Longboat Observer 3.21.24

Library vision changes shape

FEEDBACK FORUM

The county brings its refined plans for a library before Longboat Key residents.

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NOT SO FAST

Opinion: The Longboat Key Town Commission should take note of the lack of consensus in the Observer’s survey results.

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SO MUCH TO SAY

The Observer received nearly 65 comments on its library survey. See what they had to say.

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Alternative discussion

HOW TO SUBMIT COMMENTS

What’s next for the Longboat Pass Bridge? That’s still up in the air.

But on March 14, the Florida Department of Transportation held a public workshop for community input for the Longboat Pass alternatives being proposed through the Project Development and Environmental Study.

At the workshop held at Christ Church of Longboat Key, a presentation video played on repeat to introduce residents to the topic before walking around the room to learn more from the display boards. Representatives from the FDOT and project team were also available to answer questions.

Along with residents, several town commissioners and Manatee County District 3 Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge were present at the workshop.

“I think that FDOT did a great job planning everything out for residents,” Van Ostenbridge said. “It’s clear they are giving us options to think about.”

Longboat Key District 1 Commissioner Gary Coffin agreed that it was good to have the options laid out for residents and allow residents to have input. He also mentioned that all the alternatives presented looked to be safer for boater navigation.

“As a boater, I’m concerned about the navigational part of what’s there now, which is very dangerous. It’s very narrow, and there’s times when the current is super strong through there,” Coffin said.

Comments emailed or postmarked by March 25 will still be taken into consideration as a part of the project record.

Emailed comments can be sent to Project Manager Patrick Bateman at Patrick.Bateman@ DOT.State.Fl.us.

Alternatively, comments can be mailed to Bateman at:

Patrick Bateman, P.E.

MS 1-40

Florida Department of Transportation 801 N. Broadway Ave. Bartow, FL 33830

The current bridge has a width of just under 48 feet for boats to navigate through. All three proposed alternatives have a horizontal clearance of 90 feet, which is more typical for newer bridges.

On the existing bridge, there are two travel lanes, each 12 feet wide.

One of the aspects included in all three alternatives would be to include a 12-foot shoulder on each side. That would help to mitigate traffic issues in situations like when a car breaks down or when emergency personnel need to pass through.

If no bridge alternative is chosen, the existing bridge would need maintenance, which is pricey in the long run.

“The older a bridge gets, the more it costs,” FDOT District 1 Communications Specialist Patricia Pichette said.

There are three build alternatives in consideration: a low-level bascule bridge, a midlevel bascule bridge and a high-level fixed bridge.

Two of the build alternatives will

maintain the drawbridge function, but each has a different height that would decrease how many times the bridge is needed to open.

One of the build alternatives is a high-level fixed bridge that would be 78 feet tall from the high water line. This alternative would be high enough so that no drawbridge is necessary.

Due to the height of that bridge, the road would need to be graded carefully to meet the existing road on either side.

On the Coquina Beach side, that means one of the beach parking entrances would be pushed north. Closer to the boat ramp, there would be an underpass road for cars to drive through and maintain access to the ramps.

WHAT’S IN THE FUTURE?

The Longboat Pass project is not

included in the Sarasota Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Long Range Transportation Plan. But the project is included in the FDOT’s Adopted Five Year Work Program, as well as the town’s longrange planning.

Design for whichever alternative is selected will be funded by the FDOT in 2026. Funding for right of way and construction is still undetermined. But Pichette said there are certain funds and grants specifically for bridge projects that the FDOT will look into for construction.

During construction, traffic would be maintained for any of the build alternatives, according to FDOT representatives. The alternative bridge will be built to the immediate west of the existing bridge.  Also with construction of the new bridge, an environmental evaluation will be necessary, which looks into

factors like protected species, habitat, floodplain, contamination and land use.

The new bridge would cut through an area with mangroves and seagrasses. The FDOT has mitigation procedures that would go into effect and try to replace whatever is tampered with.

After the new bridge is up, the old bridge would need to be disposed of. Though it’s not yet decided what will happen with the old bridge materials, the FDOT’s usual procedure is to work with the contractor to figure out how to dispose of or recycle the materials.

Next steps for the project are to finalize a preferred alternative before proceeding with study approval and location design.

Sarasota Bay Estuary Program’s new report card goes beyond water quality with data on seagrass and other important indicators.

Is water quality the only indicator of a healthy ecosystem? Not quite.

The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program recently published its 2023 Ecosystem Health Report Card, which showed that all bays in the area are in good standing with their ecosystem health. The chart also shows a larger trend of the bays, from a period of stability to a decline, then back to a recovery.

Dave Tomasko, executive director for SBEP, said that water quality is one factor in determining ecosystem health, but there’s more to consider.

“People use the words water quality and ecosystem health like they’re the same thing, and they’re not,” Tomasko said.

Water quality is like dipping a bottle into the bay and looking at what’s in it, he said. But looking at the full picture requires examining data on nitrogen, chlorophyll, seagrasses and macroalgae.

Macroalgae are the large seaweeds that commonly grow on the bottom of the bay or found floating. Those plants are valuable food sources for animals like manatees and sea turtles.

But when macroalgae blooms occur, it decreases the amount of oxygen in the water which is harmful for marine life.

“If we don’t collect this information, we’re going to miss one of the big problems,” Tomasko said.

Tomasko said the SBEP came up with the idea for the Ecosystem Health Report Card around 2021, and was able to use historical data to create the chart going back to 2006.

On the chart, there are three time periods that Tomasko pointed out.

From 2006 to 2012, the ecosystem health of the bay was good and stable. Then, in 2013, a period of decline started, which went until about 2019.

Since 2020, the bay has been recovering, leading to the 2023 report that shows a good bill of health.

Seagrass is another one of the ecosystem health components, and the data of seagrass coverage fortifies the time periods Tomasko outlined.

Before 2013, there was about a 28% increase in seagrass coverage, according to Tomasko. In the decline period from 2013-2019, there was

about a 30% loss in coverage. Then, a steady increase in the last couple years.

Now, the SBEP is waiting to get updated seagrass maps. Aerial images and surveys were recently completed, but the SBEP won’t get the results back until 2025.

Based on his own observations and hopes, Tomasko said he has a personal estimate of 800 acres of added seagrass in the survey.

“Seagrass is an indicator of a healthy system, and I think it’s going to be a big increase,” Tomasko said. “I think it’s going to be the biggest increase we’ve had in more than a decade.”

Nitrogen is also an ecosystem health indicator and, like macroalgae, there’s a fine line between “good” levels and too much. At stable levels, it’s an important nutrient for all marine life. But if there’s too much, algae blooms can occur.

Tomasko said the nitrogen levels have been good, and estimated the numbers are at the lowest in the past 15 years.

Stormwater and wastewater are common contributors to high nitrogen levels. Previous years’ yellow, or “concern,” reports were caused in part by wastewater. Tomasko said while some facilities were doing well with about 95% of wastewater, the 5% was enough to set the bay back in that period of decline.

“And that’s the thing with wastewater, it’s more damaging than stormwater,” Tomasko said.

Wastewater systems have been mostly fixed since then, he said.

In 2021, the Palma Sola Bay, Upper Bay and Roberts Bay all received an A grade on the report card. Little Sarasota Bay and Blackburn Bay got B’s, which are still good.

Then, in 2022, Little Sarasota Bay dropped to yellow, or a C grade. That indicates there’s an area of concern.

Tomasko said that dip was because of Hurricane Ian, and Little Sarasota Bay was one of the bays most impacted by the storm. Since then, Little Sarasota Bay has recovered to a B grade.

In 2023, Palma Sola Bay continued to be one of the healthiest, and maintained an A grade, indicated by the blue. All other bays were green, with a B grade.

NEW PARTNERSHIPS

The SBEP was also recently asked to join an organization called the Agency on Bay Management.

