to do but turn people away.”

To add to Whittall’s comments, Sarasota attorney Brenda Patten, who represents Unicorp, told us:

“There are many good reasons why the two-story garage (parking on grade-ground level, parking on roof of the first floor and parking

House State Affairs Committee.

Of the two, the State Affairs Committee presented the toughest challenge. Its chairman is Rep. Lawrence McClure, R-Plant City. He is not a fan of government.

We reached out to Rep. McClure and did not hear back before deadline. But you can imagine how this played out. Faced with a huge stack of bills to get through his committee and limited time, he had to make choices. One choice was to put HB 923 near the bottom of the committee’s priorities.

And thus it died.

In essence, one lawmaker decided that rather than let the people decide their fate, he would do that for them.

The question now is whether the indefatigable Save Our Siesta Key group should continue pursuing legislative approval for the right to vote on incorporation, or to consider another option.

One option is to open conversations with the Sarasota County Commission on what it could do to better serve the citizens of Siesta Key. At least, presumably, Save Our Siesta Key would get an audience with lawmakers far more empathetic and sympathetic than those in Tallahassee.

“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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THESE TWO ARE THE BEST WE CAN DO?

on roof of the second floor — no third story) will be a better solution than 62 parking lifts in the podium garage:

“Did you know the total height of the new garage will be only 27 feet, 4 ½ inches high? The allowable height of a single-family residence on LBK is 30 feet!

“This garage will not be as tall as a typical two-story residence on Longboat Key. The garage will not be visible to residents driving by on GMD because of landscaping, site grade, etc.”

Patten went on to cite David Green, chair of the Longboat Planning and Zoning Board. Paraphrasing Green’s comments at a recent board meeting, Green said people are seeing the development at the worst possible time. It is just concrete going up with no landscaping. Unless you’re a developer, you cannot envision what it will look like at completion.

For Gault, it’s more than that. He worries about the next developer and the one after that who will cite the St. Regis garage as justification for their free-standing garages.

We’ve tried to assuage Mr. Gault that the likelihood of large parking garages proliferating on Longboat is almost nil. The only other place where there is enough land for that to occur is at the Resort at Longboat Key Club. In fact, the resort’s previous owners designed a parking garage in their proposed $400 million expansion plans in 2010.

We’re with Unicorp’s Whittall. Relax. The St. Regis is going to be a landmark addition to Longboat Key in a great way. In our humble opinion, that one garage will not destroy or detract from the “Keep Longboat Longboat” vision.

Really? Is this the best the most powerful, dynamic country in the world can do: Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden for president? We all know their characters, and they are deeply flawed individuals. In fact, if you were to describe the ideal person to sit as the leader of the Free World, you would not even come close to describing Trump or Biden.

Trump: Bombastic, erratic, narcissistic beyond belief. Unacceptable, repulsive personal past. Smart as can be at dissecting a problem and what needs to be done. But really? Do you Trump supporters really want to live through another five-and-a-half-years of the previous seven years?

Even worse:

Biden: Seriously demented and getting worse; not smart enough for the job to begin with. His own many moments of a lecherous past. The lead stooge of a major influencepeddling crime family.

Can anyone seriously think that if either Trump or Biden is elected president in 2024 that the outcome will be a more unified nation that makes the United States a more pleasant, enjoyable and prosperous place to live and puts the U.S. on a trajectory of greatness?

If given the choice of these two — ugh, history shows the chances for prosperity and greatness are better with Trump. Hands down!

But at what price?

No one can predict today who ultimately will be the Republican Party and Democratic Party presidential candidates. A lot can happen in a year. Pray for divine intervention.

— MW

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MATT WALSH

Matt Walsh

In the foreground is the proposed site for a parking garage at the new St. Regis hotel and resort.

Planning Board tables Ritz-Carlton Residences II plan for The Quay

Concerns over impact on Belle Haven and the recreational trail cause Ritz-Carlton Residences II developer to request a continuance for its proposed 78-condo tower on Blocks 7 and 8.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

M

An hourlong legislative public hearing wasn’t enough to convince the Planning Board that the proposal for a second Ritz-Carlton Residences tower should be approved. The building would combine blocks 7 and 8 along the Quay Sarasota boat basin and include 78 luxury condominiums and a 9,100-square-foot private club for recreational activity.

The building that’s planned on an approximately 1.7-acre site includes a parking structure with 163 spaces and parking for at least 40 bicycles. A driveway ramp would be the only point of vehicle ingress and egress off Quay Commons through Block 10, bordering the south and west sides of the historic Belle Haven building.

The site is adjacent to the Hyatt Regency hotel property, which itself is slated for redevelopment and is not part of The Quay.

For developments in The Quay, the Planning Board has the final approval authority, providing a legally recognized affected party doesn’t appeal its decision to the City Commission.

In her motion to reject the plan, Planning Board member Kathy Kelley Ohlrich cited a number of inconsistencies with the development code, and the ensuing discussion clearly indicated the application was headed for possibly unanimous failure. That’s when attorney Brenda

Patten intervened.

oments before what was likely to be the Sarasota Planning Board’s rejection of a request for site plan approval and minor modification to the The Quay general development plan, Deputy City Attorney Michael Connelly received a note from an attorney representing developer Kolter Urban with a request for a continuance instead.“I just got a note from Ms. Patten that asks if you would consider a motion to continue,” Connelly said, advising that the Planning Board may opt to continue the discussion immediately or table the matter to a date uncertain.

Board members were initially reticent to continue the matter because, once it does come back, two of them will no longer be seated at the dais. The terms of Ohlrich and Damien Blumetti expire on June 1. That means the petitioner will have to start from scratch.

“If I’m reading the tea leaves, they have to make significant changes, so we’re probably going to start all over if it comes back anyway,” said Chairman Daniel Clermont. “Given the significant amount of time and investment in money they put into these plans, I think it would be better if this board continue this to give them an opportunity.”

Prior to rescinding her motion, which was unanimously approved, Ohlrich agreed.

The motion to continue the hearing to a later date was approved unanimously.

BELLE HAVEN, TRAIL CONCERNS

The Planning Board’s objections to the plan mostly centered on its impact on the historic Belle Haven building, the preservation of which was central to the 2016 development agreement that allowed The Quay to move forward. Another issue was public access to the walkway along the boat basin bordering the western side of the project.

Members questioned the necessity of locating the driveway off Quay Commons so close to the front elevation of Belle Haven, formerly an apartment building but now currently partially occupied by office

space. They were also troubled by the ramp that would climb up to a circular arrival court for residents, guests and light deliveries at an “inhabitable level.” A 42-inch wall would separate that ramp and the motor court from the west side of Belle Haven.

All of that, members said, would violate the visual integrity of the three-story centerpiece of the site.

“I think this was a grand building at one time, and it had a personality about it that didn’t just end at its outer walls,” said Clermont. “It was about the sight lines to it and how it related to the property around it. This takes away from that. We’ve all seen the old building that has been built around in New York City. It’s cowering from all the tall buildings around it. I feel that’s what can happen here. I don’t have a problem with tall buildings. It’s drawing that road so close around it.”

Belle Haven’s owner, commissioners were told, signed off on the plans for the driveway and the ramp. That owner is GreenPointe Development, the master developer of The Quay.

Patten said the ramp is designed to

preserve the view of the front of the Belle Haven building.

“Obviously, Belle Haven was preserved in the middle of a development site so there will be construction around it, but the main view of it is preserved and people have to make accommodations for the other development that’s been anticipated and approved to be developed,” said Patten.

Also of concern is the disruption to the multiuse recreational trail that ends at the project’s border. Planning Board members have received multiple emails from Quay residents and others about the project “taking” the land along the boat basin for private use. Patten said that land was never identified for the MURT and was not included in the general development plan for The Quay because the property belonged to the neighboring Hyatt Regency Hotel at the time The Quay agreement was drafted.

“It has always been Kolter’s understanding that the MURT would not extend over the western boundary. This property and this west -

Courtesy rendering

ern boundary has never shown a MURT,” Patten said. “There’s never been a MURT shown in that location in the development agreement, and the reason for that is it’s an unusual property. The ground level of Blocks 7 and 8 was the Hyatt parking lot before Kolter purchased it, so it was never owned by Quay Venture. The ground level was never part of the development agreement.”

Access for pedestrians and bicycles won’t be blocked, Patten said, and will continue to function as quasi-MURT although it is private property. That drew skepticism from Peter Blanton, a resident of the existing Ritz-Carlton Residences on Block 6, primarily because it lies just outside the private fitness club.

“Clearly what the developer wants to do is privatize it with a private club, closing access,” Blanton said. “There’s going to be yoga and zumba and Pilates all the time. There will be a ‘Do Not Enter’ sign. I think it runs counter to the spirit of The Quay development of the MURT agreement with the city, and it should be open to the public.”

May 23rd 2pm - 3:30pm

Join us for a free seminar on the little-known but highly valuable Veterans Aid &Attendance benefit, presented by VA accredited elder law & estate planning attorney Michelangelo Mortellaro, Esq.

If you are a wartime era Veteran in need of in-home care, assisted living, or nursing home expenses, or if you are interested in learning more about how to safeguard your assets and plan for the future, this seminar is a must-attend event!

Esquire

Michelangelo Mortellaro,

Join us for a free seminar on the little-known but highly valuable Veterans Aid &Attendance benefit, presented by VA accredited elder law & estate planning attorney Michelangelo Mortellaro, Esq.

If you are a wartime era Veteran in need of in-home care, assisted living, or nursing home expenses, or if you are interested in learning more about how to safeguard your assets and plan for the future, this seminar is a must-attend event!

UNCOVER THE HIDDEN BENEFITS OF MILITARY SERVICE: LEARN ABOUT THE VETERANS AID & ATTENDANCE BENEFIT Take advantage of the Live Q&A session and get your questions answered!

