Longboat Observer 6.15.23

‘Recycle Right’

Want to know what you can and can’t recycle?

The town of Longboat Key has stickers to put on your recycling bins as a reminder at Town Hall.

The stickers were provided by Waste Management at the end of April after town staff reached out about wanting to better their recycling efforts.

The town program is entitled “Recycle Right” and originated with a group of residents hoping to better their recycling habits after the town’s goals and objectives workshop.

Homeowners or homeowners associations can pick up the stickers at Town Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Small is beautiful

The month of June was officially proclaimed as “Small Cities Month” by the National League of Cities.

Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier read the proclamation at the June 5 commission meeting, and commissioner BJ Bishop accepted the proclamation as the town’s representative for the ManaSota League of Cities.

The proclamation considers a small city to be any city with a population of fewer than 50,000. Longboat Key fits the bill with a population of roughly 7,500.

During the month of June, the proclamation recognizes the importance of small cities throughout the country and encourages state and federal governments to support programs that help small cities.

“The majority of cities in Florida are small cities, and we have never been at a more dangerous time with the threat to our home-rule initiatives than we are now,” Bishop said. “And continuing to educate our citizens on the importance of home rule and why they would much rather be dealing with us than having to go to Tallahassee to deal with their trash pickup.”

What’s next for New College?

All but stage ready

The official grand opening for the stage will be celebrated Nov. 11 at 3 p.m. in conjunction with Veteran’s Day festivities once seasonal residents have had a chance to make their way back to their winter homes.

Construction on the Karon Family Pavilion started Nov. 7, 2022.

Center Green, a formerly undeveloped plot of land, a corner of which was once home to the Amore restaurant.

The entire site covers about 4.81 acres. The town purchased the three parcels that complete the total site for about $3.7 million in 2017.

Site work for the town center is town-funded with about $530,000, which includes $445,000 from the town’s land-acquisition fund. Work includes raising and regrading the site with fill. Additional stormwater infrastructure will be installed to accommodate site work and with accommodations for future buildings, which might someday include a library or community center that is part of the Sarasota County system.

The town’s portion is funding walkways, streetlights, landscaping and space for food trucks.

Next up on the docket are plans for a community center in partnership with Sarasota County.

Over the past few years, the town has been advocating for a community center and a library to be a focal point for the development of the Town Center Green. During the town’s joint meeting with the Sarasota County Commission in April 2022, the town requested the County Commission consider monetarily supporting the construction of the library.

The county ended up setting aside $1 million of its fiscal year 2023 budget to advance the planning and design of the proposal.

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Paul and Sarah Karon are the primary donors for the stage, hence the naming rights, because the couple donated $500,000 to cover what was originally expected to be the full cost of the project.  The final total came to around $860,000. The remaining money was raised with the help of more than a dozen other individuals, largely

through the efforts of the Longboat Key Foundation.

The rest of the money was raised quickly. After receiving the bid from Jon F. Swift Construction, the town had 10 days to gather up the remaining funding. It only took nine.

The foundation helped coordinate private fundraising for the 50-footwide permanent stage between the Public Tennis Center and the Shoppes of Bay Isles.

Without the donations, the town still had plans to move forward with the remainder of the project and simply take the stage out of the plans.

The pavilion is part of the latest phase of improvements to the Town

The county has indicated that because the library would be a county facility, it would take responsibility for design, construction, operation and maintenance of the facility.

As it stands, the community center is planned to include a core library circulation component, reading and meeting rooms and a large multipurpose space.

Under the agreement, the town will have the ability to weigh in on elements it would like to see included in the center. All planning and design phases would go through the town’s review process, as well.

As planning and design moves forward, both commissions intend to include residents in the process as their input will have great importance on the outcome of the project and its services.

Nesting numbers rising

Longboat has seen high numbers of sea turtle nests in the first month of the season. If not for the combined efforts of volunteers and public policy, hatchlings may live a more difficult life.

CARTER WEINHOFER

STAFF WRITER

The sun peeked through the horizon just before 6:45 a.m., providing backlight for the Turtle Watch volunteers and spectators gathered at the 4795 Gulf of Mexico Drive beach access. Cool wind whipped from the ocean and over the dunes, bringing with it the smell of saltwater.

Connie Schindewolf and her team were on the beach an hour before the first turtle walk event on June 4. She has been volunteering with Longboat Key Turtle Watch since 1983.  Schindewolf often works alongside the Jameson family during these mornings. They are also volunteers with Longboat Key Turtle Watch and the youngest, Caleb, just graduated high school. He has been volunteering with the organization since he was 8 years old.

The four of them patrol Zone D and mark the previous night’s nests before the actual turtle watch event begins. Their zone covers about oneand-a-half miles, and Longboat Key Turtle Watch’s full coverage area spans a little more than four miles, from Greer Island to the Sarasota County line. Mote Marine Laboratory covers the rest of Longboat Key in Sarasota County.

“We usually have something,” she said as she began her introduction to the morning’s crew. With this year’s nesting season, that would be a safe bet.

Nesting season officially began on May 1. As of June 3, the total number of nests on Longboat Key was 307. At that same time in 2022, the total nests on Longboat was 248. The year before that, it was 165.

On June 4 they recorded seven activities in their zone. Activities include both nests and false crawls, which are events when a turtle crawls up the beach but does not actually lay eggs. Schindewolf recalls the highest number of activities she’s ever seen in one day was 23, while Caleb said he has seen 28.

At the nest closest to the start of the walk, Caleb began labeling stakes with nest info as Schindewolf talked to the audience. Brenda Jameson, Caleb’s mother, took GPS coordinates of the nest and drew a diagram of the location and turtle tracks. The four stakes were then driven into the sand, making a square over the nest.

When the talk is over and the nest is properly tracked, the audience is dismissed. Schindewolf and the Jamesons are then responsible for marking the remaining nests in their zone. With their combined experience, tracking seven activities was like clockwork. Brenda and her husband took one end of the zone while Schindewolf and Caleb handled the other.

After four decades of volunteering, Schindewolf is able to see how their work can make a large impact.

“The most rewarding part is knowing that you may not just be saving a turtle, but that you might be influencing a whole population,” Schindewolf said.

A LONG JOURNEY

Longboat Key Turtle Watch is permitted under Mote Marine Laboratory, where the research is based.

Melissa Macksey has been the Sea Turtle Conservation manager with the program since 2018.

“We’re off to a really good start this year,” Macksey said.

However, Macksey warned that it’s still too early to tell how the season will go. Things could plateau or drop off at any point, according to Macksey. She said that warming waters have been altering nesting seasons over time due to the many cues sea turtles depend on in their nesting season.

Sea turtles use cues to determine much of their behavior, especially when it comes to reproduction. When the temperature starts to warm, they know that it is time to migrate back to their nesting grounds, find a mate and then nest. But with global temperatures on the rise, increasingly warmer waters have led to early nesting seasons.

“They’re very complicated animals and there’s a whole bunch of stuff going into it, but the warmer waters do seem to be shifting the season earlier,” Macksey said.

Tracking the true number of nests laid also comes with caveats. Sea turtles could lay anywhere from four to eight nests in a single season. On top of that, many species take years off in between nesting, according to Macksey.

Once the eggs are laid, the turtles are completely on their own. The hatchlings receive no parental care to help guide them past beach chairs and toward the brightest horizon. In fact, they won’t even know their father. That’s one aspect “Finding Nemo” got wrong, Macksey said.

“They are counting on not being completely overrun by predators and for those beaches to be dark,” Macksey said.

