Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer 3.14.24

SARASOTA/SIESTA KEY

Observer

Better together

PAGE 2B

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

FREE • THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

VOLUME 20, NO. 16

YOUR TOWN

Mall redevelopment plan takes shape Approvals pave the way for up to 1,200 apartments at Sarasota Square Mall site.

SEE PAGE 3A

Courtesy image

Roz Goldberg and her grandson, Asher Goldberg

SAUCE

Celebration of democracy Roz Goldberg found the perfect way to be informed about the upcoming election and spend some quality time with her grandson.

Six local Democratic organizations partnered to organize a free, circus-themed festival for area residents to meet and greet candidates running for office. The event was March 9 at the Circus Arts Conservatory.

Fourteen candidates running for offices, from Congress to the Sarasota School Board, attended the event. It was a firsttime collaboration among the Sarasota County Democratic Party, the Democratic Black Caucus, Longboat Key Democratic Club, the Sarasota Black Caucus and the Democratic Women’s Club of Sarasota.

Longboat resident Francine Achbar said she loved that the event was circus-themed.

The festival had a ringmaster, entertainment by circus arts performers, food trucks, face painting and more.

Achbar said it was great to be able to meet and mingle in the spirit of democracy.

AND THE CITY Sarasota’s barbecue food trucks thrive on roads less traveled. SEE PAGE 1B

Ian Swaby

Dale Hill, of D&R Barbecue, explains, “If I wouldn’t eat it ... you wouldn’t be able to taste it. That’s what it’s all about — giving your customer something that you would eat. If you would eat it, then you would give it to your customer.”

A+E

Ian Swaby

Henley Connor III and Emmanuel Montalvo perform at Selby Library.

Musical variety

The jazz that filled the Jack J. Geldbart Auditorium at Selby Library on March 13 was just one of the music types that can be heard there.

The Sarasota Music Archive’s John Goodman Performance and Lecture Series 2024 has also included musicians such as a balalaika player and opera singers.

Although the free concerts are winding down, the public can catch “The Virtuoso Violinist,” featuring George Maxman, on March 20. In between it all are lectures by Joy McIntyre, a former opera performer and an associate professor emerita at Boston University.

Wednesday’s event featured The Emmanuel Montalvo Jazz Quartet with Alex Malkovich on guitar, Jack Berry on bass, Henley Connor III on percussion and Emmanuel Montalvo on saxophone.

Time for jazz INSIDE

BEHIND THE PLAN File image

David and Jeffrey Koffman own multiple businesses in the Sarasota area.

Meet the entrepreneur brothers who recently submitted a proposal to add attractions like park golf to City Island. SEE PAGE 9A

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

WEEK OF MARCH 14, 2024

CareerEdge offers free CNA training

“We have yet to receive a feasible bid that is not going to break the entire fund at this point.”

CareerEdge, a workforce development initiative of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, has partnered with Suncoast Technical College to offer a free certified nursing assistant fast track program to begin in April.

The curriculum is a condensed version of STC’s Certified Nursing Assistant program, beginning April 30 and concluding June 6. Classes will be held 8 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., Monday-Friday at STC’s main campus at 4748 Beneva Road in Sarasota. Sarasota Memorial Hospital will host the participants for clinical training during the last two weeks from 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Applicants will interview with CareerEdge staff. Eligibility requirements include a GED or high school diploma, Sarasota or Manatee County residency, apply by Friday, March 29, and pass background and drug tests.

Participants are responsible for some application and testing expenses. The program is limited to 15 participants. More info is available at CareerEdgeFunders.org/Bridges-ToCareers.

— Public Art Coordinator Mary Davis Wallace on prices to build platforms in roundabouts for sculptures. Read more on Page 6A

BY THE NUMBERS $150,174

The first full-year cost of implementing the citywide vacation rental registration and enforcement ordinance.

PAGE 5A

$63.7M

The potential cost of one of FDOT’s alternatives for a replacement of the Little Ringling Bridge.

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Guitars Sarasota musician Joni Adno uses in her performances that pay tribute to music icon Joni Mitchell.

PAGE 10B James Peter

Church of the Redeemer will use much of the auction proceeds to build a church in the Dominican Republic.

CALENDAR n Sarasota City Commission regular meeting — 9 a.m., Monday, March 18, Commission Chambers, City Hall, 1565 First St. n Sarasota County School

Board regular meeting — 3 p.m., Tuesday, March 19, Board Chambers, Landings Administration Complex, 1980 Landings Blvd. (black awning entrance). n FDOT Little Ringling Bridge Public Hearing — 5 p.m., Thursday, March 21, St. Armands Key Lutheran Church, 40 N. Adams Drive.

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Wine auction raises $88,000 for church The auction of a wine collection donated by church member Hugh Culverhouse Jr. raised $88,000 to benefit Church of the Redeemer. Held online Feb. 26-29, the auction featured more than 300 top-rated wines.

Proceeds will benefit the Church of the Redeemer’s ministries and outreach program.

A large portion of the proceeds will help build a church in the Dominican Republic.

“We are grateful to Hugh for donating this incredible collection of wine,” said Church of

the Redeemer Rector Charleston Wilson in a news release.

“Before ordained ministry, I sold wine as a sommelier, but I never thought I would get the chance as a priest. Church should be fun, and so it is.”

The auction featured a diverse selection of wine spanning various price ranges, led by iconic offerings from renowned California wine maker David Abreu as well as Lokoya, Colgin Cellars and Morlet Family Vineyards. The top lot in the sale was a rare bottle of Lokoya Cab-

ernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder 2013, which brought $900.

There were also some bargains.

A three-bottle set of ZD Pinot Noir, which retails for about $65 per bottle, sold for $45.

Culverhouse also recently donated $500,000 to the church, the largest non-capital campaign donation in the parish’s 139-year history. Culverhouse has served as CEO of Palmer Ranch Holdings, leading development of the 15,000-acre master-planned community for nearly three decades.

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Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation has received a gift of $2.5 million from Drs. Gail and Joel Morganroth to support the Kolschowsky Research and Education Institute, under construction at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

The gift will help train medical staff, expand SMH’s residency programs and attract medical professionals from across the country.

Joel Morganroth is a boardcertified academic cardiologist and officer of the foundation’s board.

Gail Morganroth is a board-certified nephrologist and leader in academic medicine at University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine.

In recognition of the gift, the new auditorium at the Institute will be named the Morganroth Family Auditorium. It will be a hub for events, board meetings, lectures, conferences, educational classes and more.

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

MIXED-USE TRANSFORMATION

The JCPenney store at Sarasota Square will remain, along with Costco, AMC Theatres and a bank outparcel when the mall is redevelopment into a mixed-use town center concept.

STAFF WRITER

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The applicant proposes mixed-use redevelopment of the mall that will reduce the commercial uses from just more than 1 million square feet to 692,457, plus a minimum of 500 apartments — as required by staff — to a maximum of 1,200 units in a multiuse town center development.

The five actions are: n A comprehensive plan amendment to rezone 2.8 acres from medium density residential to regional commercial center. n A Critical Area Plan amendment to change the boundary to include the project site and add additional development order conditions to the plan. n An amendment to add the aforementioned 2.8-acre parcel to the existing Development of Regional Impact, to update the existing development order conditions, and to reconfigure the existing 1.2 million square feet of commercial uses. n To rezone the site from Commercial Shopping Center and Residential Mobile Home to Commercial General. n Special exception petition to request bar with outdoor entertainment, indoor entertainment, outdoor recreation and entertainment, special events in conjunction with an approved outdoor recreation use, and a garden center with outside

Potential roadway

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Photos by Andrew Warfield

The interior of Sarasota Square Mall toward AMC Theatres, one of its three operating businesses.

FIVE-PART APPROVAL

Central focal area

S.

n making a motion to approve the first of five petitions related to Torburn Partners’ plans to redevelop the mostly vacant Sarasota Square Mall, Sarasota County Planning Commission Chair Pro Tem Emmalee Legler said she was “excited” about referring the project to the County Commission for approval.

And so it went for all five petitions filed by the Illinois-based developer, which went before the advisory body on March 7. That was the first step of a lengthy process prior to seeking myriad state and local permitting, and before the developer can actually begin submitting development plans to the county.

“I am very, very excited to see this development in this area,” Legler said. “At this point, there is nothing happening there, so I understand that loud noise and people we don’t know moving into apartment complexes seem a little scary. Assuming that these people are going to be causing crime, I think, is an uninvited assumption. I’m going to be in favor of all five motions.”

The Planning Commission was unanimous in its approval too, likely to the chagrin of more than 15 speakers and others in attendance, who objected to the development on the basis of traffic, the up to 1,200 rental apartments, noise concerns, crime and general disruption of their quality of life.

Over the past two-plus years, Torburn Partners has spent $35.3 million on Sarasota Square properties, including the mall structure itself for $19 million in September 2021. The previous owner, Unibail-Rodamco

Westfield, spent $77 million for the mall in 2003, then lost it in bankruptcy during the pandemic.

Including outparcels, the entire mall property occupies approximately 93.5 acres. The redevelopment will not include the Costco store and fuel outparcel, the JCPenney building, AMC Theatres and a bank outparcel. The mall building will be demolished and replaced by the open-air, multiuse concept that Torburn Partners principal Robert Horne said will include high-end and fast-casual restaurants, specialty retail and, potentially, medical offices. A central town green surrounded by residential and commercial buildings will offer open space and room for special events.

Among the most contentious of the petitions was for a special exception for live entertainment and special events after 10 p.m. Horne explained that without that exception, restaurants would not be allowed to offer features such as an acoustic guitarist in the evenings.

“We are talking to a number of really high-end, established restaurants, and a lot of the restaurants have outdoor dining and do have entertainment uses at times,” Horne said. “Most of what we’re talking about is going to be in our special event area for food trucks, for farmers markets, things that are mostly going to be during the daytime, but this is going to allow us to bring in the optimal tenant mix, really the best restaurant users, into the center of this project.”

POTTER PARK DRIVE

ANDREW WARFIELD

SARASOTA SQUARE BLVD.

BENEVA ROAD

The Sarasota County Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of five measures to pave the way for replacing Sarasota Square Mall.

Commercial / Office Residential Multi-family area Flexible for Commercial / Office & Residential use Storm water lake area Open space area Property border

merchandise.

The Planning Commission’s unanimous recommendation to approve all five petitions by Torburn doesn’t advance a development plan to the County Commission. Rather it only sets the table for further environmental, wildlife transportation and other permitting that are required prior to any specific plans to be made should approval be granted.

Representatives of Torburn attempted to allay concerns by explaining that it plans a development of lower intensity than current entitlements, and that traffic generated by 300,000 fewer square feet of commercial — even if the maximum of 1,200 apartments is built, will generate fewer trips than if the site were redeveloped at 100% of its current entitlements.

Nearby residents objected to no presentation of a site plan, the absence of architectural drawings and no commitment to the number of apartments, and even suggested that Torburn is skirting the permitting processes of a number of state and local agencies, including the Florida Wildlife Commission.

Torburn representatives responded that permitting and site plans at this stage are premature.

“We are early in the process, and it is absolutely a fact that we do not have a permit from any wildlife agency for this project because we’re months away from applying for one, if we need one,” said Ray Loraine, a senior scientist for engineering firm Stantec. “The state has a very detailed set of permitting and protection measures. The process will include all of those guidelines and we will coordinate with the state as required by the environmental chapter of our county code.”

Other objections were building height — some residential buildings could be as tall as eight stories — along with stormwater management, noise abatement and traffic.

Under questioning by commissioners, Torburn representatives said all permitting will follow if rezoning is approved, traffic — although it will be more than the current mostly dead retail center generates — will be less than if it is developed as currently entitled, and that sound emanating from restaurants and the town green will be contained by surrounding apartment and commercial buildings, including Costco, JCPenney and the AMC theater.

Some speakers during public comment suggested that bringing a high concentration of renters into the development on the edge of singlefamily neighborhoods and Palmer Ranch will invite crime, noise and other nuisances.

Legler questioned attorney Charlie Bailey, who represents Torburn, about the characteristics of residents who would be attracted to an urban town center development.

“They’re going to be market-rate apartments,” Bailey said. “They are transplants, folks who may be moving here looking for a home and want to rent an apartment. They could be young professionals. We think some of them will be small enough to be able to serve some of those folks who are working within the retail that’s going to come online. It’s not going to be like the apartment complex I lived in my sophomore year in college. I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.”

In 1974, Sarasota Square was designated as the first Development of Regional Impact in Sarasota County and was among the first in Florida.

Development plans for changes within a DRI must be submitted to a regional planning council for approval, which Torburn Partners has done.

The Planning Commission meeting may be viewed at SCGov.net/ Government/Communications/ Access-Sarasota.

SARASOTA SQUARE HISTORY n DRI approved in 1974. n Property zoned Commercial Shopping Center. n Mall opened in August 1977. n DRI amended and restated in 1987. n Comprehensive plan designation is Regional Commercial Center. n Approved for a maximum of just more than 1 million square feet of commercial uses.

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

Compromise on car shows “There was a lot of concern on our end. It’s not just that a Corvette show or a car show would end; it would be that the actual landscape of special events on St. Armands Circle would be affected long term.”

A new agreement with the city will help ensure that landscaping and park ­aesthetics are preserved during events.

CARTER WEINHOFER STAFF WRITER

T

he St. Armands Circle Association and the city of Sarasota came to a compromise: Car shows can return to the Circle.

Following the announcement that popular car shows, like Corvettes on the Circle, would not be allowed to continue due to city regulations, members of the association were quick to try to find a solution, according to St. Armands Circle Association Director of Sales & Marketing Rachel Burns.

Burns said the association was informed by the city in November 2023 that due to concerns over the landscaping and aesthetics of the park, cars would not be allowed to enter the grassy areas of the Circle.

This meant that car shows would have to be moved to the Boulevard of the Presidents.

Moving the shows to that area would cost more, said Burns.

After reaching out to many car shows, she realized the increase in cost and change of location meant the car clubs would not be able to hold events in 2024.

“There was a lot of concern on our end,” Burns said. “It’s not just that a Corvette show or a car show would end; it would be that the actual landscape of special events on St. Armands Circle would be affected long term.”

Burns fielded numerous phone calls and emails from merchants and residents about the issue, most of whom were in full support of keeping the shows.

The association sent out a survey to merchants in February to get

— Rachel Burns, director of sales & marketing for St. Armands Circle Association

James Peter

Paul A. Budick, of Bradenton, shows off his rare 1962 Corvette convertible, complete with its original golden grille, during the 25th annual Corvettes on the Circle in 2023.

input as well. Of the 69 answers, 67 merchants said they wanted special events to continue on the Circle.

St. Armands Circle Association Board members Casey Gonzmart, Andrew Vac, Rick Konsavage and Hugh Fiore met with City Manager Marlon Brown and city staff members from parks and recreation on March 1.

On the city’s side, the concern was the potential for damage.

“But for us, (there was) potentially a huge loss of tourism to the area, a loss of money going to local charities, a loss of lifestyle for the residents and the Sarasota community,”

Burns said.

In the compromise, the city is requiring the association to work with staff members to create new measures to prevent damage and ensure the longevity of the park.

There will be some more behindthe-scenes changes, but nothing that will affect the guest experience, according to Burns.

Another component of the compromise was creating the option for a rain date, which was never a formal process according to Burns. There were informal rules, but nothing that spelled out an actual process for dealing with a rain date.

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“It was great to see that we were able to come to this compromise,” Burns said.

With a compromise set, Burns said car shows are allowed to continue in 2024. But on short notice, it might be too late for some, like Corvettes on the Circle, to continue.

Allen Harmsen, vice president and show chairman for the Skyway Corvette Club of Sarasota and Manatee, said Burns informed him of the decision, but it might be too late for them to pull the event together this year.

“There are a few new stipulations plus some changes that are being made to St. Armands Circle

to help with loading cars on and off the turf,” Harmsen said in an email.

“As a result, it may be a few more months to determine whether or not we can reschedule the show for later this year or just plan on returning in 2025.”

In early January, Harmsen reached out to the St. Armands Association to start preparations for the Corvettes on the Circle show. That’s when he found out about the city’s previous decision to not allow car shows any longer.

The show, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2023, is usually held on the first Saturday of May every year.

Compared to most other car shows held in parking lots, Harmsen said Corvettes on the Circle was renowned for its scenic location.

After Harmsen heard about the city’s decision in January, he informed participants from the last five years that the show would not continue in 2024.

Corvettes on the Circle is also a charity event. Proceeds from registration fees went toward The Honor Flight of West Central Florida, which flies World War II veterans to Washington, D.C. As of 2023, the club had sponsored 30 veterans.

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

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“There are estimated to be approximately an additional 700-plus vacation rentals on the mainland that we’ll be required to register now.”

— Lucia Panica, development services director

File photo

There are an estimated 700 vacation rental properties across the city of Sarasota.

The costs of compliance The total cost to ­register and enforce citywide ­vacation rental ­ordinance expansion is just over $150,000.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

O

n Feb. 5, the Sarasota City Commission officially expanded the vacation rental registration and enforcement ordinance from the barrier islands citywide. Now comes the cost of doing business.

At its March 4 meeting, commissioners approved a request by the Development Services Depart-

ment to add two new staff positions, reclassifying one existing job, and to create the Vacation Rental Compliance Division. It will implement and enforce the expansion of short-term rentals from the current 138 units on the barrier islands to an estimated 700-plus across the city.

