The Bay Park announced the reopening of its Ibis Playground on Aug. 17, but the public discovered what was in store even before then.
During the playground’s soft reopening the previous day, kids eagerly took to the equipment to climb inside and explore the two giant ibises, Sara and Zota.
“Boy, did they come to watch the sunset,” said Park Guest Experience Director Diana Shaheen.
Kids had the chance to play on the new premium artificial turf around the playground, which replaced the original coquina shell material.
According to Shaheen, the new surface offers a soft space, has a cooling attribute and will prevent potential damage by shell fragments to the immediate playground area.
Umbrella House is A-OK after crash
A Lido Shores homeowner was left with a mystery and a heavily damaged privacy wall Aug. 19, when she found that a truck had crashed into her property, Sarasota Police said.
The owner of the home, known as the Umbrella House, in the 1300 block of Westway Drive, told investigators she returned to her home at about 5:20 a.m. to find a Ford F-350 buried in a concrete wall behind her house.
The driver of the truck apparently left the scene after the crash. The report says the truck was traveling northbound about 30 mph on John Ringling Parkway when it “failed to negotiate the right curve and traveled straight into the privacy wall,” the report states. Damage to the wall was estimated at $15,000. The truck sustained an estimated $30,000 of damage.
Luckily, the home itself, revered as an iconic work of Sarasota School of Architecture, did not sustain any damage.
Voters choose moderation
Ian Swaby
Jesse Coleman, Jamie Stewart and Donna Pickup worked together to save Dr. Nik’s collection of art bikes from the scrap heap.
File photo
Courtesy image
Matt Walsh
WEEK OF AUG. 22, 2024
BY THE NUMBERS
31 Years retiring City Manager Marlon Brown has served local governments in his career. PAGE 5
6,500 Hours of community service by Senior Friendship Centers CEO Erin McLeod, which was celebrated in an award bestowed by the White House. PAGE 12
$1,000 Price for the contents of Dr. Nik’s storage unit, containing all of his “art bykes” and other artwork. PAGE 17
CALENDAR
■ Sarasota City Commission regular meeting — 9 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 3, Commission Chambers, City Hall, 1565 First St.
“If it’s 60 days, you will get 100% of Marlon Brown. There’s no ‘lame
duck’ that will be sitting in the seat.”
Retiring Sarasota City Manager Marlon Brown. Read more on page 5
St. Regis opens softly, grand opening in fall
Nearly 15 years since its 18 beachfront acres were vacated, St. Regis Longboat Key has unveiled its new resort with a soft opening Aug. 16. An official grand opening will be held later this fall.
General Manager Winfred van Workum said the resort will open as a gradual ramp-up to full service. Most dining options in the resort are now open to the public but will, in the interim, have more limited seating than usual.
The St. Regis, which sits on the site of the former Colony Beach
& Tennis Resort, has been more than a decade in the making, as pointed out by its developer, Chuck Whittall of Unicorp National Development.
“It was 14 years to the day since the Colony closed,” Whittall said, with a nod to The Colony’s longtime owner, the late Murray Klauber. “This is a new legacy.”
Members of the Klauber family attended last week’s soft opening to celebrate the new resort that replaced the iconic one owned by their father.
Details of the five-star prop-
erty include 168 hotel rooms, 69 condominiums, ballroom, spa, two restaurants, beach grill and three bars. There is also a fouracre salt water lagoon, complete with tropical fish and stingrays and two resident tortoises that guests can pet and feed scraps of lettuce.
Whittall said 60 of the hotel rooms are open, and the remainder of the rooms will open as construction is completed prior to the official grand opening. The average room rate is $1,200 per night.
Two locals named to state college board
Two Sarasota County residents have been appointed to the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota District Board of Trustees. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office announced the appointments of Jaime DiDomenico and Brittany Riner on Aug. 16. DiDomenico, who lives in Nokomis, is vice president of The Wrench Group, a home services company operating in 15 states. He is the treasurer of the board for the Boys & Girls Club of Sarasota and DeSoto counties and treasurer for the board of directors for Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee. Sarasota resident Riner is president of Liber Consulting, which helps achieve organizational change. She is currently appointed to the Florida Interagency Coordinating Council for Infants and Toddlers, is a former member of the Sarasota County Public Hospital Board and is the former chair of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County. Bellevue Terrace gets final debris collection
Following a one-week pause to allow residents additional time to remove flood damaged materials from their homes and place it curbside, the final pass for Hurricane Debby structure storm debris collection in the Bellevue Terrace neighborhood will begin Tuesday, Aug. 27. The first pass for debris collection began three days after Hurricane Debby left unprecedented flooding in Bellevue Terrace. Those who were impacted by the flood are reminded to separate structure flooded storm debris into three piles:
■ Construction debris: carpeting, dry wall and other flood-impacted construction materials
■ White goods: appliances including refrigerators, ranges, washing machines, dryers, air conditioning units and water heaters
■ Bulk items: Furniture and accessories, mattresses and other items affected by flood water Debris should be placed in cardboard boxes with the lids open to verify materials or paper bags sturdy enough to contain the storm debris items.
Photo by Kat Wingert
The St, Regis Longboat Key resort is now open.
Primaries net wins for core values and clean campaigns
In several races, voters supported more moderate rhetoric and less politics in governing boards.
OBSERVER STAFF
In a primary election season that had several races characterized by polarizing issues, misinformation and divisive campaign tactics, in general, candidates who represented core values of their office and ran clean campaigns fared better with the voters.
Perhaps the races most mired in misinformation were the primaries for the Sarasota County Hospital Board. Several candidates running on a platform of “medical freedom” and “patient rights” who have been critical of Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic were defeated. Instead, voters favored candidates that eschewed the polarizing rhetoric and instead campaigned on core values of fiscal responsibility and being good stewards of the public hospital.
In the race for the Sarasota County School Board, District 2, Liz Barker ousted incumbent and Chair Karen Rose on her platform of keeping politics out of the board and make the school board “boring again.”
In District 3, incumbent Tom Edwards beat his two conservative challengers, Thomas Babicz and Greg Wood, with 55.76% of the vote. Edwards said the results showed that voters care about “kindness and respect and dignity for all, and we do not like ugly campaigning.”
Although many races were decided on primary night, one Republican race teed up an interesting battle in the general election. Mike Moran, who faced term limits as a Sarasota County commissioner, beat Charles Bear with 65.34% of the vote. That win will pit Moran against Democrat Barbara Ford-Coates in the general election. Ford-Coates has held the position since 1984 and has been reelected nine times.
In the contest for Sarasota City Commission, incumbent Kyle Battie advanced to the city’s general election along with political newcomer Sequioa Felton, who will face off for the District 1 seat.
With Felton’s backing of Newtown political heavyweights Charles Shaw, a former District 1 city commissioner, and Fredd Atkins, the first African American mayor of Sarasota, the vote was close. A former mayor, Battie won 781 votes to Felton’s 692, a margin of 42.6% to 37.8%. Going
into the general election, the two will be chasing the remaining 19.6% of the vote garnered by Melissa Furman.
Battie and Felton will be joined on the ballot by two other City Commission races: incumbents Erik Arroyo against former Planning Board Member Kathy Kelley Olrich in District 3, and Liz Alpert vs. Arlington Park neighborhood activist Ron Kashden in District 2.
COUNTY COMMISSION
TELLS TALE OF TWO RACES
Despite being outspent by a seven-to-one margin in the District 1 County Commission District 1 primary, Alexandra Coe managed a somewhat close contest against Teresa Mast.
According to the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections website, Mast amassed $248,258 in campaign contributions to Coe’s $33,821, all of which resulted in an 11-point margin of victory.
Throughout the campaign, Mast faced accusations of being too developer-friendly, as fears of overbuilding on Siesta Key and other barrier islands, as well as upland, have risen to the top of the minds of residents. Her website highlights her work as a current member and former chair of the Sarasota County Planning Commission, a member of the Building Industry Association board and the founding chair of the Professional Women in Building Council. She has also served as the vice chair
TURNOUT
According to the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections, of 326,826 registered voters in the county, 104,050 cast ballots, for a turnout of 31.84%. Of those, 57% voted by mail, 29% voted in person on election day and 14% voted early.
of the Citizen’s Tax Oversight Committee and spent a decade working in Sarasota County’s Planning and Development Services, Neighborhood Services and Economic Development. Mast, who will succeed District 1 representative Mike Moran, does not have any opposition for the general election.
On the other end of the spectrum, and the county, former Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight of Venice rode his long-standing popularity to an easy victory over Neil Rainford, garnering 8,036 votes to Rainford’s 5,146. Rainford was appointed to the District 3 seat by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May 2023 to fill the unexpired term of the late Nancy Detert, who died unexpectedly on April 5.
In contrast to the characterizations of Mast, Knight ran on a platform plank to stop overdevelopment and hold developers accountable. Knight will face independent Shari Thornton in the general election.
School board shifts ideology
Liz Barker claims a seat in the Sarasota County School Board District 2 race, while Tom Edwards retains his seat in District 3.
IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER
Signaling that a new direction is desired for the Sarasota County School Board, voters chose two candidates in the Aug. 20 primary who said they were dedicated to keeping politics out of school policymaking.
Political newcomer Liz Barker won the District 2 race, and incumbent Tom Edwards was reelected for District 3. Barker, a former school psychologist and current PTO member, ran against Karen Rose, the board chair and a former principal and educator. Barker won by a margin of less than 3,000 votes, with Barker receiving 51.49%, (51,739) of the votes to Rose’s 48.51% (48,747).
Edwards ran against Gregory Wood, the former executive director of Sarasota Scullers, and Thomas Babicz, a longtime IT manager. In a landslide victory, Edwards won 55.84% of the votes, with Babicz winning 22.48% and Wood getting 21.68%. The election reduces the board’s conservative majority from 4-1, to 3-2, with the rest of the board composed of conservative members Bridget Ziegler, Robyn Marinelli and Tim Enos.
DISTRICT 2
The race for District 2 came right up to the end.
“Folks are telling me that it’s a done deal, but it’s certainly been a tight race and a bit of nail-biter,”
Barker said with 101 of 103 precincts reporting on election night.
Although she said she was surprised at the outcome — but not the close race — she was pleased with what she said it revealed.
“I’m really grateful to be part of this community that cares so deeply about each other and about our schools,” Barker said. “This wasn’t a one-man show. It’s a testament to the power of community and kindness.”
Rose did not return multiple requests for comment.
A former school psychologist, Barker is a parent of four young children.
Rose, who was elected in 2020, was an educator within the school district for 30 years, including a principal and executive director of middle schools.
While Barker’s views are aligned more strongly with those of the Democratic Party, Rose aligns more closely with the board’s conservative majority.
Barker has campaigned on the idea of making “the school board boring
again.” She says the current board majority is bringing politics into the school arena, a suggestion that Rose denies and turns back at the other side.
Barker recently told the Observer that this election was particularly important for the district because her children have access to fewer materials and opportunities in schools as a result of the current board’s policies.
“That’s what I see, just as a parent living the everyday impacts of the policies that are passed that are very politically motivated, and I would just love to see us shift that decisionmaking process away from politics,” she said. “I do not believe politics have a place in schools or in education one way or another.”
Rose’s campaign has highlighted her educational credentials and experience, and she has emphasized her support for the appointment of Superintendent Terry Connor in 2023, whom she praises as offering measurable academic objectives.
“That’s been my focus since I got on the board … ” she said. “That’s actually the nucleus where everything moves out from there. If you can read at grade level at third grade, your probability of success in all subject areas through 12th grade increases significantly.”
DISTRICT 3
In District 3, Tom Edwards retained the seat he has held since 2020. Edwards has been the lone dissenting member on a board comprised of a 4-1 conservative majority, since a conservative realignment of the board in 2022.
