Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer 2.29.24

dedication of Patriot Plaza at the Sarasota National Cemetery, and to mark the occasion, The Patterson Foundation is hosting a free event to recognize the milestone.

The plaza is part of The Patterson Foundation’s legacy initiatives designed to draw visitors to reflect on the sacrifices of U.S. military servicemembers via architecture, symbolic artwork and photography.

The artwork invites visitors to observe the nation’s struggles and victories dating from the Civil War to Desert Storm.

The 10th Anniversary Celebration will be from 10:4511:45 a.m. Saturday, March 2, 2024, at the Sarasota National Cemetery.

The Florida West Post 2 and U.S. Army 29th Infantry Division Association will help mark the occasion along with the Mighty Sarasota Military Drumline and keynote speakers.

Courtesy image Elizabeth Casey and her father, Cosmo Uttero, 100, a WWII veteran, at Sarasota National Cemetery

James Peter Atakan Atabas

WEEK OF FEB. 29, 2024

BY THE NUMBERS

“People know that they cannot come to Sarasota and commit a crime without being caught.”

Sarasota Police Chief Rex Troche. Read more on Page 7A

Beach University returns in March

Beach University, an education program of Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources, returns for its 17th year to Siesta Beach in March. Beach University is held at the main pavilion at 948 Beach Road on Siesta Key beginning at 9:30 a.m. each Thursday of the month.

In partnership with the Siesta Beach Ambassador volunteer program, the free series offers information about coastal environments in one-hour sessions.

The schedule is:

■ March 7: Human and Wildlife Conflict.

■ March 14: Reef Ball and its Contribution to the Marine Environment.

■ March 21: Manatee Rehabilitation at The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature.

■ March 28: The Trickle-Down Effect: Stormwater to Bay Life.

Because seating is limited, attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs. No registration is required.

For more information, call the Sarasota County Contact Center at 311 or visit SarasotaCountyParks.com.

SCFD offers free child car seat inspections

Sarasota County Fire Department will offer car seat safety inspections beginning in March, rotating each month to different SCFD stations to provide service to all portions of the county.

supporter of Read Learn Dream Sarasota. Other funding sources include the Sarasota County Community Foundation’s Giving Challenge, grants from the Florida Kiwanis Foundation, the Wil and Rachel Blechman Foundation.

During the monthly inspections, SCFD Child Passenger Safety Technician-qualified personnel will offer instruction on how to use and install a car seat and check to make sure seats are installed correctly. Inspections are free and by appointment only. Appointments will last approximately 30 minutes. Drivers must bring the car seat with them. It is not required that the child be in attendance for the inspection. To learn more about how to schedule a car seat safety inspection, dial 311. More information on Sarasota County Fire Department programs is available at SCGov.net/ Fire.

Date night city

When it comes to a night on the town, Sarasota tops 160 cities across the country.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

It’s no secret that in recent years, Sarasota has ranked at or near the top of many “best cities” lists — best beaches, best places to retire, etc. — but perhaps the most surprising is a new ranking that declares it the best date night city in the country.

Among 160 cities studied. And it isn’t even close.

Sarasota is far and away the nation’s best date night city, scoring a total of 87.7 on a scale of 100 over 10 categories, far outpacing No. 2 Atlantic City, New Jersey, at 79.5, according to BonusFinder.com, a performance marketing business focused on the online gambling industry in North America.

Sarasota came out on top of date night hotspots such as fellow top 10 cities Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Orlando and ... Burlington, Vermont.

“Living downtown, you can make any night an unexpected fun date night,” said Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce President Heather Kasten of the ranking. “Just strolling down the streets of downtown Sarasota with our twinkly lights, warm evenings, passing by fountains that are glowing and hearing every kind of music genre to the quaint sidewalk tables, there is something so remarkably charming about our storybook downtown.

“Throw in all of the options to see a movie, an opera, a comedy show, a play or so many forms of music and you could go a month with a different date night each time.”

The rankings were largely based on the number of date-friendly amenities in each city per 10,000 people, as well as the value of date night activities with categories ranging from average meal price for two to the number of romantic hotels per 10,000 people.

Reports BonusFinder: “Nestled along the picturesque Gulf Coast, Sarasota sets the stage for a captivating romantic retreat with its coastal beauty and charming cul -

HOW

THE TOP

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5.

6.

7.

8.

70.3

9. WILMINGTON, DELAWARE: 71.2

10. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: 70.5

tural attractions. Whether strolling through the magical Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, embarking on a scenic cruise along Sarasota Bay to admire marine life or simply enjoying the beautiful sunsets, Sarasota offers couples a blend of outdoor adventures and cultural indulgences, making it a delightful destination for a sun-soaked, romantic getaway.”

Sarasota was the only city in the top 10 to have a perfect score in four of the categories with perfect 10s in: number of romantic restaurants; number of cafes, bakeries and dessert shops; number of couplesfriendly attractions; and number of spas — all per 10,000 people. The city also ranked in the top 10 in seven categories.

With a year-round population of nearly 60,000, the city certainly benefits from the tens of thousands of seasonal residents who bring significant retirement spending here, providing a vast array of upscale dining and entertainment options not typically afforded of cities the size of Sarasota.

“For a city of our size, we have an amazing number of great restaurants that provide the perfect romantic atmosphere for date night,” said Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert. “Couples can choose from a variety of cuisines, including vegan. Then after, there

are many choices for dancing, theater, opera or just strolling through our downtown or St. Armands.”

More than a retirement destination now, the greater Sarasota area now attracts young professionals and families, and the variety of date night options is expanding with the demographic shift.

Shana Tibi, a concierge matchmaker and owner of Curated Connections, is at ground zero of the Sarasota dating environment. With a clientele ranging in age from 30s to 70s, she said the city offers something for all demographics.

“Sarasota is particularly good for the 55-and-up crowd because it’s a snowbird destination and there are plenty of newcomers,” Tibi said. “Sarasota, due to the nice weather, has plenty of casual and upscale date options. Couples can grab a bite or a drink and then walk around St. Armands or Siesta Village. It’s always fun to go downtown and grab a table for two outside as you dine and get to know each other, and by the second or third date you can up the activity level to comedy clubs, live music shows, water sports, circus attractions, installations at Selby Gardens and more.”

BY THE NUMBERS

On

File

A

a visit to the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

Andrew Warfield

Sarasota offers couples the chance to begin, or end, a romantic date night by watching the sunset at Lido Beach or Siesta Key Beach.

New

homes for Newtown area

County approvals allow developer to build nearly 1,500 multifamily homes, with 25% priced affordable.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

Sarasota County commissioners have unanimously approved the groundwork for a mixeduse development on 113.8 acres of county property near the Sarasota city limit, a partially affordable housing project by the same developer building a nearly adjacent upscale neighborhood in the county’s jurisdiction.

At their Feb. 21 meeting, commissioners adopted a three-part application by its hand-picked developer, Midtown SRQ (formerly known as Gracewater Midtown), for land use changes that would allow it to build as many as 1,479 residential units

and up to 20,000 square feet of commercial space on land located at 2501 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way, under the condition that at least 25% of the residences must be priced as affordable housing. If fully built out, that comes to 371 units, half of them priced at 60% or below and half at 80% or below average median income. Affordability is generally defined as housing that costs no more than 30% of household income, including utilities. The site is bounded on three sides by MLK Jr. Way, Tuttle Avenue and Myrtle Street.

Gracewater SRQ is also the developer of the Gracewater community just north of the site on Tuttle Avenue, where nearly 500 single-family and twin villa homes are planned on the former Rolling Green Golf Club.

Prices for those start at $500,000.

The contract between the county and Midtown SRQ also requires that the commercial component include at least a pharmacy and grocery store, which attorney Bill Merrill,

developer

public hearing, said addresses a

“I heard this from Jon Thaxton of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation that this is one of the two primary food deserts in the county,” Merrill said of the location just north and east of the Newtown community. “By bringing a grocery store and a pharmacy to the area, that should resolve that issue.”

After putting the vacant property up for bid, the county reached an agreement with Midtown SRQ on March 29, 2022. In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, the land was used as a staging area and recycling site for vegetative debris.

Nearby residents who addressed commissioners during the public hearing cited concerns about more traffic on underperforming roads as well as displacement and gentrification.

“This property is currently vacant. It’s not a recreation area. It’s fenced off, so no one can access it. It’s not a park,” Merrill said. “It’s not proposed to be displacing anyone. We don’t see this as being a displacement situation or gentrification, but instead it is a very ideally situated property near schools so kids can walk rather than have to have their parents drive them to school.”

To allow for planning on the development to take the next step, the County Commission approved:

n A comprehensive plan amendment to change the Future Land Use of the property from Moderate Density Residential to High Density Residential.

n Defining the project as a Development of Critical Concern.

n Rezoning the site from two Residential Single-Family districts to Residential Multi-Family Planned Unit Development.

Staff recommended approval of the comprehensive plan amendment because the site is surrounded by existing residential land uses with similar Future Land Use designations, and that it offers the highest and best use of land for its location. It also lies within an urban area of the county where the demand for affordable housing is acute.

INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS

The need for affordable housing

notwithstanding, Commissioner Mark Smith’s primary concern was the traffic that nearly 1,500 more housing units would add to the overburdened local road network.

The three access points into the development are at MLK Jr. Way, Myrtle Street and Tuttle Avenue. City questioned staff on whether the county can expedite improvements to the streets, given the extra burden anticipated.

“Myrtle Street, Tuttle Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Way right now are at a level of service at D,” Smith said. “By 2028, Myrtle will stay at D but Tuttle and Martin Luther King are going to (service level F). Then in the long-range 2045 plan, they basically stay the same.”

The Highway Capacity Manual of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in the U.S. defines service level D as “Steady Traffic at High Density,” which creates a “low level of comfort for drivers, as collisions with other vehicles must constantly be avoided.”

The HCM defines service level F as “Congestion,” leading to “unstable speed with the formation of waiting lines at several points.”

Commissioner Joe Neunder mentioned the county’s transportation master plan and asked when improvements on those roads might occur.

“We have a list of projects that, if money was not an obstacle, could be done on our transportation network,” said County Administrator Jonathan Lewis. “You have heard our Public Works Director and County Engineer Spencer Anderson say multiple times how much infrastructure there is beyond that. Even with the money that the voters dedicated to transportation coming out of surtax, there are many roads that need infrastructure improvement that are not currently funded.”

That could change in May should commissioners provide direction to prioritize the roads around the proposed development as the budget cycle heats up and the county’s capital improvement plan is discussed.

Midtown SRQ cannot be required to improve the existing deficiencies on those streets. That responsibility falls on the governing jurisdiction

rather than the developer, in accordance with the state’s 2011 Community Planning Act.

