Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer 8.3.23

YOUR TOWN

More regulation on hotel houses?

Another side

While not all kids are eager to meet a police officer, 9-yearold Paris Smith and 8-year-old Thomas Braze were among those glad for the opportunity on July 26.

Hosted at the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex, the K.O.P.S. (Kids and Officers Promoting Solidarity) Summer Fun Night brought together cops and kids to play lacrosse and spend time together in an evening that concluded with a meal of Chick-fil-A.

Organizer Charisse Lovett said the goal of the event is to show kids who may have had a negative experience with a police officer another side of who they are.

Health in motion

If you want to age gracefully, you have to shake a leg and build connections. That was the theme of the Senior Friendship Centers Wellness in Motion Health and Services Fair held on July 28 at the nonprofit’s Sarasota campus.

More than 50 seniors visited the center during the fair for fitness, dance class and salsa instruction demonstrations and to learn from 20 vendors about the wellness offerings in the area.

Dozens of seniors took part in an aerobics class at the fair.

“We move all parts of the body from head to toe,” said Mike McManus, aerobics instructor, in between teaching classes. “We weren’t created by God to be couch potatoes.”

WEEK OF AUG. 3, 2023

BY THE NUMBERS

Sarasota City Commissioner Debbie Trice Read more on Page 6

School sales tax holiday ends Aug. 6

A sure sign the summer school break is near the end is when the state of Florida offers its semi-annual back-to-school sales tax holiday.

The 2023 summer edition began Monday, July 24 and continues through Sunday, Aug. 6.

There will be a second sales tax holiday on essential school supplies and clothing Jan. 1-14, 2024. During the sales tax holiday period, tax is not due on the retail sale of:

n Clothing, footwear and certain accessories with a sales price of $100 or less per item.

n Certain school supplies with a sales price of $50 or less per item.

n Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles with a sales price of $30 or less.

n Personal computers and certain computer-related accessories with a sales price of $1,500 or less, when purchased for noncommercial home or personal use.

For more details about tax-exempt and nonexempt items during the sales tax holiday, visit FloridaRevenue.com.

Culverhouse donates $100,000 to CTC

Van Wezel added to Florida’s 11 to Save list

The Van Wezel Performing Arts

Hall has been included on the Florida Trust of Historic Places 2023 Florida’s 11 to Save, a list of the most threatened historic properties in the state.

The initiative highlights endangered sites throughout Florida nominated by the public and is a step in advocating for their preservation.

The announcement was made at the Preservation on Main Street Conference in Ocala on July 19.

“These are the historic places

that matter to people throughout our state, and we’re optimistically enthused that the Van Wezel has been recognized as a vital property to protect,” said Erin DiFazio, program director for the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation, in a news release.

“We’re also pleased that the city of Sarasota is exploring future use options and storm surge protection measures for this iconic landmark.”

Along with the Florida Trust of Historic Places recognition comes access to the 11 to Save

Grant Fund, which supports protection efforts of historic sites. Founded in 1978, the trust is a nonprofit that has collaborated to save historic properties. It is a partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation is a nonprofit founded in 1985. Its membership includes more than 500 residents and visitors of a variety of professions and interests in working to preserve significant landmarks.

Developer and former assistant U.S. Attorney Hugh Culverhouse Jr. has made a second donation this year to fully fund the Sarasota County Comprehensive Treatment Court through the end of the year. The $100,000 gift was his second to the CTC in 2023. Earlier this year, he contributed $50,000 to the program. CTC is a mental health diversion program implemented in the local courts that helps move individuals who commit nonviolent offenses suffering from mental health disorders out of the jails and into treatment programs.

Sarasota County Judge Erika Quartermaine founded the CTC in 2017 after presiding over cases involving the same defendants repeatedly arrested for nonviolent offenses. The program is modeled after a Miami-Dade County and is a collaboration of the courts, law enforcement agencies and social service organizations.

“What we’re also seeing in neighborhoods on the mainland are regular single-family homes rented out for a week, and sometimes illegally for a night.”

File photo

The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall is recognized as a place to save by the Florida Trust of Historic Places.

RESIDENTS TO BENDERSON: Leave Laurel Park zoning alone

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

At the outset of Tuesday evening’s community workshop about the redevelopment of the Sarasota County administrative building site, residents of Laurel Park were told all they would see were the colors on a map.

For the 100-plus attendees at the meeting held at the Selby Library, the issue was much larger than a blueshaded rectangle that Benderson wants to change to brown as it prepares to file an application to amend the city’s comprehensive plan and to rezone some pieces of the 5-acre property off Ringling Boulevard bordering the northern edge of the neighborhood.

“We’re talking about comprehensive plan amendments and rezonings and a lot of this is esoteric, so for anyone in the room that is disappointed that they won’t see a site plan in front of them today, I sincerely apologize,” said Philip DiMaria of land planning consultant Kimley-Horn. “At some point in the future, you may see a site plan, but tonight is not going to be that.”

Benderson acquired the office building and surrounding parking lots in 2022 and plans to redevelop the property shortly after county staff moves into its new space off Fruitville Road east of I-75 by the end of 2025. The workshop was the first public input session as the developer begins to prepare its application to change the future land use designations of some of the property, which would then allow it to pursue rezonings to create a mixed-use development of residential, office and a small amount of retail.

For the most part, residents had no objection to the proposed land use changes north of Morrill Street, which is where the existing building and some parking is located. They objected, though, to Benderson’s proposal to change the future land use of the parking lot south of Morrill Street — property within the Laurel Park neighborhood district — from Mixed Residential to Urban Edge, and the subsequent rezoning from RSM-9, a medium-density residential zone, to Downtown Edge and Downtown Neighborhood Edge.  DiMaria and Benderson Development’s Todd Mathes told the crowd the changes would provide more flexibility for a compatible transition from heavier urban uses to the neighborhood. The residents, though, were protective of the comprehensive plan and zoning status quo, and they are concerned

that the changes would set precedent to be followed by future developers after this initial incursion into their historic single-family community.

The transitional step-up in height restrictions goes from the two stories of Laurel Park to three stories in Downtown Neighborhood Edge, proposed for a 100-foot wide strip along the southern edge of the current parking lot along Dolphin Avenue, to five stories in the remaining Downtown Edge portion of that parking lot.

“‘Transition’ is very squishy, uncomfortable language because we don’t see it as a transition. We see it as a boundary,” said one resident.

“What we’re asking for is can you come to us with a plan that does great things, you make all the money you want — high-end condos, restaurants, etc.  — but why does it have to take away the neighborhood designation in that area?”

LIVE LOCAL ACT CONCERNS

In addition to what residents called an incursion into the neighborhood, they are concerned about the densities that an inclusion of an affordable housing component might have, and how that may be exacerbated by the state’s Live Local Act, which supersedes some local government control over height and density restrictions.

At its Aug. 7 meeting, the City Commission will hold a hearing over proposed density bonuses granted to developers who include affordable housing in their projects in any of the four downtown zoning districts.

Those include the Downtown Edge and Downtown Neighborhood Edge zones sought by Benderson on the current parking lot site.

City staff is proposing a plan that permits an increase from 18 units per acre to 72 units per acre in Downtown Neighborhood Edge and from 25 units per acre to 100 units per acre in Downtown Edge, both zoning districts sought by Benderson on the subject current parking lot. Apply the state’s Live Local Act to those zoning districts and Benderson could develop — without city approval — height and densities of residential development that exist within a one-mile radius of the site.

DiMaria conceded that would be permitted next door to Laurel Park, but with the requirement that 40% of units would have to be classified as affordable and remain such for 30 years, it wouldn’t be likely.

“All of our conversations and with all the proformas run it’s understood that this site specifically probably doesn’t make sense for Live Local,” he said. “I know there are other folks in the room who think that’s exactly what’s going to happen here. The reality is, if you need to provide parking or provide a high-rise building in any way, shape, or structure, the costs associated with building those structures far exceed the benefit of providing the 40% of attainable. You basically don’t have the ability to make a return on the units that you do provide because 40% of your units are restricted.”

Benderson has received from the city a 60-day extension to file its applications, and Mathes pledged to use that time to meet with the neighborhood association board, hold stakeholder meetings with residents and work to develop a preliminary site plan that hopefully would be acceptable to the community.

An amendment to the comprehensive plan requires a 4-1 supermajority for approval following a legislative public hearing. Rezoning approval requires only a simple majority following a quasi-judicial public hearing. Both processes, DiMaria said, encourage input from the community.

Before those hearings begin, DiMaria said there will be at least a partial plan to provide a vision for the site after further neighborhood engagement.

“Everything that is a concern we’re going to have on the table, and we’re going to flex and we’re going to see what opportunities there are to address those issues,” he said. “We’re going to sincerely bring to the table every single opportunity we have to address those issues. So the intention is at the end of that process to come out with a plan. It might not be a city specific 50% design site plan, but there will be a concept plan — height, setbacks, densities, all of those things will be vetted out.”

WHAT ABOUT THE BUILDING?

The current county office building won’t be razed, Mathes said.

“What we intend with the existing building is to reface it, essentially,” Mathes said. “It will go down to the steel and possibly mixed uses inside the building, but to keep that primary structure and with the height of the building staying the same.”

The structure was built to physically accommodate an additional three stories, he said, but increasing the building’s height is not currently in the plans.

Homes in the Laurel Park neighborhood are immediately adjacent to the Sarasota County Administration building property now owned by Benderson Development.

More than 100 residents voice concern over the developer’s land reclassification request during a community workshop.

“Everything that is a concern we’re going to have on the table, and we’re going to flex and we’re going to see what opportunities there are to address those issues.”

Philip DiMaria, Kimley-Horn

The orange block in the upper left corner of a map of Laurel Park is the current parking lot for the Sarasota County government center and is the only portion of the site owned by Benderson Development that is within the neighborhood.

Photos by Andrew Warfield

More than 100 Laurel Park residents filled a meeting room at the Selby Library to discuss Benderson Development’s preliminary plans for redeveloping the Sarasota County administrative building property.

Benderson seeks zoning change for Southgate mall

At a community workshop, Benderson Development announced plans for zoning changes to permit a mixed-use development at the former mall.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

In its heyday of the late 1980s and 1990s, Sarasota’s Southgate Mall property was a bustling center of commerce, having been fully enclosed in 1988.

Known then as Southgate Plaza, it was a time when U.S. 41 was still the primary commercial corridor through the region and before most of its tenants, like many other retailers along Tamiami Trail, were drawn to Benderson Development’s University Town Center.

Last week, Benderson took the first steps toward redevelopment of the largely vacant property, now known as Crossings at Siesta Key.

After taking seven years to assemble the nearly 35-acre mall property at U.S. 41 between Bee Ridge Road and Siesta Drive, Benderson is embarking on its first steps to breathe life back into the site, seeking a comprehensive plan amendment and subsequent zoning text amendments to change the zoning to the city’s new Urban Mixed-Use future land use classification.

The site is currently zoned Commercial Shopping Center with a future land use designation or Metropolitan/Regional #9.

Benderson and its development consultant, Kimley-Horn, held a community workshop at the mall’s Rise Above Performing Arts theater on July 25 to discuss its ideas for the site based on the New Urbanism concept of mixing of residential and commercial uses to create a selfcontained, walkable community.

IDENTITY CRISIS

Named Southgate Plaza when it opened in 1956 as an outdoor strip mall, the shopping center was fully enclosed in 1988.

Following the arrival of Saks Fifth Avenue in 1996, the mall was renovated to attract more upscale retailers.

In 2002, Westfield Group acquired the mall and renamed it Westfield Shoppingtown Southgate. By 2005, “Shoppingtown” was removed and the mall renamed Westfield Southgate. In 2014, Dillard’s followed the lead of fellow anchor tenant Saks Fifth Avenue and announced it was moving its location to University Town Center.