“This is who Sarasota is,” he said of his victory. “I’ve been saying it for four years. We stand for kindness and respect and dignity for all, and we do not like ugly campaigning, and it showed up in the in the polls, in the ballot box, so I am grateful to the community. I’m grateful for all of the volunteers and the hard work and for being recognized for just quality, authentic, good school board work.” Edwards has been at odds with his fellow school board members on a variety of decisions, some of which have included the termination of Superintendent Brennan Asplen in
2022, a proposed partnership of the district with Vermillion Education in 2023 and a redrawing of the district boundaries in 2023.
Edwards said in an Observer questionnaire that he thought many district problems could be resolved through more attention to the issue of school vouchers, which he said were reducing funding for the school district.
Lillian Williams, a 10th grade student at Booker High School, attended Edwards’ election night watch party. “I’m just utterly grateful,” she said. “As a student in the public schools, it can be scary knowing that people behind our schools don’t necessarily support us or who we are as people, so knowing that there’s someone on the board who is actively working to make sure what we want as students is getting answered, it makes me feel really happy knowing that.”
Ian Swaby
School board candidate Liz Barker campaigns on election day.
Homestead saving for seniors
Age- and income-qualifying city homeowners can double their local homestead exemption from $25,000 to $50,000.
ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER
Senior citizen homeowners on low fixed incomes will get a small property tax break beginning in the 2025 tax year.
On Monday, the Sarasota City Commission approved by a 4-1 vote on first reading, with Debbie Trice opposed, a proposed ordinance to increase the city’s homestead exemption from $25,000 to $50,000 for income-qualified homeowners ages 65 and older.
In addition to the $50,000 statewide homestead exemption, the city provides a local exemption of $25,000 to certain qualifying, low-income senior homeowners.
The Florida Constitution permits counties and municipalities to offer an additional exemption of up to $50,000.
At the April 15 meeting, Commissioner Erik Arroyo presented a proposal to double the exemption amount. The commission directed the City Attorney’s Office to draft an ordinance establishing this increase.
Assistant City Attorney John Shamsey told commissioners the ordinance applies only to homeowners with a household income that does not exceed $36,614, a number that is annually adjusted by the Florida Department of Revenue, generally upward.
Trice was opposed because the tax break is limited to low-income homeowners and not available to renters, and that it results in lower revenue to the city.
AND
“It’s not a zero-sum game,” Arroyo said. “Just because property owners gain something that’s helping lowincome property owners, who are seniors, gain something does not mean that renters necessarily lose.
It’s not one has to win at the expense of the other.
“I think if we can help out some of our residents, who just happen to be homeowners, I think we should.”
Responded Trice, “It is a zerosum game in that it’s taxable, and if the taxable value is reduced because homestead exemption is increased, the city’s revenue will go down and we will either have to reduce some services or we will have to increase the millage rate. So that’s why it’s a zero-sum game.”
City Manager Marlon Brown told commissioners the increased exemption on income- and agequalifying homeowners impacts the budget in the amount of about $20,000 per year.
“Yes, you can make up that $20,000 by raising the millage, or you can not adopt this,” Brown said, adding the difference can be made up somewhere in the general fund.
To apply, qualifying property owners seeking the additional exemption for the first time must submit by March 1, 2025, to the Sarasota County Property Appraiser a sworn statement of their household income and any additional documents that are required. Property owners who already have an exemption in the prior year are required to annually confirm that their situation has not changed to maintain the exemption.
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Andrew Warfield
Seniors with qualifying incomes who own homes in Sarasota are now eligible for a $50,000 local homestead exemption.
‘With heartfelt anguish’
Marlon Brown’s retirement letter leaves the city with words of caution to stay the course.
ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER
As early as fall 2023, Sarasota City
Manager Marlon Brown first hinted to key staff and city commissioners of the possibility he may retire this year.
That was among the revelations made in his Aug. 15 letter of resignation to commissioners. Per his employment agreement, Brown is required to give a 60-day notice of resignation. In the letter, he offered to remain in his position until a successor is appointed or the commission decides otherwise.
In his letter, Brown, 61, wrote that his decision to retire now was influenced by both professional and personal factors.
“At the beginning of the year, I shared with you both professional challenges never experienced in my career and life challenges that I continue to face that led to my decision,” Brown wrote. “Adding to my decision were 31 years of government service, with that being one year more than what I set out as my target goal in this field, coupled with witnessing very close family, friends and colleagues leave us unexpectedly without having accomplished other lifelong career and personal opportunities/goals/dreams.”
Brown spent the last 15 years of his government administration career — all 31 of them in Florida — in Sarasota, coming to the city as deputy city manager in 2009. He was named city manager in January 2021.
“I want to express my heartfelt appreciation to Marlon Brown for what he has accomplished during his time in Sarasota,” Mayor Liz Alpert told the Observer. “I have worked with him for nine years and
can unequivocally say that he was an incredible city manager, and I will miss him very much. It will be my goal to make sure that the vision we shared for the city will be realized.”
Brown’s letter is a combination of expressions of gratitude, hope for the city’s future and multiple paragraphs of caution, urging the commission not to succumb to what he called the vocal minority over the will of the silent majority.
He concluded it by recommending Deputy City Manager Patrick Robinson as his successor.
“Our city has grown into a municipality that is widely recognized and respected statewide, nationally and internationally, and as a result, many have now chosen Sarasota as their home,” Brown said. “My greatest fear is that the voices of dissent and their constant negative discourse will overshadow our achievements and jeopardize our city’s continued progressive future, our low tax rate, our strong financial position and visible economic prosperity accessible to and enjoyed by our residents and businesses.”
Sentiments expressed in the letter suggest his decision to retire was not an easy one — describing it as “with heartfelt anguish” — and that while he has no specific plans for his next career move, he is embracing the opportunity.
“I am ready and excited to discover and fully embrace new challenges that may arise and to begin my next chapter,” he wrote.
Brown is the city’s third charter official to announce his retirement this year. City Attorney Robert Fournier and Deputy City Attorney Michael Connolly informed commissioners earlier this year that they plan to retire next spring.
‘BACKBONE OF THIS CITY’ At the end of Monday’s day-long meeting that stretched into the evening hours, Brown and the commissioners engaged in a brief discussion regarding his impending retirement,
“It is sort of a bittersweet moment. It was a very tough decision, and it’s one that was difficult to make.”
— Marlon Brown
when he again endorsed Robinson as his successor.
“It is sort of a bittersweet moment. It was a very tough decision, and it’s one that was difficult to make,” Brown said. “We’re at a trajectory to do a lot of great things for the city. We’ve done a lot, and my hope is that that vision stays alive. Obviously, I have a lot of confidence in the gentleman who sits next to me that you’ll give him consideration for the top job.”
Added Erik Arroyo, “You’ve been the backbone of this city. You’ve led with strength, integrity and commitment to getting things done right. Your leadership has made Sarasota a better place, and your impact will
be felt long after you’ve moved on. Thank you for your hard work, your dedication and your unwavering focus on what’s best for our community. You’ll be missed, but your legacy will stay with us.”
Finally, Vice Mayor Jen AhearnKoch, with whom Brown engaged in a tense exchange over the city’s progress in bringing workforcepriced housing to the city’s core, complimented his leadership style.
“I’ve known Mr. Brown since he was hired by the city. I was on the planning board at the time, and he has been incredibly valuable to the city,” she said. “I know the staff has an incredible amount of respect and a very good relationship with him, and that’s really important when you have a city like ours with so many different departments and you have so many responsibilities that you do build respect and trust with your staff. That’s how a lot of things in our city get done to the quality that our citizens expect.”
File photo
After more than three years in the job, City Manager Marlon Brown announced his retirement Aug. 15.
Lobbyist registry denied
and concerns and have proposals on policy matters,” Arroyo said. “While many of these stakeholders are passionate citizens, genuinely concerned about the community, there remains some uncertainty about those that might be representing interests beyond the common welfare, particularly if they’re compensated for such representation.”
Although he lobbied hard, City Commissioner Erik Arroyo was unable to gain enough traction to win approval of his proposed ordinance to require paid lobbyists to register with the city.
Joined by Mayor Liz Alpert in favor of the ordinance, it failed 3-2, with Vice Mayor Jen Ahearn-Koch and Commissioners Debbie Trice and Kyle Battie opposed.
At the commission’s direction, City Attorney Robert Fournier crafted an ordinance borrowing language used by other local jurisdictions throughout the state. Arroyo’s intent was to require individuals who are compensated by a third party to lobby elected officials to register to make that process more transparent.
At the April 1 commission meeting, the commission wanted a basic lobbyist registration ordinance prepared that did not impose requirements on the lobbyist such as disclosure of all private meetings with commissioners or staff, disclosure of amounts spent during the previous year and registration fees.
Both Ahearn-Koch and Trice characterized the proposal as confusing, unenforceable and overkill, pressing Arroyo for specific examples of when paid lobbyists have communicated with commissioners both in private and in public forum.
“We interact with people, stakeholders who present their views
Arroyo said it is critical to differentiate between paid lobbyists and genuine representatives of groups or neighborhoods to provide the proper weight to their comments.
“It diminishes the value of true advocacy an organization, a neighborhood coming in and actually caring about their community,” Arroyo said.
Ahearn-Koch said she is concerned that confusion over who is and who is not a lobbyist could result in hesitancy to speak by some members of the public.
Arroyo did win a consolation prize of sorts. Following the failure of his motion, Trice moved to require those who speak to the commission at meetings specify their lobbyist status on the speaker cards, which must be filled out before approaching the dais.
Although that motion was approved unanimously, Arroyo was left dumbfounded.
“So we would benefit from knowing who’s being compensated when they come here, but we wouldn’t benefit from knowing who’s being compensated in every other such situation outside of the public meeting?” he asked.
“It’s a major investment with very little relative return,” Trice said of Arroyo’s proposal, “and this is a minor investment with a big return. That’s the difference in my way of thinking.”
File photo
Commissioner Erik Arroyo wants to create a registry that identifies paid lobbyists.
Direct Beachfront in Small Boutique Community • 2151 Gulf of Mexico Drive #5
LBK’s icon of perseverance
Many Longboaters laughed when a developer in a plaid sport coat said he wanted to buy and redevelop The Colony. Today, we should be grateful for Chuck Whittall, his vision and perseverance.
Absolutely stunning. Fabulous. On the edge of beyond belief. Congratulations, Chuck Whittall. Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations!
The St. Regis Longboat Key is magnificent.
Last Friday’s soft opening of the new resort could leave its guests no other way: In stunned awe and bubbling with giddiness and happiness to behold the beautiful aura that unfolds once you cross the grand lobby and take in the expansive views looking out to the Gulf of Mexico.
(Our favorite detail: Beveled in the beige carpet in one of the resort rooms was a faint trail of bird tracks, as if a little feathered friend was headed toward the beach.)
Every square inch of detail spoke of vision, creativity, thought, care and impeccable execution. All of it: Masterful.
Hundreds of people were involved bringing what one Marriott official called this “icon of luxury” to life. And to be sure, they all deserve credit — architects, engineers, lawyers, accountants, contractors, construction crews, interior designers and on and on.
But the one to credit most, far and
away, is Whittall.
How this developer of upscale apartments, shops and offices from Winter Park in Orlando and unknown to the Gulf Coast of Florida pulled this off — and pulled it off the way it turned out — defies the enormity of the odds and obstacles that loomed before him 12 years ago.
Surely, had Whittall known before he began all of what he endured for 12 years, that 18 acres of gorgeous, prime beachfront actually could have been dubbed Longboat Key’s Iwo Jima. “I thought we were going to get it done in two years. It took 12,” Whittall told attendees at the soft opening.
Twelve years and $900 million!
We could take up an entire newspaper page, and then some, recounting the agonizing, tumultuous, topsy-turvy journey that Whittall trudged through with the recalcitrant former unit owners of the Colony; bankruptcy trustees and judges; armies of lawyers; both supportive and sometimes undermining town commissioners; and Longboat’s (nit)picky neighbors.
But true to his character and from start to finish, Whittall remained himself — ever the optimist; believing that good and right prevails; unwavering in his determination
and vision; patient on the outside; and always a gracious gentleman in public.
