East County Observer 6.15.23

YOUR TOWN

County settles Tara dispute

Eleven years of litigation over commercial development in Tara ends. SEE PAGE 2A

A permanent staycation

George and Beth Roldan (above) love living at Waterside Place so much, they rarely leave. They frequent the restaurants and are regulars at the plaza to meet with friends and listen to live music.

“We went someplace else tonight and still ended up here,” Beth said. “Look at it — it’s beautiful.”

Originally from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the couple has lived at Shoreview for almost two years. George was particularly interested in the Friday night live entertainment.

He asked the evening’s entertainer, Justin Layman, to play “Tea for the Tillerman” because, in his opinion, Layman “sounds just like Cat Stevens.” While listening to the song, he watched a guy operating a powered parachute over Kingfisher Lake.

“I hope he doesn’t crash,” George said.

his heartstrings

Former students honor longtime Braden River High instructor. SEE PAGE 8A

Difference maker

Del Webb’s Lucille Messina (above) once worked to have a swing for individuals with disabilities installed at a park she frequented in Long Island, New York.

But before her daughter, Jacklyn, who had a degenerative neurological disease, could use the swing, she was hospitalized and later died at 11 years old.

In honor of her daughter, Messina started Del Webb’s Making a Difference organization to supporting people with disabilities.

The club raised $1,785 during its Bingo and Bake event May 31 to cover the cost of a swing for individuals with disabilities, which was installed at Urfer Family Park in Sarasota.

“Every child should be able to swing and feel a breeze,” Messina said. “A child, no matter their abilities, should be able to enjoy a playground.”

Smooth cruising into pothole season

A shock to absorb: Manatee County fixes about 7,000 potholes a year.

SEE PAGE 3A

35 years of laughs, and love PAGE 13A

Manatee County settles with Tara developer

County pays Lake Lincoln $3.6 million to settle litigation that began in 2012 over commercial development rights

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

An 11-year battle between Tara developer Lake Lincoln and Manatee County has been settled for $3.6 million.

On June 6, the commission unanimously agreed to pay the developer $3,634,868 to settle the property rights case originally filed in May 2012.

In return, Lake Lincoln will deed the 10.33-acre property in question, plus two additional wetland parcels that equal about 45 acres, over to the county. The 2022-23 budget was amended to transfer funds from reserves to pay the settlement in full.

“A discussion has not been done. I can’t say for sure it will never be built on. There’s going to be new boards,” District 5 Commissioner Vanessa Baugh said, “But hopefully, we can turn it into some sort of preserve, where it’s not built on.”

The suit was initiated after two years of back and forth over three acres of the 10.33-acre property on the southwest corner of State Road 70 and Tara Boulevard that Lake Lincoln wanted to use for commercial development.

After ruling the property could only be used for open space and conservation in 2011, commissioners tried to find middle ground between the developer and the residents by amending the maps to accommodate residential and residential support use in 2019. Residential support use allows for businesses such as daycare centers, whereas commercial use would’ve allowed for businesses such as a gas station.

Seven months after the maps were amended, attorneys for Lake Lincoln

filed a modification to the lawsuit that included an appraisal provided by Durrance & Associates that estimated a $3.61 million loss in property value and revenue dating back to when the lawsuit was first filed.

With the property tied up in litigation and unable to be developed, it was effectively off the market.

Lawyers for Lake Lincoln argued that the decision to not allow commercial development went against the Comprehensive Plan and that the county “inordinately burdened the land,” which landowners are shielded against under the Bert J. Harris Private Property Rights Protection Act.

As far as the 2019 decision to allow residential and residential support use, lawyers said it still lowered the value of the property in comparison to the commercial use allowed for in the Comprehensive Plan.

Tara residents held their ground, too. The rights of citizens to intervene became a big issue in 2017 when one of the proposed settlement offers approved up to 19,500 square feet of commercial development.

Residents of Tara signed a petition and the associations representing them hired an attorney to have a say in the matter.

Attorney Robert Lincoln, representing the Tara residents opposed to commercial development, argued that the settlement violated county development codes and wasn’t in the best interest of the public. Tara proposed the alternative option of amending the maps.

Judge Lon Arend ruled residents had a right to participate in the proceedings and sent the settlement back to the commission for another vote. The same agreement from Lake Lincoln was rejected 4-3

TIMELINE

OCTOBER 2010 — Commissioners deny Lake Lincoln’s request to rezone 10.33 acres on the corner of Tara Boulevard and State Road 70 to “planned commercial development.”

APRIL 2011 — Lake Lincoln files a claim against Manatee County under the Bert J. Harris Jr. Private Property Rights Protection Act.

SEPTEMBER 2011 — The property is restricted by the county to open space and conservation use only.

MAY 2012 — Lake Lincoln sues Manatee County over its right to develop the property.

JUNE 2016 — Commissioners reject a settlement offer of $2.6 million.

JUNE 2017 — Commissioners approve a settlement to allow up to 19,500 square feet of commercial development.

on the revote, but Tara’s alternative proposal was approved.

In 2010, Lake Lincoln had already agreed to only use the property for residential and residential support uses. But by 2019, attorney Patricia Petruff was arguing that the developer wanted the zoning to match the “correct use” and the “character of the area.”

“The Board of County Commissioners, when we vote ‘no,’ we have a reason, and I think it should be honored, and that’s not something that is done nowadays. It seems like almost every time we turn down a project, the developer sues, and they win,” Baugh said.

“The community gets upset because we approve things, but at the same time, Manatee County citizens need to understand that when we lose a case such as this, it’s taxpayer money that pays that fine.”

AUGUST 2018 — Judge Lon Arend asks commissioners to reconfirm the settlement after Tara representatives were granted the right to intervene.

APRIL 2019 — The previously approved settlement is rejected by the commission in a 4-3 vote. Instead, Tara’s development maps are amended to allow for residential and residential support use.

JUNE 2023 — A settlement for $3,634,868 is reached. Lake Lincoln agrees to deed the property, along with two additional wetland parcels, to the county upon payment.

WHY ARE THEY CALLED POTHOLES?

“Pottery makers in 15th and 16th century England would take advantage of the ruts that wagon and coach wheels gouged into roads. Anxious for a cheap source of raw materials for making clay pots, the potters would dig into the deep ruts to reach clay deposits underneath. Teamsters driving wagons and coaches over those roads knew who and what caused these holes and referred to them as “potholes.”

— From the American Public Works Association and attributed to syndicated columnist L.M. Boyd

Manatee County Public Works’

Myra Prater and Danny Thomas oversee an operation that fills more than 7,000 potholes in a year.

A bump in the road

Public Works crew stays on top of pothole problems.

So there you are, driving down Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, and traffic is jammed up, trying to merge over into one lane because a Manatee County truck is just ahead with its lights flashing.

What the heck?

It’s hard to consider, in that moment, that the road crew causing the backup is there to help.

They are, after all, filling a dreaded pothole.

While this might be considered hurricane season, it is even more so pothole season. Day after day of rain can lead to standing water on the roadways, one of the main causes of potholes.

Once they form, drivers often don’t realize they are there until they hit them.

Thump! There goes your wheel alignment.

The county’s Public Works Department understands motorists’ frustration with potholes. So much so that the department utilizes eight full-time workers whose job every day is to fix problems in the roadway.

Last year, the county repaired approximately 7,000 potholes with 700 tons of asphalt. Thus, it is likely you have come upon a road crew repairing the roadway.

“We’re responding to a problem,” said Danny Thomas, who is Manatee County’s superintendent of the Public Works Field Maintenance Department. “These guys are there making a repair for you and the community. It’s like with any road project, you should slow down and move over.”

The road crew workers are just like any motorist, so they understand the frustration. However, some drivers can yell some nasty comments as they go past.

“It’s like, ‘What the heck are you doing here?’” Thomas said. “We spend more time explaining than fixing the pothole. But we are in that environment where we are directing traffic, and people are running late from work, and they don’t have the patience.

“And we do get ‘thank yous,’ too.”

Thomas has been with Public Works for 36 years, so he knows the drill. It’s why the county tries to be as proactive as possible when it comes to seeking and repairing potholes.

The eight full-time pothole crew employees often break up into two or three groups and head to various points in the county to examine roads and look for potholes. He points out that they do it well, too, because of the 7,000 potholes that were fixed last year, only about 800 were due to a call from the public reporting a problem.

Thomas said anything bigger than a cellphone is considered a pothole, although once he found a pothole 4 foot by 4 foot on a back road near the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.

He said repairs are a fairly simple process, where the crew arrives, squares up the hole by cutting its edges and digging out any loose material before compacting the remaining material and filling the hole. The new material is compacted, a tar tacky material is sprayed on to seal it, and the crew is done, often in less than 20 minutes.

Of course, where there is one pothole, there are likely to be others. The crew will fix more if they see them.

The patch trucks are specialized vehicles, usually a crew cab style truck with a hopper in the back that can haul up to seven tons of asphalt. The truck has heaters and burners to keep the asphalt soft, and also is equipped with jackhammers, compactors and saws.

Thomas noted that not all breaks in the roadway are potholes. Sometimes they can be caused by failures under the pavement in water or sewer lines. In that case, the public usually doesn’t realize what kind of problem it might be when reported.

The crew members often see a pothole about to happen when they see “alligator cracking” in the roadway.

Myra Prater, the Public Works Main Division Manager, said the varying temperatures also cause potholes, with the heating and cooling of the surface causing expansion and contractions that opens space that can be occupied by water.

“Then we do have our hot spots, our typical high-volume roads,” she said.

Prater noted that before the county even takes over a road that is built by a private contractor, county officials are present during the process to make sure it is up to county standards.

Over the years, she said materials and techniques have changed. In the late 1980s and 1990s, roads were built with an expectation of lasting 50 years. Now, with the traffic volumes so much higher in the county, that expectation has generally been lowered to 20 years.

The roads take a pounding.

Prater said limitations exist for Public Works due to funding.

She echoed Thomas’ comments about Public Works being proactive.

“Typically, we find potholes before they get all that big,” she said. “And when they are reported, about 98% of the time we get to them in 48 hours or less.”

The county likely will have to expand its pothole efforts in the future.

“Say someone has lived in the area for 20 years,” Thomas said. “Now there seems like there are more potholes. But the road is older, and it’s taking more than 10,000 more trips a day. We have highly (traveled) roads, and they will wear out.”

DEEP SUBJECT

What causes a pothole?

Potholes are normally bowl-shaped holes in the pavement that usually form in low areas, such as wheel paths and utility trenches. They are caused by pavement weaknesses, which might result from poor quality materials, thin pavement surface, poor drainage on the pavement surface or within the base, or a loss of load support by either the base or sub grade. Two factors are always present in such a failure — traffic and water.

What is the gestation period of a pothole?