Inland lighting can be a real problem, Macksey said. The hatchlings

will travel toward the brightest horizon, which naturally should be the ocean. But, if the lights on shore are too bright, the turtles might travel in the wrong direction. This wastes what little energy the hatchlings have coming from their yolk sac, a membrane that provides the embryo with nutrients prior to hatching. This energy is essential for their trip out to the ocean for about three days until reaching safety in the ocean’s “seaweed line.” The hatchlings spend most of their juvenile life in this natural floating sargassum, using it as a refuge to eat and to hide from predators.  Hatchlings need to make it to the water by sunrise. If they lose their way and aren’t found in time by volunteers like those of the Longboat Key Turtle Watch, the hatchlings may dry out and die, according to Macksey.

Ordinances like the ones spelled out in Longboat Key’s Chapter 100 — Marine Turtle Protection aim to give the turtles the best chance at survival. Turning off unnecessary artificial lights after sunset or using turtle-safe lighting is necessary during the nesting season. Additionally, any holes made on the beach must be filled, and beach chairs must be stored and out of the way during nesting hours.  Code Enforcement Officer David Woods said the city received 127 infraction notifications from May 1 to June 10. Of those, 75 were lighting violations and 52 were because of obstructions on the beach. The process, he said, begins with a courtesy warning but could lead to the special magistrate for a court hearing if the infractions recur. Woods frequently goes on what he calls “turtle patrol,” either after sunset or before sunrise to check for potential infractions.

Ensuring the survival of these turtles is crucial, especially for loggerheads, according to Macksey. The southeast United States is home to the largest population of loggerhead turtles in the world. Of that population, 90% of the individuals nest in Florida, Macksey said.  Longboat Key Turtle Watch hosts free public turtle walk events every Saturday morning at 6:45 a.m. until the end of July. These events begin at 4795 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

LONGBOAT KEY TURTLE WATCH PATROL ZONES

Every morning during nesting season, volunteers with the Longboat Key Turtle Watch must patrol the beach from Greer Island to the Sarasota county line. Each of the four zones covers about two miles that groups of volunteers walk to look for signs of nests or false crawls.

Zone A: 100 Broadway St. to Greer Island channel side Zone B: 6399 Gulfside Road to 6951 Gulf of Mexico Drive Zone

Two decades of Freedom Fest

Shortest Parade in America,” said Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce President Gail Loefgren.

Loefgren encouraged anyone who wants to join the parade with any four-wheel vehicle to reach out to the Chamber of Commerce at 941383-2466.

CARTER WEINHOFER STAFF WRITER

Start to dust off the red, white and blue attire for yourself and your dogs.

This year, the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce celebrates its 20th annual Freedom Fest celebration.

As usual, the Fourth of July celebration will kick off at 9 a.m. on Bay Isles Road, adjacent to town hall. At the start of the fest will be the butterfly release, sponsored by the Longboat Key Garden Club. Children can receive a small packet containing a butterfly and release it to officially begin the festival.

Immediately following the butterfly release the parade will start, running from Truist Bank on Bay Isles Road to Town Hall.

“I look forward to the parade. The parade has taken on kind of a legendary status, because we do call it the

Loefgren said the two-hour event will provide a lot of fun for kids. A clown, face painting, a balloon artist and “Uncle Sam” will all make an appearance.

For the furry friends, the Rotary Club of Longboat Key hosts the Hot Diggity Dog contest. Prizes will be given out for categories like most patriotic dog, most creative dog costume and best owner and dog combination.

“It’s just cool to see the community gather and to have the chamber be able to present such a fun Fourth of July,” Loefgren said.

Traditionally, a grand marshal for the parade is chosen. Last year’s grand marshal was Lisa Walsh, one of the founders of Freedom Festival and vice president of the Observer Media Group. At the time of publication, Loefgren said a grand marshal for 2023 had not yet been chosen.

941-444-4135

Longboat’s annual Freedom Fest brings ‘shortest parade in America.’

Winter Spectacular won’t return to St. Armands Circle

The promoters of the inaugural Winter Spectacular have pulled the plug on a repeat in 2023.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

The Winter Spectacular 2023 in St. Armands Circle will not take place.

In a letter to Sarasota city officials, Jeff and David Koffman of Ride Entertainment of Sarasota wrote that a reprise of the 2022 event will not be held.

“We are disappointed that, as a result of the loud voices of a minority of citizens, the potential and purpose of Winter Spectacular ’23 will not be realized and is still mired in contentiousness,” they wrote. “It seems that our efforts to continue down the path of bringing back the Winter Spectacular for this coming holiday season will only be divisive by these same loud minority voices and thus negate the true meaning of the holiday season and the purpose of the festival.”

There may have been more to it than that.

The city invited merchants and residents of St. Armands and Longboat Key to submit their comments about the six-week event. Of the 331 emails received, between May 5 and June 2, 307 were against a repeat, 19 were supportive and five were neutral.

“My sense is that residents are thrilled,” said Chris Goglia, president of the St. Armands Residents Association. Goglia was a staunch opponent of the Winter Spectacular, which placed him at odds with Tom Leonard, owner of Shore restaurant and chairman of the St. Armands Business Improvement District Board of Directors. Leonard part -

nered with Ride Entertainment to bring the event to St. Armands, but as a private business owner and not on behalf of the BID.

Goglia argued before city officials at the time that closing circle park — state-owned land managed by the city — for a for-profit enterprise was illegal, and that the free, less intense events traditionally held around the holidays in the circle were more appropriate for a public space.

“Our first priority when proposing the Winter Spectacular ’22 was to create a memorable, unifying and joyous experience for all of Sarasota during the holiday season,” wrote the Koffmans in their letter. “We had over 20,000 happy residents and visitors that greatly enjoyed the festival.”

In February, the event promoters were back before the City Commission seeking a permit for a sequel, describing the 2022 event as a rousing success. Commissioners tabled the discussion, instructing staff to gather more data before determining whether to proceed.

Jeff Koffman and Leonard pitched the Winter Spectacular last year, they told commissioners, to highlight the new holiday tree paid for by the city to replace the 20-year-old tree that was no longer functional. The plan was supported by some residents and merchants during hearings and opposed by others over concerns about additional traffic and private use of public space.

It was also opposed by then-St. Armands Merchants Association Executive Director Rachel Burns, who told commissioners she would be forced to cancel some annual holi-

day season events long produced by the merchants group to accommodate the festival.

Among those events was the 44th annual tree lighting — Holiday Night of Lights — which Burns said she was forced to cancel because she could not safely accommodate the crowd in limited space unoccupied by the festival.

Burns said she is already at work to bring back the traditional tree lighting, Porsches in the Park and other December events. She has stepped down as executive director of the circle association because of her application to serve on the St. Armands BID board and now serves as marketing and events director.

“I already spoke with the city events department, and there are no other conflicting permits or applications,” Burns said. “I wanted to make sure before I jump in that I wasn’t going have the same issue as

last year, where I lost deposits and I had to call people. We’re going to have Porsches in the Park again, and we’re also going to be doing activities on the weekends.

“Because of the city events ordinance I can’t do full-fledged events, but I can reserve the park for activities. They’re going to be smaller scale, but we’re going to have more going on that will be free for the public to enjoy.”

Weeks before Leonard and Burns were publicly at odds over the use of the circle park during the holidays, the pair successfully lobbied the City Commission for a replacement of the tree last fall. Commissioners approved their $286,000 grant request, which included installation of the 60-foot tree and storage for one year.

