Longboat Observer 3.30.23

File photo

Guerrilla group revels in red tide

While red tide is considered a problem by most residents, a guerrilla group calling themselves Let Them Eat Fish considers tourism to be a bigger issue.

After Manatee County raked all 10 miles of Longboat Key’s beachfront on March 8, residents woke up to more dead fish 10 days later, but it wasn’t a resurgence of red tide.

While revelers were out listening to bagpipes and drinking green beer to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, a group of grumpy leprechauns hauled pots o’ fish kill to the beach to scare away tourists.

Piles of stinky fish and a sign that said “Go home” were found in front of the St. Regis construction site. Police are seeking suspects. If you have any information, call 366-3468.

Setting the stage

Metal Shark Music Festival expected to bring 10,000 to the Town Center Green next month. PAGE 3

Harmer helps Public Works employees clean up dead fish.

St. Armands eyes a new centerpiece

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

England has the Eye of London. Central Florida has the Orlando Eye.

Not to be outdone, Sarasota will soon have the Eye of Ringling, a 400-foot-high observation Ferris wheel destined for the park at St. Armands Circle. The wheel will complete John Ringling’s vision, its proponents say, of making the circle the focal point of the Gulf Coast of Florida.

“Residents of St. Armands, Lido and Longboat keys have not historically been receptive to activating Circle Park for commercial uses like a for-profit carousel or holiday festival, but who could not like a giant Ferris wheel that you can see from 10 miles away?” said Bailey Barnum of Three Ring Enterprises, promoter

of the project. “It will be a beacon of light, literally, up and down the Gulf Coast.”

Similar to the Orlando Eye, Eye of Ringling will seat 480 passengers in 30 gondolas that will complete a rotation in 22 minutes. It will be owned by the city, the $90 million price tag funded in part by a new tax increment financing district along Lido Beach and parking revenues from a 12-story addition to the city parking structure at North Adams Drive at Madison Drive.

“At a passenger capacity of more than 1,300 per hour, we’re going to need somewhere for all of those visitors to park,” said Barnum. “It’s a classic Hegelian dialectic. We create the need for parking, then create the parking, then profit from both. It’s a win-win for everybody.”

Proponents of the project say residents of Longboat and Lido keys

need not be concerned about traffic peaks disrupting their trips through St. Armands, across the Ringling Bridge and into downtown Sarasota.

“At 1,300 passengers per hour, it’s just going to stay busy all the time,” Barnum said. “Just think about the revenue potential. The city could even put toll booths on the Ringling Bridge and charge people to come and go.”

Preliminary design sketches currently working their way through the city show the wheel positioned in the center of the circle park facing west toward the beach and east toward downtown. An A-frame support structure will anchor the wheel just inside the park space.

Barnum shrugged off concerns of businesses around the circle may have about the ability of the infrastructure to handle the volume of visitors the Eye of Ringling will bring.

“Well I guess the city is finally going to have to build some public restrooms out here,” he said, “so that’s a plus.”

A sophisticated LED lighting system will allow operators to program an unlimited variety of light shows on the wheel that will be visible at night for miles.

“From this wheel riders will be able to see as far away as University Town Center,” Barnum said. “More importantly, you’ll be able to see the wheel from there. They may have stolen the aquarium, but let’s see Benderson top this!”

Traffic estimates by the Florida Department of Transportation have indicated that the new roundabout at U.S. 41 at Gulfstream Avenue will not support the capacity needed for the additional traffic the Eye of Ringling will generate, estimated at 5,000 more vehicle trips per day. Plans are underway to add two more lanes to the traffic circle, a project expected to take 18 months to complete.

To gather public input on the plan, the developer has set up a hotline at (941) 366-3468.

For those expressing outrage about the project, Barnum offered some words of wisdom. “You know what they say,” he said. “There’s a sucker born every minute.”

Metal Shark Music Festival sinks its teeth into Longboat Key

Like it or not, get ready for the biggest rock music block party Longboat Key has ever seen. Despite objections from town commissioners, Sarasota County issued a last-minute special events permit for the first Metal Shark Festival to take place at the Town Center Green.

The headliner is none other than AC/DC. Lead singer Brian Johnson is Bird Key’s most famous resident. The all-day music festival is scheduled for Earth Day, April 22. All proceeds will benefit Clean Up Sarasota Bay.

Johnson hasn’t toured with AC/DC since 2016, when hearing issues caused him to leave the Rock or Bust tour early. New hearing technology by ADEL enabled him to tour in 2020, but COVID-19 canceled the band’s Power Up tour.

In early September, the Foo Fighters invited Johnson and Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich to play for a crowd of 90,000 at Wembley Stadium in London for the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert. A conversation backstage between two old friends led to a star-studded fundraiser of epic proportions, and Sarasota County is ready to roll out the red carpet.

“We are lucky enough to have a resident rock star, so we’re going to

use that star power to do some good and clean up Sarasota Bay. It’s a huge opportunity for local businesses and especially for our marine life,” Sarasota County Special Events Coordinator Barb Partee said. “I understand why Longboat residents are hesitant, but we’re taking every measure to ensure this is a safe, orderly, fun event for all ages to attend year after year.”

The festival will feature four bands: AC/DC, Metallica, Pantera and Five Finger Death Punch. It’s a hard-core lineup that doesn’t quite fit the Town Center Green, but Partee insists it’s the perfect location considering the cause.

All 10 miles of Longboat Key are bayfront. Clean Up Sarasota Bay’s mission is to stop harmful runoff and restore the seagrass. If all goes as planned, the Metal Shark Festival will be an annual fundraiser. While no one argued against the cause, discussions at Monday’s commission meeting grew heated.

After hearing the presentation, Longboat Key commissioners and residents questioned how the county plans to accommodate 10,000 concertgoers. Parking and restrooms were at the top of a long list of concerns about an event of this magnitude. County officials insisted they have the plans and staff in place to ensure the festival runs smoothly.

Prior events have already proven that parking at regular capacity is an issue, so the county is providing

extra police and fire department staff for safety and crowd control. Officers will also help direct traffic.

Parking will be allowed along Gulf of Mexico Drive and any public side street from 11 a.m. through 11 p.m. As a result, the bike paths on both sides of GMD and the recreation trail will be closed to all cycling and nonconcert pedestrian traffic. Ticket holders will be issued lanyards for easy identification, and the Bay Runner trolleys will be shuttling guests to and from the Town Center.

One angry resident, Yoakam Nimby, asked, “Where do you propose 10,000 people go to the bathroom? They’ll be urinating all over Bay Isles Road!”

The county has a plan for that, too. Because the public tennis courts are within the Bay Isles block, portable toilets will be placed inside the caged courts along the perimeter to keep the bathroom traffic contained.

The Town Center itself is clearly too small to host 10,000 people. Even with additional bleacher seating, the space maxes out at 2,500 seats, so that area will be cordoned off for the performers and preferred seating.

And here’s a first for Longboat entertainment — the event map shows a small circle within the section of floor seating that reads, “mosh pit.” Merriam-Webster defines a mosh pit as “an area in front of a stage where very physical and rough dancing takes place.”

The rest of the block, from the Town Center to Town Hall, will be general admission. Food, drink and

merchandise vendors will line both sides of Bay Isles Road, and the bands will be playing live on 10 big screens throughout the area.

With more concertgoers than Longboat has year-round residents taking over the island for a day of partying, the inevitable mess left behind is another major issue.

“You won’t even know it was there by Monday,” Partee said confidently.

All noise ordinances are suspended for the weekend.

The county is sending in a fleet of garbage trucks to run from midnight to 6 a.m. on Saturday to remove all the trash by morning, even resident trash. If your normal pickup is between Wednesday and Friday that week, you have from 9 p.m. to midnight to put your cans on the curb Saturday evening. Normal garbage pickup resumes Monday.

Like the garbage trucks, the stage crew and vendors have until 6 a.m. to clean up, too. The bleachers will be broken down and trucked out on Sunday. By Monday morning, any lingering concertgoers or vehicles will receive citations, and life on Longboat will be back to normal.

General admission prices start at $75, but there are add-ons for unlimited food and drink wristbands, preferred parking and an after-party. The after-party is a once in a lifetime opportunity to mingle with rock stars. Admission is $5,000 per person. Tickets are on sale through March 31 by calling (941) 366-3468.

SEE CONCERT PAGE 4

Circle back

Sarasota city officials have added a wrinkle to the four new roundabouts that run along U.S. 41 from 10th street through Gulfstream Avenue: reverse directions on odd-numbered days of the month.

The plan, says the city’s director of traffic congestion, Robinson W. Patrick, is rather simple. On even days drivers in traffic circles will do as they’ve been doing. That means drivers entering the circle will, per normal, yield to traffic and then proceed in a counterclockwise direction, said Patrick, also the city’s vice president of first impressions.

But, starting April 9, every odd day in every month motorists will change that up. They will drive clockwise, while, of course, Patrick said, still yielding to traffic. The program starts April 9 — not the first day of the month, April 1 — because the city wants to give drivers, who, for the most part, are very accommodating and appreciative of changing traffic patterns, time to adjust to the changes. “Sarasota residents, tourists and snowbirds are wonderful humans, every last one of them,” Patrick said, “and they will handle this change with the grace, space and happy faces they always do.”

City officials learned about the

The program starts April 9 — not the first day of the month, April 1 — because the city wants to give drivers, who, for the most part, are very accommodating and appreciative of changing traffic patterns, time to adjust to the changes.

benefits of an even-odd day roundabout switch at a conference they attended in April 2020 in Dunfermline, Scotland on traffic patterns. (Dunfermline and Sarasota have been sister cities since 2002, and what works in Dunfermline, Patrick said, usually makes its way to Sarasota and vice versa.)

