Longboat Observer 8.24.23

Fond Farewell

After 16 years, Jeff Bullock retired from the Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department earlier this month.

Bullock started in the fire service with Largo Fire Department in 1979 and advanced through the ranks to become fire chief. He served with Largo for 27 years before coming to Longboat in 2007.

On the Key, Bullock served as a preceptor, boat captain and acting officer, according to Public Information Officer Tina Adams.

“He was instrumental in our marine operations, including design of the vessel and equipment carried,” Fire Chief Paul Dezzi said.

Bullock is looking forward to spending more time with his wife, children and grandchildren in his retirement.

Staff costs push budget up

Sibling sets set sail with SYS

It’s always a family reunion when it comes to Sarasota Youth Sailing. At the SYS summer camps this year, there were three sets of sibling coaches. (For more about SYS see Page 16.)

It’s a natural thing for a sibling to follow in another’s footsteps when it comes to sailing, said Program Director Megan Swick.

This summer, the sibling sets were Aden and Jesse Anderson (above); Matthew and Luke King; and Sophia, Gwendolyn and Oliver Woodbury. All of them grew up attending the SYS program, and all of them are now involved in coaching at various levels.

Swick said coaching is SYS sailors’ way of giving back to a program that taught them to find themselves.

BEHIND the scenes

The latest “Tip Talk” video produced for the town of Longboat Key gave viewers a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes processes of the town’s hurricane preparedness.

For this month’s video, Town Manager Howard Tipton talked to key emergency management personnel: Fire Chief Paul Dezzi, Public Works Director Isaac Brownman and Chief of Police George Turner. The three shared how each of their departments plays crucial roles in preparing for, and responding to, major storm events.

Dezzi acts as the emergency manager for the town, a job that’s yearround. He constantly works with the town’s departments to ensure every department has a plan in place in the event of a major storm.

Brownman said his department also prepares year-round and maintains debris management contracts. These contracts would allow for Public Works to call in contractors to assist with debris removal after a storm, if the impact was extensive.

As a storm approaches but is still a couple days out, each department goes into a busier but focused mode.

“It puts Public Works into action to start double-checking our infrastructure and equipment,” Brownman said in the video.

The normal police department call volume increases during this time, Turner said. Simultaneously, the department is getting all of its equipment ready, fueling up patrol vehicles, securing its boats and making sure any evidence is out of harm’s way.  Turner also said that once he knows his officers have their own plans in place with their families, the department starts assigning officers to A and B shifts that will operate throughout the storm.

Dezzi’s fire rescue department also handles its own preparations at this time. The department checks to make sure it has all its medical supplies and medications ready to respond to any emergencies.

Once these three departments have their own preparations figured out, personnel from fire rescue, police and Public Works move to Sarasota High School, which will act as their “home base” throughout the storm, according to Dezzi. The departments also coordinate with the Sarasota County Emergency Operations Center, where some staff, like Dezzi, may operate from.

Public Works stays in constant communication with Manatee County about when water may be shut off to the island, Brownman said. The town’s water tank is filled before water may be shut off, but Brownman said Manatee County usually waits until the last possible hour to shut off water.

Tipton said that following the mandatory evacuation orders is crucial, especially since once the storm reaches a certain severity, emergency responders won’t be able to offer help until the storm passes.

“When an evacuation order is given, try to get out as soon as you can,” Tipton said in the video.

Turner said he would be in constant contact with surrounding agencies, such as Bradenton Beach, Manatee County and Sarasota County, to coordinate evacuation routes. At this point, the department would be operating in its A/B shifts, and would be on the road working to make sure everyone is evacuating safely.

Once the storm hits, the emergency management team rides out the storm at Sarasota High School, according to Tipton.

After the storm passes, Dezzi said the emergency management team, made of a select few staff officials, would be allowed back onto the

island in the first tier of reentry.

This team would be able to assess the situation and report back to the EOC if any additional resources would be needed.

Public Works would start clearing the debris from the south to the north, Brownman said, creating a “first push” operation. With this, a single lane is opened up for emergency personnel to get through the island.

The second tier of individuals allowed on the island includes other town employees, property management officials and some business owners. Turner said his officers would be positioned at either end of the island checking IDs.

Before the third tier of individuals, which includes everyone else, is allowed onto the island Brownman said Public Works needs to assess the water and wastewater systems to ensure they’re still functioning.

All in all, Tipton said the emergency management team’s first priority is safety, and asks for patience if this situation were to arise.

“Hopefully, everything we talked about, we never have to use. But if we do, we’re ready,” Tipton said.

LBK’s fire chief, Public Works director and police chief explain their departments’ roles in storm prep and response.

“When an evacuation order is given, try to get out as soon as you can.”

— Howard Tipton, Town Manager

LEARNING AT 400 DEGREES

CARTER WEINHOFER STAFF WRITER

Outside, thunder shook the air, accompanied by a downpour of rain, but inside the training building of the Sarasota County Technical Institute Fire Academy, it was a completely different environment. And it was heating up.

“Alpha Team standing by,” called a voice on a radio.

When the training leader gave the green light, Alpha Team breached the bare living room scene in the training facility. Firefighters-in-training flooded the room in teams much larger than the pairs they would be in during a real-life scenario.

The couch was on fire.

One of the trainees took control of the hose and extinguished the fire before Alpha Team advanced to the kitchen fire.

With the touch of a button in a control room, flames engulfed the ceiling of the training simulation kitchen. The trainees crouched down and looked up at the orange sea of fire. It was a simulated rollover — when a fire reaches a ceiling and then spreads horizontally.

In a rollover, the team needs to deploy a technique called “penciling,” where short bursts of water are applied to the ceiling to cool gases and prevent a larger ignition that would take over the entire room.

Though a majority of the team had little real-life experience, they made it through the drill in only a couple of minutes, despite a few technical difficulties in the control room.

In the simulation, temperatures reached as high as 300 to 400 degrees

INCREASED RECRUITMENT

The training process for a Longboat Key firefighter paramedic takes a lot of time and money, according to Fire Chief Paul Dezzi. The department wants people who want to stay, he said. Firefighter gear alone costs $6,000. Recruitment and retention were issues for the department until this summer. “Starting in November of last year, we would advertise, and we were not getting anybody,” Dezzi said.

This prompted discussions with the fire union, which Dezzi said went smoothly. The two organizations were able to come to an agreement and provide increased salaries for existing and new employees.

The department began advertising again in June and had interviews lined up in July, which led to the start of training in August, Dezzi said.

“This is our first time in just under a year that we will be fully staffed,” Dezzi said.

Fahrenheit, but that’s nowhere near what temperatures can reach in the real world, according to Josh Hirschy.

Hirschy was the operator in the control room and is a firefighter with Charlotte County.

About three feet off the ground in a real fire, the temperature can reach 500 degrees, but the temperature goes well past 1,000 degrees near the ceiling, according to Longboat

Key Training Captain John Elwood.

Because of a concept called thermal layering, the hottest area is closest to the ceiling. Prior to entering the drill, every person on both Alpha and Bravo teams had to enter the room while the stove in the kitchen was on fire. Every trainee took off one of their gloves and reached toward the ceiling to feel the heat stratification.

During the simulated building fire, Longboat Key Fire Rescue recruit Daniel Rosetta was one of the Alpha team members. His new coworker and fellow new recruit, Derek Flaim, was outside on Bravo Team, waiting for his turn in the drill.

CRAWL, WALK, JOG

The first training exercise Longboat

Key’s new fire rescue recruits went through on Aug. 18 was practicing how to maneuver through tight spaces with obstacles.

Once past the opening braced by two-by-fours, they needed to crawl through one of the lanes, each with its own obstacles. One of the lanes had makeshift wires to simulate gear getting caught on objects. Another lane had a surprise drop where the bottom fell through.

Elwood guided the new recruits along in the process. The first exercise of the day’s training was a microcosm of the entire training process.

“When they go through school, you learn how to crawl, then you learn how to walk and then you kind of work up to a jog,” Elwood said.

First, the trainees need to get accustomed to breathing with the self-contained breathing apparatus out in the open. Both Rosetta and Flaim already learned this part at the start of their training process.

The first trial of the confined space exercise was performed with just their gear on, without the breathing apparatus. Fire gear alone takes away some of their senses, Elwood said. For example, the thick gloves take away some dexterity, making it difficult to move their fingers.

Then, after a couple repetitions of the first step, Rosetta and Flaim put on the breathing apparatus and practiced with that.

The two were then ready to move on to the final trial. For this, Elwood attached a blackout face shield to Rosetta and Flaim’s masks.

“We start layering it with complexity,” Elwood said.

The face shield simulates what firefighters would be able to see

while in an active fire. With the face shields on, they can barely see their hands in front of them.

Elwood said he hopes trainees will never find themselves in these tricky situations, but repetition is key in training. If they ever find themselves in this position, hopefully some sort of instinct will kick in.

