Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer 7.20.23

YOUR TOWN

Purple Ribbon people chosen

Summer bash

It started with a bike ride and ended with a barbecue.

Local nonprofit DreamLarge hosted the July 13 event, BLVD Bike Ride and BBQ Bash, that saw 20 participants brave the sweltering evening heat for a bike-ride exploration of The Bay Park led by Bill Waddill, chief operating officer of The Bay Park.

Afterward, the riders returned to the DreamLarge office at 513 Central Ave. for a community barbecue with ice cold drinks, fans, misters and lawn games. Many stuck to the shade or sought out the A/C in the DreamLarge offices, but a few played soccer, cornhole and enjoyed music from DJ Sunsets and Soundwaves. The field where the barbecue was held will soon be home to a pocket park, with work beginning in August, said DreamLarge Project Manager Asya Stuart.

The event was part of the nonprofit’s ongoing efforts to activate and encourage interest in the Rosemary Art & Design District.

Serve’s up

Pro and amateur beach volleyball players packed the sands of Lido Beach July 15-17 for Rockstar Beach Promotions’ July Independence Volleyball Tournament.

Ages ranged from younger than 12 years old to pros. All players had to be registered with the Association of Volleyball Professionals to compete.

“The beach renourishment has added so much out here. There’s a lot of footprint that is not being used, and we want to continue to try to change that,” said Rachel Manzanares, tournament director. This was only a taste of Rockstar volleyball events. The headline event takes place in November — the third annual “Thanksgiving Stuffers” on Lido Beach.

Turtle Tracks

James Peter Oscar Stuart, 8, at the July

RADD community barbecue.

Ian Swaby

Terrence Connor, left, was sworn in as superintendent of Sarasota County Schools July 17.

Andrew Warfield

WEEK OF JULY 20, 2023

BY THE NUMBERS

Deputy City Attorney Michael Connelly Read more on Page 6

Sessions, Pallegar new GCCF chair, vice chair

The Gulf Coast Community Foundation Board of Directors has elected new leadership for fiscal year 2024, along with three new board members. David Sessions has been elected chair, succeeding David Green, and Anand Pallegar was elected vice chair. Both will serve one-year terms.

Sessions is CEO of Willis Smith Construction and has been with the company since 1988. He brings 40 years of multidisciplinary experience in educational, health care, religious, green sustainable, industrial and commercial construction.

Pallegar is founder of AtLarge, a branding agency that works with market-leading global brands. He brings decades of experience as a creative entrepreneur and leader to support Gulf Coast’s proactive impact.

The GCCF board also welcomed three new members, Keith Johnson, Frank Martucci and Pete Petersen for three-year terms.

CareerEdge granted $125,000 by GCCF

Three Siesta listings in national HGTV contest

Three homes listed for sale by Michael Saunders & Co. on Siesta Key are among nearly 100 finalists in HGTV’s Ultimate House Hunt 2023.

The annual monthlong online promotion, held by HGTV.com, showcases homes for sale across the country in eight categories: Amazing Kitchens, Beachfront Homes, Countryside Retreats, Curb Appeal, Downtown Dwellings, Homes With a History, Outdoor Escapes and Waterside Homes.

All nominees are represented by members of Leading Real Es-

tate Companies of the World and Luxury Portfolio International. Viewers can log into HGTV.com and vote for their favorite in each category through Aug. 3. The promotion generated more than 1.5 million votes last year.

The listings at 7340 Point of Rocks Road and 8324 Sanderling Road were selected as finalists in the Beachfront Homes category, and at 5131 Jungle Plum Road in the Waterfront Homes category. The remodeled home at 7340 Point of Rocks Road is perched 12 feet above the Gulf of Mexico at the southern end of Siesta

Key. Surrounded by palms, 8324 Sanderling Road boasts private beachfront living with views of the Gulf of Mexico. The bayfront estate at 5131 Jungle Plum Road showcases updates, tropical landscaping and water views from nearly every room.

Before voting, viewers can tour the more than 95 finalists by viewing photo galleries on HGTV. com. A winner will be chosen in each category based on the highest number of votes received, and an overall favorite will be awarded for the listing earning the most votes.

CareerEdge, the workforce development initiative led by the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, has been awarded a $125,000 grant from Gulf Coast Community Foundation. Supported by the A. Hamilton and Edith T. Gardner Fund, the grant further advances its partnership with GCCF, which is among the founding benefactors of CareerEdge.

The grant will support CareerEdge Funders Collaborative’s initiatives in helping build a labor force for growing industries by leveraging community assets and forming workforce partnerships.

CareerEdge will use the funds to implement demand-driven strategies including fast-track training programs, on-the-job training, internship reimbursement and employer funding to upskill employees.

“There are some 96,000 attorneys in the state of Florida, we all have an opinion and that’s all it is right now. They’re just opinions.”

Courtesy photo This listing at 8324 Sanderling Road is one of three on Siesta Key in HGTV.com’s Ultimate House Hunt.

GAME, SET, MATCH

ANDREW WARFIELD

STAFF WRITER

More than five years since a plan to redevelop the Bath & Racquet Club in south Sarasota first surfaced, heavy equipment began the demolition of the main building following a ceremonial groundbreaking last week.

With Mayor Kyle Battie manning the controls, a trackhoe knocked out the first chunks of the facility. Demolition started in earnest on Monday. Developer Sarasota Springs LLC principal Fabio Di Prima said the 13.42-acre site off Tamiami Trail on Robinhood Street will be a clean slate in six to seven weeks.

In its place will be the reimagined Bath + Racquet Residences & Club, the name a nod to the half-century heritage of the property, adorned with a modern touch. Accompanied by the slogan, “An Icon is Reborn,” an all-new tennis, pickleball and swim complex will be surrounded by 256 luxury condominiums in Sarasota School of Architecture style plus 65,000 square feet of commercial and office space, all nestled between a single-family neighborhood and Tamiami Trail.

Amy DiSalvo, a Realtor with Keller Williams on the Water leading the sales of the condominiums, has a deep connection to Bath & Racquet. She spent her childhood just yards away from the former 29-court facility.

“I grew up on Riverwood Court,” she said. “My kids played there, so it’s really an emotional place for us, too. It concerned me when it went up for sale, wondering what were they going to do with it.”

Bath & Racquet changed hands twice since 2017, with Sarasota Springs LLC acquiring it for $15.35 million in January 2022. The new owners carried forward the design of Sarasota’s Haflants + Pichette, with modifications made to move the plan through final city approval and to relieve neighborhood concerns.

Those changes included elimination of a small grandstand for tournament seating, removal of a parking garage beneath raised tennis courts, enhanced landscape buffering, lighting protection from nearby homes and restricting access from neighborhood streets. A walking trail around the development and a twoacre park will be accessible from, and open to, the neighborhood.

“This morning feels good to be here after probably 80 months, and it just represents for us a small step but a very, very important one,” said Di Prima. “Bath & Racquet has been here for 50 years and we feel we feel very grateful to finally do something.”

BRISK RETURNS

Last week’s groundbreaking marked the start of Phase 2 of the project, the first phase being pre-sales of the initial building of condominiums and marketing the commercial space.

Phase 1 condos are nearly sold out, according to DiSalvo. In all, there will be 223 market-rate units priced between $600,000 and $1.5 million. In addition, 33 one-bedroom condos will be attainably priced for those at 120% or less of the area median income. The developer will initially retain ownership of the attainable units and make them available for rent.

There will be one-, two- and three-bedroom condominiums over multiple buildings with a private residents’ pool and amenities plus the commercial space, all designed around a rejuvenated private club that will include 13 outdoor tennis courts, 12 indoor and four outdoor pickleball courts, a members’ pool and members’ fitness center.

“We’ve sold 80% of Phase 1, and we have a long call list right now,” DiSalvo said. “There are three-bedroom units that are all one level and there are multi-level units. Phase 2 will be facing the tennis courts.”

Tenants for the commercial space are intended to complement the racquet club lifestyle with health and wellness, fitness, apparel, equipment and similar niche retailers and services. DiSalvo said the office space is garnering attention from some seeking a live-work lifestyle. The commercial space will be opened simultaneously with the first two phases of residences, with more phases to follow.

“Ideally we want to do a continuous construction cycle, but as far as people getting moved in, they’re going to be doing that in phases,” Di Prima said, estimating completion of the project in three years.

A LONG RALLY

Plans for a redeveloped Bath & Racquet first surfaced in November 2017 when its owner announced plans to build 180 residential units around the facility and preserve 18 to 20 of the courts. Meeting with stiff neighborhood opposition, the plan was further refined and presented to surrounding residents in a March 2018 workshop. Residents returned serve again, in large part because of a proposal for a seven-story building on the site.

It wasn’t until February 2020 when Bath & Racquet made it before the City Commission, but the plan failed to garner the supermajority of commission votes required to change the future land use designation of the site. That prevented the proposal from moving forward.

In May 2020, the site was purchased for $5.5 million by developer Mark Lucas, who in November 2021 secured unanimous City Commission approval for yet another iteration of the project that included 277 residential units. The club itself closed in 2020, and since has fallen into disrepair.

After acquiring the property in 2022, Sarasota Springs LLC set about refining the project, securing the Planning Board’s minor condi-

tional approval in November 2022 with its final version of 256 condos, envisioned as a complete live-workplay community. That decision was appealed to the City Commission, which upheld it in January 2023, determining the nearby residents failed to meet the definition of aggrieved persons.

In February, the neighborhood group filed a complaint in 12th Circuit Judicial Circuit Court, the petitioners alleging irregularities and inconsistencies with the zoning code, and that their appeal hearing denial by the City Commission was improper. That complaint was withdrawn after the developer agreed to additional concessions.

Di Prima said the neighbors’ concerns were “reasonable.”

“We’re very keen on doing something that’s meaningful for the community, and when we bought the property in 2022 we were not aware of past conversations,” he said. “There were some concerns of the livability for some neighbors and we just addressed them. We heard them, we understood their perspective, we addressed them. We’ve tried to be more careful on landscaping, we’re trying to be more careful with noise and trying to be more careful with lighting.

“They were genuine in their requests, which from my perspective made sense.”

FEATURES AND AMENITIES

n Private members swim and racket club

n 13 outdoor tennis courts

n Fitness facilities

n Two pools

n Restaurant and bar

n Entertainment areas

n Biophilic green walls

n Private meeting lounge

n 12 indoor pickleball courts

n Four outdoor pickleball courts

n Two-acre landscaped park

n Covered bike storage

n Walking trail

n Dog park

n Playground

The Bath & Racquet redevelopment is now underway.

Andrew Warfield

Bath & Racquet developer partner Fabio Di Prima speaks during the groundbreaking as Sarasota Mayor Kyle Battie looks on.

County bans beach smoking, approves tax rate for 2024

North Port is still considering a similar measure.

Beginning Oct. 1, smoking cigarettes and filtered cigars in Sarasota County parks and on beaches could result in a heavy fine and even jail time.

On July 12, the Sarasota County Commission approved by 4-1 vote an ordinance that prohibits smoking on beaches and in parks. Commissioner Mike Moran was the lone dissenting vote, consistent with his prior opposition to the ordinance based on government intrusion into individual behavior. In April, commissioners directed staff to craft an ordinance for consideration.

Beginning Oct. 1, citations for smoking in parks and on beaches could result in fines of up to $500 and imprisonment of up to 60 days.

“I’m happy to see this for the protection for our community and our kids,” said Commissioner Joe Neunder. Then he asked Director of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Nicole Rissler, “Did I see on one of your first slides there was punishment by imprisonment?”

“That is what is outlined in the ordinance,” she responded. “It’s consistent with some of our other park rules.” The consequences are also consistent with similar ordinances in the cities of Sarasota and Venice.

