IV Siesta Sand - February 2017 by Brion Palmer

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FEBRUARY 2017 | 941.349.0194 | ISLAND VISITOR PUBLISHING, LLC | www.SiestaSand.net | COMPLIMENTARY

106-home development to be constructed in Gulf Gate

CHICKEE HUT Casey Key chickee hut request leads to discussion about county regulations

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NEW HOTEL VOTE County Commission votes on two privately initiated Comp Plan amendments page

ALAN MAIO

Commissioner reaffirms commitment to protect Siesta Key from harm as Lido Renourishment Project looms

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THE GREATEST GENERATION

Told through the eyes of one veteran - Ed Brown

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WHO’S PLAYING

By Roger Drouin Publisher’s Note: Returning snowbirds have asked what happened to the Gulf Gate golf course. The following article addresses this frequently asked question. Medallion Homes plans to build 106 new homes on the Gulf Gate golf course. The development, at 2550 Bispham Road, would join the Esplanade by Siesta, a 247-home subdivision, and the proposed mixed-use Siesta Promenade as mainland residential projects built or proposed in close proximity to Siesta. In a sudden turn of events this spring, the proposed Gulf Gate development went from drawing the ire of a neighborhood to earning the approval of some neighborhood leaders and residents. Back in May, Sarasota County Planning Commission members asked representatives with Medallion Homes to meet with members of the Gulf Gate Community Association on the project, which had proved controversial and highly scrutinized. Then a meeting on May 24, at the Gulf Gate library,

between the developer and residents, led to an unanticipated agreement between the two parties. The agreement centered on the elimination of the six planned gates that would have separated the new development and an agreement that current Gulf Gate residents will be able to openly drive and walk through the new neighborhoods. That compromise was pivotal in County Commissioner’s decision on July 13 to approve a rezone, clearing the way for the new homes, to be built by Medallion Homes, the company owned by developer and former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Carlos Beruff. The new homes in Gulf Gate could rise up soon, but despite the county’s approval, some residents said they still had concerns about the plan’s effect on traffic, stormwater, and neighborhood compatibility. “I realize concessions have been made, but I don’t think the community wants this development to happen,” Janet Darmon, a Gulf Gate Woods resident, said at the July 13 County Commission meeting. “Mr. Beruff

please go home to Manatee County and leave us alone, I’m sure there are other tracts that can be developed that are not as contentious.” Medallion Homes did not respond to several requests by Siesta Sand for comment on the development. According to civil plans submitted to the county, the single-family subdivision will be constructed in one phase. “I am very, very pleased to say the applicant and GGCA came to a final agreement on this,” Bo Medred, a planner representing the developer, told county commissioners at the July 13 meeting. Before the meeting, the Gulf Gate neighborhood association’s board and membership also voted to approve the compromise agreement.

Down with the gates In May, the project still faced strong opposition from the neighborhood that had organized against a development that they said was an isolated subdivision gated-off from the existing community. It had only mixed support from the county’s Planning Commission. Continued on page 21

Siesta residents offer cautionary SKA challenging state’s plan to issue permit for Lido tale in citing the history of Renourishment Project Midnight Pass By Rachel Brown Hackney www.SarasotaNewsLeader.com

By Rachel Brown Hackney

With the looming potential that Big Sarasota Pass will be dredged to renourish South Lido Key Beach, a past director of the Siesta Key Association (SKA) has pointed to the history of Siesta Key’s Midnight Pass as a cautionary tale. In December 1983, two property owners on the southern part of the Siesta Key — Pasco Carter and internationally acclaimed artist Syd Solomon — were alarmed that their homes were precariously close to tumbling into Midnight Pass. Their only hope, they decided, was to relocate the waterway.

Late on Jan. 13, the Siesta Key Association (SKA) formally filed its petition with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), seeking an administrative hearing on the department’s Dec. 22, 2016 Notice of Intent to issue a permit for the dredging of Big Sarasota Pass to renourish South Lido Key Beach. Three Siesta Key residents have joined the SKA in that petition, which says the pass “and the ebb shoals at the entrance of the Pass are part of a complex system that allows the transfer and sharing of sand from Lido Key onto the beaches of Siesta Key. The large-

On Oct. 4, 1983, they won permission from the Sarasota County Commission to do that. Then in December 1983, they brought in bulldozers and closed the channel, according to a timeline provided by the nonprofit Midnight Pass Society. As members of the Society wrote in a publication they issued a decade later, “State officials hastily blessed the plan [with] no environmental impact studies, no baseline data, no water monitoring, no administrative hearing and no engineering review to improve chances the plan would succeed.” Continued on page 34

scale dredging of sand from [the system] as contemplated in the [FDEP] Permit will negatively impact the natural drift of sand onto the Siesta Key beaches, impact the navigation of Big Sarasota Pass, diminish storm protection for those living on Siesta Key and along Big Pass, and impact anyone who uses the shoals of Big Pass for swimming, boating, and fishing.” The SKA has retained Hopping, Green & Sams of Tallahassee to represent it. The same law firm was successful in representing Siesta residents in 1994. Continued on page 22

SKA announces additional legal action to halt Big Pass Dredge

Meet Ben Hammond

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SAND CASTLES

Siesta Key Association (SKA) announced that on January 19 it has notified the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), the City of Sarasota and the Army Corps

of Engineers that it intends to file a verified complaint in Florida Circuit Court to enjoin FDEP to comply with the Florida Environmental Protection Act of 1971. The complaint alleges, among

other things, that FDEP would be in violation of the Act if it issues a permit to dredge Big Sarasota Pass because the dredging in Sarasota County would violate Sarasota County’s Comprehensive Plan.

Sarasota County’s Comprehensive Plan specifically prohibits dredging of County waterways except to maintain previously dredged waterways. Continued on page 2

Happiness is… Celebrating life!

Great location and value make White Sands Village a unique choice

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February is a beautiful month filled with celebrations, Super Bowl champions, presidential birthdays, and, of course, the best part of life…love. There are many things to love about the Siesta Key area. How many of them can you relate to? q Living by Island Time (waiting for the drawbridge, and it’s okay)

q The wide variety of interesting bird life q Warm weather q Paddle boarding q Sunsets on the beach q Early morning walks on the beach q Meeting new friends q Hearing experiences of people from other parts of the country and world These are just a few of the things we love

about the Siesta Key lifestyle. What about you? What draws you to the Siesta Key area year after year? We’d love for you to stop by Abel’s and let us know. And while you’re here, let us know how we can make your Valentine’s Day even sweeter with custom made ice cream pies in any of our forty flavors, or a delicious selection of chocolates from Sweet Shop USA. In honor of Valentine’s Day, Jerry is bringing in Jill’s favorite flavor: Purple Daze (black raspberry ice cream with a black raspberry crinkle, and dark chocolate black raspberry cups). If you’re hosting or attending a party or event, we’ve got you covered with delicious ice cream quarts to go, and our great menu ideas and recipes from Stonewall Kitchen. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Jerry and Jill, the owners of Abel’s Ice cream

Learn more online at www.abelsicecream. com or connect with them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Abel’s Ice Cream is located at 1886 Stickney Point Road, in the South Bridge Plaza. 941-921-5700.

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SKA announces additional legal action to halt Big Pass Dredge Continued from cover story

Big Sarasota Pass has never been dredged. This notice starts a 30day period in which FDEP must take appropriate action, or at the end of the 30-day period, SKA will file the verified complaint in circuit court seeking appropriate injunctive relief. SKA notified Sarasota County of this action on January 20th. This action is in addition to SKA’s Administrative Appeal of FDEP’s Notice of Intent to Issue a Permit for the project which was filed by SKA on January 13th. In a statement, Catherine Luckner, Vice President of SKA said, “We are very proud of our county. We feel it’s absolutely the best place to live in all of Florida. It’s in this spirit, with commitment to being responsible beneficiaries of where we live, this initiative is taken.” In July, Sarasota County, at the request of SKA, requested the Army Corps to order an Environment

Impact Statement (EIS), which would contain information about the significant environmental impact of the project. The County made such a request in a letter to the Army Corps on August 24th which reads in part, “As the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the City of Sarasota undertakes this complex project within the dynamic coastal system, there may be possible consequences associated with moving forward. Those consequences should be clearly understood by decisionmakers and citizens in advance, thereby informing those decisions at local, state, and federal levels.” The Army Corps denied the request by letter to the Sarasota County Commissioners dated November 29th, citing among other things that Big Pass is a “man-made inlet.” “It boggles my mind that the Army Corps would deny such a request,” said Mrs. Luckner. “Big

Pass has never been dredged and the environmental damage that may result needs to be disclosed and evaluated by decision-makers. That’s what an EIS does. It discloses all environmental impacts, as well as alternatives to the proposed dredging, so decision makers can make an informed decision. The Army Corps’ reasoning for denying the EIS, as well as the FDEP’s basis for issuing the Permit, is replete with technical and factual errors which we intend to expose during this process. For example, the Army Corps has stated in their denial letter that Big Pass is a man-made inlet. That is simply not true. We intend to show that Big Pass is a natural inlet which has existed for as long as we can find in historical documents, that go back to the 1800s, and therefore is protected from dredging by the Sarasota County Comprehensive Plan.”

SKA needs your help. SKA needs everyone that opposes this project to become a member for $30. To join go online to www.SiestaKeyAssociation.com or call 941-364-4880. Also inquire about the legal defense fund. SKA Annual Breakfast Meeting Saturday March 4th, 2017 Open at 8:30 am for Coffee, Tea, and Juice Breakfast Buffet starts at 8:45 am Annual Meeting from 9:20-11:00 am St. Boniface Episcopal Church, Community room Free breakfast for all members with reservation Email: info@siestakeyassociation.com or call 941-364-4880 $15 for Visitors or join at the door Speaking at our Breakfast: The Honorable Alan Maio Commissioner, Sarasota County and Tom Harmer Sarasota County administrator

Snapshots of Island Visitors

Photos by Jaye Clements - Sarasota Photography

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County Commission splits on vote allowing two privately initiated Comprehensive Plan amendments to be considered outside the normal cycle By Rachel Brown Hackney www.SarasotaNewsLeader.com The crux of the matter was the process, a Sarasota County staff member and the past chair of the County Commission explained during the board’s regular meeting on Jan. 10, and that was exactly what Commissioner Nancy Detert said she did not like. Detert was the sole commissioner to vote against allowing staff to go ahead and process two privately initiated Comprehensive Plan amendments outside the normal May cycle for such work. One of the amendments ultimately could allow redevelopment of existing Commercial General (CG) property on Siesta Key for a hotel. Several speakers — including a p a st C o u n t y C o m m i s s i o n candidate — protested any county action that could lead to such new development on the barrier islands. Representatives of Dr. Gary Kompothecras, a Siesta Key resident, held a community workshop on Dec. 7, 2016 on that proposed amendment. The other proposed amendment, according to a staff memo, relates to 18 acres located on the northeast corner of River Road and U.S. 41. “We have two projects here and no details on the projects,” Detert pointed out during about 15 minutes of discussion. “It’s like we’re putting a qualifier in first, and then the project’s going to come in later and look a lot better than it would have looked without this.” However, Matt Osterhoudt, interim director of the county’s Planning and Development Services Department, explained that the only questions before the commissioners that morning

were whether to allow the two proposed Comprehensive Plan amendments to be processed earlier than the county schedule dictated. “Today’s conversation is not about the merits of [either] proposal.” Any petitioner may send a letter “at any time” to the Planning and Development Services Department director, asking that a Comprehensive Plan amendment be considered outside the May cycle, Osterhoudt continued. If the director determines that staff would be able to handle the work, he said, then the director asks the County Commission whether it wants to allow that out-of-cycle process to go forward. “At this time, we don’t have any application in house to do a technical analysis,” he added. “This is purely a matter of process.” If the board gave its approval for the out-of-cycle work to begin, he explained, then each petitioner first would have to file a formal application with the county, and the county’s Development Review Committee would begin analyzing it on its merits. If the committee members agreed the amendment could go forward, the next step would be a public hearing before the county’s Planning Commission, Osterhoudt continued. The Planning Commission’s recommendation then would go to the County Commission, which would hold a public hearing on the request. If the County Commission agreed to the amendment, the language would be submitted for review by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, as required by state law.

“We have found,” Osterhoudt said, “that we have … at this time adequate resources to proceed out of cycle” on the two proposed privately initiative amendments.

Continuing questions Detert told her colleagues, “I have trouble understanding why we want to change our ordinance before we get the details of the project.” In years past, Commissioner Alan Maio began, if a person missed the cycle for a Comprehensive Plan amendment, the person “would have to wait a whole other year.” Past County Commission members agreed that that way of handling the amendments “put the burden on our staff of doing everything at once.” Therefore, Maio continued, the commissioners decided it would be better to allow the issues to be taken up as they were submitted, as long as staff said it could handle the work. “Maybe we need to change the process,” Detert said. “It looks like we’re constantly changing our Comprehensive Plan. But we’re really not. … I don’t see any urgency on either of these projects. I’d rather be able to vote on a project when I hear the details on what the project is, rather than vote for an amendment to our Comp Plan and then see a project.” “It’s just a matter of timing,” Deputy County Attorney Alan Roddy told her. If the petitioner was not ready to give the board all the details that day, Detert responded, “pushing [these amendments] to May shouldn’t hurt [them] at all.” “I completely understand

Old Fandango building next to Siesta Key Storage Dec. 23 2016 on Commercial General property

Commissioner Detert’s stance on this,” said Commissioner Mike Moran. Moran made motions to authorize the out-of-cycle staff work on both proposed amendments. “I just think there is going to be plenty of time for public input on this.” Maio seconded the motions, which passed 3-1. (Commissioner Charles Hines had not arrived for the meeting by that time.)

Residents’ protests

Because the agenda item regarding the amendments was for discussion only, several speakers addressed

the board during the Open to the Public period early in the meeting. The first one, Lourdes Ramirez, identified herself as president of Siesta Key Community, which has a Facebook page on island issues. Ramirez opposed Maio during the 2014 County Commission election for the District 4 seat, and she was one of only a dozen members of the public who attended the Dec. 7, 2016 neighborhood workshop held on Siesta Key regarding the proposed Comprehensive Plan amendment put forth by Siesta Acquisitions LLC. Continued on page 36

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Andrew Monroe Memorial 5k Run/Walk 252 brave runners/walkers participated in the 4th Annual Andrew Monroe Memorial 5k Run/Walk on Siesta Key beach January 8th. The temperature was a balmy 37 degrees with a wind chill of 29. The event honors a former Riverview High School soccer player Andrew Monroe, who died in a tragic 2011 car accident. Proceeds from the event provides scholarships to senior athletes at Riverview

High School as well as fund a Sarasota Community Foundation Scholarship in Monroe’s name. The overall male winner Taylor Henninge finished with a time of 18:18. The overall female Phoebee Oehmig finished with 19:58. For updates on next year’s event keep checking www.andrewmonroe.com for updates.

MEMBERSHIP MEETING NOTICE Tuesday, February 21, 2017 3:30 PM SK Chapel at 4615 Gleason

TOPICS: • Save Our Siesta Sand 2 Update • Siesta Key Sheriff ’s Office Report • Siesta Key Fire Station #13 Capability/Statistics

Main Speaker: Mike Angers

Brown & Brown Insurance Company - Current/Future Market Conditions on SK - Flood Insurance Changes - Rates/Zones - Assoc. Responsibilities vs Owner Responsibilities - Subrogation against the Association - Self-insured Retentions for Associations - Deductibles & Coverage Enhancements FOLLOWED BY QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION

From left to right: Taylor Henninge, Stacey Monroe & Phoebee Oehmig

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Siesta Drive traffic woes As one person put it during the Jan. 17 meeting of the Siesta Key Condominium Council (SKCC) at Siesta Chapel, “It is a catastrophe, and it’s just the first day.” She was referring to the closure of one lane on Siesta Drive just east of the north bridge to Siesta Key. Sarasota County Commissioner Alan Maio — the speaker for the SKCC session — told her that he was among those stopped in traffic “for a very long time” that afternoon. Finally, he said, he was able to spot the electronic sign warning drivers that work would begin that day and continue through March 1. The contractor needed to be doing a better job of alternating the traffic flow, he said, so no line grew too long. “I think they don’t want people stacked up, sitting on top of the bridge,” Maio pointed out. Other attendees talked of waiting up to an hour in their vehicles, trying to get on and off the island that day. When an audience member asked whether anyone knew exactly what was going on, Catherine

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

By Rachel Brown Hackney www.SarasotaNewsLeader.com

Luckner, vice president of the Siesta Key Association, replied that she understood the City of Sarasota was engaged in a utilities project at the same time the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) had begun a drainage project at the San Remo Terrace intersection on Siesta Drive. Construction also is underway on a new home in the same general area, she noted. In response to questions from Siesta leaders, Brian Bollas of HNTB Corporation, acting as a public information consultant for FDOT, explained in an email that City of Sarasota utility work had to be completed prior to the start of the FDOT drainage project. Michael Crumpton, engineering manager for the City of Sarasota’s Utilities Department, told SNL in a telephone interview that the city gave the contractor until the end of the afternoon on Jan. 19 to complete the relocation of several “very large” water mains and sewer force mains, plus a 2-inch force main that connects to the bridge tender house on the Siesta bridge. If the firm had not finished up the work by that time without having to keep a lane

closed, Crumpton added, the firm would have to do so at night. In that event, Crumpton continued, the contractor — Spectrum, of Sarasota — would have to provide 48 hours of advance notice regarding when any further lane closures would be in effect. The start of the FDOT project has been pushed back to Feb. 6, Bollas added in his email. The plan called for the state’s contractor to close a traffic lane only at night, between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. In a Jan. 10 email, Bollas informed Siesta leaders that the contractor for the FDOT drainage project had told him, weather permitting, “it looks like the work should go fairly quickly.” Crumpton reported to the SNL that the city had “just a few weeks” of notice about the need to go ahead and put a contractor to work on its undertaking. Crumpton said FDOT’s original timeline called for the drainage project to begin during the summer of 2015. At the latest, he continued, FDOT staff assured city staff that the starting date would be December 2015. “Things changed.

They went to a different design and construction methodology.” Robin Stublen, an FDOT spokesman in the District One office in Bartow, explained to SNL in a telephone interview that, prior to the start of any road project, a detailed process is undertaken to ensure that all utility lines in the affected area have been identified. Because of the “finding of factors we didn’t know about” in the

San Remo Terrace vicinity, he continued, the drainage project was redesigned. Many utility lines can be located in just one area, he pointed out. “We run into that all the time.” FDOT staff asked city staff to move city utilities out of the way because the lines were in conflict with the state plans for the drainage project, Stublen added.

Siesta Key Round-Up

By Rachel Brown Hackney www.SarasotaNewsLeader.com look at their situation apparently A cry for help from “fell through the cracks,” with the Sunrise Cove holiday season. By early January, Sunrise Cove residents, who live next to Turtle Beach Park on south Siesta Key, remained frustrated in early January with the Sarasota County response to complaints they had aired through emails and in person to the County Commission, one of them told SNL. However, as it turned out, a commissioner’s vow in December 2016 that staff would take another

the county’s Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department was working on solutions. On Dec. 14, 2016, Ed Schmidt said he was representing about 155 owners at the condominium complex — located at 8877 Midnight Pass Road — in appearing before the commission. Continued on page 8

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SIESTA KEY IS UNDER ATTACK

Al Maio, our district County Commissioner, has: Broken laws by voting to give our public Beach Road to private developers; supported construction and development seaward of the Gulf Beach Setback Line; and facilitated privatization of public beach land; Failed to vote for Sarasota County to join the appeal of the Big Pass Dredging Project which experts say will most likely lead to catastrophic damage to our beaches, homes, and businesses; Failed to take action to prevent the “Critical Area Plan” component of the proposed Benderson Project at Stickney Point Road and U.S. 41, that will certainly lead to more congestion, traffic-related accidents, and deaths; Voted to expedite a Comprehensive Plan change for Siesta Key that cancels our hard-fought protective measure of 26 units per acre for future hotels, but instead will quadruple the density allowed for hotels to 100 units per acre and let them soar 12 stories high!

Commissioner Al Maio, we think you’re a nice man, but we voted you into office to protect our beaches, businesses, and property values, protect the public general welfare, and to represent your district for the good of its people and its businesses.

You are failing, miserably, to meet our expectations! Shape up, Sir, or we will ship you out! Let your voice be heard February 7, 8, 15, 17 & 28 during public comment at the Board of County Commissioners Meetings starting @ 9AM. Check scgov.net for locations and Commissioners’ contact information. Email, Call, Write, Vote!