“The other thing you’re trying to control is your natural instinct of fight or flight,” Elwood said. “Your body is telling you when everything in this building is getting out and you’re going in, it’s an unnatural act.”

CONTINUOUS TRAINING

Training for a Longboat Key firefighter paramedic is not contained to one day.  New recruits start with an 80-hour orientation, according to Fire Chief Paul Dezzi. During orientation, they learn about the town, the department and get familiar with the equipment. New recruits also go through driver training and safety functional training, like at Sarasota County Technical Institute Fire Academy.

After the orientation hours, the trainees get placed on a shift and are assigned a preceptor. The preceptor is an experienced paramedic who

MEET THE NEW RECRUITS

August saw two new recruits to the Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department, and another is expected to start in September.

acts as a field trainer for anywhere from 12 to 16 weeks. During this timeframe, the newbies learn about protocols for talking to a patient and best treatment practices.

Once both the preceptor and trainee feel confident, the department’s medical director is notified and gives a test composed of multiple scenarios. If the trainee passes the test, then they become a paramedic-in-charge.

Next comes the more rigid, onthe-job fire training. This process lasts for about two-and-a-half years, during which the trainee is tested about every month on certain modules. After this is completed,  the trainee graduates to become a fully trained firefighter paramedic for the town of Longboat Key — almost.

Though the formal training process is complete after that, every member of the department goes through routine training. This allows the department to stay up to date and always be learning new skills.

“When we get a call, the citizens are getting a high level of service,” Dezzi said.

Daniel Rosetta, 23, is originally from Miami and is entering his first job with a fire department. He became a certified EMT in 2018 and then advanced to become a paramedic a couple years later when he was 20 years old. When he was 17 years old, Rosetta said he became seriously interested in the emergency service field after visiting a training headquarters. Being completely new to the area, Rosetta said he is excited to begin establishing community connections within Longboat Key. Rosetta worked his first shift on Aug. 20.

Derek Flaim, 35, was born and raised in Bradenton and is looking forward to being closer to home. His previous fire department experience was with the city of Seminole, where he worked for more than three years. For him, the training process is about more than learning the basics.

“I’m excited to learn a new way to do things,” Flaim said. “It’s making me fall in love with the fire service all over again.”

Flaim spent summers on Coquina Beach and around Beer Can Island, which familiarized him with the area around Longboat Key, he said. Longboat is closer to home than his previous job, which he said will be beneficial to his family and future goals.

Flaim began his first shift on Aug. 21.

Longboat’s firefighter paramedics tackle training obstacles to learn to stay cool in the moment.

Coordinated rescue

Workers from the Longboat Key Public Works Department recently helped Save Our Seabirds rescue a juvenile great blue heron hidden in the Greer Island Spit Management Project.

In early July, SOS began receiving calls about a bird entangled in fishing line, said Ray Sellers, an SOS rescue volunteer.

Later that month, the bird was found with a fishing line and hook embedded in its body. Sellers and his wife, Heather, and other volunteers tried on several occasions to net the bird to take it to SOS’s rehabilitation hospital but were unable to catch it.

“Partnerships between the town, the law enforcement and Save Our Seabirds are very unique,” said Ray Sellers. “It’s neat to see them get engaged with us, as opposed to just standing back. We’re just volunteers that have fallen into this thing. So seeing them participate and help us with rescues, it just really warms your heart.”

Heather Sellers said that they informed Charlie Mopps, director of Public Works, about the situation so the dredging team would be aware of the injured bird on the site.

On Aug. 8, the Sellerses received a text from the dredging team saying members had spotted the bird and noticed the fishing line was now wrapped around its beak, pinning the bird’s beak to its chest. This prevented the bird from eating. The Sellerses were quickly transported to the site

by Mopps, while Mark Stroik, program manager of the dredging team, kept an eye on the bird.

The team of dredgers and SOS volunteers worked together and netted the bird. It was immediately transported to SOS and was able to make a full recovery.

“Charlie really made it happen by connecting the dots and telling the team to be on the lookout,” said Heather Sellers. “Then turning around and contacting us, no matter what time of day it was. His commitment to helping wildlife in general is amazing, because he did it with turtles, and now he’s doing it with birds. It’s just something we’re really thankful for. It just speaks volumes of his character.”

Ray and Heather Sellers invited Mopps to the Aug. 16 release of the great blue heron after it recovered. They said he showed great excitement to be able to send the bird back into the wild.

“We understand these men are extremely busy managing important projects,” said Heather. “We were impressed and grateful to see the teamwork and compassion that Charlie and Mark invested to help wildlife. Ultimately, their willingness to communicate and offer resources to help us saved this bird’s life.”

PUBLIC NOTICES

Save Our Seabirds releases a great blue heron after its recovery from injuries suffered after it got entangled in fishing line.

The

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Budget bits: Personnel costs create largest increases

Town officials attribute a 15.65% increase in operating expenditures mostly to rising personnel costs.

CARTER WEINHOFER STAFF WRITER

In Town Manager Howard Tipton’s recommended budget for FY 2024, out of 18 lines of general fund expenditures, 13 show increases from the adopted FY 2023 budget, with seven of them increasing by double-digit percentages.

As to why, most of the increases stem from one factor: People.

Tipton said investments in fire and police personnel, as well as general town employees, make up over 85% of the town’s expenditures.

“The investment in people is by far the single largest cost increase that we’ve had,” Tipton said. “It’s about being competitive and retaining the exceptional talent that we have.”

Insurance was also responsible for a substantial increase, according to Tipton. This includes property and casualty insurance but also employee health insurance costs.

Budget Manager Sandi Henley said many departments’ expenditures — such as Town Manager, Finance and Support Services — are around 80% personnel pay and benefits.

The table to the right shows how town operating expenditures have grown over the past seven years.

To make sense of some of those numbers, Henley explained the changes behind three of the largest increases during that period.

Of course, not all departments are up in spending. The Town Manager’s office has $510,332 budgeted for FY 2024, down from $997,276 in FY 2018. Henley said the change comes from the Support Services department being included in the Town Manager’s budget that year, as well as a salary for an assistant town manager position. From the adopted FY 2023 budget to FY 2024, the office’s budget is planned to decrease by 16%.

The first public hearing on the FY 2024 budget will take place Sept. 11.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS, 2018-2024

PARKS AND RECREATION

Prior to 2021, the Parks and Recreation budget was split into two separate budget lines. The following uses the combined budget lines for years prior to 2021. Parks and Recreation saw a 46% increase from 2018 to 2024, from $283,251 to $414,085. This includes a 32% increase from 2023, when the budget was $313,345. Henley said aside from usual operating costs, this increase also comes from the additional work and operating expenses related to the Town Center Green, as that project will be unveiled in November.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Information Technology was the largest increase spanning across recent years, jumping 78% from 2018 to 2024 and 23% from 2023 to 2024. In 2018, the IT budget was $655,209, which grew to $947,280 in 2023 and is estimated to be $1,167,806 in 2024. Two new IT positions were introduced in the 2024 fiscal year budget. Henley said the department experiences increasing costs for maintenance, support and licensing for software every year.

FINANCE

Henley said the Finance budget is expected to decrease by the September budget meeting. As of now, the anticipated budget for 2024 is $1,069,485. The department anticipated needing to include retirement payouts, though one employee recently decided not to retire. Additionally, the new position of grant coordinator contributed to the 33% budget increase from 2023 to 2024. In 2018, the department’s budget was $676,660 and went up to $804,854 in 2023.

TOTAL GENERAL FUND OPERATING EXPENDITURES

FRIDAY, AUG. 11

Suspicious scooters 10:32 p.m., 6000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious Vehicle: On a late-night patrol, a Longboat Key Police officer saw two rental scooters parked in a business’ parking lot. While the officers ran the tags of the scooters, two individuals came to the front of the lot. Both said they were visiting from out of town and admiring the boats for sale on the lot. Neither was carrying any items or burglary tools. They were advised to return during normal business hours.

SATURDAY, AUG. 12

Roadside assistance 10:56 a.m., 2000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Citizen Assist: An officer on patrol noticed a car pulled over on the side of the road. The driver stated the car would not go into gear and she was waiting for a tow. The officer helped her push the car into the grass and off the road.

NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE

1:30 p.m., North of Sister Keys

Boat-Miscellaneous: A man on a 25-foot boat flagged down a Longboat Key Police Department marine patrol officer. The boat’s engine hatch was open, and the owner asked if the officer could tow him to land. The officer said that was not possible, but he could call a towing service. The owner then said he did not want any assistance after all, since he was fine on the sandbar. He said a friend who also had a boat at the sandbar would help him out.