With no discussion among them, commissioners approved the resolution presented by Development Services Director Lucia Panica by a 4-1 vote with Erik Arroyo opposed.

He was the lone dissenting voice in expanding the ordinance citywide.

“Staff has carefully examined the resources that will be needed to effectively execute the program and need the level of service that is expected for the city,” Panica said.

“There are estimated to be approximately an additional 700-plus vacation rentals on the mainland that we’ll be required to register now.

This number continues to increase as additional vacation rentals are created, and we do see an increase on a weekly basis at least.”

For the remainder of fiscal year 2024, building the new division and laying the groundwork for the registration period — which won’t begin until 2025 — requires a budget amendment of $87,067. Currently, one code compliance specialist administers the vacation rental compliance program with the assistance of an administrative assistant, who spends one-third of her staff hours on vacation rentals. The current code compliance coordinator executes vacation rental inspections and will assist with training new staff on the inspection process.

For fiscal year 2025, the total increase in new spending for the program is $150,174 for all personnel, including salaries, taxes and ben-

compliance of registered properties will be initiated by staff as necessary. n Staff will complete the administrative tasks affiliated with these cases, including generating violation notices, tracking service, preparing postings, closing files and document retention. n The web-crawling Granicus software will proactively identify new vacation rentals as they appear. n Property owners of new vacation rentals will be notified of their requirement to register via the Granicus lettering module. n Staff will continue to collaborate with Granicus development team and support staff to ensure registration and compliance module efficiency. n Staff will generate weekly and monthly progress reports for management. n Administrative staff will continue to be trained in the foreclosure registration process. n Staff will assist the local business tax specialist as needed with processing new applications for vacation rentals.

The cost to register is $500, which includes an initial safety inspection by the city, with an annual renewal fee of $350 and a reinspection fee, should one be necessary, of $100.

The ordinance does not apply to owner-occupied homes that offer rooms for short-term rent.

By Jan. 1, 2025, all current vacation rental properties will be required to be registered.

Beginning July 1, 2025, all vacation rental certificates, including rentals on the barrier islands, will be required to renew the annual certificate of registration. Each vacation rental must be reinspected annually as part of the renewal application process. Proactive compliance monitoring will continue as part of the division staff’s daily routine.

efits. Staffing will include a supervisor, a compliance specialist and an administrative assistant. Reclassifying the current compliance specialist position to supervisor represents an increase of $10,460.

All-in personnel costs for the department are $69,995 for the administrative assistant, $69,720 for the compliance specialist and $80,175 for the supervisor. The hiring process will be initiated as quickly as possible in hopes of onboarding new staff by May 1, 2024.

Beginning July 1, 2024, the city will begin accepting vacation rental certificate of registration applications for qualifying properties citywide.

That process includes: n Applicants will submit vacation rental certificate applications online and in person. n Staff will provide guidance to property owners or their representatives throughout the application process. n Applications will be audited for completeness, and staff will correspond with applicants if any additional information is needed. n Payments will be processed and financial reconciliation will be completed daily as necessary. n Staff will coordinate inspection scheduling and will conduct all initial inspections and reinspections. n Upon time of inspection, staff will advise the applicant of the inspection results and will provide a report if any deficiencies are detected. n The vacation rental compliance specialist will be the primary inspector. n The inspector will provide results to the administrative staff, who will then complete the final review and issuance of the certificates. n Administrative staff will utilize the city’s Granicus software to proactively monitor compliance with all applicable ordinance standards once a property has been registered. n Code cases affiliated with non-

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

Committee goes in circles over sculpture spots With storage agreements expiring, the pressure is on to find homes for some of the sculptures.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

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s troubles over where to place acquired sculptures for the U.S. 41 roundabouts at 10th and 14th streets continue, the delay is now affecting the artists whose pieces were selected years ago for those locations.

The delay was caused by bids to build the platforms on which the pieces would stand coming in at twice the just more than $500,000 budgeted, prompting city administration to put a halt on the program and to instruct the Public Art Committee to find alternative locations, presumably where foundations outside of Florida Department of Transportation right of way can be built at a lower cost.

As it turns out, the concrete construction and other necessary infrastructure in city right of ways aren’t much less expensive, Public Art Coordinator Mary Davis Wallace told PAC members last week, putting the entire process on hold.

Wallace added that some local contractors have offered to bid for at least the 14th Street roundabout, but how that squares with state requirements to be FDOT-certified to do the work was not mentioned.

Meanwhile, Casto Solano, whose Seagrass sculpture is slated for 10th Street, has put a hold on fabrication until the piece has a destination.

Poly, selected for 14th Street, is fabricated with nowhere to go. Poly was designed by Jia Min Nancy Hou, who has been told by its fabricator that it has to go somewhere.

“Poly is getting ready to get kicked out of the fabrication garage because the fabricators said, ‘We need you to move. We’ve got other stuff going on,’” Wallace said. “We’ve got to make a decision on Poly for sure,

Andrew Warfield

Courtesy image

Poly, the sculpture selected for installation in the roundabout at U.S. 41 and 14th Street, is being evicted from its fabricator as a decision about its placement lingers.

and that’s why 14th Street is going out (to bid) at this time. If it doesn’t come back with anything that we can afford, we’re going to have to relocate it to plan B, which is the park across the street from the roundabout.”

That is Whitaker Gateway Park at the northwest quadrant of the roundabout. None of that takes into account the committee’s choice for the Fruitville Road roundabout, Sun Always Shines, by Sujin Lim. Select-

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ed in May 2023, that recommendation has yet to be forwarded to the City Commission for final consideration because of the platform problems.

Time may become of the essence.

GreenPointe Developers, the master developer of The Quay, has paid $250,000 into the public art fund to satisfy requirements for Block 6 of the development. That money was earmarked for the Fruitville Road roundabout. In addition, discussions haven’t even begun on what to do in the Gulfstream Avenue roundabout.

“We have yet to receive a feasible bid that is not going to break the entire fund at this point,” Wallace said of the sculpture foundations.

“We don’t even have enough money in the fund today. I would like to get 10th and 14th (streets) resolved and then move to Fruitville and Gulfstream.”

The city had budgeted $514,000 for construction of both 10th and 14th street roundabout pads. One bid was initially received for the work, submitted by Jon F. Swift Construction, at $743,651.70 for 10th Street and $389,737.70 for 14th Street. The $1.13 million total is $834,889 more than the cost of both sculptures combined. A subsequent bid was adjusted slightly, but not enough to prevent the city from looking elsewhere to place the sculptures.

Then prices came in for city right

GRAND OPENING

Now O

of way locations.

“The estimates that we received for non-FDOT roundabouts were not much less, so I’m not sure if it’s not just cost of construction at this point,” Wallace said.

The city’s public art fund does have $200,000 designated for a sculpture in the Gulfstream Drive roundabout.

The desired installation there represents the first “developer wish” agreement — with Epoch Towers developer Seaward Development — for its required contribution to the city’s public art collection.

“We have an agreement with the developer to put a piece in the roundabout that is specific to them,” Wallace said of the Gulfstream circle. “There’s no written agreement.

There’s no contract, but they had a wish. This was our first developer wish agreement where they said we would really like to work with us to place it in the roundabout. I think Epoch Towers probably expected this to be done by now, but this group needs to determine if we’re going to pursue the art in the roundabouts program, and that’s a larger discussion that we need to have.”

In September 2023, the PAC selected its preferred alternate location for sculptures originally destined for the roundabouts. Those recommendations have not yet been placed on the City Commission agenda for consideration.

pen

The Public Art Committee selected Whitaker Gateway Park adjacent to the 14th Street roundabout on U.S. 41 to place the sculpture Poly. The City Commission will make the final decision.

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

OPINION / OUR VIEW

LONGBOAT

Sarasota’s own answer to crime reduction PERCENT OF OFFENDERS REINCARCERATED

BY YEAR AFTER RELEASE FROM PRISION 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% ADRIAN MOORE

T

he most intractable problem of crime is that of repeat offenders. Most offenders will return to crime after serving a prison sentence for being caught the first time. Solving that is no easy task, but right here in Sarasota, an impressive nonprofit organization called Project 180 is showing it can be done.

Our justice system today works on the assumption that punishment deters crime. You do a crime, you get caught, you go to prison, it is terrible, so you don’t do crime again. And since you know that is what will happen, you think twice, or thrice, about committing crime in the first place.

The problem is that the data clearly shows things do not work that way. The U.S. Department of Justice points out that: Being imprisoned doesn’t convince most people to avoid crime, and once imprisoned, many have less fear of going back to prison.

The certainty of being caught is a vastly more powerful a deterrent than the severity of punishment, even very long sentences, and most offenders know little about what the punishments for specific crimes are.

Policing policies that increase the perception that offenders are likely to be caught reduce crime more than does punishment.

You can see the truth of this is some basic numbers. In any given year in Florida about half of the people sent to prison have been to prison before. Or look at it another way, as in the accompanying figure.

Each year offenders are out of prison the odds they will commit new crimes and go back to prison goes up. Almost 85% will be back in prison within a decade of getting out from their first sentence.

10% 1

2

3

4

5 YEARS

So, locking people up is not an effective way to reduce crime, yet for the most part, that is all our justice system currently does. And this imposes huge costs on us all.

Each time the system fails, and an offender goes back to crime after their prison sentence, it imposes a range of costs on the rest of us: 1. The costs to the new victims of their crime, not just the value of any goods stolen but also the personal cost of violence and/or disruption of life.

2. Costs of police to catch them, the courts to try them and the jails to hold them during the process.

3. Cost of imprisoning for the new sentence to be served.

4. The loss to the economy from the offender not being productive.

A detailed study in Illinois calculated that in Illinois the costs for each new offense by a reoffender of item one is $57,418, items two and three at $40,987, and item three at $20,432. In other words the cost of recidivism per offender in Illinois is about $120,000, and that is likely very similar in Florida. The most recent estimate for Florida is that it costs $77.53 per day just for item three above, to house an inmate in a state prison. The Council of State Governments estimates Florida spends over $313 million per year just to imprison individuals who violate terms of release (parole) without even doing another crime!

CHANGING THE BEAT

The single most effective thing we can do with in the criminal justice system to reduce crime and its costs is to reduce recidivism.

That is easier said than done. The reasons why offenders go back to crime are many. But some efforts

6

7

8

9

to turn offenders’ lives around and help them avoid going back to crime have worked, and a great example is right here in Sarasota.

Project 180 is a local charity that provides a live-in program for individuals released from prison to the Sarasota area. Barbara Richards, the saint who created and runs Project 180, has devoted her life to solving the problem of helping people turn away from crime.

It would take a short book to fully explain its approach, but I am going to give the essence of it here.

I heartily recommend checking out its website and its public programs and learning more about the organization.

All successful programing for former offenders recognizes that incarceration completely disrupts the life of the offender, and it is a huge challenge for them to get back to normal life. It is very hard for them to find a place to live, a job, get a car or transportation, to live a normal and stable life, to fight off the addiction to drugs or alcohol that most of them have and resist temptation, and to avoid the situations and people that surrounded them when they turned to crime in the first place.

For each offender this requires a personalized, hands-on program of assistance — each one of them will have different strength of needs and priorities from the list in the previous paragraph. For the staff at Project 180, combining the right help for each person is the key to success.

To provide a foundation for the personalized help that each individual who lives in the Project 180 homes and programs, they focus on six pillars of stability.

1. Recovery — addiction to drugs or alcohol is a near universal problem for ex-offenders and starting the lifelong process of recovery is mandatory.

2. Housing —Living in a conventional house in a conventional neighborhood, avoiding homelessness and loneliness, cooperating with roommates and participating socially are all important.

3. Employment — Getting a full-time job that is a career not just a job.

4. Relationships — Rebuilding with family, developing friendships, participating in groups, organizations and community.

5. Finances — Paying each month to help with housing and programs, learning about financial management.

6. Health care — Meeting medical and mental health needs.

It is easy to see why those are the pillars of stability in Project 180’s program — a disruption of any one of those is the kind of thing that destabilizes someone’s life and can lead to a spiral out of control and possibly back to crime.

And that list simplifies all that Project 180 does. The details of helping each individual are full of particulars that meet that person’s specific needs. And things like helping to get driver’s licenses, or education, or group recreation and social events in the community all matter as well.

This sounds intense, but it works.

As the accompanying figure shows, the average Florida offender has a 49% chance of committing a new crime and going back to prison in their first year out of prison. For those who got into Project 180’s program that chance is 14%. A more than two-thirds reduction in first-year recidivism is an impressive result.

So three cheers to Project 180.

Let’s hope they can continue to grow and that many more programs like it emerge around Florida and the nation. It won’t solve all crime, and it won’t prevent all recidivism.

But our current system is a disaster of recidivism and return to crime and prison, and this is an vital part of breaking that cycle and reducing a lot of crime in our society.

Adrian Moore is vice president at Reason Foundation and lives in Sarasota.

Biden’s fantasia vs. Florida’s fiscal responsibleness What a contrast — the Biden proposed budget and the historical federal deficits versus the Florida budget for 2024-2025.

It’s pretty evident when you look at the annual federal deficits over the past 16 years, that all our fiscal and political dumbledorks in Washington live in complete moronic fantasia.

While state governments typically are constitutionally required to adopt annual balanced budgets, there are simply no bounds or restraints on the way they abuse our money in Washington — proving over and over that the rules that apply to us do not apply to them.

In 10 years, from 2014 to 2024, federal spending has increased from $3.5 trillion to $6.9 trillion — a 97.9% increase, essentially doubling in that time!

How many of you have managed to double your annual income and spending in that time?

And worse, the federal deficits in that time skyrocketed from $484 billion to $3.1 trillion under Trump (the COVID spending spree) down to a measly $1.8 trillion estimated for the current fiscal year.

A deficit of $1.8 trillion?

And by the way, when you look at the spending and deficits during the Trump and Biden years, they: 1. Make Barack Obama look like the fiscal conservative of the bunch; and 2. Reveal that Donald Trump isn’t a fiscal conservative by any imagination.

In the latest Biden budget submission, the bumbledorks do the usual Washington fiscal fiction.

They make the magnanimous, totally fantastical claim that their spending plan will cut the deficit by $3 trillion over 10 years!

Hahaha, hahaha, hahaha.

Really? How many of you create 10-year family budgets? There is not a sane soul in the America who believes for a second that Washington will cut real spending a dime or reduce the deficit that much over 10 years, much less in one year.

You have to admit, it’s beyond mindboggling why Americans do not insist that our federal government must do what we and all states must do: balance our annual budgets.

Now, contrast the fiscal disaster in Washington with a far saner approach (although not perfect) in Florida. Florida’s state constitution, of course, requires a balanced budget. And while lawmakers achieve that every spring, Floridians have had the good fortune of having Republican governors and legislators the past 20 years who rarely dare to increase taxes.

Indeed, they haven’t needed to do that. Florida’s state budget consistently benefits from two driving factors: Population growth and Florida’s ability to continue to attract growing numbers of tourists. Together, they generate billions of dollars in consumer spending, which in turn translates to sales tax receipts and property taxes that provide plenty of cash to our state and local governments.

While state spending has increased 36% since fiscal 2020, in the past two legislative sessions,

FEDERAL DEFICITS (Fiscal years; $ in billions) Spending Obama 2010 $3,457.1 2011 $3,603.1 2012 $3,526.6 2013 $3,454.9 2014 $3,506.3 2015 $3,691.9 2016 $3,852.6 2017 $3,981.6 Trump 2018 $4,109.0 2019 $4,447.0 2020 $6,553.6 2021 $6,822.4 Biden 2022 $6,273.2 2023* $6,134.6 2024* $6,940.9 2025* $7,265.9

Deficit -$1,294.4 -$1,299.6 -$1,076.6 -$679.8 -$484.8 -$442.0 -$584.7 -$665.4 -$779.1 -$983.6 -$3,132.4 -$2,775.3 -$1,375.9 -$1,693.7 -$1,859.3 -$1,781.0

*Estimate Source: American Presidency Project, U.S. Office of Management & Budget

including the one completed last week, the Legislature actually has reduced state spending from the previous — a feat you will never see in Washington.

You can see in the accompanying table how state cash mushroomed in fiscal 2023, thanks to the federal COVID emergency cash, and has since come down slightly since.

Also in contrast to Washington, while the state is cutting spending in the current and next fiscal years, in each of those years and the

FLORIDA SPENDING (Billions) 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25

$85.99 $93.71 $103.22 $119.07 $118.63 $117.46

“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.”

Friedrich Hayek

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944

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+8.9% +10.1% +15.3% -0.3% -0.9%

2023-24: Estimate 2024-25: Budget

previous six years, the Legislature also budgeted sales tax holidays saving Floridians about $1 billion each year, while at the same time increasing spending for public education.

Moral of the story: A balanced budget and fiscal sanity can be achieved.

Sidenote: Our state and federal governments are absolutely lousy at making it easy for taxpayers to find online easy-to-understand budget documents. It’s always an Alicein-Wonderland hunt down online rabbit holes.

What’s more, if you want a simple snapshot in the form of a standard revenues and expenses statement showing a year-over-year comparison, forget it. They don’t exist.

Given the difficulty of finding the details of how our money is spent, you have to conclude lawmakers and bureaucrats make it so difficult for an obvious reason — so taxpayers don’t really know where their money goes, other than down a black hole.