There were plenty of times over the course of the 12 years that plenty of developers would have blurted disparaging remarks out of frustration in response to some of the unreasonable demands and criticisms thrown at them. But Whittall remained pleasant, respectful and composed — which is quite a remarkable feat for anyone who tries to develop on Longboat Key, much less a $1 billion resort.
The opening of the St. Regis Longboat Key truly is a new era for Longboat Key. Longtime Longboat residents have always enjoyed their privacy and the semi-obscurity of this idyllic barrier island. But Marriott President and CEO Anthony
State amendments explained
Here are plain English explanations of each of the state constitutional amendments Floridians will vote on this November, along with my thoughts on each of them:
Amendment 1: Partisan elections for district school boards Currently, school board elections in Florida are nonpartisan. Amendment 1 would make school board elections partisan in 2026. Until 1998, Florida had partisan school board elections. But that year voters approved Amendment 11, making school board elections nonpartisan. Amendment 1 seeks to reverse that decision.
Only four other states have partisan school board elections, and five other states allow the school districts to decide if school board elections will be partisan. Nationally, voter engagement in school board elections is low, with turnout ranging from 5% to 10%.
School boards have indeed become more contentious in recent years, with recall efforts on the rise and conflicts over things like masking policies, gender identify and school closures.
That is just as true in places with and without partisan elections, and there is no evidence that partisanship helps or hurts voter engagement in school board elections.
Amendment 2: Right to hunt and fish
Amendment 2 would guarantee that hunting, fishing and wildlife taking, including traditional methods, remain preserved in the state constitution as public rights and preferred means of wildlife management. The amendment would not prevent regulations on game seasons, bag limits, wildlife-taking methods or the protection of certain species. This amendment will make little change to Florida’s current policy
and economic landscape in hunting and fishing. State law already allows hunting and fishing, including traditional methods.
If Amendment 2 passes, the state will still be able to regulate hunting and fishing the same way it always has, with seasons, bag limits and bans on certain species (e.g. bears).
The inclusion of “traditional methods” includes killing and taking methods currently legal and has no retroactive power to re-legalize methods such as gill nets. However, the amendment may prevent any further regulation of killing or capturing methods in the future.
Amendment 3: Marijuana Legalization Amendment 3 would amend the constitution to allow adults aged 21 and older to possess up to three ounces of marijuana, including up to five grams of marijuana concentrates, without civil or criminal penalty. It would also allow existing licensees under Florida’s medical marijuana program to sell marijuana for adult recreational use.
The amendment would not allow any new businesses to begin producing or selling marijuana unless the Legislature passes a law to make additional marijuana business licenses available.
Twenty-four states now allow adult recreational marijuana consumption, and 38 states allow medical marijuana.
Based on years of legalized adult marijuana markets in many states, we know several things about the issues that concern people:
■ Teen Use: Federal data and studies on the effects of legalization show that as states have legalized, adolescent use of marijuana has declined, and adult use has been flat. Legalization has not led to increasing use of marijuana. This is partly because legal sellers obey the age restrictions on sales of marijuana, while black market sellers do not. In my opinion, once marijuana is legal, it is just not cool enough for teenage rebellion anymore.
■ Crime: According to the FBI, crime rates in most states with legal marijuana markets has closely tracked the national average, while crime rates in Maine and Nevada declined faster than the national trend, and crime rates in Alaska and Massachusetts increased more than the national average.
■ Economic Growth: As a group, states with recreational marijuana markets have not expe-
Capuano, a 30-year executive in the industry who has seen magnificent resorts all over the world, told Friday’s audience: “This property is going to set the tone for this part of the state” and draw visitors “from all over the world.”
That is all good. For 50 years, The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort likewise attracted travelers, tennis players, business people and celebrities from all over the world. And many of those visitors became residents and valuable contributors to the rich fabric of life on Longboat Key and around Greater Sarasota.
The St. Regis will do likewise.
When Chuck Whittall showed up on the scene a dozen years ago and said he wanted to buy and redevelop the Colony property, the skeptics laughed under their breath, were suspicious and doubtful. Who is this guy who wears plaid sport coats, jeans and sneakers? Just another hustler who swoops in and turns out to be another Florida con-artist developer who fleeces investors?
Everyone doubted Whittall was for real. And everyone laughed when he said he had a deal for a St. Regis.
No one on Longboat is laughing now. Longboaters instead should be giddy with happiness and grateful that Whittall had the crazy idea, vision and perseverance to redevelop those prized 18 acres of beachfront into the shiny gem of the St. Regis Longboat Key. See you at the Monkey Bar.
that year.
The homestead exemption does not apply to property taxes that go to schools.
rienced a significant difference in economic growth than states without recreational marijuana.
■ Tax Revenues: States with recreational marijuana markets collected nearly $3 billion in marijuana-related tax revenues in 2022, according to the Tax Foundation. However, high tax rates create a price difference that places legal marijuana at a disadvantage relative to illicit marijuana.
Evidence from many states shows that high taxes and overregulation of legalized marijuana cause high prices for legal products, and black markets will continue to thrive.
■ Mental Illness: A large study by Yale University found that recreational marijuana laws are not correlated with any increase in mental health disorders.
The only statistically significant mental health outcome reported is a 3.3% decrease in suicide among adult men.
Amendment 3 would not change the fact that marijuana is still illegal under federal law, nor will it create unregulated sales of marijuana or create more competition in the marijuana market. The Legislature can still legislate who can and cannot sell and under what rules.
Amendment 4: Right to abortion
As of this May, abortion is banned after six weeks of pregnancy in Florida. Amendment 4 would overturn that, adding to the state’s constitution that “no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”
Current law in Florida restricts abortion to the first six weeks of pregnancy and when the mother’s life is in danger. Amendment 4 would allow abortion before viability.
I don’t think abortion after viability is right, unless there is serious medical need. However, before that point, the decision on abortion should be the choice of the mother and her doctor.
Amendment 5: Annual inflation adjustment for homestead property tax exemption value Florida exempts from property taxes a portion of the value of the primary residence of Florida residents. Amendment 5 would create an annual adjustment of that exemption according to the Consumer Price Index if the change is positive
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Florida voters have regularly approved homestead tax exemptions to reduce the property tax burden on homeowning residents, even when that means other property owners will likely have to pay more property taxes as a result.
Tax cuts are almost always good. But because this amendment would only apply to homeowners and not to other property owners, including commercial and rental properties (and therefore renters), it’s not the most effective or fair way to cut taxes.
In Florida in particular, reducing property taxes only on homeowners doubles down on state policies that tax visitors rather than state residents — even for services for which residents are the primary customers.
A cut in all property taxes would be fairer and would not distort property markets. Additionally, it would not suffer the same economic distortions that arise from only cutting taxes for one narrow class of citizen.
Arguments that Amendment 5 would reduce local government revenues are not true. Amendment 5 only adjusts the homestead exemption for inflation, so it reduces the rate of increase in revenue for local governments but does not reduce their revenues. It’s the time-honored tradition of governments arguing that reducing the rate of growth in their revenue is a cut.
Amendment 6: Repeal of public financing for statewide campaigns
Amendment 6 would repeal taxpayer funding of candidates for the office of governor and the cabinet.
Taxpayer funding of elections may sound like a great way to “get big money out of politics,” but that is not what it does. Just as much private money goes into election, but taxpayer money is added. It’s more money in politics, not less.
Worse, taxpayer funding of any qualified candidate means your tax money can fund candidates with whom you vehemently disagree. At least with private campaign finance, people are only funding candidates with whom they agree.
A more detailed analysis of each of these amendments will be available in September at Reason.org.
Dr. Adrian Moore is vice president at Reason Foundation and lives in Sarasota.
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ADRIAN MOORE
Kat Wingert
Chuck Whittall, Founder and CEO of Unicorp National Developments
SRQ Airport pulls New College land sale request
Recent FAA guidance on the future of vertical launch and landing aircraft indicates a halt on land transfers.
ANDREW WARFIELD
STAFF WRITER
Sensing that the Federal Aviation Administration’s recently released guidance regarding uncertainty of future airport needs to accommodate vertical takeoff and landing vehicles will result in denial, the Sarasota-Manatee Airport Authority on Tuesday withdrew its request to sell 30 acres of land to New College of Florida.
The SMAA announced it will no longer seek the FAA’s approval to sell the land. It submitted that request for approval on Jan. 9. The day before, FAA issued guidance that airports will have to consider how to accommodate electric takeoff and landing and drone aircraft as that technology further develops.
In April, the FAA denied the proposed $11.5 million land deal without citing the updated guidance, a decision the SMAA promptly appealed. It had been waiting a decision on that appeal ever since.
In June, Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport President and CEO Rick Piccolo told the Observer the airport had plenty of land to address general aviation needs at full build-out, which at the time included no consideration for vertiport operations outside of the airfield.
Since 2016, the SMAA has attempted to convey the land it leases to New College, whose lease with the airport will expire in 2056. The concern of both the SMAA and the college is that, when the 100-year, undervalued lease does expire, FAA requirements to pay full market value on land it conveyed for civil aviation use will render it unaffordable. New College currently uses the 31
acres immediately adjacent to Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport for student housing, intramural fields, parking and education space.
“The request was an effort to solve several issues including eliminating an antiquated lease, put in place restrictive easements to protect the airport’s aeronautical surfaces, provide additional resources for the airport to address its capital needs, and preclude any future dispute over the East campus of New College,” Piccolo said in a statement.
Piccolo said it became evident that, with the advent of eVTOL and drone technology, neither of which require runway access, the FAA was not agreeable to approving a land release at SRQ, or any other airport, when the potential impacts are unclear.
What is clear is that the technology is advancing on electric-powered aircraft that have a range of 150 to 200 miles, far enough to transport passengers and freight to metropolitan areas such as Tampa and Orlando. Dubbed “vertiports,” there are
Sarasota Memorial Presents
such facilities in Dallas and Chicago.
“They go straight up and straight down, so you don’t really need access to the runway,” Piccolo told the Observer about the vehicle technol-
ogy. “It’s kind of a vertical airport. You could have one in the middle of downtown Sarasota for that matter.”
Referencing the 32-gate, full buildout plan of the airport that would not encroach on the New College site, “That’s all great, but here’s this new technology that doesn’t need access to a runway,” Piccolo said. “Could a vertiport go there sometime in the future? No one knows for sure, but it is a very big topic.”
Piccolo said vertiports were a huge topic of discussion during a recent Florida airports conference in Miami.
“There are states trying to look at what’s the future of vertiports, especially in Florida because it’ll probably be one of the first places they’re using it,” Piccolo said. “So if you’re going to Fort Myers for the day, where there is no intrastate service, you go to the vertiport, you get in this electric vehicle, and 15 minutes later, you’re there.”
Where does all this uncertainty leave New College? The school had been developing plans to invest in
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U.S. VERTIPORTS
Currently classified as heliports by FAA, sites that use the moniker “vertiport” include Dallas Vertiport and Vertiport Chicago. According airport equipment supplier Hali-Brite, the first U.S. vertiport hub will be constructed in Lake Nona near Orlando. Such facilities are geared toward urban air mobility, which focuses on using autonomous or semiautonomous aircraft for transportation within urban or metropolitan areas.
the site in part to accommodate its National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic facilities ambitions and renovation or replacement of the aging Pei dormitories.
“While disappointed that the transaction could not be completed, we are grateful for the effort of the Airport Authority,” said New College President Richard Corcoran in a statement. “New College will continue to cooperate on future development matters. In the meantime, this will free up college resources to continue improving the campus.”
Meanwhile, Piccolo said the airport will continue to work with New College to ensure the long-term needs of both the airport and the school are aligned.
“Hopefully, as the requirements of new technologies become clearer, it will give FAA clarity on potential land use provisions,” Piccolo said. That clarity may arrive as the FAA continues to develop guidance over whether vertiport and commercial aviation activities can coexist on the same airfield.
“That’s the unknown right now,” Piccolo said. “There are also airspace issues, but in their guidance it was that we have all this new technology and we really don’t know how these things will be integrated, so let’s be very conservative with what we do with land releases.”
