East County Observer 8.3.23

YOUR TOWN

A HISTORY OF WAR

Beat the heat

Zeb and Susan Carter were both born and raised in Florida, so they’re used to hot summers. Up until two weeks ago, they were still taking regular walks through their neighborhood in Greenfield Plantation.

But even for natives, it’s too hot outside. For two weeks, the Carters have been taking their morning walks at the Mall at UTC and enjoying new sights. Zeb said four loops around the first floor equals 2.5 miles.

“There is the cutest thing, the mothers with the strollers,” Susan said. “They have a whole set routine. It keeps the babies interested.”

She was referring to the Fit4Mom Stroller Strides class. Normally held Mondays and Fridays at 9 a.m. on the Green, they’ve temporarily moved inside, too.

Sprucing up for the school year

Joshua Callaghan, an incoming seventh grader at Carlos E. Haile Middle School, was among 13 other volunteers hard at work gardening and sprucing up the landscaping outside the front of the middle school during a Beautification Day on July 29.

The volunteers helped with planting and mulching with materials donated by Green Seasons Nursery and Sweet Bay Landscaping. They wanted the school to look great to welcome teachers back Aug. 2 and for the first day of school on Aug. 10.

Callaghan said he’s excited for the new school year, particularly to see the new pig pens for the school’s FFA program.

New District 5 commissioner takes over

Raymond Turner said he can’t wait to begin working with his constituents after taking the oath of office Aug. 1.

After taking the oath of office and officially becoming a Manatee County commissioner on Aug. 1, Lakewood Ranch’s Raymond Turner was asked why he would want to transition from being a successful businessman to public service. “Maybe I am crazy,” he said with a smile. “But I’m in an age group where I would like to stand up and be counted. I can’t wait for other people to do it.” Turner was sworn into office before the Aug. 1 Board of County SEE COMMISSIONER, PAGE 3

Opening more doors

MTC will expand on its main campus. SEE PAGE 4

Big fines, little action

Manatee Code Enforcement can’t force compliance, so fines accrue at $100 a day for years.

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

Code violators in Manatee County have racked up $26,330,786.95 worth of outstanding fines and liens.

Commissioner George Kruse noted during the Manatee County Commission’s latest work session July 20, “That’s not 26,000 old ladies with $1,000 worth of fines.”

Division Chief of Code Enforcement George McCorkle confirmed that the Top 20 offenders all have fines of more than $500,000, five of which have accrued fines of more than $1 million.

“These are residential lots (where people) have constructed something without a permit and have refused to apply for the permit or come into compliance, and the fines are accruing daily,” McCorkle said. Many of the offenders are at least that. Some just have created a public nuisance.

William Pugh owns an 18-acre property at 5807 Hog Town Lane in Myakka City that has been in violation of county codes since March 2010 “for storing/or dismantling vehicles and materials on the property that do not have a primary use.”

According to the Manatee County Property Appraiser’s records, the parcel’s value increased from $194,000 in 2022 to $459,000 in 2023. But Pugh can’t currently cash in on that increase, even if he wanted to, because the county has a $1,408,500 lien on the property.

“Failure to comply with this order within the specified time will result in the recordation of this Order

Imposing Fine, which constitutes a lien upon any real or personal property owned by the violators and may be foreclosed, and your property sold to enforce this lien,” Pugh’s order read. “If such lien is filed, you will be assessed all costs incurred in recording and satisfying this lien.”

For the average homeowner, foreclosure is never the route the county wants to take, but McCorkle made a request to hire outside legal counsel to go after the largest offenders, like Pugh.

Code enforcement sees about a 75% compliance rate, but that other 25% keeps its hands tied thanks to Florida Statute 162, which governs the department. The statute limits foreclosures and fines and says code enforcement staff cannot trespass on property or force compliance.

If a property is vacant, county staff can board up windows and mow to bring the property back into compliance themselves, but that’s not an option when occupied.

For the 25% who refuse to comply, they don’t have to unless the violation involves criminal activity. If people are living illegally in a vacant house, McCorkle can call law enforcement to rectify the issue. If a person built a shed without a permit and doesn’t want to comply, McCorkle has an arduous road of paperwork ahead.

First, code enforcement sends a courtesy notice via certified mail. Pugh’s was dated March 17, 2010. The notice stated he had until March 31 to come into compliance or he would be sent before the Manatee County Code Enforcement Board or Special Magistrate.

That was in 2010. Currently, resi-

dents have 30 days to comply. They can also be asked to appear before a judge, but the judge can’t impose a fine of more than $500.

“It’s always voluntary compliance. At the end of the day, that’s what we want to see,” McCorkle said. “There’s no compliance order; it’s simply a punitive process.” Pugh was ordered to appear before a code enforcement special magistrate on July 28 but didn’t show. He supplied a four-page written response instead, in which he claimed the case was settled in 1992 and was reopened due to discrimination from the local sheriff and a spiteful neighbor who reported him after no longer allowing the neighbor’s cows to graze on his land.

An Order Imposing Fine was issued. Pugh was ordered to pay a $150 fine and given until Sept. 17 to comply. When he didn’t, he started accruing an additional $100 a day in penalties.

The county attorneys, code enforcement and commissioners agreed that they only want compliance in this case and any other.

TOP 10 CODE VIOLATIONS

Ten code violations account for nearly half of the $26.3 million Manatee County is owed in fines.

■ 1720 28th St. Court, East Palmetto. Fines started Sept. 2010 due to fence height and a set-back violation. The lien amount is $1,412,400.

■ 5807 Hog Town Lane, Myakka City. Fines started Sept. 2010 due to the storage of junk vehicles, trash and debris. The lien amount is $1,408,500.

■ 3112 27th St. E., Bradenton. Fines started Sept. 2019 due to an unpermitted guest house. The lien amount is $1,309,750.

■ 5310 U.S. 41 N., Palmetto. Fines accrued between July 2009 and July 2015 due to unpermitted structures and no certificate of occupancy. This is the only commercial property on the list. The lien amount is $1,306,750.

■ 5206 13th St. W., Palmetto. Fines started May 2009 due to an unpermitted roof and no certification of occupancy. The lien amount is $1,035,200.

They’ll work with citizens to lower the fees, and they take hardships into consideration.

But Pugh is an example of the bind code enforcement is in when someone just flat out refuses. Pugh is a 94-year-old man who remains adamant that he bought that lot because the Realtor told him he could store his cars on it. Instead of complying, he posted a large no trespassing sign on the road leading to his property.

“If you are employed by a Local, State or U.S. Government agency or are a curious individual you must have a prior permission to enter this property,” the sign reads. “Upon receiving permission to enter, you are to proceed directly to your job site, conduct your work and exit the property immediately. Permission to enter is not permission for sightseeing or ‘looking around.’ Violators will be prosecuted (ESS.81012).”

Manatee County commissioners have requested a review of the highest penalty cases. No action has been taken as of yet.

■ 808 16th St. E., Palmetto. Fines started Aug. 2007 due to a commercial vehicle, unpermitted doorway and electrical and also trash and debris. The lien amount is $962,100.

■ 600 28th Ave. E., Bradenton. Fines accrued between Nov. 2009 and April 2015 due to an unpermitted conversion to a triplex. The lien amount is $939,470.

■ 477 Magellan Drive, Sarasota. Fines started Dec. 2014 due to an unpermitted seawall and deck, plus no certificate of occupancy. The lien amount is $938,400.

■ 2712 Seventh St. W., Bradenton. Fines started June 2007 due to an unpermitted carport height, plus no certificate of occupancy or electric. The lien amount is $896,100.

■ 2112 37th Ave. E., Bradenton. Fines started Oct. 2013 due to inoperable vehicles being stored on the property and a shed in the front yard. The lien amount is $892,000.

Commissioner

Commissioners’ work session.

Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Turner, a 20-year resident of Manatee County, to fill the remainder of Vanessa Baugh’s term, which runs through 2024.

After nearly 11 years representing District 5, Vanessa Baugh announced her retirement from public service in June due to family concerns.

Turner said it is too early for him to make any statements regarding his goals. He wants to first connect with his constituents.

“I am humbled and excited to represent District 5, which is one of the most desirable places to live,” he said. “I am looking forward to getting up to speed. I know no leader can do it by himself, and we have an amazing staff.”

His wife of 27 years, Debbie Turner, was by his side during the ceremony.

“I’m not worried about him,” Debbie Turner said. “He is good for challenges. He is a tough guy.”

Turner was asked if he is tough enough to be a Manatee County commissioner.

“Do I look weak?” he asked.

Turner, who owns his own real estate brokerage, has been serving on the Planning Commission for Manatee County and is the secretary of the Manatee Sarasota Building Industry Association. A Manatee County release said he was born in Australia and educated in England and Canada and began a real estate career in 1991, selling custom homes, before transitioning into many facets of the industry, including real estate finance, international marketing and executive management.

Baugh said he faces plenty of challenges and listed five pressing issues he might need to tackle immediately.

1COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR

This is an issue the commission has struggled with repeatedly since Ed Hunzeker retired in 2019 after holding the position for 12 years.

“We’ve got some major issues going on in the county, and they don’t seem to stop,” Baugh said. “We need a good county administrator to come in and start moving the county in the right direction.”

Candidates are currently being vetted through Colin Baezinger & Associates. While Baugh will not get a vote this time around, candidates will be presented to the board in August.

2LAKEWOOD RANCH LIBRARY

The Lakewood Ranch Library is planned to open this fall, so the majority of the construction and hiring have been done, but Baugh said the work is not finished.

“I think it’s important that we stop and look at how that library is setting up for our children,” she said. “Are they going to have a separate, safe environment for their enjoyment? In other words, make sure that the books that are going into the children’s area are not sexually

NEXT IN LINE

Raymond Turner took over as District 5 commissioner from Vanessa Baugh on Aug. 1.

Turner was serving on the Planning Commission for Manatee County. Five days before the governor’s announcement, the county opened up applications for a seat on that board. Turner has been a Manatee County resident since 2003 and is the secretary of the Manatee Sarasota Building Industry Association. He is the broker and owner of Turner Real Estate Network.

While on the planning commission, Turner was making recommendations as opposed to the decisions he now will be making. But he has been open about his feelings on the Future Development Area Boundary being outdated because it was established in 1999.

In February, when the planning commission approved Carlos Beruff’s request for a collector road and an Urban Fringe-3 land use for his East River Ranch development, Turner questioned how the county could sustain the growing population without developing east of the FDAB. County commissioners agreed with the planning commission and approved Beruff’s proposal in May.

It was a quick rise for Turner, who was appointed to the planning commission less than a year ago. When District

4 Commissioner Mike Rahn left the planning commission after being elected to the Manatee County Commission in November 2022, Baugh nominated Turner to take his seat.

oriented.”

While the commission declined to move forward with an added 15-member board to oversee the book selection process, they voted to expand the current advisory board to allow for more input. The prior board had five members and the new board will have nine, however, additional appointments have not been made yet.

According to the county spokesperson, staff is working with the county attorney’s office to craft the language within the ordinance “to establish more refined duties for the board.”

“We’ve got to be respectful to all, not just one aspect of citizens; we have to look at the full picture of everybody,” Baugh said.