Use Your Free Speech to Keep the Beach!! “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Commissioner reaffirms commitment to protect Siesta Key from harm as Lido Renourishment Project looms

By Rachel Brown Hackney www.SarasotaNewsLeader.com Sarasota County Commissioner Alan Maio reassured about 40 people during the Jan. 17 Siesta Key Condominium Council meeting that he remains committed to protecting Siesta Key as the City of Sarasota and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) proceed with plans to dredge Big Sarasota Pass to renourish South Lido Key. Referring to the county commissioners, Maio told the audience at Siesta Chapel, “We have said from the beginning … [that] nobody means to hurt Lido, but any replenishment plan cannot come by harming Siesta.” “I said from my first day in office,” Maio continued, “‘Where the hell is Plan B?’” Regarding their proposal to remove about 1.2 million cubic yards of sand from the pass, he said, he asked city leaders, “‘How could you think anybody’s going to allow that to happen?’” His follow-up query focused on their lack of an incremental plan “to save buildings where the water was lapping at them,” he pointed out. “And I never got an answer, and our [county] staff never got an answer.” The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) issued a Notice of Intent on Dec. 22, 2016, that it plans to issue a permit to the city and the USACE to enable them to dredge the pass to renourish about 1.6 miles of South Lido Beach. Maio then referred to the fact that the commission did not vote to take any action after hearing a

Jan. 10 staff update on the issue. “We let things proceed as they’re proceeding. We’re not stupid.” Noting the administrative appeals submitted to FDEP by three nonprofit organizations, he added, “At any time, the county could join that appeal — when three of the five commissioners decide to do that, not before.” Maio also reminded the audience, “This is going to be a long process.” When the USACE originally unveiled the Lido Renourishment Project, Maio pointed out, USACE officials insisted that three groins would have to be built on South Lido to hold the sand in place between subsequent renourishments. “The pressure of citizens crying out,” he said, led the federal agency to redesign the project with two groins. “I don’t know what kind of science that is,” he added. “In a matter of weeks this all changed.”

The potential for a new hotel Maio also took questions from audience members regarding the proposed Comprehensive Plan amendment that could lead to construction of a new hotel on the island on property already zoned Commercial General. Siesta resident Lourdes Ramirez, who was one of Maio’s opponents in the 2014 County Commission race for District 4, said she wanted Maio’s view on the potential for increased density and intensity

Alan Maio on the island, if the amendment ultimately were approved. A hotel would add a burden to the island’s infrastructure, she pointed out. “You always have a good grasp of the situation,” Maio told Ramirez, “but you’re not going to back me into that corner. I will tell you what I feel when I hear what [the proponent of the amendment] is doing. … So, Lourdes, with all due respect, [I am] not answering that one … till I hear what they have.” Representatives of Dr. Gary Kompothecras, a Siesta resident best known for his “1-800-AskGary” advertising campaign for his clinics, said during a Dec. 7, 2016 workshop on the Key that their client is interested in building a boutique hotel. Ramirez noted during the Condo Council meeting that current zoning on the island allows up to 26 hotel units per acre and a height of 35 feet. In response to another question, Maio explained that in years past, April 15 was the deadline for all entities to submit proposed Comprehensive Plan amendments

to county staff. “If you didn’t [meet that deadline], tough luck”; a person would have to wait until the next year. Then commissioners agreed that the process resulted in “piling everything on staff at once,” he said, “all to be heard [by the board] in a short period of time.” Therefore, he continued, the commission changed the process so anyone could submit a proposed amendment at any time. All the Jan. 10 board vote authorized, he said, was for staff to start the process sooner on this particular amendment. Ed Kroninger, a resident of the Marina Del Sol condominium complex on Old Stickney Point Road, asked Frank Jurenka, the Condo Council president, whether that group has taken a position on the issue. “We discussed this at our last board meeting,” Jurenka replied. The decision was that “it was premature for us to do anything at this particular time.” Nonetheless, Jurenka said, the consensus was “that we would be violently against this change [in density on

the island].” “Perception means a lot,” another Marina Del Sol resident, Robert Sax, told Maio. During the Jan. 10 County Commission meeting, Sax reminded Maio, “You, sir, seconded the motion to allow this [amendment process] to move forward to the next phase.” Even though Maio had explained that the amendment could have been filed anyway in April, Sax noted, Commissioner Nancy Detert “saw fit … to cast a ‘No’ vote,” because she wanted more information on the project behind the proposed amendment. “You’re supposed to be in our corner,” Sax told Maio. “I am in your corner,” Maio replied. All he voted for, he reiterated, was to allow the process to start earlier. “It sends a signal,” Sax said. “No, it doesn’t,” Maio responded. “How Commissioner Detert votes is her business. [Three] of us felt differently.” (Commissioner Charles Hines had not arrived at the board meeting prior to that discussion.)

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After thanking the board for the recent $21.5-million renourishment of Turtle Beach, Schmidt pointed to a problem he hoped the board could resolve. The older parking lot at Turtle Beach Park “has been there for 40 years, and [the construction crew] used broken shell as a matrix over there,” he explained. Traffic has crushed that shell into a powder in the ensuing years, Schmidt continued. “And that powder blows around the property, and then when it rains, it becomes a soupy mess, and we have slip hazards on the pavement there.” Schmidt told the board that Sunrise Cove residents have complained about the situation for years “and have gotten no response.” Another resident of the complex emailed county staff about the issue, Schmidt pointed out, and the reply from staff “is totally inappropriate and an embarrassment.” Schmidt told the commissioners, “We’re asking for your help to make this an impervious driveway,” perhaps a macadam surface. He added that he is aware a retention pond would be necessary, but “I

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think there’s room to do it. I think some engineering needs to be done.” He was hopeful, he said, that the board would authorize such steps. Commissioner Alan Maio, who represents Siesta Key as part of District 4, responded that he is often on the island, so he would take a look at the parking lot within the next couple of days. “I want to see it for myself,” Maio told Schmidt. Additionally, Maio continued, he expected Deputy County Administrator Steve Botelho would ask for staff of the county’s Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department to assess the problem. “Your patience is probably, at this point, exhausted,” Maio added to Schmidt. “But just take a breath and get a little more patience.” Maio did note, “The minute we pave [the old lot], we lose parking spaces.” Nonetheless, he suggested the possibility of piping stormwater from that lot to an existing retention pond on the park site. “Will we get an answer?” Schmidt asked. “I am sure Mr. Botelho will require … direct contact with you,” Maio replied. When the SNL contacted county staff in early January to learn whether the situation had been resolved — and to request copies of any emails from Sunrise Cove residents regarding the matter — county spokesman Drew Winchester provided three sets of email exchanges. However, Winchester offered no other response except the explanation that Shawn Yeager, the Beaches & Water Access Division Manager in the Parks Department, provided a Sunrise Cove resident in an email

on Dec. 2, 2016. Yeager agreed with a point the writer had made — that the parking lot with the shell “is the only option for large vehicles to turn around …” He added that it has been used by buses and vehicles of similar size “for many years.” Yeager continued, “The increased dust is likely a result of two factors. First, we are experiencing an unusually dry autumn this year. Second, there has been an increase in the truck traffic using the parking lot due to the Turtle Beach renovation project. The good news is that both of these factors are likely temporary in nature. The construction project will soon be completed, which will reduce the traffic to its normal volume, and once we get through this dry season we anticipate the dust settling and the problem being resolved. Your concern has been reviewed by our environmental specialists and there is no indication the dust poses a health hazard but we will certainly monitor the area.” Yeager was referring to the improvements at Turtle Beach Park, which were completed recently. A new parking lot, a new playground and a kayak launch are among them. Yeager concluded his email, “I do sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you have experienced as a result of the dry weather and our construction project.” The resident who sent the original email and her husband replied to Yeager: “Sorry, but we do not think waiting for rain is a solution,” pointing out what Schmidt told the board on Dec. 14. The rain “on this surface turns the powder into a slippery slurry which encroaches on … the sidewalk & pavement,” the couple added. They asked Yeager to reassess his position on the matter. During a Jan. 4 telephone interview, Schmidt told SNL that Maio had called him on Dec. 15 to tell him that staff would take care of the situation. Schmidt heard no more until Jan. 10, he said, when he received apologetic calls from Maio and Carolyn Brown, director of the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources (PRNR) Department.

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Financial Focus Now that it’s Tax Season, you may want to pay close attention to every part of your financial picture because it’s important to understand the factors that affect your taxes. One area to be aware of is the “cost basis” of your investments. Cost basis, also known as “tax basis,” is essentially your investment in a financial asset, such as a stock. Your cost basis is generally the amount you will use to determine your taxable profit or loss when you sell the investment. Let’s look at an example. Suppose you bought 50 shares of XYZ stock for $1,000 several years ago. Now you decide to sell your shares and use the proceeds for a different investment, which you think will help further diversify your portfolio. (Keep in mind that while diversification can reduce the impact of volatility on your holdings, it can’t guarantee a profit or protect against loss.) Your shares are now worth $1,500, so you will have a $500 gain — but will you be taxed on all of it? To answer that question, you’ll

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|”Cost Basis” Can Affect Your Investment Strategy

need to review what has transpired with your investment since you bought it. You know that the value has gone up $500, but let’s also assume that, during the last few years, you received $150 in dividends and you reinvested the entire amount into your shares of XYZ stock. Your adjusted cost basis would increase to $1,150, rather than the original purchase price of $1,000. Since your sale price is $1,500, your taxable gain would actually only be $350 ($1,500 minus $1,150), rather than $500. Consequently, if you were to report your cost basis as $1,000 — your original purchase price — you’ll end up paying taxes on a bigger gain than is necessary. And we’ve just looked at one isolated example. If you were to under-report the size of your cost basis on all your investments when you sell them, you could end up paying far more in capital gains taxes than is actually necessary. Fortunately, you probably don’t have to worry about constantly calculating cost basis on your own; if you’re investing with a financial

advisor, he or she will likely provide you with statements that include these calculations. Still, your knowledge of cost basis is important. For one thing, you can choose which particular shares of an investment to sell first. In the above example, we looked at what might happen if you bought shares at one time and then sold the same shares a few years later. But if you purchase shares of the same investment at different times, you are almost certainly buying them at different prices — and these differences in price will affect your cost basis when you sell. So your decision on which shares to sell first — as expressed in different accounting methods, such as “first in, first out” (FIFO) or “last in, first out” (LIFO) — can be more, or less, beneficial to your tax situation. Your tax professional can help you make the right choices. By learning the basics of cost basis, you will become a more informed investor — and you can help potentially minimize your tax burden.

NOTICE:

Lorraine’s Island Beauty & Barber has moved

Joe St.Onge, ChFC® Financial Advisor Edward Jones Investments 5112 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key, FL 34242

(941)-346-0560 phone (941)-320-4030 mobile Joe.StOnge@edwardjones.com This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

Effective August 20, 2016, Doris Waywell Smith, owner of Lorraine’s Island Beauty & Barber shop moved to the Village. After 40+ years and thousands of customers, Waywell Smith along with Brian will be working out of Salon Capelli, located at 5057 Ocean Blvd. To make an appointment, please call Doris at 941-346-7206 or email her at Waywellsmithdoris@gmail.com

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Siesta Key Round-Up “I do appreciate both Ms. Brown and Commissioner Maio calling me back,” Schmidt said, adding that he understood how the failure of county staff to make the call earlier, as promised, could have happened. During his conversation with Brown, Schmidt said, Brown first explained that a crew would regrade the parking lot, but he told her workers do that already — every six months. Brown added that a different type of shell would be put on the surface, he added, but as of Jan. 18, he had not seen that material put down in the lot. On Jan. 11, he and Brown both confirmed to SNL, the lot was graded. “This included grading over the south apron in an effort to help clear the debris associated with the low spot in the sidewalk that collects stormwater runoff from the road, sidewalk, and parking lot.” Brown wrote SNL in an email. Sarasota County Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources (PRNR) staff visited the site on the morning of Jan. 11 “to assess the

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reported concerns,” she continued. Afterward, PRNR staff contacted the Stormwater Division of Sarasota County Public Works and asked it “to provide an additional review of the area,” she noted. Stormwater staff visited the site on Jan. 12, she continued, “to assess the sidewalk and drainage issues observed by PRNR staff.” “In an effort to help reduce airborne dust, PRNR staff and associated PRNR contractors have been asked not to use any blowers to clear sidewalks, shell, or pavilions of debris at Turtle Beach for the foreseeable future,” she also pointed out, adding, “County staff continues to work together to identify how to best resolve these concerns.” On Jan. 17, Schmidt told SNL, a crew working in the area used blowers, “creating major dust clouds” at Sunrise Cove. He sent photos to Brown, he added, and she was able to identify the county department for whom the crew members worked. PRNR staff “told them to stop that process over here.”

Schmidt remains convinced that the parking lot needs to be covered with a pervious surface, such as the type of concrete used in the new Turtle Beach parking area. That seems to be the most reliable remedy for the problems, he said, and he believes the area has sufficient space for small stormwater ponds, which would be a necessary part of such a project.

Construction update Work is proceeding “pretty smoothly” on the new Daiquiri Deck Raw Bar on Stickney Point Road, co-owner Troy Syprett told SNL. The timeline still calls for the restaurant and coffee shop to open in late March or early April, Syprett said during a Jan. 3 telephone interview. Construction began in early July 2016. The project has had “a few hiccups,” Syprett said, but “nothing major.” Mostly, Syprett pointed out, it was difficult to keep the work going at the usual pace during the holidays.

The restaurant is a joint project with the Tush family, which owns CB’s Saltwater Outfitters. The Tushes own the land and will maintain their existing retail store on the property, Syprett pointed out during a July interview. The 900-square-foot coffee shop with about 20 seats will take the place of the old car wash on the site, he added. The second floor primarily will be used for storage, including coolers and freezers, while the 152-seat restaurant on the 6,000-square-foot third floor will be cantilevered over the first two floors.

The Sandal Factory The newest store on Ocean Boulevard in Siesta Village opened in late January: The Sandal Factory, on the site of the former 7-Eleven store. Jim Syprett — who co-owns the property with Jay Lancer — told SNL on Jan. 9 that he was just in the Village that morning to check on the progress, adding that he was really pleased with how the final details were coming together. The interior

flooring was being laid that day, he noted, while a few exterior projects remained. “It has a factory look,” he explained of the store concept. Inside, “you can see the underside of the roof and the [air conditioning] duct work.” The interior also features a number of large TV screens, he said. “It should be a fun store.” Mark Smith of Smith Architects in the Village — who has worked with Syprett and Lancer on the project — explained in a separate Jan. 9 telephone interview, “The contractor’s been dong a good job.” This has been his first experience with the firm, Smith said, and it has been a positive one. County permitting records show that the general contractor is Coral Cove Construction Inc. of Sarasota. Along with a full line of shoes — not just sandals — the shop will feature some clothing, sunglasses and sunscreen. Syprett and Lancer’s most recent retail venture on Ocean Boulevard prior to this was Gidget’s Coastal Provisions, which stands next to the Daiquiri Deck. Continued on the next page

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“We’re thrilled,” Syprett added of the new Village business. “We’re glad to see them in there.” Syprett and Lancer bought the property almost exactly a year ago — on Jan. 19, 2016. The 7-Eleven store had stood in that location for about 35 years. It took a bit of time for them to decide on the type of tenant they wanted, as Syprett explained in early 2016. During the Jan. 9 telephone interview, he pointed out that The Sandal Factory has a number of other locations, all in beach communities. “They’ve been very successful.” The company’s website lists stores in Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon and Key West; the original Sandal Factory opened in 1996.

The FDOT drainage project Mark Smith, who also is chair of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce, told SNL on Jan. 9 that he felt less concern about the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) drainage project at the intersection of San Remo Terrace and Siesta Drive than he did before Christmas. After Ann Frescura, the chamber’s executive director, returned from her holiday break, Smith said, she was able to talk with FDOT representatives. They assured her he continued, that the contractor was going to try to keep lane closures to nighttime hours. Work was scheduled to start on Jan. 9. “I’m going to be optimistic,” Smith added. He did understand, he said, that FDOT needed to undertake the work during the dry months. Nonetheless, Smith pointed out, “under good conditions,” when the north drawbridge to Siesta Key opens, “traffic backs up to [U.S] 41” during tourist season. That bridge stays open 4 minutes, he added. “I’ve timed it.” If one lane of travel on Siesta Drive is closed for 15 or 20 minutes — especially during the daytime — Smith said, FDOT representatives “will hear the phone ringing off the hook.” The $200,000 project is expected to be completed this spring, FDOT noted in a flyer it distributed in December 2016.

A court date, at last The Office of the Sarasota County Attorney has won a court date on its motion to dismiss the lawsuit Siesta resident Mike Cosentino filed last June over the County Commission’s abandonment of a 357-foot segment of North Beach Road. Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Frederick Mercurio has set aside 30 minutes for a hearing at 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 13, in the Judge Lynn N. Silvertooth Judicial Center in downtown Sarasota. Although Cosentino filed his lawsuit in June 2016, it was not served on the county until Oct. 10, 2016 — almost at the end of the time period provided for that action. In the meantime, Cosentino already has had a day in court on a related matter. In September 2016, Cosentino was charged with violating the county’s ordinance that prohibits operating a motor vehicle on the beaches. A Sheriff’s Office deputy cited him for a misdemeanor on Sept. 8, 2016 after spotting Cosentino’s truck parked in the vicinity of the property Cosentino purchased last year at 10 Beach Road. The citation said the vehicle was on the segment of beach west of the intersection of North Beach Road and Avenida Messina. A document filed in the 12th Judicial Circuit Court on Jan. 5 says the case was “downfiled to a civil infraction,” and Cosentino was given 30 days to pay a fine or to contest the citation. Judge Maryann Boehm signed the form. A notation on the form indicates the State Attorney’s Office chose to amend the case. However, in a handwritten letter he filed with the court on Jan. 6, Cosentino continued to dispute the allegation that he had violated a county ordinance, and he requested a hearing to present evidence on his claims, which he had outlined in a motion to dismiss the case. He filed that on Dec. 14, 2016. Cosentino pointed out in the motion that he owns the property at 10 Beach Road and that the plat “depicts a public right-of-way of sixty (60) feet that abuts [the parcel].”

Cosentino argued that, based on the plat, his vehicle was not on land that “meets the definition of ‘beaches’ or ‘dune’ as set forth [in county ordinance].” The motion continues, “[T]here are no material facts in dispute that establish the guilt of Mr. Cosentino. As a matter of law, parking a vehicle on one’s own property cannot be criminalized without violating the takings clause of the Florida Constitution. Alternatively, even if the facts establish that Mr. Cosentino’s vehicle was parked partially on his property and in the public right-of-way, that location is not upon a beach for which criminal liability can be imposed under the Ordinance.” It further says, “An additional constitutional question is raised by the lack of any criminal intent required to violate the Ordinance” and that “the Ordinance was not intended to criminalize ingress and egress to one’s own property from the right-of-way [or] to apply to private property at all. This is best illustrated by the officer’s Incident Report in this case where, after reviewing the property boundary line on the Property Appraiser’s website, the officer stated: ‘it would be impossible to determine the exact property line without an official survey.’” Derek Byrd of the Byrd Law Firm in Sarasota filed the motion. In response to it, Assistant State Attorney Justin Foster filed a Traverse on Dec. 30, 2016, arguing that “the portion of the property where Mr. Cosentino’s vehicle was parked does meet the definition of ‘beach’ or ‘dune’ as set forth [in the county ordinance].” Foster asked the court to deny Cosentino’s motion, which was 12 pages long. In a formal response to Cosentino’s motion — also filed on Dec. 30, 2016 — Assistant County Attorney David Pearce pointed out that on Oct. 10, 1972, the County Commission originally adopted an ordinance prohibiting the operation of vehicles on the gulf beaches. Over the years, he continued, the board has amended the law to provide “limited exceptions for emergency vehicles and maintenance vehicles. Continued on page 12

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Siesta Key Round-Up Nonetheless, Pearce continued, the code defines “Beaches” as “the zone of unconsolidated material, such as sand or shell, that extends landward from the mean lowwater line to the place where there is a marked change in material, such as sand to pavement, or physiographic form, or to the line of vegetation.” He added that Cosentino “wrongly argues that the County cannot regulate activities on private property,” and that, therefore, the ordinance is unconstitutional. That response was nine pages long.