“Wow! OK, good to know,” Neunder said. “Behave out there.”

With the county ordinance approved, smoking is now banned on all beaches in Sarasota County from Longboat Key to Venice. The city of

House Bill 105 enabled the smoking bans. The Legislature approved HB 105 and signed it into law in 2022. The bill amended the Florida Clean Indoor Air Act, renaming it the Florida Clean Air Act, allowing cities and counties to impose such restrictions with the exception of unfiltered cigars and pipe tobacco use.

The Sarasota City Commission approved a smoking ban in fall 2022. The city had been the first in the state to enact an outdoor smoking ban, which, in 2013, was struck down in court. It took nine more years for state legislation to allow bans to be implemented.

“There is an extensive marketing and communications plan behind this,” Rissler said.

MAX MILLAGE RATE SET

During the meeting, commissioners set the not-to-exceed countywide ad valorem millage rate for fiscal year 2024 at 3.4381, a reduction of .0082 mil from the adopted fiscal 2023 budget.

The rate was unanimously approved with no discussion and no public input.

As the budget process continues through the summer, commissioners may reduce the rate, but it cannot be increased prior to adoption.

“This is due to the decrease of the millage needed to fund the debt service for the voter-approved Legacy Trail extension,” said Kim Radtke, director of the Office of Financial Management. “But the combined total of the remaining countywide millages have remained flat.”

The tentative 2024 budget is just less than $1.98 billion. The Property Appraiser’s Office has certified the final taxable value for Sarasota County at $94.2 billion, up from $82.5 billion from fiscal year 2023.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

A cigarette ban on beaches and in parks will begin Oct. 1; a reduced property tax rate was capped for next fiscal year.

City names members of Purple Ribbon Committee

Commissioners select seven-member panel to explore possible reuse of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

By the summer of 2025, a new committee will make a recommendation to the city on what to do with the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, presuming the Sarasota Performing Arts Center will replace it as the city’s primary live entertainment venue.

On Monday, the City Commission appointed seven members to the Purple Ribbon Committee. They’ll study the potential reuse of the 54-year-old, city-owned facility once the proposed SPAC is built in The Bay Park on the opposite corner of the current Van Wezel parking lot.

The seven were selected from a field of 29 applicants. Commissioners repeated often their appreciation for all willing to serve and called each of the applicants qualified.

Members were appointed by individual nominations by commissioners and a majority vote on each, but not before they heard from some regular voices imploring the commission to establish specific parameters for the group.

“This commission has not been clear on your expectations for the future of the Van Wezel,” said Sarasota resident Jose Fernandez. “It’s clear that most of the people who’ve applied believe that this is a committee to save the Van Wezel, not to consider its financial viability given that the SPAC is going to be built and it will be competing with it. The first order of business is to provide the Purple Ribbon Committee with clarity about their deliverables as a group.”

Kelly Franklin, leader of an effort to keep the Van Wezel, agreed the purpose of the committee remains unclear.

“I agree with Mr. Fernandez that you should give a clear remit to this panel,” she said. “It’s unfair to everybody to keep the uncertainty going

for too much longer. Mr. Fernandez assumes that a new $300 million replacement hall for the purpose the Van Wezel serves is going to be built. There’s no reason to assume that on the basis of the agreement that the city has with the Performing Arts Foundation, which is to explore the feasibility of such a project. And that includes both needs, costs and where it might be located.”

The committee is structured to include at least two Sarasota residents, plus one each in five areas of pertinent expertise, none of which were required to be filled by local citizens. Still, all seven committee members are Sarasota residents.

During the nomination and selection process at least one applicant nominated by Jen Ahearn-Koch, Selma Goker Wilson, was also supported by Debbie Trice in part for her desire to keep the Van Wezel standing, but also for her background in theater architecture.

“In our conversation she made clear that she does not want us to kill the building and that it’s very important that we keep it as a public benefit,” Trice said.

That set off a brief exchange with Vice Mayor Liz Alpert insisting the committee members bring no bias as to the future of the Van Wezel.

“I think adaptive reuse should be possible, but I think we need people who are open, that, if it’s not possible, saying it’s not possible,” she said.

Defending her nominee, AhearnKoch said, “She 100% made it clear to me that she had no agenda, no preconceived notions and was happy to be part of a committee where they would discover and then as a committee, work through all of the details. So I don’t think she’s got an agenda.”

Trice then offered clarity to her comment.

“I didn’t mean that not killing means we’re going to keep it as it is,” Trice said. “It was more that we have

All seven Purple Ribbon Committee members are residents of Sarasota:

n City of Sarasota residents at-large: Melissa Gissinger, Selma Goker Wilson

n Expertise in historical preservation: Morris Hylton III

n Financial expertise in the field of the performing arts: David Rovine

n Expertise in architecture, design of performing arts center, reuse of large public structures and buildings: Charles Cosler

n Expertise in climate adaptation, FEMA, and flood plains: Robert Bunting

n Expertise in civil structural engineering: Lee-En Chung

invested in this as a public benefit, so whether adaptive reuse or whatever we need to maintain a public benefit.”

After the committee was selected, City Manager Marlon Brown assured commissioners it will be tasked to proceed with no preconceptions of the outcome.

“I will assure that again that the individuals who are appointed, when we do an orientation, are open-minded as to the end result and that no one really is beholden to conceived position,” he said. “We’ll make sure that is reemphasized as part of the being on this committee.”

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THE PURPLE PEOPLE

Could Live Local Act mean affordable housing in high-rises?

City commission learns about the details, and likelihood, of new attainable units in high-rise buildings.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

There are some 96,000 attorneys in Florida, which means there are 96,000 different interpretations of the Live Local Act that was passed by the state Legislature earlier this year.

That’s what Sarasota Deputy City Attorney Michael Connelly told city commissioners during a July 10 workshop discussion about Senate Bill 102, the 55-page piece of legislation that has cities across the state scrambling to determine its potential impact on their zoning code. The bill is the Legislature’s attempt to respond to Florida’s attainable housing issues, using a combination of mostly state funding, tax credits, tax exemptions and land use controls to create incentives for affordable housing.

“The vast majority of that act will have no direct impact on the city,” Connelly said. “There are two pages that will directly impact the city.”

Those pages say a jurisdiction:

n Must authorize multifamily and mixed-use residential as allowable uses in any area zoned for commercial, industrial or mixed use if at least 40% of the residential units in a proposed multifamily rental development are, for a period of at least 30 years, affordable as defined.

n May not require a proposed multifamily development to obtain a zoning or land use change, special exception, conditional use approval, variance or comprehensive plan amendment for the building height, zoning and densities authorized by the legislation. For mixed-use residential projects, at least 65% of the total square footage must be used for residential purposes.

n May not restrict the density of a proposed development authorized

August

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under this subsection below the highest allowed density where residential development is allowed.

n May not restrict the height below the maximum currently allowed for a commercial or residential development located in its jurisdiction within one mile of the proposed development, or three stories, whichever is higher.

n Must be administratively approved if the development satisfies the land development regulations for multifamily developments in areas zoned for such use and is otherwise consistent with the comprehensive plans.

What does all that mean legally?

“There are some 96,000 attorneys in the state of Florida, we all have an opinion and that’s all it is right now. They’re just opinions,” Connelly said. “Whatever disputes we have between local governments and developers over the next six months, those developers are going to be going up to their legislators in Tallahassee next spring. And that’s when we’re going to get the answers.”

Those as-yet-unknown answers are what concern Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch. Because the Live Local Act currently applies only to rental developments, the prevailing opinion is that it would be impractical to develop high-density affordable housing high-rises on valuable property, at least in downtown zoning districts, combined with escalating construction costs.

What if, Ahearn-Koch asked, future tweaking of the law to render greater practicality made it possible to build a high-rise on — as a worstcase scenario — St. Armands Circle, with the city unable to prevent it?

“There is a lot of angst about this, and I cannot answer the questions if I don’t know, and I don’t know what these worst-case scenarios

Ashvin I. Patel, MD

A. Chin, MD

O'Neill, MD

J. Moustoukas, MD

are,” she said. “What does that look like at 40% rental at 120% AMI, If you could sell condos on the top five floors at $5 million?”

For now that isn’t possible, but with commercial zoning there, heights in theory could reach 110 feet.

“You have to also look at this from a financial and economic perspective,” said City Manager Marlon Brown. “So yes, there is the possibility that they can go to 110 feet, but practically, is someone going to spend that money to do 40% affordable and have it all rental?”

City Attorney Robert Fournier further explained that the legislation does limit the height and density to current comprehensive plans and zoning codes. There could be 18-story, 200 units per acre affordable housing rental towers in districts that currently permit such scale, but it isn’t likely.

“I just returned from the Florida Municipal Attorneys Association Conference and there was a discussion about this, and most people seemed to think that the height wouldn’t really exceed much above five stories because of the economics of going higher and the increased

cost of construction,” said Fournier. “That was a generalized sentiment, but it seemed to be the consensus.” Projects of a lower height and density, Brown added, would be more likely among single-family neighborhoods. The density and height, though, would still be subject to limits prescribed by the city’s comprehensive plan and zoning text, and permitted heights within that 1-mile radius. Such projects, Connelly and Fournier agreed, would also be subject to the city’s affordable housing ordinance that prescribes tiering attainable rent rates at one-third of the units at 80% and below, 81%100% and 101%-120% AMI.

“What we’ve heard is that it’s very unlikely that developers will take advantage of this in downtown,” added Planning Director Steven Cover. “The downtown land is obviously very expensive. High-rise construction is super expensive. We’ve heard that they’ve crunched numbers and it’s really iffy. With 40% of the units having to be attainable in an area that’s super expensive, and construction costs are high, it’s pretty unlikely, especially when you’re looking at maximum rents in the teens and low 2,000s.”

Live Beautifully

Andrew Warfield

City of Sarasota staff expects any developments that may result from the Live Local Act would more closely resemble the Lofts on Lemon than a downtown high-rise.

PROPOSED COUNTY & CITY SPENDING FOR 2023-24

One of the benchmarks often used to determine whether a government entity’s spending is excessive is whether its percentage increase in spending exceeds the combined rates of population growth and annual inflation. Based on that, taxpayers should be looking closely at the proposed spending of Longboat Key (+43%), Sarasota County (+36%) and the city of Sarasota (+13%).

Note: Bradenton’s budget information is not available online; and the city did not respond before deadline.

Source: Manatee, Sarasota counties; Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice, Longboat Key, Florida Office of Economic & Demographic Research

Part II of spend, spend …

Thanks to inflation, rising real estate prices and population growth, city and county governments are gushing with cash. And they can’t wait to spend it.

that Florida lawmakers filled next year’s budget with a record number of local earmarks: more than 1,540 projects worth $3.2 billion.

MATT WALSH

The numbers were jawdropping. The town of Longboat Key’s projected spending for the 2023-24 fiscal year is estimated to increase 43.9%. Sarasota County: an increase of 36%.

These percentages are stunning.

Less shocking, but still noteworthy: The city of Sarasota’s preliminary budget projects spending to rise 13%, and Manatee County’s spending is expected to go up 10.4%.

When was the last time you increased your personal spending 36% or 44% over the previous year?

Probably never.

Throughout most of Florida, local government budgets are gushing with bursts of cash, a result of mushrooming real estate values, which translates into mushrooming property-tax collections.

Because of a 12.5% increase in property values over the past 12 months, Longboat Key can keep the same tax rate and rake in $1.77 million more in new property tax revenue than last year.

A 13.5% increase in property values in the city of Sarasota will generate an additional $5 million in new property tax collections while the city holds its tax rate at 3 mills.