The ABM is a natural resources committee of the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. The committee brings together other organizations to encourage conversations and collaborations between the stakeholders involved in the protection and use of the region’s waterways.

Tomasko said he received an invite to join the ABM about three weeks ago. The SBEP was never a part of the agency before.

The new partnership costs nothing for the SBEP, and allows the SBEP to collaborate more with other agencies in Tampa Bay. There’s also more opportunities for peer review on approaches to management.

Sharing the approaches and data is important, since some issues between Tampa Bay and Sarasota Bay overlap.

For example, after the Piney Point incident in 2021, the SBEP collected macroalgae data in places further north like Holmes Beach — technically outside of its normal range.

Though the Piney Point spill happened in Tampa Bay, there were negative impacts further south.

“It’s kind of the opposite of Las Vegas, like ‘what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,’” Tomasko said. “What happens in Tampa Bay doesn’t stay in Tampa Bay.”

In the future, Tomasko hopes that, through this partnership, the SBEP can share its approaches and success stories with agencies in Tampa Bay, and vice versa.

He said this will be important in the coming years, as Sarasota County continues to try to reestablish a connection between Little Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. In Tampa Bay, there have been several tidal restoration projects that Tomasko said he hopes to learn from.

“We get to talk to them about improving our water quality, and we get to learn from them a little bit about how they did the tidal restoration.”

“People use the words water quality and ecosystem health like they’re the same thing, and they’re not.”

— Dave Tomasko, executive director for SBEP

County refines library plans

The library is on its way, but the town could include enhancements like more meeting space.

MORE INFO

For more information, visit Sarasota-CountyFL.CivilSpace.Io/En/Projects/County-LibraryPlanned-For-Longboat-Key.

The March 18 meeting began with Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton reintroducing everyone to the project, while also updating the community on another, similar project.

On the north end, Manatee County is working on a community center in Whitney Beach Plaza, which will be funded by the county and operated by the county’s school district. The main goal there is to provide community meeting space, as well as adult education opportunities.

Sarasota County is working with the town to design and construct a public library to be built on the Town Center Green. The core library space will be about 8,000 square feet and will be funded and operated by the county’s library system.  There is also the option to enhance the library, adding more space to the building and potentially other services. Construction for the enhancements will not be funded by the county, though. The town of Longboat Key will need to organize a private funding effort to make the enhancements a reality.

Tipton said the project is progressing well.

“I share the Whitney Plaza Community Center development as I believe it can take pressure off trying to put too much into the library space,” Tipton said. “Both projects complement one another in space and uses provided, and don’t compete with our existing service providers like the Education Center and Paradise Center.”

Tipton also said that there are other spaces that hold future opportunities for community spaces, like the Bayfront Park Recreation Center and the existing Longboat Key Library.

Next, Director of Libraries and Historical Resources Renee Di Pilato reviewed the core principles of Sarasota County’s libraries, including their newly revised strategic plan.

In the plan, there are some core elements that Di Pilato said would be emphasized in the Longboat Key library, like: library as a community convener, lifelong learning, vibrant cultural life, active older adults and healthy living.

The new strategic plan also has an emphasis on programming, she said, which would be a large part of the Longboat Key project.

Di Pilato also ran through some of the most common suggestions received from the last workshop, as well as the county’s online survey.

Among the suggestions were more community meeting space, outdoor space and space available for a makerspace.

Representatives with the architect, Borrelli + Partners, walked the audience through the new floor plans and concept art. After the first pub-

lic meeting, the architects worked to implement some of the community’s suggestions into the new plan.

The core library space would be about 8,000 square feet, said architect Sonny Fornoles. The lobby could also be sectioned off and locked after hours, keeping people out of collections while maintaining access to the public meeting space.

Fornoles also said it was important for them to incorporate a good height to the building so that it doesn’t feel cramped or too low. The architects also plan on utilizing natural light as much as possible in the plans.

If the funding is raised and the town wants to proceed with the enhancements, the building would be increased to about 9,700 square feet, not including the outdoor space, Fornoles said.

The enhancements to the building include a larger community meeting room as well as an exterior deck, which could be covered.

Fornoles said these designs are still preliminary.

Another round of revision will

be necessary before bringing more finalized plans back to the commission on April 1, so these numbers may change slightly.

POSITIVE FEEDBACK

After the project team’s presentation, the floor was open for community members to comment and ask questions. The response was generally positive.

Planning and Zoning Board Chair David Green expressed his satisfaction with the project and partnership with the county. He also added that the board worked to update the planned unit development for the town, allowing for more flexible projects like this.

“This project is consistent and compatible with the types of things we want to have on the island to enhance the quality of life here in the next 20 years,” Green said. “I think this is a unique opportunity we have now to collaborate with Sarasota county.”

Throughout the Q&A portion, the topic of the meeting room was

“This population is changing, and it’s only going to change more over time. I think there have been a lot of great comments, I think there’s been a lot of work, a lot of meetings.”

— Elise Kidd Slansky, resident

brought up numerous times.  It was determined that the core meeting room, without enhancements, would seat about 50 people in row seating. With the enhanced version, that would increase to about 200 people.

Vice Mayor Mike Haycock questioned how those numbers would change if it wasn’t row seating, like in a configuration with large tables and chairs.

The architect didn’t have those numbers on hand, but Haycock encouraged them to look into it.

Elise Kidd Slansky said she came to the meeting representing several hundred young families that live on the island.

“This population is changing, and it’s only going to change more over time,” she said. “I think there have been a lot of great comments, I think there’s been a lot of work, a lot of meetings.”

She expressed interest in the town pursuing the enhanced version, but asked what the timeline would be for funding.

The next step will be to bring the design options for both the core library and enhanced option to the Longboat Key Town Commission on April 1 for redirection and confirmation, said Tipton. After that, a fundraising period will be from May to August. The county is anticipating the library will open its doors in 2026.

Conflict of interest

Erik Arroyo’s role as registered agent should disqualify him from future City Island talks, says resident.

Alimited liability companies and corporations are required to designate a registered agent.

“For me and others that just learned about this there’s a real perception problem,” Grant said.

Arroyo told the Observer that he will defer to City Attorney Robert Fournier to advise him of any conflict of interest if there’s future consideration of the proposal. He did comment later in the meeting that, if a conflict exists, he will recuse himself from any votes regarding Park Golf Entertainment.

at the April 18 meeting of the Parks, Recreation and Environmental Protection advisory board,” Grant said.

According to state records, the listed contact for both park golf entities is Gregory Stoeckle with an address at 4500 Carmichael Ave. in Sarasota. That address is the warehouse for Florida Design Works, a kitchen and bath company owned by the Koffmans. Arroyo is listed as the registered agent for both park golf companies.

A registered agent is an individual selected by a business to receive tax and legal related communications from the state of incorporation. Both

“I want to make it clear that my role as registered agent for the marketing company and its Orlando branch is purely administrative,” Arroyo said. “Our office receives official mail and forwards it, something we routinely do for other companies. I have no operational or financial stake in these companies. I’ve since learned that Ride Entertainment may either change its name or do business with another entity that I’ve learned my law firm acts as a registered agent for.

“For clarity, there is no overlap of ownership between Ride Entertainment and the company that is proposing the partnership with them.”

During a previous interview, the Koffman brothers told the Observer that they are rebranding Ride Entertainment to Park Golf Entertainment. Articles of incorporation for Park Golf Entertainment were filed with the state on Jan. 27, 2023.

A tough, 50-year decision

What a shame. Yes, shame on us for not sending results of our online survey about a library, community center and education center to the Longboat Key town commissioners and Sarasota County library officials prior to Monday’s public meeting at Town Hall. Perhaps those results would help trigger some deeper thinking about the direction of this effort. Based on Monday’s public meeting and the March 4 Town Commission meeting, the perception and reality are that minds are made up — no matter what, the commissioners are intent on moving forward as quickly as possible with the construction of an 8,000-squarefoot public library branch on Town Center Green.