MONDAY, AUG. 14

WATER SHUT OFF

9:14 p.m., 5000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Citizen Assist: Police were dispatched to respond to a water main break. On scene, the responding officer saw a large hole in the ground with water shooting out. The water was gushing into a window that was causing the residential unit to flood. The caller failed to make contact with the condo management representative, so the responding officer called Longboat Key Fire Rescue for assistance. The fire department dug around the break to locate the issue, and the battalion chief arrived

THURSDAY, AUG. 17

PALM FROND PROBLEMS

1:43 p.m., 4000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Traffic Hazard: Police observed a stray palm frond blocking both lanes of traffic on GMD, causing vehicles to drive in the bike lanes. The officer removed the frond

Cosmetics CEO buys $9.45M home on Key

The purchase broke the 2023 year-to-date record for a singlefamily home sale on Longboat Key.

Longboat Key’s highest singlefamily home sale of 2023 closed on Friday at $9.45 million for the 4,820-square-foot property located at 6877 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

A limited liability corporation, 6877 Gulf of Mexico, purchased the property from Todd Lee Borck. The principal address listed for 6877 Gulf of Mexico LLC is listed as 133 Lowe St. in Tavernier, Florida. That property sold in 2020 for $6.7 million to the Maureen A. Kelly Irrevocable Trust; Michael Kelly, trustee; and Scott McDonough, trustee.

out the COVID-19 pandemic, which Liberatore said made things a little more challenging.

The house stayed on the market for 436 days, according to Liberatore. He said this was a little longer than houses of this type typically sit for in the area. Liberatore had the listing sitting “in the pocket” for about five months, he said, but the timing wasn’t right. The house wasn’t ready yet.

“By the time we actually got to the market, it was late into the stabilization of the market instead of the craziness we had,” Liberatore said.

A lot of consideration went into the marketing for this property, which he attributes most to the successful sale, Liberatore said.

“I didn’t just put it on the MLS and let it sit,” Liberatore said.

on scene to shut off the water for the street. Residents nearby were advised water would be unavailable for the night.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 16

FALSE ALARM

7:09 p.m., 3000 block of Harbourside Drive

Suspicious Incident: Construction equipment possibly being used prompted police response. The caller claimed the site manager had received an alert that a piece of equipment was started at the site. Upon arrival, the responding officer didn’t notice anything out of place and no equipment seemed to be running. The caller was advised that a thunderstorm had been going through Longboat Key.

September 2023

Maureen Kelly is the CEO and founder of Tarte Cosmetics. McDonough is a member of Tarte’s executive team.

Originally built in 1998, the threestory home has four bedrooms, fourand-a-half bathrooms, a four-car garage and a pool.

David Liberatore was the listing agent with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. He also sold the home to its previous owner about two years ago, when it sold for $4.8 million. The previous buyer performed a total renovation, according to Liberatore. Major renovations to the property include hurricane-impact glass, a gourmet kitchen, bathroom remodeling, a new driveway, a new pool and completely redone upper and lower decks.

“Literally everything was done to the house,” Liberatore said.

The renovations took more than a year and were completed through-

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The property was featured in many publications and magazines, according to Liberatore. He also said pictures of the property were kept fresh as renovations continued. With every change or addition to the house, Liberatore said new stagings and new pictures had to be done.

LONGBOAT

Disheartening demise

The St. Armands BID did a lot of good. But now that it’s gone, new leaders needs to fill the void.

likely will send one of Sarasota’s leading tourist attractions and economic engines back where it was before the BID — back to a shopping district that was scruffy, tired and in need of a major makeover.

Back then, the upkeep of the Circle — sidewalks, trash, streetscapes — fell to the city. And you know what that means. Try as government might, its efforts did not live up to the standards needed to keep St. Armands Circle a premier destination.

THE BID’s ACCOMPLISHMENTS

We asked Diana Corrigan, former executive director of the St. Armands Circle Association and ex-officio board member of the St. Armands Business Improvement District, to recall the BID’s accomplishments during the period BID founder Marty Rappaport served as chair (2002-2016):

■ New lampposts, park benches, trash receptacles (partnership with the LMR)

■ Landscape uplighting in Circle Park

■ Installation of piped in music around the Circle

What a shame. Thirty years of passion, relationship building, consensus building, compromise and improvements to St. Armands Circle — all an incalculable contribution to making a rough diamond a jewel for the city of Sarasota — and now a big part of all that is crumbling to a disheartening demise.

We’re speaking of the dissolution two weeks ago of the St. Armands Business Improvement District and of the efforts of its founder, Marty Rappaport. For 30 years, from 1987 to 2016, Rappaport was a St. Armands Circle property owner, leading advocate and visionary.

Through his and the efforts of Diana Corrigan, former executive director of the St. Armands Circle Association, the two founded in 2001 the St. Armands Business Improvement District, the taxing district whose funds have been reinvested in Circle improvements and marketing. Rappaport served 14 years as chair of the BID, retiring in 2016 after a long list of accomplishments (see box).

When we saw Rappaport last week after news spread of the BID’s demise, you could see the disappointment in his eyes and hear it in his voice.

All that work. Poof!

It may be difficult for people not associated with St. Armands Circle to understand the gravity of this, but it is a big loss for the city. If the BID is not resurrected, its demise

But when Rappaport and Corrigan persuaded Circle property owners to take on an additional two-mill tax levy, that provided a dedicated source of cash to be reinvested for continuous, highlevel upkeep and improvements.

With the BID’s demise, that cash and level of service will disappear.

From a distance, then, you have to ask: Why would the St. Armands Circle property owners dissolve the one mechanism that can be used in their own self-interest to keep the Circle moving forward?

It’s a complicated story that revolves around conflicting personalities and motivations among every group involved — BID board members, Circle property owners, St. Armands Circle Association board members, Circle business owners, board members of the Lido Key and St. Armands residents associations; St. Armands and Lido Key residents; and Sarasota city officials.

When you talk to people in these groups, they all have stories of where things went wrong; who did this; who didn’t do that. On top of that, you have 63 property owners, many of whom are withered with rising costs and skyrocketing insurance rates.

But in short, the story goes like this: When people and groups are not in alignment, success is all but impossible, failure inevitable.

Which brings us back to BID founder Marty Rappaport.

When Rappaport invested in property in 1987 on St. Armands Circle, he had just retired as a

Why Dems hate Trump

Editor’s note: Two weeks ago, we noted that since 2016, not one public figure among the Democratic Party or among the Never Trumpers has ever specifically stated why he/she has such a visceral hate for Donald Trump. So we asked Democrats and Never Trumpers to tell us specifically why they dislike (or hate) Trump.

Below are five responses. We received more, with their comments similar to these. But the writers declined to have their names in print. As one wrote: “You do NOT have my permission to publish my name for fear of the Trump crazies in the area!”

The theme here is clear: They can’t stand Trump’s personality and behavior. They say nothing of his policies.

HE IS UNHINGED

Gee, why do the MAJORITY of educated Americans hate Donald J. Trump? Let me count the ways, since you mistakenly believe this is political, like most delusional MAGA cult members.

Trump has never demonstrated ANY class or grace as a world leader; his constant mistreatment of women; the racial and anti-Semitic comments; and support from those pathetic groups of misfits; his repeated REFUSING to accept defeat; his LYING about losing an election; his obvious STEALING of classified documents; his IGNITING an insurrection.

Oh, he NEVER built a wall either. He belongs behind bars and is a clear threat to national security.

How much more evidence do you need to comprehend the truth?

He’s completely unhinged.

That should clarify things — for even the lowest IQs out there. And sadly, more than ever before.

OUT FOR HIMSELF

Donald Trump is only out for himself and really doesn’t care about ANYone else — extreme narcissism.

The constant flow out of his mouth with no filter is not a leadership quality.

Why would OUR leader make friends and admire dictators like Kim Jung Un and Vladimir Putin? Despicable.

He’s misogynistic to a fault — another disgusting trait.

His ideas are not clear, synthesized or thought through.

I hate bullies, and he’s a BIG BULLY.

He’s great for someone’s cocktail party, not the leader of the free world. Thanks for listening to others.

FANS FIRES OF HATE

Trump has no regard or interest in learning about the constitution and laws of the country (other than tax law so he can skirt the laws).

He has sowed doubt in every institution and system we hold dear, even our election system. He has fanned the fires of hate and led people to hold the value that any hateful attitude or action is appropriate by modeling childish behaviors such as name calling, bullying, abuse of power, winning

■ Median neck-outs and brick paver crosswalks

■ Hired consultant Bob Gibbs to do an analysis of the district and organized a dinner for merchants and landowners to hear Gibbs’ recommendations for Circle improvements

■ Master plan for the Circle (three public workshops were held with the landowners, merchants and residents)

■ Master Plan for the parking district

■ Median landscape improvement project

■ Removal of old newspaper boxes and installation of uniform newspaper receptacles

■ Partnership with the association for marketing & advertising programs from 2005-2009 and 2013-2020

self-made entrepreneur who had built a 500-employee dry-cleaning business in New Jersey. He was the type-cast entrepreneur: Driven, visionary, quick to make his own decisions, do things his way. But as a St. Armands landowner, Rappaport learned and evolved. He learned that if St. Armands Circle was to move forward, it would need consensus and alignment of all stakeholders — landowners, merchants, residents and City Hall. He constantly built and nurtured relationships. He always looked for ways by which everyone could benefit. He learned to be patient. He did not put his interests first.

at all cost and being a sore loser. Any charge against him is meant with making the same charge against the accuser. Somehow he thinks he never has to own his actions, and others have learned to do the same.