Ashvin I. Patel, MD
Patrick J. O'Neill, MD
Michael J. Moustoukas, MD
Donald L. Erb, DO
Adam S. Bright, MD
Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport will retain ownership of the land it currently leases to New College.
Rick Piccolo, president of SarasotaBradenton International Airport, said more major airlines could be headed to Sarasota in the next year.
Outdoors
Street.
Development crossroad cleared
Orange Pineapple wins Cross Street right-of-way vacation to clear the way for planning downtown site redevelopment.
Now that developer Orange Pineapple LLC has secured City Commission approval to demolish the McAlpin House if it cannot find a suitable site to move it, the city’s vacation of Cross Street was the next step as it plans for a redevelopment of a large area south of Ringling Boulevard.
On May 6, the City Commission overturned a decision by the city’s Historic Preservation Committee that denied demolition as the worst-case scenario. The small former home once belonged to George McAlpin, regarded as one of the city’s founding fathers and construction pioneers. Cross Street is a one-way, oneblock-long street between the
Ringling Boulevard/South Pineapple Avenue roundabout and South Orange Avenue. The entire site is bounded by South Orange Avenue, South Pineapple Avenue, Ringling Boulevard and an alley behind property along Dolphin Street.
Orange Pineapple’s $32 million purchase of several parcels includes the small rusticated block house at 1530 Cross St., which was built in 1912. Commissioners voted 3-2, with Vice Mayor Jen Ahearn-Koch and Debbie Trice opposed, to approve the demolition or possible incorporation of a portion of the facade into the redevelopment.
Citing the plethora of proffers made by the developer to win Planning Board recommendation of approval to the City Commission, Ahearn-Koch cast the lone dissenting vote to approve the rightof-way vacation. The city does not own Cross Street, Mayor Liz Alpert reminded the commission, and is not giving away the 60-foot-wide roadway, but only the right of way.
“There’s going to be tremendous improvement to this right of way over what is there now, and the city
Courtesy images
A conceptual rendering by Hoyt Architects of Orange Pineapple LLC’s possible plans for Cross
is not going to have to pay for it and the city is not going to have to maintain it,” Alpert said. “That alone is a huge public benefit. I think it’s going to enhance that right of way and we are protected if they don’t do anything with it.”
In addition, a reverter clause in the ordinance returns the street to the city should Orange Pineapple fail to submit a site plan within two years, per city statute, or a building permit within six years.
Although the proffer for building permit submittal is six years, City Planner Rebecca Webster said code requires a tighter time frame.
“A building permit must be issued within two years of site plan approval, so that would supersede in that reverter clause,” Webster said. “It would need to be within two years of site plan approval for that building instead of three. You can always ask for an extension, though.”
Orange Pineapple will not close Cross Street to public traffic. Rather, it plans to open the street to two-way movement with an upgraded paver material between structures it will build on both north and south sides. The developer would not commit to an “open sky” proffer — to not build over the street — but capitulated that any plans otherwise would constitute a major encroachment, which must be approved by the City Commission.
Among other proffers is a com -
mitment to provide 50 public parking spaces to help serve the nearby Burns Court area.
“The ownership group owns both sides of the street, and they’re committed to investing into Cross Street providing public parking, improving the street grid through that twoway circulation, as well as building a street that complements future redevelopment of the site,” said Philip DiMaria of planning consultant Kimley-Horn. “What it is not is a closure of Cross Street. It is not a means to create a tunnel. It is not a means to eliminate grand trees within the right of way. And finally, it is not a means to gain greater density.”
Orange Pineapple owns and plans to redevelop all of the properties north and south of Cross Street including:
■ 200 S. Orange Ave.
■ 300 S. Orange Ave.
■ 1520 Ringling Blvd.
■ 1544 Cross St.
■ 1530 Cross St.
■ 1520 Cross St.
■ 301 S. Pineapple Ave.
What Orange Pineapple plans to do with the 3.1 acres has not been revealed, other than the redevelopment is intended as a dense, multiuse urban project. In a letter accompanying its application to the city, DiMaria wrote, “Any future redevelopment of, and access to, the property is dependent on the vacation of Cross Street as a public road.”
Cross Street, highlighted in red, bisects property to be redeveloped by Orange Pineapple LLC, which extends from Ringling Boulevard to the alley between Cross and Dolphin streets.
Award of a lifetime
Senior Friendship Centers
CEO Erin McLeod received the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.
Declan Sheehy, chief development officer at Senior Friendship Centers, said Erin McLeod was the kind of CEO who would probably be too humble to seek an award for herself.
That is why staff at the nonprofit decided to fill out the application for the Lifetime Presidential Achievement Award without her knowledge.
In fact, Sheehy said he handed her the award while driving her to a meeting, knowing the fact that he was driving would lessen her reaction.
On behalf of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the award was presented to McLeod in an Aug. 14 ceremony at the Sarasota campus of Senior Friendship Centers.
The event was also attended by Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert, who read a city proclamation recognizing Aug. 14 as Erin McLeod Day.
McLeod said the prestigious award, which recognized her 6,500 hours of community service in her lifetime, ultimately celebrated the community.
“I’m really overwhelmed,” she said.
“It’s hard to come up with words for it, as somebody who’s usually without pause for a word. But when I look at this, I’m really thinking, it’s not really about me. It’s really about all the people that I work with, the volunteers that help us do what we do, all my friends in this community that do good work. This is a group award, and I’m accepting it on behalf of all
of us because I think the work we do as a community is amazing.”
AN EXTENSIVE CAREER
With McLeod’s background, the difficult part of the application was condensing it into a limited number of pages, said Sheehy.
McLeod has worked for Senior Friendship Centers since 2004, serving as its second CEO since its founding in 1973.
The regional nonprofit, which spans four counties, provides seniors, families and caregivers with services and programs through its $20 million annual budget.
It provides more than 30,000 meals each month to those who might otherwise go without a meal, said Kathy Silverberg, vice chair of the organization’s board of governors.
“Erin’s journey into humanitarianism began with a simple but profound belief that every person,
COMMUNITY ROLES OF ERIN McLEOD
Board member of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce
Board Chair for HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital
Board member of Empath
LIFE (PACE)
Past president of the Central West Coast Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association
President-elect for the Florida Council on Aging
regardless of their age, is entitled to dignity, to respect and a sense of belonging,” said Jennifer Pilate, the certifying agent for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award Program, at the podium. “This belief has served as the foundation of her work here at the Senior Friendship Centers, where she has tirelessly advocated for the elders, ensuring that they are not just cared for but also cherished.”
Pilate said one of McLeod’s most notable accomplishments has been her support for intergenerational programming, noting the activities and opportunities available at Senior Friendship Centers.
“She has recognized that bridging the gap between the young and the elderly promotes mutual respect and understanding,” she said. “Erin’s initiatives have provided opportunities for younger generations to learn from their elders’ wisdom and experiences, while also bringing joy and renewed sense of purpose into the lives of seniors.”
She also said McLeod’s community work has influenced local and national policies to ensure the needs of seniors are addressed.
“Erin has a wide ranging influence in Florida, so not just at the local level, but at the state level as well,” she also said.
She said another factor in the award was McLeod’s work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When we were all kind of hidden away in our homes … that didn’t stop Erin,” she said. “She was out and about, making sure that the seniors were OK, making sure that they had food.”
Beyond her work at Senior Friend-
Member of the Aging Society of America
Member of the National Council on Aging
Member of National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs
Longtime parishioner and volunteer at Church of the Redeemer
ship Centers, McLeod is also active in the community.
Among other roles, she serves as a board member of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and HCA Doctor’s Hospital of Sarasota, and is president-elect for the Florida Council on Aging.
A resident of Sarasota since 1983, her experience also includes consulting, health care and hospitality, and she holds a degree from the University of Florida in public relations.
At the ceremony McLeod received a certificate signed by President Biden, as well as a congratulatory letter signed by Biden and an official pin and medallion.
Also on stage were Pilate’s husband, Felton Pilate, a musician and record produced and a former member of R&B and funk band Con Funk Shun; Heather Kasten, president and CEO of the Sarasota Greater Chamber of Commerce; Kathy Silverberg, vice chair of Senior Friendship Centers’ board of governors; and McLeod’s parents, Wes Estey and Dora Mae Estey.
Wes Estey placed the medallion around McLeod’s neck, while Dora Mae Estey placed the lapel pin on McLeon and Felton Pilate presented her with the award and letter.
The other attendees on stage also offered speeches.
“It is fitting that Erin has found her niche in an organization that includes the word friendship in its name,” said Silverberg. “She is the epitome of a friend, one who lifts up all around her, who exudes joy in all that she does and who leads with a clear vision of enriching lives.”
If you lived in or visited Hillsborough County any time between January 1, 2019, and March 15, 2021, you can claim a refund of some of the sales tax you paid during that time. These refunds are the result of a Settlement in a class action lawsuit.
What is the Settlement about?
The Settlement is about an unconstitutional 1% sales surtax imposed in Hillsborough County between January 1, 2019, and March 15, 2021. The Settlement resolves the case against the Defendants (including Hillsborough County and the Florida Legislature), who do not admit they did anything wrong, and releases all claims relating to the surtax. The Settlement will use all of the collected surtax (about $569 million) to pay money to eligible Class Members, as well as fund transportation projects and a temporary sales surtax holiday in Hillsborough County.
Am I included?
Any person or business is included if they paid the sales surtax in Hillsborough County and have not already filed a refund application with the Florida Department of Revenue. The surtax applied to most transactions subject to the state sales and use tax, such as retail purchases, payment for services, event tickets, hotel stays, service warranties, parking and storage space, docking fees, and commercial rent payments.
What can I get?
If you choose not to opt-out of the Settlement, you have two options. If you can provide receipts or other proof of taxable expenditures, you may receive a refund equal to the amount of your surtax payments. Or, if you lived in Hillsborough County anytime between January 1, 2019, and March 15, 2021, and either can’t or don’t want to provide proof of taxable purchases, you can claim a standard award of up to $100, depending on the length of your residency during that time. We will try to verify your residency without requiring you to submit proof, but you may have to submit documentary evidence in some circumstances. Payments may have to be reduced if the claims exceed the amount in the Settlement Fund. Any leftover money will be used to extend the sales surtax holiday.
How do I get a payment?
If you are an eligible Class Member, you will need to submit a claim form, available at www. FLTaxRefund.com. You may also request that a claim form be mailed to you, by calling 1-888-715-9373. You must submit your claim online at www.FLTaxRefund.com, or by mail, by December 31, 2024
What are my other options?
If you do not want to be legally bound by the Settlement, you must exclude yourself by October 25, 2024; otherwise you will not be able to sue the Defendants for any claim relating to this lawsuit. If you stay in the Settlement, you may object to it by October 25, 2024 The Court will hold a hearing on November 7, 2024, to consider whether to approve the Settlement and the requested attorneys’ fees and expenses (which could be up to $25 million, including the costs of administering the Settlement). If you wish, you or your own lawyer may ask to appear and speak at the hearing at your own cost.
This is just a summary. For more information visit www.FLTaxRefund.com or call 1-888715-9373.
IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER
Ian Swaby
Jennifer Pilate, Erin McLeod and Felton Pilate celebrate McLeod’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
MONDAY, AUG. 12
DEFIANT DRINKER
7:42 p.m., 1400 block of Main Street
Trespassing: After creating a disturbance with passersby outside a popular downtown nightclub, a woman was asked to leave by staff. The woman stood up and, as a demonstration of her defiance, looked them in the eye and instead began to drink her “Papa’s Blue Ribbon” — as she called it — canned beer, which had to be taken away from her.
The woman, who produced a Wyoming driver’s license, was issued a civil citation and trespassing warning.
THURSDAY, AUG. 8
UNSOCIAL SECURITY
10:50 a.m., 2000 block of Siesta
Drive
Disturbance: When officers arrived at the Social Security office, an agitated man was outside the building attempting to control the situation. It was explained to him that the officer must first meet with the complainant before speaking with him.