Sarasota County library officials came to Monday’s meeting with

some modifications that shifted to accommodate a 200-seat meeting space. That is to the good.

But if you read the comments of the respondents to our online survey, it’s difficult not to think there is more to be considered about this entire process than moving forward full speed with Sarasota County Library officials.

For instance, at the March 4 commission meeting, Commissioner Debra Williams raised a valid consideration: What about The Paradise Center building? Should the town purchase it and make it part of this overall town center vision?

That received a tepid reception. You can imagine how bringing that into current discussions could derail what is underway.

Nevertheless, if you take Williams’ question, along with the widely varied responses to the Observer survey, if you were a town commissioner, you can’t help but have some thoughts about what is best.

This effort is not about what the town commissioners want or what the county commissioners say they will fund. It’s about what is best for Longboat residents and taxpayers (they’re first) and visitors.

Now, we’ll acknowledge 184 survey responses are not a valid, scientific poll. But the responses still provide a valid indicator of what residents are thinking and what likely would result if there were a true scientific opinion survey.

LONGBOATERS’ PREFERENCES

Survey question: Rank in order of priority the facilities that should be developed on the Town Center Green, with 1 being most important and 3 being least important.

Survey responses: The final tally from 118 responses showed an education center is the top preference, with a total score of 2.14, followed by a community center (2.08) and library (1.79). In terms of respondents’ first preference, the education center is the top choice (41.5%), the library branch is second (30.5%) and the community center third (27.9%).

Especially worth noting is the wide divergence in respondents’ comments. You can clearly see there is no consensus in the comments printed below on what should or should not be developed.

For instance, even though 65% of Longboat respondents favor a library branch at Town Center Green, 55% said they don’t want an 8,000-square-foot library branch.

What’s more, in the question asking respondents to rank in order of preference a community center, education center and library, the education center ranked as the top preference; the library second; community center third (see above). But when you combine the total scores of the three facilities, the education center and community

Survey responses: Wide range of opinions

Below is a representative sample of comments of readers who participated in the Observer’s online survey on the proposed Sarasota County library branch. To read all comments, go to YourObserver. com/News/2024/Mar/15/SurveyLongboaters-Want-More-ThanLibrary/

■ Before the Town considers spending additional time and money on education and community meeting space, it needs to develop and communicate a comprehensive plan for using all of the existing and planned community spaces on the Key. We also need to understand what pressing need will be served by all of these education and community spaces. My family would LOVE to see the current ineffective and unwelcoming Longboat Key Library be replaced by a quality county library.

■ Temple Beth Israel Education Center is great!

■ I feel there is not a need for a library here on Longboat. Times have changed. More are reading from their tablet. We have a bus service that will take one to the Selby Library in Sarasota and then back home. Technology has made it easy to get our reading material without going into a building.

■ Why does this pertain only to Sarasota County? What about Manatee (where we live)? Manatee is turning an empty store in Whitney Plaza into a community center. Why does that not figure into all of this? What about converting the private Longboat Library into a county library?

■ The Education Center is most important for Longboat Key residents and guests. Seasonal visitors come here for the educational opportunities. Permanent residents benefit from the community center.

■ I support only a community center in that area.

■ Please do this in my lifetime!

■ Do the Right Thing First and NOW.

■ We give Sarasota County loads of cash. Put some back in our community!

■ My husband and I have been attending Education Center classes for 28 years. That’s all we need.

■ The Education Center should go where the old volunteer library is.

■ Yes to a library, but size should be modeled after Island Library Branch on Anna Maria.

■ Every year we take informative courses at the Education Center, now at the temple. We also yearly enjoy the World Affairs lectures at SILL. We would be happy to learn that the town was supporting an education center to enlarge on the availability of courses, as well as a library, which can be equally informative and educational. Perhaps the community center and education center could be combined, and use the same rooms for alternative purposes at different times of the day or week.

■ Keep the Town Center Green green. We need areas to be kept green. Expand the present library instead.

■ Having Longboat’s library be part of the county library system could reduce the cost of the books.

■ The community center and education center can be in the same space and that space can be added to the public library as a second floor.

■ The facility for an education center is a vital part of the Longboat Key experience. This should be the priority.

■ Rebuild the library where it currently stands.

■ Why do they not simply put $1 million into the existing library? Computerize the checkout system and maybe add an addition. That building fits so beautifully into the surrounding buildings. Why rip it down for another parking lot!!!! Has everyone lost her mind? Build the social building where you hope to and leave the poor library in one piece … I use the library every two weeks and shake my head every time I use it. They did not even ask the people who work there what they thought was best!!! Yikes. Think about that.

■ It would be terrific to have the Education Center in a space designed especially for its educational purposes. The Education Center used to have cooking classes, which were very popular. At the temple, they no longer have access to a kitchen. The Education Center would benefit greatly from spaces designed just for it.

■ I rarely agree with Matt Walsh, but in this situation I’m 100% on board! Laying out the dollars and cents that

Longboat Key contributes in annual taxes is a great deal for Sarasota. For once, Longboat Key should receive the right outcome for the right need and space. We’ve certainly “paid our dues”!

■ There is a great library right on Sarasota. With the internet and e-books, a library is not needed.

■ The Urban Land Institute study recommended a town center with a community/education building.

■ The Education Center is the key priority. It is a jewel, a blessing for the larger community, a tourism draw and should be funded.

■ We pay enough tax dollars to Sarasota and Manatee counties that both should contribute total funding for a community center.

■ A Sarasota County library branch is needed on Longboat Key, especially since we have been paying taxes for years with very few schoolaged residents. Please bring the library to Longboat!

■ As a seasonal visitor, I feel strongly that the library services should continue on Longboat Key. I am willing to pay a fee to be a part-time member who does not pay local taxes.

■ The real estate is far more precious than the proposed library. And there is already a library, which is hardly ever used. Why not fund and expand that?

■ This is one of the few times ever I can recall agreeing with a Matt Walsh editorial. We agree that an Amazon-like delivery of books from the Sarasota Library to a small space in Town Center would be most welcome.

■ We need a community center not a brick and mortar library.

■ I am opposed to ANY construction on the remaining Town Center land, prefer conserving open space for multiple events. I favor refurbishment of the existing facility at Bayfront Park, and the new community center at Whitney Plaza.

■ A library is not necessary. Order books, etc., online and Sarasota County can bring materials to a center weekly or twice weekly.

■ This is ridiculous. Leave it green space.

■ The citizens residing on the bar-

center were the top preferences.

Altogether, when you read the comments closely, one of the conclusions you might draw is this matter is complicated. The discussions involve three distinct facilities and uses on a site that, in all likelihood, cannot accommodate ideal space allocations without becoming a monstrosity too large for the available site.

Something will have to give. But what? And: Who should make that decision — town commissioners; Sarasota library officials; town and county commissioners; Longboat Key voters?

This is a 50-year decision. It deserves thorough, long-term, wise thinking, and clarity with Longboat Key residents.

rier islands always seem to be the forgotten step-children of Sarasota County. All county island residents have long paid high taxes and have long made the arduous trip to the mainland to be involved in community service and to help others in the general community. It’s time Sarasota County did something for the people of Longboat Key and to let the people of Longboat Key choose what that is. … All Key residents are completely over putting up with the traffic that the county ushers to each of the keys through the “Visit Sarasota” umbrella. The only people who have to deal with that are the Longboat residents! Give Longboat residents something they need so they don’ have to drive over the bridge every time they need something like a meeting!

■ Waste of space and money. Possibly a place for the homeless like Selby.

■ A library is the heart of a community. Reading, research, meetings, education. It would be a great addition. Co-work space is how younger residents will also be attracted.

