Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer 3.14.24

Observer

YOU YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

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

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.

WEEK OF MARCH 14, 2024

BY THE NUMBERS

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

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

CareerEdge offers free CNA training

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.

Doctor couple grants $2.5 million to SMH

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.

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.

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.

MIXED-USE TRANSFORMATION

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

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

In 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.”

FIVE-PART APPROVAL

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

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.

Photos by Andrew Warfield

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

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.

Compromise on car shows

CARTER WEINHOFER

STAFF WRITER

The 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

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.

“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

“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.”

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

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.

WATCH US

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

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.

The costs of compliance

The

Oadd 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

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 -

“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

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 -

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.

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

As 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,

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.”

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-

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

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.

Andrew

Courtesy

Sarasota’s own answer to crime reduction

The 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.

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

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,

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

“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

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

Staff Writers / Petra Rivera, PRivera@ YourObserver.com; Carter Weinhofer, CWeinhofer@YourObserver.com

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

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

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

Editorial Designer / Luke Reasoner, LReasoner@YourObserver.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brenda White, BWhite@YourObserver.com

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

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

Sales Coordinator / Account Manager

Lori Downey, LDowney@YourObserver.com

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

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

Tributes Coordinator / Kristen Boothroyd, Tributes@YourObserver.com

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

Marketing Specialist / Melanie Melone, MMelone@YourObserver.com

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

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

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

Digital Developer / Jason Camillo, JCamillo@YourObserver.com

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

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

Controller / Rafael Labrin, RLabrin@ YourObserver.com

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

CEO / Matt Walsh

MWalsh@YourObserver.com

President / Emily

Emeritus /

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

Near 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-

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.”

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

Andrew Warfield

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

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

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

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?

JOHN SCHUSSLER, SARASOTA

Koffmans

FROM PAGE 9A

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.”

Whether responding to a sudden heart attack or living with chronic cardiovascular disease, having expert care right around the corner makes all the difference.

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System has constructed a multi-pronged approach to regional cardiac care that includes two hospitals, seven urgent care centers, a network of outpatient clinics, and a world-class team of cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, electrophysiologists, interventional radiologists and more, all working together to provide life-saving intervention when you need it and where you need it.

Because when a loved one needs help, every heartbeat matters.

smh.com/heart

Million-dollar spans

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

Oonline.

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 E. State Road 64 in Bradenton.

Courtesy image

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

It’s your move at Lakewood Ranch’s only new home 55+ community.

At Cresswind, we’re in the business of saying yes! Choose from a variety of structural options and flexible floorplans that will floor you with possibilities. If you’re ready to say yes to a new home, community and lifestyle built around you, Cresswind makes it easy.

This is active adult living designed for the way you want to live. Designer-decorated models open daily. Visit today, and we’ll help you get started.

10

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 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-

Taking a few moments now can make a significant difference for your loved ones down the road. From removing the stress and financial burdens to fulfilling your exact wishes for your celebration of life, pre-planning is the best gift you can give your family. We’re here to help. Give us a call today to start the conversation.

O“We’re

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.”

“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

Fast Break

Line in the sand SPORTS

Former 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

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

RYAN KOHN SPORTS EDITOR

Apoint 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

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

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.”

Photos by Ryan Kohn

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

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

Spring in their steps

With 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.

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

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.

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

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).

COOPER BACKMAN, RIVERVIEW

HIGH BASEBALL

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.

PROSE

Ryan Kohn

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

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.

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.

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.

Olivia Lockhart ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Arts Association of Lakewood Ranch

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 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.

What is your favorite memory?

It’s probably when my Sarasota

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.

media sponsor

2023 6th Annual Spring Art Show & Sale

Saturday, March 18, 2023 9 am - 4 pm

Lakewood Ranch Town Hall

BBQ path

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

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. When he decided to enter the business full time, he knew he would have to give it all his effort. His work appears to have paid off. 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

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.”

A&G CARIBBEAN RIBS

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 uncle was Tony Fernández, a five-time Major League Baseball All-Star, De Los Santos was left unable to play the sport after breaking his ankle.

A&G

RIBS 3250 Desoto Road. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Wednesday to

Saturday.

Catering also available.

Then, after he lost his job with a commercial refrigerator company in Sarasota, a friend suggested he start a cooking 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.

ALDAY’S BBQ

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.

D&R BBQ & CATERING 2813 17th St. 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays. Catering services also available.

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 the location of D&R BBQ.

But Hill had been in the business before. He became interested in barbecue because his father-in-law, Jerome Stevens, who would often cook for friends and guests, showed him the technique and work involved.

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.

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?’”

ALDAY’S BBQ 3877 Clark Road. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday to Sunday. Catering services also available.

Photos by Ian Swaby

Washington Perry

Coco De Los Santos prepares chicken on the grill.

More than a friend

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

JAMES PETER MANAGING EDITOR

Adog 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 -

“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

Beth Usher and Gromit on Siesta Beach

FRIENDSHIP

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.”

RIGHT ON SCHEDULE

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

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.

Alvaro Cornejo brings to Intercoastal Medical Group Dr. at the Cattleridge Medical Building I office a wealth of knowledge and experience in Internal Medicine.