A 13.2% increase in property values in Sarasota County will generate $29.7 million in new cash while the county maintains its millage rate at 3.25.

And a whopping 25.7% increase in property values in Manatee County is expected to generate $62.6 million in new property tax collections while the county holds its tax rate at 6.43 mills.

The money is flowing in from other revenue categories as well. In his June budget message, Sarasota County Administrator Jonathan Lewis noted that through April the county’s half-cent sales tax revenue is “24.5% greater than was anticipated”; the infrastructure surtax revenue is 30.1% higher than budgeted; and the tourist development tax was showing “record-breaking revenues” and up 59.7% higher than budgeted.

Hey man, happy days are here again in city halls and county administration buildings. And it looks like most of these government bodies are primed to party — and spend.

It’s what they do.

You may recall two weeks ago in this space we pointed out how Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature are likewise taking advantage of the state’s robust economy and population growth.

We noted how state spending in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ first five years in office has risen 36%, or by $31 billion compared to the 31% increase, or $19 billion increase in state spending that accumulated in Rick Scott’s eight years.

The state has so much money pouring in from the growth in population and the 22 million Floridians paying more for everything because of inflation

So likewise, when you start digging into the details of the town, city and county budgets, you’ll see many of the local government city managers and country administrators doing two things:

n Almost none of them is lowering millage/property tax rate to the rollback rate. They’re keeping the same millage rate and doing what they always do: Telling you they are not increasing your tax rate. But you’ll still pay more because of the increase in your assessed value.

n Rather than giving taxpayers lower rates, they’re keeping the additional cash and spending it on as many projects as they can. The thinking is: Spend it while we have it, because who knows when the next recession is going to hit and we’ll have to cut spending.

In that vein, Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton, new to the job over the past four months, hasn’t caught on quite yet that Longboat Key town commissions have a long history of fiscal conservatism.

In Tipton’s early budget message, he is proposing to take $5 million from the town’s rainy day fund to apply toward infrastructure projects — the Broadway Roundabout, digital display boards on Gulf of Mexico Drive, road resurfacing, “pathway lighting” and streetlights.

Also in his budget: a 17% increase in personnel costs. That includes a 3.5% increase in pay for all nonunion employees, with the option to increase their pay an additional 2% to 5% based on merit reviews.

But the big increases in pay will be going to firefighters and police officers, thanks to new union contracts: paramedics, +23%; lieutenants, 37%; police officers, 29.7%; and police seargeants, 30%.

In Sarasota, the city expects to increase its contribution to a fire pension plan by 633% — from $212,242 to $1,555,547. Along with that is a 46% increase (a $460,683 contribution) to the Other PostEmployment Benefits fund for former and current city employees. At the same time, the police payroll is expected to go up 11.3%. At $46,690,444, it is the city’s largest personnel cost center.

In Sarasota County, Sheriff Kurt Hoffman is hoping to add 24 people, increasing his payroll to 1,060 people at a cost of $183.3 million, an increase of $30.3 million, which would be a 19% increase.

Everything is going up in Sarasota County — except one category. The Government Relations department is expected to cut its budget by a mere $10,900, a 0.5% decline.

But for just about every local government entity in this region the story is the same. When the money is there, it’s difficult to resist the urge to spend it or keep it.

Give some of it back to taxpayers?

Ha!

A recent exception has been the city of Sarasota, where City Manager Marlon Brown recommended — and the City Commission adopted — lowering the tax rate two consecutive years, largely because of the boom in downtown condo and hotel construction.

But with inflation running between 6% and 8% a year, we are seeing how public officials are less inclined to lower tax rates. Like

TIME TO SQUAWK IS RUNNING OUT

Come next week, most local governments in Florida will present their recommended budgets and must decide the maximum millage rate. That means elected officials have until Sept. 26 to make a final decision on the tax rate and the budget. If you want to squawk about your government’s spending, you will have two chances at public hearings in September.

consumers, they will make the argument they are enduring the same inflationary effects as their constituents. The costs of goods and services are going up for them as well. Longboat Key’s Tipton is projecting up to a 20% increase in flood insurance rates. In Manatee County, employee health insurance is expected to increase 11% for an employee, 40% for an employee and spouse.

So taxpayers likely will hear their city and county administrators — and most elected officials — make a case over the next two months that they are being conservative fiscal stewards of taxpayers’ money all the while they propose 10%, 30% and 40% increases in spending.

This is what happens during good economic times.

As a wise business investor told us once, it’s easy to figure out how to manage your business during an economic downturn — you have no choice but to cut expenses. It’s more difficult when you are flush with cash. You put your guard down and lose fiscal discipline.

“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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North Trail apartment approval draws ire of neighbors

The Sarasota Planning Board approved apartments in the North Trail Overlay District, a move not popular with some Central Cocoanut residents.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

Emotions boiled over at the end of the July 12 Sarasota Planning Board meeting as some Central Cocoanut neighborhood residents left the meeting chamber, because they didn’t leave quietly.

Following a 90-minute public hearing and discussion, the board, which includes two new members in Daniel Deleo and Shane LaMay, unanimously approved a threestory, 33-unit apartment building at the three points corner of North Tamiami Trail, 18th Street and Panama Drive.

The building was designed under the auspices of the North Trail Overlay District, and board members generally agreed that the 1.11-acre site isn’t ideally located nor is the design of the south side of the building as presented aesthetically pleasing, but it meets the letter of the zoning code and the board had no standing to reject it. The architect said design tweaks will likely be made.

Following the vote, some residents stood and shouted at Planning Board members, prompting Deputy City Attorney Michael Connelly to instruct staff to summon police.

Called 1800 Residences, Haverford LLC is listed as the developer. With the address of 1800 N. Tamiami Trail, the site is within the North Trail Overlay District, which is intended to encourage, but not require, new urbanism designs that push buildings to the street with parking and amenities placed out of view.

The building will include a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units.

Because only a small portion of the site actually fronts Tamiami Trail, some board members lamented that it qualifies for overlay district

considerations that include, among other incentives, a reduced parking requirement intended to encourage multi-modal transportation over cars.

That the development will have 33 parking spaces — one per unit — was only one objection of neighbors who are concerned that parking will spill over onto neighborhood streets. Others included light pollution, the location of the pool adjacent to single-family homes and the removal of a number of grand trees. Arborists for both the developer and the city agreed those trees were rotting at the base and were unsafe to leave standing.

“There are hollows and they’re just not sound,” said Donald Ullom, the city’s arborist ordinance compliance specialist. “You’re just waiting for the tensile strength of the wood to be overcome by the weight of the overhead branches — and that’s what we found at the base of three of them.”

The project could have been permitted at four stories and 38-39 units in the overlay district, which permits 35 units per acre, said architect Chris Gallagher of Hoyt Architects.

Planning Board member Michael Halflants, himself an architect, suggested the design of the elevation facing 18th Street — largely a flat surface with a dozen windows, a single door and some balconies at the corners — should be aesthetically enhanced.

“I think we met the letter of the law,” Gallagher said. “This is not the final design. As you go through

the (Development Review Committee) process you make sure that your height and bulk falls within requirements, but certainly there is a lot of design to be done on the building.”

Development Review Chief Planner Allison Christie told the board the basic design treatment along 18th Street meets code. On rebuttal, she addressed many of the concerns expressed during testimony of nearby residents with affected persons status.

She confirmed the percentage of the building along Tamiami Trail met requirements, as did the design of the south-facing facade along 18th Street.

“The lighting is reviewed to be compliant with code at the building permit stage, so it’s not a requirement during site plan review, but it will be reviewed with the building permit it will be required to meet all code standards,” she said.

With the building pushed as far to the southwest as possible with parking and trees along the perimeter, Halflants said the buffer between the apartments and the singlefamily lots is adequate. In making the motion to approve, he added the condition that the south elevation improvements be included.

“I think that it’s a zoning issue because there’s not much of this property on the North Trail, but yet the North Trail is dictating what can occur on the property,” said board member Terrill Salem, “which kind of puts the whole neighborhood in an interesting situation because it

is going to bring a total character change to the neighborhood.”

Planning Board Chairman Daniel Clermont agreed with the zoning incompatibility, but added the city created the North Trail Overlay District to encourage development and redevelopment along North Tamiami Trail between downtown and University Parkway.

“The desire of the city is to try to get the (residential) unit numbers up and not have them just anywhere in somebody’s neighborhood, but along arterial roads and that’s what was already determined when the North Trail Overlay District was approved and this lot was included in it,” Clermont said. “... It does belong to the North Trail Overlay District, and I don’t see a concrete reason to deny it.”

The west elevation of 1800 Residences facing North Tamiami Trail.

Courtesy renderings 1800 Residences will be built at the convergence of North Tamiami Trail, 18th Street and Panama Drive.

Longtime Sarasota attorney and resident William Getzen dies at 91

William Getzen, a longtime Sarasota attorney and resident, died peacefully Tuesday morning just hours after watching his favorite documentary, Ken Burns’ “Baseball,” on Monday night. He was 91 years of age.

Born May 9, 1932, in Elkhart, Wisconsin, he arrived in Sarasota at the age of 27, a young attorney hired by the law firm of Williams Parker in 1959. The firm was experiencing a rapidly growing workload as legal representative to Arvida Corp. and its development of former John Ringling holdings on Bird, Lido and Longboat keys. Getzen earned his law degree at the University of Illinois in 1959 and was admitted to the Florida Bar that same year.

He was a member of a Big Ten championship University of Illinois baseball team, where he studied engineering as well as law. He married his late wife, Ruth, after his first year of law school and her final year of college. In 1955, Getzen delayed his remaining two years of law school to fulfill his ROTC obligations at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Ruth died in February 2023.

Professionally, Getzen was known as a natural leader, possessing deep knowledge of Florida condominium law. Spending his entire career with Williams Parker, he helped guide the firm through periods of sustained growth.

“Bill Getzen was the last of the firm’s name partners, so he was, in a sense, a Mount Rushmore figure,” said Sarasota attorney Dan Bailey. “He was physically imposing, having been a college athlete, but he also had

the gift of gab and a generous supply of charisma that naturally made him the consummate rainmaker. More than that, he was an innovator, a pioneer in the practice of condominium law, and the first attorney in our firm to embrace technology, having a computer installed on his desk. He was also a model citizen and a great friend to several generations of attorneys.”

Personally, Getzen served as commodore of the Field Club and was involved with many other civic and charitable organizations. He helped found the Argus Foundation in 1983, served as its president from 1985 to 1986, and received the Argus Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. He was also legal counsel and later a director at FCCI Insurance Group of Sarasota.

In the 1980s, he and Ruth built a summer home at Wildcat Cliffs Country Club in Highlands, North Carolina. There, he helped lead the development of a tennis pavilion and family picnic grounds, a fitness and pool center, and a new sewer plant. In gratitude for his years of volunteer service, Wildcat Cliffs named its boardroom in his honor.

Getzen is survived by his children Linda, Sandie and Jim, and several grandchildren, all residents of the Sarasota area. A memorial service has not yet been scheduled.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

A career-long fixture at Williams Parker, he was ‘a pioneer in the practice of condominium law.’

Courtesy photo

Retired Sarasota attorney William Getzen died Tuesday.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 5

WHEN YA GOTTA GO …

9:07 a.m., Bayfront Park

Animal problem: An officer observed a dog inside a parked vehicle that contained no other occupants. The dog was panting, and the vehicle’s engine was not running at the time, but the windows were open. After contacting the Animal Services Office, the vehicle owner returned, said the dog belonged to him and claimed he was away from the vehicle for only a short time due to a badly needed restroom trip.

Authorities informed him, though, that the corgi/French bulldog mix was left unattended for at least 40 minutes. Animal Services issued the man two citations for animal violations.