Rain seeps through cracks in the pavement and into the sub-base. If the moisture cannot adequately drain away from the sub-base and soil underneath, it becomes saturated and soft. Trapped moisture is subjected to repeated expansion and contraction cycles. With each cycle occurrence, the pavement lifts and cracks the pavement more. The passing traffic weakens the pavement, cracking it further. As temperatures rise and fall, a void is left under the pavement. This void collects more water, and during the next cycle, the void will enlarge. Vehicles drive over the weakened pavement and pound it until the surface breaks and collapses into the void below, creating a pothole.

How should you report a pothole (one that is larger than your cell phone)? Go to MyManatee.org or call the 311 call center.

What makes up most road surfaces in Manatee County? Three layers. A sub base of clean dirt. If you are building a road in Lakewood Ranch, the sub base often is muck. You have to replace that with clean materials. The base is then material like limerock, and you

mix in other materials, such as shell. Then you have asphalt (or state roadways often are concrete).

How many potholes does Manatee County repair a year?

The county repairs approximately 7,000 potholes a year requiring about 700 tons of asphalt.

How many county employees work strictly on repairing potholes?

The asphalt crew is made up of eight (full-time) positions, including seven field staff members and a supervisor.

How much does Manatee County spend on fixing potholes in a year?

Last year Manatee County spent approximately $800,000 on potholes and around $900,000 on other asphalt cut-outs and roadedge repairs. These costs include labor, equipment, and materials. All pothole repairs are in-house repairs.

Above: Fluctuations in temperature and road wear can make the road surface expand and contract. That can lead to cracks and spaces that allow water to accumulate.

Crash course on safety

Rollover simulator is used at Bradenton Motorsports Park to demonstrate the result of poor driving decisions.

Janice Martinez, a State Trooper on patrol in Tampa at the time, remembered transporting a drunken driver to jail when she saw a car coming at her head on, driving down the road the wrong way.

She had less than two seconds to react, but she managed to veer off the road and brace for impact.

Neither Martinez or her passenger were injured, but she was trapped in her car and could only watch as the wrong-way driver fled the scene.

It took six hours, but the hit-andrun driver was apprehended.

“He was drunk, he was speeding, driving aggressively, had no driver’s license and was here illegally,” Martinez said. “Everything that we push with our ‘Target Zero’ messaging, — like slow down, watch your speed, don’t drive impaired, wear your seat belt, everything you can do to arrive alive and get home safe — the guy that hit me violated every single one of those things.”

Now as the law enforcement liaison for District One of the Florida Department of Transportation, Martinez encourages people to avoid driving aggressively and to stay safe on the road.

FDOT hosted a kickoff event at Bradenton Motorsports Park on June 8 for a campaign to discourage aggressive driving.

Keith Robbins, a district safety administrator for FDOT, said his department has conducted analysis of crash data and found that the types of crashes occurring most include intersection crashes, lane departure crashes and crashes involving bicycles and pedestrians.

Nine out of 10 fatalities and three out of four injuries are results of

those types of crashes, he said.

Men ages 18 to 34, make up more than 50% of the fatalities in those crashes.

“Young male drivers think they’re invincible,” Robbins said. “That contributes to aggressive driving because they think ‘Nobody’s going to get me,’ ‘I’m not going to get in a wreck,’ and that’s not always true. The biggest thing is not only are they not invincible, but their actions can have consequences on the people around them.”

Martinez advises drivers to be vigilant at all times.

“It’s just watching what’s around you and being prepared,” she said. “Our message is buckle up, watch your speed, put your phone down and don’t drive impaired. Your driving behavior is your choice, and if you choose to violate the law, it has the potential to hurt somebody or kill somebody.”

She said people don’t always understand the ripple effect their bad decisions on the road can have.

As a homicide detective, Martinez said she would have to knock on people’s doors to deliver the news that their loved one died in an accident. She doesn’t want any law enforcement officer to deliver that news.

Manatee County continues twicea-week trash pickup ... for now

The County Commission approved a two-year extension of its current solid waste contract in order to negotiate with potential haulers.

With six kids at home, Manatee County Commissioner James Satcher said he makes good use of the twice-a-week garbage pickup he enjoys while living in unincorporated Manatee County.

However, like other county residents, Satcher and his family could have to adjust to once a week pickup if Manatee County can’t negotiate a contract with private haulers that would allow it to continue twice-aweek service.

Commissioners last week approved a two-year extension of the county’s current solid waste contract, which was initiated in 2008, renegotiated in 2016 and set to expire in September.

A rate increase for residents won’t be determined until after the extension is finalized and a two-year rate study is done, but Utilities Director Evan Pilachowski told the board that residential rates are likely to increase by about $5 a month.

Then negotiations will decide what occurs after the two-year extension.

“I definitely take advantage of the twice-a-week pickup,” Satcher said. “If we miss one of the midweek pickups, we can tell. But the market’s moved, so it’s going to be tough to stick with that plan for too much longer without pricing ourselves out to where the benefit might be outweighed.”

If pickup does move to once a week, Satcher is hopeful the county

will be able to supply extra containers to make the transition easier on residents. He also pointed out that automated pickups are another likely option when a new contract is signed.

“If I have overflow, I can stick it on the side of the can, but that’s not an option if you have the arm (of the truck) picking everything up,” Satcher said. “I just hope that when we do sign the contract, we’re able to take care of those things.”

The commission is united on keeping costs down, so to stay within the same pricing structure, cuts likely will have to be made.

A two-year extension will allow Manatee County to accept bids from any hauler that cares to compete for the contract.

“Manatee County is not by itself,” Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh said. “Most of the counties are seeing huge increases. My question is ‘Why does it cost so much more now?’”

Sarasota and Charlotte counties offer once-a-week garbage pickup.

Baugh wants a town hall meeting on the subject. Before moving to Manatee and being elected to the commission in 2012, Baugh lived in Sarasota County and was used to once-a-week pickup. At the time, she suggested Manatee County switch from twice-a-week to oncea-week pickup, but she said resi -

County brings hurricane warnings to Lakewood Ranch

Manatee County officials hold two seminars in Lakewood Ranch to urge residents to begin their hurricane preparations now.

With just a slight change in direction, Hurricane Ian could have been worse in the Lakewood Ranch area.

That was the message by county staff members during two hurricane preparedness seminars, the first June 6 in the Cresswind neighborhood and the second June 7 at the Manatee Chamber of Commerce in Lakewood Ranch.

Emergency Management leaders talked about how Hurricane Ian could have had an even more disastrous impact in the Lakewood Ranch area, more like it did in Lee County. They stressed that the citizens need to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

“How many of you would say we were lucky with Hurricane Ian?”

Deputy Director of Public Safety Steve Litschauer asked members of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce.

Hands raised immediately.

Litschauer flipped to a PowerPoint slide that showed the damage to homes in Manatee County. Ten were completely destroyed, 276 suffered major damage, 871 had minor damage, and 2,644 were “affected.”

The estimated cost of damages is $99,115,618.

And for most of the county, that was a near miss.

But then Litschauer posed a second question, “If you were in one of those 10 homes, would you say you were lucky?”

Litschauer said much like children are put through fire drills at schools, citizens should be running hurricane drills long before the eye forms.

“What we call an afternoon rainstorm, once it gets in the gulf, it can go from that afternoon storm to a Category 4 or 5 in three days or less,” Litschauer said. “Three days or less is not enough time to start thinking about what you’re going to do.”

County staff members noted that some important things to consider are how many gallons of water your family will go through in a day or how employees get paid when there’s no power at the business and the bank is shut down.

When a levee broke in Myakka City in the days following Ian, 300

HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS RESOURCES

n To schedule a hurricane preparedness presentation, contact Emergency Management by calling 7493500 or emailing EMDO@ MyManatee.org.

n Visit ResourceGuide.MakingAn-Impact.org for a guide to community resources in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

n Visit Ready.Gov/Plan to make a disaster plan for your home, business and pets.

wells were contaminated because of flooding. Eight semi trucks loaded with water had to be brought in.

Karina Ojeda is the vice president and business development officer for Valley National Bank. She said she attended the seminar as a service to her clients.

“A lot of my clients, mostly the small businesses, aren’t prepared,” Ojeda said. “They don’t have the time to come here. I came to pass the information on.”

About 30 business owners attended the presentation at the chamber. The night before, about 100 members of the Cresswind community attended one geared more toward homeowners. About 80% of attendees had lived in Florida fewer than five years.

Litschauer and his team have delivered more than 30 seminars in the past two months.

“People will say, ‘Oh, we went through Irma. We went through Ian, and nothing happened.’ Don’t look at past history to survive,” Litschauer said. “Every storm is different, and it only takes one. Please, listen to us.”

YourObserver.com

Salute to service

More than 100 former students surprised Lt. Col. Jay Bradin with a retirement party.

When Lt. Col. Jay Bradin walked into the commissary at Camp Flying Eagle, his eyes opened wide with shock.

More than 100 of his former Braden River High School students applauded and yelled, “Surprise.”

Bradin had to stop a moment to absorb the scene.

After 18 years of teaching, Bradin couldn’t believe so many of his former Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps students gathered to celebrate his retirement June 10.

Bradin’s impact is far reaching, and students who now live as far as Alaska and Germany virtually attended the retirement party.

“It’s good to see all those faces,” Bradin said. “They’re all being successful adults. Our mission is to make them better citizens, and it looks like they’re killing it.”

Former students had the opportunity to tell Bradin how he impacted their lives.

Garry Montague, who graduated in 2008 and helped organize the party, said Bradin is one of three men in his life who steered him in a positive direction toward becoming a man.

“He helped you realize what’s actually important and what’s going to get you where you want to go in life,” Montague said. “I was only with him for three years. It felt like I was with him for a lifetime because he was in a section of my life that was the most impressionable.”

He said Bradin taught him about ethics and what was right. He recalled Bradin giving him the confidence to be a leader from the moment he came from Southeast High to Braden River and joined the JROTC program his

END OF AN ERA

Lt. Col. Jay Bradin

Age: 63

Years in military: 22

Branch: Army

School: Braden River High School

Years as a JROTC instructor: 18

Family: Wife, Regina Bradin; son, Jim Bradin

What he will miss most: Every day “chit chat” with cadets

sophomore year of high school.

Montague said he uses the leadership skills he learned in high school in his job a technical sergeant in the Air Force.

Nicolas Wigington, who graduated in 2020, said Bradin made the JROTC program feel like a family.

Wigington credited Bradin and the program for his transformation from a shy freshman who struggled his first year of high school to a confident leader who felt empowered his senior year.

He felt Bradin and the other JROTC instructors provided guidance that led him to Florida State University, where he is a junior, and to the Florida National Guard.

“I can’t pay him back,” he said. “I wouldn’t be where I’m at now without him.”