RSVP by May 20th at (941)-413-7997

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& shop

SATURDAY, MAY 6

ARGUMENT OVER CHORES

11:36 a.m. 2400 block of Orange Avenue

Family disturbance: A mother called police because she was having an argument with her 14-year-old daughter, who she said threw a temper tantrum and multiple items on the bedroom floor. The argument was over the subject of not wanting to perform her required domestic chores.

The daughter was sitting on her bed and calm when the officer spoke with her. She said the argument was over her mother being loud all morning while she was trying to sleep. The officer determined the verbal dispute to be civil in nature, although the mother and daughter remained angry with each other.

SUNDAY, MAY 7

EGGS-CESSIVE VANDALISM

10:43 a.m., 2800 block of Browning

Street

Criminal mischief: A woman noticed upon waking up in the morning that her vehicle and home had been egged overnight, sometime after 11 p.m. when she arrived home. She advised she was able to wash the eggs off the vehicle, but yolk was stuck to the front of the house, which will require her to paint the facade at a cost of approximately $500.

The victim also advised her mailbox had been knocked over overnight on April 30, along with three others adjacent to her home. She was able to return the mailbox to its original position. She said four residences around hers have video surveillance, but nothing was captured. Should the perpetrators be apprehended, the victim said she wished to seek prosecution.

MONDAY, MAY 8

LICENSE AND PROOF OF INSURANCE, PLEASE

10:37 a.m., 800 block of South Osprey Avenue

Civil disturbance: Officers met with the head maintenance employee of a property regarding a disturbance. The complainant stated a contractor working in one of the residential units became agitated when asked for proof of a contractor’s license

SATURDAY, MAY 6

A 44-CENT REFUND

1:35 p.m., 3500 block of South Tamiami Trail Dispute: A man was falsely accused of stealing bananas at a grocery store. The accused told the officer he wasn’t upset about being charged 44 cents for the potassium-rich fruit, but he did want an apology from the staff for being accused. The store manager admitted he had no proof

finger in his face, he claimed.

The officer contacted the subject and asked him to provide proof of license and insurance, which he could not. The complainant said he has contacted code enforcement, which would soon arrive and further investigate. The disturbance was determined to be verbal and nonviolent.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10

VANDALISM IN ANOTHER

LANGUAGE

8:11 a.m., 900 block of Signal Pointe Circle

Criminal mischief: An officer met with the victim, who speaks only Portuguese and the officer had to use a translator app on his department phone to communicate. The victim advised that his ex-wife, who knows neither her own last name nor date of birth, came to his apartment, threw his clothes and damaged two of his drawers.

The victim said his ex-wife’s sister and brother-in-law still reside in the home and that she comes to visit occasionally. He said the incident occurred while he was at work. He said he does not wish to pursue charges and requests the ex-wife not return to the apartment. No further action was taken.

WILD FLORIDA

Native wildlife, plants thrive at lower water levels

spring back to life, as water recedes, further sustaining wildlife large and small.

Myakka’s ecosystems evolved to thrive and depend on this regular ebb and flow, which includes extended periods of low water or drawdown.

Myakka River State Park is known for its dynamic natural communities. Much of that variation is driven by the park’s namesake, the Wild and Scenic Myakka River, which winds through the park from north to south, for nearly 12 miles.

Levels of this rain-fed river and its two floodplain lakes (the Upper Myakka Lake and Lower Myakka Lake) are usually highest in the summer — our rainy season — when water overflows into floodplain marshes and wetlands. And in the fall and winter — our dry season — water levels gradually drop.

At the shallow lake and river edges, slowly decreasing water levels leave in their wake concentrations of fish and other aquatic animals, to the great delight of native and migratory birds. Native plants progressively

But throughout the years, humans introduced direct hydrologic alterations of Myakka’s watershed, such as raised grades, ditches and multiple dams. These changes, as well as indirect ones, such as the introduction of invasive plants, significantly affected the quality and quantity of water, to the detriment of Myakka’s natural communities.

Efforts to restore the park’s natural hydrology have been ongoing for over a decade, first through removal of invasive plants. And in early 2022, the removal of a deteriorating weir and culverts at the Upper Myakka Lake’s outflow represented a major step toward restoring the natural flow of the river.

Encouragingly, this dry season, wildlife responded favorably to the resulting improved habitats.

For example, additional land exposed during seasonal low water level conditions, thanks to a more natural drawdown, attracted unusu-

ally large flocks of shorebirds to the park, including American avocets and imperiled black skimmers, a state threatened species.  Continued efforts to restore the park’s natural hydrology, which includes the potential removal of Downs’ Dam, near the south end of the park, should result in further improved habitats, to the ben-

efit of both natural and human communities.

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

Follow us @FriendsOfMyakkaRiver

MIRI HARDY CONTRIBUTOR

Shorebirds, including imperiled species such as black skimmers, benefit from ongoing efforts to restore natural hydrology in the park.

Miri Hardy

Unusually large flocks of black skimmers, imperiled because of habitat loss and degradation as a result of coastal development, found refuge in Myakka River State Park this winter.

Ronto Announces Plans to Develop The Owen Golden Gate Point in Downtown Sarasota

The award-winning Ronto Group, in partnership with Wheelock Street Capital, announced it is developing The Owen Golden Gate Point on the bayfront in downtown Sarasota. One of the last condominiums to be developed on Golden Gate Point, the gated, mid-rise boutique building will include just 29 residences on ten floors over two levels of parking. Situated on a 1.18-acre site, the building’s design features four residences per floor plus one residence on the amenity level that will include an oversized terrace outfitted with planters and a fire pit and direct access to the community pool. The residences, including four penthouses, will range from 2,266 to 3,073 square feet under air. Framed by Sarasota Bay, and with generous terraces included with each residence, the gated Owen Golden Gate Point will be the ideal spot to capture gentle bay breezes and the ever-changing colors of Southwest Florida’s glorious sunsets. The residences are fully customizable during the pre-construction phase of the project and extensive finish selections are available. Owen Golden Gate Point is the only new downtown Sarasota building offering full customization for pre-construction buyers. Secure parking under the building with two spaces per residence, private elevator foyer and secured bike storage are included. Pre-construction pricing starts from $2.4-million.

Owen Golden Gate Point’s concrete block walls and ample airspace between floors will make noise transmission nearly non-existent. The building’s amenities and common areas are being designed by Riley Interior Design Principal Carrie L. Riley, ASID. The LRM Group at Premier Sotheby’s International Realty located at the Plaza at Five Points, 50 Central Avenue, Suite 110 in downtown Sarasota will provide brokerage services for the project.

Residents of Owen Golden Gate Point will enjoy a comprehensive array of on-property resort-style amenities. In addition to its priceless amenity that is wrapped in its enviable location, Owen Golden Gate Point’s interior amenities will include a lobby reception area, a spacious Club Room with a bar and comfortable seating, a Board Room, and a Game Room outfitted with an assortment of table and arcade games. A Fitness Center will offer stateof-the-art equipment, men’s and women’s locker rooms, a massage suite that will allow residents to invite their favorite massage therapist or simply stretch and tone in the generous spaces, a steam room, and a spa. Residents may also invite personal trainers to work with them within the Fitness Center. Outside, an expansive landscaped pavered amenity deck will include billowing palm trees and tropical container gardens, a saltwater pool with an infinity edge, an outdoor grilling area, a bocce ball court, and a spa that will be ideal for soothing aching muscles or enjoying a perfect moonlight plunge with that special someone.

Designed by MHK Architecture and Planning, Owen Golden Gate Point’s contemporary design will be awash in the neutral tones of the shore with gentle curves suggestive of the building’s setting on the Point. The site encompasses the southern tip of the Point, gracefully arcing from east to west while providing partial bay and marina views from the residences. Wide, light-filled floor plans with full-height windows will feature Ronto’s signature luxury finishes and features. Sensitive to the comfort of each resident,

The popularity of downtown Sarasota is stronger than ever. With the growing number of high-end residences, the emergence of new restaurants, shops, galleries, workout facilities and spas, and the presence of world-renowned theater, opera, and ballet, as well as its location along a pristine bayfront, it is no surprise downtown Sarasota is often found on the nation’s “best places to live” lists. Ideally situated in one of downtown Sarasota’s most cherished historic locations, the 22-acre Golden Gate Point peninsula’s smart, relaxed personality is distinctive and perfectly suited to a luxury lifestyle. With its treelined sidewalks, brick pavered streets, gas lighted entry, and bayfront backdrop, Golden Gate Point is a peaceful neighborhood that is insulated from the hubbub, density, and congestion found in other downtown areas. Urban dwellers appreciate Golden Gate Point’s easy access by foot, bike, car, or trolley to St. Armand’s Circle, the beaches, and the shopping, dining, and gallery venues that continue to proliferate in the Sarasota downtown district. Protected sidewalks extend for miles in all directions, creating opportunities for an invigorating run, a peaceful walk with the dog, a trip to the marina or yacht club for fishing, boating, or dining. Just across from the entry to the Golden Gate Point community are the Ritz Carlton & Westin Hotels, where one can indulge in a meal, a cocktail, a rooftop encounter, or a spa treatment.

Ronto has made reservations for residences at Owen Golden Gate Point available now. Six of the 29 residences have been reserved to date.

For additional information about this extraordinary opportunity, contact the LRM Group at Premier Sotheby’s International Realty located at the Plaza at Five Points, 50 Central Avenue, Suite 110 in downtown Sarasota. Call 941.210.0987.

owengoldengate.com

GATEWAY TO THE INCREDIBLE

Make A Plan.

Branching out with bamboo

Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce cuts the ribbon on St. Armands retailer selling bamboo-based goods.

SIDRA WALI CONTRIBUTOR

If you missed the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce ribboncutting for Cariloha Sarasota on May 4 at St. Armands Circle, then shoot.

All the products at Cariloha are made from viscose bamboo.

While St. Armands has had a Cariloha retail store since 2019, the May 4 event marked the store’s grand reopening under its new owners, Jeffrey Snell and Robin Snell.