■ Longboat Key does not need a library/community center funded and controlled by Sarasota County. The existing library could be updated and managed more in keeping the size of the community and all controlled and managed by the people and the town.

■ We need a library on Longboat. I am a member of the current library on Longboat for 23 years. I live here year-round and support it weekly. If the new Sarasota branch does not work out, we must find a way to update the aging library we have now. … There are too many people who don’t understand what is at stake. It doesn’t have to have a sad ending to the story of the Longboat library. Change can still embrace the old with the new. Save our library, the old one or the new. LOVE OUR LIBRARY.

■ Having commuted to work on Longboat Key for more than 10 years, I was very struck that this beautiful island really doesn’t have a heart, a central community meeting place that serves many of the components that most towns in Florida take for granted: full-time residents, snowbirds, tourists. … A combination of community center, which could have programs for families as well as adults, and also the already successful adult education center would be of immeasurable benefit for all.

■ The larger the library the better. Do it once and do it right.

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How to eat for longevity

‘If there are more than three lines of ingredients on a food label, put it back.’

of it was healthy, real food and how much of it was loaded with artificial whatever.

How did you feel after those meals? Glad you ate them or angry with yourself?

The

a politician, gastronome and author.

The phrase’s meaning has evolved over the past two centuries, but it’s as true today as it was then, and it may be even more important now.

Our bodies are constantly rebuilding themselves. In fact, all the cells in our bodies, brains, muscles, bones, everything, get replaced about every seven years. And the food we put in our mouth is what our body has to work with.

So you can see the direct correlation between what we eat and who we are.

Are we built of the best stuff to keep us alive, healthy and feeling great?

Or are we built out of junk food that keeps us moving slow, feeling sluggish and depressed.

Back in 1825, there was only fresh food. No junk, no empty calories, no chemical preservatives, no artificial flavors, colors or artificial anything.

These real foods are still available. We‘ve just fallen out of the habit of eating real food and developed addictions to the fat, salt, sugar and chemicals manufacturers have put in processed foods.

If you want to start eating better, try this. Keep a log on your phone or write down everything you eat for three days: two weekdays and one weekend day. Take a look at the food you’ve eaten. How much

If you felt yucky, don’t beat yourself up too much. These habits develop slowly over time and you’re reading this because you’re getting ready to make the changes you need to make to eat for health and longevity.

Changing your eating habits isn’t the horror show you may think it is. You’re simply going to gradually substitute new favorite real foods for old favorite junk foods. And you’ll start to feel better as your nutrition improves.

Nutrition is a complex subject. Scientists spend their entire lives studying and modifying what we should and shouldn’t eat and why. Their work has changed the way we live. But you don’t need a doctorate to eat for longevity. Just a few rules of thumb can keep you pointed in the right direction.

n Cut out the junk. You’ll be surprised at how your palate will change. Once you get used to better food choices, your body won’t want you to go back. The salt will be too salty, the sugar will be too sweet and the saturated fat will taste yucky. And too much alcohol will not be fun anymore.

n Read food labels. When I teach my nutrition course, Lose to Win, I tell my class “If there are more than three lines of ingredients, put it back on the shelf.” Anything after line No. 3 is almost always just preservatives, chemicals and junk designed for longer shelf life.

n Substitute old favorite foods for new favorite foods. Gradually regulate the amount of salt, sugar and saturated fat in your

diet. Nutrition labels will tell you how much in whatever it is you’re about to put in your mouth. Here are some daily guidelines from the American Heart Association to shoot for. Salt: Less than 1,500 milligrams. Added sugar: 25 grams women (6 teaspoons), 100 calories; 37.5 grams men (9 teaspoons) 150 calories. Saturated fat: 5% of calories.

n Create your own personal cuisine. As you get going, you’ll find foods you like that meet healthy guidelines. It will take some experimentation, so consider it an adventure and an investment in your longevity. Below is a hint at where you’ll find them.

n Mostly Mediterranean.  You don’t have to stick to these foods exclusively, but you’ll find most of

what you need to build a healthy personal cuisine in this Mediterranean diet pyramid. Numerous studies show it to be one of the healthiest and most readily available while also being one of the easiest food plans to stick with.

You can also add Asian, Southwestern, Middle Eastern and just about any other seasoning to the mostly Mediterranean ingredients to give you a huge variety of choices that will make you forget about ever going back to a junk food diet.

These are the kinds of foods people who live to be 100-plus years old eat every day.

Not only the types of foods, but the quality of those foods can make a difference in how your body reacts.

Next month, we’ll look at places

in the world, known as Blue Zones, including here in the U.S., where people often live to 100 and beyond.  We’ll see how you can apply what you’ve just read and easily do what they do right now.

You’ll also learn about eating clean, intermittent fasting and how various foods affect specific health issues.

Mirabai Holland is CEO of NuVue LLC. She is a certified health coach, exercise physiologist and wellness consultant for Manatee County government employees and has a private practice. She holds an MFA from NYU and is also an artist who believes creativity enhances health. For more from Mirabai, visit MirabaiHolland.com.

and the press release said the three helped to promote local voices during the latest legislative session.

“These elected official’s dedication and hard work in preserving Home Rule serves the residents of Longboat Key well. Their legislative efforts go from here, to Tallahassee, and Washington, D.C.” Town Manager Howard Tipton said in the press release.

Home rule is defined as the ability for a local municipality to solve local issues without the interference of the state, or with minimal interference. The FLC gives this award to local officials who helped the organization to reach out to legislative members about current issues. Schneier and Bishop also won the award last year.

Bradenton Beach sewer project update

The Bradenton Beach Sewer Improvements project continues, with lane shifts scheduled for this week.

Starting March 18, both lanes of Gulf Drive South will be shifted west between Sixth Street South and Eighth Street South. The lane shift is expected to continue through late March or early April, according to a press release.

Also during this time, Seventh Street South will be closed to traffic. There will be temporary parking on the west side of Gulf Drive South, as well as a free shuttle service for residents and guests of that street.

The $7.1 million project is funded by Manatee County, and will replace and relocate some of the gravity sewer system in South Bradenton

Beach. Construction for this project began in early 2023, and is anticipated to continue until late 2024, according to the project website.

The Bay Sarasota receives $2M grant

The Gulf Coast Community Foundation Board of Directors has approved a $1 million grant to match $1 million in anonymous donations to benefit The Bay park in Sarasota. That marks the halfway point of a challenge match by the GCCF to raise $4 million for The Bay by Dec. 31, 2024.

The funding will be used to support the design and development of a new resilient shoreline as part of Phase 2 of the city-owned 53-acre park, as well as free park programming. The Bay is being developed and operated under the stewardship of the Bay Park Conservancy in partnership with the city of Sarasota.

“We are honored that enthusiastic friends of The Bay, Gulf Coast philanthropists, chose to co-invest in this incredible opportunity for building community and continual expansion of The Bay park,” said GCCF President and CEO Phillip Lanham in a news release. “The Bay is fully aligned with Gulf Coast’s priority areas of water quality and access to green spaces.”

Since opening in October 2022, more than 400,000 people have visited The Bay, and more than 50,000 have participated in free events and programs offered in the park via programming partnerships.

“This important challenge match from Gulf Coast demonstrates the importance of The Bay and its growing positive impact on the environment and on people,” said Bay Park Conservancy Founding CEO AG Lafley in the release. “Extending the resilient shoreline as part of Phase 2 will build on the environmental restoration efforts throughout the park, treating millions of gallons of stormwater before entering Sarasota Bay.”

Potential for growth

Entrepreneurs Jeffrey and David Koffman’s many endeavors include a plan to grow City Island’s status as an attraction.

ANDREW

STAFF WRITER

Near the conclusion of the Feb. 20 meeting of the Sarasota City Commission, Mayor Liz Alpert took the commissioners’ comments period to admonish what she sees as hostility toward individuals and organizations who bring proposals to staff and commissioners.