Bradin said he has loved every minute of his time at Braden River High School. He was able to develop relationships with students throughout the four years he had them in class.

“To watch them go from a shy, typically introverted freshman to a leader as a senior, you can’t shut them up because they know what they’re doing and they’re excited and confident in their capabilities,” he said.

Many former students said their first impression of Bradin was that he would be a strict instructor given his 22 years of service in the Army.

But it wasn’t long before they found out he balanced being strict with being a “big goofball,” as Josh Bickford, who graduated in 2008, described.

Esteban Soto, who graduated in 2008, said Bradin always came up with weird quips or “dad jokes.”

Soto’s favorite was when Bradin would tell him he was “about as useful as a chicken wire canoe,” which is military slang for someone that is useless.

Ashley Wickline, who graduated in 2010, said Bradin is a caring person who treated each of his students if they were his own children.

Many students were grateful for the life skills Bradin taught them,

including what some might seem as basic knowledge — like how to write a check or create a budget.

“He was very focused on making sure that you have the tools to be able to successfully lead and not just teach you the criteria that’s required,” Bickford said.

Braden River High School’s JROTC program has built a legacy of success among its rifle, raiders and drill teams, winning several state championships.

Bradin was instrumental in building the foundation of the program and its success.

Bickford said the key to the program’s success has been the importance of teamwork that Bradin instilled in every student.

“He stressed teamwork like nobody’s business,” Bickford said. “Starting a program from the ground up, his dedication and our teamwork allowed us to dominate other schools in our first year, which was unheard of at the time, especially for a bunch of people coming from different schools to band together and work as one cohesive unit.”

Bickford recalled one raiders practice where they were running several miles. He was exhausted. To help him stay on pace and ensure he finished, Bickford said Bradin ran besides him the rest of the way.

Bradin taught him to use light posts to dissect the run into more manageable pieces.

Wickline said she still uses the light post method when she runs.

Whether his students went into the military, college or the workforce, Bradin always wanted them to be prepared for their futures.

“I know a lot of you wanted to join the military, but that wasn’t my job,” he said to his former students.

“If you did, that’s great. If you didn’t and you’re out there in the community just being a good citizen, that’s was our mission.”

Bradin plans to spend his retirement fishing and volunteering at organizations such as Habitat for Humanity or Samaritan’s Purse.

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

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Design talent knows no age

My recent birthday irked me more than others, perhaps because of the Medicare implications that I have to consider along with all those other realizations about a degenerating spine, creaky knees and never-ending heartburn.

The thought of someday sitting on the couch and measuring my life in old “Gunsmoke” reruns is depressing, to say the least. But how do you snap out of it?

It only took a walk down the street to get an answer.

Eagle Trace’s Kay Eyermann is a ball of energy and passion, and she, indeed, is older than I am.

At an age where many people are putting together a bucket list, she is writing out career goals. Her current adventure is her Serene Coastal Living interior decorating business, which she has owned and operated for the past five years. What makes Serene Coastal Living an anomaly is that she started the business when she turned 70.

Eyermann is rather matter-offact when explaining why she is chasing a new career later in life. She fires off her answer — “Because I am good at it” — and talks about the 24 clients she has served the past five years, transforming their homes.

Her feedback has been so positive that a stream of word-of-mouth customers has lined up to see what magic she can perform for them. That demand has allowed her to concentrate on total home transformations as opposed to piecework designs.

Sitting in the home she shares with her husband, Lou, and her daughter, Lauren, Kay Eyermann talked about a recent project where her clients were a Longboat Key couple who were moving from a 3,500-square-foot home to a 1,900-square-foot home.

Eyermann designed the trans-

formation so well that she was told by the clients that they liked the smaller space more than the previous one.

Besides her artistic eye, Eyermann said she has a talent for determining spatial limitations or possibilities. Lauren, who helps her with some of the nuts and bolts of the design, said her mom’s ability is uncanny in that regard.

For instance, Lauren said her mom can look at an empty room, then at a storage locker full of furniture and know immediately how much of that furniture can appropriately fit into the space.

“I help my mom,” Lauren said. “But I can’t do what she can do.”

Although she didn’t pursue interior decorating when she went off to college the first time, Eyermann said she always has had artistic talent. She grew up in WinstonSalem, North Carolina, and as a teen, sang for a madrigal group, which competed all over the state.

She said her love of music “jumped” her to a love and appreciation of art and eventually to a love of design.

But life took over, and by the time she was 25, she was living in New Haven, Connecticut, and teaching elementary school. That career eventually gave way to more moves and a 25-year career with the technology company ROLM. She moved to Orlando to begin her work as a company trainer at 36 years old.

Another 25 years later, she and Lou moved to Huntsville, Alabama, and they dabbled a bit in selling antiques. She also began helping her friends design their homes.

Instead of drifting off into retirement, Eyermann, at 68, enrolled in an interior design and architectural design course at the University of Alabama. She was confident in her skills as a designer, but she said she wanted to learn more about the use of color.

Her time in the program only convinced her more that she would be a first-class designer. She would look around at the young students surrounding her.

“I was at the top of my class,” she said.

Students in the design class were required to give three major presentations. Her fellow classmates didn’t like when she went first because she set the bar so high.

By the time she was 70, she was living in Florida and running her interior design, space planning, home staging and home organization business.

She joined the BNI networking organization to help her gain referrals. BNI is the world’s biggest business referral organization with more than 300,000 member businesses in 75 countries worldwide.

Eyermann said it wasn’t long before the regular presentations she made as a BNI member landed

her a first client for Serene Coastal Living.

“My first big client was on Longboat Key,” she said. “I was giving these 30-second presentations every week (at BNI) and that helped me to build credibility and visibility. But at that point, I really was selling trust. That was it in a nutshell.”

She did have anxiety over whether she would meet their expectations, and she did.

Each client she landed made it easier to get another. It snowballed to the point where she had to be more selective taking jobs. Those who are interested can connect with her by calling 407-619-0593 or by emailing her at SereneCoastalLiving@gmail.com.

“I am an honest designer who loves to get to know her clients and what their life preferences are,” she said. “What a designer does is balance things. It is all about balance.”

She doesn’t worry about the

competition in the region because she said “the market is so big.”

Through five years, it hasn’t felt like work.

“That’s the key, that I don’t have to do this,” she said. “I love to do this. It’s energizing.”

It’s the kind of energy many of us “seniors” would love to have. She is, indeed, inspiring.

“I probably will do this the next couple of years,” she said.

And then it will be on to the next career.

Having ruptured my quadriceps tendon in Arizona, Dr. Page was able to see me that same week and scheduled surgery for the following week. Dr. Page was very thorough in explaining the procedure and anticipated recovery. He is very experienced in his field of orthopedics and I would recommend him to anyone. Also, it is a great comfort to have the PT facility in the same location as the Dr. It is reassuring to see the communication between both PT and physician.

Friends for life

DAVID VARGAS, MD

Family Medicine

David Vargas, MD, offers comprehensive primary care for the entire family, ages 3 months and older.

He specializes in the following services:

• Preventive medicine

• Annual wellness examinations and screenings

• School, sports and work physicals

• Immunizations

• Well-woman exams

• Medicare wellness exams

• Management of acute illness and chronic disorders

• Minor in-office surgical procedures

Dr. Vargas earned his medical degree from the Universidad Central del Caribe School of Medicine in Puerto Rico. He completed his Family Medicine residency at the Lehigh Valley Health Network hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Vargas speaks both English and Spanish.

Now accepting patients!

To make an appointment, call 866-515-9777 or schedule online at lakewoodranchmedicalgroup.com

14616 State Road 70 East | Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202 lakewoodranchmedicalgroup.com

Friends of the Haven provides ‘extras’ for the residents while also providing volunteer hours on the campus.

The Haven is an apt name for an organization that functions as much like a family as it does a facility serving children and adults with disabilities.

The campus on DeSoto Road is reminiscent of a summer camp — nestled in the woods with a park, playground, trails and a pool.

“We have 32 acres in the heart of UTC. That’s not a thing anymore,”

Chief Operating Officer Alison Thomas said. “We actually own everything, which we’re really proud of because I always say, ‘If you don’t own it, you can’t say that you can keep it for life.’ And one of our biggest things is being able to say, ‘This is your home forever, even when we all pass.’”

The Haven serves children and adults on the same campus and has residential housing, so for many, it becomes a lifelong home. Students graduate rather than aging out.

Friends of The Haven President Kelly Askerud rests a little easier since her 36-year-old daughter Mackenzie Holland moved into one of the group homes in 2016. Holland has epilepsy and an intellectual disability. The Haven campus is only five minutes away from the Braden Woods home Askerud shares with her husband, Rick.    “We might not have been ready, but she was ready,” Askerud said of Mackenzie moving to The Haven.

“From Day One, she loved it. It’s been amazing, not just for Mackenzie, for the whole family. When you have a special needs child, it’s like daycare pick up and drop off, but for 30 years. We, all of a sudden, had freedom and flexibility that we never

ABOUT THE NONPROFIT

FRIENDS OF THE HAVEN

Address: 4405 DeSoto Road

Mission statement: Parents, guardians and friends committed to expanding the opportunities and resources for clients of The Haven. Get involved: Meetings are held the second Monday of each month from September through May. Dates and times are posted on Facebook@ FriendsHaven. More info: Call 355-8808 or visit FriendsOfHaven.org.

had. Plus, I felt comfortable that she was safe here.”

Friends of the Haven is a nonprofit started by Askerud and about 20 other parents in 2016 to buy things for their children that wouldn’t get funded otherwise. Members also volunteer around campus and at fundraisers.

In return, the Friends benefit from a network of parents who know things like how to set up a representative payee bank account or apply

for a Medicare waiver. They have a direct line to management, too.

When the wood deck where clients eat lunch was recently upgraded with a cement deck, the picnic tables weren’t replaced. Askerud added her voice to the matter.

“I put out a friendly challenge to The Haven board of directors to ‘Deck out the Deck,’ and within 30 days, we had secured enough money to purchase 17 industrial, heavyduty metal picnic tables, 17 umbrellas and 17 stands,“ Askerud said, “So all the clients are enjoying it every day out there.”

Five board members donated, and the remainder of the $20,000 tab was picked up by the Friends.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Friends were up to 70 members, and not just parents — siblings, guardians and community members, too. Virtual meetings were a flop and numbers dwindled. But members were enticed with wine and cheese to attend the May meeting and 40 attended in person.

Askerud took over the role of president again in April. Her goal is to get both membership numbers and involvement back up to where they were before the pandemic.

One major project the group took on pre-pandemic was building Friends Park around the basketball court. They built a deck, put bleachers around the court, installed two bocce courts and supplied grills, picnic tables and garbage cans.