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During the Jan. 12 SKA meeting, former SKA Director Russell James, pointed out that he has been a county resident for 40 years. “I’ve seen a lot of change, obviously; some good, some bad. I used to be in the construction business, so blame me for some of it.” Then James said he believes the proposed Siesta Promenade project on the northwest corner of the U.S. 41/Stickney Point Road intersection “will have a significant impact on our Key for the rest of our lives, and I’m not a NIMBY [not-in-my-backyard advocate].” He is convinced, he continued, that the project will be akin to The Vue Sarasota Bay, the condominium complex under construction at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Gulfstream Avenue in Sarasota. “You all have probably seen how overpowering that all is,” he added, telling the audience that he expects The Vue to exacerbate the already heavy traffic congestion in that area. “And I’m afraid we’re headed down the same road [with Siesta Promenade].” He had asked to address the SKA board and the audience, James said, to seek the organization’s and the community’s engagement with the County Commission, to encourage it to purchase the Siesta Promenade site from Benderson. “This would be such a win for our community.” Already, he pointed out, people have suggested the land —the former location of a mobile home residential area — be transformed into a park, possibly with the inclusion of a transfer operation

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for shuttles to take people to and from destinations on Siesta Key. During the June 2, 2016 presentation Benderson’s director of development, Todd Mathes, made to SKA members about the plans, resident Rhana Bazzini told him she thought the property “would make a marvelous park.” “The possibilities are very appealing and certainly enhance entry to our little slice of paradise here,” James said during the Jan. 12 SKA meeting. Therefore, he continued, he wanted to formally ask the SKA to initiative a dialogue with Benderson. As for how he proposed to pay for the purchase of the land, James said. “I don’t think there’s anybody in this room or anybody on the Key that wouldn’t pay a special tax.” “We have the power and the numbers,” James added. “Just think of all the people who would support this.” When an audience member asked how much Benderson paid for the Siesta Promenade site, SKA Vice President Catherine Luckner replied that the figure was about $20 million. (Based on figures from the Sarasota County Property Appraiser’s Office, SNL calculated the total at $20,145,000.) “Benderson deserves a fair profit,” James told the SKA audience. “But they bought it as a trailer park. … That’s what it’s zoned for.” James added that the county commissioners “have the power to deny [Benderson’s proposal for the site].” Applause followed his remarks.

Debate over the potential hotel project Lively debate ensued at the Jan. 12 Siesta Key Association (SKA) meeting when a resident of the Marina Del Sol condominium complex on Old Stickney Point Road brought up the County Commission’s Jan. 10 vote to authorize staff to begin work on a proposed Comprehensive Plan Amendment that could lead to a new hotel on Siesta Key. “Are you people involved with this?” Ed Kroninger asked the SKA board members, noting that he had attended the commission meeting when the matter was discussed.

“We are following it,” SKA Director Harold Ashby replied. “We’re very much against it,” Kroninger added of the potential for a hotel on Old Stickney Point Road. The proposed Comprehensive Plan amendment involves Future Land Use Policy 2.9.1, as explained during a Dec. 7, 2016 workshop on the initiative. The new language would modify the policy to say, “The intensity and density of future development on the Barrier Islands of Sarasota shall not exceed that allowed by zoning ordinances and regulations existing as of March 13, 1989, except that with respect to i.) lands zoned CG as of that date being redeveloped to provide transient accommodations, or ii.) lands zoned [Residential Multi-Family] as of that date and consistently so thereafter, a nonconforming duplex whose density exceeds the density restrictions of the zoning regulations and restrictions may be rebuilt within the footprint of the structure, or a non-conforming multi-family structure may be demolished and a duplex rebuilt in its place within the prior footprint of the multifamily structure without violating this policy.” [The proposed new language is underlined.] Robert “Bo” Medred of Genesis Planning & Development in Sarasota and Charles D. Bailey III of the Williams Parker law firm had scheduled the December 2016 workshop to discuss the proposal on behalf of their client, Siesta Acquisitions LLC. (According to the Florida Division of Corporations website, the manager of that entity is Dr. Gary Kompothecras; he is a chiropractor best known for his “1-800-Ask-Gary” advertising for medical referrals to his chain of clinics.) “We had no idea there was a meeting,” Kroninger told the SKA board members, noting that a Siesta Sand newspaper article said few people showed up on Dec. 7, 2016. “We feel we have enough transient accommodations right now on the island,” he said. One of the Commercial General (CG) areas where a hotel potentially could be built if the amendment ultimately won county approval encompasses about 12 acres on Old Continued on the next page

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Flavors of India Sarasota: Authentic Indian Cuisine

Chicken Lollipop When asked what the three most popular dishes served at Flavors of India are, coowners Lijo Lukose and Sijilmon Thomas both smile and say all the food they serve are popular dishes. Dishes from Northern and Southern India as well as Indo-Chinese dishes are served here. Entrees like: Chicken 65, Chicken or Lamb Chetinadu, and a Fish Pollichathu dish from the mid-southern part of India. Or their chicken, garlic shrimp, and lamb chops Tandoori dishes. Vegetarian options of Paneer Kurchan, Malaikofta, and Aloo Gobi Navaratna Khuma. Can’t forget the Indo-Chinese dishes like Gobi Munchorian, Chicken Lollipop and Veg. Fried Rice. You can go to their website to view additional options and submit take-out orders as well: www.flavorsofindiaflorida.com/menu-card. Chef Lukose did confide his weakness for Chicken Lollipop, Lamb Biryani, and Chicken Tikka Masala. For those familiar with these dishes, you already know how well all the Indian spices and the addition of Chinese seasonings, for their Indo-Chinese dishes work so well together. For those not well versed in Indian cooking, you may find some of the following descriptions and facts helpful. Their Chicken Lollipop appetizer comes

Chicken Tikka Masala

Lamb Biryani

four to a dish. The drum part of the wing is deep fried then covered in a hot, sweet and sour sauce with a sprinkling of sesame seeds. It’s reminiscent of a dish you might taste at a Chinese restaurant, only better. Flavors of India serves about half a dozen Indo-Chinese dishes. These Indo-Chinese choices are the Indian adaptation of Chinese cooking and seasonings to Indian tastes. While Indian-Chinese food had a longstanding presence in Kolkata, it wasn’t until the 1980s that it took off in the entire country. It’s now India’s favorite “foreign” cuisine, second only to local food, especially among the youth. The Lamb Biryani, also known as Biriyani or Biriani, is a South Asian mixed rice dish with its origins among the Muslims of the Medieval Indian subcontinent. It is popular throughout the subcontinent and among the diaspora from the region. It is generally made with spices, rice, and meat. This version is served in a copper pot topped with naan along with a side of two condiments: pickled vegetables and a yogurt sauce called Raitha. The Chicken Tikka Masala is a dish using charcoal grilled chunks of chicken tikka (cutlet) in a spicy sauce. The sauce is usually creamy, spiced and orange-colored. The marinade used in the preparation

of chicken tikka is also sometimes called tikka; it is made from a mixture of aromatic spices and yogurt. It has been claimed to have originated in Glasgow and is among the UK’s most popular dishes, leading a government minister, Robin Cook, to claim in 2001 that it was a British national dish. Masala is a word used in South East Asia, mainly India, England and Bangladesh. When Indian people talk about cooking and they say Masala, they mean a mixture of many spices. This dish is served with a side of fluffy Basmati rice. Be sure to ask for a side of naan to soak up any remaining bits of the spicy, creamy tomato-curry sauce. The staff at Flavors of India are eager to please and enjoy sharing their culinary

heritage with each guest. They will do what they can to make sure your dining experience surpasses your expectations so you can concentrate on savoring the explosions of flavor in each bite. Luncheons are served from 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. They also offer daily buffet luncheons modestly priced at $8.99 during the week. On the weekends they offer a Maharaja Buffet for $11.99. The dinner menu starts at 3 p.m. and lasts until 10 p.m. In addition to the traditional Mango Lassi, Masala tea, and Madras coffee, beer and wine are also available for lunch and dinner. Flavors of India is located at 7119 S Tamiami Trail, Ste. E, Sarasota, FL 34231. (941) 921-9200. Hours of operation are: Mon, Wed, and Thurs - 11:30 am - 9:30 pm. Fri, Sat, Sun - 11:30 am - 10:00 pm. They are closed on Tuesdays. (Advertorial)

The staff at Flavors of India look forward to sharing their culinary heritage with you

Continued from the previous page

Stickney Point Road; it includes the site of the former Fandango Café as well as a self-storage building. Old Stickney Point Road is just two lanes, and it already is quite congested, Kroninger continued, with a new Daiquiri Deck Raw Bar restaurant and coffee shop opening later this year. (That project fronts on Stickney Point Road, though the coffee shop will have an entrance on Old Stickney Point Road.) Kroninger said he and other Marina Del Sol residents have

heard that the hotel proposal would entail a minimum of six stories at the intersection of Old Stickney Point Road and Peacock Road. “People with a lot of money can get a lot of things done,” he added. As for the site where the Fandango building stands, he continued, “That property is a piece of garbage.” Ashby then told Kroninger that the SKA board has not voted on a position on the Comprehensive

Plan amendment. SKA Director Joe Volpe noted that he was one of the few members of the public who attended the Dec. 7, 2016 workshop. He took the opportunity to invite Medred and Bailey to make a presentation to the SKA, he said, but, thus far, they have not asked to appear at one of the organization’s sessions. “How can we possibly come to an intelligent conclusion?” Volpe added, referring to the lack of details offered about the potential

hotel project. “They’re moving along on this thing,” Kroninger responded. Just that week, he said, he saw surveyors on Old Stickney Point Road. Former County Commissioner Nora Patterson — a Key resident who stepped down from the board in 2014 because of term limits — pointed out that the Comprehensive Plan, as written, was designed to prevent an increase in intensity or density on

the barrier islands. Although she was not familiar with the proposed amendment, she said, if it were not approved, a developer would have to purchase older structures and then replace them with a hotel or motel. After Kroninger pointed out that he had heard the new hotel could be as tall as 85 feet, if the amendment were approved, Siesta resident Bob Waechter replied, “There’s so much misinformation about this.” Continued on page 20

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The Greatest Generation: Through the Eyes of One Veteran By Diana Colson

Ed Brown was born in 1925 and raised in New York City. Upon graduating from Valley Forge Military Academy in 1944, he volunteered for induction into the U.S. Army and eventually was assigned to the 134th Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division in the European Theater of Operations, initially to Patton’s Third Army. Following an abbreviated basic infantry training at Camp Croft, SC, on the day after his 19th birthday, Ed was rushed to Belgium as a much-needed replacement during the Battle of the Bulge. Because of combat injuries the young PFC was awarded two Purple Heart medals. His stories from that era show his extraordinary ability to cope with difficult situations. In February, 1945, Ed’s unit was part of a major night attack in Germany’s Rhineland. The key objective facing his squad of ten men lay across a mile-wide field of snow bisected by a rushing creek. The squad had been chosen to lead the company, and was provided with a hastily improvised foot bridge consisting of a long plank lashed to two empty oil drums. Following a massive artillery barrage designed to dislodge the enemy, the squad moved out into the freezing night fully aware of its mission’s importance. However, when they arrived at their bridge site and lowered the front barrel into the water, the force of the stream tore the bridge downstream out of the hands of the GI’s, rendering it useless. Still, their mission remained. Without a command or even a word, the men marched silently forward and crossed the creek up to their chests in icy water, rifles held high. Six or seven layers of cotton and wool winter uniforms simply absorbed the water with no opportunity to dry out. Soaked to the skin and with boots full of water, the mission was accomplished. “It’s what American soldiers do,” says Ed. (The event is briefly mentioned in the U.S. Army Official History of WWII.) During the “Battle of the Ruhr Pocket”, Ed made a life-or-death

Ed Brown

decision concerning a German. On a night patrol designed to create terror in a nearby enemy unit, he stealthily moved down a street covered with window glass broken by Allied bombers. He was trying hard not to make noise, when he saw a cigarette glowing in the total darkness. When the smoker took another drag, Ed recognized the “coal scuttle” silhouette of a German helmet. He settled down into a solid firing position and took steady aim. When the German took another puff, it illuminated several red crosses on his uniform. “GI’s do not kill medics”, Ed told himself: he lowered his weapon and stole back up the hill to his patrol. From a nearby building, two stick grenades were hurled at him resulting in a minor wound. Another time, PFC Ed Brown captured three Nazi officers in the dark of night. The Americans had taken a German town that still enjoyed electricity. Blacking out the windows of a small

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house, the squad had settled in for the night. “It was my turn to guard the front door,” says Ed. “Before long, I heard the sound of marching boots approaching where I stood. Because I could hear them, I knew they had to be the enemy.” (German soldiers were issued boots with hobnails fastening the soles to the uppers, while American combat boots were made with silent, composition soles.) Ed continues: “I could not let an enemy pass my post, but if I opened fire with my sub machine gun in the dark, I might miss. In that case, the muzzle flash would surely expose me to their fire. So, I loudly commanded in their language to whomever was out there, “Halt! Ver ist das?” Fact was, Ed had never studied German. He had merely pickedup a few phrases from a book he had borrowed on the R.M.S. Queen Elizabeth while crossing the Atlantic. Meanwhile, his bold command elicited a torrent of replies— none of which he understood except for “Ja!” “Kommen sie hier” commanded the brash young American— and to his amazement, they did! He prepared to shoot, but as they neared, the door behind him opened and there stood Ed’s sergeant brandishing a lighted floor lamp which blinded the three Germans. The GI’s dragged them inside by their equipment straps, which made them furious! “We slapped their faces to show who was in charge,” Ed recalls. Later, these prisoners were to provide Continued on the next page

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crucial intelligence information during formal interrogation. By the time the war in Europe ended, Ed Brown’s unit had reached the Elbe River just 35 miles from Berlin, the closest American division to the Nazi capitol. Besides the two Purple Hearts, Ed was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, a Bronze Star and two campaign stars. Returned to the U.S., Corporal Ed Brown spent his final time in the Army as a Signal Corps photographer at Ft. Bragg, NC and Ft. Polk, LA. He went on to earn a degree in Government at William & Mary, and to have a colorful career in advertising. Ed began it with an entry-level mail room job where he surprised his employers with radio and TV copy they could actually use for Procter & Gamble, their major client. After several promotions, he worked with Mel Brooks on the “Colgate Comedy Hour’. Then he spent eight months in Hollywood representing Colgate, sponsor of “The Millionaire”, a popular TV

anthology series aired on CBS. In 1958, Ed became responsible for a group of shows: “Naked City”, ABC; “Wanted Dead or Alive”, CBS (Steve McQueen); “The Texan”, CBS (Rory Calhoun); and “Wednesday Night Fights”, ABC. When Ed played a key role in purchasing the DesiLu series, “The Texan” for Viceroy Cigarettes, Lucille Ball wanted to meet him. One of his most delightful memories is when she hosted a party in his honor in Beverly Hills attended by other celebrities as well. In 1960, when Mohammed Ali returned from the Rome Olympics with the Gold in light heavyweight boxing, he asked ten leading citizens of his home town, Louisville, for backing as a professional. They turned to Ed for advice. “What are the young man’s chances of success?”, they asked. Ed consulted the Chicago people who controlled the fight business. The answer was powerfully positive and the rest is history.

Ed’s successful advertising career extended past Hollywood and New York into Mexico and Canada. In 1962, he even seized the opportunity to establish an ad agency in Madrid, Spain, where he was also a principal in starting a large restaurant, “El Brigadier”. In addition, Ed advised the Spanish Government on standing up a second TV network as well as freeing the media from the Franco Government’s censorship. In addition to his productive career in advertising, the military remains an integral role in Ed Brown’s life. He served for 30 years in the Army Reserve and National Guard, retiring as a full colonel. Since moving to The Landings in 1989, Ed has been president of Sarasota’s Military Officers Association, U.S. Reserve Officers Association and the Humane Society of Sarasota County. Nowadays, he plays tennis regularly at the Landings Racquet Club.

The snapshot shows the 1st Platoon of C Company, 134th Infantry Regiment on March 11, 1945, the morning after a sharp fight with Nazi paratroopers to take Geldern, Germany, a key terrain feature critical to the Rhine River crossing. Hitler had ordered his troops in the vicinity to hold to the death and thus, prevent the Allies from crossing that vital barrier. The morning weather was pleasant and spring like compared to the severe winter we had just experienced. That may have prompted all the smiles you see. (That or the Lieutenant’s order to “Smile”.) The photo was taken by the 1st Platoon leader,1LT John Hein with a captured camera. He was standing on the back of a 2 1/2 ton truck as evidenced by the shadow. I believe he sent the exposed film home and his family had it processed and sent the prints back over. I can’t recall whether I was just lucky to get one or enough were made for all. After the war I had mine enlarged and carefully framed. Although we all knew each other well, I can ID only a few after all these years: Front row from left: S/Sgt Ted Blusewitz, the platoon guide; unk.: Pfc’s Ed Brown & Dick Holland, scouts. Second row: Pfc Bob Hoge, Pfc Lefty Brown, Pfc Tuck Brown; riflemen. unk. On the extreme right: Pfc Carl Giese, medic. In front of the brick wall smiling: Pfc Fred Froelich, rifleman. Upper left, in front of the jeep, smiling: the late Sgt. Chester Majewski, assistant squad leader.

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One Big Bird

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Off Key

By Robert Frederickson

|From Folding the Tents to Missing the Intent The Day the Circus Died...

Before you leave Sarasota, you must try this one at Alpine Steakhouse, as seen on the Food Network Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-In’s and Dive’s show. The TurDucKen “One Big Bird” Boneless chicken stuffed in a boneless duck stuffed in a boneless turkey with a variety of great seasonings. Alpine Steakhouse has been in business over 40 years, a “one-stop shop with an old fashioned Meat Market (with experienced butchers) and a 70 seat Steakhouse all under one roof”. Mark and son Matt Rebhan owners want to invite everyone to come and enjoy a great meal in this unique restaurant. Here is what they are saying online about the TurDucKen. Don’t be afraid to try” Traveled 2 hours to have TurDucKen. Overall, for a dish I have never had, I enjoyed it! My husband had the Reuben and thought it was very good. As for the atmosphere, it is an older mom and pop place... Don’t be afraid to give this place a shot. “TurDucKen” The smoked brisket it in the meat markets is the best east of Texas... The Prime Rib on Primed Rib Night is awesome. The Garlic bread OOOHHH, Yummmy and the TurDucKen is well let’s say Deliciously Epicurian.... “TurDucKen” DDD was right. Great dive. Fabulous food. Fun staff. The oysters Rockefeller are a must. The TurDucKen is always great.

“Very good value” Despite having spent a great deal of time in Sarasota, this was our first visit to Alpine Steakhouse, of Guy Fieri fame (the show was on his show “Diners, Drive-Inns and Dives”). We really enjoyed it. The service was prompt and very friendly. They went out of their way to accommodate the 5 year old twins that were with us. The steak was very good for the price. The same meal would have been at least twice the price at any other steakhouse. The atmosphere was fun - old-school diner with red leather booths and black and white tile floors. While we didn’t try the “TurDucKen” from Guy’s show, we did enjoy our meal and will be back. Great value for the price.