The mall was rebranded again by Westfield in 2017 to Westfield Siesta Key. In 2020, Westfield sold its share of the mall to O’Connor Capital Partners, and the mall was named one last time to Crossings as Siesta Key. Benderson closed on the mall property in May 2022.

Todd Mathes, director of development for Benderson, told the crowd the company has no development plans at this time, but should the city support the reclassification of the property, it could take two decades or more to complete the redevelopment. That would include a residential base density of 25 units per acre — 35 units should it include an affordable housing component.

Some attendees expressed skepticism about the absence of a plan, but Mathes explained several tenants have long-term leases with renewal options that could extend to 20 years. What it won’t be, he said, is a single-use development.

“We do not, standing here today, have a plan for this property, in part because we know that a lot of these existing tenants who are operating here are going to be here for quite awhile,” Mathes said. “It’s going to be redeveloped in pieces, one little piece at a time, as we’re able to work through it. What I can tell you is that we’re committed to quality projects. We’re committed to the community, and we’re very committed to the redevelopment and reenvisioning of the property.

“Everything about our experience with properties like this and everything that planners and architects tell us is that in the future, it’s going to be a mix of uses.”

The property is currently zoned for 1.2 million square feet of commercial space. While largely vacant, Mathes cited some tenants — specifically naming Connors Steak & Seafood restaurant — as doing well. The restaurant outparcels on the property stand alone and could be incorporated into the overall master plan.

Benderson completed its acquisition of the property last year, purchasing the 439,958-square-foot enclosed mall space for $25.1 million.

INTENDED TO REDUCE TRAFFIC

New Urbanism developments are typically higher density with residential surrounding a commercial component that serves the adjacent residents and surrounding community. They will often include a type of town square and green spaces, all intended to create a walkable, self-contained community with a goal of reducing vehicle trips for some basic needs.

Similar to the North Trail Overlay District, buildings are placed near the roadways with parking and utility functions contained internally.

The effectiveness of the design principle is subject to debate, largely because significant examples are few and far between. Historically, communities New Urbanism seeks to re-create occurred organically over decades and were not master planned.

Mathes admitted there are few developments in Florida designed around New Urbanism principles, citing Mercato, in Naples, and St.

Johns Town Center, in Jacksonville, as two that touch on, but don’t fully embrace, the concept. Both were also built absent significant mass transit serving the sites — a tenet of New Urbanism — Mercato along U.S. 41 and St. John’s Town Center at the interchange of I-295 and Butler Boulevard, also an interstate-style highway.

Absent a catalyst, organic New Urbanism redevelopment is a more patient process, coming piece by piece, block by block, over time.

“The thought is that if, over time, we could revisit some of those original European principles as it relates to city building,” said Philip DiMaria, urban planner and project manager with Kimley-Horn & Associates. “We can create better places for people who live, work and play in an area. The idea is that a mix of building types, a mix of uses and diversity in general is healthy for human beings as it relates to their physical environment, and the city has adopted those principles.

Those are key tenets within this comprehensive plan … and over time, we’re starting to see a city that’s transformed into a more new urbanist ideal.”

Most of the concerns expressed

were about traffic, pointing out that their neighborhood streets are already used as cut-throughs.

DiMaria said no redevelopment can occur absent traffic studies, which determine whether the

existing roadways are sufficient or improvements need to be made. He added that a regional mall of 1.2 million square feet, as currently zoned, typically generates more vehicle trips than does a mixed-use development.

“At some point it was deemed to be sufficient for that amount of retail,” DiMaria said of the road network surrounding the mall. “Now as time goes on and as the city reviews each development application, they’re required to study and analyze traffic. As part of any mixed-use development, there’s an assumption of a certain percentage of residential units and a certain percentage of retail or office. There’s an assumed amount (of traffic) that is captured within the site. Maybe there’s a grocery store onsite right there to walk to instead of getting in the car and going to Publix.”

Addressing long-term ownership of the development, Mathes said both he and DiMaria live in the neighborhood and that Benderson’s business model is to develop and hold rather than sell. He hinted at including affordable housing, which by ordinance carries a 30-year requirement of rent caps.

“We are long-term committed to owning this property. We don’t tend to create and sell product,” Mathes said. “There’s probably lots of money to be made in selling high-end condos. That’s not us. We’re long-term holders, and hopefully that will create a nice, vibrant place and reduce some barriers to ownership, which could help the community. We very much intend to own everything here for a very long time.”

Although there is no time frame for development, there is a sense of urgency to go before the city for the comprehensive plan amendment application. The initial submittal to the city to begin the that process, Mathes said, could come as early as August. That process will include meetings with the Development Review Committee followed by public hearings before the Planning Board and eventually the City Commission for approval.

Andrew Warfield

Philip DiMaria, of Kimley-Horn, and Benderson Development’s Todd Mathes listen to questions and comments during a community workshop about Southgate Mall redevelopment.

Courtesy photo

Benderson Development, which built The Mall at University Town Center, bought the Crossings at Siesta Key in May 2022.

City considers expansion of ordinance regulating hotel houses

on their property values.

Revenues from fees associated with regulating vacation rentals in Sarasota’s coastal communities fall short of related expenses to the city, and a possible expansion of the vacation rental ordinance citywide would only amplify the losses, city commissioners learned during last week’s budget workshop.

Director of Development Services

Lucia Panica, whose department is the regulatory arm of the vacation rentals policy, told commissioners the expected total revenue for the current fiscal year is $30,900, while the total expenditures for staff and a rental tracking database provider is just more than $131,000.

“You can see there’s a really big discrepancy between revenues and expenditures every year,” Panica said. “Our revenues are expected to decrease just because the annual renewal fee is much less than the initial registration fee.”

Meanwhile, owners of the 140 registered homes rented on a shortterm basis are raking in on average $635 per night and an annual average of $213,360.

In May 2021, the city approved the vacation rentals policy to register and regulate vacation homes in response to an outcry by residents of the barrier islands who complained about the ease of enjoyment of their own properties and the potential impact

Under the ordinance, the owners of vacation rental properties are subject to safety inspections, local occupancy taxes and business taxes, and they must require a minimum stays of seven full days and nights. With an estimated 700 homes throughout the city also operating as vacation rentals — as evidenced by the software that tracks marketed properties — commissioners are considering adopting a citywide ordinance.

With no changes in the fee structure, though, that would significantly exacerbate the current $100,000 gap between revenues and expenses — on average a $714 loss per unit based on fiscal 2023 numbers — that is currently being covered by the general fund.

“What basically is happening here is the general taxpayers are paying for these hotel houses when they should be covering their own costs,” said City Manager Marlon Brown. “As you can see, they’re bringing in a lot of revenue themselves and we’re collecting nothing. I know it’s difficult to ask the commission to increase fees, but these are fees for a profit-making enterprise, and so therefore I think we should be covering our expenses for this service.”

Currently, the initial registration fee, which also covers city inspection, is $250, with an annual renewal fee of $150. Re-inspection fees also apply when necessary. For perspective, the average new vacation rental pays that initial fee back in one night, with $385 to spare. Panica said regulating vacation rentals citywide, though, will require additional personnel and considerably more expense.

In researching other jurisdictions’ policies, Panica said fees are typically double to triple the amount

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

Current vacation rental fee revenues fall short of city’s regulatory expenses by roughly $100,000.

Sarasota charges, but on average are just more than double.

“Double wouldn’t even cover the cost, though,” said Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch. “I remember in the original draft of the ordinance that the fee was $450, and I think that we can make a rational nexus between what it costs and what we would charge. I don’t think that’s a big leap to take. My concern is the state, and perhaps if we did this sooner rather than later maybe we, having something already on the books, will be allowed to continue with it if we’re preempted.”

During a later budget workshop discussion, four commissioners agreed to revisit both the vacation rental rates and citywide expansion of the ordinance over the objection of Commissioner Erik Arroyo.

“I don’t know what problem we are trying to solve by expanding it,” Arroyo said. “I haven’t heard anything from any residents regarding issues with wanting this to go to other areas of the city. We solved the issue with hotel houses. I feel like we’re trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.”

Ahearn-Koch countered that she has received multiple complaints from residents, some who wanted their neighborhoods to be included in the 2021 ordinance.

“I’ve shared this information before that on Anna Maria Island it used to be 80% residential and 20%

vacation rentals,” she said. “In four years, it’s flipped over to now it’s 20% residential and 80% rental. This has the potential to ruin the quality of life for our citizens. The last thing we want to do is to start seeing our property values decrease because of the impact of hotel houses.”

Commissioner Debbie Trice said there is a misperception that “hotel houses” are four- to six-bedroom homes.

“What we’re also seeing in neighborhoods on the mainland are regular single-family homes rented out for a week, and sometimes illegally for a night,” she said. “I have heard concerns and complaints from a lot of people in the mainland neighborhoods wanting us to outlaw them, which Florida statute does not permit.”

Requiring them to register, she added, provides a point of contact with the city government for residents in the event of disturbances resulting from the short-term renting of homes.

“This is a situation that I think needs to be headed off at the pass before it proliferates because it can get out of hand,” said Mayor Kyle Battie. “It’s already damaged our supply because now people are looking at their properties as an investment to make money as opposed to renting them out for families.”

File photo Sarasota city commissioners adopted an ordinance in 2021 to register and regulate vacation rentals in coastal communities.

Trump II? Think about it

Humpty Dumpty would be better than what we have. But for all of the diehard Trump supporters, here’s a thought: What makes you think a Trump II will be any different and better for the U.S. than Trump I?

that swirled every day around Trump would go away or be any less than it was the first time?

Or, what evidence is there that Trump has the ability to heal wounds and bridge political and social divides that would move Americans more toward the United States of America instead of the Divided States of America?

What makes anyone think Trump would be any less narcissistic, bombastic and vainglorious a second time around?

MATT WALSH

To all you diehard Donald Trump supporters: Your fervor is understandable to see him elected in 2024; to see him bring back the good he did; to rid us of Joe Biden and the destructive progressives; and perhaps what you want most: to see him vindicated, exact retribution and bring to justice those who conspired to destroy him.

We get it.

But there is far more to this presidential decision than vindication and retribution. We would urge the former president’s supporters to be thoughtful about four more years of Trump.

For one, what makes anyone think electing Trump is going to be better or different than the first time? Yes, anything and anyone would be better than what we have. And we’d much rather have the economic conditions of Trump I than what we have now.

But what makes anyone think the chaos, controversy and divisiveness

Try this: Put yourself in the shoes of a director of a large publicly traded corporation that has a revered reputation in the U.S. and elsewhere. The company needs a new CEO who can maintain the company’s reputation but also propel disruptive innovation in an intransigent staff. Sounds like a job for Trump.

Now imagine he applied. Having observed his behavior in public office and the way he treated and discarded executives who disagreed with him — calling them losers and all sorts of other undeserved, derogatory names, would you hire him to be your company’s CEO?

Trump exemplifies that frequent debate that occurs in business.

What do you do when you have a high-performing employee who offends everyone in the company and clearly violates the “no jerk rule”? Do you keep him? Or let him go?

Consider the wisdom of others:

■ Ralph Hunter, late founder of the Longboat Observer. Prior to our purchasing the paper, Hunter told

us that after many years of hiring and firing staffers, he came to the conclusion: “We only hire people with whom we want to work. No jerks.” Life is too short, Hunter said.

■ Rick Edmonds, former editor and publisher of Florida Trend magazine in the late 1980s: The magazine needed to fill a reporter opening. When someone suggested rehiring a staffer who had left the magazine, Edmonds responded: “Rarely is it good to go back. It happens, but it is rare.”

Do we really want to live through another a year-and-a-half of the Trump campaign and then, if elected, another four years just like the four years he was in office and the four years he will have been out of office?

Trump Derangement Syndrome and the progressive left already have brought chaos, distress and destruction to this country for seven years — the two years Trump campaigned, the four years in office and now the four post-years of continuing to tear him down and leaving us with Biden, et al.

