There are certain occasions that must be celebrated at Boo’s Ice House & Dog Bar, a bar that serves both dogs and their owners.
One of those times is National Dog Day, which the business recognized Aug. 25 with a luau theme that decked out pups with Hawaiian leis.
Because it took place during the dog days of summer, the event featured splash pools in the venue’s outdoor section.
It also brought guests who offered live music, Italian ice with pup cups, adoptable puppies and grooming services.
With the bar having been established a little more than a year ago, co-owner Mindy Kauffman said its attendance is starting to kick into gear.
“It’s been summer, but it’s a pretty nice turn out for a summer event,” she said.
Lil’ Dougie returns to
sea
With the flap of her flippers, female loggerhead Lil’ Dougie dipped under a wave off Siesta Key and made her way back into the gulf Aug. 12. The release came 73 days after the sea turtle was rescued by Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Communications Specialist Doug Johnson and his wife, Susannah, when they spotted the injured turtle near Casey Key while paddleboarding.
Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium staff retrieved the turtle and took her to its City Island hospital to treat her. In honor of Johnson’s good deed, they named the turtle for him.
Ian Swaby
Silvanna Escobar, 17, Jersey Baldini, 15 and Harper Weyant, 15, of The Heartbreakers, perform on stage during the Aug. 24 event at Music Compound.
Ian Swaby Griffin and Corey Crumpacker Carter Weinhofer
WEEK OF AUG. 29, 2024
BY THE NUMBERS
350 Anticipated jobs to be created by Pilatus Business Aircraft’s $40 million investment at SRQ.
“I
think our program has provided some incentives for projects to come in ... and they’re including attainable housing. Before, we weren’t getting anything.”
Sarasota Planning Director Steven Cover. Read more on page 3
n Sarasota City Commission regular meeting — 9 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 3, Commission Chambers, City Hall, 1565 First St.
n Sarasota City Commission special budget public hearing — 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 3, Commission Chambers, City Hall, 1565 First St.
n Sarasota County School Board regular meeting — 6 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 3, Board Chambers, Landings Administration Complex, 1980 Landings Blvd. (black awning entrance).
Extension offers sustainability workshop
Registration has opened for the 19th Annual Sustainable Communities Workshop featuring expert information about building and maintaining thriving, healthy, resilient communities.
Scheduled for Nov. 7, the event developed by Sarasota County Extension will explore the vital roles of earth, air, water and fire within the local ecosystem, along with strategies to address ecological challenges.
The workshop will be held at Selby Auditorium, 8350 N.
Tamiami Trail, in Sarasota.
The day-long workshop showcases the latest sustainability approaches and features a unique perspective from headliner John Francis, who is known as the “Planetwalker” for his 17-year environmental journey across America.
“Participants will gain a deeper appreciation of these interconnected elements that sustain life and the critical need to preserve this delicate balance,” said Alia Garrett, sustainability outreach coordinator for Sarasota County
UF/IFAS Extension and Sustainability.
The workshop offers both online and in-person participation options. Registration costs $20 for online and $45 for inperson, $5 and $30 for students. In-person registration includes breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack. Registration is limited to 125 participants. More information and registration are available at EventBrite.com.
Frontier Airlines adds third route at SRQ
Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport will add another new route to its offerings this fall. Beginning Oct. 12, low-fare carrier Frontier Airlines will begin new nonstop service between to and from Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky International Airport. It will be the airline’s third route available at SRQ. Frontier is offering a promotional introductory fare starting at $29, providing tickets are purchased prior to midnight, Sept. 2.
“We are excited that Frontier Airlines will be introducing nonstop service this fall between SarasotaBradenton International Airport and Cincinnati,” said SRQ President and CEO Rick Piccolo. “This new addition will enhance Frontier’s current offerings from SRQ to Cleveland and Philadelphia.”
Educators may apply for TIME Fellowships
Applications from Sarasota County Schools educators are now being accepted for the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation’s 2025 TIME Fellowship program. The deadline is Sept. 30, 2024.
The Foundation will select as many as 25 applicants to receive up to $12,000 each for a personal project designed to renew their passion for teaching and their commitment to their students. TIME, an acronym for “Time to Inspire Margie’s Educators,” is named in honor of the late Margery Barancik, who was a teacher and education advocate. Through the first three years of the program, 75 TIME Fellowships have been awarded.
“Our TIME Fellowship enables educators to complete a once-ina-lifetime learning experience that will restore them professionally and personally,” said Barancik Foundation President and Teri Hansen in a news release. The 2025 TIME Fellowship program is open to currently employed, full-time instructional staff, assistant principals and principals in Sarasota County’s pre-K to 12 traditional public schools. Additional eligibility criteria can be found on the TIME web page at BarancikFoundation.org.
File photo
Sarasota County’s 19th Annual Sustainable Communities Workshop is limited to the first 125 registrants.
Affordable housing BOOM?
ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER
Should all the projects currently in the city of Sarasota’s affordable housing planning pipeline be approved and built, it will add 596 residential units priced in the affordable and attainable range to the city’s housing stock.
That doesn’t include projects already approved and in some phase of development that have taken advantage of the city’s new attainable housing ordinances, which will bring 144 affordable units among a total of 1,030 residences across six projects in or near downtown.
It’s those results that prompted the Florida League of Cities to recently honor Sarasota with its 2024 Local Action Award in recognition of the city’s attainable housing density bonus program.
Moving their way through the city’s planning process are eight projects with an affordable housing component that total 1,327 apartments, nearly half of them affordable by definition. Two of those are Sarasota Housing Authority developments, one by Habitat for Humanity and one by affordable housing developer One-Stop Housing, all of which are 100% affordable units.
The city’s incentive program, although still in its infancy, includes 42 affordable units among three projects under review plus the 144 among five more developments, some of which are already under construction.
“It was really rewarding because we recognize this program has tremendous possibilities, and we’re already seeing some results in terms of projects,” said Sarasota Planning Director Steven Cover of the award. “When we first started this, no one
town area just because of the cost of land, but we’re getting projects in the downtown area.”
And beyond downtown.
Two projects underway, Bahia Vista Apartments and Bath & Racquet Club, stepped out ahead of the curve. In negotiating for additional density, those projects included affordable and attainable units in their developments prior to the City Commission’s approval of an incentive program for commercial corridors and centers, one similar to that of the downtown zone districts.
Bahia Vista is building 25 affordable units in its 250-unit development. Bath & Racquet is including 33 affordable units among 256 total residences. The affordable units will be rentals while the remainder will be sold as condominiums.
Among other cost-cutting incentives, the city’s affordable housing bonus density program provides that 15% of all bonus units be reserved for residents in three income tiers: 80% or below, 100% or below and 120% or below area median income. That comes to about 11% of the total units in a development priced as such. Downtown zone districts were targeted first because of the dearth of workforce housing for young professionals and service workers there. The ordinance for commercial centers and corridors followed suit.
“This is going to be a very steady process, which is what we wanted,” Cover said. “Over time, these numbers of units will increase, especially in the downtown area. It really is going to make a difference for a lot of people who are working downtown. Our program has provided some incentives for projects to come in, and they’re including attainable housing.
“Before that, we weren’t getting anything.”
Courtesy images
Artists Court is planned as a 242-unit apartment community with 26 units priced as affordable and attainable. Sarasota Station rendering
Andrew Warfield
Lofts on Lemon II site
Orioles plan high-tech expansion
A proposed clubhouse addition at Ed Smith Stadium would bring indoor batting cages, player facilities and additional parking.
Seeking to tap into the latest baseball performance technology, the Baltimore Orioles are planning an on-campus expansion of their spring training facilities at Ed Smith Stadium.
On Aug. 14, Philip DiMaria of planning consultant Kimley-Horn appeared before the city’s Development Review Committee for a preapplication conference. The Orioles propose an expansion of the existing clubhouse adjacent to practice fields to add four high-tech indoor batting cages, expanded classroom space and associated utility upgrades. The plan also includes the addition of 77 parking spaces for players and their families.
Sited at the southwest corner of the property, the expansion is located near the intersection of North Euclid Avenue and 10th Street.
“What you see before you is a new structure that would expand the existing training facility and clubhouse,” DiMaria told DRC members. “The main focus of this is provid-
ing tech cages. In modern baseball, there’s the advent of technology that they create these specially made batting cages that have cameras and technology associated with them to track all the sabermetrics and statistics associated with the modern game.”
Currently located on that portion of the property fronting North Euclid Avenue is an infield practice field and an auxiliary building that will be removed. A retention pond separates the proposed construction site from the intersection.
The clubhouse and proposed expansion are located beyond the right field wall of the stadium. A rendering shows exterior architecture consistent with the stadium.
“The proposed modernization will improve the existing training facility’s ability to support the Baltimore Orioles organization and their player development goals,” DiMaria wrote in a cover letter accompanying the pre-application materials.
“The existing facility was built in 1988, and the needs of the Baltimore Orioles have since evolved with the team’s success and as standards advance for the capabilities of Major League Baseball spring training facilities.”
The anticipated time frame for construction is uncertain. DiMaria told the DRC that plans will soon be submitted that “would enable this to be constructed eventually.”
Courtesy image
The Orioles player development facility is proposed just south of the current clubhouse, shown in white, with expanded parking along North Euclid Avenue.
SRQ FLYING HIGH
Pilatus Business Aircraft plant further positions Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport as an economic development engine.
Long positioned as primar-
ily a commercial passenger airport, Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport is quickly becoming an economic development engine with its growing aviation industry ecosystem.
On Monday, the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority Board of Directors approved a 40-year lease with Stans, Switzerland-based Pilatus Business Aircraft for two parcels totaling just more than 17 acres. That’s where the company plans to invest at least $40 million and create some 350 jobs with an average wage of $80,000 per year. Pilatus is a global designer and
manufacturer of aircraft, simulators and cutting-edge systems for pilot training. Over the next three years, it plans to build more than 120,000 square feet of office, customer service, hangar and aircraft assembly space over two phases.
Design work is already underway.
In addition to a new maintenance facility to serve its Western Hemisphere customer base, Pilatus will assemble its PC-24 twin-engine business jet at SRQ. The jets range in price from $9 million to more than $12 million.
“This development will provide hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue to the airport authority, which incidentally has no taxing authority and is totally self-sustain-
ing from our business operations,” said SMAA Chairman Robert Spencer during Monday’s announcement. “This facility will provide tremendous employment and economic benefit to our community and further solidifies the growing aviation ecosystem being expanded, both on the airport land and in the surrounding area.” That ecosystem was one of the factors that pushed SRQ past competing airports in Texas, the Carolinas and in Pilatus’ U.S. home base of Colorado.
In addition, Pilatus President and CEO Thomas Bosshard said the company places heavy emphasis on apprenticeship programs that provide a pipeline of employees starting
in their midteens, which dovetails with new education opportunities surrounding the airport.
Pilatus employs some 2,500 in Switzerland, with a steady flow of about 140 apprentices participating in earning-while-learning programs.
August saw the opening of the new Team Success School near the airport, admitting 625 students in grades 6-12 who are embarking a path toward aviation careers. Also planned in collaboration with SMAA is a new Manatee Technical College airframe and power plant school.
“This development will merge beautifully with the educational expansion efforts that the Airport Authority has made here,” Spencer said. “Our children, our grandchildren, will have high-paying, skilled opportunities right here at SRQ. With the educational pipeline right here, they won’t have to go away to get their education. We couldn’t be more excited and pleased for this community.”
In addition to Pilatus, Elixer, a France-based maker of small singleengine prop planes, will soon begin building its new facilities at SRQ. Also, SMAA extended leases for aviation parts manufacturer ASG; fixed-base operator Sheltair; Boca Aircraft Maintenance for a new facility; and other commercial ventures surrounding the airfield.
In Phase I, Pilatus plans to invest at least $20 million to build approximately 40,000 square feet of hangar, 28,000 square feet of office and maintenance shop space and 126,000 square feet of ramp. Bosshard said the company plans to move into that space by the end of 2026, bringing 43 jobs or more. In addition to sales and administration, that phase will be dedicated to maintenance operations to support its fleet of 2,250 aircraft based in North and South America.
Phase II will begin concurrently with an investment of another $20 million to build a minimum of 60,000 square feet of enclosed aircraft assembly and 63,000 square feet of adjoining aircraft parking apron and connecting taxi lanes, all becoming operational in 2027 and creating as many as 300 more jobs.
Bosshard indicated the jobs num-
WHAT IS PILATUS?