I never thought so many people in power would line up behind such a person of no character and no loyalty who holds himself and staying in power ahead of country. For all of these reasons and many more, he is a disgrace, and those who are afraid to stand up to him will ultimately go down in history as contributors to the downfall of so much we previously held dear and certain about the U.S.

The riot of Jan. 6 should have showed the country just how dangerous this man and those who unconditionally support him are to our country.

LIZ BARZEL SARASOTA

SEND HIM TO PRISON

Trump University was sued for non-performance delivery.

Trump Foundation was put out of business for non-philanthropy.

Trump abuses women.

Trump instructed Pence to overturn a legitimate election.

His own family and Fox News exhorted him to stop the Jan. 6 riot. Trump was impeached twice, and faces multiple indictments. Hopefully, he is prison bound.

MARK GOODE DIEHARD DEMOCRAT SARASOTA

RUDE, MEAN, UGLY

Since he became president, Donald Trump set an example of rude, arrogant, sexist and racist behavior that enabled white supremacists, Evangelical Christians and the entire right wing to feel it was

■ Partnership with the association for installation of the Christmas tree — 2007-2017

■ Grant to install and de-install the Christmas decorations from 2018-2021

■ Parking bond for the construction of the parking garage; bury power lines from Coon Key Bridge; enhanced entryway for the Circle and public restrooms in the garage

■ Parking Garage opened in early 2019

■ Partnership with the St. Armands Residents Association and Circle Association for installation of the new statues on the Circle.

■ Pressure washing sidewalks, picking up litter and debris, pulling weeds, etc.

■ Obtained approval from the city for installation of two public restroom facilities on two of the city medians on South Boulevard of the Presidents and John Ringling Boulevard

■ Donation of John Ringling Statue for St. Armands 75th Anniversary

■ Worked with MPO & FDOT for a storm water drainage project

■ FiIlmore Parking Lot – (PreBID) Landowners and merchants paid for the parking lot with an ad valorem tax assessment in the amount of $140,000 for 20 years.

He looked at each project: Will it benefit the community?

That’s missing and has been.No one stands out as a glue to hold the St. Armands stakeholders together. Invested leaders are needed who can build trusting relationships and alignment.

Be sure of this: St. Armands Circle will not move forward without a unified effort. This is one of those times when historical roots can provide a bridge. The St. Armands Circle Association can and should play that role.

A strong, vibrant, improving St. Armands Circle is crucial to the economic health of the region.

acceptable to say things out loud they’d never have said before.

Abusive, horrible, mean and ugly things. I know I can’t stop them from feeling the way they do, but I find it un-American that saying and doing the things they do have become socially acceptable. Polite society doesn’t exist anymore, because of Trump’s leadership.

2. He is a sexual predator, a crook, a narcissist, a selfish greedy man who is only concerned with what’s good for him and his cronies.

It’s beyond me how the middleand lower-classes can think he has their best interests at heart.

3. He gives a terrible impression of our country to those in other countries around the world. They can’t imagine how he ever got elected, and their estimation of the intelligence of the American people went down a lot of notches when it happened.

I know this, because every one of my international friends said to me, “What the heck?” — and I have a lot of friends in other countries.

4. His continued influence in our government would be the beginning of the end for our democracy — if it hasn’t already begun with the catering of the formerly respectable Republican Party to his whims.

These are just the reasons off the top of my head, but to me they are enough that the media and the Republican Party need to cut ties with Trump and his ilk.

Let’s get back to being a kind, polite, respectable society that truly has two political parties that work together in harmony to make our country better.

The party of less government interference MUST return to that basic premise and stop trying to regulate morality.

“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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A new era of jazz guitar

Akiem Esdaile has always known he would be a musician. Growing up surrounded by his musical family in Bradenton, Esdaile started playing guitar gigs in high school. Now, Esdaile plays at Whitney’s every Friday and Saturday from 6-9 p.m. As people enjoy a meal, he hopes to showcase a new era of jazz guitar and make a name for himself on Longboat Key.

What do you like about playing at Whitney’s?

Chapel’s charity happy hour collects footwear

Longboat Island Chapel hosted its monthly charity happy hour on Aug. 15. This month, the chapel collected children’s socks and shoelaces to donate to Stillpoint Mission in Bradenton, just in time for back-to-school season.  The “Sock It To ’Em and Tie ’Em Up” event was hosted by Anne Summers. She made it superhero themed to keep in mind the interests of the children they would be donating to. The group filled a trunk full of different colored socks and shoelaces.

The representatives from Stillpoint

Mission were Angelina and Leo Bens. They moved to the area from New Jersey for retirement and made volunteering their passion project. They have volunteered for Stillpoint Mission for six years.

“Most of the people we serve in the community, they go to many different places, but everybody knows my husband and me,” said Angelina. “Before the pandemic, we used to serve at four places, so we know everybody. It’s a great community.”

At Stillpoint, Angelina mainly organizes the diaper section, and Leo works in the food department. They volunteer there every Wednesday and Friday. They also volunteer at One More Child.

The chapel hosts happy hours monthly to encourage people to learn more about donation recipients and to build community with other chapel members. These events have encouraged people to donate more, said Summers.

“It’s amazing what this does,” said Summers. “Before, we were getting a little container of donations that people would bring on Sunday. But then we started doing these happy hours, and we just get a lot of people. Many people don’t have that many parties to go to, so something like this is really fun and a great way to up the donations.”

Two years ago, the owner of Whitney’s came to one of my gigs one night at a different place in Sarasota and asked if I wanted to play here on Fridays. It’s been great ever since. There is a really good crowd on Longboat Key. They are all really nice. It’s a really great vibe here and there is really great food here. I love that it’s kind of a beach restaurant and I am able to match their chill atmosphere.

How would you describe your music?

New age jazz is what comes to mind when I think of my music. It’s like immersing yourself in a jazz show like you’re in New York and you’re sitting down with somebody on the stage playing very well-made chords. I try to make it a music experience that makes you think.

What are your inspirations for music?

I’m inspired by people like Robert Glasper, George Benson (the jazz

guitarist), J Dilla (beat producer). I come from a music family, so I have always been around music — like my cousin was in a reggae group in London. So they definitely impacted how I play.

What are your goals for the future?

Right now, I’m working on my Instagram and social media. I also want to get more gigs hopefully on Longboat Key. I love to play in the restaurants. It’s hard to get the word out, but once they hear me play, they are enthusiastic. So I’m just trying to get more known in the area and get my name out there.

A+E INSIDE:

< GALLERY GONE: Art Uptown is closing after 43 years on Main Street. 12

EATING WITH EMMA: Bring your bibs and wipes for the best barbecue in town. 13>

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

Actress Katherine Michelle Tanner launches her own theater company.

So far, 2023 has been a good year for Katherine Michelle Tanner.

In March, KT Curran’s “Bridge to the Other Side,” featuring Tanner as a distraught mother of a mentally ill son, screened at the 25th Sarasota Film Festival, where it won the local audience award.

In May, Michelle Pascua’s “In Remembrance,” which Tanner directed, won the best play award at Theatre Odyssey’s Ten Minute Play Festival.

When they handed out the awards for the festival, Tanner couldn’t be there. She was on stage at the Sarasota Opera House performing in the ballet “Cinderella.” The ballet was presented by The Diane Partington Studio of Classical Ballet, formerly the Russian School of Ballet.

In June, Tanner’s play, “Shakespeare’s Lovers,”  appeared at the first Squeaky Wheel Fringe Festival in Sarasota. The play, about a male poet and a female painter, who meet in a river, incorporates 29 of Shakespeare’s sonnets and 19 of Tanner’s own.

At the Squeaky Wheel Fringe Festival, the revelation of the body of water on stage elicited a collective gasp from the audience, but it’s impossible to steal the show from Tanner.

“Call me the salmon of Sarasota. I’m swimming upstream.”

— Katherine Michelle Tanner

KMT, as those close to her often call Tanner, has been performing in Sarasota for about 20 years, give or take a few. (You know how sensitive actors are about their age.) But suddenly she’s everywhere all at once, to riff on this year’s Oscar winner, “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” or EEAOT, since we’re talking acronyms here.

The latest place Tanner happens to be is at the head of her own theater company, Tree Fort Productions. Tree Fort has existed in some form for 10 years, but in April Tanner completed the paperwork for a 501(c) (3). That made the theater company a nonprofit officially recognized by the IRS, easing the way for donations since they become tax-deductible, more or less.