Oh by the way Alpine Steakhouse was voted best Steakhouse by Sarasota Magazine 2016! The Rebhan’s want everyone to know that they offer a complete catering service for business, holiday and events. Hours; Mon-Thu 9am-9pm Fri & Sat 9am-9:30pm Sun Closed (941) 922-3797. The restaurant is just off of Siesta Key located between the bridges at 4520 S. Tamiami Trail www.alpinesteak.com (Advertorial)

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No, it wasn’t with the announcement from Feld Entertainment last week that The Greatest Show on Earth will stage its final show in May of this year. No, that inevitable end has been in the works for years. Back in April of 2015 in this space we ran an item under the headline Unemployed Elephants. It read as follows: “A Circus without elephants? John Ringling must be spinning in his grave. But that’s the word from Feld Entertainment, owners of The Greatest Show on Earth. Apparently bowing to pressure from animal rights groups like PETA, Feld announced (in March of 2015) that the magnificent creatures will be fazed out of the Ringling shows. Can the Lions, tigers and bears (and their trainers) be far behind? Soon the gentrification of the traditional circus will be complete and we’ll be left with something entirely different... Call it “Circus Light,” or “The Formerly Greatest Show on Earth,” but for generations of circus families who have made this area their home, the news must be disheartening....” Turns out even those dire predictions were far too optimistic. By caving in to their detractors, the Ringling Bros. Circus alienated the core group that has supported it over the past 140 years, gutting its business model in an ultimately futile attempt to please those bent on its demise. Juliette Feld, chief operating officer of Feld Entertainment, admitted as much in an Associated Press story last week, saying that when the elephants left, there was a dramatic drop in ticket sales. “We know now that one of the major reasons people came to Ringling Brothers was getting to see the elephants,” adding with what is either an apocryphal realization of the magnitude of the company’s blunder, or a case of false bravado in justifying it: “We stand by that decision...We know it was the right decision. This is what the audience wanted to see and it definitely played a major role.” Which decision is she referring to? The one validated by 138 years of circus history with elephants or the decision two year ago to jettison them? The AP story as it ran in the Herald Tribune doesn’t make the context of her comments clear. But either way, the Ringling Bros. Circus will soon be gone, and with it 500 jobs, many of them held by folks with deep ties to this area. Oh, and just as importantly, many kids will never get to experience the excitement of a real circus coming to town. There’s a lesson in all of this when it comes to standing up to those who care little for you and in turn supporting those who do. It’s a lesson as old as time itself, with all the drama worthy of the center ring of a glorious three ring circus. We see it every day with players large and small, rising or falling, in sports, in our workplaces, in the arts, and most visibly today, in politics. You have to believe though that John Ringling would have trusted his instincts and avoided the trap set for his beloved circus.

fundraiser in downtown Sarasota (after an 18-year run), a new event to celebrate the city and all it represents is on the drawing board. The working name? Slumber By the Bay. It will likely start by 4:00 p.m. and be over by 4:45 p.m. so residents can catch an early bird dinner special and be home snug in their beds by 7:00 p.m.

Bumper Sticker of the Day... “Zombies Eat Brains (Don’t Worry, You’re Safe)”

The Little Airport that Couldn’t Once upon a time the excuse for flat or declining passenger counts at the grandiosely named Sarasota/ Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) was its proximity to the much larger Tampa International just 42 miles as the crow flies to the north. Okay, but if that’s the case, then why are passenger counts soaring at just about every other small to medium sized airport in the region while SRQ’s numbers are stuck in a holding pattern? Millions have been spent in recent years on runway and other infrastructure improvements, including work underway now on a new state-of-the-art air traffic control tower. Still, the latest year-over-year numbers (through November of 2016) show little in the way of a reasonable return on investment. A total of 1,190,940 passengers passed through SRQ through the 12-month period ending December 1st, 2016, versus 1,213,804 for the same period last year. In 2011, the yearly count was 1,306,464 while the region was still dealing with the impact of the Great Recession. Meantime, up the road in Pinellas County, St. PeteClearwater Airport celebrated its second consecutive record year with a tally of 1,837,035 passengers. Even upstart Punta Gorda Airport to the south in Charlotte County is going gangbusters, surpassing the 1 million-passenger mark for the first time last year. The airport wasn’t even on the air traffic radar screen a decade ago, while SRQ’s roots extend back to 1939. So clearly, these other airport management staffs are succeeding in ways SRQ and its management is not. Yet I don’t recall much in the way of media attention for this issue in the local press, while larger state and national stories take wing with an outsized proportion of

reporting resources. Which just might be part of the problem.

Do What We Say, Not What We Do... The Hollywood Glitterati talk a big game when it comes to setting a positive example for young girls by not objectifying women and thereby promoting unreasonable body image anxiety. But then along comes an event like the Golden Globes and what do you get? More cleavage than you’re likely to find anywhere this side of the San Andreas fault.

Speaking of California... Disappointment over the recent election results reportedly led to suggestions from some California activists that the state secede from the union and strike out on its own. But they might want to rethink that. Republicans would likely be among the biggest supporters of such a move. Without the state’s reliable 55 electoral votes in their column, Democrats would be hard-pressed to ever win a national election again.

Toll Scofflaw Nabbed by FHP It looked like something straight out of a James Bond flick. An FHP officer was following a car driven by Joshua West, 27, of Apopka recently as it approached a toll plaza on the 408 Expressway near Orlando. Suddenly, the officer noticed a black screen descend over the plate, obscuring it from the tag reading cameras that tally the toll charge. Shortly after clearing the toll plaza, the screen went back up. West was pulled over and the FHP officer found a small hand held device West used to control the ‘now you see it, now you don’t’ license plate curtain. So according to FHP Sgt. Kim Montes, for the price of a $1.25 toll, West now faces hefty fines and a felony charge for his efforts.

Just Following Instructions... Caught on camera and now viral, a TV news reporter was finishing up an interview with a young jogger at an event in Australia and wanted to make sure he had his facts right, so he asked the woman for her name and then asked, “could you spell first and last for me?” Her reply: “F-I-R-S-T, L-A-S-T.”

Snapshots of Island Visitors Photos by Jaye Clements - Sarasota Photography

New Event Planned for Downtown Sarasota After the forced exodus of the far too noisy and unrefined Thunder by the Bay motorcycle rally/charity

Mike, Lauren, Margo from SRQ, Susan from NY, Lindsey, Mike, Tess from SRQ, and Don & Margarete from AL

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Sheriff’s Report

FEBRUARY 2017

Dec. 20, 2016-Jan. 18, 2017

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There were a total of 22 crimes reported on the Key between 12/20/16-1/18/17 12/23/16 Grand Theft 5200 Block Ocean Blvd.

12/25/16 Burglary 1300 Block Moonmist Cl. Officers responded to a call in reference to a burglary that had occurred overnight. The incident was related to multiple similar cases on the same street within the same timeframe. Officers met with president of the community who stated he was made aware of a damaged front door in the complex. He then realized someone had forced entry overnight via the carport entrance door. He had not been in the unit to check for missing items and that the unit owner did not permanently reside there. He stated that there had been at least 5 other units in the complex that had been either burglarized or damaged overnight. All of the properties are currently unoccupied vacation rentals. In reference to this location, unknown suspects entered the victim’s garage and entered his Lexus. The victim found all of the car doors ajar after finding out about the other burglaries in the community. He did not notice anything missing from his vehicle or the garage.

12/26/17 Possession of Marijuana, Drug Paraphernalia 5100 Block Ocean Blvd. A man was arrested for the possession of Marijuana after Deputies on mounted patrol smelled the strong odor coming out of a BMW parked in the public lot. After first walking by and smelling the odor again on a second trip past, deputies made contact with the occupants of the car. When the car door opened, the deputy smelled the odor on the man and in the vehicle. The suspect denied having any drugs in his possession. The officer found a baggie in the side door pocket

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A man reported his bike stolen while he was dining at a Village restaurant. The bike was parked outside in a rack directly outside the business. He advised he had locked the wheel to the frame but not to the bars of the bike rack. The man stated he observed his bike multiple times from inside the establishment. Upon leaving, he discovered his bike, along with a credit card and driver’s license that had been on the bike, were gone. A taxi driver who frequents the area said he had been nearby and moved his vehicle in order to allow a van to pull up and park at the incident location. According to the witness, an unknown man got out of the van and began to load 5 bikes into his van. “Don’t think I’m stealing these bikes- they belong to my family,” he said to the witness. He then stated that he didn’t want his family driving them at night because they did not have reflectors. The witness ran into the suspect later and asked if he was able to fit all the bikes in his van to which the suspect replied yes and then left the area. Video footage will be obtained from nearby businesses for further inspection. The man’s bike, a Roubaix model, was valued at $3000.

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where he was sitting. A search revealed two buds in his back left pocket, as well as rolling papers on his person.

12/29/16 Grand Theft 9000 Blind Pass Rd. The Maintenance Director for a South Siesta Condominium complex reported a theft. He stated sometime during the night, unknown suspects stole various light fixtures from the grounds. He has no suspects, although earlier in the night he had encountered trespassers on the property and advised them to leave and not to use the property as a pass through to get to the beach. The items stolen included 4 star shower light fixtures ($200) and 2 high-powered output LED lights ($120).

12/30/16 Possession of a Controlled Substance W/O Prescription Public Beach

A man being transported

to jail for an unrelated crime was charged for an additional crime after he stated he wanted to bring his backpack which was located in a friend’s vehicle. After identifying the backpack as his, the officer searched through it with consent and found a small baggie containing a pill later identified as Subutex, a schedule 3 controlled substance. Due to his level of impairment, the suspect was not asked about any possible prescriptions. A close friend at the scene advised he did not have a prescription. The pill was not found in a marked or labeled bottle. Based on the friend’s statement and evidence, the man was charged with the crime.

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of a Village Bar at closing time. The man had obvious injury to his face and told the manager that several subjects had jumped him and took $400 out of his wallet. The victim fell in and out of consciousness as he described the 3-6 people he called “rednecks” to the manager. The manager recalled seeing people who fit the description in the bar earlier that night. An officer spoke with the victim who was hysterical and had trouble answering questions due to the incident and his level of intoxication. The victim, whose eye was swollen shut, was transported to the hospital. A witness stated that earlier that night, he had seen the victim being attacked and broke up the fight. When he returned to the scene after getting some help, he found the victim and the perpetrators all hugging and acting friendly and figured everything was OK.

1/13/17 Burglary-Vehicle 1200 Block Dockside Place A man reported he was contacted by mail for all residents to check their boats due to recent thefts in the area. He checked and discovered his Garmin GPS was stolen. No other items were taken. DNA swabs were taken from the 4 screws left behind and the console. The GPS was valued at $4000.

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1/7/17 Stolen Vehicle 1200 Block Sea Plume Way A man reported his Jon boat was taken from his backyard sometime between 1/4-1/6. The boat ($700) was on shore next to a canal and was flipped upside down. The man’s yard is overgrown and the boat was not visible to neighbors, who did not see anything out of the ordinary.

1/7/17 Strong Arm Robbery 5100 Block Ocean Blvd. A man entered and requested help from the night manager

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News Up & Down the Trail City Commission race underway The race for two at-large Sarasota City Commission seats is on, and it is a full house. On Jan. 13, the field of candidates for the March 14 Sarasota City Commission was finalized — with eight individuals running for two at-large seats on the board. The candidates in the citywide at-large election include one incumbent and seven other residents. The candidates are: Jennifer AhearnKoch, neighborhood leader; Fredd “Glossie” Atkins, former mayor; Hagen Brody, attorney; Susan Chapman, incumbent city commissioner; Patrick Gannon, planning board member; Martin Hyde, small business owner; Mikael Sandstrom, marketing and technology professional; Matt Sperling, retired investment banker. If two candidates do not win a majority in the March 14 election, a runoff will be held May 9.

Braves chose Sarasota as Spring home The Atlanta Braves have announced that they are exclusively negotiating with Sarasota County to be the team’s new spring training home. The new facilities would be in North Port, specifically within the planned West Villages development. Jeff Maultsby, the director of business and economic development for Sarasota County, called Jan 17 — when the exclusive negotiating period was announced — a landmark day, but stressed that the deal is not yet finalized. The planned $75 to $80 million spring training complex in the West Villages area near U.S. 41 and River Road hinges on a series of public funding commitments, including a $20 million state grant designed to help retain Major League Baseball teams’ spring training facilities in Florida. According to a press release from Sarasota County, the Atlanta Braves have announced that Sarasota County is the destination for the team’s new spring training complex, and the team is in exclusive negotiations with the county and its partners at the West Villages. If the terms of an agreement can be reached, the Braves will move their spring training operations from Central Florida to Sarasota County as soon as the 2019 spring season, said Braves Chairman and CEO Terry McGuirk, who has been leading the team’s efforts to secure a new spring training site. “We appreciate the patience of all parties during this process,” said McGuirk. “This is the perfect location for our team and we couldn’t be more excited to be part of Sarasota County and West Villages.” In March of 2016, the Board of County Commissioners authorized County Administrator Tom Harmer to negotiate with the Braves, and in June the team asked for more time to continue the discussions. “There’s still a lot of work to do to finalize the terms, agreements and approvals necessary, but this announcement is a major step forward in the efforts to bring the Braves to our area,” Harmer said. “Continuing to expand sports tourism is high on the county’s list, and the opportunity to bring a major sports anchor to the City of North Port could have a significant impact in South County.”

Venice to celebrate 90th anniversary

Tausha and Anthony from OH

City officials and historians are preparing for a year-long celebration of the city’s 90th anniversary, with walking tours, parties and a showcase exhibit at the Venice Museum & Archives. Monthly events are slated to start in February, when the Venice Museum

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By Roger Drouin

& Archives opens with a visual exhibit documenting the city’s birth and growth. James Hagler, the city’s historical resources director, is working on a pictorial history that will cover the beginning with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, the low point of the Great Depression, when the city population fell to less than 500, then the growth points with the arrival of Kentucky Military Institute, the Venice Army Air Field and the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

City approves World of Beer liquor license On Jan. 5, the Sarasota City Commission recommended approval of a new liquor license for World of Beer. The 3-2 vote capped a contentious approval project for the controversial project downtown. The state required that the restaurant and bar which opened at 1888 Main Street recently obtain a 4COP license, a process requiring city approval. The bar is located in the burgeoning entertainment area of east main street in downtown Sarasota. Seventeen months after the restaurant and bar World of Beer opened at 1888 Main St., owner Mark Broderick headed to City Hall in hopes of getting a liquor license for his business. But residents at nearby Rivo at Ringling condominiums were concerned that, if World of Beer leaves and a new business moves into the space at 1888 Main St., there will be more noise-related issues.

Sarasota County upgrades more traffic signals As part of the ongoing effort to improve traffic flow, Sarasota County will expand and upgrade the region’s advanced traffic management system to several new areas throughout the Sarasota area this year. The $2.8 million project, funded by the Florida Department of Transportation, will add three miles of fiber optic network to add 34 area intersections into the system run from the SarasotaManatee Regional Traffic Center in Manatee County. The center is the brain for the traffic signals and cameras at hundreds of intersections across both counties and in the cities of Sarasota and Bradenton. At the center, officials can time signals, monitor traffic patterns and manage communication across the entire system. The new project will be the fifth phase in Sarasota County of the effort to improve how traffic flows. Many of the signals to be added to the network during this phase will be on stretches of Lockwood Ridge, 17th Street, Proctor Road and Fruitville Road east of Interstate 75. Other stretches include Tuttle Avenue near Desoto Road, Bee Ridge Road near Interstate 75 and South Sumter Boulevard in North Port.

Visit Sarasota launches new brand “Take It Easy. No Rigid Schedule. Just enjoy the area and spend some time with the people you traveled here with.” That’s the message behind the new Visit Sarasota County brand campaign. After a year of market and third-party research, Visit Sarasota County has settled on the new brand campaign. The new marketing campaign aims to leave visitors longing for some chill time in Sarasota County, where visitors can choose to go to the beach or a museum, or they can shop St. Armands Circle. The area, announced Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota County, at a brand reveal presentation, is about taking some time to enjoy the area and family. During the rebranding process, the organization studied proven markets such as New York and Chicago to see what appealed to people there. One of the most noticeable changes to the logo

is the omission of the word “county.” Research showed that larger markets perceived the term as rural and not fitting with the overall theme of the region. When possible, the logo will appear with a list of several communities beneath it. That version features Longboat Key, St. Armands, Lido Key, Siesta Key, Casey Key, Venice, Manasota Key, Englewood and North Port.

Manatee County swears in new sheriff The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office swore in its new sheriff Jan. 2. Col. Rick Wells was sworn in at the Bradenton Area Convention Center. He has served as the second in command at the sheriff’s office since 2015 and served as the chief of police for the Palmetto Police Department from 2010 to 2015. He has more than 30 years in law enforcement. Wells replaces Sheriff Brad Steube, who retired after 10 years as Manatee County’s sheriff and a long career with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Sarasota Square mall loses Macy’s Macy’s is leaving Sarasota Square Mall, as the department store announced it is closing dozens of stores nationwide following a sluggish holiday shopping season. The store will close by the middle of the year. The department store giant announced on Wednesday that it is eliminating more than 10,000 jobs and plans to move up 68 store closures after a disappointing holiday shopping season. The company on its website listed the south Sarasota store as one of 57 “Year-end closings.” The list included four other Florida stores, at University Square in Tampa, Lakeland Square in Lakeland, and in Oviedo and West Palm Beach. The 143,000 square-foot Sarasota store opened in 1977 and employs 86 people, according to the Macy’s website. This move follows an announcement in August that the retailer expected to close 100 stores in 2017 following poor second-quarter sales. This is the second time in recent years that the department store giant has pulled a store from a Southwest Florida mall. DeSoto Square Mall lost its Macy’s in 2014 before the company opened a new store at the Mall at University Town Center. Macy’s still operates stores at Westfield Southgate and Port Charlotte Town Center. Macy’s said Wednesday said in its Jan. 4 announcement that sales at its established stores fell 2.1 percent in November and December compared to the same period last year. The company pointed to changing consumer behavior and said its performance reflects the challenges that are facing much of the retail industry. Macy’s plans to close 68 stores now, sell some of its real estate holdings, and eliminate more than 10,000 jobs. It plans to invest some of its savings in growing its digital business.

Lakewood Ranch to get new grocer Lakewood Ranch is getting a new project called The Green, a shopping plaza that will be anchored by an Earth Fare grocery store and a yet-to-be named fitness center. Tavistock Development Company’s approximately 40-acre project, which will include salons, restaurants and neighborhood uses, as well, will be located at the northeast corner of Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and State Road 70. An Earth Fare recently opened in Seminole, Florida, in September. For that opening, more than 500 people lined up early in the morning to be the first through the door.

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Lips are the portals that help us take in food, liquids and air. They are also important in communication, both verbal and non-verbal and let’s not forget they’re very important in relationships and for expressing love and affection. Lips need care especially in the heat and sunshine of our area. They tend to dry out and become cracked because they lack oil and sweat glands. They are also a clue to our overall health. d for lip health...avoid or protect against dryness Keep this in mind n. and the sun. ♥ Don’t lick them ♥ Avoid mouth breathing ♥ Stay hydrated ♥ Protect with frequent applications of thin coats of lip balm of at least SPF15. So, be good to yourself in 2014 and remember that anything that doesn’t get better in a week or so needs to be checked out..

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Connie Lewis, BS, LMT, Aesthetician and owner established Massage Experience, Siesta Key in June of 1996. She attended the Bancroft School of Massage Therapy in Worcester, Massachusetts in January of 1994, then moved to Sarasota, Florida to continue her career in massage therapy. “My personal philosophy when massaging a client for the first time, or the hundred and first time, is to let my hands ‘tell me what to do.’ After so many years of practice I have a sixth sense about pressure and what the client may need from me during the session. I listen with my hands and utilize my years of practice and personal experience to give the client the perfect session for them.”

How many times have you looked in the mirror thinking to yourself - a little nip here, maybe a tuck there would really help shave some years off of your face. But then, you think of the amount of time needed to recuperate and wonder how much pain is involved, so decide against it every time. Surely there must be a safe, non-invasive alternative? Well now there is. Massage Experience, Siesta Key is the island’s original boutique day spa and offers a wide range of massages and anti-aging facial services. Among the facial services offered at Massage Experience, Siesta Key, they are the area’s only spa providing micro-current, antiaging facial treatments. This facial therapy has been the favorite nonsurgical treatment for celebrities and royalty in Europe for years. It’s a very luxurious, pampering, results-driven facial which actually lifts, tones, and tightens the muscles of the face. This process stimulates the production of collagen and elastin. The effects are immediate and cumulative. This uplifting therapy is preventative, as well as corrective. It is a great alternative to surgery as it is non-invasive, requires no recovery time, has no risk of complications, is far less expensive, and above all gives instant results. Our Micro-current Facial Rejuvenation is a safe alternative to the more invasive treatments on the market today. The gentle and 100% non-invasive treatment works in synergy with your body’s natural energy system. It sends safe, painless impulses to the muscles in the face to relax muscles that are overly tightened and strengthen those that are under-

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Siesta Key Round-Up (He also was one of the attendees at the Dec. 7, 2016 workshop.) Adding that he lives on Peacock Road, Waechter said, “We have no idea what the height is. … They haven’t gotten that far in the plans.” It was ironic, Waechter continued, that an exception to the Comprehensive Plan had to be approved to allow the Marina Del Sol condos to be constructed. “And the neighborhood worked relentlessly to help get the Comprehensive Plan and the zoning changed so your home could be built,” he told Kroninger. “That’s because you didn’t want Bob’s Boathouse there,” Kroninger fired back, referring to a restaurant featuring live music that was the focus of numerous noise complaints before it closed. A later version of the business operated for less than a year on U.S. 41 South, on Phillippi Creek. “You’re right,” Waechter replied to Kroninger. “I don’t want another Bob’s Boathouse, another Daiquiri Deck, another Fandango’s on that site.” Then Waechter told the board members, “I’m cautioning the Siesta Key Association: Take a wait and see.” If the amendment is approved, Waechter added, and a resulting hotel proposal proves “as bad as Ed thinks, I’ll be fighting with you against it.” “This is very helpful,” Ashby said of the discussion.

