Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer 8.17.23

YOUR TOWN

Art Ovation Hotel hosts Art Market

As a 10-year-old who loves everything to do with art and who is even starting her own business offering painted shirts, Olive Schomburg found plenty to interest her at the Summer Art Market at Art Ovation Hotel on Aug. 12.

Olive, who visited the event with her mom, Courtney Schomburg, had the chance to view a demo of fabric marbling by Susan MacDougall of Aqua Silks Studio, a Venice-based workshop that offers classes in the technique.

MacDougall started by creating colored spots atop “magic water” with floating pigments, then used “combs” and “rakes” to shape the spots into a pattern. Olive was invited to select the colors and to assist MacDougall in transferring the finished pattern onto a cloth.

First-day aid

More than a hundred Suncoast Technical College practical nursing and nursing assistant students got help with their school supplies on the first day of school Thursday, thanks to an $8,000 donation of 1,400 different items from the HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital.

Nursing leaders from the hospital presented the supplies to Sarasota and North Port students. The supplies included stethoscopes, surgical sheers, pen lights, binders and bags.

How to survive

Ian Swaby 8-year-olds Andreas Kobajilo, Charles Pimentel, Vivian Masters and Oliver Milligan report to Southside for the first day of school.

Ian Swaby

Cmdr. Steven Bowers speaks to Sarasota School of Arts & Sciences students, parents and teachers about responding to an active shooter situation.

Ian Swaby

Susan MacDougall demonstrates marbling to Olive and Courtney Schomburg.

Courtesy photo Dana Bland, right, hands out school supplies.

James Peter

Second graders Wyatt Hill, Zachary Choibekov and Hendricks Perez

Ian Swaby

Kristin Musolino and Sofia Musolino, 6

WEEK OF AUG. 17, 2023

BY THE NUMBERS

Siesta home wins HGTV house hunt contest

Three listings by Realtors with Michael Saunders & Co. placed in the 2023 HGTV Ultimate House Hunt competition. More than 1.2 million votes were cast in the monthlong online competition held annually on HGTV. There were 84 finalist luxury homes across the U.S. in eight categories including Amazing Kitchens, Beachfront Homes, Countryside Retreats, Curb Appeal, Downtown Dwellings, Homes With a History, Outdoor Escapes and Waterside Homes.

The home at 7340 Point of Rocks Road at the southern end of Siesta Key was the overall winner among all finalists in all categories and won the Beachfront Homes category, as well. It is a two-story residence with five remodeled bedrooms and a pool. There is also a one-bedroom, one-bath guest house and an adjoining three-car garage. The Siesta Key property is listed for $5,999,900. It has 4,676 square feet of living area, as well as a pool.

A second Michael Saunders

The Bay wins two landscape awards

During the recent American Society of Landscape Architects Florida 2023 annual conference in Miami, Sarasota’s The Bay was honored with an Award of Excellence and the Frederic B. Stresau Award.

The Frederic B. Stresau Award is named in honor of Fred Stresau, who is considered to be the father of Florida landscape architecture. The award is given annually by the ASLA Florida jury to the professional award of excellence recipient that best exhibits innovation and design excellence.

“The Florida ASLA awards are an incredible tribute to The Bay’s accomplishments and the outstanding team of design and construction professionals who have made this park a reality,” said Bay Park Conservancy President and CEO Stephanie Crockatt.

Recent past recipients of the Stresau Award are the Las Olas Corridor Improvement Plan in Fort Lauderdale in 2022, and Captain Leonard Destin Park in Destin.

The Bay is a 53-acre, city-owned park on Sarasota’s bayfront under development by the Bay Park Conservancy. With the 14-acre Phase 1 open, planning is underway for Phase 2, which includes the Canal District along the 10th Street boat ramp at Centennial Park.

New SRQ airport cellphone lot opens

& Co. listing won the Waterside Homes category. The home at 5131 Jungle Plum Road on north Siesta Key is a 0.75-acre bayfront estate.

Michael Saunders & Co.’s listing at 8324 Sanderling Road on Siesta Key received the second-highest number of votes in the Beachfront Homes category. It’s a private 1.3-acre Gulf-front estate in the gated Sanderling Club.

Airport runs for passenger pickup have been improved by Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport with the opening of a new cellphone lot at 1180 Rental Car Road. Directly across from the previous temporary location, the lot offers convenient access from Old Bradenton Road or the main airport entrance off University Parkway.

The cellphone lot has 124 paved parking spaces, five of them handicapped accessible, plus restrooms and vending machines. It is lit with LED lighting and secured with fencing. Two flight information screens are scheduled to be installed within six months to provide current information on flight arrival times.

The new cellphone lot is a one-minute drive to the terminal building.

“Considering how much it costs to pour pads, we want to make sure that we get some cost estimates before we have it on a crane and we can’t pay to pour the concrete slab that it goes on.”

Courtesy photo

This Michael Saunders & Co. listing garnered the most votes in HGTV’s national popularity contest.

EXTENDED PARKING

ENFORCEMENT

■ Extended metered parking hours until 10 p.m.

■ Enforcement currently ends at 8 p.m.

■ Downtown metered parking

EXPAND PROGRAM BY 103 PARKING SPACES ON

■ First Street

■ Pineapple Avenue

■ Five Points Park ■ State Street

ST. ARMANDS FREE PARKING Change all-day parking to two-hour parking on:

■ North Boulevard of the Presidents, 63 spaces

SUSTAINABLE PARKING

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

There’s a new parking director in town, and he has some ideas about updating the city’s parking policies to increase efficiencies, reduce expenses, eliminate abuses and make the parking program more self-sustaining.

Parking Division General Manager

Broxton Harvey, who replaced the retired Mark Lyons in February, presented findings from a monthslong study of the city’s entire inventory of free, time-restricted and paid parking to the City Commission during a workshop on Monday. The intent was to start a discussion about methods to modernize and maximize the city’s inventory of 3,000-plus parking spaces.

Harvey said his goals include making hourly parking rates consistent across all parking spaces, bringing the city’s parking program more in line with comparable coastal cities and encouraging turnover of spaces to help benefit businesses that rely on customers finding convenient parking.

Although he insisted the proposals were not about making money, if his entire proposal was implemented, Harvey said the city would gross an additional $3.5 million in revenue per year.  Some of Harvey’s proposals were met with some resistance by commissioners seeking to find a balance between program self-sustainability and the public greater good.

Jen Ahearn-Koch, for example, opposes Harvey’s proposal to replace the 80 free street side parking spaces on Benjamin Franklin Drive along Lido Beach with metered parking at a rate of $1.50 per hour.

“I think it’s really important that we keep our beaches accessible and open to the every man,” she said. Harvey’s proposal to eliminate the city’s 21 free electric vehicle charging stations elicited the most division among commissioners. In total, the stations cost taxpayers about $1,700 per month in electricity and another $10,000 per year in maintenance and repairs. The stations cost $8,000- $10,000 per unit and $1,500-$2,500 each to install. Harvey suggests charging $1 per hour, which he said will cover the costs.

City Manager Marlon Brown said the free charging stations are often abused, saying he has observed drivers parking EVs at charging stations, getting into another vehicle and leaving them there all day.

“I very much support the rational nexus of what it costs is what we charge,” Ahearn-Koch said. “We probably don’t want to be subsidizing this, but we also don’t want to tip it to the point where people are going say, ‘I’m not doing that. I’m going to go to UTC instead.’ So there is a point there where that we have

to be very careful of how we balance those fees.”

Mayor Kyle Battie took a more direct approach.

“I have no problem with that,” he said about charging a fee for charging. “I also have no problem with us making money. What’s wrong with that? It’s $1, and right now we’re charging nothing. People have been using it for free for who knows how long, parking their cars there all day. We need to recoup some money for what we’ve lost.”

UNGRACEFUL PERIOD

Another abuse, Harvey and Brown explained, is that drivers take advantage of the two-hour grace period in parking garages. Some parkers, they said, will exit the garage before the free two-hour window expires, then re-enter, taking another ticket, and repeating.

To increase operational efficiency, reduce exit queuing time after special events and eliminate cheating the two-hour grace period, Harvey posed a two-pronged strategy of reducing the grace period to 30 minutes and installing gateless exit systems using license plate recognition technology. Similar to modern toll booth systems, anyone who doesn’t pay at kiosks or by smartphone app will receive a bill in the mail for parking.

“Some of the benefits for going gateless is ease of use for the parking by the customer,” Harvey said. “A lot of people like to utilize their phones and utilize technology, but for those who do not, we will still have pay stations in the garages. It’s a lot faster for a person to park, pay with their phone and go on about their daily business versus having to stop either to use a card to enter or pull a ticket.

“When you leave, you have to find your parking access card if you’re a

monthly parker, or if you’re a visitor you now have to put your ticket in and then pay the fee and go through all the different steps in order to exit the garage.”

One other parking pressure point Harvey proposed to address is the public boat launch at Centennial Park, where parking for vehicles and those with trailers is currently free. He suggested separate flat rates of as much as $25 for vehicles with trailers and $5 for vehicles only.

The park, which has 67 trailer and 28 vehicle spaces, on average parks 40 trailers and 20 cars per day, typically reaching capacity during season and holidays.

Commissioners warned of ramp users parking in the Van Wezel lot across the canal as an option, which is problematic during events and shows and suggested the city prohibit parking there.

Commissioners are not expected to take any action on Harvey’s proposals in the near term, Brown characterizing the workshop as a starting point in the discussion. They suggested Harvey take the proposals to neighborhood groups, particularly those that could be affected by spillover resulting from the changes.

“Preventing abuse of our electric charging stations makes sense. License plate recognition software makes sense, but this is an additional tax. It’s additional fees on our residents that is projected to be $3.5 million per year,” said Commissioner Erik Arroyo about increased rates and more metered parking spaces. “Our goal should be first to make parking break even, and it seems that it’s close to that right now. Is this a buffet? Are we going to have to as a commission pick what to approve and what not to approve? Were you envisioning all of this getting implemented?”

“It’s more like a buffet,” Brown replied. “Our intent is to go out to the business community and the residential community, share this and then come back to the commission with what we’ve heard.”

Among the proposed changes to the city’s parking program is metered parking on Ben Franklin Drive along Lido Beach. Those spaces are currently free of charge.

■ South Boulevard of the Presidents, 114 spaces

MONTHLY PARKING

■ Increase downtown rate at State Street and Palm Avenue garages from $20 per month to $35 per month

■ Increase St. Armands rate in St. Armands garage from $10 per month to $25 per month

■ Downtown and St. Armands surface parking lots remain at $20 and $10 per month, respectively

GATELESS GARAGE PROGRAM

■ Increase efficiency

■ Reduce maintenance and repairs

■ Reduce queuing at entrance and exit PARKING CITATION APPEALS

■ Increase appeals fee from the current $7.50 rate to $15, $20 or $25

FEE CITATION SCHEDULE

■ Current citation fees are $25, $30 and $35

■ Proposed increase of $10

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN DRIVE METERED PARKING

■ Extend metered parking on 80 spaces from John Ringling Boulevard to Lido Beach Pavilion at a rate of $1.50 per hour

CENTENNIAL PARK BOAT RAMP PARKING

■ Currently free to public

■ Implement feebased parking of $10-$25 per day for vehicles with trailers

■ Implement feebased parking of $5 per day for vehicles only

■ Prohibit spillover parking in Van Wezel lot

ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS

■ Consider implementing hourly fee for EV charging.

CASHLESS PAY

■ Eliminate cash and coin payments

■ More efficient and faster transactions

■ Reduced expenses for cash collections

New parking director proposes program to close loopholes, replace free spots with paid and increase city revenue by $3.5 million.

Photos by Andrew Warfield

Parking Division General Manager Broxton Harvey is proposing gate-free entry and exit systems for city-owned parking garages such as the one located at St. Armands Circle.

“I very much support the rational nexus of what it costs is what we charge.”

Jen Ahearn-Koch

Spending deadline

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

During the past two decades, St. Armands Circle has experienced an enhanced level of service that has contributed to maintaining its status as one of the city’s top destinations for visitors and residents alike.