Yes, Sarasota already some wellestablished theater companies (Asolo Repertory, The Players, Florida Studio Theatre, Urbanite, to name just a few). Regional theater in other parts of the country is struggling due to smaller audiences and rising overhead, but Tanner isn’t discouraged.

“Call me the salmon of Sarasota,” she quips, as she is wont to do. “I’m swimming upstream.”

As hypnotically details the upcoming season for Tree Fort Productions, which is housed right now in the The Crossings at Siesta Key and the reasons why she’s launching her own company, one is apt to fall under Tanner’s spell.

Told her powers of persuasion are so great that she could easily be marketing multimillion-dollar condos if she weren’t artistically bent, Tanner laughs and says, “I have a friend in real estate who says the same thing.”

But back to the business at hand: Tree Fort Productions. To make sure she gets her message across, Tanner mentions not once, not twice, but three times during a brief interview that: “The best way to support a theater company is to buy a subscription.”

Duly noted. The price of a Tree Fort 2023-24 season subscription is a modest $140 for four shows, or $20 less than if tickets for each show were purchased separately.

Tree Fort’s season opens Oct. 13, with “Red,” John Logan’s play about the artist Mark Rothko, which made its debut in 2009. The play takes

place in Rothko’s New York studio in the late 1950s as he wrestles with the ethics of fulfilling a brashly commercial commission -- painting murals for the elite Four Seasons restaurant. His misgivings are fueled by his assistant.

At Tree Fort, Lee Gundersheimer will star as Rothko, a role that garnered Alfred Molina a 2010 Tony nomination for best actor when he performed it on Broadway. Alex Teicheira will play Rothko’s skeptical assistant. The play runs through Oct. 29.

The play “Red” holds a spot close to Tanner’s heart because her father was an artist. In some households, parents might ask children what they did at school that day. When Tanner was growing up, her dad would ask her, “What are you working on?”

Tanner’s father had a day job, but he was a painter, sculptor and jewelry maker. “There was always a project in the corner,” she recalls. “We were told, ‘Don’t touch Dad’s things.’

Since Tanner’s father was a bit of a juggler, it’s not surprising to see she had a triple major (theater/dance/ education) at St. Olaf’s College in Minnesota. She earned an MFA from Asolo Theatre Conservatory-Florida State University and has been applying her talents in dance, theater, film and music at lightning speed ever since.

Asked where she gets her energy from, Tanner replies without hesitation: “Starbucks.”

The color red would appear to be the perfect theme for a black-tie event. Instead of telling guests to dress in black-and-white, as Truman Capote did for his party of the century in 1966, KMT’s event could be scarlet-themed. Not a bad idea, Tanner says, but she’s keeping her fundraising finesse under wraps for now.

Besides the challenges of raising money and building an audience, Tree Fort also faces uncertainty about its home of the last , The Crossings, which is in transition.

Some arts-oriented tenants in the mall have been forced to vacate because of higher rents. For now, Tree Fort has a home and it’s walking distance from CMX CinéBistro, a small, but popular destination for moviegoers.

Tanner isn’t anchored to a space for her new venture. She recalls doing readings for “Shakespeare’s Lovers” at Home Resource, Kathy and Michael Bush’s upscale modern furniture store. In Tanner’s book, the play’s the thing, not the stage.

“No space is long term,” she says. “If we did move, it would be our fifth move. No one really knows what’s going to happen.”

What is certain is the lineup for Tree Fort’s 2023-24 season. In addition to “Red,” the lineup includes a reprise of “Shakespeare’s Lovers,” starring Tanner from Dec. 1-17.

Also on the bill is Jessica Dickey’s “The Amish Project,” in which Tanner performs all roles in the play about the 2006 shootings at West Nickel Mines School for Amish girls in Pennsylvania. The massacre, which included a hostage situation, left six dead, including the gunman, and five injured.

Heavy stuff to be sure, but “The Amish Project” won favor with audiences off Broadway and on tour in its previous incarnations. It will run in Sarasota from Jan. 12-Feb. 11.

Tanner will also appear in “Lark Eden,” a one-night reading on Nov.

10, along with Roxanne Fey and Lauren Wood.

Wherever it ends, Tree Fort’s season will conclude on an upbeat note, with a cabaret devoted to the women of Broadway, not the performers, but the often overlooked female composers of the Great White Way.

Tanner isn’t waiting for Broadway or Hollywood to call, especially during a writers’ and actors’ strike. She’s making things happen right here in Sarasota, one latte at a time.

THIS WEEK

THURSDAY

JOHN PIRMAN: ‘DIVING INTO NATURE’

10 a.m. at Selby Gardens, 1534 Mound St.

$18

Visit Selby.org.

The retrospective presents the works of Sarasota-based designer and illustrator John Pirman both inside Selby Gardens’ Museum of Botany & the Arts and outside throughout the bayfront gardens. Runs through Sept. 17.

OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATION FOR ‘AN ABSTRACT VIEW’

6-8 p.m. at Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami Trail Free Visit ArtCenterSarasota.org.

See the work of artists Lauren Mann, Iren Tete and Ry McCullough, plus Art Center Sarasota’s juried show, “An Abstract View.” Beer and wine will be available for purchase.

‘CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REMIXED!’

7:30 p.m. at FST’s Goldstein Cabaret, 1239 N. Palm Ave.

$18 and up

Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

“The Jersey Tenors” and “The Surfer Boys” veteran Vaden Thurgood has

DON’T MISS

‘A COMEDY OF TENORS’

Set in 1930s Paris, “A Comedy of Tenors” is a madcap romp about a concert producer trying to keep an Italian superstar from falling prey to temptation.

IF YOU GO

When: Through Aug. 27

Where: FST’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St. Tickets: $18 and up Info: FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

OUR PICK OPEN HOUSE ON SARASOTA SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

In connection with a free exhibit in the City Hall lobby, a lecture on the Sarasota School of Architecture will be held featuring Sarasota County Division of Historical Resources Manager Joshua Goodman, Architecture Sarasota President Morris Hylton III and Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources Director Renee Di Pilato.

The exhibit is on display through June 2024.

IF YOU GO

When: Thursday, 5:30 p.m.

Where: City Hall, 1565 First St.

Tickets: Free Info: SarasotaFl.gov.

created his own musical revue for FST. The show, which features a rotating cast with three men (including Thurgood for at least a month) and a woman, follows the life of Creedence Clearwater Revival founder John Fogerty through hit songs such as “Proud Mary” and “Bad Moon Rising.” Runs through Oct. 15.

‘THE GRADUATE’

7:30 p.m. at The Players Centre, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail

$30 Visit ThePlayers.org.

Directed by Elliott Raines, “The Graduate” is a stage adaptation of the classic novel and film that explores the unlikely sexual affair between a recent college graduate, who is adrift in life, and a friend of his parents, who knows exactly what she wants. Runs through Aug. 27.

SATURDAY

‘WORKING CONDITIONS:

EXPLORING LABOR THROUGH THE RINGLING’S PHOTOGRAPHY

COLLECTION’

10 a.m. at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bayshore Road

$25 (includes museum admission) Visit Ringling.org.

The Ringling debuts a photography exhibit that explores myriad views of labor, from the celebration of industrial progress to the exploitation of society’s most vulnerable. Among the photographers whose works are on display are Lewis Hine, Dmitiri Baltermants, Endia Beal, Walker Evans, Arthur Rothstein, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Margaret Bourke-White, Danny Lyon, Lewis Baltz, Sebastião Salgado and Bill Owens. Through March 3.

WEDNESDAY

DENNIS BLAIR

7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd. $19 and up Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

If you like your humor adult style, Dennis Blair is sure to deliver. Blair toured with iconic raunchy comedian George Carlin for 18 years, performed on “The Tonight Show” and has appeared at venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to the Kennedy Center. Through Sept. 3.

Art Uptown Gallery to close after 43 years in Sarasota

MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Long live visual arts in Sarasota. Rising rent is forcing the Art Uptown Gallery to close after 43 years at 1367 Main St. Despite its name, Art Uptown is the second downtown gallery to close this year. At the same time, new visual arts destinations are expanding in more affordable parts of town.

Art Uptown, which houses local artists in studios upstairs, will close permanently at 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26.

“The building has been sold, and the gallery was unable to negotiate a lease price that would allow us to continue,” said Melanie Carlstein, gallery board president, in a statement.

Carlstein said the gallery has stocked up on the works of its artists to give patrons the opportunity to buy in the final days of operation.

In June, Dabbert Gallery closed after 18 years in business at 46 S. Palm Ave. Husband-and-wife owners David and Patricia Dabbert have maintained a sales presence online, selling fine painting and sculpture. The Dabberts were fixtures at the First Friday Gallery Walk downtown. In a Facebook post, the couple cited rising rent as well as new development downtown as reasons for their gallery’s demise.

“The Sarasota art scene is changing,” artist Virginia Hoffman wrote on Facebook. “High-end or highrent galleries are fading away, and more artists are finding alternative means to present their art. This is a good thing. My only concern is the market might price artists out of the alternative locations.”