IMPROVEMENTS

3ROAD

With so much development happening in her district, Baugh has long led the charge for road improvements. She’s been a member of the Metropolitan Planning Organization Advisory Council since 2016 and has moved up the ranks since 2020 when she served as secretary. She then moved into the role of vice chairman for two years and is now the chairman.  Baugh didn’t want to rattle off a list of projects, but said that there are road improvements on the books that need to move forward. The one road she did have more to say about was Lorraine Road.

“With Sarasota four-laning Lorraine Road down through to Laurel Road, which is already under construction, we’re going to start seeing more and more traffic on Lorraine Road,” Baugh said. “It’s imperative that we start on that road to make sure that it’s safe for our citizens here in the county, in District 5 and other citizens that use that road as a pass through going to other parts of Florida. We’ve got to make sure that road is safe.”

The approximately 2.76 miles of Lorraine Road between State Road 64 and 59th Avenue East is already set for an upgrade in October. The road will be widened to four lanes and include a median, bike lanes, sidewalks in each direction and street lights.

4PREMIER PARK

Baugh has long said that Premier Park will stand by the word “premier,” and a premier facility takes time. However, Baugh would like to see her replacement and the entire commission push for the courts to be started before the aquatics center, so people can start playing sooner than later.

The pickleball courts were originally slated to be open last summer. As of April, the courts had a new completion date of November 2024, but at that time, commissioners requested county staff look into the possibility of starting work on the aquatics facility first.

“We have a demand for pickleball courts,” Baugh said. “They can be put together quicker than the aquatics center. Let’s get those pickleball courts done so people can be using them at the same time the work is being done on the aquatics center.”

5INFRASTRUCTURE

“The growth that’s happening in District 5 is more growth than anywhere else in the county,” Baugh said. “We have to have the infrastructure already on the books, either starting or getting ready to start to handle the increase in traffic.”

More than 60,000 people are living in Lakewood Ranch, and 1,227 new homes were sold from Jan. 1 to June 30, continuing Lakewood Ranch’s run as the No. 1-selling, multigenerational, master-planned community in the U.S.

But District 5 is only one of five districts in the county. Commissioners George Kruse and Jason Bearden are at-large commissioners.

“I think it’s imperative that the board, the seven commissioners as a whole, get on the same page and move Manatee County forward,” Baugh said.

In an emotional last commission meeting, all the commissioners wished Baugh well and offered their gratitude for her guidance.

“Literally every one of us is sitting up here on this board because of your help, because you helped us with our campaigns, because you advised us along the way,” Chair Kevin Van Ostenbridge said. “Like it or not, I think we’re your legacy.”

Jay Heater contributed to this story.

“I am humbled and excited to represent District 5, which is one of the most desirable places to live,” he said. “I am looking forward to getting up to speed.

I know no leader can do it by himself, and we have an amazing staff.”

Raymond Turner

MTC plans main campus expansion

Manatee Technical College is working to finalize designs for a building to house adult education, ESOL and GED programs on its main campus.

Manatee Technical College’s adult education, English for Speakers of Other Languages, and General Education Development students will have a space to call their own.

The technical school’s adult education programs were previously held in a building behind Bayshore High School, but with the high school needing more space to address its own growth, MTC Director Doug Wagner said the adult education programs were relocated to MTC’s main campus on State Road 70 last school year.

The adult education students have since been using the media center and sharing classrooms with other MTC programs.

The three-story, 35,000-squarefoot addition planned for MTC’s main campus will allow adult education, ESOL and GED courses to have room to grow.

Manatee Technical College served about 1,600 students through its adult education, ESOL and GED programs last school year.

Wagner said MTC is in the process of finalizing designs for the addition, which will be constructed behind the technical school’s building as an extension of the building.

“The idea is really to make this the hub for all adult education, ESOL and GED classes for Manatee County,” Wagner said. “I call it a completion because this was always the vision to have adult education as part of this campus.”

Wagner said having the adult

education programs on MTC’s main campus might inspire those students to then enroll in MTC’s career and technical education programs where they can jumpstart a new career.

“You want people to go through and not only achieve their education but also have a skill so they can move forward and have a livable wage and a career,” he said.

The new building will include a reception area, gathering area, testing center and classrooms. The building could have about 22 classrooms.

Wagner said classes will be able to run during the day and night, potentially seven days per week.

Career counselors will have offices to meet with students and guide them through their next steps and planning their futures.

“It’s going to be one stop for everything,” Wagner said. “You can enroll in classes, pay for classes, come for

classes, all within one site and not have to drive to different locations.”

Wagner said adult education is a critical component of the community.

“We want all residents to be educated, and we want all residents in Manatee County to have access to education,” he said. “It could be continuing education. You could have enrichment classes for senior citizens here. That would be great.”

Although the building will be an extension to the campus’ main building, Wagner said the security upgrades will allow for staff to only open the adult education building and keep the main building closed. Staff also will be able to block access to the second and third floors of the building if needed.

The building could be used not only for adult education programs but also community events, more career and technical education pro-

ENROLL IN ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS

ENGLISH FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES

■ The program helps students improve their reading, writing, and speaking skills in English and mathematics.

■ The program focuses on providing an understanding of the American government system, individual freedom and citizenship responsibilities.

■ The program helps English learners work toward earning a secondary school diploma, transitioning to postsecondary education and training or gaining employment.

■ Tuition is $70

■ For full term, enroll by Aug. 4 and start Sept. 5; for short term, enroll Sept. 18-29 and start Oct. 23.

Hours (available in person or online):

■ Manatee Technical College main campus: 8-11 a.m., 6-8:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays

■ Goodwill-Ranch Lake (hybrid): 8:30-11:30 a.m., 6-8:30 p.m.

grams, and more.

“The goal is to make these buildings to last 50 years,” Wagner said. “Who knows what’s happening 30, 40 or 50 years from now. There could be changes in how people are educated. We want to build this building flexible enough that walls could be moved, entrances could be relocated, we can combine labs if we had programs that need larger audiences.”

Although the designs for the building are being finalized, Wagner said the groundbreaking date has not yet been set due to the cost of the project not yet being determined. He said the increase in construction costs and inflation have made it difficult to finalize a project budget.

The School District of Manatee County has set aside $2 million in its capital plan for the building, and MTC has procured another $7 million.

Mondays through Thursdays

■ Goodwill-Cortez Road (hybrid): 6-8:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays

GENERAL EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT

■ Students will gain skills to pass the GED tests and earn a high school diploma. ■ Instruction will be in reasoning through language arts, math, science and social studies.

■ Tuition is $70

■ For full term, enroll by Aug. 4 and start Sept. 5; for short term, enroll Sept. 18-29 and start Oct. 23.

Hours (available in person at MTC main campus or GoodwillCortez or online)

■ 8-11 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays ■ 6-8:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays

■ 6-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays

“The challenge with building is we save the money, we get the project number, and then the cost of the construction is more,” Wagner said. “We’re continuously chasing it. We don’t have the money we need right now to build the entire structure, so that’s part of the reason that it’s been delayed.”

Wagner estimated MTC needs at least $5 million more than the $9 million it has been able to dedicate to the project.

Wagner said MTC could choose to have the project phased out, which would impact the cost of the project. For example, MTC could have the structure of the building constructed but only finish the first floor and complete the second and third floor later.

“We have the need to have all three stories built and finished, but the reality is we don’t have the funding yet to make it happen,” he said.

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PUBLIC NOTICES

The Sarasota/Siesta Key, East County and Longboat Observers meet

GET INVOLVED

There are two upcoming opportunities for citizens to provide input on local wetland protections. Meetings start at 9 a.m. in the Manatee County Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W.

Aug. 10: The comprehensive plan amendment will go before the planning commission.

Aug. 17: If approved by the planning commission, the amendment goes before the Manatee County Commission.

Oct. 5: If approved by the BOCC, the amendment appears before the board again to be adopted.

If citizens are unable to attend meetings in person, written comments can be submitted ahead of the meetings in person at the administration building or online through the county’s website.

of DeLisi Inc. delivered his findings that language in the county wetland regulations could be changed to duplicate the state’s requirements.

Commission considers wetland buffer requirements

Commissioners say more information is needed before they would consider changing the Comprehensive Plan to align with state requirements.

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

Suncoast Waterkeeper has collected nearly 1,000 signatures on a petition urging the Manatee County Commission to keep Manatee County’s Comprehensive Plan as is when it comes to protecting local wetlands.

Commissioners George Kruse and Vanessa Baugh thought the move to align Manatee County’s wetland protections with state regulations — in other words, allowing construction closer to wetlands — could be

premature. Kruse said he doesn’t like cutting environmental protections, and while Baugh won’t be voting due to her resignation that took effect July 30, she doesn’t believe any of the commissioners had enough information yet to consider such cuts.

“At this point, the board probably isn’t very familiar with what the state regulations are and how they look in comparison to ours,” Baugh said. “I think we need to hold down all the rhetoric a little bit and let the board take a look and see what’s there.”

The issue was addressed at a planning task force meeting on July 20, when consultant Daniel B. DeLisi

The proposal is to lower county regulations to meet the state’s minimum regulations when it comes to building near wetlands and watersheds, which would require amending the county’s Comprehensive Plan.

One example is buffer requirements. Depending on the situation, county requirements are currently either 30 or 50 feet of a buffer is needed between wetlands and/ or watersheds, and construction, whereas the state minimum requirements are lower at 15 feet with an average of 25 feet.

Abbey Tyrna, the executive director of Suncoast Waterkeeper, said research shows that a 75-foot buffer is needed to protect water quality.

“Does that mean a 50-foot buffer isn’t doing a good job? No, it means we could be doing a better job,” Tyrna said. “Instead of removing buffers, we should be enhancing them given the plight of our water quality right now. It doesn’t make sense to

go backward when we have bluegreen algae literally blooming in our drinking water source right now.”

According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Planner’s Guide to Wetland Buffers for Local Governments, wetlands not only provide habitats for wildlife, they help control flooding and reduce damage from storm surges.

Buffers also trap sediments and pollutants that would otherwise enter waterways and can help recharge groundwater in some areas. Recharging, the process of refilling the aquifers underground, most commonly occurs through rainfall.

According to Tyrna, Manatee County currently has some of the most protective measures in place statewide when it comes to wetlands.

The review seemed to be a directive of the board after Interim Director of Development Services Nicole Knapp said at the task force meeting, “(The board) wanted us to take a look at duplicative language and this was one of the areas that they asked us to look at.”

Kruse was adamant that trimming down wetland protections was not a directive of the board. The directive was to look at duplicative language only.

“If anything, I felt like we were going in the other direction, so at no point do I believe the board directed anything unless someone wants to take a really broad view of what we say,” Kruse said. “We support getting rid of unnecessary regulations because excessive regulations add to the cost and time of development, minimize affordability and cause undue burdens based on government overreach. We have said things along those lines, and I stand by that and 100% believe that.”

Asked to clarify, Knapp said: “The board might not have tasked us with specifically amending the wetland protection review process, however, they asked us to remove duplicative process when regulated by another authority.”

Tyrna believes additional wetland protections are not duplicative and equated that line of thinking to an airbag being duplicative of a seat belt.

County receives healthy assessment

With walkable neighborhoods and pickleball courts popping up all over, it’s not surprising Manatee County ranks as the 14th healthiest county out of Florida’s 67 counties.

For a state best known for retirement planning, a more surprising number is that the population of 65 and older is 21.1%, not much higher than the population of 18 and under, which is 19.7%.

