St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church Women’s Guild members held their welcomeback luncheon Nov. 18 at the church. President Kay Kochenderfer noted the guild’s Scholarship Endowment Fund has raised more than $94,500, and she hopes the group can keep its fundraising momentum up through the holidays.
The “Art for the Heart” Valentine’s show debuted this past year and included a showcase of works by local artists. The event will be Feb. 10. Other upcoming dates of note include Dec. 12, when the church will have its Christmas concert. A new members’ luncheon takes place Jan. 29, 2026. The early bird rummage sale date is set for March 6, and the main sale is March 7. Those interested in learning more about membership can email LadiesGuild@ StMaryLBK.org.
SOS offers rescue training
Save Our Seabirds invites anyone with a passion for helping injured animals to learn the techniques for keeping both birds and handlers safe.
The free educational seminar takes place from 10 a.m. to noon on Dec. 6 at 1708 Ken Thompson Parkway. Participants can learn how to tell if a bird is sick or injured, properly handle a distressed bird and if intervention is necessary. Participants must be age 18 and older. Email questions or RSVP to Volunteer@SaveOurSeabirds.org. Learn more at SaveOurSeabirds.org.
Dana Kampa Stephanie Kruk and Georgianna Vicari
Dana Kampa
Dana Kampa Alison and Eloise Fichner snap a photo with Santa Claus at Light Up Longboat. The annual event is one of the first holiday events on the island.
WEEK OF NOV. 27, 2025
BY THE NUMBERS
“Everybody is fighting for the same sand sources. And we can’t go mine the stuff down in the Caribbean and drag it up here … ”
Longboat Key Public Works Director Charlie Mopps
Read more on page 3
Breeze to absorb trolley service
As the 2027 expiration of state grants looms, the Sarasota City Commission on Nov. 17 unanimously approved an agreement with Sarasota County for the Bay Runner trolley service to be taken over by the county’s Breeze transit system.
There will be no changes in the service — it will still run from downtown to South Lido Key in 30-minute intervals at no charge to riders — but the move will result in savings to the city, which will continue to foot the bill.
“By folding it under what’s
called a transit agency — that’s a federal designation — it does make eligible these operations for federal funds,” interim City Manager Dave Bullock told commissioners.
Additional savings are also realized by economies of scale.
The city currently contracts the service to CPR Medical Transportation of Washington, D.C., which owns and maintains the trolley vehicles.
The bulk of the savings comes in paratransit service, that service to be assumed by Breeze
as part of the agreement. The savings to the city, which pays for the program via economic development funds derived from the citywide business tax plus $50,000 from the Downtown Improvement District budget, over a five-year period projects at $1.9 million. Transferring paratransit service to the county will yield the city $263,718 in annual savings. Since its inception, the Bay Runner has provided free rides to 554,670 passengers between March 2022 and October 2025.
Longboat Key Club nominated for World’s Best Awards
The Resort at Longboat Key Club has been announced as a nominee for Travel and Leisure magazine’s World’s Best Awards.
The annual awards program is based on an annual reader survey of the travel magazine and is broken into categories including airports, destination spas, hotels, hotel brands and more.
Voting opened Oct. 20 and will continue through Feb. 23, 2026. Subscribers of the magazine are eligible to vote and each survey respondent can vote one time. The winners will be announced in July and featured in the August edition of Travel and Leisure.
In the 2025 World’s Best Awards, several lists were featured in the hotel category, including readers’ 15 favorite hotels in Florida and the United States. Topping the Florida list was The Gasparilla Inn of Boca Grande.
Toledo added as SRQ airport route
Allegiant Air has added another destination to its portfolio of flights to and from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. On Nov. 20, the value carrier began service between SRQ and Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport (TOL).
The new flights will operate up to twice weekly.
“We’re excited to welcome Allegiant’s new nonstop service between Sarasota-Bradenton and Toledo, Ohio,” said SRQ President and CEO Paul Hoback Jr. in a news release. “This route offers travelers from northwest Ohio an easy way to enjoy Florida’s Gulf Coast while providing our local passengers another convenient option to visit friends and family in the Toledo area.” The new route brings the total destinations served by Allegiant to 35, and marks the 69th nonstop destination among all airlines from SRQ.
Flight days, times and fares are available at Allegiant.com.
THE SEARCH FOR BURIED TREASURE
Longboat Key needs to replace 800,000 cubic yards of beach sand.
S.T. CARDINAL STAFF WRITER
Longboat Key leaders are unfurling their maps and extending their telescopes, hoping to announce, “sand ho!”
The search for sand comes after Longboat Key lost 200,000 dump trucks’ worth of sand from its beaches during the 2024 hurricanes.
A big loss.
“Sand is pretty much gold in Florida,” Longboat Key Public Works Director Charlie Mopps told the Town Commission at a recent workshop.
Now, the hunt is on to find sand for the next round of Longboat Key’s beach renourishment. The town puts plenty of effort into maintaining its beach, which naturally experiences 150,000 to 175,000 cubic yards’ worth of erosion annually.
The 2024 hurricane season took more than 400,000 cubic yards of sand from the beaches of Longboat Key.
Mopps said the town is planning an 800,000-cubic-yard beach renourishment project in 2028. Sourcing the precious sand is an important first step. And not any sand will do.
“It’s hard to find good quality sand that you can put on a beach and make people happy,” Mopps said.
Sand also must meet certain characteristics to abide by environmental regulations to not adversely impact sea turtles and wading birds.
Sourced from the Gulf floor, there are others vying for that buried treasure.
GOLD IS EXPENSIVE
Longboat Key Public Works Director Charlie Mopps said that an 800,000-cubic-yard beach renourishment project would cost more than $30 million. He explained the economy of scale is an important factor to consider in a project as intensive as beach renourishment.
“To get the bigger contractors here, you want to give them enough meat on the bones so that they would want to actually bid on the project,” Mopps said. “Then you’ll get the better rates and more efficient operations.”
The town’s five-year capital improvements plan shows $32.9 million tentatively budgeted for beach renourishment in fiscal year 2028. That funding will come from FEMA ($12.2 million), the state ($7 million), tourism development taxes ($5 million) and money left over from the last renourishment project in 2021.
“Everybody is fighting for the same sand sources,” Mopps said.
“And we can’t go mine the stuff down in the Caribbean and drag it up here because it’d cost you like four times more than what it would cost if you can find a viable sand source within this geographic location.”
Dredging Longboat Pass and New Pass would be a natural solu-
tion, but “there are a lot of hands in that basket” for both locations, said Al Browder, principal and vice president of coastal engineering consultants Foth Olsen. The city of Sarasota takes turns with Longboat to dredge New Pass, and Manatee County alternates with Longboat Key dredging Longboat Pass for its beach renourishment projects.
The town is hoping to find a cache of its own.
“We would like to be able to identify a broader area so we can go research and develop a bigger area that we could use in the future for one, two, even three projects,” Browder said.
The town and its coastal engineering consultants are performing “desktop research” for where to source sand. When a shortlist of potential locations is determined, a core-boring boat will take samples of sand from the Gulf floor.
Into the Gulf is where a majority of sand washed away from the hurricanes ended up, while the rest powder blasted streets, yards and sidewalks on Longboat Key with a coating of sugar sand.
The cleanup effort involved county workers sweeping up sand from all areas of the island. A majority of the collected sand went to a Coquina Beach parking lot, where Manatee County took custody of sand cleaned up from Anna Maria, Bradenton and Coquina Beach and other local beach towns.
According to Manatee County Director of Natural Resources Charlie Hunsicker, 151,474 cubic yards of sand was recovered by the county through cleanup efforts.
From Longboat Key, Mopps estimates Manatee County removed about 50,000 cubic yards of sand and placed it in the sorting pile. That sand will not return to the shores of Longboat Key.