Although not mentioning him by name, the comment was likely in reference to Sarasota resident Jeffrey Koffman, who, during the Feb. 5 meeting, pitched commissioners on a public-private partnership to activate Ken Thompson Park on City Island.

It wasn’t the first time Koffman brought a proposal to the city. His family has a history of creating attractions, building hotels, owning a country club and operating a water taxi service. Since relocating here three years ago, Koffman has pitched a permanent carousel at St. Armands Circle park and spearheaded the one and only Winter Spectacular event in the park in 2022.

The Koffman brothers’ most recent idea is to activate the largely passive Ken Thompson Park by investing millions of dollars to rehabilitate the 25-acre city property with a beach restoration, day docks,

splash pad, topiary garden, walking trails and more. In exchange, they also want to use a portion of the park to make Sarasota the U.S. headquarters for park golf, a globally growing miniature version of the sport that is played with a single mallet-like, nonlofted club and a plastic ball.

The city would retain ownership and control of the park, Koffman told commissioners, and to help alleviate traffic congestion their company would operate a fee-based water taxi service across Sarasota Bay to City Island. They’d also like the option to include an observation deck-type tower attraction called Aerobar.

Although met with opposition from long-suffering barrier island residents concerned about traffic and others citing the use of public space for private enterprise, the commissioners voted 3-2 to send the matter to the Park, Recreation and Environmental Protection board for further evaluation.

So who are these two brothers from upstate New York and why do they continue to expose themselves to public consternation?

“Why are we doing this? Well there’s an altruism. Yes, there is capitalism, but there is altruism because without leadership, without people pushing for an impetus for change, change will never happen,” said Jeffrey Koffman. “I use the analogy of the Ringling Bridge. There was so much opposition to the Ringling Bridge, and today it is the scenic icon promoting Sarasota.”

The Koffman family, the brothers said, has left a legacy of philanthropy and entrepreneurism in New York and New Jersey, and would like to do the same in their adopted home city.

HOTELIERS, TOO

The Koffman family was a principal partner in buying, renovating and managing three hotels in Puerto Rico through entities affiliated with HSK Industries. They were Condado Plaza Hotel, El San Juan Hotel and El Conquistador Resort and Country Club.

Those properties were sold in 1998, and they subsequently were partners in the purchase, renovation and management of La Concha Hotel and Condado Vanderbilt. Those properties were sold in 2021, and today they are partners in the Condado Palm, also in Puerto Rico.

“He’s got a young kid. I have kids, and I’m hoping for grandchildren pretty soon,” said David Koffman, who also serves on the Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation Board of Directors. “Here there are restaurants and the bars and fun stuff for young people, but there’s really just not a lot for older people to do, and

you’re going to have an extra 20,000 or 30,000 people moving here. We thought that this would be something that we would do to try to help that, and it would be good because nobody uses that space at this point.”

VARIED BUSINESS BACKGROUND

Jeffrey Koffman has stated that activating Ken Thompson Park will result in less traffic than current levels to and from City Island, and by extension St. Armands, Lido and Longboat keys. Their plan would bring fewer people there than the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, which will move to the University Town Center area at the end of 2024, and that many who do come will travel by the water taxi they operate rather than by car. An activated Ken Thompson Park will also replace at least some of the business lost to St. Armands merchants and restaurants once the aquarium vacates, along with its 300,000 annual visitors. He said the family has the experience and the resources to implement the plan with no risk to the city. The family was formerly involved with S&S Worldwide — where Jeffrey Koffman was chairman of the board

of directors — a leading manufacturer of roller coasters, drop towers, carousels and more. Among the Koffmans’ business entities is Ride Entertainment, a name they said perhaps conveyed the wrong message. Having secured the official marketing and sanctioning rights for park golf in the U.S., they are rebranding.

“We’re changing the name to Park Golf Entertainment,” Jeffrey Koffman said. “We’re doing it because Ride Entertainment is misleading. We are not an amusement, and that’s why we are changing the name.”

The Koffmans began moving the family enterprise here when they acquired Florida Design Works in 2001, which in addition to the downtown Sarasota flagship has kitchen and bath design studios in Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Naples and Tampa.

“David had made Sarasota his home since 2004,” Jeffrey Koffman said. “We bought Design Works in February 2001. He was smart enough to move here three years later. I finally got here in 2020, but I’ve been coming here ever since and my mom and dad moved here in 2005.”

They continue to own Mountain Creek Resort in Vernon, New Jersey, a four-season resort that includes winter sports, a water park and golf. Having recently sold a portion of nine holes for housing, the remainder of those holes have been converted to park golf. They are also building a park golf course at Star Island Resort and Club in Kissimmee. They also own two bagel shops in Sarasota under the Buddy’s Bagels brand.

According to the City Island plan, revenue generated by park golf, a small restaurant and the scenic tower would support the maintenance of Ken Thompson Park.

“I think if people took the time to actually see what park golf is, that they see that the water taxi helps alleviate traffic. If they read the study and understand when the traffic is bad, if they took the time to inform themselves, then a lot of that opposition will go away,” Jeffrey Koffman said.

To counter the opposition to public-private ventures in city parks, Jeffrey Koffman points to the city’s own Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which was adopted in 2019. On Page 111, it reads: “The parks

and recreation vision will not be accomplished by the city alone, but through partnerships with public, private, and/or nonprofit agencies.”

“We’re aligning ourselves with the master plan,” Jeffrey Koffman said. “We’re not creating large buildings. We would have a beachfront restaurant, park golf — whether or not the scenic tower goes I think it would be awesome — but the most important thing is green space and we are proposing to keep almost all of that.”

The Koffmans’ first official appearance to advance their Ken Thompson Park plan will be before the PREP Board, which has yet to be scheduled. That panel will hear both sides of the debate before sending its recommendation to the City Commission.

“We’re prepared to go through the process,” Koffman said. “We want a healthy dialogue on how can we take what’s in the master plan and incorporate it. We’re collaborative, and somebody has to take the lead. This is a collaborative process, so if people are going to be negative, they’re going to be negative. Hopefully, sound principle and judgment will win the day.”

THE MAYOR’S STATEMENT

Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert’s remarks regarding proposals brought before the city:

“We have people who think enough of our community to come and want to make an investment in our community, who want to honor us with that and want to propose something, and we treat them like criminals.

“We vilify them. We act like we’re offended that they want to make an investment in our community, and I think we should treat them as courteously as we expect to be treated ourselves and as courteously as every resident expects us to treat them.

“They are not criminals. We may not like what they are proposing. We are free to say it’s not really what we want to do, but we don’t have to treat them like they are an affront to us that they should even suggest such a thing.

“We did it with the group that came to do the Lido Key pavilion, when they were invited to do a request for proposal to do a particular project and they came, did the exact project that was part of the RFP and they were vilified.

“We did it with the orchestra who was here for 70 years, and the fact that they would have the audacity to say that they might want to locate in seven acres of Payne Park, they were treated terribly and vilified and chased out of town. I think we have to really think about how we approach these kinds of things. It’s not civil. It’s not courteous, and we can turn it down. We don’t have to go along with it, but we can thank people that they think enough of our community that they want to come and invest in our community.”

Clarice the loggerhead sea turtle was found last Halloween and was released on March 18 after care at Mote Marine Laboratory.

CHOW TO HELP

If you

Sarasota counties, you can call the 24-hour line for Mote’s Strandings investigations Program at 888-345-2335.

For sea turtles — or dolphins and whales — anywhere in state waters or outside those counties, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s hotline is 888-404FWCC (3922).

that we really live for.”

Clarice was found on Oct. 31, 2023, Halloween night, about three miles off the coast of the Venice Fishing

Pier. The turtle was lethargic, and weighed down by something called epibiota — a term for organisms living on other organisms, usually as parasites.