“They created Friends Park, and now we have the bocce ball Special Olympics Team practicing out here,

THE HAVEN

The Haven dates back to the 1940s and the Sarasota Bradenton Airport. The Sunshine Day School taught children with special needs out of an airport hangar. Like the Friends of the Haven, it was created by a group of caring parents.

The original group was entrepreneurial and progressive for a time when institutionalization was a common protocol for treating people with intellectual disabilities. In the 1960s, they saw a need to expand and sold more than 20,000 pounds of Claxton fruit cakes for $10,000 and bought the property on DeSoto Road. There are now six homes on The Haven’s campus and two more under construction. There are 52 permanent residents and more than 300 on the waiting list.

Other available services and programs include Selby Preschool, Haven Academy, adult day training and swim lessons for children with autism. Visit TheHavenSRQ.org.

which is amazing,” Thomas said.

“(The Friends) are also willing to help us with things we really need, those things that typically aren’t things that people want to fund, like nap mats. They cost thousands and thousands of dollars that are not in our operational budget, but they were like, ‘We got it. We’ll figure it out.’”

Tues,

Wed,

941-231-5545

Thur, June 29th at Noon IHOP 6320 SR64 East, Bradenton 34208 RSVP 941-344-2151

Make A Plan.

WILD FLORIDA

Feeding squirrels or other wildlife never ends well

It Makes a Difference.

MIRI HARDY CONTRIBUTOR

The ubiquitous eastern gray squirrel is one of Florida’s three native squirrel species and is found in both natural and urban settings.

Although very adaptable, these diurnal mammals prefer locations with mature tree canopies. Such habitats offer abundant nesting cavities and allow them to move about without traveling on the ground, where they’re more vulnerable to predators such as owls, hawks, snakes, bobcats, coyotes, raccoons and cats.

Squirrels are considered critical for the health and balance of the ecosystems they inhabit. In addition to being a food source for many species, as consumers (and cachers) of nuts and seeds, they provide other vital ecosystem services, such as seed dissemination and plant diversification. Indeed, thanks to their seed-caching activities, squirrels have an important role in maintaining Florida’s native longleaf pine ecosystem. But when living in close proximity to humans, squirrels, like other wildlife, can become dependent on people for food, to the detriment of their ecosystems. Such dependence can occur due to unintentional feeding, as happens when animals raid loosely secured trash or find litter. But unfortunately, wild animals are often directly fed by humans.

Feeding wildlife never ends well for them. It can be dangerous for us. And in some cases (e.g. American alligators), it’s illegal. Wild animals have specialized diets and can become malnourished or die if fed foods that don’t provide the nutrients they need.

Feeding young animals prevents them from developing critical foraging skills. Importantly, it only takes a few feeding incidents for wild animals to lose their natural fear of people and associate us with food.

Though cute, squirrels are wild animals — with sharp teeth and nails — that become demanding and aggressive when food is no longer provided. In fact, due to public safety concerns, feeding wildlife at Myakka River State Park can actually be a death sentence for animals. For example, when American alligators start approaching park visitors after being illegally fed, they have to be killed.

We can help keep Florida’s wildlife healthy and our ecosystems balanced by never feeding wild animals. By not leaving litter behind and keeping trash receptacles secure, we can avoid unintentionally feeding them, too.

Friends of Myakka River exists to support Myakka River State Park and the Wild and Scenic Myakka River. Follow us @FriendsOfMyakkaRiver

Proudly Sponsored by Williams Parker Attorneys at Law

June 28 | July 19 | August 23 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. | Michael’s On East, Sarasota

Rebecca Klein

AJC’s Director of National Political Outreach

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 2023

Finding Common Ground in a Hyper-Partisan Environment

In an increasingly polarized political climate, finding areas of common interest can be challenging. Issues of concern for the Jewish community often bridge the partisan divide and provide an opportunity for meaningful conversations.

Benjamin Rogers

AJC’s Director, Middle East and North Africa Initiatives

WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 2023

The United States, Israel, and the Arab World: Where do we go from here?

As we prepare to celebrate the third anniversary of the Abraham Accords, where have there been successes, and where have there been challenges? Join us as we discuss the ever-shifting dynamics of U.S. – Middle East relations.

Belle Yoeli

AJC’s Chief Advocacy Officer

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2023

The State of Jewish Affairs: Around the World with AJC

There is never a dull moment for the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Join us for an in-depth conversation as we tackle some of the most challenging current events and how they are impacting our community.

RSVP

Or

Squirrels support healthy ecosystems. We can help keep them and other wild animals healthy by never feeding them.

A+E INSIDE:

< ‘PLAYING THROUGH’ : The golf film will screen for free at WBTT’s Juneteenth Arts Festival. 15A

CALENDAR: Circus Arts takes center stage. 16A >

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

LOVE COMEDY STYLE

Les and Pam McCurdy celebrate 35 years of running their eponymous Sarasota club.

If you’ve ever been in theater or on TV, you most likely know the “green room” is an inner sanctum where you wait until it’s your turn to go under the lights or in front of the camera. But at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre in downtown Sarasota, The Green Room is a bar where audience members can enjoy a drink before or after the show.

This green room is like a museum. It contains dozens of framed magazine covers and newspaper front pages, awards and proclamations that Pam and Les McCurdy have racked up during more than three decades in the comedy business.

This month, Pam and Les will have to make some room on the walls for the latest round of tributes. They are celebrating 35 years of providing a clean, comfortable venue for comics and teaching people from all walks of life the fine art of making a joke.

Told that a recent father-and-son team had attended McCurdy’s Comedy Camp even though one was a professional marketer and the other a successful actor, Les McCurdy wasn’t surprised. “It’s on a lot of people’s bucket lists,” he said. Like skydiving or visiting Yellowstone National Park? “Sure,” says Les.

The McCurdys met in 1982 while they were both working at Bennigan’s in Sarasota. Both servers were interested in working in the arts. Their romance took a hiatus in 1984 when Pam graduated from the Asolo Conservatory and moved to New York City. Les took his comedy act on the road and helped a boyhood friend run The Comedy Catch in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Pam eventually joined Les in Chattanooga, where they got engaged and married in 1987. The following year, on June 15, they opened their own comedy club in Sarasota at the nowdefunct Holiday Inn Airport Marina. They later took the club to the Big Kitchen on Clark Road before renovating the old Teatro Movie Theatre, where they remained until 2014, when they moved to their current downtown location.

Making people laugh is harder than it looks, especially during a typical performance of about 20 minutes. What’s even harder is keeping a marriage alive and growing for 35 years.

The McCurdys aren’t planning on adding couples therapy to their repertoire. But they have some tips for sustaining successful relationships.

Les wastes no time in offering

advice. “No lying,” says the Chattanooga native, who often wears a straw cowboy hat.

What about white lies? “No lying of any kind,” Les says more forcefully. One lie leads to another, he says, destroying credibility and trust.

Lies of omission can be fatal to a relationship, Les says. They can lead to years of built-up resentment that, like shifting tectonic plates, slowly move toward an earthquake. “Everyone thought they were so happy because they had been married for 20 years and then boom,” Les says.

Some things, like chemistry, love and mutual respect, can just come naturally. The McCurdys don’t have to work too hard on those.

Communication is key, Pam says. But you’ve got to make time for it. “It doesn’t always happen by itself,” says Pam, a petite blonde. Les agrees.

While some professional partners who are also in a romantic relationship try to keep business separate from pleasure, that’s not feasible in their line of work, the McCurdys say.

Even vacations involve scouting new talent. The McCurdys’ most recent getaway was to the Boston Comedy Festival, where they were wowed by the talent of the show’s winner, Learnmore “Long John” Jonasi.

Les still does some performing of his own. At a recent show, his audience included visitors from Indiana. They seemed surprised when McCurdy informed them Indiana is

home to one of the world’s largest collections of sex paraphernalia.

It’s part of the archives at Indiana University, where sex researcher Alfred Kinsey was based in the mid20th century. This piece of trivia was news to the Indiana comedy fans, and their reactions provided grist for Les’s mill.

Interacting with the audience and quizzing them about what brought them to Sarasota and to McCurdy’s generated plenty of risque material

SEE MCCURDY’S, PAGE 14A

“McCurdy’s did put Sarasota on the map when it comes to comedy. We have a recognizable brand.”

from McCurdy. There were jokes about “special” (wink-wink!) birthday presents, aging and online dating.

When something wasn’t getting any laughs, McCurdy quickly moved on. When a camera flashed, he calmly said, “Don’t do that” and immediately segued back into his routine.

Along with possessing the ability to size up someone in an instant and other formidable soft skills, Les has great respect for hard numbers.

“If you don’t have a handle on your alcohol and food costs, you’re not going to stay in business,” he says.

That’s where Pam comes in, dealing with vendors, making sure deliveries are accurate and on time.

Her soft skills are pretty impressive, too. They come in handy when hiring and managing staff in a time of service industry personnel shortages. Pam also handles press and publicity inquiries and other housekeeping issues. The latter literally means making sure McCurdy’s shines.

Les remembers how one of his patrons once came up to him and said, “Your men’s room is so clean that I decided to take a dump there.”

Clearly, bathroom humor comes as naturally to Les as jokes about sex.

In restaurant or theater parlance, Pam is in charge of the back of the house, while Les’ domain is the front of the house, scouting and booking talent for the shows and the Humor Institute.

Pam mostly lets Les be the star of the show. But she doesn’t hesitate to speak her mind. When Les started talking about their predecessors in Gulf Coast comedy, she gently interrupted and said, “I’m sorry, Les. McCurdy’s did put Sarasota on the map when it comes to comedy. We have a recognizable brand.”

To support that brand, servers at McCurdy’s wear T-shirts with the tagline, “This place is a joke,” adorned with signature McCurdy’s stick figure holding a microphone that also graces the outside of the building.

McCurdy’s merchandise can be purchased in The Green Room, which, like the main club, can be rented out for parties. But the McCurdys don’t use a hard sell approach to club swag. They let their headliners push their own promotional T-shirts and hats.

Many well-known comedians have come to McCurdy’s over the years. The list includes Amy Schumer, Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, Chris Rock, Tommy Chong and Rosie O’Donnell, to name just a few. Famous funnymen (and women) often come back to McCurdy’s when they’re on the road, especially if they’re looking for a cabaret setting.

Not every comedian can fill the Van Wezel the way former Tonight Show host Jay Leno did in March. Among the household names who will be coming to McCurdy’s in the coming months are Pauly Shore and Andrew Dice Clay.

Have these polarized times forced comics to retreat from the no-holdsbarred style of Lenny Bruce, George Carlin and Richard Pryor? Nothing’s off limits, according to Les.

“It doesn’t matter what a joke’s about if it’s funny,” he says.