THURSDAY, JULY 6

CAN YOU BREAK A 20?

5:33 p.m., 2000 block of North Washington Boulevard

Dispute: When a man’s request to break a $20 bill was refused by staff at a retail outlet, a dispute began. As a result, the manager asked that the man be trespassed from the property. An officer spoke with the subject outside, who said he was upset about the trespass warning and that he intended to continue shopping at that store. He was repeatedly informed that returning to the store over the next 12 months could result in him receiving a citation or being taken into custody. The man left the premises without further incident.

SATURDAY, JULY 8

KEY TO BROKEN HEART

3:45 a.m., 1500 block of 23rd Street

Criminal mischief: A complainant reported he was inside his home when a woman approached his rental vehicle and began scratching it with a key. The victim said when he looked through a window he saw the woman keying the vehicle, then left the area with several unknown females. The victim said the issue stemmed from him cheating and advised that he did wish to pursue charges. However, he refused to provide an officer with her phone number and said, although he did not know her birth date, she was “around 37.” Because the victim would not provide enough

Come

9 aM -

information to identify the suspect, the officer was unable to identify her nor locate any witnesses or cameras that may have captured the incident.

REAL SCARE CROWS

9:02 p.m., 2200 block of Benjamin Franklin Boulevard

Animal problem: While on sunset foot patrol on South Lido Beach an officer observed several dead crows tied to signs surrounding a protected bird area. The sign read, “Crow Effigies,” which are typically fake crows used to scare off birds of prey. But the birds appeared to be actual dead crows, which were decaying and covered with insects. The officer took photos and notified Animal Services.

SUNDAY, JULY 9

SHORT-TERM HOSPITALITY

1:12 a.m., 700 block of North East

Avenue

Civil dispute: A woman was upset because the owner of a home had placed her bag outside and barred her from entry. She explained she paid $50 to stay at the home for five nights. The owner told an officer the woman had been making it difficult for him to sleep because she was “in and out and loud.”

The man offered to return $20 to the complainant, who was “extremely uncooperative” and continued to make unnecessary calls for police help to dispatch while the officer was on scene. A sergeant arrived on the scene to assist the complainant in understanding that she did not have any right to enter the home. The man eventually gave her $40 and she left on foot.

“I had an outstanding experience working with Whitney. We were lucky enough to find my home on the first day out. Coming from out of state, Whitney walked me through the entire process, and made sure there was not any issues. Absolutely would recommend Whitney and BlueSRQ.” — Joe,

Ranch.

EATING WITH EMMA: On the trail to find Sarasota’s best buns.

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

IMPROV COMEDY GETS REAL AT FLORIDA STUDIO THEATRE

FST’s 13th annual Sarasota Improv Festival is taking the stage for the first time in three years.

Florida Studio Theatre’s 13th annual Sarasota Improv Festival is taking the stage in the real world. The festival’s improv talents can hardly wait.

The festival is making a real-world comeback. No computer screens. No Zoom calls. We’re not joking — these improv artists will be. Live. On stage. At Florida Studio Theatre. The unscripted silliness returns from July 20-22.

Will Luera, FST’s director of improv, has been waiting for the last three years. That’s how long it’s been since the pandemic pulled the plug on live performances worldwide. A multitude of shows did not go on in 2020. The 12th annual Sarasota Improv Festival was online only. Then the months of isolation began.

Luera’s improv skills didn’t get rusty during that downtime. He got better as an improv artist. How?

“I performed online with FST’s extended family of improv troupes during the pandemic,” he explains. “PGraph, Dad’s Garage and a few other companies invited me to join them in several online shows.”

Luera also expanded his improv universe. His new online connections include both improv troupes and individual artists, such as MC Hammersmith, this year’s festival headliner.

“I’d met him before, but I was thrilled to actually perform with him online during COVID,” he says. “My appreciation for him grew exponentially.”

Thanks to virtual reality, Luera sharpened his skills and added to his network of improv talent. That definitely helped his job as an improv director.

Planning the Sarasota Improv Festival’s return to reality has been a major part of that job. In close collaboration with FST Managing Director Rebecca Hopkins, Luera’s been working out the devilish details for the past two years.

Now the organizational heavy lifting is finally done — it’s satisfying. But creating the festival isn’t where Luera’s heart’s at.

Luera’s not just an improv director. He’s also an improv artist. Performing on the festival stage is his heart’s desire. Luera longs to get real.

“Virtual improv is a clever workaround,” Luera says. “But it’s no substitute for performing for a live audience.”

That’s happening starting July 20.

Is Luera excited?

Yes. That’s the understatement of the year.

The festival’s improv artists feel the same holiday-morning electricity. Area improv fans feel it, too. Tickets are selling fast. With 22 live acts on stage, they’ll have lots of exciting choices.

Here are just a few highlights:

ORANGE TUXEDO

He and she. Love and marriage. In the Periodic Table of Comedy, the couple is a basic element. It’s been a source of hilarity since Nichols and May, Tracy and Hepburn and Adam and Eve. This L.A. duo (Carla and Craig Cackowski) is a real-life married couple. Their improv goes to town with random audience suggestions.

“They turn that note into strong characters and very strong stories,” Luera says. “It’s not the craziness of some improv acts. Their scenes are grounded in the realities of human relationships. They’re hilarious in their simplicity.” 7 p.m. July 21; 5 p.m. July 22.

MC HAMMERSMITH

This UK export describes himself as “a middle-class Englishman from west London.” Depending on how you look at it, he’s a free-styling rapper who does improv comedy or an improv comic who does free-style rap. Either way, he’s funny as hell. When he isn’t belting out hip-hop lyrics, MC Hammersmith is a softspoken gentleman — with a strong resemblance to Daniel Radcliffe.

Don’t be fooled, Dear Reader. His wit can sting. Like the best British comedy, it isn’t always gentle. 10 p.m. July 21; 9 p.m. July 22.

BIG BANG

This Boston-based troupe gets a blast out of lightning-fast, freeform improv. They start with a premise and “follow the funny” from scene to scene with mad abandon.

The company showcases big names from ImprovBoston and the Boston comedy scene. Luera is one of those names. He’s both the company’s director and a performer. “For me, this is my home team,” he says. “We’ve taken Big Bang around the world, and I’m thrilled to bring it back to Sarasota.” 9 p.m. July 21; 6 p.m. July 22.

2-MAN NO-SHOW Not all the clowns are in the circus. Case in point: Isaac Kessler and Ken Hall. This two-man Toronto team clowns around with japes, jest, pratfalls, physical comedy, metaphysical comedy, funny faces and rude noises. (They skip the red noses and whiteface makeup, so coulrophobics needn’t fear.) But a

clown by any other name would be just as hilarious. These guys are. As far as we can tell, they’re not crying on the inside. But their “ClownProv” antics aren’t all funny business. Hall and Kessler tug at your heartstrings. You’ll laugh with them, not at them. But they will make you laugh. 8 p.m. July 21; 6 p.m. July 22.

AVAILABLE CUPHOLDERS

This Austin ensemble don’t need no stinking script. They can do “Fakespeare” on their feet, spoof old TV shows, new TV shows, Japanese monster movies, you name it. But they’re not a pack of superficial show-offs. Their improv comedy

< COOL CIRCUS ARTS: Beat the heat at Historic Asolo Theater with family fun. 15

14 >

Courtesy photos

The comedy troupe Big Bang will appear at the 13th annual Sarasota Improv Festival at 9 p.m. on July 21 and 6 p.m. on July 22.

The comedy troupe Available Cupholders will appear at the 13th annual Sarasota Improv Festival at 8 p.m. on July 21 and 7 p.m. on July 22.

MARTY FUGATE CONTRIBUTOR

is character-based, in The Second City tradition. “Their shows capture the silliness of improv,” Luera says. “They have so much fun pushing each others’ buttons and boundaries. They take it as far as they can go — and keep trying to take it further. They make the audience laugh; they make each other laugh. It’s the essence of the human comedy, and all you can do is laugh.” 8 p.m. July 21; 7 p.m. July 22.

ALL PLAY

In the art of theater, the play’s the thing. In the art of improv comedy, play is the thing. In the festival’s grand finale, the lunatics take charge of the asylum. Eighty or more improv artists pack the stage — and turn it into a giant playground for improv games, instant sketches and on-the-spot song parodies. These antic improvisers play around like a bunch of big kids. (And that’s exactly what they are.) They have far too much fun. And they’re insanely fun to watch. 10:30 p.m. July 22.

It’s MC Hammersmith time

MC Hammersmith is Scotland’s leading free-style comedy rapper and improviser. (For all we know, he’s Scotland’s only free-style comedy rapper and improviser, but let’s skip that for now.) The man is a multitalented performer on the level of Robin Williams. He thinks on his feet, pulls hip-hop songs out of thin air, launches into a dazzling stream of consciousness, then switches gears to song parody — and makes it look easy the whole time. He’s the headliner of this year’s Sarasota Improv Festival. We emailed him a few questions. Funny thing. He answered.

Hip-hop freestyle and improv comedy sound like two great tastes that go great together. What inspired you to mix them up?

I’ve been doing improv since I was 14. Then at Edinburgh University, I started performing an improvised musical show. We would always want to slam the rap break in the bridge of songs between choruses, but none of us were any good. I wanted to get better, but nobody else wanted to practice. So I decided to practice by myself — I’ve always loved hip-hop as well, so the chance to do both was a natural meeting point.

In terms of your hip-hop parodies, which artist do you most enjoy taking the piss out of? (Or “ridicule,” to use the American idiom.) I have a routine in my solo show in which I take an audience suggestion of a mildly embarrassing incident that happened to them. I’ll then take the backing track of Blackstreet’s R&B; classic “No Diggity,” and change the chorus to “No Dignity.” There’s plenty of scope for comedy with an auto-tuned, soulful chorus.

IF YOU GO

SARASOTA IMPROV FESTIVAL

When: July 20-22

Where: FST campus, 1265 First St.

Tickets: $5-$25; passes $79 for three days; $69 for two days; $49-$59 for one day on Friday or Saturday; $20 for Thursday night.

Info: FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

When you do a “set,” do you have a rough structure in mind or is it like jumping into a swimming pool blindfolded and hoping for water?

Kind of a bit of both. My shorter comedy club sets are all improvised, but in a very structured way. Because you have to do your time very strictly in a club, the tracks have to be timed. In the longer solo shows, I get to use looping beats, so I can rap for as long as I want and get carried

away by fun ideas. Those are much more fun.

What’s your all-time best improv/ freestyle experience?

Getting to freestyle rap onstage with my favorite rapper (RA The Rugged Man). It was my first time freestyling at a hip-hop night instead of a comedy night, so the reaction from the crowd was just electric by comparison.

Worst experience?

About 20 years ago, rapping for a group of 80-year-olds in a hotel function room in rural Scotland — they just stared blankly at me in utter disgust. I take solace in the fact that most of them are now probably dead.

I presume that MC Hammersmith is an MC Hammer reference. Quick question: Do your pants fit?

Bit personal.

I’m guessing your stage name is also a nod to the Clash’s “White Man in Hammersmith.” Actually, it’s not. I was born in Hammersmith in west London (hence the name), and I had literally never heard of that song. (No joking or word of a lie, completely sincerely, I had to Google it now.) I’m immensely surprised that no one ever pointed that out to me before you did! Well, this white boy has learned something.

What is your core message to today’s troubled youth? Or troubled old people, for that matter?

Troubled youth, follow your dreams. Troubled old people, if you do come to my gigs, at least pretend to enjoy it.