It’s like a small ecosystem on a turtle’s shell, Lovewell described.

“When they’re not feeling well, we’ll see more and more of that growth show up on the shell,” she said.

Clarice also had some propeller strikes, scars from previous injuries possibly from a boat. Those have since been resolved, according to Lovewell.

According to a press release from Mote, it appeared that Clarice suffered from debilitated turtle syndrome, which required immediate attention from the staff. The team put Clarice in a rehab pool and began care. She was fed a variety of organisms, from crabs to fish.

Over a couple weeks, Clarice’s environment at Mote began to change incrementally. Staff adjusted the depth of water in her tank as she got stronger and more active, and continued to monitor her diet.

Other treatments, like antibiotics, iron and deworming, helped her gain strength.

Then, 136 days after her rescue, Clarice was ready to be released.

Before getting back in the ocean, though, staff equipped Clarice with a satellite tag.

With those tags, researchers are able to follow her behavior after release, and also get insight into the habitat and migration of loggerhead

sea turtles as a whole.

During an average year, Lovewell said the hospital could see an intake of about 100-120 turtles.

“It feels fantastic to see this after a long, hard journey of the rehab,” Lovewell said. “Whenever we can get this full circle and get the back out, it’s fantastic.”

Clarice needed a push in the right direction to get back into the water.

The most comprehensive guide to summer activities in Sarasota and Manatee counties

It might only be March, but it’s time to start thinking about summer camp registration!

Coming Thursday, March 28

Summer Fun is your ultimate resource for camps and programs in and around Sarasota and Manatee counties. We’ve even broken this guide down by category so you can find the perfect summer camp activity for your child.

SUNDAY, MARCH 10

NOT FREE TO FISH

7:42 p.m., 2600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

be tourists, since the captain was pointing things out and “acting like a tour guide.” The officer stopped the vessel and asked the captain if he was operating a charter, and he said he was operating a bareboat charter. The captain provided a rental agreement, registration, insurance and captain’s license. A safety check of the vessel was clear, except for an expired set of flares. The party was sent on its way, but the officer followed up with passengers later in the day. Further information was given to the officer, and the case was sent to the U.S. Coast Guard.

SOMETHING IMPORTANT

TO HAVE

11:48 p.m., 4200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

MONDAY, MARCH 11

Maybe something fishy 2:20 p.m.,

Longboat Pass

Vehicle Stop: While on marine patrol, an officer spotted a pontoon vessel that appeared to be operating a charter. There was one captain with eight passengers, appearing to

Trespassing: Dispatch sent an officer to a report of a man fishing and trespassing on marina property. At the scene, the responding officer spoke with the complainant and the fisherman. A check for warrants came back negative on the fisherman, and the officer served him a trespass warning. He left the prop422153-1

Vehicle Stop: While on patrol, an officer noticed a vehicle that was not staying straight in one lane. The officer conducted a traffic stop, and it was discovered that the driver did not have a driver’s license. The driver was given two citations and a notice to appear in court and was advised he had to contact someone else to come and get the vehicle.

which responded and assisted with a tow.

‘WHAT DO I DO WITH THIS?’

7:14 p.m., 600 block of Cedar Street

Lost/Found Property: A resident called to report a box of dog food that was left outside his house. Upon arrival, an officer spoke to the resident, who said he did not know what to do with the dog food since it wasn’t his. The officer advised him to throw it out.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13

READ SIGNS CAREFULLY

3:59 p.m., Beer Can Island

Animal Problem: On beach patrol, an officer saw a woman with a small dog on the beach. The officer approached her, and told her about the town ordinance prohibiting dogs on the beach. She admitted that she had seen the signs at the beach entrance, but did not believe the ordinance applied to the part of the beach she was on. The officer issued her a citation for the violation.

THURSDAY, MARCH 14 BETTER TO BE EARLY

4:29 a.m., 500 block of Lyons Lane

Suspicious Vehicle: An officer was sent to investigate a call for a suspicious vehicle driving around the neighborhood early in the morning. On the scene, the officer located the vehicle in question, loaded with pool cleaning supplies. The driver exited the vehicle, and said he was at a house to clean the pool, which he had been doing for the past 10 years. He said he got to the property early because he had a busy day, but said he would wait until 5:30 a.m. to start any work.

TRIBUTES

Stanley “Stan” Pastor

August 21, 1931March 9, 2024

The Life and Times of Dr. Stanley Pastor

Dr. Stan Pastor, a resident of Sarasota, Florida and formerly of Tulsa, Oklahoma, left his life in his words, “generally well-lived and with few regrets.” He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on August 21st, 1931 to the late Leon and Esther Pastor. Everyone who was fortunate enough to know him will remember him differently: a brilliant orthodontist, a talented photographer thanks to his mentor Mr. Billy Elkins, a loving husband to The Blonde, a wonderful father who loved his kids(“children” was too formal a term), unequivocally, an intrepid traveler, a collector of antique cars, admirer of a good joke and the necessity of laughter, an example of the benefit of kindness, and above all, a believer in the importance of love.

He was predeceased by his first wife and mother of his children, Jan, his dear sister Anita and her husband Dr. Murry Schonfeld, his eldest son, Dr. Scott Pastor, and an infant brother, Aaron. He is survived by his loving wife Stephanie(Shaw Pastor), or as he lovingly referred to her as The Blonde, his daughter Robin, aka, D.D.(darling daughter), her loving husband Steve, his son Andy and his wonderful wife La, and his daughter-in law

Molly Pastor. His pride and joy were his grandchildren:

Max, Eli, Hale, Lily, Andrew, Madelyn, Sam and Tommy. Stan was predestined to become an orthodontist as he had two uncles that were dentists and a family friend, an orthodontist who allowed him to work in his laboratory at a very young age. He completed his entire training at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. He attained his BS, DDS and MSD degrees, then taught at the Dental School for a year before he was drafted into the Army Dental Corps. It was during this time Stan married Jan and the marriage resulted in his three wonderful children, Scott, Andy and Robin. After serving two years in the Dental Corps, he moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma where he practiced his specialty of Orthodontics for 40 years

He participated in both land and underwater archeologic excavation for the following five summers searching for King Herod’s Palace, which his team located and documented this important site. Due to his love of travel and adventure, one of his close friends referred to him as the reincarnation of Indiana Jones. His many trips to Africa with his wife Stephanie was a source of constant happiness and vivid memories.

He never lost touch with his roots and he was genuinely unpretentious and forever had an inquiring mind.

with Dr. Pat Shannon as his partner for most of that period. He loved his patients and their parents and kept up with their activities after his retirement. Even though he maintained an extremely busy practice, he managed to become President of the Tulsa County Orthodontic Society, Oklahoma Orthodontic Society, and the Southwest Orthodontic Society. He never lost touch with his roots and he was genuinely unpretentious and forever had an inquiring mind. His adventurous spirit took him to Israel the day after his retirement from his practice.

Stan’s interpretation of death begins at birth, but he was always aware that he was most fortunate to have been allowed to lead a long and productive life. His overwhelming desire was to not become “the old man in a rocking chair who requires constant care and attention.” He never wanted to go gently into the night. His license plate personified his philosophy, “4 EVR 50” and he tried to live that life to the fullest. His parting words were “if you want something that mellows with age, drink wine.”