Countrywide assessments are conducted every three to five years locally by the Manatee HealthCare Alliance. The information was gathered for the County Health Rankings and Roadmaps program through the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.

The recent Manatee County profile was partially developed through a survey conducted by the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County.

One of the results found by the survey is that the public considers the county’s three most unhealthy behaviors to be adult drug and medication abuse, criminal activity and being overweight.

The five most important health problems identified in the survey were addiction, mental health issues, drug abuse and overdosing, aging problems and motor vehicle crash injuries.

“A Community Health Assessment, which falls under the assessment function of public health, provides the overall health status of a community through data visualizations and narratives,” said Anastasia Peele, a health educator consultant at the Florida Depart -

COUNTY RANKINGS

The complete list of rankings can be found at CountyHealthRankings.org, but here are a few highlights.

■ The healthiest county where Floridians can reside is Collier.

■ Union County is ranked as the least healthy county and is also the smallest county in Florida.

■ Sarasota County was ranked higher than Manatee and landed the No. 12 spot.

■ Charlotte county ranked No. 25, and DeSoto ranked No. 36.

ment of Health in Manatee County, through an email. “A Community Health Improvement Plan, which falls under the policy development and assurance functions of public health, uses the data in the CHA to prioritize strategic issues, develop and implement projects and activities, and establish accountability to measure plan progress.”

With the United States Census

Manatee County ranks in the top 25% of the healthiest Florida counties.

Bureau’s latest population estimate for Manatee County at 429,125 in July 2022, less than 1% of residents participated in the study.

Health surveys were advertised using media outlets, social media, community events and public partners, but only 740 Manatee County residents responded. There were also 24 focus group participants and 14 key informant interviews.

Key informants represent agencies or a population of people to increase representation for the community, and focus group participants range in age from youths to seniors.

The last time an assessment was performed was in 2020. The results were compiled into the 2021-2023 CHIP. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, communicable diseases were among the top concerns for residents, along with behavioral health, youth development and healthy living.

A term such as healthy living is broad, so that gets honed into a purpose: “To address obesity, nutrition and diabetes in Manatee County.” From there, goals and objectives are set.

Manatee County compiled a list of achievements that resulted from the 2021-2023 CHIP that includes a grant for a pilot coordinated care system, programming that has led to an increase in overdose survival rates and the recent salary increase for teachers.  How do teacher salaries fit into a health assessment?

“These are achievements that have happened in the county and the CHIP highlights them,” Peele responded. “The Community Themes and Strengths Assessment in the CHA identifies assets in the community and issues that are important to community members. It answers the questions: What is important to the community? How is quality of life perceived in the community? What assets does the community have that can be used to improve community health?”

While Peele declined to comment on the specific programming that led to higher overdose survival rates in her response, she offered up a slew of statistics via the Substance Abuse Dashboard and encouraged anyone struggling to visit www.ManateeCountyFlorida.Now.Site/Home,

HOW MANATEE RANKS WITHIN FLORIDA

The website, CountyHealthRankings. org offers a plethora of demographics, statistics and projections that can be compared to other counties and also statewide numbers.

■ Premature deaths (under age 75) per 100,000 people.

Manatee: 7,800 Florida: 7,500

■ Adults reporting poor or fair health.

Manatee: 15% Florida: 13%

■ Low birth weight.

Manatee: 8% Florida: 9%

■ Single parent households: Manatee: 24% Florida: 28%

■ Teen births (out of 1,000): Manatee: 25 Florida: 18

■ Children in poverty:

16% Florida: 18%

■ Unemployment:

3.9% Florida: 4.6%

■ Severe housing problems: Manatee: 16% Florida: 19%

■ Adult obesity. Manatee: 31% Florida: 28%

■ Adult smoking.

Manatee: 18% Florida: 16%

■ Excessive drinking.

19% Florida: 17%

■ Alcohol impaired driving deaths:

23% Florida: 22%

■ Access to exercise opportunities.

90% Florida: 88%

which lists local partners who are ready to help.

Standing out among the dashboard’s statistics is the steady rise of naloxone use during emergencies. In 2019, naloxone was administered by Manatee County Emergency Medical Services 725 times. In 2022, it was administered 1,178 times.

According to the Center for Disease Control, “Naloxone quickly reverses an overdose by blocking the effects of opioids. It can restore normal breathing within 2 to 3 minutes in a person whose breath has slowed, or even stopped, as a result of opioid overdose.”

Now that the results are in for 2023, the work begins. The Health Improvement Planning Unit will start working on the CHIP on July 27. It will be available to the public by January.

Frame It Up

“Donna is a wonderful person and agent. She helped us purchase our house and then five months later sold the same house for us in three days. I would highly recommend her and her team to anyone buying or selling a home in the area.”

“What amazing service from Donna Soda and the whole group, a true full-service REALTOR®. They got us more money than we expected. She also kept in touch with us throughout the process, never making us wait for a response to our questions. Plus, Donna was such a sweet person. She knew I was still in recovery from surgery and would call to check on me. We never want to use any other

They

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him a minor league contract. The draft, however, sent him on a detour.

After basic training, Skeen was shipped to Alaska, where the U.S. was building its forces in case Japan attacked from the west.

Japan took over the Kiska and Attu islands in the U.S.-owned Aleutian Islands, off the coast of Alaska, about six months after the Pearl Harbor attacks. It took some fierce fighting before the U.S. reclaimed the islands.

Skeen didn’t see battle in those confrontations, but was part of the U.S. forces in Alaska, which had yet to become a state. He was there 18 months before being shipped to Europe.

It was December 1944 when he arrived with the “Trail Blazers” at Marseille, France.

His 70th Infantry joined the fighting in the Ardennes-Alsace campaign and participated in the intense fighting in the Vosges Mountains.

“We suffered so many casualties,” Skeen said. “On New Year’s Eve, 1944, we left Philippsbourg (France) at 7 p.m. to go to Bitche. There was three to four feet of snow and the temperature was zero. Our platoon was in the lead position. All of a sudden, all hell broke loose. The Germans were waiting for us and they ambushed us. We fought our way back to an old saw mill, and we had to carry about half our men off.”

‘YOU ARE HISTORY’

East County’s John Skeen, at 104, tries to educate future generations about the horrors of war.

Sitting in his home of 40 years on the Manatee River, John Skeen fell into a trance July 29 as he recounted his steps that led to a Bronze Star during a World War II battle near Pfaffenwald, France.

Skeen, an Army sergeant, wasn’t an officer, but he was a leader of men. He also was a fast runner, and more athletic than most. Being gifted in that manner, he often was asked to “volunteer” for the most dangerous assignments.

In this case, it was early in 1945, the final days of Adolph Hitler’s reign. The fierce fighting continued, though, as Skeen’s 70th Infantry Division, nicknamed the “Trail Blazers,” faced off against Germany’s most elite troops in France.

Skeen was asked to take three other men and make a bold move toward a German bunker, where a machine gun was inflicting casualties on the Americans. Under heavy fire, Skeen’s group managed to get into firing range for a bazooka.

On the second try, Skeen said his fellow soldier with the bazooka had a direct hit, blowing the bunker apart and killing most of those in it.

Two Germans managed to run from the bunker, heading toward a stand of trees and their own troops.

Now 104 years old, Skeen’s face tightened and his jaw clenched as he talked about the next few moments on the battlefield.

“I said, ‘Let’s go,’” he said of telling his fellow soldiers to advance.

They shot both Germans, one hitting the ground wounded. The other was face down, dead.

When Skeen got to the Germans, he used his rifle to poke the one who appeared to be dead, before rolling the body over.

It was a woman.

Both Germans had worn long, heavy coats. And while the woman could have been a soldier, sometimes women from nearby villages would accompany soldiers to the bunkers.

In a world filled with death, Skeen was shaken. All the bad he had seen had been amplified in a cruel moment.

EVERYTHING OBLITERATED

“One of the things I took away from the war was the terrible destruction all around,” he said. “Everything was obliterated. Building after building. The trees looked like telephone poles with no leaves. Cows, horses dead. The carnage, the smell.”

Skeen generally tried to maintain a flat emotional line while recounting the war stories, but he struggled when he talked about identifying

A SOLDIER’S STORY

Who: John Skeen

Lives: Bradenton, since 1982

Age: 104 (birthday is Oct. 3, 1918)

Occupation: Mechanical supervisor for Dupont for 40 years in Charleston, South Carolina

Wife: Beatrice (married 66 years until her death in 2004)

Children: Anita Skeen, Beth Alexander, Gregory Skeen

Military: Army

Rank: Sergeant

Assigned to: 275th Infantry Regiment of the 70th Infantry Division (the Trailblazers)

Honors include: Bronze Star, Purple Heart

the victim as a woman. His pain was obvious.

And yet he tells his stories.

“Recently, I have felt a big relief,” he said. “People have told me, ‘You are one of the few left. You are history. You have a story to tell.”

On Thursday mornings, Skeen meets with a veterans group at the Bob Evans restaurant off State Road 70 in Bradenton.

Retired Army Lt. Col. Kevin Wright often records special events at the Thursday meetings or when Skeen talks to groups.

“This is a modern-day scrapbook,” Wright said. “We are rapidly losing our World War II veterans.”

Air Force veteran Richard Koch said the group has been meeting at Bob Evans for about eight years.

“We all are patriots here,” Koch said. “The guys share stories, and they also share their demons.”

At the July 27 meeting, Koch set up a meeting between Skeen and Tampa’s Anne Lancelle, an honorary consul who represents France. Lancelle had been hoping to

meet Skeen, who has a purple heart for being shot in the arm and for shrapnel injuries suffered in battle, because her mother, 86-year-old Monique Sablon, still talks about seeing the American troops march into her town in Belgium to liberate them.

“She remembers when the (American) soldiers came in,” Lancelle said. “She had moved to a town near Brussels because her town had been bombed. When she hears a plane even today, she still is afraid.”

Skeen enjoyed their talk and remembered those liberation moments, one of the few joys of the war. “We worked so hard to liberate them, and it was so great to see the joy in their faces and the happiness,” Skeen said. “To hear them. ‘Free. Free. Free.’”

Lancelle’s eyes never turned away as Skeen talked about the war. He appreciated her attention, and that she knew the history.

Skeen said he often talks to groups and finds that people don’t know much about World War II.

“They don’t know where the Aleutian Islands are,” he said.

ATHLETE SENT TO WAR

AN

Skeen, who was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, was drafted into the Army in January 1941.

He had landed a job at the DuPont factory in Charleston after an allstate high school career in baseball and football. DuPont had a highprofile, semipro baseball team that would play “all-star” games against the Cincinnati Reds’ minor league team that was based in Charleston. Upon seeing Skeen, the Reds offered

Besides enemy fire, many of the Americans had frozen feet.

“Being such a good athlete, I always was on the move,” Skeen said. “That saved me. We started with 160 men, and at the end we had 30 men (who weren’t killed or wounded) and three officers.

“We had those 33 men, and when morning came, we crossed another stream, went over a hill and they put us in another company. Then we took Saarbrucken (in Germany).”

PUSHING FORWARD

U.S. forces pushed forward relentlessly.

Skeen said few people will ever know what it was like to be in the infantry, especially with so few World War II veterans remaining today.