The developer, though, is required to add sidewalk around the site and has agreed to complete an off-site missing section of sidewalk between the site and the adjacent Newtown Estates Park, which Merrill said will provide safer pedestrian access to Booker Elementary School across MLK Jr. Way and the nearby Booker Middle School.

NEIGHBORHOOD CREATION

The nearly 114 acres won’t be completely developed. The site map shows two wetlands and two large ponds among five phases of multifamily structures. The commercial component will be at the corner of Tuttle Avenue and Myrtle Street.

Kelly Klepper of land planner Kimley-Horn said the development will far exceed county buffer requirements.

“Especially along the western boundary, we’ve actually increased the buffer to not only retain the existing vegetation, but also augment that by about three to four times the minimum width as is required by the county code,” Klepper said.

The unit mix within the project

The

will draw a variety of residents there, according to Merrill. Throughout the development will be apartment buildings, villas and townhomes, with a range of economic diversity from market rate to affordability for the lower end of the income spectrum.

Commissioner Ron Cutsinger specified the affordability aspect in his motion to approve the comprehensive plan amendment and associated rezoning requests.

“It’s not lost on me that 371 of these units will be affordable, and at the lower levels,” he said. “It could be at 100% or 120% of AMI, and these are 80% and 60%, which is hard to get to that level right now with the cost of construction. I like the fact that the kids are going be able to walk to school, to the library and to the amenities there. I think that creates that internal capture and a sense of community.” The commission’s actions did not include any site or building plans, which must come before staff and the commission before any construction can begin. No time frame was suggested for those submissions.

Bank robbery suspect shot, killed

Officers had attempted to stop William Michael Pickett on a county warrant for bank robbery.

east of the intersection of U.S. 41 as SPD officers attempted to arrest 54-year-old William Michael Pickett, having identified the suspect’s vehicle as involved in the robbery.

The Grass Is Always Greener At Sara Bay

The Grass Is Always Greener At Sara Bay

Designed

Details about why the officers shot or how the tan Cadillac ended up in a pond next to University Parkway have not been released.

When the submerged car was pulled from the pond, multiple bullet holes through the windshield were observed.

“One of our officers initiated a traffic stop on a subject’s vehicle with a Sarasota County warrant, and in the process of trying to get that subject into custody, an officerinvolved shooting occurred,” said SPD Public Information Officer Cynthia McLaughlin.

Officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave, as is department policy, and the case is being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

According to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, Pickett was wanted on charges of robbery with a firearm and grand theft of more than $10,000 and less than $20,000.

After the shooting, University Parkway was closed between Bradenton Road and U.S. 41 in

both directions for several hours as multiple law enforcement agencies took part in securing the scene.

Some frustrated motorists trying to find their way to SarasotaBradenton International Airport asked media members, gathered in the Ringling Museum lawn across University Parkway from the scene, for directions to the terminal.  Agencies that assisted the SPD in securing the scene and initiating the investigation included the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, Sarasota County Fire and Rescue, New College Campus Police Department, Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport Police Department and the FDLE.

As the investigating agency, any additional details regarding the incident will be released only by the FDLE.

“We’ve got a lot of agencies working together,” McLaughlin said. “We want this investigation to be done right and quickly, so there are a lot of channels that have to be approved as far as disseminating information.”

Designed by Donald Ross in 1926 and restored in 2018, Sara Bay just completed a regrassing of all tees, fairways and roughs.

Andrew

Zero murders in Sarasota last year

SPD reports an overall decline in serious crimes last year and no homicides in the city for first time in 56 years.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

The last time Sarasota went a calendar year without a homicide, most city commissioners and staff present at the Feb. 19 meeting had not yet been born.

That was in 1967.

Fifty-six years later, Sarasota went all of 2023 without a homicide, according to a report presented to the City Commission by Sarasota Police Chief Rex Troche and members of the SPD command staff.

Arrests were up and serious crime was down in Sarasota in 2023, all of which sends notice to city residents and outsiders alike that committing crimes here will meet a robust law enforcement response.

That was the message delivered by Troche and company as they presented the results of last year’s law enforcement efforts. Successful crime-reducing operations, high visibility and building community relations were some of the reasons for the decline in serious crime, they told commissioners.

“I would say the operations that we started doing, using the data and focusing on those hotspots, people know that they cannot come to Sarasota and commit a crime without being caught,” Troche said.

One example is Operation Armistice, which SPD conducted from April through August of last year. That effort resulted in 99 arrests, 193 felony charges, 46 misdemeanor charges, 20 firearms seized, 5.63 pounds of narcotics seized and 61 traffic citations.

The entire operation was conducted with one sergeant and five officers. Among the narcotics seized, according to Capt. John Todd of the Criminal Investigations Unit, were cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana.

“It was a data-driven and intelligence-led, proactive enforcement operation that was conducted by members of our Community Action team,” said Todd of Operation Armistice. “Before they even started the operation, they got with our crime analysts to find out the who, what, when, where and why these crimes were occurring; where these crimes were occurring; the days of the week

and times and locations; and potential suspects that we need to keep an eye on.

“It was just a fantastic job by them and it certainly curtailed the crime levels that we were seeing.”

Headlining SPD’s presentation, though, was a significant drop in Part 1 crimes — homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny

and vehicle theft — and that, for the first time since 1967, there were no homicides in the city. By contrast there were seven homicides reported In 2022.

“We had to go far so far back that we’re looking at three-by-five cards,” Troche said of the records search.

Overall, Part 1 crimes were down 16.2% with the only category increase a 12% rise in forcible sex crime. The reduction in Part I crimes from 2022 to 2023 is the largest in the city since 1999, according to SPD.

Essentially, the things that need to go up went up (arrests), and the things that need to go down went down significantly,” Troche said. “We did this without alienating ourselves from the community. I think it’s really important to understand that because I’ve seen agencies come up with numbers like this and they essentially become the enemy of the community. “We haven’t done that. In fact, we’ve done quite the opposite. We have built relationships within the community.”

In addition to data-driven police work, command staff cited SPD’s esprit de corps and its ability to recruit experienced officers to the department.

“We’re thankful to our recruiters hiring law enforcement officers

with prior experience,” said Capt. Robert Armstrong of the Patrol Division. “They come with a whole set of tools and they’re ready to go. They’re easier to train and they can be fasttracked. We have very motivated sergeants out there training the officers every day. Right now we’re really feeling the culture and the morale is up. There’s a feeling of family.”

Commissioner Erik Arroyo asked Troche which strategies he felt were most effective in achieving the 2023 numbers.

“I think the most important thing is our use of technology that we have in the city,” Troche said. “No. 2, building the relationships with the community, I think is huge. It’s something that’s not quantitative. It’s qualitative, and we can see the difference in the partnerships that we have.”

Visibility, Armstrong said during the presentation, is another factor. The patrol division employs multiple details such as homeless outreach and downtown traffic, and at shift change all those Chevrolet Tahoe patrol vehicles suggest an imposing presence of law enforcement personnel.

“The police Tahoes are big; they’re bright; they have high visibility,” Armstrong said. “It just shows high visibility when there are a lot of Tahoes on the road.”

Start spreading the news

Out with the old, in the with the new. The Observer may be the only newspaper company in the country installing new news racks.

After reaching an agreement with the city of Sarasota, our company, the Observer Media Group, is taking responsibility for replacing and updating all the rundown newspaper stands in downtown Sarasota and St. Armands Circle.

In many big cities, empty, often blighted newspaper stands dot the streets, reflecting the changed newspaper industry. In downtown Sarasota and St. Armands Circle, newspaper stands may not be empty, but you’ve seen them — rusted, often marked with graffiti and often filled with trash.

We’re changing that.

Starting next week, new modular news racks will start appearing on the east end of Main Street and work their way west to the bayfront and out to St. Armands Circle.

In March 2020, downtown merchants brought vandalized newspaper stands to the City Commission’s attention in an effort to have the modular news rack at the intersection of Main Street and Lemon Avenue taken out because they believed the racks contributed to issues associated with criminal behavior.

Ultimately, that news rack was removed, resulting in the start of discussions between the Observer and city of Sarasota.

AESTHETICS FIRST

In the early 1990s, when the newspaper industry was booming, news racks were first brought to the city’s attention because a proliferation of singular news racks installed downtown caused concern that the racks would damage the city’s aesthetics.

Thus, the city adopted Ordinance 98-4089 that designated St. Armands Key, Bird Key and Lido Key as a “News rack Improvement District” that required publications to be distributed in “news information centers (aka modular news racks).” This continued as a pilot program through 1998 when the City Commission held a workshop to discuss using a third-party vendor, City Solutions Inc., to administer the modular news racks.

This proposal sparked outrage from area publishers, including the Tampa Tribune and St. Petersburg Times (now Tampa Bay Times) claiming First Amendment rights violations.

After working with newspaper publishers for two years, the city further expanded the code with Ordinance 99-4152, which tapped the Sarasota Herald-Tribune as the leader of a voluntary program.

■

■

The Herald-Tribune installed and maintained the modular news racks on behalf of participating publications, which included the Observer Media Group’s publication the Longboat Observer, within city limits. This ordinance included a provision that prohibited the placement, installation or maintenance of any singular news rack within 250 feet of a modular news rack.

Because the program worked so well, the city adopted another ordinance, 04-4551, in 2004 that increased that minimum required distance to 500 feet.

Over the years, similar situations have occurred on Siesta Key and Bradenton Beach, with the Sarasota County Commission and city of Bradenton Beach following and modifying Sarasota’s codes.

NEW(S) RACKS

After nearly 20 years of distributing area publications through the modular news racks, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s parent company, GateHouse Media (now Gannett), pulled out of operating and maintaining the news racks. To no surprise, that led to the current state of disrepair.

But after a 2020 City Commission meeting, the Observer Media Group partnered with the Downtown Sarasota Alliance in a test case

to clean up the modular news rack at Bayfront Park by repainting the racks red. While the fresh coat of paint did make the rack more visually appealing, everyone involved agreed: Brand new racks would be the best course of action.

It took more than two years, but in April 2023, our company and the city entered an agreement allowing the Observer to perform the lead role to install, own, repair, operate, maintain and remove modular news racks in the city in accordance with the city code.

The Observer Media Group and nine other publications (see box) made a $24,000 investment in the new racks, with the Observer covering 65% of the cost.

Finding a rack maker was no simple task. As we all have seen the decline of daily newspapers, there aren’t many companies still making or distributing modular news racks. We found one in Yoakum, Texas — Mechanism Exchange & Repair Inc.

But because our order was so large, its spokesman told us the company did not have any of the parts in stock, and the racks needed to be fabricated from scratch. He said it would take about four months.

Finally, the new modular news racks are here. We will begin removal of the old racks and installation of the new racks with the unit at 1970 Main St. We’re estimating it will take six to eight weeks to complete the entire project.