Undergraduate:

Undergraduate:

Medical School:

Medical School:

Residency:

Residency:

Certification:

Certification:

Hospital Affiliations:

Hospital Affiliations:

Gainesville State College, Athens, GA

Gainesville State College, Athens, GA

Universidad Internacional del Ecuador (UIDE), Quito, ECU

Universidad Internacional del Ecuador (UIDE), Quito, ECU

Saint Peter's University Hospital, New Brunswick, NJ

Saint Peter’s University Hospital, New Brunswick, NJ

Board Certified, American Board of Internal Medicine

Board Certified, American Board of Internal Medicine

Sarasota Memorial Hospital; Doctors Hospital

Sarasota Memorial Hospital; Doctors Hospital

YBy Jessica Muroff United Way Suncoast CEO

Every word in the conversation dripped with concern.

The 92-year-old caller reached out to United Way Suncoast after learning Sarasota County residents will no longer have access to 211 after April 1. She shared she had never sought social services until her husband died recently. They made do with their Social Security checks but after his death, she needed added support.

A call to 211 led her to acquire a free mobile phone and eliminate a monthly bill of $89. She asked several times, “Who will I call if I need more help?”

She’s not alone in asking that question, because the Sarasota County Commission has chosen to defund 211 and deny its residents a lifeline to critical services.

United Way Suncoast, our 211 partnersGlasser/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

thousands of Sarasota residents have come to rely on for more than 40 years.

In fiscal year 2023 (October 1, 2022, through September 30, 2023), 211’s trained call specialists answered 11,863 calls and responded to an additional 4,685 electronic communications (chat/text/ email). Callers received 18,828 referrals, providing a pipeline for community members and the local organizations that provide more than 1,900 services. This loss will be as crippling for nonprofits as it will be for community residents. Local foundations and donors also have concerns. Because of the commission’s decision, their community investments to support an array of nonprofits will be disrupted because the system that

Easterseals VP of Philanthropy Jill Gass with Michael and Terri Klauber and Easterseals President and CEO Tom Waters

ellow was the color of the day March 6 as more than 350 patrons came to celebrate and support Easterseals Southwest Florida at its annual Abilities Shining luncheon.

Guests decked out in yellow dresses, shirts and jackets greeted one another in the Michael’s On East atrium to the sounds of the Everyone Rocks band before moving into the ballroom. There, they enjoyed lunch and a live auction as well as a song by the Easterseals Family Singers and a recitation by Easterseals preschool students. The luncheon, co-chaired this year by Sarah Renkliyuz, Taylor Teymuri and Brittany Najmy-Lambiris, raised $600,00 for Easterseals Southwest Florida, which enriches the lives of children, teens and adults in the community. For nearly 80 years, Easterseals has provided education, therapy, employment training, support services and more to those in its care.

— OBSERVER STAFF

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.

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.

We’re asking the board to craft a more positive funding solution, not for our organizations but for all the people who have come to rely on the vital services provided by 211. If you believe in 211, please contact your Sarasota County Commissioners today.

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

Event Chairs Sarah Renkliyuz, Brittany Najmy-Lambiris and Taylor Teymuri

Ashley Wise, Brittany and Eric Swift and Caleb F.

Tribute to an icon

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

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

Although 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

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.”

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-

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.

Courtesy image

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

TOUR OUR NEW MODELS BY THE AREA’S FINEST BUILDERS

Discover Wild Blue at Waterside during the Parade of Homes, and tour seven newly unveiled designer-decorated models. Featuring a prime Lakewood Ranch location, this waterfront community features single-family homes by the area’s finest builders, plus incredible amenities that include a 13-acre sports complex, fabulous social clubhouse with indoor and outdoor dining, two pools, movie theater, fitness center and 9-hole premier putting course.

US

MARCH 9TH–28TH

MON–SAT 10AM TO 5PM

SUN 12PM TO 5PM

Residences from

Honoring Youth of the Year

Under the starry Sarasota skies on a night made for camping, or just a good old-fashioned 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 Lee Wetherington campus March 1. Dressed in Western wear, guests mingled and enjoyed appetizers and music. With the Fruitville Road Gecko’s catering team in place, the fare consisted of all the typical barbecue fixings. As winner of the Youth of the Year award, Bianca D. will go on to compete in the state competition. She said she plans to study psychology and theology with hopes of being a family therapist and preacher.

“The relationships, lessons and opportunities that Boys & Girls Club has bestowed upon me changed my life

and ignited my passion for service,” she said. “I am committed to showing my gratitude by uplifting communities like those impacted by the club, enabling others to discover the power of their voices.”

Proceeds from the event will give Boys & Girls Clubs members greater opportunities to excel in school, become leaders, live healthy lifestyles and plan for success after high school graduation.

— JANET COMBS

Front:Joe and Dara Brooks: Back: Ken Freeman, Nazaria D., and Patricia Freeman Photos by Janet Combs Lee Wetherington with President and CEO Bill Sadlo Bianca D. won Youth of the Year and now moves on to the Florida State Championships.

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

Ahome 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.

GULF GATE EAST

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

Steven

SCHOOL

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,

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.

MANDARIN PARK

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.

GRANADA

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.

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.

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.

RYDBERG’S 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

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.

SOUTH GATE

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

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.

Other top sales by area

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.

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.

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.

YOUR CALENDAR

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.

ST. PATRICK’S 3RD ANNUAL SHAMROCK BAR CRAWL

BEST BET FRIDAY, MARCH 15 —

SUNDAY, MARCH 24

SARASOTA COUNTY FAIR

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

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.

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.

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

SUNDAY, MARCH 17 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.

TUESDAY, MARCH 19

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.

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

PARTY ANIMALS by Dylan Schiff, edited by Jeff Chen By Luis Campos

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