Now, say Trump is elected president in 2024. If past is prologue, you can pretty much presume 2025-2028 would be just a continuation of what we have been enduring.

Altogether, that would make 13 years of national destruction that could put the Fall of the United States in bookstores right next to the Fall of the Roman Empire.

No one wants that.

Donald Trump is not a conservative

If your political philosophy aligns with free-market capitalism, limited government as the Founders spelled out in the U.S. Constitution, fiscal restraint, low taxation and free trade, sorry, Trump’s philosophy does not.

Give him gold stars for aligning with limited government and low taxation. Trump’s cutting of regulations led to the nation becoming energy independent. And he led the campaign for the most sweeping tax reform in 30 years with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. That act reduced individual income tax rates 1.3 percentage points and cut the corporate tax to 21% from 35%.

The perception is that these policies ignited what Trump often has referred to as “the Greatest Economy ever in the History of Any Country.” Of course, we know that’s classic Trump bombast. And it is.

The Trump era was not the greatest economy ever.

David Stockman, Reagan’s director of Management and Budget and now an author of books and economic newsletters, has done extensive analysis of Trump’s economic results.

He compared the inflationadjusted average growth rate of the nation’s gross domestic product (the monetary value of all goods and services produced in a year) during the terms of presidents going back to Jimmy Carter. Trump’s average growth rate ranks last.

Clinton: 3.75%

Reagan: 3.44%

Carter: 3.37%

Bush I: 2.22%

Bush II: 2.00%

Obama: 1.74%

Trump: 1.52%

Of course, Trump’s GDP sank in 2020, the year of COVID: -3.4%. If

HOW THE PRESIDENTS SPENT YOUR MONEY

ANNUAL INCREASES

The table shows the annual increases in federal spending in constant 2021 dollars.

Donald Trump +$366 billion

George W. Bush +$136 billion

George H.W. Bush +$97 billion

Barack Obama +$86 billion

Ronald Reagan +$64 billion

Jimmy Carter +$62 billion

Bill Clinton +$34 billion

SPENDING GROWTH RATES

These percentages are the annual real growth rates of federal spending during the presidents’ terms:

Donald Trump 6.92%

you eliminate that year, his threeyear average GDP growth increases to 2.5%, placing him fourth, but still far from “The Greatest Economy in the History of any Country.”

What’s more, Trump proved to be a profligate spender (see box).

In one of his recent commentaries, Stockman writes:

“When it comes to the core matter of fiscal discipline, the Donald was no disrupter at all.

He was actually the worst of the lot among Washington spenders, and by a long shot, too. … All of the hideous excesses of the COVID bailouts were launched on his watch, signed into law with his pen and/or legitimized with the imprimatur of an ostensible Republican president …

“When you compare the constant dollar growth rate of total Federal spending during his four years in the Oval Office with that of his recent predecessors it is evident

If not Trump, then who for Republicans?

From the looks of the polls (to which we don’t give much credence at this stage), Donald Trump has the GOP nomination clinched. The polls show him ahead of his closest rival, our governor, Ron DeSantis, by margins ranging from 24 to 43 percentage points. The despised national media, of

HE LIES LIKE THE DEVIL

“I have never spoken to my son about his foreign business dealings.” Everyone knew from the moment he said that he was lying.

Joe Biden has lied all his adult life. We don’t have enough space to list all of Biden’s lies during his political career.

But if you’re interested in knowing just how much of an evil liar he is, check out these two articles:

■ WashingtonTimes.com/ News/2023/Jul/9/PresidentBiden-Is-Liar/ ■ GOP.com/Research/JoeBiden-Liar-In-Chief-RSR/

If Biden were an honorable man of integrity, he would stand before the American people and tell the truth — about his involvement with son, Hunter; how his family became multimillionaires on a senator’s salary; and who ordered and orchestrated the special treatment his son has received from the Department of Justice and FBI.

But given Biden’s long history of lying and plagiarism, there is no reason to expect him to admit he has lied nor to tell the American people the truth.

“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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George W. Bush 3.95%

George H.W. Bush I 3.90%;

Jimmy Carter 3.72%

Ronald Reagan 3.15%;

Barack Obama 1.96%

Bill Clinton 1.19% INCREASES IN U.S. DEBT

Annual increases to the public debt in constant 2021 dollars.

Donald Trump $2.043 trillion

Barack Obama $1.061 trillion

George W. Bush $0.694 trillion

George H. W. Bush $0.609

Ronald Reagan $0.384 trillion

Bill Clinton $0.168 trillion

Jimmy Carter -$0.096 trillion

Source: David Stockman’s Contra Corner

that the Donald was in a big spenders league all of his own … the Donald’s record stands first among no equals on the wall of shame.” Stockman calls Trump the King of Debt. “Ultimately, excessive, relentless public borrowing is the poison that will kill capitalist prosperity and displace limited constitutional government with unchained statist encroachment on the liberties of the people. So for that reason alone, the Donald needs to be locked-out of the nomination and the Oval Office.”

Mind you, if you follow Stockman regularly, he has a visceral animus for Trump. But despite that, if you look at the statistical facts, four more years of Trump spending, on top of the Biden era spending, will not bring economic prosperity for Americans. As government spending and the national debt grow, that flood of money will entrench inflation. It will erode

Daily Capital.

Washington Times columnist Everett Piper concluded in a July 9 editorial the following about Biden’s lying:

“How can any one man tell so many lies? Perhaps Jesus answers it best: ‘You are of your father the devil … for he is a liar and the father of lies.’

“Mr. Biden‘s behavior is not that of a goodly grandfather with a fading memory or that of a favorite uncle who spins a good yarn. No.

“Such shameless deceit is not the behavior of a decent man but rather that of a devil, and God help us that this man is our president.”

Completely undeserving of a second term. — MW

Americans’ standard of living and wealth and increasingly weaken our national defense. The higher our interest on the national debt, the less money there will be for other priorities.

We’re not overlooking the good Trump did. One of his greatest contributions was exposing just how awful and deep the Deep State is. He also raised the United States’ stature in the world. He defeated ISIS and kept the U.S. out of new wars. He accomplished much more.

But as the presidential campaign unfolds, Trump supporters should keep in mind: Knowing that people seldom change, would a second Donald Trump presidency turn the United States in a new direction and save the republic, or continue the civil war that has raged for the past eight years?

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course, is salivating for the day that DeSantis bows out of the race for the presidency. They would love to cast off DeSantis as a defeated loser.

Don’t be hasty.

Personal story: It was a Saturday afternoon in the summer of 1975. I was an intern in the news department of the Topeka, Kan.,

Martin, the assignment editor, strolled to my desk.

“There is some guy from Georgia coming to town today. His name is Jimmy — Jimmy Carter, and he says he’s running for president.

“He’s speaking today at a Democrat Party event. Why don’t you wander over there this afternoon and hear what he has to

say, and then come back and write a few graphs.” No one — in Kansas, anyway — had ever heard of Jimmy Carter. But the unknown Georgian who rated only a summer intern reporter that day surprised the world.

Trump may be trumping his opponents now. But be assured: There will be a similar surprise for 2024.

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1970 Main St. Sarasota, FL 34236 941-366-3468

Sarasota Classic Car Museum agrees to four-month extension

A lease agreement with New College requires the vintage auto museum to vacate by November. The search for a new home continues.

In mid-May, the Sarasota Classic Car Museum was faced with the prospect of having to relocate some 3,000 pieces of memorabilia, including more than 150 vehicles, and find a new home for it all in fewer than six weeks.

For now, though, the museum remains open at 5500 N. Tamiami Trail, albeit in less space.

To facilitate anticipated growth and the potential addition of an athletics program, on May 16 property owner New College of Florida gave

written notice of lease termination to the operators of what is recognized as the second-oldest continuously operating classic car museum in the country. The museum would have had to vacate the 55,000-squarefoot space within three weeks.

On July 5, the parties entered into a short-term lease extension that gives the museum four months to vacate the premises, including conditions that immediately make a portion of the space available to New College.

Owned by Martin Godbey and his son, Blake, the Sarasota Classic Car Museum operates as a nonprofit, accepting donations and holding

fundraisers to meet expenses. The Godbeys could not be reached for comment.

The lease extension calls for the museum to continue to pay $10,042 per month in rent but for less space. Godbey was required to make available by July 10 “the theater room, offices adjacent to the theater room, front entrance portico including bathrooms, as well as the entire free-standing structure on the east side of the property.” The museum was given an additional 14 days to remove lifts that were in the immediate occupancy area.

Additionally, the lease reads:

“Godbey hereby waives all defenses to an eviction proceeding and consents to an immediate eviction judgment in favor of NCF, including damages, fees and costs, if any of the following occur: Godbey does not vacate the immediate occupation area by July 10, 2023; Godbey does not remove the lifts in the immediate occupation area by July 24, 2023; or Godbey does not vacate the balance of the property at the expiration of the forbearance term.”

Meanwhile, the museum continues to operate as it consolidates its space and the Godbeys seek a new location. On the museum’s home page at SarasotaCarMuseum.org is a plea for donations to move the collection.

CLASSIC PORSCHE STOLEN

Relocating isn’t the only challenge of late faced by the Godbeys. On June 14, a 1977 Porsche 930 Turbo valued at $250,000 was stolen from the museum, leading to the arrest one week later of 36-year-old Daniel Boyce of Sarasota. He faces a felony charge of scheming to defraud more than $50,000.

An alarm was activated and exterior surveillance video showed an unknown person entering the property as the alarm sounded.

An anonymous caller told the Sarasota Police Department that Boyce was seen with a brown Porsche at an unknown warehouse. Detectives eventually located the stolen vehicle with a fraudulently obtained title and tag. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the recovery of the vehicle.

Boyce was arrested on a Sarasota County warrant for failing to appear in court for an unrelated grand theft auto charge and was being held without bond at the Sarasota County Jail. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be forthcoming.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

Andrew Warfield

Thanks to a lease extension, Sarasota Classic Car Museum has until November to vacate its longtime home at 5500 N. Tamiami Trail, which is owned by New College of Florida.

Courtesy photo

This 1977 Porsche 930 turbo valued at $250,000 was stolen on June 14 from Sarasota Classic Car Museum. It has since been recovered.

Free Homebuying Seminar

PAYING RENT!

Come join us, your local mortgage and real estate experts, to learn how to buy and finance your first home the right way.

WHEN:

Wednesday, August 9 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

WHERE:

1819 Main Street, Sarasota

1st Floor Lido Conference Room

Paid parking in building and on street

Spaces are limited!

Please register to attend by August 8 by calling 630-660-6509, scanning the code or visiting this link: events.blackbirdrsvp.com/ 1st-time-homebuyer

We hope to see you there!

No new local malaria cases reported since July 13

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

Topics will include:

•Financial preparation

•Credit scores and why they’re important

•Mortgage options, requirements and the preapproval process

•First-time homebuyer assistance –up to $35,000 may be available!

•The latest real estate trends

•Q&A session

joseph.amabile@cbrealty.com josephamabile.sites.cbmoxi.com

Mortgage programs mentioned are subject to approval based on individual program guidelines, borrower’s credit and underwriting approval, acceptable appraisal and clear title. Contact your Draper and Kramer Mortgage

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

All Rights Reserved. 06594-01 07/2023.

Although no new cases of malaria have been reported in north Sarasota since July 13, Sarasota County’s Mosquito Management Department is still working diligently to eradicate the affected mosquito population that has infected seven people.

Those cases were all reported in the Desoto Acres and Kensington Park areas; three of the victims are homeless individuals.

During a Thursday morning media update hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Sarasota County government, officials reported it will take another four weeks of no new reported locally transmitted cases before the outbreak can be declared officially over.

Presuming no new cases are reported, the target date is Sept. 7. The first case was reported on May 24.

The most recent previous malaria outbreak in Florida was in 2003 in Palm Beach County.