Investing in modular news racks is not only important to us and our media colleagues, but these racks are important to the businesses that advertise in our publications. Our mission at the Observer is to inspire our audiences with extraordinary local content and to help our partners prosper. And to ensure we are fulfilling our mission, we need to get our news and information to you, our readers, everywhere you are in a safe, clean and easy way.

After a meeting with the city to map out our installation plan, the Observer’s circulation manager exclaimed, “I think we’re the only newspaper in the country putting in new racks!”

He might be right, and we’re proud of it.

Staff Writers / Ian Swaby, ISwaby@ YourObserver.com; Andrew Warfield, AWarfield@YourObserver.com

Digital & Engagement Editor / Kaelyn Adix, KAdix@YourObserver.com

Copy Editor / Gina Reynolds Haskins, GRHaskins@YourObserver.com

Senior Editorial Designer / Melissa Leduc, MLeduc@YourObserver.com

Editorial Designer / Luke Reasoner, LReasoner@YourObserver.com

A+E Editor / Monica Roman Gagnier, MGagnier@YourObserver.com

Director of Advertising / Jill Raleigh, JRaleigh@YourObserver.com

Regional Sales Director / Penny Nowicki, PNowicki@YourObserver.com

Regional Digital Director / Kathleen O’Hara, KOHara@YourObserver.com

Senior Advertising Executive / Laura Ritter, LRitter@YourObserver.com

Advertising Executives / Richeal McGuinness, RMcGuinness@ YourObserver.com; Lexi Huelsman, Lexi@ YourObserver.com; Jennifer Kane, JKane@ YourObserver.com; Honesty Mantkowski, HMantkowski@YourObserver.com; Toni Perren, TPerren@YourObserver.com; Brenda White, BWhite@YourObserver.com

Classified Advertising Sales Executive / Anna Reich, AReich@YourObserver.com

Sales Operations Manager / Susan Leedom, SLeedom@YourObserver.com

Sales Coordinator / Account Manager Lori Downey, LDowney@YourObserver.com

Advertising/Marketing Coordinator / Caitlin Ellis, CEllis@YourObserver.com

Digital Fulfillment Specialist / Emma B. Jolly, EJolly@YourObserver.com

Director of Marketing / Robin Lankton, RLankton@YourObserver.com

Marketing Specialist / Melanie Melone, MMelone@YourObserver.com

Director of Creative Services / Caleb Stanton, CStanton@YourObserver.com

Creative Services Administrator / Marjorie Holloway, MHolloway@ YourObserver.com

Advertising Graphic Designers / Luis Trujillo, Taylor Poe, Louise Martin, Shawna Polana

Digital Developer / Jason Camillo, JCamillo@YourObserver.com

Information Technology Manager / Homer Gallego, HGallego@YourObserver. com

Chief Financial Officer / Laura Strickland, LStrickland@YourObserver.com

Controller / Rafael Labrin, RLabrin@ YourObserver.com

Office and Accounting Coordinator / Donna Condon, DCondon @YourObserver.com

Observer Media Group Inc. is locally owned. Publisher of the Longboat Observer, East County Observer, Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer, West Orange Times & Observer, Southwest Orange Observer, Business Observer, Jacksonville Daily Record, Key Life Magazine, LWR Life Magazine, Baldwin Park Living Magazine and Season Magazine

CEO / Matt Walsh MWalsh@YourObserver.com

President / Emily Walsh Chairman Emeritus / David Beliles

Vice President / Lisa Walsh (1995-2023)

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

EMILY WALSH

New College approves airport land purchase

With regulatory hurdles remaining, closing the deal on the 31 acres New College rents from SRQ airport remains months away.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

Although a number of regulatory and bureaucratic hurdles remain to be cleared, New College of Florida took a significant step toward the purchase of 31 acres of land it has leased for 67 years from the Sarasota-Manatee Airport Authority.

During its Feb. 22 meeting, the New College Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve a sales contract with the SMAA in the amount of $11.5 million for land located between Airport Circle and U.S. 41, commonly referred to as the East Campus. The trustees in December approved a purchase agreement with the airport.

Although discussions between Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport President and CEO Rick Piccolo and New College President Richard Corcoran began last year, Piccolo had approached the school multiple times since 2016 regarding disposition of the land. The airport doesn’t need it, he told former New College presidents Donal O’Shea and Patricia Okker, but when the lease expires in 2056 the airport will be required by the Federal Aviation Administration to charge fair market value going forward.

Instead, he proposed New College acquire the property now at current market value to ensure the school’s longevity. The airport, which receives no tax dollars, would use the proceeds to help fund future expansion projects such as new concourses and permanent parking.

In 1957, the college and the airport entered into a 50-year lease on the land, at the time for a shopping area to be built, at $1,300 per month. Terms included no increase in rent

with a 50-year option to extend. In 1966, the lease was amended to allow, among other things, the I.M. Pei college housing to be built on the site. That amendment stipulated a base rent of $13,500 per year with a consumer price index adjustment every five years. Given that the base rent was $13,500, the rental increases now bring it to $92,000 per year after a nearly 60-year period.

Piccolo estimates that could jump to as much as $20 million per year when the lease expires in 2056. Or, New College could buy it then … for perhaps as much as $200 million. Either way, Piccolo warned, New College will not be able to afford whatever amount the airport would be required to charge.

“The airport is pleased that New College Board of Trustees approved the proposed agreement, and this is the first step in the joint effort to ensure that the New College and the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport can coexist for many more decades, just as we have for over 60 years already,” Piccolo said. “Our joint efforts have been done with great transparency and with diligent attention to all required federal and state requirements.”

The agreement stipulates that the airport will retain ownership of a 3.9-acre parcel north of General Spaatz Boulevard, which was not developed by New College.

Trustee Amy Reid referenced a news report regarding a “whistleblower” from within the airport suggesting the $11.5 million price of the land was too generous to New College, and as a result the FAA may reject the deal. That source is John Schussler, who retired as the airport’s properties director in 2018.

“Is that a possibility here?” she asked during the meeting.

“As an attorney for New College, I love the fact that we’re getting a well-negotiated deal, so that doesn’t bother me,” said General Counsel Bill Galvano. “But to your point, independent agencies — federal and state — are reviewing this agreement.”

Schussler has insisted that any land transfer to New College would not be in the best interest of the airport, and that someday it will need the property as the airport continues to grow. In response, Piccolo last year told the Observer that the airport has plenty of room to grow both its terminal and passenger service areas and has no need for the New College site.

Still, Galvano said that until the FAA signs off, any celebration would be premature.

“I suspect the FAA’s interest is in flight patterns and safety around the airport, but do they have the ability to approve the sale price of land that’s owned by a special taxing district in Florida?” asked Board of Trustees Vice Chair Ron Christaldi.

“I’ve not looked at their complete jurisdiction but I would assume, as the federal regulatory body of airports, that they are going to look at all aspects of it before the airport director can go to his board and say this agreement should be approved,” Galvano replied.

In November 2023, Piccolo said the airport and FAA officials had laid some groundwork for a possible sale via previous discussions, and that the agency’s primary interest is whether the site would be needed for aero-

nautical purposes. The SRQ 2040 master plan, he told the Observer in December, shows that none of the New College land is needed.

“In my short time here what has been done at the airport in the leadership has been nothing shy of fantastic, and conversations have taken place with the FAA and other people for years and years,” said Corcoran. “Before we even got close, there were loose discussions about what pieces could be acquired, and those conversations are ongoing on the airport’s part, just like our own conversations are ongoing with the legislative component.”

Corcoran referred to the lone political hurdle: The Legislature has to approve the purchase, and allocate the funds, too.

Redesign, reconsidered

A new plan for One Park, the 18-story building on Block 1 in The Quay, includes 86 luxury condos.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

One Park is back, and this time it’s only on one block in The Quay.

The revamped project had its first appearance Feb. 21 before the city’s Development Review Committee, and the path to administrative approval of the 18-story, 86-unit luxury condominium tower appears to be smoother than the first iteration of the project.

Miami-based developer Property

Markets Group had initially proposed to build One Park on both blocks 1 and 9, crossing over Quay Commons with a 20-plus-foot high activated breezeway.

That met fierce opposition from residents of the Ritz-Carlton Residences — otherwise known as Block 6 in The Quay — and others, and the protracted legal battle that followed ended with a judgement that PMG could not acquire the air rights over the street as the project design proposed.

One Park 2.0 will occupy only Block 1. Representatives of the developer told the DRC that a submission for a separate tower on Block 9 will follow shortly.

“OK, well this is our first submission … so to speak,” said development consultant Joel Freedman in introducing the project.

Many of the architectural elements of the new One Park are similar to the original design.

“This is the first of probably the last two blocks to be developed with The Quay,” said George Scarfe of Hoyt Architects. “Blocks seven and eight were approved recently, and so this is Block One on the corner of Boulevard of the Arts and Tamiami Trail. There are numerous things that are very similar to the prior one that was submitted.”

Dissimilar is more than 5,000 square feet of commercial space and four townhouse-style units along Boulevard of the Arts. A single curb cut will route vehicles onto an entry ramp leading to parking beneath the building. Among the handful of remaining sticking points — the design and material of the screening along the sidewalk adjacent to Tamiami Trail.

Other details pertain to identifying elevators for function, labeling sidewalk widths, providing a detailed floor plan for a typical unit and enhancements to the pedestrian experience along abutting streets.

“It’s going to have a very similar setting to what the otherwise larger project would have had,” PMG Managing Partner Dan Kaplan told the

Observer when the new application was submitted to the city in January.

“The building itself, because it’s not on Block 9, will have phenomenal views. It will be a smaller building than the original, but it will be the same quality. It will be at the same height, and so it will have the same views.”

A resubmittal will be required to address the comments of some DRC members. The committee comprises representatives of all developmentrelated city departments. Projects within The Quay require only administrative approval.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS PROGRESSING

Also during the meeting, partial sign-off was extended to two affordable housing projects planned for north Sarasota on the other end of the housing spectrum.

At 4900 N. Tamiami Trail, One Stop Housing is planning to expand its Oakridge Apartments with a three-story, 36-unit, all-affordable apartment building on 4.91 acres. The new building will be located behind the existing Oakridge structure along the roadway.

Also, at 2012 N. Orange Ave. near 21st Street, the Sarasota Housing Authority is planning Amaryllis Park Place III with 144 residential units over four, three-story buildings. That project requires demolishing 64 existing units for the third phase of the development, resulting in a net gain of 80 public housing residences.

Courtesy images

The latest version of One Park is planned for Block 1 of The Quay.

The expansion of One Stop Housing’s Oakridge Apartments on North Tamiami Trail would bring 36 new affordable housing apartments.

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Awareness, prevention, support

Houses of worship raise awareness of sex trafficking.

