Sarasota/Siesta Key 11.17.22

YOUR TOWN

Middle of the road turnout

If you voted either by mail, early and in person or at your polling precinct on Election Day, you’re in the majority in Sarasota County.

But last week’s 62.05% voter turnout figure is behind recent November general election figures, according to records of the Sarasota County Supervi sor of Elections Office.

In 2020, with a presidential race leading the way, 80% of the county’s eligible voters cast a ballot. In the 2018 midterms, turnout was 67%.

And in case you were won dering, precinct 525 at the Lift Church in Venice turned in the highest percentage in the county: Of its 2,816 eligible voters, 1,331 voted by mail, 544 voted early in person and 417 voted on Election Day for an 81.4% turnout.

A tree grows on Ringling

First, there were plant-ers. Now, there are plant-ings.

A team of landscaping work ers on Wednesday morning was busy digging, planting, staking, mulching and watering new greenery in the newly built traffic islands along Ringling Boulevard.

The work is one of the last steps in completing the road way’s conversion to a bicyclefriendly thoroughfare. Trees, along with ground cover shrubs and plants, were installed one by one as workers made their way along the roadway during the morning rush.

Work began in early June on the Ringling Trail project, which converted one lane of traffic in each direction between Lime and Pineapple avenues into a protected bicycle lane.

WEEK OF NOV. 17, 2022

Tom Leonard, on St. Armands Circle’s Winter Spectacular, Read more on page 3A

CALENDAR

n Sarasota City Commission regular meeting — 9 a.m., Monday, Nov. 21, City Hall, 1660 First St..

n Sarasota County Commission swearingin — 9 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 22, Commission Chambers, County Administration Building, 1565 Ringling Blvd.

North Carolina flights come to SRQ in 2023

International Airport in early 2022 with service to the North east on Thursday announced it will soon launch flights to North Carolina as well.

Avelo Airlines began service from SRQ to New Haven, Con necticut, in January and said today it will begin flying to Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, in February, 2023.

Since its launch in 2021, Avelo has flown more than 1.3 million passengers and now serves 34

destinations. The low-fare airline focuses on point-to-point travel rather than connections made through a hub-and-spoke net work, a news release said, which minimizes delays and simplifies planning.

New flights to Raleigh-Durham will begin Feb. 17 and will oper ate on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays. No other carrier serves North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park directly from SRQ, according to a list of destinations on the airline’s website.

The airline said introductory

fares will begin at $39 each way.

Airport officials this week also announced a $5-a-day remote parking lot for travelers would open for Thanksgiving week travel, Nov. 21-23.

The lot at 8101 N. Tamiami Trail will offer direct shuttle links to the terminal.

Travelers are asked to enter off Tamiami Trail at Dolphin Aviation.

There is limited availability, and payment is via card only.

Airport officials urge travelers to arrive at SRQ two hours in advance of departure time.

Bay Park group names Gamelin CFO

As the Bay Park Conservancy prepares to embark on the second phase of its redevelopment of The Bay into a signature city park, the organization has added a veteran executive to its leadership team, naming Tony Gamelin as chief finan cial officer.

Gamelin, who has 25 years of CFO-level experience with nonprofit and private companies across a range of industries, will report to founding CEO AG Lafley. He previ ously served as CFO at Gulf Coast Community Foundation. The BPC is the nonprofit organization respon sible for developing and operating 53 city-owned bayfront acres.

“At The Bay, we know the impor tance of sustainable park develop ment and operations, underpinned by strong financial systems and controls,” Lafley said. “Tony is the right person at the right time, with the capability and experience to lead finances, train management staff, and put the systems and controls in place needed to manage and oper ate the 14 acres of park that opened less than a month ago.”

Development of the next 14 acres of phase two is expected to begin by mid-2023.

Red tide found on all 16 county beaches

Red-tide levels have been detected at all 16 Sarasota County beaches monitored by the Florida Depart ment of Health’s local office, from Longboat Key to Blind Pass.

The result of water sampling prompted the placement of advisory signs indicating elevated levels of red tide at: Longboat Key, Bird Key Park/Ringling Causeway, North Lido, Lido Casino, South Lido, Siesta Key, Turtle Beach, Nokomis Beach, North Jetty, Venice Beach, Service Club, Venice Fishing Pier, Brohard Beach, Caspersen Beach, Manasota Key and Blind Pass.

Although most of the samples indicated concentrations of Karenia brevis — the cell responsible for redtide outbreaks — in low to medium levels, Venice Beach was categorized as high.

“The merchants were excited about the thought that this was a chance to really do something festive and fun and it can bring a lot of people to the Circle.”

Christmas quarrel

Organizers

Workers nearly out numbered tourists in St. Armands Circle this week, setting up attractions, decorating and lighting the shopping district’s park for the six-week run of a new festival sched uled to open at 4 p.m. Friday.

Organizers and merchants say the St. Armands Winter Spectacular, which will feature music, a skate rink, a carousel, a train and more, will be good for the community and merchants while offering an alterna tive to other similar productions.

But it’s not all candy canes and sugar plums on the barrier islands.

St. Armands residents in a recent wide-ranging survey expressed con cern about the traffic and crowds the event might bring throughout the holiday season. Longboat Key resi dents and officials say it’s another example of the city of Sarasota, which approved the festival, ignor ing barrier-island concerns.

On Monday, Longboat Key Com missioner BJ Bishop called the event “one of the most dangerous situa tions that they could have possibly created.” She urged commissioners to contact Sarasota’s Mayor Kyle Battie and Vice Mayor Liz Alpert in hopes of “saving our citizens from six weeks of absolute traffic may hem.”

In October, St. Armands Circle Association Executive Director Rachel Burns also voiced concerns about the way the event was pre sented to city leaders. Her frustra tion centered on events she says she has been working on since February being forced to cancel. The events she typically hosts during the sea son are all free, she said, noting the difference between those events and segments of the Winter Spectacular.

On Nov. 8, Burns sent an email to association members and oth ers announcing the cancelation of its 44th annual Holiday Night of Lights, featuring the official lighting of the circle’s new 60-foot tree, cit ing “restrictions” resulting from the festival. The city responded with an announcement that it would hold a new-tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 2.

“The restrictions placed on the St. Armands Circle Association for Holiday Night have made it impos sible for us to present a celebration . . . this year,” Burns wrote, “but we look forward to celebrating Holiday Night of Lights with you in 2023.”

FREE, WITH SOME UPCHARGES

When proposing the event, organizer Tom Leonard, who owns The Shore on Longboat Key and St. Armands Circle, said access to attractions would come at the cost of $10 per wristband, $20 if entry includes skating on the synthetic ice rink. A stage is planned to host free enter tainment from schools and perfor mance groups. No admission would be required to enter the grounds.

Leonard said he surveyed all busi nesses at St. Armands Circle and generated a petition that garnered 97% support before going before the

City Commission on Sept. 19 to pitch the idea. On Oct. 3, he made a formal presentation and received commis sioners approval for a permit.

“I spent two or three days in the Circle asking a very simple question on my petition, which basically asked do you want Porsches in the Park, or do you want holiday festivities in the park?” Leonard said. “I’m not trying to take anything away from (Porsche). Our event just couldn’t coexist with theirs. The merchants were excited about the thought that this was a chance to really do some thing festive and fun, and it can bring a lot of people to the Circle.”

Leonard said the petition signa tures aren’t exclusively of business owners — some merchants are head quartered elsewhere — but in their stead are those of store management.

“The city has invested in our dis trict with this new Christmas tree, and there is absolutely no reason why we should not invest in our selves,” Barbara Bria Pugliese of Just/Because wrote the Observer. “Why would we want our residents and visitors to go to another business district in town?”

‘CHOKE POINT’

It’s those people potentially coming to the Circle that formed the basis of a letter Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier wrote to then-Mayor Erik Arroyo and the Florida Department of Transportation.

“Traffic between the town and Sarasota, especially during the holi days and the winter season, has long been a major concern for Longboat Key and its residents,” Schnei er wrote. “The chokepoint at St. Armands Circle is a focal point for that concern even in the absence of special events at those times of year.”

The letter asked both the city and FDOT to take the town’s concerns into account. FDOT, acknowledg ing its lack of jurisdiction, asked for a remaking of parking spaces on the Lido Beach-leg of the circle, con verting 16 diagonal spaces into eight parallel spaces to cut down on con gestion backing up into the circle.

A few days later, Arroyo sent his formal response to the town’s letter.

“We value your partnership with the City of Sarasota, and we thank you for your letter regarding the commission’s decision to approve the St. Armands Circle Winter Fes tival,” Arroyo wrote. “All our actions will take into consideration the con cerns of the community as well as neighboring jurisdictions such as the Town of Longboat Key. We welcome the opportunity to discuss this mat ter and bring your concerns into the conversation.”

Similarly concerned is the St. Armands Residents Association. In a recent poll of 147 members on a broad range of topics, 84% responded they were very or extremely concerned about festival traffic.