Burns joined Goglia in arguing that a for-profit use of public park space is inappropriate and that the circle

association board, which she represents, was opposed to the festival. Commissioners sided with Leonard and Ride Entertainment, agreeing that the Winter Spectacular presented an opportunity to highlight the investment in a city tree, although it is owned by the St. Armands Circle Association.

“It was pretty torn with the merchants. There were a lot of newer merchants who were very optimistic, and there were merchants who had been around for a long time who weren’t optimistic,” Burns said. “I can’t fault them for wanting to try something new,” she added of the Koffmans and Leonard. “We never know what’s going to work and what’s not. I don’t see it as they failed. They gave it an effort, and I think that what they want to do may fit somewhere else in Sarasota.”

gigi SILVERBERG

College try

No stranger to stirring things up, Richard Corcoran goes all in on transforming a liberal arts college.

During Richard Corcoran’s eight years in Florida electoral politics, including a stint as Florida House Speaker, he worked fast and went bold. A fitting strategy for a father of six comfortable quoting Steve Jobs and Winston Churchill in the same conversation.

As Florida Speaker in 2017 and 2018, Corcoran, among other battles, led moves to significantly shrink the budgets of Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida — jobs and tourism agencies championed by then Gov. Rick Scott. The political titans, both Republicans, got into some punchy verbal squabbles back then. Scott questioned Corcoran’s motives. Others considered it a typical Tallahassee power play.

In a January 2017 interview with the Business Observer, Corcoran said the arrows were worth it because he was taking on the status quo. “They teach you in law school,” he said, “that when you’re right, pound the facts, and when you’re wrong, pound the table.”

Corcoran, now interim president at New College of Florida in Sarasota, is again going fast and thinking bold. And again his positions have led to factions. The New College board appointed Corcoran to the interim position Jan. 31, replacing President Patricia Okker, who was fired.

The hiring of Corcoran, who was Florida Education Secretary under Gov. Ron DeSantis from 2018 to 2021, came three weeks after the governor launched a major transformation — some critics called it a hostile takeover — of New College.

Fresh off his big gubernatorial election victory, DeSantis named seven new board members in ear-

ly January and tasked them with reshaping New College. “In Florida, we will build off of our higher education reforms by aligning core curriculum to the values of liberty and the Western tradition, eliminating politicized bureaucracies like DEI, increasing the amount of research dollars for programs that will feed key industries with talented Florida students and empowering presidents and boards of trustees to recruit and hire new faculty, including by dedicating record resources for faculty salaries,” DeSantis said in a statement.

DeSantis backed his words with Florida’s wallet: He proposed $15 million to “overhaul and restructure” New College, “including support for student’s scholarships and hiring faculty.” The Legislature approved the proposal in the most recent state budget.

NOT FINE

New College, on 110 acres directly on Sarasota Bay, was founded in 1960. It’s since had a mostly triumphant, yet occasionally tortured 63-year run. In 1975, it joined the state university system as part of USF. In July 2001, it became independent and was designated by the Legislature as Florida’s Honors College.

U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks New College as a top five public liberal arts college nationwide. And it’s made multiple best values in college lists going back to the 1990s. The school, which requires a senior capstone/thesis and doesn’t give traditional grades, offers more than 50 undergraduate majors in arts, humanities and sciences; a master’s degree program in data science; and certificates in technology, finance, and business skills.

Yet Florida Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, proposed a bill in 2020

that would have folded both New College and Florida Polytechnic in Lakeland into the University of Florida. Fine and others at the time contended New College costs too much per student and wasn’t producing enough graduates going into high-paying jobs. (On the flip side, New College is tops in the nation for percentage of graduates who go on to earn doctorates.) Fine’s bill ultimately failed.

Looming over the platitudes and political salvos are five consecutive years of a drop in the already small student population. New College’s enrollment, according to data from the school, dropped from 885 in 2016 to 659 in 2021 — a decline of 24.65% and the lowest number in at least 20 years. (Student enrollment ticked up slightly, by 30 students, in 2022.)

Corcoran, who said he is applying to be named official president by the board, likens the New College transformation to turnarounds other organizations have to go through to survive. Find the biggest problems,

devise a strategy to fix them and execute the strategy.

“Like the keys to real estate are location, location, location, the keys to building a liberal arts school that survives is enrollment, enrollment, enrollment,” said Corcoran. “And the more competitive your enrollment, the greater the quality of your student.”

Corcoran is in the execution phase of his plan, which by one metric is working: He projects total enrollment for the 2023 freshman class will be at least 260 students and set a New College first-year student enrollment record.

WITH HONORS

Corcoran is in strategy execution mode against a voiceful opposition. That’s particularly true on social media, where even benign posts on New College’s official public Facebook page about a student winning an award quickly overflow with antiDeSantis and anti-Corcoran comments. And in the first month or so

of his tenure as interim president, national media publications, from CNN and Fox News to the Washington Post and New York Times, sent teams of reporters to Sarasota to cover the changes — often presented in an unflattering light.

In addition, a few groups have formed to counter — or in the words of one organizer, to be a watchdog over the board — Corcoran and how the new funding will be spent. Jono Miller, who attended New College in the 1970s, met his wife there and later taught classes and coordinated the school’s environmental studies program, has been active on social media regarding the changes.

Miller is also president of a group called NCF Freedom, which he said monitors both the board and Corcoran. His and NCF Freedom’s concerns, he said in an interview with the Business Observer, include questions about academic freedom and the school’s governance structure, which previously included faculty in some decisions. He worries both are being eroded — and that’s happening too fast and under a culture of fear.

“Maybe (Corcoran) is under pressure from DeSantis to get results,” said Miller, a longtime environmental activist who ran as a Democrat for Sarasota County Commission in 2008. “But to move as fast as he has, for a liberal arts college trying to be best in class, is very problematic. There are 1,000 ways a liberal arts college can fail and a few ways for it to work well.”

STAY POSITIVE

Dressed in blue khakis, a pink golf polo shirt and Hoka sneakers, Corcoran, in a rare one-on-one interview in late May, spoke to the Business Observer about his ideas for New College and more. Edited excerpts:

Problems specific to New College Corcoran believes New College has lost its way — something even some alumni, he adds, have recognized. Corcoran said when he was in the Legislature, in 2015, New College received an “infusion of $7 million to add more faculty to have growth.”

“And the promise was, if you give us this money, you give us the capacity, go out and get these other great professors, we can grow enrollment

to 1,200 (students). But instead of going from 800 to 1,200, they went from 800 to 690. For lack of a better term, it is somewhat of a death spiral. And I think the way you get out of that death spiral, and this is what I think the governor was saying, was you have to have a new vision and a new mission, one that people can understand.”

Student diversity

“We’re changing the culture because the culture is not healthy,” he said. “There’s very limited diversity on this campus. And that would be echoed by faculty; it would be echoed by other students. I think the female to male ratio is probably more than 70% female and 30% male.”

Corcoran projects Black and Hispanic student enrollment will rise in the 2023-24 academic year. “All of these things are real diversity. And when I say we’re going to increase African American enrollment, we’re going to increase Hispanic enrollment, I’m not saying much because the enrollment of those two groups at New College has been abysmally below national levels.”

Student retention

Corcoran said he’s met a few times with Ringling College of Art & Design President Larry Thompson, who has led an enrollment resurgence at the school down the road from New College. A key takeaway from those conversations: provide students activities outside of academics, or in higher-ed lingo, co-curriculars. New College is doing that, including a budding sports program and a new mascot, the Mighty Banyan. “You add extracurriculars, sports, those types of activities,” Corcoran said. “That’s the quickest, easiest way we’ve implemented something that allows us to grow.”