The ‘no hotel’ petition Just after the news broke late last year that a proposed Comprehensive Plan amendment could lead to a new hotel on Siesta Key, Lourdes Ramirez of Siesta Key Community created an online petition drive to stop the initiative. The heading on the ipetitions webpage is “NO to Massive Mega Hotel on Siesta Key.” The page says 1,000 signatures is the goal. A “Highlight” on the site, submitted on Jan. 2, notes that the 500 mark had been reached. Among the 212 comments, one from a Sarasota resident said, “enough traffic, enough people, enough development; we don’t need more mega hotels.” Another one, posted on Jan. 3, stated, “No more greed.” Charles D. Bailey III of the Williams

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Parker law firm in Sarasota — a member of the team seeking the Comprehensive Plan amendment — emphasized to SNL at a Dec. 7, 2016 workshop that no highrise hotel was planned. Instead, he pointed out, a boutique hotel would be the goal.

Standing room only So many people showed up at the Jan. 12 Siesta Key Association meeting to hear the latest news about the Lido Renourishment Project that SKA Director Bob Miller had to go scouting for more chairs. The session was held in the Parish Hall at St. Boniface Episcopal Church, which is a fairly capacious room. Still, more people kept coming through the door, and volunteers kept setting up folding chairs until no more were to be found. When SKA Director Harold Ashby called on Miller to report on membership matters, someone responded that Miller was still out on his endeavor. Former SKA Director Russell James, who was among the attendees, joked that when he was on the board, the SKA was lucky to have 12 people in the audience, “so this is very encouraging.” In the end, only a few people remained on their feet at the rear of the room.

And speaking of SKA membership matters … Siesta Key Association (SKA) Director Joe Volpe announced during the organization’s Jan. 12 session that the SKA will hold its annual breakfast meeting at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 4, in the Community Center at St. Boniface. Each SKA member is entitled to two tickets to the event, he added; however, because of limited space, reservations are necessary. They may be made by calling 364-4880 or emailing info@ siestakeyassociation.com. In related news, after SKA Director Bob Miller returned from his search for more chairs, he explained that people who thought their membership renewals had gone through should check their credit card statements.

Unfortunately, he continued, the online renewal process has “ended up being a nightmare for us, quite frankly.” In just one day, he said, 120 renewals out of 280 transactions were rejected by credit card companies. Part of that probably was a matter of people having received new cards with the electronic chip system embedded in them, Miller added. Anyone who finds their membership did not renew automatically simply can sign up as a new member, and the SKA will make sure to correct its records so that person does not end up with double memberships, he told the audience. An email blast went out to members earlier this month, he said, to explain the situation. “You always can mail a check in,” Miller pointed out. “We’ve had a lot of calls on this already.”

No real crime trends Break-ins at a few unoccupied units on Moonmist Circle in Polynesian Gardens were reported on Dec. 24 and Dec. 25, 2016, Sgt. Jason Mruczek of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office told about 80 people at the Jan. 12 meeting of the Siesta Key Association (SKA). The Sheriff’s Office’s Forensics Unit did collect some evidence that detectives hope will help them arrest the perpetrators, Mruczek added. As for the Dec. 26, 2016 “Santa Stumble” pub crawl in Siesta Village: “There weren’t any major problems; a couple of arrests,” Mruczek added. The event went well overall, he noted, “considering how many people were out there.” The Santa Stumble was sponsored by the Siesta Key Oyster Bar, Gilligan’s Island Grill, the Daiquiri Deck and Pizza Pi. When Mruczek asked for questions during the SKA meeting, no one posed any — an uncommon occurrence of late. “I’m sure in February and March there will be more in the report,” SKA Director Harold Ashby joked, referring to the two months that traditionally are the busiest on the Key. Continued on page 32

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106-home development to be constructed in Gulf Gate

On May 5, a split 4-3 Sarasota County Planning Commission narrowly approved a controversial rezoning of the Gulf Gate golf course to clear the way for 106 new homes. More than 30 residents were signed up to speak during the to-be-heard public section of the Planning Commission meeting, and many, including the neighborhood association’s president, spoke in opposition to the project. A crowd of more than 200 opponents led by the Gulf Gate Community Association, all wearing red, filled the planning commission meeting and criticized the project as

incompatible with the existing Gulf Gate area of single-family homes. But over the following weeks, the unanticipated occurred. Planning Commission members asked representatives with the developer, Medallion Homes, to meet with members of the Gulf Gate Community Association. Richard Smith, a lawyer representing the Gulf Gate Community Association told county commissioners on July 13 that the neighborhood had earlier launched a spirited defense of a development they felt was not compatible with their neighborhood. But the two sides had reached a settlement

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amenable to both parties, Smith said. “The parties and their counsels sat down and I am pleased to report to you that a settlement has been reached,” he said. Darrell Cox, president of the Gulf Gate Community Association, which represents more than 1,500 residents, said the association had strongly opposed the project because it was an isolated development behind six gates with private streets. As outlined in previous plans, the gates would have encouraged cut-through traffic on other, existing streets, Cox told county commissioners. The compromise, however, would create a more

harmonious impact on the existing neighborhood. “This new development in the Gulf Gate community will be the only Medallion Home development in either Sarasota, or Manatee county, which does not have gates and which will allow members of the surrounding community to have free and open pedestrian and vehicular access,” Cox said. “We believe these agreements will allow this development to be part of the larger Gulf Gate community,” Cox added. The neighborhood association president also told commissioners that the neighborhood was supportive of the developer’s

Continued from cover story

additional stormwater plans that addressed concerns about stormwater runoff. Some residents, however, still voiced opposition at the July 13 County Commission meeting or said they still had unanswered questions on issues from traffic to stormwater. Like Darmon, Joan Hanna, voiced opposition. She said while the project sounds wonderful, and despite the compromise to keep the gates open, there were still too many “unanswered things.” Hanna also said she was upset when the developer installed barbed wire fencing around the property.

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Lido Renourishment Project They fought a City of Venice proposal to dredge Big Pass for a beach renourishment project. The evening before that petition was filed, the SKA directors announced during their monthly meeting that they had established the Siesta Key Environmental Defense Fund (SKEFD) as a means of raising tax-deductible contributions for their legal challenge of the proposed $19-million City of Sarasota/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) project. “The exciting thing about SKEDF,” SKA Vice President Catherine Luckner pointed out, “is that, once the Big Pass battle is won, SKEDF will forever exist to fight for the protection and preservation of Siesta Key’s environment.” Luckner also reported during the meeting that the nonprofit “has certainly been willing to share [expert testimony]” with another Siesta nonprofit opposing the dredging of the pass: Save Our Siesta Sand 2 (SOSS2). She indicated that the two groups could collaborate on such action “to save on some expenses.” SOSS2 Chair Peter van Roekens, she noted, served as an SKA director for many years. Furthermore, Robert Luckner — Catherine Luckner’s husband and a member of the SKA Environmental Committee — took the opportunity of the Jan. 12 meeting to draw attention to policies of both the City and County of Sarasota that the SKA feels can be used as the basis for legitimate challenges to the Lido Renourishment Project.

Petitions and policies With its Jan. 13 filing, the SKA joined SOSS2 and the Florida Wildlife Federation in seeking administrative hearings on FDEP’s Notice of Intent. Along with Patton — who lives on Sandy Hook Road — the residents who have joined the SKA’s challenge are William Bortz, who lives on Rockwell Lane on Siesta Key; and Michael S. Holderness, who owns property at 99 Beach Road. The Florida Wildlife Federation contends in its challenge that the

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Continued from cover story

proposed issuance of a 15-year permit for the project would be a violation of the federal Clean Water Act and that the application for the dredging does not comply with water quality standards the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved for the State of Florida. The SOSS2 petition argues, “The dredging of Big Sarasota Pass has been studied extensively,” and the only entities that agree that removing the volume of sand proposed will not result in irreparable damage are the City of Sarasota and the USACE. Peter van Roekens, chair of SOSS2, Diane Erne and Jeanne Ezcurra are individual petitioners named with SOSS2. All are Siesta Key residents. In response to a SNL question, FDEP spokeswoman Dee Ann Miller explained, “Petitions

filed with the department are first reviewed for sufficiency. If deemed sufficient, the petition is forwarded to the Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH) for a judge to be assigned. The assigned judge then sets a hearing date based on availability of the parties and his schedule.” Asked whether all the petitions would be consolidated for a hearing, Miller added, “[T]hat is something that varies from case to case and is a decision made at the discretion of the judge based on filings by the parties in the case and the unique characteristics and facts of each case.” During the Jan. 12 SKA meeting, Robert Luckner discussed Environmental Policy 4.6.1 in the county’s Comprehensive Plan, which prohibits dredging

in the Gulf of Mexico in areas under county control, “except to maintain previously dredged functional navigation channels and drainage canals.” He showed the audience a map depicting the locations proposed for removal of sand from Big Pass. Area C, he noted, is a brand new channel the federal agency proposes to dredge to a depth of 10 feet, “right through the shoal where people park boats [near the north end of Siesta Key].” County staff told SKA Director Dan Lundy that all of the borrow areas are in the city limits, Luckner continued. Referencing another slide, Luckner pointed out, “It doesn’t look to me like any of [Borrow Area] B is in the city limits.” Nonetheless, he said, it appeared that city and USACE staff had tried to make it appear

as though that is within city territory. “There are other ways to get them to tell the truth,” he said, “and sometimes lawyers are involved in this.” SKA Director Dan Lundy added that if Borrow Area B is indeed within the county’s territory, the SKA could file suit against the county, the city and FDEP over the potential for a violation of the county’s Comprehensive Plan. Yet another focus of the SKA’s research, Luckner continued, has been the city’s Comprehensive Plan policy 3.16, which prohibits the construction of groins except in the event of an emergency. The planning for the Lido project — with two groins — has been going on for years, Luckner said, “and the city has never declared an emergency.”

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VILLAGE MAP pgs 24 - 25

ACCOMMODATIONS PAGE 46

GULF GATE SHOPS pgs 28 - 29

CRESCENT BEACH MAP pg 26

LOCAL MAPS INSIDE

LIVE MUSIC PAGE 30

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Siesta Key Drum Circle Before You Leave...

If you have any non-perishable food items that have not been opened, the Siesta Key Chamber, located at 5114 Ocean Blvd, in the Village at the Davidson Plaza along with St. Michael’s Parish, located at 5394 Midnight Pass Road will gladly take these items and pass them on to the less fortunate in the Sarasota area. Chamber hours for items to be dropped off are as follows: Monday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. For instructions on after hour drop-offs, please contact the Chamber office at 941-349-3800. St. Michael’s hours for items to be dropped off are as follows: Monday – Thursday: 8 a.m. – Noon and again from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Friday: 8 a.m. – Noon.

If you are dropping off items after hours, please leave any items at the front door of the parish office. For any additional questions, please contact the office at 941-349-4174.

Every Sunday is a perfect time to come to the Key to reconnect with Mother Nature and to enjoy some wonderful entertainment. I’m talking about the Siesta Key Drum Circle that takes place each Sunday starting about an hour before sunset and lasting until about 10 p.m. The gathering meets up just south of the main pavilion - just follow your ears and watch for the swelling crowd. Please note the following rules of etiquette that need to be observed at the Drum Circle so that all can enjoy the experience: the inside of the drum circle is

for participants only, not for people standing around. Feel free to enter the circle, take a picture and dance, but always keep moving. Never play someone’s drum without getting clearance from the owner. Always ask before borrowing other people’s property, especially hula hoops. Flash photography and bright video lights are distracting, so photograph during daylight or use a night vision camera. And finally, please do not drink alcohol or smoke inside the circle and respect our beach by placing all trash in the appropriate receptacles. Photo Courtesy of David Gould.

Before you leave Sarasota, you must try this one! As seen on the Food Network Guy Fieri’s “Diner’s, Drive-In’s and Dive’s” show. The TurDucKen “One big bird” Boneless chicken stuffed in a boneless duck stuffed in a boneless turkey with a variety of great seasonings. Alpine Steakhouse just off of Siesta Key located between the bridges at 4520 S. Tamiami Trail. 941-922-3797

Lunch Turducken Sandwich $8.95 and Dinner Turducken $18.95 w/mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce

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Siesta Key location now open, Donut Experiment

Faith and Shannon treat customers to their made-to-order donuts for The Donut Experiment’s grand opening

The Siesta Key Village restaurant held its Grand Opening on January 21. History: The Donut Experiment came to life in 2012 as Anna Maria Donuts in Anna Maria, FL. The original mad scientists are the husband-and-wife team of Shawn and Cecilia Wampole. Hailing from the Philadelphia area of Pennsylvania, the couple was surprised to find that there was not a donut shop on Anna Maria Island when they vacationed there. What originally started out as a joke about opening a donut shop, eventually led to, after some number crunching and careful planning, the couple quitting their jobs, selling their house and moving to Florida. Shawn and Cecilia always liked boutiquestyle donut shops and wanted their shop to be more of an experience. So they decided to create a shop where the donuts were made right in front of the customers, and the customers were able to decide what they wanted on their donuts. Much to the couple’s surprise and pleasure, both the residents and visitors of Anna Maria Island embraced their concept and helped them to become one of the most popular restaurants on AMI.

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Map C #61

ACCOMMODATIONS Siesta Beach Resort ...................... Map-A #38A ANTIQUES Relics on the Key .............................. Map-D #9 ART GALLERY / STUDIO Calle Studios....................................... Map-B #32 The Gallery on Siesta Key.................Map-D #11 ATM / BANKS PNC ATM............................................ Map-C #61 Martin Funding.................................... Map-E #1 Sun Trust Bank & ATM....................... Map-E #4 BARS & NIGHTCLUBS Blaśe Bistro..........................................Map-A #38 Daiquiri Deck Raw Bar...............Map-B #42-43 Gilligan’s............................................ Map-B #33 Siesta Key Oyster Bar....................... Map-B #45 The Beach Club...................................Map-D #22 The Cottage......................................... Map-C #58 The Hub-Baja Grill.............................Map-D #59 COFFEE SHOPS Lelu’s Coffee Lounge....................... Map-B #31 The Local Bean.................................. Map-D #62 DRUGSTORE Davidson’s Drugs............................. Map-D #65 FASHION & ACCESSORIES Beach Bazaar’s & Swin Shack.........Map-C #28 Blvd. Beachwear................................. Map-B #30 Comfort Shoes-Birki & More........ Map-D #64 Everything But Water........................Map-D #12 Foxy Lady Fashions...........................Map-A #40 Gidget’s Coastal Provisions............ Map-B #44 Island Boutique.................................. Map-B #50 Island Cotton Company.................... Map-C #29 Island Style.......................................... Map-C #53 Lotus Boutique...................................Map-D #66 Siesta Key Mermaids...........................Map-D #9 Siesta T’s.............................................. Map-B #30 The Sandal Factory............................ Map-B #46 GAS STATION Circle K Store........................................ Map-E #6 GIFTS & SOUVENIRS Beach Bazaar......................................Map-C #28 Island Trader....................................... Map-C #51 Sea Pleasures & Treasures.................. Map-C #2 Siesta Key’psakes............................... Map-B #29 Siesta Key Outfitters........................ Map-D #11 Siesta Kids........................................... Map-B #36 HEALTH & FITNESS Indep. Lifestyle Solutions ................Map-D #10 Siesta Key Fitness............................. Map-B #73 ICE CREAM/TREATS Big Olaf Creamery............................. Map-C #52 Ciao Gelato.......................................... Map-C #50 Made in Rome Gelato........................ Map-C #53 Meany’s Mini Donuts........................ Map-C #24 SubZero Ice Cream/Yogurt..............Map-D #16 Sunni Bunni Frozen Yogurt.............. Map-C #53 The Donut Experiment......................Map-D #16 INTERNET / WiFi SERVICES Davidson Drugs............................... Map-D #65 Internet Cafe.........................................Map-D #9 Lelu Coffee Lounge.......................... Map-B #31 The Local Bean.................................. Map-D #62 JEWELRY Created Gems..................................... Map-C #51 Michael & Co. Jewelers..................... Map-B #29 Mount -N- Repair Jewelers.............. Map-D #9 LIQUOR STORES / FINE WINES Gabbiano’s Wine Club.................... Map-D #70 Gilligan’s............................................ Map-B #33 Siesta Key Wines...............................Map-C #61 Siesta Village Liquors .....................Map-C #26 The Beach Club...................................Map-D #22

The Siesta Key location is at 217 Avenida Madera next to Solorzano’s Pizzaria. The owner of the SK location is Ron Spielman.

The

How many ways can you eat a donut? Here’s just a sampling

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FEBRUARY 2017

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

NOTICE: Looking for the Village Barber? For those that have enjoyed the cuts and comradery at The Village Barber over the years, you can still continue to see Scott at his new location. In July 2015 Scott Reich announced moving out of the Village and off the Key. Reich and his stepfather Pete Sparks had been servicing patrons in the Village for the past 20 years. The Siesta Center was sold and the new ownership of the Ocean Blvd building wasn’t quite meeting up to expectations he and Sparks had of the new landlord. Sparks announced his retirement and Reich announced a move to The Shop SRQ at 6625 Gateway Ave. in Gulf Gate. You can reach Scott Reich at 941-346-0222. His hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tues – Fri, and Sat from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. www.SiestaKeyBarbershop.com

Sarasota artist, Shawn McLoughlin, stands in front of one of his paintings that adorns the walls of The Donut Experiment. This particular painting was used as a backdrop in one of the scenes for the movie: The Comedian starring Robert DiNiro and Danny DeVito.

Here’s a link to the trailer for The Comedian: http://www.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK//video/imdb/vi1211479577/

FRESH DONUTS

MADE-TO-ORDER

DONUTS

FRESH DONUTS

Welcome to The Donut Experiment®

where every donut is your creation! We start with a delicious, fresh-made cake donut and then you pick from our huge selection of icings and toppings. Yours can be as simple as plain or glazed or as crazy as key lime, maple bacon or Sriracha.

Stop by today and begin your own experiment

eir tongue-in-cheek specials changes with the tide or weather or whatever tickles their fancy

The Donut Experiment Siesta Key

217 Avenida Madera, Siesta Key, FL 34242

(941) 312-0521

thedonutexperiment.com

• segway rentals • PaDDleBOarDs • scOOter cars • kayak tOurs/rentals • Bikes • scOOters Map B #34 • Beach gear 5255 Ocean Blvd • Siesta Key Village www.robinhoodrentals.net

941-554-4242

MAILING - SHIPPING UPS store.............................................Map-A #41 US Post Office.....................................Map-D #65 MARKETS/FOOD STORES Circle K Store........................................ Map-E #6 Morton’s Siesta Market..................... Map-C #25 MASSAGE Hands of Light Massage................... Map-B #35 Massage Experience Siesta Key..... Map-D #62 Massage Therapy................................. Map-E #1 Siesta Key Massage Ctr..................... Map-D #9 MEDICAL - DENTAL Siesta Medical Center...................... Map-D #63 Siesta Key Physical Therapy.............Map-D #20 Siesta Dental...................................... Map-B #49 MISCELLANEOUS Chamber of Commerce.....................Map-D #67 Roberti Enterprises............................Map-A #39 Tarot Card Reading & Gifts.............. Map-B #50 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Edward Jones Investments............. Map-D #68 Smith Architects....................................Map-E 74 REAL ESTATE / RENTAL SERVICES Ascendia Real Estate..........................Map-D #11 Coldwell Banker Realty.....................Map-D #20 Horizon Realty................................... Map-B #34 Island Homes...................................... Map-C #51 Key Realty............................................ Map-E #5 Michael Saunders Realty................. Map-E #72 Re/Max Alliance Group...................Map-D #60 ReMax Tropical Sands.................... Map-D #67 Robasota Rentals & Real Estate.....Map-A #39 Siesta Key Realty................................ Map-D #9 Waterfront 7 Realty............................ Map-C #56 Waterside Realty................................ Map-C #29 RESTAURANTS / CAFÉS Another Broken Egg.................Map-C #54 & 55 Blasé Bistro..........................................Map-A #38 Blasé Pizza & Craft Beer.....................Map-A#37 Bonjour French Cafe.......................... Map-C #47 Café Gabbiano.................................. Map-D #71 Cevi-Chela...........................................Map-D #69 Daiquiri Deck Raw Bar...............Map-B #42-43 Eat Here Restaurant................... Map-D # 17-18 Flavio’s Brick Oven & Bar................. Map-B #29 Flavio’s Italiano Ristorante............... Map-B #30 Gilligan’s Island Bar & Grill.......... Map-B #33 Jo To’s Japanese Restaurant.............. Map-C #47 LeLu’s Coffee Bar.............................. Map-B #31 Lobster Pot..........................................Map-C #23 Napoli’s Italian Restaurant............... Map-C #53 Old Salty Dog Rest. & Pub.................. Map-E #2 Siesta Key Deli....................................Map-A #37 Siesta Key Oyster Bar....................... Map-B #45 Solorzano Bros. Pizzeria................. Map-D #15 Subway Sandwiches.......................... Map-B #30 Sun Garden Café................................Map-D #19 The Cottage......................................... Map-C #58 The Hub - Baja Grill...........................Map-D #59 Village Café....................................... Map-D #14 SPAS - HAIR & BEAUTY LaPlaya Spa......................................... Map-C #50 Salon Capelli.........................................Map-D #9 Sassy Hair Salon.................................Map-A #40 Siesta Key Nails.................................. Map-D #9 SPORTS INTEREST/RENTALS CaliFlorida........................................... Map-B #32 Robin Hood Rentals......................... Map-B #34 Siesta Village Outfitters..................... Map-C #53

Map D #64

Bringing you quality and comfort for more than 30 years!