They bought out the previous ownership at the end of January, explained Jeffrey Snell. The new owners then embarked on a remodel, which was recently completed ahead of the ribbon-cutting.

“We’re fully stocked with product,” said Jeffrey. “We have sheets, mattresses and a clothing line. We’re testing a bedding line as well.”

Jeffrey and his wife, Robin, bought their first Cariloha store in Naples five years ago, which they continue to run.

Jeffrey explained that when he was an airline pilot, he had back issues that gradually progressed until he couldn’t pass the medical test to remain a pilot.

“I had to pivot to a different career. We went on a cruise to the Caribbean in 2018 and saw they had cruise ports with Cariloha stores. That’s when it started. We are one of the only private owners of Cariloha,” said Jeffrey. “With our backgrounds, it went well.”

It Makes a Difference.

Jeffrey has a retail background, and Robin was a director of financial aid at the University of North Dakota for several years.

They explained that the benefits of bamboo outweigh those of cotton.

“It’s twice as soft, it’s cooler than cotton and it’s thermoregulating,”

said Jeffrey. “It’s extremely sustainable. Think soft, cool and clean.”

Jeffrey explained that bamboo also keeps bedbugs away and is hypoallergenic.

“The toughest thing right now is that we are not allowed to have a website or a landing page because we’re private owners,” said Jeffrey. “Robin created a loyalty program where customers can sign up and we can tell them ahead of time about new products and when the sales are. I’d recommend customers to go to the website and pick out what they’d like and call us, directly telling us what they’d like, or come in. We tell customers how to take care of their bamboo products, as well, and how to wash it.”

The loyalty program is free, but Jeffrey cautions customers that if they do buy a Cariloha item from the company’s website, they cannot accept any returns.

“If they go to Cariloha’s website, it’s not us. So if they purchase something on the website, and they want to return it, they’ll have to ship it back in the mail because we can’t accept those returns.”

Jeffrey explained that their Cariloha store in Naples ranked No. 1 in sales for resort stores in the company.

“Cariloha is great because there’s no chemicals in any of the products,” said Jeffrey.

Courtesy photo

Brian Wiffin, Janeane Diaz, Sarasota Mayor Kyle Battie, Cariloha owner Jeff Snell and Patti Bosco

A+E INSIDE:

< CALENDAR: The best things in arts and culture to enjoy this week. 18A

REVIEW: ‘Man of La Mancha’ hits its mark. 19A >

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT TO MENTAL ILLNESS STANDING UP

Comedy boot camp helped Scott Ehrenpreis prepare for his one-man show, ‘Clowns Like Me.’

MARTY FUGATE CONTRIBUTOR

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. “Clowns Like Me” is premiering this month at FSU Center for the Performing Arts. Scott Ehrenpreis is starring in the lead role. Actually, it’s the only role.

It’s a one-man show; Ehrenpreis is the man in question. He’s playing himself. The play’s about his life, but he’s not the author. Director/playwright Jason Cannon wrote the script, distilled from hours of anecdotes and stories he’d absorbed hanging out at the actor’s home. Why go to all that trouble?

Because the actor’s story was worth telling.

According to Cannon, “Clowns Like Me” is a character study. (Strictly speaking, a character study of a character actor.) It’s what Ehrenpreis does. And he’s very good at it.

He’s played a dimwitted boy-toy in “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” a high-strung TV technician in “Network,” a hardboiled police

reporter in “The Front Page” and a bullying Little League baseball coach in “Manager.”

I’d seen the actor’s shape-shifting talent on stage. But I didn’t see the mind-war inside him.

The actor’s father, Joel Ehrenpreis, saw it every day. He was close to his oldest son. Scott Ehrenpreis has waged a lifetime battle with OCD, bipolar disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, social anxiety and depression.

There was nothing to do but keep fighting. One day, the father made a suggestion to his son: “You’re an actor. Telling engaging stories is what you do. Why don’t you tell your own story?”

Scott Ehrenpreis loved the idea. And he tells his story in “Clowns Like Me.”

It isn’t a vanity project. It’s a survival strategy. And a call to action.

But a one-man play isn’t a oneman job.

The father-son team had many talents. But writing plays wasn’t one of them.

So they sent out a call to the local theater community. Florida Studio

Theatre veteran Cannon answered.

“This project basically fell in my lap,” Cannon says. “The three of us met — and we just clicked. Once I understood Scott’s story, I felt compelled to help him tell it.”

During that first brainstorming session, the young actor bubbled with funny, touching anecdotes. Cannon knew they didn’t add up to a play. He had to find the Big Story that tied all the little stories together. He wasn’t worried. Cannon had done this before.

To tell the man’s story, the playwright had to get to know him. And that would take time.

“I spent the first few months pulling stories out of Scott,” Cannon says. “I’d go to his condo a lot. No timetable, no pressure. He’d talk, I’d listen. I got to know how Scott lived, what he’d been through. I also talked to his parents and other people who knew him in different phases of his life.”

The young actor’s stories hit him with a revelatory punch. The impact reminded Cannon of Mike Birbiglia’s, Hannah Gadsby’s and Chris Gethard’s stand-up comedy. These come-

IF YOU GO

‘CLOWNS LIKE ME’

When: May 18 - 28

Where: FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota Tickets: $20

Info: LifelineProductionsInc. com/Clowns-Like-Me

dians all had mental health issues.

Very different struggles. Very different stories. But a similar approach.

“They all work in the intersection of storytelling, stand-up comedy and one-man theater,” Cannon says.

“They’d all found that sweet spot. I knew that’s where we had to go.”

OK. Just do what Birbiglia, Gadsby and Gethard do! That’s a cakewalk if you’re a stand-up veteran. If you’re an actor, it’s a long hard road.

That road included a stint at boot

Courtesy photos Scott Ehrenpreis rehearses May 12 for the debut of his one-man show, “Clowns Like Me,” which runs from May 18-28 at the Cook Theatre at the FSU Center for Performing Arts.

“Once I understood Scott’s story, I felt compelled to help him tell it.”

Jason Cannon, director/ playwright

camp. Not the one on Paris Island, but Comedy Boot Camp at McCurdy’s Comedy Theater.

Ehrenpreis is a great actor. Wouldn’t his skills make him a great comedian?

Cannon shakes his head no.

“Stand-up is a very different skill set,” he explains. “You break the fourth wall; you open yourself up; you directly address the audience. Scott lacked those skills. As an actor, he didn’t need them. In scripted theater, that’s not the way it’s done. To perform the play I had in mind, he’d have to learn how.”

Cannon stresses that “Clowns Like Me” isn’t improv. There’s a script, and he wrote it. But it’s written in stand-up style, with audience interactions. To do it right, Ehrenpreis would have to master the notso-gentle art of stand-up. Makes sense. But why would a playwright need stand-up skills?

“Because Scott needed a buddy,” he says. “I’d done improv at FST — and taken McCurdy’s Comedy Boot Camp course before. But it’d been awhile, and my skills were rusty. A refresher course couldn’t hurt.”

Actor and playwright took McCurdy’s crash course in stand-

up. Three days. Twelve hours. Both earned their comedy black belts. Then the play’s development process kicked into high gear.

Cannon polished “Clowns Like Me” over a series of drafts. He would perform the latest draft for a live audience. What gets a laugh? What falls flat? Based on audience feedback, Cannon would fine-tune the work-in-progress. The actor would then perform that version. Rinse and repeat. Five times.

At the end of nine months, Cannon finally had a play on his hands. “That’s normal for a baby,” he laughs. “It’s pretty quick for new play development.”

“Clowns Like Me” hasn’t opened yet. Lacking a time machine, I haven’t seen it. But I have read the script. I like it. Cannon’s a damn good writer. And he gets to the heart of the actor’s story. Ehrenpreis doesn’t whine. His one-act play isn’t a poor-me story. He owns his mental illness but doesn’t let it define him.

The play’s not a diagnosis. It’s an introduction. Meet Scott Ehrenpreis! He’s large; he contains multitudes. Simply put, he’s a person. After seeing the play, you’ll get to know that person. But you have to see the play.

STAND UP FROM PAGE 15A

Courtesy photo

Scott Ehrenpreis workshops “Clowns Like Me” to help get the script right.

Father knows best

MARTY FUGATE CONTRIBUTOR

Joel Ehrenpreis doesn’t think small. Yes, he wants to give his actor son, Scott Ehrenpreis, a creative outlet to talk about his personal struggles with mental health. But that’s not enough. He wants his son’s project to be a critical and commercial success.

Joel, a Baltimore transplant who spent a career in marketing, understood that while Scott is a talented actor, he isn’t a playwright or director. So Joel went out and found one.

After making the rounds in Sarasota’s vibrant theater community and interviewing potential collaborators, Joel hired Jason Cannon to work with Scott to develop his oneman play.

Before the pandemic caused him to pivot from plays to publishing, Cannon directed a variety of productions at Florida Studio Theatre, including the award-winning “Dancing Lessons.” He was eager to use his talents to making Scott’s vision a reality. Thanks to his creative collaboration, the play gradually took shape. Cannon also helped give it a name: “Clowns Like Me.”

Live theater development isn’t cheap. Joel reached out to philanthropists and foundations in the Sarasota area to help finance and market the production. Some donations came in over the transom after benefactors saw a workshop production of “Clowns Like Me.”

Joel created a nonprofit called Lifeline Productions to make this play possible. It did. And that opened up more possibilities.

“I realized we weren’t just doing a show for my son,” he says. “‘Clowns

Like Me’ is part of a larger mission.

Lifeline Productions gave Scott a platform to tell his story. Hopefully we’ll empower other storytellers in the future. We’ll be using art to dent the stigma around mental illness.

Scott’s one-man play is a great step in that direction. But it’s only a first step.”

Scott wasn’t available for interviews about his upcoming show because he was busy with rehearsals. His father stood in for his son.

Along with acting as a producer for “Clowns Like Me,” Joel is also its hard-working publicist.