Room and board

“If you look at exit interviews on why kids left New College,” he said, “it’s pretty much in (this) order: housing, food and cancel culture. We can fix all three.”

The first two fixes, he said, are underway. New dorms are a few years off, but the current facilities will have new air conditioners, elevators, carpets and more by the fall.

HILLSDALE COLLEGE COMPARISON

The changes at New College of Florida are often compared to the model at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, west of Ann Arbor. Hillsdale, according to its website, is “a small, Christian, classical liberal arts college in southern Michigan that operates independently of government funding,” with students who “grow in heart and mind by studying timeless truths in a supportive community dedicated to the highest things.”

New College Interim President Richard Corcoran embraces the comparison — to a point. He wants to go bigger, reasoning that if Hillsdale can build “a tremendous branded liberal arts school,” in a small, cold-weather town, then New College can do it, too, and better.

The school also increased its food services contract by $500,000 and added a cafe.

Significantly more polarizing than food and beds is cancel culture — a fast-changing dynamic that can carry different definitions depending on your politics or philosophy. “I think you just have to treat every student, regardless of their background, race, anything, with human dignity. And you don’t see that here.” Corcoran cites board of trustee meetings as an example, where students, faculty and others have shouted down speakers. “Some of the stuff they’re saying is vulgar. Some of the stuff they’re saying is vitriolic … and that’s going to change. That won’t be tolerated.”

On critics

“The criticisms will never stop, because the criticisms are not about trying to make New College the best liberal arts college in the country; the criticisms are about ‘We want our culture, and we want you to go away.’ And we’re not going away.”

“My mom was British, and I quote (Winston) Churchill a lot. Churchill said: ‘You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.’ Ignore the barking dogs.”

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 2023

Finding Common Ground in a Hyper-Partisan Environment

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

Benjamin Rogers

AJC’s Director, Middle East and North Africa Initiatives

WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 2023

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

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

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2023

The State of Jewish Affairs: Around the World with AJC

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

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It Makes a

OPINION / OUR VIEW

Irony of St. Regis garage

While the St. Regis Hotel & Residences clearly stands out in size and scale, Longboat commissioners say a two-story garage would harm the town. Really?

This is classic Longboat Key and classic Sarasota. It never changes, and probably never will. Plus, the irony of it all is rich and worth a laugh.

This is the nature of new development in Florida: People don’t like it when it’s close to their home. It drives them to go on the attack — to defend what they have and not let others have what they want.

For the residents close to the proposed development, we know this is serious stuff. But if you’ve watched this region and Florida grow and grow and grow (and will continue to grow) over the decades, it’s like watching sitcom reruns.

The actors change, but the characters don’t — cranky neighbors opposing the development, packing Town Hall, delivering stern and passionate pleadings of doom and outrage, or flooding their elected commissioners with fiery letters and emails. There is the developer portrayed as a plaid-jacketed, greedy, duplicitous carpetbagger.

The developer’s lawyers, whom the opposition views as slick and full of legal blather. And the elected commissioners — stewards of the community, but also politicians who want to be liked and reelected.

The story lines are always the same, too: The neighbors say the proposed development is too big or too ugly and is going to ruin the neighborhood and the residents’ lives.

The only thing unpredictable is the ending: Who wins, who loses. This show is underway simultaneously in Longboat Key and Sarasota, albeit different episodes.

In classic, picayune Longboat fashion, the issue is the garage — a proposed two-story garage for the St. Regis Hotel & Residences.

In the city of Sarasota, the issue is a proposed 18-story condominium — the Obsidian, slated for a tight patch of North Palm Avenue that would dwarf the historic Bay Plaza condominiums and become downtown’s tallest building.

Each is emblematic of what everyone in this region should realize is unavoidable and unstoppable: More people will be moving here, and more developments are coming.

Affluent and wealthy baby boomers have discovered Sarasota, the barrier islands and Lakewood Ranch. So if you thought you found a quaint paradise that would stay how it was when you bought your piece of it, sorry, you’re going to be disappointed.

But rather than be fearful and resentful toward new development and to think it is going to ruin your life, flip the coin. That two-story garage and that 18-story condominium slated for Palm Avenue can and will bring more good things to this region than bad things. History has shown it.

Two examples:

n Unequivocal catalysts to Longboat Key’s flourishing over the past 50 years were the Colony Beach and Tennis Resort and the Longboat Key Club and Resort. Scores of Longboaters tell the stories of their parents and families vacationing there and later becoming full- or part-time residents.

n In downtown Sarasota, the catalyst for the current boom in luxury high-rises came 22 years

ago with the opening of the RitzCarlton Hotel and Residences. You can be sure the St. Regis will have the same effect.

OUT OF SCALE & CHARACTER?

This is just too rich with irony.

The Longboat Key Town Commission on June 5 spent six hours listening to the town planner; lawyers and architects for Unicorp Developments; a lawyer for a homeowners association; and 11 residents testifying on the pros and (mostly) cons of whether to allow Unicorp to construct a 156-space, 16,000-square-foot, two-story parking garage on the northeast corner of the St. Regis development.

Every facet of it became a target of scrutiny and criticism — how fast the trees would grow to hide it; whether cars’ headlights would shine in the windows of Bay Isles Harbor residents’ homes; the noise from car engines starting and doors slamming. Nothing was too nitpicky.

In the end, the commission voted 6-0 against the garage, in short because commissioners all agreed it would be too big, violate the character of Longboat Key, is not needed and would harm nearby neighbors and all Longboaters driving past it on Gulf of Mexico Drive. Hilarious.

All the while, you couldn’t help but think of the obvious: That garage would sit in the shadows of three five-story condominium buildings with 69 units and a 166room St. Regis Hotel containing:

n Four restaurants

n Lobby lounge and St. Regis bar

n Terrace bar

n Ballrooms

n Meeting rooms and board rooms

n Beach grill

n Beach Monkey Bar

n Event lawn

n Swimming pools

n Saltwater lagoon

n Residents amenity building

n Private residents swimming pool

The place is massive. And that’s without a garage.

Town commissioners approved that development in 2018 and 2021, concerned about whether it would be out of scale for Longboat Key (which, one could argue, it clearly is), but they were eager to replace the Colony and fill its scruffy, vacant lot.

And yet, that garage (whose 16,000 square feet, by the way, would total only one third of an acre on the 17.6-acre site), well, that garage, if approved, would be forever devastating to the town and its residents. Really?

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

At the end of last week’s meeting, Mayor Ken Schneier read a thorough, six-point rationale for his opposing the garage. Taken from standards required in a planned unit development, Schneier referred to his six points as “tests” the garage plans must meet.

The six points are worth sharing here. As you read them, think of whether the entire St. Regis project, including the proposed garage, would pass the tests:

1) “Preserve and enhance the character of the town by ensuring that the location, density, intensity and character of land uses.”

2) “Maintain an environment that is conducive to the health, safety welfare and property values of the community.”

3) “Protect the visual and esthetic character of neighborhoods, including open space.”

4) “In the case of (planned unit development) approvals, preserve the natural and scenic qualities of

open space.”

5) “In the case of departures that they be no less consistent with the health, safety and welfare of abutting landowners and the general public than the standard from which the departure is requested. And, the departure adequately protects against adverse impacts to adjacent parcels and the surrounding area.”

6) “In the case of site plan approvals to be considered, the manner in which the design enhances the amenities of light and air, recreation and visual enjoyment and the relationship for the proposed plan, beneficial or adverse, to the neighborhood in which it is proposed to be established.”