PETRA RIVERA STAFF WRITER

The six houses of worship on Longboat Key and St. Armands Key hosted a discussion to spread awareness on the reality of sex trafficking.

The discussion was held at 9 a.m. on Feb. 24 at Christ Church of Longboat Key. It was organized by the chairman of Christ Church’s missions committee, Jerry Fox.

The houses of worship sponsoring the event included All Angels by the Sea Episcopal Church, Temple Beth Israel, Christ Church, Longboat Island Chapel, St. Armands Key Lutheran Church and St. Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church. They partnered with the Sarasota Police Department and Selah Freedom.

Selah Freedom is an anti-human trafficking nonprofit organization that supports survivors of sex trafficking while raising awareness and advocating prevention.

About 150 people attended the program. The discussion started in prayer led by the Rev. Kenneth Blyth from St. Armands Key Lutheran Church.

First, the program addressed the problem of sex trafficking in the area. Fox shared that Florida is the third worst state for trafficking in the nation. He also said that the Tampa

Bay area down to Palmetto is tied with Miami as the area in the state with the most trafficking.

Sex trafficking survivor Kelly Bennett set the tone for the discussion with a poem she wrote about her trafficking experience when she was 18 years old. Bennett shared that writing poetry was her escape to express her feelings during that time.

Sgt. Robert Morrison, Community Action Team supervisor for the Sarasota Police Department, followed Bennett with his experience in helping trafficking victims and what the police are doing to address the problem.

“Our officers are highly trained in what to look for in human trafficking in their daily interactions,” said Morrison. “We know human trafficking is not a victimless crime. The victims are the ones who have been sold, so we want to target the buyers of the sex trafficking.

“We’re trying to set up operations in that regard. Also, we prioritize having strong partnerships with Selah so that we can have a good debrief with the victims, having those civilians being able to come in and relate to them, getting them to open up a little bit more.”

“I have lived on the island for 10 years, and I didn’t know about the trafficking problem in the area until 2022.”

— Jerry Fox, Christ Church

Shopping + Dining + Events

Lakeside at Waterside Place

Gabrielle Triplett shared her trafficking story and how Selah Freedom saved her and helped her change her life. She is the awareness advocate for the organization.

“I’m proud to say that I’m a survivor of sex trafficking and a graduate of Selah Freedom’s faith-based rehabilitative program,” said Triplett. “Though I have escaped the world

of sex trafficking, I still face challenges. But every day I am growing and healing because I have let God and Selah into my life. By my life being changed, it has also changed the lives of my children going forward and protected them from what happened to me.”

The second part of the program discussed how Selah Freedom is responding and preventing the trafficking problem.

Executive Director Stacey Efaw and Co-founder and Director of Consulting Laurie Swink followed Triplett to cover Selah’s program for trafficking survivors. Selah’s five areas includes outreach for survivors on the streets and in jails, prevention by educating schools and community organizations, providing residential opportunities for survivors, awareness across the nation, and consulting for other organizations who want to start their own safe houses.

Law Enforcement Liaison and Trainer Misty LaPerriere finished the talk by going over how to identify signs of trafficking, and how guests of the discussion could take action themselves.

The Rev. Brock Patterson from Longboat Island Chapel closed the discussion in prayer.

“I have lived on the island for 10 years, and I didn’t know about the trafficking problem in the area until 2022,” said Fox. “It is important for our community to be aware and each do our little part to prevent this horrifying problem affecting our community.”

Start your day with a latte before squeezing in a spa treatment and an afternoon of shopping. Gather with friends and family for dinner and drinks along the water and under the stars. You'll find new ways to enjoy the day whenever you're here.

And now, with our Beverages in the Street program, you can take your adult beverage to-go as you explore Waterside Place.

The Rev. Kenneth Blyth of St. Armands Key Lutheran Church

Photos by Petra Rivera

The Rev. Julia Piermont, Jerry Fox, Stacey Efaw, Laurie Swink, Gabrielle Triplett, Kelly Bennett, Misty LaPerriere and SPD Sgt. Robert Morrison

The Rev. Brock Patterson of Longboat Island Chapel

Thoughts into (climate) action

CARTER WEINHOFER STAFF WRITER

Dave Tomasko is a master of analogies.

It’s one of the characteristics that makes him a good science communicator.

Tomasko has been executive director of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program since 2020 but has more than 30 years of experience in water quality science and science-based management. His experience and ability to be a voice for what needs to be done are part of the reason he was named a 2024 Southwest Florida Climate Champion by the Climate Adaptation Center.

On Feb. 15, the center held a recognition ceremony for the five Climate Champions, dubbed by the CAC website as “Southwest Florida’s most influential and accomplished contributors to the cause of protecting our environment and our Florida way of life.”

Along with Tomasko, the awards recognized Jessica Meszaros, WUSF Public Media; Marshall Gobuty, Pearl Homes; Steve Newborn, WUSF Public Media; and Jennifer O. Rominiecki, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

For Tomasko, it’s not about the recognition. He said he’s been delivering the messages about environmental issues the same way for decades and, while the awards are appreciated, the messages stay the same.

The Observer spoke with Tomasko for insight into his career thus far and what he sees for the future of the area’s environment.

What drove your initial pursuit of a career in this field?

Sitting on my grandparents’ carpet watching Jacques Cousteau specials. I come from a family background of coal miners and steel-

workers and postal workers, so my relatives were either climbing down into mines or going into steel mills.

And we would watch Jacques Cousteau and I’d be lying on the carpet watching it … and I was just entranced, I thought it was magical. From an early stage, I wanted to do something as a marine scientist or on the water.

What do you feel has been the greatest success story you’ve been a part of?

Originally, it was the initial recovery of Sarasota Bay back in the early 1990s. Sarasota Bay in the early ’90s was better than it was in the ’70s and ’80s.

And it was really a nationally and internationally known success story. It was neat to be around here to see the bay’s recovery.

And then we lost it.

What I’m really, really proud of, is this community investing money to bring about the second recovery. We know we can do this, but the response has to be commensurate with the magnitude of the problem.

What do you feel is the biggest environmental obstacle that needs to be tackled in the next decade?

I think in the next 10 years, the idea that we are in a changing climate is going to become clearer to more people.

Folks in Longboat Key Village said they have flooding twice a month … our water level has come up about six inches in the last 20 years. That (flooding) is going to happen more often.

And one of the biggest issues, frankly, is the scariness of hurricanes and tropical storms. What is very clear is that there is an increase in the frequency of powerful hurricanes. (Last summer), our water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico

was higher than 90 degrees, and parts of our bay were higher than 95.

I think when people see the pictures of the almost 100 people that died when Hurricane Ian came ashore, that could easily happen to us. You’d have water completely over our barrier islands.

What’s something that gives you hope for future environmental progress?

When I talk to younger kids, they get it. They understand that they’re being handed a world that’s different than what their parents inherited.

I think the first step is awareness. If we don’t admit we have a problem, we’re never going to fix it, and I think that younger people are more aware of it.

We need people to realize that you can turn things around, but you have to identify the problems, you have to identify the solutions, and you have to devote enough money.

What would be your big piece of advice for that next generation? You don’t convince people by yell-

ing at them. I think we need to find the reason why people are skeptical about climate change.

Don’t exaggerate. We’re not talking about six feet of sea level rise, we’re talking about nine inches in the next three years. We think it’s better to understate than to overexaggerate.

But also, take it seriously and then try to find ways to turn your thoughts into actions. I think part of it really is to understand how serious it is.

What is something you are looking forward to seeing happen this year?

We’re trying to get the conditions right to map our seagrasses. We know our water quality is recovering, we know our seagrasses are coming back … we know we’re going to have a big seagrass increase, I just don’t know what the number is.

That number will come out next year. The mapping takes a lot to turn out. And when that happens, then I’m going to be able to say, “see, we knew we could do it.”

416301-1

Sarasota Bay Estuary Program Director Dave Tomasko reflects on climate award and future challenges.

Janet Combs

Winner of the CAC Beacon Award Dave Tomasko, executive director of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program

THURSDAY, FEB. 15

FIRE EXTINGUISHER VANDALISM

1:18 a.m., 2100 block of Ringling Boulevard Criminal mischief: An officer located a fire extinguisher in a corner of a county-owned parking garage that had been removed from its mount and used to spray the floor in the area where it had been hung. There was no damage to the mount, and the officer reported being unable to determine if graffiti also painted in the area was recent or had been there previously.

The officer determined that an unknown subject had removed the pin to activate the extinguisher and spray the ground. The individual who called to report the incident did not wish to meet or provide a statement.

Powel Crosley Estate Historical

Powel Crosley Estate Historical

missing shoe and allowed the officer to search the shed, which turned up nothing.

The subject denied throwing a hat at her niece, and wheeled a basket of her belongings to the sidewalk where they could be retrieved.

The complainant agreed to separate and to not return to the property.

The extinguisher was delivered to the SPD and was advised that the Sarasota County Fire Department would need to be contacted to replace the device.

Open House

FRIDAY, FEB. 16

Open House

TAKE A SEAT 1:13 p.m., 4900 block of David Avenue

Dispute: A new water heater and a squatter, literally, on a sump pump presumably located on a property next door were the sources of a dispute.

SATURDAY, FEB. 17

PARKING LOT RAGE

9:35 p.m., 1500 block of Main Street

8734 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34243

8374 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34243

8374 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34243

March 5–6, 2024 | 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

The complainant called law enforcement after becoming involved in a dispute with her neighbor, explaining she had recently installed a water heater at her home and needed access to the sump pump.

March 5–6, 2024 | 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

March 5-6, 2024 | 10 A.M. - 2 P.M.

Open to All

Open to All

Tour this stunning mansion on the Sarasota Bay and get a glimpse into the life of its former owner, the legendary inventor Powel Crosley Jr.

innovator

Tour this stunning mansion on the Sarasota Bay and get a glimpse into the life of its former owner, the legendary inventor Powel Crosley Jr.

Self-Guided Tours with Roaming Docents

Disturbance: Multiple individuals were engaged in a parking lot dispute. Officers made contact with two complainants who advised that while walking into the parking lot from Main Street, a vehicle passed by one of them closely enough to nearly strike her. As a result, she said she tapped on the rear passenger side of the vehicle, prompting the driver to exit the vehicle and confront the pair.

Open to All For

She said the neighbor denied her access to the sump pump by sitting on the ground and covering the pump with her body. When she refused to move, the complainant called police for assistance.

The subject said she sat on the pump because the location is owned by her father and she didn’t understand why the complainant needed access. As it turns out, the sump pump was located on city of Sarasota property. After this was explained, the subject removed herself from the pump and left the location.