— Matt Walsh

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. Third Floor Sarasota, FL 34236 941-366-3648

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

Potential for growth Entrepreneurs Jeffrey and David Koffman’s many endeavors include a plan to grow City Island’s status as an attraction.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

N

ear the conclusion of the Feb. 20 meeting of the Sarasota City Commission, Mayor Liz Alpert took the commissioners’ comments period to admonish what she sees as hostility toward individuals and organizations who bring proposals to staff and commissioners.

Although not mentioning him by name, the comment was likely in reference to Sarasota resident Jeffrey Koffman, who, during the Feb. 5 meeting, pitched commissioners on a public-private partnership to activate Ken Thompson Park on City Island.

It wasn’t the first time Koffman brought a proposal to the city.

His family has a history of creating attractions, building hotels, owning a country club and operating a water taxi service. Since relocating here three years ago, Koffman has pitched a permanent carousel at St. Armands Circle park and spearheaded the one and only Winter Spectacular event in the park in 2022.

The Koffman brothers’ most recent idea is to activate the largely passive Ken Thompson Park by investing millions of dollars to rehabilitate the 25-acre city property with a beach restoration, day docks, splash pad, topiary garden, walking trails and more. In exchange, they also want to use a portion of the park to make Sarasota the U.S. headquarters for park golf, a globally growing miniature version of the sport that is played with a single mallet-like, nonlofted club and a plastic ball.

The city would retain ownership and control of the park, Koffman told commissioners, and to help alleviate

traffic congestion their company would operate a fee-based water taxi service across Sarasota Bay to City Island. They’d also like the option to include an observation deck-type tower attraction called Aerobar.

Although met with opposition from long-suffering barrier island residents concerned about traffic and others citing the use of public space for private enterprise, the commissioners voted 3-2 to send the matter to the Park, Recreation and Environmental Protection board for further evaluation.

So who are these two brothers from upstate New York and why do they continue to expose themselves to public consternation?

“Why are we doing this? Well there’s an altruism. Yes, there is capitalism, but there is altruism because without leadership, without people pushing for an impetus for change, change will never happen,” said Jeffrey Koffman. “I use the analogy of the Ringling Bridge. There was so much opposition to the Ringling Bridge, and today it is the scenic icon promoting Sarasota.”

The Koffman family, the brothers said, has left a legacy of philanthropy and entrepreneurism in New York and New Jersey, and would like to do the same in their adopted home city.

“He’s got a young kid. I have kids, and I’m hoping for grandchildren pretty soon,” said David Koffman, who also serves on the Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation Board of Directors. “Here there are restaurants and the bars and fun stuff for young people, but there’s really just not a lot for older people to do, and you’re going to have an extra 20,000 or 30,000 people moving here. We thought that this would be something that we would do to try to help that, and it would be good because nobody uses that space at this point.”

VARIED BUSINESS BACKGROUND

Jeffrey Koffman has stated that activating Ken Thompson Park will result in less traffic than current levels to and from City Island, and by extension St. Armands, Lido and Long-

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Andrew Warfield

David and Jeff Koffman at their day job as owners of Design Works in downtown Sarasota.

HOTELIERS, TOO The Koffman family was a principal partner in buying, renovating and managing three hotels in Puerto Rico through entities affiliated with HSK Industries.

They were Condado Plaza Hotel, El San Juan Hotel and El Conquistador Resort and Country Club.

Those properties were sold in 1998, and they subsequently were partners in the purchase, renovation and management of La Concha Hotel and Condado Vanderbilt. Those properties were sold in 2021, and today they are partners in the Condado Palm, also in Puerto Rico.

boat keys. Their plan would bring fewer people there than the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, which will move to the University Town Center area at the end of 2024, and that many who do come will

travel by the water taxi they operate rather than by car. An activated Ken Thompson Park will also replace at least some of the business lost to St. Armands merchants and restaurants once the aquarium vacates, along with its 300,000 annual visitors.

He said the family has the experience and the resources to implement the plan with no risk to the city. The family was formerly involved with S&S Worldwide — where Jeffrey Koffman was chairman of the board of directors — a leading manufacturer of roller coasters, drop towers, carousels and more. Among the Koffmans’ business entities is Ride Entertainment, a name they said perhaps conveyed the wrong message. Having secured the official marketing and sanctioning rights for park golf in the U.S., they are rebranding.

“We’re changing the name to Park Golf Entertainment,” Jeffrey Koffman said. “We’re doing it because Ride Entertainment is misleading.

We are not an amusement, and that’s why we are changing the name.”

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The Koffmans began moving the family enterprise here when they acquired Florida Design Works in 2001, which in addition to the downtown Sarasota flagship has kitchen and bath design studios in Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Naples and Tampa.

“David had made Sarasota his home since 2004,” Jeffrey Koffman said. “We bought Design Works in February 2001. He was smart enough to move here three years later. I finally got here in 2020, but I’ve been coming here ever since and my mom and dad moved here in 2005.”

They continue to own Mountain Creek Resort in Vernon, New Jersey, a four-season resort that includes winter sports, a water park and golf.

Having recently sold a portion of nine holes for housing, the remainder of those holes have been converted to park golf. They are also building a park golf course at Star Island Resort and Club in Kissimmee. They also own two bagel shops in Sarasota

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LET T ERS

New College is not a for-profit business As a resident of Sarasota and faithful reader of the Observer, I was deeply disappointed in its CEO Matt Walsh’s churlish twopage opinion piece on the business plan for New College.

I am a university professor who has taken great interest in the development of the college, even attending the public meeting last spring between two incoming trustees and the faculty and staff.

At that meeting, several faculty members, especially those from the STEM program, were candid about the precarious financial history of the college and its bleak future prospects. They and others expressed their hope (and doubts) that the state would commit resources necessary to maintain the educational program while restoring the college’s longneglected and dilapidated physical plant.

The state’s reorganization of New College has come under intense fire from those who question the new leadership’s commitment to maintaining New College’s distinctive liberal arts curriculum. But their real concern was the leadership’s promise to bring balance to what was a monolithically left-wing faculty and staff; to actually provide the genuine liberal arts education that New College promised but did not deliver to all its students.

Doubts have also been expressed about President Richard Corcoran’s stated aspiration to make New College a premier institution in Florida and indeed the nation.

We now have the administration’s comprehensive plan to do all this. What is Mr. Walsh’s reaction? Does he evaluate whether the state’s objectives are worthy and realizable? No, he dismisses them as a “starry eyed dream.”

He ridicules the plan’s reliance on the Greek concepts of “logos” and “techne,” which have long been among New College’s fundamental educational concepts. He also adopts the complaint about the “disruption to the culture” — the culture that had led to plum-

meting enrollments, to massive attrition of enrolled students to other schools, to buildings unfit for human occupation and to the brink of financial collapse.

Rather than comment on the merits of this plan in actually achieving its liberal arts goals, including the goal of providing an educational environment where students of all political views can feel welcome, Walsh chose to focus on its price tag.

The bulk of the column treated New College as a private forprofit business. Walsh even asked a “veteran of corporate boards” whether “he would invest in President Corcoran’s plan to transform New College.”

The problem with this framing is obvious. Like every other public school, New College is not a private business. Mr. Walsh did not propose abolishing state-subsidized higher education in Florida.

Instead, he advocated merging New College with a bigger state university — which would then have had either to invest massively in the abysmally neglected physical plant while ending New College’s distinctive focus on the liberal arts, or to sell off its prime waterfront property to developers.

This is precisely what critics of the New College takeover loudly say they don’t want.

I have long admired the Observer for topping its masthead with this quote from Friedrich Hayek: “If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.”

Cost aside, one might have expected Matt Walsh of all people to appreciate Sarasota hosting a liberal arts college dedicated to educating students in that guiding principle.

RANDY BARNETT, SARASOTA Randy Barnett is a professor of constitutional law at the Georgetown University Law Center.

It would be heresy in most circles to propose abolishing state-subsidized education — at all levels. But we have advocated that and still

Koffmans

do. Just look at the educational disasters and outrageous college costs that have occurred as a result of the State controlling education.

Private-sector, market competition always produces better results than government intervention.

Likewise, with private, not-forprofit charities helping the poor.

— MW

FROM PAGE 9A

New College land deal will push costs higher Your column on New College reminds us that New College’s main political problem has been its very high per-student cost to taxpayers.

Solutions studied included closing it, moving it to an unconstrained location away from Sarasota Bay or merging it with another state university for efficiencies of scale.

Instead, state government has decided to redevelop the campus on the current bayside site and to construct a seawall to protect buildings.

State government also plans to buy land that the SarasotaBradenton International Airport may need someday for airport terminal related facilities. The Federal Aviation Administration may reject that plan.

The state approved $10 million for airport land acquisition even though both the state and the airport authority have agreed on a $11.5 million price. That price may double when the airport authority’s remainder interest in the buildings and other improvements on the leased land are added.

I wonder how many other projected costs are underestimated.

Spending half-a-billion dollars during the next five years will further increase the already high per-student cost to taxpayers, so New College’s main political problem will be made worse.

Why would a state government make what they themselves identified as the main political problem even worse?

What is more important to our state government than its taxpayers?

under the Buddy’s Bagels brand.

According to the City Island plan, revenue generated by park golf, a small restaurant and the scenic tower would support the maintenance of Ken Thompson Park.

“I think if people took the time to actually see what park golf is, that they see that the water taxi helps alleviate traffic. If they read the study and understand when the traffic is bad, if they took the time to inform themselves, then a lot of that opposition will go away,” Jeffrey Koffman said.

To counter the opposition to public-private ventures in city parks, Jeffrey Koffman points to the city’s own Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which was adopted in 2019. On Page 111, it reads: “The parks and recreation vision will not be accomplished by the city alone, but through partnerships with

public, private, and/or nonprofit agencies.”

“We’re aligning ourselves with the master plan,” Jeffrey Koffman said. “We’re not creating large buildings. We would have a beachfront restaurant, park golf — whether or not the scenic tower goes I think it would be awesome — but the most important thing is green space and we are proposing to keep almost all of that.”

The Koffmans’ first official appearance to advance their Ken Thompson Park plan will be before the PREP Board, which has yet to be scheduled. That panel will hear both sides of the debate before sending its recommendation to the City Commission.

“We’re prepared to go through the process,” Koffman said. “We want a healthy dialogue on how can we take what’s in the master plan and incorporate it. We’re collaborative, and somebody has to take the lead. This is a collaborative process, so if people are going to be negative, they’re going to be negative. Hopefully, sound principle and judgment will win the day.”

THE MAYOR’S STATEMENT Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert’s remarks regarding proposals brought before the city: “We have people who think enough of our community to come and want to make an investment in our community, who want to honor us with that and want to propose something, and we treat them like criminals.

“We vilify them. We act like we’re offended that they want to make an investment in our community, and I think we should treat them as courteously as we expect to be treated ourselves and as courteously as every resident expects us to treat them.

“They are not criminals. We may not like what they are proposing. We are free to say it’s not really what we want to do, but we don’t have to treat them like they are an affront to us that they should even suggest such a thing.

“We did it with the group that came to do the Lido Key pavilion, when they were invited to do a request for proposal to do a particular project and they came, did the exact project that was part of the RFP and they were vilified.

“We did it with the orchestra who was here for 70 years, and the fact that they would have the audacity to say that they might want to locate in seven acres of Payne Park, they were treated terribly and vilified and chased out of town. I think we have to really think about how we approach these kinds of things. It’s not civil. It’s not courteous, and we can turn it down.

We don’t have to go along with it, but we can thank people that they think enough of our community that they want to come and invest in our community.”

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Courtesy image

The Florida Department of Transportation is in the study phase of improvements to the Little Ringling Bridge.

Million-dollar spans FDOT says Little Ringling Bridge alternatives would come with a price tag of at least $63.7 million.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

O

ptions to rebuild a critical 0.75-mile bridge linking downtown Sarasota to the barrier islands of St. Armands, Lido and Longboat keys will be presented during a Florida Department of Transportation public hearing next Thursday.

The hearing will include a presentation of the FDOT’s preferred option and will be March 21, at St.

Armands Key Lutheran Church, 40 N. Adams Drive. The project area is between Bird Key Drive and Sarasota Harbour West.

The in-person open house will begin at 5 p.m. The virtual and inperson hearing and testimony portion will begin at 6 p.m. The meeting will also be available online.

In addition to addressing the structural integrity of the spans, the aging twin bridges lack facilities needed for modern transportation needs and do not match recent and

future improvements to the John Ringling Bridge between the mainland and Bird Key. Constructed in 1958, the bridges are spaced 100 feet apart from center to center.

Each bridge is 1,008 feet long and 37.5 feet wide. It is supported by 21 spans each 48 feet long, all consisting of four lines of precast concrete beams on concrete piles.

The maximum vertical clearance under the bridges is approximately 12 feet above average high water.

Several sections of the deck were replaced on the westbound bridge in 2016 along with other repair work throughout the years.

Project alternatives include

replacing the twin bridges with a single bridge at $63.7 million or new twin bridges at $71.5 million.

The single bridge alternative would replace the two existing bridges with a single structure for all lanes of travel. The travel lanes on the new bridge will be the same 11-foot width as on the existing bridges. Ten-foot outside shoulders will accommodate bicyclists, and a 14-foot shared-use path would be added to each side of the bridge.

The twin bridges alternative will replace the two existing bridges with individual bridges for each direction of travel. The travel lanes on the new bridges will be the same 11-foot width as on the existing bridges. Ten-foot outside shoulders will accommodate bicyclists, and a 14-foot, shared-use path would be added to the outside of each bridge.

There is also a third option, which is no-build.

No build doesn’t mean no cost.

That alternative assumes no improvements made to the Little Ringling bridges through the year 2050, except routine maintenance.

The condition of the bridges would require ongoing maintenance and periodic major rehabilitation projects to keep them functional. Rehabilitation projects would likely include partial or complete deck replacement, substructure and beam repairs and replacement of structural pile jackets and corrosion protection to slow deterioration.

Maintenance repairs for no-build would be ongoing and larger rehabilitation projects could be expected approximately every five years for the next 30 years, after which time the bridge would require ­replacement.

EXISTING CONDITIONS Nonbridge sections n Four 12-foot travel lanes. n 10-foot multiuse path on each side. n Four-foot paved shoulders. n No designated bicycle facilities.

Bridge sections n Four 11-foot travel lanes. n Five-foot sidewalks on each side. n No shoulders or designated bicyclist facilities.

To view the hearing online, advance registration is required at Bit.ly/LittleRinglingPublicHearing.

From 5-6 p.m., in-person attendees can view project materials and speak with the team in an open house format.

The virtual and in-person hearing and testimony portion will begin at 6 p.m.

Both in-person and virtual attendees may view the project presentation and provide feedback on the proposed alternative.

All meeting materials, including the presentation, are available online at SWFLRoads.com/Project/436680-1 by March 14. Project documents are also available for public viewing through April 4 at Selby Public Library, 1331 First St. in Sarasota, and at FDOT District One Manatee Operations Center, 14000 ­ radenton.

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WEDNESDAY, FEB. 28

HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA 2:38 p.m., 2900 block of Palmedelia Avenue Disturbance: A high school campus dispute spilled over into a nearby neighborhood as a complainant advised that her two nieces were in her front yard yelling at a third girl while streaming themselves on social media. The argument was related to “high school relationship drama” according to the incident report.

The complainant advised that a third niece, age 34, was yelling at the girls encouraging them to fight.

Neither of the juveniles were present when the officer arrived. The officer determined the three girls left the school at 2:15 p.m., the complainant’s nieces following and yelling at the third girl while recording the incident. Despite the adult encouragement, no fight occurred.

The officer reports no specific threats of violence were articulated to the third girl, but rather veiled threats to fight were made on school grounds. The officer made contact with school police officers, who advised they will intervene and address the issue on campus.

FRIDAY, MARCH 1

NO FREE LUNCH 4:04 p.m. 1300 block of Main Street Dispute: A man entered a downtown restaurant, stated that he was on Facebook Live and demanded a free chicken sandwich, according to the manager. When the sandwich was not provided, the subject became irate and accused the restaurant of being a military operation. He then briefly held the door shut, blocking customers from leaving or entering before eventually walking away.

The subject was contacted nearby by an officer and the restaurant manager responded to that location where a trespassing warning was issued. The subject stated he understood and would not return.

SATURDAY, MARCH 2

It Makes a Difference.

CONCERNED HUSBAND 2:58 a.m., 1500 block of Main Street Family dispute: During a night on the town, a man called police because his husband, he said, was following him and would not leave him alone. He said he called law enforcement to prevent escalation

into a physical encounter.

The subject told an officer he was not aware the complainant was out that night and learned through a third party that he was intoxicated.

He said he was concerned for his husband’s safety because he has a history of drunkenly wandering the streets alone. Both men stated there was no physical altercation, but the subject said he did not want to go home with his concerned husband and agreed to be transported to Sarasota Memorial Hospital for a medical evaluation “due to his minor level of intoxication,” according to the report.

MONDAY, MARCH 4

BLESS HIS HEART 4:27 p.m., 2200 block of Ringling Boulevard Civil dispute: After a man gave a woman $350 to allegedly pay her bail bondsman, he called police suspecting he had been swindled.

The complainant said he had met a woman downtown the day prior and they had been texting frequently. He said she divulged that she was out of jail on bond and that she owed her bondsman $378.50. If she didn’t pay, her bond would be revoked and she would return to jail.

The man advised that he began to feel sorry for the woman because she said she had a daughter.

As communications continued, he invited her to his apartment to “hang out and watch movies.” She arrived around 3 a.m., and eventually, the subject of the bail bondsman was raised. The complainant said he decided to give her the money to pay the bondsman “out of the goodness of his heart,” according to the police report.