Those benefits, officials said, include better AM radio reception when going the opposite way; smoother winds for dogs sticking their heads out the window; and less sun in drivers’ eyes between 4 p.m. and 4:13 p.m. “I haven’t been this excited about a change in traffic patterns since I started working for the city, in 1983,” said Patrick. “We at the city are a bit nervous about changing things up, because change is hard. But my team and I will be standing by the phones, ready to engage with any citizen who doesn’t like the evenodd day switcheroo.” For assistance, call (941) 366-3468.

official calls a ‘switcheroo,’ drivers in traffic circles across the city — already a happy-go-lucky bunch — will have a new direction to contend with.

A brand-new heavy metal music festival featuring ‘hard-core lineup’ is slated to arrive on Longboat Key next month.

GOTCHA!

Coming soon: More beach parking

to those found in major airports, in order to further improve accessibility for off-island tourists interested in more leisurely walking trails. Typically, beach parking is hard to come by on Longboat Key unless you live on the island or are staying at a vacation home.

Gulf of Mexico Drive is slated to look much different than residents have become accustomed to, and it’s all to ensure the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists and to attract more tourists.

The new road design will mimic that of Ringling Boulevard in Sarasota, with parking spots acting as buffers between the bicycle lane and moving vehicles.

The new plans will replace previous plans for a multiuse trail along the east side of Gulf of Mexico Drive.

“This extra protection is going to mean a lot to those of us that bike along Gulf of Mexico Drive regularly,” resident Daisy Spins said. “No one drives the speed limit, and I’m often in fear of getting flattened.”

Spins is among the dozens who use the bike lanes along the main road through the island as a source of exercise.

“I am surely not going to try pickleball,” she said. “There is nowhere to park (at Bayfront Park), and biking is more of an independent activity, which I prefer.”

Although such a change is seen to benefit groups that are most vulnerable on GMD, as with any issue, there are quite a few people upset about the choice.

“The town isn’t thinking about everyday drivers on this road and their safety,” resident Bob Fields said. “Not only is this going to be an unsightly addition, but if cyclists don’t fear for their lives, more people will come to the island. And no one wants that.”

The addition of parking spots beside the bike lane for the entire 10-mile stretch of the barrier island will widen the road about 12 feet and create the need for a new sidewalk. Plans for the new sidewalk include sections of moving walkways, similar

“It might increase the amount of people that come out to these beautiful beaches,” said tourist Sandy Shores. “But even if visitation reaches the point of Siesta Key or Coquina Beach, I’m looking forward to having an easier time finding parking for the beach or anything else that brings me to the island.”

The town views the design change as a way to increase annual tourism revenue, which could be put back into maintaining the beaches.

“The town is trying to turn away from the image of being anti-tourist,” town public information officer Ashley Info said. “These additional parking spaces will not only draw visitors to our beaches but will also protect residents who enjoy spending their time walking and biking along Gulf of Mexico Drive.”

Design is still in the early stages, but the expectation is the project will exceed the cost of the 12-foot multiuse trail previously planned for the state road.

Resident Seymour Miles, who presented the idea to town staff, has pledged to pay at least half of the cost of construction if the plans are approved. Such a project is likely to cost around $100 million, including materials, labor, equipment and lobster-roll lunches for work crews, according to Roadbotics.

No timeline has been provided for when work will start or be completed. It first will have to go before the commission several times for various approvals.

No timeline has been provided for when work will start or be completed.

Happy April Fools’ Day from the Longboat Observer! The stories on pages 1 through 4 are not real news. Hope you’re as relieved as we are!

Town armed with actions to combat sea-level rise

Eggs for Ukraine

Longboat Key resident Roksolana Tymiak-Lonchyna hand paints pysanky and has put them on display at Design2000 and Driftwood Beach Home and Garden.

Pysanky are decorated eggs that are said to symbolize nature’s rebirth in the spring. They are Ukraine’s version of Easter eggs.

Customers of either shop or interested residents can purchase the hand-painted eggs with a $50 donation. Only a dozen are made available at one time.

All proceeds go toward Revived Soldiers Ukraine, which provides aid to the people of Ukraine and medical rehabilitation for Ukrainian soldiers.

A workshop was held at Tymiak-Lonchyna’s residence, where residents got an opportunity to try their hand at painting their own pysanky.

April showers

Longboat Key with political speakers

Republican or Democrat, Longboat Key has a club to join and speakers you don’t want to miss. On April 4, Rick Wilson will be speaking at the Democratic Club’s monthly meeting at the Sarasota Yacht Club. Wilson is a co-founder of the anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project.

The following week, the Republican Club of Longboat Key is hosting Ronna Romney. The dinner meeting is April 11 at the Longboat Key Club. In addition to a famous last name, the Longboat resident boasts an impressive resume.

President Reagan appointed Romney commissioner of the advisory council on adult education, which she served for three years. Two more presidential appointments followed. In 2019, WomenInc. Magazine named her one of the most influential corporate board directors.

Decades of research

Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium scientists have been collecting daily water samples for over 50 years regardless of the presence of red tide.

LAUREN TRONSTAD STAFF WRITER

Even as red tide effects subside, Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium researchers continue to take daily samples of local waters to ensure regular data is kept on the organism Karenia brevis’ presence and effects on human and marine life.

Red tide can mean death for some marine animals. It can also cause respiratory impacts for people spending time by the water and neurotoxic shellfish poisoning in humans when ingested.

Water sampling is part of Mote’s cooperative red tide program with the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

“(The sampling) goes back many years, decades of partnership with state and local governments,” Vice President of Mote’s Sponsored Research and Coastal Policy Programs Kevin Claridge said.

Samples collected from partners at Sarasota County are gathered weekly and look specifically for particular cells and toxins. Other samples are collected on a quarterly basis and focus on conditions of local estuaries.

Following analysis, data is collected and returned to partners for publication on websites and used in red tide maps and other more digestible formats for the general public.

Mote Senior Biologist Valeriy Palubok has been collecting samples daily from one of the laboratory’s docks for nearly 20 years and has firsthand experience with the unpredictability of harmful algal

blooms that lead to red tide.

When he takes a water sample, he measures factors including salinity and water temperature. Both are key components of the laboratory’s sample database regardless of the presence of a harmful algal bloom.

“(Red tide) started very soon after (Hurricane Ian) in the autumn, and it never went away,” Palubok said. “It’s been a continuous red tide.”

First reports of the current red tide bloom began Oct. 19, 2022, and remain in some areas as of March 27.

The Observer’s red tide status map for Manatee and Sarasota counties has reports of very low or no K. brevis presence. Mote has been in conversation with state partners to share findings from samples and look at long-term trends. An increase in conversations geared toward the harmful impacts of red tide and the need for additional research tend to happen when the bloom is in full swing, but Mote scientists want to

A Longboat Key Landmark

encourage further discussion regardless of the presence of a bloom.

Program Manager of the Phytoplankton Ecology Program Vincent Lovko said recent water samples aren’t necessarily showing anything worrisome that should set off alarms to the public.

“Of course everyone asks, ‘Is it getting worse?’” he said. “People want to think that there is a logical answer, but as scientists we can’t really say that without being able to connect the data.”

Sampling local waters over decades has been able to give scientists a basis for ensuring accurate information and educating visitors and residents on the organism and its effect no matter how many red tide cycles they have experienced.

RELATIVELY UNPREDICTABLE

It is important for residents and visitors to keep in mind that while humans can always make red tide conditions worse, K. brevis is a naturally occurring organism that has been documented in the Gulf of Mexico as far back as the 1700s.

When the harmful algal blooms of red tide will appear and how long they will stay are largely unpredictable, but water sampling and study of conditions including speed and direction of wind and water currents can help forecast red tide movement.

Physical, chemical, biological and ecological conditions influence the red tide’s growth and persistence.

BEACH AMBASSADORS

Mote’s Beach Conditions Reporting System, with the help of trained beach ambassadors, tells beachgoers what to expect before they hit the sand.

Anyone can become a beach ambassador, and Claridge said the organization is always looking for additional volunteers.

“It really is a partnership with the community, a citizen science effort,” Claridge said.

If people decide they want to help report conditions, they are asked to check out beaches in their area and report shoreline conditions. Depending on ambassador availability, beach conditions can be updated up to twice daily.

Even if you’re not a trained beach ambassador, you can report beach condition observations on the reporting system’s website or mobile app.

As emails come in to Claridge and other members of the Mote team, report data is compiled and compared against other reports to ensure accuracy. They also use the citizen reports as an opportunity to answer questions and share information about red tide with residents and visitors.

DREDGING FORWARD

Early 2025 is likely the earliest the town will begin dredging canals.

Implementation of a canal navigation maintenance program in Longboat Key is still a couple of years from reality.

The subject first arrived in front of commissioners in February 2020. At that time, town staff presented a review of canal projects and the town’s history of attempts to develop a canal dredging program.

In March 2021, staff updated commissioners and included how they believed the town’s 81 canals could be categorized. The canals are of high importance to the town as they are part of its amenities and ambiance that visitors and residents enjoy.

Implementing an ongoing dredging program would alleviate the need for major dredging projects every few years. The last major dredge the town completed was in 2003 and included about 30 canals.

“One of the components we have always wanted addressed here is not only the funding but a monitoring program,” consultant Taylor Engineering Senior Advisor Cliff Truitt said. “There would be some kind of periodic monitoring of an event and thresholds established, so that we would know in advance when you needed to implement another (dredging) project.”

Categories canals were divided into the following classifications:

n Access channels, which are generally perpendicular to the island, providing access to the bay and intercoastal waterway. They are deemed as similar to an urban thoroughfare.

n Perimeter channels, which gen -

erally run parallel to the island, connecting to and from residential canals, restaurants and commercial marinas to the rest of the island and to bay access channels. Staff drew comparisons to collector roadways.

n Local, residential canals that are typically dead ends and serve a particular group of residents. Staff drew comparisons to dead-end local roadways. To the town, canals are just as important as its beaches and should be cared for the same way as other “critical infrastructure.”