“You would be in combat all night, then move out every morning,” he said. “What was on your mind was to stay alive. Kill or be killed. You would see 17-year-old boys and see their faces change. Hair over their ears, dirty clothes, after a few weeks, they looked like they were in their 30s.”

He said some of the top officers were after glory, and the infantry soldiers would pay the price.

“We would pray, lay there and hope,” he said. “(Surviving) was luck. What about the thoughts of the men laying out there, on the ground, in a hole? We weren’t thinking that we were fighting for democracy, saving the world. We thought about staying alive.”

When the war ended and Skeen arrived back in port in New Jersey, he didn’t spend the night celebrating despite all the sirens, lights and parades.

Instead, the father of his friend, Ray Fulcher, came to get him. Fulcher had been killed in battle near the German border, and Skeen was being asked to give as much information as possible to the family about what happened. Fulcher had been shot through the head by a sniper. It was a hard task, but one that Skeen completed many times over the years because the families knew he would help them understand the deaths of their loved ones.

“All the information they had received was that their son had been killed in a certain place on a certain day,” he said. “That’s it.”

Now he wants to tell those stories so they remain alive. But it forces him to think about the war.

“Sometimes at night, I might hear a voice,” Skeen said. “I try to place that voice.”

Retired Army Lt. Col. Kevin Wright says he often takes video when John Skeen talks about his days as an Army infantry soldier in World War II. He says those accounts of the war are being lost.

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

Friedrich Hayek “Road to Serfdom,” 1944

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Fat Point Brewing offers pint-sized satisfaction at UTC

Ilike beer. There, I said it.

When you’ve lived a little, you find your attraction to a pint is about more than taste. If you don’t temper your desires, you end up using holes on your belt that you never imagined would be in use.

Facing a growing beer gut potential, I learned I had to pick my spots. I always had promised that if I ever had to switch to “light” beer, I would quit altogether.

Of course, light beer has different meanings. It could mean lowcalorie beer — brew’s version of a Diet Coke, which is just not my style.

For me, a light beer is the one you can roll down your throat like a glass of water. Think Rolling Rock, for instance, or a Corona.

Growing up, the version for me meant all the usual suspects. In upstate New York, Genesee was king, or Genesee Cream Ale if you wanted a little extra kick. Pabst, Bud, Schaefer, Coors, Miller. They were interchangeable.

I would walk around singing the jingles, because beer companies targeted the sports programs I watched every night.

“Here comes the king, here comes the big number one! Budweiser beer, the king is second to none.”

“Schaefer, is the, one beer to have when you’re having more than one.”

“If you’ve got the time, we’ve got the beer, Miller beer.”

But evolution took place and the beer market changed. Sure, you can still find most of the usual suspects on the shelves, but now they are accompanied by dozens of competitors that boast of honey and fruit and wheat in their beer. Somewhere along the way, we began to chew our beer.

Smooth Hoperator, Baby Got Bock, Moose Drool and Audrey Hopburn were brewed to tempt our curiosity.

To each their own.

I have tried to adapt my taste to accept some of the craft brews because my friends have embraced them and because we have so many cool places in East County to experience them.

First, I should note that it makes sense that the Lakewood Ranch area is a beer haven. Don’t forget that Lakewood Ranch was formed because the Uihlein family wanted a Florida playground in the early 1900s.

The Uihleins owned the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co., which, at one time, was the largest producer of beer in the U.S. That included Schlitz, “the beer that made Milwaukee famous.”

The Lakewood Ranch area has beer in its blood, with more on the way.

On July 28, I checked out Fat Point Brewing, the newest entry into the area’s craft beer market that has taken over the former Burger Fi location at  257 N. Cattlemen Road in UTC.

LJ Govoni, president of Fat Point Brewing Co., was on hand for the grand opening.

“I envisioned this small, intimate setting,” Govoni said. “This gives us a nice mix of industrial sleek. We are still missing a significant portion of our outside furniture because of supply issues, but once it gets nicer out, we will have as much activation as possible with Cattlemen Road.”

Fat Point Brewing originally was established in Punta Gorda in 2012, but its original owner struggled to be successful before the company was bought in 2020 by Govoni’s

Seaboard Craft Beer Holdings, where he is CEO and co-founder.

Seaboard Craft Beer Holdings includes Fat Point, Big Storm Brewery and Distillery, Blood Brothers Bloody Mary Mix and Boston Capital Leasing.

A new location helped in Punta Gorda, but Govoni’s attempts to find a better downtown location didn’t materialize, and then Hurricane Ian hit, so the search for other options began.

“We were talking to Benderson (Development) about Big Storm (for UTC in Sarasota) and then the Burger Fi spot opened,” Govoni said. “UTC is a good place to be a tenant. It’s a destination and it has been so much better to work with a great landlord, which is transparent and honest.”

The new business at UTC has 2,500 square feet inside and an outdoor space about the same size that borders Cattlemen Road and allows its patrons to enjoy a few beers while watching the world go by. The area also is prime for music if Govoni so desires down the road.

Fat Point’s signature beer is Big Boca, and the company has garnered U.S. Open Beer Championship and Best Florida Beer Championship awards for its Bru Man Chu (Belgian Trippel), Ryeght Angle (rye IPA), and Oatmeal Stout.

Govoni calls Fat Point’s menu “coastal-inspired,” with features such as gator bites, smoked fish dip, shrimp po’boy and an umami burger.

While Govoni is committed to reopening a Punta Gorda location, he is not in any hurry to open several more Fat Point locations.

“Fat Point needs time to grow, and we are a small, family business,” he said. “Being (at UTC), with the growth in Sarasota unprecedented, will allow the brand to grow.  Great food and great service also will allow us to grow. We are going to

execute meticulously and slowly.”

Fat Point will brew craft beer on site 93 gallons at a time, about once a week. The menu lists 12 craft beers, some from Big Storm Brewery. “This will be authentically original beer,” Govoni said. “There will be a lot of flavor profiles we will be trying.”

Although Govoni said he is more of a businessman than a brewmaster, he noted, “I could make a great moonshine.”

For now, Govoni is using his Big Storm production team to develop beer for Fat Point at UTC, but he is looking to hire the Sarasota tasting room’s head brewer.

That brewer will use experience and feedback from Fat Point customers to develop the future beers.  Govoni said a soft opening has produced positive feedback.

Among the positive feedback was my own opinion after tasting Fat Point’s Keewaydin Island blonde ale. Finding a craft beer that can satisfy my undeveloped craft beer palate can be troublesome, but Keewaydin gave me the light taste of my past with only a small zip of the world’s craft beer future.

“We are trying to be inclusive of changing tastebuds,” Govoni said. “But the trend is coming back to classic beer styles.” Thank goodness. Pour me a beer, and start working on a jingle.

More apartments headed to Lakewood Ranch

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

A350-unit apartment complex complete with a pet spa and running track is slated for State Road 64.  Plans for the Alton Lakewood apartments feature six different floor layouts ranging from one to three bedrooms. Amenities include a clubhouse with co-working office spaces, a pool, outdoor lounge, oversized fitness center, outdoor running track, dog park and pet spa.

The 28.3-acre property is located on the southeast corner of S.R. 64 East and Lorraine Road. It’s being developed by Kolter Multifamily LLC. Its parent company, The Kolter Group LLC, is a real estate investment and development firm headquartered in Delray Beach. Kolter Multifamily focuses on affordable and market rate housing.

“We’re looking for sites with proximity to employment and shopping,”

Kolter Multifamily Managing Director Jeffrey Kruse said. “Obviously, Lakewood Ranch is an epicenter for both.”  Kruse said construction is expected to begin by December, but it was too soon to discuss rental rates because they typically seek guidance from the property manager and one hasn’t been hired yet.

What is definitive is that the apartment complex is pet friendly, which is not the norm for rentals. The pet spa will be connected to the onsite dog park.

“We want to be able to facilitate you being able to wash and clean your dog and make that an easy process,” Kruse said. “We’re seeing a lot of dog owners in our communities, so we’re trying to be as friendly to that as possible.”

The running track is being built around a large pond on the property. The track will measure a little more than a mile long.

“Collectively, Kolter has sponsored over $24 billion in realized and in-process real estate projects throughout the southeast United States,” Kruse said.

Manatee County developments in the Kolter portfolio include Oakhurst in Bradenton, Sheffield Glen in Parrish and Willow Walk in Palmetto.

WELCOME 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

The Alton Lakewood apartments will feature a dog park and pet spa along with an oversized fitness center and outdoor running track.

Lakewood Ranch High hires new band director

Veteran

For John Wilkerson, it’s all about the little things.

He recalled that during his senior year at Union County High School of Lake Butler, he was stranded on the side of the road, having run out of gas with only had a few dollars in his pockets.

His band director at the time, Dean Cassels, came to his rescue and brought him enough fuel to get to the gas station. Then he paid to fill Wilkerson’s gas tank.

Cassels wasn’t the only one to help him. Wilkerson remembers the ways in which his agriculture teacher, football coach, pastor and other residents of Lake Butler supported him. It was the little things that helped shape him as a person and eventually as an educator.

As the new director of bands at Lakewood Ranch High School, Wilkerson wants to focus on the little things to help his students and pay it forward.

“People don’t understand how the little things in life might have a bearing on a student,” Wilkerson said. “Being a teacher, the little things are getting to know my students, getting to understand my students. What little things can I do to help them? Being able to get to know them to the extent they feel comfortable enough to come and talk. I have an opendoor policy.”

His goal is to teach his students about music while also preparing them for their futures.

“I believe in teaching 90% life and 10% music,” Wilkerson said. “A band program is the combination of all these different personalities, all these different backgrounds. As a director, you have to meld all that

MEET THE DIRECTOR

down into one program. You have to teach students that we’re in it together. For example, it’s getting them to understand you have to get along with this person. You might not agree on everything, but at the end of the day, you’re playing the only universal language around the world — and that’s music.”

Wilkerson’s personal musical journey started in fourth grade when he was a percussionist in the school’s band Trenton, Florida.

“I started as a percussionist for one year, and then they moved me to tuba because I could hold it,” Wilkerson said with a laugh.

He continued with the tuba, ultimately becoming an all-state tuba player twice.

Although he doesn’t perform as much as he did during his school days, Wilkerson said he will still break out a tuba every once in awhile to play for his students or at church.

Throughout his years pursuing his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees and then when he played professionally, Wilkerson found himself in a variety of musical experiences.

The 2023-24 school year is the start of Wilkerson’s 24th year as a music teacher.

In 2021, when he was teaching at George Bush High School in Fort Bend County, Texas, he was honored as a Claes Nobel “Educator of Distinction” from the National Society of High School Scholars. In 2019 and 2020 at Ganado High School of Ganado, Texas, the Ganado Education Foundation awarded him the “Educator of Influence” award.

Wilkerson also has been inducted into the 2010 Inaugural Teal Sound Drum and Bugle Corps Hall of Fame, and in 1996, the Florida Collegiate Music Educators National Confer-

JOHN WILKERSON School: Lakewood Ranch High School

Years in education: 24 Instruments he can play: All brass and percussion Degrees: Bachelor’s in Music Education from Jacksonville University, Master’s degree in Administration and Supervision from the University of Phoenix, Doctoral Educational Specialist degree in Education Leadership from Liberty University and a Doctor of Music Education degree from Liberty University Fun fact: His favorite food his chicken wings, specifically Cajun ranch wings

ence Hall of Fame.