The complainant advised that a man who she said was her uncle arrived in his vehicle and drove them to a nearby convenience store where he retrieved the cash from an ATM. After returning to his apartment complex, he gave the woman the cash and was then abruptly told by the uncle — who apparently was not concerned enough about the woman’s plight to pay the bail bondsman on her behalf — to exit the vehicle.

He told an officer there was no condition made on giving the woman the money, however he hoped they could continue to “hang out” to-

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TROUBLE WITH THE HOA 9:29 p.m., 3700 block of Amherst Way Residential burglary: What was reported as a burglary turned out to be a construction worker spending the night inside a house he was renovating, with the permission of the property manager, apparently running afoul of the homeowners association’s covenants and restrictions.

Officers spoke with the suspect, who said he had nowhere to go and had asked the property manager if he could spend the night there. The property manager granted permission under the condition that no one else was permitted in the house.

An officer called the complainant who stated that no one is supposed to be on the property because it was under construction, per HOA policy. The officer explained to her that the matter was civil in nature. Another officer spoke with the property manager said a complaining neighbor is the problem, adding that there have been burglaries on the property and allowing the construction worker to stay provided a measure of security.

The property manager said he was not aware that was in violation of HOA policy. Officers advised him to contact the HOA to resolve the issue. Meanwhile, the construction worker was advised that he was allowed to stay because he had permission.

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Petra Rivera

Pilar Tucker works the register at the St. Armands Market, which provides all types of products including food, drinks, cleaning supplies, skin care and more.

Grocer on the Circle The recently opened St. Armands Market offers accessible groceries and beach essentials.

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“We’re trying to have a little bit of everybody’s needs,” said Pilar Tucker, owner. “So for locals, we have the basics if they need to grab something to make for dinner. Then, for the tourists that are staying somewhere else or they just came here to go to the beach, we got your sunscreen, ready-to-go items and any emergency stuff. So people don’t have to go off the island for just one thing.”

St. Armands Market stocks essentials such as eggs, bread, milk, cheese and deli meats. For those in a hurry, the market has ready-to-eat sandwiches, breakfast options, salads, sodas and coffee. People can also buy alcohol there.

There are also cleaning and hygiene products along with sunscreen and skin care products.

Tucker said her family moved to Sarasota from Mexico 14 years ago.

Her parents owned La Malinche, a Mexican restaurant, on St. Armands Circle.

Tucker, who went to culinary school in Mexico, managed the kitchen, and her sister Patricia worked the front of the restaurant. She said that everyone who dined at the restaurant would always ask where was the best place to get essentials on the island.

“My parents have always owned businesses since I was little,” said

Tucker. “So I’ve been blessed to learn from a lot of different businesses.

They were the kind of parents that wanted us to know these things and practice from a young age, which I’m grateful for it.”

Tucker’s parents have since moved and started leasing out the space where their restaurant was. This past year, Tucker proposed to her parents to lease her the space so she could start a market as a way to fill that need and put her knowledge of the area to use. She opened the store with her sister in December 2023.

“I hear this like 20 times a day, especially the first couple months,” said Tucker. “People would walk through the door and say, ‘This was so needed.’ So all the feedback has been pretty positive.”

Since it is a family business and her children help around the store, Tucker tries to keep healthy snacks and ingredients for sale at all times.

She also has stocked the store with local products and imported foods like Italian pasta and Mexican candy.

Tucker said she hopes to continue expanding the grocery section and add an ATM. “We are definitely more of a store that is here when you need us,” said Tucker. “When you need to fill that gap or grab something real quick or you work on the Circle and don’t want to spend a lot of money on lunch, I’ll probably have what you’re looking for. I am that comfort for people here to know that what they needed isn’t as far away as they think.”

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SPORTS Fast

Break

“There is a lot more situational hitting in softball. In baseball, you don’t have to bunt a lot ... In softball, there are more situational things. It is also fast moving all the time.”

— Olivia Lockhart, freshman, Cardinal Mooney softball. SEE PAGE 21A

Line in the sand The Cougars have won back-to-back Sunshine State Athletic Association titles but want more.

RYAN KOHN SPORTS EDITOR

A

Courtesy image

Former SMA rifle shooter Mary Tucker, now at West Virginia University, won the individual smallbore national title and was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the 2024 NCAA Division I Rifle National Championship.

F

ormer Sarasota Military Academy rifle shooter Mary Tucker, a senior at West Virginia University, won the individual smallbore title at the NCAA Division I Rifle National Championship, held March 8-9 in Morgantown, West Virginia. Tucker was also named the Most Outstanding Performer at the championship and led all competitors with a total aggregate score of 1193; she finished third in the air rifle competition. Tucker will represent Team USA at the Paris Olympics in July. … Riverview High junior football punter Nick Delfau received an offer from Grinnell College on March 6. Delfau is rated as a 4.5 star punter and the No. 45 punter in the national class of 2025 by Kohl’s Kicking. Delfau averaged 39 yards per punt in 2023, with 10 punts out of 34 punts landing inside the 20yard line. … Through three starts, former Sarasota High baseball pitcher Conner Whittaker is 2-0 with a 3.63 ERA for Florida State University in 2024. Whittaker, a junior right-hander, has pitched 17.1 innings, striking out 23 batters while walking just three.

The Seminoles are 14-0 as a team and ranked No. 21 by Baseball America as of March 12. … The Sarasota Paradise pre-professional soccer team is looking for nonprofit organizations to feature at its home games during the 2024 season; the home slate of its schedule begins June 1. The organizations selected will receive a table and promotions before and during each game. If interested, reach out to team owner Marcus Walfridson on his X page (@marcuswalfrid) or visit SarasotaParadise.us.

SPRING STARS PAGE 20A

point here and a point there can make all the difference in beach volleyball.

Just ask the Cardinal Mooney High Cougars.

On March 8, the Cougars were a few points shy of taking down New Smyrna Beach High on the road. The Barracudas have not lost a match in nearly two years — since March 29, 2022 — and finished last season as the Florida High School Athletic Association state champions. New Smyrna finished the year ranked No. 2 in the United States by MaxPreps.

Only three teams even won a single pairs match off the Barracudas, and Mooney was one of them, falling 3-1 in the state semifinals while missing three top players.

This year, the match was even closer. Mooney lost 3-2, and the deciding pairs match went the maximum three sets, with New Smyrna ultimately taking it.

The Cougars took the defeat in stride, opting to look at the positives.

They came closer to a win against the Barracudas than just about anyone, and they believe that with a few bounces going a different way, the outcome could be different in a hypothetical rematch.

A rematch that could occur in the FHSAA state championship game.

Cardinal Mooney entered the 2024 season with a strong reputation of its own. The Cougars have won back-to-back Sunshine State Athletic Association titles, opting to play in both it and the FHSAA’s postseason tournaments. Mooney finished the 2023 season ranked ninth in the country per MaxPreps.

It is too early in the season for 2024 rankings, but the Cougars are 7-1 and have appeared as dominant as usual against teams other than New Smyrna. The only other team to challenge Mooney was Hagerty High, which finished 2023 ranked seventh in the country; the Cougars won 3-2 over Hagerty on March 9 on the road.

Cougars juniors Katie Powers and Izzy Russell, who combine to form one of the team’s top pairs, said this year’s team is capable of ending the season on top.

“Our pairs, every practice, are fighting hard,” Russell said. “It’s super competitive. We make each other better.”

On March 12, Powers and Russell won their match against Port Charlotte High in two sets, showcasing their communication and smart decision-making. The pair began playing together last season, they said. Between beach volleyball and the indoor volleyball season, they spend a lot of time together, which has led to sharp chemistry.

It wasn’t always that way. Powers said the 2023 season was her first playing beach volleyball. She made plenty of beginner mistakes, Powers said. It is something that could have put a strain on a pairing; instead, Powers said, Russell was “the nicest, most understanding person.”

“She never got mad at me when I messed up,” Powers said. “That means a lot to me. She’s a great teammate.”

Russell took the compliment with a smile and the shake of her head.

Powers was being modest, Russell said. Powers was, and is, a strong player, especially when it comes to saving balls that Russell thought could not be saved.

“I’ll miss a ball and think, ‘Dang it, the point’s done,’ and then I turn around and Katie’s on the floor and the ball is in the air,” Russell said.

“I’ve learned that the ball is always going to come back up with her. I

Photos by Ryan Kohn

Cardinal Mooney beach volleyball junior Izzy Russell said the team believes it can capture the FHSAA state title this season.

IF YOU GO

What: Cardinal Mooney High beach volleyball (7-1 as of March 12) vs. Riverview High (2-1) When: 4 p.m. March 19 Where: Cardinal Mooney High Why: It’s a chance to catch two local teams in action; the Cougars expect to be FHSAA state title contenders again this spring Mooney pairing to watch: Juniors Katie Powers and Izzy Russell

always have to be ready because she gets to everything.”

Powers and Russell said they do not have a master plan of how to handle any opposing pair in their way. They take things one match at a time, figuring out what their opposition is good at, then finding ways to beat it.

This is where communication comes in, Powers said. Pairs that don’t talk about what needs fixing will not be successful. The pairing is at a point where they can make suggestions to one another without feelings getting hurt.

The same goes for the rest of the Cardinal Mooney roster. The Cougars have always been about depth, not just top-pair talent. It is why the team does not panic even if one of their pairs loses an individual match; they know their teammates will clean it up.

Cardinal Mooney has four home matches remaining, the next being against Riverview High (2-1) at 4 p.m. March 19. As usual under head coach Chad Davis, the Cougars have gone with a challenging schedule, with road matches against perennially strong programs like Berkeley Prep and Calvary Christian among others.

But the postseason, which begins April 22, is what the Cougars are

Cardinal Mooney High junior Katie Powers said pair partner Izzy Russell picked her up when she made mistakes last season, boosting their chemistry.

aiming for.

A return trip to the state tournament is expected, Powers and Russell said. It is what happens there that will have the sport’s community watching.

“We are ready and we are going to work hard,” Russell said. “We are coming for the state title. New Smyrna won the last two years, but we know we’re right there with them.”

YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

PROSE AND KOHN

RYAN KOHN

Spring in their steps W

ith the high school spring sports season now underway — and in the case of sports like lacrosse, approaching the midpoint — it is time to take a glance at some of the season’s under-the-radar athletes.

These eight athletes have impressed with their results. Some of them are seniors who have been consistently producing for years.

Others are freshmen who have started their high school careers with a bang. Regardless of their experience level, they are helping themselves and their programs — while putting on a show for spectators, too.

He has also walked four times.

The most impressive part of Perez’s start? He has zero strikeouts as of March 12 after striking out 16 times last season. That’s elite plate discipline.

CHAUNCEY KENNON, BOOKER HIGH BOYS TRACK AND FIELD

Kennon, a sophomore, transferred to Booker from Southeast High this semester. Kennon is primarily a football player and has received scholarship offers from the universities of Colorado and Tennessee, among other schools, for his play; expect to hear a lot about those skills come the fall season.

In the meantime, Kennon is showing that he’s an all-around athlete. Kennon is currently ranked sixth in Class 2A in the boys high jump after leaping 1.87 meters at the Calvary Christian Warrior Invitational on Feb. 23, taking gold in the event. Kennon is also ranked 21st in Class 2A in the long jump (6.43 meters) and has helped Booker’s 4x100 relay team to a fourthplace ranking (42.77 seconds).

IBRE EDWARDS, BOOKER HIGH GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD

Edwards, a junior, has been a force on the track for the Tornadoes early in the 2024 season. At the 2024 Riverview Ram Invitational on March 7, Edwards won the 100-meter hurdles (17.00 seconds) and the 400-meter hurdles (1:06.71) while helping the 4x400-meter relay team to a third-place finish (4:25.66).

Last season, as a sophomore, Edwards finished seventh at the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 2A state meet in the 100 hurdles (14.90 seconds) and 14th in the 400-meter hurdles (1:08.33). Edwards, like all track athletes, is ramping up to the end of the season, so her times won’t be at their fastest until then, but she’s already faster in the 400 meters than she was at states last year.

That’s a good sign that she’ll be able to finish higher in the standings come May. CAROLINE STEINWACHS, RIVERVIEW HIGH GIRLS LACROSSE

Steinwachs, a junior, is an offensive-minded midfielder who simply gets the job done each game. In

On the diamond, the track and the lacrosse field, these high schoolers are posting impressive stats.

COOPER BACKMAN, RIVERVIEW HIGH BASEBALL

Ryan Kohn

Riverview High girls lacrosse senior Caroline Steinwachs (17) is a consistent offensive threat.

seven games played — the Rams are 6-2, but one win was a forfeit win over Canterbury High — Steinwachs has scored in all but one contest, and she’s scored three goals or more in five of them.

Steinwachs saved her best performance (thus far) for the team’s game against Barron Collier High, when she scored six goals in a 20-13 win. Keeping up that level of performance should propel the Rams

in the second half of the lacrosse season.

JUAN PEREZ, SARASOTA HIGH BASEBALL

After putting up solid numbers as a junior in 2023 — a .319 batting average with 11 RBIs — Juan Perez has broken out in a big way as a senior in 2024. Through nine games, Perez is smashing the ball at a .588 average with three doubles and six RBIs.

The Rams baseball team’s offense has struggled to score in the first part of the 2024 season, but Cooper Backman, a senior, is doing his best to change that. Backman is hitting .370 with a .933 OPS and has scored six of the team’s 28 runs as of March 12. Backman is committed to Lander University.

EVAN POZNANSKI, SARASOTA CHRISTIAN BASEBALL

Poznanski, a freshman, has been getting it done at the plate and on the mound for the Blazers. Poznanski leads the team with a .471 batting average, four doubles and four RBIs through five games. He’s also pitched seven innings, the secondmost on the team, and has allowed

just two earned runs, striking out 12 batters and walking five.

It’s a small sample size, but it’s a great way to start a high school season.

COOPER NICKELSON, SARASOTA HIGH BOYS LACROSSE

Lacrosse stats tend to highlight offensive production, but Nickelson, a sophomore, has been strong on the defensive end for the Sailors.

Nickelson, a long-stick midfielder/defender, has won a team-high 38 ground balls and has forced a team-high 18 turnovers. That is the type of play that can lead to transition offense. Nickelson has three assists and one goal as well.

ALEXANDER BATES, RIVERVIEW HIGH BOYS TRACK AND FIELD

Bates, a sophomore, has made a leap in the pole vault rankings this season.

After reaching the district stage of the postseason as a freshman, with a best vault of 3.45 meters, Bates is ranked sixth in Class 4A as of March 12 with a vault of 3.96 meters, set March 7 at the Riverview Ram Invitational.

That may not sound like a big difference to non-metric system users, but it’s approximately a difference of 1 foot, 8 inches. In the context of pole vault, that’s a sizable difference. Bates is still approximately one foot, four inches behind Class 4A leader Ezra Huber of Bartram Trail High, but he has until May to see if he can make up the difference, or at least get into medal position.

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

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YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

When did you start playing softball?

Well, I actually played baseball my whole life. I just switched to softball in eighth grade. A family friend had been trying to get me to play ever since I was little. I just tried it recently — I was forced to try it — and I was like, “This is kind of cool.” I kept playing from there.

What’s the biggest difference between baseball and softball?

There is a lot more situational hitting in softball. In baseball, you don’t have to bunt a lot. You just try to hit the ball far. In softball, there are more situational things. It is also fast moving all the time.

What is the appeal of softball?

It’s not the same thing every day.

You’re always facing different pitchers and different situations. It’s not repetitive.

What has been the biggest challenge of playing at the varsity level?

Just helping us come together as a team. It’s all brand new and you have to do it right away. The biggest thing in softball is working together. That’s hard when we don’t know each other that well.

What are your goals for the rest of the season?

I want to finish the season above a .500 batting average. I have a high standard for myself. If I hit good then I feel good in general.

What is your favorite food?

Probably burgers. I get them with cheese and ketchup.

Finish this sentence: “Olivia Lockhart is …” … Determined. I’m hard on myself about sports so that I stay on top of things.

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Olivia Lockhart is a freshman on the Cardinal Mooney High softball team.

Over three games played March 4-8, Lockhart went 9-for-13 with three triples, a home run and eight RBIs. Lockhart is hitting .583 on the season as of March 11.

Little League All-Star baseball team won our district. I was 12. It was my last season of Little League. We played a team that had beaten us earlier, and we beat them the second time. I had a good game and it was a lot of fun.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Olivia Lockhart

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.

21A

FEMALE relationship

Saturday, March 18, 2023 9 am - 4 pm Lakewood Ranch Town Hall

I’m Dennis

, a 73 year old man, on a heartfelt search for a lasting connection filled with trust, companionship, and love with a special woman. If you’re interested in embarking on this journey with me, please feel free to drop me a message to know about you at dwalter1551@gmail.com.

I’m open to connecting with someone between the ages of 64 and 81.

What is your best skill?

Base running. I have some natural speed, but my coaches also tell me that I’m smart on the base paths and that I am aggressive, but not too aggressive.

What have you been working to improve?

There is always something I can improve with my hitting. My arm strength, too. I want to build that as I get older.

I hope to find a life partner and a best friend, someone with whom I can share the remainder of my years. Life is meant to be lived to the fullest, hand in hand with someone you truly care about.

What is your favorite memory?