KEEPING CROWDS IN CHECK

In response to concerns over traffic, Leonard and Jeff Koffman of Ride Entertainment, also the CEO of Flor ida Design Works in Sarasota, said the number of visitors will be con trolled by a reservation system. Res ervations may be made in 90-minute blocks, and the six-week duration of the festival, they said, should pre vent heavy congestion. The admis sion system will allow 20 new people to enter the paid portion of the festi val area every 15 minutes.

“Everybody’s concerned about the traffic, and we know there’s probably going to be an uptick, but the real ity is for the 45 days or so that we’re open we’re going to control the flow with the reservation system,” Leon ard said. “The traffic should be mitigated by the length of hours and the days of the event, and the times that we’re open. We’ve strategically scheduled events around what we consider the slowest time, so if you look at our schedule, you won’t see any events happening the week after Christmas because we know that those performances aren’t needed to bring people to the circle.”

More than a celebration of the city’s new 60-foot tree already standing on the east side of the cir cle, Leonard said the objective of the festival is to bring more visitors to St. Armands rather than losing the business holiday attractions bring to University Town Center and even St. Petersburg.

For now at least, the Winter Spec tacular is a one-off.

“Never say never, but we really want to focus on this one event,” Leonard said. “We want peace with the residents. We want peace with the residents and people on Long boat. We obviously care about their considerations, too, because those people are our customers.”

IF YOU GO

The St. Armands Circle Winter Spectacular runs 4-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and noon-9 p.m. Friday-Sunday, Nov. 18-Jan. 3. Reserva tions to access the attractions may be made at WinterOn TheCircle.com.

Attractions and activities include:

n Synthetic ice skat ing rink

n Carousel n Trackless train rides

n Photographs in side a life-size snow globe n Crafting and games n Free daily enter tainment by local performers n St. Armands Circle merchants scaven ger hunt

Parking is available at the St. Armands city parking garage, the 73 N. Adams Drive parking lot and at metered park ing. A temporary restroom trailer will be available.

Remake of Bath & Racquet Club wins final approval from city board

In addition to new tennis and pickleball courts, the revamped Bath & Racquet Club will include 256 condos and 65,448 square feet of light commercial space.

For a half-century, the Bath & Racquet Club had been an inte gral part of Sarasota’s south side. Closed since the onset of COVID-19 in 2020, new owner Sarasota Springs LLC has cleared the final approval hurdle and rede velopment of the 13.42-acre site just off South Tamiami Trail could begin within weeks.

On Nov. 9, the project won site plan and minor conditional approval by a 3-2 vote of the Sarasota Planning Board, Chairman Terrill Salem and board member Kathy Kelley Olrich casting the dissenting votes. The

project includes 256 condominiums and 65,448 square feet of office and retail space. The private racquet club includes 17 tennis courts, a pool and 12 indoor pickleball courts. With the retail and office component, it’s intended as a complete live-workplay community.

A principal in Sarasota-based Halflants + Pichette, the architec ture firm leading the design of the project, Planning Board member Michael Halflants was recused from the discussion. Sarasota Springs LLC acquired the property, located behind Trader Joe’s, at 2170 Robin hood St. in January 2022 for $15.35 million.

Included is a one-acre park, dog

park and exercise trail surrounding the property, all available to the pub lic. A restaurant exclusively for use of the club members is also included.

The project will offer 84 onebedroom condos, 112 two-bedroom condos and 51 three-bedroom mod els ranging from 700 to 2,200 square feet. Of the one-bedroom models, 15% will be offered as attainable housing. They will include the same floor plans and finishes as the mar ket rate units, and will be scattered throughout the community. A per centage of the condos will be held by the developer as rentals and may be sold individually at a later date.

“The applicant did a pretty amaz ing job at revitalizing something that’s been in our community for 50 years, making it better and continu ing to connect to the community, which is what Bath & Racquet has done for a long time,” said Planning Board member Damien Blumetti.

“They’ve done a pretty good job of addressing potential issues with the prior site plan.”

Prior site plans, proposed by dif ferent owners and design firms, that were rejected included one with a nine-story building and another with a five-story building. Bath & Racquet is surrounded by single-

family residential on three sides, and by Trader Joe’s to the west. The approved low-rise plan is more com patible with the surrounding neigh borhoods, project architect Tara Williams told the Planning Board, and the mixed-use plan provides a transition from the commercial use along Tamiami Trail to the singlefamily homes.

With Salem and Olrich express ing concerns over some lingering unknowns about the project, board member Daniel Clermont said the time to move on the approval is now. In previous stages, the project had received unanimous approval from the Planning Board.

“I love the project,” Clermont said. “Anybody who has walked that property as it exists now will acknowledge it is an eyesore and even an embarrassment for the city. … They’ve stepped forward to right a blight in our city and I’m afraid if we keep pushing back they might say we’re going fold the tent here, put some commercial buildings in there and heck with it.”

According to materials supplied to the Planning Board, condomini um sales are expected to begin soon. Foundation plans are now before city staff for consideration.

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COPS CORNER

SATURDAY, NOV. 12

PHANTOM HOUSE NOISES

9:17 p.m., 2800 block of Hawthorne Street

Suspicion: A woman who claimed to hear noises as if someone was in her house prompted her sister to call law enforcement. Her sister said the woman thought noise was coming from the living room. When she went into the room to investigate, she said she heard something upstairs, then stated because there is no upstairs, she source of the noise was a mystery.

She said she then went into her bedroom and hid under the bed for a while and later thought she heard the sound of someone moving the door handle. Officers checked the residence and did not find anything suspicious or out of place. No fur ther action was taken.

SATURDAY NOV. 12

PHANTOM CAR CRASHES

10:59 a.m., South Washington Bou levard at South Tamiami Trail

Disturbance: An officer met with rescue personnel who advised that they responded to a call for an injured man who fell off a bicycle in the road. While being treated, the bike rider said as he was riding he became involved in two separate car crashes. The officer reported there did not appear to be any evidence to suggest a crash or crashes had actu ally occurred.

The rider declined the officer’s of fer to file a police report, then exited the ambulance, collected his belong ings and left the scene. No further action was taken.

SATURDAY, NOV. 12

EXPRESSIVE DELIVERY 7:32 p.m., 7700 block of Plantation Circle

Disturbance: A woman called 911 because of a “rude encounter” with an Amazon package delivery person. When asked to move the delivery van from the valet parking area, the woman reported the driver responded by saying, “I’m new, and I’ll park where I want, you (exple tive, expletive, expletive). He then dropped the packages outside the door and proceeded to call her ad ditional names. The woman was told this was a customer service matter and was advised to call the company

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 9

DRUG DEAL GONE BAD 1:47 p.m., 1400 block of 10th street Disturbance: A man involved in an illegal drug deal called police to report an assault, alleging he was struck with a milk crate. The complainant would not provide any identification informa tion other than his name, but did show what appeared to be a laceration to his hand as a result of the attack. The alleged attacker disputed the claim and identified the complainant as a drug dealer. He further alleged the complainant possessed a quantity of illegal substances. The complainant acknowledged the two were involved in a drug transaction prior to the dis pute. Although the complainant was adamant the accused be arrested for the assault, he refused to cooperate with an investigation. Other witnesses refused to offer additional details. No action was taken.

with the complaint.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 9

AN UBER WITH A SIREN 1:06 a.m., 2600 block of Martin Street

Juvenile Disturbance: A police cruiser became a de facto Uber after two juveniles, a boyfriend and girl friend were picked up on a possible disturbance call. The two advised the officer they were walking to one of their homes but had stopped because the girl was having difficulty breathing. She advised police at the scene that she was fine and refused medical attention.

Both were transported to the girl’s home to advise her mother that they were both going to the boy’s home, to where they were subsequently transported by police.

DeSantis should not run

with the strife that has persisted for six years, and he didn’t help Repub licans in the midterms.

Red wave? Ha! As many Florida Republicans put it, the national election results for Republicans was much more like Red Tide — smelly, rotten, the stench of dead fish.

Except, that is, in Florida. Voters here decisively declared Florida is no longer a purple battleground state. The Republican victories in Florida were a hurricane-like state ment that says the Sunshine State is radiant red.

While we address Florida’s results in the accompanying sidebar, the matter that is more noteworthy now, just to be on record early, is this:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis should not run for president in 2024.

In fact, he should be insistent — emphatically, to the point of being testy — and continue to say what he said on election night: He was just reelected as governor, and the citizens of Florida expect him to do the job they elected him to do.

Finite. End of story. Quit asking.

The media are going to be obsessed with this topic every day and in every interview for the next 16 months. Likewise, the question of whether he will run will be the topic of endless dinner conversa tions in Florida and in Republican circles elsewhere for the next yearand-a-half.

Making matters worse, of course, will be Donald Trump and his con stant insults. They will be intended to persuade DeSantis not to run, but that strategy also could likely backfire. You know what happens when you are goaded. DeSantis may become so annoyed with Trump that you could see him reaching the point of saying in 2023: “That’s it. I’ve had enough. I’m in, and I’m going to squish that SOB.”

To that point, let’s be blunt: It would make everyone’s life so much better if Trump did not run.