A highlight for him was directing a group that performed as part of the 1996 closing ceremonies of the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta.

“It was amazing marching into the Olympic Stadium and seeing everything,” Wilkerson said. “The marathon was the last event, and as the last Olympian crossed the line, we had the cadets play the Olympic fanfare. Being part of the closing ceremonies and watching how all that went down was a whole different level.”

Whether it was his time marching or leading numerous bugle and drum corps or educating students, he said all his experiences have made him a better teacher.

“You learn from your mistakes. You learn from the good things. It’s a learning process,” he said. “Once you stop learning, you need to get out of education.”

Wilkerson said he lives by a standard he strives to instill in his stu-

dents at Lakewood Ranch High.

“Perfection is the standard and excellence is the goal,” he said. “The foundational work we use is what we base everything on.”

As band camp continued for the Marching Mustangs July 27, Wilkerson said he’s been using the guidance of Abraham Lincoln to teach his students about the importance of building a strong foundation to achieve success throughout the marching season. He uses Lincoln’s quote “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.”

“What that means is if we have a marching competition show that we’re doing, we’re going to spend the bulk of our time working on the foundation and then spend the remaining time actually working on the show because the foundational work already has been laid,” he said. Throughout his time leading other

band programs in Florida and Texas, Wilkerson said he always had his eye on Lakewood Ranch High’s band program.

He remembered teaching in Arkansas in 2015 when his band went to the Chick-fil-A Bowl and performed with Lakewood Ranch High. He was able to rekindle friendships with the then-Lakewood Ranch High Director Ron Lambert and his staff.

“I’ve always had respect for this program because of the high performing quality of the program,” he said of Lakewood Ranch. “I’m looking forward to continuing the high performing quality of the program. The kids, parents and school are really great. They’ve been very welcoming.”

A+E INSIDE:

< THIS WEEK: ‘Clowns Like Me’ returns for a second run from Aug. 3-6. 16

KEEPING THE FARCE : ‘A Comedy of Tenors’ stages an operatic reunion. 15 >

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

If these Kennedy walls could talk

Sarasota native Kate Storey’s ‘White House by the Sea’ chronicles 100 years at the famous family’s summer home.

About 20 years ago, Kate Storey was writing for her high school paper at Riverview High School, encouraged in her dream to be a journalist by her teacher Pat Bliss. When she wasn’t dishing out ice cream at Big Olaf, she liked to hang out with her friends at the beach on Siesta Key.

After graduating from the University of Florida with a journalism degree, scoops of a different kind were top of mind for Storey as a tabloid reporter at the hard-charging New York Post.

A plum assignment from Esquire Magazine about George, the irreverent political magazine founded by John F. Kennedy Jr. in the 1990s, led to longer articles and a shift to magazine journalism. It ultimately gave Storey, now senior features editor at Rolling Stone, the opportunity to write a book about the Kennedy family compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.

“White House by the Sea” was published in June and immediately became a New York Times bestseller. Its arrival has made for a busy summer for Storey, who is juggling her book, her Rolling Stone job and a new baby with the help of her husband, Heath Brown.

It’s not surprising that a woman who has written extensively about celebrities understands the perils of living in the public eye. To protect her son’s privacy, Storey declines to reveal his name and makes sure that family pictures do not show his face.  Storey took time out of her busy schedule to talk with the Observer about how she found something new to say about the legendary American family whose victories and tragedies have inspired mountains of books.

In the fall, she will hold a reading at Bookstore1 in downtown Sarasota.  Because her parents live near Siesta Key, Storey returns to Sarasota regularly. Her son loves the new playground and pavilion area at Siesta Key, she says. Her new favorite hangout downtown is Project Coffee on Pineapple Street, around the corner from Burns Court Cinema.

You wrote a book set in Cape Cod, the ultimate summer destination, that arrived in bookstores just in time for summer. How did you manage that?

From the very first conversations

I had with my publisher, Scribner, we knew this would be a summer book. It’s a book that covers a huge amount of history and a lot of heavy topics, but I tried to write it in a way that it would also be good to read on the beach.

A century is a long period of time to cover in a book. How did you tackle it?

The only way I could tackle it was by having laser focus on Hyannis Port. The book doesn’t go to Washington, D.C. or Boston or Palm Beach or Dallas. I came across a lot of interesting stories from those places, but this is — more than anything else — a story about a place.

How did you go about researching your book?

Part of the challenge of writing about 100 years is you have to research different time periods differently. I spoke to more than 120 people for the book, so a lot of the stories from 1960 through today are anchored in those interviews. But for the earlier time periods, I relied heavily on oral histories, local newspaper archives, property records, letters, national magazine and newspaper archives, memoirs and biographies and local history books.

Was there any reference that you found exceedingly helpful in your research?

I really liked Carole Radziwill’s memoir. David Nasaw’s “The Patriarch” is also a fantastic book about Joe Kennedy. And Laurence Leamer has written great books about the family. The most helpful reference for me was this incredible oral history project Sen. Ted Kennedy asked journalist Dotson Rader to put together shortly before Kennedy’s death.

Kennedy took Rader from room to room in the house — which I used to write the prologue — and Rader interviewed longtime neighbors and staff who have since passed away.

I was lucky enough to be the first researcher to use this project.

Are there any people who worked at the compound for years and that you were able to interview?

Yes, I was lucky enough to talk to nannies, groundskeepers, sailing instructors, personal assistants, drivers, security guards and even the family piano player. Those were some of my favorite interviews — the regular people who had a frontrow view to history. The piano player, for example, remembered playing at the Big House one quiet afternoon when a friendly man came into the house dripping from

the pool. He realized later the man was Archbishop Desmond Tutu!  Did you spend time at the JFK presidential library?

I signed my book contract in March 2020 — just days before the pandemic shut down everything, including the JFK presidential library. Not being able to go to the library was a huge hurdle in writing the book. Luckily, I worked with some incredibly kind, creative and patient archivists there who were going into the library a day or two a week. They would send me scans and audio recordings that I needed.

The Kennedy family compound at Hyannis Port isn’t open to the public. Were you able to spend time there?

Two of the three houses that make up the official Kennedy compound are still owned by members of the family, so I was able to do interviews at two homes on the property and walk around the grounds to see how they’re all connected, which was really helpful. I did interviews at many of the other Kennedy family homes across Hyannis Port, as well. Over the years, family members

have purchased other homes in the

neighborhood. One of the most impressive properties is a house called Brambletyde, which is down the street from the official Kennedy compound. JFK and Jackie rented Brambletyde the summer before his death because it was more private than their home. They both loved the house so much they tried to buy it but the owners wouldn’t sell.

Today, JFK’s nephew owns that home, and I interviewed him there.

Is there a Kennedy who has become the caretaker of sorts of the Kennedy compound?

Ethel Kennedy still lives in the house she lived in with her husband, Robert F. Kennedy, and all of their children. She’s definitely lived in the compound the longest. The Big House is now owned by the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate, which is in the process of deciding how to use it.

So much has been written about the Kennedys. Were you worried that you wouldn’t find anything new?

There has been much written about the family. But I really saw this as a book about a community and a

place as much as a book about the Kennedys. I tried to shift my perspective away from digging for new information about the family, and to think about it as a story about a place that was transformed when the neighbors became one of the most famous families in the world.

Why do you think the Kennedy family has been touched by so much tragedy?

It’s really hard to wrap your head around. Because my book is multigenerational, you really see how tragedies and trauma impact subsequent generations. And because I focused on the place the family most considers home, you really see how these tragedies impacted them when they were able to take down their guard and grieve. For instance, Rose Kennedy, who has a reputation for being so stoic, opened up to her longtime neighbor and her cook about the loss of so many of her children. She told her neighbor that she considered her daughter Rosemary’s lobotomy to be the family’s greatest tragedy.

Is there anything I didn’t ask you that you want to mention? Go Rams and go Gators!

A Clockwork Comedy

The beloved characters of ‘Lend Me a Tenor’ are reunited in ‘A Comedy of Tenors’ — and they take themselves very seriously.

FUGATE CONTRIBUTOR

When it comes to farce, the clockwork of comedy is intricate. In a Ken Ludwig farce, the mechanism is intricate indeed. For hilarity to ensue, it all has to work like, well, clockwork. Director Sean Daniels is directing Ludwig’s “A Comedy of Tenors,” which opens Aug. 2 at Florida Studio Theatre. He loves the material he’s working with. But he has no illusions about its challenges. Some of those challenges are physical.

As Daniels sees it, the on-stage action in a Ludwig farce is part dance, part martial arts movie and part marathon. The actors don’t just stand around and talk.

“‘A Comedy of Tenors’ is particularly athletic and puts serious demands on the human body,” he says. “While every cast member is a true athlete in great shape, early rehearsals were tough — and revealing.” He adds that the actors used rehearsals to figure out and finetune their movements.

“Until we got the timing down right, the actors were constantly running into doors, tossing themselves over couches. They wound up with a lot of scrapes and bruises and went through a lot of bandages and ointments. But they’re tough, and we’re over that part.”

While tough actors heal, props don’t.

“We broke a lot of rented furniture during rehearsals,” he says. “We finally went out and bought our own. It’s cheaper that way.”

What’s the comedy engine driving a Ludwig farce?

According to Daniels, farce or not,

the playwright takes the underlying story seriously.

“To quote the great Mel Brooks, ‘When I cut my finger on a piece of paper, it’s a tragedy. When you walk into an open sewer and die, that’s comedy.’ So comedy’s a tragedy that happens to somebody else. That’s Ludwig’s first comedy commandment. It’s hilarious if you’re sitting in the audience. In the worlds of his plays, nobody’s laughing.”

Daniels notes that Ludwig’s characters are relatable, flesh-and-blood human beings. Their farcical stories (which may be tragedies to them) are grounded in logic. He adds that

isn’t like the crazy, surreal absurdity of Monty Python routine where anything goes,” Daniels says. “They’re more like ‘The Office’ — or Shakespeare, for that matter. His comedies are plot-driven, with a strong sense of storytelling. They’re also character-based. Ludwig’s people don’t know they’re in a comedy. It’s not a farce to them! They take their stories very seriously. It matters to them.”

Daniels adds: “In ‘A Comedy of Tenors,’ the characters’ careers are on life support — and they’re putting on an opera concert that could put them back on top. They don’t want to fail and they don’t want to flop. The stakes are real.” The story matters to Ludwig’s characters. That means it has to matter to the actors playing them. It has to feel real to them. For the FST cast, it does.

“There’s a very touching scene where one of our leads has to cry on stage because he just can’t take it anymore,” says Daniels. “It gets me every time. It’s by far the realest thing we’ve done — and that means we’ve all done our work.”

He adds, “This play is about people desperately trying to make amazing art despite being foiled at every turn. I hope audiences will revel in the lengths we go to in order to put on a great show.”

In Daniels’ view, “A Comedy of Tenors” is a true ensemble piece.

IF YOU GO

‘A COMEDY OF TENORS’

When: Through Aug. 20

Where: Florida Studio Theatre’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St.

Tickets: $25-$39

Visit: FloridaStudioTheatre.org

To bring the farce to life, the actors must leave their egos at the door. They have. The cast is now working together like a well-oiled machine — and loving every minute. Rehearsals are done and everything clicks.

The only major snag?