It’s probably when my Sarasota

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YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

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MARCH 14, 2024

YOUR NEIGHBORS ALDAY’S BBQ Ribs ready to be served at Alday’s BBQ.

Off the beaten

Coco De Los Santos prepares chicken on the grill.

A&G CARIBBEAN RIBS

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

path

A short drive from downtown, you can find the smoky flavors of fresh barbecue.

ome of Sarasota’s most popular barbecue ­locations include those without complex recipes or even walls of their own. But they still have classic offerings prepared with care. Here are some local food trucks and spots serving the classics.

PERRY’S ROADSIDE BBQ

At the farm where he grew up in Georgia, Washington Perry would cook barbecue with his uncle on the weekends.

When he came to Florida in 1964, he brought his childhood with him. Since 2005, he has been in the barbecue business, but it was something he had thought about even before then.

While working in food service roles for establishments like Denny’s and Morrison’s, he would take his trailer to the street corner on the weekends to make barbecue.

PERRY’S When he decided ORIGINAL to enter the busiROADSIDE BBQ ness full time, he & CATERING knew he would The New Catering have to give it all Kitchen, 936 42nd his effort.

St. Hours subject His work appears to change based on to have paid off. catering events.

A major moment in his career was gaining the notice of Todd Morton, owner of Morton’s Gourmet Market, who invited him to cook in front of the store, for its deli.

Perry has received recognition, including the 2018 Readers Choice Award from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and an appearance in the book “America’s Best BBQ: 100 Recipes from America’s Best

D&R BBQ & CATERING

Washington Perry

Smokehouses, Pits, Shacks, Rib Joints, Roadhouses, and Restaurants” by Ardie Davis.

One of his items that has received particular attention has been his exclusive sauce brand, Perry’s Sauce, a mildly spicy, tomato-based sauce.

“The key to success is love. If you love it, it’s not a job. It’s a hobby. And I took my hobby and made a job out of it.”

Dale Hill has spent 30 years serving barbecue from the corner of the Jesus Prayerband Church.

“I never wanted a place. I never did want a business anywhere but right here,” he said.

Hill’s cousin, Mildred Snipes, the church founder, told him she had had a vision of him selling barbecue from the church lot. Ever since then, it has been D&R BBQ & the location of D&R BBQ. CATERING But Hill had been in the busi2813 17th St. ness before. He became inter11:30 a.m. ested in barbecue because his to 4:30 p.m. father-in-law, Jerome Stevens, Saturdays. who would often cook for friends Catering and guests, showed him the services also technique and work involved. available.

At the time, Hill worked as a salesperson for Flowers Baking Co., and after working for Coca-Cola in the same capacity, he bought a barbecue truck.

Beginning at a BP station off State Road 64, and later moving to The Landings, he established a following through word of mouth.

What led to his success, he said, is the quality of the meat, including the chicken and the pulled pork, which he finds from various sources based on price and availability.

Finding you...

3877 Clark Road.

11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday to Sunday. Catering services also available.

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2 Miles from Siesta Key Public Beach 5.2 Miles from Downtown Sarasota 8 Miles to St. Armand's Circle 1 Mile to Siesta Key Village 10 Miles to Sarasota/Bradenton Int. Airport Photos may be virtually staged or digitally enhanced and may not reflect the property conditions. All material presented herein is intended for information purposes only. While this information is believed to be correct, it is represented subject to errors, omissions, changes or withdrawal without notice. All property information, including, but not limited to square footage, room count, number of bedrooms and the school district in property listings should be verified by your own attorney, architect or zoning expert. Equal housing opportunity.

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6021 MIDNIGHT PASS ROAD | SIESTA KEY 417019-1

BBQ S

Photos by Ian Swaby

When Coco De Los Santos came to Sarasota in 1989 from the Dominican Republic, he did not speak English.

When he visited a restaurant, he would stand behind a friend in line. When they ordered their food, he would state, “same thing.”

A former baseball player in the Dominican Republic whose A&G uncle was Tony Fernández, a CARIBBEAN five-time Major League Baseball RIBS All-Star, De Los Santos was left 3250 Desoto unable to play the sport after Road. 10 a.m. breaking his ankle. to 7 p.m.

Then, after he lost his job Wednesday to with a commercial refrigerator Saturday. company in Sarasota, a friend Catering also suggested he start a cooking available. business, and he found a place for his native barbecue cuisine and its distinct seasonings and flavors.

His mother had always liked to cook, and he had also liked to host parties and barbecues with his friends.

Although he didn’t have the money to buy an enclosed trailer, he built one himself.

“I just bought me a weld machine and started,” he said. “When you don’t got the money, you got to be creative.”

He built a grill and found a space on Tallevast Road, then moved to University Parkway and eventually to his current space on DeSoto Road.

“I do this because I love it, because I like to do it, not to have a big franchise,” he said.

When he worked in the rodeo for about 10 years, Jeff Alday was on the road constantly, but after changing careers, he had to come up with a new plan.

He asked his father not to sell the cookers he had been using to make barbecue for parties and friends, and he and his wife, Lisa Alday, started a business.

They built additional cookers and went on to establish a catering business, as well as the restaurant Alday’s BBQ in a building on Clark Road, which eventually switched to a different building along the road after outgrowing its first location.

However, a project on Clark Road eventually put the restaurant out of business.

Alday worked in construction for a year, but the efforts did not pan out, so 12 years ago, he decided to return to the restaurant business, this time with just a tent and a cooker.

The success of his two barbecue stands grew quickly — one is in Sarasota and the other is in Bradenton.

“A lot of people don’t think much of a roadside stand sometimes, but come take a look at my place,” he said.

“My trailers are clean over here, and we’ve got good, clean working people in there.”

The key to their success, he said, is fresh barbecue every day; the recipes are simple, requiring only salt and pepper.

“My saying is, over here you’ll never make a living selling yesterday’s barbecue today,” he said.

In fact, he takes the leftover meat to Harvest Tabernacle of Sarasota, as well as to the Salvation Army.

That isn’t to say that there isn’t plenty of work involved, however. Work begins in the early morning, with about seven hours in the barbecue stand before a piece of meat can be served.

“A lot of people, they ask me all the time, ‘I wish I had your job. I say, ‘Well, you know what? Why don’t you come follow me sometimes if you think it’s easy?’”

YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

JAMES PETER MANAGING EDITOR

A

More than a friend

Beth Usher and Gromit on Siesta Beach

Beth Usher endured brain surgery, befriended Mr. Rogers, spreads humor and now spends time on Siesta Key with her best friend and service dog.

dog named Gromit opens doors for Beth Usher, age 44.

She and her family split time each year between their home in Connecticut and Siesta Key — they fell for the barrier island community seven years ago.

But to understand Beth’s friendship with Gromit, we have to start in Connecticut.

Beth was 5 years old when the seizures began — she suffered more than 100 a day. Her only relief came when she watched “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

There was something about his voice or the methodical pace of the show that calmed her condition.

But let’s not throw around the word “miracle” too casually. Let’s save it for what happens next.

Beth had a rare condition called Rasmussen’s encephalitis. (Incidence rate: one in 10 million.) There was no other cure, doctors said, except for a daylong surgery to remove the left side of her brain.

Her parents contacted Mr. Rogers’ TV studio before the operation.

She was 7 years old. They hoped for a photo or maybe a letter of inspiration. Instead, Mr. Rogers called Beth before her surgery. They talked for an hour.

A few days later, the Ushers drove to Johns Hopkins Children’s Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. The surgery, performed by Dr. Ben Carson in February 1987, was seemingly a success. But hours later, Beth fell into a coma. Two weeks later, she was still unconscious.

And then Mr. Rogers arrived and sat at her bedside. His only condition: no media.

Can you say hero?

He wasn’t there when she woke up another two weeks later. But the familiar puppets were. She had missed the show he had put on just for her.

But there were no more seizures.

When Mr. Rogers heard the good news, he came back to visit. It was the start of a friendship between Beth and Mr. Rogers that endured for decades, until Fred Rogers died in 2003.

Since then, Beth has become a writer, a keynote speaker, an artist and a humor professional with the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor. She makes coloring books that make people laugh and that raise money for causes she cares about, like the nonprofit Canine Companions, which has a Florida branch.

So we need to talk about Gromit, a service dog who came into Beth’s life through the Canine Companions program.

There are the daily physical tasks Gromit performs for Usher. She has two titanium rods in her back supporting her spine, so it’s a struggle for Usher to retrieve dropped objects from the floor. Her right side is weaker and she can’t use that hand.

Gromit brings in the mail, he can pick up pens, paper and anything else she drops. He can even open the fridge.

But the most important thing her Canine Companion does for her is to open doors. The physical ones, sure, those are important. But it’s the invisible ones that mark lives, that close us off from others or allow us to open up to them.

Gromit has opened the door to new friendships and connections for Beth, said Kathy Usher, Beth’s mom.

He’s a conversation starter. His presence boosts her confidence talking to new people.

And he makes her laugh.

“I can’t imagine my life without him,” said Beth. “Gromit is my best friend. I think he truly understands me.”

CHANCE MEETING

It took a moment of serendipity to bring Canine Companions and Gromit into the Ushers’ lives.

Kathy was with Beth at a doctor’s office in Connecticut. In the waiting room there was a boy with a wellmannered dog wearing a vest, who picked up the items he dropped.

Kathy asked the boy’s mother about the dog.

Kathy looked up Canine Companions online and learned about how the organization places service dogs with adults and children with disabilities, veterans with disabilities or post-traumatic stress disorder and health care and criminal jus-

Courtesy photos

“I can’t imagine my life without (Gromit).”

— Beth Usher

tice professionals. The dogs receive extensive training and are placed at no cost to the recipient.

Soon after, Kathy submitted an application.

She didn’t tell her daughter about it at first. She didn’t want to get Beth’s hopes up.

The family had a dog before — a pet, not a worker. His name was Casey, and he was a golden retriever who became such an integral part of the family that the Ushers couldn’t imagine grieving the loss of another dog.

Until Gromit.

TOP OF THE LIST

In 2021, the Ushers reached the top of Canine Companions’ waiting list.

But one doesn’t just pick up a Canine Companion like a puppy from a neighbor dog’s litter.

By the time the Ushers went to Long Island to the Canine Companions Northeast training headquarters, the dogs they would meet had already been trained for almost two SEE FRIENDSHIP, PAGE 4B

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FRIENDSHIP

RIGHT ON SCHEDULE

FROM PAGE 2B

years by puppy raisers and Canine Companions staff. The volunteer puppy raisers teach the future companions the basics — sit, stay, heel.

They housebreak them and acclimate the dogs to a wide variety of environments before staff members teach the dogs more advanced commands and skills.

The first few days at the Canine Companions facility in Long Island, Beth spent time with a few different dogs. The staff evaluated her and the dogs for fit. Some of the dogs were too high-energy for her needs.

One went home with a Connecticut police officer, another with an occupational therapist.

And then there was Gromit. A bit of a couch potato but one with a work ethic. He was the perfect fit for Beth.

For the rest of the week-anda-half in Long Island, the Ushers learned how to handle Gromit and he got to know his new employers.

The Ushers had to learn his many commands. Until he hears the word “release” for example, Gromit’s at work.

Gromit had an immediate effect on the Ushers that they have felt ever since he was paired with Beth.

“I think whoever has a Canine Companion is extremely blessed. It’s changed my life in ways I can’t even explain,” Beth said. “Gromit and I have this connection.”

Beth and Gromit are together practically 24/7, and he is nothing if not punctual, Beth said.

Breakfast is at 9 a.m. Bedtime is at 9 p.m. (But only after Beth says to him, “release.”)

In between, Gromit is at her side.

“I love going on long walks with Gromit,” Beth said. “And how happy he is to be around us and to play with us.”

Among her other passions, Beth designs coloring books. The first raised money for the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor and sold out. The latest was inspired by Siesta Key Wine Bar and everything wine related. The wine bar recently hosted Beth Usher Day, a fundraiser for Canine Companions (see sidebar).

“It’s like Disneyland to me,” Beth said of the time she spends on Siesta Key. Roughly speaking, at a minimum, Beth said she draws a sun or sunset a day.

“I’m going to make a wedding booklet for my cousins who are getting married in November,” said Beth.

She did a design for a friend, a widow, who lives on Siesta Key. Her husband was a WWII veteran and used to play “Taps” on a bugle each evening.

Now she plays a recording.

And now she has some new artwork — a Beth Usher design.

It seems strange to think that such a person should have trouble making friends, but it’s been a challenge for her.

“The No. 1 thing (with Gromit) is

THE DANCER WHO DEFINED A GENERATION

companionship. It’s really amazing how Beth is really friendly and outgoing, but because of her disability, making friends is difficult,” Kathy said. “People stop her to talk to her about Gromit. It’s given her a lot of confidence in talking to people.”

As Beth works on a new design, Gromit lies at her feet, relaxing until a task arises. When they’re apart, which isn’t often. Gromit misses her. “(Beth) was lonely,” said Kathy.

“Gromit is so thrilled to see her when she comes home. It’s just made her feel tremendous.”

And Gromit keeps pace with Beth.

Literally. She walks with a limp, so when they walk together, which they do almost every day, he moves at her pace.

And here’s the wisdom of dogs.

Much of our world moves at an unforgiving pace, rarely bending itself to our needs. Not dogs, not the best of them. We can’t speak their language. But they can speak ours without saying a word.

“He’s smarter than me, my mom and my dad put together,” said Beth.

Gromit is 5 years old now. He’s due for retirement at age 8. Technically, he doesn’t belong to the Ushers. Not yet.

The Ushers will legally adopt Gromit when he retires. They hope to get another service dog for Beth afterward. “(Gromit) wouldn’t be required to work,” explained Kathy. “He’d be a pet.”

He’ll still open doors, though.

BETH USHER DAY On Feb. 22, the Siesta Key Wine Bar hosted its first Beth Usher Day. The event drew more than 50 people, said Melanie Dodge, who owns the bar with her husband, Tom. With their admission, guests received a Siesta Key Wine Bar-inspired coloring book designed by Beth, crayons and a glass of wine. All proceeds from the event went to Canine Companions.

Melanie Dodge said the event raised about $2,000 for the nonprofit.

“People loved (the books),” said Melanie.

“It was so funny.”

The Dodges got to know the Ushers and Gromit through the family’s visits with their friends about four years ago.

“She just makes me want to be better,” said Melanie.

She explained the event won’t be a oneoff and that the wine bar plans to make it an annual occurrence.

Courtesy photos

A Beth Usher coloring book design and wineinspired drawings

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efficiently connected to community resources will cease to exist.

211 will direct Sarasota County residents to the county’s 311 line, but 311 is different from 211. It doesn’t have the curated system of nonprofits to effectively make referrals, and it’s only staffed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. There will no longer be a line available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We all know that a crisis can occur at any time of day or night.

County Commission decision will bring end to 211 for Sarasota County residents 211 IN SARASOTA COUNTY

BY THE NUMBERS 43 YEARS that 211 has been provided to Sarasota County.

11,863 CALLS from Sarasota County answered by 211 call specialists in FY2023.

4,685 ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS from

Sarasota County (chat/text/email) managed by 211 specialists in FY2023.

18,828 REFERRALS made for 211 Sarasota County callers, including 8,331 referrals for housing/shelter.

2,287 REFERRALS made in

the days after Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Idalia.

1,929 SERVICES that 211

maintains data and availability for Sarasota County callers.

Every word in the conversation dripped thousands of Sarasota residents have We’re asking the board to craft a more with concern. come to rely on for more than 40 years. positive funding solution, not for our The 92-year-old caller reached out to In fiscal year 2023 (October 1, 2022, organizations but for all the people who United Way Suncoast after learning through September 30, 2023), 211’s have come to rely on the vital services Sarasota County residents will no longer trained call specialists answered 11,863 provided by 211. If you believe in 211, have access to 211 after April 1. She shared calls and responded to an additional 4,685 please contact your Sarasota County she had never sought social services until electronic communications (chat/text/ Commissioners today. her husband died recently. They made do email). Callers received 18,828 referrals, with their Social Security checks but after providing a pipeline for community his death, she needed added support. members and the local organizations that provide more than 1,900 services. This A call to 211 led her to acquire a free mobile loss will be as crippling for nonprofits as it phone and eliminate a monthly bill of $89. will be for community residents.

She asked several times, “Who will I call if I need more help?”

Local foundations and donors also have concerns. Because of the commission’s She’s not alone in asking that question, decision, their community investments because the Sarasota County Commission to support an array of nonprofits will has chosen to defund 211 and deny its be disrupted because the system that residents a lifeline to critical services.

United Way Suncoast, our 211 partners Glasser/Schoenbaum Society and Heart of Florida United Way - and an array of nonprofits and foundations have joined us in asking the commission to restore the funding.

The commission’s Sept. 11 decision will eliminate a service that hundreds of

Michael Moran - mmoran@scgov.net Mark Smith - mhsmith@scgov.net Neil Rainford - nrainford@scgov.net Joe Neunder - jneunder@scgov.net Ron Cutsinger - rcutsinger@scgov.net Jessica Muroff serves as CEO of United Way Suncoast, a nonprofit that serves five counties (Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, Hillsborough, Pinellas) by elevating early learning and education and empowering families through financial stability.

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Since the commission eliminated funding, United Way Suncoast officials have met with four county commissioners and the county administrator to explain why 211 should remain a public-private partnership. We’ve also detailed the vital role it plays in the wake of disasters. After Hurricane Ian in 2022 and Idalia in 2023, 211 specialists fielded 2,287 calls from Sarasota residents seeking food and shelter.