Republicans have had enough of the Dark-Side Trump. He should not run. Americans are exasperated

While Trump’s base and Republi cans are grateful for all that Trump did from 2016 to 2020 — e.g. great economy, shut the border, began draining the swamp, etc., you can bet the powerball jackpot that the Americans whose votes would be needed for him to win again — moderate Republicans, RINOs and independents — do not want to live through two years of Trump campaigning and four years of his second presidency.

Our prediction: He can’t win again.

And at this moment in time, it is not likely DeSantis could win either. Too much is stacked against him — and any Republican, for that matter.

For one, the election two weeks ago was a repeat of 2020. It showed no shift in voting. What’s more, the Democrat Party has ensured that with the way it altered election counting in so many of the battle ground states in 2020, the untrust ed, ridiculous, specious methods of vote counting are locked in.

Consider the electoral map, the one that resulted in 85 million votes for Joe Biden. It didn’t change in the 2022 elections.

If the Republicans win a one-vote majority in the House of Represen tatives, that’s a gain of only six seats from the current split. The Senate is virtually no different. Neither changes the likelihood of how elec toral college votes would go.

The website 270towin, for example, shows the electoral col lege votes changing in 2024 by only three votes. In 2020, Joe Biden garnered 306 electoral college votes to Trump’s 232. (You need 270 to win.) Based on the newest census data that determine congressional districts, 270towin shows a 2024 electoral college map giving the Democratic presidential candidate 303 votes and the Republican 235, a swing of only three votes.

Last week’s results showed it doesn’t matter much that the coun try is in an economic and social nosedive. Democrats voted Demo crat, and the blue states remained blue. You might even argue blue states like New York, Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois, California and Pennsylvania became bluer.

Presumably, in all those states that have seen population outmigration, those leaving the blue states tended to be Republicans. As a result, Michigan went from having a Republican majority in its House and Senate to deep blue — Demo

crat majorities in both houses and governor’s mansion.

But here’s another factor that would work against DeSantis at the top of the Republican ticket for 2024. The media and Deep State Democrats hate him. The media works almost overtime to paint him as a right-wing extremist. For them, he had the audacity to stand up to the leftist Democrat ortho doxy. He stood up for parents and students; is intolerant of crime; smacked down woke-ism and woke corporatists; is pro-life; against men participating in women’s sports; and favors freedom over servitude.

All that horrifies the left.

Indeed, if the presidential elec tions were held this year, because of his philosophical convictions, Ron DeSantis would have been unelectable.

And that will be his conundrum and challenge for the next two years — his image and how the American electorate perceives him.

What will he do? Will he do what all ambitious politicians do? Will he stay true to his convictions of his first term — never backing down to the left and woke-ism? Or will he succumb to the disease that inflicts so many politicians? Will he become another phony politician who is more interested in climbing the next step up (e.g. Charlie Crist)? Will he shift to the middle and left to appear more likable, become the phony who is not who he says he is, a la Biden and Obama? Anything for votes?

For Floridians’ sake and his own sake, we hope DeSantis stays true to his words on election night and remains focused on making Florida an even better place to live.

You can argue that it will be in DeSantis’ interest to do this so he can show he is not a one-hit, one-term wonder. So he can show he is not driven by the proverbial outsized ego that lusts the limelight and power.

It would be in his interest to further demonstrate to voters he is steady and consistent; that he puts the people of Florida first; and is a leader who can build coalitions to do what’s right, not just what is politically expedient. It would be in his interest to demonstrate to Americans that limited, conserva tive governance that emphasizes individual freedom is a far, far bet ter alternative to the elitist, social ist, central government authoritari anism that the Democrats are using to enslave us all.

The way things are going at this moment — with Trump running again and the Democrat vote count ing locked in — you can predict another four years of a Democrat president. With the Federal Reserve taking steps to squelch inflation and the likelihood that coming recession will have ended by 2024, whoever runs on the Democrat side (Michelle Obama?) will take credit for an improving economy.

To be sure, DeSantis will find it painstaking to resist the run for president.

But timing is everything. At this moment, and for at least the next nine months, you can predict the time is not right.

Selfishly for Floridians, we hope DeSantis puts aside the presiden tial hullabaloo and stays focused for the next four years on making and keeping Florida the freest and undisputed outperformer and envy of the United States.

Florida GOP: More powerful than ever

While the midterm election results for most of the nation was a stinky Red Tide for Republicans, in Flor ida, the Republicans experienced a Red tsunami like never before.

Yes, Gov. Ron DeSantis won reelection with a crushing 59.4% of the vote over former Republi can, former independent and now Democrat Charlie Crist.

But adding to the whoosh of the wave were the results of Florida’s legislative elections. Republicans added four seats to their majority in the Florida Senate and six seats to their majority in the House. That will give Republicans supermajori ties in both houses, making them unstoppable for whatever craziness they want to enact, and making Democrats in Tallahassee voices blowing in the wind.

Here is the breakdown:

Florida Senate

Democrats 12 Republicans 28

Florida House

Democrats 35 Republicans 84

On top of this, Florida’s Repub lican congressional delegation added to its majority, adding three more Republican congressmen and women. Republicans now outnum ber Democrats 19-8 in Congress. Never in Florida history have Republicans won this much power. How did it happen?

You can attribute this to all kinds

of reasons:

• Satisfaction with Gov. DeSan tis’ bold performance the past four years;

• The 108,382 increase in regis tered Republicans and the 331,810 decline in registered Democrats since the last election;

• Of course, Republican Party officials would credit their own efforts at recruiting candidates and getting out the vote.

• Money • Quality of candidates and their message.

Take your pick.

But the midterm results never theless provide a noteworthy shift in Florida politics. Six years ago, Florida Republicans were fearing the state could turn blue. Don ald Trump squeaked past Hillary Clinton by 1.2% percentage points in 2016. And that was after Barack Obama carried Florida in 2008 and 2012.

Add to that, in each of his guber natorial elections, Rick Scott won by the thinnest of margins — 48.9% versus 47.7% against Alex Sink in 2010 and 48.1% versus 47.1% against Charlie Crist in 2014.

When Hurricane Irma all but wiped out Puerto Rico in 2017, Flor ida political watchers thought the state would see a wave of Democrat voters move into the state, shifting Florida once and for all.

And then came the Ron DeSantis-

NOTES ON FLORIDA’S ELECTIONS

n In 2022, Gov. Ron DeSantis won in 61 of Florida’s 67 counties. In 2018, DeSantis won 54 of the 67 counties.

n Gov. Ron DeSantis won 59.4% of the vote versus 39.9% for Charlie Crist. That is highest per centage since Gov. Jeb Bush won in his re-election in 2002. In that election, Bush won in 60 coun ties, including his home county of Miami-Dade.

n Gov. Bush was the last Repub lican gubernatorial candidate to win Miami-Dade until DeSantis won it in 2022.

n Here are the margins of victory for Florida governors going back to Jeb Bush in 1998: 1998: Bush 55.3%-McKay 44.7% 2002: Bush 56.0%-McBride 43.2%

2006: Crist 52.2%-Davis 45.1% 2010: Scott 48.9%-Sink 47.7% 2014: Scott 48.1%-Crist 47.1% 2018: DeSantis 49.6%-Gillum 49.2%

2022: DeSantis 59.4%-Crist 39.9%

Andre Gillum race for governor in 2018. That, too, was as close as it could get. DeSantis beat Gillum only by 32,463 votes (49.6% to 49.2%). Here was the difference, and what can be the turning point for Florida:

COUNTIES

DeSANTIS LOST 2018 2022 Alachua Alachua Broward Broward Duval Gadsden Gadsden Leon Hillsborough Orange Leon Palm Beach Miami-Dade Orange Osceola Palm Beach Pinellas Seminole St. Lucie

THREE COUNTIES THAT

WENT RED IN 2022

These three traditionally blue counties voted Republican in 2022. The totals show the change in Republican votes.

Hillsborough (Tampa) 2018 234,835 2022 261,632 +26,797

Miami-Dade 2018 311,581 2022 393,405 +81,824 Palm Beach 2018 241,016 2022 278,089 +37,073

Friedrich Hayek “Road to Serfdom,” 1944

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City gives final approval to Aventon Sarasota

Apartments near airport move ahead though possible lawsuits cloud the way forward for builder, SRQ authority.

That was the warning Sara sota City Attorney Robert Fournier voiced to city commission ers Monday before they gave secondreading approval of the rezoning and site plan of Aventon Cos.’ proposed 372-unit apartment complex at the former Sarasota Kennel Club.

On Aug. 15, by a 4-1 vote with Jen Ahearn-Koch opposed, commis sioners gave preliminary approval to the site plan and the rezoning of the 25-plus acres across University Parkway from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. The future land use classification of the proper ty was subject to final approval of the city’s comprehensive plan amend ments, which occurred on Oct. 17.

The former kennel club closed in 2019 following statewide approval of a referendum to ban dog racing in Florida. Other than commercial truck parking and a COVID-19 test ing site, the facility has been largely abandoned since.

Throughout the apartment com munity approval process, the airport has opposed the use. It has charged that allowing residences beneath the 65 decibel day-night average noise level contour, even with FAArequired noise mitigation construc tion techniques, is in violation of a 2018 agreement between the city and the airport.