Comedy venues have come and gone in Sarasota. With its signature royal purple paint, McCurdy’s is the last club standing. Like many other businesses in the performing arts, the comedy club was knocked flat by COVID. Luckily, the McCurdy’s were in a position to take the hit.

With the pandemic mostly behind it, McCurdy’s is sitting pretty. Their 2014 move to the former location of Shaner’s Pizzeria looks exceptionally shrewd, given the development now going on in their part of downtown.

Sprouts recently signed a lease for 23,000 square feet at Main Street and Links Avenue. The natural grocer will have space in Aster & Links, a two-story building with 424 luxury residential housing units. If residents are in the mood for a laugh or two, they can walk around the corner to McCurdy’s. On the McCurdy’s website, Pam and Les say they plan to celebrate their 50th anniversary at their downtown comedy club. With their 35-year track record, they’re not kidding around.

“Communication is key, but you’ve got to make time for it. It doesn’t always happen naturally”

Pam McCurdy

A Sarasota Juneteenth event to remember

Juneteenth celebrations in Sarasota are expanding this year with Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s inaugural Juneteenth Arts Festival.

WBTT and other organizations have held Juneteenth events in the past, but nothing of this magnitude, says WBTT founder and Artistic Director Nate Jacobs.

Juneteenth, the U.S. holiday commemorating the day all enslaved Black Americans were freed, is all about joy, but there is an educational aspect to WBTT’s Juneteenth Arts Festival, too, Jacobs says.

“We want to invite the community to help celebrate an extremely important date in African American history. We have planned educational, fun-filled activities for the entire community,” Jacobs says.

Two highlights of the festival, which will take place at WBTT, 1012 N. Orange Ave., are a performance of musical group RAD and screenings of the golf-themed feature film “Playing Through.” Screenings will be held in WBTT’s air-conditioned Donnelly Theatre.

RAD members Raleigh Mosely II, Ariel Blue and Derric Gobourne Jr., who each have their own artistic careers, have been making a name for themselves around town with their concerts of soul and R&B hits.

RAD will be one of several performers on an all-day outdoor stage for spoken word and live music, which will also feature students from Ringling College of Art and Design.

The movie “Playing Through” holds a special place in the hearts of WBTT staff and artists because of their intimate involvement in the production. Much of the filming

IF YOU GO

JUNETEENTH ARTS FESTIVAL

When: 1-9 p.m. Sunday, June 18

Tickets: Free

Where: Westcoast Black Theatre

Troupe, 1012 N. Orange Ave. Info: Visit WestcoastBlackTheatre.org.

took place at the Laurel Oak Country Club and other locations in Sarasota.

Written by Curtis Jordon and directed by Balbinka Korzeniowska, “Playing Through” tells the story of Ann Gregory, the first Black female golfer to play in a U.S. Golf Association tournament.

Jacobs says the Juneteenth Arts Festival has the capacity to serve about 500 guests, between the 200seat Donnelly Theatre and seating in front of the outdoor stage and in shaded areas.

There also will be food trucks onsite. Preparations have been made for a hot and sunny day and for guests of all ages, Jacobs says.

THIS WEEK

‘GOLD

$30 and up Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org/ Festival.

Grammy Award-winning Attacca Quartet makes its festival debut in this chamber showcase. They will perform Caroline Shaw’s Three Essays: First Essay (Nimrod) and Ravel’s String Quartet. Continues through June 24.

‘REEL MUSIC’

6 p.m. at Florida StudioTheatre’s Court Cabaret, 1265 First St. $34-$39 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

“Reel Music” celebrates the movies that helped create the soundtrack to the last century, with classics like “Singing in the Rain,” “Circle of Life” and “My Heart Will Go On.” This lively revue reminds us that movies and music have always gone hand in hand. Runs through June 25.

8-TRACK: THE SOUNDS OF THE ’70S IN CONCERT

7:30 p.m. at 3501 S. Tamiami Trail $30 Visit ThePlayers.org.

It’s time to get up and boogie as The Players presents a fast-paced musical romp through the muchmaligned decade. Runs through June 18.

THE SURFER BOYS

7:30 p.m. at FST’s Goldstein Cabaret, 1265 First St. $18 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

From the group that brought you The Jersey Tenors comes a rousing tribute to the band that took America on a “Surfin’ Safari” in the early 1960s. Four Broadway veterans bring The Beach Boys’ biggest hits to Sarasota with classics like “California Girls,” “Good Vibrations,” “Barbara Ann” and many more. Runs through Aug. 13.

‘SHEAR MADNESS’

8 p.m. at FST’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St. $25 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org. There’s been a murder in a local

hair salon, and it’s up to Sarasota audiences to outwit the suspects and catch the killer in this interactive comedy whodunit. Runs through July 2.

FRIDAY FRIDAY FEST: KETTLE OF FISH

5-9 p.m. on the lawn of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail Free Visit VanWezel.org.

Kettle of Fish’s original music is an amalgam of rock, blues, reggae and New Orleans soul.

‘RADIANT TAROT: PATHWAY TO CREATIVITY’

Tony Barnstone 6:30 p.m. at Bookstore1, 117 S. Pineapple Ave. $5 Visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

Tony Barnstone’s “The Radiant Tarot: Pathway to Creativity” presents a new yet ancient approach to awakening creativity and personal growth.

DISNEY’S ‘THE LION KING JR.’

7 p.m. at Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton

$10.50-$18

Visit ManateePerforming ArtsCenter. com.

School’s out for summer and camp hasn’t started. Entertain the kids with Disney’s “The Lion King Jr.”

OUR PICK

‘APPALACHIAN SPRING’

SARASOTA MUSIC FESTIVAL

Marion Kuszyk, associate principal of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, joins hornist Michelle Reed Baker in Mozart’s serenade for wind octet. Music Director Jeffrey Kahane conducts the Aaron Copland work that gives the program its name and also plays piano with Attacca Quartet on Brahms’ Piano Quintet in F Minor. Continues through June 24.

IF YOU GO

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 16

Where: Sarasota Opera House

Tickets: $29 and up Info: Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org/Festival.

DON’T MISS ‘THAT MUST BE THE ENTRANCE TO HEAVEN’

In this world premiere by Franky D. Gonzalez, four Latino boxers all chase a world title to make their dreams come true. But are the sacrifices each must make to win the championship belt worth it?

IF YOU GO

When: Through July 9

Where: 7:30 p.m. at Urbanite Theatre, 1487

Second St.

Tickets: $39

Info: Visit UrbaniteTheatre. com

The concert in the Sarasota Music Festival features the works of Respighi, Tchaikovsky and Mozart. Continues through June 24.

SUNDAY ‘RISING STARS’

2:30 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail

$15 and up Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org/ Festival.

STORIES’

7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.

$30 Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org/ Festival.

Fellows studying at the Sarasota Music Festival perform the works of Dvorak, Brahms, Ibert, Faure and more. Continues through June 24.

MONDAY IMPROV AND MORE

11 a.m. at Florida Studio Theatre, 1265 First St. $10 Visit OlliRinglingCollege.org.

For many, improv is on the “bucket list.” Here’s a low-risk chance to give it a try at the Osher LifeLong Learning Institute course at FST.

TUESDAY A FRANK LECTURE ON SINATRA

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)

11 a.m. at Sarasota Art Museum on the Ringling College Museum Campus, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail $10

Visit OlliRinglingCollege.org.

Everything you wanted to know about Ole Blue Eyes but were afraid to ask will be covered in this entertaining talk, part of OLLI’s summer education series.

THE MANY LANGUAGES OF JENNIFER CROFT

6:30 p.m. at Hermitage Artist Retreat, 6630 Manasota Key Road, Englewood $5

Visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

Writer Jennifer Croft will appear on Tuesday, June 20, at Hermitage Artist Retreat with her husband, Boris Dralyuk, a writer and translator. Croft won a 2022 Guggenheim Fellowship for her novel “Amadou,” which will be published this year by Bloomsbury US and Scribe UK .

WEDNESDAY

FRANKIE PAUL

7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd. $25

Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

Frankie Paul has been touring professionally since 1990 and is sure to tickle your funny bone with his material on marriage, family and human stupidity. Runs through June 24.

FINDING FUN AT WATERSIDE

It might be hot outside, but Waterside Place just keeps swimming along with events. “Finding Nemo” played on the big screen for a large crowd on June 9.

“It’s a good turnout tonight,” said Peter Petrovich of Grace Church, which is a sponsor of the event. “But in the winter, we’d have twice this many people.”

The event, which also is a mini carnival, is held every second Friday of the month and includes bounce houses, cotton candy and a mechanical bull.

Bradenton resident Anthony Farias had never ridden a bull before. He said some of the little kids did better, but he hung onto the spinning bull for about nine seconds.

Each Movie in the Park event is themed around that month’s movie. The kids had their faces painted with characters from the

movie, and Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium set up a table with underwater findings.

Lakewood Ranch resident Lesalynn Richardson was particularly taken by the manatee skull and learned that manatees love to eat lettuce because they have no front teeth.

Bay Landing resident Benjamin Craig frequents Waterside Place with his wife, Lauren, and their two kids. He highly recommends the breakfast tamales at Forked and the strawberry cheesecake ice pops his kids wouldn’t eat.

The first 300 guests were given tickets for free ice pops, but the Craigs arrived too late to pick their favorite flavors.

“My children wouldn’t eat these, but I’m glad,” Craig said. “It’s how I ended up double-fisted.”

IF YOU GO

“Movie in the Park” is scheduled from 7-10 p.m. every second Friday at Waterside Park, 7301 Island Cove Terrace. The movies are family friendly, screened outside and start about 8 p.m.

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Camp hits all the right notes

Hezekiah Coblentz, a Braden River Middle School sixth grader, listened intently as Shane Falco, a french horn instructor, played a song.

Coblentz then picked up his French horn and tried to hit the notes exactly as Falco did.

Coblentz’s one-on-one lesson with Falco gave him an opportunity to advance his musical talent during band camp June 7 at Braden River Middle School.

Coblentz said band camp was going well, and he liked all the teachers.

“I wanted to continue to learn more before I go into advanced band,” he said about participating in band camp.

Falco said it’s amazing to see the progress students make in only a few days. The camp ran June 5-15.

“I love seeing each student blossom,” Falco said. “I work one

on one with them and help them embrace their strengths.”

Band camp is one of five visual and performing arts summer camps through the School District of Manatee County. Students were able to participate in camps for band, orchestra, chorus, art or theater and dance.

Next door at Braden River Elementary School, students were learning various aspects of art, including painting, drawing and digital art.

NOWENROLLING KINDERGARTEN

Sierra Owen, an eighth grader at Braden River Middle School, said she wanted to participate in art camp because it’s a good way to express herself. She loved the digital art portion because she found it interesting to see the different art forms created using photography.