A knock at the door might not seem like a big deal to many of us. But, to a homebound senior, it could signal the arrival of the only person they might see all day or all week long. It brings hope. It brings health. It brings the nutrition and care that will completely make their day. A knock from Meals on Wheels can even save lives.

THE POWER OF A KNOCK TRANSFORMS LIVES.

2-Man No-Show will appear at the 13th annual Sarasota Improv Festival July 21 and July 22.

IF YOU GO MC HAMMERSMITH

MC Hammersmith headlines the 13th Annual Sarasota Improv Festival.

Where to find Sarasota’s best buns (and burgers)

You’ll have a whopper of a time sampling these savory sandwiches.

EMMA JOLLY CONTRIBUTOR

Some beach babes might be focusing on their toned buns this time of year, but my summer sights are set on a different meaning to “sun’s out, buns out.”

This sizzling summer, I’m eager to find that “bun-in-a-million” burger bite where sweet dreams are made of cheese.

So come on taste buds, let’s bounce around to some of the best burger joints you’ll “meat” in Sarasota.

TAMIAMI TAP

711 S. Osprey Ave. #3, Sarasota; 941-500-3182, TamiamiTap.com

Vegans Unite: If you know me well, you know two things. First, my local watering hole of choice will forever be Tamiami Tap (hence my engagement shoot taking place at the bar). Second, I do not follow a vegan diet. However, the vegan burger served at this Laurel Park bistro makes me want to consider a clean, healthy lifestyle. The Impossible Burger ($15), topped with you-better-believe-it’s-notdairy vegan cheese, crunchy lettuce, tomato (except for me), diced red onion and a perfect portion of pickle is beyond “bunderful.” Bite into this offering at happy hour, 4-6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Select this Side: My eyes are on the fries seasoned unlike any other local potato. Soon you’ll feel as golden as these crispy, crunchy slivers of heaven. Second potato option? The tater tots are just as sensational.

NEW PASS GRILL & BAIT SHOP

1505 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota; 941-388-3050, NewPassGrill. com

Best Burger with a View: New Pass Grill & Bait Shop is the best scenic spot in all of Sarasota to smash a staple summer (and all seasons) sandwich. I wish I could keep this sensational location to myself for the rest of eternity, but it would be selfish to do so. Before your group bellies up to order, be sure to claim a table to ensure the best intracoastal views. If you are pulling up by boat, best of luck finding a docking spot at this seaside eatery. Order the classic cheeseburger ($11.99) and choose from add-ons including lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, mustard, mayo and ketchup.

Select this side:  If you’re hungry, grab the grouper bites basket ($20.99), if you want to keep it simple and want a sub for their fabulous French fries for your feast, go with the o-mazing onion rings ($4.99).

KNICK’S TAVERN & GRILL

1818 S. Osprey Ave., Sarasota; 941955-7761, KnicksTavernAndGrill. com

Family Feast: Knickole Barger and her father, Knick, have been running our community’s answer to “Cheers” (where everyone knows your name!) for over 20 years. This Southside Village stop is a must on our burger tour. Why not start with a brunch burger with bacon, egg and cheese or a vegan option? Knick’s certified Black Angus half-pound burger ($11.50) is served simply, with lettuce, tomato and onion, showing off its succulence and satisfy-

ing your senses. Elevate your eating experience with toppings like jalapenos, grilled onions, mushrooms, green peppers, bacon and one of nine cheeses, including crumbled bleu, gouda, smoked ghost pepper or cheddar.

Select this side: You won’t be able to attack all the add-ons I’m about to recommend alongside this amazing burger but try your best — or make a reservation to come back. Real deal

potato skins with chipotle ranch, Knick’s famous salad with smoked gouda cheese, spinach artichoke dip with gluten-free corn chips or Ry’s fries with bacon and balsamic reduction. Dig in, diners!

FORK & HEN SRQ

2801 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; 941-960-1212, ForkAndHenSRQ. com

Big Ass Burger: Fork & Hen, which

opened in 2022, has a range of option for all foodies — especially those begging for a juicy, colossal “can I get box to take this home” burger. There Watching my husband eat The Hitman ($18) and graciously giving me a go at the towering sandwich has altered my vision of what it means to crave a burger. Make your mouth cheerful by ordering this smashed burger with pimento cheese, a massive hunk of fried mozzarella, the crispiest bacon and lettuce.

Select this side: The creole Brussels sprouts and cauliflower ($11) are tossed with chorizo, sorghum, parsley and green onion. The potatoes are Parm fries ($6.95). You can’t go wrong with Parmesan and garlic butter.

SHAKESPEARE’S CRAFT BEER AND GASTRO PUB

3550 S. Osprey Ave., Sarasota; 941-365-5938, ShakespearesEnglishPub.com

Gorgeously Gourmet: The caramelized onion and brie burger ($15.75) is the local bun I want for the rest of my life. Cooked to your liking and paired with fries or coleslaw, this masterpiece “meats” its match with a mouthwatering cover of sweet balsamic caramelized onions and ooeygooey brie cheese. Not tickling your tastebuds? Shakespeare’s has over 10 gourmet burgers, plus veggie and chicken substitutes, ranging from my husband’s pick, the portobello mushroom and pepper jack cheese ($15.75), to the behemoth Texas cowboy ($14.75) with bacon, barbecue sauce, cheddar and a fried onion ring.

Select this side:  You can’t go wrong with whatever you order at Shakespeare’s, now getting its third shout-out in my column. (I’m not on the payroll, I swear!)

Tamiami Tap takes on the vegan burger (seen here as sliders) in a mouthwatering way.

Another column, another entree from Shakespeare’s Craft Beer and Gastro Pub.

Without a doubt, the award for best burger with a view goes to New Pass Grill & Bait Shop.

For over 20 years, Knick’s Tavern & Grill has been dishing out to-die-for burgers.

Photos by Emma Jolly

Fork & Hen SRQ’s colossal The Hitman burger with pimento cheese is nearly perfect.

THIS WEEK

OUR PICK OPENING OF JOHN PIRMAN: DIVING INTO NATURE

The retrospective of the Sarasota-based designer and illustrator John Pirman will display his works both inside Selby Gardens’ Museum of Botany & the Arts and outside throughout the bayfront gardens. The show will include Pirman’s signature Sarasota views as well as his earlier work from three decades as a freelance illustrator in New York. Runs through Sept. 17.

IF YOU GO

When: 10 a.m. Saturday, July 22

Where: Selby Gardens, 1534 Mound St.

Tickets: $26 Info: Visit Selby.org.

THURSDAY SUMMER CIRCUS SPECTACULAR

2 p.m. at Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Road

$15-$20

Visit CircusArts.org.

Circus fans of all ages can experience the best of the circus arts at affordable prices thanks to the partnership of The Circus Arts Academy and The Ringling. Master of Ceremonies Heidi Herriott, a third-generation American circus artist, presides over performances by hand balancers, clowns, jugglers and aerial rope artists, to name just a few genres. Runs through Aug. 12.

THE SURFER BOYS

7:30 p.m. at FST’s Goldstein Cabaret, 1265 First St. $18 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

From the group that brought you The Jersey Tenors comes a rousing tribute to the band that took America on a “Surfin’ Safari” in the early 1960s. Four Broadway veterans bring The Beach Boys’ biggest hits to life with classics like “California Girls,” “Good Vibrations,” “Barbara Ann” and many more. Runs through Aug. 13.

DIVAS THREE

7:30 p.m. at FST’s Court Cabaret, 1265 First St. $18 and up Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Three female vocalists present four decades of songs made famous by Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston and other women who have won the coveted title of “diva.” It’s not just their voices that make them divas; it’s their costumes and their attitude. Runs through Sept. 3.

‘BLACK PEARL SINGS!’

8 p.m. at FST’s Keating Theatre, 1265 First St. $25 Visit SarasotaArtMuseum.org.

“Black Pearl Sings” tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a Library of Congress musicologist who wants to record undocumented slave-era music and an African American prisoner who has the knowledge needed for the project. Runs through July 30.

FELICIA MICHAELS

7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd. $25 Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

A multitalented artist, Felicia Michaels was nominated twice for Funniest Female at the American Comedy Awards before winning the title. In addition to writing and producing her own material, Michaels has helped comedians such as John Fugelsang, Joey Diaz, Aida Rodriguez and Mitch Hedberg. Runs through July 22.

FRIDAY

FRIDAY FEST: ONE NIGHT RODEO

5-9 p.m. on the lawn of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail Free

Visit VanWezel.org.

Founded in Bradenton, One Night Rodeo features Cory Hildreth on lead vocals, keys, guitar and mandolin, and Duane Allison on bass guitar and vocals. The country rock band has a 13-year track record and has opened for Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban and Montgomery Gentry.

IN THE ROUND

7 p.m. at Sarasota Contemporary Dance Company, 1400 Boulevard of the Arts, Suite 300

$20

Visit SarasotaContemporaryDance. org.

In The Round offers selected choreographers from across the country the chance to receive audience feedback at the Sarasota Contemporary Dance Company. This month’s featured choreographer is Camryn Nease.

DON’T MISS ‘COPPÉLIA’

The Sarasota Cuban Ballet School presents the charming tale of a mysterious doctor, Dr. Coppelius. The doctor’s mechanical doll, Coppélia, is so lifelike that she turns the head of Franz, who is engaged to marry Swanilda, the village’s most beautiful girl.

IF YOU GO

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 22

Where: Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.

Tickets: $50-$65 Info: SRQCubanBallet. org.

SEUSSICAL KIDS

7 p.m. at Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton $11.50-$20

Visit ManateePerformingArtsCenter. com.

Horton the Elephant, the Cat in the Hat and other characters from Dr. Seuss books come to life in this

For Kids By Kids Production of the musical by Tony Award-winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.

‘LATERAL MOVES’

The Players Centre

7:30 p.m. at 1400 Boulevard of the Arts, Suite 200 $17

Visit ThePlayers.org.

Written by Cece Dwyer and directed by Candace Artim, “Lateral Moves” is the winner of the Players Centre’s 2021 New Play Festival. It follows a family weekend on Martha’s Vineyard as a couple engaged to be married discover how their unattached parents have the upper hand.

SUNDAY BEATLEOLOGY: SPIRITUALITY AND THE BEATLES

10:30 a.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, 3975 Fruitville Road Free Visit ElaineSilver.com.

‘Rev. Fairie’ Elaine Silver examines how the Fab Four went from being Liverpool mop tops to students of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It’s a safe bet that George had something to do with it, though John had a spiritual side as well.

WEDNESDAY

WORLD PASSPORT TO JAZZ

6 p.m. at Selby Library, 1331 First St. Free Visit SarasotaMusicArchive.org.

Kevin Celebi and Harmonic Sanity Septet headline Jazz Happy Hour at Selby Library with a musical tour that includes the Deep South, New York City, New Orleans, Brazil and more.

John Pirman’s “Historic Spanish Point”

The Sarasota Cuban Ballet School performs “Coppélia” at Sarasota Opera House.

The rise and fall of the bestselling, big-drinking, prize-winning, fast-spending Siesta Key novelist MacKinlay Kantor.

TOO BIG FOR

WORDS

There was a time when the most famous writer who ever lived made his home in Siesta Key. While that lofty title is based on the tall tales he told his children, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist MacKinlay Kantor was one of the most famous and bestselling authors in the country, if not the world. For a time.

This was in the middle decades of the last century, the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, back when a writer could still be a celebrity, grace magazine covers and make the society pages. This was a time when you could be a star if you knew how to tell a story. And Kantor could tell a story. He wrote more than 40 books, published countless short stories, was a war correspondent and wrote the original screenplay for the Oscarwinning film “The Best Years of Our Lives” and the book it was based on, “Glory for Me.”