Ludwig wrote the play for a specific theater — one that had a curtain. It stayed down when the audience took their seats. It went up for a big reveal of the spectacular set when the play began. FST’s stage has no curtain, so Daniels had to think fast.

“We need a fix to distract the audience,” Daniels says. “Who do you call? The playwright, obviously. He’s the ideal fixer. So, we asked Ken Ludwig for help. He could have said no. But he generously wrote a long monologue that did the job.”

Ludwig’s “A Comedy of Tenors” is a sequel to his “Lend Me a Tenor.” Do you need see his first farce to enjoy the followup?

“No,” Daniels says. “Ludwig’s sequel stands on its own. If you’re meeting these characters for the first time, you’ll have a blast. If you fell in love with them in the original, it’ll be like meeting old friends.”

“ ‘A Comedy of Tenors’ is particularly athletic and puts serious demands on the human body. While every cast member is a true athlete in great shape, early rehearsals were tough — and revealing.”

Sean Daniels, director

THURSDAY

SUMMER CIRCUS SPECTACULAR

2 p.m. at Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Road

$15-$20 Visit CircusArts.org.

Master of Ceremonies Heidi Herriott presides over performances by hand balancers, clowns, jugglers and aerial rope artists, to name a few. Runs through Aug. 12.

‘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. Runs through Aug. 13.

‘DIVAS THREE’ 7:30 p.m. at FST’s Court Cabaret, 1265 First St. $18 and up Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Created by Nancy Allen Productions, three female vocalists present four decades of songs made famous by Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston and other women who have won the coveted title of “Diva.” Runs through Sept. 17.

‘A COMEDY OF TENORS’

8 p.m. at FST’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St. $25 and up Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Set in 1930s Paris, “A Comedy of Tenors” is a madcap romp that follows a producer as he tries to keep an Italian superstar from falling prey to temptation and mayhem. Runs through Aug. 20.

‘IT’S A BIRD ... IT’S A PLANE ... IT’S SUPERMAN!’

7 p.m. at The Players Centre, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail $17 Visit ThePlayers.org.

Presented by The Players Studio Teen Musical Theatre Bootcamp, “It’s A Bird … It’s A Plane … It’s Superman” is set in 1960s New York City as Superman battles to stop a crazy scientist bent on destruction. Runs through Aug. 6.

SATURDAY

‘MOUNTAINS OF THE MIND: SCHOLARS’ ROCKS FROM CHINA AND BEYOND’

10 a.m. at John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art 5401 Bay Shore Road Included in $25 admission fee Visit Ringling.org.

The selection of scholars’ rocks and related paintings and prints will be on view in the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Center for Asian Art for the first time at The Ringling. Through June 23, 2024.

YOUR NEIGHBORS

Coast Guard helps young campers show spirit

When enrolling in summer camp, most kids are looking for fun and adventure, not especially lessons in safety.

However, from July 24-28, Nathan Benderson Park campers received a taste of all three. The park partnered with the Spirit of America Foundation to host a weeklong Spirit of America Camp for kids ages 10 to 14.

The boating safety program was called “No Child Left on the Dock” and is partially funded through a grant from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund

administered by the U. S. Coast Guard Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety.

Campers learn in a classroom and on the water how to safely sail, paddle and powerboat.

On July 26, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Auxiliary held a demonstration for campers with a rescue helicopter and a response boat.

Campers met active duty members MK1 Brittany Roscioli and BM3 Alaina Stonestreet, who both serve at the Cortez station. Stonestreet captains the 29-foot response boat, while Roscioli maintains and fixes it as needed. The pair man a 45foot boat as well.

“I’m an engineer, so I work on the engines and anything fuel related, and on our bigger boats, hydraulics,” Roscioli said. Campers learned about the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, too, a volunteer organization that does not require Coast Guard experience.

Division Staff Officer Jonathon Laronge said many members do have military backgrounds, but as long as volunteers are willing to learn, they’re all welcome. They will, however, be held to the same high standards as the ex-military members.

“People don’t know what the auxiliary is. That’s part of the issue that we’re facing,” Flotilla 84 Commander Walter Finkelstein said. “The auxiliary is here to save your life. We put on classes to help people learn how to properly operate their boats. It’s boating classes, navigation, meteorology, all of that is being taught at our flotillas.”

Sweet goodbye to the Mixons

Lakewood Ranch’s Jacqueline Darby made sure to get her final ice cream cone Saturday at Mixon Fruit Farms.

The ice cream has been a must-have snack every time she’s visited the farm. She used to take her family members who were visiting from Michigan to Mixon Fruit Farms on every one of their trips to buy oranges.

“The ice cream is fantastic, the deli is amazing and I love their orange juice,” said Darby, who first visited Mixon Fruit Farms 40 years ago. “I love coming here. It’s always the spot to bring everybody.”

Patrons steadily came through the gift shop, deli and cafe. They played in the Amazing Play Place and took the last two tram tours to enjoy all Mixon Fruit Farms has to offer before the store closed permanently.

Bradenton’s Loretta Lea said she was heartbroken to see Mixon Fruit Farms close. She loves grapefruit and would always go to Mixon Fruit Farms every year for the past 50 years to purchase fruit.

Adulting class addresses teens’ growing concerns

Bradenton’s Daniela Landry Hernandez and her sister, Alexandra, have seen checks before, but they don’t have any experience in writing them.

In less than two minutes, that changed.

The Landry Hernandez sisters, who are 16, learned about the basics of budgeting and finance during Braden River Library’s Adulting 101 session July 20.

From checking and savings accounts to debit and credit cards to how to build a budget, the girls were taking a class on how to be better prepared for adult life.

The Adulting 101 sessions have been geared toward children in middle and high school. Each session has focused on a different topic, such as mental health, nutrition, time management, applying for jobs and basic sewing and clothing care.

Rachel Scharbo, the teen librarian at the Braden River Library, said the library started hosting Adulting 101 sessions last year. The staff found the program to be popular and beneficial enough to offer the sessions again this summer.

Scharbo said anywhere between 10 and 15 teens have been attending each session compared to the five to seven teens who attended last year.

“We’ve wanted to focus on things that probably weren’t going to be covered in school,” Scharbo said. “I hang out with a lot of teens because of my job. They do talk about, ‘Oh, we’re not going to use this stuff in the real world, why can’t (the schools) teach us about taxes or something like that?’”

Throughout the sessions, Scharbo provides resources available to attendees such as apps or websites they can access for more information.

“It’s best even if we just introduce the concept to them so they’re aware of it,” she said.

Alexandra Landry Hernandez said she found the mental health and nutrition sessions most interesting.

TIPS ON ADULTING

For tips or available resources on how to “adult” the best you can, visit Rachel Scharbo, the teen librarian at Braden River Library. Contact her at Rachel. Scharbo@MyManatee.org.

“This generation is most open to anxiety, depression and other things,” Alexandra Landry Hernandez said. “With the rise of social media and kids being aware of the issues now more than ever, it’s definitely causing a lot of stress, anxiety, back pain and depression.”

Alexandra Landry Hernandez said the Adulting 101 sessions were encouraging because they have been learning tips and tricks they can use in the future.

“We’re actually learning something we need in life, which I’m really happy about,” she said. “I usually am very stressed and paranoid about the future. Having these sessions reassures me that I have information available and widely known, and (the future) won’t be scary. Thankfully, there’s people who discuss it at an early age so I won’t be totally unprepared when the time comes to do taxes or make food and understand mental health.”

COMMUNITY

THURSDAY, AUG. 3 AND FRIDAY, AUG. 4

CANOE, KAYAK EVENT

Begins at 8 a.m. each day at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota. The ACA Sprint Canoe National Championships for canoes and kayaks is hosted by Nathan Benderson Park. Hundreds of paddlers from across the U.S. will compete in various age and skill categories, including the paracanoe class. The top paddlers in the country will include future Olympians competing on a nine-lane course. The event is free, but parking costs $10. For more information, go to NathanBendersonPark.org.

THURSDAY, AUG. 3 THROUGH

SUNDAY, AUG. 6

LIVE MUSIC AT JIGGS LANDING

Runs from 5-8 p.m. at Jiggs Landing, 6106 63rd St. E., Bradenton. The live music lineup at Jiggs Landing includes Donnie Bostic (Thursday), The Divebombers (Friday), Bluegrass Pirates (Saturday), and Al Fuller (Sunday). The Friday and Saturday shows have a $5 cover, and the rest are free. For more information, go to JiggsLanding.com.

FRIDAY, AUG. 4

MUSIC ON MAIN

Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch. The Silverback Rock N’ Roll Band will fill the air with songs from the 1950s through the 1980s. The free monthly concert and block party series also includes food vendors, beer trucks and events for the kids. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Bradenton Woman’s Club.

FRIDAY, AUG. 4 AND SATURDAY, AUG. 5

MUSIC AT THE PLAZA

Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1561 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch. Live music plays both nights for those who strolled Waterside Place. The entertainment is free. For more information, go to WatersidePlace.com.

SUNDAY, AUG. 6

FARMERS MARKET

Runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Lakefront Drive in Waterside Place, Lake-

BEST BET

SATURDAY, AUG. 5

BACK TO SCHOOL BASH

Runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Mall at University Town Center, 140 University Town Center Drive, Sarasota. The annual event brings together top resources for families as they prepare children to return to school. Among the resources will be representatives from after-school programs, health care providers, pediatricians, optometrists, and tutors. Also on hand will be Tampa Bay’s favorite sports mascots. More than 250 backpacks and thousands of school supplies will be given away though an interactive scavenger hunt. Parents must preregister online to get a backpack. For more information, go to MallAtUTC.com.

wood Ranch. The Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch will run year-round every Sunday. Vendors will be offering seafood, eggs, meats and dairy products. 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, AUG. 9

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.

Country Club East home tops sales at $2,025,000

Ahome in Country Club East topped all transactions in this week’s real estate. David and Priscilla Crawford, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 15114 Linn Park Terrace to Raymond Grandchamp Jr., trustee, for $2,025,000. Built in 2012, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,393 square feet of living area.

GROSVENOR GARDENS

Le and Elaine Tedesco, of Bradenton, sold their home at 8318 Grosvenor Court to Merrill and Mari Jaffe, of Bradenton, for $1.6 million. Built in 2006, it has four bedrooms, five-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,301 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,155,000 in 2020.

UNIVERSITY PARK

Theodore and Elizabeth Graff, of University Park, sold their home at 7659 Heathfield Court to Alan Port, trustee, of University Park, for $1.45 million. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,245 square feet of living area. It sold for $693,500 in 2018.

COUNTRY CLUB

Thomas Clayton, of Bradenton, sold his home at 7034 Kingsmill Court to Kristy and Michael Doerfler, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1,395,000. Built in 2004, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,306 square feet of living area.

Thomas and Mary Jo Runfola, trustees, of Sarasota, sold the home at 7340 Riviera Cove to Bradley Roberts and Martha Fenton Roberts, trustees, of Gloucester, Massachusetts, for $768,000. Built in 2006, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,400 square feet of living area. It sold for $775,000 in 2022.

James Martire, of Jacksonville, sold his home at 7436 Wexford Court to Patricia Wright, of Lakewood Ranch, for $641,200. Built in 2009, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 2,141 square feet of living area. It sold for $357,900 in 2009.