With the failure to renew the St. Armands Business Improvement District by a vote of the commercial property owners there, just how well maintained the landscape and how well funded special events and marketing of the circle will be is uncertain. What is certain, though, is that it likely won’t be anywhere near the level merchants, visitors and residents have enjoyed since 2003.

Just two days after the City Commission received the report of the impending sunset of the St. Armands BID on Sept. 30, 2023, the  board of directors held its last meeting to discuss final spending plans, and what may happen with any surplus funds remaining in the BID’s accounts once it is dissolved.

That money, nearly $700,000 in total and which includes approximately $479,000 for capital improvements, will not be used elsewhere in the city because it belongs to the BID via special tax district overlay district. Those paying into the fund for the past 20 years, though, will have no say over how it is spent there. That will be up to the City Commis-

sion going forward.

After Sept. 30, property owners will have to directly lobby staff and commissioners for any benefits above and beyond standard city services and capital spending.

“That’s what we’re going to have to do now. We’re gonna have to get together as property owners and go to the city and push for these things,” said BID Board of Directors Chairman Tom Leonard. “They will probably look at us and say, ‘Well, why did you dissolve yourself if you wanted this so bad, and why didn’t you want to contribute to it?’

“We need to figure out a way so we can show the city that we can generate revenue outside of the BID to help

BID FUNDING

BID Funding Fiscal Years 2013-2023

Grants: $1,007,840 (35%)

Capital Improvements: $740,601 (25.7%)

Enhanced Services: $537,024 (18.7%)

Personnel and Operations: $437,193 (15.2%)

Contingency: $156,581 (5.4%)

Total Revenue: $2,879,239

Average Yearly Budget: $287,900

support these enhanced services and our streetscape. I think that we all work together with the great business minds that we all have here. I think we can continue to hopefully

St. Armands Circle has enjoyed an enhanced level of service via revenues raised from the special tax district.

have input with the commission. It’s not always easy, but it can happen.”

During Wednesday’s meeting, the three remaining board members occasionally showed some frustra-

• Visit website for class schedule and tuition information

• All Teachers certified in American Ballet Theatre® National Training Curriculum

• Classes begin August 21st for ages 3+

• Several chances to perform on stage

•

All approved purchases of goods and services must be delivered by the business improvement district’s Sept. 30 sunset.

Photos by Andrew Warfield

tion with the impending dissolution.

BID Business Manager Julie Ryan said any spending decisions made must not only be invoiced and paid for by Sept. 30, but all goods and services must be delivered by that date. Any ongoing services — such as marketing — may continue past that date providing they had been approved and initiated before the deadline.

Board member Casey Gonzmart appeared particularly frustrated at the outcome of the BID renewal vote and the limits placed on all that must be concluded by Sept. 30. He rejected any seasonal flower plantings and other landscape plans — particularly since enhanced irrigation paid for by the BID will revert to the city’s less frequent schedule.

Gonzmart wanted every dollar possible to go into the capital improvement fund to help pay for a future complete streets or streetscape project. Ryan advised that funds for operations and capital improvements cannot be commingled.

“We have to focus on streetscape. That’s something we’ve all discussed. It’s something that we all desire, and nobody in this room doesn’t like it,” said Gonzmart, who owns the Columbia and Cha Cha Coconuts restaurants and the buildings they occupy. “We have to find a way to fund it. We have to find a way to make it a quality project. It’s going to take years, but I’m here for the long

term. John Ringling came here in ’29. I came here in ’59 and my son is 40 years old, so we will fight and we will do what we can to work in tandem with the city to protect the oldest district in the city of Sarasota.”

The board approved a handful of print, digital and video marketing programs that will continue for three to four months beyond dissolution, along with one last sidewalk cleaning beyond the city’s twice-annual standard, and an alley cleaning, which the city does not provide.

After several approved landscaping, cleaning and marketing projects are completed, the BID will turn over to the city an estimated $44,000 to be held in escrow. That money can be spent only within the BID footprint, but at the City Commission’s discretion.

With the dissolution of the BID, its annual $50,000 contribution to operate the Bay Runner free trolley service also ends, and the city will have to find another source to supplement funding.

A funding source for this year’s installation of the holiday tree in Circle Park, which was purchased by the BID and the St. Armands Circle Association last year thanks to a $286,000 city grant, will also have to be found. That’s priced at $37,840.55, which cannot be funded by the BID because it would not be erected and decorated by Sept. 30, and because it did not receive a formal application

from the Circle Association, which owns the tree and is responsible for its storage.

A nearly half-century-old Sarasota tradition, the cost to install the tree and hold the annual Holiday Night of Lights tree lighting ceremony will be another matter for the city to consider.

“If we want to see something like Parks and Rec do something, we should lobby them after our board dissolves to come up with a design,

then we lobby the commission, and that’s what we’re going to have to do now,” Leonard said. “We’re going to have to join together as property owners and merchants and say to the city, ‘There’s money in a piggy bank. We’d like to see this money spent this way.’”

St. Armands Circle has benefited from lush landscaping as a result of the business improvement district. Pruning, mulching and planting will revert to standard city service frequency.

Make A Plan.

Van Wezel panel begins study

It Makes a Difference.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

A panel of community members selected by the City Commission has begun its work to study repurposing of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall once the new Sarasota Performing Arts Center is completed.

Present at the Purple Ribbon Committee’s first meeting Tuesday evening were Lee-En Chung, Charles Cosler, David Rovine, Marty Hylton and Selma Goker Wilson. Melissa Gissinger and Robert Bunting were absent because they were out of town.

Following a requisite orientation on Florida sunshine law, Chung, who grew up in Sarasota and brings civil structural engineering expertise, was elected chair. Hylton, who has lived here since January, was elected vice chair. His expertise is in historical preservation.

City Manager Marlon Brown told the committee a comprehensive assessment of the conditions of the Van Wezel will begin in the coming months and, once the committee’s initial meetings in late summer to perhaps early fall are complete, there may not be a need to reconvene for several months.

“I don’t foresee possibly having another meeting unless something pops up because that assessment needs to be done,” Brown said. “It could take six months to possibly a year. We may have some meetings in between just to keep you updated as to what’s happening and you can meet the consultant to hear where they are in the whole process and to be able to ask questions before they complete that.”

That study is not to be confused with what is commonly referred to as the Karins Report, which Brown

said does not reach the comprehensive level of detail the committee will need for its deliberations. In 2021, Brown commissioned that study by Karins Engineering of Sarasota.

In addition to the new study, the committee will be guided by a thirdparty facilitator, similar to the task force seated to recommend an architecture firm to design the new performing arts center.

“I’m in the process of reviewing an RFP for that,” Brown said. “It’s right now in draft, and I’m going to be meeting with the procurement staff to make sure we can get that out and see if we get an individual who can facilitate these meetings. I don’t foresee that person getting on board until probably your fourth meeting, after you get the tour and after you talk to staff.”

That tour will be the focus of the next committee meeting at 2 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28. As an official meeting of the committee, the 90-minute tour is open to the public. The purpose is for members to take a peek behind the curtain and make an in-person assessment of the conditions of the building from box office to basement.

Two meetings were scheduled for next month, on Sept. 13 in the commission chambers at City Hall and Sept. 27 in the Grand Foyer at the Van Wezel. The meetings will begin at 5:30 p.m. Future meetings will be held at the Van Wezel unless it is unavailable.

The Purple Ribbon Committee will soon tour the building it is tasked with assessing for possible repurposing.

The Purple Ribbon Committee will make an in-person assessment of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall at its next meeting on Aug. 28.

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

AG Moody tries to snuff weed

Florida’s attorney general is trying to prevent voters from deciding whether the state should legalize recreational marijuana for adults.

dramatically expand their market by gaining the ability to sell marijuana products to all adults regardless of medical need.

PROPOSED AMENDMENT

The following is a summary of a proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution that is going through the initiative approval process.

ADULT PERSONAL USE OF MARIJUANA

FLORIDA MEDICAL MARIJUANA CENTERS

“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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Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and others are trying to persuade the Florida Supreme Court to strike down a ballot initiative that would amend the state constitution to allow personal possession of marijuana for adults aged 21 and up.

Florida has a medical marijuana program, and this new initiative would grant existing medical marijuana companies the exclusive right to sell marijuana products, unless the Legislature decides to offer new licenses in the future. If the measure survives Moody’s challenges, the question facing voters will be whether they would be willing to confer market power to a handful of companies to allow consumers greater access to marijuana.

The largest of Florida’s medical marijuana companies, Trulieve Cannabis, has contributed all of the $39.05 million that Smart & Safe Florida, the political action committee formed to sponsor the initiative, has received.

The committee has used this money to meet the threshold of signature collection needed to qualify the initiative for the ballot by turning in 1,013,325 verified signatures from eligible Florida voters. That number easily is more than the 891,589 required.

If the initiative is successful, Trulieve and other medical marijuana licensees would

Despite this, Florida’s political class has remained consistently hostile to marijuana legalization. They have inhibited implementation of the medical marijuana law that voters approved in 2016. Following adoption of that initiative, Florida lawmakers first declined to consider implementing the statutes that the initiative required them to adopt until thenGov. Rick Scott called them into a special session to complete their constitutional responsibilities.

After that, they then adopted a statute that banned smokable products—a move that state courts later ruled violated the intent of the initiative. The DeSantis administration later fell years behind in awarding licenses to operate marijuana businesses, drawing further admonishment in state courts.

Most recently, the DeSantis administration raised the fee for these licenses more than 20 times the initial cost, going from $60,000 to $1.33 million.

Into this background steps Attorney General Moody, a DeSantis ally, with a legal challenge seeking to prevent Trulieve’s initiative from going to the voters.

Part of Florida’s process to qualify an initiative for the ballot is for the state Supreme Court to certify the initiative’s validity, which gives interested parties the chance to submit briefs in opposition. Moody has done so, along with the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Drug Free America Foundation.

Moody makes several spurious arguments in her brief.

First, she (along with the Drug Free America Foundation) claims that the summary is misleading because it states adults 21 years or older could legally purchase, possess or use marijuana, but she notes those actions would remain illegal under federal law.

In truth, the initiative is a proposed amendment to Florida’s constitution and has no direct relation to federal law. More than a dozen states have legalized marijuana by initiatives containing

Cities, counties throw a bone

A month ago, we noted on this page how county and city administrators in our region have proposed double-digit increases in their budgets for the next fiscal year. We said then: “The numbers were jaw dropping,” and the percentage increases were “stunning.”

The leaders: Longboat Key, a proposed 43% increase; Sarasota County, a proposed 36% increase.

We noted, too, that much of this proposed increase in spending could be attributed to two things — that just about every local government in the nation is flush with COVID-relief and inflation-reduction cash from the federal government, and from the robust increases in real estate property values.

And so, as governments do when you give them cash, they’re going to spend it. In most cases, local governments will be spending their windfalls on big infrastructure projects.

But many of them also are contending with the same things every household is confronting now, thanks to Joe Biden’s Inflation Increase Acts. They’re paying more for everything they buy, including employees’ salaries.

But even with government’s rising costs, with the huge windfalls of cash they have been taking in, you would hope your local govern-

SUMMARY: Allows adults 21 years or older to possess, purchase or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for nonmedical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion or otherwise; allows Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers and other statelicensed entities to acquire, cultivate, process, manufacture, sell and distribute such products and accessories. Applies to Florida law; does not change or immunize violations of federal law. Establishes possession limits for personal use. Allows consistent legislation. Defines terms. Provides effective date.

similar language.

Further, the plain text of the initiative’s summary statement that would appear on the ballot undermines Moody’s argument. It expressly states the initiative “does not change or immunize violations of federal law.”

Second, Moody argues the initiative would permit unregulated sales because it doesn’t specifically grant the state health department regulatory authority over recreational marijuana sales. The truth is the initiative states that only existing Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers would be able to sell marijuana, along with other entities to whom the department may grant licenses in the future. The health department regulates all medical marijuana treatment centers, so no one would be able to sell marijuana without health department oversight.

Third, Moody argues the initiative might mislead voters into believing there will be more competition in Florida’s marijuana market. The initiative is clear that it restricts any commercial marijuana activity to current medical marijuana treatment centers, although it theoretically allows the Legislature to authorize additional adult-use licenses in the future.