In late September, the BradentonManatee Airport Authority Board of Directors authorized SRQ President and CEO Rick Piccolo to initiate legal action to invalidate the future land use change on the kennel club property, which would render moot rezoning the site for multifamily use.

Fournier suggested commission ers continue the final approval into January to allow for the first step of the legal challenge, and perhaps even negotiation between the developer and the airport to relocate the resi dential buildings.

Aventon’s attorney Scott McLaren made it clear that reconfiguring the site plan would make the project unworkable and is not negotiable, and that Aventon was entitled to a decision on Monday with a midDecember property purchase dead line looming. During a prior hearing, Aventon informed the City Commis sion it had already spent some $1.5 million in engineering.

“We have to make an informed decision as to whether we can move forward by Dec. 14,” he said. “What would provide us clarity is the approval that we think we’re entitled to.”

The airport has filed for a hearing before an administrative law judge, a two- to three-day process followed

by written submissions and findings to be considered, focused on the agreement language between the city and airport authority. That deci sion could become final or could be subject to appeal to the First District Court of Appeal. Pending that out come, the airport may choose to file

two more lawsuits, both challenging the validity of rezoning and site plan. According to Fournier, the first suit would likely allege the rezone and site plan approval was not supported by competent substantial evidence and that the wrong criteria applied (and other criteria ignored) in granting

the approval. The second possible suit can be expected to allege that the approval of the rezoning and site plan is not consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan.

For now, the future land use rezon ing of the site, Fournier said, is not in force.

“The future land use classifica tion of this property right now is still community commercial. The reason for that is because the Sara sota-Manatee Airport Authority timely filed a petition with the State of Florida Division of Administrative Hearings to challenge the validity of a comprehensive plan,” Fournier said. “The ordinance approving a comprehensive plan amendment will not go into effect until this chal lenge now pending is over and it’s finally resolved.”

That means the rezoning and site plan ordinance approved by the commission on Monday will not go into effect unless and until the air port’s legal challenge fails.

Approving the site plan and rezon ing, which McLaren said Aventon deserves so it may continue plan ning, closed the door on further negotiation between the parties.

Ahearn-Koch and Commissioner Liz Alpert urged continuing the final approval into January to “keep the door open,” to negotiation and per haps avoid future potential lawsuits.

Commissioner Hagen Brody coun tered that subsequent legal action is inevitable should Aventon and the city prevail.

“This is going to be litigated no matter what, and (airport) counsel was very clear at our hearing that this was going to be litigated. It really didn’t rest on nuances of the site plan,” Brody said. “My fear is that this property just sits there and decays forever and we could add to that problem by continuing it. There is going to be a legal challenge on the site plan and the comprehensive plan changes regardless of when we approve those.”

A motion by Ahearn-Koch to con tinue the issue until January failed 3-2.

Pirate House on the block

gone to auction.

DeCaro Auctions International is auctioning off the house at 15 N. Polk Drive, which is also known by locals as the Cactus House for the number of cacti on the property. The resi dence resembles the modern Miami Beach Art Deco movement, accord ing to a statement.

whirlpool.

A 12-car garage on the lower level comes with a 10,000-pound car lift and can be accessed through five garage doors.

HOUSE WITH A SLIDE

A beachfront home with a rooftop water slide sold on Longboat Key recently for $11.5 million, the second highest sale on the island in 2022. The property takes ad vantage of its scenic setting, with expan sive windows, sliding doors and balconies overlooking the beach. There are five bed rooms, nine baths and an air-conditioned, seven-car garage, which caught the notice of the Siesta Key-based buyers. To see it, hover your smartphone over the QR code and tap the screen when prompted.

$10 MILLION OR MORE

The top real estate sales through the years in Sarasota, its barrier islands and Longboat Key:

$17.5 MILLION n 1423/1435 Hillview Drive, Sarasota (2022)

$16.5 MILLION n 1900 Casey Key Road, Nokomis (2021) n 845 Longboat Club Road (2020)

$16 MILLION n 100 Beach Ave., Anna Maria (2022)

$15.5 MILLION n 1309 Vista Drive, Sarasota (2022)

$14 MILLION n 7712, 7711 and 7660 Sanderling Road, Siesta Key (2021)

$13.75 MILLION n 3303 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Long boat Key (2022)

$13.25 MILLION n 1452 Hillview Drive, Sarasota (2021) n 4651 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Long boat Key (2020)

$12 MILLION

n 1500 Hillview Drive, Sarasota (2022)

n 4100 Flamingo Ave., Siesta Key (2021)

n 4300 Higel Ave., Siesta Key (2021) n 3021 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota (2012)

$11.85 MILLION 7712 Sanderling Road, Siesta Key (2014)

$11.5 MILLION n 3105 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Long boat Key (2022) n 1313 Westway Drive, Sarasota (2022)

$11.4 MILLION

n 6633 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Long boat Key (2019)

$11 MILLION

n 139 S. Washington Drive, Lido Key (2020)

$10.57 MILLION

Shiver me timbers! A $10 million house known by neighbors as The Pirate House on Lido Key in Sarasota for its pirate statue on the patio has

The five-bedroom, five-anda-half-bathroom home features a custom kitchen, Wolf appliances and a quartzite island with a water fall edge. An elevator and custom staircase both lead to a rooftop deck on the fourth level complete with a

“This property offers a year-round luxury lifestyle in paradise,” Daniel DeCaro, founder and president, says in a release. “With the neighboring Gulf of Mexico’s white sugar beach es, shopping and dining on famous St. Armands Circle, arts and culture, and minutes to the Sarasota Braden ton International Airport, this is an opportunity not to be missed.”

$13 MILLION +$1 n 6021 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Long boat Key (2020)

$13 MILLION n 1067 Westway Drive, Lido Key (2006)

$12.5 MILLION n 825 Longboat Club Road (2011)

n 401 Quay Commons, Unit 190, Sarasota (2022)

$10.5 MILLION

n 1144 Sea Grape Road, Nokomis (2022)

n 825 Longboat Club Road (2020) n 7712 & 7660 Sanderling Road, Siesta Key (2020) n 3799 Flamingo Ave., Siesta Key (2019)

The $10 million Lido residence will be featured at a live auction in December.

All The Right Moves

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Officer shoots suspect in robbery call

ASarasota Police officer shot a 71-year-old suspect after responding to a robbery call on Tuesday. The officer was unin jured.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents are investigat ing the 10 a.m. incident near Fruit ville and Beneva roads that began as a robbery call in a parking lot.

The suspect, Robert Paul Brian di, was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital and is in stable condition Wednesday following surgery.  The officer, a 17-year veteran assigned to the patrol division, was placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure. SPD has not released his name. The FDLE is the lead investigating agency into the shooting while the SPD is investi gating the attempted armed robbery, which began outside a Publix store at 501 N. Beneva Road.

On Wednesday, SPD released the body camera footage to the media, which shows the officer exiting his vehicle in the parking lot of the Homewood Suites hotel at 3470 Fruitville Road. The footage shows Briandi with a knife, and the offi cer ordering him to drop the weap on and get on the ground. Briandi failed to comply, then took several steps toward the officer before the officer fired twice.

According to police, an 83-yearold woman, the victim in the rob bery, told officers she finished shop ping and, after unloading her cart, said she was approached by Briandi, who tried to take her purse.

“She did a heck of a job fighting him off,” said Capt. John Todd, com mander of the SPD Criminal Investi gations Division. “She was attacked from behind by an assailant with a knife. She did a really good job of protecting herself.”

A witness saw what was happen ing and tried to help the victim. The suspect started to leave the area, but the witness followed him, videoing him with his phone while calling 911.

Briandi is facing two counts aggra vated assault with a weapon without intent to kill, and armed robbery.

Briandi has a multi-state criminal history dating back to 1973, Todd said.

School Board sets extra school days after hurricanes

Winter vacation, spring break each a day shorter for students.

Sarasota County students will have to make up at least two of the instructional days they missed because of hurricanes Ian and Nicole, the Sarasota County School Board decided as part of its consent agenda on Tuesday night. Monday, Jan. 9 and Monday, March 20 had previously been set aside as professional days for teachers and staff and were positioned at the end of winter vacation and spring break, setting up four-day weeks for stu dents returning to class. Now, those days will be converted to instruc tional days in traditional five-day weeks.

Students in the northern portion of the school district were out nine days as a result of Hurricane Ian and a day to Hurricane Nicole. South county students also missed a day to Nicole but 13 days to Ian, owing largely to the extra repairs needed in the harder-hit areas.

Manatee County Schools added no additional days, though it only closed schools five days for Ian and a day for Nicole. It chose to make up the missing instructional hours by converting early release days into full school days.

Schools must deliver to students in K-3 180 instructional days or 720 hours. That requirement climbs to 900 hours in 4-12. An additional 1 mill of property tax, most recent ly renewed last spring in Sarasota County, funds a school day 30 min utes longer than required, which automatically builds in leeway for school officials in devising makeup days.