“Sand brought to Coquina Beach for processing from Longboat Key will not be returned,” said Manatee County spokesman Bill Logan. “As the sand was collected and delivered
X MARKS THE SPOT
“Sand is pretty much gold in Florida.”
—
Longboat Key needs a lot of sand, but where will it come from? The town has begun looking at potential locations to source suitable beach sand for its renourishment project. The red X’s indicate where the “gold” as Public Works Director Charlie Mopps describes it, could be found.
DUNE DESTRUCTION HURTS MOTHER AND BABY SEA TURTLES
from Longboat Key, we were unable to determine the source of the sand collected, and we were concerned that much of it may have contained storm related debris, rendering it unsuitable for placement on any recreational beach, even after sifting.”
SHAPING WHILE PLACING
The town’s efforts to combat erosion include more than just putting sand back where it was.
The hurricanes also flattened the beach. The hurricanes swept away dunes and vegetation lining the shore, leaving Longboat Key vulnerable to a future storm.
Building back those dunes and planting vegetation will be an important part of the next beach renourishment, Mopps says. That’s years in the future, and beachfront property owners are being encouraged to rebuild their dunes in the meantime.
“The town has been encouraging since the day after the hurricane to rebuild your own dune. A vast majority of the dunes are privately owned,” Mopps said. “Build what you can, protect yourself, protect your property. And when we build this project, we’re going to tie into it and make it even better.”
In rebuilding the beach, Mopps said the rebuilt shape of it is especially important. The beach needs a berm.
“In Florida, where you have hurricanes, that berm elevation is one of your key mitigators for storm surge impacts,” Mopps said. “The dune is the failsafe. That’s like if all your soldiers were up front and you had that reserve in the back. The reserve is the dune. That berm elevation is your primary means for defense.”
Dunes act as a natural barrier from storm surge impacts for coastal properties. They also protect mother and baby sea turtles. Sea turtle hatchlings “have an inborn tendency to move in the brightest direction,” according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. On a natural beach, the brightest direction is the night sky and the water reflecting it. But on beaches with condos and streets and cars and houses, lights near the beach often draw the turtles away from their natural path. This is called disorientation, and it takes precious energy from the newborn turtles on their already arduous first journey. It was a record year for the number of nests on Longboat Key this year, but Mote Marine Laboratory Staff Scientist Jake Lasala said it was also a record year for disorientations. The leveling of dunes from 2024 hurricanes may have played a part. Lights that were shielded from dunes before were visible from the beach this year. That can lead babies astray, but also can discourage mothers from nesting where they were born. Sea turtles will return to where they were born using electromagnetic senses to nest, but then use their eyes to confirm the beach is suitable.
Images courtesy of the Town of Longboat Key
The 2022 picture shows the south end of Longboat Key a year after renourishment. The 2024 picture, just before Helene, shows natural erosion.
The beach parallel to Gulfside Road south of the Ohana seawall recently underwent a $2.8 million interim beach renourishment project that wrapped up in February.
Charlie Mopps, Longboat Key Public Works director
Crews work at the sand-pile station at Coquina Beach sifting sand left behind by Hurricane Helene’s surge.
Buccaneer Restaurant
‘alive and well’
S.T. CARDINAL STAFF WRITER
Not much has happened on the vacant lot where Pattigeorge’s once stood.
With plans for a Buccaneer Restaurant announced in 2017 by the Gonzmart Family of Restaurants, residents have since eagerly awaited construction to begin. But the only visible action on the lot has been the growth of vegetation, which led to questions from community members about the status of the project.
While action on the lot itself has been lacking since Pattigeorge’s demolition in 2018, Columbia Restaurant Group has had a lot on its plate elsewhere.
In 2019, Columbia Restaurant Group purchased its St. Armands restaurant space, the adjoining Cha Cha Coconuts and upstairs retail space occupied by other businesses for $18.3 million. Columbia had leased the space since 1959.
Then, a year later, a global pandemic crippled the restaurant industry for months, with impacts extending years.
And in 2024, dual hurricanes flooded St. Armands, causing highcost damage to The Columbia.
In October, Town Manager Howard Tipton responded to a question at a “Let’s Talk Longboat” meeting from a resident who was concerned about vegetation growth at the lot. He responded by giving background about the project.
He told residents that the project “never got off the ground,” and that the town was unsure what the future held for the lot at 4120 Gulf of Mexico Drive.
At the November Let’s Talk Long-
Courtesy image
Richard Gonzmart commissioned artist Vala Ola to create this statue of a buccaneer to eventually be placed at the future location of The Buccaneer. The statue temporarily lives at the company’s restaurant, Ulele, in Tampa.
A NOD TO HISTORY
The Buccaneer Restaurant planned at 4120 Gulf of Mexico Drive will pay homage to the Buccaneer Inn.
The inn and restaurant opened by Herb Field in 1957 was a favorite spot for residents for decades until it closed in 2001. Guests of the restaurant were greeted by a one-legged pirate cosplayer named Ransom Webster for years. Menu items were priced by the doubloon. The Buccaneer was razed to make way for the Grand Mariner Condominium building. In 2016, the 1905 Family of Restaurants purchased Pattigeorge’s with goals of bringing the Buccaneer back with the care that diners to the Columbia on St. Armands have come to expect. In 2017, Richard Gonzmart said his goal and his dream was “to make this new restaurant an architectural gem and to pay homage to some of that restaurant’s beloved menu items, such as oysters and prime rib, as well as to add distinctive touches.”
boat meeting, held Nov. 18, Tipton updated residents, saying the Buccaneer is still in the works.
Tipton said in 2023 there were designs of the project, and the restaurant company put out a bid for construction. The price was higher than it expected, leading it to pause its plans.
“He said that is still his project and now that prices are coming down, he is hoping they will go back out and see if they can get that built,” Tipton said.
Gonzmart Family of Restaurants spokesperson Jeff Houck, when asked about the status of the project, said “every time someone asks (Gonzmart) when it’s going to open, he always says the same thing: When it’s ready.”
Law limiting PWCs on Lido still a year away
County decides to pursue a lighter touch to resolve excessive personal watercraft activity.
of Ted Sperling Park on the south end of Lido Key will have to wait several more months, if not a year, for what they describe as a needed relief from the noise and dangers of personal watercraft use there.
During its Nov. 18 meeting, the Sarasota County Commission was set to vote on a more restrictive of two options to abate the continuous weekend conflicts between renters of PWCs and swimmers off the shore of South Lido Beach. As Ted Sperling Park is in the Sarasota city limits but owned and operated by Sarasota County, affected persons have complained to both governing bodies for years.
The situation gained renewed and intensified attention in June 2025 when Baltimore Orioles minor league baseball player Luis Guevara, 19, was killed in a head-on collision while operating PWC at high speed off South Lido Beach.
During a discussion on the matter at its Oct. 21, 2025, meeting, the County Commission directed staff to advertise a public hearing on an ordinance to establish an exclusion zone off the beach, of what is otherwise a nature park, that would restrict any motorized vessel from entering the area. The net effect would be to prevent PWC rental operators from conducting commerce in the park and any vessels from launching from or beaching there.
Since then, commissioners learned, it isn’t quite that simple.
Enforcement is one challenge.
Sarasota Police Department and Sheriff’s Office marine units have plenty of other coastal areas to patrol. But the biggest obstacle would be securing approval of the multiple state and federal agencies —
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Florida Wildlife Commission — to implement the ordinance.
And all those regulatory acrobatics, even if approved, would take nine to 12 months to complete.
Response from the FWC, commissioners learned, suggests an exclusion zone would not hold water. The representative of the West Coast Inland Navigation District also told commissioners they oppose any measure restricting watercraft access.
“In listening to WCIND and FWC response, and when I read through them, it was pretty glaring that they are not interested in participating at this level,” said Commissioner Teresa Mast of an exclusion zone. “I don’t want to put something in place that is not going to even be able to be implemented. I definitely want the citizens to know that we care about how they feel and their safety, but we also have to find a happy medium, or something that we can enforce.”