Jamie Carson, the county’s director of communications, said Mosquito Management Services is pulling out all the stops to control the outbreak.

“We’re using not only larvicides and adult spraying, but we’re also out there providing surveillance and field operations and utilizing mosquito fish as well,” Carson said.

“We’ve supplied the local ponds and the standing water areas where this particular mosquito might breed with over 15,500 fish at 22 sites. The Mosquito Management Services team is using everything in their arsenal to lower the mosquito population, and are especially

CORRECTION

focused in this area.”

Audrey Lenhart, chief of the Entomology Branch in the Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria at the CDC who joined the virtual meeting from Ghana, brought the science to the discussion. Via sequencing of the genome of parasites found in both patients and in the mosquitoes, she confirmed the outbreak is a closed transmission loop.

“That just increases our level of confidence that it was a closed transmission loop that; once we don’t see any more cases, the transmission has truly stopped,” Lenhart said. “Mosquitoes don’t live a tremendously long time, so we have to think in terms of when a mosquito could have potentially bitten someone that had malaria and then how long it would take for that mosquito to die.

“A typical mosquito will live maybe three weeks, but they can live up to six or eight weeks, so every day that goes by gets us closer to feeling confident that the transmission cycle has been interrupted.”

Carson cautioned that residents in the affected areas should continue to be vigilant in avoiding mosquitoes and eliminating breeding areas by emptying any outdoor containers and other objects that hold standing water. They should also wear long sleeves and pants and use insect repellents on exposed skin.

Lenhart said the outbreak has been well contained thanks to Mosquito Management Services staff.

“It really is an exceptional operation that Sarasota has for mosquito control,” she said. “And it’s a tribute to their fast action and continued action that the mosquito populations were reduced significantly and that this outbreak wasn’t worse than what we’ve seen.”

In the July 27 edition, a story, “Legacy at a crossroads,” should have stated that the making of “The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till” preceded the Anti-Lynching Movement Foundation. The story also incorrectly identified Veronica Allen in the photo caption. She is the second person from left with other members of the Sarasota Police Department. The story has been updated online.

School Board approves tentative budget

As the Sarasota County School Board convened to approve its tentative budget and new millage rates, discussion turned to social-emotional learning and whether the education method was promoted in the budget.

The board approved the proposed budget of about $1.55 billion, and the proposed millage of 2.932 in support of the budget, through votes of 4-1 for each. Board Chair Bridget Ziegler dissented on both items.

Following a July 24 meeting that saw the approval of the budget and millage for advertising, the budget was updated with revised language that excluded, among other wording, reference to social-emotional learning, a teaching method opposed by conservatives and prohibited at the state level.

The board also decided to hold a vote on the district’s strategic plan during its next meeting, which the district website shows as taking place Aug. 15, to ensure the language in that document is also up to date.

BUDGET WORDING ALTERED

Superintendent Terry Connor and School Board Attorney Patrick Duggan said the budget had always been in compliance with state law, but the revisions brought outdated language into compliance as well.

The concern was a budget line item of about $57 million that was originally labeled as providing funding to “enhance social-emotional learning and supports provided to students to promote belonging, dignity and inclusion.” But that was revised, with those terms being eliminated.

Connor said the original verbiage reflected language from the draft strategic plan of September 2021, which had been incorporated into the software used to design the budget due to a request that the budget

incorporate strategic planning goals. Revisions had also been made to the language in 2022.

Connor offered a breakdown of the funding assigned to that item, which is Strategy 2A in the section

“Personalize learning and accelerate growth for ALL students.”

He said it included $44.5 million in positions involving exceptional student education, English speakers of other languages, certified school counselors, regular classroom support and other items, along with $13 million for community service and other items.

Revisions were also made to other aspects of the budget, including an accompanying item in the same section, Strategy 2B, which Connor also highlighted.

AN EVOLVING PLAN

Some board members said the idea that the budget included socialemotional learning was “misinformation.”

While the majority of the board agreed to approve the budget, saying the approval was tentative and revisions were still possible, Ziegler said the district needed to ensure how the budget would be implemented in practice.

Vice Chair Karen Rose expressed confidence in the budget and process.

“I want our staff, teachers and schools to be able to go forward,” she said. “I have confidence that with the structures that Mr. Connor has already put in place in 10 days on accountability for our curriculum, and following the mandates that have come out through the legislature curriculum-wise, and a system of accountability, that we will be in compliance.”

Board member Tom Edwards said he was less concerned with the definition of social-emotional learning than he was with academic achievement.

Edwards concluded his comments by stating that while improvement was possible, he was satisfied with the overall results.

Ziegler said she wanted to look deeper into what the changed language means in practice.

“We’ve got to be very strategic and focused on this and be honest about it,” she said. “If I’m the only one up here that thinks that, so be it, but that’s not something that I’m going to walk back on. I’m going to continue to bring it up. I know it’s something we’ve talked about in the past, and it concerns me that we don’t really know what we’re changing.”

Board member Lisa Marinelli said she supported the budget due to its potential for revision.

“We know, I know there are issues, but it won’t be done overnight. All I’m asking is give this man time to find it, and get it cleaned up, because I believe he will,” she said.

Board member Tim Enos likewise said he supported the budget and millage, as the meeting concerned a tentative approval. He said the district still needed to ensure it was in full compliance with state law.

Rose also made a motion for the board to vote at the next meeting, shown on the district website as Aug.

BUDGET REVISION

PERSONALIZE LEARNING AND ACCELERATE GROWTH FOR ALL STUDENTS, STRATEGY

2A: $57,554,861

15, on whether to place its strategic plan on hold. She said the plan still needed review to ensure it was up to date. The motion passed unanimously.  Edwards said he was skeptical of the wording of the motion, but voted in its favor, saying part of the school district’s natural process involves revising the strategic plan.

THE PUBLIC SPEAKS

Some public commenters praised the district’s work on the budget, while others decried what they said was funding allocated to socialemotional learning.

“These are required expenditures in order to narrow the achievement gap and support our teachers and improve student outcomes, priorities that are shared by our entire community,” said Liz Barker. “As a community, we reject any attempt to distract, deflect and divide us as we work toward our shared mission and prioritization of student achievement and success.”

Juliet Barrett said the change of the language was not sufficient, calling some of the remaining programs “social-emotional learning.”

“In the mental health allocation plan, you use zones of regulations,

Original language: Enhance social-emotional learning and supports provided to students to promote belonging, dignity and inclusion. Revised language: Support and enhance learning by providing factual and objective instruction that is faithfully and efficiently delivered in accordance with state standards that includes instruction that supports mental and emotional health by encouraging students to overcome challenges through self-awareness and selfmanagement, responsible decision making, resiliency, relationship skills and conflict resolution, and understanding and respecting other viewpoints and backgrounds, in accordance with FS 1003.42 and FAC 6A-1.094124.

PERSONALIZE LEARNING AND ACCELERATE GROWTH FOR ALL STUDENTS, STRATEGY 2B: $7,356,862

Original language: Promote positive behavior through proactive education and restorative practices to promote belonging, dignity and inclusion.

Revised language: Promote positive behavior through education and practices that conform with state standards while promoting equitable principles and individual freedoms consistent with FS 1003.42(3) and FAC 6A-19.

use positive behavioral interventions and supports and you use WhyTry,” she said. “All of these are radical, SEL programs, and so you sit here and say, ‘Well, we could change the language,’ because people don’t like the way SEL sounds.”

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

The budget’s language was revised, but discussion of social-emotional learning surrounded the approval.

Ian Swaby

Board member Tom Edwards criticizes opposition to the budget.

THURSDAY, JULY 20

PARKING DISPUTE

12:15 p.m., 400 block of Central Avenue

Parking dispute: Having recently purchased property near the intersection of Apricot Avenue and Eighth Street, a business owner reported a parking dispute with the owner of a business across the street. The complainant said the other business owner was encouraging customers to park on his company’s property and that he wanted to install no-parking signs. An officer spoke with the offending party and informed her that the cars parked on the complainant’s property must be removed within 24 hours or the complainant has the right to have any of the vehicles towed. The complainant installed the signs. No further action was taken.

FRIDAY, JULY 21

HALLWAY HIJINKS

10:32 a.m., 1000 block of RitzCarlton Drive

Suspicious incident: A resident told an officer that on the previous day, two unknown females he suspected were in their late teens rang the doorbell to his residence and ran. The doorbell video recording shows the females giggling and twerking for the camera. One of them eventually rang the doorbell and both ran toward the exit stairwell. The man acknowledged that they did not appear to have any ill intent but was concerned that if two young females are able to evade security and reach his residence on the 16th floor, then anyone could. He requested a case report be made so the building has documentation of the incident and that additional security precautions should be taken. Building staff advised they do not believe the ring-and-runners are residents or guests.

MONDAY, JULY 24

INCOMPLETE WORK

6:37 p.m., 3000 block of Viola Drive

Civil disturbance: A homeowner complained to police about a contractor’s work, or the lack thereof, who left for the day before completing repairs to her carport roof. She said that she could see holes in the roof and they needed to

TUESDAY, JULY 25

TICKET TIRADE

11:56 a.m., 1400 block of Second Street

Dispute: An officer made contact with a city parking enforcement employee, who advised that while issuing a parking citation the driver came out of a business and started yelling, saying that she was inside for only a brief moment. The driver then threw the ticket to the ground and left, but not before kicking the parking enforcement scooter. The officer advised the parking enforcement worker that if the ticket had already been printed and was in possession of the driver, even if only

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While the officer was on the scene, the contractor returned to pick up tools he had left. He stated he wanted payment for the work he had already completed, but the complainant said he would not pay him until the job was finished. The parties separated without further incident.

TUESDAY, JULY 25

TROLL TIDE

1:31 a.m., 4400 block of Bayshore Road

Prowler: A woman told police that while watching TV in her living room, she saw a shadow cross the couch, appearing to come from the front door window area. She looked toward the sidelight and observed a male approximately 6 feet tall, wearing a T-shirt with “Alabama” in lettering across the back. The subject left and proceeded northbound on Bayshore Road.

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Beneva Family Practice 921 S. Beneva Road, Sarasota, FL 34232

GONE DUTCH: Larry Jacobus, of Braden Woods, with the Sarasota Observer at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

A+E INSIDE:

< THIS WEEK: ‘Clowns Like Me’ returns for a second run from Aug. 3-6. 16

KEEPING THE FARCE : ‘A Comedy of Tenors’ stages an operatic reunion. 15 >

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

If these Kennedy walls could talk

Sarasota native Kate Storey’s ‘White House by the Sea’ chronicles 100 years at the famous family’s summer home.

MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

About 20 years ago, Kate Storey was writing for her high school paper at Riverview High School, encouraged in her dream to be a journalist by her teacher Pat Bliss. When she wasn’t dishing out ice cream at Big Olaf, she liked to hang out with her friends at the beach on Siesta Key.

After graduating from the University of Florida with a journalism degree, scoops of a different kind were top of mind for Storey as a tabloid reporter at the hard-charging New York Post.

A plum assignment from Esquire Magazine about George, the irreverent political magazine founded by John F. Kennedy Jr. in the 1990s, led to longer articles and a shift to magazine journalism. It ultimately gave Storey, now senior features editor at Rolling Stone, the opportunity to write a book about the Kennedy family compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.

“White House by the Sea” was published in June and immediately became a New York Times bestseller. Its arrival has made for a busy summer for Storey, who is juggling her book, her Rolling Stone job and a new baby with the help of her husband, Heath Brown.

It’s not surprising that a woman who has written extensively about celebrities understands the perils of living in the public eye. To protect her son’s privacy, Storey declines to reveal his name and makes sure that family pictures do not show his face.  Storey took time out of her busy schedule to talk with the Observer about how she found something new to say about the legendary American family whose victories and tragedies have inspired mountains of books.

Kate Storey attended Riverview High School and the University of Florida. She grew up near Siesta Key.