TOP WINDS ABOUT 51 MPH

Hurricane Nicole brought strong winds and moderate rain to the region last week, but no serious

damage was reported.

Throughout the morning and early afternoon on Thursday, Nov. 10, sus tained wind speeds stuck in the high 20s, reaching 32 mph in the 9 a.m. hour. A peak wind gust came in the 8 a.m. hour at 51 mph. About 1.35 inches of rain fell, records show.

DEBRIS PICKUP RESUMES

Sarasota County is nearly complete with the first pass through unincor porated areas to pick up storm debris from either Ian or Nicole. Nearly 2.3 million cubic yards have been col lected thus far, the county said.

Contractors are expecting to take a Thanksgiving break during Nov. 22-28, then resume on Monday, Nov. 28.

As far as the county’s self-drop sites, Sarasota officials said residents have less than a week to make their trips.

Monday, Nov. 21 will be the last day of operation for the sites at Rothenbach Park (8650 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota) and the Jackson Road Transfer Station (250 S. Jack son Road, Venice). Hours of opera tion are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

NO SHELTERS

OPENED IN SARASOTA

Though Sarasota County didn’t open any shelters during Hurricane Nicole, officials in Manatee County opened one in case residents didn’t feel safe. No evacuations were ordered in either county.

Manatee County officials said they wanted to accommodate people who wanted to evacuate their homes vol untarily if they thought their homes could be compromised as a result of damage from Hurricane Ian. The shelter was also open for residents of mobile and manufactured homes.

“People know their homes,” County Administrator Scott Hopes said. “If their roof or home sustained damage, we want to assure them there is a place for them to weather Tropical Storm Nicole.”

LOCAL BEACHES

APPEAR UNSCATHED Lido Beach and Siesta Key beach appear to have made it through Hur ricane Ian’s onshore winds without serious damage or erosion, officials said.

That was also the case up the

shoreline in Longboat Key, officials were told this week.

After a hurricane and a tropical storm in the past six weeks, Longboat Key’s beaches remain in good shape with the potential for improvement where erosion is particularly com mon.

The town’s Public Works staff presented their annual report to the Town Commission at Monday’s workshop.

Annual reports first began in June 2020, and commissioners sought information about the status of beaches and ongoing nourishment projects.

Parts of the report centered on the condition of beaches following Hurricane Ian. The town’s beaches experienced minimal impact from the storm as it made landfall about 50 miles south of its previously fore cast track, generally with offshore blowing winds.

Conditions after tropical storm Nicole had not yet been fully ana lyzed, but beach consultant Olsen Associates performed a few initial aerial passes on the north end. A full review is planned next week.

FOR KIDS FROM 1 TO 92 (AND UP!)

An exploration beyond the pavement.

Rain, wind place endangered air plants in peril

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, the fate of giant and cardinal air plants at Myakka River State Park was of particular concern. Both native species are endangered in Florida because of habitat loss and illegal collecting of specimens from natural areas.

They are also threatened by the invasive Mexican bromeliad wee vil. Populations of these sizable and once-abundant epiphytes have been reduced in the park’s hammocks by the voracious weevils, which were introduced to South Florida in 1989 via the horticulture trade. With no natural predators here, the weevils quickly spread and are now estab lished in the park. The insects chew holes in the plants’ leaf bases, where they lay their eggs. And as the larvae feed and mature, they consume the base, often killing the whole plant.

The largest bromeliad to occur naturally in Florida, giant air plants are especially vulnerable to the wee vils, because, unlike most air plant species, they don’t “pup,” or produce offsets from the base. Instead, after up to 20 years of growth, the giant air plant sends up a single flower stalk,

ENJOY THE WILD

Wild Florida is a monthly fea ture written by Miri Hardy, the first executive director of the Friends of Myakka River. Miri has been a Sarasota resident since 2014 and holds a doctor ate in social psychology from Washington University in St. Louis. She is happiest explor ing wild Florida, often on her bike, and capturing its beauty though the lens of her camera.

which produces thousands of seeds, then dies. Air plants that produce offsets stand a better chance of sur viving weevil attacks, as they have multiple buds and multiple chances to reproduce.

Air plants, which use trees merely for support, are an important mem ber of the ecosystem and afford many ecological benefits, such as providing food, water and shelter to native Florida animals.

And given their dwindling num bers, these species are especially vulnerable to extreme weather events, such as Hurricane Ian, which had a widespread impact on the park. As many trees in the park sustained wind or water damage from the storm, finding and saving the park’s imperiled epiphytes was prioritized.

Thanks to rapid rescue efforts, guided by expert advice from Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, more than 70 endangered epiphytes have already been collected from dam aged trees.

Once storm recovery efforts are completed, the plants will be reat tached to new host trees in the park, where they will have a chance to grow to maturity and produce a suc cessional generation of these imper iled species.

—MIRI HARDY, FRIENDS OF THE MYAKKA RIVER

Hardy Imperiled epiphytes, such as these young giant air plants, are being collected from dam aged trees at Myakka River State Park and will be reattached to new host trees.

CLOSED Myakka River State Park remains closed to the public until further notice while recovery efforts from Hurricane Ian continue.

Fast Break

ON THE LINE

The Cardinal Mooney

High boys golf team finished third at the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 1A state tournament, shooting a combined 307 for the best finish in school history. The tournament, held Nov. 12 at Mission Inn Resort in Howey-inthe-Hills, saw Mooney sopho more Nico Bencomo pace the Cougars with a one-under-par 71. Teammate Tommy Tyler, a junior, was right behind him at 72.

Bryce Williams, a Cardinal Mooney High grad, has been a reserve running back for the University of Minnesota for five years, only getting significant playing time when the starting back went down with injuries. But he’s been rewarded lately. Williams has 47 carries for 229 yards and three touchdowns in 2022, plus 10 catches for 83 yards. It’s nice to see loy alty rewarded in the age of the transfer portal.

If you know of any area athletes doing something charitable during this holiday season, let us know by sending an email to RKohn@YourOb server.com. We love to feature athletes doing right by their community.

Want to burn off some calories on Thanksgiving morn ing before putting them back on? Nathan Benderson Park is hosting its first Turkey Row at 8 a.m. Nov. 24. The event, an approximately 2,000-meter rowing race, is free to regis ter, but the park encourages participants to donate to the Nathan Benderson Park Con servancy’s 29 Days of Giving Thanks campaign. For informa tion or to register for the event, visit NathanBendersonPark.org or call 358-7275.

It has been a long time since a football game between Sarasota High and Riverview High meant so much.

Since 2004, in fact. That is the last time the two programs met in the postseason, according to MaxPreps’ history of the rivalry; the Rams won that game 23-0.

On Friday, it will happen again. Neither the Sailors (5-4) or the Rams (4-6) expected to be here. Both teams lost their regular-sea son finales, entering the postsea son on a down note. Both went on the road last week, the start of the postseason, as underdogs. And both came out victorious: the Sailors won 30-20 over Manatee High (6-4) and the Rams won 29-15 over Gulf Coast High (8-3).

Now they will renew their rival ry at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Sarasota High, with a spot in the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 4S regional finals on the line. The Rams won the season’s first matchup 14-0 on the road Oct. 28, extending their winning streak over the Sailors to 11.

In Sarasota’s mind, there will be no better time to break that streak than now. The Sailors made a key change before their game against Mana tee, inserting junior quarterback Michael Bendever into the lineup after not starting him all season. It worked: Bendever completed nineof-16 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. That last point is an important one to coach Brody Wiseman, but he was happy with the yardage and scores, too. The Sailors used a vertical pass ing attack that had been missing from the team’s offense this season.

“It’s a part of what we’ve done since I’ve been here, just not this sea son,” Wiseman said. “We have been depending on our run game and that has been great. But if you go back and look at the Riverview game, we have no passing offense, really. We were turning the ball over. Mike took care of the football and made great plays and extended some plays. Down the field, he was a weapon.

“If we don’t get that performance from him tonight, we probably don’t win this game.”

Wiseman said Bendever had been getting a share of first-team reps all season, so he did have some familiar ity with his teammates’ tendencies and was able to develop good timing with them. A live game is different than practice, but Bendever was not fazed.

“I was just happy (to be starting),” Bendever said. “Once I got here I was a little nervous, but mostly happy. I

just wanted to get the win. I know I can throw a good ball, so I knew I could execute things and give our receivers a chance.”

When Wiseman told his team postgame that they would be play ing Riverview, the Sailors erupted in cheers and claps. Asked about what a rematch means to his team, Wise man kept things more low-key.

“They got us the first time,” Wise man said. “I felt like we played a good game, a game that our kids were capable of winning. That didn’t hap pen, unfortunately. But my kids are excited to get another crack at it. It will be exciting.”

On the other side of things, Riv erview feels like it has been given a second chance at the 2022 season. Coach Josh Smithers said his play ers thought their postseason oppor tunity was dashed by a 14-7 home loss to Cardinal Mooney High (4-6) on Nov. 1. After playing the wait ing game, they received help, in part from Booker High (6-5), which beat Rams regional foe Lakewood Ranch High (6-4) in the regular season’s final week. The loss knocked Lake wood Ranch out of the postseason. The Rams got in, in part thanks to Riverview’s strength of schedule, among other factors.