NOWENROLLING KINDERGARTEN

NOWENROLLING KINDERGARTEN

NOWENROLLING KINDERGARTEN

Affordable Faith-based Education

NOWENROLLING KINDERGARTEN

Why Choose Us

Affordable Faith-Based Education

Affordable Faith-based Education

At Risen Savior Academy Elementary, we believe that quality Christian education should be accessible to all families. Our reasonably-priced education focuses on academic excellence and strong Christian values, providing your child with the best start on their academic and spiritual journey. Enroll now to give your child the education they deserve.

At Risen Savior Academy Elementary, we believe that quality Christian education should be accessible to all families. Our reasonably-priced education focuses on academic excellence and strong Christian values, providing your child with the best start on their academic and spiritual journey. Enroll now to give your child the education they deserve.

Why Choose Us

Risen Savior Academy's commitment to your child's education is strengthened by our well-qualified, experienced staff. With a focus on academic excellence, personalized learning plans and small class sizes, Risen Savior Academy will provide your child with an exceptional learning experience in Lakewood Ranch, Florida.

At Risen Savior Academy Elementary, we believe that quality Christian education should be accessible to all families. Our reasonably-priced education focuses on academic excellence and strong Christian values, providing your child with the best start on their academic and spiritual journey. Enroll now to give your child the education they deserve.

Why Choose Us

Risen Savior Academy's commitment to your child's education is strengthened by our well-qualified, experienced staff.

Risen Savior Academy’s commitment to your child’s education is strengthened by our well-qualified, experienced staff. With a focus on academic excellence, personalized learning plans and small class sizes, Risen Savior Academy will provide your child with an exceptional learning experience in Lakewood Ranch, Florida.

At Risen Savior Academy, we believe in making quality e accessible. Discover affordable tuition options along with scholarship and discount opportunities, ensuring your child receives an exceptional education without financial barriers.

Affordable Tuition Committed to Faith and Excellence

Affordable Tuition

Our Mission

Why Choose Us

Our Mission

To

Savior Academy Elementary, we believe that Christian education should be accessible to all Our reasonably-priced education focuses on excellence and strong Christian values, your child with the best start on their and spiritual journey. Enroll now to give your education they deserve.

With a focus on academic excellence, personalized learning plans and small class sizes, Risen Savior Academy will provide your child with an exceptional learning experience in Lakewood Ranch, Florida.

SCAN FOR MORE INFORMATION

Why Choose Us

To grow in God's unchanging word and share it with a changing world

Our Mission

Savior Academy's commitment to child's education is strengthened well-qualified, experienced staff. focus on academic excellence,

Risen Savior Academy's commitment to your child's education is strengthened by our well-qualified, experienced staff. With a focus on academic excellence, personalized learning plans and small class sizes, Risen Savior Academy will provide your child with an exceptional learning experience in Lakewood Ranch, Florida.

To grow in God's unchanging word and share it with a changing world

At Risen Savior Academy, we are dedicated to educating through a Christian-based culture, equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and values they need to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

At Risen Savior Academy, we believe in making quality education accessible. Discover affordable tuition options along with scholarship and discount opportunities, ensuring your child receives an exceptional education without financial barriers.

Committed to Faith and Excellence

At Risen Savior Academy, we believe in making quality education accessible. Discover affordable tuition options along with scholarship and discount opportunities, ensuring your child receives an exceptional education without financial barriers.

Affordable Tuition Committed to Faith and Excellence

Affordable Tuition

info@rsavioracademy.com

At Risen Savior Academy, we believe in making quality education accessible. Discover affordable tuition options along with scholarship and discount opportunities, ensuring your child receives an exceptional education without financial barriers.

At Risen Savior Academy, we are dedicated to educating through a Christian-based culture, equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and values they need to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

www.rsavioracademy.com

941-756-7545

Affordable Tuition Committed to Faith and Excellence

At Risen Savior Academy, we believe in making quality education accessible. Discover affordable tuition options along with

At Risen Savior Academy, we are dedicated to educating through a Christian-based culture, equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and values they need to succeed in

Non-profit serving Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Rides to medical appointments, grocery store, or other errands for adults 60 and over who are unable or feel unsafe driving. Also, those of any age with vision difficulties.

Can't-Miss Summer Read!

In Lakewood Ranch, the beat goes on

With a desire to share his

Ryan Langley grew up surrounded by music. He started playing accordion at 4 years old because his parents, Rick and Glenda Lang-

ley, and his grandparents, Russ and Millie Nyberg, played it. His parents owned a music store in Bradenton, and his grandparents owned a music store in Minneapolis. Langley went on to learn how to play guitar, piano, ukulele and more. So when it came to knowing what he wanted to be when he grew up, Langley’s answer was simple: a musician.

Langley took it further, following in his parents’ and grandparents’ footsteps by opening Ryan Langley Music School on April 1, at 7324 Delainey Court in Lakewood Ranch across from State College of Florida.

IF YOU GO RYAN LANGLEY MUSIC SCHOOL

Where: 7324 Delainey Court, Lakewood Ranch

Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Sunday

Details: Ryan Langley Music School offers lessons in guitar, bass, piano, drums, brass, voice, accordion, ukulele, harmonica and banjo to people of all ages.

More information: Call 8673832 or visit RyanLangleyMusicSchool.com.

“It’s a long time coming,” Langley said. “Finally, all the stars lined up.” Langley planned to open his music school before the COVID-19 pandemic, but as he said, “Being a musician, timing is everything.”

His dreams were postponed until April 1, when Langley, along with his staff and some students, officially opened Ryan Langley Music School.

When the school opened, Langley said, not all of the carpet was installed, so for the first two weeks, students had the opportunity to sign the floor, which has since been removed and put on the wall.

“They love it,” Langley said of his students having their mark on his school. “I love it. It’s unique. People of all ages were down on their knees just signing away. They were just as happy as we are.”

The school is 3,000 square feet with seven lesson rooms. The six instructors offer a range of lessons, including guitar, bass, piano, drums, accordion and ukulele.

“I know Lakewood Ranch is a great place to be,” said Ken Settlemyer, the studio manager. “We chose a facility with the idea that it allows us to grow to a good number of students here. We will eventually need more instructors. We’re actually reaching capacity with a couple of instructors already.”

Settlemyer and Langley estimate the school will be able to have between 400 and 500 students. The music school offers lessons to people of all ages.

Langley wanted to open the music

school to share his passion with others and help develop a passion for music within his students.

Langley said the instruction is catered to the individual.

He said whether it’s a student wanting to learn a particular song or another student wanting to become a rock star or a student wanting to learn a specific genre of music, he and the school’s instructors will work with the students to achieve their goals.

“(Being a musician) makes you special,” Langley said. “You get people moving, tapping their feet and singing along all from my fingertips. You get to move people, you get to touch them or have them remember an old memory by learning a song. That’s something special. I want to give students that feeling so they can make themselves even more special.”

Ryan Langley wants to share his passion for music through the Ryan Langley Music School.

YOUR CALENDAR

BEST BET

SATURDAY, JUNE 17

DAD’S DAY BLOCK PARTY

Runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Mall at University Town Center. Celebrate dads with a day of food, family and fun that will include beer and liquor stations, live entertainment, meet and greets with the Tampa Bay Bucs’ Dexter Jackson and the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Ruslan Fedotenko (10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) and the Tampa Bay Bucs’ Shelton Quarles and former Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Darren Puppa (12:30-2:30 p.m.). The event also features batting cages, axe throwing and miniature golf. The event is free. Call 727-674-1464 for more information.

COMMUNITY

THURSDAY, JUNE 15

THROUGH SUNDAY, JUNE 18

LIVE MUSIC AT JIGGS LANDING

Runs from 5-8 p.m. at Jiggs Landing, 6106 63rd St. E., Bradenton. The live music lineup includes Donnie Bostic (Thursday), Fat Tracks Band (Friday), Gator Ridge Ramblers (Saturday) and Mike Sales (Sunday). All shows are free except the Saturday night show, which has a $5 cover. For more information, go to JiggsLanding.com.

FRIDAY, JUNE 16

MUSIC AT THE PLAZA Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1561 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch. Singer/songwriter

Frankie Lombardi, eclectic acoustic rock and pop, will entertain those who stroll through Waterside Place’s selection of restaurants and businesses. The entertainment is free. For more information, go to WatersidePlace.com.

SUNDAY, JUNE 18

FARMERS MARKET

Runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Lakefront Drive in Waterside Place, Lakewood Ranch. The Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch will run year-round every Sunday. Vendors will be offering seafood, eggs, meats, dairy products, pastas, bakery goods, jams and pickles, among other items. Other features are children’s activities and live music. For more information, visit MyLWR.com.

YOGA IN THE PARK

Begins at 9 a.m. at Waterside Place Park, 7500 Island Cove Terrace, Lakewood Ranch. Lakewood Ranch Community Activities offers yoga that is free to residents; $10 for nonresidents. For more information, go to MyLWR.com.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21

BINGO FOR ALL

Begins at 10 a.m. at Greenbrook Adventure Park, 13010 Adventure Place, Lakewood Ranch. Lakewood Ranch Community Activities hosts Bingo. For more information, go to MyLWR.com.

THURSDAY, JUNE 22

GIRLS NIGHT PICKLEBALL

Begins at 6 p.m. at UMR Sports, 131 Upper Manatee River Road, Bradenton. This Girls Night Out pickleball session is a chance for women to learn the game of pickleball with their friends. Registration is $40. To RSVP, call 737-0362. For more information, visit UMRSports.com.

STAR GAZING

Runs from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at Greenbrook Adventure Park, 13010 Adventure Place, Lakewood Ranch. Lakewood Ranch Community Activities and Sidewalk Science Center present a special look at the night sky with powerful telescopes. Those 8 years old and older can participate. The cost is $5 for residents; $15 for nonresidents. Go to MyLWR. com for more information.

Lake Club home sells for $3.75 million

Ahome in Lake Club topped all transactions in this week’s real estate. Coy and Diane Peterson, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 7909 Waterton Lane to Erik Sundquist, of Lakewood Ranch, for $3.75 million. Built in 2007, it has four bedrooms, seven baths, a pool and 4,436 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,515,000 in 2020.

UNIVERSITY PARK

William Louis Moore and Sue Ellen Bennett, of University Park, sold their home at 7349 Eaton Court to Patrick DeMouth, trustee, of University Park, for $1.65 million. Built in 1995, it has four bedrooms, six baths, a pool and is 3,291 square feet. It sold for $1.2 million in 2021.

LAKEHOUSE COVE AT WATERSIDE

Andres Moreno and Sandra Mejia, of Winter Garden, sold their home at 8145 Grande Shores Drive to Max Rudolf Lafer and Michelle Ann Lafer, of Sarasota, for $1.6 million. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 3,579 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,349,500 in 2022.