“We are a boating community; we’re a water community and this is one of those areas that is of particular interest,” Town Manager Howard Tipton said.

Taylor Engineering and its subcontractor, Anser Advisory, were hired to help the town develop an assessment program to fund localized canal navigation maintenance and capital improvements that will be collected on the November 2024 tax bill.

THE REALITY

Since it has been about 20 years since the last town dredging project, which was estimated to have covered less than half of today’s canal inventory, the true condition of every canal is unknown.

“The data we were looking at when we were initially talking to you all was from 2016,” Longboat Key Programs Manager Charlie Mopps said. “It’s 2023; it’s been seven years. That means seven years of shoaling, seven years of water moving around out there. We don’t know what they look like.”

Establishing a funding mechanism to move the program forward is the first step in Mopps and the Public Works department being able to gather information on the true condition of town canals.

Certain canals are in worse condition than others and may need

immediate attention, but unfortunately, without the program, Public Works does not have the resources needed to fund emergency dredging.

THE PATH FORWARD

At the commission’s March 20 regular workshop, the town consultants mapped out a potential path forward to develop and implement a townwide canal navigation maintenance program and how to fund it. Work was divided into three phases.

For phase one, all efforts of Taylor Engineering and Anser Advisory have been completed. The consultants reviewed information provided by the town that detailed both the beach nourishment and underground utility work. All canals were classified as either public or private ownership and were separated into seven groups to help facilitate maintenance logistics.

The seven groups were developed based on location, construction logistics, homeowners associations, whether the property falls in Manatee or Sarasota County and with staff review and input.

Phase two includes developing the funding program. Work in this phase is still ongoing and will include estimations of program implementation costs and methodology to distribute those costs to the appropriate canal groups.

For example, perimeter and access canals are largely public property and are recommended for funding through the town’s general fund.

Community outreach is scheduled for the phase to ensure all canalfronting property owners and homeowners associations are included in discussions and are aware of plans.

Phase three is the program’s implementation and is expected to run into 2024. Updating and developing assessment rolls, which are lists of assessable properties in a given community, is one of the primary tenets of the phase. Others include developing an ordinance and rates to charge for the work. Once the final rolls are completed, Anser Advisory will send them to Sarasota County and Manatee County tax collectors

by Sept. 15, 2024.

However, the commission must adopt a resolution of intent by Dec. 31, 2023, for the town to reap the benefits of the program’s inclusion on the November 2024 tax bill.

However, commissioners expressed concern with the seemingly fast approaching deadlines. Per the current timeline, development of estimated costs would begin as early as April and rates calculated as early as October.

“This just seems totally aggressive to get all that done in a couple of months before we go on recess for a couple months,” Vice Mayor Mike Haycock said. “What I am suggesting is to look at that timeline based on the input and let’s have one that is realistic that we think we can really make, even if it takes us an extra year to get this right.”

Commissioners were assured by staff and consultants that adoption of the resolution of intent does not bind them to completing development of the program within a set timeline. If needed, additional time can be given and another resolution of intent can be adopted by the end of 2024.

“As we start going through the process and if it looks like we need to gain more public input then we would absolutely do that,” Mopps said.

Taylor Engineering and Anser Advisory provided a detailed timeline of when benchmarks for program implementation would need to be met, if commissioners wanted them to move forward with the expedited timeline.

For example, the adoption of the initial assessment resolution would need to occur between March and June 2024. Adoption of the final resolution is set in the timeline for between May and July 2024.

“You’re not adopting and imposing an assessment until next year,” Town Attorney Maggie Mooney said. “... People will know when to show up and be heard ... The population, the residents will have over a year to come and be heard and register their concerns.”

WHAT ABOUT THE LEFTOVERS?

The process of dredging the canals, specifically those grouped based on construction logistics, will generate material that will need to be disposed of properly.

“The present permit envisions that the disposal of the dredge material will be placed in an existing depression in Sarasota Bay and will be used as seagrass mitigation,” Truitt said.

Filling in the to-be-determined area and using the material to plant seagrass will not only help dispose of the material dug up in construction, but also will help mitigate any environmental impacts that the canal dredging may cause.

“Not all of the volume will be suitable for that, so we know there will have to be other disposal methods,” he said.

What’s the point?

The Longboat Observer’s new managing editor wrestles with lightweight issues like our unreliable memories and the purpose of writing and reading.

I’m at the Observer because of something I read 11 years ago.

It started liked this: “You are not the kind of guy who would be at a place like this at this time of the morning. But here you are ... ”

The words that followed surged like electricity in my mind. I was fresh out of college, aimless and vaguely pursuing a fitness career in Chicago. But during a burst of latenight self-improvement, I chose a novel by Jay McInerney from a list of 100 great books to read before one dies. I read it in a single sitting. I got up, stretched, then immediately read it again. The prose was like a long rail of cocaine. A habit was already forming. It was not yet an addiction.

Days later, another novel from the list. I thought “A Sport and a Pastime” would be about baseball, despite its cover. Bathed in light from an open window, a woman’s slender, stockinged legs graced the cover. The words within were layered like the brushstrokes of a master painter. Nothing wasted.

James Salter was not writing about baseball.

And now I had a certifiable problem. Reading Salter cemented in me a desire to do something with words, to write something, anything.

All young writers are bad; it’s only a question of to what extent. I knew I needed an apprenticeship. There’s a time-worn path for writers and journalists. In the absence of nepotism, you commit yourself to some remote outpost, and then some slightly less remote outpost and so on. You write your way up.

I fit everything I owned (not much) into an aging Ford and drove west, to Montana, where a remote

mountain-town newspaper was in need of a staff writer. I’ll spare you the details of the progression that followed. It’s the same for most writers, although in my case, Search and Rescue was called once — I survived.

I learned writers and editors need to do three things to improve. Read, write and repeat. I love newspapers for a number of reasons. For one, their very nature is a regular routine of trial and error. Every day, you get a chance to try again.

I’m biased, but nearly all writers worth reading either started in journalism or leapt into the pool in between books: Tom Wolfe, Hemingway, Salter — I discovered the contemplative novelist Annie Dillard through her magazine writing ... This is no coincidence.

Typically in a space like this, the new editor outlines some sort of grand vision or philosophy of journalism.

First, I want to ask you the same three questions I’ve often asked myself: Why write? Why read?

... and what’s the point?

I’ve thought a lot about the answers. I still think about them.

“To write? Because all this is going to vanish. The only thing left will be the prose and poems, the books, what is written down ... Without it, the past would completely vanish, and we would be left with nothing; we would be naked on earth.”

I can’t be any pithier than Salter, but I know of someone who might be. A woman, retired, once dropped off a note for me in another newsroom. In shaky cursive, it said, “Your writing marks people’s memories.”

Writing marks people’s memories.

I’m in my 30s, and already days, months, even years are vanishing.

Rich memories, once decadent in their sights and smells, now fade to outlines. A good newspaper is a record of things that matter. The good and bad, the events some people may wish to forget or pretend never happened. Journalists observe. They record — although many journalists are only there to speak with you on your worst day. One reason I was drawn to the Observer is that it seems to me this news organization is often present on your best days, too.

From time to time, when I’m agonizing over the placement of a comma or the removal of a conjunction, I still wonder, what does this really matter? I recall that woman’s note, but sometimes, given the churn of world events, it’s not enough.

I keep these words close to heart for those times:

“No iron can pierce the human heart with as much force as a period put in just the right place.”

Isaac Babel, who was a great journalist, wrote that. Seems dramatic, out of propor-

tion, but Babel was familiar with the brutalities of life.

Convicted of treason before a Stalinist judge, Babel pleaded, “I am asking for only one thing — let me finish my work.”

A day later, a firing squad killed him.

This all seems pretty heavy for what was supposed to be an introduction, but I believe writing is serious work. So let me tell you a quick story:

Years later, I returned to that small town in Montana where I started as a reporter. Occasionally, on the wall behind a scarred woodtop bar or — once — in someone’s home office, I saw a story from the local paper hung in pride of place and framed under glass.

I’ll tell you right now what I plan to tell the staff members of this paper later this week: Write your next story like it might end up on someone’s wall.

With that, I hope to do right by this paper, its legacy, and you, the readers.

gigi SILVERBERG

New face of code enforcement

The town of Longboat Key’s code enforcement is back down to one person, the new face of the department, Bryan Wisnom.

Chris Kopp served as the sole code enforcement officer until November of last year and has left the town to work for Manatee County.

Wisnom will be taking over Kopp’s responsibilities.

Before he moved to Longboat Key, Wisnom served in the Maryland State Police Department as part of its SWAT team. A heart attack caused him to look into a career change and change of pace.

“I moved to this area to eventually retire, which I did for a short period

of time,” he said. “Then I got bored and knew I needed some interaction with people.”

He has enjoyed the laid-back lifestyle of living on the Key and getting to know residents through his work.

Typically, code enforcement is made aware of violations through phone calls made by residents. Then a code-enforcement officer will drive out to the location of the violation. Rarely are citations written then and there. More often, the resident is made aware of the violation and comes into compliance at that time or shortly after.

“This (job) is perfect because it’s just interacting with people and getting them to comply,” Wisnom said. “That’s what code enforcement is about. We are the middle person that gets them where they need to be.”

When he moved to Longboat Key, he knew that he wanted to work on the island and avoid a commute. He applied for the code enforcement officer position in 2020, but it was given to Kopp instead.

In the meantime, he worked for the town’s Public Works Department in utilities, specifically in the water department, starting in February 2020. He enjoyed his time with Public Works, but when the additional code enforcement officer position became available, the town approached him to see if he would be interested in changing roles.