ESPLANADE

Pamela Clifford, of Bradenton, sold her home at 13118 Palermo Drive to Steven Wagenheim, of Golden Valley, Minnesota, for $1,225,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,850 square feet of living area. It sold for $975,000 in 2021.

Ronald and Joyce Kowal, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 12943 Sorrento Way to Kay Zatine, of Bradenton, for $906,000. Built in 2019, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,917 square feet of living area. It sold for $516,300 in 2019.

Robert and Mary Ann Lasky sold their home at 13207 Torresina Terrace to Marlin Brooks Newell and Michelle Manley Newell, of Lakewood Ranch, for $635,000. Built in 2012, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,672 square feet of living area. It sold for $258,700 in 2012.

COUNTRY CLUB EAST

Tore Lindgren and Sonja Margit Lindgren, of Sweden, sold their home at 14615 Castle Park Terrace to Ronald Roman Kowal and Joyce Marie Kowal, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1.19 million. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,757 square feet of living area. It sold for $578,900 in 2015.

LINKS AT PALM AIRE

Wayne and Kay Siebold, of Hendersonville, North Carolina, sold their home at 7555 Links Court to Yvette Marie Saccucci, trustee, of Ontario,

Canada, for $900,000. Built in 1994, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,981 square feet of living area. It sold for $408,000 in 2003.

RIVERWALK

Robert and Dawn Medwid sold their home at 11002 Bullrush Terrace to Scott Spandet and Stephanie Spandet, trustees, of Bradenton, for $822,000. Built in 2000, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,096 square feet of living area. It sold for $335,000 in 2012.

MALLORY PARK

James and Amanda Mullins sold their home at 11720 Golden Bay Place to Robert Keller and Kayla Chamberlain, of Bradenton, for $700,000 Built in 2017, it has five bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,931 square feet of living area. It sold for $429,200 in 2017.

GREYHAWK LANDING WEST Douglas Strate and Catherine Melanie Strate, of Maryville, Tennessee, sold their home at 1020 Fig Glen to David and Sally Carroll, of Bradenton, for $684,000. Built in 2017, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,371 square feet of living area. It sold for $409,900 in 2017.

WATERLEFE Joseph and Coral Ann Carone, of Bradenton, sold their home at 9618 Discovery Terrace to Charles Ryan Cooke and Mary Elizabeth Cooke, of Bradenton, for $679,900. Built in 2001, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,387 square feet of living area. It sold for $414,000 in 2020.

James Michael Andacht and Christine Anne Andacht, of Bradenton, sold their home at 714 Misty Pond Court to 2461453 Ontario Inc. for $560,000. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,451 square feet of living area. It sold for $318,000 in 2019.

CENTRAL PARK

Greg Georges and Priscilla Brousseau Doiron, of Bradenton, sold their home at 12079 Forest Park Circle to Jeffrey and Jamie Jones, of Bradenton, for $675,000. Built in 2015, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,412 square feet of living area. It sold for $372,500 in 2019.

COACH HOMES AT LAKEWOOD

NATIONAL

Jaymes and Jessica Bernhardt, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their Unit 4822 condominium at 18117 Gawthrop Drive to Brian McGinnis and Kelly Sue Canning, of Bradenton, for $675,000. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,108 square feet of living area. It sold for $380,000 in 2021.

HELLER ESTATES Thomas David Kautzer II and Allison Marie Kautzer, trustees, of Bradenton, sold the home at 511 Gates Creek Road to Benedicto Gutierrez and Hilda Romero, of Bradenton, for $657,000. Built in 2002, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,923 square feet of living area. It sold for $205,000 in 2013.

ARBOR GRANDE Javier Junior Sastoque, of Bradenton, sold his home at 12437 Perennial Place to Eric and Kathleen Payeur, of Bradenton, for $627,500. Built in 2020, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 1,901 square feet of living area. It sold for $407,000 in 2020.

Roger William Copeland and Paula Kay Copeland, of Bradenton, sold their home at 2606 Avolet Court to Kathy Hartman and William Feld, of Bradenton, for $429,000. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,571 square feet of living area. It sold for $275,000 in 2021.

SARACINA AT ESPLANADE

Wendi and Michael Hanson, of Ontario, Canada, sold their Unit 106 condominium at 13515 Messina Loop to Denise Favorule, of Bradenton, for $625,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, two-and-ahalf baths and 2,146 square feet of living area. It sold for $565,000 in 2021.

INDIGO RIDGE AT UNIVERSITY

PLACE

Laizenith Lisa Lima, of Lexington, Kentucky, sold the home at 8151 Indigo Ridge Terrace to Marina Cheng, of Sarasota, for $600,000. Built in 2005, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,869 square feet of living area. It sold for $329,900 in 2018.

DEL TIERRA Matthew Dienna and Denise Elizabeth Dienna, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 15628 Trinity Fall Way to Jaime and Mary Roberts, of Bradenton, for $595,000. Built in 2016, it has four bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,775 square feet of living area. It sold for $328,200 in 2016.

JULY 17-21

Arthur Nasce and Denise Nasce, of Bradenton, sold their home at 15314 Trinity Fall Way to Theresa Gridley, of Bradenton, for $540,000. Built in 2016, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,036 square feet of living area. It sold for $285,000 in 2017.

Pierre-Emmanuel Costa and Jane Costa, of College Station, Texas, sold their home at 224 Lone Dove Lane to Lori Sylvia-Fournier and Scott Fournier, of Bradenton, for $539,900. Built in 2015, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,767 square feet of living area. It sold for $555,000 in 2022.

SEE REAL ESTATE, PAGE 24

Real estate

TAILFEATHER WAY AT TARA Eugene and Carolyn Smith, trustees, sold the home at 6638 Pinefeather Court to Currey Freeman and Gayle Freeman, trustees, of Bradenton, for $590,000. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,329 square feet of living area.

FAIRFAX Kyle and Sharie Rommelfanger, of Madison, Wisconsin, sold their home at 4577 Dover St. Circle E. to Ryan and Stephanie Hardeman, of Bradenton, for $542,000. Built in 1996, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,141 square feet of living area. It sold for $360,000 in 2020.

PALISADES Robin Cummings and Pamela Moshure, trustees, of Lakewood Ranch, sold the home at 13824 Camden Crest Terrace to Brandon Lovejoy and Peggy Lovejoy, of La Crosse, Wisconsin, for $530,000. Built in 2020, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,047 square feet of living area. It sold for $331,800 in 2020.

PINEHURST ESTATES

Joseph Alberti and Norma Jean Kunisch, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 92 condominium at 7436 Eleanor Circle to Robert and Marisa Waag, of Middleburg Heights, Ohio, for $529,000. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,737 square feet of living area. It sold for $520,000 in 2022.

OLD GROVE AT GREENFIELD PLANTATION Kimberly Anne Jackson sold her home at 10493 Old Grove Circle to Wieslaw and Dorota Stasik, of Bradenton, for $515,000. Built in 1999, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,705 square feet of living area. It sold for $239,900 in 2002.

SUMMERFIELD Lynn Janning, of Lakewood Ranch, sold her home at 11215 Pine Lilly

August 23, 2023 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Place to New Life Property Solutions Ltd. for $515,000. Built in 1995, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,467 square feet of living area. It sold for $195,000 in 1997.

SYLVAN WOODS

Randall John Schwartz and Serena Schwartz, of Ruskin, sold their home at 8419 Sylvan Woods Drive to Eugenia Tellez, of Sarasota, for $470,000. Built in 1987, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,088 square feet of living area. It sold for $235,000 in 2008.

ROSEWOOD AT THE GARDENS

Karen Quaretti-Lee sold the home at 5507 83rd Terrace E. to Norman VanDonselaar, of Sarasota, for $450,000. Built in 1990, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,682 square feet of living area. It sold for $254,000 in 2019.

STONEYBROOK AT HERITAGE

HARBOUR

Cary Gran, trustee, of Canal Fulton, Ohio, sold the home at 268 Fairway Isles Lane to Jessie Gregory, trustee, of Bradenton, for $435,000. Built in 2004, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,870 square feet of living area. It sold for $338,000 in 2005.

WATER OAK

THR Florida LP sold the home at 6755 63rd Terrace E. to Joshua and Erin Fleming, of Bradenton, for $412,900. Built in 2002, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,990 square feet of living area. It sold for $208,000 in 2013.

TERRACE AT LAKEWOOD

NATIONAL Catherine Jean Vieira, of Lakewood Ranch, sold the Unit 1615 condominium at 18028 Gawthrop Drive to Abhishek Vadalia, of Warrington, Pennsylvania, for $380,000. Built in 2022, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,121 square feet of living area. It sold for $295,000 in 2022.

2023 SUMMER LUNCH & LEARN SERIES

Michael’s On East, Sarasota

Only $39 for Lecture & Includes Luncheon!

To RSVP: Call AJC at 941.365.4955 or Online at: AJC.org/Sarasota/summer2023

International Expert Belle Yoeli, Speaking in Sarasota! This is Not To Be Missed!!

Belle Yoeli

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Or

Fast Break

University

years

Florid State University.

Former Lakewood Ranch

High boys track and field athlete James Rivera announced July 29 that he is transferring to the University of Tennessee from Florida State University. Rivera spent four years with the Seminoles and will be a graduate student at Tennessee with one year of eligibility. Rivera was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference First Team in the 400-meter hurdles in 2022 and 2023, among other accomplishments.

… Lakewood Ranch High rising junior boys golfer Parker Severs (71-73-68—212) finished second in the Boys 16-18 division of the 2023 Florida State Golf Association Boys Junior Championship held July 6-8 at Mayacoo Lakes Country Club and PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach. Severs finished six strokes behind winner Colton Swartz of Fleming Island.

… For the month of August, UMR Sports is offering a month-to-month pickleball membership with no initiation fee (normally $50) or cancellation fee (normally $70). A membership is $70 per month. For more information on memberships or to register, email UMRSports@gmail.com or visit UMRSports.com.

… Former Braden River

High baseball pitcher Jordan Guerrero was released by the San Diego Padres organization on July 27. Guerrero, who was drafted by the organization in 2015, held a 16-13 record, 15 saves and a 3.10 ERA in his minor league career, reaching the AAA level in 2021.

Janice Steger sank a hole-in-one July 27 on the No. 15 hole at Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club’s King’s Dunes course. Steger used a 7-wood on the 123-yard hole.

Jean Arnold (25) won the Nine Hole Ladies Golf Association “Tee to Green” event (individual low net scoring) held July 27 at University Park Country Club.

MILE HIGH MEMORIES

The Lakewood Ranch Chargers U16 boys team traveled to Denver for the NPL Finals, held July 6-12, where it finished 1-1-1.

Head coach Daniel Anderson took his Lakewood Ranch Chargers U16 boys soccer team on a hike at Red Rocks in Morrison, Colorado.

It was just him and the team, no other parents or coaches.

The team was in the area for the 2023 National Premier Leagues Finals, held July 6-12 in Denver, and before the action began, Anderson wanted his team to get focused.

The hike, surrounded by Red Rocks’ picturesque setting, was a perfect opportunity to do that.

Before the action of the NPL Finals began, the players immersed themselves in nature, clearing their minds and getting ready for the tough work ahead.

“I’ve traveled the globe extensively, but some of the boys had never even been outside of Florida before,” Anderson said. “To see the look in their eyes when they saw snow, or these high mountains, it was awesome. It was a beautiful experience for all of them.”