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Tribute to an icon

A

lthough it’s just a coincidence that she shares a first name with the famous singer-songwriter, Joni Adno has long been passionate about the work of Joni Mitchell.

Adno discovered Mitchell in the 1970s, as a young girl growing up in the San Marco neighborhood in Jacksonville, and never forgot the impact the music left on her life.

Throughout the next decades, which she spent as an elementary music teacher in various locations, including Philippi Shores Elementary in Sarasota from 2001-2002, a store owner, a real estate agent and, beginning in 2005, a professional musician, she had a project firmly in mind.

In 2021, it finally came to fruition when she founded The Joni Project. In 2022, the band rebranded as Project:JONI. The band features Joe Bruno on bass, Bob Miner on saxophone, Paul Cartwright on drums, Andrew Chalaire on lead guitar and Adno on vocals, guitar and piano.

Mitchell, 80, is considered one of the most influential artists to emerge from the 1960s folk music scene. The Canadian American musician has received 11 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

But how does one go about paying tribute to an icon?

What inspired you to create Project:JONI? Joni Mitchell inspired me, obviously.

I didn’t find her until probably 1975. She came out with “Court and Spark,” and that was the first album. I was driving, and I heard “Help Me,” and I got the album and just immediately fell in love.

I was probably 18-ish. Being a

How long had you been considering the idea of a tribute band?

It’s been something I wanted to do since I was 20.

I guess the first song I learned was “A Case of You,” and I just fell in love with her way of songwriting.

You’re named after a singer but not Joni Mitchell?

My father was a drummer and vocalist, and so he loved jazz and the Great American Songbook.

When I was born, I was the third girl, and I was supposed to be a boy, and he wanted me to have his initials. I was going to be JPK (after John Pyram King).

Obviously, I couldn’t be John, so he named me Joni after Joni James, who was a singer at the time, in the 1950s. And for my middle name, I needed a “P.” So he named me after (actress and singer) Pearl Bailey, so my middle name is Pearl.

So, I’m named after two singers, but not Joni Mitchell.

How daunting was it to take on a project representing the work of such a well-loved artist?

Because I’ve been working on it my whole life and I know her music, it wasn’t daunting for me to take on the project, but during our first gig at Fogartyville, I was terrified.

When you’re terrified and you’re singing, it’s not the best. We’re sounding a lot better these days, because we’re all getting more comfortable with the material.

Thank goodness we have record-

Courtesy image

Joe Bruno, Paul Cartwright, Joni Adno and Bob Miner perform at Fogartyville.

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES AN EVENING OF JONI MITCHELL WITH PROJECT:JONI 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14 at Historic Heard Opera House, 106 W. Oak St., Arcadia.

Tickets are $15.

Project:JONI also performs each month at JR’s Old Packinghouse Cafe, 987 S. Packinghouse Road, Sarasota.

Visit JoniAdno.Weebly.com.

ings; you can record and listen to yourself. I have been to shows before where people would do a Joni Mitchell song, and I’d be like, “Wow, I can do that better.” I never didn’t have faith that I could do it.

I don’t try to reproduce her sound. I do it with my own personality and my own twist. But I do stay true to the structure, the music and the chordal progressions. I don’t change the songs.

How do you manage the alternate guitar tunings of Mitchell’s work?

You have to either keep tuning the guitar, which breaks the strings, or have a lot of guitars, so in my show,

I use eight guitars.

I’ve just collected them over the years. I have two long neck Ovations. The bottom note of a regular guitar tuning is E, and I have a couple of guitars that I have to tune down to a B, and so having the long neck allows a longer string which allows for the deeper tonations of the lower notes.

Some of the songs are in the same tuning, so it’s like, “I can use this guitar for four songs; I can use this guitar for one song.”

Because I’m playing in tunings, I’m learning off of something called tablature. A lot of times, I’m just learning the tablature and I don’t even know what chords I’m playing, so I can’t tell my band.

My band might be a little frustrated sometimes with learning the song, but once you learn the song, it’s not difficult to play.

How did you assemble a band that could pay a fitting tribute?

I found guys that they didn’t know a lot of her music at the time, but they loved her and they were so committed to learning, so I was super fortunate in finding the band members that I have.

It’s really hard to find good musicians who actually can play the music, because they’re always busy with gigs. That’s why this band is

really special, because all of our musicians are playing other gigs, but they take the time to be a part of this.

What has the response from audiences been?

They are so great. My audiences are really appreciative because Joni Mitchell has not performed a whole lot. The audience is very responsive and what I love best is that they sing along. Everybody knows the words.

What do you hope Project:JONI will achieve?

I would like to continue her legacy.

Certainly, there’s good music today, but there’s no reason to forget about the past either.

I hope that more people become familiar with her music and her poetry, and give her more kudos in the latter stages of her life, so she knows how much she’s loved.

What is your favorite Joni Mitchell song?

I don’t have one.

“Amelia” was a song that helped me through a big heartbreak, so I love that song, but her work is all so beautiful. It’s like the next one is better than the last one, so you can’t really have a favorite with Joni Mitchell, I don’t think.

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young person, it’s not easy. It’s not easy today, but it wasn’t even easy back then either.

She emotionally helped me as a young woman finding my place in the world, because the way she wrote just spoke to me, and I know it speaks to a lot of other people too.

She has such a poignant way of putting things. She doesn’t just say, “I love you,” or “I’m sad.” Instead of saying “I’m sad,” she’ll say “I wish I had a river I could skate away on. I wish I had a river so long, I’d teach my feet to fly.”

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Sarasota’s Joni Adno brings to life the sounds of music icon Joni Mitchell.

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

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ORAL REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING THE REPRESENTATIONS OF THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS REFERENCE SHOULD BE MADE TO THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY SECTION 718.503, FLORIDA STATUTES, TO BE FURNISHED BY A DEVELOPER TO A BUYER OR LESSEE. ALL RENDERINGS AND PLANS ARE PROPOSED CONCEPTS SHOWN ONLY FOR MARKETING PURPOSES AND ARE BASED ON THE DEVELOPER’S CURRENT PRELIMINARY DEVELOPMENT PLAN. DEVELOPER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY, REVISE OR WITHDRAW THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT PLAN IN DEVELOPER’S SOLE DISCRETION WITHOUT NOTICE. NOTHING HEREIN OR IN ANY OTHER COMMUNICATION SHALL BE DEEMED TO OBLIGATE THE DEVELOPER, OR ANY AFFILIATE OF DEVELOPER, TO CONSTRUCT THE PROJECT OR OFFER ANY OF THE PROJECT FOR SALE, AND NOTHING HEREIN SHALL BE DEEMED A GUARANTY OF ANY KIND. THIS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SALE OR SOLICITATION OF OFFERS TO BUY.

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Join us for our annual Schoenbaum Humanitarian Award Luncheon

Front:Joe and Dara Brooks: Back: Ken Freeman, Nazaria D., and Patricia Freeman

Speaker Sir Billy Dorsey, Jr.

100% of the proceeds support The Salvation Army Sarasota County

Honoring Youth of the Year U

Call (941) 552-5177 for tickets or sponsorship information Honoree Kim Cornetet 421339-1

nder the starry Sarasota skies Photos by Janet Combs on a night made for camping, Lee Wetherington with President and CEO Bill or just a good old-fashioned Sadlo barbecue, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties celebrated five young female finalists who exemplify the clubs’ mission in the Youth of the Year competition.

Ashley V., of Venice High School; Ava M. and Nishalle U., of Pine View School; Sierra M., of Riverview High School; and Bianca D., of North Port High School, were featured on large video screens telling their stories of how the clubs have changed their lives, and what their futures look like.

The organization’s annual Steak and Burger Event was another soldout affair, as more than 300 people gathered under the pavilion on the Bianca D. won Youth of the Year and now moves Lee Wetherington campus March on to the Florida State Championships.

1. Dressed in Western wear, guests mingled and enjoyed appetizers and music. With the Fruitville Road and ignited my passion for service,” Gecko’s catering team in place, the she said. “I am committed to showing fare consisted of all the typical barbe- my gratitude by uplifting communicue fixings. ties like those impacted by the club, As winner of the Youth of the Year enabling others to discover the power award, Bianca D. will go on to comof their voices.” pete in the state competition. She Proceeds from the event will give said she plans to study psychology Boys & Girls Clubs members greater and theology with hopes of being a opportunities to excel in school, family therapist and preacher. become leaders, live healthy life“The relationships, lessons and op- styles and plan for success after high portunities that Boys Girls Club has schoolout graduation.

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

SARASOTA 340 W Royal Flamingo Drive 4 Beds 6/1 Baths 6,067 Sq. Ft. Barbara May 404-822-9264 A4601285 $8,995,000

SARASOTA 1451 Rebecca Lane 4 Beds 5 Baths 4,683 Sq. Ft. Denise Mei 941-685-3198 A4593160 $3,500,000

SARASOTA 35 Watergate Drive 503 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,985 Sq. Ft. Joan Dickinson & Beth Afflebach 941-914-0496 A4601273 $3,200,000

SARASOTA 556 N Washington Drive 3 Beds 3 Baths 1,799 Sq. Ft. Ann Martin & Joanna Benante 941-356-7717 A4601594 $3,000,000

SARASOTA 567 Bellora Way 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,933 Sq. Ft. Ann Martin & Joanna Benante 941-356-7717 A4601634 $2,500,000

SIESTA KEY 7320 Melaleuca Way 5 Beds 4 Baths 3,766 Sq. Ft. Steve Hagan 941-900-4126 A4592388 $2,225,000

UNIVERSITY PARK 7227 Marlow Place 4 Beds 3 Baths 3,410 Sq. Ft. Melba Jimenez, Pa 941-356-3970 A4597494 $1,990,000

SARASOTA 422 Burns Court 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,147 Sq. Ft. Linda Driggs 941-374-2920 A4600572 $1,700,000

SIESTA KEY 19 Whispering Sands Drive 1204 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,282 Sq. Ft. Pat Rodriguez 941-685-5805 A4594012 $1,425,000

SIESTA KEY 6342 Midnight Pass Road 332 2 Beds 2 Baths 852 Sq. Ft. Rudy Dudon 941-234-3991 A4593952 $1,400,000

SIESTA KEY 5880 Midnight Pass Road 509 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,713 Sq. Ft. Linda Stowe 941-228-5685 A4601184 $1,375,000

SIESTA KEY 6480 Midnight Pass Road 304 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,265 Sq. Ft. Kaitlin Kuhn 941-400-7861 A4593244 $990,000

SARASOTA 4688 Long Lake Drive 4 Beds 2/2 Baths 3,448 Sq. Ft. Robert Krasow 617-840-1181 A4598991 $975,000

SARASOTA 626 46th Street 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,351 Sq. Ft. Lenore Treiman 941-356-9642 A4601309 $739,500

SARASOTA 5224 Creekside Trail 3 Beds 2 Baths 2,113 Sq. Ft. Elisa Gersman 941-735-0595 A4600759 $640,000

SARASOTA 346 Suwanee Avenue 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 1,945 Sq. Ft. Stephen Weeks 941-504-3689 A4584936 $625,000

SARASOTA 1613 Idle Lane 3 Beds 3 Baths 1,949 Sq. Ft. Josie Cline 941-266-6661 A4600334 $615,000

SARASOTA 750 N Tamiami Trail 302 2 Beds 1 Baths 1,065 Sq. Ft. Drew Russell 941-993-3739 A4601439 $560,000

SARASOTA 7526 Quinto Drive 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,680 Sq. Ft. Stacy Haas 941-587-4359 A4600628 $550,000

SARASOTA 5835 Helicon Place 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,534 Sq. Ft. Kaitlin Kuhn 941-400-7861 A4596113 $539,000

SARASOTA 835 S Osprey Avenue 208 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,260 Sq. Ft. Elisa Gersman 941-735-0595 A4600619 $515,000

SARASOTA 4160 Moss Oak Place 43 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,813 Sq. Ft. Pam Sweeney 941-266-9622 A4601122 $425,000

SARASOTA 1278 Grantham Drive 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 2,134 Sq. Ft. Fred Sassen 404-408-5956 A4601118 $399,000

SARASOTA 7782 Eagle Creek Drive 7494 2 Beds 2 Baths 983 Sq. Ft. Derek Johnson 941-600-9133 A4600944 $264,900

SARASOTA 34 Strathmore Boulevard 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,195 Sq. Ft. Peggy Wellman & Robert Moffatt 941-374-0811 A4601819 $257,500

SARASOTA 1449 Hillview Drive 5 Beds 4/1 Baths 4,982 Sq. Ft. Barbara May 404-822-9264 A4600257 $6,500,000

SIESTA KEY 7314 Point Of Rocks Road 4 Beds 4 Baths 2,977 Sq. Ft. Jonathan Abrams 941-232-2868 A4586498 $4,995,000

SIESTA KEY 3916 N Shell Road 4 Beds 3/3 Baths 4,087 Sq. Ft. Olivia Marciniak 941-400-1623 A4599883 $4,799,500

888.552.5228 | MICHAELSAUNDERS.COM

421084-1

14B

YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

ADAM HUGHES

Other top sales by area

RESEARCH EDITOR

A

home in Siesta Properties tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. William Bennett, of Sarasota, sold his home at 7722 Sanderling Road to Robert and Diane Bennett, of Sarasota, for $6.5 million. Built in 1983, it has two bedrooms, three baths and 2,377 square feet of living area. It sold for $731,800 in 1996.

SARASOTA: $2.1 MILLION

Sapphire Shores Andrew Thomas McLellan, of New Orleans, sold the home at 4931 Bay Shore Road to Robert Salie, of Sarasota, for $2.1 million. Built in 1952, it has three bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,023 square feet of living area. It sold for $915,000 in 2020.

Courtesy of Inbal August

A home in Siesta Properties tops all transactions in this week’s real estate at $6.5 million. Built in 1983, it has two bedrooms, three baths and 2,377 square feet of living area.

GULF GATE EAST

SARASOTA ONE PALM

Michael and Charlotte Asen, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 501 condominium at 711 S. Palm Ave. to Jeffery Gray, of Edgewater, Maryland, for $2,025,000. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 1,883 square feet of living area.

It sold for $1,357,700 in 2019.

SAPPHIRE SHORES

Steven and Judy Orich, trustees, sold the home at 512 Sapphire Drive to Michael and Charlotte Asen, of Sarasota, for $1,515,000. Built in 1951, it has three bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,011 square feet of living area. It sold for $785,000 in 2017.

SCHOOL AVENUE TOWNHOMES

Collage on 5th LLC sold the home at 2197 Main St. to Michael James Fitch, of Sarasota, for $1,326,700.

Built in 2023, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,428 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.5 million in 2021.

THE CONDOMINIUM ON THE BAY

Kathryn McLean Singer, trustee, sold the Unit 1402 condominium at 888 Boulevard of the Arts to Imperial Development and Real Estate LLC for $1,175,000. Built in 1982, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,288 square feet of living area. It sold for $480,000 in 2016.

SARASOTA BAY CLUB

Sarasota Bay Club LLC sold the Unit 808 condominium at 1301 Tamiami Trail to Peter and Amy Roth, of Sarasota, for $1.14 million. Built in 2000, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,546 square feet of living area. It sold for $548,000 in 2014.

Martin Murphy and Robert Yourtee, of Marietta, Georgia, sold their home at 6907 Easton Court to Peter Stephen Labes and Janes Cecelia Labes, of Kenmore, Washington, for $805,000. Built in 1984, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,869 square feet of living area. It sold for $348,500 in 2014.

THE LANDINGS TREEHOUSE

Melanie Lewandowski, of Sarasota, sold her Unit 34 condominium at 1489 Landings Lake Drive to Debra Spector, trustee, of Sarasota, for $800,000. Built in 1981, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,040 square feet of living area.

It sold for $495,000 in 2021.

Howard and Ruth Taylor, trustees, sold the Unit 61 condominium at 1450 Landings Circle to Daniel Abrams, trustee, of Sarasota, for $770,000. Built in 1982, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,216 square feet of living area.

It sold for $567,500 in 2018.

Stacia Bontrager, of Sarasota, sold her home at 2540 Sunnyside St. to Joshua Bradshaw Thirion and Sandra Thirion, of Sarasota, for $615,000. Built in 1958, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,387 square feet of living area. It sold for $144,000 in 2002.

Georgia Grant and Raymond Grant, trustees, of Marietta, Georgia, sold the home at 2527 Sheridan Drive to Teresa Jarmul, of Sarasota, for $605,000. Built in 1964, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,519 square feet of living area. It sold for $190,000 in 2014.

ONLINE See more transactions at YourObserver.com

PALMER RANCH: $1.1 MILLION

Esplanade on Palmer Ranch Christopher and Kathleen Kelly, of Bradenton, sold their home at 5409 Bartolomeo St. to Dennis Britton, of Meredith, New Hampshire, for $1.1 million. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,335 square feet of living area.

It sold for $545,000 in 2018.

OSPREY: $1.8 MILLION

Oaks II Daniel Long III, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 588 Eagle Watch Lane to Alison Thurau, trustee, of Osprey, for $1.8 million. Built in 1995, it has four bedrooms, four-and-two-half baths, a pool and 4,686 square feet of living area.

It sold for $1,064,000 in 2017.

NOKOMIS: $975,000

Sorrento Woods Kevin and Cynthia Perrault, trustees, of Hampton, New Hampshire, sold the home at 1225 Sorrento Woods Blvd. to Leo Steven Savola and Carla AscencioSavola, trustees, of Miami, for $975,000.