While Kopp has been on board, Wisnom has primarily been overseeing short-term rentals — the violation the pair see the most.

“(I’ve) mainly been getting the

(short-term rental) program up and running,” Wisnom said.

The pair hosted their first workshop on the topic for rental owners to learn more about the program, what is needed to register and the process.

About 12 people attended, which may seem like a small number, but was much larger than either Kopp or Wisnom expected. Wisnom said he has also been getting frequent calls from rental owners seeking more information and wanting to get the process started before the program officially starts Oct. 1.

“I feel there is going to be a lot of early registrations,” he said. “That’s the goal we are trying to achieve, so we don’t get a bullrush on Oct. 1.”

Even before Kopp had looked into a career change, he knew that ensuring Wisnom was comfortable with doing every job in the department was important. Since Wisnom’s start date, he has been working with Kopp to learn the ins and outs of running code enforcement on his own.

“Whether it’s law enforcement or the military, it’s kind of that nextman-up mentality,” Kopp said.

“Everybody needs to learn everybody else’s job because I could not be here tomorrow ... From day one, when he got here, my goal was to teach him everything that I do.”

MOVING ON

Chris Kopp has started his new job in Manatee County as the Workforce Planning and Development Manager.

He will help run the county’s training and development department and host leadership development courses.

Kopp’s favorite part of his code enforcement officer role was the people, he said.

“One thing I was big on when I got here — and even today — is getting to know the residents, getting to know the associations and the businesses personally,” he said.

He recalled the emails and phone calls he got from other town employees and residents shortly after he had turned in his resignation paperwork.

“It was kind of a shock how quickly it happened,” he said.

“It shows how tight knit this community is because one little thing like me leaving is heard by so many, so fast.”

FABULOUS OR FAIL? AVOIDING THE PITFALLS OF HOME DESIGN

Anyone who has lived in a home that does not have enough counter space, storage, room for guests, etc... knows the frustrations of being in a home that just isn’t working.

Most people know what isn’t working but they aren’t sure how to fix it. Designing a home that is right for you goes far beyond the number of bedrooms you need. Your home should reflect who you are and how you want to live.

Brian Phipps of Phipps Home Design believes in this philosophy and has been turning wish lists into reality for over 25 years. Each of the 1,700 luxury homes that he has designed in Longboat Key, Bird Key and Anna Maria is distinctive because the owners have different ideas of the perfect home.

Phipps distinguishes himself by focusing solely on residential projects.

“We’re more efficient than a lot of designers,” Phipps says. “Some take two years to design a home. We can get the construction started in months as opposed to years.”

“Being streamlined is key,” Phipps says. “People are busier than ever. It is important that we get the design done right and that we are efficient in our approach to the project.”

Clients begin by sharing their dreams and requests. Early on, Phipps recalls receiving files of magazine pages from clients. Today, inspiration comes in digital form and social media posts. From there, Phipps infuses his own ideas with the clients’ to arrive at “workable” ideas.

Positioning of the house is also a primary factor. In fact, Phipps walks the property with the clients to determine the size of home that the lot can accommodate, as well as how to best take advantage of the views and natural light.

He then gets down to the details of his clients’ preferences - including the kitchen sink. For home design, Phipps leans toward the Palm Beach and Boca Raton aesthetic, where he cut his teeth in the business.

“East Coast stylization has worked well on the West Coast,” he says.

Several past clients have hired him to remodel the homes he designed decades ago. “It’s nice to be able to walk into a house 25 years later and nothing has changed,” Phipps says.

“It was that nice to begin with.”

Besides comprehensive design packages, Phipps Home Design also helps in working with other professionals, including builders, landscape architects and interior designers. The result is an exquisite home, inside and out, that complements its surroundings.

Combating sea-level rise

LAUREN TRONSTAD

STAFF WRITER

The town of Longboat Key has been equipped with actions to consider for years to come as sea-level rise threatens the health and safety of the barrier island and its residents.

The recommended actions are part of a four-phase study that the town hired APTIM Environmental and Infrastructure to complete in 2018.

The town specifically asked the environmental consultant to provide a practical, high-level overview of impacts from sea-level rise and recurrent flooding and develop recommendations for adaptation, according to the staff memo.

The consultant developed a fourstep approach:

n Initial assessment

n Define impacts

n Adaptation strategies

n Implementation plan Phase 4, the comprehensive adaptation plan, is said to act as a road map for future town capital improvement projects and operations planning, pursuit of grant funding and as a guidance document for any future changes to the town code.

“The plan overall is intended to be best practices, administrative actions for town staff to implement as well as really useful information for the public so that they too can adapt over time to sea-level rise,” said APTIM Climate and Coastal Resilience Lead Samantha Danchuk.

All other phases have been completed, and updates have been given to the commission following each phase.

The bulk of the update was given to the commission at the March 20

regular workshop and focused on the Sea-Level Rise and Recurring Flooding Resilience Plan and Capital Plan recommendations.

The resilience plan features 25 actions to be implemented over the next five, 10 and 20 years, but no actions were deemed as immediately necessary. Actions were organized by six objectives including:

n Mitigate tidal flooding

n Prepare for active stormwater management

n Protect public assets and natural areas

n Leverage redevelopment to implement adaptation

n Engage community to build resilience

n Continue to integrate resilience into the capital program

“We know as sea level rises, it’s not going to be a perfect curve,” Danchuk said. “It’s going to be maybe a step function, come up really fast and then it stays the same for a while.”

One of the actions included in the plan was installing tidal valves.

Sleepy Lagoon, Longbeach Village, Emerald Harbor, Spanish Main, Buttonwood Harbour and blocks 4400 to 5300 of Gulf of Mexico Drive were identified as priority areas for the valves. The installation was categorized as a near-term objective, or one that is recommended within the next five years.

In 2018, Public Works installed WaStop Inline Check Valves in Longbeach Village, but five years later, flooding is still an issue.

The WaStop valves are a type of tidal valve. The valves are a flexible, hollow, cone-shaped barrier with its apex facing inward and upward. When stormwater fills the pipe, the pressure lifts the bottom of the

barrier, allowing the stormwater out. When the tide rises above the valve, water fills the sealed, hollow barrier, stopping it from flowing inward. Because of still present flooding issues where the valves have already been placed, commissioners asked town staff to look into other brands of valves and additional maintenance of existing ones to ensure they are operating at their best.

The presentation also provided cost estimates for each set of projects. For projects recommended over the next five years, APTIM estimated $1.8 million in annual costs. For projects over the next five to 10 years, $1.6 million is the estimated annual cost. All projects for the 20 years and beyond time period will cost about $2.6 million annually.

The town is eligible to seek state grant funding to cover associated costs and APTIM provided examples of sources, which include Florida Department of Environmental Protection Resilient Florida Implementation Grants and Coastal Partnership Initiative Grant Program.

SUGGESTED ACTIONS

Near-term projects are ones APTIM recommends the town consider over the next five years. The majority of the actions lie in this section and include:

n Install and maintain tidal valves

n Amend seawall regulation to address tidal flooding

n Adopt policy map showing sea-level rise projections

n Encourage flood-proofing of electrical charging stations

n Prioritizing resilience projects after storms

Midterm actions are recommended for over the next five to 10 years and include:

n Flood-proof vulnerable electrical equipment at lift stations

n Coordinate to maintain evacuation routes

n Maintain conditions of and access on roads in areas experiencing tidal flooding and seepage

Long-term actions are suggested for implementation in 20 years or more and include:

n Elevate bayfront roads and install pump stations

n Evaluate performance of dry retention areas, wet detention areas and French drains

n Plan for future stormwater management operations

Actions, including mitigating tidal flooding and protecting natural areas, were recommended for Longboat Key to implement over the next five to 20 years.

Are we the Byzantines?

Nowhere is it foreordained that America has a birthright to remain the world’s preeminent civilization. We should take heed from all of the parallels that led to the fall of the Byzantine empire.

EVERY BIT HELPS

Kudos to former Longboat Key resident Sandy Gilbert, current chair of the Solutions to Avoid Red Tide organization. He’s a great example of determination and never giving up.

For 20 years, Gilbert has been a START leader, nudging elected officials and the residents of Sarasota and Manatee counties to employ practices and habits with storm water runoff and fertilizers to help reduce the effects and spread of red tide.

The following column by classics

historian Victor Davis Hanson appeared two weeks ago in The Epoch Times. It’s alarming and scary to read how the fall of the Byzantine Empire mirrors exactly what is happening in the United States today.

Hanson says the Byzantines never woke up to stop what they were doing. Hopefully, there is time for Americans to avoid the same fate.

When Constantinople finally fell to the Ottomans on May 29, 1453, the Byzantine Empire and its capital had, up to that point, survived for 1,000 years beyond the fall of the Western Empire at Rome.

Always outnumbered in a sea of enemies, the Byzantines’ survival had depended on its realist diplomacy of dividing its enemies, avoiding military quagmires and ensuring constant deterrence.

Generations of self-sacrifice ensured ample investment in infrastructure. Each generation inherited and improved on singular aqueducts and cisterns, sewer systems and the most complex and formidable city fortifications in the world.

Brilliant scientific advancement and engineering gave the empire advantages like swift galleys and flamethrowers — an ancient precursor to napalm.

The law reigned supreme for nearly a millennium after the emperor Justinian codified a prior 1,000 years of Roman jurisprudence.

Yet this millennium-old crown jewel of the ancient world that once was home to 800,000 citizens had only 50,000 inhabitants left when it fell.

There were only 7,000 defenders on the walls to hold back a huge Turkish army of over 150,000 attackers.

The Islamic winners took over the once magical city of Constantine and renamed it Istanbul. It had been the home of the renowned Santa Sophia, the largest Christian church in the world, for over 900 years. Almost immediately, this “Church of the Holy Wisdom” was converted into the then-largest mosque in the Islamic world, with minarets to follow.