That something, commissioners approved by a 4-1 vote with Mark Smith opposed, was to pursue the less restrictive option to create a 300foot idle speed no wake zone off South Lido Beach. That option, Commissioner Tom Knight suggested, would likely be more amenable to the FWC, which will ultimately decide implementing any restrictions.
Because the advertised public hearing is regarding an exclusion zone ordinance, there needs to be another advertisement as an idle speed and no-wake zone, which will be on the January 2026 schedule.
In the interim, commissioners asked local law enforcement to investigate perhaps non-licensed PWC rental operations in the park.
“I went out there. These people aren’t from here,” said Commissioner Tom Knight. “They’re from the Orange County area. How much enforcement activities have been put upon these individuals? I know something’s got to be done, but I’d just like to know what type of law enforcement happened out there not only on noise. I’m talking about bad actors.”
LONG WAIT FOR NO WAKES
Whether the County Commission chose to pursue an exclusion zone or idle speed/no-wake zone off the coast of Ted Sperling Park, it may still take upward of a year to cross all regulatory hurdles. Here is how the process will play out as each agency’s review focuses on a distinct area of compliance:
n United States Coast Guard authorizes private aids to navigation, confirming that the proposed regulatory markers meet federal navigation and safety standards and do not conflict with existing charted aids. Typical review time is one to three months.
n Florida Department of Environmental Protection evaluates the project under the Environmental Resource Permit and Sovereign Submerged Lands programs to ensure that habitats, submerged resources and water quality are not adversely affected. Typical review time is two to four months.
n U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reviews the installation under the Rivers and Harbors Act and the Clean Water Act to verify that the proposed structures do not obstruct navigation or impact aquatic resources. Typical review time is two to six months, depending on permit type.
n Florida Wildlife Commission issues authorization under Florida Administrative Code, ensuring that regulatory markers comply with state boating safety standards and do not negatively affect wildlife or critical habitats. Typical review time is nine to 12 months.
Courtesy image
Ted Sperling Park on the southern end of Lido Key is outlined in yellow.
A screenshot of a video presented to the Sarasota County Commission shows personal watercraft activities in the vicinity of swimmers off South Lido Beach.
Gulf
Big Sarasota pass
Town considers solar code update
he Longboat Key Town Commission will soon consider regulating solar energy systems in town code, which would define the types of solar panel installations the town allows.
“Right now, there are no hindrances to installing solar energy systems, but what the town doesn’t have is explicit requirements,” said Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Director Allen Parsons. “So, adding a section on solar panels will make it easier for someone to find out what the town requirements are without having to directly consult with staff, though they still can do that, of course.”
The Planning and Zoning Board discussed what that chapter should include at its Nov. 18 meeting. Board members gave direction to town staff to tweak the ordinance to be less restrictive, removing aesthetic requirements that board members said would be too subjective.
The change in the ordinance will also require that ground-mounted solar installations follow the same buffering and screening requirements as mechanical equipment such as air conditioning units and generators.
The solar panel code section defines two types of solar panel systems: ground-mounted and roofmounted. Solar panels would not be permitted to be installed on the side of a building under the proposed code and solar panels could not extend off the roof for a larger footprint.
The town of Longboat Key has requirements for coverage on a lot on impervious surfaces like concrete, roofing or asphalt.
If an installed ground-mounted solar panel system is on top of a permeable surface like grass, it would not be among calculations for lot coverage for impervious surface areas.
That means a backyard solar panel installation would not lead to code enforcement action if it follows the town code requirements for mechanical equipment.
Town staff will take the input given by the Planning and Zoning Board and write a final draft for the new ordinance.
The presentation of the final draft will be to the Planning and Zoning Board at its December meeting.
The board will vote on whether to recommend approval or denial of the ordinance before placing it on the Town Commission agenda in early January.
Christmas in the Garden 2025
S.T. Cardinal
Longboat Key’s Planning and Zoning Board met at Town Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 18, to discuss solar panels, building inspections and tree regulations.
THE BEDROCKS OF AMERICA
Thanksgiving is much more than remembering the Pilgrims’ and Native Americans’ first feast and being thankful for what we have. It reminds us why the Pilgrims came to America: for the freedom to worship.
Editor’s note: These two editorials originally appeared Nov. 23, 2017.
Kirsten Hazelton, a secondgrade teacher at Southside Elementary School in Sarasota, gave her students an assignment for Veterans Day. One of those students, Rhys Parry, 7, wrote a letter to his uncle, a captain in the Marine Corps Raiders, its special forces division.
Parry thanked his uncle for serving. And by way of every child’s uncanny ability to state simple, direct truths and profound common sense, young Parry wrote:
“Freedom is the best thing in the world.”
If only every American took that to heart. Especially today. What a tragedy that so many don’t appreciate that truth. They take their freedom for granted, oblivious to this extraordinary gift.
So be thankful today. Block out the noise, the national politics, the cultural strife and the depravity that has consumed us. As you gather with family and friends for your traditional Thanksgiving feast, we take this space this week to urge our readers to take stock, at least for a few minutes.
If you think deeply enough about the meaning of Thanksgiving, there is so much more to this day than being thankful for the bounty on our tables. So much more to Thanksgiving than the story of the Plymouth Colony Pilgrims celebrating the harvest with the Wampanoag Native Americans in 1621, or thanking God for the end of the drought in 1622.
To a great extent, the first Thanksgivings were the celebratory culminations of the miraculous journey of a small band of Europeans in search of a place to be free — to escape persecution and be free to practice their religion and their way of life.
That was their raison d’être — freedom of religion. And today, you can say that principle is the fundamental rock, the bedrock, the perpetual birthstone of America.
And yet, here we are, 400 years later, continuing to fight for that right and principle. And if you think about that, consider also what it will require to preserve that right — and the other rights granted to us in the Constitution.
Take inspiration from the courage of the Pilgrims and how they persevered through the long, harrowing journey from England to Holland to Plymouth Rock. Freedom will always be a difficult journey.
We’ve made a tradition each year of retelling the story and roots of Thanksgiving because the story of the Pilgrims helps reset our compass. It reminds us how we came to be — the New Hope in the New World. It reminds us of why we came to be. It reminds us of the price our ancestors paid to be free and to be free to worship as they wished. It reminds us to be thankful for all the blessings we have. And it reminds us that Rhys Parry is right: “Freedom is the best thing in the world.” Happy Thanksgiving.
What drove the Pilgrims to America
The roots of Thanksgiving Day go far deeper than the story of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony in 1621. Yes, they were thankful to God for their bountiful harvest and their newfound Native American friends.
But if you can imagine yourself in the shoes of any of the original 102 Pilgrims who sailed from Leiden, Holland, for America, a land unknown, and who survived that tumultuous journey, followed by two years of near starvation, your gratitude simply for being alive would put a whole new perspective on Thanksgiving. It was far more than being thankful for a big fall harvest and feast.
Seldom, if ever, do we focus in our history texts on the details that compelled the Pilgrims — also known as separatists, Puritans and Calvinists — to set sail. The textbooks typically mention they fled religious persecution. But especially today, in this world of widespread and horrific religious persecutions, it’s instructive to remember the details of why the Pilgrims mustered the courage to cross the Unknown Ocean for freedom: for religious freedom.
In his 500-page account of Plymouth Plantation, Gov. William Bradford wrote how his fellow Calvinists in England became “hunted and persecuted on every side, so as their former afflictions were but as flea-bitings in comparison of these which now came upon them.
“For some were taken and clapped up in prison; others had their houses beset and watched night and day, and hardly escaped their hands; and most were fain to flee and leave their houses and habitations, and the means of their livelihood,” Bradford wrote.
After a year of this and meeting in secret to practice their worship of God, they saw “they could no longer continue in this condition,” and “resolved to get over into Holland.”