Birkenstock & More 5128 Ocean Blvd. Siesta Village

941-346-7425 www.rickscomfortshoes.com

Map D #11

THE LOCAL BEAN • Internet Café • Coffee Shop • Tea Room 5138 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key Village

941-346-8000

WHAT BETTER WAY TO START YOUR DAY IN PARADISE?

Map D #62

Organic and Fair Trade Coffees & Teas Cold Pressed Coffee Organic Smoothies Light Lunch (Salads & Sandwiches) Breakfast Sandwiches, Bagels & Lox Local Pastries Free Snacks

Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2017

ATM & BANKS Bank of America........................................ A-3 #3 BARS & NIGHTCLUBS Capt. Curt’s Backroom Saloon................B-3 #7 Crescent Club........................................... C-3 #13 Sniki Tiki....................................................B-3 #8 DELIS / BAKERIES A Taste of Germany................................ C-3#14 Anna’s Deli & Sandwiches.................. C-3 #14 Nutritious You........................................ C-3 #14 The Beach Deli @ Crescent Beach Grocery......B-3 #1 DRUG STORES Davidson’s Drugs................................... C-3 #14 FASHION & ACCESSORIES CB’s Island Outfitters.............................. A-3 #2 CB’s Saltwater Outfitters........................ A-3 #4 Coconuts Fashion......................................B-3 #1 Coconuts / Island Colors..........................B-3 #8 Green Turtle Swimwear......................... C-3 #14

941.349.0194

CRESCENT BEACH SHOP INDEX

Key Casual Fashions............................... D-3 #17 Things You Like...................................... C-3 #14 GIFTS & SOUVENIRS Capt. Curt’s Souvenirs.............................B-3 #8 Green Turtle Shells & Gifts................. C-3 #14 The Silversmith ...................................... D-3 #17 Silver City Jewelry.................................. C-3 #14 HEALTH & BEAUTY Siesta Key Salon & Spa........................... D-3 #17 The Key Spa & Salon.............................. A-5 #12 ICE CREAM & TREATS Orange Octopus .......................................B-3 #8 INTERNET / WiFi SERVICES Davidson’s Drugs................................... C-3 #14 Mail Pack Center..................................... C-3 #14 LIQUOR STORES Crescent Beach Grocery...........................B-3 #1 Crescent Club............................................B-3 #13 Siesta Spirits............................................. C-3 #17

Siesta Key Winery and Bootlegger’s Moonshine Company.................................................... A-4 #5 MAILING & SHIPPING Mail Pack Center..................................... C-3 #14 US Post Office Sub Station..................... C-3 #14 MARKETS 7-11 Store.................................................. C-3 #16 Big Water Fish Market.......................... C-3 #17 Crescent Beach Grocery...........................B-3 #1 MISCELLANEOUS Moving & Storage....................................B-3 #10 Flowers by Fudgie................................... D-3 #17 REAL ESTATE / RENTALS Homes & Condo Rentals........................ D-3 #17 Re/Max Tropical Sands............................B-3 #1 Siesta 4-Rent............................................ C-3 #14 RESTAURANTS / CAFES A Taste of Germany................................ C-3#14

www.siestasand.net

Boatyard Waterfront Bar & Grill...............A-5 #12 Capt. Curts Crab & Oyster Bar.................B-3 #7 City Pizza Italian Restaurant................. D-3 #17 Clayton’s Siesta Grille...............................B-3 #9 Toasted Mango Cafe............................... C-3 #17 Miguel’s Restaurant................................ C-3 #17 Munchies.................................................. C-3 #17 WATER SPORTS - FISHING - RENTALS A to Z Beach & Bike Rentals.................. A-5 #12 CB’s Island Outfitters.............................. A-3 #2 CB’s Saltwater Outfitters........................ A-3 #4 Parasail Siesta............................................ A-3 #2 Siesta Key Bike & Kayak . ......................B-3 #8 Siesta Key Marina..................................... A-4 #5 Siesta Sports Rentals............................... A-3 #2 Siesta Sports Rentals............................. C-3 #14 Waves Boat & Social Club...................... A-5 #12

Big Water Fish Market................................C-3 #17

“Home of the Orange Squeeze!”

“A Tropical Department Store“

SHELL & GIFT CITY

Bathing Suits $

Siesta Key’s Most Friendly & Unique Shopping Spot! SOUTHBRIDGE MALL

OPEN 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM DAILY

IN FEATUR

Homemade Ice Cream

Map B-3#8

941-346-0202

19.95 Reg. To $49.00

SIESTA KEY

Siesta Key’s Largest Seashell & Coral Selection!

Sundaes l Shakes l Smoothies l Coffees Espresso l Cappuccinos

1220 Old Stickney Point Rd., Siesta Key In the Captain Curt’s Plaza

CRESCENT BEACH

er Sale up Ladies

THE GREEN TURTLE

GIFTS & SOUVENIRS BEACH FASHIONS BEACH SUPPLIES BEACH COVER-UPS LADIES & JUNIORS FASHIONS SUPER MEN'S LINE In South Bridge Mall

6525 Midnight Pass Road

MAP B-3#14

green TURTLE COUPON

FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE! A Free Tropical Gift! 79 c Just For Stopping In

349-4751

VALUE

With This Coupon

No Purchase Necessary

EXPIRES:7/05/2010 Expires 12/31/17

Map C-3#14 Open 7 Days 9 am-5 pm

941-346-1797

“Voted Small Business of the Year by Siesta Key Chamber”

RepaiRs, sales anD accessORies New 50cc Scooters

HOuRly • Daily • Weekly

TREK BIKES • BEACH WHEELCHAIRS • PADDLEBOARDS SCOOTERS • SCOOTER CARS • KAYAKS • KAYAK TOURS CHAIRS/UMBRELLAS • STROLLERS • SNORKELING GEAR

KAYAK TOURS ONLY 45/PERSON • BEST PRICE AROUND FREE DELIVERY AND P/U ON SIESTA KEY FOR MOST RENTALS $

6551 Midnight Pass Rd., Siesta Key, FL in Southbridge Mall • Map C-3#14

SCOOTER RENTALS f f o Half Days/Full Days/Multi Day Rentals with this Coupon EXPIRES 12/31/14 12/31/17

Bikes • Kayaks • Scooters • Kayak Tours

welcome!

Willkommen

GERMAN BAKERY & CAFE

German café offering fresh soups and sandwiches on freshly baked breads!

Rum Cakes Breakfast Lunch German Beers and Brats

941-346-1800 • www.ATasteofGermany.net 6575 Midnight Pass Rd., Siesta Key (South of Stickney Pt.)

Map C-3 #14

Map B-3#8

A Taste of Germany 6575 Midnight Pass Rd.

MAP C-3 #14

Anna’s Deli 6535 Midnight Pass Rd.

MAP C-3 #14

Big Water Fish Market 6641 Midnight Pass Road

Boatyard Waterfront Bar & Grill 1500 Stickney Point Rd.

MAP A-5 #12

CB’s Saltwater Outfitters 1249 Stickney Point Rd.

MAP A-3 #4

Coconuts Fashion MAP 1215 Old Stickney Point Rd. B-3 #1&8

Crescent Beach Grocery 1211 Old Stickney Pt. Rd.

MAP B-3 #1

Nutritious You 6583 Midnight Pass Rd.

MAP C-3 #14

Siesta 4-Rent 6555 Midnight Pass Rd.

MAP C-4 #17

MAP C-3 #14

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

FEBRUARY 2017

Snapshots of Island Visitors

Photos by Jaye Clements - Sarasota Photography

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

8 7

1. Jacob, Joshua, Kye, Lydia, Claire, Rachel, Benjamin, Emily, Hannah, and Ethon from Canada 2. Carolyn from Canada 3. Sonny and Rebecca from Orlando 4. Keegan and Gus from Canada 5. Abby age 12, Emma age 11, Katie age 9, and Matti age 10 from WI 6. Kim from SRQ, Bridgette, Brooke, and Corinne from TX 7. Nick, Charisse, and Eleanor age 10 months from Bradenton, FL 8. Amanda, Jesse, Chadwick, Lauren, and Frank from Punta Gorda, FL 9. Keelan from Ontario, Canada 10. Katie and Ryan from Port Charlotte, FL 11. Harrison, Nick, and Chris from Sarasota

Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2017

941.349.0194

www.siestasand.net

DISCOVER GULF GATE’S SHOPPING VILLAGE

GATEWAY AVENUE SHOPS G-2 THE SHOP SRQ G-3 KOEN JEWELERS G-4 SARASOTA BREWING COMPANY G-5 PRIMROSE G-6 HOUSE OF MAPS G-7 BARREL 87 SALOON G-8 THE MODERN SEWIST G-9 BOOST MOBILE G-10 KELLY’S COMPLETE PET GROOMING G-11 G.G.BARBER SHOP G-12 MOSS BROS & SONS G-15 VIZEN JAPANESE CUISINE G-16 INSIDE OUT/NUTRITION & FITNESS G-17 DOLCE ITALIA G-18 RICO’S PIZZERIA G-21 HAIR OF THE DOG SALOON G-22 CHESTER’S REEF G-23 CAR CARE CONNECTION G-24 IL PANIFICIO G-25 OFF THE HOOK G-26 ATTORNEY G-27 EVAN’S HAIR STUDIO G-28 MOMENTS IN TIME PHOTOGRAPHY G-30 ESTATE SALES OUTLET G-31 WORD OF MOUTH RESTAURANT G-32 MOLLY MALONE’S IRISH PUB G-33 SAL’S PIZZERIA & PASTA HOUSE G-34 NONTANDO GIFTS FROM AFRICA G-35 G8WAY GIFTS G-36 HOOKAH BAR G-37 BLIND DEZIGN G-38 KAZU’S 2.0 G-39 CONSIGNMENT CONNECTION G-39 JANE FIDALGO ART STUDIO (UPPER)

G-40 G-41 G-42 G-43 G-44 G-45 G-46 G-47 G-48 G-49 G-50

KIYOSHI’S SHUSI AIKO’S ALTERATIONS DETAILS SALON HEAVENLY CUPCAKES JUST A BASKET CASE THE CLEVER CUP COFFEE SHOP LUCKY LOCKS PET STUDIO SUNCOAST LASER (6518) PICCOLO’S ITALIAN MARKET & DELI GULF GATE FRAME CENTER WEST END PUB

GULF GATE DRIVE SHOPS GG-1 JIM’S SMALL BATCH BAKERY GG-3 OH MAMMA MIA’S ITALIAN GG-5 C.R.O.P. GG-6 GS DISCOUNT BEVERAGES GG-7 ORIENTAL FOOT MASSAGE & SPA GG-8 CHANCELLOR INS. & TRAVEL CTR. GG-9 FLORIST GG-10 EVOLUTION 420 GG-11 KENNETH KANDEFER CPA GG-12 SANTA MARIA REALTY GG-15 KINKY KITTY GG-16 THAI-JAPANESE RESTAURANT/SUSUHI GG-17 TASTEFULLY BRITISH GG-18 JURACI’S PLACE GG-19 VACUUM DOCTOR GG-20 TOP DOG PETS GG-21 GATEWAY MEDIA PRINT & DESIGN GG-22 CHIROPRACTOR GG-23 TASTE OF HONG KONG GG-24 TANGERINE SALON GG-25 PERSONAL TANNING GG-26 ORIENTAL FOOD & GIFTS GG-27 UPTECH COMPUTER 1

GG-28 GULF GATE MEDICAL CTR. GG-29 FASHION FOCUS HAIR ACADEMY GG-30 GROOMING LOUNGE BARBER SPA GG-31 COBBLER & CLEANER GG-32 ANN’S FRAMING GALLERY GG-33 BOHO COTTAGE MARKET GG-34 JEFFREY JEWELRY DESIGNER GG-35 GULF GATE PACK AND SHIP GG-36 HEARING AIDS GG-37 SCANDINAVIAN GIFTS GG-38 VEG VEGETARIAN & SEAFOOD GG-39 SEASCAPE AQUARIUM & PET CTR. GG-40 M’ORELLI ITALINA SHOES GG-41 SALON PLATINUM GG-42 THE WINE TO BUY.COM GG-43 GIFFORD & ASSOC GG-44 ELAINE’S FASHION NAILS GG-45 GULF GATE PHARMACY GG-46 WELDON’S JEWLRY & ANTIQUES GG-47 A TASTE OF EUROPE GOURMET SHOP GG-48 SIESTA KEY ASIAN MASSAGE GG-49 GERMAN BAKERY GG-50 COMPREHENSIVE DENTISTRY GG-51 ONE MINUTE KEY SHOP GG-52 A NU U SALON GG-53 CHOCOLATE BARK CO. GG-54 UNIFORM WORLD M-1 M-2 M-4 M-5

M-6 COWORX M-8 ROCKETMAN M-9 JAMAICAN AFFAIR M-10 HURRICANE MIKES SALOON M-11 TOMMY KNOCKERS M-12 MR. BEERY’S M-13 HAM HEAVEN & DEVIL DOGS M-14 444 RADIO M-15 EXCLUSIVELY YOURS HAIR SALON M-16 USCHI’S EUROPEAN SKIN CARE M-17 REFRESHED FURNITURE M-18 OOH-LA-LA FRENCH BAKERY M-19 ST. VINCENT DE PAUL THRIFT STORE M-20 SARASOTA KUNG FU M-21 PEARL CREAM SKIN REJUVENATION M-22 ANOTHER IMAGE HAIR SALON SUPERIOR AVENUE SHOPS S-1 MUNCHIE’S 420 CAFE S-4 KIMMIE B SALON S-6 ROYAL MAIDS (UPPER) S-7 SARASOTA MOPEDS & SCOOTERS S-9 PIEROGI INN POLISH DELI S-11 ORLANDO’S GOURMET EXPRESS S-11 CANOPY ROAD MARKET S-12 PRZYBYLA LAW, PA S-13 SARASOTA TROPHY & AWARDS S-14 5000 RECORDING STUDIO S-15 GULF GATE MOOSE LODGE S-16 TONY’S CHICAGO BEEF CO S-18 ABLE & WILLING S-19 WILD GINGER APOTHECARY

MALL DRIVE SHOPS MY WAY ALTERATIONS TURQUOISE SKY THE THIRSTY TURTLE ROBERT’S REALTY INC

S-21 S-22 S-23 S-24 S-25 S-26 S-27 S-28 S-30 S-31 S-32 S-33 S-34 S-35 S-36 S-37 S-38 S-39 S-40 S-41 S-42 S-43 S-44 S-45 S-46 S-47 S-48 S-49 S-50 S-51 S-54 S-55 S-56 S-57 S-58 S-59

WILD GINGER LIFESTYLE HIS & HERS BARE BEAUTY KAREN’S PET PALACE HOOKAH LOUNGE DOLLHOUSE BEAUTY LOUNGE STÄLLE BEAUTY BAR OPA! OPA! SCHNITZEL KITCHEN BOB’S CLEANERS MONK’S STEAMER BAR SOLORZANO’S PIZZA COIN LAUNDRY ST. BONIFACE THRIFT SHOP PRIDE OF THE SOUTH BBQ POKI JOE’S CATERING ADRIATICO TATTOO PASTA LA PIZZA, BABY! MISS JODI’S SCHOOL OF DANCE CHEFS2U RESTAURANT & CATERING FRAME IT UP GALLERY BADDA BING NIGHTCLUB & BAR FRANK BECK UPHOLSTERY PAWSH FORMS IN SCULPTURE SARASOTA CATERING CO. SUPERIOR HAIR STUDIO & SPA SARASOTA CATERING CO. CANNON’S STEAKHOUSE & TAVERN MADD HATTER STRINGER MANAGEMENT SOLORZANO’S RISTORANTE THE SUPERIOR WORD THESE QUIET SOUNDS RAMATE CONSTRUCTION CO. SHANER’S PIZZA

M-10 GULF GATE Hooters

Sun Trust

Publix

Michaels

D Beall’s Outlet

Mike’s Bud Select Brew $1.50/Pints • BEST Bloody Mary’s in Sarasota • Pool Table-

(BOX STORES AND SO MUCH MORE)

Bed Bath & Beyond

Books-AMillion

Ross

Dress for Less

Golden Tee Megatouch

FREE Pool ALL DAY

• 12 TV’s with MLB and NFL ticket sports package • All Florida lottery games • Smokers Welcome!

2639 Mall Drive

941-923-9827 Open Daily 9 AM-2:30 AM

Iberia Bank Panera Bread

猀洀漀欀攀ⴀ昀爀攀攀 ⨀ 昀爀椀攀渀搀氀礀欀渀漀眀氀攀搀最攀愀戀氀攀猀琀愀昀昀㤀㐀㄀ⴀ㌀㐀㌀ⴀ㈀㠀㔀㐀 ⨀ ㈀㘀㐀㔀洀愀氀氀搀爀椀瘀攀 ⠀最甀氀昀最愀琀攀⤀

洀爀戀攀攀爀礀猀猀爀焀⸀挀漀洀

G6 G5 G4 G3

S7 S6 S5 S4 S3 S2 S1

Gulf Gulf Gate Gate Drive Drive

•Organic, Fair Trade Coffee •Specialty Espresso Drinks •Delicious Bakery Items •Free Wiﬁ •Gifts, Jewelry and More

XNLV13200

㌀吀愀瀀猀

䄀洀攀爀椀挀愀渀䴀椀挀爀漀䈀爀攀眀猀 ☀ 匀瀀攀挀椀愀氀琀礀䤀洀瀀漀爀琀䈀攀攀爀猀

G8 G7

S29 S28 S27 S26 S25 S24 S23 S22 S21 S20 S19 S18 S17 S16 S15 S14 S13 S12 S11 S10 S9 S8

Great coffee & first class service!

6530 Gateway Ave

2176 Gulf Gate Dr | 941-388-7819 | bohocottagemarket.com

M-12

G10 G9

Gulf Gulf Gate Gate Drive Drive

GG-33 Where cottage meets tropical with a mix of hand-picked, clever gifts! Exclusive retailer of Coton Colors Happy Everything line. BEST GIFT EVER! Mention this ad & get $5 off a $25 gift purchase & Free Gift Wrapping!