Videographer Brad Bryan will capture two of Scott’s performances of “Clowns Like Me” with a threecamera set-up. He’ll then edit the footage together along the lines of “Hamilton.”

“Along with the film, we’re planning a short documentary,” says Cannon. “We’ll also be publishing the script. We’ll get the story out there every way we can.”

Joel Ehrenpreis used his marketing prowess to get his son’s one-man show off the ground.

Courtesy photo

Joel Ehrenpreis (right) helped son Scott find Playwright/Director Jason Cannon for “Clowns Like Me.”

THIS WEEK

THURSDAY

MEET THE ARTISTS: OPENING RECEPTION

5-7 p.m. at Creative Liberties at Gaze Gallery, 340 Central Ave. Free Visit CreativeLiberties.net.

Join Creative Liberties for an opening reception to welcome artists David Munoz and Emily Baar as the May and June artists-inresidence at Gaze Gallery.

FRIDAY

‘THE DROWSY CHAPERONE’

7 p.m. at The Players Studio, 1400 Boulevard of the Arts, #200 $15 Visit ThePlayers.org.

The Players Kids Next Gen presents “The Drowsy Chaperone,” about a Broadway fanatic who is visited by characters of the Great White Way as he listens to a recording of a fictional 1920s musical comedy.

Continues Saturday.

‘KEEP A SONG IN YOUR HEART’

7:30 p.m. at Venice Theatre’s Raymond Center, 140 Tampa Ave. W., Venice $22

Visit VeniceTheatre.org.

Pinky’s Players gives adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities a chance to experience the thrill of performing on stage. The theme of this year’s program is “Memories of the Lawrence Welk Show.” Continues Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

OUR PICK HERMITAGE SUNSETS

@ SELBY GARDENS: ‘CELLO ON POINT’ Hermitage alumna and cellist Karen Patterson plays favorites as well as original work as the Hermitage returns to Historic Spanish Point. From classical to jazz to spirituals, Patterson’s performance will celebrate cultural diversity and the resilience of community.

IF YOU GO

When: 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 19

Where: Historic Spanish Point, 401 N. Tamiami Trail, Osprey Tickets: $5 Info: VisitHermitageArtistRetreat. org.

SUNDAY

JAZZ ON THE WATER

2:30 p.m. at Marina Jack II at Marina Plaza $30-$35

Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

Cruise to the beat of Art Siegel and Panama Drive during this two-hour musical excursion sponsored by the Jazz Club of Sarasota. Refreshments and snacks are available for purchase.

CHORAL EVENSONG

5:15 p.m. at Church of the Redeemer Sarasota, 222 S. Palm Ave. Free Visit RedeemerSarasota.org.

Don’t miss the last Evensong of the season. The Church of the Redeemer presents this choral series on the third Sunday of the month from September through May under the direction of organist and Choirmaster Sam Nelson.

SARASOTA CUBAN BALLET SCHOOL’S END-OF-YEAR SHOW

7:30 p.m. at Riverview High School, 1 Ram Way

$37 Visit SRQCubanBallet.org.

All levels of SCBS dancers, including the Gulfcoast Studio Company, will be featured in classical and contemporary works. Seating is informal and not assigned.

MONDAY

JAZZ AT THE CABARET: LA LUCHA TRIO

7:30 p.m. at John C. Court Cabaret, 1265 First St. $34-$39 Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

The trio features Alejandro Arenas, Mark Feinman and John O’Leary. Opens at 6:30 p.m. for dinner and bar service.

‘TITANIUM: A SOUL EXPERIENCE’

7:30 p.m. at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N. Orange Ave. $23-$98 Visit WestcoastBlackTheatre.org.

WBTT’s second Young Artist Program showcase of the season is a musical journey chronicling Raleigh Mosely II’s pursuit to cultivate his inner “titan” and to inspire others to listen and do the same with moving soul, R&B and gospel music.

DON’T MISS

OPENING OF ‘LORNA BIEBER: NATURAL

WORLD’

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 20

Where: John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bayshore Road

Tickets: Free with $25 museum admission Info: Visit Ringling. org.

This solo exhibition includes new pieces by Lorna Bieber making their debut in the Keith D. and Linda L. Monda Gallery. Bieber’s art, which appropriates, recycles and manipulates imagery, developed while she was working as a photo editor for major magazines.

The Jazz Club of Sarasota will host a two-hour cruise featuring Art Siegel and Panama Drive on May 21.

Courtesy photos

“Lorna Bieber: Natural World” opens at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art on May 20 and runs through Oct. 15.

A Man on a Mission

‘Man of La Mancha’ captures a parallax view of a passionate dreamer in a stunning Asolo Rep production.

MARTY FUGATE CONTRIBUTOR

The literary quest of Don Quixote is a tangled odyssey of forgeries, distortions, translations and adaptations, so I’ll cut to the chase.

“Man of La Mancha” playwright Dale Wasserman, lyricist Joe Darion and composer Mitch Leigh’s 1965 musical adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes’ satiric novel has finally come to the Asolo Rep stage.

The skeleton of Cervantes’ plot is largely intact. Time: the 1600s. The place: La Mancha, an arid region of Spain. Alonso Quixano (Mauricio Martínez), an aging gentlemen on the lowest rung of nobility, reads too many heroic tales about knights in the days of chivalry. He reads, broods and loses his mind. He starts thinking that he could be one of those knights.

Reinventing himself as “Don Quixote,” he goes on a quest with his faithful sidekick, Sancho Panza (Aaron De Jesus). He tilts at windmills. He reimagines the lusty barmaid Aldonza (Janely Rodriguez) as the chaste Dulcinea and defends her honor. The world responds to his mad idealism with beatings and contempt.

In the musical’s clever frame story, the Spanish Inquisition throws Cervantes in a dungeon to await trial for heresy. The other prisoners try him first. The charge? Being an idealist, a bad poet and an honest man. The author pleads guilty. To incline the court to leniency, he acts out his famous book.

In this musical’s conceit, the novel is also a “troupe in a trunk” traveling show — and the author (conveniently) has the trunk with all the costumes. So … it’s showtime!

Director Peter Rothstein’s inventive, Broadway-quality production brings Quixote’s quest to the 21st century. The show’s prison and inmates evoke the modern-day holding pens of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service.

Michael Hoover’s set design is beautifully ugly. When Cervantes and his cast of prisoners act out Quixote’s quest, Marcus Dilliard’s lighting and Greg Emetaz’s projections transform the stage into the scenes of his story.

What you see is clearly a world of the imagination brought to life by the author’s words. Hoover, Dilliard and Emetaz bring it to life on stage. It’s

pure magic.

Fabian Fidel Aguilar’s costumes also serve the musical’s parallax vision. They shift beautifully from the prisoners’ shabby garb to the rags and feathers of the play-within-a-play. Props become clever substitutes, as when suitcases stand in for horses.

The actors all have magic of their own.

Martínez’s gripping portrayal of both the author and his famous creation is from the heart. He makes you believe in the impossible dreamer and the writer who dreamed him up in the first place. On top of that? Damn, the man can sing!

De Jesus delivers a great comic performance as Sancho Panza. His character could easily come off as a sucker or a sap for putting up with his friend’s antics.

Rodriguez is also a standout. Her nuanced portrayal of Aldonza evokes a tough, working-class woman who’s been kicked around by life but refuses to be broken.

As Dr. Corrasco, the fiance of Quixano’s niece, Rodolfo Nieto is a haughty, manipulative sociopath. It’s a searing portrait. (When the bad doctor comes to life as a monstrously gigantic puppet, the scale of his heartlessness becomes clear.)

Quixote’s quest is a battle between good and evil — but it’s also a battle between imagination and reality. This musical paints him as a Christ figure. (His vigil under the stars echoes Christ’s night in the Garden of Gethsemane.)

“Man of La Mancha” is the passion of Don Quixote. But this is a musical, not religion. Is the trip worth taking? Most definitely.

IF YOU GO

‘MAN OF LA MANCHA’

When: Through June 11

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

Tickets: $33-$93

Info: Call 351-8000 or visit AsoloRep. org.

Cliff Roles

Aaron De Jesus and Mauricio Martínez star in Asolo Rep's production of "Man of La Mancha."

FILLING IN THE GAPS

Summer Success Institute and Summer Learning

Academies ensure students keep learning during the summer.

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

Many students must start a new school year by rebuilding some of the foundational skills lost over the summer, said Edwina Oliver, an administrative lead for Summer Learning Academies, an initiative of Sarasota County Schools.

Yet there are solutions to ensure that learning doesn’t stop during the summer.

Two ways to address the issue include the county’s own program, as well as a summer camp specifically targeting summer learning loss.

SUMMER SUCCESS INSTITUTE

Autumn McConnell, owner and founder of Summer Success Institute, said summer learning loss results in students losing 27% of their academic knowledge. That drove her to found the institute, which also teaches personal growth and enrichment.

The camp, open for registration until May 30, has grown in popularity since it opened in 2019 at the Sarasota Suncoast Academy facility. It serves about 400 students each

SUMMER SUCCESS INSTITUTE

Address: 8084 Hawkins Road

Dates: One-week sessions for

summer, McConnell said.

“It’s really taken off,” she said. “It’s sort of developed a mind of its own.”

McConnell served nine years in the Sarasota County public school system, including in an administrative capacity. She oversees the curriculum and the selection of teach-

ers, whom she contracts from across Sarasota County.

The days begin with “teacher time,” two hours devoted to reading and math covering the topics that await students in the fall.

McConnell said the curriculum, which she developed, was assembled based on her visits to school staff meetings throughout the county and her conversations with teachers about what specific knowledge students are lacking when they enter their grade level.

The camp serves all students, from those who are struggling to those who are gifted. The institute’s assistant principal, Karla Reynolds, said teachers can differentiate among students in groups, which include about 15 students each, sorting them into levels according to needs.  Reynolds, who has taught at the camp, said teachers are free to teach according to their own styles.