The people of Amsterdam, they had heard, accepted the free practice of religion.
MISERY WORSE THAN DEATH
But sailing 200 miles to the Netherlands was no small matter. It was a monumental ordeal. Bradford describes the fear many of the separatists had of leaving England, as bad as it was, as “a misery worse than death.”
“But these things did not dismay them — for their desires were set on the ways of God and to enjoy his
ordinances,” Bradford wrote. The trip to Holland was horrible for many. Chartered ship operators, once at sea with the separatists, robbed them, ransacked their belongings, molested many of the women and then sailed back into the original port and turned over the separatists to local authorities, who then imprisoned them.
Amazingly, the separatists didn’t give up. “Some few shrunk at these first conflicts and sharp beginnings,” Bradford wrote, “yet many more came on with fresh courage and greatly animated others. And in the end, notwithstanding all these storms of opposition, they all got over at length.”
For 12 years, the Calvinist-separatist-Pilgrims lived and practiced their religion in freedom and peace in Leiden, an area within Holland where many of them became weavers.
And then the trouble began again.
Bradford wrote of “Arminians, who greatly molested the whole state” and university professors and other preachers who began to slander the Pilgrims’ religious practices.
The tormenting rose to such a level that Bradford said some of his neighbors preferred being in prison in England than “this liberty in Holland, with these afflictions.”
Distressed by the increasing abuse, the separatists’ elders began to look ahead. They believed within a few years they “were fearful either to be entrapped or surrounded by their enemies” and unable to flee.
What’s more, they worried about their children. It was common for children to labor long hours in the
mills, “their bodies bowed under the weight.” Many children also were falling to the temptations of youthful “licentiousness” and being drawn into “extravagant and dangerous courses,” Bradford wrote. Parents saw “their posterity would be in danger to degenerate and be corrupted.”
At the same time, many of the separatists looked outward and spoke among their neighbors of “advancing the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of the world,” Bradford wrote.
DIFFICULT, BUT NOT INVINCIBLE
All three of these influences — persecution, the well-being of their families’ future generations and spreading God’s word — combined to motivate the Pilgrims to seek a new beginning. As they discussed their options, Bradford wrote, “It was answered. … The difficulties were many, but not invincible.”
So they set sail to a land unknown. Bradford wrote of “winds so fierce and the seas so high” and the Mayflower “shroudly shaken” and leaky, raising the constant fear the ship would sink and that they would perish at sea.
When they finally stepped on land in the Cape Cod harbor, Bradford wrote, the Pilgrims “fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven, who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof.”
Freedom and freedom of religion — these are the bedrocks of America.
— MW
Wisdom on liberty, then and now
“Liberty looks upon religion as its companion in its struggles and triumphs, as the cradle of its young life, as the divine source of its claims. It considers religion as the guardian of morality, morality as the guarantee of law and the security that freedom will last.
— Alexis de Tocqueville
“Democracy in America,” 1831
“The reduction of the citizen to an object of propaganda, private and public, is one of the greatest dangers to democracy.
“The reiteration of slogans, the distortion of the news, the great storm of propaganda that beats upon the citizen 24 hours a day all his life long mean either that democracy must fall prey to the loudest and most persistent propagandists or that the people must save themselves by strengthening their minds so that they can appraise the issues for themselves.”
— Robert M. Hutchins
“The Great Conversation,” 1951
“Equality before the law and material equality are therefore not only different but are in conflict with each other; we can achieve either the one or the other, but not both at
the same time.
“The equality before the law that freedom requires leads to material inequality. Where the state must use coercion for other reasons, it should treat all people alike. The desire of making people more alike in their condition cannot be accepted in a free society as justification for further and discriminatory coercion.”
— Friedrich Hayek
“Constitution of Liberty, 1960
“Someone once said: It isn’t that Christianity has been tried and found wanting; it has been tried and found difficult — and abandoned.
“Perhaps the same running away from righteousness is responsible for freedom’s plight for, plainly, the American people are becoming more and more afraid of and are running away from — abandoning — their very own freedom revolution.”
— Leonard Read
“Anything That’s Peaceful” 1964
“The United States is the highest achievement of the millennia of Western civilization’s struggle toward individualism and its last, precarious remnant.
“With the obliteration of the
“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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United States — i.e. of capitalism
— there will be nothing left to deal with on the face of the globe but collectivized tribes.”
— Ayn Rand
“Requiem for Man,” 1967
“The right to life is the source of all rights — and the right to property is their only implementation. Without property rights, no other rights are possible.
“Since man has to sustain his life by his own effort, the man who has no right to the product of his effort has no means to sustain his life. The man who produces while others dispose of his product is a slave.”
— Ayn Rand
“Man’s Rights,” 1964
“Socialism will reduce your freedom. Higher taxes mean that you have less control over your spending.
“… Free markets are the source of most of our freedom; government generally restricts freedom, and socialism increases the power of government.
“Finally, whenever socialism has been tried, it has failed.”
— Paul H. Rubin
“A Student’s Guide to Socialism; How It Will Trash Your Lives,” 2021
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MATT WALSH
British artist Bernard Gribble’s painting of the Pilgrims boarding the Mayflower.
Enjoy preservation efforts of longtime Longboaters
time owner of Cannon’s Marina.
“But it really didn’t have development opportunity then. It didn’t have power to it.”
S.T. CARDINAL STAFF WRITER
On the 10-mile barrier island of Longboat Key and in the water surrounding it, some slices of untouched paradise remain. And if you’ve ever found yourself enjoying one of these parks or nature preserves, you have a history of successful preservation efforts to thank.
The largest of these is also the most remote: a small string of islands in Sarasota Bay between Longboat Key and the mainland.
These are the Sister Keys, and they are a grassroots conservation success story.
In the ’50s, there were ambitious plans for the two undeveloped islands in Sarasota Bay. Dubbed Shangri Isles, the plan was to build a marina, 18-hole golf course, luxury homes and a hotel. Even an airport.
Ambitious, perhaps unrealistic, the plans fell through.
“I know one of the guys who owned it would come out and rent a boat from me and show them the Sister Keys,” said David Miller, long-
But decades later, a new threat to the lagoon islands emerged when Rusty Chinnis noticed an ad in the Longboat Observer that showed the islands for sale for development.
“I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to have at least one island in the bay that didn’t have a house on it?’” Chinnis said.
Longboaters banded together to prevent the land from being sold to developers. In 1989, the group formed the Sister Keys Conservancy.
David Miller of Cannon’s Marina and his then-wife, Anna Tiller, environmentalist Virginia Sanders, Harry Christensen with Harry’s Continental Kitchen, Penny Rosenthal and Chinnis are some of the many people who organized the movement.
Raising money to buy the land was the first plan. Listed for $1 million, the group had raised just $50,000 in the first two years, and the goal seemed out of reach even after an outpouring of vocal support from residents.
“It was put up for sale from some group that claimed to be from (Liechtenstein),” Miller said. “I don’t know who owned it, but they wanted $1 million. We did all these types of things to raise money but never got too far, so we went to the town.”
That happened at the right time, and “the stars aligned,” Chinnis said.
The town had already been discussing the need for mitigation land to pave the way for development on a nearby island. On July 10, 1992, the town voted to fund the purchase of the land and to replace the pines previously planted on the island with native species and mangroves.
Miller said residents banded together to save the islands because
“it was just a good thing to do.”
“It’s a natural habitat,” Miller said.
“The grass flats are out there, all the mangroves. It’s a great place for fish
to grow up. It’s a great place to fish period.”
As a bonus, the project the mitigation was for never broke ground.
ON-ISLAND PRESERVATION
Quick Point Nature Preserve is another restoration site that would not have been possible without town investment.