Trulieve controls 125 of the 571 medical marijuana dispensaries operating in Florida. Its initiative would restrict any new entrants from coming into the marijuana market unless the Legislature passes a law allowing for the award of new commercial licenses.

Based on experience to date, Florida lawmakers appear unlikely to do this in the foreseeable future. It’s possible voters will mistakenly believe the initiative would lead to increased competition, but this speaks more to the obstinacy of Florida’s political class than to the language of the initiative itself.

Moody’s legal arguments are mostly red herrings.

Trulieve’s attempt to control the Florida market, however, is a real issue upon which the initiative should be debated.

The question is: Are Floridians willing to accept a small cartel of legal suppliers for adults to gain the personal freedom to make their own choices regarding marijuana consumption?

Madison Carlino is a research intern, Geoffrey Lawrence is research director, and Dr. Adrian Moore is Vice President at Reason Foundation.

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ments would give taxpayers a break from inflation by cutting tax rates, specifically property-tax rates.

Well, as you can see from the accompanying table, most of our county and city administrators and city and county commissions are helping out their constituents. They’re throwing you the proverbial bone. As their revenues and spending will be rising at double-digit rates, your tax rates will be falling a pittance. The lone exception: Look at the Southwest Florida Water Management District. It’s cutting its tax rate 9.6%.

Why aren’t the other government entities giving you larger tax cuts?

C’mon. Dream on.

If you’re really hurting for something to do, go hunting online for your city or county’s proposed budget. From budget to budget, you’ll county administrators and city managers regale you with their financial stewardship and how well they’re managing taxpayers’ money.

And to be sure, all of the mountainous pages of budget documents do a thorough job of trying to be transparent for taxpayers — so you know where your money is going.

But here’s the thing: Every one of the proposed budget packets is an almost impossible challenge for taxpayers to follow and understand.

While each of the government

HOW TO COMPUTE YOUR TAXES

Around Aug. 24, county property appraisers will be sending all property owners their TRIM notices — Truth in Millage notice. That notice will itemize all of the government agencies that are taxing your property. If you want a head start on calculating your taxes, here are two ways of doing it:

entities is fulfilling their statutory obligations to disclose all the information they disclose in their 300-page books, the budget books are totally reader unfriendly.

Here’s what taxpayers want to know and see in the first page of every budget book: What is my tax rate going to be compared to

the current rate? And show me a revenue and expense statement that compares this and next year’s spending and the percent change.

Those two things would be far more revealing and transparent to taxpayers than what they’re getting now.

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

ADRIAN MOORE, GEOFFREY LAWRENCE AND MADISON CARLINO

Geoffrey Lawrence

Search is on to find homes for sculptures

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

Nearly $300,000 worth of roundabout sculptures are under fabrication, but for now, at least, there’s nowhere to place them.

During the City Commission’s July 24 budget workshop, Mary Davis Wallace, the city’s public art coordinator, reported that a single bid for concrete pads on which to mount the sculptures in the roundabouts on U.S. 41 at 10th and 14th streets came in at more than double the $514,000 budgeted.

Wallace told members of the Public Art Committee during their Aug. 2 meeting that she is exploring alternative locations for the sculptures — Seagrass and Poly — because, as it turns out, it costs a lot more for construction within the Florida Department of Transportation right of way than on city property.

“The cost of working in the FDOT space is criminal,” said PAC Chairman Jeff Jamison.

The bid received by the city was from Jon F. Swift Construction, a contractor that partners on many projects with the city, a $1.13 million bid that was rejected. One reason for the high cost, Wallace said, is that the foundation and mounts must withstand winds of 155 mph.

“The clarification that needs to be made is that FDOT is a much smaller pool of vendors,” Jamison said. “You’re talking about people who build bridges and roads, and if you’re not in FDOT space, there are many other people who don’t have the costs associated with traffic control in Florida Department of Transpor-

tation highways, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct,” confirmed Wallace.

Such contractors must be certified by FDOT to perform construction in its right of way, which constrains the competitive bid field. Wallace told the PAC the city asked for a more favorable bid, which came back only marginally lower.

“In everyone’s defense, the cost of construction has tripled, if not more,” Wallace said. “They have to be FDOT certified. There’s a MOT (management of traffic) requirement. So there are a lot of things that are going into this that would not normally be factored into a cityowned roundabout.”

Wallace recommended the PAC hold a special meeting before its next regular meeting in November so she can present a relocation plan for the roundabout sculptures.

“I would like for the Public Art Committee to make a recommendation on some of these locations, and then we will be taking this to City Commission to determine what those expenditures are going to look like,” Wallace said.

She added that she has placed one of the city’s signature sculptures, Complexus, on the relocation plan.

The 70-foot sculpture by John Henry was a featured attraction in Sarasota’s 2011-2012 Season of Sculpture. Afterward, it was purchased by a group of residents who raised $550,000 to donate the piece to the city in 2013.

It stood at the corner of U.S. 41 and Gulfstream Avenue until it was temporarily relocated to the Sarasota Museum of Art when the roundabout

construction began.

“I think we should just capture everything in the net right now,” Wallace said. “Considering how much it costs to pour pads, we want to make sure that we get some cost estimates before we have it on a crane and we can’t pay to pour the concrete slab that it goes on.”

Those three sculpture pads aren’t the only considerations the PAC and the city will face. After two years of work, the committee has already

selected a sculpture for the Fruitville Road roundabout to recommend to the City Commission, which, if it chooses to go forward with that $150,000 acquisition, will face the same platform cost dilemma.

“We should talk about Fruitville Road and whether or not this changes the recommendation of the Public Art Committee,” Wallace said. “I do think we need to solve these issues first and determine whether or not any of these roundabout projects are

going to be feasible. I feel like we’re going to keep running into the same issue.”

The pads for the 10th and 14th street roundabouts were specified at 15 feet in diameter, and the sculptures were designed to be mounted within that space. Wallace said staff was confident with its $500,000 budget for the roundabout pads, but added that estimate was made two years ago.

“Things have changed quite a bit since then,” she said.

Because the city now owns Seagrass and Poly, and plans to find a permanent home for Complexus, their potential locations will be outside of FDOT purview, which opens the field to more contractors and a lower cost.

Whether they land in smaller city street roundabouts or other locations remains to be determined. City Manager Marlon Brown suggested to commissioners previously they may be located in close proximity to their intended roundabouts.

“FDOT-owned and maintained space is going to cost more to operate within,” Wallace said. “Space in roundabouts within the city that are owned and operated and maintained by the city should be less impactful financially, but the concepts for those (sculptures) responded to the size of the roundabouts.

“It really wasn’t that we or any of the parties involved understood that we were going to be pricing ourselves out of the market when these were being designed.”

The more than $1 million cost of pouring concrete pads exceeds the budgeted amount. Locations on city property are under consideration.

File photo

A search is underway to find a new home for Complexus.

“I would like for the Public Art Committee to make a recommendation on some of these locations, and then we will be taking this to City Commission to determine what those expenditures are going to look like.”

— Mary Davis Wallace

Kennel club parking plan hits obstacles

The proposal to offer temporary off-site airport parking must meet DRC requirements to comply with the city’s updated building code.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

Following the failure of an apartment complex to overcome legal challenges by Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, a new development is envisioned for the former Sarasota Kennel Club site.

On Wednesday, the city’s Development Review Committee had its first meeting with the representative of a developer about a preliminary plan for a combination of a 671-space parking lot for airport parking and a commercial project on the 26-plusacre site.

The parking use may be temporary or it could become permanent. It all depends on how the site is eventually master planned, which could be years away.

The property has been largely vacant since 2019; the dog track facility has fallen into disrepair. It ceased operations due to a statewide referendum that banned greyhound racing beginning in 2020. The Jack G. Collins Revocable Trust had been seeking a developer to purchase the land since.

For now, the applicant, an unnamed development entity, is seeking to use the current parking lot on the west side of the property, which is divided from the east side by a drainage canal, for commercial off-site parking to serve customers of Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. That use would continue at least until the airport completes its underway parking expansion work, and perhaps beyond pending ongoing need.

“We know there’s a deficit in the area as the airport has grown expo-

nentially. Quite frankly, there’s not enough parking at the airport, and our property owner is understand ing that situation,” said Evan Futch of civil engineering firm Avid Group of Palm Harbor. “While we would like to develop a state-of-the-art facility or possibly a mixed-use facility, in the short term, while the airport is working on their projects and expanding their services to meet their customers’ needs, we would like to fill that void.”

The kennel club property owner is listed as Eric Baird of Baird Real Estate of Sarasota.

Building out the parking opera tion, though, won’t be as simple as resurfacing and restriping the cur rent parking lot. Applicable to the project are a multitude of improve ments required per code, including installation of permanent islands in some locations, landscaping those islands, irrigating the landscaping and more.

However, because the Phase 1 plan poses no changes to the current use, the application won’t require site plan consideration by staff.

“The initial development of the parking lot does not require a formal site plan application to go through the DRC,” said Amy Pintus, the project case planner. “That would be applied as a building permit. But the lots that you’ve shown to the east of the canal, that would require a final plat approval, and site plan approval is required as part of that approval.”

Futch said the intention was to repair the parking lot, secure it by adding fencing along Old Bradenton Road and atop the existing wall along University Parkway, and improve the aesthetics of the site. Meanwhile, master planning for the entire site would be underway along with demolition of the remains of the dog track structures.

The hope was to begin using the parking lot right away.

“We were banking on the fact that this was a prior existing use that was functional at one time,” Futch said.

“That was established in 1958, maybe,” Pintus replied.

The point being much has changed in the city’s building code since then, and any permits will require conforming with current standards, which, at a minimum, require a traffic study, compliance with current site lighting requirements, landscaped islands that include at least one canopy tree plus additional shrubbery and more investment in the site that may be only temporary.

The site has a future land use classification of Community Commercial and is zoned Commercial Intensive. Access is proposed from three driveways from Old Bradenton Road and two from Desoto Road.

The airport has posed no opposition to the project because it conforms to an interlocal agreement with the city that specifies no new residential development beneath the 65-decibel, day-night average sound level contour from the end of

the runway.

However, the airport did have some comments to submit to the DRC. Most of them were boilerplate, citing FAA restrictions, stormwater management requirements and design and management of retention ponds to not attract wading birds.

There was one comment related to the operation of the parking service.

“Any shuttle vehicles picking up or dropping off passengers at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport shall, prior to operating, obtain an off-airport parking business permit from the Airport Authority and renew it annually thereafter,” reads the comment. “The permit will entail entering into a standard operating agreement, payment of a privilege fee charge of 10% of all gross revenues generated per month, maintenance of insurance and compliance with airport rules and regulations.”

THURSDAY,

RULE

10:34 a.m., 0 block of South Tuttle Avenue

Domestic dispute: A man who has a no-contact order from a woman told an officer that he had just seen her at their formerly shared residence, where he went to gather his belongings. He said he “freaked out and ran” to a nearby convenience store because he didn’t want to get into trouble. He was advised that there were no calls from the woman stating he had violated the order.

The man requested the officer contact the woman by phone to see if she was available for him to do a civil standby to retrieve his belongings. She answered the phone but did not respond when the officer introduced himself. The man stated he would try again in a few hours.

MONDAY, AUG. 7

BREAKING OUT?

6:51 a.m., 1000 block of South Tamiami Trail Criminal mischief: Damage estimated at approximately $1,550 was done to a sliding glass door at a medical office. A complainant said

SATURDAY, AUG. 5

FIGHT WITH BOO-BOO

10:28 a.m., 2200 block of North Lemon Avenue

Dispute: Officers responded to a residence where a woman’s father arrived to fight with her boyfriend called Boo-Boo. The complainant was the woman’s mother, who said the father was outside banging on the door and yelling at them. Boo-Boo did not cooperate with officers, who eventually discovered that the complainant’s daughter previously had words with her father about his treatment of her sister. The sister, meanwhile, refused to speak with responding officers at the scene and stated she had nothing to report to law enforcement. The nature of Boo-Boo’s involvement in the dispute was not reported.

she left the building at noon the day before and returned to find the glass door propped open. There was no evidence of the door being damaged from the outside. Instead, the interior handle was partially broken, indicating it was pushed open from the inside.