As they were entering their own vehicle, the subject approached them and shoved the driver’s side rear panel, causing a dent estimated at approximately $1,400 in damages. When an officer asked the subject why, he said, “Because she hit my car.” He was then asked if his own vehicle was damaged, and he confirmed it was not.

The owner of the damaged vehicle, who was not a party to the incident, advised she did not wish to press charges.

Crosley Radios & Memorabilia

Self-Guided Tours with Roaming Docents

Refreshments for Purchase

Crosley Radios & Memorabilia

Refreshments for Purchase

For more information, please call 941-722-3244.

For more information, please call 941-722-3244.

SPORTS

Cardinal Mooney High softball senior Madison Duncan went 4-for-4 with a home run, a triple and six RBIs in the Cougars’ 23-1 road win over Booker High on Feb. 22. The Cougars are 1-1 as of Feb. 27.

… Riverview High softball junior pitcher Allison Cole is 3-0 with a 0.64 ERA through her first three starts (22 innings). Cole has struck out 42 batters and walked 16. Cole is also hitting .667 (6-9) with two RBIs as a hitter. The Rams are 4-0 as a team.

Riverview High boys lacrosse junior Jack Yochim had two goals and two assists in the Rams’ 9-6 home win over Barron Collier High on Feb. 24. The Rams are 2-2 as of Feb. 27.

Booker High sophomore boys track and field runner Jacobey Mobley won the 400-meter

The Cougars head to their fourth-straight state tournament this week, hoping this time to win it all.

RYAN KOHN SPORTS EDITOR

After hoisting her girls basketball team’s regional championship trophy alongside her teammates, Cardinal Mooney junior forward Kali Barrett wiped tears from her eyes.

Barrett has been here before; this will be her third straight trip to the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 3A state tournament in Lakeland. For the Cougars, it will be their fourth-straight trip. Cardinal Mooney (21-6) will take on Seffner Christian (25-4) at 1 p.m. Feb. 28. The winner will advance to the state championship game at 5:30 p.m. March 1.

Cardinal Mooney is going back to the “Final Four” style event because of a 64-40 home win over Tampa Catholic (21-7) on Feb. 22 in the regional finals. This time, Barrett and the Cougars are determined to change their state tournament fate. Barrett said the tears she shed after the regional title win came because she believes in her squad more than ever.

“This is the year,” Barrett said with a smile.

It is still the 6-foot-2 Barrett, who holds college offers from 13 schools, who leads the way. Barrett is averaging 14.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game and can elevate her game even further when necessary. Against Tampa Catholic, Barrett scored 27 points.

Barrett’s optimism about her team’s fate doesn’t stem solely from her own performances, though. This year’s Cardinal Mooney squad is deeper than during any of its previous three runs to the state tournament, Barrett said.

The arrival of 6-foot-1 freshman Madi Mignery has given the Cougars someone who can play in the post as well as bring the ball up court and drive to the basket. Mignery averages 10.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game and plays sticky defense. Against Tampa Catholic, Mignery

had 12 points and either blocked or redirected several shots in the paint, which the team routinely turned into transition offense.

The Cougars get equally important contributions across their lineup. Junior guard Sy’monique Simon averages 12.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and gets assigned the opponent’s best player on defense. Junior guard Bri Behn averages 7.9 points and 3.5 assists per game, keeping the team in motion both in the half-court offense and in transition. Senior forward Sam Kotasek only averages 4.1 points per game and 3.0 rebounds per game, but makes an impact with her defensive positioning in the paint.

Sophomore guard Talia Busser (6.7 points per game), junior guard Josie Meloni (2.8 points per game), junior

forward Avery Davis (1.6 points per game) and freshman guard Ava Bruno (1.5 points per game) round out the rotation.  Under direction from head coach Marlon Williams, the Cougars emphasize defense, yet have potent scorers. The result is a team that can win games in multiple ways.

It is also a team that spent the first half of its season trying to find itself.

The Cougars had an 8-6 record at the end of 2023.

The calendar year was capped with a 59-35 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas High (21-9) on Dec. 30 at the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational, held at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Complex in Wesley Chapel.

“We got our butts kicked,” Barrett said.

The loss was the low point of the team’s season, Barrett said, but it was also the moment the team realized things needed to change. There had to be more focus, more hustle and more energy.

Mooney has not lost a game since.

Though getting to the state tournament has become the expectation for the Cardinal Mooney program, Mignery is new to it all as a freshman. She spent the regional title celebration hugging her teammates, but remained dry-eyed. Mignery was glad her team won, but was already thinking about what still remains.

“I’m excited, but we have two games left to win,” Mignery said. “We have to have a ‘one game at a time’ mentality and keep working as hard as we can. We have a lot more to prove.”

Mignery said her physical play in the paint comes naturally. She loves to disrupt opponents and frustrate them, she said. Not only is it good for her team, she said, but it awakens the crowd, which provides Mignery with even more energy. Mignery is the type of player Cardinal Mooney has not had in past visits to the state tournament.

Mooney will enter the game against Seffner Christian as the favorite. The Crusaders are ranked No. 4 in Class 3A and No. 19 in Florida by MaxPreps, while Cardinal Mooney is ranked No. 2 in Class 3A and No. 13 in Florida. Mooney beat the Crusaders 71-57 at home Jan. 26.

Photos by Ryan Kohn

The Cougars are going to the state tournament in Lakeland for the fourth year in a row.

Cardinal Mooney High freshman Madi Mignery drives past Tampa Catholic’s Zalani Carter for a basket. Mignery finished with 12 points.

Alumni athletes bloom in spring

Sarasota athletes are primed to excel in the college and professional ranks this year.

OVAUN

level Richmond Flying Squirrels. (Minor league baseball team names remain wonderful.) The righthanded Brown, an outfielder, had a breakout 2022 season in which he hit .346 with an OPS — on-base percentage plus slugging percentage — of 1.060, which is a high mark and a sign of an all-around stellar hitter. Brown then regressed a bit in Richmond last year, hitting just .246 with a .752 OPS — not a disaster, but not the type of numbers that rocketed him up organizational prospect rankings, either.

Still, Brown ended the 2023 season ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the Giants system. Brown, 25, is on the older end of the prospect spectrum. He’s running out of time to develop his technical skills, but he has fully developed physical skills. If he shows the Giants that he can return to his 2022 form, or even close to it, Brown could make his MLB debut this season.

DEVYN FLAHERTY, FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY SOFTBALL Flaherty, the former Riverview High

infielder, is in her senior season with the Seminoles, looking to cap off a successful career with another run to the Women’s College World Series.

Flaherty has been named to either the All-Atlantic Coast Conference First Team or Second Team each of the last three seasons. Don’t expect her senior season to be any different. Through 13 games, Flaherty has a .395 on-base percentage, seven RBIs and boasts a .974 fielding percentage. Her play has helped the ’Noles to an 11-3 start as of Feb. 27.

MADISON BINKLEY AND MCKENNA FLAHERTY, FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY BEACH

VOLLEYBALL

Binkley, a redshirt sophomore, and Flaherty, the sophomore sister of Devyn Flaherty, both play for the Seminoles’ beach volleyball program. If you did not know Florida State had a beach volleyball program, start learning: The Seminoles were the NCAA Championship runners-up in 2016, 2018 and 2022.

Neither Binkley nor Flaherty got much playing time last season — at least as far as I can tell; beach volleyball is not a stat-oriented sport — but both appear to be in the program’s plans for 2024. Binkley teamed with junior Skyler Germann for a win over a pair from the University of North Florida on Feb. 23. Binkley and Germann’s win, which came down to a 16-14 third set, clinched the overall match for the Seminoles. Florida State is now 3-0 as of Feb. 27.

MJ MCMAHON, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH MEN’S LACROSSE

McMahon, the former Cardinal Mooney High standout, is in his final college season with the Utes. He’s been one of the most productive players in program history. As of Feb. 27, McMahon ranks fourth all-time at Utah in career points (81) and goals (49) and is second in

assists (32).  While the Utes’ program has only existed since 2019, McMahon’s ranks are proof of how he’s helped carry the team on offense since his arrival. Last season, McMahon and the Utes won the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament for the first time, taking down Air Force Academy 11-9 in the process. A repeat performance — and perhaps even an NCAA tournament win or two — would be a fitting cap to his career.

KARSON LIGON, MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY BASEBALL

Ligon, a right-handed pitcher and a Riverview High grad, started his career with two years at the Univer-

sity of Miami before transferring to Mississippi State during the offseason. Ligon, now a junior, held a 3-2 record and a 4.90 ERA last season with the Hurricanes.  His first few appearances with the Bulldogs have not gone well. Ligon has allowed four runs in four innings, though he also has five strikeouts, which tells me his issues are command-based and not stuffbased. If Ligon can iron out those issues, he can still have a successful season in the Southeastern Conference.

ALEC MILLER, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD Miller won a silver medal in the

1,600-meter race (4:13.50) at the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 4A track and field championships in 2022, as a junior at Sarasota High.

He’s now competing for the Gators as a freshman, and though it is rare for first-year athletes to make an impact in track and field right away, Miller has put together some good performances.

To wit: Miller finished 12th overall in the 800-meter run (2:02.13) at the McFerrin-12 Degree Invitational, an indoor track event held in College Station, Texas, on Jan. 14. It was a personal record for Miller.

WYATT PLATTNER, UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA-LAS VEGAS MEN’S GOLF

After one season at the University of Cincinnati, former Cardinal Mooney High golfer Wyatt Plattner transferred to UNLV, where he has consistently found himself in the scoring lineup early in the 2024 season.

Plattner has had mixed results with the Rebels, but put together a good final round of the John Burns Intercollegiate tournament, held Feb. 15-17 on the Ocean course of Hokuala Kauai resort in Kauai, Hawaii. Plattner shot a two-underpar 70, a performance which helped the Rebels to a sixth-place overall finish. As of Feb. 27, Plattner is nine over par and tied for 67th going into the final round of the Southern Highlands Collegiate event at Southern Highlands Golf Club in Las Vegas.

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

PROSE AND KOHN RYAN KOHN

Courtesy image

Former Riverview Rams softball player Devyn Flaherty is a star shortstop at FSU.

Samir Redden

Samir Redden is a senior wrestler at Booker High. Redden (33-7) won the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 1A Region 3 tournament in the 120-pound weight class, defeating sophomore Uy’Kwon Zi Wimberly (54-12) by fall in 36 seconds. Redden will now compete at the Class 1A state tournament on Feb. 29-March 2 at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee.

When did you start wrestling?

I started my sophomore year. My head coach (Shane Hamm) said I should come check it out, but I hesitated at first. When he asked me again, I decided to try it. I’ve been going ever since.

What is the appeal to you?

Well, practice was hard at first, but once I started to learn (the technique), I got used to it. I started to enjoy it because it was fun tossing people around. I actually shoot people more than I toss people now, but that was the start. It’s fun going against people your size and seeing how good you are.