While art galleries are getting pushed out of downtown, some are migrating to the nearby Limelight District, which runs along North Lime Avenue between 12th Street and Fruitville Road. The up-andcoming arts district is anchored by the popular shopping emporium, The Bazaar at Apricot and Lime, at 821 Apricot Ave.

Recent arrivals and expansions in the Limelight District include the March 30 opening of the Palmer Modern at 925 N. Lime Ave. and the addition in February of a second space by arts collective Creative Liberties at 927 N. Lime Ave. Its flagship is nearby, at 901B Apricot Ave.

Courtesy photo

Not far away from the recognized district, Marianne Chapel’s SPAACES gallery at 2051 Princeton St. is seeking to raise $20,000 in a capital campaign it has dubbed the Major Arts District Expansion. MADE, for short, will expand the gallery’s footprint from 4,500 to 7,000 square feet and will include street frontage exposure, which SPAACES currently lacks.

Founded in 2018, SPAACES became a not-for-profit in 2020. According to Chapel, the gallery’s vision is to “see Sarasota recognized as a cutting edge, visual arts town, a place where contemporary art and artists thrive.”

To raise awareness of the visual arts in Sarasota, a town where the performing arts need no help gaining attention, the Sarasota Studio Artists Association has organized Second Saturdays, where artists open their studios to the public and host other events.

Second Saturdays has been spearheaded by Jen Palmer, whose husband, Craig Palmer, owns Palmer Modern.

SSAA has published a map of local art galleries on its website, SRQArtists.com, to encourage buyers and browsers alike to come out for Second Saturdays. That’s a hard slog when temperatures are approaching 100 degrees, but foot traffic is expected to pick up during season.

One way to beat the heat is to hold evening events. In late July, Creative Liberties co-founders Barbara Gerdeman and Elizabeth Goodwill hosted a Magic & Mystery Night Faire.

The faire featured performances including stilt walking and illusions, foods including kebabs and candy apples, and sometimes spooky work by local artists. Instead of Christmas in July, the popular event hosted by Main Street retailers in Venice, think Halloween in July.

There’s no question that fine arts galleries are facing pressure from higher rents and encroaching development. But the arts are thriving in Sarasota in unexpected places — church art galleries, pop-up events at Art Ovation Hotel and even the Saturday Farmers Market, where it’s not unusual to see a plein air practitioner armed with paintbrush, palette and an easel.

Over at the Bayfront, Art Center Sarasota is making a push to get the word out that the artworks it displays are for sale. Admission is free to the center, a nonprofit that offers curated and juried exhibitions, workshops and classes.

Rising rents are pushing art galleries out of downtown, but new and sometimes unexpected spaces beckon.

Get smokin’ with the best barbecue in town

One of the first nights that my now husband came over to my parents’ condo on Longboat Key, my mom asked, “Do you know how to use the grill?”

My husband nodded; grabbed the meat, tongs and cutting board and proceeded down to the Gulf-facing grill with my dad.

After everything was situated on the grill my dad looked at Patrick, laughed and said, “You should have never told my wife you know how to grill. This will be your job forever now.”

Patrick now mans the grill while Dad sits back, pours a Jack Daniel’s and reminds his son-in-law of his new forever role and the one lie he should have told my mom.

In honor of this story, I set my sights on finding the best barbecue joints in town.

Whether it be for Labor Day weekend or just a family grilling night like the many I’ve experienced, these spots are beyond bar-be-cute for any foodie with a hankering for that sweet (or tangy, or hot) sauce.

MOUTHHOLE BBQ

Locations vary; 941-544-1361, Facebook.com/InYourMouthhole

Our first stop on this mouthwatering expedition isn’t brick and mortar, but I will follow the nonwinding roads of Sarasota as long as they lead to this fantastic food truck. You can follow the barbecue smells to Calusa Brewing on most Tuesday evenings. Check out Mouthhole’s Facebook page for other dining destinations (and photos that will have you drooling over your keyboard).

Flippin’ Grate: The Calusa Meat Locker is what BBQ badasses like us beg for and Mouthhole definitely delivers. Righteously tasty ribs, beautiful brisket, perfectly pleasant pulled pork, yummy mac ’n’ cheese, sensational smoked beans, awesome slaw and can-I-fit-more-inmy-belly cornbread ($43).

All Fired Up Over: Mouthhole’s Hawaiian menu. These offerings have me feeling like I could like pineapple ever after. If you’re lucky enough to happen upon Hawaiian night at the truck, you can choose from the Shoyu chicken bowl ($14), Kalua pork plate ($15), Teriyaki tri tip bowl ($18) or the Hawaiian mixed plate ($20).

STOTTLEMYER’S SMOKEHOUSE 19 East Road, Sarasota; 941-3125969, StottlemyersSmokehouse.com

Steve and Terry Stottlemyer are pioneers when it comes to the Sarasota eat-and-drink history pages.

Steve’s father developed the property where the smokehouse stands in 1955. In 1995, Steve and Terry served home-cooked breakfast and lunch at the adjoining Fruitville Texaco that they built, and in 2009, the Chickee Hut was formed. With Old Florida charm being hard to come by these days, it’s a sure bet that this pecan-wood smokery will always carry on tradition — and treat our tastebuds time and time again.

Flippin’ Grate: The BBQ sampler ($26.99). Ready for a list of lipsmacking, finger-licking deliciousness? Order long bone ribs or a half-rack of baby backs, 6 oz. brisket and half a smoked chicken. Or choose the BBQ pork combo ($28.99) with two long bone ribs or a half-rack of baby back ribs and the 6 oz. pulled pork.

All Fired Up Over: The smoke stuffed bacon-wrapped jalapenos ($8.99). Filled with savory seasoned cream cheese, wrapped in beloved bacon and as it says on the menu, “smoked to perfection.” I wish that these little bites of sweet heat were on every restaurant menu, but this Stottlemyer starter is special and should be devoured by all patrons.

SMOQUEHOUSE

1701 Gulf Drive N., Bradenton Beach, 941-242-5340, SmoqueHouse.com

This is not your average smokehouse. Based on Anna Maria, the Kubes family has conceptualized their restaurant menu in a unique fashion — it depends on what the cook is inspired by that day. The fast, casual atmosphere is tran-

scended by the barbecue fusion food smells as you walk up to the front door. The menu, in addition to daily delectable specials, has seven craft sandwiches accompanied by a choice of seven craft sides that will make you wonder why it took you so long to get to the island.

Flippin’ Grate:  If any of the specials I’ve bitten into over the years are offered when you plop down to partake in BBQ, order them all. Leftovers are always a good decision. Grab a fork for the Piggy fries tossed in signature rub, Andy’s BBQ beans, house smoked pulled pork, smoked cheddar and BBQ drizzle. Fancy a sammy? The mushroom Swiss brisket burger is a culinary treasure. Each bite brings garlic sauteed crimini mushrooms, smoked Swiss, red onion and a gracious heap of garlic and thyme aioli.

All Fired Up Over: The Pimento burger. It blends the beyond

bonkers-tasting brisket patty, ooey-gooey cheddar cheese, crisp red onion, phenomenal fried banana peppers and house-made pimento into a perfect package for the senses.

MISSION BBQ 5231 University Parkway #109, Sarasota; 941-841-9279, MissionBBQ.com

In seventh grade, growing up outside of New York City, I witnessed the Twin Towers fall on Sept. 11, 2001. Two boys in my class lost their fathers that day. I tell this story because Mission BBQ opened exactly 10 years later when two patriotic friends wanted to run “a business with meaning and purpose.” They drove all over the nation from Texas to Kansas City and St. Louis to the Carolinas to give us foodies the best BBQ. I am here feeling patriotic (and stuffed to

the gills) for every offering they got. Flippin’ Grate: Keep it simple, keep it sweet. That’s what makes this pulled pork sandwich ($8.89) great. Slather the tender pork with sauce that will effortlessly drip down your fingers and more than likely onto your shirt. Be sure to ask for the Smokey Mountain sauce and make it an XL combo ($5.25) with a side and drink or an XXL combo ($7.25) for two sides and a drink. Sides include Maggie’s Mac N Cheese ($2.99-$13.39) and baked beans with brisket ($2.99-$13.19), to name a few.

All Fired Up Over: The ribs. You can order by the bone, by five bone or by 10 bone. Trust me, you might want to order more. Choose from BAY-b-Back ribs that fall off the bone, spare ribs St. Louis style and more. It makes for a finger-lickin’ good time.

These Sarasota and Manatee hot spots are un-grill-lievable.

YOUR NEIGHBORS

Eat, travel, learn

Longboat travel agent and chef husband host a renowned cooking school in Italy.

Pasta and wine. Travel and food. Lael and Giuliano Hazan. These have all proved to be great pairings.