The complainant, a manager, advised that the man entered the office and was greeted by the security personnel at the front door, which is standard protocol to maintain order and direct them to the proper person.
When asked why he was there, the subject refused to respond in a concise manner. The subject then began yelling in the lobby, alarming the other customers. The manager said that from a far removed office he could hear the subject yelling. At that time the man was escorted out of the building and the door locked until law enforcement arrived.
The agitated man told the officer he wanted to press charges against the security officers for battery, but was told that once he was told to leave and refused, they were within
their rights to physically remove him. He then said he didn’t feel that they had the right to ask him any further questions beyond his original answer that he was there to visit the Social Security office. With all details in hand, the man was issued a trespassing warning.
FRIDAY, AUG. 9
STRIPPED OF HER DIGNITY
8:22 a.m., 2 Marina Plaza
Disturbance: Continuing a Cops Corner trend of late, officers responded to another case of a woman disrobing in public. It seems, for no reason other than alcohol being involved, a woman whose last name, ironically enough, is also that of a popular cocktail, had undressed or was undressing in the area of Marina Jack.
Explaining that she had been out on an all-night drinking binge, she was found lying in the dirt against a tree, unable to care for herself. Given her condition, she was transported to Sarasota Memorial Hospital under the Marchman Act for further evaluation.
SATURDAY, AUG. 10
DRIVEWAY DILEMMA
7:03 p.m., 3600 block of Iroquois Drive
Civil dispute: Two houses with a shared two-car-wide driveway between them is a recipe for a dispute, and so it was when an officer responded to a woman who wanted to make a report and advise her landlord of an ongoing situation between the neighbors. She stated she had an issue with them parking on her side of the driveway and blocking her in.
The officer noted that upon arrival the woman was parked on the opposite side of the driveway from her designated space. Meanwhile, the neighbor told the officer that the woman has been banging on their door on multiple occasions, telling them to move their vehicle. He advised she has permission from the landlord to park in the space next to his residence. He added that there are constant issues with woman being aggressive toward his family and has random outbursts for unknown reasons. This incident is civil in nature and no crime occurred.
Dr. at the Cattleridge Medical Building I office a wealth of knowledge and experience in Internal Medicine.
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Universidad Internacional del Ecuador (UIDE), Quito, ECU
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Saint Peter’s University Hospital, New Brunswick, NJ
Board Certified, American Board of Internal Medicine
Board Certified, American Board of Internal Medicine
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Cattleridge Medical Building I 3333 Cattlemen
Getting into the groove at Fogartyville
Ariel Aparicio-Jerro talks about his new job managing the music venue and its sister radio station, WSLR.
With a commitment to eclectic arts programming and social justice, WSLR/Fogartyville founders Arlene Sweeting and David Beaton put their imprint on the radio station and music venue they established in Sarasota’s Rosemary District in 2013.
In April, the couple announced they were stepping down from managing WSLR/Fogartyville and moving to Michigan, although they plan to become snowbirds.
A month earlier, Ariel AparicioJerro had joined the cultural nonprofit’s team. Today, the CubanAmerican musician and producer and former restaurateur is the manager of WSLR/Fogartyville.
Like managers at other arts organizations in town, Aparicio-Jerro was the recipient of unwelcome news in July, when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed $32 million in arts funding from the Legislatureapproved 2024-25 budget.
Then, along with the arts exhibitions Embracing Our Differences and the Chalk Festival, WSLR/Fogartyville was denied funding by the Sarasota County Commission.
Aparicio-Jerro recently spoke with the Observer to talk about his new job and what’s ahead for WSLR/Fogartyville. This is an edited version of the conversation.
What’s your background?
I grew up in Miami and went to college at NYU (New York University). I studied music and audio engineering. I started making music and releasing cassettes. I did festivals and toured around the country. Then I met my partner, who is now my husband, and we decided to give a try to the restaurant business. We opened a restaurant called Joya, in Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill neighborhood, about 25 years ago. It was super successful, and we opened three over the years. A couple of years ago, we made the decision to say goodbye and to sell the restaurants. We were living in Westport, Connecticut, at that point.
How did you get to Sarasota?
I grew up in Florida. We visited Clearwater, but then a friend told us about Sarasota. My husband flew down with our son. We decided it was a beautiful place. We bought a house close to downtown across from Payne Park in July 2022.
Did you move here to work at Fogartyville? No. Fogartyville wasn’t on our radar. Later, I saw a job opening on Indeed.com. It was right for me because I have extensive front-ofthe-house experience, and I’m also a musician.
What is your role there?
My title is director. I’m involved in all of it. WSLR and Fogartyville are one team. I’m there for community meetings, performances. I make sure it’s staffed properly. David (Beaton) and I are booking together. Eventually I’ll be doing that 100%.
Are you going to do anything differently than your predecessors?
I plan to honor the tradition that David and Arlene created. We present an amazing array of talent and variety. David and Arlene have brought in singer/songwriters, Americana roots bands, world music performers and jazz musicians. I’d like to bring in more indie rock flavor but keep the feel of Fogartyville.
We are a listening room with about 100 seats. There are another
50 seats outside. We can open the garage doors when the weather is good. But we’re not an auditorium, so the acoustics don’t always work for a heavy band.
Will you continue with art openings, film screenings, tastings and the like? Absolutely.
What’s the situation with food?
We have a guest food truck for the evening, usually for the live shows. Sometimes it’s tacos. Other times it’s empanadas or Greek food.
What role does WSLR/Fogartyville play in the community?
We play several roles. WSLR is a fantastic radio station, focused on local issues. In addition to being a listening room, Fogartyville is a community event space. We support other community organizations.
Can you talk about the recent funding cuts? Statewide, we were cut by $36,000. We were cut $27,000 by the county commission.
Why do you think your funding was cut?
I can’t speak for them, but we stand behind the entertainment we provide to the community. We showed evidence that we are a ticketed organization. We gave them everything they asked for.
How are you going to offset the funding cuts?
We have to step up our fundraising and increase our revenues. Last year, we had 66 live music events. We’re going to need more. We’re also boosting outreach in our community of listeners and patrons.
We’ll be having our fall membership drive from Oct. 9-15 and holding our open house for the community on Oct. 16. We’re encouraging people to become members. Our theme this year is “Many Voices, One Community.”
Is there anything you’d like to add?
I’m thrilled to be part of this community. It’s perfect for me and my family. We’ve found our home here. Sarasota is like a warm bubble bath.
MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Courtesy images
Ariel Aparicio-Jerro has taken over the reins of WSLR/Fogartyville from founders Arlene Sweeting and David Beaton.
Fogartyville often hosts music jams for professional and amateur musicians and listeners.
When the ears no longer have it
Becoming hearingimpaired threatened this critic’s livelihood, so he took action.
MARTY FUGATE CONTRIBUTOR
Now hear this!
When it comes to the performing arts, the ears have it.
But sometimes they need a little help.
I’m a theater critic with hearing aids. A recent development — but let’s not get ahead of our story. Let’s rewind the tale before my audio augmentation.
My hearing deteriorated for a variety of reasons. An exploding bike tire; too many rock concerts; earplugs gone bad. Whatever the causes, the loss wasn’t that bad at first. But it gradually got worse, like so many turns of the screw. Conversations were harder to catch in crowds. Talk in the next room was impossible. But the screw kept turning. Until people talking right in front of me became harder to follow. I’d hear most of what they said. But there were always missing words.
Initially, I could figure it out. Despite my increasing hearing loss, I could still fill in the gaps in one-onone conversations. But live theater was a different animal. It got to the
point where the actors on stage all sounded like Charlie Brown’s parents. I had to face the music … or the silence.
I had a big-time case of hearing loss.
For a professional reviewer, that’s a pain. But what could I do?
After years of dragging my feet, I checked into the Marlowe Center for Hearing. Dr. Sarah Chicorelli, one of their resident audiologists, tested my ears. I scored poorly on both the left and right ears. The graphs of their hearing ranges resembled steep cliffs. The diagnosis: “Profound hearing loss.” Damn. But earthly salvation was at hand …
After additional tests, Dr. Chicorelli fixed me up with hearing aids. Trial versions, at first. But they worked.
What should I expect? “Many patients experience a dramatic difference in audio quality,” she said. “It can be life-changing, especially to lovers of music and theater.”
Dr. Chicorelli’s words stuck a chord with me. And proved to be right.
I loved the new sonic clarity. My new devices filled in the conversational blanks. I stopped saying “What?” all the time. Ian Anderson and my other prog-rock pals sounded great.
The difference was, indeed, dramatic. Hey! Come to think of it, I was a lover of music and theater.
That gave me an idea … Why not put the devices to work? Professionally, that is.
Hearing loss had impacted my job
“You’re
basically sticking teeny tiny little speakers in your earholes. But do it anyway. It’s far better than noise, babble and silence.”
— Marty Fugate
as a critic. Would my new hearing aids make it better? To find out, I’d put them to the test with a beforeand-after piece on the Asolo Conservatory’s recent production of “Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” With that professional goal in mind, I got two tickets to the Bard’s take on star-crossed lovers. I attended one before I got my new, tiny audio gear and the other after. Boy, did I get an earful. Along with a humbling lesson.
Here’s my before and after story …
EAR BEFORE Sans hearing aids, I’d caught the emotional vibe of Shakespeare’s play on my first go-round. Theater isn’t algebra, folks. What the characters feel counts. Well-trained actors don’t need words to share their feelings. The Conservatory’s student prodigies had a well-stocked toolbox of nonverbal communication.
Thanks to body language, intonation and speech rhythms, I caught the feelings of Shakespeare’s play. But my naked ears fumbled Shake-
speare’s ideas. When your ears go bad, it’s like reading fine print without reading glasses. Words blur. And words are the delivery system of a playwright’s concepts. With Shakespeare’s ideas, that’s heavy freight. I missed a lot the first time. But I didn’t know what I was missing.
Until my second go-round …
EAR AFTER For my “Romeo and Juliet” redux, I came equipped with hearing aids. But that’s not all I had. Using my iPhone app, I tuned into the theater’s audio system. This time around, I didn’t miss a word. Or the Shakespearean ideas they delivered. Including a few dirty jokes …
Sampson: When I have fought with the men, I will be civil with the maids; I will cut off their heads.
Gregory: The heads of the maids?
Sampson: Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads. Take it in what sense thou wilt.
On my second pass, I didn’t miss the innuendo.
I’d had a general sense of Shakespeare’s prurient puns the first time. They were crystal clear the second time. That surprised me. It’s the difference between listening to an argument behind walls in the next room — and one right in front of you in the same room.
For a critic, that clarity was a revelation.
Now, I finally knew what I’d been missing — and what my procrastination had cost me. Hearing assistance vastly improved my plunge
into Shakespeare’s sonic world. The difference was dramatic, and it’s perfect for my job.
But I don’t want to oversell it. Today’s hearing aids use cuttingedge digital technology. But let’s be clear: That edge is going to move. Tomorrow’s hearing aids will get even better. Even when they do, they’ll fall far short of Mother Nature’s original high-fidelity audio equipment.
You’re basically sticking teeny tiny little speakers in your earholes. But do it anyway. It’s far better than noise, babble and silence.
Bionic ears definitely boost audio art appreciation. The $5,000 price tag wasn’t exactly in my budget, but you can’t put a price on being able to hear clearly, especially if your livelihood depends on it.
Hearing aids also help connect you to other human beings.
That’s good too.
HOW TO FIND HELP
Hearing Loss Association of America offers resources and advocacy for people with hearing loss. Their support includes educational programs, local chapter meetings, and access to hearing assistance technologies. Call (727) 233-8663 or visit HLA-FL.org/HLAA-Sarasota-Manatee-Chapter.
Image courtesy of Sorcha Augustine
Hearing loss could be career-ending for a theater critic like Marty Fugate unless it’s addressed.