The complainant said a fob is required to enter the doctor’s offices on both levels, however, the elevator would have been accessible. Officers cleared the building and nothing appeared damaged or ransacked inside. There is one video surveillance camera facing the vestibule, and the complainant reached out to IT personnel to determine if any images were captured. Evidence suggests the unknown subject may have been accidentally locked in the building.

CASTING (BIG) STONES

12:39 p.m., 2200 block of Muesel Street

Property damage: A rock-throwing incident that caused more than $1,000 in damage to a glass door is believed to have been perpetrated by a group of juveniles. The victim told police that a rock thrown at her house hit the hurricane glass in the door and will have to be replaced.

The victim’s son said he heard something large and heavy hit the door and rushed upstairs to look out a rear window, He said he saw four subjects whom he believed to be juveniles walking eastbound on Legacy Trail.

The son said he then went outside and found a rock laying just outside the door. He was unable to provide a physical description of the suspects.

The officer observed chip marks in the glass.

After leaving the call, the victim contacted the officer and advised that her neighbor had information about a possible suspect. She said she was inside her house and heard the rock hit her neighbor’s residence. She went outside and observed four juveniles walking eastbound on Legacy Trail. She did not see them throw the rock but did recognize one of them, stating that he has caused numerous issues in the neighborhood in the past. The case was forwarded to the criminal investigations division.

School board votes to suspend strategic plan

spent four years traveling the world with the military, forever changing her political views, thus starting Information Warfare News to counter fake news and propaganda. Jordan Page comes from Firefly, a blockchain-based education platform where students, teachers, and content creators are rewarded within a crypto economy.

“I enjoy the comradeship at the club. One can meet others and engage in not only a vast array of crypto topics but also delight in discussions about local cuisine, travel, current events, and even the arts. Looking forward to upcoming events to gain even more crypto knowledge.”

The school board voted to place the district’s strategic plan on hold on Aug. 16, an action it had previously committed to taking during an Aug. 1 meeting.  Vice Chair Karen Rose motioned for what she described as a “point blank” hold to allow Superintendent Terry Connor to bring the plan in line with his recommendations.

Connor said he is fully open to the board’s direction regarding the plan, whether that be starting from scratch, or modifying its existing features.

“Having taken a look at the strategic plan, and hearing from each board member one-on-one in our discussions about the strengths of the strategic plan and the areas of opportunity, I think it’s incumbent upon anyone who transitions into this role to take a look at the makeup of the current strategic plan to see what can we sustain and build off of and what things we can maybe revise, change or add to,” Connor said. He said the changes will be part

of his 100-day transition process entering the role, but will probably move beyond the 100 days.

Board members’ comments largely echoed their remarks during the Aug. 1 meeting. Chair Bridget Ziegler said it was important for the board to search for clarity and “refocus on academics” as a new superintendent joins the district, also citing ongoing discussions around the budget.

Board member Tim Enos said he wanted the plan to include specific benchmarks for students.

Finally, board member Robyn Marinelli said she believed the plan should feature a closer focus on academics, although the current areas of focus were still important.

During the Aug. 1 meeting, the decision had followed a debate over whether the curriculum promoted social-emotional learning, an education method which was banned at the state level by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The debate surrounded a budget item allocating about $57 million to an item to “enhance social-emotional learning and supports provided to students to promote belonging, dignity and inclusion.”

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

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

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

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

Hospital Affiliations: Doctors Hospital; Sarasota Memorial Hospital

— Micheila: - Club Member

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

Ian Swaby

Board member Tom Edwards and Superintendent Terry Connor talk with Bryson Day, a Venice High School junior who was student representative at the Aug. 15 meeting.

Sarasota schools learn the ‘survivor mindset’

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

Education extends beyond teaching “reading, writing and arithmetic” and now includes an element of responsibility for safety, said Commander Scott Byrd of the Nashville Metro Police Department.

Byrd was describing why Carl Williams Jr., assistant principal at Sarasota School of Arts & Sciences, contacted the department.

The school welcomed Byrd, who is commander of the Nashville police’s Special Operations Division, along with Steven Bowers, captain of the School Safety Division, on Aug. 9.

The event was held for staff and board members of the school and of nearby Sarasota Military Academy, with which the school collaborates, as well as administrators of other charter schools, Sarasota County Schools’ Office of Accountability and Choice Supervisor Millie Wheeler, and members of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and Sarasota Police Department.

Byrd served as deputy incident

commander on-scene during the March 27, 2023, active shooter incident at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, while Bowers served as a branch commander for family reunification efforts and counseling support at the time. Byrd also oversaw the launch of the School Safety Division, serving as its commander.

THE SAFEST OUTLOOK

Byrd said the incident at The Covenant School, which claimed six lives, saw many lives saved, and that one factor in this outcome was training provided by the school.

“I think the training that they participated in, that they took seriously and that they exercised, paid off that day and resulted in lives saved,” he said.

SSAS Principal Tara TahmoshNewell said the two officials were present to inspire attendees and provide an understanding of what actions people can take in a worstcase scenario.

“Nashville successfully handled a worst nightmare event for a school, as well as it could be handled,” she

said. “I don’t want our teachers, our students, living in fear.” Tahmosh-Newell said as one of two schools located in the downtown area, along with Sarasota Military Academy, SSAS faces unique risks. While the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is just a mile away, staff and police need to be on the same page, she said.

The speech focused on the Citizen Response to Active Shooter Events system, a project by Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training at Texas State University built

around its Avoid, Deny, Defend strategy.

Bowers said the department takes the stance that “hiding and hoping” is not a plan. Among the topics discussed was the importance of overcoming denial when a sight or sound such as gunfire is observed in order to move onto the phases of deliberation and decisive movement.

“Whatever your school or organization, you are the expert,” Bowers said. “When you hear or see something out of place, it is important to take action.”

Among other topics discussed was the “deny” aspect of the CRASE training, which includes the placing of barricades (the more and heavier, the better), using ropes to secure outward opening doors and placing door stoppers.

When confronted with an active shooter situation, people may need to act to defend themselves, the officials said, by positioning themselves appropriately and seizing the weapon. Byrd said those involved in an incident must engage in a “survivor mindset,” telling themselves that they will make it home to their families.

“You are not helpless, and what you do matters,” he said.

He said when the police arrive, those present must be sure to cooperate with instructions while placing their hands up and showing their palms.

Sarasota Military Academy Col. Christina Bowman called the speech “amazing.”

“It gets us into the mindset of doing everything we can to get home to our families while making sure the children get home too,” she said.

Tahmosh-Newell said the speech is not the only safety initiative at the school. She said it also follows all recommendations from Parkland High School, employs an extensive security system and offers students four licensed mental health counselors, mindfulness mornings and an advisory force.

“We just want to ensure that (students) never feel alone, that they do feel important, and that they are loved and cared for,” she said.

Cmdr. Scott Byrd and Capt. Steven Bowers visited Sarasota School of Arts & Sciences to discuss how to use the Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events system.

Ian Swaby

Sarasota School of Arts & Sciences Principal Tara Tahmosh-Newell, Cmdr.

Steven Bowers of the School Safety Division in Nashville, Cmdr. Scott Byrd of the Special Operations Division in Nashville, and Sarasota Military Academy Col.

Christina Bowman

A+E INSIDE:

< PERFECT PITCH: Hip-hop meets high school in soccer team song. 16

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REMIXED!: Show follows the life of John Fogerty. 17 >

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

Art that makes amends

The Ringling’s ‘Reclaiming Home’ bears witness to the trials and triumphs of the Seminole tribe.

MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Back in the 1970s, at the height of the American Indian Movement, it wasn’t unusual in places near reservations to see bumper stickers and T-shirts emblazoned with the words “You Are On Indian Land.”

While it could be argued that the slogan applied to the entire United States, it is certainly true in this part of Florida, where the Seminole tribe was forcibly removed from its land during three wars with the U.S. government. Today, many descendants of those Florida natives live in Oklahoma.

With the 2016-17 protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline on the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, the movement for indigenous rights picked up steam again. Members of 200 Indian tribes gathered together for the first time in 150 years, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

The next year the John and Mable Ringling Museum hired Ola Wlusek as curator for modern and contemporary art. A former public art coordinator for the city of Calgary and curator at the Ottawa Art Gallery, Wlusek was the driving force behind the Ringling’s exhibition, “Reclaiming Home: Contemporary Seminole Art,” which runs through Sept. 4.  Can you draw a straight line from the Standing Rock protest to the “Reclaiming Home” exhibition? Not exactly, but they both signify a growing awareness of Native issues.

If you haven’t seen the Ringling’s ambitious, wide-ranging show in the cavernous Ulla R. and Arthur F. Searing Wing, make time to do so. The colorful, multimedia art works are profound and arresting. Like the circuses that generated the wealth that built the museum on Sarasota Bay, “Reclaiming Home” has something for everyone. It’s family-friendly to be sure.

IF YOU GO

When: Through Sept. 4

Where: John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bayshore

Road

Tickets: $25

Info: Visit Ringling.org

Descriptions like “ground-breaking” and “awe-inspiring” are not hyperbole for an exhibition that was five years in the making.

Hundreds if not thousands of hours of discussion and consultation paved the way for “Reclaiming Home.” Some of Wlusek’s travel and research was underwritten by a curatorial research fellowship she received from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

“Reclaiming Home” was made possible by loans from leading Native American cultural institutions including the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis, the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture and the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, both in Santa Fe, N.M. Last but

Noah Billie’s untitled painting of a Native American soldier and his warrior ancestor.

Courtesy photos

Seminole artist Wilson Bowers used a digital design on board to create his 2020 work, “MMIW,” which draws attention to missing and murdered indigenous women.

not least, art and advice was lent to the Ringling by the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation.

The exhibition is accompanied by a handsome catalog with thoughtprovoking articles by its artists.

GHOSTS OF THE PAST

Museums have come under fire in recent years for acquiring or accepting donations of looted relics. They have been forced to return antiquities to their original owners, including governments and tribal nations. Since nearly all of the artwork in “Reclaiming Home” is loaned, that isn’t a concern here. But the Ringling show takes place at a time when museums and other cultural institutions are being questioned about their practices and even their existence.

The pressing issue here is whether the Ringling can live up to its lofty goal of allowing the Seminoles to reclaim, if not their home, their identity. Of course, the Sarasota museum cannot erase the history of colonialism and the ramifications of the policy of Manifest Destiny that pushed the American frontier across the country to the Pacific Ocean.

It cannot restore to their original owners the native lands now occupied by condos, shopping centers and highways. It is ridiculous to think that art can right these kinds of wrongs.

What the Ringling has achieved with “Reclaiming Home” is to provide for the first time within its halls a forum for the telling of Seminole stories through authentic Native art.

One can’t help leaving the museum with thoughts and images of ghosts that lurk among the 100 pieces of art by 12 artists of Seminole, Miccosukee and mixed heritage.

One of the first ghosts a visitor sees upon entering the Searing Wing is a painting with a native American warrior in full regalia holding a rifle. He’s hovering in the clouds above a young soldier fighting in a jungle, presumably Vietnam.

Noah Billie, the artist who painted the acrylic work “Untitled,” in 1998, was traumatized by his wartime experience, Wlusek said in a recent gallery talk. Upon returning from Southeast Asia, Billie isolated

himself and didn’t speak. Creating art helped heal his psychic wounds, she said. Considered to be one of the most influential Seminole artists in Florida, Billie died in 2000.

Phantoms are also invoked by a big, graffiti-inspired installation in red and black in the exhibition. Wilson Bowers pays tribute to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women with the stark piece, which ends with the words, “They are someone.”

According to the University of San Diego, there are at least 23,000 people missing from tribal lands in the U.S., mostly women, but most experts feel this number is much higher.

In 2021, President Joe Biden declared May 5 “Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day” to shine light on the matter, which is also a widespread problem in Canada.