COUNTRY CLUB

Nicholas and Josephine Baudo sold their home at 7943 Royal Birkdale Circle to Robert Maloney and Tina Maloney, trustees, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1.2 million. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and is 2,903 square feet. It sold for $550,000 in 2010.

Michelle Marciniak, trustee, of Loudon, Tennessee, sold the home at 12508 Thornhill Court to Mark and Cheryl Ramsey, of Lakewood Ranch, for $860,000. Built in 2009, it has three bedrooms, two-anda-half baths, a pool and 2,563 square feet of living area. It sold for $632,800 in 2009.

ESPLANADE

Kirk and Jennifer Chivas sold their home at 4921 Napoli Run to James and Mary Jo Blackington, of Bradenton, for $1,175,000. Built in 2016, it has four bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,700 square feet of living area. It sold for $572,500 in 2017.

Jane Stickles, of Palmetto, sold the home at 13331 Torresina Terrace to James Callison and Tonya Callison, trustees, of Bradenton, for $661,000. Built in 2013, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,676 square feet of living area. It sold for $281,500 in 2013.

LAKEWOOD NATIONAL

Alan and Geraldine Dopkins, of Bradenton, sold their home at 5641 Arnie Loop to Bradley and Roxann Powell, of Bradenton, for $1,115,000. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,244 square feet of living area. It sold for $695,000 in 2020.

RYE WILDERNESS ESTATES

Stephen Patrick Paiz and Nicole Marie Paiz, of Parrish, sold their home at 17006 First Drive E. to Shane Berry and Jeanie Taft Berry, of Pataskala, Ohio, for $1.1 million. Built in 2015, it has five bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,892 square feet of living area. It sold for $585,000 in 2019.

BRADEN WOODS

Rysal Enterprises LLC sold the home at 6002 Braden Run to Thanh Le and Cassandra Lynn Le, of Bradenton, for $1,075,000. Built in 1984, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,331 square feet of living area. It sold for $415,000 in 2020.

SAVANNA Kimberly Krupa and Wesley Nordine, of Bradenton, sold their home at 14410 Flat Woods Terrace to Nickolas and Kimberly Nordgren, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1 million.

Built in 2019, it has six bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,899 square feet of living area. It sold for $470,000 in 2019.

Gregory and Lorraine Brown, trustees, of Lady Lake, sold the home at 13651 American Prairie Place to Paul and Albertina Shapiro, of Bradenton, for $851,800. Built in 2017, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,987 square feet of living area. It sold for $799,900 in 2021.

TIDEWATER PRESERVE

Patrick Brian Jones and Millie Jones sold their home at 5709 Tidewater Preserve Blvd. to Brandan and Brittni Adams, of Bradenton, for $975,000. Built in 2017, it has three bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,738 square feet of living area. It sold for $498,200 in 2017.

Carolyn Gail Steves, trustee, of Tampa, sold the home at 931 Riverscape St. to Shima Ghasemi, of Bradenton, for $770,000. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,456 square feet of living area. It sold for $441,000 in 2020.

RIVERDALE REVISED

Raymond and Vickie Jansen, trustees, of Bradenton, sold the home at 4411 Shark Drive to John and Kathryn Greaves, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, for $970,000. Built in 1996, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,005 square feet of living area. It sold for $227,000 in 1999.

ASCOT

Lorie Masson, of Ontario, Canada, sold her home at 7507 Ascot Court to Andrew Misner and Sabrina Fusco-Sullivan, of Bradenton, for $884,000. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,421 square feet of living area. It sold for $570,000 in 2021.

INDIGO

Terry and Cindy Holinsky, of Millville, Delaware, sold their home at 12816 Coastal Breeze Way to Jo Kail and Steven Kaye, trustees, of Bradenton, for $870,000. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,387 square feet of living area. It sold for $432,900 in 2018.

DEL WEBB

Charles Jordan, trustee, and Margaret Jordan, of Bradenton, sold the home at 17214 Seaford Way to Glenn and Patricia Hoffman, of Bradenton, for $830,000. Built in 2016, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,949 square feet of living area. It sold for $746,500 in 2022.

GREYHAWK LANDING

Toni and Rustem Azizov, of Valrico, sold their home at 12728 Daisy Place to Patrick Glynn and Lois Lynn Hay, of Bradenton, for $795,000. Built in 2006, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and is 2,601 square feet. It sold for $435,000 in 2017.

William and Connie Cranker, of Wimauma, sold their home at 1310 Brambling Court to Charles and Ashley Stanley, of Bradenton, for $670,000. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,288 square feet of living area. It sold for $350,000 in 2016.

James Henley and Emma Messimer, of Sarasota, sold their home at 1422 Brambling Court to Gust Bages and Jani Ferretti-Bages, of Bradenton, for $650,000. Built in 2003, it has four bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and is 2,882 square feet. It sold for $392,200 in 2009.

Daniel Tommasone, Jerry Tommasone and Steven Tommasone sold their home at 275 Dahlia Court to Randale Lee Canady and Patricia Canady, of Kenai, Arkansas, for $615,000. Built in 2006, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,272 square feet of living area. It sold for $190,000 in 2011.

ROSEDALE HIGHLANDS

E. to R. Paul Marshall Holdings Ltd. for $775,000. Built in 2006, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,235 square feet of living area. It sold for $515,000 in 2020.

VIRGINIA WATER

Imre Hidvegi, of Chicago, sold his home at 7217 Churston Lane to Gennady Merman and Eugenia Chusid, of Bermuda Dunes, California, for $735,000. Built in 1994, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,216 square feet of living area. It sold for $390,900 in 2003.

SARACINA AT ESPLANADE Allan Sarfati, of Sarasota, sold his Unit 102 condominium at 13511

Messina Loop to Joseph Hynes, of New Canaan, Connecticut, for $725,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, three baths and is 2,184 square feet. It sold for $386,000 in 2015.

Karen Elaine Finder, of Sarasota, sold her Unit 105 condominium at 13507 Messina Loop to Christine Maffei-Greco, of Columbia, Maryland, for $555,000. Built in 2015, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,628 square feet of living area. It sold for $320,000 in 2020.

CENTRAL PARK

Jay and Caitlynn Mitchell, of Bradenton, sold their home at 4749 Claremont Park Drive to Thomas barber and Rita Bratsano, of Lakewood, New Jersey, for $722,000. Built in 2011, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,709 square feet of living area. It sold for $835,000 in 2022.

Kyle and Stacie Olivarri, of Bradenton, sold their home at 11830 Forest Park Circle to Charles Rose and Sandra Ayers-Rose, of Bradenton, for $500,000. Built in 2011, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,766 square feet of living area. It sold for $315,000 in 2019.

STONEYBROOK AT HERITAGE HARBOUR

Thomas and Pamela Whistance, of Thailand, sold their home at 9206 Winter Harbour Way to Nancy and Andrew Canevari, of The Villages, for $715,000. Built in 2007, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,155 square feet of living area. It sold for $342,500 in 2019.

Larry Sheldon Dickstein and Tina Vogel, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, sold their home at 8831 Stone Harbour Loop to Alvin and Kathleen Thornburg, of Bradenton, for $655,000. Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,980 square feet of living area. It sold for $173,000 in 2009.

Timothy and Shawn Kennedy, of Cushing, Texas, sold their home at 8807 Haven Harbour Way to Elizabeth Verbeek, of Joplin, Missouri, for $549,000. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,880 square feet of living area. It sold for $490,000 in 2021.

MOTE RANCH

Gary and Donna Bennett, trustees, sold the home at 6516 Westward Place to Cathy Glick Halman and Larry Halman, of Jackson, Michigan, for $699,000. Built in 2001, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a

pool and 2,162 square feet of living area. It sold for $227,000 in 2001.

GREENBROOK

James Rao and Evelyn Derosa, of N. Andover, Massachusetts, sold their home at 6578 Field Sparrow Glen to John and Christina Tramontozzi, trustees, of Lakewood Ranch, for $670,000. Built in 2004, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,034 square feet of living area. It sold for $530,000 in 2021.

HAMPTON TERRACE AT UNIVERSITY PLACE

Elizabeth Diaz and George Alexander Cottom IV, of Bradenton, sold their home at 7635 Drayton Circle to Jessica Rogers, trustee, of Sarasota, for $670,000. Built in 2004, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,410 square feet of living area. It sold for $268,000 in 2013.

TAILFEATHER WAY AT TARA

Christopher and Helen Whiteley, of Hampshire, United Kingdom, sold their home at 6818 Tailfeather Way to Jacques Lapointe and Patricia Ann Jones-Lapointe, of Bradenton, for $665,000. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,312 square feet of living area.

PERIDIA

Richard Potts and Linda Ahern, of Bradenton, sold their home at 4240 Presidential Ave. Circle E. to Vance Cinar, of Bradenton, for $650,000. Built in 1993, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,733 square feet of living area.

LAKEWOOD NATIONAL

Matthew Craig Edwards and Amber Suzanne Edwards, of Dublin, Ohio, sold their Unit 5012 condominium at 6076 Worsham Lane to James and Cynthia Francque, of Park Ridge, Illinois, for $630,000. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,786 square feet of living area. It sold for $334,000 in 2021.

SPORTS

Fast Break

“Rowing has helped me with selfconfidence, fitness and overall life skills. I think I would be totally different if I had never joined. The organization means so much to me because of that.”

tions made it difficult for teams in some states to train as much as others. Giraldo rowed in the newly created U17 8+ boat event and earned bronze (6:56.77). It was nice to have a medal, Giraldo said, but the U17 division does not carry the prestige of the varsity events, and the Nationals themselves were not carrying the usual level of competition, so she was driven for more.

Lakewood Ranch High graduate Sydney Mc-

Cray was named a second-team National Junior College Athletic Association All-American for her play at Florida SouthWestern College. McCray, a freshman outfielder, hit .410 with eight doubles, six triples, two home runs and 44 RBIs while adding 26 steals.

Mark Hubbard, who won the inaugural LECOM Suncoast Classic at Lakewood National Golf Club in 2019, finished tied for sixth (14 under par) at the PGA Tour’s RBC Canadian Open, held June 8-11 at Oakdale Golf and Country Club in Toronto, Canada.

… Lakewood Ranch-based tennis player Ava Krug is the No. 7-ranked women’s player in the Class of 2024 as of June 12, according to the Tennis Recruiting Network. Krug, the granddaughter of Basketball Hall of Fame broadcaster and coach Dick Vitale, verbally committed to Duke University in October.

Lakewood Ranch High senior softball player Amanda Lee was named to the West roster of the Florida Athletic Coaches Association All-Star team June 1. Lee, an infielder, hit .321 with three home runs and 14 RBIs in 2023, while holding a .903 fielding percentage.