THIS WEEK
THURSDAY
‘THE MUSIC OF LAUREL CANYON’
7:30 p.m. at FST’s Court Cabaret, 1265 First St., Sarasota
$18-$42
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
If you know, you know. But not everyone knows about Laurel Canyon, the neighborhood above West Hollywood’s Sunset Strip that became home to folk musicians such as Joni Mitchell, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young and The Mamas and the Papas. Runs through Sept. 1.
‘THE FOUR C NOTES’
8 p.m. at FST’s Goldstein Cabaret, 1239 N. Palm Ave.
$18-$42
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
For fans of Frank Valli and the Four Seasons, the doo-wop sound never
OUR PICK
JOSÉ RAMIREZ: ‘BAD
HOMBRE’
Join international blues star José Ramirez for the premiere of his documentary film, “Bad Hombre” and the new album of the same name recorded at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe during his 2023 tour. In addition to the screening, Ramirez will perform an acoustic set.
IF YOU GO
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug.
24 Where: Westcoast Black Theatre, 1012 N. Orange Ave.
Tickets: $35
Info: Visit WestcoastBlackTheatre.org.
goes out of style. With “The Four C Notes,” Florida Studio Theatre continues the tradition of presenting Four Seasons tribute shows inspired by “Jersey Boys” starring performers from the Broadway smash hit’s touring production. Runs through Oct. 13.
FRIDAY
‘THE MOUSETRAP’
7:30 p.m. at the Pinkerton Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave. W., Venice $35 Visit VeniceTheatre.org.
Scott Keys directs the Venice Theatre’s production of Agatha Christie’s murder mystery, which has been playing in London’s West End since its November 1952 opening. Runs through Sept. 15.
SATURDAY
‘SKYWAY’ ART EXHIBITION
10 a.m. at The Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bayshore Road and the Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail
$30 at The Ringling (free Mondays); $15 at Sarasota Art Museum Visit SkywayTampaBay.com.
The triennial contemporary Florida art exhibition encompasses five museums in the Tampa Bay area. Even if you don’t have time to visit all five “Skyway” museums, check out The Ringling Museum of Art and the Sarasota Art Museum. The Ringling features the multimedia works of 13 artists, running the gamut from Caitlin Albritton’s whimsical jewelry to Kiko Kotani’s breathtaking crocheted installations. SAM’s juxtapositions of multimedia works speak to the important contributions of Florida immigrants, including Havana native Tatiana Mesa Paján, Sue Havens, originally from Rochester, New York, and Kirk Ke Wong,
who was born in Shanghai. “Skyway” runs through Jan. 25 at The Ringling and Oct. 27 at SAM.
COMEDY LOTTERY
7:30 p.m. at FST’s Bowne’s Lab, 1265 First St. $15-$18 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
Everyone’s a winner in this FST Improv show where audience members
select the night’s lineup of games, replete with scenes, sketches and songs designed to provoke laughter. Runs Saturdays through Sept. 28.
MONDAY
JAZZ JAM SRQ
5:30 p.m. at Selby Library, 1331 First St., Sarasota Free Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.
DON’T MISS THE BERMUDA MAVERICKS
It’s not often that McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre co-founder Les McCurdy takes the stage. This time, he’s one half of the Bermuda Mavericks. The other half is Ken Sons. Together, these brothers from different mothers deliver the right amount of stand-up comedy and improv. Runs through Aug. 25.
Thanks to the efforts of Jazz Club of Sarasota, the jazz scene is growing in Sarasota. This bimonthly jam session is open to professional and amateur musicians alike. Come play, sing, watch and enjoy jazz.
TUESDAY
MANATEE COMMUNITY CONCERT BAND
7 p.m. at Waterside Place, 7500 Island Cove Terrace, Lakewood Ranch
Free Visit LakewoodRanch.com.
Sights + Sounds at Waterside Place presents the Manatee Community Concert Band, whose members hail from all walks of life and have collectively racked up 2,100 years of musical experience. The band performs a wide variety of music, including marches, Broadway and film hits, swing classics and more. Seating is limited, so bring a lawn chair. No outside food or drinks permitted.
CONTINUING THE CYCLE
WSLR+Fogartyville and community members save the late Dr. Nik’s art bikes from becoming scrap metal.
IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER
Photographer Jamie Stewart remembers her late friend, William Pearson, better known to the community as “Dr. Nik,” as someone who could create something special out of what someone else might have seen as garbage.
“He was always finding objects and turning them into beautiful things, and I thought that was something really beautiful about Nik,” she said. “He knew how to pick up something that anybody else thought was garbage and turn it into magic, and not just turn it into magic, turn it into something that was alive.”
When the chance arrived to stop a dozen of his art bikes and other works from becoming scrap once again, she leaped into action.
She immediately roped in WSLR+Fogartyville, a nonprofit with a longtime relationship with Dr. Nik, whose crowd-funding campaign drew two donations, including a large donation from Donna Pickup.
The bikes can now continue to be enjoyed by the community in their new home at WSLR+Fogartyville,
which is still working on its plans for their future.
A FORTUITOUS FIND
Since Dr. Nik’s death in April, Stewart had been left searching for his colorful “art bykes.”
“I immediately started asking the universe and anybody I could, where is his art here in Sarasota?” she said.
“I wasn’t getting anywhere.”
When Stewart spotted the bikes on a flatbed trailer Aug. 8 at a gas station, it took her a moment to register that the truck was labeled “scrap.”
Dr. Nik had left behind many of the bikes, which he would often rotate out, in his storage unit, when he moved to Portland, Oregon, in 2022 for his leukemia treatment.
After the rent on the unit went unpaid, owners of the storage facility put the contents out for a bid.
Stewart was able to persuade the owner of the scrap metal business to sell the pieces for $1,000, and immediately reached out to WSLR+Fogartyville for help.
When the nonprofit’s team received the news, it wasn’t an ideal time, said Jesse Coleman, general manager of the organization, because the board was planning its
IF YOU GO WSLR+Fogartyville. 525 Kumquat Court Visit WSLR.org.
annual retreat. Nonetheless, the team set to work on the new task.
“There was a sense of urgency around it all, and we were really just kind of shocked and excited to spring into action,” Coleman said.
The team quickly created an online crowd-funding campaign, and within about 30 minutes, it was fully funded, almost entirely by Pickup, through a donation of $975, with the note, “I love Dr. Nik’s art!”
On Aug. 9, a dozen bikes, along with metal marionettes, puppets, paintings and drawings were delivered to the Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center.
“It was incredibly fortuitous,” Coleman said. “I can’t even say how
amaz -
ing it was that this community came together so quickly to make it happen.”
AN ARTIST OF THE COMMUNITY
Dr. Nik was widely known for his many artistic endeavors, as well as his appearance, which was easily recognizable with his short stature, white mustache and round glasses.
Pearson said he offered several public shows he would bring to locations, including Five Points Park and local schools. His puppet show at the downtown farmers market became a staple of the event.
Meanwhile, he had also long enjoyed a relationship with Fogartyville as one of its programmers, and hosted two shows, a bluegrass show and a show about vinyl records titled “33 and a Third.”
His main job was at Florida Studio Theatre, where he designed sets, cared for buildings and looked after the needs of actors.
In 2015, the “bykes,” which were decorated with everything from flamingoes to American flags, became his signature works. They began to appear in locations around Sarasota, and community members began to donating their own bikes.
Locking the bikes to street signs and lamp posts, Dr. Nik would periodically take the art pieces home to refurbish them.
“I do it just to do it,” he told the Observer in 2015. “It brings me joy. I don’t care about money. I’ve got my dove bike, my tiger car and my kayak. I don’t need much.”
Coleman said the bikes had been seen around the area until perhaps this year, but have been increasingly removed due to a degradation in quality, something he said does not appear to be an issue for the bikes in the storage unit.
“The paint’s all pretty bright and colored and new, so maybe he hadn’t gotten these into rotation recently, or he had been touching them up,” Coleman said.
Stewart became friends with Dr. Nik through organizations including Florida Studio Theatre and International Association of Theatrical & Stage Employees in Sarasota, and
recalls him as having a love of peace and of humanity.
“He was just a consummate artist. He believed in peace,” she said. She said he would wake up every day and ride out to the beach, using found objects to make peace signs, and leaving them for others to find.
Pickup had fallen in love with the bikes since they began to appear, although she did not know Dr. Nik personally.
“When I first came across them, it just gave me pure joy,” she said. “I was enamored. I was like, ‘Who did this?’ and ‘How come?’ So, I looked it up and I’ve just been fascinated ever since.”
Pickup started biking more during the past two years, which grew her awareness for Dr. Nik’s art.
She had noticed that she wasn’t seeing the bikes as much, and knowing Dr. Nik had died, she wondered what could be done.
When she saw the call for donations, she recalls thinking, “This is perfect. This is just what I’ve been thinking about.”
KEEPING THE BIKES GOING
With the bikes now in their current home at WSLR+Fogartyville, staff are discussing what is next, Coleman said.
A media release said the bikes and some of the other works will be installed at Fogartyville, while additional art may be used to benefit the nonprofit’s endowment in Dr. Nik’s memory.
“We have many people who have reached out and said they’re so excited to be able to see them and have them around town and accessible,” Coleman said.
He said they plan to apply clear varnish to the bikes to protect them from the sun, and are looking to hang them in the shaded space of the outdoor patio.
“I think that the symbol they make for Sarasota as a fun, quirky, creative place is what really draws me to them, personally,” Coleman said. “I think the way this community is able to foster an artistic atmosphere around it is so important, and this sort of folk art and these pieces of whimsy and different outlets of expression are what makes this area really unique.”
Photos by Ian Swaby
A collection of Dr. Nik’s bikes sit in the Fogartyville courtyard.
Marionette puppets from “The Tin Can Rebellion,” a 2019 film Dr. Nik created with Mark Zampella, rest in the Fogartyville courtyard.
Courtesy image
Dr. Nik puts on a puppet show at Fruitville Grove Pumpkin Festival in 2018
Specialized Dental Care
A bigger picture
Ringling College graduate Wilderley Mauricette capitalizes on the chance to adapt his short film ‘Spare Me,’ inspired by Black history in Sarasota, into a feature-length film.
ilderley Mauricette was surprised when he realized that no one around him knew what a “sundown town” was and what its implications were for the Black community.
“No professor knew what it was; no classmates knew what it was — nothing,” he recalled of the time he was a student at Ringling College of Art and Design.
As a result, the concept became part of the basis for his short film “Spare Me,” set in Sarasota, which he completed in 2023 as a junior student project.
The young filmmaker hopes an unexpected opportunity to turn the eight-minute short film into a feature-length production will bring more awareness to the subject matter.
After “Spare Me” screened at the Mometu College Short Film Festival in Los Angeles in 2024, it picked up awards for “Best Picture” and “Producer’s Pick,” and the festival decided to fund a full-length adaptation.
BRINGING HISTORY TO THE SCREEN
Mauricette had always sought out knowledge of Black history while growing up, a time during which he moved back and forth between Sarasota and Bradenton, where he currently resides.
“As a young Black man, I’ve always surrounded myself with people who knew the history, that would always teach me the history,” he said.
He aims to incorporate into the film what he’s learned — for instance, that Sarasota was once one of many “sundown towns,” across the country.
Sundown towns were towns where Black people present after sundown could face harassment, police incarceration and violence.
“The scarier part is that there are actually still sundown towns in existence today in 2024, and that’s just mind-boggling to me,” Mauricette said.
The subject worked its way into the idea for “Spare Me” in 2022, which focuses on a young Black man,
Trey Compton, who experiences flashbacks to his past while stuck in Sarasota with a flat tire.
The film also draws on Mauricette’s relationship with his father, Onac Mauricette, with whom he came to the United States from Haiti at 8 years old.
“We’ve always had a great relationship,” he said. “When we made the big move from Haiti to the U.S., it was just me and him.”
TELLING A BROADER STORY
Over a year, the film has circulated through 20 film festivals, and brought the opportunity for a feature, his original goal, sooner than Mauricette expected.
“Most filmmakers have to graduate, go do internships for a couple of years, go work on set for a couple of years as a production assistant,” he said.