Stephanie has shared the following charitable organizations:

Sarasota Memorial Foundation: Designate Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute: https://smhf.org/donate/ Asolo Repertory Theatre: https://tickets.asolorep.org/ donate/q/65thanniversary Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue: https://crm. bloomerang.co/HostedDonation?ApiKey=pub_d2607b67-e8ec-11ed9e40-02ec082f7523&WidgetId=129895425

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Crossandra · Gaillardia · Gazania · Geranium · Gomphrena

Lobelia · Marigold · Melampodium · Moss Rose · Pentas

Periwinkle · Phlox · Rudbeckia · Scarlet Sage · Sunflower

Torenia · Tropical Milkweed · Zinnia

Ageratum · Amaranthus · Begonia (Wax) · Celosia · Cosmos

Crossandra · Gaillardia · Geranium · Gomphrena · Lobelia

Marigold · Melampodium · Pentas · Periwinkle · Scarlet Sage

Torenia · Tropical Milkweed · Zinnia

Palm

Sunday,

“The

Done To" Communion Service remembering the Last Supper. Choir will sing “Hope of The World ”

Sunday,

An Ecumenical Church that Welcomes all People Founded in 1956

MARCH

MARCH

Good

Sunday

St. Mary, Star of the Sea, CATHOLIC CHURCH

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

MASS SCHEDULE

CONFESSIONS:

Friday, March 22, 4:00-6:00pm

Saturday, March 23, 9:00-Noon | Wednesday, March 27, 9:30-Noon

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

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

HOLY SATURDAY: 10am Easter Basket Blessings • 6pm Easter Vigil

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

OVERFLOW 9:30 EASTER SUNDAY MASS IN FATHER PICK HALL

Rev. Robert Dziedziak, Pastor

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

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

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

Turn of the page

After seven years, Suzy Brenner is ready to turn the page on her work at The Paradise Center to start a new chapter of her life. She will be resigning in April from her position as executive director.

“Longboat Key is extremely fortunate to have this wonderful community center in its midst,” said student Angela Bennink. “Everyone who is associated with it is going to miss Suzy and her lovable dog, Lahni, who is the center’s unofficial mascot. Under Suzy, The Paradise Center has become a welcoming place where friends have been made, games played and where exercise classes have helped enrich our lives.”

The Paradise Center was originally called the Aging in Paradise Resource Center. It was a volunteer-run activity center that started in 2008 at the Longboat Island Chapel.

Once the center started to grow, Donna Dunio was hired as executive

director in 2013.  Brenner had been visiting Longboat Key since she was a child, before moving there in 2015. When looking for a place to volunteer on the island, she got involved with “the Giving Challenge” at The Paradise Center. The Giving Challenge is a national event where people can donate to different nonprofits for 24 hours. While volunteering, Brenner talked with Dunio about giving Zumba classes at the center.

Brenner got more involved at the center and became the communications specialist in 2015. When Dunio retired, Brenner moved into the executive director position in 2017 and has been there ever since. During her time as executive director, Brenner changed the name to The Paradise Center, added the medical suite in 2020 and moved from the Longboat Island Chapel to its current location at 546 Bay Isles Road.

Brenner said the COVID-19 pandemic affected the atmosphere of the center. Classes were moved out-

side, and the center became one of the only places to get some sort of human connection. She said it created the tight-knit community that continues today.

Brenner said she is planning to stay in Longboat Key for now but is open to possibilities for her next job. She will still be teaching Stretch and Strengthen classes and attending events to stay involved.

Many of the center loyalists agree that Brenner has grown the center immensely. Student Eva Kendeffy said she has seen Suzy expand the center from the chapel into a multifaceted organization that offers a wide variety of classes for the body, mind and spirit.

“Suzy has been The Paradise Center’s spirit and soul,” said Kendeffy. “She is lighthearted, but strong in organizing, planning and leading the center to success. Her outstanding work combined with her personality have definitely made The Paradise Center an invaluable asset for Longboat.”

Reuben Fernandez, who teaches tai chi at The Paradise Center, said he loves seeing Brenner’s passion for the center.

“Suzy is always looking to find the middle road when she is creating a new project,” said Fernandez. “She genuinely cares about the folks under her tutelage and that is obvious at first glance.”

Brenner was honored at the 2024 “Celebrate on the Circle” fundraiser

for the center on March 10. Current program manager Amy Steinhauser will become interim executive director in April.

After moving to Longboat Key in 2021, Steinhauser started to work at the center in April 2023 focusing on membership, volunteer opportunities and day-to-day operations.

The two have been best friends since childhood. Having run businesses with Steinhauser before, Brenner knew that she was the perfect person for the role.

“It’s been an honor and a gift working side by side with Suzy this past year,” said Steinhauser. “Wherever she goes and whatever she does, Suzy Brenner has left her indelible mark on Longboat Key and The Paradise Center and we are all better for it.”

Brenner said she will miss the community she has created the most when she resigns in April. She is excited to see how The Paradise Center continues to grow and support it from the sidelines.

“The people that we have here are funny and open and have the best stories,” said Brenner. “It’s very intimidating to come to Longboat and try to get involved because everyone knows each other here. So I have just tried to make this a place to be able to meet people. Our community is very welcoming. It is definitely what I will miss the most.”

“I have just tried to make this a place to be able to meet people. Our community is very welcoming. It is definitely what I will miss the most.”

Artist on the map

Thanks to a deal with Bealls, local artist’s designs can be found in stores across the state.

Local artist Kelly Hunt recently signed a deal to sell her art with Florida-based retailer Bealls, which operates more than 600 stores around the state.

“After nine years of establishing myself in the local art community, it’s really fun to be featured,” said Hunt. “I’m grateful to Bealls for putting me on the map.”

Hunt’s art has been featured in Longboat Key’s Driftwood Beach Home and Garden and is available for purchase there too.

She grew up on Anna Maria Island, which is one of her biggest inspirations when it comes to her art. Her grandmother was a watercolor artist and encouraged her to use art as a way to express herself.

“I’m a perfectionist, but with art, I allow myself not to be,” said Hunt. “My grandma was always like ‘art is in the eye of you.’”

Due to her love for the coastal lifestyle, Hunt was drawn to gyotaku art, which is a Japanese art form that began as a way for fishermen to keep a record of the fish they caught. Hunt applies acrylic paint to fish she or her family caught and then will place it on fabric to create a replica.

Hunt started doing this right before the COVID-19 pandemic. She now teaches classes on it in the Florida Maritime Museum.

“Teaching gyotaku art makes me so happy because everyone can be creative with it, even if you’re the

least creative person on the planet,” said Hunt. “Your fish is always going to look good, and if not, then you can fix it by adding your own touches and colors. You can’t have a bad fish.”

Since getting into gyotaku, Hunt started experimenting with different art forms. She has expanded from gyotaku to prints, puzzles, clothing, towels and home decor. She describes her style as modern, coastal and colorful.

Hunt also makes custom pieces and does private classes for anyone in the area. One of her staples is designing maps of the area with partners who sell her art highlighted. She recently made a map for Bradenton Area Convention and Visitor’s Bureau highlighting different locations of Bradenton.

Hunt is also passionate about encouraging people to make art. She makes different interactive products so people can paint with her designs,

such as coloring pages and paintable postcards.  Hunt said she has worked hard to build connections and establish her reputation in the area.

After meeting a buyer from Bealls on Anna Maria Island, they fell in love with her coastal designs and asked if she would be interested in designing towels for the stores.  Her towel designs are sold in Bealls stores across Florida and have already sold out in some of the local

stores. She said that discussion for her next Bealls products is underway.

Hunt loves the focus Bealls puts on local artists and how it gives people a way to support them.

“It’s cool that they want to have a perspective of a local person,” said Hunt. “We’ve lived here and we know the culture. It’s neat to be able to create and design different patterns that will really represent us, instead of it being someone from another place.”

WILD FLORIDA

Prairie iris blooms herald spring’s arrival

Highly attractive to pollinators, these native wildflowers utilize toxic compounds to repel animals.

With a stalk two to three feet tall, sword-like leaves and a showy purple flower three to four inches wide, the prairie iris is no shrinking violet.

Also known as the savanna iris (from Iris savannarum, its scientific name) this stunning wildflower typically blooms in the spring in wetlands, on the edge between dry land and shallow water.