Built in 1996, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,957 square feet of living area. It sold for $960,000 in 2022.

WEBER

Jessica Marrone Parkes and Cary Parkes, of Sarasota, sold their home at 981 Caloosa Drive to Devil’s Rock LLC for $749,000. Built in 1950, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 1,838 square feet of living area.

It sold for $575,000 in 2021.

In with the new NOW TAKING CONTRACTS

RYDBERG’S

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Consigliere Wealth Management Inc. and SOJO SRQ LLC sold the home at 2620 Grafton St. to Robert and Jane Nicklin, of New York City, for $650,000. Built in 1973, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,545 square feet of living area.

It sold for $300,000 in 2022.

PHILLIPPI GARDENS

Patricia Ann Reynolds, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 1217 Holly Fern Lane to James V. Fiorica and James T. Fiorica, of Sarasota, for $925,000. Built in 1999, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,528 square feet of living area. It sold for $360,000 in 2001.

Virginia Collins, of Sarasota, Robert Collins, of Blairsville, Georgia, and Carl Collins, of Sarasota, sold their home at 2303 Constitution Blvd. to Marc Pelletz, of Sarasota, for $635,000. Built in 1961, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,820 square feet of living area. It sold for $31,500 in 1972.

GRANADA

SOUTH GATE

MANDARIN PARK

FEB. 26-MARCH 1

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MOVE-IN SPRING 2024

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

These are the largest city of Sarasota building permits issued for the week of Feb. 26March 1, in order of dollar amounts.

GOLDEN GATE POINT

LONGBOAT KEY

CITY OF SARASOTA

En Pointe | 941.685.1598 | enpointesarasota.com | From $2,775,000

Angel Sigurani, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 3603 Almeria Ave. to Ruth Schneider, of Ft. Myers, for $900,000. Built in 1952, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,170 square feet of living area. It sold for $232,000 in 2002.

REAL ESTATE

Sanderling Road home tops sales at $6.5 million

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

15B

James and Tiffany Laughlin sold their home at 2945 Upper Tangelo Drive to Atomic Tangelo LLC for $625,000. Built in 1960, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 1,439 square feet of living area. It sold for $190,000 in 2015.

TOP BUILDING PERMITS

Permit

Applicant

Amount

619 Osprey Ave.

Pool/Deck

Duffin Newman

$82,200

2615 Puritan Terrace

Pool/Spa

Gregory Tatum

$81,500

988 Blvd. of the Arts #815

Remodel

Ronald Naples

$62,000

1621 Bay Point Court

Pool

Allen Shipes

$61,000

21 Lands End Lane

Dock

Allen Baidey

$44,139

1255 N. Gulfstream Ave. #1406

Doors

Doris Woeltjen

$43,715

350 Golden Gate Point #32

Windows

Brenda Brown

$40,816

3533 Tangier Terrace

Pool Cage

Fabian Manzano

$30,389

2024 Central Ave.

Fence/Gate

Robert Caldwell

$22,443

1695 Arlington St.

Screen Enclosure

Allison Gregory

$21,616 Source: City of Sarasota

The Residences at the St. Regis | 941.213.3300 | SRResidencesLongboatKey.com

Sales galleries open and available for virtual or in-person presentations.

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MichaelSaunders.com/New-Homes | 844.591.4333 | Sarasota, Florida Prices as of November 2023

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

GO WILD AT CRITTER CAMP! AGES 8-14 | REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

417461-1

SCIENCE LESSONS | GUEST SPEAKERS CRAFTS | CATS

941-366-2404 | 2542 17th St., Sarasota, FL 34234 | www.catdepot.org

St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church

YOUR CALENDAR

16B

416963-1

Would like to Welcome & Invite You, Your Family Members & Friends to Celebrate Mass with Our Parish Community MASS SCHEDULE Saturday: 4:00 PM Sunday: 8:00 AM, 9:30 AM, and 11:00 AM Daily Mass at 9:00 AM; Rosary at 8:30 AM Monday - Friday 4280 Gulf of Mexico Drive Chaplet of Divine Mercy daily following Mass.

Longboat Key, FL 34228 941-383-1255 • www.stmarylbk.org

SATURDAY, MARCH 16

BEST BET

ANNUAL LEPRECHAUN HUNT 10 a.m. at The Children’s Garden and Art Center, 1670 10th Way. Included with admission (adults and teens 13 years and older, $10 plus tax; children 3 years and up, $6 plus tax; infants and toddlers 2 and younger, free). Leprechauns have hidden treasure around the garden. Visitors can hunt for and find the gold and trade it in to receive lucky leprechaun loot.

SarasotaChildrensGarden.com.

FRIDAY, MARCH 15 — SUNDAY, MARCH 24

SARASOTA COUNTY FAIR 5-11 p.m. first Friday; noon to 11 p.m.

Saturdays; noon to 10 p.m. Sundays; 4-11 p.m. second Friday. Monday-Thursday, 4-10 p.m. at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds, 3000 Ringling Blvd. Adults 13 & older $12 at gate, $10 online; children 6-12, $6 at gate, $5 online; senior citizens 55 & older, $6; military, $6; free for children 5 and younger.

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of Sarasota hosting a fair. Enjoy 10 days of events and fun activities, including rides, crafts, horticulture, science fair, livestock and auction. The benefits of this annual event go to promoting the 4-H and Future Farmers of America.

Visit SarasotaFair.com.

ST. PATRICK’S 3RD ANNUAL SHAMROCK BAR CRAWL 3-9 p.m. starts at Raffurty’s, 1888 Main St. $19.99 (plus taxes and fees). Registration includes a welcome shot, bar crawl koozie, discounted drink specials at participating bars, Bar Crawl USA lanyard and bar crawl map. The fun kicks off and finishes at Raffurty’s and includes stops at Office Bar SRQ, Evie’s Tavern, Molly’s Pub, Joe’s on Main and Brewster’s. Visit Eventbrite.com.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY BLOCK PARTY

BY GATOR CLUB 8 p.m. at Gator Club, 1490 Main St. Free. This annual event is headlined by 22N, “the ultimate party band.”

Enjoy live music, food trucks and more. Visit Facebook.com/22NBand.

Rev. Robert Dziedziak, Pastor

File image

SATURDAY, MARCH 16 — SUNDAY, MARCH 17

DOWNTOWN SARASOTA FINE ART AND CRAFT FAIR 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1788 Main St. Free. This festival brings together sculptures, paintings, jewelry, photography and ceramics. Discover an array of artisanal works, created by some of the most talented artists and crafters in the country. The fair also includes a green market filled with eco-friendly products. Visit ArtFestival.com/Festivals/2nd-AnnualDowntown-Sarasota-Fine-Art-AndCraft-Fair

ROBLES LAW Attorneys At Law • Estate Planning • Business Entities • Real Estate • Probate • Elder Law • Guardianship • Equine Law

SUNDAYS AT THE BAY 6 p.m. at The Bay, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts. Free. Enjoy a free concert from Tom Cahalan. Bring a chair to ensure a comfy seat. This event will happen rain or shine. Visit ­TheBaySarasota.org/Calendar.

Andrew L. Clark, Esq.

416302-1

M. Michelle Robles, Esq.

SUNDAY, MARCH 17

CREATION STATION: ABORIGINAL DOT PAINTING Noon-1:30 p.m. at the Selby Library Creation Station. 1331 First St. Professional artist Kat Sjogren will lead this workshop for ages 8 and older (Ages 8-12 must be accompanied by an attentive adult.) to create Aboriginal-inspired artwork using dot painting. For more information and to register, visit SCGovLibrary.

LibraryMarket.com

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20

PAINTING WITH THE POLICE 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Robert L. Taylor Community Complex, 1845 John Rivers St. $10 (includes all art supplies). Make a work of art and get to know the officers of the Sarasota Police Department. Plus you’ll get to take home your work of art at the end. Call 941-263-6562 to register.

5Y

EROW N AR INS IN WEAR

Get There in a Hop, Skip and a Splash

TUESDAY, MARCH 19

!

Live Beautifully 2017

The Easy Way Around the Beaches and Downtown

Thank you Sarasota for voting Lakehouse West Reader’s Choice Best Retirement Community & Best Assisted Living 5 Years in a Row!!!

We invite you to become part of our Lakehouse West family and enjoy an independent

Hop on, kick back and enjoy a scenic cruise. Then hop off to relax on beautiful beaches or explore the Bradenton Riverwalk, museums, galleries and more. It’s the fun and easy way to get around the beaches and downtown.

and carefree lifestyle. Our goal is to make the rest of your life the best of your life.

From wellness, fine dining, and social initiatives to scheduled transportation, housekeeping and full home maintenance, we strive to meet your needs to maintain a vibrant and active lifestyle.

Now Running!

Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sundays 10 am - 9:30 pm Scan for Stops and Schedule or Visit:

GulfIslandFerry.com

(941) 923-7525 | 3435 Fox Run Road | Sarasota, FL 34231 | www.lakehousewest.com 416596-1

421429-1

Lic.#AL5850

YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

17B

Hurry! Offers expire 3/31/24!

Elite Hearing Centers

OUR PROFESSIONAL STAFF OF DOCTORS OF AUDIOLOGY & LICENSED HEARING AID SPECIALISTS

of America

Rated

OVER 50 LOCATION NATIONW S IDE!

OPEN NOW: SARASOTA (941) 278-5392

BRADENTON (941) 278-5391

DELRAY BEACH (561) 377-3057

2807 University Pkwy In Publix Plaza at University Walk

2001 Manatee Avenue E. Ste 104 (Bradenton Pain and Wellness Center)

4900 Linton Blvd #3 (In between Poppies Restaurant and Kristi Cleaners)

BOYNTON BEACH (561) 377-3058 4739 N Congress Ave (In between Dollar Tree and Fon Shan Chinese)

JUPITER (561) 377-3066 6725 West Indiantown Rd Bay 39 (In Jupiter West Plaza)

1Patient will receive $100 gift card upon completion of hearing instrument trial. Not all models are suitable for a free trial (e.g., custom-fitted models such as CIC, IIC, and Virto Black). Complimentary hearing evaluation required. Must have a tested hearing loss. Open to adults 18+ years and older. One gift card per customer, per year. Not valid with managed care or state insurance plans. No cash alternative. Must provide a valid email address for gift card redemption. Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery of the gift card. 2Buy one Lumity hearing aid at our list price and get another of the same make & model 50% off. Discount is based on binaural purchase. This limited-time offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offer or promotion.

New orders only. Private pay only (not combinable with insurance or network). Not available on all levels of technology. 3On in-store purchases of $200+ in with the CareCredit credit card through the end of the month. Interest will be charged to your account from the purchase date if the promotional purchase is not paid in full within 24 months. Minimum monthly payments required. Subject to credit approval. Offers expire 3/31/24.

421371-1

We offer 0% interest financing for 24 months!3

18B

YourObserver.com

WEATHER

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

FORECAST THURSDAY, MARCH 14 High: 86 Low: 66 Chance of rain: 7%

FRIDAY, MARCH 15 High: 87 Low: 68 Chance of rain: 7%

SUNRISE / SUNSET Sunrise Sunset Thursday, March 14

7:40a

7:38p

Friday, March 15

7:39a

7:39p

Saturday, March 16

7:38a

7:39p

Sunday, March 17

7:37a

7:40p

Monday, March 18

7:35a

7:40p

Tuesday, March 19

7:34a

7:41p

Wednesday, March 20

7:33a

7:42p

MOON PHASES

SATURDAY, MARCH 16 March 16 March 25 First Full

High: 84 Low: 69 Chance of rain: 8%

April 1 Last

April 8 New

RAINFALL

SUNDAY, MARCH 17 High: 84 Low: 71 Chance of rain: 9%

Monday, March 4

0

Tuesday, March 5

0

Wednesday, March 6

Leslie Merahn took this photo of a grasshopper hanging out in Gulf Gate.

0.44

Thursday, March 7

0

Friday, March 8

0

Saturday, March 9

0.08

Sunday, March 10

0

*Rainfall totals from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport

Submit your photos at YourObserver.com/contests. All submissions will be entered for the 2024-25. Weather and Nature photo contest. In February 2025, you will vote for your favorite photo, and the submission with the most votes will win a $500 gift card.

YEAR TO DATE: 2024 8.19 in.

2023 1.58 in.

MONTH TO DATE: 2024 0.54 in.

2023 0.00 in.

We have all of your luxury flooring needs carpet | hardwood | tile | stone | pavers | and more Sarasota 941.355.8437 | Bradenton 941.748.4679 | Venice 941.493.7441 | manasotaonline.com

Come Shop our Showrooms!

celebrity cipher 122 Make public

59 Shaq of “Shaqtin’ a Fool”

123 Urges

60 Group of eras

124 Wave to a trigonometry

66 Nike competitor

teacher?

67 Carnival location, casually

125 Meddling busybodies

68 Refuse

DOWN

1 Derives by logic 7 White word on a red octagon 11 “Sad to say ...”

15 Grps. that organize book fairs 19 Tidy (up) 20 Where the medianoche sandwich originated 21 Shimmery cosmetics additive 22 Parks in a noted bus boycott 23 *Intellectual movement 27 Not deceived by 28 Dart 29 Hibachi restaurant drink 30 Calculus calculation 31 Den furniture

70 Cherrypicker’s extension

1 Deets

71 Tater Tot brand

2 Hamburger’s denial

72 Put into beta

3 Observe Yom Kippur or

74 Seasoned rice dish

Ramadan

75 Numbers game

4 Shared cultural values

76 Play dirty

5 Court fig.

77 Hydrogen’s atomic

6 Congested, say

number

7 Big rift

79 Porsche or Lexus

8 Clump of hair

80 The “L” of 38-Down

9 Kimono accessory

81 “Or ...”

10 Pureed tomato product

82 Instagram video feature

11 Bad way to run

since 2020

12 What’s sought by astro-

83 Anti-apartheid org.

biologists

84 Christian of haute

13 Play thing?

couture

14 Arabic word for “desert”

88 Soup garnished with Thai

15 “The Great British Bake

basil and bean sprouts

Off” judge Leith

89“Previously on ...” seg-

16 Occasion to get in the

ment of a TV show

sheets?

91 “Not surprising”

17 Fire residue

92 Stood behind

18 Was on the bottom?

94 “___ you can’t be serious”

24 Kill it at a drag show 33 Owns

65 Easternmost of the Great Westminster Abbey

95 “Lemme see ...”

25 Item slung in a diner

34 ___ Lanka

Lakes

98 “Excellent!”

96 “I Am What I Am” musical,

26 Circular gasket

99 Bruins legend Bobby

familiarly

32 Some nerve!

97 By mouth

©2023 Universal Uclick

ACROSS

69 Apartment building VIP

35 Starchy Polynesian staple 68 Rep.’s rival 38 “How cute!!!”

69 Diamond setting?

100 Mongrel

33 Funny business?

41 *Site of the first Thanks-

73 Insult

101 NYC summertime clock

103 Coen brothers brother

34 Pig pens

giving

74 Court statement

setting

105 Relieve from stress

36 “I’ll treat!”

46 Full of spunk

76 Joint affliction

102 Got up

106 Sal who founded ___

37 Part of FWIW

48 “Kill Bill” actress Thurman 78 “Who do you think you

104 School cohort

Academy

38 Union grp. since 1955

49 ___ chi (martial art)

___?”

106 Potter’s device

107 Brand sold at Petco

39 Irritate

50 Pathologist’s concern

79 *Annual June celebrations 108 Dermabrasion target

108 Place for a guard in

40 Sweep the competition

51 Hawaiian veranda

84 Disappointment in a

109 “___ the night before

soccer

42 Pound unit

52 U2 lead vocalist

fireworks display

Christmas ...”

110 Lightbulb power unit

43 Molecule components

54 Raw spots

85 Bitter

113 *Single-passenger sci-fi

111 Pasta ___ Norma

44 ___ soul (no one)

56 Killed it at a drag show,

86 Go on the lam

vehicle

in slang

87 Call the whole thing off

57 *Agatha Christie genre

88 “Cars” producer

61 Debtor’s letters

90 Cricket equipment

63 Funder of the Discovery

Peace Tower

Program

92 Break off

112 Understands 45 Welled (up) with emotion 113 Diminish, like the tide 118 Something to cut food on 47 Tool with teeth 114 “Cheap Thrills” singer for attractive results 52 Western tie 115 Trouble 119 Soil that’s good for 53 Cries of pain 116 “The Legend of Zelda: gardening 54 Took a dip Twilight Princess” console 120 “Barb and Star Go to 55 Rock layers 117 Itty Vista Del Mar” star Kristen 58 Rules over

64 Caviar eggs

93 *Tourist attraction near

121 Starr, for one

62 Coding counterpart to “if” 91 Funder of the Imagine

By Luis Campos Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present.

Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

“RS’I IB RLFBVSTES SB IFYEX ABKV MVYY SRLY ZRSP ORSSOY FYBFOY. ...

HPROXPBBX RI DBEY RE SPY NOREU BM TE YAY.”

TOYW UREDISBE

“E LMZIR X 1972 UTFCLGYW KXTEXZY. ...

EY MXA EZJIDYIR MEYW DLDBHLXDWIA XZR VIDBLA – EY MXA EYA LMZ TEYYTI IDLAFAYIC.”