A thrilling sense of martial speed is evoked by Bowers’ brightly painted skateboards on the walls of the Ringling. It took strength for Pedro Zepeda, who is Seminole and Mexican, to carve the canoe on display in “Reclaiming Home” from a cypress log using the same tools and methods that have been employed by the Seminoles for at least 200 years.

According to a video narrated by Zepeda that is streaming in one of the gallery’s nooks, the Seminoles adopted metal tools after they were introduced by Europeans.

Feminine energy is also in evidence in “Reclaiming Home.” Ruffles, tiers and rick-rack embellish the dresses worn by Seminole women depicted in paintings as well as costumes on display.

One elaborate outfit, “Night at the Ringling,” was made specifically for the “Reclaiming Home” exhibit, says Wlusek, by artist Jessica Osceola, who imagined what she would wear to the opening of the show.

Artist Elisa Harkins uses images and sound to capture the Native songs that the exiled Seminoles sang to lift their spirits as they traveled the “Trail of Tears” from Florida to Oklahoma. Harkins, who is of Cherokee/Muscogee/Creek descent, also preserves Native culture by creating costumes and taking photographs.

If there is one piece of art that can lay claim to being the set piece of

“Reclaiming Home,” it is “The Last Supper,” C. Maxx Stevens’ multimedia installation of a table laden with replicas of sugar-filled goodies. This cornucopia of cakes, cookies and the like is a monument to those who have perished from diabetes.

Strewn underneath the table are shoes, canes and crutches, reflecting the loss of mobility and amputations suffered by many diabetes victims before their ultimate death.

“The Last Supper” is a moving reminder that unhealthy food has taken its toll on Native Americans, including the Seminoles.

In the face of the devastation suffered by Florida’s natives, is it possible to leave “Reclaiming Home” with any hope? It is.

Just look at the work and life of Jessica Osceola. (There’s more than one Osceola in the show.) The Seminole/ Irish artist grew up in her great-

grandmother’s Seminole village in Florida and today owns a microfarm and studio in Naples.

A 2008 graduate of Florida Gulf Coast University, Osceola holds a master’s degree in fine art sculpture from Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Osceola has compiled her life story and art into a book, “We Will Always Be Here: Native Peoples on Living and Thriving in the South.”

Her 2017 work, “Portrait One, Portrait Two, and Portrait Three,” recently became the first work by a Seminole artist to be added to the Ringling’s permanent collection.

It’s been 167 years since the Seminoles were forced to move to Oklahoma, but the art of Florida’s original residents is getting the attention it deserves in their homeland.

Jessica Osceola’s 2022 textile artwork “Night at The Ringling” is on display at the John and Mable Ringling Art Museum through Sept. 4.

HIP-HOP MEETS HIGH SCHOOL

Rapper Ryanito teamed up with Riverview High for the Sarasota Paradise’s anthem.

MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Yo! Happy Birthday, hiphop!

August marks the 50th anniversary of hip-hop music and culture in the U.S. Celebrations have been going on all over the country, including Sarasota, where Ryan “Ryanito” Larrañaga recently released his “Paraiso/ Paradise” project.

For those wondering about the birth of hip-hop, music historians have decided it all began in a rec room in the Bronx, where DJ Kool Herc and his sister, Cindy Campbell, had a party and started doing funny things with vinyl. The rest, as they say, is history.

Here in Florida, Ryanito is trying to make a little history of his own. When he set out to create a theme song for Sarasota’s new USL League soccer team, the Paradise, he decided to experiment and make different versions of the song.

There are renditions of “Paraiso/ Paradise” in Spanish and English as well as a house style version (hip-hop fans will understand) and a recording featuring an orchestra. There’s even one with a high school marching band, none other than the Riverview High Kiltie Band.

In an interview, Ryanito says he has been watching soccer all his life but it was his business partner, Marcel Bauduin, also known as DJ Cellus, who called his attention to the new game in the town that Ryanito has called home since 2009.

The Sarasota Paradise, a “preprofessional” soccer team, kicked off its first season in June, against FC Miami City at Sarasota High School’s stadium.

Yes, the team plays at Sarasota High, but chose Ryanito and Bauduin chose Riverview High for their collaboration. However, there are no hard feelings, according to Ryanito.

Part of the reason the Kilties got the job is its band director. Not one for understatement, Ryanito and Bauduin said in a statement, “Ryanito reached out to band director Tamara Lewis and collaborated with the Riverview High School Kiltie Band, exemplifying the artist’s commitment to engaging the local community and youth in the creative process. This collaboration underscores the powerful connection between music, sports, and the community.”

A native of the Baltimore area, Ryanito understands the impact that the arts can have on children.

He grew up singing in youth choirs at school and studied poetry. Like other kids of his generation, he listened to rappers such as KRS-One and Nas.

Ryanito is no stranger to mixing things up with unexpected collaborators and guest artists. Back in 2018, he performed music from his first LP with Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe artist Michael Mendez and The Pops Orchestra of Bradenton and Sarasota. Besides working with local artists,

the rapper reaches across international boundaries. The original studio versions of “Paraiso/Paradise” were created by Mateo Merola from Uruguay, while Karl Roque from the Philippines produced the house music version. A second-generation American, Ryanito is connected to Uruguay through his father, who grew up there and traces his ancestry to Spain’s Basque region.

The “Paraiso/Paradise” album

features artists from Mexico, Italy, Spain, Argentina and Venezuela. Like soccer, music is international. “With the internet and the ability to create your own lane, you can share your music worldwide,” Ryanito says.

Ryanito has fans not just in Sarasota, but in Europe and Latin America. Featuring local artists is a way to appeal to local audiences in these regions.

Asked what he’s aiming for in the fragmented streaming world that dominates music today, Ryanito says he wants to: “Be a pioneer. Establish the roots. Bridge the gaps.”

Later this month, Ryanito will release his children’s book, “The Cosmic Kid.” Available on Amazon, it tells the story of a boy named Rayo who dreams of becoming a successful rapper.

Like others in Sarasota, Ryanito has been inspired to give back to his community. In recent years he has visited Sarasota County schools, where he has inspired students to learn and to embrace positivity through his Art, Rhymes & Kids program.

If the Art and Rhymes part sounds familiar, it’s because Ryanito and Bauduin have done an adult version of the show called Art, Rhymes & Beer at local taverns.

As the artist likes to point out, rap is a style of music, but hip-hop is a lifestyle. And Ryanito is determined to live it to its fullest, but on a positive note.

Rapper Ryanito teamed up with the Riverview High Kiltie Band to record a theme song for the Sarasota Paradise soccer team.

Photos by Marcel Bauduin

Rapper Ryanito poses with the Riverview Kilties, who were featured in his recording of the theme song for the Sarasota Paradise soccer team.

With the internet and the ability to create your own lane, you can share your music worldwide.”

Rapper Ryanito

THIS WEEK

THURSDAY

DIVAS THREE

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

$18 and up

Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Three female vocalists present four decades of songs made famous by Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston and other women who have won the coveted title of “Diva.” Runs through Sept. 17.

‘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” follows a producer trying to keep a concert of opera superstars from descending into mayhem. Runs through Aug. 27.

‘THE GRADUATE’

7:30 p.m. at The Players Centre, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail

$30

Visit ThePlayers.org.

Directed by Elliott Raines, “The Graduate” explores the unlikely liaison between a recent college grad who is adrift in life and a friend of his parents who knows exactly what she wants. Runs through Aug. 27.

SATURDAY

SARASOTA YOUTH OPERA FAMILY DAY

Noon at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. Free

Visit SarasotaOpera.org

Hear the Youth Opera sing, attend a singing session, join in acting games and stand on the stage when you take a tour of the opera house. The whole family is invited to come see what Sarasota Youth Opera is about.

OUR PICK

THE BOLDS BROTHERS

Brothers Jordan and Joel Bolds perform their mesmerizing blend of soul, gospel and jazz. Jordan Bolds is a 22-year-old saxophonist who discovered the sax in the fourth grade and has appeared at the Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival. Joel Bolds, 20, is a professional drummer who also taught himself how to play piano. Special guest artists include Charlie “CJ” Melton and Marc Dortch. Continues through Aug. 20.

IF YOU GO

When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Where:West Coast Black Theatre

Troupe’s Donelly Theatre, 1012 N. Orange Ave.

Tickets: $25-$100

Info: WestCoastBlackTheatre.org

MONDAY

MONDAY NIGHT JAZZ AT THE CABARET

7:30 p.m. at John C. Court Cabaret, 1265 First St.

$34-$39

Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

Monday Night Jazz features Rebecca Richardson and the Dan Heck Trio, both popular in Venice.

TUESDAY

‘CREEDENCE CLEARWATER

REMIXED!’

7:30 p.m. at FST’s Goldstein Cabaret, 1239 N. Palm Ave.

$18 and up Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

“The Jersey Tenors” veteran Vaden Thurgood has created his own musical revue based on Creedence Clearwater Revival and the band’s hits such as “Proud Mary” and “Bad Moon Rising.” Runs through Oct. 15.

WEDNESDAY

JAZZ HAPPY HOUR

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

Sarasota Music Archive wraps its summer Jazz Happy Hour series with the Robbie Rose Retro Quartet. Reservations are required.

Courtesy photo

YOUR NEIGHBORS

A NEW YEAR BEGINS

The Suncoast School for Innovative Studies on Aug. 10 opened its doors for the 2023-24 school year to 100 students, grades kindergarten through fifth grade.

The day started with an all-school assembly that helped calm the nerves of students and parents, said Principal Fayth Jenkins. The children also got a chance to meet the entire school staff, not just their classroom teachers.

Afterward, for younger students, the focus shifted to unpacking backpacks and school supplies as the children got acclimated to the classroom again, said Brittany Thigpen, second grade teacher.

The older children seemed to pick up right where they left off last year, immediately diving into spelling lessons and art projects.

In the fifth grade art class, students were excited to get started making their own sketchbooks, which they’ll gradually fill with drawings and eventually show to their parents and other teachers.

“P.E. and art class are my favorites,” said fifth grader Leandro Rodriguez.

While Jenkins has been with the public charter school since 2015, this is her first year as principal. This year the school will be offering a number of new or enhanced programs, she said.

The after-care program now runs a half-hour later each day, until 6 p.m. As part of the school’s after care, a STEM exploration learning program will be offered for kids to learn about science and technology fields. After care will also include an hour of tutoring with instructional and data coaches to help close proficiency gaps.

—JAMES PETER

Seven-year-old Mahogany McClendon couldn’t wait to return to Southside Elementary School, when Sarasota County Schools welcomed students back on Aug. 10.

“She’s been talking about Ms. Hazelton all week. She’s so excited,” said her mother Neshia McClendon, referring to secondgrade teacher Kirsten Hazelton.

Principal Jamie Hannon was likewise eager to welcome kids new and returning to the school.

“We’re so excited to be back and have the kids in the building,” she said. “We work all summer preparing for them, and we’re ready to get started.”

Parents said they were looking forward to their kids receiving a top-notch educational experience during the school year.

“This is such an amazing

school,” said Ryan Skrzypkowski, whose children, 5-year-old Harper Skrzypkowski and 7-year-old Charlie Skrzypkowski, both attend Southside Elementary. “The teachers are so invested in the students. It’s almost like they embrace them as their own, and they do everything they can for them to progress.

“Although there was some sadness surrounding the saying of goodbyes, many were eager to get started on the new year.”

“It’s good to get back into a routine,” said Kristin Musolino, who had just dropped off her daughter, Sofia Musolino, 6. “It feels like I’ll miss her all day, but it’s good that she’s going to have a great education and great experiences.”

— IAN SWABY

Photos by Ian Swaby

Ainsleigh Herbert, 5, Katie Herbert, and Anniston Herbert, 8

The first day of school saw students led by their families into the start of a new year.

Fifth grade “besties” Valentina Sanchez and Alani Storey

Photos by James Peter

Second grader Zachary Choibekov plays with second grader Hendricks Perez

Third grader Jerron Bell

Andraya Ticola, Lucas Ticola, 5, and Peter Ticola

Alfredo Ordonez, Paloma Ordonez, 5, Valentina Ordonez, 1, and Cynthia Ordonez

AMAZING OPPORTUNITY AT GRAND BAY I

“Love the ever-changing unobstructed panorama of the Bay from every room and our large terraces!” – John & Mary P.