Acquired by the town of Longboat Key in a land swap with Arvida Corp. in 1985, the transfer of the land allowed Arvida to fulfill open space requirements for development of a large swath of the island. The town paid Arvida just $100,000, matched by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection contributed $165,000.
The 34-acre site on the south point of the Key was the destination for sand dredged from New Pass, which led to an influx of invasive species. It has now been transformed
into an excellent example of Florida wetlands with both a man-made and natural lagoon home to several species of unique wildlife.
Another well-loved Longboat Key park, Joan M. Durante Community Park was a husband’s gift to his late wife to honor her memory.
James Durante’s wife, Joan, was known for her love of nature, advocating for Florida native species to remain at the grounds of Sanctuary Condominiums, where she lived and volunteered on the landscaping committee.
James worked with the town to dedicate a park mid-Key. He made a $1 million contribution to the town for the establishment of the 18-acre park, and it was named in his late wife’s honor. The park has since grown to 32 acres and features a large pavilion, a playground, dunes bordering Sarasota Bay and native vegetation and desirable trees like live oaks, banyans and buttonwoods.
“I
— Rusty Chinnis
image
A group of Longboaters created the Sister Keys Conservancy to protect the Sister Keys, just off Longboat’s coast.
MARKET MAYHEM: CAN YOU STILL RETIRE COMFORTABLY?
Why a Second Opinion Could Be Time Well Spent
Markets are up one day, down the next, and the headlines never stop. For anyone with investments or approaching retirement it’s natural to wonder: Are my investments on track? Can I still retire comfortably?
These are the right questions to ask. The wrong move is assuming you already know the answers. Because the truth is, while the market will always fluctuate, and outcomes are never guaranteed, a clear long-term plan can help you stay on track while planning for your retirement.
That’s why now may be the right time to get a second opinion on your investments and retirement plan. At JL Bainbridge, we’ve been helping families navigate retirement for more than 40 years, and we know how valuable a fresh perspective can be. In fact, we believe a complimentary 30-minute review with our team could be an opportunity for you to assess your financial plan.
WHY TIMING MATTERS LESS THAN PLANNING
Too many people put off getting help because they think they can “wait out the market.” But the reality is, waiting for the perfect time can backfire. What you really need is clarity right now. That’s why the real key to retirement planning isn’t about catching the exact “right” moment to invest or withdraw. It’s about creating a plan that can help anticipate ups and downs and works to keep you on track regardless of the headlines.
A second opinion can help to give you that clarity. It can give you insight into whether your current strategy is built to consider market volatility, whether your risk is aligned with your goals, and whether you’re making the most of the resources available to you. And because our review is complimentary, you can explore this opportunity with no cost or obligation.
WHAT
YOU’LL DISCOVER IN A COMPLIMENTARY REVIEW
During your complimentary review with JL Bainbridge, we may cover educational topics such as:
• If you’re still on track to retire when you want to.
• Whether your investments match your comfort level and timeline.
• Your financial picture including income plan, Social Security, pensions, and retirement accounts.
• How to identify gaps in tax planning, estate strategies, or healthcare considerations.
Even if you already work with an advisor, a second opinion can uncover opportunities or risks that may otherwise be overlooked. Think of it as getting another doctor’s opinion on something as critical as your health, only this time, it’s your financial future.
WHY THIS MATTERS NOW
Markets will always rise and fall. That’s out of your control. But what you can control is whether you’ve taken the step to protect your retirement through smart planning. The mistake people make is waiting until it’s too late to find out they aren’t on track.
Don’t leave your retirement to chance or to the next market swing. The cost of not reviewing your retirement plan may reduce awareness of potential opportunities and potential risks. By contrast, the cost of a complimentary second opinion is just 30 minutes of your time.
THE
NEXT STEP IS SIMPLE
At JL Bainbridge, we’ve built our reputation on guiding families with a comprehensive approach to wealth management. But the first step always starts with a conversation. So, ask yourself: Do you really know if you’re on track to retire? If there’s even a shred of doubt, isn’t it worth a second opinion?
Contact JL Bainbridge today for a complimentary financial review and get a second opinion on your retirement plan.
P&Z Department adds AI
Longboat Key rolls out AI assistant for Planning, Zoning and Building.
S.T.
Those who call Longboat Key’s Planning, Zoning and Building Department won’t get an answering machine — but a machine will answer.
“You have reached the AI-powered automated attendant for the town of Longboat Key Planning, Zoning and Building Department. I am here to help answer your questions or connect you with the right department,” the unnamed assistant says. “How can I help you today?”
The town has rolled out the AI assistant as a pilot program, offered as a free trial service from the company that hosts the town’s website, Polimorphic. Planning and Zoning Director Allen Parsons said the AI has “consumed everything that is on the town’s website” and that it can answer site-specific questions about zoning.
In a demo call in front of the Town Commission, the assistant was able to answer questions about shortterm rental requirements and how to file a building permit.
There were some bugs to work out, though. In the same call, Parsons asked the assistant for setback requirements for an address on Buttonwood Drive.
“I found two addresses for 550 Buttonwood Drive,” the AI said. “One in Merritt Island and one in Longboat Key. Are you asking about 550 Buttonwood Drive in Longboat Key, Florida?”
After confirmation from Parsons, the assistant noted the zoning district for the address, but was not able to find the specific setback requirements for that address, offering to transfer the caller to a staff member.
Town staff is working to “finetune” the AI, Parsons said.
The fine-tuning has been effective so far.
IF YOU CALL
The Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Department can be reached at 941-3161966. Until Dec. 10, an AIpowered automated assistant will answer the phone. The AI can be bypassed by saying “representative” at any time.
The AI can answer the following types of questions:
n What are the setback requirements of a specific address?
n What are the short-term rental requirements in the town?
n How do I file a building permit?
The following questions can not be answered by the automated assistant:
n What is the status of the permit at a specific address?
n How many square feet is the town of Longboat Key?
n What is your name?
In a test call by the Longboat Observer, AI was able to give specific setback requirements for an address provided. The answer by the assistant matched the setback requirements specified in town code.
Parsons said the goals of testing the program are to see if the recent advances in AI can help the town provide 24/7 accessibility and reduce phone inquiries to staff to allow for quicker processing of permits.
“We will evaluate the results and decide whether to proceed or not, including whether proceeding would involve just after-hours usage of the system,” Parsons said.
Whether to subscribe to the AI assistant would be a staff decision, Parsons said. He said if they did choose to utilize the service, it would preliminarily be used only during nonbusiness hours and on weekends.
Following the free trial, if the town decides to use the service the cost to the town would be $1 per phone call. The pilot program ends Dec. 10.
SATURDAY, NOV. 15
COPS CORNER
12:34 p.m., 1241 Gulf of Mexico Drive Citizen assist: Police were called about a missing vehicle on a Saturday afternoon. When police arrived to the caller’s home, a man told police that his wife, 92, drove her car off the island yesterday, but returned in a Sheriff Deputy’s car. Her car, meanwhile, had been left at a gas station. The brand of gas station was unknown, but the specific location was not. Using street cameras and license plate readers, the responding officer was able to determine where the vehicle was.
The 96-year-old caller told police he would Uber to the gas station to drive his wife’s car back home. Police closed the case.
MONDAY, NOV. 17
TENSIONS ARE HIGH
11:42 a.m., St. Judes Drive
Civil disturbance: A man was accosted while walking home from the beach, prompting a call to police. The caller told the responding officer that after enjoying the beach, he was walking through a “deeded easement” to return home, using a path between two properties to get to Gulf of Mexico Drive. While doing so, someone approached the man, who told him he could no longer use the path. Police were told that no physical altercation happened and that the verbal dispute was brief but unnecessary. He also said the use of the easement was “under review by both property’s attorneys” and that tensions have been high between beachgoers and neighboring property owners regarding the use of the path. Police were unable to locate the man who had accosted the beachgoer, and they closed the case.