As a microbudget film costing less than $1 million, the film has an allotted runtime of an hour-and-a-half.
As he writes the 90-page script, Mauricette hopes to incorporate history he did not have the chance to explore in the original eight-minute version.
He said his inspiration comes from individuals around Sarasota, including Nate Jacobs, founder and artistic director of the Westcoast Back Theater Troupe, where Mauricette acted after high school. He also took inspiration from his work over the past three summers with Renée James Gilmore of ABC7, daughter of activist Edward James
Courtesy images
Wilderley Mauricette
II, on her annual Memorial Day segment.
Finally, during his sophomore year, before “Spare Me,” he worked with Vickie Oldham, president of the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition, as part of a group of Ringling students designing the exhibits found in the Leonard Reid House in Newtown.
The only Black student to contribute to the project, he worked during that time on a documentary on Reid, who was instrumental in establishing Sarasota’s Black community.
However, Mauricette said Sarasota will not necessarily be the setting for the feature, and it could even be a fictional town.
“As long as I stay true to those experiences, to that journey, to that feeling, it can be placed anywhere,” he said.
Bringing the project together is a crew largely comprising Ringling College alumni, including graduate Tony Gallucci, who produced the short and returns as director of photography.
However, Mauricette hopes the local community will contribute as well.
“One thing that we’re putting priority on is finding food,” he said, also noting other needs such as cars and locations.
After shooting begins in November, and the film eventually debuts,
he hopes the depiction of sundown towns will spark new conversations.
“A lot of people try to live their life and kind of think everything is all peachy-peachy, fine, like, ‘Hey, racism don’t exist, everybody’s good,’ everybody has a fair life, everybody has equal opportunities, etcetera, etcetera,” he said. “That’s not the case. There is still racism in today, in 2024, even if it’s not right in front of you in black and white, it still exists.”
This still from the short film features
characters Trey Compton (Brian L. Boyd) and his father, Leroy Compton (Michael J. Kinsey).
The poster for the short film version of “Spare Me.”
YOUR CALENDAR
BEST BET
SATURDAY, AUG. 24
TO SUNDAY, AUG. 25
SARASOTA SHARK TOOTH FESTIVAL
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Robarts Arena, 3000 Ringling Blvd. Ages 13 and up, $12; ages 12 and under, free; seniors and military, $6. Find vendors, activities and educational displays at the second annual Shark Tooth Festival produced by local captain, ocean explorer and TV host Ron Gauthier. Visit SarasotaFair.com.
SUNDAY, AUG. 25
BRUNCH AT THE BAY FEATURING LIVE MUSIC BY AKIEM THE GUITARIST
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (live music) and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (brunch) at The Nest, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts. Free. Enjoy new brunch items at The Nest Café, while Akiem The Guitarist plays new age jazz. Visit TheBaySarasota.org.
MONDAY, AUG. 26
BE PREPARED!
Hurricane Preparedness with Sarasota County Emergency Management. 11 a.m. at 2801 Newtown Blvd. Free. Meet the Sarasota County Emergency Management team and learn how to get ready before disaster strikes. Visit SCGovLibrary. LibraryMarket.com.
TUESDAY, AUG. 27
THE Y: PRIMETIME + 7:30-8:15 a.m. at Sarasota Garden Club, 1130 Boulevard of the Arts. Free. This low-impact cardiovascular class includes resistance training ideal for active seniors and beginners, focusing on core muscles including the abs and glutes. Visit TheBaySarasota.org.
Children are invited to read with certified pet therapy dogs, to develop their reading and communication skills. This program is intended for children who can read independently. Sign-up takes place at the youth desk the day of the program. Visit SCGovLibrary.LibraryMarket.com.
THURSDAY, AUG. 29
EVENING NAMASTE AT THE BAY WITH SUGANDHA SINGHAL
6-7 p.m. at Bayfront Community Center, 803 N. Tamiami Trail. Free. This mindful Yin and Yang yoga session is led by Sugandha Singhal, who has studied with renowned teachers in India and brings more than 500 hours of formal teacher training. Visit TheBaySarasota.org.
HULA HOOPING FOR ALL!
5-6 p.m. at Selby Library, 1331 First St. Free. Join Amy the Hoop Lady for fun games with music and hula hoops. Visit SCGovLibrary.LibraryMarket.com.
Jane Mahler for a journey across Cuba, exploring settings from cities to mountains as well as the country’s music, dance, art and people. Visit
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Siesta Key home tops sales at $3 million
ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
ASiesta Key home tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. Michael Sanchez and Nancy Assuncao Sanchez, of Devon, Pennsylvania, sold their home at 9137 Midnight Pass Road to Kyle Adams, of Dallas, for $3 million. Built in 2001, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 4,577 square feet of living area. It sold for $2.6 million in 2006.
SARASOTA
PALM PLACE
Margaret Ruyle, of Rockford, Michigan, sold her Unit 403 condominium at 755 S. Palm Ave. to Timothy Morris, of Denver, Colorado, for $800,000. Built in 1983, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,421 square feet of living area. It sold for $595,000 in 2018.
GOLF ESTATES
Katie and Larry Miller, trustees, of Nokomis, sold the home at 4360 Iola Drive to Yegor and Natasha Yegorov, of Burlington, Massachusetts, for $685,000. Built in 1999, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,975 square feet of living area. It sold for $410,000 in 2021.
GULF GATE WOODS
Juergen and Eva Stahl, of Sarasota, sold their home at 2307 Cass St. to Greta Kerr, of Sarasota, for $655,000. Built in 1973, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,905 square feet of living area. It sold for $450,000 in March.
ALINARI
Kevin O’Leary and Robert O’Leary, of Buffalo, New York, sold their Unit 508 condominium at 800 N. Tamiami Trail to Ronit Lawlor, of Sarasota, for $640,000. Built in 2007, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,484 square feet of living area. It sold for $399,000 in 2008.
GULF GATE
Bonnie Starr, of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, sold her home at 3140 Prairie Lane to Dustin Smith and Michael Schulz, of Sarasota, for $575,000. Built in 1967, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,828 square feet of living area. It sold for $634,000 in 2022.
SUNNYSIDE PARK
Boni Borges sold her home at 2322
Sunnyside Place to Joshua Mooney, of Sarasota, for $560,000. Built in 1957, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,628 square feet of living area. It sold for $170,000 in 2002.
GULF GATE EAST
Axios Property and Investments
LLC sold the home at 4127 Kingston Way to Douglas and Sofiya Vogt, of Sarasota, for $530,000. Built in
1984, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,649 square feet of living area. It sold for $402,000 in 2021.
INDIAN BEACH
Catherine Cottrell and Jack Lyon Reilly, of Clinton, New York, sold their home at 865 32nd St. to Geraldine Parth, of Sarasota, for $512,500. Built in 1971, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,611 square feet of living area. It sold for $225,000 in 2013.
SIESTA KEY
PARADISE ISLAND
David Haenel, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 339 Avenida De Paradisio to McInerney Investments LLC for $1,575,000. Built in 1972, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,716 square feet of living area.
BEACH VILLAS AT THE OASIS
Casa De Siesta LLC sold the Unit 312S1 condominium at 312 Calle Miramar to Douglas Bailey, of Sea Isle City, New Jersey, for $1,495,000. Built in 2008, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,520 square feet of living area. It sold for $925,000 in 2021.
DOLPHIN BAY
Edward and Catherine Gillig sold their Unit 402 condominium at 1240 Dolphin Bay Way to Jayne Roose and Keith Staudt, of Sarasota, for $1,267,000. Built in 1998, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,915 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,225,000 in 2022.
POLYNESIAN GARDENS
James and Marie Dematteis, of Sarasota, sold their Unit L-2 condominium at 1107 N. Moonmist Court to Affordable Care Alternative Corp. for $629,000. Built in 1968, it has two bedrooms, one-and-a-half
baths and 900 square feet of living area. It sold for $399,000 in 2021.
BEACH WAY APARTMENTS
Jorge Cerron and Jortan Cerron sold their Unit G-1 condominium at 5600 Beach Way Drive to Robert Bockrath II, of Rochester, Michigan, for $525,000. Built in 1970, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,182 square feet of living area. It sold for $550,000 in 2005.
SARASOTA: $850,000
La Linda Terrace
Michael and Paula Budnick, of Blackstone, Massachusetts, sold their home at 2280 Arlington St. to Anthony Davidson and Gloria Davidson, trustees, of Broadview Heights, Ohio, for $850,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,860 square feet of living area. It sold for $575,000 in 2021.
SARASOTA: $850,000
Wade and Avery’s
Michael and Carol Felten, of Sarasota, sold their home at 2414 Portland St. to 2414 Portland LLC for $850,000. Built in 1940, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,416 square feet of living area.
PALMER RANCH: $520,000
Provence Gardens
Rosemarie Kalmeta, of Sarasota, sold her Unit 102 condominium at 7515 Botanica Parkway to Daniel Rumer and Alice Parisot, of Sarasota, for $520,000. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,798 square feet of living area. It sold for $512,000 in 2022.
Ian Swaby
The home at 9137 Midnight Pass Road was built in 2001 and has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 4,577 square feet of living area.
Raising glasses to raise funds
Nicholas Iannitti, chair for the Rotary Club of Sarasota Foundation, said he established Toast Local last year when he saw a shortage of events for local residents during the summertime.
More than 300 community members turned out for the second iteration of the event, hosted Aug. 17 at Robarts Arena by the Rotary Club of Sarasota.
Meanwhile, Iannitti said, “basically all” proceeds of the event go back into the community.
“That’s just part of what Rotary is all about. It’s just a bunch of people coming together to make where they live a little bit of a better place,” he said.
Attendees had the chance to enjoy about 15 vendors serving beers and spirits, as well as live music by Kettle of Fish. About 65 volunteers were present, as well as over a dozen paying sponsors.
Iannitti said last year’s event raised about $25,000, which he hoped that this year’s event would match or exceed.
For Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast, a nonprofit that pairs young people with adult mentors, the impact was immediate.
“We got some people to sign up, so we’re hoping to get some of those kids off the waiting list and get them matched and get them a mentor because it changes their lives,” said Teresa Taft, who works with the organization.
The Rotary Club supports many organizations benefiting children, including Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota, as well as the Booker elementary, middle and high schools.
— IAN SWABY
Thursday, Aug 8 at 7:00pm STRINGS CON BRIO
Friday, aug 16 at 7:00pm Jazz daddyo’s (Garden Concert)
Tuesday, aug 20 at 7:00pm ASTRALIS chamber ENSEMBLE
Wednesday, aug 28 at 7:00pm Sarasota piano trio
Thorson Moore and Dana Laurene of Kettle of Fish provided music at the event.
Rick Erbacci, Stacey Fredericks and Donna Karasic
Steve Tucci pours a Surfside Iced Tea Vodka.
Photos by Ian Swaby
Sarah Wertheimer, Jude Schwartz, Kaitlin Yelle, Aleksandra Dilas and Jennifer Iannitti
SPORTS
Fast Break
The Cardinal Mooney High boys golf team finished second overall (304) at the John Ryan Invitational, held Aug. 19 at Capri Isles Golf Club in Venice. Cougars senior Nico Bencomo (70) finished second in the individual standings, one stroke behind Winter Haven High senior Anthony Monteleone … Sarasota skateboarder Jake Ilardi, who represented the United States at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, threw out the first pitch at the Tampa Bay Rays baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on Aug. 10. Ilardi also put on a skate demonstration at Tropicana Field before the game alongside skaters Eric Koston Jake Anderson and Sean Malto A portion of the proceeds from skate demonstration ticket sales supported Boards for Bros, a Tampa-based charity that brings free skateboards and skateboard instruction into underserved communities worldwide.