“...the special recreational activities and the private beach are perfect for my husband and me and even our grandchildren!”

– Julie & Steve R.

“Our apartment in Grand Bay lives like a home & the elevator coming straight up from the garage gives us ultimate privacy and convenience.”

– Frank & Rebecca M.

“Love the extra security of Grand Bay’s 24/7 guard gates and proximity to the best Longboat Key has to offer... especially the short bike ride to Publix!”

– Melinda & Charles L.

Mote taps high school helpers

PETRA RIVERA STAFF WRITER

After a successful first year, the fall volunteer program at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium is ready to welcome back its favorite high school students.

Volunteer and Intern Coordinator Claire Messmer started the fall program last year after seeing how much the high schoolers loved volunteering during the summer.

“We had a summer high school volunteer program for several years where high schoolers come for eight weeks during the summer and volunteer one day a week,” said Messmer. “But year-round, we didn’t really have anything specific for high schoolers. Some of them would come and volunteer on the weekends. But we wanted to make a program specifically with a high schooler’s busy schedule in mind.”

Instead of committing one day a week like during the summer, the fall program only requires one day a month consisting of a four-hour shift on any weekend. The volunteers’ main role at Mote is hosting a station that provides information about a topic related to what people see in the aquarium.

“We have four stations throughout the aquarium,” said Messmer. “Two of them had already existed. Our adult volunteers had run those stations a few times. Then two of the stations, I created. Those are the shark science station and a coral conservation station. And then we have a cart about our strandings investigation program, and a cart about watershed animals.”

These stations give the high school volunteers a more hands-on experience than the adult volunteers who usually act as aquarium guides. Messmer said it allows them to learn

a lot about their topic and love it.  Messmer, originally from Colorado, was a teen volunteer herself. She contributed more than 1,000 volunteer hours during high school at the Denver Zoo. After graduating from Colorado State University with a master’s degree in zoo, aquarium and animal shelter management, she moved to Sarasota to take her position at Mote in 2022.

“My favorite part of working with them is seeing myself in them,” said Messmer. “Remembering back to when I was in high school, a lot of these students want to enter the field of marine science. So this program helps them understand more what goes into working in the field. It shows that if you want to be a marine scientist, you can be more than just an aquarist. There’s educa-

tion opportunities, research opportunities, rehabilitation of animals. And then also just talking to them a little bit about how to become a better interpreter. I think the best form of conservation is education.”

Applications to become a high school volunteer at Mote this fall are still open. The program runs from September through December. Volunteers must be able to complete a minimum of 16 service hours per semester. There is a background training course and an orientation on Sept. 9. Messmer said there is currently no cap to how many people can apply.

“Our volunteers are super dedicated,” said Messmer. “We love and appreciate all of them.”

Live Beautifully

Mendoza operates the Shark Science Station at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium.

Mote fall volunteer program gives high schoolers a taste of marine science.

Courtesy photos Ella Rose Sherman teaches Mote visitors about the strandings investigation at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium.

Rocco

“My favorite part of working with them is seeing myself in them.

Remembering back to when I was in high school, a lot of these students want to enter the field of marine science.”

— Claire Messmer, Volunteer and intern coordinator

A place for comics and community

SarasotaCon hosted fans, memorabilia and legendary comic book artists.

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

Sarasota resident Tatum Britt and his friend Kevin Whitlock had the chance to share in one another’s enthusiasm on Aug. 12 at SarasotaCon.

The two looked indistinguishable, dressed as the “muscle mice” from the anime series “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.”

The mice enjoyed about “30 seconds of combined fame” in the anime, Britt said. He added that delving deep into the world of pop culture is part of the experience at SarasotaCon.

“Somebody didn’t know what this was, and now they know,” he said,

describing a major aspect of the event, which he said sees attendees quizzing their friends on video game characters and comic book heroes.

The one-day convention also featured memorabilia, including

vintage comics for sale and the car “Baby” from the television series “Supernatural.” It also hosted two special guests, comic book artists Pat Broderick and Greg LaRocque. Britt said engagement with the local community is another part of the event’s attraction.

“The amount of talent in Sarasota is phenomenal — kids in college and older generations,” he said. “It’s a cool, very eclectic community.”

COMMUNITY SHOWCASE

Comics artist Pat Broderick said the small size of the venue brought to mind shows he attended early in his career, when he first started illustrating comic books in 1974. He’s worked on books such as “Legion of Super-Heroes,” “Captain Atom” and “Green Lantern.”

“You don’t have the noise level that you do with the big mega shows, and you don’t have the crowds that you do with big mega shows; it’s just

much more intimate,” he said.

Vendors called the event a pleasant change of pace from the larger comic conventions and an opportunity to gain exposure.

Event promoter David Hess said the convention, like the many others his group hosts throughout the country, is targeted at a location where larger comic conventions are not found.

“We’re not going to try to go up against the (Tampa Bay Comic Convention), or Motor City Comic Con or even San Diego,” he said.

For Sarasota’s Aleta Karpan of Aleta’s Alchemy, a gourmet cookie business featuring uncommon flavors, SarasotaCon was a unique opportunity.

“I’ve lived in Sarasota a long, long time, so it’s interesting to see conventions actually happening in Sarasota,” said Karpan, who moved to her home in The Meadows in 1988. She said for the event, she specially created the Sakura cookie featuring strawberry, lychee and rose butter.

Katrina Gwinn of Louisville, Kentucky, who owns the knitting and crocheting business Sugar Wyrm, said she has long been following the company’s conventions.

“Honestly, they’re pretty affordable in terms of prices for booths, and I’ve always just had a really good time at them. I feel like the community they draw is super friendly and everybody’s really nice to each other. It’s just a lot of fun.”

A PLACE FOR FANS

One aspect of the convention didn’t seem reduced in size, however, was pop culture knowledge. Broderick said he was grateful for the opportunity to meet comic book fans.

“Fans are great. Comic fans, they’re loyal. When you get out to meet them, it’s nice to hear that your work is entertaining people, because that’s what it’s all about,” he said. “It’s like 10 minutes of suspended reality when you can get into a book.”

Greg LaRocque, an artist for comic books including “Legion of SuperHeroes” and “The Flash,” said he was also enjoying meeting fans.

“Everybody has been real friendly,” he said. “I’ve noticed how it is a very creative crowd down here, with the cosplay ... When people come and start talking about work I did 43 years ago, it’s quite awesome.”

“I just like being here,” said 9-year-old Jack Page of Sarasota. “I just like that vibe. And I am excited to do the costume contest.”

“We love seeing all the up-andcoming artists and book authors, and seeing everyone dressed up, and taking pictures of people,” said his mother Tiffany Page.

Britt said he hopes the event continues to grow. He’s attended each of the three events so far since SarasotaCon debuted in 2022.

“I’ve supported it from day one,” he said.

Summer Read!

Photos by Ian Swaby

Lori Goldmeier, dressed as Harley Quinn from DC Comics, and Ryan Jacobson

Kevin Whitlock and Tatum Britt dressed in self-made costumes as the Muscle Mice, characters who are briefly featured in the anime “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.”

Sarasota comic book artist Austin McKinley draws Bionic Sarge, the reborn version of Sarge, a character he created for his comic book series “Riot Force.”

WILD FLORIDA

Manatees deserve our protection

Dams and speeding boats pose dangers to Manatees.

MIRI HARDY CONTRIBUTOR

Also known as “sea cows,” Florida manatees are federally designated as “threatened” due to boat collisions and habitat loss.

As they feed and rest in shallow waters where they’re quite difficult to spot, they’re highly vulnerable to boat collisions. With development and pollution destroying seagrass beds and freshwater aquatic vegetation, they’ve also been losing their main food source in many areas.

These large marine mammals consume approximately 10% of their 1,200-plus-pound body weight in aquatic vegetation a day, therefore preventing overgrowth that could obstruct our Florida waterways. They provide ample fertilizer to enable water vegetation to thrive.

Due to these key roles, manatees are considered a keystone species as without them, their aquatic ecosystems would be dramatically different or even cease to exist.

As unhealthy or abnormal manatee behavior tells us that something is going wrong in the environment, these gentle giants are also considered an important indicator species. Their imperiled status is therefore greatly concerning.

The wild and scenic Myakka River meanders through Myakka River State Park all the way to Charlotte Bay to the south, where it flows into the Gulf of Mexico. As manatees thrive in both fresh or saltwater, during periods of high water levels the river offers a gateway to Myakka for aquatic wildlife seeking safe refuge and food. Indeed, to the surprise and delight of park visitors, manatees are regularly observed in the park.

Visits to Myakka are unfortunately not without peril for manatees. In the past, during periods of low water levels, the historic weir (which was removed in 2022 to restore the natural flow of the river) and Downs’ dam (a private dam near the park’s south boundary), have unfortunately proven to be obstacles to manatees traversing the river. This is especially an issue when high waters naturally recede after manatees have made their way up into the park. Encountering boats illegally speeding on the river can injure or even kill manatees. To protect manatees, please give them plenty of space, and never disturb them. When boating anywhere in Florida, be sure to note and comply with posted speed limits.

Friends of Myakka River exists to support Myakka River State Park and the Wild and Scenic Myakka River. Follow us @FriendsOfMyakkaRiver.

Miri Hardy

Almost all Florida manatees have propeller scars from past collisions with boats. Complying with “Idle Speed No Wake” speed limits for boats in the park helps protect manatees from harm.

Beauty in the discard pile

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

In the storeroom of the Artful Codgers lies a collection of items that may strike some as arbitrary —  pistachio nut shells, wooden boxes, unwanted fabrics and a pile of letters from a donated clock.

While artist Eileen Pease leads the class, held for the Christian retirement community of Sunnyside Village, even she often doesn’t know what will come of the materials she keeps on hand. What she said she does know, is that sooner or later, the purpose will become clear.

“I think it’s all treasure,” said Pease. After all, that’s how it has worked out in the past. When the projects, which use mainly repurposed materials, first begin, they may be less than aesthetically pleasing, Pease said. Yet, the end results are creations that bring joy to the group, and often the wider community.

For instance, when group members began work on a large collective project, the Fairy Village, in April 2023, they didn’t know where they were headed. Yet, after two-and-ahalf months of work, the 4-by-5-foot board hosted a house built around a teapot, castle walls of peanut shells, a roof of eggshells and a building with a candy wrapper door, all linked by roads of ground coffee, with many more details to explore.

Pease is so proud of the elaborate display that she’s helping take it on a tour of the community, with Colonial Oaks Baptist Church having just hosted the project. While she may have brought everyone together to create the village, she said it took a village to achieve the results.

“Whatever we do is our project,” she said. “I can’t claim it. Not any one of us can claim these projects, because we do them.”

DISCOVERING PURPOSE

Members of the group said they enjoy coming together each Tuesday to create with people who have different artistic styles, while finding a purpose for unwanted objects and for their own time as well.

“It teaches us how to make things out of nothing,” said Mary Ann Scholten, who is the oldest active member at 96.

“It just keeps you busy, and everybody is unique and has their own way of doing things,” said member Jim Ferri.

But the effort isn’t confined to the group members themselves but also involves others in the community, who pitch in by donating items.

“I can’t tell you how many people give us stuff,” said Pease.

Residents offer everything from bottle caps to shells, with a box of donations arriving at least once a week, while group members pitch in

with their own items, such as when member Patti Kelly repeatedly provides her coffee grounds.

It appears that since the group’s founding in 2020, the effort has been paying off, with a wide range of projects now adorning the art room. As visitors enter the studio, they  will be greeted by a door wreath they may not notice is a paper plate with coffee filter flowers.

Inside, they may find Grandpa Blessing, the group’s full-size puppet, alongside sock puppets Shelley, Polka Dot, Crusty and Toothful. The puppets were made for a clown ministry in the community, which visits the community’s Health and Rehabilitation Center. On the wall hangs a Memorial Day wreath.

If the room and its colorful characters look inviting, perhaps it’s a result of the positive feelings the group members bring to their work, regardless of their artistic back-

ground.