TUESDAY, NOV. 18
VETTE DAMAGED IN TRANSIT
12:45 p.m., 595 Bay Isles Road
Civil disturbance: The driver of a car carrier and a part-time resident got into it during the drop off of a Corvette, prompting calls to police on a battery call. When police arrived, the Corvette owner told the officer there was damage to his car
SUNDAY, NOV. 16
‘ELDERLY’ MAN
PHOTOGRAPHING
‘UNDERAGE’ GIRL
4:10 p.m., Beer Can Island
Suspicious incident: A concerned citizen who said they saw an “elderly” man taking pictures of an “underaged” girl on the beach flagged a police officer on beach patrol. The officer found the two on the beach and spoke with them. The man, 61, and woman, 30, showed the officers identification and said they were friends. The woman had asked her friend, a photographer by trade, to take pictures of her at the beach during sunset. The officer determined that 30 years is not considered underage, unless in reference to AARP membership, and closed the case.
during transport from Michigan and that he and the driver had gotten into an argument. The driver told the officer that during the drop off, the man grabbed him by the arm. He told police he just wanted to be paid for delivery of the vehicle.
The driver’s story of the arm-grab was that the driver jumped into the Corvette during the argument and he grabbed him to pull him out of his vehicle. The officer saw no signs of redness on the driver’s arm. The situation resolved itself when it was agreed that the Corvette owner would take the issue of any vehicle damage up with the car carrier company “in a civil manner” and the officer stood by while the driver and car owner completed their transaction. Police then closed the case.
The Cornell Pavilion is a safe, welcoming place for those struggling with mental health issues. With evidence-based programs and services, and the most experienced clinicians, lives are transformed, smiles return and our community grows stronger.
We’re planning to build a new Performing Arts Center that will honor our cultural legacy while launching us into a new chapter. This world-class venue will be universally accessible, feature inclusive programming, and be sustainably built for generations to come. It’s a space for everyone to belong, create, and experience the transformative power of the arts.
A Community Project. A Cultural Legacy. A Future Worth Building.
HOLIDAYS LIGHT UP LONGBOAT
Whether joining in caroling, taking a picture with the Grinch, telling Santa Claus their wish list or helping with the tree-lighting countdown, attendees at this year’s Light Up Longboat found many ways of ringing in the holiday season.
Festivities started at 5 p.m. Nov. 22 at the Town Center Green, which is decorated with statues of snowmen, penguins and other holiday figures. Local organizations and businesses doled out cookies and sold intricate ornaments, while volunteers from the Christ Church of Longboat Key choir-led caroling.
Members of the Rotary Club of Longboat Key also facilitated a raffle to benefit HOPE Family Services in Bradenton. Volunteers collected toy and monetary donations.
The sun quickly set across from the Karon Family Pavilion, and all eyes turned to see Santa Claus himself greeting revelers of all ages.
Mayor Ken Schneier welcomed guests and shared his relief that Longboat Key experienced a hurricane-free season, unlike last year.
“We have a lot of things to be thankful for this year,” he said.
Kim Verreault, Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, thanked everyone who contributed to the success of this year’s event before passing the microphone to representatives from The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort.
Per their daily tradition at sunset, staff
— DANA KAMPA
Moore, dressed as Mrs. Claus, carols with fellow volunteers from Christ Church of Longboat Key. She later won the raffle the Rotary Club of Longboat Key held to support HOPE Family Services in
opened a bottle of champagne to coincide with the countdown to lighting the Christmas tree in the pavilion, officially ringing in the holiday season on the island.
Photos by Dana Kampa
Peter Forsyth, from The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort, signals for the lighting of the Christmas tree with a champagne sabrage at Light Up Longboat on Nov. 22 at the Town Center Green.
Cyndi Seamon, Karey Kaine, Carlyn Vigil and Renee Dillon with the Longboat Key Turtle Watch
A dog team subs in for the typical flying reindeer in Dog Perfect’s Light Up Longboat display.
Light Up Longboat attendee Tommy Rheinlander shows some youngsters that he’s not afraid of the Grinch.
Margaret
Bradenton.
Brian, Linda and Nora Govoni
YOUR NEIGHBORS
HOW TO GIVE
The Harvest Food Pantry partners with the All Faiths Food Bank and The Emergency Food Assistance Program. It delivers pre-bagged food via a drive-thru distribution from 10 a.m. to noon every Thursday, except for holidays, at 3650 17th St., Sarasota. For more information on giving or Harvest House’s mission, email FoodPantry@HarvestTAB.com, visit HarvestSarasota.com or call 941-953-3154.
Keys celebrate unity at Interfaith Thanksgiving service.
DANA KAMPA STAFF WRITER
Jane and Fred Wittlinger, longtime members of St. Armands Key Lutheran Church, have been attending the Interfaith Thanksgiving service since the ’90s, and they shared how proud they are to live in a community where religious leaders work across faiths to build stronger, kinder relationships among residents.
“I think this ministerial association is a real value to the community of the islands,” Fred said. “They transmit that caring and unity to the congregations.”
The special Thanksgiving service has been a tradition for 45 years, and parishioners from all the islands’ religious institutions packed the hall at St. Armands Key Lutheran Church on Nov. 18 to hear messages of unity.
Jane added, “It’s a fun evening because a lot of the people here are our friends anyway, so it’s nice to worship with them too. ... This is our family of faith.”
Participating religious houses included All Angels by the Sea; Christ Church of Longboat Key; Longboat
Island Chapel; SAKLC; St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church; and Temple Beth Israel.
St. Armands Lutheran’s the Rev. Kenneth Blyth welcomed attendees with a message of unity.
“This is a celebration of joy and thanksgiving,” he said. “It’s a time to smile. It’s a time to share love and mutual respect. It is a time for companionship and collegiality.”
He continued about the importance of supporting one another while facing the challenges life poses.
“I don’t need to tell you that life can be tough,” he said. “Life can throw us curveballs and turn on a dime. I’m not telling you anything you don’t know. But we of faith don’t journey alone.”
Blyth said such gatherings are invaluable in pushing back against rhetoric that aims to divide people.
“The community members of Longboat and St. Armands keys are united as people of God, as Americans, as friends, and as neighbors,” he said. “We will not allow the world to define us or to divide us.”
Delivering the central sermon of the evening was Rabbi Jessica Spit-
alnic Mates, who took up the role of senior rabbi at the Longboat Key Temple Beth Israel this summer.
Mates focused her remarks on the theme of “if not now, then tell me when.”
“When we go to our individual houses of worship, we have shared vocabulary and language and upbringing or have chosen that faith for a reason,” she said. “Coming together with all different faith traditions is a more complicated thing. Yet, it is something we need to do more.”
Guitarist Gabriel Welch followed her sermon with his rendition of Carrie Newcomer’s “If Not Now.”
Blyth said organizers have always endeavored to rotate the role of the main speaker equally, usually guided by who is the newest member, has a particularly poignant message or is best suited to deal with external factors, like when SAKLC was able to offer virtual service during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s service collection benefited the Harvest House food pantry through All Faiths Food Bank of
Sarasota. Christ Church’s the Rev. Julia Piermont explained that organizers selected the food bank because it benefits residents of both Manatee and Sarasota counties.
She also read aloud the 1789 Proclamation for a National Day of Thanksgiving.
St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church’s Father Robert Dziedziak read Psalm 136, which speaks to the creation of the earth, sun, moon and stars. All Angels by the Sea Episcopal Church’s the Rev. David Marshall read Genesis 17:17-18:12 about the family of Sarah and Abraham.
Blyth noted this tradition has carried on for 45 years, but it used to be the only time the islands’ leaders got together. In recent years, they started gathering monthly to review their parishes’ celebrations, challenges and upcoming projects.
Their collaboration has strengthened their charitable efforts and other outreach benefiting the whole community, he said.
“When people see us working well together, it gives them the green light to work together, as well,” he said.