“You’re given freedom to just be you as a teacher,” said Reynolds, describing a time she decided to dance and sing while teaching math — with McConnell joining in.

McConnell said when it comes to teaching, how the students feel about their instructors is important, which is why she casually questions students throughout the day.

The gaps that can be filled at the camp are not just academic, McConnell said. There’s also a great emphasis on personal development, which is highlighted for two days each week through a related theme every week.

She said these themes are based on

SUMMER LEARNING ACADEMIES

Summer Learning Academies schools

n Alta Vista Elementary

n Atwater Elementary

n Brentwood Elementary

n Cranberry Elementary

n Emma E. Booker Elementary

n Glenallen Elementary

n Gocio Elementary

n Lamarque Elementary

n Tuttle Elementary

Summer Reading Camps schools

n Cranberry Elementary

n Laurel Nokomis School

n Fruitville Elementary

Times: Lessons 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; extended care and enrichment until 5 p.m. at some schools. Summer Reading Camp 8:30-1:30 p.m.

Additional services: Snacks and lunch provided. Morning grab-and-go breakfast and lunch provided at no cost. Morning transportation provided at no cost. (Afternoon transportation also free for Summer Reading Camps.)

For information: Visit SarasotaCountySchools.net/Summer or contact your child’s school.

hundreds of forms she receives from teachers over the year highlighting the areas where students most need improvement socially.

“We give them tidbits — how to give an authentic thank you. How to approach a student that you see is by themselves. All of those little howto’s. And it’s just beautiful to watch.”

McConnell said the camp’s offerings are not limited to learning gaps. There is also plenty of fun to be had.

Outside presenters are featured three days a week and have included organizations such as Sarasota Jungle Gardens, Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium and a local beekeeper. Classes feature activities based on teachers’ hobbies, which might be sewing, music production, or another activity, with kids enjoying STEM and robotics activities as

they prepare to enter middle school. There are bounce houses every Friday, which her niece, Marleigh McConnell, a camp student, loves.

“I don’t like the camp — I love the camp,” said first grade student William Bousman.

There’s also an emphasis on gratitude and giving back. In the morning, students give presentations on what they’re grateful for, and at the end of the day they discuss the best parts of the day before leaving.

“I feel like my program really encompasses everything,” McConnell said. “It’s the full child — it’s not just a reading camp or a math camp or a karate camp. It’s really all of it in one.”

SUMMER LEARNING ACADEMIES

Edwina Oliver, an administrative lead for Summer Learning Academies, said based on current data collected on students, especially kindergartners, the ease of students’ entry into a new grade clearly increases if they attend Sarasota County Schools’ free Summer Learning Academies program.

“We can really say that that extra 24 days of learning in the summer frontloads them with some concepts they are going to see in kindergarten. We can see the impact of that,” she said.

Created in conjunction with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, the program can be utilized by children in varying grade levels at all 10 Title I schools in Sarasota County.

Originally started in 2012 at Alta Vista Elementary, it expanded to encompass the other schools, and just returned in 2022 after a twoyear absence. Classes aim for a 12:1 student-teacher ratio, and teachers and use the same curriculum as schools do during the rest of the year. There will be fun activities as well. At Booker, Tuttle and Lamarque Elementary, there will be a program to teach kids the basics of being a doctor or veterinarian.

The program is not only offered for students struggling with reading or math, but for any students, including those seeking enrichment. Also offered at three schools is a Summer Reading Camp for eligible third graders.

Photos by Ian Swaby

First grader Skye Moore is assisted by Autumn McConnell, while first grader Colton Boley works on an assignment at Summer Success Institute.

Karla Reynolds, assistant principal at Summer Success Institute

Courtesy photo

A parrot from Sarasota Jungle Gardens is on display at Summer Success Institute.

Fabulous fest celebrates understanding

Steve McAllister said he has been coming to the Be Fabulous Arts & Music Fest since “way back when it was the Harvey Milk Festival” before its recent renaming. What keeps him returning, he said, is “the music, the people and the essence of people coming together as a community to understand one another and to stand up for something.”

Community members filled the venue at WSLR+Fogartyville on May 13 for the lineup of LGBTQ+ bands, including headliner Palomino Blond, as well as Myles Optimystic and Proud Miranda, along with keynote speakers Yoleidy RosarioHernandez and Zander Moricz.

Shannon Fortner, executive director and founder of the Fabulous Arts Foundation, said using the arts as a catalyst for social change

has allowed people in the community to truly gain support, even for other initiatives they may be pursuing, such as the creation of nonprofit organizations.

“We persisted, we came together as a community and we are standing tall,” Fortner said. “We are educating folks in the community, and people are finding support and meeting other community members, and we have been discussing how we move forward together as a community and continue to be visible — to be seen and to be heard.”

The Fabulous Arts Foundation is working on establishing its own center, with the goal being a space that will host its art therapy pilot program, Fortner said.

— IAN SWABY

MeteorEYES members George Bikos and Shannon Fortner, executive director and founder of the Fabulous Arts Foundation, rock out.

Photos by Ian Swaby

A stream of bubbles thrills Adeline and Teva Skovronek.

Olivia Dally, 4 years old, and Kailyn Dally

Alaina and Jason Starr

Dave Nicholas and Michael Freeman

Students’ creativity in focus

North County K-12 Spring Art Show showcases the work of hundreds of students.

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

On May 9, Art Center Sarasota underwent a change, when its gallery walls were lined exclusively with hundreds of works by students, from kindergarten through 12th grade for the North County K-12 Spring Art Show.

High school and middle school students attended an awards ceremony on May 11, while during an extended hours night on May 16, elementary school students and their families turned out to view the artwork.

GABRIEL MIRMAN

Gabriel Mirman, a 12th grade student at Sarasota High School, didn’t expect to become the recipient of the Esther Freeman Best in Show Award, having never been involved in an art class in the past. His passion for enjoying nature provided the material he needed, thanks to a photo he altered that was taken in the alpine zone in the northeast.

“I was trying to design a piece about blending and absorbing and turning into nature and becoming one with nature,” he said, stating that the work was based on the Japanese idea of Shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, which is defined as taking in the atmosphere of the forest in a meditative way.

The photo features a mountain

with mossy rocks, a hiker and a rock cairn — a stack of rocks to help travelers find their way. He altered it by gradually selecting areas of the photo and transforming them into wavy lines for a sense of flowing energy.

“It isn’t common for photography to win the highest award, so getting this amount of recognition is pretty cool. Being able to express myself and move further as an artist, and getting that external recognition is validating,” he said.

He is currently attending a gap year program at Duke University, where he is headed to intertwine his art with environmental and marine science in some form, possibly by explaining scientific findings or engaging the community.

“It’s much easier to look at an art piece than a research paper. Creativity and the arts really need to work with sciences,” he said.

VERONIKA KHAKIMOVA

Veronika Khakimova, a 12th grade student at Riverview High School, said having been an artist since age 5, she is well aware of the problem of artistic burnout.

As a result, she decided to create an oil painting centered on the topic.

The painting features a female figure in the deep ocean, holding a brightly glowing orb.

“As an artist, I go through a lot of artistic burnout,” she said. “The deep ocean we haven’t really discovered and we don’t really know what’s

IF YOU GO

out there, but we still know that it’s there — wild creatures and things like that.”

The brightness of the orb represents that creativity never really leaves the artist, but which they must find “by diving in for it,” she said.

Khakimova said she was shocked that her work resulted in her receiving a $10,000 scholarship to Ringling College of Art and Design, alongside Booker High School student Samantha Tanelli.

ANDREA GONZALEZ

Andrea Gonzalez, a 12th grade student at Sarasota High, said she was surprised to win the second-place award for nonfunctional ceramics, having never created a ceramics piece in the past.

However, given the assignment to create one featuring something in the natural world and including the

use of coils, she readily chose on an octopus.

“I like the ocean; I find it really nice. Octopuses are so pretty — their color,” she said. The subject also allowed her to use a sea sponge for the pinch pot, another required component.

She said as she was creating the piece, which required her to roll out the tentacles individually and fix them onto the head, the tentacles would repeatedly collapse, but she persisted for two weeks.

While she said she was happy with the result, she wished she’d had the chance to make its texture even smoother, removing all imperfections.

“Other than that, I’m really proud of it,” she said.

She also credited the efforts of her teacher, Alicia Loomis.

Gonzalez said she feels inspired to someday open a business that sells

ceramics. Whether she will become a sculptor herself remains to be seen.

“I’m just going to let time do its thing,” she said.

AMELIA NICKEL-DE LA O

Lindsey Nickel said her daughter, Amelia Nickel-De La O, a first grade student at Ashton Elementary, has provided her with artwork that lines the walls of her office.

“All of her animals come to my office,” she said.

When assigned to draw a bear that was sleeping, Nickel-De La O decided to bring the creativity she uses each day to the piece to make it stand out. She said with her “best work” and “inspiration,” she tried including different colors, including orange, with a checkered pattern for the bear’s bedspread.

The result was a drawing that received the Best in Class award.

Ian Swaby

Lisa Gilbert and Aubrie Stilwell admire the artwork.

ONE PARK SARASOTA IS COMMITTED TO RAISING THE BENCHMARK OF LUXURY LIVING

Surrounded by a lively and evergrowing neighborhood, stunning waterfront, and expansive park, One Park Sarasota development is primed to elevate luxury within Sarasota’s real estate market. The property’s collection of masterfully crafted residences designed by Sarasota-based firm Hoyt Architects offer buyers an unmatched and sleek form of sophistication central to waterfront living. Its continued robust sales success underscores the demand for this level of high-quality, luxury condominium residences in the Sarasota market.

What sets apart One Park Sarasota is its commitment to providing a caliber of living experiences previously unseen in its neighborhood.

No element of comfort or convenience has been left unearthed in its design This includes generous floor plans, more than 13,000 square feet of retail, dining, and outdoor café seating at its base, and over 63,000 square feet of richly appointed amenities.