Founded in 1939, Pilatus Aircraft develops and produces a variety of aircraft from the PC-12, the best-selling singleengine turboprop in its class, to the PC-7 MKX and PC-21 and associated simulators for pilot training. According to the company website, its new PC24 is the world’s first business jet designed for use on short, unprepared runways.
The company employs 3,000, with independent subsidiaries in the United States and Australia. Its U.S. expansion includes its 2023 acquisition of East Coastbased Skytech Inc. Its new SRQ facilities are part of a larger U.S. expansion strategy including growth of its factoryowned sales and service operations in the Gulf states and Eastern seaboard.
ber is a conservative estimate and is likely to go higher.
“You’re looking at almost $30 million just in wages on an annual basis, so it’s a tremendous economic opportunity, a tremendous tool for this airport, and one that fits in with our aviation ecosystem,” SRQ President and CEOP Rick Piccolo told the SMAA board prior to approving the lease, adding that, at build-out, land lease payments to SMAA will be about $400,000 per year. The Pilatus campus will be built on undeveloped land in the north quadrant of the airfield, all in Manatee County.
In addition to the two-year competitive effort to bring Pilatus here, Piccolo said the Sarasota-Bradenton community sold itself to the company.
“When you’re bringing someone in to buy a $10 million product, you want the community to reflect the high-end product that you’re selling,” Piccolo said. “I don’t think there’s another community in the United States that reflects a higher value.”
Courtesy image
A rendering of the first phase of Pilatus Business Aircraft’s planned facilities at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.
More new condos coming to Golden Gate Point
Development Review Committee receives plans for a 54unit, twin tower project on the east side of the peninsula.
ore
minium properties will be razed to make way for Pier
Earlier this year, developer The Ronto Group of Naples completed the acquisition of multiple buildings on the east side of the peninsula, where it plans to build 54 luxury condominiums divided among two eight-story towers connected by a shared structured parking podium beneath an amenity area. Pier 550 will be built at 550, 554, 590, 616 and 632 Golden Gate Point.
The project made its first appearance before the Development Review Committee on Aug. 14, when it received its usual laundry list of detailed comments from representatives of all relevant city departments.
A rendering shows the two buildings with large curved balconies and multiple boat slips along the bay for unit owners. The towers will have
a maximum height of 90 feet measured from 15 feet above grade. The north building will have 31 units and the south building the remaining 23.
Unit mixes, sizes and price ranges were not revealed. There will be a high-end amenities center on the second floor of the north building and between the buildings is a common pool and pool deck space. The southern building will house the fitness center. There also will be common viewing areas atop both roofs.
A resubmittal of the project to the DRC will be required.
Although much of its work is focused on Southwest Florida, The Ronto Group is no stranger to development along the Sarasota waterfront. It is currently building The Owen on Golden Gate Point and Rosewood Residences at Lido Beach. It is also building Altura Bayshore in Tampa.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS
On the other end of the residential development spectrum, the DRC
provided partial sign-off to Cen
tral Gardens, a 39-unit multifamily development by the Sarasota Housing Authority at 1442 and 1456 22nd St. All units are rental and proposed as priced attainable.
Among the few remaining sticking points for the project is a disagreement between consultant Joel Freedman and Acting Chief Planner Noah Fossick over the amount of outdoor common area required.
“For 30 upper level units, you’re required to have a combined outdoor area of 1,440 square feet,” Fossick advised.
“How did you get that calculation?” Freedman challenged. “My understanding is, if you don’t have balconies, you can have a combined area of 500 square feet. That’s how it’s been done for years.”
Fossick suggested the conversation on that matter to continue offline.
Also planned for a vacant 1.35-acre site at 351 Rhodes Ave., Habitat for Humanity had its initial appearance before the DRC for Avon Place for site plan, rezone with a site plan, and
plat approval for a 17-unit, singlefamily attached townhome project on approximately 1.35 acres.
Consistent to the Habitat model for detached single-family homes, the townhomes will be individually owned.
The property is located within the office regional district with a Future Land Use of the city’s new Urban Mixed Use zone. Habitat is proposing rezoning the property to Mixed Use 1, an implementing district of the Urban Mixed Use future land use.
The 17 units are planned to be spread across two buildings, one with eight units and one with nine. Each home will be two stories, have three bedrooms and two bathrooms and a floor area of approximately 1,765 square feet. Each townhome will have a one-car garage.
The project will require a resubmittal to the DRC.
MORE TOWNHOMES ON THE WAY
Receiving partial DRC sign-off were two sister projects totaling 22 townhomes in the Rosemary District. Cohen Court Townhomes is
planned for nine units at 1425
St., adjacent to the 13-unit Rosemary Townhomes at 1434 and 1442 Ninth St.
Both projects are owned by Maximillian Vollmer but are separate submissions to the DRC although they are adjacent and will appear as a single development.
On the north edge of the city, national developer DR Horton had its first DRC appearance, seeking preliminary plat approval to develop 18 townhomes in three buildings on a 2.33-acre parcel at the southwest corner of Old Bradenton Road and University Parkway. The parcel has a Future Land Use classification of Community Commercial and is within the Residential Multiple Family 2 zone. The site is across Old Bradenton Road from the former Sarasota Kennel Club site and across University Parkway from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. It is located outside the 65-decibel day-night average sound level contour for commercial air traffic at the airport.
Adult Hip and Knee Joint Reconstruction, Arthroscopy, Trauma/ Arthritis, Regenerative Injections, Cortisone/Gel Injections
and expert team will create a comprehensive,
treatment plan for lasting relief.
Eighth
Courtesy images
Outlined in yellow, Pier 550 will be built at 550, 554, 590, 616 and 632 Golden Gate Point.
The rendering of Pier 550 by MHK Architecture shows two residential towers separated and boat slips along the west side of Golden Gate Point.
Project Boundary
Backlash and affirmation
Sarasota voters showed rejection of two incumbents and affirmation for two others, while negative campaigning backfired in Manatee.
And so the pendulum is swinging — from the right to the left, closer to the center, albeit still distant enough from crossing the Maginot line to the progressive left.
You can say that for Sarasota and Manatee counties after the Aug. 20 primary elections.
But there was much more behind the results than just an ideological shift. The dynamics in each county were different.
SARASOTA
Altogether, you can sum up the voting results in Sarasota County as a bit of a dichotomy — the backlash and an affirmation of approval.
The backlash came against two incumbents — one on the school board and one on the County Commission. The affirmation came in the primaries for four Sarasota County Hospital Board seats.
COUNTY COMMISSION
Like Manatee voters, Sarasota County voters also endured nasty and ugly campaigns — in particular the two primaries for the District 1 and District 3 County Commission seats.
Much to the expressed surprise, disappointment and disgust of many longtime Sarasota County politicos, County Commission candidates Teresa Mast and incumbent Neil Rainford hired political consultant Anthony Pedicini to bring his brand of campaigning across the county line.
In turn, that fueled a retaliatory campaign of similar untruths and half-truths from the campaign and PACs of former Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight.
It’s difficult to conclude how much of an effect the negative campaigns had on the results.
In Mast’s case, in spite of her negative mailers against opponent Alexandra Coe and the fact she had the backing of developers, Mast won 55% of the vote. Presumably that can be attributed to experiences that make her qualified for the job — a longtime business owner,
former member of the county planning commission and 10 years as a business relations coordinator for the county.
The uglier campaign was that between Knight and Rainford. There is no benefit to recounting any of their low points, other than to say to the candidates: You only hurt yourselves. The effect of the ugliness is the candidates damage and lower their character and integrity in the eyes of voters.
When the votes were counted, though, Knight overwhelmed Rainford with 60% of the vote, a margin that can be attributed to Knight being the hometown Venice favorite and popular former sheriff. Rainford, meanwhile, suffered the backlash. He was seen as an outsider who recently moved into the district for political reasons; as a developer-backed toady; and as a protégé of sorts of Commissioner Mike Moran, who has offended swaths of voters over the past two years. As the saying goes, perception becomes reality.
SCHOOL BOARD
This was the other backlash race — and an upset.
Incumbent and School Board Chair Karen Rose lost to first-time candidate Liz Barker. Barker’s margin of victory was 2,995 votes out of 100,553, or 3%.
Although regarded as nonpartisan, this contest was partisan: Rose, the conservative Republican; Barker, the liberal Democrat. Informed voters knew this.
So, in a county where Republicans outnumber Democrats nearly 2-1, Rose should have been considered a numerical favorite.
But as it turned out, you can say low Republican turnout cost Rose the election. Look at the numbers in the above box. Let’s assume Barker won all 42% of the registered Democrats who voted. That would be 35,977 votes. But her total was 51,774.
That means Barker won additional 15,797 votes from non-Party Affiliates and Republicans.
Now let’s assume the 48,779 votes that Rose won were all Republicans. Not likely, but assume it anyway. That total is less than the 35% Republican turnout. Had Rose won all of the Republican votes, that would have totaled 55,068, enough for victory.
But you can also say Rose lost 6,289 Republican voters to Barker.
Even more critical, Rose did not get votes from the 107,666 Republicans who did not vote.
Turnout matters — a lot.
No one knows whether those who
HOW TURNOUT COST ROSE
did not vote sat out because they did not like Rose or just were not motivated. But if Republicans had turned out at the same percentage as Democrats (42%), that likely would have reelected Rose.
As for Tom Edwards and his winning 56% of the vote for reelection, the message here is also one of backlash and turnout. Edwards, a politico-philosophical liberal, successfully has portrayed Rose and board member Bridget Ziegler as political agitators, even though he engages in it aggressively as well. And yet voters apparently perceived him as the apolitical victim trying to stand up to the other four conservative board members.
Voters don’t like one-sided governance, so Edwards easily retained his seat. He did that, mind you, with 19,031 votes coming from Republicans and NPAs.
BOARD
HOSPITAL
While Sarasota County voters recoiled against and rejected a couple incumbents, the sweep of the four Republican hospital board candidates was a resounding affirmation that Sarasota County residents are satisfied with the postCOVID steps the Sarasota Memorial Healthcare board and administration have taken on the subject of patients’ medical freedom.
The four winning Republicans — two incumbents and two endorsed and supported by the SMH Foundation, — won with percentages from 62% to 70% of the vote. Voters clearly understand that SMH is on a successful track and doesn’t need to be disrupted.
MANATEE
Perhaps most decisively and for sure, in Manatee, voters said they had enough of the sleazy, negative campaign flyers and advertisements and, by extension, enough of the candidates who associated themselves with such tactics.
Seven of the 10 candidates whom Pedicini represented in Manatee and Sarasota lost.
Negative advertising moves the needle, all right.
It’s certainly accurate to say Pedicini’s dirt-stained mailers — or perhaps just whole negative tone of his candidates’ campaigns — fueled the rejection of his and the developer-backed candidates.
But voters also had plenty of other reasons to motivate them to
oust incumbents Kevin Van Ostenbridge and Ray Turner. Voters apparently were still fuming over the vote to reduce the county’s wetland barriers. And clearly, based on the vote counts, there also was the perception — albeit not true — that the incumbent commissioners these past four years were taking orders from homebuilders and campaign funders, Carlos Beruff, owner of Medallion Homes, and Pat Neal, owner of Neal Communities.
In truth, all the clacking in both counties about the developers causing “overdevelopment” also is not true. But good luck trying to make that case.
Altogether, the root of the chief motivator for the Manatee County Commission election results was Van Ostenbridge — specifically, his behavior over the past four years.
Voters clearly refused to tolerate another term of his open disdain and disrespect for residents during commission meetings.
And by extension, there was guilt by association. Voters dumped any candidate associated with Van Ostenbridge, the majority on the commission, developer campaign funding and/or Pedicini.
All that boosted to primary victories Republicans Carol Felts, Tal Siddique, Robert McCann and the reelection of George Kruse.
Guilt by association also sank the candidacy of James Satcher, the former county commissioner whom Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed to supervisor of elections.
Manatee Republicans apparently didn’t care a lick that DeSantis appointed Satcher to be supervisor a few months before the primary.
Satcher had three strikes going against him. The first: the $800,000 he requested and obtained in a surprise request from the County Commission for so-called system upgrades, some of which could not be used in the primary. Two: He was a client of Pedicini. Three: He was unqualified for the job compared to his opponent, Scott Farrington.
Voters saw through it all. Farrington won 59% of the vote; Satcher, 41%.
We won’t know for two years whether the 2024 primary results will bring a permanent shift in the tone of campaigns in Manatee. But this year’s primary results surely sent a strong message.
It’s ‘for the people’ populism vs. individual rights
Acommon theme among the Manatee County Commission candidates who won their primaries Aug. 20 was a populist tune — the standard election promise to be “for the people.” Robert McCann, who defeated Ray Turner for the District 5 Manatee County Commission Republican nomination, said on election night, “We’re going to advocate for the people and what they want.”