Rabbi Jessica Spitalnic Mates delivers the central sermon. She was joined by SAKLC’s the Rev. Kenneth Blyth, Longboat Island Chapel’s the Rev. Brock Patterson, Christ Church of Longboat Key’s the Rev. Julia Piermont, All Angels by the Sea Episcopal Church’s the Rev. David Marshall and St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church’s Father Robert Dziedziak.
“When people see us working well together, it gives them the green light to work together, as well.”
— The Rev. Kenneth Blyth, St. Armands Lutheran
Participants in the 45th annual Interfaith Thanksgiving service said they appreciated the camaraderie and moving music of the evening.
Photos by Dana Kampa
Guitarist and vocalist Gabriel Welch performs his version of the hymn “If Not Now,” which touched many attendees at the Interfaith Thanksgiving service at St. Armands Key Lutheran Church.
Lecture focuses on trafficking
Experts speak to Longboaters about successes in supporting survivors.
Attendees at the St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church Women’s Guild-hosted talk gasped then applauded at one powerful statistic.
Selah Freedom co-founder Laurie Swink explained how her organization, which seeks to support survivors of human trafficking, started the Turn Your Life Around Court program in collaboration with the state’s attorney and Sarasota Police Department in 2013.
“Six years later, it reduced trafficking in Sarasota by over 90%,” she said. “When you have the judicial system, law enforcement and service
providers all working together, that’s the outcome.”
The program expanded to Manatee County in 2018, and Swink said Selah Freedom has continued to broaden its reach in hopes of getting every survivor the services they need to recover. She said organizers are currently working to extend their reach to Hillsborough County.
The Women’s Guild invited Selah Freedom representatives to speak at its Nov. 18 welcome back luncheon.
The organization spoke to Longboaters this past year at a highly attended lecture to raise awareness of the issue in Florida.
Swink offered updates on the
group’s efforts to reach survivors and how it has expanded since its inception. But she also passed the podium to Kimberly Weller, who shared her story of recovery and rebuilding after surviving trafficking.
Weller explained how representatives connected with her, providing the resources she needed to move forward. With their support, she found a new career as a nail technician. Upon graduating from cosmetology school with fellow student Christine Garcia Diaz, the pair opened their own Sarasota-based salon, Dope Nails. She commended those working with Selah Freedom for their consis-
HOW TO CONNECT
Those seeking support services can call 888837-3363, visit SelahFreedom.com or reach the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888373-7888. Those seeking to support Selah Freedom with donations can visit the website or mail checks to Selah Freedom, P.O. Box 1801, Sarasota, FL 34230.
Kimberly Weller explains how, through the support of Selah Freedom, she was able to find a new path forward on a journey that included opening her own Sarasota-based nail salon, Dope Nails, with co-owner Christine Garcia Diaz.
tent support. Even now, about eight years after first learning of the program, she maintains a strong relationship with the organization.
One resource she found especially helpful was their coaching for building healthy relationships.
“Through these courses, I was able to start to learn how to identify a red flag, and that I didn’t have to be so amicable. I had a voice, and I had a say in what happens with my body, my relationships and my significant other,” she said.
She and her husband will soon be celebrating the one-year anniversary of their Christmas-themed wedding.
Weller said she is grateful Selah Freedom launched when it did, because the early 2010s was when she found herself homeless and vulnerable to trafficking. The faithbased organization grew over time and was ready to support her when she needed it.
She said she is grateful for her faith, as it has helped her hold her head high and stay strong through life’s challenges.
“It reminds me that I am still worthy, and my family gets to see me walk this path with strength,” she said.
Selah Freedom focuses on helping survivors navigate the court system, but it also offers a variety of support services, including long- and short-term housing, support groups, awareness campaigns, youth-focused prevention information, and more.
Swink added, “We’re helping (survivors) decide how they want to move forward. You’re not defined by what happened to you. So, how do you want to be defined? What’s naturally there that you want to do in life?”
DANA KAMPA STAFF WRITER
Dana Kampa
Over $70 Million Closed in 2025 TOP 1% of Coldwell Banker Realty Agents Globally 49+ YEARS Selling Sarasota & Manatee Counties and Lakewood Ranch
Chapel prepares for annual holiday tradition
Longboaters
tive spirit have long looked forward to the monthlong celebration of music that takes place in a magically decorated garden, and that tradition returns Nov. 30 at Longboat Island Chapel.
Christmas in the Garden is set to feature nine evenings of musical guests leading up to New Year’s Eve. The gardens are also open daily from 5-9 p.m. to visitors.
Last year’s festivities were particularly meaningful to Longboat Key residents as they worked to recover from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
MUSICAL LINEUP
Christmas in the Garden includes the following musical events for the holiday season. Performances begin at 6 p.m. in the Longboat Island Chapel garden at 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive, unless otherwise noted.
Lesley Rife, one of this year’s organizers, said visitors can see everything from a tropical tree decorated to honor the memory of Jimmy Buffett to an evergreen made to look like a large-scale snowman.
This year’s lineup includes plenty of creatively decorated Christmas trees.
“We’ve been doing this for five years,” said Rife, who has chaired the event each year. However, this will be her last year taking the lead.
While some sponsoring businesses and individuals choose to decorate their own trees, chapel volunteers assemble the majority of the displays.
Beyond the trees, Rife encourages visitors to keep an eye out for the special displays featuring favorite holiday characters. She noted the festive display celebrates other religious holidays, as well. A tree decorated to celebrate Kwanzaa recognizes the holiday that takes place from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.
— DANA KAMPA
n Nov. 30: Opening Night — Island Breeze with Greg and Steve n Dec. 4: Lido Beach Commodores jazz ensemble n Dec. 9: Sarasota Academy of the Arts Chorus led by Director Bryan Egan (in the sanctuary) n Dec. 11: Fort Lonesome featuring country western singer Robbie Ahlbrandt n Dec. 15: John Patti, steel pan artist n Dec. 16: Brian Gurl Trio, specializing in piano, violin and cello (in the sanctuary) n Dec. 19: Soprano singer Alyssa Adamson and pianist Stephen Fancher, accompanied by the Pine View Elementary School Chorus (in the sanctuary) n Dec. 22: Boris & Sax, saxophonist n 4:30-6:30 p.m. Dec. 31: New Year’s Eve Spectacular with The Voice of Solid Gold, John Rinell; complimentary appetizers; free, but donations appreciated.
Janet Combs Steel pan artist John Patti
Dana Kampa
Lesley Rife, one of this year’s organizers of Christmas in the Garden, said visitors have plenty to look forward to at this year’s festivities, which start Nov. 30 at the Longboat Island Chapel garden.
Lawn Party milestone
IF YOU GO
LAWN PARTY ON THE BAY
Foodies attending this year’s Lawn Party by the Bay will have the most selections in its history at the 2025 festivities, with the participation of 32 local restaurants.
Organizers shared their excitement for several developments surrounding the Dec. 6 event at Ken Thompson Park on City Island.
Attendees can look forward to the return of the 50/50 raffle, art sales and more while sampling bites from restaurants throughout Longboat Key, according to Danielle Gladding, president of the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key — the organization that hosts the Lawn Party each year.
Kiwanis Club Past President Michael Garey said members are happy to bring the event back after last year’s hiatus caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“The good news is that it’s going to
When: noon to 2:30 p.m. Dec. 6
Where: Ken Thompson Park, 1700 Ken Thompson Parkway. Tickets: $75 per person, includes entry, food and drinks. Participants can purchase a set of 10 tickets for $675, which includes a reserved table and entertainment access. A patron table for 10 at $1,000 covers the above and patron sponsor recognition. Info: Visit LBKLawnParty.org.
be bigger because we have more restaurants than ever,” he added. Proceeds from the event benefit the Children’s Guardian Fund, a nonprofit that responds to the needs of children removed from unsuitable homes.