One Park Activates Community Connection

Outdoors on the ground level, One Park Sarasota will deliver an expansive beautifully designed, well-lit and safe breezeway above Quay Commons with access to The Quay and The Bay Park from the Boulevard of the Arts. This dynamic pedestrian walkway will

widen sidewalks and lush greenery to an otherwise vacant space but will also activate the space for Sarasota locals and residents. While the City of Sarasota code does not require the project to have any retail space, the developers of One Park are planning more than 13,000 square feet of retail space will be devoted to offering topnotch retail, dining, and outdoor café seating for those looking to meet up with friends, find respite during a particularly rainy or hot summer day, or shop the latest trends footsteps from home. This space will also attract business and liveliness to the area that will aid in maintaining its energy for years to come.

In addition to the ground level experience, One Park will provide plenty for owners to do and explore at their leisure. With over 63,000 square feet of amenities. Amenities include the One Park Wellness Spa, a 120-footlong resort-style pool, a 14,000-squarefoot state-of-the-art fitness studio with high-tech exercise equipment, executive office suites, a wine room, a private theater room and golf simulator room, a children’s playroom, and hospitality suites. Additional services led by the dedicated concierge staff include valet parking, package delivery and dog walking.

Creating Space

One Park Sarasota’s sizable floor plans not only serve to delight residents, but

also provide them with ample room to live and grow as they please. Each fully finished two, three, and five-bedroom plan ranges from 2,760 to 4,280 square feet. Units feature 10- to 12-foot floor-to-ceiling windows, expansive outdoor terraces, and unprecedented efficiency through PMG’s smart home technology experience for seamless personalization with a touch of a button.

In addition to these prime spaces, One Park Sarasota offers a stunning Penthouse Collection of six residences ranging from 3,800 to 8,460 square feet. These spaces include private rooftops equipped with a plunge pool and summer kitchen overlooking Downtown Sarasota and Sarasota Bay. As such, residents are able to both enjoy and entertain from the comfort of their homes.

Rooted in Success and Community

A development is only as strong as its team and the visionaries behind One Park not only have a proven track record of success, but are committed to the Sarasota community. Partner in the development, Kim Githler has roots in Sarasota dating back nearly 40 years where she has been deeply involved in community development, non-profit work and a devoted philanthropic figure in the area focusing on foster care and parent education. Since she and her partners, PMG first started working together, their focus has been on delivering a project that will evolve

and continue to transform the bustling Sarasota scene, elevating the caliber of development in the city.

PMG’s presence on the West Coast of Florida dates back decades through land ownership, and most recently in the form of the newly opened Sage Longboat Key, which was one of the fastest luxury projects to sell out in the region. Additionally, PMG has a threedecade track record of working closely alongside communities and cities to develop not only luxury residential projects, but also multi-family, mixedused and affordable housing projects to better the lives of the residents in the areas they choose to develop it.

This powerful team is all-in on having a hand and being a catalytic force that will continue to propel Sarasota forward as One Park continues to move forward in its development timeline.

Looking Ahead to Luxury

With an idyllic location, deliberately crafted spaces geared toward promoting effortless living community, and meticulously designed living spaces, One Park Sarasota is setting its own standard for what luxury living will look like in Sarasota for years to come. As the city continues to draw more people with its five-star, bayside lifestyle, and as One Park Sarasota will present residents with a truly unrivaled experience catered to their every need.

ARTIST CONCEPTUAL RENDERING

A blessing for the pets

Sara Weinberg said she was thrilled to bring Doc and Hedge, two former Southeastern Guide Dogs service dogs, to the Pet Shabbat/Blessing of the Animals event on May 13 at Temple Emanu-El.

“Everyone thinks they have the best-behaved dogs, but I know it,” she said. “They absolutely deserve it.”

Rabbi Elaine Glickman said the event was valuable because people often become caught up in their daily lives, taking certain things and people, along with their animal companions, for granted.

“As much as we love our pets and cherish our pets, we don’t always take the time to see that our love for them, and their love for us, is a reflection of the divine and of God’s creation,” she said.

Glickman said while the event might be low-key in terms of the preparation, just requiring the placement of chairs and tables, it is also an opportunity that is special for pet owners. Having been started over 10 years ago, it also has the distinction of being the “original pet blessing” in the Sarasota-Manatee area, she said.

The event, which involved Rabbis Brenner and Elaine Glickman and Rabbi Michael Shefrin, drew attendees who were enthusiastic about their pets and eager to have them honored with a blessing.

— IAN SWABY

Rabbi Brenner Glickman holds Goliath, while Rabbi Michael Shefrin holds his 8-monthold daughter Maya.

Barbara Brizdle holds her twin dogs, Moxi and Mazy.

Photos by Ian Swaby

Jeannine Germer, Champ and Jim Germer wait for their turn to be blessed.

Rabbi Brenner Glickman, Miss Bayla Steenbarger and her owner, Susan Benson-Steenbarger.

Condo atThe Residences sells for $2.5 million

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

Acondominium in The Residences tops all transactions in this week’s real estate.

Bettina and Christiaan Von Walhof, of the Netherlands, sold their Unit 1204 condominium at 1111 Ritz Carlton Drive to David and Deborah Swider, of Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan, for $2.5 million. Built in 2001, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 3,582 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.84 million in 2003.

SARASOTA

THE TOWER RESIDENCES

Barbara Johnson, Laura Barnett and Craig Johnson, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their Unit 401 condominium at 35 Watergate Drive to Christopher Dubs, of Sarasota, for $2.3 million. Built in 2003,

has

rooms, three baths and 3,751 square feet of living area. It sold for $2 million in 2003.

HANSEN Christopher and Kim Lane, of Port Saint Lucie, sold their home at 4013 Red Rock Lane to Mangrove Properties LLC for $2.2 million. Built in 2021, it has four bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,844 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.9 million in 2022.

VUE William Rappaport and Elizabeth Wayne-Rappaport, of Boca Raton, sold their Unit 604 condominium at 1155 N. Gulfstream Ave. to Sarasota Vue Ventures LLC for $2.1 million. Built in 2017, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,810 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,023,700 in 2017.

LE CHATEAU

Mitchell and Lynn Samberg, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 44 condominium at 37 Sunset Drive to Eliza Gale Racanelli, of Sarasota, for $1.55 million. Built in 1971, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,514 square feet of living area. It sold for $126,000 in 1988.

LONG MEADOW

Vicente and Georgia Salaverri, of Sarasota, sold their home at 2317

Rose St. to Detlev Von Kessel, of Sarasota, for $1,525,000. Built in 2022, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,143 square feet of living area.

POMELO PLACE

Jane and David Boone, of Sarasota, sold their home at 1710 Loma Linda St. to Jean and Bruce McCutcheon, of Sarasota, for $1.51 million. Built in 1942, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 1,982 square feet of living area. It sold for $367,500 in 2011.

CITRUS RESIDENCES

Mark Dennis McLane and Kathryn Scholin McLane, trustees, sold the Units 303 and 304 condominium at 555 N. Orange Ave. to William Krocheski and Laurianna Crown, of Sarasota, for $1,375,000. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,245 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,059,400 in 2021.

BAYVIEW HEIGHTS

Bradley Ayres, of University Park, sold the home at 2504 Mulberry Terrace to One Mulberry LLC for $1.2 million. Built in 1955, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,665 square feet of living area. It sold for $200,000 in 2017.

SARASOTA BAY CLUB Sarasota Bay Club LLC sold the Unit 1104 condominium at 1301 Tamiami Trail to Ramon and Caridad Santos, of Sarasota, for $975,000. Built in 2000, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,424 square feet of living area. It sold for $793,000 in 2019.

TOP BUILDING PERMITS

Courtesy photo

The unit 1204 condominium in The Residences at 1111 Ritz Carlton Drive tops all transactions in this week’s real estate at $2.5 million. Built

HYDE PARK HEIGHTS

Gaylen Jan Gault-Cloyd, Gail Lorraine, Terry Lee Rexroat, Tracy Malia, Aaron Rexroat and Lisa Rexroat sold their home at 2403 Hyde Park St. to Garry and Nancy Goudy, of Longboat Key, for $825,000. Built in 1920, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,937 square feet of living area.

See more transactions at YourObserver.com

SIESTA KEY: $2,075,000

Coronas Park

Pampa Sunbelt 11 LLC sold the home at 6906 Bochi Circle to John Folvig III, of Sarasota, for $2,075,000. Built in 2012, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,358 square feet of living area. It sold for $9,728,000 in 2021.

PALMER RANCH: $1,450,000

Cobblestone on Palmer Ranch

Daniel Ribar and Julija Puida Ribar, of Sarasota, sold their home at 8720 Mangilli Road to Jason and Amy Grieser, of Sarasota, for $1.45 million. Built in 2016, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,984 square feet of living area. It sold for $750,500 in 2016.

OSPREY: $1,787,500

Oaks II

Melchester Investments Ltd. sold the home at 280 Saratoga Court to Robert and Sharon Knapp, of Osprey, for $1,787,500. Built in 1994, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,970 square feet of living area. It sold for $835,000 in 2013.

NOKOMIS: $583,000

Mission Valley Estates

Other top sales by area ONLINE

Daniel Bonnet and Sandra Ross, of Englewood, sold their home at 680 Suffolk Circle to Gratiana Florenta Scrob, of Bothell, Washington, for $583,000. Built in 1978, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,771 square feet of living area.

in 2001, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 3,582 square feet of living area.

DO YOU KNOW WHERE THIS PERSON IS?

BEST BET SUNDAY, MAY 21

VEGANFEST SARASOTA

11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle. A vegan event for the entire family. Come if you’re curious about a plantbased diet, you’re a foodie craving what’s fresh and new, you want to be fitter and more health-conscious or you want to help support our community. Enjoy a kidfriendly zone and live music. This event is free, but $5 donations for VeganFest are encouraged. For information, visit VeganFestSarasota.com.