What is your best skill?

I think I’m a good all-around wrestler. I can do top or bottom. I can shoot. I’ll do whatever my coach asks me to do.

What is your favorite memory?

Winning the regional title in 36 seconds. I knew I could stop most of his moves and pin him, but I did not expect it to be that quick. I had a mission to complete and I completed it. The job is not finished, though. I have to get that state title.

What is your mindset going into states?

Just keep working. It’s all gas, no brakes. I’m pushing the pace.

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

There’s no going easy anymore. My coaches are motivating me every day and pushing me to go harder. They are telling me I can do it.

What is your favorite food?

I haven’t been eating a lot lately because I’m cutting weight. My go-to right now is bread and jelly. (Laughs.) But when I’m not cutting, I like beans and rice and spaghetti.

What is your favorite school subject?

I like math. It comes pretty easy to me.

What are your hobbies?

Honestly, I’m usually working out or running. But I play games like “Fortnite” and “Call of Duty” sometimes.

What is the best advice you have received?

This sport is a mental thing. You have to beat it yourself. No one can help you out there. It’s just you. Go out and win.

Finish this sentence: “Samir Redden is …” … Outgoing. I keep the energy good. I want to make sure everyone’s happy.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

The sweet sound of upcycling

The Garbage-Men band creates musical instruments out of the trash heap.

Town instrument — using recycled materials.

That’s because when Jack Berry started the band at age 13 or 14, he didn’t have any woodworking tools to build a guitar.

But after he heard his father, Dave Berry, playing songs by the Beatles on guitar, he wanted his own instrument, so he decided to use the materials he had available: a Mini Wheats cereal box, a yardstick and a toothpick.

When he brought the instrument with him to school, his friend Ollie Gray suggested they form a band centered on the concept, and so in 2010, The Garbage-Men band was born. Over the next few years, the band played a string of venues, including Times Square, “America’s Got Talent” and The National Guitar Museum Exhibit, while sharing a mission of sustainability.

But it wasn’t until about two years ago that the band re-formed after a hiatus due to members attending different colleges.

DISTINCT STYLE

Using PVC piping, tattered cereal boxes and guitar picks made of used

INSTRUMENTS OF THE GARBAGE-MEN

Electric guitar: A one-stringed, plucked instrument with a cereal box body, yardstick neck, bottle cap pick-up, lipstick bottle bridge, tooth pick frets and shoelace strap

Electric bass guitar: A onestringed, fretless bass with a cereal box body, yardstick neck, comb bridge, soda can thumb rest and duct tape strap

Upright bass guitar: A wooden box and a PVC pipe occasionally used in place of the electric bass

Electric violin: A one-stringed chordophone with a cereal box body, paint stick neck, clothespin bridge and cassette tape tailpiece, played with a shoe horn bow

Alto saxophone: An instrument with holes drilled to play an E-flat pentatonic scale, with a corn-popper toy for the body, a balloon for the reed, and a medicine bottle ligature

E-flat contrabass bugle: A repurposed PVC pipe with a traffic cone for the bell

Trombone: Repurposed PVC pipe and an oil funnel bell, with a slide made from PVC and a mouthpiece made from a bottle

Flute: A small section of PVC pipe with drilled holes to play an E-flat pentatonic scale

For more information, visit TheGarbageMen.com.

credit and gift cards, the instruments of The Garbage-Men weren’t like anything found among traditional musicians.

The youth band’s first group performance was held on the Towles Court Art Walk and featured Berry, Zach Zildjian and Alex Eiffert. At times, the band’s lineup has included Gray, Evan Tucker, Austin Siegel and Paul Colin.

It was also around that time, while riding his bike through Siesta Key Village to play for donations, that Berry first heard Jamie Tremps performing at The Blasé Cafe & Martini Bar. (She’s now his girlfriend and a member of the band.)

Over time, the band members were invited to play with different bar bands, growing connections in the community. Then the band members split up to attend colleges in different cities. Berry had already turned his focus to real instruments.

But two years ago, Berry realized it

was time for a revival of the homemade instruments.

Owen’s Fish Camp in Sarasota expressed an interest in a return of The Garbage-Men. Tremps, with whom Berry had begun performing gigs, encouraged him to give the idea a chance.

At the time, the group lacked a drummer.

Although Tremps had experience singing and playing guitar, she had none with drums, but taking up the The Garbage-Men version of the instrument, she discovered the repurposed buckets and materials were easier to play than she had anticipated, due to the lack of foot pedals.

Drummer Wesley Backer also found the instrument easy to take up.

“They only gave me one instruction, which was to hit the drums as hard as I could,” he said.

As the band took to the stage at Owen’s Fish Camp, Berry had some doubts about whether it would achieve the same success that it had on the streets with the captive audi-

ence of a restaurant.

To his surprise, he found the crowd was listening and engaged.

“No one got up and left,” said Backer.

Afterward, Berry’s perspective on the band began to shift.

“After we did a few shows with the new lineup and the singing, I thought, ‘You know what, I’m not scared anymore,’” he said. “I know what it’s like to play in restaurants and bars here, and I know what it’s like to play at festivals here, because I’ve done it with a bunch of other bands. It’s time to do it with my own band, and our own instruments and our own songs.”

RENAISSANCE LINEUP

With a lineup of Berry, Tremps, her son Jamieson Martel, 8, Harrison Paparatto, Backer and his girlfriend Sindie Pennavaria, the band has entered what Berry describes as a renaissance.

SEE GARBAGE-MEN, PAGE 8B

Photos by Ian Swaby Trent Berry, Wesley Backer, Jack Berry, Jamieson Martel and Jamie Tremps

The Garbage-Men create their instruments using items from the trash.

The

WILL MEDICARE MISSTEPS AFFECT YOUR RETIREMENT?

The choices of Medicare plans and options can be extremely complex depending on various factors such as your age, employment status, and individual circumstances.

While the general process may seem straightforward, it is essential to carefully consider your options.

Even the timing of signing up for Medicare can have significant financial consequences. Late enrollment can potentially trigger annual penalties.

“I just went through the Medicare gauntlet myself” said John B. Leeming CFP®, president at JL Bainbridge. “That experience really brought home the idea that Medicare should be a key part of everyone’s financial planning. Every choice affects the future of both healthcare and personal finances.”

There are many questions to consider when planning for Medicare. It is essential to consider your individual healthcare needs and financial situation. Will you need prescription drug coverage, will you be traveling frequently or living in different states, do you need supplemental coverage? These and many other specificities factor into making the right decision for you.

Powerful software tools, used by JL Bainbridge & Company, Inc., help cut through the complexity and match potential Medicare plans to their clients’ unique needs. JL Bainbridge’s financial advisors use their experience combined

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If you are thinking about Medicare, please contact us for a free financial review.

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Please scan the QR code or call us to schedule your free financial review today.

Scan the QR code or call us to schedule your free financial review.

The rhythms of reggae

It was Kia Hostetler’s birthday on Feb. 24, so she decided to head to downtown Sarasota with her friends who were visiting from Pennsylvania for another event she had yet to experience for herself.

Before long, the whole group was in an energetic mood and eager to dance to the beat of the reggae music. Hostetler said her friends were now convinced to come live in Sarasota as well.

“Once you experience the magic of Sarasota and the diversity that is here, it makes you want to be here,” she said.

The eighth annual Reggae Music Block Party hosted by Jah Movement and held outside The Gator Club, which also participated, recognized not only reggae music, but also a figure in its Sarasota history — the late Oswald Caines of Democracy Reggae Band.

Caines founded the band after he arrived in Sarasota from the Caribbean in the 1980s. Caines’ daughter, Makeeda Caines, said that the contributions of her father to music and the community were innumerable.

“I love all this; I get to see my father’s legacy live on all the time. There are so many people that I meet that say, ‘Your daddy saved my soul. Your dad was my best friend. Your dad talked me off suicide. Your dad made his music live in me.’ And this is years later, and we’re still singing.”

The good vibes extended all around the event space.

“I’m loving it; I’m enjoying the atmosphere, just being able to show my art,” said Sarasota artist Eliza Seabrook, who returned to Osfest for the second year.

“It’s a new energy for me, and it’s bringing a lot of amazing things for me.”

A portion of the proceeds from the ticket purchase benefited the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Queens of Domestic Violence Awareness.

— IAN SWABY

Your Luxury Lifestyle Awaits

Photos by Ian Swaby Nancy Cason and Josephine Cannella-Krehl dance to the music.

Paul Anthony of Paul Anthony & The Reggae Souljahs performs.

The Goddard School The Premier Early Childhood Center

All parents want to start their children off on the right foot. Finding the best school to provide a top-notch education, loving childcare and social-emotional skills can be challenging.

of Sarasota prioritizes safety, and has special security parameters in place. The franchise company also conducts two unannounced inspections each year, in addition to state inspections, to maintain the schools’ high standards.

“Our #1 goal is safety, and education is second,” says Kayali.

What also makes our school unique is that children are taught through Goddard’s proprietary curriculum, Wonder of Learning. It is inquiry- and play-based learning which develops their creativity and curiosity, making education fun! Inquiry-based learning guides the Wonder of Learning curriculum offered at Goddard. It is

a teaching and learning approach that embraces the natural curiosity and sense of wonder children bring into the classroom. Through childled experiences, children learn about themselves and the world around them by exploring their interests, investigating concepts, and asking questions.

Some children enjoy being at our school so much that they want to stay at school even when their day is over, and it is time to go home. “Kids cry because they don’t want to leave,” she says.

Since Kayali opened her school in March of 2020, she and her staff have built positive and strong relationships with the children and their families. Multiple sets of siblings have enrolled over the years, and she has a 5-year-old who started at the school as a one-yearold. Next year, her first group of children who started at Goddard as infants will graduate to kindergarten. The Goddard School of Sarasota enrolls children from 6 weeks to 5 years old.

Kayali attributes much of this loyalty to her teachers. “They’re excited to come to work and take care of your children,” she says.

If you are interested in enrolling your pre-school aged children in the Goddard School of Sarasota for Early Childhood Development, Kayali encourages you to come by to take a tour. The school is conveniently located at 3000 University Parkway in Sarasota. It’s open year ’round except for major holidays.

A help connection

Making An Impact’s Community Connections Resource Guide contains information

on over 300 local organizations that provide assistance.

than

300 organizations that provide assistance to residents in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

“Every day our deputies come in contact with people who have needs beyond what we as a law enforcement agency are equipped to handle,” Wells wrote in a testimonial. “It’s great to have the ready reference guide with a list of resource programs and organizations that can provide additional services.”

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic when many Americans were on their sofas binge watching “Tiger King,” Victorian Kasdan spent her free time on the phone finding the right people and making a plan.