The same night, incumbent County Commissioner George Kruse, who won the Republican nomination for District 7, said no matter who is elected in the November general election “there are no scenarios where the public side is not the majority.”
Populism is popular. Indeed, voters like to hear candidates and politicians promise with a shake of their fists they “will fight for the people.” For some, that talk can trigger those famous words from Abraham Lincoln: “Democracy is government of the people, by the people, for the people.”
Yeah! That’s what we want — commissioners who will listen to us, the people, and tell that developer
“no.” For the people! While Lincoln defined democracy fairly accurately, he left unsaid what his words actually mean. In truth, democracy “by the people” is majority, mob rule. In a pure democracy, there is no limit placed on the power of the majority. The poor individual who disagrees with the majority becomes subservient, a slave — “slavery of a minority.” And as author Isabel Paterson so ably argued in “The God of the Machine,” “Democracy inevitably lapses into tyranny.”
Here is the point: As the primary election winners and the candidates on the general election ballot make their case, a fervent hope is they temper their populist “people” rhetoric and take to heart: n 1. The individual is supreme, not the collective.
In truth, there is no such thing as “the common good.” No one speaks to this better than the late Ayn Rand: “When ‘the common good’ of a society is regarded as something apart from and superior to the individual good of its members, it means that the good of some men takes precedence over the good of
others, with those others consigned to the status of sacrificial animals.”
In her book, “The Virtues of Selfishness” (a concept most people would think is an impossibility), Rand points out that “society is only a number of individual men.” Or, as Paterson put it: “No group is as intelligent as an individual. No group, as a group, has any intelligence; all intelligence is in individuals.”
Rand further points out how history is littered with failed political systems where the good of society was placed above the individual and individual rights — Pharaoh of Egypt; the democracy of Athens; Emperors of Rome, monarchies of France; and “the gas chambers of Nazi Germany” and “the slaughterhouse of the Soviet Union.”
But when the Founding Fathers came along, they revolutionized the world by subordinating society to individuals and individual rights. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution put limits on the power of the state, as Rand put it: “… as man’s protection against the brute force of the collective.”
“All previous systems,” she wrote,
President and Publisher / Emily Walsh, EWalsh@YourObserver.com
Executive Editor and COO / Kat Wingert, KWingert@YourObserver.com
Sports Editor / Ryan Kohn, RKohn@YourObserver.com
Staff Writers / Ian Swaby, ISwaby@ YourObserver.com; Andrew Warfield, AWarfield@YourObserver.com
Digital & Engagement Editor / Kaelyn Adix, KAdix@YourObserver.com
Digital Content Producer / Jim DeLa, JDeLa@YourObserver.com
Advertising Graphic Designers / Luis Trujillo, Taylor Poe, Louise Martin, Shawna Polana
Digital Developer / Jason Camillo, JCamillo@YourObserver.com
Information Technology Manager / Homer Gallego, HGallego@YourObserver. com
Chief Financial Officer / Laura Strickland, LStrickland@YourObserver.com
Controller / Rafael Labrin, RLabrin@ YourObserver.com
Office and Accounting Coordinator / Donna Condon, DCondon @YourObserver.com
“held that man’s life belongs to society, that society can dispose of him in any way it pleases and that any freedom he enjoys is his only by the permission of society.
“The United States held that man’s life is his by right, that a right is the property of an individual, that society as such has no rights, and that the only moral purpose of government is the protection of individual rights.”
Thus, when elected officials cast their votes on legislation, their justification should not be on the argument of what is best for “the common good,” but rather on what is best and right for the individual.
n 2. The people don’t bow to them. They are servants.
With the adoption of the Constitution, the Founding Fathers flipped the role of government from that of ruler to servant.
“The Bill of Rights was not directed against private citizens,” Rand wrote, “but against the government — as an explicit declaration that individual rights supersede any public or social power.”
— Matt Walsh
Observer Media Group Inc. is locally owned. Publisher of the Longboat Observer, East County Observer, Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer, West Orange Times & Observer, Southwest Orange Observer, Business Observer, Jacksonville Daily Record, Key Life Magazine, LWR Life Magazine, Baldwin Park Living Magazine and Season Magazine CEO / Matt Walsh
MATT WALSH
Observer for sale at Publix
After a two-year hiatus, you can pick up your favorite edition of the Observer for $1.
OBSERVER STAFF
In 2022, Publix instituted a corporate policy ceasing distribution of all free publications within its stores, which made a significant impact on the Observer’s circulation and delivery to the communities and neighborhoods we serve. On July 2, Publix announced the implementation of a scan-based trading program as its approved method of distribution for newspapers inside Publix stores.
Observer Media Group was approved as a newspaper supplier to provide its publications — Longboat, Sarasota and East County Observers — for sale within its stores.
Now, you can purchase your local edition for $1. The Observer will be located on the newspaper rack, which varies by store location, but is typically near the customer service desk or checkout lines. Each copy will have a barcode at the bottom left corner of the front page that can be scanned in the self-checkout line or by a cashier.
The retail price of $1 covers the cost of print and delivery and Publix’s share of the distribution. The Observer will remain a free publication at other commercial and rack locations, through home delivery to specific ZIP codes and on YourObserver.com. To locate a free distribution site, visit YourObserver.com/ Rack-Locations. The $1 price can be considered a convenience fee for adding back the additional distribution locations within Publix.
“Being able to distribute the Observer at Publix will make it easier for our readers to pick up the paper as part of their weekly routine,” says Emily Walsh, president of Observer Media Group. “We’re happy Publix is committed to the newspaper indus-
PUBLIX LOCATIONS
Sarasota
The Longboat, Sarasota and East County Observers will now be available at their respective local Publix stores for $1.
Tamiami Trail
8405 Honore Ave., Unit 1
1940 Lakewood Ranch Blvd.
1350 S. Tamiami Trail
Longboat Observer
525 Bay Isles Parkway
try by ensuring its customers have access to local news and information that is essential for making strong communities.”
Zach Prinzi, Publix’s periodical buyer, said in a memo to all newspaper publishers, “We are committed to the newspaper business and the scan-based trading program we have created. Our goal is to grow and continue sales of newspapers.”
Beginning Thursday, Aug. 29, you can find the Longboat and East County Observers in Publix locations on Thursdays and the Sarasota Observer on Fridays.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 15 IT WASN’T ROAD RAGE
4:06 p.m., 200 block of North Jefferson Avenue
Dispute: The complainant told an officer he believed he had been followed home by another driver following a traffic encounter that led to a brief unpleasant verbal exchange.
The man said he called law enforcement when he believed the other driver was following him too closely all the way home, but as it turns out he actually lived down the street and was himself merely driving home. After speaking with police, both drivers returned to their homes without incident, until …
ROLE REVERSAL
4:52 p.m., 200 block of North Jefferson Avenue
Dispute: Only 46 minutes after their initial encounter, the two motorists involved in the aforementioned incident met up again in the driveway of the driver previously alleged to have followed the prior complainant home.
Officers were called to settle the dispute between the same men again, only this time the prior subject-turned-complainant, we’ll call him Man B, reported that the complainant-turned-subject, Man A, parked his vehicle in his driveway without permission, resulting in a confrontation.
The parties were separated upon the officer’s arrival, but agreed to an on-site mediation session. By the end, the peace-making officer brokered a truce between the warring factions, apologies were exchanged and were mutually accepted.
SATURDAY, AUG. 17
LICENSE CHECK
1:05 a.m., 1500 block of Main Street
Underage drinking: Security staff at a downtown watering hole flagged down officers regarding two underage female would-be patrons. Staff then handed officers two Florida driver’s licenses confiscated from the girls that suggested they were old enough to be served.
The juveniles did provide their actual licenses to the officers, which identified them both as 17-year-olds.
The girls stated they had found one
THURSDAY, AUG. 16
MOTOR MOUTH
10:30 p.m., Ken Thompson Park
Disturbance: A group’s peaceful fishing outing was disrupted by a boatful of male juvenile ne’er-do-wells who soaked them with water and called them a name referring to them as a part of female anatomy. Minding their own business on the dock, a complainant said the boat drove by at high speed in a no-wake zone, prompting the anglers to admonish the boat’s occupants.
That’s when the unknown boat captain turned the boat around and an exchange of unpleasantries ensued. The encounter culminated in the captain turning the boat with the motor pointed toward the dock and trimmed up halfway out of the water, then applied full throttle and spraying water toward the group. This action was accompanied by him yelling, “get soaked (expletive deleted)s!
The boat then left the area heading east bound into the bay. Far from a clean getaway, the complainant provided a video of the incident and several photos of the occupants along with the boat’s registration. A records check provided the boat owner’s address. A check of Google maps revealed the home with not one, but two boats parked in the front yard.
license on the ground near Anna Maria Island and concluded it would be a good idea to use it and another false ID at the bar. Contact was made with the girls’ parents, who picked them up forthwith.
Transferring density to preserve history
Proposed program would allow historic property owners to sell their by-right height and density to other downtown development sites.
ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER
Seeking to bring Florida’s 37th transfer of development rights for historic properties program to Sarasota, the organization promoting the effort shared its proposal during an Aug. 12 community workshop at City Hall. The program is designed to relieve pressure on owners of such properties from selling for redevelopment and instead allowing them to sell the height and density air rights above their buildings and homes to be used in other areas of downtown.
Historic properties are disappearing at an alarming rate, said Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation Program Director Erin DiFazio, to the tune of 15 per week countywide. From 2010 to 2019, 316 qualifying structures were lost, she said, and an additional 241 between 2021 and 2022.
“The alliance has been working on this initiative for several years,” DiFazio said. “We started researching ways that we could help to really move the needle with historic preservation here.”
The alliance and city staff introduced the concept to city commissioners during a Feb. 12 workshop.
In summary, the TDR permits the owner of a historic property to transfer its development rights to another property within the downtown area. The transfer is permanent and binding, limiting current or future owners of the historic buildings to redevelop their sites only to the height
WATCH THE WORKSHOP
The historic properties transfer of development rights workshop may be viewed on the city of Sarasota website at SarasotaFL.gov. Although the recording is one hour and 47 minutes, the workshop begins at the 45:40 mark.
and density rights they retain.
Transfers can be all or part of the future development rights, meaning they can be sold off in whole or in pieces. Once sold, though, there is no going back. The first TDR program in the country was established in New York City in 1968.
“You are transferring that height and density from an inappropriate location, one that demolishes a historic building, to an appropriate location,” DiFazio said. “It is a proven, successful tool that’s utilized in cities around the country.”
Those cities include St. Petersburg, which the SAHP points to as a highly successful example. There, more than 3 million square feet of development rights have been transferred to date.
Ultimately, the SAHP is seeking a zoning text amendment to the city’s comprehensive plan. It would identify sending zones — areas from which rights may be sold only — and receiving zones, into which rights can be transferred and incorporated
into future development.
Qualifying properties include:
■ Those locally designated by the city of Sarasota as a significant historic property.
■ A building located within a Sarasota Local Historic District and identified by the city as a contributing property to such historic district.
■ A building individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
■ A building located within a historic district listed in the National Register of Historic Places and identified as a contributing property to such historic district. Held as an example of such a structure is the vacant Kress building at 1442 Main St. With a lot area of 7,716 square feet in the Downtown Core zone district, it could, by right, be redeveloped into a 10-story, 77,160-square-foot building. Currently at three stories and 25,256 square feet, should its air rights be sold and transferred, that comes to 51,904 square feet to be gained elsewhere, leaving the Kress building — or at minimum its scale — intact in perpetuity.
“The alliance has been working on this initiative for several years. We started researching ways that we could help to really move the needle with historic preservation here.”
Erin DiFazio, Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation Program Director
Or, a building such as Kress could sell only a portion of its by-right developable square footage should that fit the needs of a buyer, and sell the remainder to another at a later time.
“If a buyer who would stand on a receiving site wouldn’t need all of the units or all of the square footage associated with the sending site, they can purchase as much as they’d like,” said Philip DiMaria of land use consultant Kimley-Horn, which was retained by the SAHP. “The sending site could retain whatever development rights would be left over and then sell those.”
From a property tax perspective, only what remains, rather than what could have been built there despite the realized capital gain, is assessed. In other words, the assessed value of the land and building are not affected.
The SAHP is in the process of filing formal applications with the city. DiFazio said she anticipates a hearing before the Planning Board this fall, followed by a City Commission Comprehensive Plan text amendment transmittal hearing. If that schedule holds, she anticipates a first reading before the commission in January followed by a second in February. A Comprehensive Plan text amendment requires a 4-1 supermajority approval.