“We’re told it doesn’t matter,” said member Patti Kelly regarding the members’ experience in art.

“It’s really, really helpful, mentally, too. If we’re feeling sad about something, it takes our mind right off of it, having the camaraderie here with everybody.”

Pease said many members of the group have major health problems, but based on the high spirits in the room, you’d never know.

While the members bring the cheerful demeanor, Pease brings the experience to guide the members.

Pease had been interested in recycling-based art long before founding the Artful Codgers, hosting another group in Sarasota in the early 2000s to about 2008.

Her inspiration comes from her childhood. Growing up without a great deal of money, she would cut paper dolls from a Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog or boats from wrapping paper.

“It’s just amazing the things she dreams up to make,” said member Rita Schwanke.

The projects the group has produced under Pease’s leadership are extensive.

They include the first group project, a castle; a Thanksgiving turkey; neuropathic art (abstract designs, where no two lines are the same, glued to the bottoms of glass plates); 40 washcloths shaped into small teddy bears for the community’s assisted living facility, Sunnyside Manor and memory care community Shepherd’s Landing; and miniature cityscapes made of sticks from the lawn.

They’ve even managed to sell items, including the turkey, a picture made up of multiple drink coasters, and stuffed cats, which have proven to be a success with a nursing home resident, and which they are working to make more of in the future.

“Everybody here wants to get into her class,” said member Vanny Jones. “She performs miracles. I want to get up and just touch her, because I want a little bitty bit of talent to get transferred to me.”

One of Pease’s current priorities is to place the Fairy Village permanently. While she said she’d love to see it in a museum, in the meantime, she’ll keep bringing it to local churches and hopes to take it to schools.

As far as the faith-based aspect of the group goes, she said she hopes that she can share the lesson of the class: That whatever may not appear worthwhile — or whoever may feel that way — still possesses a great purpose.

The Artful Codgers crafting class transforms recycled materials into works of art.

Photos by Ian Swaby

The Fairy Village, like the group’s other work, is created from a wide variety of repurposed materials.

Eileen Pease holds Shelley, a sock puppet.

Neurographic art by the group members is displayed on a table, among other projects.

443F John Ringling Blvd | Sarasota,

5527 PALMER CIRCLE, UNIT 206 SELLER REPRESENTED | $465,000

1744 FORTUNA STREET BUYER REPRESENTED | $1,650,000

460 E. ROYAL FLAMINGO DRIVE BUYER REPRESENTED | $3,300,000

114 N. WARBLER LANE SELLER & BUYER REPRESENTED | $3,100,000

Two-property deal on Casey Key tops sales at $4.53 million

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

Atwo-property sale on Casey Key tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. Kathryn Hutcheson, of Nokomis, sold two properties at 615 Casey Key Road to Ronnie Hedrick II, of Lakeland, for $4,525,000. The first property was built in 1949 and has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 1,986 square feet of living area. The second property was built in 1948 and has one bedroom, one bath and 442 square feet of living area. They sold for $3.5 million in 2020.

SARASOTA

MARK SARASOTA

Lisa Rooks Morris, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the Unit 514 condominium at 111 S. Pineapple Ave. to Robert and Rae Ann Van Pelt, of Park Ridge, Illinois, for $2.75 million. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,035 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,158,700 in 2019.

CONDOMINIUM ON THE BAY

David Kotok, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the Unit 1209 condominium at 988 Boulevard of the Arts to Timothy Christensen, of Racine, Wisconsin, for $1,905,000. Built in 1982, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,315 square feet of living area. It sold for $700,000 in 2009.

GRANADA

Karen Chamberlain, of Sarasota, sold her home at 1744 Fortuna St. to Susan and Leeann Peterson, of Chicago, for $1.65 million. Built in 2014, it has four bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,841 square feet of living area. It sold for $960,000 in 2020.

LANDINGS

Louise Broom-Peltz, trustee, of Londonderry, New Hampshire, sold the home at 5125 Flicker Field Circle to Paul Hodgins and Stacy Lynn Hodgins, of Hampton, New Hampshire, for $1,325,000. Built in 1987, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,908 square feet. It sold for $525,000 in 2002.

AQUALANE ESTATES

Jennifer Smith and Andrew Brehm, of Beacon, New York, sold their home at 1723 Stanford Lane to Next One Homes LLC for $1.25 million. Built in 1972, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,487 square feet of living area. It sold for $175,700 in 1991.

PAYNE PARK VILLAGE

Rodger and Andrea LeBlanc, of Sarasota, sold their home at 425 Gowdy Road to Todd Rafac, of Sarasota, for $1.01 million. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, three-anda-half baths and 2,423 square feet of living area. It sold for $666,700 in 2021.

ONE HUNDRED CENTRAL

KKG Holdings LLC sold the Unit H716 condominium at 100 Central Ave. to John Meehan, of Medford, New Jersey, for $1 million. Built in 2005, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,725 square feet of living area. It sold for $810,000 in 2017.

ONE WATERGATE

Dori Kazdin and Ron Goldstein, of St. Petersburg, sold their Unit 4-A condominium at 1111 N. Gulfstream Ave. to JoAnne Kathleen Searles, of Sarasota, for $975,000. Built in 1974, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,577 square feet of living area. It sold for $519,700 in 2015.

E.A. SMITH’S ALFL Holdings LLC sold the home at 1937 10th St. to Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe of Florida Inc. for $900,000. The first property was built in 1930, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,876 square feet of living area. The second property was built in 1930, it has one bed-

TOP BUILDING PERMITS

Other top sales by area

SARASOTA

Desota Park

Timothy and Casey Newberry sold their home at 1915 Clematis St. to Harold and Leigh Engh, of Sarasota, for $2.95 million. Built in 2009, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,161 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,645,000 in 2021.

SIESTA KEY

Siesta Isles

Reid and Patricia Harvey, of Osprey, sold their home at 5420 Azure Way to Michael and Elizabeth Zaczyk, of Sarasota, for $2.1 million. Built in 1978, it has three bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths, a pool and 4,105 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.6 million in 2021.

room, one bath and 360 square feet of living area. They sold for $50,000 in 2013.

THE LANDINGS TREEHOUSE

Gaelle Wizenberg, of Myakka City, sold her Unit 28 condominium at 1372 Landings Point to Francis Disanti and Brianne Campagna, of Brentwood, Tennessee, for $878,900. Built in 1981, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,048 square feet of living area. It sold for $364,900 in 2020.

ONLINE

See more transactions at YourObserver.com

PALMER RANCH

Hammock Preserve

Richard and Nora Williams, trustees, of Kure Beach, North Carolina, sold the home at 12350 Marsh Pointe Road to Karen Kuriagimbel, trustee, of Sarasota, for $1.05 million. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,512 square feet of living area. It sold for $604,500 in 2021.

OSPREY

The Woodlands at Rivendell

John and Heather Brackett, of Long Lake, Minnesota, sold their home at 1108 Mallard Marsh Drive to Reid and Patricia Harvey, of Falls Church, Virginia, for $1,025,000. Built in 2002, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,106 square feet of living area. It sold for $635,000 in 2020.

Ian Swaby

A home at 1915 Clematis St. sold for $2.95 million, topping sales in the city of Sarasota this week. It has four bedrooms, four baths and 3,161 square feet.

YOUR CALENDAR

FRIDAY, AUG. 18

WELCOME BACK SHABBAT

AND BBQ

5-5:45 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 4631 S. Lockwood Ridge Road. Free. Meet the clergy, leadership and staff and discover the community at Temple Sinai. Attendees can also join staff for the monthly camp-style Rhythm and Jews Erev Shabbat service at 6 p.m. as well as the annual barbecue welcoming back attendees of summer programs at 7:15 p.m. Registration is required for the barbecue. Visit TempleSinai-Sarasota.org.

SATURDAY, AUG. 19

TOAST LOCAL Free car show runs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and a craft cocktail and beer tasting runs 1-5 p.m. at Robarts Arena, 3000 Ringling Blvd. Enjoy a car show, followed by an afternoon of sampling craft cocktails and beer from local breweries. Guests can also enjoy food from local food trucks and live music from Sarasota band, Kettle of Fish. Hosted by the Rotary Club of Sarasota Foundation, proceeds will go to help 12 local charities. Tickets $50, and must be 21 to attend. Visit RotaryClubofSarasota.com/toastlocal.

A DAY FOR WORLD PEACE

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Kadampa Meditation Center Florida, 730 N. Washington Blvd. Free. The public is invited to an open house and community day at Kadampa Meditation Center to meet teachers and the community, tour the facilities and participate in a free guided meditation session (kids and adult sessions available) along with a talk and dedication for world peace. Refreshments and snacks will be offered, and the event will feature a silent auction and raffles. For information visit MeditationInSarasota.org.

BINGO AT TEMPLE EMANU-EL

Doors open 6:30 p.m. and event begins at 7:30 p.m. at Benderson Family Hall, Temple Emanu-El, 151 McIntosh Road. $20 per person. Join Temple Emanu-El for an evening of bingo held in memory of beloved Temple Emanu-El leader Mona Salomon. Players must be at least 18 years old. Visit SarasotaTemple.org.

BEST BET

SATURDAY, AUG. 19

SARASOTA BACK TO SCHOOL BASH

AT MUSIC COMPOUND

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Music Compound, 1751 Cattlemen Road. Free. At this family friendly event, guests can enjoy live music, a bounce house, beer samples, a food truck, crafts, face painting and more. For information, visit MusicCompound.com.

THE SUN SHINES BRIGHTER

SUNDAY, AUG. 20

BACK TO SCHOOL SPLASH AT TRINITY UNITED METHODIST

10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church. Guests of all ages are welcome at this celebration featuring giant water slides, splash pools, slip ’n’ slides, and free food. Slides open at 10 a.m., and a hot dog lunch begins at 11:30 a.m. Visit ITrinity.org.

MUSIC IN THE GARDENS

4:30-6:30 p.m. at Sarasota Garden Club, 1131 Boulevard of the Arts. Nonmembers, $30; members, $25. Violinist Elijah Luzginov provides a musical accompaniment for visitors while they explore. Visit SarasotaGardenClub.org.

MONDAY, AUG. 21

MUSIC BINGO

7 to 9 p.m. at The Green at UTC, 125 N. Cattlemen Road. Free. Every third Monday of the month, visit The Green for Music Bingo. In this version of the game, numbers are replaced with snippets of songs, and participants have the ability to win prizes. Seating is offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit UTCSarasota.com.

on the bay.

The calming quiet of the water. The refreshing warmth of the Florida sun. This is your slice of paradise. Picture yourself here, ideally situated on Sarasota Bay at Plymouth Harbor.

With so much to explore and experience so close to Downtown Sarasota, St. Armands Circle and beyond, you’re never far from a new adventure.

Imagine a home where there is less reason to hurry or worry and more occasions to breathe, laugh, and drink it all in.

Learn more about Plymouth Harbor on Sarasota Bay by calling (941) 200-0254 or visiting plymouthharbor.org.

Courtesy photo

Fast Break

Sarasota BMX athlete

Joey Leto finished 37th in the Men’s Elite category at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, held. Aug. 12-13 in Glasgow, Scotland.

… MLB.com updated its prospect rankings for each organization on Aug. 10. Former Sarasota High outfielder Vaun Brown now sits at No. 13 on the San Francisco Giants’ list. Brown is hitting .242 with nine home runs at the team’s AAlevel affiliate, the Richmond Flying Squirrels, in 2023. Former Sarasota High catcher Satchell Norman is not ranked in the Milwaukee Brewers’ top-30 prospects but is hitting .299 with three home runs at the team’s rookie affiliate.

Former Booker High running back Marlon Mack signed with the Arizona Cardinals as a free agent on Aug. 5, but tore his left ACL during a practice on Aug. 9 and is out for the season. Mack previously tore his right ACL during the 2020 season. He played in six games for the Denver Broncos last season, with 16 carries for 84 yards and one touchdown.

The Sarasota Sharks swim team’s head coach, Brent Arckey, was selected to coach Team USA at the 2023 Pan American Games, held Oct. 2125 in Santiago, Chile.

