SARASOTA/SIESTA KEY
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
Flower power.
PAGE 16A
FREE • THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2024
VOLUME 20, NO. 7
YOUR TOWN
More rentals, more regulation The boom in vacation rentals has the city pushing expanded oversight. SEE PAGE 3A
Courtesy image
Native son
When EMT-firefighter Nate Atkins, 20, officially became a member of the Sarasota County Fire Department, it was the realization of a childhood dream whose roots are hyperlocal. Atkins was one of 18 new fire department members recognized at the Dec. 29, 2023, badge-pinning at the auditorium at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Atkins grew up on Longboat Key until his teens and now resides in Sarasota. He graduated from Sarasota High School in 2022 and prepared to become a firefighter at the Sarasota County Technical Institute. He is the grandson of longtime Longboat Key resident and retired Observer contributor Molly Schechter.
BLOOMING GARDENS
After more than two years of construction and $50 million, the first phase of Selby Gardens master plan opens. PAGE 6A Ian Swaby
Joel Morganroth, chair of the board of trustees, cuts the ribbon Jan. 9 on Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ Phase 1. Ian Swaby
Turn it up
Although the library might seem like a place for quiet, on Jan. 10, Selby Public Library showed its louder side in the Jack J. Geldbart Auditorium. More than 100 people visited the Jazz Jam SRQ event to watch local jazz musicians take turns playing alongside one another. The group’s founder, Ron Kushner, said the turnout is an indication of how popular the jams have become since the group partnered with Jazz Club of Sarasota to begin offering them in 2021, before gaining the library space in 2022. “The library is so gracious, and we have this wonderful auditorium,” said Prince Knight (pictured), a Jazz Club volunteer and former board member. The bimonthly event is a chance for musicians to connect and for the public to listen to jazz for free, he said. Kushner said the session was notable, for it was preceded by the group’s first workshop, an event for saxophone players led by Mike Totoro. The next jam will be held Monday, Jan. 22.
Next-level leadership The new Sarasota High School athletic director wants to build a college-style program. SEE PAGE 17A Ryan Kohn
BJ Ivey, Sarasota High boys basketball coach, will be doing double duty as the school’s athletic director.
A+E
Tragedy captured in art. INSIDE