“This has been a community-led project from the very beginning,” DiFazio said. “We recognize that our historic preservation toolkit has been insufficient to prevent the loss of many of our important historic structures. The goal of this has always been to help preserve some of Sarasota’s historic character, its charm and its magic.”
While
File photo
The former S.H. Kress store in downtown Sarasota is an example of a property that would be eligible to transfer its by-right developable height and density to a developer of a receiving site.
Beyond First Class™
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
After a two-year search, Sarasota Orchestra on Aug. 22 named Grammy Awardwinning conductor Giancarlo Guerrero the seventh music director in its 75-year history. Guerrero, music director of the Nashville Symphony, succeeds Bramwell Tovey, who died in July 2022.
Guerrero will serve as music director designate during the 202425 season as he completes his 16th season in Nashville before officially taking the baton at Sarasota Orchestra in its 2025-26 season.
“Giancarlo’s exceptional talent and esteemed reputation will significantly enhance our orchestra’s standing among the world’s most prestigious ensembles,” said Joseph McKenna, president and CEO of Sarasota Orchestra in a statement.
“His visionary leadership, coupled with a fervent commitment to community advocacy, will be critical in further establishing Sarasota as a thriving center for classical music excellence.”
In a Zoom interview, Guerrero said he fell in love with Sarasota when he came in January as a guest conductor for a Masterworks concert featuring Mahler’s “Titan” Symphony and Marimba Concerto by Grammy winner Kevin Puts, whom the maestro calls a friend.
“It was my first time visiting. I fell in love with the institution, with the city,” Guerrero said. “There was a spark, a great chemistry with the musicians. As a conductor, you can work so well with a great orchestra.
As we were rehearsing during the week, we reached greater and greater heights. It was music to my ears.”
Guerrero will replace guest conductor Rune Bergmann at Sarasota Orchestra’s Masterworks concert on Nov. 8-10 featuring the music of Tchaikovsky, Respighi and American composers Adolphus Hailstork and Jennifer Higdon.
Guerrero will return to the podium from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2 for a previously scheduled performance at a Masterworks program of Shostakovich and Arturo Márquez.
SIX GRAMMY AWARDS
During his tenure at the Nashville Symphony, Guerrero collaborated to premiere more than two dozen new works and release 21 commercial albums, harnessing the Schermerhorn Symphony Center’s acoustics.
Meet the maestro
“There was a spark, a great chemistry with the musicians. As a conductor, you can work so well with a great orchestra. As we were rehearsing during the week, we reached greater and greater heights. It was music to my ears.”
— Giancarlo Guerrero
The recordings received 13 Grammy nominations and six Grammy awards.
Together with composer Aaron Jay Kernis, Guerrero spearheaded the development of Nashville Symphony’s biannual Composer Lab & Workshop for young and emerging composers.
Guerrero recently completed a sixseason tenure as music director of the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic. With that orchestra, Guerrero recorded the Billboard chart-topping “Bomsori: Violin on Stage” on Deutsche Grammophon and albums of repertoire by Szymanowski, Brahms, Poulenc and Jongen.
Guerrero previously has served as principal guest conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, Miami Residency and the Gulbenkian Symphony in Lisbon, music director of the Eugene Symphony and associate conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra.
Guerrero joins the Sarasota Orchestra as it embarks on an ambitious plan to build a new music cen-
ter at 5701 Fruitville Road, near an entrance to Interstate 75. The stateof-the-art facility is expected to serve as a magnet for the next generation of music lovers and players with its location in the fast-growing eastern part of Sarasota County. Sarasota Orchestra’s current home is at 709 N. Tamiami Trail, where it rehearses and performs its Great Escapes concerts in Holley Hall. Its more formal Masterworks performances take place next door at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, a city-owned facility that also hosts touring Broadway productions and other popular entertainment.
When a long-running show like “Hamilton” or “The Lion King” come to the Van Wezel, that two- or three-week period is off limits for Sarasota Orchestra appearances. The Van Wezel also doesn’t have the acoustics that the orchestra’s new music center will provide.
IN THE INTERIM
The sudden death of Tovey, Sarasota Orchestra’s previous music director, in 2022, was heartbreaking for both the institution and its patrons. The much-beloved conductor’s tenure in Sarasota was cut short before it started. Tovey signed a five-year contract in August 2021.
As it searched for a new music director, the Sarasota Orchestra has relied on the talents and services of Creative Partner Peter Oundjian and Artistic Advisor David Alan Miller. Both have played major roles in planning programming, auditioning musicians and conducting.
Oundjian is a Canadian violinist and conductor who is former music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra while Miller has served as music director of the Albany Symphony since 1992. Sarasota Orchestra’s board of
MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER
Sarasota Orchestra names Giancarlo Guerrero as its seventh music director.
Courtesy image Nashville Symphony Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero will be the next music director of the Sarasota Orchestra.
For many future musicians and conductors, music is a family affair. Often a parent, grandparent or event an aunt or uncle will help to inspire a child’s love for music. But that wasn’t the case with Giancarlo Guerrero, the incoming music director of Sarasota Orchestra.
“There were no musicians in my family, but my dad used to say I liked to sing. He saw an ad in the newspaper for a youth symphony. It was free so he signed me up as something to do after school,” Guerrero recalls.
Born in Nicaragua in 1969, Guerrero fled the country’s civil war and immigrated with his family to Costa Rica. There he received his musical training as a member of Costa Rica Youth Symphony and the Costa Rican National Symphony Orchestra. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and a master’s degree from Northwestern University.
Although he is a conductor of classical music, Guerrero says he appreciates all genres. “When people ask me who my favorite composer is, I have a hard time answering. I love it all,” he says. “When people ask me what my favorite piece of music is, I always say it’s the one I’m rehearsing right now.”
Asked if his Latin background will result in greater outreach to Sarasota’s Hispanic community or a greater emphasis on the works of Spanish and Latin American composers, Guerrero said his job is to attract everyone in the community to the orchestra.
“Yes, it’s great to reach out to Latinos, but what about the Asian community, what about the Hawaiian community?” he says. “The Sarasota Orchestra is supposed to reach everyone.”
Guerrero says he and his family plan to keep their residence in Nashville while he wraps up his last year with the symphony there, but that he will spend a
directors voted unanimously to advance Guerrero as the organization’s artistic leader upon recommendation by a search committee chaired by Mark Pritchett, former CEO of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, that also included orchestra musicians, board and staff members.
“In the search committee’s work to identify our next music director, it was clear to us that Giancarlo’s time with the Nashville Symphony has been extraordinary,” said Daniel Jordan, Sarasota Orchestra concertmaster and search committee member. “When committee members visited Giancarlo and saw his performances, it was obvious he has the special ‘it’ factor that allows him to truly connect with audiences.”
The organization now known as Sarasota Orchestra was founded as the Florida West Coast Symphony, and held its first music performance in 1949. A decade later, its Youth Orchestra Program was founded through the sponsorship of the Symphony Women’s Association.
One of the most influential music directors in the Sarasota Orchestra’s history was Paul Wolfe, whose tenure ran from 1961-1996. In 1964,
Here’s the scoop on the best ice cream treats in town
lot of time in Sarasota getting to know patrons and donors in addition to his performances.
The conductor and his wife and two daughters also have a condo overlooking Biscayne Bay in Miami. “As a performer who is traveling around the world all the time, you want to be close to an airport offering enough flights so you make it to where you’re going in one trip,” Guerrero says. “Miami offers that.”
Where Guerrero and his wife buy their next residence depends on where his daughter, who is currently in college, decides to settle down, he says.
But there is no danger that Guerrero will be a commuting conductor who spends little time in Sarasota. He stresses that he plans to continue Sarasota Orchestra’s tradition of reaching out to community organizations and to audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
“For a long time, some of the high artistic institutions have been derelict in reaching out to some audiences. Everybody needs to feel they belong,” he says.
That means going out in the community, he adds, “knocking on doors and giving talks at the Rotary Club.”
Wolfe organized the Sarasota Music Festival at New College. The music festival merged with the Florida West Coast Symphony in 1985 and has become an internationally recognized institution for training emerging musicians.
Besides Wolfe, other notable music directors in Sarasota Orchestra’s history include Anu Tali (2013-19) and Leif Bjaland (1997-2012).
In his first year of programming, which will be the 2025-26 season, Guerrero says he will depend on the expertise of McKenna, who has been with the orchestra for more than two decades, as well as Gordon Greenfield, chief marketing and communications officer. “Joe and Gordon know the tastes of the community, and I will work closely with them,” he says.
In addition to attending his Masterworks appearances during the 2024-25 season, Sarasota Orchestra patrons and supporters will have the chance to meet Guerrero at the orchestra’s dinner series and its annual brunch event in November, which will celebrate the Sarasota Youth Orchestra’s 65th anniversary.
Beat the heat with sundae bliss in Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch and Anna Maria Island.
EMMA BURKE JOLLY CONTRIBUTOR
Living in Florida during the summer months is like living in New England in winter. But instead of having snow days, we’re stuck inside soaking up as much air conditioning as our dry skin allows. Our vitamin D levels drop as we opt out of melting in the heat and humidity.
It’s weeks like these when I crave a Connecticut summer like the ones I had in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I played softball under the night lights by the beach. My dad, an assistant coach, fought with the umps about calls they made on the pitcher (me). Meanwhile, my mom sat in the stands with the other softball parents and cheered for me while ignoring the scenes made by said assistant coach.
Whether we won or lost, we would pack up the team cars and head to Mr. Frosty’s after the game for a double scoop of whatever flavor we fancied.
I can so clearly see my dad standing at the window, ordering his coffee ice cream, making some silly dad joke to the kids home from college working at the booth, smiling as he dug into his cup.
There was always a reason to get ice cream. Aced a test? Scoop for you. Didn’t get into the college you wanted? A double scoop is in order. The family dog’s birthday? Scoops all around, including one for the pup. My dad was always the first to suggest hopping into the car and indulging your sweet tooth.
With his birthday on Aug. 20 — the first without him — I wanted to raise a cone (a cup, sundae and a milkshake, too) to the man who knew how to chill out, scoop up complete happiness and find the best sweet treats in town.
Here, I serve up three tasty treats in honor of my dad (in addition to Kilwins, his favorite).
Cherry On Top: There are few places in our community that offer that sweet sensation of New England-style ice cream and by golly, Ms. Jolly (Burke) found it. Its delicious density is a taste of nostalgia for me. If you’re feeling rebellious, might I suggest the Boston Tea Party? With its unique vanillabased flavors swirled together,
this is wicked good, as they say up in Beantown. When it comes to unmatchable flavor, you won’t find it anywhere else. Earl Grey tea packs some serious flavor. Then the lemon and golden Oreos drive it home for a delicious scoop of cream.
Cone-Tastic: Choose from 36 ice cream flavors (or edible cookie dough and other baked goods), including Connecticut mocha chip, Rocky Rhode Island, Vermont maple walnut, New Hampshire coffee crunch. See, I wasn’t kidding about New England style. Or stick to flavors like buttah fingah, cookie monstah or Maine moose tracks to feel the way I did during those carefree New England summers of my younger days.
MAIN STREET CREAMERY
1359 Main St., Sarasota; 941-361-2046; TheMainStreetCreamery.com
Cherry On Top: With more than 30 flavors (and five dairy-free flavors) available on location, this is where dairy and dairy-free dreams are made. This downtown creamery serves up Yoder’s Southern Creamery, locally made in Sarasota, that you can churn (soft serve), shake (milkshake) or toast with a topper of marshmallow meringue. But the scoops that get me going are actually the dairy-free, with strawberry at the top of my list and the North American Ice Cream Association award-winning DF peanut butter and cookies a close second.
Cone-Tastic: If it’s evening, I’m getting waffles (in a cone or a bowl). Whatever time it is, this spot has something for every single ice-
screamer. If Dad were here, I’d give him a dish of Sarasota: one scoop of Siesta Sea Turtle (vanilla ice cream filled with brownies, pecans, chocolate flakes and an abundance of caramel swirls) plus another scoop of Key Lime pie, please (pint, $7.75).
Cherry On Top: A beachside bounty of ice cream is the perfect way to cure the summertime blues, if you experience them like me. Driving down the Gulf-side oasis of Bradenton Beach already warms the soul, but knowing the final destination involves ice cream is a sweet treat in itself. Then you enter this quaint shop and your choices are endless. Ever heard of ice cream nachos ($7.95)? Choose three flavors with three sauces, top with whip cream and scoop it all up with homemade waffle chips. Can’t choose? Scoop up a flavor flight ($9.99) with your choice of six flavors.