In the fall, she will hold a reading at Bookstore1 in downtown Sarasota.  Because her parents live near Siesta Key, Storey returns to Sarasota regularly. Her son loves the new playground and pavilion area at Siesta Key, she says. Her new favorite hangout downtown is Project Coffee on Pineapple Street, around the corner from Burns Court Cinema.

You wrote a book set in Cape Cod, the ultimate summer destination, that arrived in bookstores just in time for summer. How did you manage that?

From the very first conversations

I had with my publisher, Scribner, we knew this would be a summer book. It’s a book that covers a huge amount of history and a lot of heavy topics, but I tried to write it in a way that it would also be good to read on the beach.

A century is a long period of time to cover in a book. How did you tackle it?

The only way I could tackle it was by having laser focus on Hyannis Port. The book doesn’t go to Washington, D.C. or Boston or Palm Beach or Dallas. I came across a lot of interesting stories from those places, but this is — more than anything else — a story about a place.

How did you go about researching your book?

Part of the challenge of writing about 100 years is you have to research different time periods differently. I spoke to more than 120 people for the book, so a lot of the stories from 1960 through today are anchored in those interviews. But for the earlier time periods, I relied heavily on oral histories, local newspaper archives, property records, letters, national magazine and newspaper archives, memoirs and biographies and local history books.

Was there any reference that you found exceedingly helpful in your research?

I really liked Carole Radziwill’s memoir. David Nasaw’s “The Patriarch” is also a fantastic book about Joe Kennedy. And Laurence Leamer has written great books about the family. The most helpful reference for me was this incredible oral history project Sen. Ted Kennedy asked journalist Dotson Rader to put together shortly before Kennedy’s death.

Kennedy took Rader from room to room in the house — which I used to write the prologue — and Rader interviewed longtime neighbors and staff who have since passed away.

I was lucky enough to be the first researcher to use this project.

Are there any people who worked at the compound for years and that you were able to interview?

Yes, I was lucky enough to talk to nannies, groundskeepers, sailing instructors, personal assistants, drivers, security guards and even the family piano player. Those were some of my favorite interviews — the regular people who had a frontrow view to history. The piano player, for example, remembered playing at the Big House one quiet afternoon when a friendly man came into the house dripping from

the pool. He realized later the man was Archbishop Desmond Tutu!  Did you spend time at the JFK presidential library?

I signed my book contract in March 2020 — just days before the pandemic shut down everything, including the JFK presidential library. Not being able to go to the library was a huge hurdle in writing the book. Luckily, I worked with some incredibly kind, creative and patient archivists there who were going into the library a day or two a week. They would send me scans and audio recordings that I needed.

The Kennedy family compound at Hyannis Port isn’t open to the public. Were you able to spend time there?

Two of the three houses that make up the official Kennedy compound are still owned by members of the family, so I was able to do interviews at two homes on the property and walk around the grounds to see how they’re all connected, which was really helpful. I did interviews at many of the other Kennedy family homes across Hyannis Port, as well. Over the years, family members

have purchased other homes in the neighborhood. One of the most impressive properties is a house called Brambletyde, which is down the street from the official Kennedy compound. JFK and Jackie rented Brambletyde the summer before his death because it was more private than their home. They both loved the house so much they tried to buy it but the owners wouldn’t sell.

Today, JFK’s nephew owns that home, and I interviewed him there.

Is there a Kennedy who has become the caretaker of sorts of the Kennedy compound?

Ethel Kennedy still lives in the house she lived in with her husband, Robert F. Kennedy, and all of their children. She’s definitely lived in the compound the longest. The Big House is now owned by the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate, which is in the process of deciding how to use it.

So much has been written about the Kennedys. Were you worried that you wouldn’t find anything new?

There has been much written about the family. But I really saw this as a book about a community and a

place as much as a book about the Kennedys. I tried to shift my perspective away from digging for new information about the family, and to think about it as a story about a place that was transformed when the neighbors became one of the most famous families in the world.

Why do you think the Kennedy family has been touched by so much tragedy?

It’s really hard to wrap your head around. Because my book is multigenerational, you really see how tragedies and trauma impact subsequent generations. And because I focused on the place the family most considers home, you really see how these tragedies impacted them when they were able to take down their guard and grieve. For instance, Rose Kennedy, who has a reputation for being so stoic, opened up to her longtime neighbor and her cook about the loss of so many of her children. She told her neighbor that she considered her daughter Rosemary’s lobotomy to be the family’s greatest tragedy.

Is there anything I didn’t ask you that you want to mention? Go Rams and go Gators!

Courtesy photos

Author Kate Storey and her husband, Heath Brown, play with their baby son, whom they try to shield from the glare of social media.

A Clockwork Comedy

The beloved characters of ‘Lend Me a Tenor’ are reunited in ‘A Comedy of Tenors’ — and they take themselves very seriously.

MARTY FUGATE CONTRIBUTOR

When it comes to farce, the clockwork of comedy is intricate. In a Ken Ludwig farce, the mechanism is intricate indeed. For hilarity to ensue, it all has to work like, well, clockwork. Director Sean Daniels is directing Ludwig’s “A Comedy of Tenors,” which opens Aug. 2 at Florida Studio Theatre. He loves the material he’s working with. But he has no illusions about its challenges. Some of those challenges are physical.

As Daniels sees it, the on-stage action in a Ludwig farce is part dance, part martial arts movie and part marathon. The actors don’t just stand around and talk.

“‘A Comedy of Tenors’ is particularly athletic and puts serious demands on the human body,” he says. “While every cast member is a true athlete in great shape, early rehearsals were tough — and revealing.” He adds that the actors used rehearsals to figure out and finetune their movements.

“Until we got the timing down right, the actors were constantly running into doors, tossing themselves over couches. They wound up with a lot of scrapes and bruises and went through a lot of bandages and ointments. But they’re tough, and we’re over that part.”

While tough actors heal, props don’t.

“We broke a lot of rented furniture during rehearsals,” he says. “We finally went out and bought our own. It’s cheaper that way.”

What’s the comedy engine driving a Ludwig farce?

According to Daniels, farce or not,

the playwright takes the underlying story seriously.

“To quote the great Mel Brooks, ‘When I cut my finger on a piece of paper, it’s a tragedy. When you walk into an open sewer and die, that’s comedy.’ So comedy’s a tragedy that happens to somebody else. That’s Ludwig’s first comedy commandment. It’s hilarious if you’re sitting in the audience. In the worlds of his plays, nobody’s laughing.”

Daniels notes that Ludwig’s characters are relatable, flesh-and-blood human beings. Their farcical stories (which may be tragedies to them) are grounded in logic. He adds that

“A Ludwig farce isn’t like the crazy, surreal absurdity of Monty Python routine where anything goes,” Daniels says. “They’re more like ‘The Office’ — or Shakespeare, for that matter. His comedies are plot-driven, with a strong sense of storytelling. They’re also character-based. Ludwig’s people don’t know they’re in a comedy. It’s not a farce to them! They take their stories very seriously. It matters to them.”

Daniels adds: “In ‘A Comedy of Tenors,’ the characters’ careers are on life support — and they’re putting on an opera concert that could put them back on top. They don’t want to fail and they don’t want to flop. The stakes are real.”

The story matters to Ludwig’s characters. That means it has to matter to the actors playing them. It has to feel real to them. For the FST cast, it does.

“There’s a very touching scene where one of our leads has to cry on stage because he just can’t take it anymore,” says Daniels. “It gets me every time. It’s by far the realest thing we’ve done — and that means we’ve all done our work.”

He adds, “This play is about people desperately trying to make amazing art despite being foiled at every turn. I hope audiences will revel in the lengths we go to in order to put on a great show.”

In Daniels’ view, “A Comedy of Tenors” is a true ensemble piece.

IF YOU GO

‘A COMEDY OF TENORS’

When: Through Aug. 20

Where: Florida Studio

Theatre’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St.

Tickets: $25-$39

Visit: FloridaStudioTheatre.org

To bring the farce to life, the actors must leave their egos at the door. They have. The cast is now working together like a well-oiled machine — and loving every minute. Rehearsals are done and everything clicks.

The only major snag?

Ludwig wrote the play for a specific theater — one that had a curtain. It stayed down when the audience took their seats. It went up for a big reveal of the spectacular set when the play began. FST’s stage has no curtain, so Daniels had to think fast.

“We need a fix to distract the audience,” Daniels says. “Who do you call? The playwright, obviously. He’s the ideal fixer. So, we asked Ken Ludwig for help. He could have said no. But he generously wrote a long monologue that did the job.”

Ludwig’s “A Comedy of Tenors” is a sequel to his “Lend Me a Tenor.” Do you need see his first farce to enjoy the followup?

“No,” Daniels says. “Ludwig’s sequel stands on its own. If you’re meeting these characters for the first time, you’ll have a blast. If you fell in love with them in the original, it’ll be like meeting old friends.”

“ ‘A Comedy of Tenors’ is particularly athletic and puts serious demands on the human body. While every cast member is a true athlete in great shape, early rehearsals were tough — and revealing.”

Sean Daniels, director

Courtesy photos

“A Comedy of Tenors” is the sequel to Ken Ludwig’s “Lend Me a Tenor,” but the play stands on its own.

“A Comedy of Tenors” is set in 1930s Paris.

CAT DEPOT SUPPLY & GIFT STORE

THIS WEEK

THURSDAY

SUMMER CIRCUS SPECTACULAR

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

$15-$20

Visit CircusArts.org.

Master of Ceremonies Heidi Herriott presides over performances by hand balancers, clowns, jugglers and aerial rope artists, to name a few. 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. Runs through Aug. 13.

‘DIVAS THREE’

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

Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Created by Nancy Allen Productions, 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.” Runs through Sept. 17.

DON’T MISS

‘CLOWNS LIKE ME’

Sarasota actor Scott Ehrenpreis reprises his hit one-man show, “Clowns Like Me,” about his struggle with developmental disabilities and mental illness.

IF YOU GO

When: Aug. 3-6

Where: Cook Theatre at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail Tickets: $30 Info: LifelineProductionsInc.com

OUR PICK

LOOMIS BROS. CIRCUS

Loomis Bros. Circus features wild jungle cats, American show ponies and poodles. Ringmaster Justin Loomis presides over three rings filled with acrobats, trapeze artists, clowns and more.

IF YOU GO

When: Aug. 4-6

Where: Robarts Arena, 3000 Ringling Blvd.

Tickets: $30; $8 for children 3-12; 2 and younger admitted free Info: LoomisCircus.com

Courtesy photo

‘A COMEDY OF TENORS’ 8 p.m. at FST’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St. $25 and up

Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Set in 1930s Paris, “A Comedy of Tenors” is a madcap romp that follows a producer as he tries to keep an Italian superstar from falling prey to temptation and mayhem. Runs through Aug. 20.

‘IT’S A BIRD ... IT’S A PLANE ... IT’S SUPERMAN!’

7 p.m. at The Players Centre, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail $17 Visit ThePlayers.org.

Presented by The Players Studio

Teen Musical Theatre Bootcamp, “It’s A Bird … It’s A Plane … It’s Superman” is set in 1960s New York City as Superman battles to stop a crazy scientist bent on destruction. Runs through Aug. 6.

SATURDAY

‘MOUNTAINS OF THE MIND: SCHOLARS’ ROCKS FROM CHINA AND BEYOND’ 10 a.m. at John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art 5401 Bay Shore Road

Included in $25 admission fee Visit Ringling.org.

The selection of scholars’ rocks and related paintings and prints will be on view in the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Center for Asian Art for the first time at The Ringling. Through June 23, 2024.

Sailing the key to change

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

When Jan Hamel Solomon was weary and ill, she found the strength she needed by taking a voyage home.