Smithers said his team has been determined not to squander the

IF YOU GO

What: Sarasota High football (5-4) vs. Riverview High (4-6)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Where: Sarasota High

At stake: A spot in the FHSAA Class 4S regional finals, plus the Rams’ 11-game win streak over the Sailors

Last game: Riverview High won 14-0

Of note: It will be the first playoff game between the two teams since 2004

opportunity it has been handed.

“Last week when we came back to practice, you could tell guys were locked in,” Smithers said. “We had one of the best (practices) we have had all year last Wednesday, and after that, we felt good (about their chances). Like we told them, once you’re in, everybody’s starting from the same spot. You just have to go get the team in front of you that week.”

The Rams went and got Gulf Coast. Sophomore running back DJ Johnson sprinted for 182 yards and two touchdowns, with the Rams offensive line pushing around Sharks defenders to open holes. It was the first time all season Gulf Coast allowed an opposing players to crack even 100 yards on the ground. On defense, the Rams held the Sharks’ four-way rushing attack to 72 yards. Like Sarasota, the Riverview pass ing attack has struggled at times in 2022, but against Gulf Coast, junior quarterback Jackson Dawson found senior tight end Luke Petitta for a 50-yard score, then hit junior wide out/defensive back Charles Lester III for a 15-yard score.

Smithers said he remembers watching the last Riverview-Sara sota playoff game on television, as it was broadcast live locally. Smithers said more than the game itself, he remembers how packed the stadium was.

“People were 10 deep against the fences,” Smithers said. “Football is just more fun when Riverview and Sarasota are both good and in the playoffs. And now we get a chance to play each other. I expect a good crowd and I know Sarasota is going to be prepared and so will be. It should be a heck of a game.”

n Also playing Friday is Cardinal Mooney, which will travel to face John Carroll Catholic (8-1) at 7:30 p.m. The Cougars won three straight games to end the regular season and snag the fourth and final seed in their Class 1S region. John Carroll won the teams’ first game 26-3 on Oct. 14.

“Once I saw that I was actually getting better, I started to believe it. I wanted to keep getting better.”

— Riverview High’s Amiya Lloyd SEE PAGE 17A

Hit the hardwood

The squeaking of shoes, the bouncing of balls on hardwood, the swishing of nets: they are all back.

The high school basketball season officially got underway this week with girls programs starting their regular season; the boys will start next week.

Riverview High brings back a

lot of talent from a team that finished 20-2 a season ago. Coach Gerald Perry and the Rams didn’t like how the season ended — with an 88-53 loss to Orlando’s eventual state champion Dr. Phillips High in the Florida High School Ath letic Association Class 7A regional semifinals — but they did like the experience gained from the strong

season.

2022 should not be much differ ent. The Rams’ third-leading scorer Caroline King and reserve Myah Hagan graduated, but leading scor ers Sami Slusarek (12.9 points per game) and Amiya Lloyd (11.6 ppg) both return, along with defensive leader Krystal Montas (7.4 rebounds per game). All three are seniors. The Rams also add a defensive presence in 6-foot-2 senior Jaida Cunning ham, a transfer from Booker. Cun ningham’s disruptions in the post helped Booker reach the Class 3A Final Four last season.

There was some rust to remove in the first half of the Rams’ seasonopening game against Venice High on Monday; the Rams trailed late in the second quarter before regaining a three-point advantage at the half. They didn’t trail in the second half, when their defense took over the game for a 64-54 final that did not feel that close.

Perry said this first game was for experimenting.

“We’re looking for the nucleus we need,” Perry said. “We have a lot of girls (that can play). We have more depth than we did last year. I’m trying to find the right mix of girls. I want to be able to throw waves at people, five girls and then another five girls.”

The Rams, early season tuneups and all, have remained steady. Almost every other area basketball program, girls and boys, has not.

This will be my seventh year covering basketball in the area and this offseason shook up the Sara sota basketball landscape like none I have experienced. Of course, all the teams that have gone through significant changes hope they work out for the better. Me? I just hope it all leads to competitive games — and I believe it will.

Staying on the girls side, the Cardinal Mooney High Cougars have gone to the Class 3A Final Four in back to back seasons, but face perhaps their most adversity this season. Coach Rico Antonio stepped down after last season and was replaced by Marlon Williams, a basketball coaching veteran who was most recently with Florida

Girls Basketball AAU. Williams will have three key members of last year’s team back in senior guard Olivia Davis, sophomore guard Sy’monique Simon and sophomore forward Kali Barrett.

At Sarasota, the Sailors will be led by coach Dave Gaulman, who came to the program from St. Stephen’s. Gaulman went 44-21 in three sea sons with a Final Four trip in 20192020. The Sailors finished 7-18 a season ago but have some talented young players such as sophomore Ava Sims (9.5 ppg), junior Madison Macdonald (9.3 ppg) and sopho more Shay Farley (8.1 ppg).

Booker High does not have a new coach. That remains Ty Bryant, who guided the Tornadoes to a 20-8 record and a Final Four appearance last year. Booker lost Jaida Cun ningham to Riverview, as stated above, but return leading scorers Chariot Johnson (9.2 ppg) and Leah Dubose (8.7 ppg), who are now seniors, plus junior Jakai Peterson (7.7 ppg) and senior Kymani Free man (7.6 ppg). That upperclassmen leadership should help the team as the season gets going and younger players fill holes left by others.

The boys basketball regular season does not begin until next week, and even then, the schedule is light because of Thanksgiving. That said, there is an early season treat for local fans on Nov. 21 in the form of Booker hosting Riverview. The Rams won both of last sea son’s contests between the teams, but no matter who wins, the game is always full of energy and com petition. Riverview lost last year’s freshman star, the 6-foot-5, fivestar forward Jamier Jones, to IMG Academy, but returns a talented roster led by senior Jason Jackson, a 6-foot-4 point guard who signed with Texas Tech on Monday. They also have a new coach: Kendall Ellis, who runs the Florida Aces and Lady Aces AAU programs. He brought along his son, sophomore guard Khyre Ellis, who averaged 9.7 points per game at Port Charlotte High last season. Booker should be paced by returning senior guard Joey Winter, one of the best outside shooters in the area, and junior Jovan Palavra,

who does a little bit of everything. The Tornadoes — are you sensing a theme yet? — have a new coach as well, with Carl Williams Jr. taking that position. Williams’ previous coaching stop was at the Sara sota School of Arts and Sciences, but he’s has also had stints with Riverview, Braden River High and the Out-of-Door Academy — those three being on the girls’ side of the game.

Sarasota, too, has a new coach, and it’s a familiar name for local basketball fans: BJ Ivey, who led Riverview to a state championship game appearance in 2015-2016. After coaching at Riverview for 13 seasons, Ivey spent a season with Florida Gulf Coast University as the director of basketball opera tions, then spent two season with ODA before coming to the Sailors. Sarasota is looking to Ivey to turn around a program that has not had a winning record since 2013-2014; the Sailors went 5-20 last season.

The only boys program without a new coach is Cardinal Mooney High. The Cougars are likely just fine with that. In his first season at Mooney, Vince Cherry led the program to a 23-5 record and a trip to the regional quarterfinals, where the season came to a heartbreak ing end with a 78-76 overtime loss to Northside Christian. The Cougars return five of their topsix scorers from a season ago, led by junior forward Dylan Higgins (14.8 ppg) and junior guard Con nor Heald (12.0 ppg), and added junior forward Kevin O’Donoghue, who, at 6-foot-4, averaged 16.1 ppg at ODA last season, among other reinforcements. Don’t be surprised if the Cougars make an even deeper run than they did a season ago; this team is athletic and can win mul tiple ways.

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Amiya Lloyd

Amiya Lloyd is a senior on the Riv erview High girls basketball team. Lloyd, who is 5-foot-6, averaged 11.6 points a game in 2021-22 and helped the Rams to a season-open ing 64-54 home win over Venice High on Tuesday.

When did you start playing bas ketball?

I started playing basketball seri ously in seventh grade, but I played a little in elementary school, too. People would tell me that they saw potential in me. Once I saw that I was actually getting better, I started to believe it.

What is the appeal to you? It’s the family you gain from it. I love playing with the girls on this team. I also just love the game of basketball. When I play, I stop thinking about all my problems.

What is your best skill? My passing. I have always been a pass-first player.

What have you been improving? My shot off the dribble. I worked hard on that this offseason and I

If you would like to make a recommendation for the Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer’s Athlete of the Week feature, send it to Ryan Kohn at RKohn@YourObserver.com.

made one tonight (against Venice), so that’s a good sign.

What is your favorite memory?

My freshman year (at Booker High) I was on the JV team and I hit a buzz er beater to win a game. This was right after Kobe (Bryant) passed away. The shot I hit was just like him. That was a cool moment.

What are the team’s expectations for this season?

We expect to be strong defensively. That’s our motto, D.E.B.O: “Defen sive energy brings offense.” We just need to play as a team and commu nicate on defense. This first game was a good start. We started a little bit shaky, but the second half was better and we’ll continue to get bet ter through the season.

