EAST COUNTY
Observer
Polo in the cold still a hit
Lakewood Ranch’s weekly newspaper since 1998
PAGE 1B
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
FREE • THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2024
VOLUME 25, NO. 30
Lease termination costs county $375,000
YOUR TOWN
Liz Ramos
On a high note
Between Sarasota Youth Orchestra rehearsals, private lessons and personal practice time, Lakewood Ranch High School senior Vanessa Foster (above) plays her violin a minimum of four hours per week. Her hard work, dedication to the instrument and passion for music has earned Foster the recognition of Arts4All Florida’s January 2024 Student of the Month. The Arts4All Florida Student of the Month Program recognizes the impact arts have on students with special needs. Foster said the recognition was much appreciated. She said she loves playing violin because it allows her to express herself in a different way.
TIE ONE ON
But amount is far less than $2.96 million sought by nonprofit. LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
T
he road through Rye Preserve dead ends into a 62-acre campus at 751 Rye Wilderness Trail,
where the Florida Sheriffs Youth
Lakewood Ranch author becomes an expert on the evolution of tie bars. SEE PAGE 8A
Ranches operated summer camps and a residential program for foster children and at-risk youths for more than three decades. The compound, however, has sat empty since February 2022, when FSYR surrendered the property back to Manatee County after the county terminated its 98-year license agreement. SEE LEASE, PAGE 3A
Jay Heater
Joseph Harb has collected 3,760 tie bars.
A decade of ballet creation. INSIDE
Courtesy image
Making a difference in Lakewood Ranch The Lakewood Ranch Women’s Club donated $62,600 to four local charities on Jan. 11: Hope Family Services, Children’s Guardian Fund, Solve Maternity Homes, and Sarasota Manatee Association of Riding Therapy. The women also received an award on the same day. The club was recognized by the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation and Lakewood Ranch Community Activities with the “Making a Difference Award.” “To date, LWRWC has donated well over $500,000 to their adopted charities,” Publicity Chair Monika Templeman said in a press release, “The Blankets 4 Babies Committee donated over 600 handmade blankets and quilts to charity.” President Linda Stone, Philanthropy Co-chair Eileen Buzzard and member Jane Husser (pictured above) accepted the award on behalf of the club.
A+E
Hospitality on tap A new Ed’s Tavern is ready to serve in Lakewood Ranch. SEE PAGE 2A
Jay Heater
One of co-owner Bob Bender’s favorite spots in the restaurant is under the wooden flag in the new Ed’s Tavern.