First, the answers to all of these tests are subjective — in the eyes of the beholders. Second, it’s likely true that commissioners and many of the residents opposed to the garage made their judgments on the basis of the plans they read and what they see today on the St. Regis site. As Unicorp lawyer Brenda Patten said, the massive, half-constructed concrete buildings “look intimidating.” They look like an unfinished penitentiary.

No one can really know or imagine at this point how everything will come together and/or blend in with the surrounding properties until the project is complete and operating. It’s a reasonable guess, but based on renderings.

If ever there was a time to use AI, the Unicorp team would have benefited from a life-like video simulation of a completed St. Regis, with garage and a sampling of what a typical day and night would be like. And while the commission was being asked to consider the garage in isolation as an amendment to the overall St. Regis plan, it also makes sense to put the proposed garage in context — how it fits into the overall project. Context matters.

Unfortunately, it did not at last week’s meeting.

In the end, Mayor Schneier’s prepared comments summed up the view of his fellow commissioners and the 254 Longboaters who spoke or expressed in a letter or email their opposition to the garage: Schneier: “The consensus is (the St. Regis project) is really big, but it’s going to be great. But the envelope can only be pushed so far, and the proposed parking garage exceeds that limit. It’s too big, and it’s too close (to Gulf of Mexico Drive) and would consume too much open space, too much territory. It would loom over the nearest neighborhood and our main road.”

That is his and their opinion. We agree with his first statement, not the rest.

OTHER KEY CONSIDERATIONS

n It is his and Marriott’s business; let them run it as they see fit.

A repeated argument against the garage was Unicorp did not present a compelling need for additional parking spaces.

Unicorp CEO Chuck Whittall said in a video what he told The Observer last month: Based on post-pandemic travel patterns to Florida, he and St. Regis/Marriott executives have a strong belief the hotel is going to be more successful than originally expected.

What’s more, also based on the ineffectiveness and inefficiency of car lifts at the St. Regis in Bal Harbor in Dade County, they are skeptical the car lifts will allow the hotel to live up to customers’ expectations of a five-star hotel.

Put it this way: Clearly, Whittall and Marriott see the garage as a bet on the future. It’s a business decision and an investment in the future. Build the garage now even if it means excess capacity early on.

Better to have more capacity than to be unable to give customers what they expect.

Surely, most of the retired Longboat Key business executives can identify with that kind of business planning.

n “You can build it later if it’s needed.”

Ha. Imagine a fully functioning St. Regis and the disruptions that would come with the construction of a parking garage. No smart CEO would make that choice over building a garage now — when the site is there, construction crews are working and the resort is still under construction.

n The garage actually would serve as a buffer for the residents of Bay Isles Harbor.

They should watch out what they wish for. Without the garage, those Bay Isles Harbor residents closest to the St. Regis are sure to hear and see the constant clanging and rumble of big truck rigs delivering food and hauling away garbage.

As you drive by the St. Regis site, you can’t miss looking at what will be the back-end loading docks and utility center of the resort.

Which would you rather see: a well-shrouded garage with the inaudible hum of EVs or the daily parade of Waste Management and Sysco rigs?

n Compromise makes sense.

As noted earlier, context matters.

We’re guessing most Longboat residents would agree that a cordial, healthy, mutually beneficial relationship between the town leadership and Unicorp’s owner is in everyone’s best interest.

No one wants what existed before. Longtime residents remember one of the character traits of the late Colony owner Murf Klauber: He was litigious. In fact, he won $14 million from the town in a federal lawsuit in the late 1990s.

It seems obvious, then, when the Town Commission meets June 20 for a second reading on the St. Regis garage, it would behoove everyone to settle on a compromise — a garage smaller than the one proposed.

LONGBOAT

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Former state attorney dissects DeSantis’ policies

The Longboat Democratic Club welcomed Andrew Warren as the June 6 guest speaker. He discussed his suspension and the governor’s recent actions.

CARTER WEINHOFER

STAFF WRITER

Former Hillsborough County state

attorney Andrew Warren is still suspended for speaking out against Gov. Ron DeSantis in August 2022.

He spoke at the Longboat Key Democratic Club’s June 6 meeting.

The meeting took place via Zoom, drawing a virtual crowd of almost 90. In Warren’s 30-minute talk, he dissected recent legislation from DeSantis and talked about why he feels the issues are pressing in a larger context.

“This litigation with the governor has always been about more than me,” Warren said.

Warren was suspended in August 2022 after signing a public statement in June 2022 against the prosecution of abortion. According to Warren, he was working a trial when he was officially suspended by way of armed security guards escorting him out of his office.

“The governor will tell you I was suspended because I refused to enforce the law,” Warren said. “The problem is, it’s simply not true.”

Warren’s talk began with an explanation of his suspension. He said after months of litigation and a three-day trial, a judge in Tallahassee ruled that the allegations against Warren were not true and that Warren did exactly what he was elected to do. Most importantly, according to Warren, was that the judge said DeSantis broke state and federal laws on suspending him.

The case between Warren and DeSantis is still pending with no way to tell if Warren will be reinstated.

“I want to get back to the job I was elected to do,” Warren said.

A big portion of Warren’s talk was his analysis of the legislation passed by DeSantis that Warren claims infringes on the First Amendment. He listed the Combating Public Disorder Act, Parental Rights in Education Bill and the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act as a few examples. Warren also provided examples that he said demonstrate how DeSantis has “defied” democracy, citing a variety of laws that he claims made it more difficult for Floridians to vote.

Lastly, Warren criticized what he called DeSantis’ “immigration stunts,” referencing the governor’s decision to fly migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard. He claimed that DeSantis could potentially face criminal liability.

A 15-minute question-andanswer session followed Warren’s main talk. Audience members typed questions in the virtual chat, which were asked by Lucie Lapovsky, chair of the club.

The Democratic Club’s next meeting will be another free Zoom event on July 11 at noon. It will feature Emily Brown, an immigration attorney who will speak about current issues related to U.S. immigration law. More information about the event can be found at LBKDems.com/Events.

Noise complaints from land: Officers responded to a noise complaint and heard loud music from a nearby residence. They met with the homeowner and explained there was a complaint. The owner turned down the music without incident.

SUPPOSE YOU CAN STAY

2:00 p.m., 7000 block of Seabreeze Avenue

Citizen assist: An officer was dispatched to the address for a report of an unknown vehicle parked in the caller’s driveway. Upon arrival, the officer met with the caller who did not know who the vehicle belonged to. It was later determined that the owner was from a neighboring condo complex and had parked there due to the lot being resurfaced. The caller allowed the vehicle to remain parked on the property.

MORE PRIVATE BEACH CHAIRS

2:17 p.m., 1000 block of Longboat Club Road

Suspicious person: An officer responded to a call about a group of beachgoers using privately owned beach chairs. Upon arrival, the officer observed the group in question leaving the beach. He spoke with one of the individuals, who said they were staying at a nearby home and were allowed to use those chairs.

SUNDAY, JUNE 4

TOO LATE TO PARK

1:15 a.m., 6000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious vehicle: An officer was conducting a business check at the above the officer observed a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot. The driver’s side door was open and the driver was sitting in the seat. The officer spoke with the driver. The

MONDAY, JUNE 5

MISSING SAILBOAT FOUND

8:47 a.m., 2100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious person: An individual had previously made town police aware of his missing yellow sailboat. Later that same day while on marine patrol, officers came across the yellow sailboat. They anchored the boat south of the John Ringling Bridge to await its owner.

driver said the car had broken down and a family member was on the way to help. Once the family member arrived, the officer assisted with arranging a private tow.