And like big stars, he drove big cars. Yellow ones — sometimes a Lincoln, an Oldsmobile or a Cadillac. He drove them all around Sarasota; a homemade cup holder kept his drink from spilling.

He spent big, drank big and traveled big. He once took a two-month cruise so he could write a book simply because he liked to write on cruises. Ernest Hemingway came by Siesta Key for visits. Kantor discovered Burl Ives and hung out with Gregory Peck. Other stars.

But Kantor died in 1977 at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, broke, broken

and largely forgotten. His last words were “Horrible! Horrible!”

In Sarasota, he had been a king of writers, a founding member of the famous writers’ group, the Liar’s Club. He was also a friend and mentor of the man who one day would become the godfather of the Florida crime novel, John D. MacDonald. His famed novel “Andersonville,” was a massive bestseller, winning the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1956. It was based in part on his experiences during WWII. Kantor was among the first to witness the savagery of the Nazis when, as a war correspondent, he arrived at the Buchenwald concentration camp days after it was liberated, the bloated corpses still sitting in the sun.

In the end, there wasn’t enough money to pay for Kantor’s funeral. MacDonald, a bestseller by then, helped pay some of Kantor’s serious debts. The house on Siesta Key was sold to satisfy others. The little left over allowed his wife a modest life in her final years.

The story of the self-proclaimed “most famous writer who ever lived” lacks one thing most readers want — whether they admit it or not — a happy ending.

PARADISE FOUND

Kantor’s father deserted the family before MacKinlay was born in 1904. Kantor grew up poor in and around Webster, Iowa.

For years Kantor struggled, working as a reporter in Chicago for a time, and in Montreal, and Iowa. In Chicago he met then married Irene Layne in 1926. He eked out a living, writing at the kitchen table with diapers drying on a line behind him.

When “Long Remember,” a novel about the Civil War, was published in 1934, he found the commercial success he’d longed for.

“Certainly, from his perspective, he was suddenly rich,” said Tom Shroder, Kantor’s grandson and the

author of the biography “The Most Famous Writer Who Ever Lived: A True Story of My Family.”

With finances no longer a problem, Kantor and his wife, Irene, took a trip to Florida in 1936, driving around the state and eventually making their way to Sarasota and Siesta Key. Irene fell in love.

They eventually bought property on Shell Road. In 1937, they built a one-story house. The house sat on Sarasota Bay and was surrounded by what seemed like acres of wild jungle. There they would live for most of their lives and raise their son and a daughter.

There were screened patios with sliding-glass doors at either end of the house, and the lawn backed up to Shell Road and a path to the beach. Gulf breezes blew through the house, keeping it cool.

Shroder remembers big cabbage palms with “cactus like things” hanging from them in the backyard. His grandfather let Shroder shoot them with a bow and arrow. He also remembers riding a new bike, a Christmas present from Kantor. (While he visited the house almost every year of his childhood, Shroder’s memories of it are mostly after it was renovated in the late 1950s, when “Andersonville” became a bestseller.)

Life was good in those days and Kantor was living large — touring the world, basking in his celebrity, working and spending money as quickly as he got it. He believed that he would go on writing bestsellers forever, churning them out on demand. After experiencing so much poverty in his early life, he picked up the check at restaurants and stayed in the best hotels.

Shroder, who moved to Sarasota from New York when he was 14, remembers Kantor visiting his family when they still lived in New York, his grandparents showing up in a stretch limousine.

It seemed like the dream would never end.

THE SMELL OF WAR

Kantor sustained his lifestyle for years due to the sales of his books and other writing.

And the books were good. Kantor was no hack churning out cheap bestsellers to be consumed en masse. He was a talented writer, a craftsman, who created powerful and impactful narratives because of the research and reporting he did.

A 1934 New York Times review of “Long Remember,” a story about the Battle of Gettysburg, calls it “a novel that tastes and smells of war till the reader hates the smell and taste of it.” “Fiction naturally it is but the truth could hardly be more compelling than this story,” the review said.

SEE KANTOR PAGE 20

Our Experience. Your Goals.

LOUIS LLOVIO BUSINESS OBSERVER

A few 1950 portraits of MacKinlay Kantor

MacKinlay and Irene Kantor (center) at Sloppy Joes in Havana in 1952.

Courtesy photos MacKinlay Kantor receives the Medal of Freedom for his work as a war correspondent.

Super on duty

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

Terrence Connor stepped into the role of superintendent following a school board meeting and swearing in on July 17.

The school board voted 4-1 to approve Connor’s employment contract, with Chair Bridget Ziegler being the only member in dissent. Ziegler had previously said another candidate, Josiah Phillips, was her first choice.

During the meeting several commenters took to the podium, with those that mentioned Connor offering positive comments on his confirmation and future in the role.

Dr. Jill Lewis-Spector, vice president of the League of Women Voters of Florida and chair of its education action teams for Florida and Sarasota, welcomed Connor, commending the school board for its choice of a superintendent.

“Our observations of Mr. Connor throughout the search process have convinced us that he will serve the community — all of the community, including students, teachers, staff, and residents, fairly and in a nonpartisan way,” she said.

Liz Barker, a parent of four children in Sarasota County public schools, said she was “thrilled” to welcome Connor to the district, stating she believes he will be able to avoid political partisanship, find common ground and respect the rights of parents and teachers while providing teachers with meaningful support.

“We are hopeful that Mr. Connor will bring a renewed focus on student outcomes and will not be distracted by the culture wars that have divided our community,” she said.

“As parents, we all want our children to have access to an A-rated public education, and as community members, we understand that our property values and our local economy rely heavily on having top-tier public schools.”

Prior to the vote, Ziegler also

offered positive comments regarding her conversations with Connor while acknowledging her past lack of support for him.

“I will tell you that (I) have had some wonderful conversations with him,” she said. “This is no surprise to him that I have no doubt that it would be the best thing for me if I look three years later and I have a foot in my mouth and say that I was completely wrong.”

She added that she would work to ensure Connor’s success moving forward.

“You will have my absolute support to do everything I can, based on the knowledge I have gained as a school board member on this board for our two terms, and any other thing I can do, because if the superintendent is successful, ultimately, our mission is achieved and our children are going to be the benefactors of that. So you

have my ultimate commitment for that going forward.”

Speaking after his confirmation, Connor called the experience of reaching the milestone of superintendent “humbling” and “honoring,” thanking his family and the school board for their support.

He said the vision he will exercise is “simple” but “transformative,” and starts with accountability, including to parents and stakeholders.

“I’m not going to stand up here and tell you that by the end of the year, we will be No. 1. But we will improve. And we will continue to improve until we are No. 1. And it takes systems, it takes the accountability, and it takes everyone in here partnering together to get there. And that’s what I’m excited about — leading that work with each and every one of you.”

Connor said also important to his vision is transparency.

“It’s the way we build trust. It’s the way we rebuild our credibility,” he said. “We have to be transparent about what we’re doing. We have to seek input from our stakeholders about the decisions we make. And I’m committed to making sure that I do that, each and every day.

Connor replaces Brennan Asplen, who reached a resolution with the board to resign from the district in 2022.

Connor’s contract lists an annual base salary of $255,000.

Connor most recently served as deputy superintendent and chief academic officer of Hillsborough County Public Schools. His experience prior to that time includes serving as chief academic officer and assistant superintendent for curriculum at School District of Clay County, after serving that district as chief of secondary education.

SALARY DETAILS FROM CONNNOR’S CONTRACT

n Annual base salary: $255,000

n Relocation bonus: $15,000

n Evaluation performance incentive bonus: Not to exceed $30,000 annually

n Pay increases: No later than Oct. 31, 2024 and Nov. 1, 2025, the board may implement pay increases for the ensuing 12-month periods.

The School board approved Superintendent Terrence Connor’s contract 4-1; commenters said he has the ability to overcome political divides.

Ian Swaby James Slaton, athletics director for Sarasota County Schools, speaks with Superintendent Terrence Connor.

Voted One

Sarasota’s Best

Patrick Cesarini, an associate professor of literature at the University of South Alabama who specializes in American literature from the colonial period to 1900, wrote in an essay titled “Andersonville and the Literature of Violence” about Kantor’s approach and the strength of the book.

“Andersonville” is the story of a notorious Georgia prison camp told from the perspective of the Yankee prisoners, the Confederate guards and the people living nearby. While the camp is one the main characters, Cesarini wrote that the book’s strength, in part, is that it delves into the lives of the characters who lived through the war, telling their stories in painstaking detail, allowing the reader to get to know them, watching them grow and then, inevitably, watching them die “in almost every case, and die in the most degrading fashion.”

Cesarini was initially surprised that prominent scholars called the book the best novel written about the Civil War, because it is not about a particular battle.

“But, now I think I see what they meant. It is a variation on what Walt Whitman meant when he lamented repeatedly in his Civil War diary that the real war was too vast — too vastly heroic and horrible — ever to get into the books,” Cesarini wrote. “That, for me, seemed at first to be MacKinlay Kantor’s achievement. To me, it felt like he did get the real war, and in some sense the whole war, into his book. And, this is partly because, as many historians agree, the Civil War was one of the first truly modern wars, and modern wars are horrible in ways that we still have trouble seeing clearly, and I believe MacKinlay Kantor saw that.”

In an email for this story, Cesarini said there was nothing to add to what he’d written. “I really do admire ‘Andersonville,’ though, and I wish more people would read it!”

LEFT BEHIND American culture began to change in the 1960s and ’70s. Long books about war didn’t sell in the era of Vietnam. And Kantor, who had spent wildly, believing he could write bestsellers on demand, found himself out

of favor with the public.

In his book, Shroder, who was born in 1954, wrote about his feelings toward his grandfather’s books at the time, saying he judged the writing then “as overly mannered, alternately tediously detailed and overwritten, and sometimes downright hokey.”

He wasn’t alone, Shroder wrote.

One reviewer of the time called Kantor’s books “embarrassingly jingoistic” and another wrote “Your grandfather and grandmother would take him to their respective bosoms. Your present-day college son and daughter would find him strictly ‘Squaresville.’”

The inability to write books that sold, coupled with years of undisciplined spending meant that he accrued significant debt in the final years of his life. Kantor had to mortgage the Siesta Key house.

Kantor continued to believe in himself, even as sales dried up and publishers rejected his ideas.

“He never stopped until he got really sick at the very end,” Shroder said. “And even at the end of his life, he had to end up doing a book for hire. I’m sure it was a real killer to have to do that, but he needed the money.”

That’s when MacDonald, who lived down the street in Siesta Key, stepped in to help.

To

Enjoy

Janet and Curt Mattson Owners

S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota Across from The Landings

Author Tom Shroder rides his new bike — a Christmas present from his grandfather, MacKinlay Kantor, in 1959.

Oddly enough, MacDonald may not have been in the position to help had he taken Kantor’s advice years earlier.

MacDonald, a revered writer of mystery novels who has now influenced at least three generations of Florida writers, for years was told by Kantor to forgo the genre and write something serious. Tired of the ribbing, one night in 1960, a fed-up MacDonald wrote his old friend and fellow Liar’s Club member a letter.

“It has been your habit (over the years I’ve known you) to make snide remarks about the work I do which is of importance to me,” the letter said. “They have stung. I have been unable to laugh. You speak of ‘that mystery stuff’ with slurring indifference.”

Gene Weingarten, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and a close friend of Shroder, wrote about the letter in his book “One Day: The Extraordinary Story of an Ordinary 24 Hours in America.” (The book focuses on Dec. 28, 1986, the day MacDonald died.)

Weingarten wrote, “MacDonald did not yet know exactly who he was as a writer, nor precisely where he was going, but he knew he was not the unambitious hack in training that Kantor apparently saw.”