She and her husband, Tim Solomon, owners of the sailboat charter company Key Sailing, are retired Christian missionaries who have worked on every continent except Antarctica and have traveled to every U.S. state except Alaska. Yet, when they returned to their childhood home of Sarasota and established their company in 2007, their mission didn’t end. The business model has included giving back to the community, Solomon said. Their tours of the bay are complemented by charity work and sharing their story — the most recent chapter includes what Solomon calls a miraculous event in 2022 in which she was suddenly healed.

SAILING AMID A LEGACY

Jan Solomon’s father was J.D. Hamel, the chaplain for the Sarasota fire and police departments and sheriff’s office, from 1960-1997, the individual for whom J.D. Hamel Park at the bayfront was named.

“Jan and I were both fortunate to

be raised by parents who taught us clearly that we were not placed in this world to take, but also to give back, to try to leave the world a better place than we found it,” said Tim Solomon.

Jan Solomon’s mother was Jean Hamel, a violinist for Florida West Coast Symphony, while Tim Solomon’s father was the Rev. Ken Solomon, a Christian missionary and friend of J.D. Hamel. Tim Solomon’s mother was Jeanette Solomon.

Jan and Tim Solomon spent time together intermittently as children, but their decadeslong love began after Tim Solomon, who moved many times due to his parents’ mission trips, persuaded them to go to Sarasota for his senior year. He and

Jan began sailing together here.

After marrying in 1977 and traveling throughout the U.S., the couple continued missionary work abroad, moving to Colombia in 1988 as missionaries for First Brethren Church in Sarasota.

It was in 1989, while living in Colombia, that life changed for Jan. She was a flute player at Luis Palau Festival and was headed to a rehearsal when a drink from a hot dog stand, which had been drugged, rendered her unconscious. Although the kidnapping attempt was foiled, she was left with chemical poisoning and trigeminal neuralgia, a disorder involving sudden, severe facial pain.

Yet she still stepped onstage to play for the 160,000 people at the festival over six days.

The couple went on to more mission trips, spending time with the Waodani people in Ecuador and helping to build a clinic in the Dominican Republic. The Solomons’ parents died without knowing the full story of what had happened to Jan.

When Jan Solomon’s health declined to a crisis point in the early 2000s, the couple headed to Sarasota.

“When you get hurt, you run home,” she said.

Despite her health issues, the couple started Key Sailing in 2007, purchasing their 41-foot Morgan sailboat from Tom and Sally Reed. They have since embraced a lifestyle spent on the water that involves meeting interesting people and enjoying plenty of chocolates.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of a day you have had when you step onto this boat,” said Jan Solomon, noting the experience tends to quell all worries. Or, as she prefers to put it, “People who eat chocolates on sailboats don’t start wars.”

Then, on March 16, 2022, Jan Solomon’s life changed again.

At a Sarasota Prayer Breakfast, Mary Irwin Vickers, the widow of astronaut James Irwin, began to pray for Solomon, who had a speaking engagement ahead of her.

At first, Solomon felt sick to her stomach, then the sensation progressed to a strong pain in her head.

“It felt like it was surgery without anesthesia. And then it went across to the other side and it kind of sewed up like the doctor’s surgery, and then all of a sudden I had no more pain,” she said.

The couple is eager to tell the story in full, which is why Jan Solomon is

Bryan and Alyssa Hutson look up as the boat passes under the John Ringling Causeway, while Jan Solomon stands beside them.

working on a soon-to-be completed autobiography titled “Sailing Home,” while she and her husband also work on a documentary.

“The whole purpose of this is that if anyone looks at our stories, we can point upwards towards the heavens and outwards towards others. It is never about us,” she said.

THE VOYAGE GOES ON

Tim and Jan Solomon generally live on the fees for boat tours, serving charities with the gratuities they receive, affecting the community through Sailing Home Sarasota, the charity arm of the business.

SET SAIL

Key Sailing. Marina Jack, 2 Marina Plaza.

For info on the “Friends of Chaplain Hamel Reunion” planned for Veterans Day, for how to sail the “Key Breeze,” or to give to any of the above charities, visit SiestaKeySailing.com, contact Tim and Jan Solomon directly at 941-346-7245 (SAIL), or SiestaKeySailing@ gmail.com.

For the past few years, they have directly supported the local organization Hope Fleet, which sails supplies to other countries to help children and families in need. They also partner with the interdenominational organization Cru and many others such as High Flight Foundation and Agape Flights. Their family has offered the official prayers at city events since 1960.

The partnership with Hope Fleet began four years ago when the Solomons were searching for faith-based charities and found its president and CEO, Danny Moroney.

The first act of Hope Fleet was offering relief at the time Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas, leaving 60% of Grand Bahama Island submerged and causing $3.4 billion in damage.

The organization has since branched into offering services in the Dominican Republic.

It has also come to serve a new purpose, as it aids in the prevention of human trafficking through its program, Hope Watch. Boaters in its network can make anonymous reports through a highly encrypted system, while the organization partners with responders who assist with the reports.

‘FEEL-GOOD THING’

This year, the Solomons recorded their story with Trans World Radio, a Christian radio station in Bonaire, and visited Israel with a group of Jews and non-Jews, for whom Jan Solomon played the flute. In a few weeks, they will head to Ecuador, where they will be reunited with the Waodani tribe and will dedicate a new church house whose construction they aided.

They also have opened the boat at times to organizations like Wounded Warrior Project and Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The community has taken notice.

In 2022, then-mayor Erik Arroyo had a proclamation signed, designating April 10 as Tim and Jan Solomon Day.

Key Sailing Charters is also the current Siesta Key Chamber Small Business of the Year award winner.

“It’s a feel-good thing, so it’s really not a sacrifice,” said Tim Solomon. “It just feels good to give back.”

Taylor recently closed on a dream property in the heart of Anna Maria Island. This beach home boasts a large private outdoor area with a swimming pool and hot tub, and a convenient short walk to the white sandy beaches. It is tastefully decorated and well-equipped for entertaining guests throughout. Whether our client plans to use it as a family home or as a vacation rental, it's sure

Key Sailing charters supports local charities, while its owners also offer a message of hope.

Danny Moroney, Jan and Tim Solomon, Bryan Hutson and Bob Hileman and his daughter, Alyssa Hutson

Photos by Ian Swaby

On the job learner

Sarasota Doctors Hospital

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

Since early June at HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital, the sounds of the hallways have included more than the bustle of medical activity and clanking of equipment.

They’ve also contained the jingle of a dog leash followed by squeals of joy from staff.

The administrative team at the hospital long considered the idea of serving as puppy raisers for Southeastern Guide Dogs because the hospital’s CEO, Robert Meade, holds a position on the board of SGD.

Chief Medical Officer Jennifer Bocker and Chief Operations Officer Kelly Malloy ultimately accepted the offer to raise and train Skipper, a black Labrador retriever.

The pair take turns bringing Skipper home and taking her on rounds through the hospital. In doing so, they expose her to the unpredictable hospital environment, helping her learn to eventually guide an individual with vision loss. But Skipper’s presence in the hospital is already having an effect on staff and visitors.

A

NEW WORK MODEL

As Bocker and Malloy make their daily rounds through the hospital, Skipper can be seen on a leash trotting along with them.

There is no denying their new companion has changed the nature of their daily activities. Their duties are met with smiles and adoration, and frequent stops for greetings with

ABOUT

SOUTHEASTERN GUIDE DOGS

Free to recipients, Southeastern Guide Dogs is designed to improve the lives of people with vision loss, veterans and children and serves individuals in the U.S.

Address: 4210 77th St. E., Palmetto

Phone: 941-729-5665

Hours: 9 a.m. to noon

Monday through Friday Website: GuideDogs.org

Skipper. Bocker and Malloy said Skipper, who quickly takes on new information, is making excellent progress in her training.

Having begun like any puppy, eager to nip and pick up objects in her mouth, Skipper now draws compliments on her calm demeanor, Bocker said.

The pair said the training Skipper receives at the hospital offers opportunities that could not be obtained at just any location. Skipper learns from unique experiences because she is exposed to wheelchairs, stretchers, elevators and large pieces of equipment not seen by most dogs or people, along with sudden noises.

Even when Bocker and Malloy take her outside the hospital, she is unbothered by the sounds of large trucks approaching the building.

“That’s the goal — to make sure that she is comfortable and feels safe in every part of the world,” Bocker said.

For Malloy, the achievement has a personal significance.

She has a clinical background in occupational therapy, and her

grandfather, Jack Houghtlin, lost his sight and went through training to use a cane.

“It fed right into my therapy part and the things that I’m passionate about,” she said. “It was neat that this was such a connection for this hospital. To be able to do some of that feels good for me.”

Neither Bocker nor Malloy is a stranger to being around animals.

At home, Kelly has one rescue dog, Cali, whose caregiver is her husband Tophie Malloy. Bocker has four rescue dogs named Griz, Jazz, Ash and Norm, and three rescue cats, Maya, Bella and Jinx, who are cared for by her husband, Brian Ball.

“That’s a good thing in Southeastern Guide Dogs’ eyes, that she is exposed to pet dogs,” Bocker said.

A PERFECT FIT

Bocker said initially, the two had doubts about whether they would be able to handle the responsibility of Skipper in addition to the executive roles they held.

“The week before we got her I had this inner feeling of, ‘Oh my gosh, can we do this?’ This is a lot of responsibility, but she makes it so

ABOUT HCA FLORIDA SARASOTA DOCTORS HOSPITAL

Serving patients in Sarasota and Manatee counties since 1967, the HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital offers a 155-bed, all-private-room facility and is designed to meet growing health care needs throughout life for patients and their families.

Address: 5731 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota, FL 34233

Phone: 941-342-1100

Website: HCAFloridaHealthCare.com

When Skipper arrived, the entire lab team ran to fetch the team member.

easy to train her,” Bocker said.

She said Skipper learns quickly, while Southeastern Guide Dogs offers a “great” plan and extensive support.

When Bocker and Malloy are working with clients, Skipper will simply take a seat under a table or chair as she has been trained to do.

When she’s done for the day, she’ll put herself to sleep in her crate.

Meanwhile, members of the hospital staff have enthusiastically embraced their role in Skipper’s training. They will ignore her if she jumps or nips, as they have been taught to do, while executive assistants have brought in their children in to meet her.

“She’s basically the hospital’s puppy at this point,” said Bocker. Skipper returns the love by helping to melt away the stress of the hospital environment.

One particularly emotional occasion took place during Skipper’s first week at the hospital when she was visiting the laboratory. Although Bocker and Malloy didn’t realize it, one staff member, who is hard of hearing, had once had a guide dog who was a black Lab like Skipper.

“She walked in and she teared up and said, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so amazing,’” Bocker said. “It was such a great thing to see that lab team support their team member who they knew was struggling, and then for Skipper to play such an impactful role that we just didn’t even know until we walked in.”

Malloy said Skipper’s presence has also opened up an avenue to discuss Southeastern Guide Dogs and what it offers.

“It’s been great to talk so much and so openly to such a variety of people, about Southeastern Guide Dogs and the work that they do and the work that Skipper is training to do,” Malloy said.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Skipper graduated from Puppy Kindergarten July 15, where she learned essential skills while the two caregivers were tested on their training.

Skipper is now learning to navigate and deal with distractions.

When she is returned to Southeastern Guide Dogs in a year, Skipper will attend Puppy University, which will build on the foundational skills Malloy and Bocker have been teaching and eventually pair her with someone who needs her.

In the meantime, Skipper will continue lifting moods at HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital.

Part Nature. Part Playground. all home.

Waterside is more than just a place for living. It’s a place for outdoor exploration and adventure, for shopping, dining, and socializing. Nestled among seven lakes, every neighborhood in Waterside will be connected by trails to each other and to Waterside Place town center. It’s Lakewood Ranch living with a twist!

Pre-Selling: Townhomes & Villas from the $300s // Single-Family from the $400s

executives co-train Skipper, a black Labrador, to become a service dog.

