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Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer 6.8.23

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SARASOTA/SIESTA KEY

Local catch.

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Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

FREE • THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 2023

VOLUME 19, NO. 28

YOUR TOWN

Developer wants city to apologize

James Bridges said the city’s criminal inquiry into his actions has damaged his reputation. SEE PAGE 9A

Courtesy photo

Taking flight

She wasn’t quite ready to leave Save our Seabirds, but she has another internship this summer. Sarasota High graduate and Florida State advertising major Megan Mohrmann capped off her marketing internship at Save Our Seabirds by releasing a rehabilitated mourning dove. Mohrmann said the bird arrived about a month ago at Save Our Seabirds. It had an injured wing. The release was one of the highlights of her time at SOS, where her favorite part of the job was “(capturing) the positive stories and sharing them with the public.” One of those stories includes a new record. “This month, we broke one of our records for most ospreys received,” said Mohrmann. Four were transferred to the SOS facility for rehab, and two more were rescued that same day, explained Mohrmann. Four of the ospreys have already been released and two are working toward a full recovery, she said.

UNDER THE SEA Trash is the treasure in Sarasota Bay cleanup effort. SEE PAGE 10A

Getting his automotive fix Michael Rodriguez’s career in automotive repair started online when he was inspired by the videos of Christopher Magello, better known as ChrisFix. On June 1, Rodriguez had the chance to meet Magello during a greeting event in the parking lot of Lowe’s on Fruitville Road. “I’ve seen him on the screen all the time — now he’s in person,” he said. As a result of Magello’s stepby-step videos, which make up what is the largest car channel on YouTube at 9.63 million subscribers, Rodriguez was inspired to attend Suncoast Technical College, becoming a technician at Sarasota Ford. Magello was joined by YouTuber Freddy Hernandez, whose channel on vehicle modification has 2.55 million subscribers. Magello said he chose to hold the event in Sarasota due to its large car community.

James Peter

John Ryan and Brandon Taaffe, with Sarasota Bay Watch, participate in its event to remove trash from Sarasota Bay June 3.

Growth gone east A new grocery store and hundreds of residences are set to transform Upper Main Street into downtown’s next hot spot. SEE PAGE 3A

Turtle Tracks AS OF MAY 27 TOTAL NESTS: Siesta Key Lido Beach Casey Key

2023 40 15 164

2022 38 16 134

TOTAL FALSE CRAWLS: 2023 2022 Siesta Key 70 33 Lido Beach 36 6 Casey Key 134 88 Source: Mote Marine Laboratory

A+E

Courtesy rendering

The SOTA is just one of several developments planned for Main Street.

Fest features noted storytelling. PAGE 13A


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