What is your favorite food?

Steak and potatoes. I like my steak well done.

What are your hobbies?

I hang out with my family and use TikTok. I watch videos on there but I make them, too.

Which superpower would you

I want super speed. I’m a little slow for a point guard. If I had super speed it would be so easy.

What is the best advice you have received?

Don’t care about what anyone else thinks. You just have to do your own thing. That’s what matters.

Finish this sentence: “Amiya Lloyd … ‘Swagalicious.’ (Laughs.) I’m a cool person. I’ve got good style.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Lines in the sand

Siesta Key Crystal Classic invit ed Sarasota locals and visitors over the weekend out to Siesta Beach to watch and admire master sand sculptures create their deli cate masterpieces in real time.

Because of inclement weather, the festival ran for only three days this year. However, this didn’t faze the artists or the visitors. The friendly competition brought in 23 sculptors to create their art from Saturday to Sunday.

“It’s a challenge. It’s a chance to test yourself,” sand sculptor Laura Cimador-Gowdy said.

“All the people give you energy,” sculptor Wilfred Stijer said. “The people wander around and give you good energy.”

The sculptures were displayed with colored lights on Saturday night.

Dan Belcher and Karen Fralich won first place in the doubles category with their “Viking King” sculpture. Maxim Gazendam won first place in the solo category with his “Home is a State of Mind” sculpture.

YOUR CALENDAR

BENEVA & BAHIA VISTA

BEST BET

MONDAY, NOV. 21

GUIDED AQUARIUM TOUR

AT MOTE MARINE

8:30 a.m. at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium. 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway. Come out to this family event and join one of the ocean experts on a guided tour of Mote’s main aquarium building featuring our resident sharks, stingrays and coral reef galleries. Tick ets for Mote Marine members are $18; $20 for others. For information about tickets, call 388-4441.

FRIDAY, NOV. 18

WINTER SPECTACULAR

From 4-9 p.m. weekdays and from noon-9 p.m. on holiday weeks and weekends in St. Armands Circle. See the Circle transformed into a winter wonderland until Jan. 3. Wristbands for attractions cost $10, Admission to Circle Park is free.

HOLIDAY MOVIES UNDER THE STARS

Fridays and Saturdays Nov. 18-Dec. 31 at 7 p.m. at West District at UTC near Ford’s Garage Restaurant, 295 N. Cattlemen Road. Families and friends are invited to bring your lawn chairs and blankets and watch “Harry Potter” under the stars. This is a free outdoor event, but the lim ited seating is first come, first serve. For information visit MallAtUTC. com/events.

SATURDAY, NOV. 19

LIMELIGHT MARKET AT THE BAZAAR ON APRICOT & LIME 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime, 821 Apricot Ave. Support local businesses and artists by shopping at The Bazaar. Entry is free. For information, call 445-1938 or visit BazaarOnApricotAndLime. com.

SUNDAY, NOV. 20

SUNDAY SONGS IN THE PARK

2:30-5 p.m. at Cafe in the Park, 2010 Adams Lane. Enjoy modern folk and progressive bluegrass. From 2:30-3 p.m., there will be a kids’ concert at the kids circus playground. Entry is free. For information, call 361-3032 or visit CafeInThePark.org

SPECTACULAR NIGHTLY LIGHT SHOW AT UTC

6:30-9:30 p.m. at UTC along Cattle men Road. The holiday lights on UTC are now on display. Come out and get in the holiday spirit with a light show that runs every 30 minutes. For information, visit UTCSarasota. com

TUESDAY, NOV. 22

FREE YOGA BY THE BAY WITH ERIN AT BAYFRONT PARK

5:30 p.m. at Bayfront Park, 5 Bay front Drive. Stretch your muscles at this free outdoor, socially distanced yoga event that overlooks the bay. Bring your yoga mat, a water bottle, and friends. This is a free event. For information, email Erin at ErinHurt er@gmail.com or call 250-4940.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 23

BEER BINGO AT 99 BOTTLES

7:30-10 p.m. at 99 Bottles, 1445 Second St. Get your cards and markers ready because 99 Bottles restaurant is hosting a Bingo event. Grab your seat by 7:30 p.m. because round 1 starts at 8 p.m. Prizes will be awarded after each round. For information, call 487-7874.

THURSDAY, NOV. 24

THE ELIXIR COMEDY OPEN MIC

7:30-10 p.m. at The Elixir Tea House. Whether you are an aspiring standup or a comic veteran, you’ll find an appreciative audience. This is a free event, unless you buy a pot of tea. For information, call 373-1800.

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A day of honor

The Sarasota community gathered along Main Street on Friday for the opportunity to honor and thank veter ans at this year’s Veterans Day Parade.

“I am walking in honor of my son, Leo Michael Puhaly. He is a fallen hero, but I am doing this in honor of him,” said Brenda Spratt, who was one of many to march down Main Street.

“This is probably one of the only coun tries where everyone is welcomed,” said Charlie Hull, a retired Air Force veteran of four years, who said he is grateful for this day. “This is one of the few places where you can have a clean slate and make a life out for yourself.”

Hundreds of paradegoers attended, fill ing the Main Street sidewalks with patriot ic colors and American flags. Many waved and thanked the veterans who walked and rode past. Middle and high school students showed their support by walking with their bands, color guards, and JROTC units.

Organic farm struggles in wake of Hurricane Ian

Among the significant losses were two nurseries that were ripped apart, and the loss of trees and crops.

hile the Myakka City area was hammered by Hurricane Ian, Bill Pischer wants residents to understand the storm had some devastating agricultural effects in other parts of the region as well.

Pischer, who owns Jessica’s Organic Farm at Hauri Road and 47th Street in North Sarasota said the farm is still trying to recover from the severe damage that has threatened to put Pischer out of business.

“We’ve had some close ones,” Pischer said. “But this was the most intense.”

He said few other organic farms exist in the area, so the loss would be a great one for local residents.

“We grow and harvest it and bring it up to the market,” he said. “That’s not a common thing.”

The organic-certified farm sup plies food through the market it operates on its property Friday through Sunday. The market also features organic-certified produce from other farms.

The farm grows lettuce, spinach, basil, kale, okra, sugarcane, pump kin, papaya and watermelon, among other vegetables.

Cody Pischer, who is Bill’s son, said although the farm suffered damage during Hurricane Irma, this was far worse.

“On a farm, you’ve got to expect losses,” Cody Pischer said. “It’s usu ally nothing this big.”

The farm suffered damage to the two plant nurseries on the property.

The largest and newest nursery suffered significant damage with its metal framework becoming twisted and its canvas cover shredded.

Cody Pischer said it likely would have to be replaced, which could cost them thousands of dollars.

With the winter months and low er temperatures approaching, the repairs need to be done in a hurry. The plants in that nursery have suf fered damage because of exposure to sunlight and rain.

And rain from Tropical Storm Nicole also hurt the farm, since the greenhouses were not up to par due to damage suffered in the hurricane.

Cody Pischer said it took about

IF YOU GO

Where: Southwestern corner of Hauri Road and 47th Street, Sarasota

When: Market is Fridays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For information: JessicasOrganicFarm.com

five months to build the bigger nurs ery, and they had expected it to last more than 20 years.

“It’s pretty frustrating, when you build something and then it’s taken out in one day,” he said.

He said they might try a lower ele vation greenhouse when they rebuild it, hopefully making it less suscep tible to wind.

The other nursery was nearing the end of its expected life span, but Cody Pischer said they were hop ing to get another few years out of it before having to invest in a new one.

Hurricane Ian left the wood frame work of that building in a crumpled mess on the ground.

They build a makeshift structure to house plants to suffice until they can begin construction on a new nursery.

The Pischers said they also lost a grove of trees, about half of which were papaya trees.

One of the items Bill Pischer hopes to buy, if finances allow it, is

a generator. He said it would be a key upgrade.

He said the farm’s watering system operates on electricity and the walkin coolers as well.

After Hurricane Ian, Bill Pischer said all hands tried to keep up with the watering with watering cans because they couldn’t use hoses with power down.

While the smaller plant nursery can utilize rainwater to some extent, with a material called a shade cloth along its top that disperses water across the plants, the main nursery’s watering is done manually.

Pischer said the farm had to switch its priority in terms of vegetables for some of the fields that had been saturated by the heavy rainfall. He had to switch to lettuces, kale, col lards, arugula, parsley, cucumber, and dandelion in fields that had been targeted for different produce before the hurricane.

Bill Pischer called his outlook “pretty optimistic” for the farm’s recovery. However, he said the state of the farm is now up to “God’s will.”

Fundraising efforts are being planned. He said any contribution from the public would be much appreciated.

“We just take one day at a time and go from there,” he said.

Bill Pischer said the farm has been in the area since 1979, when he established the business.

The farm is named for Bill Pisch er’s eldest daughter, Jessica Pischer. Those who want to help the farm can go to GoFundMe.com.