Most restaurants ever to participate.
The Lawn Party has long benefitted this nonprofit. In April of 2024, the Kiwanis Club gave Children’s Guardian Fund a check for $102,150 from the 2023 event.
Attendees can also offer their support by shopping at the artists’ tent, which will include the works of Lynn Armstrong Coffin. Part of the proceeds will go to the Kiwanis Club.
The Resort at Longboat Key Club, which played an essential role in the Lawn Party’s history, is stepping back in to more robustly support the event.
Managing Director Rick Konsavage said the resort wanted to become the main sponsor because it aligns with its philosophy of being community-minded.
“Especially if it’s a cause that supports kids — that’s a soft spot for us,” he said.
Garey said receiving the support of the resort was the “final piece of the puzzle” when it came to essential planning.
PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS
The restaurants participating
WHAT DOES THE CHILDREN’S GUARDIAN FUND DO FOR FAMILIES?
Leaders at the Children’s Guardian Fund shared insight into how the organization benefits local families with supporters at its annual fall luncheon on Nov. 12 at Michael’s On East.
The organization focuses on assisting children entering the foster system and their foster families. That support comes in the form of legal services in court, but also in more social ways, like covering the cost of a volleyball camp or supplying a tutor so students don’t fall behind.
For those wishing to donate directly to the Children’s Guardian Fund, visit ChildrensGuardianFund.org.
Garey.
DANA KAMPA STAFF WRITER
Dana Kampa Organizers of this year’s Lawn Party by the Bay eagerly anticipate the foodie festival. From left, The Resort at Longboat Key Club Manag-
File image
With 32 restaurants participating in this year’s Lawn Party, trays will be full of goodies.
YOUR CALENDAR
5-7
THURSDAY, DEC. 4
CHRISTMAS IN THE GARDEN
6 p.m. at Longboat Island Chapel, 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive. The Lido Beach Commodore jazz ensemble performs as the second concert this month following the opening ceremony. Free.
FRIDAY, DEC. 5
NIGHT OF LIGHTS
5:30-8:30 p.m. at St. Armands Circle Park, 440 St. Armands Circle. Bring a blanket or chair to take in the 47th annual lighting of St. Armands Circle. Dance performances by Sarasota Academy of the Arts. Sing along with carols while waiting for Santa to arrive for the big countdown to lighting the 60-foot tree. Free.
ART OPEN HOUSE
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Holistic Healing & Wellness Center, 595 Bay Isles Road. View works by local artists at the latest Art on the Gulf open house. Guests will enjoy bubbly refreshments, light bites and a curated showcase of local artists, writers and designers. Cocktail hour is from 4:30-7 p.m. Free. Email Info@ MedgeJaspan.com or call 941-2999399 with questions.
RECURRING EVENTS
TUESDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS
LONGBOAT LIBRARY
10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 555 Bay Isles Road. Call 941-383-2011.
TUESDAYS
POP-UP LIBRARY
10 a.m. at the Town Center Green, 600 Bay Isles Road. The Sarasota
BEST
BET
SUNDAY, NOV. 30
CHRISTMAS IN THE GARDEN
5-9 p.m. at Longboat Island Chapel, 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive. This monthlong celebration of lights and music kicks off with special musical guest Island Breeze with Greg and Steve. Performances take place throughout the month. Free.
County Pop-Up Library hosts ser-
vices on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, with storytime beginning at 10:30 a.m. and other services available from 10-11:30 a.m.
THURSDAYS AND FRIDAYS
BRIDGE CLUB
1 p.m. at the Bayfront Park Recreation Center, 4052 Gulf of Mexico Drive. This American Contract Bridge League-certified group meets twice weekly. Reservations required. Contact Patty Mayer at 262-2152566 or PattySarasota33@gmail. com for more information.
SATURDAYS RUN CLUB
7 a.m. at Sips coffee shop, 6830 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Join this newly formed community running club for a morning jog at your own pace. The group is free and open to the public, and registration is not required.
IT’S READ EVERYWHERE
Headed on a trip? Snap a photo of you on vacation holding your Observer, then submit your photo at YourObserver.com/ ItsReadEverywhere for a chance to win.
D.C. DELIGHT: Hollis Hatfield catching up on local news with the Longboat Observer while visiting our nation’s capital.
Bird Key home tops week’s sales at
$6.35 million
ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
Jeffrey and Anne Mohl, trustees, of Sarasota, sold the home at 310 Bird Key Drive to Todd Rieke and Elizabeth Rieke, trustees, of Sarasota, for $6.35 million. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths and 4,144 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.35 million in 2013.
EN PROVENCE Fred and Katherine Cohen, of Charlottesville, Virginia, sold their Unit 6 condominium at 2161 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Rachael Schwarz, trustee, of Longboat Key, for $3.5 million. Built in 2001, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 3,400 square feet of living area. It sold for $3,275,000 in 2018.
GRAND BAY
Joseph Gibbs sold the Unit 381 condominium at 3030 Grand Bay Blvd. to Kevin Crouse and Ellen Crouse, trustees, of Longboat Key, for $2.7 million. Built in 1998, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,781 square feet of living area. It sold for $2 million in 2021.
FAIRWAY BAY
Lido Acquisitions LLC sold the Units 454 and 455 condominiums at 2020 Harbourside Drive to Thomas Ramsey and Audra Ramsey, trustees, of Longboat Key, for $1.56 million. Built in 1984, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,462 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.3 million in 2022.
ISLANDS WEST
Roman and Margaret Lomnyckyj, of Charlottesville, Virginia, sold their Unit 3-F condominium at 2525 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Gabriel Tavares Rangel Filho and Karen dos Santos Batista Rangel, trustees, of Longboat Key, for $1.55 million. Built in 1972, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,460 square feet of living area. It sold for $275,000 in 1996.
LONGBOAT COVE
Bret Henricks and Donna Bhisitkul, of Lakeland, sold their Unit 202 condominium at 5461 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Gregory Smith and
The home at 310 Bird Key Drive sold for $6.35 million.
Yliana Rivias Picon, of Longboat Key, for $1.4 million. Built in 1980, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,516 square feet of living area. It sold for $525,000 in 2011.
BAY ISLES
Fanny Cohen Younger and Phillip Edward Younger, of Sarasota, sold their home at 3111 Bayou Sound to Christopher and Karin Longeway, of Lake Forest, Illinois, for $1.03 million. Built in 1984, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,908 square feet of living area. It sold for $765,000 in 2004.
BEACHPLACE
James and Ashley Laschinger, of Atlanta, sold their Unit 601 condominium at 1065 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Bradley and Valerie Barkley, of Peoria, Illinois, for $875,000. Built in 1981, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,172 square feet of living area. It sold for $565,000 in 2020.
LONGBOAT KEY
Expert Marketing Group LLC sold the home at 765 Saint Judes Drive N. to Danny Pompa, of Longboat Key, for $770,000. Built in 1963, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,900 square feet of living area. It sold for $750,000 in July.
TOP BUILDING PERMITS
building permits issued by the Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Department for the week of Nov. 14-20 in order of dollar amounts.
LONGBEACH
Thomas and Paula Flaherty, of Charleston, West Virginia, sold their home at 730 Fox St. to Satnik Estates LLC for $684,500. Built in 1965, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 1,350 square feet of living area. It sold for $575,000 in 2021.
SPANISH MAIN YACHT CLUB
John Douglas Slevin and Judith Slevin sold their Unit 188 condominium at 676 El Centro to Mana-
tee 676 LLC for $235,000. Built in 1969, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,427 square feet of living area. It sold for $318,000 in 2020.
Dana Kampa
NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH
FORECAST
MOON PHASES
TIDES
PLAYING WITH MATCHES by Kevin Christian, edited by Jared Goudsmit
Luis Campos
Donna Jablonski took this photo of these cotton ball shaped clouds over Longboat
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