The Sarasota Sharks are looking for lifeguards to work on a part-time basis. The team will pay for certification provided the lifeguards stay on for a minimum of three months. For more information, email Kristi Weyant at KWeyant@ SarasotaSharks.org.

Booker High is looking for a softball coach. Interested candidates should send their credentials to Tornadoes Athletic Director Scottie Littles via email at Scottie.Littles@ SarasotaCountySchools.net.

Rams charge ahead in 2023

RYAN KOHN SPORTS EDITOR

Armed with a new offensive coordinator, new players and a new mindset, the Riverview High football team wants to focus on the game in front of them — not past results or a potential playoff berth.

If everything goes to plan, the latter will come. Even when things start slow, as they did in 2022, the Rams always seem to find themselves in the postseason. The Rams went 1-5 to begin 2022, but in the process sharpened themselves against some of the state’s best programs, including Seminole High, Buchholz High and rival and state runner-up Venice High. But the Rams beat Charlotte High and Sarasota High, and a close loss to Cardinal Mooney High put them at 3-6.

Thanks to the difficulty of their schedule, the Florida High School Athletic Association’s algorithm placed the Rams in the playoffs, where they rattled off two-straight wins before losing to Venice again in the third round.

The Rams have been working to change their early season fate in 2023. In July, Rams head coach Josh Smithers said the offseason has featured harder practices and weight room sessions than in his previous seven summers with the program in an effort to combat the slow start the team had in 2022. The team will look different, too: Not only did the team lose key contributors like tight end Luke Petitta, linebacker Deshaun Olave and kicker Stone Springman, a University of Miami signee, to graduation, but the Rams saw consensus five-star defensive back Charles Lester III, a Florida State University commit, transfer to Venice High.

The departure of these players has put the Rams in an underdog role — a role that Smithers and his team are embracing. Riverview added pieces, too, and Smithers believes his roster’s talent, plus an offseason of work and extra motivation from the underdog label, will result in a suc-

RIVERVIEW HIGH FOOTBALL: AT A GLANCE

2022 record: 5-7 (reached the third round of the playoffs before losing 35-15 to Venice High)

Head coach: Josh Smithers, seventh season Key to the season: Preparation. The Rams have a mix of proven returnees and young players that coaches believe in. If Riverview can mentally get up for each game on its tough schedule, they can compete.

SCHEDULE

(All games at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted):

Aug. 18 vs. Hillsborough High (preseason)

Aug. 25 vs. Southeast High

Sept. 1 vs. Buchholz High (7 p.m.)

Sept. 8 vs. Palmetto High

Sept. 14 at Cardinal Mooney High (7 p.m.)

Sept. 29 at Venice High

Oct. 6 at Berkeley Prep (7 p.m.)

Oct. 13 vs. Clearwater Academy

International

Oct. 20 at Manatee High

Oct. 27 vs. Sarasota High

Nov. 3 vs. Charlotte High

cessful season.

“It will be exciting,” Smithers said at a Suncoast Media Day press conference on Aug. 12 at The Mall at University Town Center. “We’re going to have to take it one week at a time. (We) can’t look ahead to anything and can’t worry about what happened in the past. If we can do that, I think we have a chance to be competitive every Friday night.”

The biggest addition the Rams made might not be a player, but a coach. Brody Wiseman joined the program as the offensive coordinator after serving three years as the

head coach at Sarasota High. Wiseman led the Sailors to the program’s first playoff win in 18 years in 2022 when the Sailors defeated Manatee High 30-20. In his time with Sarasota, Wiseman showed an ability to mold his offense around the players he had, first airing the ball downfield, then in 2022 leading the way with running backs Joe Ziegler and Jaden Judge, who combined for 1,477 yards and 10 touchdowns.

With the Rams, Wiseman will have options. He could elect to pound the ball again, this time with Riverview junior DJ Johnson, whom Wiseman said in June was “one of the better players in the area” because of his physical running style and his developing leadership skills. Johnson said he has set a goal of 1,500 yards for 2023.

But Wiseman could also elect to air it out. At Suncoast Media Day, Smithers declined to name a starting quarterback — he will make a decision this week, before the team’s home preseason game against Hillsborough High on Aug. 18 — but he had praise for all three players in the running: senior Jeremiah Dawson, junior Braxton Thomas and sophomore Anthony Miller. Dawson, the team’s 2022 starter, threw for 759 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions last season, according to MaxPreps data. He improved as the year progressed. Thomas, a transfer from Desert Vista High in Chandler, Arizona, threw for 2,275 yards, 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions last season. Miller is a transfer from Venice High, where he quarterbacked the junior varsity team in 2022, and has showcased both a strong arm and the ability to churn out yards on the ground: he had more than 100 rushing yards in the team’s spring game against Lehigh High.

The competition may not be closed once a starter is finally named.

“Every day, someone is rising to the top,” Smithers said. “Whoever gets the starting job, I expect the other two to be pushing him every single week to try to take the job. There’s nothing better than competition to help players perform at their best. So I’m excited. I think we’re in good shape in the quarterback room.”

On defense, the team’s front seven has good leaders to follow in senior

“There’s nothing better than competition to help players perform at their best. So I’m excited. I think we’re in good shape in the quarterback room.”

— Josh Smithers, Riverview coach

end Henry Fioriglio and senior linebacker Chase Caldwell. Fioriglio had 25 tackles (two tackles for loss) and a sack in 2022. Caldwell didn’t produce as many statistics but is ready for a bigger role in 2023.

“I love to step into the A gap and blow anything up that comes my way,” Caldwell said at Suncoast Media Day. “But I can cover the back out of the backfield, too. Either way works for me.”

In the defensive secondary, there are few players with established spots, which means new players can shine — even if its their secondary position. One of those players could be senior Anthony Campbell, who has played wide receiver throughout his career, but said at Suncoast Media Day that he’s expecting to see playing time at cornerback as well in 2023. Also expecting to see time in the secondary? DJ Johnson, who doubles as a physical corner when not trying to run for 1,500 yards. He had a pick six in the team’s spring game against Lehigh.

The team’s schedule won’t be any easier in 2023, with games against Buchholz, Cardinal Mooney, Clearwater Academy International and Venice among others. Smithers believes the work the team has done will mean the Rams are ready for that slate this season.

“This group of guys, they’re earning everything,” Smithers said. “It hasn’t been easy for them. This is the second year of playing a topnotch schedule and I think they’ll be prepared.”

Courtesy photo Joey Leto

The Rams have questions to answer, but plenty of choices, especially at quarterback.

File photo

Henry Fioriglio (53) should have a big senior season for Riverview High.

New coach, new attitude for Sailors

First-year head coach Josh Phillips ushers in a fresh Sailors era.

Sarasota High football is getting a fresh start.

Weeks after the Sailors won their first playoff game in 18 years, 30-20 over Manatee High, the school announced it was moving on from head coach Brody Wiseman, who had piloted the program for three years. Sarasota Athletic Director Shane Ahles said the school wanted to go in a different direction. That direction turned out to be Josh Phillips, previously the Manatee defensive coordinator, among other coaching stops, including the University of California-Berkeley as a strength and conditioning coach.

Despite coaching the defense at Manatee, Phillips will serve as his own offensive coordinator at Sarasota, with former Booker High head coach Baraka Atkins running the defense. Phillips and his staff will have work to do: the Sailors won a playoff game in 2022, but finished 5-5 overall, including three losses to district foes Riverview High and Venice High. The Sailors have also faced some attrition this offseason, losing former starting quarterback Alex Diaz to Booker, among other transfers.

But Phillips is entering the 2023 season with optimism. As he said during his Suncoast Media Day press conference, held Aug. 12 at The Mall at University Town Center,

his expectations are always to best what his program did the previous year. For the Sailors, that would mean a better-than-.500 record and two playoff wins, at least.

“These guys had a chance to buy in, and they’ve made that choice,” Phillips said. “The culture I’m trying to establish is a bit different, and things that are different are always hard to adjust to, but I feel like our guys have done a great job of coming together as a group and working hard through the summer. We play a tough schedule, and we’re looking forward to what we can go out there and do.”

The Sailors’ offense should revolve around senior running back Joe Ziegler, who ran for 750 yards and five touchdowns a season ago, according to MaxPreps data, while splitting time with Jaden Judge. Judge transferred to Bayshore High this offseason, meaning more opportunities for Ziegler to carry the rock. Ziegler said at Suncoast Media Day that he’s set an initial target of 1,200 yards, plus exceeding his five-touchdown mark from 2022.

Phillips said he wants to use “12 personnel,” or formations with one running back and two tight ends, to give the running game the best chance to succeed. Sarasota’s two tight ends, Seth Johnson and Nathan Wells, should physically be

up to the task in terms of blocking: Johnson is 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, while Wells is 6-foot-3, 205 pounds. Phillips said he’ll also look to use as many variations on formations as possible to give defenses as many things to consider as possible.  While Phillips has not publicly talked about who will start at quarterback, the Sailors do have former Manatee High quarterback Johnny Squitieri listed on their MaxPreps and HUDL rosters, and Squitieri has Sarasota listed in his social media bio. Squitieri initially transferred to Port Charlotte High for spring football before coming to the Sailors. The senior threw for 772 yards, four touchdowns and one interception while splitting reps with nowjunior Andrew Heidel.

On defense, the Sailors have seniors leading the way, especially in the front seven, where senior linebackers Hayden McSwane and Kyser Bordones roam. The pair were the team’s leading tacklers in 2022 and should only add to their totals

Sarasota senior running back Joe Ziegler has set an initial target of 1,200 yards for the 2023 season.

Sarasota then-juniors Jackson Mullet (9) and Kyser Bordones (24) celebrate a Bordones pick six against Braden River in 2022. Both players should contribute as seniors in 2023.

in 2023 — and they’ll do it by hitting hard.

“Not to sound psychopathic, but hitting people is so much fun,” McSwane said at Suncoast Media Day.

Junior outside linebacker Nathan Pralle is also a player to watch for a breakout campaign.

In the secondary, senior safety Nick Wasowicz was the team’s third-leading tackler a season ago, and Phillips said he’s shown an ability to help get his teammates lined up in the right spots this offseason. Phillips also has high hopes for cornerback Frank Crawford, whom Phillips said ran the fastest 40-yard dash time on the team and can use that speed to stay with receivers downfield.

The Sailors also have an ace kicker/punter in Andrew Clayton. The senior not only can make field goals when needed, but can pin the opposition deep in its own territory, helping out the defense. Clayton is rated a 4.5-star kicker (out of six) by Chris Sailer Kicking.

Like a lot of first-year coaches, Phillips has put a focus on beating teams in the area before branching out across the state. Only two of the team’s 10 games — against Fort Meade High and Bishop Verot High — are against teams outside of Sarasota and Manatee counties. Otherwise, it’s full of familiar foes, including a week two contest against Phillips’ old school, Manatee, and a week nine game against Wiseman and rival Riverview.  Phillips is ready to see what his squad can do.

“It’s a blessing to have the opportunity to coach this group,” Phillips said at Suncoast Media Day. “They are the definition of coachable. They do things right. That’s all you can ask for as a coach.”

SARASOTA HIGH FOOTBALL: AT A

GLANCE

Head coach: Josh Phillips, first season Key to the season: The running game. If Sarasota can use senior running back Joe Ziegler and his blockers to control the game — scoring points while keeping the defense fresh — the Sailors have a chance to get back to the postseason.

SCHEDULE

(all games at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted):

*Aug. 18 at Tampa Catholic (7 p.m.)

Aug. 25 vs. Fort Meade High

Sept. 1 at Manatee High

Sept. 8 vs. Booker High

Sept. 15 at Palmetto High (7 p.m.)

Sept. 22 vs. Bishop Verot High

Sept. 29 at Cardinal Mooney (7 p.m.)

Oct. 13 at Venice High

Oct. 20 at Southeast High (7 p.m.)

Oct. 27 at Riverview High

Nov. 3 vs. IMG Academy White (7 p.m.)

* preseason

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Courtesy photo New Sarasota High football coach Josh Phillips was previously the defensive coordinator at Manatee High.

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

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IN THE RED PAGES