SATURDAY, MAY 20 SARASOTA INTERNATIONAL DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

941-366-TIPS

SarasotaCrimeStoppers.com

Begins 8 a.m. at 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle. Free. This event offers racing for established and entry-level teams alike looking to gain competitive experience. Race distances include 200 meters, 500 meters and the ever-thrilling 2K pursuit for Sport Division teams. (Community division teams will race 3x500 meters.) Participants can also visit a health and wellness village. For information visit MLDB. GWNEvents.com/Sarasota.

SATURDAY, MAY 20

TO SUNDAY, MAY 21

DIG THE BEACH VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT

948 Beach Road, Siesta Key, on Saturday and 348 Beach Road, Siesta Key, on Sunday. Since 1992, the Dig the Beach Volleyball Series has catered to both professional and amateur players. According to its website, it has graduated some of the top professionals on the domestic and world tours and has created and developed the nation’s largest Junior’s program. For times, information and to register, visit DigTheBeach.com.

SUNDAY, MAY 21

RADD HOSPITALITY CAREER FAIR

10 a.m. to noon at Rosemary Park, 1386 Boulevard of the Arts. Free. Discover exciting career opportunities in hospitality. As an attendee,

WELCOMES

WELCOMES

you’ll have the opportunity to connect with a diverse group of local restaurants and learn more about the various career paths available in the Sarasota-Manatee area. Top restaurants, food trucks and music will be waiting for you. For information, visit EventBrite.com.

TUESDAY, MAY 23

OPEN MIC NIGHT AT STOTTLEMYER’S SMOKEHOUSE & OUTDOOR MUSIC VENUE

6 p.m. at Stottlemyer’s Smokehouse, 19 East Road. Free. Every Tuesday, bring your voice or instrument of choice, sign up when you arrive and jam out. Or just come by and grab a beer, some snacks, and listen to the music. Enjoy slowcooked meats, pizza, tacos, signature cocktails, family to-go meals, catering and more. For information, visit EventBrite.com.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24

#RUN99, A 5K FUN RUN

6 p.m. at 99 Bottles and Taproom & Bottle Shop, 1445 Second St. Free. Run, jog or walk through Downtown Sarasota and along the Bayfront every Wednesday. All paces and walkers are welcome. Prizes if you perform enough repeat runs. No award for first place, and no one cares who comes in last. Free parking is available in the Whole Foods parking garage directly across the street from 99 Bottles. For information, visit 99Bottles.net.

Brittney M. Benjamin, MD

Brittney M. Benjamin, MD Board Certified, Family Medicine

Brittney M. Benjamin, MD

WELCOMES

Board Certified, Family Medicine

Brittney M. Benjamin, MD

brings to Intercoastal Medical Group at the office a wealth of knowledge and experience in Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI Medical School: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI Residency: Bayfront Health, Family Medicine Residency, St. Petersburg, FL

brings to Intercoastal Medical Group at the office a wealth of knowledge and experience in

Board Certified, Family Medicine

Dr. Brittney Benjamin brings to Intercoastal Medical Group at the Beneva Family Practice office a wealth of knowledge and experience in Family Medicine.

Certification: American Board of Family Medicine

Undergraduate: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI Medical School: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI Residency: Bayfront Health, Family Medicine Residency, St. Petersburg, FL

Hospital Affiliations: Sarasota Memorial Hospital; Doctors Hospital

Certification: American Board of Family Medicine

Hospital Affiliations: Sarasota Memorial Hospital; Doctors Hospital

NOW ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS!

Undergraduate: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI Medical School: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI Residency: Bayfront Health, Family Medicine Residency, St. Petersburg, FL

NOW ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS!

Certification: American Board of Family Medicine

TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT, PLEASE CALL 941-365-7390

TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT, PLEASE CALL 941-365-7390

Hospital Affiliations: Sarasota Memorial Hospital; Doctors Hospital

NOW ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS!

Beneva Family Practice Office 921 S. Beneva Road, Sarasota, Florida 34232

NOW ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS!

TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT, PLEASE CALL 941-365-7390

Beneva Family Practice Office 921 S. Beneva Road, Sarasota, Florida 34232

www.intercoastalmedical.com

TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT, PLEASE CALL 941-365-7390

Medicare and most insurances accepted

www.intercoastalmedical.com

Medicare and most insurances accepted

Beneva Family Practice Office 921 S. Beneva Road, Sarasota, Florida 34232 www.intercoastalmedical.com

Beneva Family Practice Office 921 S. Beneva Road, Sarasota, Florida 34232

A Patient Focused, Multi-Specialty Group l National Expertise l Multiple Locations

A Patient Focused, Multi-Specialty Group l National Expertise l Multiple Locations

www.intercoastalmedical.com

Medicare and most insurances accepted

Board Certified, Family Medicine 403819-1

Patient Focused, Multi-Specialty Group l National Expertise l Multiple Locations

Courtesy photo

VeganFest Sarasota will be held May 21 at Nathan Benderson Park.

Fast Break

tournament.

On May 5, 248 golfers participated in the 2023 Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation Golf Tournament at Laurel Oak Country Club. The event raised approximately $128,000 for the Sarasota Memorial Hospital Physicians Endowment, which provides continuing education opportunities for Sarasota Memorial Health Care System staff.

… The State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota has suspended its men’s basketball program for the 2023-24 season, the school announced May 15. The move follows former coach Tom Parks’ departure for Casper College in April. In a statement, the school cited Parks’ departure and the lack of signees in the program’s incoming recruiting class as factors in the decision. The school said its other athletic programs will be unaffected by the decision.

The 2023 Meadows Cup Pro-Am Golf Tournament was held April 21 at The Meadows Country Club. The event, held in partnership with Easterseals Happiness House, raised approximately $125,000 for programs and services that provide support to children, teens and adults with disabilities.

Two Cardinal Mooney High student-athletes signed with colleges at a May 10 ceremony. Madison Vavra will attend Stetson University for cheerleading and Ryon White will attend Hanover College for football (wide receiver).

Get ready for the 2023 USRowing Youth National Championships. The event will hit Nathan Benderson Park for the fourth consecutive year, June 8-11. The best youth rowers in the country will compete for medals, including competitors from Sarasota Crew. For more information, visit USRowing.org.

Former Sarasota Crew and US Olympic rower Clark Dean and his Harvard University men’s varsity 8+ finished fourth (5:26.32) at the 2023 Eastern Sprints Regatta, held May 14 at Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Massachusetts.

‘MIRACLE’ WEEKEND

The Cougars reached the FHSAA Final Four while missing three seniors who were at graduation.

RYAN KOHN SPORTS EDITOR

Getting to Tallahassee was enough of a prize.

Head coach Chad Davis and the Cardinal Mooney High beach volleyball program (24-2) had already won a state title, from the Sunshine State Athletic Conference tournament, in April. Reaching the Florida High School Athletic Association state tournament, held May 12-13 in Tallahassee, would be a strong way to end the season; whatever happened after that was a bonus.

Not only because of the quality of the teams at the tournament, but because Davis knew three of his top players — seniors Madeline Carson, Gracie Page and Sawyer DeYoung — would be unavailable for the tournament because they would be at the school’s graduation, walking the stage in their caps and gowns.

It’s why Davis put such an emphasis on reaching the tournament at all: He wanted his seniors to go out with a win. The rest of the team will be back in 2024, with room to improve, so anything they did in Tallahassee would be experience for next season. Davis got what he wanted: With a hard-fought 3-2 win over Berkeley Prep (16-2), the Cougars were bound for the state tournament.

That’s when things got interesting.

In a weekend Davis now calls “The Miracle in the Sand,” Mooney went to Tallahassee down three key players and took wins over Merritt Island High (4-1) and Bradenton Christian (3-2), the latter coming down to a final set win from freshmen pair, Layla Larrick and Violet Weiser. The two wins put Mooney in the state final four, where the Cougars faced defending champion New Smyrna Beach High (28-0), which is ranked No. 2 in the country by MaxPreps as of May 16.

It took some maneuvering. With the seniors gone, Davis and his assistant coaches Derrick Duquette and Rick Fisher had to flip the team’s pairings. Instead of breaking up the team’s bottom three pairs, the coaches moved sophomore Ella Shuel into the top pairing alongside junior Helena Hebda, then created a new second pair in sophomore Zoe

Kirby and freshman Madi Robinson. The idea, Davis said, was that the team’s bottom three pairings were so strong, they had an advantage over other teams with less depth. Moving members of those pairs into the top pairings would have only caused more inconsistency. The plan worked exactly as Davis hoped, especially against BCS; Davis said the team’s bottom three pairs were “incredible” in the postseason.

Mooney, ranked No. 8 nationally, lost 3-1 to New Smyrna Beach, but Davis said he was blown away by the heart they showed. Mooney was the only team to take a game from the Barracudas in the postseason; New Smyrna repeated as champions with a 3-0 win over Westminster Christian (19-2) in the state title match.

“It shows how close we really are,” Davis said. “It was a great season for the girls. To make it that far under the circumstances, it showed how strong the team was across the board. If most teams were put in that situation, there would be a 1% chance they would win any match. To make it to the final four and then take a pairing off basically the top team in the nation, it’s unbelievable.”

Davis was speaking from vacation in California, a trip he said was much needed following the grind of indoor volleyball, travel volleyball and beach volleyball that has been going on since the beginning of the school year. To Davis, all three shades of the sport have equal value. Davis said he’d like to see beach volleyball continue to grow in popularity over the next few years, and one way to do that is by adding lights to the school’s newly constructed home courts. The project has not yet been approved by the school; Davis said he’s still putting together the schematics. But if it is approved, Davis believes it is an addition that could happen relatively quickly and one that would make a huge difference to the sport’s perception in the community.

“It would take this thing to a (NCAA) Division I level complex,” Davis said. “To have night games, to have more students out there and involved, to have doubleheaders. It just adds something. It has a totally different feel. It’s super special.”