REST IN PEACE

9:11 a.m., 300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Animal complaint: Police were dispatched to the area on report of a dead raccoon in the roadway. The officer called the Public Works department to have it removed.

FORCE OF NATURE

11:34 a.m., 6800 block of Longboat Drive South

Citizen assist: A caller advised police of potential flooding in front of the address. The responding officer arrived and observed water pooling in the street from the sewer drains and canal. The officer called back the individual and advised it was due to high tide.

NO DONUTS

4:50 p.m., Jewfish Key

Boating citation: While on marine patrol, an officer observed a personal watercraft operating on a plane with excessive wake in a posted “slow speed, minimum wake” zone. The operator was doing “donut” type maneuvers. After being stopped, the operator was issued a citation.

A+E INSIDE:

< ‘PLAYING THROUGH’ : The golf film will screen for free at WBTT’s Juneteenth Arts Festival. 13A

CALENDAR: Circus Arts takes center stage. 14A >

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

LOVE COMEDY STYLE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Les wastes no time in offering

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SEE MCCURDY’S, PAGE 12A

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pam McCurdy

A Sarasota Juneteenth event to remember

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IF YOU GO

JUNETEENTH ARTS FESTIVAL

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

Tickets: Free

Where: Westcoast Black Theatre

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

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

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

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

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

THIS WEEK

‘GOLD

$30 and up Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org/ Festival.

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

‘REEL MUSIC’

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

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

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

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

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

THE SURFER BOYS

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

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

‘SHEAR MADNESS’

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

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

FRIDAY FRIDAY FEST: KETTLE OF FISH

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

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

‘RADIANT TAROT: PATHWAY TO CREATIVITY’

Tony Barnstone

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

Tony Barnstone’s “The Radiant

Tarot: Pathway to Creativity” presents a new yet ancient approach to awakening creativity and personal growth.

DISNEY’S ‘THE LION KING JR.’

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

$10.50-$18

Visit ManateePerforming ArtsCenter. com.

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

OUR PICK

‘APPALACHIAN SPRING’

SARASOTA MUSIC FESTIVAL

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

IF YOU GO

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

Where: Sarasota Opera House

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

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

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

IF YOU GO

When: Through July 9

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

Second St.

Tickets: $39

Info: Visit UrbaniteTheatre. com

MONDAY

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

SUNDAY ‘RISING STARS’

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

$15 and up Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org/ Festival.

STORIES’

7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. $30 Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org/ Festival.

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

MPROV AND MORE

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

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

TUESDAY A FRANK LECTURE ON SINATRA

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)

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

Visit OlliRinglingCollege.org.

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

THE MANY LANGUAGES OF JENNIFER CROFT

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

Visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

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

WEDNESDAY

FRANKIE PAUL

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

Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

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

YOUR NEIGHBORS

Creating health for life

Longboat-based health expert Mirabai Holland coaches clients through physical rehabilitation, teaches healthy eating habits and so much more.

When Mirabai Holland coaches a client through rehabilitation after hip replacement surgery, she can speak from experience.

The Longboat-based health coach had hip replacement surgery on both hips last year, but she’s made an impressive recovery and is leading a new wellness program to help other patients do the same.

“By three months, I was able to walk without the walker. I bypassed the cane. And by (four months) I said, ‘I think I can teach (again),’” explained Holland, who teaches fitness classes at Bayfront Park in addition to an array of other area health initiatives.

The nationally known wellness expert recently partnered with Dr. Edward Stolarski, a local orthopedic surgeon to develop the SRQ Ortho Club wellness program, which Holland said is a holistic approach to preparing patients for total hip and knee replacement surgery, offering one-on-one coaching for nutrition and  pre- and post-rehabilitation.

“I know very specifically what (patients) should do to get ready (for surgery) because I’ve gone through it,” said Holland. “But I also know the science of what they need to do.”

In the course of the program’s roughly six months, Holland has already coached 20 patients via

phone and Zoom. As Holland explained, a hip or knee replacement surgery is the perfect opportunity for patients to make healthy lifestyle changes and build better nutrition and exercise habits.

LOCAL DETOUR

Helping people build healthier lifestyles has been the focus of Holland’s long and influential career in wellness. Coincidentally, she found her way to the fitness industry thanks in part to a knee surgery patient living in Sarasota — her father.

Holland was still a dancer and choreographer in 1979 when her father had knee surgery and grew frustrated by his lack of progress in rehabilitation. So he fired his physical therapist and turned to his daughter for help.

Holland was reluctant at first, but eventually she brought to bear her understanding of movement and the body, learned through dance. In just three week’s Holland’s father was feeling less pain — and frustration, she said.

That experience helped alter Holland’s course. She went back to school and earned a degree in exercise physiology from Columbia University in New York.

She created a corporate fitness program in the 1980s, for which some of her first clients were staff members of Forbes at the then newly built magazine headquarters’ gym on Fifth Avenue in New York.

“It was a cardio and strength class,” said Holland. “I went there and I probably looked like a little dancer. You know, I had my leotard on.”

The class was a hit, though, and Holland continued to teach at Forbes for four years and at several other NYC companies, she said.

“I had this nice little gig going on, and it just got me into a whole different headspace,” she said.

That nice little gig helped launch Holland’s career as a wellness consultant, taking her to Indonesia to get a luxury destination spa gym up and running. Then as an international consultant Holland worked in France, Portugal and Germany. And during her fitness travels, she met her future husband, F. Sebastian Marino. Holland was a judge at an aerobics competition and Marino was producing the footage for ESPN.

It was back in the U.S. where the next chapter of her career took off.

DIRECTING FITNESS

Holland began as a consultant at

the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan and became its director of fitness and wellness. During the course of her 16-year career there, the class offerings grew to more than 100, and Holland developed a dizzying array of wellness and fitness programs, including ones specifically for osteoporosis prevention, cancer patients and heart patients.

Holland and Marino put a number of workouts on video, starting with a four-DVD set.

“It was for someone that hated to exercise and was never exposed (to it) before. And so we had this program where they could start with just five minutes and build up to 30 minutes and then followed with longer videos that were aimed at the three major components of fitness — cardio, strength and flexibility,” she said.

The success of the series of exercise videos was part of the reason Holland left the Y in 2010. QVC was interested in selling the exercise videos. The couple moved to Longboat, which became a perfect background for shooting exercise videos.  Once Marino and Holland were living in Longboat, it seemed natural to find opportunities to bring Holland’s health expertise to the local community.

In addition to the fitness classes she teaches locally, Holland runs a private health coaching practice and has worked with Manatee County since 2014 to offer employees health coaching sessions to foster healthy lifestyle habits. The first five are free, said Holland. After that, county workers can get 15 more coaching sessions for a small co-pay.  Recently, Holland brought a new weight-management program — Lose to Win — to the area. The eightweek program is designed to help participants develop sustainable, healthy eating habits. Holland said

she plans to offer the course via live Zoom sessions several times this year to Sarasota residents.

“It’s really about your sleep; it’s really about your stress. It’s really about activity. Food, yes, but also your environment, what’s going on.”

While Holland has been focused on fitness for much of her career, she got her start in the creative arts and never abandoned that passion, expressing herself via photography, ink drawings, painting and poetry — some of which can be viewed at www.MirabaiHollandArt.com.

“So many people say, ‘Well, just be retired.’ You know, I wouldn’t even know what to do with myself. This is my retirement.”