Seventeen years after the letter, “that mystery stuff” had made MacDonald millions, Shroder said, and that money helped bail Kantor out when, in his old age, he was most desperate.

This was early 1977, and after years of heavy drinking and not taking care of himself, Kantor, Irene and their two children were told he had 10 days, possibly two weeks, to live.

There were many debts, and the family feared Kantor and Irene would wind up losing their home of 40 years. That’s when MacDonald stepped in, saving them.

ALL SPENT

Kantor held on for months, but when the end came, it came fast.

In the latter half of 1977, as Kantor lay in the house wasting away suffering from heart problems, Irene fell on the beach and broke her wrist “and the last strand of her resilience broke with it,” Shroder wrote.

“She went to the hospital for surgery on her shattered bone and came out with a shattered mind.”

That same week, the couple’s children sent Kantor’s “spent shell of a body” into the hospital.

Shroder was working as a reporter in Fort Myers then. He drove to Sarasota to see his grandfather. He writes in the book about what he saw: “His body had shrunken horribly, his skin sallow, he was breathing ragged. Tethered to a web of tubes, he looked like one of the inmates of the Andersonville prison he’d written about — tortured, starved, barely alive.”

MacKinlay, who proclaimed himself the most famous writer who ever lived, the Iowa boy who grew up to live, laugh and drink big, the man who graced magazines and took over the rooms he walked into, died Oct. 11, 1977, in Sarasota. He was 73. His grandson was at his side. Irene, who outlived Kantor by five years, sold the Siesta Key house after he died and was able to survive on what money was left from the sale.

Kantor’s obituary appeared on Page D20 of the New York Times the next day. Without a photo. Below his obituary, was one for Isidore Godfrey, the musical director of the D’Oyly Carte orchestra. And next to it, was one for Mason Welch Gross, the former president of Rutgers.

Kantor’s memory lives on in some small ways, though.

“Andersonville” still sells well enough to fund a night out on the town for his family a couple of times a year. And in 2018, writer Griffin Dunne, the son of Dominick Dunne and nephew of Joan Didion, told the Times that once, on a visit to Howard Kaminsky, the legendary Random House publisher who died in 2017, Kaminsky handed him a copy of the book.

“It took him about 45 seconds to find it,” Dunne told the newspaper.

“He pulled it off the shelf and said, ‘I know you’re going to love this one.’”

Despite the difficulties of his final years, Kantor knew that money, accolades and status are fleeting, that leaving behind something that lasts and living a good life, a big life, are what counts.

“What he said was, ‘Would you rather have a whole pile of money in the bank or all these incredible experiences that I’ve had?’” Shroder said.

“That always made me feel good. He had the life he wanted to have.”

Hematology/Oncology

WELCOMES

Galina Vugman, MD

Board Certified, Hematology and Oncology Hospice and Palliative Care

Dr. Galina Vugman brings to Intercoastal Medical Group at the Cattleridge Medical Building II office a wealth of knowledge and experience in Hematology/Oncology medicine.

Undergraduate: Loyola University of Chicago, Chicago, IL Medical School: Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL

Residency: Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL

Fellowship: Hematology/Oncology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL; Hospice and Palliative Care, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL

Certification: Board Certified, American Board of Internal Medicine with Subspecialty Certification in Hematology/Oncology and Hospice and Palliative Care.

Hospital Affiliations: Doctors Hospital; Sarasota Memorial Hospital

This meticulously maintained home is perfect for year round island living or the vacation home of your dreams, with over 100 feet of beach frontage.

The elevated home boasts a pool on the main deck to cool off while taking in the extraordinary beach views and stunning sunsets. The home has two master suites with breathtaking views of the Gulf of Mexico for maximum comfort while entertaining guests. Equipped with a hard wired full house generator as well as security system and two car garage with private driveway.

This home is in excellent condition and move in ready!

Kimlira Lane home tops the week’s sales at $6.75 million

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

Ahome in Kimlira tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. Marilyn Saba, trustee, and John Saba Jr., of Sarasota, sold the home at 1406 Kimlira Lane to David and Amanda Minoff, of Sarasota, for $6.75 million. Built in 1976, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,604 square feet of living area.

SARASOTA

SOUTH GATE

DBMD LLC sold the home at 2410 Siesta Drive to Riaan and Shari Vermeulen, of Sarasota, for $1.3 million. Built in 1955, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,104 square feet of living area. It sold for $333,000 in 2021.

Eleanor Watson, of Sarasota, sold her home at to Zydrunas Pocius, of Sarasota, for $755,000. Built in 1967, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,693 square feet of living area. It sold for $147,500 in 1994.

THE LANDINGS

Joseph and Linda Hennessy, of Sarasota, sold their home at 1586 Landings Terrace to Marina and Alexander Bass, of Sarasota, for $1.2 million. Built in 1983, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,093 square feet of living area. It sold for $695,000 in 2007.

RUSTIC LODGE

Joao and Anabela Silva, of Bradenton, sold their home at 2418 Prospect St. to Igor Bessonov and Yulia Kozyr, of Ontario, Canada, for $960,000. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 1,878 square feet of living area. It sold for $518,400 in 2018.

Debra Bishopp, of Sarasota, sold her home at 2557 Temple St. to Julie Bragg, of Sarasota, for $569,000.

Built in 1984, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,332 square feet of living area. It sold for $280,000 in 2005.

THE LANDINGS TREEHOUSE

Charles Stephen Keller sold his Unit 66 condominium at 1451 Landings Circle to Joseph and Linda Hennessy, of Sarasota, for $857,500.

SIESTA KEY

Built in 1983, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,040 square feet of living area. It sold for $587,000 in 2019.

INDIAN BEACH

Paul Graham Lethbridge and Yuliya Kharitonova, of Portland, Oregon, sold their home at 710 40th St. to Robert Bradley Sennott, of Sarasota, for $675,000. Built in 1956, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,814 square feet of living area. It sold for $625,000 in March.

SCHINDLERS 10th & Osprey LLC sold the home at 1766 10th St. to Brandon Kent Broom and Nicole Day, of Sarasota, for $635,000. Built in 2022, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,320 square feet of living area.

GROVE LAWN

Mark and Allison Lubas, of Fort Collins, Colorado, sold their home at 2126 Datura St. to Claytn and Abbey Ahring, of Ladson, South Carolina, for $566,000. Built in 1954, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,680 square feet of living area. It sold for $192,500 in 2014.

GULF GATE PINES

Stephen Tully and Kathleen Earley, of Sarasota, sold their home at 2299 Pine View Circle to Joseph Gilligan and Mary Beth Gilligan, of Loveland, Ohio, for $552,000. Built in 1979, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,758 square feet of living area. It sold for $215,000 in 2003.

AVENUE D Mary Ann Ivasutyn, trustee, of Greenville, South Carolina, sold the home at 6600 Ave. D to Shawn and Sonya Johnson, of Sarasota, for $525,000. Built in 1984, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,705 square feet of living area.

TOP BUILDING PERMITS

of Sarasota and Sarasota County building permits issued for the week of July 3-7, in order of dollar amounts.

SARASOTA BEACH

Sophie Colbach, trustee, of France, sold the home at 5326 Avenida Del Mare to Swoop Da Loop LLC for $1,275,000. Built in 1948, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,286 square feet of living area. It sold for $350,000 in 2012.

CASARINA

Gary and Cornelia Allen, trustees, of Nova Scotia, Canada, sold the Unit 902 condominium at 5880 Midnight Pass Road to Gregory Biedermann and Jenny Lange, of Columbia, Missouri, for $1,175,000. Built in 1982, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,498 square feet of living area. It sold for $600,000 in 2012.

EXCELSIOR BEACH TO BAY

Family Nichols Trust LLC sold the Unit 205 condominium at 6267 Midnight Pass Road to David James Maichle, of Newark, Delaware, for $725,000. Built in 1980, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,469 square feet of living area. It sold for $552,000 in 2020.

JULY 3-7

Other top sales by area

SIESTA KEY: $3,775,000

Harmony Vasilios and Jennifer Kiritsis, of Leesport, Pennsylvania, sold their home at 4863 Primrose Path to Wilbur and Sarah Bontrager, of Middlebury, Indiana, for $3,775,000. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,876 square feet of living area. It sold for $2.75 million in 2021.

PALMER RANCH: $1,459,000

Legacy Estates on Palmer Ranch

Martin Eugene Thompson and Marsha Mayo Thompson, of Nokomis, sold their home at 5384 Trails Bend Court to James and Leann Citrone, of York, Pennsylvania, for $1,459,000. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,116 square feet of living area. It sold for $723,300 in 2020.

OSPREY:

Willowbend

$605,000

Pamela Hudson Schuneman and James Hudson III, trustees, sold the home at 1358 Thornapple Drive to Heather Strasser and Howard Acker, of Osprey, for $605,000. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,163 square feet of living area. It sold for $355,000 in 2013.

ONLINE

See more transactions at YourObserver.com

Courtesy of Kim Ogilvie, Michael Saunders & Co.

This $6.75 million home at 1406 Kimlira Lane has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,604 square feet of living area.

Non-profit serving Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Rides to medical appointments,

SATURDAY, JULY 22

THRIFT SHOPPING BUS TOUR

8:30 a.m. at Target, 101 N. Cattlemen Road. $69. This bus tour will make stops at a the Christmas in July marketplace at Keel Farms in Plant City, and the Summer Soiree at The Fancy Flea, an air-conditioned vintage marketplace in Lakeland. To register, visit EventBrite.com.

ZUMBA AT THE BAY WITH YA’EL CAMPBELL

9-10 a.m. at The Oval at The Bay, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts. Free. Join instructor Ya’el Campbell and her group of Zumba Rockstars so participants can get active with a smile. For information, visit TheBaySarasota.org.

SUNDAY, JULY 23

BEATLEOLOGY: SPIRITUALITY AND THE BEATLES

10:30 a.m. to noon at Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, 3975 Fruitville Road. Free. Certified Beatleologist and performer “Rev. Faerie” Elaine Silver presents an event based on her study of the Beatles and the transforming power of their music. For information, visit ElaineSilver.com.

MONDAY, JULY 24

FIT4MOM STROLLER STRIDES

9 a.m. at children’s play area in Dillard’s court at The Mall at UTC, 140 University Town Center Drive. This 60-minute total-body workout for all stages of motherhood is performed while engaged with little ones in a stroller. The first class is free. Participants are encouraged to register in advance. For information, visit UTCSarasota.com.

SOCRATES CAFE

1:30-3 p.m. at Fruitville Library, 100 Apex Road. Free. Participants will hold philosophical discussions at this open-topic meeting, hosting respectful debates based around the Socratic Method. For information, visit SCGovLibrary. LibraryMarket.com.

HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS

3-4 p.m. at Gulf Gate Library, 7112 Curtiss Ave. Free. Learn how to prepare in case a hur-

BEST BET

WEDNESDAY, JULY 26

K.O.P.S. FUN NIGHT

6-8 p.m. (8- to 11-year-olds); 8 to 10 p.m. (12- to 15-year-olds) at Robert L. Taylor Community Complex, 1845 34th St. Free. The K.O.P.S. (Kids and Officers Promoting Solidarity) fun night is part of a program promoting solidarity between youth and law enforcement. Features baseball, volleyball, kickball, soccer and more. For information, visit LetsPlaySarasota.com. To register, visit EventBrite.com.

File photo

Participants at a K.O.P.S. fun night held in spring 2023

ricane strikes and meet Sarasota County’s emergency management team in the midst of hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. For more information, visit SCGovLibrary.LibraryMarket.com.