So what happened to the once indomitable city fortress and its empire?

Christendom had cannibalized itself. Western Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy fought endlessly. Westerners often hated each other more than they did their common enemy.

In the final days of Constantinople, almost no help was sent from Western Europe to the besieged city.

In fact, 250 years earlier, the Western Franks of the Fourth Crusade had detoured from the Holy Land to storm the supposedly allied Christian City of Constantinople. Then they ransacked it and hijacked the Byzantine Empire for a halfcentury. Constantinople never quite recovered.

The 14th-century Black Plague killed tens of thousands of Byzantines and scared thousands more into moving out of the cramped city.

But the aging and dying empire battled more than the challenges of internal divisions or an unforeseen but deadly pandemic and the empire’s disastrous responses to it.

The last generations of Byzantines had inherited a global reputation and standard of living that they themselves no longer earned.

They neglected their former civic values and fought endless battles over obscure religious texts, doctrines and vocabulary.

They did not expand their anemic army and navy. They did not reunite their scattered Greek-speaking empire. They did not properly maintain their once life-giving walls.

Instead of earning money through their accustomed nonstop trade, they inflated their currency and were forced to melt down the city’s inherited gold and silver fixtures.

The once canny and shrewd Byzantines grew smug and naive. Childlessness became common. Most now preferred to live outside of what had become a half-empty, often dirty, and poorly maintained city.

Meanwhile, they underestimated the growing power of the Ottomans, who systematically pruned away their empire. By the mid-15th century, Islamic armies were ready to exploit fatal Byzantine weaknesses.

Sultan Mehmed II grandly announced the Ottomans were now the real, the only world power. Ascendant Ottoman armies would eventually move on to the very gates of Vienna in an effort to rule all the lands of the ancient Roman empire.

We should take heed from the last generations of the Byzantines.

Nowhere is it foreordained that America has a birthright to remain

the world’s preeminent civilization.

An ascendant China seems eerily similar to the Ottomans. Beijing believes that the United States is decadent, undeserving of its affluence, living beyond its means on the fumes of the past — and very soon vulnerable enough to challenge openly.

Left and right seem to hate each other more than they do their common enemies.

Like the Byzantines, Americans gave up defending their own borders and simply shrugged as millions overran them as they pleased.

Our once iconic downtowns, like end-stage Constantinople before the fall, are now dirty, half-deserted, dangerous and dysfunctional.

America prints rather than makes money, as its banks totter near bankruptcy.

Americans similarly believe they are invincible without ensuring in reality that they are. Our military is more worried about being “woke” than deadly.

Like Byzantines, Americans have become snarky iconoclasts, more eager to tear down art and sculpture that they no longer have the talent to create.

Current woke dogma, obscure word fights, and sanctimonious cancel culture are as antithetical to the past generations of World War II as the last generation of Constantinople was to the former great eras of the emperors Constantine, Justinian, Heraclius, and Leo.

The Byzantines never woke up in time to understand what they had become.

So far, neither have Americans.

Victor Davis Hanson is a conservative commentator, classicist, and military historian. He is a professor emeritus of classics at California State University, a senior fellow in classics and military history at Stanford University, a fellow of Hillsdale College and a distinguished fellow of the Center for American Greatness. Hanson has written 17 books, including “The Western Way of War,” “Fields Without Dreams,”

“The Case for Trump,” and “The Dying Citizen.”

Copyright The Epoch Times. Reprinted with permission. To subscribe to the Epoch Times, go to: subscribe.theepochtimes.com/.

Gilbert knows we’ll never eradicate the annoying stuff. But thanks to his and others’ determination, through their Healthy Pond Collaborative, they published in December 2022

“The Healthy Ponds Guide: The Essential Guide to Establishing and Maintaining Healthy Neighborhood Stormwater Ponds in Southwest Florida.”

With more than 4,500 ponds connected to the bays in Sarasota County, employing the guide’s practices can help stop 80% of the nutrients that flow into the bays. Like Gilbert, that can make a big difference.

EVIDENCE MOUNTS

Day by day, more truth comes out about how Dr. Anthony Fauci and the D.C.-based public health agencies lied and hid information from the public regarding COVID-19 and the vaccines.

All this information brings to mind the headline published on this page in November 2021: “Do Not Vax Your Children” and the accompanying article quoting doctors at a COVID summit in Ocala. Readers were appalled we would spread such a contrarian message. But now, it turns out, those doctors who were scorned as wackos knew what they were talking about. Indeed, consider two recent reports worth reading:

n Daniel Horowitz, senior editor at The Blaze and host of the Conservative Review podcast, published March 22 a report entitled: “They knew: FOIA document shows government anticipated mass vaccine injuries, then observed them from day one.”

Check it out: conservativereview.com/ horowitz-they-knew-foiadocument-shows-government-anticipated-mass-vaccine-injuriesthen-observed-them-from-dayone-2659636848.html.

n In its March 15 edition, The Epoch Times published a report entitled, “Doctors Around the World Say It’s Time to Stop the Shots.” Authors Jennifer Marguilis and Joe Wang quote doctors and researchers who have been doing studies and compiling data on the adverse effects of the vaccines.

Check it out: theepochtimes. com/health/doctors-around-theworld-say-its-time-to-stop-theshots_5103024.html.

LONGBOAT

“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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1970 Main St. Sarasota, FL 34236 941-366-3468

Home planned for cleared area

Seaward Development has submitted plans for a building permit for the lot at 3515 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

LAUREN TRONSTAD STAFF WRITER

Trees and land have been cleared at 3515 Gulf of Mexico Drive to make way for a new home on Longboat Key’s gulf front. The property is being developed by Seaward Development for David Hargreaves and his wife, Linda. It is situated just south of the town’s trailer park.

“The house will surely be one of the finest homes on the island,” Seaward Development CEO Patrick DiPinto wrote in an email.

The email was sent to Planning, Zoning and Building Director Allen Parsons and distributed to town commissioners.

Hargreaves is the head of financial strategies and controls at Seaward Development.

Hargreaves has been a resident of Lido Shores for more than 10 years and plans to be a full-time Longboat Key resident once his new home is finished, according to DiPinto.

The development group purchased the property on the barrier island in January 2022, and it was already zoned as R3, low-medium density, mixed residential district. The zoning makes building a single-family residence on the property allowable without the development needing to first visit the town’s Planning and Zoning Board — as long as it meets town requirements.

A building permit was submitted to the Planning, Zoning and Building Department the week of March 13. It is still under review by the department.

The clearing of the property, including the tree removals, was allowed because of a separately, previously approved tree permit. The trees on the property were a mix of invasive species, so replacement will not be required. Renderings were included with permit application information and are subject to change based on townrequired changes.

Sarasota Memorial Presents

FREE LECTURE SERIES

April 2023

What We Know & How We Know It: Breakthroughs & Discoveries in the World of Neuroscience

Every day, we’re learning more about the miracle of the human mind and how the brain functions. And every new discovery brings us one step closer to managing, treating and even curing neurological disease. During this free lecture series, hear directly from SMH neurologists and neuroscientists about how new understanding and advanced breakthroughs are creating new possibilities. A brief Q&A will follow each presentation.

Tuesday, April 4, 4:30-5:30pm

} Mauricio Concha, MD - Breakthrough in the Treatment for Early Alzheimer’s: Light at the End of the Tunnel

Thursday, April 6, 4:30-5:30pm

} Dean P. Sutherland, MD - Parkinson’s Disease

Tuesday, April 11, 4:30-5:30pm

} Brian A. Wolf, MD - Epilepsy: Diagnosis and Management

Tuesday, April 18, 4:30-5:30pm

} Rejo P. Cherian, MD - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

SMH-SARASOTA

Sarasota Memorial Hospital Auditorium - First Floor 1700 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34239

This is a FREE LECTURE SERIES with FREE VALET PARKING at main hospital entrance. Light refreshments served. RSVP required. Reserve your space by phone at (941) 917-7777 or online at smh.com/lectures. smh.com

Republican Club of Longboat Key, Inc.

P.O. Box 8181

Longboat Key, FL 34228-8181

DINNER MEETING!

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Reception: 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM

Dinner / Meeting: 6:00 PM to 8 PM

Longboat Key Club and Resort

Harbourside Ballroom

3200 Harbourside Drive

(North Gate by Publix)

Longboat Key, FL 34228

GUEST SPEAKER: Ronna Romney

• Served as director for Park-Ohio Holdings Corp., NASDAQ(PKOH) publicly traded logistics and manufacturing company, since 2001

• Lead Director of Molina Healthcare, Inc. NYSE(MOH) Board of Directors from 2003 to 2017. Vice Chairman of the board 2017-Present

• Director of Molina Healthcare of Michigan from 1999 to 2004 Media Experience

• Hosted “The Ronna Romney Show” a three hour a day talk show on Detroit’s WXYT-Radio 1992-1994

• Hosted “The Ronna Romney Show” a three hour a day talk show on Detroit’s WJR-Radio 1994-1996

• Co-hosted “Back-to-Back” A television show offering differing points of view on current political issues. 1996- 1994

Political Experience

• From 1982 to 1985, appointed by President Ronald Reagan to serve as Commissioner of the President’s National Advisory Council on Adult Education

• From 1984 to 1992, served on the Republican National Committee for the state of Michigan

• From 1985 to 1989, appointed by President Ronald Reagan to serve as Chairwoman of the President’s Commission on White House Presidential Scholars. (First Woman Chairman)

• From 1989 to 1993, appointed by President George H. W. Bush to serve as Chairwoman of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships. (First Woman Chairman)

• Candidate for the United States Senate in 1996 for the state of Michigan. Lost to Carl Levin Education and Awards

• Honored as one of the NACD (National Association of Corporate Directors) Top 100 Directors for 2015

• Selected as one of WomenInc. Magazine’s 2019 Most Influential Corporate Board Directors

• Holds a B.A from the Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan

Published Books

• “Momentum: Women in American Politics Now”

• “Giving time a Chance: The Secret of a Lasting Marriage” Ronna and her husband Bruce Kulp have lived on Longboat Key for over 20 years. They also have a home in Michigan. She is the mother of five children and grandmother of eleven children.

MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS

MEMBERS: $70

NON-MEMBERS: $75

Because we must give a final number to the Club for dinner, the deadline for reservations is 3pm, Friday, April 7th. Reservations will not be accepted after that date.

Thank you for your understanding.

Make your reservation online and pay securely with your credit card or register to pay by check by going to our website, rclbk.org.

We do not accept credit cards at the door.

For more information, please contact our President: Garnett Black | gblackrclbk@gmail.com

COPS CORNER

NO VIOLATION, YET

7:25 a.m., 2400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Noise complaint: The presence of concrete mixing trucks led a resident to call in a noise complaint. When the officer arrived, he noticed two trucks parked with their ignitions running but no work being done. As no town ordinance violations were observed, the officer left.

NOTHING YOU CAN DO

9:26 p.m., 800 block of Broadway

Street Citizen assist: The officer was dispatched due to reports of a flooded road. Upon arrival, he noticed the flooding was from high tide.

SATURDAY, MARCH 18

LIFEJACKET NEEDED

12:08 p.m., East of Greer Island

Boating warning: While on marine patrol, an officer observed an individual on a standup paddleboard without a personal flotation device. The individual said he was on a tour and the tour operator had told him he didn’t need a lifejacket. A verbal warning was issued and the person was sent back to shore.

SUNDAY, MARCH 19

MINOR LEAK, MAJOR SCARE

1:02 p.m., 700 block of Old Compass Road Citizen assist: A resident reported a main water line break on his property, and an officer was sent to investigate. Upon arrival, the officer noticed a minor water leak coming from the line in the front lawn. The town’s Public Works department was notified of the issue.

MONDAY, MARCH 20

UNKNOWN RULE

8:54 a.m., 6800 block of Longboat Drive South Noise complaints from land: A construction worker was issued a written warning for starting work too early. Officers observed the worker rolling out paper and hammering nails on the roof of the address before the allowed start time in the town’s noise ordinance. The worker apologized for the violation and stated that he was not aware of the rules.

BEACH CHAIR’S MOST WANTED

10:14 a.m., Whitney Plaza

Suspicious incident: The caller met with police and told them about an incident where a beach chair had gone missing only for it to be found a half-mile down the beach. The same issue had happened last year, which led to the caller wanting to file a report.

TUESDAY, MARCH 21

NO DOGS ALLOWED

1:56 p.m., 100 block of Broadway Street

Dog on the beach: The officer met with the caller, who pointed out a woman lying under an umbrella on the beach with her small dog. She was approached and made aware of the ordinance, which she stated she did not know. She gathered her belongings and left the beach with her dog shortly after.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22

WAITING ON HELP

8:38 a.m., 100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Traffic hazard: While on patrol, the officer noticed a vehicle parked in the traffic lane with its hazard lights on. The driver told police the car had stopped and would not go back into gear. Roadside assistance had already been contacted, and the officer waited with the driver until it arrived.

546 Bay Isles Rd, LBK 941.383.6493 More Info: TheParadiseCenter.org

MONDAYS: 10-11 Stretch & Strengthen, 1-3 Thinking Out Loud Discussion Group

TUESDAYS: 10-11 Qi Gong, 11:15-12:15 Yoga, 1 -3 Mah Jongg *

WEDNESDAYS: 10-11 Beginner Tai Chi

THURSDAYS: 10-11 Zumba & Pilates , 1-3 Open Mah Jongg

FRIDAYS: 10-11 Intermediate Tai Chi, 11:15-12:15 Qi Gong & Meditation Walk -ins welcome for fitness classes, discussion group and OPEN Mah Jongg. *For Tuesday Mah Jongg, RSVP Required: MaryAnnBrady@TheParadiseCenter.org

Learn

April 17, 19, 24 & 26

by Certified Instructor, E. L. "Sam" DiGiammarino, Jr.

Publix Shopping Center

for Members $60/Non-Members Space Limited! Register Today: 941.383.6493

TO THE HUMAN HERO BEHIND THE

In this last year, you’ve delivered more than 4,400 babies into this world. You’ve relieved pain and restored mobility for the 1,081 recipients of hip and knee replacements. You’ve mended 6,609 broken hearts and helped more than 1,000 families through the shock and trauma of a sudden stroke. You cared for this community from head to toe and touched the lives of 345,151 patients.

And you did it all without superpowers. Without a shield or secret identity to hide behind. Without the assurance of invincibility. Through the good days and the hard days, through long hours and countless weekends, you missed family and friends because people you never met needed you more.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget the person behind the profession, and we forget to say those two simple words...

THANK YOU HAPPY DOCTORS’ DAY

Sarasota Bay Park Conservancy names new CEO

BUSINESS OBSERVER STAFF

The Bay Park Conservancy, a transformative $200 million project on 53 prime acres on Sarasota Bay in downtown Sarasota, has a new CEO.

The new leader is Stephanie Crockatt, who previously ran a nonprofit park system in Buffalo, New York. Crockatt replaces Founding Bay Park Conservancy CEO A.G. Lafley, who had overseen the project — on a volunteer basis — since 2019.

Lafley will stay on through the transition to maintain the project’s momentum.

“At The Bay, we know the importance of being sustainable in every way — environmentally, financially, and operationally,” Lafley said in a statement. “Stephanie is the right person in the right place at the right time. She has the combination of experiences and skills BPC needs to complete the build-out of the park and the build-up of the park conservancy.”

Crockatt will now be responsible for building out the park, a publicprivate partnership with the city of Sarasota. The conservancy has been responsible for designing and developing The Bay. Once open, the nonprofit’s duties will shift to operating, maintaining and programming the park.

To support BPC operations, maintenance, programming and endowment, Crockatt will partially focus on bringing in funding, according to the statement. Crockatt will report directly to BPC Board Chair Jennifer Compton while also working closely with the BPC Executive Committee, board and staff.

“I am looking forward to working with Stephanie as we continue to deliver on BPC’s mission for our community,” Compton said in the release. “Together, Stephanie and I, the board and the park conservancy staff, will endeavor to complete the design and development of a signature park for Sarasota and build a strong dedicated park conservancy

team that delivers a delightful park guest experience every day at The Bay.”

Crockatt comes into the role with development and fundraising experience as the former executive director of Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, the first U.S. nonprofit to manage and operate an urban park system made up of six Olmsteddesigned parks over 850 acres.

She held that role for nine years, during which Crockatt secured park maintenance funding, annual fundraising from private donors, millions of dollars in capital support and a foundation gift that ensured sustainable conservancy operations.

Crockatt also helped complete more than 50 capital restoration projects.

“I am filled with great enthusiasm and excitement to join The Bay Park Conservancy and be given the honor and privilege to serve as its first president and CEO,” Crockatt said.

“Conservancies are such important public-private partners, and I know this nonprofit will become one of the leading examples of park innovation, community engagement and mission-driven success. Coming to Sarasota in this capacity feels amazing, and I am looking forward to being part of this beautiful city and its robust culture.”

The park’s first phase, a 14-acre area, opened this past October. In May, development of the next 14 acres will begin. That phase alone is estimated to cost $65 million with the entire park costing between $175 million and $200 million. It’s expected to take eight to 10 years to complete.

The nonprofit had been relying on volunteer leadership.

PET PICS

Have photos of your four-legged family members? We want to see them! Share them at YourObserver.com/contests/petpics to be published online and for a chance to see them in print!

You are invited to join us in worship, song & friendship at Shabbat services every Friday evening at 5:30 pm and Saturdays at 10 am.

To learn more about our Temple and all our educational, cultural and social programs, please call us. We’d be delighted to talk with you. Questions? Email us at info@longboatkeytemple.org

All Angels Episcopal Church by the Sea

Palm Sunday, April 2

Distribution of Palms and Procession

Holy Communion - 8 & 10 a.m.

Maundy Thursday, April 6

Holy Communion - 5 p.m.

Good Friday, April 7

Solemn Liturgy - 12 noon

Easter Day, April 9

Festal Eucharist - 8 & 10 a.m.

Choir, Organ and Handbells

563 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key,

St. Mary, Star of the Sea, CATHOLIC CHURCH

Welcomes You, Your Family Members, & Friends to Celebrate Holy Week with Our Parish Community

MASS SCHEDULE

CONFESSIONS: Wednesday, March 29, 9:30-Noon with several visiting priests Friday, March 31, 4:00-6:30pm • Saturday, April 1, 9:30-Noon

HOLY THURSDAY: 9am Liturgy of the Hours Prayers, 4pm Mass-Lord’s Supper & Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament after Mass until 8pm

GOOD FRIDAY: 9am Liturgy of the Hours Prayers, 12pm Stations of the Cross • 3pm The Lord’s Passion, Veneration of the Cross, Holy Communion

HOLY SATURDAY: 9am Liturgy of the Hours Prayers, 10am Easter Basket Blessings • 6pm Easter Vigil

EASTER SUNDAY: Mass at 7:30am, 9:30am, 11:30am

OVERFLOW EASTER SUNDAY MASSES IN FATHER EDWARD PICK HALL

Rev. Robert Dziedziak, Pastor

4280 Gulf of Mexico Drive • Longboat Key, FL 34228 • 383-1255 • www.stmarylbk.org

APRIL

APRIL 9TH - EASTER SERVICES

EASTER SUNRISE SERVICE

the Friendship Garden - 7:00 A.M. EASTER SERVICE

the Sanctuary - 10:00 A.M.