She has at least one more idea for her “nonretirement.” One that would merge her passion for coaching with her artistic side.

“We’re thinking about maybe developing a creativity course for people. I think everybody has that light in them for creativity, but it doesn’t often get fostered because a lot of things get in the way.”

To contact Holland about her wellness programming email A skMirabai@ MovingFree.com or visit www.MirabaiHolland.com.

“It’s really about your sleep, it’s really about your stress. It’s really about activity. Food, yes, but also your environment, what’s going on.”

— Mirabai Holland

Creative crafting on the circle

Tents lined the circle and festivalgoers darted in and out of the shade to beat the heat, but there was a colorful feast of sights at the 2023 St. Armands Circle Craft Festival on Saturday and Sunday.

The work of regional artists and artisans was on display with a wide variety for perusal, including oil and acrylic paintings, starfish candles, artisanal cheeses, jewelry and woodworking crafts. There were also orchids and other botanicals for sale.

Lakewood Ranch High student Lorenzo Liberti and his mother, Martha, were among the craft sellers. Lorenzo started his company Heroic Flags when he was 14 years old. Lorenzo soon found that with the right tools and materials, he could create rustic American flags from wood. He carves wooden flags and has made donations to local nonprofits supporting military veterans.

He explained that each flag takes about 20 hours to make.

“The idea of giving back first occurred to me in January (2019) when I went to feed the homeless with my church and met a veteran in need,” he said.

Another vendor, Zsuzsanna Luciano, had an eye-catching display. The photographer merges as many as 80 different photos of landscapes and outdoor scenes to form huge pictures that contain 2,700 megapixels, making for crystal clear images. The incredible clarity creates the effect of looking through a window or standing in the scene itself.

WORSHIP directory

WILD FLORIDA

Miri Hardy

Squirrels are expert foragers, and wild mushrooms are an important part of their natural diet, providing the nutrients they need to survive and thrive.

Feeding squirrels or other wildlife never ends well

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

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

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

Squirrels are considered critical for the health and balance of the ecosystems they inhabit. In addition to being a food source for many species, as consumers (and cachers) of nuts and seeds, they provide other vital ecosystem services, such as seed dissemination and plant diversification. Indeed, thanks to their seed-caching activities, squirrels have an important role in maintaining Florida’s native longleaf pine ecosystem.

But when living in close proximity to humans, squirrels, like other wildlife, can become dependent on people for food, to the detriment of their ecosystems. Such dependence can occur due to unintentional feeding, as happens when

animals raid loosely secured trash or find litter. But unfortunately, wild animals are often directly fed by humans.

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

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

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

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

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

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?

Celebrating Ocean Day the Mote way

Once wasn’t enough for Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium to celebrate World Ocean Day. After Mote partnered with Salt Life on June 8 to host a beach cleanup on Siesta Key for the day-of observance, Mote hosted its own World Ocean Day celebration on June 10 in the aquarium courtyard, with several conservation organizations presenting exhibits.

The 30x30 challenge theme was featured prominently in the courtyard. The campaign encourages the protection of 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. According to the Ocean Project, only about 8% of the planet’s oceans qualify as highly protected.

“We want to remind people about this wonderful nature and how vital it is to our tourism and in general,” said Sam Douglass, event coordinator.

Donna Krusenoski was on hand from the Sarasota Shell Club to

share the organization’s mission, which includes education, community outreach, building respect for the environment and support for ocean-based charities.

Among the club’s efforts, members sell artwork and jewelry made from the shells to donate to conservation causes and nonprofits. The club also will help identify shells that people find on the beach.

Many people are surprised to learn that shells have handedness, with most being “right-handed,” explained Krusenoski. The relatively rare lightning whelk, though is sinistral, or left-handed, and can be found on Florida beaches.

“You see this beautiful nature and you can’t resist picking it up,” said Krusenoski.

Randy and Martha Wells were on hand from the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program and shared some of what the organization has learned about local dolphins.

About 170 dolphins live in Sarasota Bay year-round, said Martha Wells, volunteer. The program has observed six generations now.

“We’re learning a lot about their relationships. We can look at their communication and other factors that they need to be successful,” said Martha Wells.

Part of the organization’s outreach included educating aquarium visitors about best practices at sea to ensure people don’t unintentionally harm marine life.

The No. 1 cause of death for local dolphins is recreational fishing gear, said Randy Wells, Sarasota Dolphin Research Program director and chairman.

“We need to take more responsibility for what we put out there,” said Randy Wells. “We’re all neighbors and we share the environment. We share the same air. The same water. The same fish.”

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!

Barreling into offseason

Bourbon. Burgers. Barbecue. That’s how the Longboat Key Republican Club kicked off its offseason on Saturday — with a cookout and bourbon tasting to introduce new members to the club and encourage socializing during the summer for the club’s year-rounders.

Fifty-five members and guests sampled a range of bourbons, including Chicken Cock Whiskey, Rebel Yell and Bardstown Bourbon’s Discovery.

Club President Garnett Black co-founded the Bardstown Bourbon Co. in 2014. It’s now among the top distilleries in the country in production volume.

Black moved to the area in 2019 and said events like Saturday’s help foster connection among transplants.

“People want to go to the state that’s free, but then it’s hard to connect. (Tonight) is not only a chance to talk to other Republicans but also to make friends.”

The Republican Club has traditionally met from October to April, regularly hosting speakers on a variety of topics, but Black said she intends to hold more events in the offseason and that the tasting was likely to become a regular event.

Bird Key home tops this week’s sales at $11.25 million

The following residential real estate transactions took place between May 29 and June 2. A home on Bird Key tops all transactions in this week’s real estate.

Henry and Dawn Duques, of Madison, Connecticut, sold their home at 626 S. Owl Drive to H. Lee Scott Jr. and Linda Scott, trustees, of Golden Oak, for $11.25 million. Built in 2021, it has six bedrooms, eight baths, a pool and 6,576 square feet of living area.

BIRD KEY

Julie McGue, of Michigan City, Indiana, sold the home at 622 S. Owl Drive to Cumberland Trust and Investment Co., trustee, for $9.75 million. Built in 2003, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 5,635 square feet of living area. It sold for $6 million in 2021.

Warbler LLC sold the home at 114 N. Warbler Lane to James Gross and Carol Gross, trustees, of St. Charles, Illinois, for $3.1 million. Built in 1961, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,936 square feet of living area. It sold for $3 million in March.

LIDO Robert and Susan Lifeso, trustees, of Sarasota, sold the home at to Kenneth and Carrie Cox and Andrew Cox, of Sarasota, for $7.5 million. Built in 2000, it has six bedrooms, six-and-two-half baths, a pool and 6,843 square feet of living area. It sold for $3.8 million in 2005.

SANCTUARY AT LONGBOAT KEY CLUB

John and Jane Vorel sold their Unit A-402 condominium at 545 Sanctuary Drive to Teresa Rosenbeck, of Longboat Key, for $3.06 million. Built in 1991, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,580 square feet of living area. It sold for $705,000 in 1996.

THE TIDES OF LONGBOAT

William Dobbling, trustee, of Southgate, Kentucky, sold the Unit 203 condominium at 5555 Gulf of

Mexico Drive to Mark Knue and Ellen Kantor-Knue, of Cincinnati, for $1.7 million. Built in 1980, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 1,828 square feet of living area. It sold for $879,000 in 2004.