Kasdan is the former executive director of We Care Manatee Inc., a nonprofit that provides free healthcare to uninsured, low income residents. After transitioning her career into consulting, she found herself searching for something like the

Community Connections Resource

on behalf of a client.

The only guide she found between Sarasota and Manatee counties was one that Turning Points produces for its homeless clients in Bradenton, but it only covers the surrounding service area, not the entire county.

During her search, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County connected Kasdan with Linda Hoy, a retired CPA volunteering her time at Bayside Community Church. Hoy had compiled a list of resources in a handwritten notebook that Kasdan described as being as big as a phone book.

Hoy had contacted the Community Foundation of Sarasota for help putting her notebook to use. She knew the information could be an asset to other helpers in the community, but she didn’t know what to do with it.

At first, Kasdan only contacted Hoy for her clients’ benefit. As her consulting clients dwindled at the start of the pandemic, Kasdan contacted Hoy to do something bigger with her notebook.

The pair formed the nonprofit Making An Impact and went to work in April 2020. The first resource guides were printed that August.

The guides focus on basic needs. Resources are divided among 17 categories, including addiction, employment, housing, food assistance and mental health services.

Wells has about 120 deputies on staff and found the guides so useful that he told Kasdan he would be sharing them with staff members who work with inmates being released and agencies his office works closely with, like Hope Family Services, a domestic violence center.

Making An Impact also gives some guides away to individuals through outreach events in low-income communities.

“The guides were originally intended to give to those who help others,” Kasdan said. “That’s how we figured as a small group we could have a bigger impact. They see hundreds and thousands of people in whatever they do.”

Whether that means contact with a domestic violence center or homeless shelter, Kasdan said nine times out of 10, people need additional services.

When Hurricane Ian hit, Making An Impact created the Disaster Recovery Resource Guide, which was printed and distributed only two weeks later, along with cards and posters that contained a QR code.

Both the basic needs guide and disaster guide can be found on the nonprofit’s website. The searchable web app is available in more than 20 languages and can search for services according to the user’s location.

The nonprofit is currently launching a Pharmacy Discount Resource Guide, too.

“Medications are very expensive,” Kasdan said. “This one covers where you can get discounts — discount cards, coupons, foundation programs, government programs, online pharmacies and retail programs.”

The guide also includes educational information, such as how to spot an online pharmacy scam.

Making An Impact currently has seven volunteers, three of whom work directly on the guides. The nonprofit is seeking sponsors to hire a staff person and support the operational expenses.

“The guide cost of $8 helps (The disaster guide costs $6.), but even at that price, it doesn’t cover all our expenses,” Kasdan said. “Our board members donate, and we apply for grants. Our biggest challenge as a small, all-volunteer organization is that demand for our service exceeds our financial and human capital resources.”

The guides are updated every year, and organizations can also apply for grants to purchase them.

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

Victoria Kasdan is a co-founder of Making An Impact.

The new-found success has seen a following from the public, part of which Berry attributes to the audience never knowing what to expect. The band is always innovating, he explained.

Berry has gone through four to five guitars since 2010, but each time members create new instruments, something they do often, they make improvements.

The Feb. 14, 2024, concert at Blasé Cafe Siesta Key was the first time the band ever tried out the “hula horn” and a new trash can lid.

Created from two busted hula hoops discarded by a neighbor, the hula horn involves two hoops ducttaped together to make a single tube, with a trombone mouthpiece fixed to one end and a funnel on the other.

Performing with instruments like these creates a distinct experience, for performers and for listeners.

The drum set, for instance, lacks foot pedals. The guitars feature just one string, as opposed to the standard six strings on guitars.

Initially, these choices were made out of necessity, but Berry said it became a deliberate decision inspired by Ornette Coleman’s harmolodic theory in jazz.

“We’re deliberately working within limits here,” he said.

SUSTAINABLE SOUNDS

As with jazz, Berry said, the musical notes come from disparate sources, but together they create a more com-

plex whole.

Increasingly part of that whole has been Tremps’ son, Jamieson. He enjoys music, constantly listening to

songs on Spotify.

“All these songs ended up on his playlist, and he listens to them repeatedly, never ending, and he

learns them, and they don’t stick in my head as well as his,” Tremps said.

Members also contribute knowledge that goes beyond music.

Before Backer became a band member, Berry went to visit him at college and discovered that Backer had his own record collection, which led to his role as drummer.

His role has grown to become the repair and tech expert of the group who fixes instruments and even created a new one.

Until recently, the band lacked the one instrument it didn’t know how to create from garbage: a microphone. Backer was able to find a substitute in some old telephones acquired from Goodwill. The result was the distinctive, tinny vocals that have come to define the band’s performances.

Trent Berry, Jack Berry’s brother, originally served as their CD salesman, but also became involved with the band, which he said complements the work he performs outdoors restoring native habitats.

“It’s another way to promote an aspect of sustainability and ecological thinking, and I like doing things with my brother. It’s fun,” he said.

Berry said the general sound of the band is inspired by rock ’n’ roll. He describes it as melding various influences and cites major influences as The Beatles and Mothers of Invention.

The band often plays songs by The Beatles, which he said people know and connect with lyrically and musically, and which have several easyto-play yet intricate chord progressions. Nonetheless, it’s also important to him that people don’t get exact-

ly what they expect. For instance, if they group gets a request to play “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison, they don’t respond straightforwardly. They might play the song in a minor key instead of a major key.

“We deliberately subvert that. And we try to do something different. And maybe a little provocative,” Berry said.

Berry said the band’s current goal is to perform at more community events and festivals locally, traveling and touring to other communities to spread its ethos.

“We want to show people with our instruments and creativity and ingenuity that instead of this consumer culture that we have, instead of just buying things new and throwing them away when you’re done with them, it’s such a more fulfilling and rewarding experience for yourself and the community and the world to find something that already exists, and use your creativity and selfexpression to reuse and repurpose it in a creative, artistic way,” Berry said.

On March 2, the band will be performing at Maine Colony Community Day, at Phillippi Crest Community Club in Sarasota.

Berry said an organization they work with is Transition Sarasota. It helped organize and performed at their most recent annual Eat Local Week, and will perform with them at Fogartyville’s Earth Day Art and Music Fest on April 22.

Berry said the band’s goal is being met; people who have never made instruments before said he’s inspired them to give instruments made from garbage a try.

Community commerce

Asingle vendor tent within the downtown Sarasota Farmers Market helps provide jobs for roughly 20 Colombian families.

Pepós Shoes offers casual canvas and leather shoes handmade in Colombia, said Gloria Rincon, who founded the company with her husband, Juan Carlos “Pepós” Botero, who is from Colombia.

They began selling the unisex shoes first to friends and family but soon realized they had a hit with the lightweight shoes.

Since 2021, they have sold shoes at the Sarasota Farmers Market. They range in price from $59 to $79. During the Feb. 24 market, the Pepós Shoes tent was teeming with activity, thanks to the sunny, room-temperature Sarasota day.

Rincon said the bestselling shoe is a tobacco-brown model that’s especially popular with men ages 40-65 who are looking for a casual evening shoe for walking around downtown or a night on the town.

Rincon added that Pepós Shoes is actively seeking partners in the community to be

able to sell the company’s shoes in area shoe stores.

Elsewhere within the market, which takes over Lemon Avenue and a portion of State Street on Saturday mornings, Kinsey’s Produce was doing a brisk business in fruit.

“It’s been very busy. The strawberries are a hit because they’re in season,” said Dawn Underhill of Kinsey’s Produce.

Molly Rainey of Soap Sarasota said the crowd was about par for the season. She said one of her more popular items was her gardenia soap, which boasts a spring feeling and scent.

Down the street, Lynn Lambris of Greenway Formula 7 demonstrated her all-natural bug sprays and repellents for passersby, with one customer stocking up for a 35-day hiking trip across France.

The Sarasota Farmers Market is held 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday rain or shine. You can find a map of vendors at Instagram.com/ SarasotaFarmersMarket.

— JAMES PETER

# BeTheOne who gives in support of growing local entrepreneurs by donating to the Economic Development Foundation of Sarasota County (EDF) during the #GivingChallenge2024 Y our one-time donation will be matched up to $100 by The Patterson Foundation.

Through our programs Sarasota County entrepreneurs who are making a capital investment can access services including liaison to government zoning, permitting, utility partnerships, and access to resources. An entrepreneur can call our team at any time for direct growth assistance and information on the best local resources for their needs.

The Economic Development Foundation of Sarasota County is a 501(c)(3) organization focused on carrying out initiatives that have a positive impact on business growth, the entrepreneurial ecosystem, and workforce development to further the tax-exempt purposes and mission of the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County (EDC). To learn more, visit: https://www.edcsarasotacounty.com/foundation

The 2024 Giving Challenge is presented by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County with giving strengthened by The Patterson Foundation.

Guitarist Dave Miner sings at the Sarasota Farmers Market.

Gloria Rincon and Pepós Botero, founders of Pepós Shoes

Rod Kelly, box office manager for Sarasota Ballet, is excited about this season’s programming, especially Program Seven, which he described as a mixture of choreographies.

Photos by James Peter Anwar Desvignes of Succulantes

There’s a Lot More to Learn About Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson

A fascinating presentation on March 7 at The Ora explains how their rivalry shaped the future of our country.

Almost everyone knows the story now.

Alexander Hamilton was born in Nevis in 1755. When he was only 15, a hurricane ravaged the West Indies. Hamilton wrote a letter about the devastating storm with such poetic eloquence that a fund was established to send this precocious young intellectual to New York for a formal education.

His abilities came to the attention of George Washington, who recognized Hamilton’s leadership abilities, and his extraordinary talent for writing. At age 20 Hamilton became Washington’s aide-de-camp and played a pivotal role in the American Revolution. He was an impassioned champion of a strong federal government, and played a key role in ratifying the U.S. Constitution. As the first secretary of the U.S. Treasury, Hamilton built a financial foundation for the new nation against fierce opposition from archrival Thomas Jefferson. In 1804 he was killed by political foe Aaron Burr in a duel.

Most of us forget that less than a decade ago few Americans knew the historical details above, although the name Alexander Hamilton was certainly familiar. Of course, the musical Hamilton changed all that. In 2015 Hamilton received a record-breaking 16 Tony nominations and won 11 awards, including Best Musical, and then went on to receive the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Of course, Hamilton is not a documentary, it’s a musical. To present it’s remarkable story in a short time there are some parts that are omitted or embellished. Specifically, while Alexander Hamilton’s relationship with Thomas Jefferson is an important part of the musical, Professor Louis Masur felt that many people would like to know even more about that particular aspect of American History, as the Hamilton-Jefferson rivalry was a defining event in shaping the political foundation of our country.