Anderson said the Chargers were as ready as they could be, but they were eliminated in the first round of the finals after going 1-1-1 in group play against teams from Colorado, Texas and California.

To the team, the results of the finals mattered less than getting there in the first place. The Chargers qualified for the event by winning its Florida Club League division. The team went 14-1-1 in league play and beat Tampa club Florida Celtic, which Anderson called the team’s “nemesis,” 1-0 to clinch the league title.

“At the beginning of the trip, we all made sure to recognize how proud we were for getting where we did,” center midfielder Oliver Murray said. “We got to Colorado

because we deserved it. That’s still an accomplishment that we can talk about forever.”

Murray said the altitude change in Denver affected the team, especially early in the tournament. Once you started to run, Murray said, it became difficult to breathe, and it took awhile for the players’ bodies to adjust. But Murray would not use the change as an excuse for the Chargers’ early exit. The team just didn’t play well enough, he said. But it’s not going to be the games he remembers from the trip. It will be things like zip-lining or white-water rafting with his teammates.  “We bonded more than ever,” Murray said.

Mark Yencik, a defensive midfielder, said he could tell from the 2023 season’s beginning that this year would be different. It was the

WHAT IS THE NPL?

The NPL, or National Premier Leagues, is an organization in its 11th season that collaborates with regional youth soccer leagues across the country and brings together the U13-U19 winners of those leagues in a playoff-style event, the NPL Finals. The NPL, which is affiliated with U.S. Club Soccer, provides regional leagues with support and a set of best practices that ensures players across the country get the same great experience.

The Lakewood Ranch Chargers qualified for the NPL Finals by winning its division of the Florida Club League.

team’s passing that had improved. It was crisp in a way it had not previously been, and the team was communicating better on the field. When combined, those things helped the team create more possession time, which is vital in soccer — the other team can’t score if it doesn’t have the ball, after all.

Anderson, who has coached the group for four years, said he was able to have the team play in a 3-4-3 formation, which is unusual for this level of soccer. Typically, teams want to keep more than three defenders back, but the Chargers had fast players on the wing and solid, responsible midfielders like Murray and Yencik, who served as co-captains.

That combination of speed and smarts allowed the Chargers to take more risks going forward with the ball, Anderson said. It’s something professional teams are beginning to do more, and it worked like a charm for the Chargers. In 37 games played between the NPL season and other tournaments, the team held its opponent scoreless in 23 of them, a mark that thrilled Anderson.

That defensive prowess is what allowed the Chargers to overcome Florida Celtic and clinch its league title after years of coming up short. Yencik said the feeling of finally winning that matchup was unlike anything else.

“Everyone was ecstatic,” Yencik said. “We all came together. It was an ‘I can’t explain it with words’ experience. We just felt it.”

Yencik said the biggest lesson he will take from the NPL Finals, and the season as a whole, is that his team was never out of a game. No matter the score, he said, the Chargers believed they could win.

Youth soccer rosters change every season, and it will be no different for the Chargers as the players move from U16 to U17. Murray said he believes four to five players will be leaving the team for various reasons, with the same number of players joining from other teams. But the core will remain together, which means the Chargers will likely have another chance to reach the Finals at U17 in 2024.

Courtesy photos

While in Colorado for the NPL Finals, the Lakewood Ranch Chargers U16 boys team went on hikes near Red Rocks.

“Put in the work and you will see the results.” — Braden River High’s Brunno Reus SEE PAGE 27

PROSE AND KOHN RYAN KOHN

These seniors tackle challenge of leading teams

With July 31 the start of official Florida High School Athletic Association fall sports practices, it is time to turn our collective attention to football.

High school football returns, and with it comes a look at 10 seniors to watch during the 2023 season. It’s a different kind of year for East County programs as underclassmen have a large share of the returning production. Still, these 10 players are worth following, both for what they did in 2022 and what they hold the potential to do this fall with another year of experience.

CODY KAWCAK, BRADEN RIVER TIGHT END

One of the area’s breakout candidates in 2023, Kawcak was a modest piece of Braden River High’s passing attack in 2022, finishing with 211 receiving yards (second-most on the team) and four touchdowns at tight end. But he also is a strong blocker on the edges, and Pirates head coach Curt Bradley called Kawcak one of the team’s hardest workers during spring practice. He also showed explosive ability when given the opportunity.

Against Booker High in 2022, Kawcak had three catches, and all three went for touchdowns, totaling 107 yards.

With 2022’s leading receiver, Craivontae Koonce (424 yards), now graduated, Kawcak has a chance to put up big numbers in offensive coordinator Eric Sanders’ scheme.

LEVI FREED, LAKEWOOD RANCH LINEBACKER

The Mustangs’ leading tackler (82) from 2022 returns for what should be a huge senior season. Freed, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound linebacker, isn’t the biggest player, but uses his instincts and physicality to make things tough on opposing ballcarriers. But he’s more than a guy who cleans up the play once the ball gets past the line of scrimmage as

he can start plays, too. Freed had 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception as a junior. On what should be a young defense in 2023, Freed has vital experience.

CHARLIE TACK, ODA LINEBACKER

Tack, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker, has been a consistent contributor on ODA’s defense since he was a freshman. His junior season was his best yet as Tack racked up 62 tackles (7.5 tackles for loss), five sacks and two forced fumbles. He also got in some work as a fullback, opening holes for ODA’s electric running backs. Tack has also been praised for his leadership under multiple ODA coaches, including current head coach Rob Hollway.

DALIN KOSCIELSKI, LAKEWOOD RANCH CORNERBACK

If Freed is the leader of Lakewood Ranch’s front seven, Koscielski

would be a leader in the defensive backfield. Koscielski is not the biggest player on the field (5-foot-9, 145 pounds) but he makes plays. In 2022, he finished with 25 tackles (1.5 tackles for loss), plus five interceptions, for passes defensed and a fumble recovery.

BRANDON BEASLEY,

ODA LINEBACKER

Alongside teammate Tack, Beasley gives the ODA linebacker corps a dependable duo. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Beasley had 48 tackles in 2022, second-most on the team, along with six tackles for loss, a sack, an interception, two passes defensed, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

CONNER COFFARO, BRADEN RIVER OFFENSIVE LINEMAN Coffaro, an offensive tackle, is a physical blocker who should open

plenty of holes for running backs in 2023. Coffaro is 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, and his highlight tape shows a lineman who always plays to the whistle (and sometimes past it) and is happy to flatten an opposing defensive lineman as opposed to just holding him up.

No matter who wins the respective jobs in preseason camp, Braden River will have a new starting quarterback and a new starting running back in 2023, as quarterback Nick Trier transferred to Lakewood High (Saint Petersburg) and running back Trayvon Pinder transferred to Manatee High. It will be up to players like Coffaro to make sure the new starters are given opportunities to succeed.

JACK MEYERS, ODA RUNNING BACK/SAFETY

After a senior-heavy offense helped drive The Out-of-Door Academy to a 9-1 record in 2022, the Thunder will have to find plenty of new pieces to use in 2023 — one exception being Meyers, who did a bit of everything for ODA last season. In 2022, Meyers had 18 carries for 153 yards and three touchdowns, both out of the backfield and under center when filling in for starter Jack Hobson. Meyers also had 31 tackles (two tackles for loss) and an interception on the ODA defense playing strong safety.

CONNOR ANTHONY, LAKEWOOD RANCH WIDE

RECEIVER

At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, according to MaxPreps, Anthony has one of the biggest frames in the area, a good tool for a wide receiver/ tight end to have. He used it well last season — his second at the varsity level — catching 17 passes for 260 yards, though he did not score a touchdown.  That will likely change in 2023, as the team’s three leading receivers from 2022 are gone. The opportunity for Anthony to break out is there.

ISAAC HEAVEN,

Heaven is a unique entry on this list as he did not play football in 2022, only basketball. His natural athleticism, however, makes him an intriguing weapon to add to Curt Bradley and Eric Sanders’ arsenal at Braden River.

Heaven, who is 6-foot-3, 183 pounds, has a basketball highlight reel full of dunks and quick-twitch steals. He averaged 10.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game for the Pirates in 2022-2023. He will play wide receiver and defensive back for the football team, where his athleticism could translate well if he learns position-specific skills like route running, backpedaling and how to read a quarterback’s eyes.

For a special teams player to make a top-10 list, that player has to be a proven weapon. Mika Levy is that for the Thunder. Levy, a kicker and punter, has a leg capable of hitting 50-yard-plus field goals and pinning opposing teams with bad field position on punts. He’s been training with former NFL kicker Steve Christie this offseason to make the most of his potential. Levy is also a smart player, as Hollway said he is talking to Ivy League schools about spots on their rosters. In close games, Levy can give the Thunder a leg up.

Brunno Reus

Brunno Reus is a rising junior kicker on the Braden River High football team. Reus earned a full scholarship offer from the NCAA Division I University of Louisiana-Monroe on July 25. As a sophomore in 2022, Reus had a touchback percentage of 67% on kickoffs and made eight of his nine field goal attempts.

When did you start playing football?

I only started during my freshman year of high school. I grew up playing soccer, and one day I was kicking a football barefoot during gym class when my coach (Pirates assistant coach Amanda Porco) saw me and asked if I wanted to come to practice. I went and I liked it. By the end of the season, I was the starting varsity kicker.

What makes you a successful kicker?

I naturally have a strong leg. That power helps me on both kickoffs and field goals.

What has been your focus this offseason?

Getting more consistency. I want to kick the ball as well as I can each time. I have been practicing more from the hashes instead of from the middle of the field to make things harder.

What is your favorite football memory?

My first-ever football game was for the junior varsity team. My first kickoff went for a touchback. I was so new to football that I didn’t even realize what I had done.

I’ll never forget that.

How did receiving the ULM offer feel?

It was out-of-this-world awesome. Going back three years ago, I never thought something like this could happen. I changed sports and now I can be a DI athlete at it.

What is your favorite food?

I love going to Chipotle. I get white

If you would like to make a recommendation for the East County Observer’s Athlete of the Week feature, send it to Ryan Kohn at RKohn@ YourObserver.com.

rice, black beans, steak, queso and lettuce.

What are your goals for the 2023 season?

I want to kick all of my kickoffs for touchbacks. I want them to go 65 yards at least, no matter if there’s wind or rain. That’s a big goal. I want to be perfect.

What are your hobbies?

I like playing video games. I usually just play Fortnite. I’m stuck in the old days I guess.

Which superpower would you want?

I would want a power that lets me do everything with perfect consistency, no matter what I’m doing. It would be great as a kicker.

What is the best advice you have received?

Put in the work and you will see the results. I was a scrawny kid when I started playing football. My coaches helped me add muscle, and now the ball flies way farther when I kick it. But I had to work for it.

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Worlds” weapon

65 Selena of “Only Murders in the Building”

66 Swashbuckler Flynn

68 Sidekick’s address

69 *Complimentary mealtime gesture

70 Flies alone

71 Marked, as a ballot

73 Some suit fabrics

75 Adorable toddler

77 Girl Scout cookie that’s also the name of an island country

80 “Over Vitebsk” painter Chagall

82 *What X can represent, in a love letter (see 67-Across, 90-Across, 38-Down and 69-Down)

85 Non-silence of the lamb?

87 ___ for tat