Cone-Tastic: I’m a milkshake girl, through and through. Feeling meh? Order a milkshake. Missing my dad? Milkshake time. Wrapped another Eating with Emma column? You guessed it! Milkshake is my reward. When you order an Island Scoops milkshake ($6.95), you can choose from any house or rotating flavor. I’ll take one pistachio for lunch, a toasted coconut for dinner and a classic mint chip for dessert.
Courtesy image
Giancarlo Guerrero, the incoming Sarasota Orchestra conductor, was born in Nicaragua and grew up in Costa Rica.
Courtesy image
LWR’s Wicked Awesome Ice Cream Emporium’s flavorful Boston Tea Party ice cream.
THIS WEEK
7
of Showtime’s “Live From Amsterdam,” “Road Dogs with Billy Gardell” and “Sullivan and Son” on TBS, Danny Bevins walks the line between the sacred and the profane. The son of a devoutly religious woman and a Green Beret, Bevins is irreverent, opinionated and loud. 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.
DON’T MISS
CLYDE BUTCHER: NATURE
THROUGH THE LENS
If you haven’t seen the breathtaking exhibition of photographer Clyde Butcher at Historic Spanish Point, why not take a morning drive to the 30-acre compound overlooking Little Sarasota Bay? Dotted throughout the campus are large-scale prints of Butcher’s black-andwhite photographs of Florida’s flora and fauna. Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Runs through Aug. 31.
IF YOU GO
When: 10 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 29
Where: at Selby Gardens
Historic Spanish Point campus, 401 N. Tamiami Trail, Nokomis
Tickets: $20
Info: Visit Selby.org.
For fans of Frank Valli and the Four Seasons, the doo-wop sound never 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” and starring performers from the Broadway smash hit’s touring production. Runs through Oct. 13.
FRIDAY
‘THE MUSIC OF LAUREL CANYON’
7:30 p.m. at FST’s Court Cabaret, 1265 First St.
$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.
SATURDAY
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, SEPT. 2
‘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 “Skyway” encompasses five museums in the Tampa Bay area. Even if you don’t have time to visit all five, 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. Runs through Jan. 25 at The Ringling and Oct. 27 at SAM.
WEDNESDAY
NEW EXHIBITIONS: PRECIOUS
DARLING, TANNER SIMON AND BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF MANATEE COUNTY
10 a.m. at Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami Trail Free Visit ArtCenterSarasota.org.
OUR PICK
‘THE MOUSETRAP’ Scott Keys directs the Venice Theatre’s production of Agatha Christie’s classic murder mystery, which has been playing in London’s West End since its November 1952 opening. Runs through Sept. 15.
IF YOU GO
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30
Where: Pinkerton Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave. W., Venice
Tickets: $35 Info: Visit VeniceTheatre.org.
Art Center Sarasota’s latest round of exhibitions features artists Precious Darling, Tanner Simon and teens from the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County. Darling’s show, “How He Sees Me,” uses black-and-white photography and sculpture to focus on the way women are viewed while Simon’s “Big Soup, Big Responsibility” explores the intersection of humor, seriousness and the absurd with large-scale paintings. All three exhibitions run through Sept. 28.
Image courtesy of Renee McVety
Courtesy image
‘It’s
like Christmas every day’
Urbanite’s Modern Works Festival sparks joy for Artistic Director Summer Dawn Wallace.
MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Summer Dawn Wallace has a small favor to ask.
If you’re telling someone about Sarasota’s Urbanite Theatre, please don’t use the word “edgy.”
“Edgy scares some people off,” says Wallace, Urbanite’s co-founder and artistic director. “Our plays would not be considered edgy in New York, Chicago or LA.”
OK. Then what’s the best way to describe the three plays that will be getting a stripped-down production in the black-box theater’s fifth annual Modern Works Festival?
Well, it so happens that all the plays featured in the festival, which runs Sept. 4-8, were written by female playwrights. But only one of them — “A Nice Motherly Person” by Lia Romeo — can truly be called a “woman’s play.”
The other two — “In the Mouth of the Beast” by Baylee Shlichtman and “I’m Saving You a Seat” by Sarah Elizabeth Grace — focus on daughter-father (or stepfather) relationships.
The works promise to be fresh, bold and sometimes raw. As was the case with Brenda Withers’ “Westminster,” which won last year’s Modern Works Festival and was part of Urbanite’s 2023-24 season, the plays are ready to break out and shake up audiences.
If you happen to be sitting in one of the 60 seats in Urbanite’s theater for the festival, be prepared to sit on the edge of said seat. There’s no danger of dozing off.
When it comes to the five-day Modern Works Festival, Wallace says, “It’s like Christmas every day.” Seeing staged readings of new plays, mingling with patrons and fellow artists and attending panel discussions brings back the magic of opening up presents under the tree, she says.
Wallace’s excitement is palpable when she talks about this year’s keynote speaker — playwright Lauren Gunderson.
“Lauren Gunderson.” Wallace says the name a second time for emphasis during an interview at Kahwa Coffee, right around the corner from Urbanite in downtown Sarasota. It’s as if she can hardly believe it herself.
In case you aren’t familiar with Gunderson’s work, she has been one
of the most produced American playwrights in the last decade or so. She has also racked up a slew of awards, including the Lanford Wilson Award, the Otis Guernsey New Voices Award and the Harold and Mimi Steinberg/ ATCA New Play Award.
The latter honor Gunderson won twice — once for “I and You” and again for “The Book of Will.”
Reading through the schedule of the Modern Works Festival, it looks like a multiday marathon, with anywhere from one to three plays being staged each day from Sept. 5-8. The festival will generate work for 35 artists during its run.
At the end, panelists, attendees and guest adjudicators will vote for their favorite new work and the winner will take home a prize of $3,200.
Although the Modern Works Festival serves as a pipeline for Urbanite’s productions, none of the participating playwrights is obligated to have their work premiere in Sarasota.
Nor is there a guarantee that Urbanite will produce any of the three finalist plays. “Everything is a consultation between Urbanite and the playwright,” Wallace explains.
Besides “Westminster,” another festival play that made its way to an
Urbanite run was “A Skeptic and a Bruja” by Rosa Fernandez, which had its world premiere in 2022.
Produced in collaboration with
freeFall Theatre of St. Petersburg, the play follows a woman who calls on expert help after encountering the paranormal in a home she hopes
IF YOU GO
Modern Works Festival
When: Sept. 4-8
Where: Urbanite Theatre, 1487 Second St.
Tickets: $45-$57
Info: Visit UrbaniteTheatre. com.
to transform into a bed and breakfast. From a playgoer’s perspective, the Modern Works Festival pass is a steal. It’s $57 to attend all the events, including a kickoff party on Sept. 4. For those under the age of 40, the pass is $45. There is a $2 convenience fee.
The Modern Works Festival formally kicks off Urbanite’s 11th season, which includes four fully staged productions. The first is Morgan Gould’s “Jennifer Who is Leaving,” which runs from Oct. 18 through Dec. 1.
The play exploring the toll of caregiving is set in a remote highway location of a Dunkin’ Donuts. (Yes, they changed their name to simply Dunkin’, but old habits die hard.)
Despite its relatively minimalist stage and sets, Urbanite isn’t afraid to experiment with special effects. In “Westminster,” the walls literally started to come tumbling down, while Terry Guest’s “Oak,” the last play of Urbanite’s 2023-24 season, featured rain storms and a spooky creek creature.
Urbanite’s second production of its upcoming season promises to take even greater risks. Leegrid Stevens’ “Spaceman,” about a female astronaut, will give audiences an “immersive” experience. It has the potential to be one of the most talked-about shows in town, Wallace says. It will run from Jan. 3 to Feb. 16. With its black-box interior, Urbanite is the perfect setting for plays that take place in confined spaces, such as living rooms or boxing rings. In Winter Miller’s “No One is Forgotten” (March 21 to April 29), audiences will be transported to a prison cell where two Americans — one a journalist and the other an aid worker — are incarcerated.
While other arts organizations in town have recently been extending their seasons with events that run into June, Urbanite has made a tradition of it. This year’s entry in the late-season derby is Nia Akilah Robinson’s “From 145th to 98th Street.”
The play follows a couple’s struggles to keep their son and daughter on the right track after the family’s move to a “better” neighborhood.
Monica Roman Gagnier
Summer Dawn Wallace is artistic director of Urbanite Theatre.
Image courtesy of Sorcha Augustine
Deykyi Ronge and Alex Pelletier starred as two longtime friends in Brenda Withers’ ”Westminster,” the winner of the fourth Modern Works Festival that was produced during Urbanite Theatre’s 2023-24 season.
IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER
Despite living in landlocked Lakewood Ranch, it’s difficult to get 9-year-old Bayne Cannonito away from rivers and beaches.
Like his parents Joe and Sherri Cannonito, he loves spending the weekends in search of sharks’ teeth.
Joe says on each trip, Bayne will be uttering the phrase, “Just one more shark tooth, I promise.”
The family is among those in or near Sarasota who have discovered a love of shark-tooth hunting, and they sell the teeth they collect through their business, Sherri’s Shark Shop.
It just so happens that Sarasota is a neighbor to the “Shark’s Tooth Capital of the World.”
FOSSILHEADS UNITE
The Venice area is known for its abundance of shark teeth.
The city has long held its annual Venice Sharks Tooth Festival, however, charter Capt. Ron Gauthier, had been keen on bringing such an event to Sarasota, where he lives.
From Aug. 26-27, Gauthier hosted the second annual Sarasota Sharks Tooth Festival, where Sherri’s Shark Shop was an event vendor, at Robarts Arena.
“Sarasota needs it because we’re
all a bunch of fossilheads,” Gauthier said. “Here, we go looking in home lots. We look in where they’re dig ging the lakes. We go out east and go on the river. We go to Venice and do it. We go to the Carolinas and do it. But nothing comes to Sarasota. And I was just like, how come?”
Meanwhile, at the Sarasota Shell Club, members enjoy numerous field trips, some of which take them to southern areas such as Venice, in search of teeth.
They are able to showcase their finds in the annual Sarasota Shell Club Shell Show, which offers a combination of artistic and scien tific displays.
“People always, always want to see shark teeth,” said Karen Huether, vice president of the club, who has many teeth in her large collection of marine items.
Teeth of many shark species, both fossilized and nonfossilized, can be found nearby, she said, but she noted there is one tooth in particular that hunters seek.
“The Holy Grail of fossilized shark teeth is the Megalodon because it’s the biggest shark there ever was,” she said.
Having lived 3.6 million to 23 million years ago, the extinct species of mackerel shark is the largest fish known to have existed, with estimates placing its length at as long as 67 feet.
The fossilized teeth themselves can be several inches long.
Indeed, the abundance of sharks’ teeth in Venice dates back millions of years, to a time when Florida was submerged in an area home to the ancestors of species such as great white, mako, bull and tiger sharks.
“It’s like an adventure to go out to try to find something that is that old and it’s still in good shape,” Huether said.
“It is a very fun hobby. It’s very addicting — very addicting,” said Sherri Cannonito.
FINDING INSPIRATION
It’s a pure love of the ocean that drives many collectors.
In fact, Sarasota resident Gordon Fushikoshi has even found a way to use sharks teeth to creatively express that love, which he found while growing up in Lahaina, Hawaii.
A vendor at the Sarasota Sharks Tooth Festival, he owns the business SRQ Shark Art, based at The Bazaar on Apricot and Lime.
“That’s my Disneyland when I was growing up. Being in the ocean, fishing and diving,” he said.
to the beach and collect shells,” said Fushikoshi, who belongs to the Sarasota Shell Club.
Although he was never artistic growing up, he started creating figurines of ocean creatures including sharks, dolphins and others, assembled using shark’s teeth.
“It’s kind of like a puzzle, a jigsaw puzzle. You find the shape and you just kind of push it in,” he said.
Joe Cannonito said his love of sharks likewise comes from his childhood. One of his fondest memories of his father, who died in 1990 when he was 7 years old, is watching the “Jaws” films with him.
Today, he’s passing on the tradition of watching “Jaws” with Bayne.
Something else Bayne can take away from his experiences with his family is the profits of the business, registered under his name, which go exclusively toward his college fund.
GOING ON THE HUNT
When hunting shark teeth, the first step is knowing where to look.
When Joe and Sherri Cannonito were married in 2010 and went on a honeymoon, they’d heard about Venice, but weren’t convinced it would live up to its reputation.