The Hazans, a husbandand-wife duo, pair their passions for food and travel every fall and spring, when they host Cooking with Giuliano Hazan in Valpolicella, Italy, which is in Verona, and Bolgheri, Italy, on the coast of Tuscany.

Launched in 2000, the school has been recognized for its quality of instruction and tours by Food and Wine Magazine, Forbes and TravelChannel.com.

The one-week cooking course is an immersive experience in the Italian lifestyle. After daily tours and excursions, Giuliano teaches a fivehour cooking class demonstrating how to make Italian dishes and pair them with the perfect wines.

MARRIAGE OF TALENTS

The cooking school grew from a merger of the Hazans’ professional talents and backgrounds.

In addition to teaching, Giuliano is a bestselling author of cookbooks, including “The Classic Pasta Cookbook,” published in 1993 to a glowing review from the New York Times.

Lael is an independent travel agent at Gracious Getaways, which serves Longboat Key and the surrounding areas, although she came to Sarasota in the mid-1990s to work at the Jewish Federation to use her graduate degree in social work and nonprofit service.

About the same time Lael moved to Sarasota, Giuliano moved to the area for the beach atmosphere and

FOOD AND TRAVEL

To learn more about cooking lessons, the cooking school and booking trips:

Cooking with Giuliano, GiulianoHazan.com

Contact: 941-363-1258 or info@GiulianoHazan.com

Gracious Getaways, GraciousGetaways.com

Contact: 941-212-0411 or info@GraciousGetaways.com

easy access to an airport for traveling around the world to teach cooking.

They met at a party in 1995 thrown for their respective apartment complexes and were married in 1997.

“When we got married, I took a different path,” said Lael. “At that time, he was teaching around the world, cooking and writing multiple books. Then we founded the cooking school in Italy.”

FAMILY TRADITION

Giuliano’s passion for cooking was heavily influenced by his mother, Marcella Hazan, who retired to Longboat Key.

He grew up spending his summers in Italy learning her recipes. At 17, Giuliano started assisting Marcella at her world-renowned School of Classic Italian Cooking.

“She’s really the one who brought authentic Italian cooking to the States,” said Giuliano. “When her first book came out in 1973, it was the first one that was really talked about and taught this kind of cooking. She was a very good teacher. So thanks to her, I learned not just how to cook, but how to teach a cooking class, how

to put together a course that people would understand Italian cooking.”

Lael explained that while Giuliano handles the cooking, she leads the sight-seeing and tours. The latter half of the business started with people asking for recommendations when they came to the school. The more experience she got handling tourism-related situations, the more things fell into place for Gracious Getaways, which she started in 2018.

“We were getting a lot of requests from students,” said Lael. “‘Where do I stay? I want to be there a few days beforehand. What should I do? Do you have recommendations?’ So I actually became a travel advisor to help them. And now, I’ve gone through a lot of training. We’ve been able to grow the business and I have four other associates now.”

Through Gracious Getaways, Lael offers unique trips that are tailored specifically to each client. Over the years, she has grown her connections in many cities.

“Travel broadens the mind,”

said Lael. “You learn about different cultures, you get different perspectives on things. We sometimes get so into our bubble, but travel allows us a different way of looking at the world. It’s so enriching.”

While at home in Sarasota, Giuliano offers cooking classes at his home for anyone in the area. They are $195 per person. He said it is the perfect experience to add to a vacation when loved ones visit from out of town. The schedule is on GiulianoHazan.com.

“It’s really the interaction with people that drives us,” said Giuliano.

“We get to meet all different kinds of people, but they all have a commonality that they’re interested and passionate about food and wine and travel and culture. We get quite close with some of these people. These are the people who want to travel with us and become clients for Lael.”

“We get to meet all different kinds of people, but they all have a commonality that they’re interested and passionate about food and wine and travel and culture. ”

Practice makes progress

Sarasota Youth Sailing holds first fall practice for young sailors as they hone their skills and build confidence on the water.

A crowd of young sailors, along with their parents, gathered at Sarasota Youth Sailing on City Island for the first weekend of fall practice, Aug. 19-20.

Most of the sailors were fresh off the summer sailing camps that ran from June 5 to Aug. 4 and full of excitement as their coaches led the first chalk talks of the season.

SYS held six camps throughout the summer separated by age group and skill level: Tadpoles, 5-6 years old; Level 1 Optimist, 7- to 12-year-old beginner sailors; and Level 2 Optimist for 8- to 12-year-old intermediate sailors; 420 Basics and Beyond is for 13- to 18-year-old beginners. Adventure Sailing and O’Pen Skiffs are more relaxed camps for mixedage groups.

“This is the entry point to our program,” said Program Director Megan Swick. “Summer camp is for beginning sailing and honing your skills and exploring different boats for the first time that maybe you’re not used to.”

While hosting 350 children for the summer camps, SYS has around 80 sailors on their racing teams yearround.

The entry-level team is the Optimist Green Fleet racing team with children who are 8 to 12 years old. The Optimist Red White and Blue team is the highest level program, with mostly returning students in the same age range. SYS also has a high school club that practices on

Tuesdays and opportunities for college students as well.

“Sailing is an art,” said Swick. “When you see these kids push off by themselves for the first time, you can see that in their faces as their confidence builds up.”

Practice is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Saturday. They start with a coach-led talk about a specific sailing skill. The sailors will also do land drills, go over their progress, things they need to work on and the plans for the day. Then they will prepare their boats and set sail. Once sailing is finished, the coach will give an evaluation of the day.

“We work on a lot of team building,” said Swick. “Sailors in high school, for example, who are on the 420 racing team, they’re in a boat together. So kids do build strong relationships by counting on each other as a skipper or crew and possibly sailing together for years as partners traveling through the program together. We have a lot of coaches and also sailors that have had long-lasting, wonderful friendships.”

Swick said that they always have a mix of new and returning sailors but, once they join a team, the sailors become dedicated to the sport. They will usually grow up together on the racing teams and volunteer to coach the teams when they are old enough.

“Most of our coaches are former sailors of ours,” said Swick. “Coaches have a great experience in our program as sailors and racing sailors.

Fox Leiter Team

It is hard to find coaches outside of our programs because anyone who’s qualified to coach with us is someone who has learned to sail from us.”  SYS was started by the Luffing Lassies, a women’s sailing group from Sarasota Sailing Squadron formed in the 1970s. Swick said these women started teaching their children how to sail since they would always tag along on their boats. The SYS race team was formed in 1994. Currently, SYS has a three-year plan to build a new education building that will better serve students. Swick said that it is something that is still in the works but that everyone is excited for a new era of SYS.

“My favorite part of the job is just watching the kids gain a sense of independence and love for sailing,” said Swick. “They may have come into the program, timid or afraid of capsizing or tipping, but they all really grow and find that confidence and sense of independence through handling their own boat.”

“We have a lot of coaches and also sailors that have had long-lasting, wonderful friendship.”

— Megan Swick, program director

AMAZING OPPORTUNITY AT GRAND BAY I

“Love the ever-changing unobstructed panorama of the Bay from every room and our large terraces!” – John & Mary P.

“...the special recreational activities and the private beach are perfect for my husband and me and even our grandchildren!”

– Julie & Steve R.

“Our apartment in Grand Bay lives like a home & the elevator coming straight up from the garage gives us ultimate privacy and convenience.”

– Frank & Rebecca M.

“Love the extra security of Grand Bay’s 24/7 guard gates and proximity to the best Longboat Key has to offer... especially the short bike ride to Publix!”

– Melinda & Charles L.

Wednesday,

young to be old’

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

When Nancy Schlossberg began thinking about entering a retirement community 10 years ago, her son, Mark Schlossberg, told her she was too young.

But Schlossberg, 94, a professor emerita of counseling psychology at the University of Maryland and author of multiple self-help books, said she knew that people ought to do things before they need to.

Today, as a resident of the retirement community Sarasota Bay Club, she leads a life that involves speaking engagements, co-hosting a discussion group at Senior Friendship Centers and even the publication of a new book, “My Path, My Transitions,” in May 2023.

Although Nancy Schlossberg’s research and books have often focused on old age, she said she likes to think she has something for all ages.

Life transitions affect everyone and have defined her own path, including her time as a young Barnard College student struggling to find her calling.

When she graduated and served as director of admissions for a fashion school, Tobé-Coburn School, the search didn’t end. Julia Coburn, the school’s director, was perplexed that while Schlossberg was skilled at her job, she didn’t enroll enough students. This, said Schlossberg, was because she tried to help students understand what they wanted, not recruit them.

Yet she was onto something — an interest in understanding and helping others.

The pieces all came together as she pursued a doctorate in counseling psychology at Columbia University, reading works by sociologist Robert Merton and psychologist Bernice Neugarten.

Schlossberg found herself intrigued by Neugarten’s ideas, such as the theory that much of people’s well-being in their later years is determined by their social clock, which involves the social norms of how people behave.

Thus, she discovered her true passion: adult development.