G12 G11

G24

G14 G13

S30

Lo Ho ng rn

G16 G15

GG1 GG2 GG3 GG4 GG5 GG6 GG7 GG8 GG9 GG10 GG11 GG12 GG13 GG14 GG15 GG16 GG17 GG18 GG19 GG20 GG21 GG22 GG23 GG24 GG25 GG26 GG27 GG28 GG29 GG30 GG31 GG32 GG33 GG34 GG35 GG36 GG37 GG38 GG39 GG40 GG41 GG42 GG43 GG44 GG45 GG46 GG47 GG48 GG49 GG50 GG51 GG52 GG53 GG54

One mi.from Siesta South Bridge (behind Publix)

Ba Am nk o eri f ca

Sunday thru Wednesday

S59 S58 S57 S56 S55 S54 S53 S52 S51 S50 S49 S48 S47 S46 S45 S44 S43 S42 S41 S40 S39 S38 S37 S36 S35 S34 S33 S32 S31

G23 G22 G21 G20 G19 G18 G17

Superior Avenue

Marshall’s

• 9 AM - 7 PM EVERY DAY

Mall Mall Drive Drive

G50 G49 G48 G47 G46 G45 G44 G43 G42 G41 G40 G39 G38 G37 G36 G35 G34 G33 G32 G31 G30 G29 G28 G27 G26 G25

Gateway Avenue

All packaged liquor sold until 2 AM

Open Daily from 9 AM ‘til 2:30 AM

Stein Mart

M22 M21 M20 M19 M18 M17 M16 M15 M14 M13 M12 M11 M10 M9 M8

M5 M4 M3 M2 M1

S-19/21

941-806-5909

G-45

theclevercup.com

NATURAL + ORGANIC PRODUCTS HEALTH + WELLNESS CLASSES YOGA + MOVEMENT STUDIO

6557 SUPERIOR AVENUE • SARASOTA, FL • 34231

941.312.5630 • WILDGINGERAPOTHECARY.COM

S-57

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

FEBRUARY 2017

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

DISCOVER GULF GATE’S SHOPPING VILLAGE Wild Ginger Apothecary

The Clever Cup

These Quiet Sounds

Sarasota Pavilion is a popular shopping destination for numerous locals and visitors alike. Its prime location is close enough to the island for frequent trips with a nice selection of chain stores set in one convenient location. But what truly lends to the uniqueness of this district is the host of small, locally owned, specialty shops, boutiques, restaurants and neighborhood bars bordering this pavilion. It makes for a fun and rewarding shopping experience. Over 150 businesses make up this district. This section helps highlight what you’ll find within this walkable Gulf Gate shopping Village. With our map, located on the previous page, you’ll be able to navigate your way to our featured shops with ease. Oh Mamma Mia! (GG-4) Offers a truly unique dining experience with dinner shows by Chef Giuseppe Urbano. Enjoy the family ambiance as you watch him prepare an authentic Italian regional dish with fresh ingredients just for you. Fine dining, great atmosphere at casual dining prices. Reservations highly recommended. Chef Urbano is offering an early dinner special from 3:30 – 5:30 pm. Buy one entrée and receive the second entrée of equal or lesser value for half the price. Piccolos Italian Market & Deli (G-47) carries a full line of imported cheeses, fresh baked

G-4

bread daily, homemade sausages, fresh mozzarella, and numerous hard to get items. They now carry Khorasan Wheat which is an ancient and organic grain. Their deli is complete with huge hot and cold sandwiches, salads, fresh homemade lasagna and baked ziti. And, you cannot leave without trying their cannoli filled with their own homemade cannoli cream or the tiramisu or Sfogliatelle from Brooklyn. Here is where you will find great Italian specialty gourmet items without the gourmet price. Tony’s Chicago Beef Company (S-16) is owned and operated by true Chicagoans. Dedicated to deliver Chicago’s best food Chicago style Hot Dogs wit’ the works... Dragged through the garden on poppy seed buns with fresh cut fries, Italian Beef Sandwiches anyway you like, dipped or dry, sweet or hot. All served in true Authentic Chicago Style. Sarasota Brewing Co. (G-4) Sarasota’s first micro brew pub always has something new to offer. From over 20 seasonal beers that rotate throughout the year, the Brewing Company always has at least five unique brews online as well as several favorites from around the world. Established in 1989, Their menu has been a winner in the Reader’s Choice Awards of the Sarasota Herald Tribune featuring their mouth watering

The smoked chicken wings are unbelievable. Backed up with the pulled pork sandwiches, the smoked bologna, the smoked Turkey, the collard greens, fried corn on the cob, fried okra, fried green tomatoes and one of the best mac ‘n cheese you ever tasted. We do catering with no limit to the size of the group. Come in and follow your nose to 6616 Superior Ave, Sarasota, FL 34231. Call (941)9260099. See you soon.

Boho Cottage Market

Mr. Beery’s

burgers, Chicago style Pizzas, and Chicago beef sandwiches. With dozens of televisions, it’s a great place to catch a game with friends and family. West End Pub (G-49) Where else can you watch your favorite game with a great selection of beers, wines and liquors served by a friendly staff AND where you’re allowed to bring your own restaurant or deli food? Right here. Hurricane Mike’s Saloon (M-10) is a little neighborhood bar at 2639 Mall Drive, where everyone knows your name type of establishment and friendly staff. TV’s with the MLB and NFL packages, pool table, and full Florida Lottery games. Happy hour daily from opening to 7pm. Hours: Mon – Sat, 8am – 2:30am and Sun., noon – 2:30am. The Shop SRQ (G-2) offers flat-tops, fades, tapers, blowouts, razor cuts, and straight razor shaves. Owners, Erick and Dawn use a back to basics approach to grooming with a precise attention to personal detail. Their commitment to excellence has provided them with many loyal customers. They welcome the opportunity to earn your trust. Hours: Tues. – Fri. 8:30am – 6pm, Sat., 8:30am – 3pm. Closed on Sundays and Mondays. 6625 Gateway Ave, 941-626-4894. At the original Word of Mouth Restaurant (G-31), every seemingly insignificant detail receives special

attention from the warm, inviting decor to each specially crafted variety of freshly baked muffins to the signature menu items. This small diner is where the locals come to eat breakfast and lunch. Each staff member works hard to make sure you receive the best service and quality food so you’ll want to return often. Take a look at their mouth-watering menu at www.originalwordofmouth.com. Hours: Mon-Sun.: 8AM-2PM. 6604 Gateway Ave., Sarasota, 34231, 941-925-2400. Pride of the South (S-34) has been awarded Top Barbeque in Sarasota for 2016 by Trip Advisor and Yelp. It has been awarded for the best Southern Hospitality. Pride of the South has a brisket BLT, hands down, one of the best sandwiches you ever tasted.

SRQ

G-31

Eat Where The Locals Eat! Original Word of Mouth 6604 Gateway Ave. Sarasota, FL 34231

941-925-2400

HOURS: Monday - Sunday 8:00AM to 2PM www.originalwordofmouth.com

THESHOPSRQINC.

G-2

Flat-Tops, Fades, Tapers, Blowouts and Razor Cuts

“Straight Razor Shaves”

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Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2017

941.349.0194

Who’s Playing Tonight

www.siestasand.net

By Mike Sales

|An interview with Ben Hammond The April 2013 edition of the Siesta Sand Newspaper launched the “Who’s Playing Tonight” article and featured singer, songwriter; Ben Hammond. In that time I’ve had the privilege of interviewing, and getting to know dozens of local area musicians and their music. Don’t tell anyone you saw a songwriter use a cliché, but seriously, it doesn’t seem like that long! Thankfully, there’s no shortage of Siesta Key artists to interview, but I like to step a bit outside the format each February to kick off the season. This time I followed up with Ben Hammond, now living in Denver, Colorado… WPT: I guess the first question is; how did you wind up in Denver? Ben: Every year, especially during the summer when tourism drops off in Florida, I travel. I thought it might be fun to try something different for a change and since I grew up in Maine, where there are different seasons, mountains and skiing, Colorado, which also has a vibrant music scene, seemed like a good place to go. WPT: When did you move there? Ben: We arrived in June of last year, after traveling across South East Asia for about 9 months. WPT: What was Asia like? Ben: It was a great experience; we backpacked, hitchhiked and rode busses…we stayed in hostels and visited friends. We saw Bali, Nepal, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. I brought my guitar, so I got to play some gigs along the way. WPT: How well are you acclimating to gigs in Colorado? Ben: I’m doing pretty well. I’ve

CLUB

BLASE CAFÉ

Speakeasy on the island. It was pretty instrumental in me getting into the scene and led to my first gigs on Siesta Key. Over the years, we wound up playing in bands together and he would drop in at SKOB, when I was hosting the open mic night. That’s probably where I first heard the song. It’s called, “Gone”. I loved the song and started covering it, because it fit so well with everything else I was doing…people started requesting me to play it. It also wound up on being a regular part of the set list when John Patti and I played together, because it worked really well with the steel pans. The recording session came about as a result of a couple people I met playing a breast cancer research fundraiser hosted by Peter Gatti of the Tampa based internet radio station Rock it Man Radio. I was given some recording time at their recording facility, Studio G as a thank you. I’d already recorded all of my own originals to date, so John and I used the opportunity to record “Gone.” Matt had recorded it with a full band, but we did a stripped down version, with acoustic guitar, steel pan, hand-percussion and upright bass. WPT: What are your plans for the release? Ben: We’re going to shoot a video. We’ve got Joey Durango lined up to direct and shoot it for us in March. We’re pretty excited to be working with him again. His credits include working with one of the first groups to gain popularity on YouTube; Boyce Avenue. They are a Gulf Coast based trio who became known for doing acoustic covers

Ben Hammond - photo by Ulises Piedra and have grown to over 9 million subscribers, regularly getting 10’s of millions of views of their videos. They’re internationally known and they tour the world playing stadium shows, but stay pretty well under the radar locally. Their popularity has also enabled them to afford better equipment and production, and Joey Durango is one of the filmmakers they use on their videos. WPT: How did you meet them? Ben: They’ve started working with other artists. One of the group members, Fabian Manzano, owns a design studio in Gulf Gate, called “These Quiet Sounds”. He brings unknown artists into the shop to shoot a live set, usually one cover and one original song, which he edits and posts on his page to showcase them to their huge audience. It’s just super generous and that’s how we met Joey Durango, too. He shot our cover of Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk, for a “Live at the Shop” video. WPT: It’s great to see that you’re managing to keep yourself plugged into the Siesta Key area while expanding across the country. Ben: It really all comes down to the people who enjoy music. They come out to hear you play, looking for you to provide them

with entertainment, but it’s been my experience that when a connection is made, they also care about you and like to participate in growing your career…that’s really what makes it possible and worth it. WPT: Where can people go to hear Gone? Ben: We’re going to start off with a digital release and time it with the release of the video, but readers can go to my website and get a free download, if they want to hear it first. For more info about Ben Hammond and to be the first to hear, “Gone”, log onto benhammondmusic.com. Siesta Key Oyster Bar (SKOB) features live music daily and is located at 5238 Ocean Blvd in the Village. The Beach Club features live music nightly and located at 5151 Ocean Blvd in Village. You can find out why over 9 million subscribers love Boyce Avenue, by logging onto their YouTube page. Mike Sales is a local singer/ songwriter. For more info log onto mikesalessings.com

LIVE MUSIC SCHEDULE MONDAY

In the Village 941‐349‐9822

DAIQUIRI DECK RAW BAR In the Village 941‐349‐8697 GILLIGANS

been playing a lot, usually within an hour or two of Denver. I’ve been booking gigs mainly in the ski resort areas like Vail and Breckenridge. It’s a party every single night, because there are tons of people staying in the condos, during ski season and it’s busy all year around because they go hiking in the summertime. The main difference between here and Siesta Key is that Denver venues don’t book weekly, they book “one-offs” and if they really like you, they have you back monthly. WPT: How often do you get back to the Siesta Key area? Ben: I have a solid base in Florida, with family and some strong professional connections, so I come back throughout the year for “working vacations”, and play private parties, house concerts and weddings. I’ve been playing a lot with John Patti (Who’s Playing Tonight - August 2015). We played a couple of shows at Margaritaville in Hollywood, Florida, with Nadirah Shakoor, who’s been singing in Jimmy Buffett’s “Coral Reefers” band for years. She’s absolutely phenomenal. John played steel pan and percussion and I played guitar and bass. I’m also working on the upcoming release of an original song written by Matt Gerhardt (Who’s Playing Tonight – March 2014) WPT: How did that project come about? Ben: Matt and I have been friends for a while. He plays solo as well as with a band, writes and records. He would get me up to sing harmonies or play guitar when he was playing at The Beach Club and the old

TUESDAY

Live Music 6‐10pm

WEDNESDAY Live Music 6‐10pm

THURSDAY Live Music 6‐10pm

LIVE MUSIC (3‐7pm) DJ TJ (10pm)

Live Music 6‐10pm LIVE MUSIC (3‐7pm) DJ Crawford (10pm) Acoustic Pete 1‐5pm Live Music 6‐10pm DJ 10pm – 2am Eddie James Jazz Band 6‐10pm Dana & Co 2‐6pm Mike Tozier 8pm – 12am Live Band 8 –11pm DJ 11pm‐2am

SUNDAY Live Music 6 ‐10pm BREE (3‐7pm)

RPM 6‐10pm

Patrick 6‐10pm DJ 10pm – 2am

Al Donadi 7‐11pm

Open mic night 7‐11pm

Kettle of Fish 7‐11pm

Baby 9pm‐midnight

DJ Coz or Kensi 10pm – 2am

DJ Coz 9pm‐2am

THE COTTAGE

Live Music 6‐9pm

Live Music 7‐10pm

Live Music 6‐9pm

THE HUB‐BAJA GRILL

Live Music Noon – 3pm 3:30 – 6:30pm 7‐10pm

Live Music Noon – 3 3:30 – 6:30pm 7‐10pm

Live Music 1 – 4pm 4:30 – 7:30pm 8:30 –midnight

Live Music 1‐4pm 4:30 – 7:30pm 8:30 ‐ midnight

Live Music Noon – 3 3:30 – 6:30pm 7‐10pm

Karaoke 9pm – 1am

Matt Gerhardt (3) Chris Otto (10 & 24) Jordy Chirsto (17) 6‐10pm

Jordy Christo (11 & 25) Chris Otto (18) 6‐10pm

Nick LeValley (5 & 19) 6‐10pm

Lelu’s Coffee Lounge In the Village 941‐346‐5358

SIESTA KEY OYSTER BAR (SKOB) In the Village 941‐346‐5443 THE BEACH CLUB In the Village 941‐349‐6311 In the Village 941‐312‐9300

In the Village 941‐349‐6800

BACKROOM SALOON @ CAPT. CURTS Crescent Beach Shops

941‐349‐3885 SNIKI TIKI @ CAPT CURTS

Crescent Beach Shops

941‐349‐3885 Turtle Beach Grill Southern end of SK 941‐349‐3839

BOATYARD BAR & GRILL Over the South Bridge

941‐921‐6200

SAND DOLLAR POOL BAR @ Best Western Plus 6600 S. Tamiami Trl.

Chris Otto (6) Nick LeValley (20 & 27) 6‐10pm

Sunny Jim 6‐10pm

Paul Duffy 6‐10pm

Karaoke 9pm ‐1am Chris Otto 6‐10pm

Whiteleather 2‐6pm LIVE BAND 8pm – 12am Live Band 8 – 11pm DJ 11‐2am

TBA – 10am Tozier – 2pm Chris Otto ‐ 7pm Democracy (Reggae) 10pm‐2am

LIVE MUSIC 3‐6pm

Sandy Grecco Acoustic (5‐8PM)

Bob Gates Jazz Band (5‐8PM)

RPM 5‐8PM

Andres Collin 5‐9pm

Larry Williams & Chris Otto 5‐9pm

(Reggae Music)

Live Music 3‐6PM

Live Music 3‐7pm

Live Jazz 7‐10PM

941‐924‐4900

941‐966‐1901 FANDANGO 1812 s. Osprey Ave, 941‐954‐5400

Road Block 2‐6pm Live Music 6‐10pm DJ 10pm – 2am

CASEY KEY FISH HOUSE 801 Blackburn Pt. Rd, Osprey

Live Music 6‐10pm DJ 10pm – 2am

SATURDAY

Rodney Shenk 6‐10pm

In the Village 941‐346‐8122

RPM 6‐10pm DJ 10pm – 2am Acoustic Open Mic w/ Nally & Egglefield 6‐10pm Berry Oakley’s Skylab 7‐11pm

FRIDAY

Live Music (6‐10pm)

Live Music 4‐8pm

Live Jazz 7‐10PM

Above information is subject to change. We suggest calling venues for confirmation.

Democracy 4‐8pm

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

FEBRUARY 2017

Island Humor [ The principal had a problem with some girls who were starting to use lipstick. When applying it in the bathroom they would blot their lips on the mirrors, leaving lip prints. Before it got out of hand, he thought of a way to stop it. One day he gathered together all the girls who wore lipstick. He then took them into the bathroom and lectured about how hard it was to clean the lipstick off the mirrors. The principal then asked the custodian, who was present, to demontrate. The custodian took a long handled brush, dipped it into the toilet and vigorously rubbed the lipstick off the mirror. From that day forward, the mirrors stayed lipstick free. [ The minister was preoccupied with thoughts of how he was going to ask the congregation to come up with more money than they were expecting for repairs to the church building. Therefore, he was annoyed to find that the regular organist was sick and a substitute had been

brought in at the last minute. The substitute wanted to know what to play. “Here’s a copy of the service,” he said impatiently. “But you’ll have to think of something to play after I make the announcement about the finances.” During the service, the minister paused and said, “Brothers and Sisters, we are in great difficulty; the roof repairs cost twice as much as we expected, and we need $4,000 more. Any of you who can pledge $100 or more, please stand up.” At that moment, the substitute organist played “The Star-Spangled Banner.” And that is how the substitute organist became the permanent organist. [ John invited his mother over for dinner. During the meal, his mother couldn’t help noticing how beautiful John’s roommate was. She had long been suspicious of a relationship between John and his roommate and this only made her more curious. Over the course of the evening, while watching the two interact, she started to wonder

if there was more between John and the roommate than met the eye. Reading his mom’s thoughts, John volunteered, “I know what you must be thinking, but I assure you, Julie and I are just roommates.” About a week later, Julie came to John and said, “Ever since your mother came to dinner, I’ve been unable to find the beautiful silver gravy ladle. “You don’t suppose she took it, do you?” Julie asked, “Well, I doubt it, but I’ll write her a letter just to be sure.” So he sat down and wrote: “Dear Mother, I’m not saying you ‘did’ take a gravy ladle from my house, and I’m not saying you ‘did not’ take a gravy ladle. But the fact remains that one has been missing ever since you were here for dinner.” Several days later, John received a letter from his mother which read: “Dear Son, I’m not saying that you ‘do’ sleep with Julie, and I’m not saying that you ‘do not’ sleep with Julie. But the fact remains that if she was sleeping in her own bed, she would have found the gravy ladle by now. Love, Mom”

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Hometown: Sarasota, Florida Q: How long have you been bartending? A: I’ve been a bartender for 11 fun years! Q: What was the strangest or funniest thing you experienced at work? A: Okay, just a few months ago someone got sick in our single service restroom…long story short, I paid one of our regular customers to clean up the mess!! I just couldn’t… Q: What do you do in your spare time? A: I enjoy long walks on the beach…LOL, not really! But, I DO love to be outdoors! Camping, hiking, kayaking, golfing, sunbathing, and hanging out with Charlie, my wet nose bestie. Q: How would you describe yourself? A: Well…I’m a lot of fun, I hate drama I enjoy the simple pleasures in life.