CHILDREN’S EASTER EGG HUNT

YOUR NEIGHBORS

STRIKE A POSE

Town commissioners and Fire Chief Paul Dezzi strutted in support of the Garden Club’s Town Center Green beautification project.

The Longboat Key commissioners are a cast of colorful characters required to dull down in polo shirts and pantsuits at Town Hall, and poor Fire Chief Paul Dezzi is buttoned up in a uniform all day. So J. McLaughlin stepped in on March 23 to give them all a fresh look.

The annual Taste of the Keys Fashion Show is organized by the Longboat Key Garden Club, so it’s only fitting the fashions were flowery and colorful. The food didn’t disappoint either.

Food stations were set up by a dozen local restaurants in the Harbourside Ballroom at the Longboat Key Club.

“The restaurants have just been the most supportive. Everyone here tonight is a chef and/or a general manager,” Garden Club Second Vice President Lyn Haycock said. “The staples have been here every year for 12 years.”

The Chateau Anna Maria is only in its second year participating in the Taste, and Cafe L’Europe made a return after many years, under the new management of John and Amanda Horne. The staples included lobster bisque from Dry Dock Waterfront Grill and the 1905 salad from Columbia Restaurant.

This year’s event was the most well attended yet, with a line out the door at 6 p.m. to get in and nearly 300 attendees. There have been 12 others in person and one online.

There’s nothing new about seeing well-known residents walk in the show. Part of the charm is seeing someone like Chief Dezzi, out of his uniform and element, work the crowd in a pair of flamingoprint shorts.

“One year, we focused on the people we give grants and scholarships to, so all these people who were executive directors of organizations we gave grants to, we had them model,” Garden Club President Susan Phillips said.

“The president of Longboat Key Turtle Watch, he was a model. The president of Save Our Seabirds, he was a model.”

The tie-in this year is that much of the money raised will benefit the new Town Center Green through the Garden Club’s beautification program. Past projects include the butterfly garden in Bicentennial Park and flowering trees that line Gulf of Mexico Drive.

“The proceeds from this event will be used toward a legacy in what we develop for our community at the town center,” Phillips said.

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FRIDAY, MARCH 31

MUSEUM OUTING

12:30-4 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Carpool to the Marietta Museum of Art & Whimsy or meet at the museum at 1 p.m., 2121 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Cost is $15 for members; $20 for others. Call 383-6493.

APERITIVO AND CROSTINI BOARDS

From 3-5 p.m. at Driftwood Beach Home & Garden, 6838 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Chef Tina Anderson is leading the class in the garden behind the boutique. Cost is $65 per person. Call 960-0568 to reserve a spot.

SUNDAY, APRIL 2

PALM SUNDAY SERVICE

10 a.m. at All Angels by the Sea Episcopal Church, 563 Bay Isles Road. New bishop the Rev. Doug Scharf will be preaching. Call 383-8161.

TUESDAY, APRIL 4

FULFILLING OUR INFINITE POTENTIALS: SOLVING

THE WORLD’S PROBLEMS

From 2-3:30 p.m. at Plymouth Harbor, 700 John Ringling Blvd. This free seminar offers opportunities for both personal growth and helping to address current world problems. Email Bernie@Behavioral-Scientists. com to reserve a spot.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5

EASTER BRUNCH BOARDS

1-3 p.m. at Driftwood Beach Home & Garden, 6838 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Chef Tina Anderson is leading the class in the garden behind the boutique. Cost is $65 per person. Call 960-0568 to reserve a spot.

RECURRING EVENTS

WEEKDAYS LONGBOAT LIBRARY

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, 555 Bay Isles Road. On Wednesdays, most books are on sale for $1 or less. Call 383-2011.

MONDAYS GENTLE CHAIR YOGA

From 9-10 a.m. at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road. Improve flexibility, strength and overall physical function while in a chair. Six sessions through April 10. Cost is $70 for members; $80 for others. Pay as you go available. Call 383-8222.

STRETCH AND STRENGTHEN

From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Focus is on strength training and flexibility for balance. Suzy Brenner leads the class. Fee is $15. Walk-ins welcome. Call 383-6493.

THINKING OUT LOUD: TIMELY TOPICS WITH MIKE KARP

From 1-2:30 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Topics will include U.S. and world current affairs, popular culture and topics relevant to seniors. Cost is $15. Walk-ins welcome. Call 383-6493.

MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS PUMPING THE PRIME

From 10-11 a.m. at Bayfront Park Recreation Center, 4052 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Low-impact cardio and strength exercises to boost metabolism, strengthen muscles and bones. Instructor is Mirabai Holland. Cost is $10 for members; $15 for others. Call (201) 956-1466.

BEST BET SATURDAY, APRIL 1 SAVOR THE SOUNDS

From 4:30-7 p.m. at the Town Center Green, 600 Bay Isles Road. Gates open an hour before show time. Shantel Norman and the Shantel Normal Band play at 5:30 p.m. Advanced tickets cost $25 and can be bought at the Chamber of Commerce office or pay $35 at the door. Call 383-2466.

MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS

LORD’S WAREHOUSE THRIFT STORE

The thrift store will be open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 6140 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Donations are accepted during business hours. Call 383-4738.

TUESDAYS QI GONG FOR HEALTH AND VITALITY

From 9-10 a.m. at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road. Improve balance and flexibility, plus loosen joints and relax. Six sessions from March 7 to April 11. Cost is $70 for members; $80 for others. Pay as you go available. Call 383-8222.

QI GONG

From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Qi gong is a mind-body-spirit practice designed to improve mental and physical health. Class is outdoors, weather permitting. Cost is $15. Walk-ins welcome. Call 383-6493.

YOGA

From 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Debbie Debile of Feel Good Yoga & Massage leads a gentle yoga class that can be done on a mat or in a chair. Cost is $15; free for members. Call 383-6493.

MAHJONG

From 1-3 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Fun time for experienced players. To check availability at the tables, email MaryAnnBrady@TheParadiseCenter. org.

AT THE MOVIES

From 3-4:30 p.m. at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road. Watch films that are playing locally and discuss them in class. Six sessions from March 7 to April 11. Cost is $95 for members; $105 for others. Pay as you go available. Call 383-8222.

ROTARY CLUB

Meets at 5 p.m. on first and third Tuesdays in All Angels Parish Hall, 563 Bay Isles Road. To learn more, call Nancy Rozance at (203) 605-4066 or email Info@ LongboatKeyRotary.org.

Join us on Thursday, May 11 from 11:00 AM - 1:15 PM at Michael’s On East for a champagne reception, networking, and luncheon with a discussion moderated by Kim Richmond, Director of 26 West Entrepreneurship Center.

To register for the event, scan the QR Code!

Tidewell Foundation hosts Off the Clock

something simple, like a trip to the beach, but George Downing set his sights much higher.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. If your business is interested in being a sponsor for the event, please email ehill@sarasotachamber.com

Presenting Sponsor:

Make it a Day!

Jump start your day with a cold brew coffee and sand volleyball before squeezing in a spa treatment and an afternoon of shopping. And as the sun begins to set, gather family and friends for dinner and drinks under the stars. Whether you’re in the shops, on the Plaza, or at the park, you’ll find new ways to spend the day at Waterside Place every time you come. Our year-round events, Sunday farmers’ market and weekly live music are open to everyone.

explore our directory + events!

It was the Tidewell Foundation’s turn to host the latest Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce networking event. On March 23, about 45 members and guests gathered behind the building on Bay Isles Road for Off the Clock. It was a beautiful evening to mingle over cocktails and appetizers from Harry’s Continental Kitchens.

“Most of you are familiar with the Tidewell name. We’ve been in the community for over 40 years. What you may not know is that now that we’re part of Empath Health, we are full life care,” Interim President Delesa Morris said. “We’re adding some service lines to many communities, and we’re stretching into Lakeland and all the way through Ocala and all the way down to Naples. We just continue to grow, so that we can serve this community better.”

Tidewell is a main provider of grief counseling, perhaps because the nonprofit goes above and beyond traditional therapy. They also grant wishes. Requests are often

Downing, 72, was shot down twice while serving in Vietnam as an Army helicopter pilot. Now in hospice, his last wish was “to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.” So on March 22, his friends and family gathered at the Southwest Florida Skydive Club and watched as Downing took off and then parachuted back down to the ground.

Last wishes for patients and family members are paid for by donors to the Wishes Fund. Linens are another extra the nonprofit provides. Each year, they partner with Dignity Memorial Funeral Homes to hold a drive called “Linens and Love.”

“Many of our patients that our clinicians visit with, some of them do not have linens,” Morris said. “As we go into the homes, we want to be able to provide something that simple and give them the dignity they deserve in their last days in their life.”

There are 29 dropoff locations across eight counties, or donations can be made through Amazon. The drive runs through March 31.

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Longboat Key resident adjusts focus

Jeanne Guertin-Potoff’s solo exhibition at Art Center Sarasota will leave you with a new respect for the humble paper so callously crinkled into gift bags. Titled “Adjusting Focus,” the collection was created using tissue paper.

Art Center Sarasota is a nonprofit, contemporary art gallery that regularly features local artists. After Guertin-Potoff got up the courage to submit her work, and was accepted, her show was canceled because of COVID-19. The delay led to an entirely different collection of art.

“The previous administration asked me to do a show in all black and white, but when Kinsey Robb and Christina Baril came in, they were like, do color,” Guertin-Potoff said. “And then they said, ‘Would you consider doing the whole thing in tissue because no one else is doing tissue?’”

Guertin-Potoff’s homebase is Connecticut, but each winter for the past 10 years, she and her husband have stayed a little bit longer in their Longboat Key condominium.

“We love Sarasota. We love the Promenade,” she said. “It’s so stimulating to be here. It’s so culturally rich and outdoors all year-round. It’s just heaven.”