Like other native plants, prairie iris play an important role in their ecosystems, where they’re a source of nectar for butterflies, pollen for bees and also have seeds that provide food to birds.

Prairie iris are rhizomatic, meaning they have a rhizome, or a system of roots, living and growing under the soil. Periodically, a rhizome sends shoots above soil, producing a clone of the parent plant.

Irises can also reproduce through seed propagation. In this case, it takes two plants to make the new one, with pollen from one plant fertilizing a female flower from another.

To assure seed propagation, as they obviously cannot move, many flowers have visual cues that attract pollinators, such as insects, to them.

Such cues include size, color, as well as showy petals and sepals (a flower’s outermost part). Some flowers, like prairie iris, even have nectar guides. These unique patterns direct pollinators to pollen, nectar or both.

Interestingly, in many bee-pollinated flowers, there is a region of low ultraviolet reflectance near the center of each petal. Though invisible to humans, bees can detect ultraviolet light and quickly home in on their target.

As plants cannot move to escape

predators, they’ve developed means of protecting themselves from herbivorous animals. Some plants have physical defenses, such as thorns, spines or prickles.

But the most common form of protection is chemical, with plants producing a vast array of compounds to deter herbivores from consuming them. As they cause skin irritation or worse, many of these toxins help deter humans too.

The highest concentration of noxious compounds that help protect irises is found in their rhizomes, but the entire plant is toxic. So if you spot these native beauties in the wild, please enjoy them from afar. For your benefit, as well as that of our ecosystems.

Friends of Myakka River exists to support Myakka River State Park and the Wild and Scenic Myakka River. Together, we’re protecting and sharing Myakka’s Magic, to the benefit of future generations, and our own. Follow us @FriendsOfMyakkaRiver.

Irish spirit

Spanish

Land

with Longboaters at the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce’s 18th annual networking event.

“Meet, Greet, Eat” took place from

on March 14 in the Harbourside Ballroom at the Longboat Key Club.

The club provided appetizers for guests and Gold Coast Eagle Distributing provided drinks.

Kellie Spring, of ServPro, said the set up this year for the “Meet, Greet, Eat” was different, with all the businesses setting up tables inside this year. Longboat residents went around learning about different businesses and making connections. At each table, guests would receive a sticker after their conversation. People who received stickers from each table were entered to win one of the exclusive prizes picked by the chamber. Thirteen-year-old piano prodigy Timmy Phelan played while people mingled. He is self-taught and

has been playing piano for the past three years. Phelan also has perfect pitch.

“This is such a perfect event to get more involved in the community,” said Longboater Nancy Richard. “You pretty much know everyone here, but also it is nice to get your name out there and learn how the businesses can be of service to you.”

These magic moments

Seaplace Condominium had a snapping good time at its March party.

The Goldtones performed for residents on March 13 at the clubhouse. Coordinator June Hessel called them the “most requested doo-wop group in Florida.”

The Goldtones use their fourpart harmony to transport people back in time as they sing classic doo-wop tunes from the 1950s to the 1980s. These songs include “This Magic Moment,” “In the Still of the Night,” “A Teenager In Love” and “Johnny B. Goode.”

Gary Blomberg, Guy Tann, Jim Bramante and Robert Fleig have been a part of the Goldtones for the past 10 years.

“This brings me back to when I would sing these songs for karaoke on 45s,” said resident Terise Levine.

YOUR CALENDAR

is

18 and up only.

Members cost $40.50; nonmembers $45. Register at Mote.org/Events/ Details/Full-Moon-Paddle-KayakingWith-Mote1.

TUESDAY, MARCH 26

‘THE SECOND MRS. RINGLING’

3-4:30 p.m. at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road. Ellen Brosnahan, lifelong educator and author of “The Second Mrs. Ringling,” will give audience members a behindthe-scenes account of a celebrated couple of the 1930s. Members $20; nonmembers $25. To register call 941-383-8222 or email EdCenter@ LongboatKeyTemple.org.

RECURRING EVENTS

MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

LONGBOAT LIBRARY

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

MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS

PUMPING THE PRIME: CARDIO, STRENGTH & STRETCH

10 a.m. at the Bayfront Park Recreation Center. This low-impact class helps burn calories and increase stamina. It also includes strength exercises for a total body workout. Participants should be able to get down on the floor and get up readily. (Please bring a towel.) Runs until the end of April/May 2024. Classes are $10 for rec center members; $15 for nonmembers. Contact Mirabai Holland at Mirabai@MovingFree.com.

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.

BEST BET

TUESDAY, MARCH 26

SUNRISE BEACH WALK

8-9:30 a.m. at Ted Sperling Park at South Lido Beach, 2201 Benjamin Franklin Drive. Participate in this selfguided beach walk along Lido Beach. Register at the playground before the one-mile minimum walk. Fee is $5. For details, call 861-7275.

MONDAYS

ZUMBA & TONING

10 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Taught by Reena Malik, this class begins with 30 minutes of zumba and finishes with mat Pilates for flexibility and strengthening core muscles. Come for 30 or 60 minutes. Free for members; $15 for nonmembers.

GENTLE CHAIR YOGA

From 9-10 a.m. at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road. Remain stabilized in a chair and enjoy all the benefits of traditional yoga with certified yoga teacher Emme Shapiro. Join anytime on a prorated basis. Pay as you go, members $13; nonmembers $15. Eight sessions: members $95; non-members $110. Call 383-8222 or email EdCenter@LongboatKeyTemple.org.

TUESDAYS AT THE MOVIES

11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road. Members $95; nonmembers $105. Join Gus Mollasis, professional movie maven and film columnist, for a cinematic adventure. Call 383-8222 or email EdCenter@LongboatKeyTemple.org.

Acondominium in The Beach Residences tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. Scott Bundrant and Karyn Bundrant sold their Unit 1103 condominium at 1300 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Michael Haney, trustee, of Wayne, Pennsylvania, for $5.55 million. Built in 2005, it has four bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths and 3,861 square feet of living area. It sold for $3.14 million in 2005.

BEACHPLACE

Built in 1981, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,503 square feet of living area. It sold for $900,000 in 2017.

FAIRWAY BAY

Peter and Amy Roth, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 538 condominium at 2110 Harbourside Drive to Rafael Fernandez, trustee, of Longboat Key, for $1.4 million. Built in 1988, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,550 square feet of living area. It sold for $755,000 in 2007.

SANDS POINT

Longboat Sands Condo LLC sold the Unit 211 condominium at 100 Sands Point Road to Timothy and Diane Murphy, of Sarasota, for $1.35 million. Built in 1966, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,941 square feet. It sold for $1.1 million in 2021.

WINDING OAKS

Robert Tupper Rezendes and Penelope Ann Rezendes, of Old Saybrook, Connecticut, sold their Unit 53 condominium at 3408 Winding Oaks Drive to Tracy and Cynthia O’Connell, of Geneva, Illinois, for $1,175,000. Built in 1988, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,039 square feet of living area. It sold for $850,000 in 2021.

SEAPLACE

Timothy and Gina Schmakel, of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, sold their Unit M2-115 condominium at 1945 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Mark and Janitza Diaz, of Farmingdale, New York, for $650,000. Built in 1978, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,076 square feet of living area. It sold for $415,000 in 2016.

SARASOTA HARBOUR APARTMENTS

Joseph and Kimberly Carder, of Bradenton, sold their Unit 28 condominium at 761 John Ringling Blvd. to Charles and Patricia Erker, of St. Louis, for $525,000. Built in 1963, it has two bedrooms, one-and-a-half baths and 816 square feet of living area. It sold for $495,000 in 2022.

TOP BUILDING PERMITS

FRIDAY,

High:

SATURDAY, MARCH 23

High:

TIDES

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