XXHLZ IDBWXHY

“MD NFF UG XYSGWUY SGWUY XJKDV, PWX FGBD JV XYD NAXJHGXD. CGW’BD UGX XG HSDNK NAH LWVX PDFJDBD JA CGWSVDFT.”

SNRRDS ZGKKGA

Puzzle Three Clue: T equals F

PARTY ANIMALS by Dylan Schiff, edited by Jeff Chen

Puzzle Two Clue: G equals U

crossword

Puzzle One Clue: N equals B

421803-1

at MANASOTA FLOORING INC

© 2023 NEA, Inc.

sudoku

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.

©2023 Andrews McMeel Syndicate

3-14-24

Made for where you live. Here!

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

INFORMATION & RATES: 941-955-4888

redpages@yourobserver.com •yourobserver.com/redpages

Open House

DEADLINES: Classifieds - Tuesday at Noon Service Directory - Friday at 3PM • PAYMENT: Cash, Check or Credit Card

(941)650-0258 www.menkerealestate.com

GOLD, SILVER BUYING w/ CASH. RETIRED INVESTOR Diamonds, Coins, Jewelry, Antiques. Free House Calls.

Discrete/ Confidential. Call David 813-439-2694

RED PAGES AD RATES

SENIOR LOOKING to purchase precious metals, diamonds, time pieces, coins, jewelry, antique and estate jewelry, and some collectors plates. Personal and confidential.

Please call Marc: 941-321-0707

First 15 words ................. $ 17.50 per week Each add’l word ...... 50¢

FIND BUYERS & SELLERS HERE!

Help Wanted EMPLOYMENT CLASS: CAREGIVER/NANNY

941-955-4888 YourObserver.com/RedPages

SALARY : $25.00 PER HOUR. WORKING HOURS : DAYS FLEXIBLE

Pets MINI GOLDENDOODLE PUPPIES: LifeTime Health Warranty. Family raised. Ready soon and house trained. Adult size: 25-35 pounds. $2,400 Kenny George (941) 599-4006

JOB DUTIES:The primary duties of this caregiver will include: light housekeeping, assistance with bathing/grooming/toileting, companionship and assistance with getting groceries.

INTERESTED CANDIDATE SHOULD CONTACT THIS EMAIL ADDRESS DIRECTLY (mateoaaron84@gmail.com)

Health/Fitness/ Beauty

Autos Wanted CASH FOR YOUR CAR We come to you!

Ho Ho Buys cars.

941-270-4400.

GENTLE VASECTOMY - experienced physician, over 20,000 cases - affordable, quick, gentle - easy online scheduling (941) 216-1212 www.greatvas.com

real estate

TRANSPORT CHAIR, used once.

Paid 239. Sell for $150.

Call Dave 941-928-3211

auto

SOFA - 3 cushion. 82”. Matching toss pillows. Very comfortable! $100. 941-355-9057

EUROPEAN CLEANING Service

by Katy. Great work & experience. Please call for professional house cleaning.

(973)830-6283

SELL YOUR STUFF HERE!

Handyman Services MITCHELL HANDYMAN. Painting, Carpentry, Tile, Pressure Cleaning.

Home Improvements, Repairs.

Small and large! 941-284-8488.

Painting CARLO DATTILO Painting Licensed & insured. Interior/ Exterior painting including drywall repair and retexturing.

Wallpaper installation & removal, pressure washing. Residential & commercial, condos.

Honest & reliable.

Free estimates. 941-744-1020.

35+ years experience.

www.YourObserver.com/RedPages EPIC HOME CARE Personal Care-Respite Care Alzheimer’s Care Light Cleaning Med Administration Meal Prep Shopping, Errands & More

GREAT FINDS LOCATED HERE!

Professional Services

UBA PRESSURE WASHING AND SEALER (941) 320-6172 www.ubapressurewashing.com

This week’s Crossword answers

Vacation/ Seasonal Rentals LONGBOAT KEY Bayside Condo with Gulf View Available January-March 2025 3 month minimum 2 bedroom/2 bath Portobello 4th Floor Spectacular views

WEEKLY MONTHLY

FIESTAWARE TEAPOT SET: Teapot, cream/sugar, 14” round cake plate $100

MUSCLE MASSAGER Battery Muscle Massager $30 (941) 321-9138

www.braziliancleaningbymk.com

$7,500/month (including taxes) Call 214-986-2287

DESK CHAIR, black, durable fabric, sturdy nylon base w/ rollers.

Like New! $60 941-228-9467

Call: 419-631-8933

FIND BUYERS & SELLERS HERE!

BRAZILIAN CLEANING Service

by Maria. Residential. Meticulous Cleaning. Excellent References.

Free Estimates. Reliable. Lic./Ins. 941-400-3342.

SWEET DEALS HERE!

Call for a FREE Evaluation!

941-536-6372 Epichomecareprovider@gmail Rosa Torres- Owner

JOB HOUR PER DAY : 5 HOURS

Cleaning

HIGH-END INTERIOR & EXTERIOR PAINTING WE ARE THE BEST!!!

Residential & Commercial.

Fully Insured.

CALL or TEXT Don 941-900-9398

Color background: $ 5 per week Ad border: as low as $3 per week PLACE YOUR AD: Call: 941-955-4888 Email: RedPages@ YourObserver.com Online: YourObserver.com /RedPages

SHIP YOUR car, truck or SUV anywhere in the United States.

Great rates, fast quotes. Call Hawley Motors: 941-923-3421.

SARASOTA INTERIOR PAINTING

Adult Care Services

15% DISCOUNT FOR 4-WEEK RUN

JOB TYPE : PART TIME

CHIPPENDALE STYLE arm chairs. Vintage mahogany, newly upholstered seats. 24” x 40” high. $125. 941-351-3166

Hall 5085 water pitcher w/ lid $35

Open House Sun. 3/17 11a-1p

STORAGE FACILITY Boat/ RV/ Trailer. Secure facility, low monthly rentals, Clark Rd area.

941-809-3660, 941-809-3662.

WE BUY cars. top $$ paid for your vehicles.

Call Hawley Motors: 941-923-3421.

SEASONAL RATES Beachfront, Bayfront and In Between Houses or Condos Reservations 941-383-5577 wagnerlbkrentals@gmail.com Visa/MC 5360 Gulf of Mexico Dr., Suite 101 Longboat Key, FL 34228 Rental office 9a.m. - 5p.m.

M-F Ask about our special rates!

Condos/Apts. for Rent LUXURIOUS CONDO on Anna Maria Island For Rent - Upgraded granite/stainless kitchen.

Incredible water views through floor length windows. Waterfront patio, luxury furnishings, 2BD/2BR, king beds. Pool, tennis, walk to the beach. Private carport.

Monthly rental May - Nov. Owner/renter. Flexible terms.

570-239-0431 marketreps@aol.com

Wagner Realty Since 1939 www.rentalsonlongboat.com

BUY STUFF HERE! YourObserver.com/RedPages

SELL MORE STUFF AT YOUR NEXT

©2022 Universal Uclick

You’re only cheating yourself.

ADVERTISE YOUR MERCHANDISE with the total value of all items $200 or less in this section for FREE! Limit 1 ad per month,15 words or less. Price must be included next to each item. No commercial advertising.

Ad runs 2 consecutive weeks in 1 Observer.

Call 941-955-4888 Or Email ad to: classified@yourobserver.com (Please provide your name and address) Or Online at: www.yourobserver.com Or mail to: The Observer Group 1970 Main St. - 3rd Floor Sarasota, Fl 34236

$419,000

peekers’ place

Items Under $200

1BR/1BA LONGBOAT KEY Bay to Beach! Furnished End Unit *Direct Bayfront and Marina Views! Completely Renovated to Studs * Concrete Villa * Low Dues * 55+ * New Everything! *

Merchandise Wanted

jobs

stuff

The Sarasota and Siesta Key Observer reserves the right to classify and edit copy, or to reject or cancel an advertisement at any time. Corrections after first insertion only. *All ads are subject to the approval of the Publisher. *It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in the Sarasota and Siesta Key Observer to meet all applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with towncodes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, or residential rental property.

Notice: All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.

home services

RED PAGES

Auto Transport

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers Puzzle One Solution: “It’s so important to spend your free time with little people. ... Childhood is gone in the blink of an eye.”

Alex Kingston Puzzle Two Solution: “I owned a 1972 Plymouth Valiant. ...

It was infected with cockroaches and geckos – it was its own little ecosystem.”

Aaron Eckhart Puzzle Three Solution: “We all go through rough times, but love is the antidote. You’ve got to dream and just believe in yourself.”

Rapper Common

This week’s Sudoku answers

GARAGE SALE CALL 941-955-4888

©2022 NEA, Inc.

YourObserver.com

SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

Auto Service

Concrete

Michael Koch Concrete Inc.

SELL YOUR CAR!

All Phases of Flat Work & Stone Work

Free Estimates! • No Job Too Small

941-918-8587

FAST • EASY • SAFE

WE COME TO YOU

“Specializing inin6” Gutters” “Specializing 6” Seamless Seamless Gutters”

941.270.4400

Doors

5-Star Rated

Sliding Glass Door Repair

HoHoBuysCars.com

YoderAluminum.com

Caregiver/Companion

Attorney

Divorce without Lawyers

New Deluxe Rollers Will Make Your Doors Roll Better Than Ever Call Nick 928-2263 proslidingglassdoorrepair.com

Divorce is never fun, but it does not have to be nasty & hateful! Protect your family relationships and assets from expensive Court litigation. Consider Divorce Mediation, the peaceful alternative.

Furniture Repair

We have mediated divorces involving up to 10 million dollars of assets over past 27 years.

Patio Furniture Repairs.com Furniture Sales & Repairs Cushions • Slings • Re-powdercoating

941-504-0903

Carpentry

FREE PICKUP / DELIVERY • FREE ONSITE QUOTES

McKnight Construction

Handyman

Remodel & Home Improvements

William J. Leininger, JD

420652

419980

24 Hour Care • Full Service Home Health Care www.tlchomecaresrq.com • (941) 320-9678 Now Hiring HHA’s & CNA’s

Call me for a free 30 minute consultation before you call a Divorce Lawyer!

KEENS HANDYMAN SERVICES

Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator 677 N. Washington Blvd Sarasota, FL 34236 SarasotaDivorceMediator.com 941-727-5555

INTERIOR RENOVATIONS & ANYTHING FROM THE GROUND UP

Sarasota County

Mike McKnight

941~400~6786

KEENS HANDYMAN SERVICES

CREATE BUZZ!

Advertise your business in the Red Pages. Call 941-955-4888

STEVE PANEBIANCO H R S ome

24/7 SERVICE

FREE (941) 809-7311 ESTIMATES!

Do You Have Neck or Low Back Pain?

Do You Want To Avoid Surgery?

Give Us a Call - We Can Help

DON’T THROW YOUR COMPUTER OUT THE WINDOW – CALL LORITECH!

FREE CONSULTATION 941.358.2224

(Next to Beneva Flowers)

941-929-9095

First 30-minute consultation free.

Pegatronics Computer Instruction and Repair It’s Easier Than You Think!

420626

Phone: 941 - 328 - 8757 | Website: Lincelaw.com | Email: jglince@lincelaw.com GO ORANGE! PROUD SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY ALUM

Hardware Repair Virus / Malware Cleanup Software & Printer Install New Computer Setups New Purchase Consults Seniors & Beginners

Made for where you live. Here!

RED PAGES

Learn Computer Basics Phones/Tablet Help Apple & Microsoft Problems Solved On-Site and Off Much More! Call Today!

419986

Pegatronics.com

941-735-3362

Doors

420668

6968 Beneva Road

As a veteran owned firm, attorney James Lince offers no-cost or low-cost general legal services to active duty/reserve military and veterans. Fees are based on current military rank or veteran’s income.

YourObserver.com/RedPages

GET YOUR LIFE BACK!

New & Refurbished Computers Servicing PC & MAC on Site or In Shop Virus and Spyware Removal- Free Software We Make Windows 10 User-Friendly!

General Law Matters, Consumer Disputes, Wills, Trusts, ADA ComplianceService Animals, Property Disputes, HOA issues, Breach of Contract

eRvice

Health

COMPUTER REPAIR SALES & SERVICE

Military & Veteran Low-Cost Legal Services We Have Your Back

epaiR

• No JoB Too SmaLL • ScReeN RepaiRS • paiNTiNG/DRY WaLL • TiLe RepaiRS • & mUcH moRe!

Computer

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420647

Professional Craftmanship on Carpentry • Cabinets Plank Floors • All Trims and Moldings Pressure Cleaning Services • Painting 421238

420654

TEXT OR CALL 574-354-7772

Free Estimates

Recognized Among the Best Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Physicians in America Board Certified in the specialty of non-surgical spinal decompression

DR. DAVID CIFRA, DC Midtown Medical Park 1215 S. East Ave. Suite 210 Sarasota, FL 34239

www.SarasotaDiscCenter.com DrCifra@SarasotaDiscCenter.com

The Only Thing You Have To Lose ... Is The Pain!!

Health & Fitness

CHUCK LOTUS

DON’T let your PATIO DOORS be a DRAG or your WINDOWS be a PANE!!

Window Repairs • Sliding Glass Door Repairs Sliding Glass Door Deadbolts

Call us today! 941.628.8579 www.ezslider.com

421225

420656

“FIX IT - DON’T REPLACE”

421241

419984

Owner /Insured Operator Insured

420655

941.650.9790 941.650.9790 YoderAluminum.com

419981

Dustin Yoder

Dustin Owner Yoder/ Operator

421239

Aluminum

FREE IN-HOM ESTIMATEE S

Personal Trainer

• Increase Bone Density • Increase Muscle Density • Lower Body Fat • Nutritional Guide included at no charge!*

CALL TODAY for special Package Rates!

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OBSERVER RED PAGES

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SARASOTA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024

READY TO MOVE BEYOND YOUR EXPECTATIONS?

Look No Further 3799 Flamingo Avenue Joel Schemmel

$21,000,000 941.587.4894

THE GULF COAST LUXURY LEADER

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

SIESTA KEY 648 Beach Road Joel Schemmel

$8,980,000 941.587.4894

RITZ-CARLTON RESIDENCES | SARASOTA BAY 555 Quay Common #1603 Julia Decastro

PLAZA AT FIVE POINTS 50 Central Avenue #17PHC Roberta Tengerdy & Carolyn Collins

$6,000,000 941.321.2292

SIESTA KEY 8424 Midnight Pass Road Joel Schemmel

ENCHANTED ISLES 457 Anchorage Drive Andrea Beacom-Blackwell

$2,395,000 941.587.4894

$1,625,000 941.587.6660

5322 Avenida Del Mare Judie Berger

$5,700,000 941.786.8023

$11,795,000 941.780.3427

SANDERLING CLUB | SIESTA KEY

603 Harbor Shore Drive Jaci Krawtschenko & Jennifer Garrabrant

$4,295,000 941.284.3789

7345 Pine Needle Road Judie Berger

LAKEWOOD RANCH $2,300,000 941.928.3424

PUNTA GORDA ISLES 3736 Whippoorwill Boulevard Lily Buzey

CASEY KEY 507 Casey Key Road Lori Carey

NOKOMIS

SIESTA KEY

GOLDEN GATE POINT 400 Golden Gate Point #11 Charlotte Hedge

$6,774,000 941.812.5176

7469 Seacroft Cove Laura Stavola

FOXBROOK $1,945,000 941.447.4875

17707 Roanwood Court Trish Chandler & Lisa Harris

BRADENTON $1,350,000 941.702.3461

380 Aruba Circle #403 Kathleen Maher

$2,750,000 941.928.3424

$1,777,000 941.306.9533

SAN MARCO | VENICE ISLAND $1,350,000 941.364.4000

1255 Tarpon Center Drive #414 Amee Sams

$550,000 941.447.1466

The Next Evolution of Waterfront Luxury

Limited Offering of Grand Estate Residences from $3.7 to over $12 Million Presentation Gallery Now Open at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota 1111 Ritz-Carlton Drive, Sarasota, Florida 34236 941.499.8704 | TheResidencesSarasotaBay.com

ORAL REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING REPRESENTATIONS OF THE SELLER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS, MAKE REFERENCE TO THIS BROCHURE AND TO THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY SECTION 718.503, FLORIDA STATUTES, TO BE FURNISHED BY A SELLER TO A BUYER OR LESSEE. The renderings, terms, conditions, and statements contained in these materials are proposed only, and the Developer reserves the right to modify, or withdraw any or all of same in its sole discretion and without prior notice. The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Sarasota Bay are not owned, developed or sold by Marriott International, Inc. or its affiliates (“Ritz-Carlton”). KT Sarasota South, LLC uses The Ritz-Carlton marks under a license from Ritz-Carlton, which has not confirmed the accuracy of any of the statements or representations made herein. Sotheby’s International Realty® and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered service marks used with permission. Each office is independently owned and operated.

BROKERAGE | RENTALS | RELOCATION | NEW DEVELOPMENT MORTGAGE | INSURANCE | FINE ART CONSIGNMENT

PremierSIR.com VENICE | 941.412.3323

LAKEWOOD RANCH | 941.907.9541

LONGBOAT KEY | 941.383.2500

RENTALS | 941.203.3433

Sotheby’s International Realty® and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered service marks used with permission. Each office is independently owned and operated. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Property information herein is derived from various sources including,but not limited to, county records and multiple listing services, and may include approximations. All information is deemed accurate. Source: BrokerMetrics®.

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SARASOTA - DOWNTOWN | 941.364.4000