TASTING THE CITY — SARASOTA

FOOD TASTING EVENT

5-7 p.m. at BMW of Sarasota 5151 Clark Road. Tickets $15 to $200. Experience fine restaurants and hidden gems from among Sarasota’s many local restaurants. Guest can also enjoy live music performances and entertainment and special guests. For information, visit EventBrite.com.

Fast Break

Sarasota Sharks swimmer Bailey O’Regan finished 33rd overall in the women’s 5K (1:02.27) and 38th in the women’s 10K (2:10:08) in the open water division of the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, held July 14-30 in Fukuoka, Japan.

… The Sarasota Sharks youth swim team finished first overall at the 2023 Summer Florida Age Group South Championships, held July 13-16 at Florida Gulf Coast University. Individually, the Sharks women’s team finished first while the men’s team finished second.

The Sarasota Tsunami finished third overall, with the men’s and women’s teams both individually finishing third.

Former Riverview High baseball pitcher Karson Ligon announced July 12 that he will be transferring from the University of Miami to Mississippi State University. Ligon held a 4.86 ERA and 2:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over two seasons (126 innings) with the Hurricanes.

Former Sarasota High baseball player Lance Trippel was named to the Northwoods League’s All-Star Game roster as a member of the Kenosha Kingfish on July 13. Trippel, who attends Florida State University, hit .289 with six doubles, one triple and two home runs in 42 Northwoods League games. The collegiate summer league is based in Rochester, Minnesota.

Volunteers are needed for the 2023 U.S. Masters Swimming Summer National Championships, which will be held Aug. 2-6 at Selby Aquatic Center.

Volunteers must be 12 or older.

More info, including a link to a sign-up sheet, can be found at the Sarasota Sharks Masters Facebook page.

Feels like family

Only one high school could have pulled Rafael Fernandez away from his previous position as the Lake Howell High athletic director in Winter Garden.

His high school.

The one where Fernandez played baseball under former coach and principal Steve Christie, forming close bonds with his teammates — a great group of guys, he said — and embracing a feeling of family that never left him.

The one where Fernandez, a firstgeneration American whose family hails from Cuba, found a home.

The one that not only provided an education but helped his family with the financial costs to do so and gave him multiple mentors with which to talk through life’s difficult decisions.

The one he graduated from in 1991, but not before making lifelong memories.

When he heard that his school had an opening, Fernandez decided he had to go for it. On July 11, it became official: Fernandez was named the new athletic director at Cardinal Mooney High.

“It was perfect timing for everything,” Fernandez said. “My family still lives there (in Sarasota), and my own kids have graduated. It’s an opportunity for me to come home and to be closer to my family, and at the same time, to give back to the school and community that gave so much to me.”

Fernandez is bringing experience from his prior stops, which include 10 years as the dean of students at South Seminole Academy (grades 6-8) before taking the Lake Howell job. Fernandez said the job of an athletic director includes a lot of administrative duties, like managing policies and compliances and scheduling the department’s financial budget, in addition to sport-specific duties, so his well-rounded background works to his advantage.

Fernandez will take over the posi-

tion from Larry Antonucci, who served in the role for four years. Fernandez inherits an athletic program that has not only seen on-field success in recent seasons, including back-to-back beach volleyball Sunshine State Athletic Conference state tournament titles in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, but has upgraded its facilities, installing a turf football field in 2019 and beach volleyball courts in 2023, among other upgrades.

Fernandez said he is excited to continue those upgrades, keeping Mooney in the upper echelon of Sarasota-Manatee schools in the area as a result.

“I was impressed,” Fernandez said. “There’s a modern press box (at the school’s stadium). There are great batting cages for the baseball and softball teams. The baseball field is getting worked on right now. The gym and the weight room are good. They have made an investment here, and I am committed to continuing that.”  Fernandez said he’s committed to making sure the girls athletic facilities are as up to date as the boys athletic facilities at the school. It’s a way to ensure that all Mooney athletes get the best experience possible, he said. Fernandez said the beach volleyball courts are a good example of a way to ensure that experience for female athletes, while also being a leg-up over most of the area in a burgeoning sport.

More than anything else, Fernandez

is excited to talk with the Mooney community — not just athletes and coaches — and help in any way possible. While Fernandez enjoyed his past positions at bigger schools, he said, there was also something missing. He did not always know every student who played a sport as well as he wished he did. The same goes for some of the schools’ assistant coaches. At Mooney, Fernandez said he wants to be more involved in the dayto-day lives of everyone at the school, being as big of an influence on the school’s athletes as he can.

“I just want to step in and be there,” Fernandez said. “I want to use my experience and be a good support system for the school while guiding the athletic program, having that positive effect as a mentor.”

Fernandez emphasized that he’ll do what he can to help whoever wants to attend the private school do so, paying back the assistance he received as a teenager, even if the student in question is not interested in sports.

“This goes beyond athletics,” Fernandez said. “It’s about giving an opportunity to experience a smaller classroom, a solid education. It’s a place where kids can reach their potential.”

Courtesy photo Bailey O’Regan competed in the open water division of the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, held July 14-30 in Fukuoka, Japan.

New Athletic Director Rafael Fernandez, a 1991 graduate of Cardinal Mooney, looks forward to giving back to the school that gave him so much.

“Any type of front, I can read it and find the gaps and maneuver to get positive yards.”

— Joe Ziegler SEE PAGE 27

Courtesy photo

Cougars beach volleyball player Helena Hebda sends a shot over the net on Mooney’s new courts.

Rafael Fernandez was named the Cardinal Mooney athletic director on July 11.

Cardinal Mooney running back Carson Beach scores a touchdown against Lakewood Ranch. The school’s football field was upgraded to turf in 2019.

Stay in the know on Sarasota sports

games into his sophomore season after taking time away to focus on basketball. It was a good decision: Foster quickly established himself as one of the top cover corners in the state, with the raw talent to get even better in time.

Slowly but surely we’re all making our way through this summer together.

It hasn’t been easy — what, with the heat and the lack of live sports and all — but we’re getting there. Florida High School Athletic Association practices for the fall season begin this month, after all. In just a few weeks, everything will be rolling like normal. And even now, there is plenty to talk about. So much so, that I decided to split my column into thirds once again, to cover as much news as possible.

This week: A high-profile football player makes his college decision, a big-time dragon boat event comes to Benderson Park (while a different boat racing event will soon follow), and three local rowers get national recognition for their skills.

FOSTER MAKES HIS CHOICE

Cardinal Mooney High rising senior defensive back Teddy Foster ended his long recruitment process on July 14 — his birthday — when he announced to the world his decision to become a University of Florida Gator.

Foster, a three-star player and the No. 67 cornerback nationally on the 247Sports Composite, had previously announced a final three of Florida, the University of Miami and the University of North Carolina. The 6-foot-2 Foster only joined the Mooney football program three

Now that Foster has ended his recruitment, he can focus on the 2023 season — and it has a chance to be a big one at Mooney. The Cougars have a stacked defensive backfield, with Foster and rising junior Chris McCorkle, who also holds an offer from the Gators, as well as West Virginia University and Michigan State University, among others. On offense, the team returns rising senior running back Carson Beach (offers from West Virginia and the University of Tennessee, among others) and brings in four-star wide receiver Zy’marion Lang from Palmetto High, who will be announcing his commitment on July 30, choosing between Kansas State University, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of South Carolina and the University of South Florida.

In other words, there is a lot of high-level talent at the Mooney skill positions. Until the games get underway, there’s no way of knowing how all of that talent will gel, but the potential for a big season is there.

WANT BOAT RACES?

HIT UP BENDERSON PARK

If, by some chance, you still get confused when you hear the phrase “dragon boat,” there’s a grand opportunity to rectify that this weekend.

Nathan Benderson Park will host the 2023 United States Dragon Boat Federation Club Crew National Championships on July 21-23.

As the event title suggests, these championships will see some of the top dragon boat clubs in the country

descend on Benderson Park to race for glory. Well, “some” doesn’t quite do it justice. More than 100 clubs will be represented.  USDBF clubs did not have to qualify for the championships themselves, but the event will serve as a qualifier for the 2024 Club Crew World Championships, which will be held in Ravenna, Italy. So while not every crew racing at the 2023 event will be elite, all the winners certainly will be. And some will likely be from this area — Benderson Park’s dragon boat teams have 10 people representing Team USA at the World Dragon Boat Racing Championships next month in Pattaya, Thailand, after all.

And hey, maybe the whole “dragon heads on the boat” thing is too quirky for you. Not to fret: There’s another boat racing event coming to Benderson Park. The American Canoe Association’s Canoe Sprint National Championships will be there Aug. 1-4. Unlike in dragon boat, these

competitors will not be seated during their races. They will be kneeling, one leg strapped into their canoe, while twisting and turning to generate the most power flowing through their oars as possible. They’ll race distances of 200 meters, 500 meters and 1,000 meters. For more information on this unique event, visit AmericanCanoe.org.

BIG HONORS FOR LOCAL ROWERS

Staying on the water, some junior athletes got recognized in a big way this month. Sarasota Crew rowers Sofia Simone and Kennedy Housley were named to the U19 U.S. National Team in the women’s 8+ boat on July 10. The boat will race at the 2023 World Rowing Under 19 Championships Aug. 2-6 in Paris at Vaires-surMarne Nautical Stadium, which is a former Olympic venue.  Simone has been in this position before and twice won gold, includ-

ing at the 2022 championships in Varese, Italy. Housley also made the roster last year, but in the women’s 4+, which finished fourth overall.  On the men’s side, Crew rower Colton Millar has been named an alternate, meaning he’s next in line if a rower has to drop out of a race because of injury or other reasons.  Congratulations to all three Crew members. For more information on the championships themselves, visit WorldRowing.com.

4185 Roberts Point Cir Siesta Key

PROSE AND KOHN RYAN KOHN

A football player makes a big commitment, boat races come to Benderson Park and local rowers get national honors.

Courtesy photos

Members of the Survivors in Sync dragon boat team, including coach Angela Long, were selected to Team USA for the International Dragon Boat Federation World Dragon Boat Racing Championships.

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

Joe Ziegler

Joe Ziegler is a rising senior running back on the Sarasota High football team. Ziegler was called one of the team’s hardest workers this offseason by first-year head coach Josh Phillips. Ziegler ran for 750 yards and five touchdowns on 119 carries in 2022.

When did you start playing football?

I started when I was 6 years old. I had been watching the game since I was 4, watching my older brother (Jeremiah Williams) play. I liked getting to be aggressive on the field, to be able to hit someone and not get in trouble for it.

What is the appeal to you now?

I have a different perspective on the game now. For me, it’s about battling with the guys. You’re bonding with them forever. It’s a brotherhood. When the games get going, it’s about physically getting over on the other team with the people you love playing with.

What is your best skill?

Reacting to the defense. They always line up a few different ways. Any type of front, I can read it and find the gaps and maneuver to get positive yards.

What have you been working to improve?

As a team, we’ve been working on bonding. We need to make sure we’re all on one page by the time real practice starts (July 31). We’re ready to learn and do whatever it takes.

What is your favorite memory?

Playing Braden River High last season. That was the school I came from originally. When we played them, I went out for the coin toss by myself, and then we got the win in the end (28-3). It was pretty fun.

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

What are your goals for the season?

I would like to surpass 1,200 yards this season. Other than that, I just want the team to have more wins than losses, and for us to go deeper in the playoffs than we did last season (reaching the second round).

What is your favorite subject?

Science is interesting. I like knowing how a person’s body works, things like that.

What are your hobbies?

I’m actually a barber. I work at Real Vision Barber Academy in Bradenton. My family had advised me to find a trade, because football doesn’t last forever, and I chose barbering.

Finish this sentence: “Joe Ziegler is … ” Determined, fun and outgoing.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

By Luis Campos

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

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