It took a little more than a year for Guertin-Potoff to complete the collection. There are 29 pieces, ranging in size from 10x10 to 40x40, all abstract canvases inspired by family, feelings and current events.

“My whole aesthetic is simplified. I take a lot of information and I pare it down, pare it down, pare it down. So you can see as you look around, there’s only one piece that’s complicated,” Guertin-Potoff said. “You

know, how much information can I eliminate and still say something?”

The complicated piece, titled “Curly Hair,” was not initially going to be included in the exhibition. It stands out from the other pieces, which are balanced and contained within white space, and that’s the point. The contradiction of one fully covered canvas puts GuertinPotoff’s process of paring down on display.

“I wanted it included because sometimes you need what’s not there in order to understand what is there,” she said.

The paring down begins with 30-inch sheets of tissue paper applied to the canvas with a liquid medium. Because the paper is so thin, it needs to be hand cut when dry and tears easily when wet and soaked

in the medium.

On the other hand, its delicacy makes it easy to pull away from the canvas.

“Life Support” illustrates the elimination process with an added emphasis through a color gradient that flows from a rubbed away blush pink paper down the canvas to a block of deep red.

The initial spark of inspiration came from the cycle of a young girl starting her period and then maturing into a life-giving woman.

“At the same time, as you adjust your focus, the war in the Ukraine had just started. So when you have blood on the streets, they’re bleeding out and dying,” Guertin-Potoff said. “The blood became the focus. Could it support life and not support life?”

Guertin-Potoff describes herself

IF YOU GO

ARTIST TALK WITH JEANNE GUERTIN-POTOFF

When: 5:30-7 p.m.

April 6. Exhibition runs through April 29.

Where: Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami Trail. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Fridays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Tickets: $5 for Artist

Talk. Admission is free. Donations are appreciated, and art is available for purchase. Info: Call 365-2032.

as a creative child, but has only considered herself an artist over the past 10 to 15 years. She owned a massage therapy business and worked in advertising and promotions. Her mother was a seamstress and light opera singer, while her father was an engineer and inventor. She credits her unique perspective to the pairing of the two.

“I always had this left brain, right brain thing going on,” she said. “In other words, I was always adjusting focus.”

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Last chance to Savor the Sounds

Mark your calendars because the last Savor the Sounds concert is scheduled for April 1 at the Town Center Green.

The last of the three-part seasonal series stars Shantel Norman and the Shantel Norman Band. The band plays mostly Motown and soul with a little bit of pop mixed in.

Norman is a hometown favorite.

In 2021, she earned the Manasota Honors “Musical Artist of the Year” award with her second band, Jah Movement. She’s also worked as the group sales manager for Visit Sarasota for the past 10 years.

While this will be Norman’s first performance on the town center’s new stage, it’s not her first time play-

IF YOU GO

SAVOR THE SOUNDS

Town Center Green, 600 Bay Isles Road. The show starts at 5:30 p.m. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. Advanced tickets cost $25; $35 at the door. Tickets can be purchased using cash or check at the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce, Design 2000 or J. McLaughlin. This event is BYOPB: Bring your own picnic basket and blanket, or order a boxed dinner from Publix by calling 383-1326, ext. 228.

ing on Longboat Key or at Savor the Sounds.

“I do a lot of weddings and parties on Longboat Key. I have some regular clients out there that I perform for,” Norman said. “Everybody’s just so nice. I always have a good time when I come out to Longboat Key to perform.”

Expect the show to start slow then build. Norman doesn’t plan her setlists. She prefers to take cues from the audience’s energy, but the band likes to start off mellow with some Marvin Gaye or jazz. This allows the crowd to get drinks and get settled.

“After we’ve been performing for a good 30-45 minutes, it’s time to really ramp it up,” Norman said.

That’s when disco and funk take over to get people out of their seats and dancing. For April’s show, Norman will be accompanied by vocalist Joycelyn Corbert and The Barker Project, led by Johnnie Barker.

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Home in Longboat Key Estates sells for $4.65 million

Ahome in Longboat Key Estates tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. Vivek and Vandana Sharma, of Acton, Massachusetts, sold their home at 545 Kingfisher Lane to William Patrick Evans and Stephanie Evans, McLean, Virginia, for $4.65 million. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, four-anda-half baths, a pool and 4,646 square feet of living area. It sold for $2,775,000 in 2020.

DREAM ISLAND

George Manoosbian Jr., of Sarasota, sold the home at 672 Dream Island Road to Daniel and Alexandra Duenkel, of Longboat Key, for $4,308,500. Built in 2014, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,712 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.5 million in 2021.

JOHN RINGLING ESTATES

Donald Vercauteren sold the home at 515 S. Washington Drive to Kathryn Lee Hutcheson, of Nokomis, for $4.05 million. Built in 1972, it has two bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 4,480 square feet of living area. It sold for $780,000 in 1999.

TANGERINE BAY CLUB

Michael and Linda Goldsmith, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 227 condominium at 350 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Boilercats LLC for $1.82 million. Built in 1992, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,290 square feet of living area. It sold for $858,500 in 2014.

EMERALD POINTE SOUTH

Horatio and Adriana Hoggard sold their Unit 2 condominium at 1903 Harbour Links Circle to Carlos Perez, of Tampa, for $1,685,000. Built in 2001, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,376 square feet of living area. It sold for $530,000 in 2017.

WHITNEY BEACH

WBLBK LLC sold the Unit 303 condominium at 6701 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Sean Matthew Joyce and Julianne Reynolds Joyce, of Broadlands, Virginia, for $1.5 million. Built in 1971, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,449 square feet of living area. It sold for $825,000 in 2021.

FAIRWAY BAY Henry and Kristina Adomonis, of Bradenton, sold their Unit 632 condominium at 2120 Harbourside Drive to Douglas Clayton Nelson and Mary Trudy Meador Nelson, of Springfield, Illinois, for $1,375,000. Built in 1988, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,039 square feet of living area. It sold for $500,000 in 2011.

Evelyn Silberman, trustee, and Johanna Eninger, of Pittsburgh, sold the Unit 245 condominium at 1932 Harbourside Drive to V.J. Chukkapalli, of Longboat Key, for $630,000. Built in 1982, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,270 square feet of living area. It sold for $165,000 in 1986.

TOP BUILDING PERMITS

THE DOCK ON THE BAY

Purvi Patel Dennis and Robert Bret Dennis, of Longboat Key, sold their Unit 7 condominium at 3440 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Charles William Richardson and Harriet Kay Richardson, of Hensley, Arkansas, for $875,000. Built in 1967, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,679 square feet of living area. It sold for $440,000 in 2020.

SEAGRAPE INN

Georgia Tsarnas, trustee, of Peninsula, Ohio, sold the Unit 7 condominium at 5125 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Summit Sun Investments LLC for $850,000. Built in 1983, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 961 square feet of living area. It sold for $88,200 in 1996.

RESIDENTIAL

MARCH 13-17

McCALL’S BEACH CASTLE

Jacques and Leila Abdo, of Ontario, Canada, sold their Unit 8 condominium at 5311 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Ryan and Danielle Asterita, of Parrish, for $798,600. Built in 1973, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 1,110 square feet of living area. It sold for $290,000 in 2012.

Savor the Sounds Savor the Sounds Savor the Sounds Musical Concert Series Savor the Sounds Savor the Sounds

Presented by

Pickleball

at Longboat Harbour

Residents of the Longboat Harbour Condominium participated in their second annual doubles pickleball tournament. The two-day tournament used a round robin format, where all players played with each other at least once. There were 36 participants and the final winners were Rob Dice, Dee Arnold, Phil Martin and Mark Weiner. The winners were awarded medals at the party that followed the tournament, which was sponsored by Sotheby’s.

Last show of the season!

Longboat Key • 2020

Saturday, April 1st

SHANTEL NORMAN and the Shantel Norman Band

5:30 pm - 7 pm (Gates open at 4:30 pm) 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm Music by Mike Sales

Town Center Green

600 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key

Come out and “Savor the Sounds,” and enjoy an elegant, yet casual, outdoor picnic setting. BYOPB! Bring a picnic basket and blanket. (Lawn chairs, tables and coolers are welcome.)

Pre-order boxed dinners from Publix by calling (941)383-1326 ext. 228 or 229 Decorate your table or blanket!

VIP Tickets

$250 (Table of 8)

Advance purchase only. Limited availability.

General Admission

$25 in advance

$35 at the door

Weather permitting - No Refunds

ADVANCE TICKET SALES

Monday - Friday from 9 am to 5 pm

Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce

5390 Gulf of Mexico Dr., Longboat Key, Suite 102

For cancellation information, call (941)383-2466 or check facebook.com/lbkchamber.

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

FORECAST

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MOON PHASES

Submit your photos at YourObserver.com/contests. All submissions will be entered for the 2023-24 Weather and Nature photo contest. In February 2024, you will vote for your favorite photo, and the submission with the most votes will win a $500 gift card.

TIDES

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INFORMATION & RATES: 941-955-4888

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*All ads are subject to the approval of the Publisher.

*It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in the Longboat Observer to meet all applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with towncodes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, or residential rental property.

Notice: All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.

Divorce without Lawyers

This spectacular L’Ambiance residence is the best penthouse in Sarasota, offering a stunning, move-in ready, 3BR layout overflowing with contemporary updates and views that stretch from the Gulf of Mexico to Sarasota Bay and downtown. Take the residents-only elevator from the two included parking spaces, directly up to the double-door foyer entry that opens to the exquisitely reimagined interior, spanning nearly 5,000 SF, recently updated by Aldo Boldi Interior Design. Owners storage, wine locker, plus resort-style amenities and first-class services are the perfect finishing touches.

4,912 square feet heated 3 bedrooms + den 3 full and 1 half baths

$12,000,000 www.415LAmbiancePHA.com