SARASOTA
Observer
Health Matters AUGUST 2018
Observer
BEST
BUDS SUPER SNOUTS
Beagles being trained to find cancer.
PAGE 6
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 14, NO. 38
FREE
‘MIDDLE GROUND’
INSIDE
Andros gives teenager an avenue to a healthy life. PAGE 2
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Katie Johns
FLEXIBLE FRIENDS Cats, dogs and yoga? It’s a thing.
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AGILE AND FIT
English bulldog finds her way to healthy living.
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2018
YOUR TOWN
Brody works on a relaxed set of vacation-rental rules, but will they fly? SEE PAGE 3 File photo
Prominent Sarasota restaurateur and philanthropist Steve Seidensticker died Tuesday.
Restaurateur Seidensticker dies at 65 Steve Seidensticker’s friends remember him as a dedicated patron to the community.
Courtesy photo
IT’S OK, MOM School starts for 43,000 kids, most of them smiling. PAGE 19
MARK GORDON OBSERVER STAFF
S
arasota blogger and photographer Brenna Foster heard her name above the noise, a friendly shout out, while shopping with her kids a year ago at Whole Foods. It was Steve Seidensticker, a prominent Sarasota restaurateur and philanthropist, calling Foster. She’d been a server at Libby’s Café & Bar in Sarasota — one of the better-known eateries in the Seidensticker family holdings. But that had been four years earlier. “He gave me a big hug and said, ‘Whenever you want to come back to work, there’s a job waiting for you,’” Foster said Seidensticker told her. “He always had kind words and support for anyone. He always looked you in the eye. He really cared about people.”
John Hanna, an All Faith’s Food Bank truck driver
Trucking along to end hunger On Aug. 9, All Faiths Food Bank dedicated its newest food delivery truck to The Rotary District 6960. All Faiths bought the refrigerated truck with support of a $40,000 Community Service Grant from the Rotary, as well as donations from five local Rotary Clubs, The Mosaic Co. and Robert and Lin Williams. “In the past, we could only make occasional deliveries to DeSoto, but now we can make a tangible impact and bring food to thousands of people in need,” said Sandra Frank, All Faiths CEO.
Starting school on the right foot Students at Gocio Elementary got to pick out a fresh new pair of kicks for the school year thanks to The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Employee Committee, a volunteer group. The committee challenged fellow staff members to donate new sneakers throughout the month of July and collected 646 pairs of shoes. Half the shoes went to Moton Elementary in Brooksville and the other half were sent to Gocio, two schools with a high percentage of low-income families.
SEE PAGE 10
A+E Playwright finds second act. INSIDE
Shane Donglasan
Kaleb Quinonez has a message for mom, Jessica Mayes, on his first day of kindergarten at Bay Haven School of Basics Plus.
Table-top traffic talk FDOT offers trial solution for St. Armands. SEE PAGE 6
Turtle Tracks AS OF AUG. 11 TOTAL NESTS: 2018 2017 Lido Beach 123 185 Siesta Key 357 636 Casey Key 1,181 1,844 TOTAL FALSE CRAWLS: 2018 2017 Lido Beach 144 209 Siesta Key 322 664 Casey Key 1,424 2,112 Source: Mote Marine Laboratory