Bringing influencers from the world stage to our stage in Sarasota

Food bank rolls out the bowls again

Guests

help the community,” said Sarasota Memo rial Hospital Licensed Practical Nurse Imelda Saldivar. Saldivar volunteered her time

“I

Siesta Key home sells for $5.4 million

Ahome in Ocean View tops all trans actions in this week’s real estate. Robert Pappas, of Sarasota, sold the home at 8347 Midnight Pass Road to Michael and Sheila Cloonen, trust ees, of Palmer, Texas, for $5,445,000. Built in 2010, it has four bedrooms, fiveand-a-half baths, a pool and 6,512 square feet of living area. It sold for $6.5 million in 2021.

SARASOTA

FOREST LAKES COUNTRY CLUB

ESTATES

John and Linda Rominski sold their home at 2147 Brookhaven Drive to Jeffery and Donna Hackney, of Sarasota, for $800,000. Built in 1966, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,397 square feet of living area. It sold for $210,000 in 2012.

GULF GATE

Barry Belczyk, of Sarasota, sold his home at 3015 Goodwater St. to Paul and Carolyn Sheatler, of Sarasota, for $790,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,953 square feet of living area. It sold for $339,900 in 2016.

James Muir, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 3111 Post Road to Kenneth Papa and Kathleen Ann Wingate Goff, of Sarasota, for $575,000. Built in 1966, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,358 square feet of living area. It sold for $137,000 in 1997.

VALENCIA TERRACE

James Davis, of Sarasota, sold his home at 1221 Cocoanut Ave. to David Amir Zarghami and Toni Zarghami, of Sarasota, for $730,000. Built in 1952, it has five bedrooms, three baths and 2,972 square feet of living area. It sold for $451,000 in 2021.

THE LANDINGS CARRIAGEHOUSE

Aaron Koplin and Joan Koplin, of Sarasota, sold the Unit 59 con dominium at 50007 Kestral Park Drive to David and Linda Kremer, of Louisville, Kentucky, for $699,000.

8347 Midnight Pass Road was built in 2010 and sold for $5.4 million.

Built in 1982, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,816 square feet of living area. It sold for $315,000 in 2020.

THE LANDINGS TREEHOUSE

William Veshancey sold his Unit 56 condominium at 1480 Landings Circle to Janet Rauscher and Leo Frankenberger, of Louisville, Ken tucky, for $662,500. Built in 1981, it has three bedrooms, two-and-ahalf baths and 2,040 square feet of living area. It sold for $310,000 in 2004.

PETROUTSA BROTHERS

YGD Investments LLC sold the home at 1648 Ninth St. to Greenva le Development LLC for $625,000.

Built in 1954, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,792 square feet of living area. It sold for $95,000 in 2011.

SUNNYSIDE PARK

David and Melinda Campbell, of Sarasota, sold their home at 2311 Sunnyside Palce to Katie Joem Wren, of Sarasota, for $575,000.

Built in 1957, it has three bed rooms, two baths, a pool and 2,218 square feet of living area. It sold for $330,000 in 2019.

SOUTH GATE MANOR

David and Denise Havill, of Sara sota, sold their home at 3214 Bou gainvillea St. to Stanley Mathew, of Sarasota, for $559,900. Built in 1967, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,289 square feet of living area. It sold for $295,000 in 2020.

SOUTH GATE Peter and Tracy Kuschnitzky, of Sarasota, sold their home at 2427

TOP BUILDING PERMITS

Tulip St. to Brian Cornell and Mar tha Cornell, trustees, of Sarasota, for $540,000. Built in 1957, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,387 square feet of living area. It sold for $119,400 in 2003.

THE 101 James and Anne Toale, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 8-E condominium at 101 S. Gulfstream Ave. to George and Laura Carlson, of Sarasota, for $540,000. Built in 1974, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,200 square feet of living area. It sold for $365,000 in 2016.

THE LANDINGS SOUTH David and Linda Kremer, of Sara sota, sold their Unit 203 condo minium at 5224 Landings Blvd. to Richard Ress and Theresa Mahoney,

SEE REAL ESTATE, PAGE 12B

Other top sales by area

SARASOTA: $900,000

Phillippi Gardens Stephen Simon and Joan Janes, of Sara sota, sold their home at 5573 Merrimac Drive to Mark Joseph Powers and Jennifer Helenek, of Sarasota, for $900,000. Built in 1969, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,843 square feet of living area. It sold for $450,000 in 2017.

PALMER RANCH: $675,000

Villagewalk

Sarah Paikowsky and Michael Weinstock, trustees, of Paradise Valley, Arizona, sold the home at 5565 Lucia Place to Russell Schmitt and Cathy Hauck, trustees, of Darien, Connecticut, for $675,900. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,008 square feet of living area. It sold for $409,900 in 2014.

OSPREY: $2 MILLION

Oaks II Andrew and Karen Roberts, of Highlands, North Carolina, sold their home at 433 E. Mac Ewen Drive to John Baird Davis and Rosalie Davis, of Osprey, for $2 mil lion. Built in 1998, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,672 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.15 million in 2017.

NOKOMIS: $700,000

Calusa Lakes

Cathy Lay and Lauri Wilke, trustees, of San Antonio, sold the home at 2020 White Feather Lane to Jerome and Karen Miller, of Evansville, Indiana, for $700,000. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,228 square feet of living area.

of Needham, Massachusetts, for $540,000. Built in 1984, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,565 square feet of living area. It sold for $250,000 in 2014.

SARASOTA HIGHLANDS Mitchell Rubin and Lisa Charles worth, of Wildwood, New Jersey, sold two properties at 4504 Bliss Road to Kenneth Richard Flammia and Linda Flammia, of Sarasota, for $520,000. The first property was built in 1994, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,467 square feet of living area. The second property was built in 2005, it has 361 square feet of living area. They sold for $273,000 in 2020.

SAPPHIRE HEIGHTS Plutus Homes LLC sold the home at 4800 Remington Drive to Jonathan Wood and Ashely Elizabeth Tal bott, of Sarasota, for $515,000. Built in 1955, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,320 square feet of living area. It sold for $86,000 in 2011.

SIESTA KEY

REVISED SIESTA Jonathan Tomares, of Dickerson, Maryland, sold his home at 3508 La Paloma Ave. to Wilgens and Ellen Torres, of Miami, for $2,084,000. Built in 2004, it has three bed rooms, three baths, a pool and 3,195 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.09 million in 2008.

HOUSE OF THE SUN Jagmohan Jayara, of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, sold his Unit 512 condominium at 6518 Midnight Pass Road to Chander Badani Mata LLC for $1,131,400. Built in 1975, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,215 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.04 million in 2021.

SURFSIDE FOUR Rayda Sinni and Monica Tranter, of Ontario, Canada, sold their Unit 2A condominium at 304 Beach Road to Kevin and Lynda Daves, of Wichita,

Kansas, for $1.05 million. Built in 1979, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,504 square feet of living area. It sold for $590,000 in 2019.

GULF AND BAY CLUB

Lloyd and M. Margaret McGowen, trustees, of Williamsport, Indiana, sold the Unit 710 condominium at 5780 Midnight Pass Road to Doug Holmstead, of Ontario, Canada, for $912,500. Built in 1979, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,361 square feet of living area. It sold for $146,000 in 1979.

PALMER RANCH

VILLAGEWALK

Shari Moss, of Atlanta, sold her home at 5793 Ivrea Drive to Jolanta Hacker, of Sarasota, for $505,000. Built in 2002, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,693 square feet of living area. It sold for $415,000 in 2021.

OSPREY

BLACKBURN HARBOR RESIDENCES

Peter Christian, trustee, of New Port Richey, sold the Unit 5305 condominium at 5100 Jessie Harbor Drive to Steve and Cynthia Kirby, of Osprey, for $810,000. Built in 2004, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,484 square feet of living area. It sold for $600,000 in 2004.

TOWNS-END SHORES

JoEllen Bavosa, of Nokomis, sold her home at 130 Shoreland Drive to Sarah and David LaBonte, of Osprey, for $520,000. Built in 1983, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,274 square feet of living area. It sold for $204,600 in 2014.

THURSDAY, NOV. 17

High: 69 Low: 50 Chance of rain: 2%

FRIDAY, NOV. 18

High: 68 Low: 56 Chance of rain: 2%

SATURDAY, NOV. 19

High: 77 Low: 59 Chance of rain: 8%

SUNDAY, NOV. 20 High: 67 Low: 59 Chance of rain: 39%

Sunrise Sunset

Thursday, Nov. 17 6:52a 5:37p

Friday, Nov. 18 6:53a 5:37p

Saturday, Nov. 19 6:53a 5:36p

Sunday, Nov. 20 6:54a 5:36p

Monday, Nov. 21 6:55a 5:36p

Tuesday, Nov. 22 6:56a 5:36p

Wednesday, Nov. 23 6:57a 5:36p

Monday, Nov. 7 0.03

Tuesday, Nov. 8 0

Wednesday, Nov. 9 0

Thursday, Nov. 10 0.93

Friday, Nov. 11 1.28

Saturday, Nov. 12 0 Sunday, Nov. 13 0

YEAR TO DATE: MONTH TO DATE: 2.28 in. 1.43 in.

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