“I’m like, people are pulling our chain, and there wasn’t a lot of information on the web at that time about Caspersen and Brohard (beaches),” Joe Cannonito said.
After visiting Venice, however, they ended up staying for three days.
The sharks’ teeth flow from the rivers into the Gulf, Huether said, noting that after a storm is the best time to search.
Peace River, a location where the Cannonitos hunt “religiously,”
is well known for shark teeth.
She said those visiting Venice will need to dive to find teeth, and recommends Englewood and Caspersen beaches as an alternative.
Fushikoshi said one of his favorite places is the private island Don Pedro Island in Charlotte County. That doesn’t mean that shark teeth aren’t found in Sarasota, however. Even locations such as Siesta Key can sometimes wield treasures.
“I’ve found a few on Turtle Beach,” Fushikoshi said.
In fact, that Cannonitos say they’ve even found teeth far inland, in Lakewood Ranch.
They note that they never trespass on construction sites, a felony and a practice of some unethical shark tooth hunters.
Heavy scooping and sifting are involved in the hunting.
The Cannonito family has even built their own sifters from wood and chicken wire, with pool noodles attached.
It’s not just about the teeth, however. Something the Cannonito family has found amid their hunting is friends and community.
Joe said while they are out hunting, Bayne will talk with older people about shark teeth.
When he sees kids that are trying to find their first teeth, who do not have the necessary tools, he’ll offer them some of his own.
“That’s what we taught our son, have fun, but also give back and show others how to have fun,” he said.
Ian Swaby Shark teeth are on display at Sherri’s Shark Shop at the Sarasota Sharks Tooth Festival on Aug. 26.
Courtesy image Bayne Cannonito holds two shark teeth he found.
New location, same tune
M24. During the event, the school showcased not only the talents of students, who performed in their bands onstage, but also the new facility, operational as of Aug. 12. At 10,000 square feet, the new space is nearly double the previous one and new features including additional study space, a larger stage and a parent lounge.
Although the auditorium itself is smaller, Music Compound owner Jenny Townsend said it will fill to the level that concerts require.
“There’s a lot more opportunities because we can fit more people in here, and everyone is so collaborative in here,” said Sophie Emmons, 14, said of the space.
“It’s opened my eyes to see how much Music Compound has grown,” said student Harper Weyant, 15. “ ... It’s great that we have concerts and, for example, the Back to School Bash, so that newer people or bands can show people what they’ve been practicing.”
IAN SWABY
Music Compound owner Jenny Townsend was able to talk with Tom Bell and his wife, Cheryl Bell. The building’s location, Bell Road, is named for the celery farm of Tom Bell’s grandfather, Tom J. Bell, who originally occupied Celery Fields. Tom Bell and Townsend’s father-in-law, Jack Townsend, are also childhood friends.
Levi Schwartz, 9, plays the guitar in the music lounge.
Photos by Ian Swaby
Luc Drage, 13, and Sophia Emmons, 14, perform with Solar Apocalypse.
Adam Getzels, DO
Dr. Adam Getzels brings to Intercoastal Medical Group at the Hyde Park office a wealth of knowledge and experience in Internal Medicine.
Undergraduate: University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Medical School: Nova Southeastern University, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Residency: Internal Medicine, University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut
Certification: Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine
Hospital Affiliations: Doctors Hospital; Sarasota Memorial Hospital
Learning from history
Ronnique Hawkins brought her nonprofit “Learn My History” to Sarasota in 2019 from New York, to continue offering young people more opportunities to be successful and happy than she had growing up.
During the inaugural “Passing the Torch of Excellence” event on Aug. 25, members of its Youth Advisory Board had the chance to celebrate that mission as they donned gradation caps and gowns at Sarasota Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The event marked the expansion of the nonprofit’s offerings to full one-year programs. Hawkins told audiences that it is the kids who have kept her going with the efforts involved in running the organization, even throughout her journey with breast cancer.
Programs include Create with Ro, which has students create cultural history projects including a book and cultural cuisine; LMH Youth Zone, which teaches youth how to produce their own films, and LMH Children’s Network, which offers professional mentorship.
The event drew representatives of organizations including Lakewood Ranch Rotary Club, Toastmasters and BNI Business by the Bay.
Hawkins said the event was the first time the community was invited to witness what was going on in the organization and comes at a time when it is in need of funding as well as more enrollment.
“When you look around this room, it just warms your heart,” said Judith Levine of the Johnson Singer Arts & Education Fund, emphasizing the importance of children being able “to learn about each other, to learn tolerance.”
— IAN SWABY
Kwaku Addae, 7, and Joy Prophete, 8, prepare for graduation.
Photos by Ian Swaby Nya Chambless, 14, the event host and a young actress and filmmaker, speaks on the positive impacts of Learn My History Foundation.
Students including Carla Demosthenos, 11 were serenaded by Ronnique Hawkins as the ceremony began.
Zenmar Cerdenio-Santiago, 13, and Kofi Addae, 13 offer a performance before the graduation.
Adonai Nelson, 14, Joy Prophete, 8, Sierra Morrison, 11, Grace Prophete, 14 and Nya Chambless, 14
Artifacts of appreciation
The exhibit ‘Above and Beyond: Teachers, Society’s Heroes’ at Sarasota Art Museum showcases student-made memorabilia given to Sarasota County teachers.
s Es Swihart worked on her dissertation, which explores students’ self-worth and
she sought a
While cleaning out her closet, the former Riverview High School teacher realized the answer lay right inside: a box of cards and memorabilia students had given her over the years.
Swihart recalls thinking, “Wow, all teachers have these boxes and people don’t get to see them.” She began to envision a place where the contents of those boxes could be shared.
The result was the exhibit “Above and Beyond: Teachers, Society’s Heroes” at the Sarasota Art Muse-
IF YOU GO
What: “Above and Beyond: Teachers, Society’s Heroes”
When: Aug. 9 to Jan. 15, 2025 Where: Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail. More info: Visit EducationFoundationSRQ.org.
um, created in partnership with the Education Foundation of Sarasota County.
The exhibit brings together “artifacts” from teachers that range from cards to full-blown art projects.
UNCOVERING THE ARTIFACTS
Swihart said the efforts of the Education Foundation were a key part of the results, after staff began reaching out to teachers across the county in May.
“They are incredible champions of teachers and the work they do, and are really committed to uplifting teacher voices, so they’ve done amazing work, getting teachers on board and just supporting the whole
Photos by Ian Swaby
Es Swihart in front of a cardigan created for Riverview High School teacher Sarah Hufford.
process,” she said. Sarah Glendening, chief marketing officer of the Education Foundation, said the exhibition celebrates the importance of teacher-student relationships to academics.
“In her dissertation, (Swihart’s) really working on that relationship between students and teachers, and how that is so important, not just in teaching academics, but really making it possible for students to thrive,” she said.
Located in the museum’s Community Gallery, which is open to the public, the exhibit draws many of the visitors who come during the museum’s free days on the second Sunday of each month, said Connie Cuadrado, director of learning and engagement at the museum.
Part of the exhibit doubles as Swihart’s dissertation project for her doctorate of education with a specialty in mind — brain and teaching — she has been pursuing with Johns Hopkins University, and which she successfully defended Aug. 21.
Swihart is a 2018 Teacher of the Year in Sarasota County and a current Teacher of the Year at the Outof-Door Academy, where she is now an English teacher and Dean of Academics and Curriculum for middle and upper schools at the Lakewood Ranch campus.
The displays showcase creations of students of varying grades.
“It’s coming from their heart,” said Laura Parker Samson, coordinator of school and community programs at the museum. “So, a really young child is going to write, ‘Thank you for being nice to me and for liking me.’ And an older student is going to make some other gesture to say the same thing, but with all of the skills that teacher has helped them develop.”
Swihart said a “beautiful, incredible” piece is a cardigan students created for Sarah Hufford, an IB Theory of Knowledge instructor at Riverview High School.
Students who were studying the impacts of the fast fashion industry sustainably created the cardigan, which showcases a variety of things they knew Hufford loves.
“It really is one of those things that demonstrates how far students will go to show their appreciation, and you just know within that, the kind
of impact that a teacher’s had; she must have meant so much to those students in so many ways,” Swihart said.
Cuadrado highlighted a note from a fifth grader named Amalia to art teacher Robin Morrissey-Jones at Lamarque Elementary School in North Port.
“Miss Jones, thank you for being the first teacher to be nice to me in this school,” the note reads. “You made my life change and think that someone actually needs/likes me.”
“It is a little heartbreaking, but at the same time, feeling valued in that way from a teacher, that has to be life changing for a kid that is going to a new school,” said Cuadrado.
An online exhibit showcases additional items that could not be included in the museum, and is accessible through a touchpad at the exhibit. Also featured are story-gathering boxes, which allow visitors to write and share their own related stories.
Cuadrado said future opportunities will continue to celebrate teachers’ relationships with students.
These include a partnership with the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County, which in October will bring student bands and performers to the museum, as well as an exhibit to be created in partnership with Embracing Our Differences and featured in October and November.
“I hope people see that and reflect on it and celebrate it and think about it in their own lives, and I hope that they celebrate teachers,” Swihart said. “It’s a hard time sometimes, I think, to be a teacher, and so I just hope it boosts their value, in that there’s a bigger cultural currency that results.”
Students created a key-shaped collage for Booker High School VPA
Theatre
instructor Scott Keys
Hard times reveal the true strength of a community, reminding us that we need to lean on each other and work together to restore the place we call home.
THE DEBBY FLOODS CHALLENGED THE COMMUNITY
The recent flooding crisis that struck the region tested many, but amidst the chaos, Kirkplan Kitchen stood out as a pillar of support for the Sarasota & Manatee communities. Having been a trusted name in the local area for over 25 years, with more than 16,000 completed projects, Kirkplan Kitchen’s reputation for reliability was once again proven.
The collaborative efforts of residents and volunteers showcased the strength and resilience of the community. Together, they worked tirelessly to bring hope and restoration to those impacted by the disaster.
Despite the tragedy, moments of joy and gratitude emerged. The outpouring of support and assistance created a sense of unity and solidarity that transcended the challenges posed by the flooding.
CRAZY ABOUT REMODELING, PASSIONATE ABOUT HOMES
Dr. Philip Murphy brings to Intercoastal Medical Group at the Hyde Park office a wealth of
and
in Internal Medicine.
Undergraduate: University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
Medical School: Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA
As the floodwaters rose, inundating homes and causing widespread damage, Kirkplan Kitchen extended a helping hand to those affected.
Hospital Affiliations: Lakewood Ranch Medical Center; Doctors
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK
This wasn’t the first time Kirkplan Kitchen offered crucial assistance to repair damaged properties in the area. In 2022, with the help of GreenSky financing, they worked on properties post-hurricane. Their extensive experience and dedication have earned them a spot as #167 in US Top Remodelers, a testament to their standing in the industry.
As the floodwaters receded and the rebuilding process began, their contribution to the recovery efforts remained a testament to their commitment to serving the community beyond just home remodeling.
At Kirkplan Kitchen & Bath, visions of dream spaces are transformed into realities, where no project is too major. From the heart of the house to the place of relaxation, they embrace every project with passion and precision. With a commitment to quality, they are your partner in creating homes.
Who could describe better what it means to trust your project with Kirkplan Kitchen than their clients?
“I can attest to this, we just had Kirkplan remodel our kitchen and we love it. Kirkplan is great, from customer service and design consultation to the finale. Great local company with even greater employees who care about their customers.” - M Colberg, Sarasota
“Kirkplan Kitchens did an amazing job on my living room, kitchen and dining room remodel. The part I really liked about the project manager is that he always made sure I was happy. There are so many people coming and going and working and he always kept me updated and informed on what was happening and coming up in the next few weeks. They finished my kitchen yesterday, and as I sit here and look at it - I would not change a single thing.” - Mohlman, Bradenton.
Sarabande condominium tops sales at $2,972,800
ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
Acondominium in Sarabande tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. James and Kathleen Conahan, of Honolulu, Hawaii, sold their Unit 945 condominium at 340 S. Palm Ave. to Michael and Tonya Oberer, of Waynesville, Ohio, for $2,972,800. Built in 1998, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths and 4,534 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,286,000 in 1998.
SARASOTA THE LANDINGS
Richard Bayles and Christine Palomaa, of Sarasota, sold their home at 1729 Landings Way to Brenda Marie Manuel and Jonathan Grant, of Silver Spring, Maryland, for $1.43 million. Built in 1980, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,660 square feet of living area. It sold for $737,000 in 2012.