She went on to work for almost 28 years at the University of Maryland

as a professor of counseling psychology, during which time she created Schlossberg’s Transition Theory, which details the factors impacting life transitions.

“The principles are the same, whatever age you are at,” she said.

Now as a retiree, she chooses to focus on all the things she has to appreciate — not on what she may have lost.

“I’m a good speaker, but I’m not as good as I was 20 years ago,” she said. “I was terrific; I don’t focus on that. I think it’s amazing that I can still speak.”

Today, she co-hosts the group Aging Rebels at Senior Friendship Centers with retired lawyer Mike Karp.

The Aging Rebels fills a need she said is essential for seniors: a solid net of support. She said when people encounter immense challenges, like the loss of the spouse or a child, there is often no easy solution. With events like these, she said people must assess their situation, examine their “self” and choose to be an optimist, ensure they have a network of support and find strategies for coping. They also must understand that transitions are impermanent.

“The day your spouse dies, the day your job is eliminated, is not the way you’re going to feel six months later, or two years later,” she said.

“Stay open, go to someplace like the Senior Friendship Center, go listen to jazz, go to the discussion groups, look for new paths, don’t say I’m too old — you’re not too old … ” she said.. “It’s not over till it’s over, and you can spend your life closing up, or staying open.”

Self-help author and former professor Nancy Schlossberg encourages seniors to embrace their stage of life.

‘Too

LONGBOAT KEY MAGNIFICENT GULF FRONT ESTATE

$22,000,000

Completion September 2023. New 5BD/8BA w/100ft frontage on pristine walking beach. Expansive views from interior living space plus pocket sliders open to lanai/pool and outdoor sitting area for indoor/outdoor living. Exquisite finishes include fireplace, chef’s kitchen, glass wine room and service bar. First level master w/private lanai plus junior suite and 2 guest suites also have private terraces. Covered outdoor space has fireplace, outdoor kitchen & dining area. Dramatic infinity pool/spa w/ sundeck overlooks beautiful Gulf waters. 3 car garage. Home elevator.

$9,850,000

Spacious 5BD/7BA 6,556sf custom home stunningly remodeled in 2022. Move-in ready. Large corner lot on bayou with stunning views down waterway to Sarasota Bay.10,000 lb. boat lift, saltwater pool. Remodel included all new custom finishes including painting, hardwood floors, lighting, hardware, countertops and designer upgrades. First floor master retreat has a sitting room and elaborate master bath. Pool lanai with fireplace, tv, outdoor kitchen and grill. Air conditioned 4 car garage. Behind security gates manned 24/7.

Bird Key home tops sales at $5.6 million

Ahome in Bird Key tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. Brenda Dykgraaf and Jose Ignacio Monsalve Cadena sold their home at 216 Bird Key Drive to Michael Bonasera, trustee, of Sarasota, for $5.6 million. Built in 1961, it has five bedrooms, five baths, a pool and 5,287 square feet of living area. It sold for $2.6 million in 2018.

LIDO BEACH

535 S Boulevard LLC sold the home at 535 S. Boulevard of the Presidents to The Bryn Mawr Trust Co. of Delaware, trustee, for $5.3 million. Built in 1936, it has three bedrooms, three-and-two-half baths and 3,864 square feet of living area. It sold for $2,575,000 in 2019.

BUTTONWOOD HARBOR

James and Kathy Powers, of Osprey, sold their home at 603 Buttonwood Drive to James Charles, of Longboat Key, for $3,925,000. Built in 2013, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,413 square feet of living area.

SUNSET BEACH

Central Trust Bank, trustee, sold the Unit 3505 condominium at 2105 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Douglass Myers, trustee, of Longboat Key, for $2,555,000. Built in 1984, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,837 square feet of living area. It sold for $427,500 in 1991.

QUEENS HARBOUR

Bertram Rapowitz, trustee, of Beachwood, Ohio, sold the home at 3617 Fair Oaks Place to Richard and Lauren Minero, of Longboat Key, for $1,995,000. Built in 1995, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 2,950 square feet of living area. It sold for $454,000 in 1995.

COUNTRY CLUB SHORES

Doreen Dupont, of Ellenton, sold her home at 512 Ranger Lane to LaVern and Linda Bremmer, of Whitmore Lake, Michigan, for $1,275,000. Built in 1964, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,620 square feet of living area. It sold for $250,000 in 1994.

LONGBOAT BEACH HOUSE

Mark Weaver sold his Unit 301 condominium at 4311 Gulf of Mexico Drive to QH20 23 LLC for $1,040,000. Built in 1977, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,239 square feet of living area. It sold for $499,000 in 2019.

BAYPORT BEACH AND TENNIS

CLUB

Byron and Marguerite Alpers, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 523 condominium at 523 Bayport Way to William and Paulette LeBlanc, of Longboat Key, for $650,000. Built in 1980, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,456 square feet of living area. It sold for $430,000 in 2015.

LIDO TOWERS

Daniel and Suzanne Bohen, of Buffalo, New York, sold their Unit 303 condominium at 1001 Benjamin Franklin Drive to James Musillo Jr., trustee, of McMurray, Pennsylvania, for $515,000. Built in 1980, it has 1 bedroom, 1.5 baths and 813 square feet of living area. It sold for $436,000 in 2006.

TOP BUILDING PERMITS

These are the largest building permits issued by the Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Department for the week of Aug. 11 - 17 in order of dollar amounts.

LONGBOAT KEY

SUNDAY, AUG. 27

MUSIC BY CHAD TALLMAN

Noon-3 p.m. at Whitney’s, 6990 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Free. Enjoy the musical performance of New York native Chad Tallman over a delicious meal. The guitarist and singer plays all styles of rock, pop and some jazz. Tallman provides the atmosphere for a memorable time at Whitney’s with loved ones. Call 383-4606.

MONDAY, AUG. 28

MONDAY MATINEE

At 1 p.m. at the Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Grab fresh popcorn at the Paradise Center’s showing of “Ricki and The Flash.” The film stars Meryl Streep. It follows a wife and mother of three who left behind her family to follow her dreams of becoming a rock star. When she decides to return home, she hopes to find redemption with her children and ex-husband for the lost time and her poor life choices. Fee is $15; free for members. Call 383-6493.

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 noon at 6140 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Donations are accepted during business hours. Call 383-4738.

TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS LONGBOAT LIBRARY

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

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

SATURDAY, AUG. 26

THE GREAT SCALLOP SEARCH

8:30 a.m. at Sarasota Sailing Squadron, 1717 Ken Thompson Parkway. Free. Sarasota Bay Watch is looking for volunteers to collect information on the shellfish, animals and seagrass seen in Sarasota Bay. Participants will be given instructions before the event. The SBW is looking for people who have boats and are able-bodied swimmers. People without boats should get there early, as there is limited boat space. Bring sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, mask, snorkel and fins. Lunch will follow the search. Registration is required. Call 232-2363.

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 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 203-605-4066 or email Info@ LongboatKeyRotary.org.

Shop Local Goods & Services on North Longboat Key

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ROGER SELLS LUXURY WATERFRONT PROPERTIES

A newer gem completed in 2020, this luxurious 5BR home, offered turnkey furnished, is a rare find that invites you to immediately immerse yourself in the lap of waterfront luxury. The bliss of waking up to the Gulf’s gentle waves is just the beginning of what this remarkable retreat has to offer. Crafted with precision and built by Eason Home Builders, this home seamlessly blends modern innovation with the allure of West Indies-inspired architecture. The result is a masterpiece that stands as a testament to lavish living directly on the Gulf of Mexico.

www.BonaireLBK3.com

201 NORTH WASHINGTON DRIVE

The walkable location of this St. Armands homesite will immediately draw you in, offering an oversized, 1/4-acre lot for you to design your dream home. The best of Sarasota is a sunny bike ride away. www.201NorthWashington.com

1211 GULF OF MEXICO DRIVE

Embrace the captivating beach-to-bay views that stretch from the Gulf, the Bay, and downtown from this sunny, southfacing 8th-floor residence offers an open and spacious interior and two terraces.

www.Promenade802.com

1105 GULF OF MEXICO DRIVE #404

Beautiful, lush views of the Gulf are the perfect backdrop at this true 3BR, 4th-floor residence at Beachplace. Situated in a corner location, this lovely beach getaway is offered furnished, and includes a coveted indoor parking space.

$1,995,000

816 JUNGLE QUEEN WAY

Turnkey furnished! This lovely 3BR waterfront on Longboat Key is ready to enjoy! You will love the deeded beach access and easy boating access to Sarasota Bay.

www.816JungleQueenWay.com

$1,599,000

$2,195,000

4525 GULF OF MEXICO DRIVE #404

This furnished, direct Gulf-front residence is bathed in natural light. Offering a blend of comfort and relaxation, this 4th-floor retreat is an opportunity to relish inspiring beach and sunset views from every room. www.TheCastillian404.com

$1,100,000