Ian Swaby

Chief Medical Officer Jennifer Bocker, Skipper and Chief Operations Officer Kelly Malloy

The kids at the summer camp by Chef Mike’s Catering were busy during the week that began on July 24, and they had an entire buffet to show for it.

The foods laid out for parents across multiple tables on the last day of camp, July 28, included pretzels, pie, quiche and lasagna.

Chef Mike’s Catering owner Mike Donnerstag said the goal of the camp is to provide a culinary experience for kids that is hands-on and encourages creativity. He said while each day has a set itinerary, staff are open to suggestions for different foods.

“We let them go crazy in here,” he said. “Anything they want to do we try to make happen.”

Kids acquire life skills such as working with a knife, grilling, sautéing, baking, food presentation and more.

It’s an experience that keeps bringing past attendees back each year, said Donnerstag.

“It’s the best camp in the world,” said 12-year-old Asher Woods

— IAN SWABY

Photos by Ian Swaby

Max Dinetz, 12 years old, and 11-year-old Henry Greenwell make orange juice.

Eleven-year-old Henry Greenwell, 12-year-old Max Dinetz and Mike Donnerstag make banana bread together.

Saul Suarez, 13, cooks onions while 14-year-old Jack Greenwell slices cabbage.

Cupcakes made by the kids are set out for parents to enjoy.

Cecilia Antista, 11 years old, slices fruit.

We’re ready for storm season. Are you?

The public had a chance to delve into a smaller Sarasota venue expanding the variety of its events during the Magic & Mystery Night Faire on July 29.

Hosted by Creative Liberties, the event featured performances including stilt walking and illusions, foods, including kebabs and candy apples, and an array of work by local artists that often celebrated the magical and mysterious.

“This is a real special spot in Sarasota; this is a little hidden gem for a lot of people,” said artist Joseph Caprara. It’s a great community of artists. Everyone here is very kind, very loving, very supportive of the arts.”

Barbara Gerdeman, who co-founded the studio with Elizabeth Goodwill in 2022, said the event was part of a plan to explore new directions at Creative Liberties. The studio had previously held monthly market events with entertainment and food trucks.

“We just wanted to mix it up and do something new,” Gerdeman said.

— IAN SWABY

Florida is no stranger to the power of storms. The mere mention of names like Ian, Nicole, or Andrew evokes strong memories. But amidst the destruction, there are unsung heroes who embody the spirit of strength and unity – individuals who have come together and shown extraordinary courage in the face of adversity. Their stories and commitment to Florida, highlight the unbreakable spirit of the Sunshine State. Together, we can weather any storm.

Get ready for storm season at FPL.com/Storm

Entertainer KC Allen welcomes guests to the event from up high — on stilts.

Owls by artist Joseph Caprara sit on display.

Photos by Ian Swaby

Illusionist Marshall Chandler entertains Lynn Hagan and Mary Frances Mondo.

Condo in VUE Sarasota Bay sells for $2.25 million

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

Acondominium in VUE Sarasota Bay tops all transactions in this week’s real estate.

Thomas Sprague and Laurie Anderson, trustees, of Boston, sold the Unit 804 condominium at 1155 N. Gulfstream Ave. to Bernard and Maureen Walsh, of Sarasota, for $2.25 million. Built in 2017, it has two bedrooms, two-anda-half baths and 1,810 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,129,600 in 2017.

SARASOTA

ALINARI

Cheryl and Daniel Starowicz, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 1507 condominium at 800 N. Tamiami Trail to Theresa Adams, trustee, of Sarasota, for $2.1 million. Built in 2007, it has two bedrooms, two-and-ahalf baths and 1,911 square feet of living area. It sold for $520,000 in 2009.

PAYNE PARK VILLAGE

Michael Thomas and Kendra Jean Thomas, of Sarasota, sold their home at 317 Gowdy Road to Jason and Laura Navarro, of Sarasota, for $995,000. Built in 2022, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,394 square feet of living area. It sold for $840,000 in 2022.

THE STRAND OF SARASOTA

Debra Adell, trustee, of Bradenton Beach, sold the Unit B301 condominium at 1703 N. Tamiami Trail to Marcia Warchol, of Elk Grove Village, Illinois, for $855,000. Built in 2022, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,203 square feet of living area. It sold for $453,300 in 2022.

THE LANDINGS TREEHOUSE

Ellen Westermann, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the Unit 59 condominium at 1423 Landings Place to Karen Chamberlain, trustee, of Sarasota, for $810,000. Built in 1982, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,912 square feet of living area. It sold for $490,000 in 2020.

LEWIS COMBS

Peter McGinn, trustee, of Peabody, Massachusetts, sold two properties at 1671 Arlington St. to Ellis Consulting Group Inc. for $750,000.

Other top sales by area

SIESTA KEY: $1.91 MILLION

Coronas Park

Pampa Sunbelt 11 LLC sold the home at 6900 Bochi Circle to Orhan and Elizabeth Konez, of Sarasota, for $1.91 million. Built in 2012, it has four bedrooms, four-and-ahalf baths, a pool and 3,774 square feet of living area. It sold for $9,728,800 in 2021.

PALMER RANCH: $1.05 MILLION

Esplanade on Palmer Ranch

John and Brigitte Shepard, of Sarasota, sold their home at 5283 Cicerone St. to John and Maria Polli, of York, Pennsylvania, for $1.05 million. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,322 square feet of living area. It sold for $563,000 in 2021.

Courtesy of Realtors Ron and Bozena Suponcic

A condominium in VUE Sarasota Bay tops all transactions in this week’s real estate at $2.25 million. Built in 2017, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,810 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,129,600 in 2017.

The first property was built in 1925 and has two bedrooms, one bath and 768 square feet of living area. The second property was built in 1925 and has one bedroom, one bath and 150 square feet of living area.

GULF GATE

Christine Miller, of Charlotte, North Carolina, sold her home at 6444 Seagate Ave. to Jason Dionne, of Sarasota, for $647,000. Built in 1975, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,832 square feet of living area. It sold for $340,000 in 2005.

Hannah Quan Le LLC sold the home at 3360 Kenmore Drive to Thomas Molnar and Shihong Ying, of Sarasota, for $625,000. Built in 1969, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,616 square feet of living area. It sold for $515,000 in February.

NASH’S Dolphin Props III LLC sold the home at 2727 Ashton Road to Huy Huu Nguyen and Bichngoc Trinhchau Le, of Sarasota, for $615,000. Built in 2007, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,218 square feet of living area.

GULF GATE WOODS Delta 80 LLC sold the home at 7529 Curtiss Ave. to Thomas and Jennifer Lynch, of Orrtanna, Pennsylvania, for $572,000. Built in 1973, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,771 square feet of living area. It sold for $261,500 in 2014.

TOP BUILDING PERMITS

These are the largest city of Sarasota and Sarasota County building permits issued for the week of July 17-21, in order of dollar amounts.

OSPREY: $855,000

Lucinda Elizabeth Ann Bell, of Brooklyn, New York, and Francisco David Chaparro, of Lincoln Park, New Jersey, sold their home at 7243 Antigua Place to Thomas Molnar and Shihong Ying, of Sarasota, for $525,000. Built in 1972, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,434 square feet of living area. It sold for $380,000 in 2021.

ONLINE

See more transactions at YourObserver.com

Meridian at the Oaks Preserve Jerome and Alice Johnson, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 304 condominium at 401 N. Point Road to Marc Salzman and Jaclyn Marie Culver Salzman, of Louisville, Kentucky, for $855,000. Built in 2003, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,778 square feet of living area. It sold for $372,000 in 2017.

NOKOMIS: $555,000

Vermeer Abdullatif Najib Elhabash and Priscila Farias Ronqui Elhabash, of Nokomis, sold their home at 1438 Vermeer Drive to Christopher and Jennifer Hogue, of Nokomis, for $555,000. Built in 1987, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,129 square feet of living area. It sold for $555,000 in June.

2023 SUMMER LUNCH & LEARN SERIES

Proudly Sponsored by Williams Parker Attorneys at Law

SATURDAY, AUG. 5

August 23, 2023 11:30

– 1:30

BACK TO SCHOOL WITH T1D 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Fruitville Library, 100 Apex Road. Free. For information and to register, visit EventBrite.com. This informal event is intended to help parents prepare their child with Type 1 Diabetes for a safe and successful start to the school year. The discussion features Dr. Henry Rodriguez and Dr. Janet Rodriguez with the USF Diabetes and Endocrinology Center, as well as middle school teacher and T1D dad Shamus Lapean.

MOMMY AND ME DANCE CLASS 11 a.m. to noon at Fred Astaire Dance Studios, 4414 Bee Ridge Road. $25. For information, visit EventBrite. com. This dance class is not only for moms but also for dads and other caregivers. The class allows children to benefit from the support of a parent or guardian as they begin acquiring dancing skills.

SWAP RETREAT

Noon to 4:30 p.m. at Selby Auditorium 8350 N. Tamiami Trail. Free. To register, visit EventBrite. com. This retreat, intended for breast cancer thrivers who have experienced a mastectomy, will feature reflection, group collaboration, art creation, and discussions involving challenges with body image, sexuality, beauty, and gender identity, led by Dr. A. Helene Robinson, creator of the Hugs from Heavens for Sister Warriors podcast.

TUESDAY, AUG. 8

BARKS & BREWS

7-9 p.m. at The Green at UTC, 125 N. Cattlemen Road. Free. For information, visit UTCSarasota.com. Pets and their families are invited to attend this gathering on The Green at UTC held in support of Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue that features live music, dog-friendly vendors and craft brews. Barks & Brews is held on the second Tuesday of every month.

OPEN LAB IN THE CREATION

STATION

Noon to 2 p.m. at Selby Library, 1331 First St. Participants can bring their ideas to life with equipment that includes Cricut cutting machines,

BEST BET

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 9

DANCE AT THE BAY: COUNTRY LINE

DANCING WITH LANDON PURVIS

6:30-8:30 p.m. at Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, 801 N. Tamiami Trail. Free. For information, visit TheBaySarasota. org. To register, visit Eventbrite.com. Both first-time and experienced dancers can enjoy country line dancing in this session that teaches multiple steps. No partner is required. Closedtoed shoes or Western boots with rubber soles are recommended, and it is requested that participants bring a sweat towel.

sewing machines, button makers, and more, on a first-come, first-serve basis. The 3D printer is currently out of service. Free. Visit SCGovLibrary. LibraryMarket.com.

PLAYING THE UKULELE FOR FUN AND ... FUN!

1-2 p.m. at Betty J. Johnson North Sarasota Library, 2801 Newtown Blvd. Free. Visit SCGovLibrary. LibraryMarket.com. All skill levels are welcome at this free class for adults and seniors. Participants can borrow a ukulele from the library (limited numbers available) or bring their own.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 9

WINE CELLAR SOCIAL CLUB

5-7 p.m. at Michael’s Wine Cellar, 1283 S. Tamiami Trail. $56 (Plus tax and gratuity; includes a $20 voucher for use on purchases of $50 or more). Visit MichaelsWineCellar. com. Relax and enjoy a tasting experience of six handpicked wines, as well as two appetizer plates, along with company.

Specialists

Five-star football defensive back Charles Lester III, who played three years at Riverview High before transferring to Venice High this offseason, announced his commitment to Florida State University on July 29. Lester is the national No. 19 prospect in the Class of 2024 according to the 247Sports Composite.

Former Sarasota High baseball star Vaun Brown completed one of baseball’s rarest feats on July 26. Brown, a member of the AA-level Richmond Flying Squirrels (San Francisco Giants), successfully stole home plate against the Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox). Brown is the Giants’ No. 6 overall prospect.

Cardinal Mooney High football rising sophomore Macaiden Brown, a safety, received a scholarship offer from Georgia Tech University on July 27. According to MaxPreps statistics, Brown played in two varsity games as a freshman in 2022 and had a pass defensed and a fumble recovery.