SARASOTA BAY CLUB
Sarasota Bay Club LLC sold the Unit 903 condominium at 1301 Tamiami Trail to Joel and Carolyn Mangel, of Sarasota, for $925,000. Built in 2000, it has one bedroom, one-and-a-half baths and 1,161 square feet of living area. It sold for $659,000 in 2020.
BAYWINDS ESTATES
Araba of Venice LLC sold the home at 1653 Baywinds Lane to Oakwood Studio LLC for $917,000. Built in 1979, it has four bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,973 square feet of living area. It sold for $950,000 in 2022.
BAY VIEW ACRES
John and Carol Krena, of Pittsburgh, sold their home at 1729 Baywood Way to Robert Henry Broden and Tracey Anne Broden, of Sarasota, for $775,000. Built in 1980, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,779 square feet of living area. It sold for $650,000 in 2020.
LA LINDA TERRACE
Ashford Property Management LLC sold the home at 2258 Arlington St. to Ellicottville 6394 LLC for $720,000. Built in 1926, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,510 square feet of living area. It sold for $295,000 in 2015.
INWOOD PARK
Osprey SRQ LLC sold the home at 516 N. Osprey Ave. to Forrest Harris III, of Sarasota, for $612,000. Built in 1950, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 1,216 square feet of living area. It sold for $400,000 in 2021.
CITRUS SQUARE
Marilee Sanders, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the Unit 306 condominium at 445 N. Orange Ave. to Joseph Defeo, of Sarasota, for $575,000. Built in 2009, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 924 square feet of living area. It sold for $291,100 in 2010.
SIESTA KEY
LANDS END
Mary Keels, of Sarasota, sold her home at 31 Lands End Lane to Tommy Hakimi, trustee, of Gainesville, Virginia, for $1,588,000. Built in 1967, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,743 square feet of living area. It sold for $348,700 in 1992.
OUR HOUSE AT THE BEACH
William and Patricia Engel, of Pittsburgh, sold their Unit A-702 condominium at 1001 Beach Road to Margaret Kurtin, of Huntington, New York, for $965,000. Built in 1981, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,204 square feet of living area. It sold for $155,000 in 1981.
REVISED SIESTA
Stephanie Clark, of Newport, Washington, sold her home at 129 Edmondson Ave. to Christian and April Ramsey, of Lexington, Kentucky, for $930,000. Built in 1939, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 868 square feet of living area. It sold for $765,000 in 2023.
JAMAICA ROYALE
Peter and Oksana Withey, of Indianapolis, sold their Unit 53 condominium at 5830 Midnight Pass Road to LD Property Investment LLC for $530,000. Built in 1963, it has one bedroom, one bath and 728 square feet of living area. It sold for $98,000 in 1988.
PALMER RANCH
THE COUNTRY CLUB OF SARASOTA
Monica Ryan, of Sarasota, sold her home at 3824 Prairie Dunes Drive to Krista Sebourn and Joseph Paul Sebourn, of Edmond, Oklahoma, for $730,000. Built in 1984, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool
amounts.
and 2,311 square feet of living area.
TURTLE ROCK
Michael and Kathleen Eby, of Keller, Texas, sold their home at 5125 Ridgelake Place to John and Joan McStravick, of Sarasota, for $685,000. Built in 1998, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,180 square feet of living area. It sold for $690,000 in 2022.
Other top sales by area
SIESTA KEY: $2.15 MILLION
Midnight Harbor
Lisa Russo, trustee, of Waynesville, North Carolina, sold the home at 1224 Port Lane to Theodore Edward Scott, trustee, of Glencoe, Maryland, for $2.15 million. Built in 1960, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,534 square feet of living area. It sold for $675,000 in 2009.
PALMER RANCH: $1,395,000
Legacy Estates on Palmer Ranch
Walter Hudson Majak and Kristine Majak, of Clayton, New York, sold their home at 5345 Trails Bend Court to Samuel and Ellen Wise, of Sarasota, for $1,395,000. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,071 square feet of living area. It sold for $836,800 in 2020.
OSPREY: $774,500
Willowbend
Frankie Patman Maguire sold the home at 520 Habitat Blvd. to Dennis and Donna Amendola, of Osprey, for $774,500. Built in 2003, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,323 square feet of living area. It sold for $397,500 in 2010.
NOKOMIS: $825,000
Mission Valley Estates
Christa Thomas, trustee, of Henderson, Nevada, sold the home at 600 Suffolk Circle to James McLaughlin and Kathleen McLaughlin, trustees, of Venice, for $825,000. Built in 1978, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 3,027 square feet of living area. It sold for $120,000 in 1991.
7 Steps to Successful Financial Planning for Retirement
How to work effectively with your financial advisor
YOUR CALENDAR
FRIDAY, AUG. 30
ADULT CRAFT: TREASURE
JOURNALING
12:30-2 p.m. at Betty J. Johnson North Sarasota Library, 2801 Newtown Blvd. Free. Create a treasure journal to document your most precious memories. Bring any keepsakes you wish to include. All other supplies provided. Visit SCGovLibrary.LibraryMarket.com.
SATURDAY, AUG. 31
NAMASTE AT THE BAY WITH JESSICA DUBOSE
9-10 a.m. at Bayfront Community Center, 803 N. Tamiami Trail. Free. Join Jessica DuBose, a yoga instructor certified by Lululemon. The session begins with a Vinyasa flow, followed by alignment and concludes with yin yoga. DuBose enjoys sharing yoga throughout the community, including at corporate and community functions and with high school students. Visit TheBaySarasota.org.
SATURDAY, AUG. 31 AND WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 4 YOGA IN THE GARDENS
BEST BET
SATURDAY, AUG. 31
JIMMY BUFFETT TRIBUTE
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 821 Apricot Ave. Free to attend. Parrotheads are invited to the Bazaar on Apricot and Lime to gather for a musical tribute to Jimmy Buffett, featuring local artists The Hawaiian Shirts, Capt. John and Bonfire Jam Band, more music, as well as drinks and food. Visit BazaaronApricotandLime.com.
1. Vision: Define your retirement vision with your advisor. Consider how you want to spend your golden years. Be honest about your dreams and goals.
Stay motivated by focusing on your retirement dreams.
This vision sets the foundation for your entire retirement plan.
2. Blueprint: Share your values and financial concerns with your advisor. They’ll examine your current finances and understand your relationship with money. This information helps create a blueprint tailored to your retirement needs.
3. Strategy: Your advisor will craft a retirement strategy based on your blueprint. They’ll consider factors like risk tolerance and time until retirement. A good strategy covers investing, income streams, risk management, and healthcare planning.
4. Plan: Your advisor will present their findings and suggestions, possibly using charts or projections. Review your current financial state and test various scenarios. Refine the plan together until it aligns with your goals.
5. Action: Implement your plan with your advisor’s guidance. This may involve adjusting investments, maximizing your retirement contributions, or updating insurance. You’ll need
Planning for retirement is crucial for your financial well-being. By following these seven steps with a financial advisor, you can create a robust plan for a confident retirement. since 1981
to take action, too, like following through on savings commitments. Stay motivated by focusing on your retirement dreams.
6. Progress: Meet your advisor at least annually to check progress. Use these check-ins to make adjustments and inform your advisor about significant life changes. They’ll ensure you’re on track, suggesting tweaks if needed.
7. Updates: Maintain regular communication with your advisor, especially as you approach retirement. As life changes, your plan should evolve. If your goals shift or you face challenges, your advisor can adjust your plan accordingly.
By following these steps with a financial advisor, you’ll create a flexible retirement plan that can adapt to life’s changes. Remember, while your advisor provides expertise, your input and commitment are crucial. With a solid plan, you can approach retirement confidently, knowing you’re prepared to enjoy the lifestyle you’ve always wanted.
JL Bainbridge is an independent Sarasota-based family wealth management firm. For 43 years, they have been helping clients manage and control their financial well-being before and throughout retirement.
To learn more about JL Bainbridge, call (941) 356-3435 or visit jlbainbridge.com. You can also download a printable PDF of JL Bainbridge’s yourFuturesm Financial Planning Process at jlbainbridge.com/yourfuture.
(941) 365-3435 jlbainbridge.com
J.L. Bainbridge & Company, Inc.
1582 Main Street Sarasota, FL 34236
Disclosure: This information is for educational and informative purposes and should not be considered a recommendation. Investment advisory services are only available to those who become our clients through a written agreement. J.L. Bainbridge & Co., Inc., (JL Bainbridge) is a registered investment adviser. JL Bainbridge is not a broker dealer and does not offer tax or legal advice. Please consult your tax or legal advisor for assistance regarding your individual situation. Investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principal. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. For more information on our firm and our investment advisor representatives, please review our Form ADV, Privacy Notice, and Form CRS at jlbainbridge.com and reference the SEC website for more information on the firm and its advisors: https://adviserinfo. sec.gov/firm/summary/108058. Identifying the SEC as our regulator does not imply any level of skill or training.
9:30-10:30 a.m. at Selby Gardens Downtown Sarasota Campus, 1534 Mound St. Members, $10; nonmembers, $20. Ages 18 and older. Enjoy a peaceful mind and body yoga experience at Selby Gardens, focusing on alignment, breathing techniques and relaxation. Registration required. Visit Selby.org.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 1
BRUNCH AT THE BAY FEATURING
LIVE MUSIC BY SYNDIE JO
8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (brunch) and 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (live music) at The Nest, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts. Free to attend. Enjoy brunch items at The Nest Café, including waffles, muffins, bloody marys and mimosas while listening to music by Sarasota-born indie folk artist Syndie Jo as she performs original songs and covers of artists including Joni Mitchell and Lana Del Rey. Visit TheBaySarasota.org.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 3
TRAVELOGUE — SOUTH AMERICA
2-3:30 p.m. at Gulf Gate Library, 7112 Curtiss Ave. Free. Traveler Jane Mahler takes attendees to locations, including Iguazu Falls between Brazil
and Argentina, the largest waterfall system in the world, and Patagonia, a vast wilderness encompassing about half of Chile and Argentina. Visit SCGovLibrary.LibraryMarket. com.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 4
GAME NIGHT AT THE LIBRARY
4-5:45 p.m. at Selby Library, 1331 First St. Free. Join Selby Library for a different game each week. This week’s selection is Apples to Apples, an interactive party game for four-10 players. Visit SCGovLibrary.LibraryMarket.com.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 5
ROAR RINGLING MUSEUM
STORYTIME AND CRAFT
10:30-11:30 a.m. at Fruitville Library, 100 Apex Road. Free. Join Ms. Caitlyn from The Ringling Museum of Art for a book reading connected to a feature at the museum and a fun craft. Takeaways are available for the first 10 families. Register at the youth desk 30 minutes prior to the event. Visit SCGovLibrary.LibraryMarket.com.
Specialized Dental Care
SPORTS
Fast Break
Stephen Nedoroscik, who trained at Sarasota’s EVO Gymnastics prior to winning two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, will compete on the next season of Dancing with the Stars. The first episode of the season will air at 8 p.m. Sept. 17 on ABC and the Disney+ streaming service.
The Cleveland Cavaliers NBA team will spend part of its training camp at Bradenton’s IMG Academy. The Cavaliers will practice at the facility Oct. 1-6. In an Aug. 26 release, the team said it will engage with the communities of both Bradenton and Sarasota while in town, and Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert said the city is in the process of creating events involving the Cavaliers, particularly for young athletes.
Riverview High senior indoor volleyball player Gabrielle Meese had 14 kills in the Rams’ 3-1 win over Sarasota High on Aug. 22. The Rams are 2-0 as of Aug. 27. Cardinal Mooney High senior indoor volleyball player Izzy Russell had five kills, four aces, five digs and six serve receptions in the Cougars’ 3-0 win over Lakewood Ranch High on Aug. 22. The Cougars are 2-0 as of Aug. 27. Sarasota Sharks Master swimmers Lee Childs Rick Walker Karen Einsidler and Nancy Nevid won the 280-319 Mixed age division of the 200 freestyle relay (2:08.20) and the 200 medley relay (2:27.52) at the 2024 U.S. Masters Swimming Summer National Championships, held Aug. 21-25 in Mission Viejo, California.
Sarasota football takeaways
There was good, and there was bad, for area teams to kick off the season. “You
KOHN SPORTS EDITOR
The 2024 high school football season is one week down, which means fans have had a chance to see the good and the bad of their teams.
Week one is not always a sign of how teams will look the rest of the season, but it does showcase where teams stand following the offseason, and in some cases, what needs to be fixed for teams to go from an also-ran to a real contender.
Here’s a breakdown of how Sarasota teams fared in their openers, and the key takeaways from those performances.