Sarasota Springs LLC announced a partnership with tennis legend Tommy Haas on Aug. 19. Haas will serve as a global ambassador and club curator for Bath + Racquet Residences and Club, formerly the Bath + Racquet Club. As the club undergoes a revitalization project in the coming months, Haas will “help ensure that members of the club receive the best possible on-court experience,” according to a release. Haas competed on the ATP Tour from 1996 to 2017, reaching the No. 2 global ranking in 2002. Sarasota High football junior running back Eli Litteral had 20 carries for 96 yards and two touchdowns in the Sailors’ 14-8 home preseason win over Brandon High on Aug. 16, while the Sailors’ defense held Brandon to 82 yards of offense. Sarasota will open the regular season at home against Cardinal Mooney High at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 23.
Cardinal Mooney football seeks repeat title
RYAN KOHN SPORTS EDITOR
The only thing harder than winning a championship is winning it again.
It’s a maxim sports teams have held for ages, and one the Cardinal Mooney High football team has at the top of its mind. In 2023, the program won its first state title in 51 years by taking down Trinity Catholic 31-27 in the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 1S championship game in Tallahassee, an exclamation point on the team’s 12-2 season.
Things look different heading into 2024. Not only have the Cougars had to pinpoint and develop replacements for several now-graduated starters, but the team finds itself in a new class. In December, the FHSAA voted to scrap the Metro/Suburban/ Rural classifications it had used for two seasons, going back to an eightclass system determined by school enrollment — 7A (biggest) through 1A (smallest), plus a rural class — that puts it in line with other popular sports like basketball and baseball/ softball. All football programs are affected by the change to an extent, but especially Mooney, which lands in Class 2A alongside programs like Cocoa High, the defending Class 2S champion, and Berkeley Prep, the defending Class 2M champion. In MaxPreps’ preseason rankings, Cardinal Mooney is 13th in the class.
It’s not where a defending champion typically finds itself. But Mooney is not worried about preseason rankings. The Cougars believe that if all goes like they plan it, they’ll will once again be contenders for the crown.
“We have set a high standard,” junior quarterback Devin Mignery said in July. “I think this year we have
CARDINAL MOONEY HIGH: AT A GLANCE
Head coach: Jared Clark, fourth season 2023 record: 12-2, won the FHSAA Class 1S state title game 31-27 over Trinity Catholic Key to the season: Infusing the team’s new talent. The Cougars had to replace a lot from its 2023 season, and it did so largely with an influx of transfers from other schools. Finding roles for all of those talented pieces will be paramount to the Cougars hitting their ceiling and competing for another state title.
Schedule (All games at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted): Aug. 23 at Sarasota High Aug. 30 vs. Community School of Naples Sept. 6 at Chamberlain High Sept. 13 at Leto High (7:30 p.m.) Sept. 20 vs. Bishop Verot High Sept. 27 at Lakewood High Oct. 11 vs. Specially
The Cougars are in a difficult classification in 2024, but carry the same physicality and passion.
the most athletic team we have ever had, just in terms of pure skill. It’s up to us to find a way to use everybody in the right way and make it all work.”
The Cougars have plenty of new faces, but Mignery will be a returning anchor under center. Mignery began the 2023 season as a backup to Michael Valentino, but took over the position when Valentino was injured in an early season game against Riverview High. When Valentino returned, the two players split reps — coaches were impressed with Mignery’s play and wanted to keep giving him opportunities. Mignery finished the year with 1,303 passing yards, 896 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns to just four turnovers (three interceptions, one fumble). With Valentino now playing for Florida Atlantic University, the job at Mooney is Mignery’s full time.
Mignery will have a plethora of offensive weapons at his disposal. In a preseason game against Booker High on Aug. 16, sophomore running back Connail Jackson quickly made a name for himself, rushing for 137 yards and a touchdown, with many of those yards coming through the teeth of the Booker defense; Jackson showed an ability to break tackles and stay on his feet. On the outside, junior receiver Rymen Mosley, a transfer from Parrish Community High, hauled in the game’s first touchdown pass, a 38-yard strike from Mignery that Mosley caught before somersaulting into the end zone. Junior Kymistrii Young, another Parrish transfer, also had a big game, nabbing a 63-yard touchdown and finishing with six catches for 133 yards. Senior Marcus Galloway, a Braden River High transfer, also caught a touchdown. Those additions are on top of returning talent like junior receiver Bo O’Daniel.
On defense, the team is headlined by its star-studded secondary. Senior defensive back Chris McCorkle, a consensus three-star recruit who committed to the University of Kansas on Aug. 3, will man one side of the
field. He will be joined in the secondary by Laron Dues, a junior defensive back transfer from Hurricane High in West Virginia who holds offers from West Virginia University and the University of Memphis, among other schools. In the middle, junior safety Macaiden Brown has offers from the University of Auburn and the University of Louisville among other schools. Brown had nine tackles, two sacks and a blocked extra point in the team’s 45-32 preseason win over Booker.
In the front seven, junior defensive end Bryce Fulda provides good tackling ability and can run down ballcarriers in the backfield. He had 11 tackles for loss (43 total tackles) in 2023. Junior linebacker Blake Roulund is the team’s leading returning tackler (58 tackles, 10 tackles for loss).
The team’s schedule will be as difficult as ever. Games against the Community School of Naples (8-2 in 2023), Bishop Verot High (11-2), and Tarpon Springs High (8-1) will test the Cougars, as will a game against Riverview High — which finished 8-5 in 2023 and beat Mooney 35-7. Cardinal Mooney would not want it any other way.
“We are looking forward to putting it all out there,” Mignery said.
Cardinal Mooney High senior Nicolas Bencomo finished second overall at the John Ryan Invitational.
Cardinal Mooney’s RJ Mosley catches a deep ball from Devin Mignery against Booker High. Mosley scored on the play.
Rams want to build on successful foundation
RYAN KOHN SPORTS EDITOR
The Riverview High football team can run, and will run. It is something the team proved over and over in 2023. The Rams had the area’s leading rusher in running back DJ Johnson, who finished with 1,660 yards and 23 touchdowns. When Johnson came out of the game, Isaiah Belt came in, and Belt was also successful, rushing for 1,094 yards and 14 touchdowns. The duo, along with the team’s physical offensive line, paved the way for the Rams to win eight games and reach the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 4S regional finals before falling 49-23 to Venice High.
In 2024, both the senior Johnson and the junior Belt are back, ready to top their 2023 marks. They will be joined by a talented quarterback and new faces at receiver. If the defense can find players to fill holes left by graduated and transferred players, the Rams could be in for another playoff run — though thanks to the FHSAA scrapping its Metro/Suburban/Rural classification system, the Rams are back in Class 7A, where tough foes including rival Venice High await.
While the team’s running backs are known commodities, its quarterback is not. Junior Anthony Miller will take over the position from Braxton Thomas, who is now at North Carolina A&T University. Last season, after transferring from Venice, Miller played wide receiver for the Rams, with the expectation that he would get a shot at the quarterback job in 2024. The transition to receiver was made possible by Miller’s elite speed. He ended 2023 with 26 catches for 321 yards and three touchdowns. But he will indeed be going back to his
natural position this season, where a strong arm and his aforementioned speed make him a big play waiting to happen.
Thanks to a minor injury, Miller did not play in the Rams’ preseason game against Port Charlotte High on Aug. 16, but he completed six of seven passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns in Riverview’s spring game against Columbus High in May.
Miller will get to throw passes to one of the top all-around offensive threats in the area in Yahshua Edwards, a senior who comes to the Rams from Braden River High. Edwards was used as both a running back and a receiver by Braden River, racking up 967 rushing yards, 443 receiving yards and 19 total touchdowns. Expect Riverview offensive
coordinator Brody Wiseman to get creative in how he uses Edwards this season.
Outside of Edwards, expect senior receiver Jaden Wheeler and senior tight end Jaden Key to have increased roles in 2024. Wheeler caught eight passes for 128 yards and three touchdowns in 2023, while Key had three catches for 61 yards. Both Wheeler and Key caught touchdown passes in the preseason game against Port Charlotte.
On defense, the Rams saw leading tackler Landon Marsters transfer to Venice High, and its next three leading tacklers graduate. A new crop of Rams will get the chance to fill those cleats, starting with junior Andon Clough, a safety who had 35 tackles and an inter-
RIVERVIEW HIGH: AT A GLANCE
Head coach: Josh Smithers, eighth season 2023 record: 8-5, reached the FHSAA Class 4S regional finals before losing 49-23 to Venice High Key to the season: Getting the defense up to speed. While the Rams’ offense should score plenty of points, Riverview’s defense lost a lot of defensive talented following the 2023 season. How well the team fills those holes will determine how far the team can go in the postseason.
Schedule (All games at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted):
Aug. 23 at Naples High Aug. 30 vs.
ception in 2023. Another breakout player could be sophomore defensive lineman Miles Przekwas, who started in the team’s spring game. Freshman defensive back Pinot Parks could also make a name for himself. Parks, who is 5-foot-11 and also plays wide receiver, is the only freshman on the team’s varsity roster, a sign head coach Josh Smithers and his staff believe in his ability to help the team right away.
The Rams also have a special teams weapon in kicker/punter Nick Delfau. Delfau, a senior, is rated as a 4.5-star punter and ranked as the No. 53 punter in the national class of 2025 by Kohl’s Kicking as of Aug. 20. Delfau is also rated a 3.5star kicker by the service. Under Smithers, the Rams typically like to open their schedules
with difficult games as a type of baptism by fire. This year is no different. Riverview will open the regular season on the road with a game against Naples High (10-3 in 2023) on Aug. 23. Games against Hillsborough Riverview High (7-4), Palmetto High (5-5) and defending Class 2M champion Berkeley Prep (13-2) will follow, as will annual matchups with Venice (12-3) and Cardinal Mooney High (12-2). It is no easy road, but the Rams have the firepower to run it.
The ‘Head Ball Coach’ shares stories from the sideline
RYAN
Steve Spurrier is retired from coaching, but he has not lost an ounce of his signature sense of humor. Spurrier, an NCAA National Championship-winning coach and a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback at the University of Florida, gave a talk at Grove restaurant in Lakewood Ranch on Aug. 17 as part of a “Night of Champions” event that served as a fundraiser for Sarasota’s Riverview High football program. The event was organized by Riverview alum Todd Johnson, who was coached by Spurrier at Florida. Throughout the night, the Rams raised money for guardian caps — soft-shell helmet covers designed to reduce the risk of concussions and other head impacts — and for team meals, among other amenities. People were happy to give. They were equally happy to hear the “Head Ball Coach” talk.
Spurrier, 79, shared stories from his time on the Gators sidelines and gave advice to the players of today — but first, as only he can, he boasted about his own accomplishments and gave some lighthearted jabs to other coaches.
“My first seven years, we won the SEC (Southeastern Conference) six times,” Spurrier said. “They tell me (University of Georgia head coach) Kirby Smart is the greatest coach in the world now, and he only won it two times in his first seven years. So I guess that’s pretty good.”
In Spurrier’s mind, successful people all share certain qualities, the first of which is knowing to seize an opportunity when one presents itself. Spurrier said he only got into coaching because his playing days were over, and he thought coaching “wouldn’t seem like work” because
he still loved the game. He laughs at that thought now, but he expressed gratitude to former Florida head coach Doug Dickey for giving him his first break as a quarterbacks and receivers coach in 1978.
From there, he tried to learn as much as he could at each successive stop, culminating in him returning as Florida’s head coach in 1990. That’s where his next piece of advice arrives — surround yourself with people who can help you.
For a football coach, those people were his staff and his players. It makes sense that Spurrier would go as far as to stay overnight at a recruit’s house if he thought the recruit was a difference-maker. He also gave a shout-out to his wife, Jerri Spurrier, for supporting him on the road and always being there when he needed her.
Another tidbit from Spurrier comes from the Bible, specifically Corinthians 9:24: “Run your race in life in such a way as to get the prize. Always try to win,” Spurrier said. You’ll be surprised what you can accomplish if you try . It is advice in line with how the Head Ball Coach performed his job. It led to a lot of success for him, and it could just do the same for you.
Ryan Kohn
Steve Spurrier spoke about his coaching career on Aug. 17.
NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH
DOING THE SPLITS by Daniel Hrynick, edited by Jeff Chen
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