FC Sarasota’s TOPSoccer program is looking for participants. The program is for players 4 and older who have an intellectual, physical or emotional disability that limits participation in recreational sports programs. The program runs for six weeks and has no registration fee. The program is also looking for volunteers, or “buddies,” who can earn community service hours for their time. For more information, email MMixon@FCSarasota. com or call 925-7679.

Former Cardinal Mooney High boys golfer Wyatt Plattner is transferring to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas from the University of Cincinnati. Plattner, a rising sophomore, had three top-30 finishes in 2022 as a freshman with the Bearcats, including a seventhplace finish at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate tournament. Prior to Cincinnati, Plattner was a 2022 American Junior Golf Association Rolex All-American.

Masters of the pool

RYAN KOHN SPORTS EDITOR

There are master swimmers, and then there are Masters swimmers.

This week, Sarasota will be home to athletes who meet both qualifications.

The United States Masters Swimming Summer National Championships will be held Aug. 2-6 at Selby Aquatic Center. It is the first time the event has been held in Sarasota, though the city has held other large-scale swimming events, most notably the 2020 Toyota U.S. Open Championships and the 2013 Pan American Masters Championships.  Sarasota Sharks Masters coach Rick Walker said the event is expected to see approximately 1,200 swimmers compete, 228 of them from the Sharks. Walker, who is also serving as a meet director, said the event has been a lot of work to put together while also getting his swimmers ready to perform, but he enjoys the challenge. He’s also competing in the event himself, in four solo events and four relays.

“I’m trying to figure out how that’s going to go,” Walker said with a laugh. “My legs are already shot.”  If someone can keep up with all the commotion of the week and still perform at a high level, it’s Walker, who swims not because he loves the feeling of it — though he does — but because of what it allows him to do.

“Any sport can be addicting, the training part of it,” Walker said. “I typically swim six days a week, taking Sunday off. I started doing this when I was 35. I’m now 73. As you get older, you reach a point when you realize you have to keep doing this (swimming) if I want to keep the lifestyle and health that I have. Swimming is a fountain of youth. Do I get tired of it? Sure, sometimes. But I also know that if I stop, I won’t be as healthy in the future.”

Walker currently holds 10 USMS relay records, including the long course X280-319 400 Freestyle Relay (4:45.34), which he set July 9 with

teammates Karen Einsidler, Jami Gray and Lee Childs. (The numerical range in the co-ed racing format category refers to the combined age of the team members.)

Walker said he expects many records to be broken at the Summer Nationals, as swimmers get faster and faster every year.

For Walker’s relay teammate Gray, swimming has become a privilege, even if it was not always that way. She grew up swimming during Ohio summers and competed at Bowling Green State University in the 1970s. She loved it until she didn’t. Thanks to constant over-distance training by her coaches, Gray’s body was getting tired. Once she graduated and began a teaching career in Houston, she gave up on the sport entirely.

In 2009, while living near Traverse City, Michigan, Gray was diagnosed with breast cancer. She beat it, but the experience left her with a new perspective. She wanted to get back to pleasure. When a co-worker suggested Gray pick up swimming again, she was intrigued. She had not thought about doing so for a long time. It took a few more conversations to get Gray back in the pool, but once she tried it, she knew she was never letting it go again.

“When I jump in the pool (now), all I feel is joy and happiness,” Gray said. “It’s odd to say, but it almost feels meditative, the rhythm of my strokes and my breathing. I count my strokes. I don’t listen to music or anything. I feel the rushing of the water by my ears. I feel like I have my power back. Competing again is so scary for me, but when I’m done, I feel badass.”

Gray will represent the Sharks in her age group’s 50 butterfly and 50 freestyle, plus four relays. She’s been back in competitive swimming since the Sharks’ “Take a Bite out of COVID” meet in 2021, but the Summer Nationals will be a chance for Gray to test her skills against top competition. Gray is excited to see other swimmers whose names drape over the top-10 times lists for her events. However Gray does in her events,

US MASTERS SUMMER NATIONALS

What: The USMS’s top summer event for adult swimmers

Where: Selby Aquatic Center

When: Aug. 2-6

Of note: Approximately 1,200 swimmers from across the country will be in competition. For more information, visit USMS.org.

she’s going to feel like a winner. It took a lot of hard work to get back in competitive shape after 41 years away, Gray said, but she’s glad she put in the effort.

“Every human needs to be challenged and not just sit back,” Gray said. “Everyone needs to be challenged and get comfortable with that challenge. Even if you’re 85 years old. That’s the biggest thing, because man, I feel so good.”

Courtesy photo

Charles Lester

For local swimmers, the event is a celebration of the sport and what it allows them to feel.

“I like putting in the work to get better. I like making new friends through football. And I like winning.”

—Ahmad Hunter, running back, Booker High. SEE PAGE 29

Courtesy photos

Rick Walker swims the 100-meter breaststroke at the 2022 USMS Summer Nationals 2022. Walker is head coach of the Sarasota Sharks Masters.

Lee Childs, Karen Einsidler, Rick Walker and Jami Gray hold the USMS record in the long course X280319 400 Freestyle Relay (4:45.34).

Familiar faces in new places

The wait is over.  Florida High School Athletic Association-sanctioned fall sports practices began July 31, and football was among them, in noncontact form, at least. Contact practice can begin Aug. 5, and preseason games can be played Aug. 14-19. Then the real games start. It’s the best time of the year.

But until the games begin, there’s some learning to do. Namely, which players have changed teams during the offseason? Thanks to Florida’s lax rules on the subject, it’s a long list. It’s tough to keep track of it all.

That’s why I have put together a cheat sheet of sorts. It doesn’t contain every player that has changed schools, of course, but it’s a start and gives fans an idea of which impact players may be making an impact at a different school in 2023 than they did in 2022.

ZY’MARION LANG,

CARDINAL MOONEY HIGH

Of all the new players on area teams in 2023, Lang carries the highest profile. The three-star wide receiver committed to the University of South Carolina on July 30. In 2022 as a junior, the 6-foot-2 Lang had 28 catches for 470 yards and five touchdowns at Palmetto High. He also showed some ability as an emergency/gadget play quarterback, completing nine of 15 passes for 130 yards.

At Cardinal Mooney High, he should be the No. 1 option in the team’s passing attack, but he’ll be far from the only option.

JOHNNY SQUITIERI, SARASOTA HIGH Squitieri, a rising senior quarterback, played for Manatee High in 2022, throwing for 702 yards, four touchdowns and one interception as a junior while splitting time with then-sophomore Andrew Heidel. He also ran for 151 yards and five touchdowns.

Squitieri played for Port Charlotte High in the spring, but ultimately landed on Sarasota High as the right place to play his senior season, per his social media. With the Sailors, he’ll be reunited with head coach Josh Phillips, who was the defensive coordinator at Manatee in 2022.

ALEXANDER DIAZ, BOOKER HIGH Diaz, a rising junior, comes to Booker High from Sarasota High, where he was the starting quarterback for much of the 2022 season. Diaz threw for 911 yards, 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as a sophomore. His best performance came against his new team, when he threw for 191 yards and three touchdowns.  Booker also added Noah Obaseki, a senior quarterback from Southeast High, who could figure into the team’s positional competition.

MICHAEL VALENTINO, CARDINAL MOONEY HIGH Valentino, a rising senior quarterback, spent his 2022 season at Charlotte High, where he threw for 1,090 yards, nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions with the Tarpons.

Charlotte averaged just 19 points per game last season, but Valentino — or whoever ultimately snags the starting QB job — should have much more talent to work with at Cardinal Mooney High, including Lang and the next player on this list.

CHASE EDENS, CARDINAL MOONEY HIGH Edens, a wide receiver, caught 29 passes for 465 yards and seven touchdowns for Lakewood Ranch High in 2022 as a junior. At 6-foot-1, 200 pounds according to MaxPreps, Edens gives Mooney’s offense a ton of options alongside Lang and returnees like senior cornerback/wide receiver Teddy Foster, a University of Florida commit, and senior running back Carson Beach. Edens gives the Cougars a reliable option in the slot.

ANTHONY MILLER, RIVERVIEW HIGH

Rising sophomore quarterback Anthony Miller comes to Riverview High from Venice High, where he impressed on the Indians’ freshman team. He’s joining a crowded quarterback room that includes in-

cumbent starter Jeremiah Dawson, who threw for 759 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2022, along with Braxton Thomas, a senior transfer from Desert Vista High in Arizona who threw for 2,275 yards, 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions last season. No matter who wins the starting position, Miller’s unique skills with the ball in his hands should earn him playing time: He ran for more than 100 yards in the Rams’ spring game win over Lehigh High in May.

NICK SINACORE, RIVERVIEW HIGH Miller and the rest of the Rams’ QB room will be glad to have Nick Sinacore to hit in stride with a pass. Sinacore, a 6-foot wide receiver, caught 20 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown for Lakewood Ranch High in 2022. Now a senior, Sinacore should be a consistent option for the Rams on the outside.

NICK BRYAN, CARDINAL MOONEY HIGH

The rising senior defensive back will join a stacked Cardinal Mooney secondary that includes Foster and

rising junior Chris McCorkle, who holds several NCAA DI offers. Bryan had seven tackles, three passes defensed and an interception in 2022 as a sophomore at Lakewood Ranch High.

CASH WALDRIP, RIVERVIEW HIGH

Waldrip, a senior tight end/wide receiver, comes to the Rams from Manatee High, where he was used sparingly in 2022. But new Rams offensive coordinator Brody Wiseman has posted his belief in Waldrip’s skills on the social media app formerly known as Twitter, and Waldrip has the size — 6-foot-3, 170 pounds, per MaxPreps — to prove him right if given the opportunity.

Photos by Ryan Kohn

Former Sarasota High quarterback Alexander Diaz will play

Ahmad Hunter

Ahmad Hunter is a rising senior running back on the Booker High football team. As a junior in 2022, Hunter ran for 1,212 yards and 12 touchdowns.

When did you start playing football?

I started when I was 7 years old in tackle football. I actually wanted to play flag football first, but I was in a car accident and had to wait (to heal) before I could play, and by then it was tackle football. I never played any other sports. It was always football for me.

What is the appeal to you?

I like putting in the work to get better. I like making new friends through football. And I like winning. (Laughs.)

What is your best skill as a running back?

My ability to break tackles. That’s something that I have always been able to do well. I’m also good at finding a hole and quickly hitting it.

What have you been working to improve?

My top-end speed for sure. That’s been a lot of this offseason, just running and trying to get faster through repetition.

What is your favorite football memory?

My favorite memory is my entire freshman season. I was at Riverview High then. That season opened up a lot of gates for me. I showed what I could do. It was just a special year.

What are your goals for the 2023 season?

Our team goal is to go 10-0. We’re doing it one game at a time, going 1-0 every week. Personally, I’d like to get 2,000 rushing yards.

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

What is your favorite food? I love a Philly cheesesteak. It’s either that or going to Chipotle.

What is your favorite movie? Either “Fast Five” or “Smokey and the Bandit.”

What is your favorite school subject?

I like history, just learning about everything that has happened over time.

What is the best advice you have received?

Whatever it is you do, don’t give up, even if things are not looking too good. It can turn around.

Finish this sentence: “Ahmad Hunter is …” Outgoing.

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Worlds” weapon

65 Selena of “Only Murders in the Building”

66 Swashbuckler Flynn

68 Sidekick’s address

69 *Complimentary mealtime gesture

70 Flies alone

71 Marked, as a ballot

73 Some suit fabrics

75 Adorable toddler

77 Girl Scout cookie that’s also the name of an island country

80 “Over Vitebsk” painter Chagall

82 *What X can represent, in a love letter (see 67-Across, 90-Across, 38-Down and 69-Down)

85 Non-silence of the lamb?

87 ___ for tat

ALGEBRA EXAM by Michael Wiesenberg and Jeff Chen, edited by Jeff Chen

By Luis Campos

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

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