After posting a 6.75 ERA in April, former Lakewood Ranch High baseball pitcher Colton Gordon, a member of the AA-level Corpus Christi Hooks (Houston Astros) has lowered his season ERA to 3.78, including a 2.16 ERA in May. Gordon is the No. 8-ranked prospect in the Astros’ system, according to MLB.com, and the top pitching prospect.

Braden River High wrestler Jessey Colas will continue his career at North Iowa Area Community College. Colas went 71-0 as a senior in 2023 and won a state championship in the Class 2A 182-pound weight class March 5, earning a 5-3 win over Satellite High’s Michael McCarthy (47-5) in the finals.

Race to the top

AMay graduate of The Outof-Door Academy helped her Sarasota Crew teammates earn a fifth-place finish at the 2023 USRowing Youth National Championships, held June 8-11 at Nathan Benderson Park.

Giraldo took the No. 5 seat in the women’s varsity 8+ boat, which finished its race in 6:41.30, approximately 13 seconds behind winner Marin Rowing Association. It was the culmination of Giraldo’s high school rowing career.

She began her career at a Sarasota Crew summer camp as an incoming freshman, going with friends who were looking for new sports to try. But Giraldo didn’t find out much about rowing at the camp, as it rained every day, which meant rowing was scrapped in favor of kickball or other indoor games.

At the end of the camp, Giraldo decided to join the Crew anyway.

“I had nothing else to do,” Giraldo said with a laugh. “But when I actually started rowing, it was a bit of a shock. I was not a person who worked out a lot. I guess I was not that fit.

OTHER EAST COUNTY RESULTS

Ada Giraldo was the only East County rower to compete in a varsity A final for Sarasota Crew at Youth Nationals, but others competed at lower levels, priming them for better opportunities in the future.

Here are East County results:

n Lakewood Ranch High’s Sophia Stock rowed in the women’s second varsity 8+ in the B final and finished fourth in the event (7:03.35).

n Lakewood Ranch High’s Sophie Bell rowed in the women’s varsity 4x in the C final and finished eighth (7:49.21).

n Lakewood Ranch High’s Gabe Naguib rowed in the men’s U16 8+ in the B final and finished second (6:49.02).

n ODA’s Danny Schaffer and Lakewood Ranch’s Ethan Traeger rowed in the men’s second varsity 8+ in the B final and finished third (6:14.59).

n Lakewood Ranch High’s Jenna Khalil finished third (8:31.25) in the women’s U16 4x+ boat in the C final n ODA’s Andy Schaffer rowed in the men’s second varsity 8+, in the Crew’s B boat, and reached the C final, finishing sixth (6:28.88).

But it was exciting, and I liked having something to work at and improve.”  Giraldo did improve. After learning the ins and outs of the sport her freshman year, she accumulated valuable experience as a sophomore in 2021. That year, the Youth Nationals were open to anyone who wanted to participate because of the COVID-19 pandemic, when restric-

Last year, she moved to the Crew’s second varsity 8+ boat, which finished 12th overall (7:04.09). The boat’s finish was not what Giraldo hoped to accomplish, but her individual performance continued to improve and catch the eye of Crew coaches. This year, she earned a spot on the first varsity 8+ boat, and on June 11, she helped the boat to a fifth-overall finish in one of the most competitive events at Nationals. It was the Crew’s first time reaching the event’s A final in nine years, and Giraldo is proud of how she and her teammates performed.

“I think we were all a little nervous coming into the event,” Giraldo said. “We knew that all we could do was try our best. Our main goal was getting into the A final, and we did that. Once that was secured, we thought, let’s just have the best pace we can.”

Giraldo said it is a thrill to go against the best rowers in the country, something she never could have imagined when signing up for the Crew. Giraldo said she uses the opportunity as a type of measuring stick, comparing where her skills are to the skills of rowers from other crews. She also uses it as a chance to look at how far she and her teammates have come in their own development.

“We were saying to each other before the race, if you had told us last year, coming off a second varsity B final, that we would be in the varsity A final this year, we would not have believed you,” Giraldo said. “It was an exciting opportunity.”

The Youth Nationals was Giraldo’s last event with Sarasota Crew, but not in rowing. Giraldo will row for Boston University next year. Giraldo said she chose the Terriers in part because of Boston’s climate — “I’ve always wanted to go up north,” Giraldo said — but also because of its reputation as a great academic school, as well as the treatment she received when talking to members of the program.

“It seemed like a great culture, and all the coaches were nice,” Giraldo said. “That was a big part of the decision.”  Giraldo said she’s spent a lot of time in recent weeks thinking about the impact Sarasota Crew and the sport of rowing have had on her life. She’s proud that she decided to join, she said, as it not only is giving her a chance to compete in college, but helped shape her as a person.

“Rowing has helped me with selfconfidence, fitness and overall life skills,” Giraldo said.

“I think I would be totally different if I had never joined. The organization means so much to me because of that.”

“Stay patient. The game of golf is up and down. I don’t try to rush the process.”

— Lakewood Ranch resident Jordan Brown

ODA graduate Ada Giraldo has made a quick transition to be among the nation’s top rowers.

Kicker’s future soars through the goalposts

coach, as well as Hollway and former Syracuse University kicker and Riverview High grad Mike Shafer, among others. Levy said he’s taken bits of advice from everyone he works with. Levy also said he’s thankful for the great teammates he has at ODA.

The Out-of-Door Academy rising senior kicker Mika Levy has a big leg.

That can be seen on tape as a June 2 practice session video shows the 16-year-old hitting a 60-yard field goal.

But according to Thunder coach Rob Hollway, Levy has a big brain, and a big heart, too.

The trio of attributes has convinced Hollway that Levy’s future prospects are, like his kicks, booming.

“Mika is a weapon,” Hollway said. “The strongest leg I’ve ever coached, 100%. He’s a standout soccer player; (he’s at the) top of the class; he does incredible service work. He has high character. This kid is destined to be president or something.”

Levy started kicking in McClain, Virginia, on the soccer pitch. He had an interest in football but did not play it as a young kid because his family was worried about the sport’s injury potential.

Things changed when, as an eighth grader, Levy took a free kick from approximately 30 yards from the soccer goal and scored. After the game, his dad, David Levy, asked him if he used all of his leg strength on the shot. Levy said no, he had used more finesse than power. That’s when Levy’s dad, seeing the potential in his son’s leg, suggested he try a few field goals on a football field.

Later that year, the Levy family moved to Florida and Levy joined the ODA football team. He’s been honing his craft ever since.

“Through repetition and watching YouTube videos of different kickers, my form got better,” Levy said.

“I have also been fortunate to

have some great coaches, guys who know a lot and have been willing to help me.”

Levy cited Will Snyderwine, a former Duke kicker, as one such

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“This is not an individual endeavor,” Levy said. “No one gets far on their own.”

Levy practices his kicks three days a week before school and has continued that training into the offseason. Levy said his practice sessions can last 90 minutes. If he’s focused on field goals, he can get up 30 or more full-power kicks in one session. But other days he focuses on kickoffs or punts, other duties he carries.

When Levy is working on field goals, he’s not always working on them in a traditional way. Lately, Levy said, he’s been improving his accuracy by kicking field goals from the edge of the end zone, parallel to the uprights. The idea of the drill is to curve the ball around the closest upright, then have it come back through before the second upright. It is not easy, Levy said, but it is making him a better kicker.

He’s been showing off his ability at camps this summer. On June 10, Levy was on a visit to Howard University, and two days later, he attended a Duke University camp. Hollway said Levy, who has a 4.4 GPA, is drawing interest from some of the top academic schools in the country, including Ivy League programs.

Levy said academics will play a factor in where he decides to go, but so will the passion surrounding the school’s football program. It doesn’t have to be at the University of Alabama level, he said, but he wants to be somewhere with fans who care.

While Levy is improving as a

kicker, he’s also focused on being a better person. Over his spring break in April, Levy and his family went to Sierra Leone, to the community of Kamassasa, to do service work. Levy said his family has roots there, and he believes it is important to try to give the people there the most opportunities to succeed that he can — just like the opportunities his family was given after leaving.

“We were helping them rebuild lots of buildings and develop a learning center,” Levy said. “I also did a drive at school to send them books and supplies, and we’re sending some clothes, too. When I went over there, it was grounding to see all that I came from. The people there, even with the conditions, they couldn’t be happier. They have made a community where people want to help each other out. It’s why I think we should do the same.”

Levy said he introduced the sport of football to the people of Sierra Leone, showing them clips on his phone. Their reaction was positive, he said, and the schoolchildren even tried playing it themselves.

Levy’s eagerness to give back to Sierra Leone in those ways is a rare trait in someone his age. Combined with his academic scores and his kicking prowess, I’m not surprised Hollway called him a potential future president. Even if Levy’s path never takes a political turn, he seems like someone drawn to important work, in whatever field he chooses — and doing it successfully.

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Jordan Brown

Jordan Brown, 15, is a Lakewood Ranch resident and a rising sophomore boys golfer at IMG Academy. Brown has three top-five finishes in Florida Junior Tour events in 2023, including a third-place finish (7069—139) at the Royal Palm Open, held May 6-7 at the Royal Palm Golf Club in Naples.

When did you start playing golf?

My dad (Jerome Brown) has played golf for a long time. He introduced my brother (Jaxon Brown) and I to the game when I was 5. I didn’t start playing seriously until I was 8. That was when we moved to Florida from Cleveland.

What is the appeal to you?

Golf is a diverse game. You have to be good at putting, hitting, chipping and driving and practice those things.

What is your best skill?

My chipping. I have a good feel when I’m around the green. I have been working hard on trying new shots instead of a basic chip shot and it has been going well.

What have you been trying to improve?

My putting. I’m not a good putter. I’m trying to break down all the different parts of putting and slowly work on each part

What is your favorite golf memory?

From ages 9-12, I played in the U.S. Kids Golf World Championships every year. I got to play some great courses in the Pinehurst area of North Carolina, and I had my dad caddying for me. Those events are fun to look back on now.

What are your future plans?

I’m playing in the Florida State Golf Association’s Boys Junior Championship on July 6-8 (at Mayacoo Lakes Country Club and PGA National Re

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sort in Palm Beach), and I’m looking forward to that. I’m also playing on Steph Curry’s Underrated golf tour again this year. I’m excited to try to get back to the Curry Cup (Aug. 2023 at Lake Merced Golf Club in San Francisco).

Which superpower would you choose?

I would want teleportation. I don’t like traveling, so that would be useful.

What is the best advice you have received?

Stay patient. The game of golf is up and down. I don’t try to rush the process. Even when I’m studying for a test or something, it’s good advice. Let time do it’s thing.

What is your favorite school subject?

I like science. I like learning things about the world and how it works.

There’s a reason for everything that happens.

entence: “Jordan … Optimistic. I try to look at the bright side of things. I don’t get down on myself after

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