TANGERINE BAY CLUB

David and Laura Atchison, of Oak Brook, Illinois, sold their Unit 412 condominium at 370 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Christopher Powers, trustee, of Columbus, Ohio, for $1.6 million. Built in 1994, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,380 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.5 million in 2022.

THE AQUARIUS CLUB

William Francis Morneau Jr., of Ontario, Canada, sold the Unit 3-E condominium at 1701 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Nektarios Arvanitis, of Elmhurst, Illinois, for $1.15 million. Built in 1975, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,615 square feet of living area. It sold for $500,000 in 2018.

Tomasz and Renata Niewiadomski, of Brewster, New York, sold their Unit 5-E condominium at 1701 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Jeffrey Potter, of Longboat Key, for $1.1 million. Built in 1975, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,615 square feet of living area. It sold for $542,500 in 2018.

CLUB LONGBOAT

BEACH AND TENNIS

Leslie Wilczewski, of W. Bloomfield Township, Michigan, sold the Unit 521 condominium at 5055 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Richard Peter Rowe and Pamela Stites, of Longboat Key, for $1.06 million. Built in 1973, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,718 square feet of living area. It sold for $550,000 in 2001.

TOP BUILDING PERMITS

These are the largest building permits issued by the Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Department for the week of June 2-8 in order of dollar amounts.

HARBOUR VILLA CLUB AT BUCCANEER

Mark and Mary King, of Plainfield, Illinois, sold their Unit 101 condominium at 615 Dream Island Place to Thomas and Rose Brown, of Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, for $1.05 million. Built in 1985, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,514 square feet of living area. It sold for $614,300 in 2020.

PORTOBELLO Michael and Charlotte Balog, trustees, of Bradenton, sold the Unit B-307 condominium at 3240 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Portobello B307 LLC for $950,000. Built in 1975, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,290 square feet of living area. It sold for $526,500 in 2020.

LONGBEACH ON LONGBOAT KEY Christopher Claypoole and Nedra Foster and Nedra Duffy, of Longboat Key, sold their home at 770 Russell St. to Nancy Toon, of Southampton, New York, for $860,000. Built in 1963, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 1,352 square feet of living area. It sold for $550,000 in 2019.

LONGBOAT ARMS Sapphire Consulting LLC sold the Unit 208-C condominium at 3320 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Longboat Arms 208C LLC for $490,000. Built in 1971, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,154 square feet of living area. It sold for $309,000 in 2020.

LONGBOAT KEY $1,450,000

Vacant canal front land with a 50 ft. dock.

628 Lyons Lane MLS#A4565151

LONGBOAT KEY $1,050,000 Quintessential beach house, reimagined Captains cottage. 450 Firehouse Court MLS#A4564974

COMMUNITY

MONDAY, JUNE 19

MATINEE MOVIE

1 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Free for members; $15 for nonmembers. Join in the fun for the second movie in the Paradise Center Summer Movie Series. Enjoy fresh popcorn and a great film, “Jerry & Marge Go Large.”

RECURRING EVENTS

MONDAYS STRETCH AND STRENGTHEN

From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. This class is mostly seated and great for all fitness levels Focus is on strength training and flexibility for balance. Suzy Brenner leads the class. Fee is $15. Walk-ins welcome. Call 3836493.

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

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

BEST BET

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21

IMPROV FOR EVERYONE

1-2 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. $10 for members; $20 for nonmembers. Taught by Will Luera of the Florida Studio Theatre, this fun and fast-paced class will teach participants to think on their feet. The class will also help build confidence and boost creative thinking. Register by June 19 by calling 383-6493.

2.5 bath condo behind the gates of Bay Isles in Harbour Oaks Longboat Key.

2115 Harbourside Drive MLS#4566654

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 Amy@ TheParadiseCenter.org.

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 203-6054066 or email Info@LongboatKeyRotary.org.

TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS

LONGBOAT LIBRARY

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays, 555 Bay Isles Road. Call 383-2011.

WEDNESDAYS BEGINNER TAI CHI

From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Class is outdoors, weather permitting. Cost is $15. Walk-ins welcome. Call 3836493.

MARIACHI MUSIC

From 5-8 p.m. at La Villa Mexican Grill, 5610 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Enjoy dinner and a serenade by Mariachi Contemporaneo. Call 383-8033.

FRIDAYS INTERMEDIATE TAI CHI

From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Outside if weather permitting. Free for members; $15 for others.

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

FORECAST

SUNRISE /

WEATHER 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. June 17 New June 26 First July 3 Full July 9 Last Sunrise Sunset Thursday, June 15 6:35a 8:26p Friday, June 16 6:35a 8:27p Saturday, June 17 6:35a 8:27p Sunday, June 18 6:35a 8:27p Monday, June 19 6:35a 8:28p Tuesday, June 20 6:35a 8:28p Wednesday, June 21 6:36a 8:28p

FRIDAY, JUNE 16 High: 87 Low: 80 Chance of rain: 15% SATURDAY, JUNE 17 High: 86 Low: 79 Chance of rain: 54% SUNDAY, JUNE 18 High: 87 Low: 79 Chance of rain: 47%

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Homes

1325 WESTWAY DRIVE

ROGER SELLS LUXURY WATERFRONT PROPERTIES

#1

1642 SHORELAND DRIVE $1,895,000

This enchanting 3BR + office and family room residence guides you through meticulously landscaped grounds consisting of three distinct courtyards, majestic live oaks, vibrant tropical foliage, exotic bamboo, graceful papyrus, intricate lattice accents, a charming gazebo, and welllit pathways. www.1642Shoreland.com

$15,000,000

Step into this tropical escape through the hidden courtyard that connects the 3BR main home to the private 2BR guest house, as the perfect introduction to a contemporary masterpiece designed by DSDG Architect Mark Sultana and built by Voigt Brothers Construction. www.1325WestwayDrive.com

3030 GRAND BAY BOULEVARD #346 $2,595,000

Panoramic direct views of Sarasota Bay, Harbourside golf course and downtown’s skyline are the star of the show as soon as you enter this lovely 3BR Antigua getaway. www.GrandBay346.com

3030 GRAND BAY BOULEVARD #316 $2,495,000

Prepare to be enchanted by the stunning, awe-inspiring views that await at this luxurious 3BR Grand Bay residence. Fall in love with its sprawling 2,925 SF and modern updates. www.GrandBay316.com

415 L’AMBIANCE DRIVE #PH-A $12,000,000

3040 GRAND BAY BOULEVARD #251 $2,295,000

Sunny bay views welcome you to this 5th-floor, nearly 3,000 SF retreat, featuring an open, 3BR layout waiting for you to add your personal touches. Includes private beach! www.GrandBay251.com

201 NORTH WASHINGTON DRIVE $2,195,000

The walkable location of this St. Armands home will immediately draw you in. Ideally situated on an oversized, 1/4-acre lot for you to design your dream home. www.201NorthWashington.com

7652 SANDERLING ROAD $9,995,000

This spectacular Siesta Key beach home is a one-of-a-kind experience! Directly overlooking the coastal landscape of the Gulf of Mexico, this private estate rests on more than an acre, with 172’ of beach! Designed to highlight the sparkling beach and striking sunset vistas from any room. www.7652Sanderling.com

$839,000

Beautiful recent updates (include added square feet, impact windows) and sunny water views create the perfect spot to move right into at this FURNISHED, 2BR beach-to-bay getaway. www.FishermansHaven505.com

173 CIPRIANI WAY $549,000

You will love the convenience of moving right into this wellmaintained home, with its sunny, open interior, 3BR+den layout, and many resort-style amenities a short walk away. www.173CiprianiWay.com