Professor Masur teaches History and American Studies at Rutgers University. He is a cultural historian who has written on a variety of topics. He has received teaching prizes from Harvard University, the City College of New York, Trinity College and Rutgers University because of his universally recognized ability to explain and dramatize history in a compelling way for both college students and older Americans.

TO ATTEND

What: Hamilton vs. Jefferson: The Rivarly that Shaped America

When: Thursday, March 7

10 am - Noon

Where: The Ora Event

Venue, 578 McIntosh Rd., Sarasota | Free Parking

Cost: $49 per attendee

To purchase tickets, visit: YourObserver.com/hamilton-tickets

Historian Louis Masur recounts rivalry between Hamilton, Jefferson during a recent lecture.

Embracing our Differences

When

Wertheimer, executive director of Embracing Our Differences, delivered her speech at the annual luncheon held Feb.

the numbers were staggering: 16,604 art and writing entries were received from

countries, 44 states and 584 schools. Sixty-five percent of the entries were from students, and the top five submitting countries to this juried exhibition were India, United Arab Emirates, China, Iran and Russia.

The nonprofit was founded in and is based in Sarasota. It uses the power of art and education to celebrate individuality and humanity. The art installation can be seen through April 14 at Bayfront Park.

EOD staff, board, advisors, and volunteers sold 432 tickets for a luncheon held at Michael’s On East. Four students spoke about the Coexistence Clubs, which are the student-driven middle and high school component of Embracing Our Differences’ education initiative.

Pine View senior Chloe Niebuhr, Sarasota junior Melora Saing, Riverview senior Maggie Graham and Booker senior Jaylen Benony delivered speeches about how their participation in their high school chapters has changed their lives and set them on positive paths with regard to selfesteem, the art of listening, acceptance, diversity and personal goals.

— JANET COMBS

Photos by Janet Combs

High school Coexistence Club docents are students Kennedy Flatch, Ashley Rosas-Rios, Isabella Munera and Lillia Jones.

Judge Charles E. Williams with artist Aliciana HarveyLopez, who is a senior at Pine View School Samantha Gholar and Michaela Stockhill

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

Ahome on Siesta Key tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. David Vincent Lopez and Shana Marie Lopez sold their home at 3251 Higel Ave. to Gerald Valente, of Nyack, New York, for $6.25 million. Built in 1997, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,733 square feet of living area. It sold for $5,775,000 in 2022.

for $645,000. Built in 2007, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,323 square feet of living area. It sold for $422,000 in 2019.

THE LANDINGS CARRIAGEHOUSE

Regina Vandroff and Anita Ochab, of Sarasota, sold their home at 200 Cocoanut Ave. to Matthew and Sharon Jerdonek, of Sarasota, for $945,000. Built in 1999, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,554 square feet of living area. It sold for $425,000 in 2013.

SEMINOLE HEIGHTS

Michelle Eifert, of Sarasota, sold her home at 1619 Loma Linda St. to Marcel Srur and Malgorzata Kowalczyk, of Sarasota, for $855,000. Built in 1939, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,481 square feet of living area. It sold for $227,500 in 2001.

THE STRAND OF SARASOTA

Jaroslaw Chudoba and Agnieszka

Teresa Chudoba, of Sarasota, sold their Unit B311 condominium at 1703 N. Tamiami Trail to Steven Parker and Nancy Nalini Parker, of Hampton Falls, New Hampshire, for $800,000. Built in 2022, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,203 square feet of living area. It sold for $453,400 in 2022.

Garin Hoover sold the Unit A515 condominium at 1709 N. Tamiami Trail to Michael Casey, trustee, of Sarasota, for $779,000. Built in 2022, it has one bedroom, two baths and 858 square feet of living area. It sold for $396,500 in 2022.

WILLOWBROOK

Patricia Forester, trustee, sold the home at 4172 Brookpointe Court to Laura Larson, trustee, of Sarasota, for $660,000. Built in 2001, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,338 square feet of living area. It sold for $320,000 in 2010.

ALINARI

Martin Fasel, trustee, sold the Unit 602 condominium at 800 N. Tamiami Trail to David and Amy Battel, of Barrington, Rhode Island,

S. James and Sandra Goldman sold their Unit 4 condominium at 4943 N. Kestral Park Way to Jane Graham Hyslop, trustee, of Sarasota, for $630,000. Built in 1982, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,570 square feet of living area. It sold for $560,000 in 2023.

SOUTH GATE

Francine King, of Bradenton, sold the home at 2206 Siesta Drive to Darin Hildoer and Suyapa Yaneth Moncada, of Nokomis, for $500,000. Built in 1957, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,494 square feet of living area.

SIESTA KEY

SARASOTA BEACH

Steven Lloyd and Kerry Faix, trustees, of West Chester, Pennsylvania, sold the home at 5421 Plaza Des Las Palmas to Dawna and Ryan Howe, of Fairport, New York, for $2.1 million. Built in 1946, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,708 square feet of living area. It sold for $370,000 in 2013.

SUMMER COVE ON SIESTA

Henry Hinman III, trustee, and Ellen Hinman, of Sarasota, sold the Unit 104C condominium at 1660 Summerhouse Lane to Amie O’Neill and John O’Neill, trustees, of Sarasota, for $1,925,000. Built in 2007, it has three bedrooms, three-and-ahalf baths and 2,490 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.75 million in 2016.

ISLAND HOUSE

Angela Van Vliet, trustee, of McCordsville, Indiana, sold the Unit 40 condominium at 6150

Midnight Pass Road to CVBONE

Midnight Pass LLC for $1.4 million. Built in 1967, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 1,976 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.55 million in 2022.

PROVINCIAL GARDENS

TOP BUILDING PERMITS

Robert and Tanya Cowman, of Maineville, Ohio, sold their Unit S-9 condominium at 6005 MidSource:

night Pass Road to MPKD Properties LLC for $1.11 million. Built in 1965, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 1,462 square feet of living area. It sold for $500,000 in 2019.

SIESTA ISLES

Megan Ellington sold the home at 5544 Cape Leyte Drive to Donald and Kelley Granahan, of Windham, New Hampshire, for $1 million. Built in 1971, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,764 square feet of living area. It sold for $310,000 in 2000.

Other top sales by area

SARASOTA: $1.2 MILLION

Sapphire Shores

Bruce Chasser and Susan Stewart, of Hyannis, Massachusetts, sold their home at 4810 Bay Shore Road to Daniel Jay Cohn and Kathleen Cohn, of Ocala, for $1.2 million. Built in 1951, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,073 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.1 million in 2022.

PALMER RANCH: $1,625,000

Legacy Estates on Palmer Ranch

Richard James Macey and Tammy Lynn Macey, of Sarasota, sold the home at 5349 Brookgrove Drive to Mark and Tyson Quire, of Sarasota, for $1,625,000. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, four-andtwo-half baths and 4,525 square feet of living area. It sold for $877,300 in 2020.

OSPREY: $775,000

Southbay Yacht and Racquet Club Ryszard Bolko, trustee, of Lake Worth, sold the home at 172 Sea Anchor Drive to Thomas Donald McGrane, of Osprey, for $775,000. Built in 1977, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,283 square feet of living area. It sold for $393,500 in 2016.

NOKOMIS: $609,000

Mission Estates Joseph Leechner, of Nokomis, sold his home at 2229 Sonoma Drive to Christopher Scott Heatley and Alison Kay Heatley, of Dexter, Michigan, for $609,000. Built in 1999, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,016 square feet of living area. It sold for $335,000 in 2017.

YOUR CALENDAR

FRIDAY, MARCH 1 ECOWALK: ALIEN INVADERS!

9-11 a.m. Pinecraft Park,

Ave. Free. Join UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County educators during National Invasive Species Awareness Week at Pinecraft Park for a walking tour to identify nonnative, invasive plants. Learn about their impacts on Florida ecosystems. Appropriate for ages 12 and older. Call 941-8615000 or email Sarasota@IFAS.UFL. edu.

FRESH FRIDAYS

7-10 p.m., State Street between Lemon Avenue and South Orange Avenue. Free. Fresh Fridays is back on State Street for a block party with live country music from local band Southbound 75, downtown bites and beverages and inclusive fun and games. Visit DowntownSarasotaDID.com/fresh-fridays

SATURDAY, MARCH 2

SUMMER KICK-OFF YOUTH ACTIVITY FAIR

10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Phillippi Estate Park. 5500 S. Tamiami Trail. Free. Meet local providers of summer kids programs. Enjoy food trucks, live demonstrations and entertainment along with inflatable games and free swag. For more info, call 311.

FAMILY ARTLAB

1-3 p.m. Peggy A. Hall Classroom 134 at Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail. Free for members; free for nonmembers with museum admission ($15). Bring the kids or grandkids and enjoy making art together every Saturday. Each week’s project is inspired by the works of art currently on display in the museum’s galleries. Kids of all ages, accompanied by their families or caregivers, are invited to drop in and join in the fun. All materials are included. Visit SarasotaArtMuseum. org/saturday-studios.

SUNDAY, MARCH 3 SUNDAYS AT THE BAY: CLOVER’S REVENGE

4:30 p.m. at The Bay Park,1055 Boulevard of the Arts. Free. Enjoy a free performance by Clover’s Revenge, a band combining acoustic pub music and Celtic punk rock. The trio creates a sound in the tradition of

BEST BET

FRIDAY, MARCH 1

ONE BOOK AUTHOR ED YONG AND ‘AN IMMENSE WORLD’

7-9 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.). Selby Library, 1331 First St. Free. First come, first seated. The author of this year’s One Book, One Community selection, Ed Yong, will be presenting at the Selby Library about “An Immense World.” In his book, Yong, a Pulitzer Prize winner, encourages readers to go beyond what they think they know, to better understand the world. Yong’s book helps readers gain a deeper appreciation for wildlife and the vastness of the world. An author book signing will take place after the presentation. Learn more at SCGov. Net/Onebook.

the Dubliners, Pogues and Flogging Molly. Visit TheBaySarasota.org/ Event.

TUESDAY, MARCH 5

TRYING TIMES, TROUBLED TIMES

— REASONS TO BE OPTIMISTIC

10:30 a.m. at First United Methodist Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave. $15 at the door. In this Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning lecture, Charlayne Hunter-Gault will share her history of growing up in the segregated South where parents, neighborhoods, schools and churches equipped Black children with the armor of history. Visit SillSarasota.org.

THURSDAY, MARCH 7

BROWN BAG CONCERT SERIES

Noon-1 p.m. Phillippi Estate Park, Park Gazebo area, 5500 S. Tamiami Trail. Free. Bring a lunch and a chair or blanket and enjoy live music in a park setting. The Brown Bag Concert Series runs every Thursday through March 31. Visit SCGov.net.

LIVING IN THE PAST by Ricky Sirois,

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