CARDINAL MOONEY HIGH LOOKED LIKE A DEFENDING STATE CHAMP
The Cougars, who are coming off a Florida High School Athletic Association Class 1S state championship in 2023, did exactly what a program of that caliber should do when going up against rebuilding opponent: win and — win decisively. Cardinal Mooney beat Sarasota High 41-6 on the road Aug. 23. The Cougars were leading 41-0 at halftime before pulling back and playing bench players to get them some experience. Junior quarterback Devin Mignery did most of the offensive damage, completing six of nine passes for 172 yards and three touchdowns. Mignery also ran the ball six times for 120 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore running backs Connail Jackson and Ashton Kelly also had rushing touchdowns. Junior wideout Kymistrii Young led the team with 92 receiving yards and a score.
On defense, it was domination by committee, as 10 Cougars had at least one tackle for loss, and juniors Macaiden Brown and Blake Roulund each had an interception.
If there was anything to be learned from this performance, it is that the Cougars will not underestimate anyone on their schedule, bringing their best each week. Fans may not learn more than that about Mooney until tougher competition comes to town in the form of rival Bishop Verot High (1-0) on Sept. 20.
BOOKER HIGH HAS ELITE
ATHLETES GALORE
After a transfer-heavy offseason for Booker High, one of biggest questions of the football season was how the Tornadoes would put all of its pieces together.
In week one against Lely High, Booker gave an answer: Put them in open space, and watch them go.
The Tornadoes’ air attack threw for 330 yards and six touchdowns on just 17 passing attempts in a 46-0 home win. Quarterbacks Joel Morris, a junior, and Ryan Downes, a senior, split reps, but the offense never slowed, ripping big plays at seemingly every turn. Juniors Chuck Kennon and Tyren Wortham had two touchdowns each, while junior Dylan Wester and senior Ryan Simmons each had one.
The defense showcased just as much athleticism, holding Lely quarterback Carter Quinn to 197 yards while completing just 19 of 40 attempts thanks to pressure from the
Tornadoes’ front seven. It was a stark improvement from the Tornadoes’ preseason game against Mooney, when Booker allowed the Cougars to march up and down the field and score 45 points.
Like Mooney, this game did not give many hints about Booker’s standing among the state’s elite. Lely High was just 5-5 a season ago. A week two road game against Berkeley Prep, the defending Class 2M state champion, on Aug. 30 will show just how quickly the team’s roster has come together.
SARASOTA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL GETS FIRST 11-ON-11 WIN
The Blazers have had a tackle football program since 2022, but it has previously been of the 8-on-8 variety.
Not anymore.
Starting this season, the Blazers transition to 11-on-11 football, which was the plan from the start. Playing in the Sunshine State Athletic Association instead of the FHSAA, the Blazers actually held their first game of 2024 a week ago, a 28-10 loss to Old Plank Christian Academy. But this week brought a special milestone: the program’s first 11-on-11 win.
The Blazers beat Bishop McLaughlin Catholic 33-7 on Aug. 23. Junior quarterback Ben Milliken threw for 332 yards and four touchdowns, two each to junior Justin Brock and sophomore Noah Spenn. The Blazers defense had 3.5 sacks and sophomore Peyton Gray had an interception.
The takeaway? The Blazers can compete at this level of football. For a burgeoning program, that is an achievement.
RIVERVIEW HIGH DEFENSE NEEDS FIXING
The Riverview football team lost to Naples High in week one. On its own, the result is not a cause for concern; Naples is consistently a top-level program. But the Rams lost 47-14, and giving up 47 points is a concern.
Naples ran for 390 yards on Riverview at a clip of 7.6 yards per carry. Three different Golden Eagles players ran for more than 100 yards. The Rams front seven must improve if the Rams want to hang with the state’s top programs.
SARASOTA HIGH IS STILL IN STEP ONE OF REBUILD
The Sailors appeared to be improved after a 14-8 preseason win over Brandon High on Aug. 16. That may be the case, but fans would not know it after the team’s 41-6 loss to Cardinal Mooney.
That has less to do with the Sailors and more to do with Mooney’s talent. The Sailors hit the reset button under new head coach Amp Campbell and were not expected to hang with the Cougars.
In the coming weeks, the Sailors will have better chances to show the progress they have made. A week two game against Braden River High, which is going through a similar rebuild, is an opportunity to get a regular-season win on the board.
Booker High junior quarterback Joel Morris launches a pass to junior Dylan Wester for a touchdown against Cardinal Mooney High in a preseason clash. Morris threw three touchdowns against Lely High on Aug. 23.
Image via USA Gymnastics/John Cheng
Stephen Nedoroscik acted as a “pommel horse specialist” for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
RYAN
Cardinal Mooney High’s Kymistrii Young and RJ Mosley (1) celebrate after a Mosley touchdown against Booker High in a preseason contest. Both players had touchdowns against Sarasota High on Aug. 23.
Photos by Ryan Kohn
Sarasota footballers hit the college gridiron
These athletes and others will be on your television screens starting this weekend.
s the college football season kicks off this
of
at least — thoughts turn to our local alumni, many of whom will be suiting up on Saturdays this fall.
Here are some players to watch as the season gets going.
JARON GLOVER,
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
The Riverview High alum is arguably the area alum with the most returning production at the college level. In 2023, as a redshirt freshman at Michigan State University, Glover caught 14 passes for 261 yards, good for an average of 18.6 yards per catch. His season started strong, but his production dropped around midseason, and he missed the final three games of the year with an injury.
Now a sophomore, the 6-foot-1 Glover is one of the receivers Michigan State is hoping makes a breakthrough under new head coach Jonathan Smith. The Spartans have yet to release an official depth chart for their season-opening game against Florida Atlantic University, but most Michigan State sites project Glover to be one of the team’s starting receivers.
The Spartans will play FAU at 7 p.m. Aug. 30 at home. The game will air on the Big Ten Network. And in that game, Glover will not the only familiar face to Sarasota football fans.
CHARLES BRANTLEY,
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Brantley is a Sarasota native who started his football career at
Riverview High before transferring to Venice High. Brantley, a junior defensive back, started the first three games of 2023 for the Spartans before suffering a seasonending upper body injury, missing the team’s final nine games.
The 6-foot-0 Brantley recorded 10 tackles (one tackle for loss) and one pass breakup in those three games he played. Brantley is not guaranteed to get his starting spot back right away; Ed Woods, a transfer from Arizona State University, will push him for his spot.
Whether he ultimately starts, Brantley should see a healthy amount of playing time as the Spartans rebuild their defense.
CHARLES LESTER III, FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
Charles Lester III followed in
Brantley’s footsteps: He started his career at Riverview High, starring as both a defensive back and a receiver, before finishing his career at Venice High. Lester, now a freshman defensive back at Florida State University, was highly regarded coming out of high school: The 247 Sports Composite ranking had him as the No. 39 player and the No. 3 cornerback in the national class of 2024.
Unlike other teams on this list, Florida State has already played a game this season, kicking off the college football slate against Georgia Tech in the Aer Lingus Classic in Ireland on Aug. 24. The Seminoles, ranked 10th in the preseason polls, lost 24-21 to the Ramblin’ Wreck.
Though Lester did not record any stats in the loss, a depth chart put out by the school prior to the game
listed Lester as essentially tied for second on the cornerback depth chart, sharing an “or” designation with fellow freshman Edwin Joseph.
It is only a matter of time before Lester becomes a star for the Seminoles. As the weeks progress, expect his playing time to increase.
TEDDY FOSTER, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
The Cardinal Mooney High graduate is a true freshman with the University of Florida this season. Foster, a defensive back, joined the team for its spring semester, getting a head start on learning the Gators’ defensive system.
Will that turn into early playing time? Perhaps not. The Gators have a veteran defensive secondary, with three of the four cornerback and safety spots expected to go to juniors or seniors. But the 6-foot1 Foster could see time on special teams and, if he does well, parlay that experience into defensive opportunities later in the season.
Foster could also get some action in the team’s week two game against Samford University, for that game should be over by halftime — “should” being the key word. Why not week one? Well, Florida opens with a home game against the 19thranked University of Miami. The Gators and the Canes will hit the field at 3:30 p.m. Aug. 31 on ABC.
ZY’MARION LANG, UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO
Lang, the Cardinal Mooney High graduate, will be in a similar spot to former teammate Foster. The 6-foot-3 wide receiver is a true freshman with the Rockets, and his position on the Toledo roster is filled with veteran returnees. It’s a difficult situation for finding early playing time, but, like Foster, a willingness to help on special teams could go a long way. His leaping ability could also make him a situa-
tion red zone threat right away.
But here’s a free tip: Regardless of when Lang starts to see the field, make it a point to check out a Rockets game or two when you’re flipping through channels this fall. Senior wideout Jerjuan Newton, a St. Petersburg native, is one of the more underrated players in the country. The 5-foot-11 Newton led the Mid-American Conference with 696 receiving yards and nine TD receptions in 2023. When you hear his name get NFL Draft buzz come April, remember where you heard it first.
TOO MANY OTHERS TO NAME
For the first time in my eight years or so of doing this college football kickoff column, there are more area alums playing NCAA Division I football this season than I have room to include in the main heart of the piece. So here’s a rapid-fire list of others: Booker High alum Josiah Booker is a freshman wideout at Central Michigan University; Cardinal Mooney alum Cameron Heald is a junior “superback” at Butler University, where he is used as a key blocker and pass catcher; Cardinal Mooney grads George Leibold and Michael Valentino are freshmen at the University of Cincinnati and Florida Atlantic, respectively. And that’s not all of them, either. It’s a sign of how much talent has been infused into the football scene here, and I look forward to watching it grow in the years to come.
Ryan Kohn is the sports editor for the Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer. Contact him at RKohn@ YourObserver.com.
Jordan Perez/Florida Gators
Former Cardinal Mooney High cornerback Teddy Foster is a freshman at the University of Florida.
Madie Muller
Madie Muller is a freshman on the Riverview High girls cross-country team. Muller won the Lemon Bay Invitational (5K) on Aug. 24, finishing her first high school cross-country race in 19:12.70.
When did you start competitive running?
I started in middle school, in sixth grade. I have played lacrosse since first grade and I have always been a midfielder, so I always loved to run. My family told me I had the endurance to run track, which I started in sixth grade, and I started crosscountry in eighth grade. I joined a cross-country team in Tampa called The Bayshore Project. The coaches there are supportive and helped me get into running a few races.
What is the appeal to you?
It is such an independent sport, which is different from lacrosse. You have to be strong mentally to do it. But after I run, my head feels clear. I feel like I can think better. It’s just liberating.
Do you prefer cross-country or track?
Cross-country. The terrain is always different and there is more of a com munity to it. Everyone knows how you have to train. In track, you have throwers and jumpers and sprinters, but in cross-country, everyone is running 3.1 miles. That’s a big ap peal to me. It feels like a family.
What is your favorite running memory?
It is this past weekend (at the Lemon Bay Invitational). I had never run a high school cross-country race before. I did not expect to be out in front. I surprised myself with that. But my coaches and my family were confident in me. I just tried my best. Having everyone go crazy
If you would like to make a recommendation for the Sarasota Observer’s Athlete of the Week feature, send it to Ryan Kohn at RKohn@ YourObserver.com.
as I was finishing was so awesome.
What are your expectations for the rest of the season?
I just want to keep getting better and help my team as much as I can. Every course is different, so I always have to be at my best.
What is your favorite food?
I love Chick-fil-A. I get an eight-piece chicken nuggets meal with a Sunjoy.
What are your hobbies?
I like to read. The “Harry Potter” series is my favorite series. When I can, I like to go to the beach and hang with my friends and family.
What is the best advice you have received?
Never get in your own head. It’s a mental sport. You have to be tough. When your body says you can’t do something, that’s really your mind telling you that. You can push through it.
Finish this sentence: “Madie Muller is … ” … Determined.
SAY IT WITH A SONG by Shannon Rapp and Will Eisenberg, edited by Jeff Chen
By Luis Campos
INFORMATION & RATES: 941-955-4888 redpages@yourobserver.com •yourobserver.com/redpages
Notice: All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis. DEADLINES: Classifieds - Tuesday at Noon Service Directory - Friday at 3PM • PAYMENT: Cash, Check or Credit Card
The Sarasota and Siesta Key Observer reserves the right to classify and edit copy, or to reject or cancel an advertisement at any time. Corrections after first insertion only.
*All ads are subject to the approval of the Publisher.
*It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in the Sarasota and Siesta Key Observer to meet all applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with towncodes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, or residential rental property.