Davis said he was happy with the program’s attendance figures in year one of the school’s home courts, but

because most of the team’s games were played in the afternoon, it prevented many of the school’s studentathletes from attending, as they were busy practicing their own sports.

After playing in a few matches under the lights in Tallahassee, Davis is more bullish about the possibilities than ever.

He’s also excited about the talent that he’ll have in 2024. While Carson, DeYoung and Page will be gone, Hebda, who Davis called “the best player in the area,” will return. Also coming back are the pairings of sophomores Kate Montesano and Riley Greene, who lost just once during the season, and of sophomores Katie Powers and Izzy Russell, who lost just twice during the season.

“We’re going to be even better next season,” Davis said. “That’s something to look forward to.”

“I don’t think anyone expected (to win the 50/70 championship). We were a little down at the start of the season, but we kept working and this is the outcome.”

— Finley Miller SEE PAGE 13B

Courtesy photo Jeff Wesner and Justin Angell compete in the 2023 Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation golf

Courtesy photo

The Cardinal Mooney beach volleyball program reached the FHSAA Final Four despite missing three key seniors.

Ryan Kohn Cardinal Mooney junior Helena Hebda was the team's most veteran player at the FHSAA state tournament.

PROSE AND KOHN RYAN KOHN

In tough circumstances, these athletes came through

The end is nigh.  Sarasota High (21-5) softball fell on May 16 to Windermere in the state softball finals, so after the Florida High School Athletic Association’s track and field championships are held this week in Jacksonville at the University of North Florida, the spring high school sports season will be over, and thus, so will the 2022-23 high school sports season.

This time of year always fills me with a mix of emotions. It’s always nice to be done with the rush of a season for a few months each summer, but by the end of it, I’ll be yearning for the hustle and bustle of high school sports once again.

Before I take a breath and check out on high school sports, though, I wanted to put together a final under-the-radar list for the spring sports season.

Like always, these players are not the only ones who deserve recognition and haven’t received it (to this point, anyway). There are plenty out there. But these are the ones that caught my eye for one reason or another. Most of them played on teams that struggled. To me, a strong statistical season that occurs in the middle of a tough team season has some extra spice on it. It means that the player in question didn’t give in, didn’t stop pushing, even when they could have and no one would notice (or blame them).  Here’s the players that earned my attention this spring season.

WILLIAM ST. ONGE, RIVERVIEW

HIGH BASEBALL

The Rams had a disappointing season by their recent standards, finishing with a 9-17 record, but junior pitcher William St. Onge did work whenever he took the mound. St. Onge pitched 29.2 innings, tied with sophomore Caden Sladek for the team lead, and had a 2.12 ERA. The details get even more interesting: St. Onge had a batting average against of just .205.

There’s room for him to improve in 2024, too. St. Onge allowed 25 walks, nearly one per inning, which occasionally got him into trouble when he otherwise would not have been. If he can clean up the accuracy a bit, he has a chance at a huge 2024 season.

MADISON DUNCAN, CARDINAL MOONEY HIGH SOFTBALL

The Cougars had the epitome of an all-or-nothing season. The team finished 4-8, and all but two of those games were decided by 10 runs or more, including all four wins. So when they were good, they were quite good, and when they weren’t, well, it was the opposite.

Junior infielder Madison Duncan was a steadying force in that chaos, playing like the exact type of player these columns are designed to highlight: the “if you don’t know, now you know” players, as the late, great Biggie Smalls would say.

Duncan finished the season hitting a whopping .700 at the plate. That mark is good for seventh-best in Florida, according to MaxPreps data. Duncan also had five doubles, two triples and 17 RBIs.

So, if you don’t know, now you know.

JACOB BROWN, CARDINAL MOONEY HIGH BOYS LACROSSE

I’m an easy mark. If I see a goaltender attempt to score a goal — in any sport — I give them extra points in my mind.

Cardinal Mooney junior goaltender Jacob Brown not only attempted to score multiple times this season, he succeeded: on April 21 against Saint Stephen’s Episcopal in the Class 1A regional quarterfinals, Brown netted one in a 19-6 win. Yes, he scored in a playoff game. You have to respect it.

But Brown is also a good goalie in a traditional sense. Mooney allowed just 175 goals in 2023, and Brown was a big part of that.

THE BOOKER HIGH GIRLS TENNIS TEAM

Yes, I’m awarding this one to an entire team, but the Tornadoes deserve the love. Since I took on this beat in 2016, the Tornadoes tennis program hasn’t had much success, including in 2022, when they finished fifth out of seven teams in their Class 2A district tournament.

The 2023 season showed signs of things changing. The team went 9-9, a big improvement on its recent history, and took second place at its district tournament. Junior Mia Dickey, who held a 15-4 individual record, reached the No. 1 singles finals before losing to Lemon Bay High sophomore Parker Zautcke (6-0, 6-2). Dicky also reached the No. 1 doubles finals with senior Lesa Snipes-Williams but lost to Zautcke and junior Rosey Lowder, 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 (10-40).

Props to the Tornadoes for fighting through the hard times and finding some success. It could be nothing but up from here.

AVA KOZICKY, SARASOTA HIGH GIRLS LACROSSE

Talk about running an offense.

Sailors sophomore Ava Kozicky was involved in 67 of the team’s 129 goals in 2023; that’s 52% of the offensive output. Kozicky’s goal total of 60 is tied for 56th in Florida, but her average of 4 goals per game is higher than many of the players ahead of her on the goals list, so efficiency-wise, Kozicky was easily a top-40 player in the state.

On an inexperienced Sailors team, Kozicky still found a way to play her game. And with two more years of high school lacrosse to go, massive results could be in her future.

DABIAN REITZ, RIVERVIEW HIGH BOYS WEIGHTLIFTING

Weightlifting generally does not get as much publicity as other sports this time of year, but when an athlete performs well at a state meet, it deserves some space.

Rams senior Dabian Reitz finished second at the FHSAA state meet, held April 14-15 in Lakeland, in the Class 3A 139-pound traditional weight class with a total score of 535 pounds. Ending a high school career with a silver medal is always something to celebrate.

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

File photo

Sarasota High girls lacrosse sophomore Ava Kozicky finished the season with 60 goals and 67 points.

Ryan Kohn

Cardinal Mooney junior goalkeeper Jacob Brown scored a goal against Saint Stephen’s Episcopal.

Finley Miller

Finley Miller, 12 years old, is a Sarasota Little League athlete playing in the 50/70 (50-foot pitching distance/70-foot base paths) division. Miller, who plays third base and pitches, hit a grand slam May 15 in his Smith & Waggoner-sponsored team’s 21-9 50/70 championship win over the Hall’s team at Twin Lakes Park.

When did you start playing baseball?

I started when I was in fourth grade, so it has not been that long of a career, but I have a special love for the game. I had seen some MLB games on TV and wanted to give it a try. I wanted to be one of them (the players).

What is the appeal to you?

I just like making plays. I like hitting home runs. I like pitching. I like making new friends and talking to everyone, too. It’s all fun.

What do you throw as a pitcher?

I throw a four-seam fastball, a twoseam fastball, a curveball and a slider. My favorite is the curveball. I like the movement it has and it just feels good coming out of my hand.

What have you been working to improve this year?

There was a stretch where I was striking out a lot. I just had to get my mentality straight. I used to hang my head, but this season I have been better about that. I just had to keep working.

What happened on the grand slam?

I came up to the plate and thought, “Ooh, I’m going to hit this guy.” I felt good about it. My mentality was up. Then it happened and I was so excited. I had never hit a grand slam before.

How does it feel for your team to win the 50/70 championship?

It feels great. To be honest, I don’t think anyone expected it. We were a little down at the start of the season, but we kept working and this is the outcome.

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

What is your favorite food?

Pepperoni pizza.

What is your favorite TV show or movie?

I like “The Sandlot” for a movie and “Ted Lasso” as a TV show. They’re both sort of motivational.

What is your favorite school subject?

Physical education. I was born athletic, I guess.

Which superpower would you pick?

Super strength. I could use it to hit more home runs.

What is the best advice you have received? It’s always going to be OK, no matter how bad it gets.

Finish this sentence: “Finley Miller is …” … Energetic.

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GREEN GROCERIES by Alex Eaton-Salners, edited by Jeff Chen

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

The Sarasota and Siesta Key Observer reserves the right to classify and edit copy, or to reject or cancel an advertisement at any time. Corrections after first insertion only. *All ads are subject to the approval of the Publisher.

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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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PING PUTTER Anser 2, $25.

Call Eddie (941)932-1172

POOL

First 15 words ................. $17.50 per week Each add’l word .......50¢

941-744-7983.

Health Services

CNA-- CAREGIVER Daily routines, meal preparation, doctor appointments, shopping and companion. Excellent local references. Call Jola 845-544-3243

ELITE CONCIERGE NURSING Private Duty RN HOSPITAL QUALIFIED, COMPASSIONATE CARE, CUSTOMIZED TO MEET YOUR PERSONAL NEEDS.

MEDICATION MANAGEMENT, TRANSPORTATION FOR SAME DAY SURGERIES, DOCTOR’S APPOINTMENT SUPPORT, RESPITE CARE, ALZHEIMER’S/DEMENTIA CARE, STROKE CARE, PARKINSON’S CARE, POST-OP SURGERY CARE.

LICENSED & INSURED KELLY KOESLAG RN (941)350-2204

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Paint the town RED!

Advertise your business or service in the Observer RED PAGES

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Landscaping/ Lawn Services

PROFESSIONAL GARDENER Design, installation, maintenance, owers, herbs, vegetables, and exotic gardens. Regular weekly lawn maintenance and restoration 40+ years experience.

Painting CARLO DATTILO Painting Licensed & insured. Interior/ Exterior painting including drywall repair and retexturing. Wallpaper installation & removal, pressure washing. Residential & commercial, condos. Honest & reliable. Free estimates. 941-744-1020. RED PAGES AD RATES FIND BUYERS & SELLERS HERE!