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Karaoke Thursday, Friday & Saturday

Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2017

Arts on the Horizon

Spoiler Alert - NOT! Reviews of movies and plays often tell you not only that there is a butler in a production, but that “the butler did it”. I always think that that approach spoils the fun a bit for potential attendees. I do want to know the name of the director and those of the actors, if they perform well, if things are realistic, and the amount of gratuitous violence. With that knowledge (and a bit more) I can make a decision on whether to attend or not. There is an upcoming six month long exhibition at Selby Gardens, opening February 12th, that is going to be a knock-your-socks-off kind of art-flower-music pleasing showing of flowers, stained glass, flowers, paintings, flowers, dance, music, flowers, ballet and theater. Oh, and did I mention “flowers”? All of this ART will be part of an exhibition entitled Marc Chagall, Flowers, and the French Riviera: The Color of Dreams. Central to the show is Chagall’s 1937 painting The Lovers, on loan from the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. There will also be

During the Jan. 10 County Commission meeting, Siesta resident Mike Cosentino complained that a county Code Enforcement officer had threatened island businesses with fines if they did not remove signs supporting his effort to overturn the commission’s May 11, 2016 vote to abandon a 357-foot-long segment of North Beach Road. When SNL inquired about that Code Enforcement action, county spokesman Drew Winchester replied on Jan. 11 that Officer Susan Stahley, who works on Siesta Key, had provided details of Florida Statute 162 to businesses with those signs. Section 162.06 says that if a violation of a local government code is found, “the inspector shall notify the violator and give him or hear a reasonable time to correct the violation. Should the violation continue beyond the time specified for correction, the code inspector shall notify an enforcement board and request a hearing.” In Sarasota County, violations are heard by a Special Magistrate. The ordinance also explains that if an inspector notifies an enforcement board that a violation has not been corrected by the set time — or if a repeat violation has occurred — the enforcement board “may order the violator to pay a

www.siestasand.net

By Rodger Skidmore

two other Chagall paintings which have never been exhibited before. In doing research on this exhibition I came across images of those two paintings which I could show here. But they would be less than one 100th of the size of the actual paintings, the colors would be off, there would be no depth to the images and they would not be set amongst the gorgeous flowering plants at Selby Gardens. Instead, here is a photo of a stained-glass image of flowers made from a Chagall painting. There will be many such pieces surrounded by flowers throughout a glass conservatory during the exhibition. To make the Selby more like the French Riviera, where Chagall spent much time painting, they will enhance the 15 acre gardens with extra bougainvillea, citrus trees and orchids. Walking around the Selby in the sunlight will accentuate the brilliant colors of the paintings, stained-glass and flowering plants, but on certain nights there will be a brilliance of another kind. Alumni from the Youth Orchestra of the Perlman Music Program will be performing in the gardens the evening of February 15th, using violins that are part of a separate traveling exhibition, the Violins of Hope, On March 9th, in the Selby Café (now Michael’s on the Bay at Selby Gardens), the Sarasota Opera will perform. In the 1940s and 50s Chagall designed costumes for a number of ballets, so it is fitting that on April 5th the Sarasota Ballet will be providing the entertainment for a special evening. Following the ballet will be two weeks (April 11 - 29) of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The Selby Gardens will be the perfect setting for this Asolo Rep Conservatory production. The Perlman players return on May 17th and on June 14th there will

Siesta Key Round-Up Reopen Beach Road signs

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be a performance that is part of the Sarasota Music Festival. These evening performances, from 6 - 9 PM, are all part of Chagall Nights - prices include the performance, a cocktail, hors d’oeuvres and a nighttime tour of the exhibition. Lots more information on Chagall lectures as well at Selby.com.

The G-Word

Florida Studio Theatre’s Stage III has been known as the spot for edgy dramatics. Over the years they have presented, among others, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”, Albee’s “The Goat, or Who is Sylvia”, and “The Lieutenant of Inishmore”. This year edginess is back in with the G-Words “Gidion’s Knot” and “Grounded”. A Gordian knot is one where the ends are tucked inside so that one does not know how it may be untied. Alexander the Great, when presented with this puzzle, solved it by slicing the knot in two with his sword. A rather dramatic approach but one which, for him, got to the heart of the matter. Gidion’s knot is just as dramatic as the Gordian one, and is as tightly woven. But like the judgement of Solomon, cutting the problem in half is not the solution, it is the picking and prodding which unravels this dispute. A parent/teacher conference is the venue where a mother and a teacher discuss the suicide of a student, the mother’s

son: Was he victim or bully and who was responsible? Unlike the Gordian knot and the judgement of Solomon, these are not allegorical tales from mythic times, but today’s real problems which, here, are parsed the way sentences in English class no longer are. To quote DCTheatreScene, “Gidion’s Knot is as sad as life itself, and as funny and startling as well...a beautiful, disturbing story.” Johnna Adams’s play is presented at FST’s Bowne’s Lab Theatre (Cocoanut and First Street) from February 15th - March 3rd. For dates and times please go to FloridaStudioTheatre.org to see more about the 12 shows that the FST theaters have left this season. Information will also be available there about Grounded (March 22 - April 7). Like the Gidion play, this is also about a knotty problem. A highly skilled Air Force fighter pilot is transferred to duty as a drone operator in the desert on the outskirts of Las Vegas. George Brant’s play is not just about the boundaries between the pilot’s old and new life or of the desert in which she lives and the one in which she hunts, but about how women’s roles play out in the military and in a family situation. It appears that such boundaries know no bounds.

Regional Identity The southwest had the Tijuana Brass, up north there is the Canadian Brass and here on the Gulf Coast there is the First Brass of Sarasota. This summer (yes, as of this writing, February seems like it may be the first month of summer) The First Brass Five, along with noted vocalist Sharon Scott, will be celebrating Mardi

Gras at two local venues. They will be appearing at St. Paul Lutheran Church (2256 Bahia Vista St.) on February 19th and at St. James Methodist Church (2049 N. Honoré Ave.) on February 26th. Performances are at 4 p.m. on both days. The words “Mardi Gras” are from the French and mean “Fat Tuesday”, and relate to eating as much as possible on that particular Tuesday before giving up all the foods you like, for Lent. In England they celebrate Shrove Tuesday - when many from English speaking countries eat pancakes. Shrove derives from shrive, meaning to absolve. As far as can be told, on that particular day, the French eat as if there is no tomorrow and the English absolve those who do, even if they don’t. Miss Scott has performed here in Sarasota in the national touring company of Ain’t Misbehavin’, and with the Sarasota Symphony. Her inflections on the sounds of

New Orleans should be worth hearing. First Brass of Sarasota’s founder, Gary Reinstrom (French Horn and Trumpet), is also the artistic director (and player of the pipes) of The Jacobites Band, a Scottish musical organization that terrorizes many of the people who think Kilties are either a breed of dog or a kind of shoe. On May 29th the 10th Annual Jacobite/ First Brass Memorial Day Tribute is scheduled for St. James United Methodist Church at 3:00 PM.

Continued from page 24

fine in an amount specified in this section for each day the violation continues past the date set by the enforcement board for compliance, or, in the case of a repeat violation, for each day the repeat violation continues, beginning with the date the repeat violation is found to have occurred by the code inspector.” A fine may not exceed $250 per day for a first violation, the statute continues, and it “shall not exceed $500 per day for a repeat violation.” A May 2016 report to the County Commission regarding the county’s Code Enforcement operations explained that officers have focused on issuing courtesy notices about violations before handing out official Notices of Violation, in an effort to resolve situations without having to initiate the formal process that leads to a hearing before a Special Magistrate.

Siesta Key Association Meeting The guest speaker for the February 2 SKA meeting will be new County Commissioner Nancy Detert. All are welcome to meet the new commissioner. The meeting will be held at St. Boniface at 5615 Midnight Pass Road Room F on Siesta Key at 4:30 PM. For more information about the Siesta Key Association go to

www.SiestaKeyAssociation.com

Siesta Key Condo Council meeting

The Siesta Key Condo Council will hold its next meeting on February 21 at 3:30 PM at the Siesta Key Chapel, 4615 Gleason Ave. Topics covered will be Save Our Siesta Sand 2 update (Big Pass Dredging), Siesta Key Sheriff’s Office report and Siesta Key Fire Station #13 Capability/Statistics. The main speaker will be Mike Angers from Brown & Brown Insurance Company. Mr. Angers will discuss Current/ Future Market Conditions On SK, Flood Insurance Changes- Rates/ Zones, Assoc. Responsibilities VS Owners Responsibilities, Subrogation against the Association, Self-insured Retentions for Associations and Deductibles & Coverage Enhancements, followed by Question and Answer Session.

February 14 (Tues): Say I Do, 5-7pm A romantic beachside renewal of wedding vows, offering couples a beautiful backdrop to express their continuing love and commitment to one another. Couples renew their vows at this non-denominational sunset

ceremony then enjoy weddingthemed refreshments. Couples receive a beautiful certificate to commemorate this very special ceremony. Cost is $10. Per couple. Call 941-861-7275 to register.

February 14 (Tues): Valentine Stroll, 5-8pm Residents and visitors are invited to stroll through Siesta Village which will be adorned with Valentine cheer. There will be something for everyone including live music throughout the Village and candy kisses which will be distributed by the merchants. Participating merchants will be displaying red and pink balloons outside of their businesses. Siesta Key Village offers romantic destinations for you and your sweetheart and lots of fun for the whole family. If parking is a concern, there will be pedicab and golf cart cab services from the Siesta Public Beach parking lot to the Village. For more information visit the website at: www.siestakeyvillage.org or call Helene Hyland at 941-685-2274 or e mail at helenehyland@comcast. net.

St. Michael’s Fashion Show St. Michael’s Women’s Guild will present its Annual Spring

Fashion Show and Luncheon on Wednesday March 15 at Michael’s On East, 1212 East Avenue S., Sarasota. Fashions will be presented by Talbots. Registration will begin at 11 AM with a cash bar and viewing of silent auction items. Luncheon to follow at noon. The cost for this event is $45 per guest or $100 per patron. For more information, contact Kathy at 941-349-1281 or Mary at 941-346-1008. Reservations and payment deadline is Friday, March 10.

February 25 & 26 (Sat/Sun) February Craft Fair in the Village, 10am – 5pm Join us at the 23rd Annual Siesta Key Craft Festival and take in the sand and the sea along Ocean Boulevard and Beach Road as you discover wonderful creations from more than 100 crafters exhibiting and selling their work in an outdoor gallery. From photography, paintings, sculpture, jewelry and more showcased from local and traveling crafters, your visit to Siesta Key is promised to be a feast for the senses. This spectacular weekend festival is not to be missed, Free admission.

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

FEBRUARY 2017

WEEKLY BEACH CLASSES: • FREE T’AI CHI CHIH - Siesta Beach, Access #5 - Every Monday, 15 minutes before sunset. Open to all, no experience necessary. Contact Diana Daffner 941-346-1024 for information. (Access #5 is in Siesta Village, where Beach Rd meets Ocean Blvd.) • FREE YOGA Mon-Wed.-Fri.-Sat. 9am. Classes held between blue and green lifeguard station. Call 941320-6693 to register or go to website for more info. www.yogaonsiestabeach.com/about • NIA Tues. & Thurs., 9a.m., Siesta Public Beach (yellow lifeguard chair). Contact Kathy Oravec at 941-724-9719 for more info or check website: www.nianow.com/kathy-oravec • SIESTA KEY BEACH HOOP JAMS – (6:30pm) Every Tuesday one hour before Sunset on Siesta Key beach we gather for a community Hoop Jam. (Between the red lifeguard stand and the pavilion; around where the Sunday drum circle happens.) Register at: www.outwardspiral.net • YOGA AT TURTLE BEACH: January and February 2017 – Tuesdays, 8:30-9:30 am. . (No class on February 7). For more information about registration, please e-mail Julie at: julie@ chesapeakeyoga.com for more information. WEEKLY DRUM CIRCLE: • Every Sunday about an hour before sunset. South of the main pavilion. You can participate or watch this weekly gathering dance, hoop, play the drum or other musical instrument and enjoy the spectacular Siesta sunset. On The Beach… • FEBRUARY 1,8,15,22 (WEDS) 8-9:30AM / SUNRISE BEACH WALKS: Participants pay a one-time $5 registration fee and receive an event t-shirt with orginal design and sponsor logos and a punch card. Each week, participants check in with Parks and recreation staff between 8-9:30AM and after walking four weeks they are entered into a drawing for prizes. Contact 941-861-5000 for details. • FEBRUARY 4 (SAT) 9AM – 5PM / USAV NATIONAL QUALIFIER: Junior Beach Volleyball Tour. Participants, ages 12 – 18 will be competing for the opportunity to play in the National Championship Volleyball Tournament to be held July 20 – 25. Of the 8 Divisions, the top 3 teams from each division will qualify to play in the National Championship. Questions or additional information, please email Mark.Paaluhi@usav.org or call (310) 975-3927. Deadline to register is Feb. 3. Go to: www.usavbeach.webconnex.com/SiestaKeyQualifier. • FEBRUARY 14 (TUES) 5-7PM / SAY I DO: A romantic beachside renewal of wedding vows, offering couples a beautiful

IMPORTANT NUMBERS Emergency (General)................................................. 911 Emergency Animal Clinic.........................941-929-1818 Fishing & Hunting Licenses.....................941-362-9888 FPL – Florida Power & Light....................941-917-0708 FPL – Outage Report............................. 1-800-468-8243 Marriage License Bureau..........................941-362-4066 Poison Info Center................................. 1-800-282-3171 Sarasota / Bradenton Intl. Airport................................ ......................................................................941-359-2770 Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT).......................... ......................................................................941-316-1234 Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce................................ ......................................................................941-349-3800 Sheriff / non-emergency..........................941- 861-1601 Waste Management...................................941-924-1254

Must See at Least Once in Your Lifetime

What’s Happening backdrop to express their continuing love and commitment to one another. Couples renew their vows at this non-denominational sunset ceremony then enjoy wedding-themed refreshments. Couples receive a beautiful certificate to commemorate this very special ceremony. Cost is $10. Per couple. Call 941-861-7275 to register. Around the island… • WEEKLY FARMER’S MARKET IN THE VILLAGE: Every Sunday from 8am – 2pm in Davidson’s Plaza in the Village. 5124 Ocean Blvd. Produce, Plants & Flowers, Music, Art, Organic Skincare, Italian Olive Oil, and Freshly Prepared Foods. Listen to live music while you shop. • FEBRUARY 25 (SAT) & MARCH 25 (SAT) 8:30AM-2PM / FLY FISHING CLASS: CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, 1249 Stickney Point Rd, Sarasota, FL will have an Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing school on Sat, Feb 25, 2017 and Sat, Mar 25, 2017. Located right off the Stickney Point Bridge on Siesta Key. The school will cover fly casting basics, line control, shooting line and the roll cast. Instructors, Capt. Rick Grassett and Capt. Ed Hurst, will also cover leader construction, fly selection and saltwater fly fishing techniques. The course, designed for beginning and intermediate fly casters, will focus on basics but also work with intermediate casters on correcting faults and improving casting skills. Cost for the school, which will run from 8:30 AM to 2 PM, is $150 per person and includes the use of Orvis fly tackle and lunch. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 or info@cbsoutfitters. com to make reservations. • FEBRUARY 14 (TUES) 5-8PM / VALENTINE STROLL: Residents and visitors are invited to stroll through Siesta Village which will be adorned with Valentine cheer. There will be something for everyone including live music throughout the Village and candy kisses which will be distributed by the merchants. Participating merchants will be displaying red and pink balloons outside of their businesses. Siesta Key Village offers romantic destinations for you and your sweetheart and lots of fun for the whole family. If parking is a concern, there will be pedicab and golf cart cab services from the Siesta Public Beach parking lot to the Village. For more information visit the website at: www. siestakeyvillage.org or call Helene Hyland at 941-685-2274 or e-mail at helenehyland@comcast.net. • FEBRUARY 25 & 26 (SAT & SUN): FEBRUARY CRAFT FAIR IN THE VILLAGE, 10AM – 5PM: Free admission. Join us at the 23rd Annual Siesta Key Craft Festival and take in the sand and the sea along Ocean Boulevard and Beach Road as you discover wonderful creations from more than 100 crafters exhibiting and selling their work in an outdoor gallery. From photography, paintings, sculpture, jewelry and more showcased from local and traveling crafters, your visit to Siesta Key is promised to be a feast for the senses. This spectacular weekend festival is not to be missed.

Top 8 Reasons You Shouldn’t Miss Shen Yun See Why Every Seat Is Taken

Every1. Drink in the beauty performance was stunning.” - WNYC3.

“i came here to drink shen Yun’s beauty as deeply as i could.”“I was in heaven, having the most beautiful, exquisite, and enjoyable time I’ve had for the whole years.” — Helen Cons, painter, watched Shen Yun twice

Enjoy with everyone in your family, from 5 years old to 94 years old “Very beautiful. inspirational. Amazing!”

5. Discover hope

Island Churches: • Siesta Key Presbyterian Chapel 4615 Gleason Ave, Siesta Key, 941-349-1166 www.siestakeychapel.org

Off- Island: •Temple Sinai, a Reform Congregation (The closest Jewish congregation to the Key for visitors)

• St. Michael’s Catholic Church 5394 Midnight Pass Rd, Siesta Key, 941-349-4174 www.stmichaelssiesta.com

4631 S. Lockwood Ridge Rd, Sarasota, 941-924-1802 www.templesinai-sarasota.org

FEB 10-12 Venice Tickets Online: Shenyun.com/FL TicketsAby Phone: 888.974.3698 GLOBAL SENSATION

florida falun dafa association 4257 laurel ridge cir Weston, fl 33331

— Richard Swett, former U.S. Congressman

7. Get in touch with your spiritual side

“this show was dramatic, dynamic, energetic and very creative, I was very, very impressed by all the energy on the stage and also the beauty of the great stage and also the beauty of the great chinese tradition... It touches something beautifully spiritual in all of us.” — His Eminence Cardinal Donald Weurl

All-new Production | 30-Country World Tour

ACCOMPANIED “So inspiring. i think BY i may have ideas for the next Avatar SHENfound YUNsome ORCHESTRA movie.”

Shen Yun 2014: Tibetan Dance

— Robert Stromberg, Academy Award–winning production designer

“exquisitely beautiful. An extraordinary experience for us and the children.”

• First Christian Church 7601 Clark Road, Sarasota, FL 34241. 941-922-4434 www.fccsarasota.com

Shen Yun Brings Ancient Tales of “Journey to the West” to Life Alongside its mesmerizing choreography and live orchestra combining Eastern and Western instruments, Shen Yun’s ingenious animated backdrops seamlessly synchronize all aspects of the performance: costume color, specific dance movement, drums, lighting, particular notes played by the orchestra—all timed with animated movements.

MUST SEE AT LEAST ONCE in YOUR LIFETIME

Connecting Heaven and Earth “

“You get this amazing energy transmission...It was very energetic and very powerful.” — Preity Uupala,

—Richard Connema, renowned Broadway critic

THERE WAS A TIME

Actress,model, and Miss India International

8. This is a must-see!

“This is my 6th time. This is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen on stage. For people who haven’t seen this show, they’re missing the 8th wonder of the world. They have no idea what they’re missing until they come here and see the show.” — Joe Heard, former White House Photographer, watched Shen Yun 6 times

Detroit Opera House, Detroit

Palais des Congrès de Paris, Paris

a standing ovation in Broward Center, Fort Lauderdale, FL

When the world was full of magic and splendor. everything on earth lived in harmony with Heaven. it was a land of heroes and sages, dragons and phoenixes, emperors and immortals.

SECURE YOUR SEATS TODAY !

“People can go get a glassLakeland of wine, have dinner, Orlando | Dr. Phillips Center | The Lakeland Center spend a hundred bucks, and it’s all over in an hour. This is something you remember forever... I thought it was great...It brought tears to my eyes... This supersedes anything that I’ve ever seen or done... Everything that [is] put into this now—superb... Unbelievable. Just unbelievable!” address: 445 s Magnolia ave, orlando, fl 32801

address: 701 lime st, lakeland, florida 33815

SUN february 5, 7:00 p.m.

TUE february 7, 7:30 p.m. wEd february 8, 7:30 p.m.

$200 $100 $80

Festspielhaus Bregenz, Austria

“Exciting to watch and really inspirational!” — Stewart F. Lane, six-time Tony Award-winning producer

★★★★★

Mind-blowing! Go back and see six times!”

(open: Mon–fri: 10aM–4PM, sat: 12PM–4PM)

Dolby Theatre, Hollywood

• The Superior Word Rev. Charlie Garrett Service starts Sunday mornings at 10am. Bring a friend and share in God’s word. 6512 Superior Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34231

— Cate Blanchett, Academy Award–winning actress

1. online: ShenYun.com/FL 2. Boxoffice: 844.513.2014

War Memorial Opera House in, SF

NON PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID DEARBORN, MI PERMIT NO.11

***********ecrWss********** LOcAL residentiAL custOmer

and Gulf Gate Drive) 6908 Beneva Road, Sarasota, 941.922.7595 www.uccstandrew.org

• St. Andrew United Church of Christ (Protestant) (In the Gulf Gate area, near Beneva

6. Fill yourself with positive energy

“i was uplifted, i was filled with hope. The world is a better place because of Shen Yun.”

Kennedy Center Opera House, Washington, D.C.

We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of this information. However, please be sure to always call ahead to confirm dates, times, location, and other information.

4. Help children experience multi-culture

— Sathsowi Thay Koroghli brought 88 friends and family members to Shen Yun in Las Vegas, to celebrate birthday for her mom, a Cambodian Princess

Lincoln Center, New York

2015 SHOW 2. GetALL-NEW inspired

• FEBRUARY 9-12: CIRQUE ITALIA (102 Riviera Dunes Way Palmetto, FL 34221) is a creative mix of the best elements of entertainment and technology. A “never-seen-before” production that combines acrobatics, dance, contortion, and even high-performance BMX and roller-skating. All performances are done in ways that push the physical boundaries of human abilities, which leaves audiences amazed and astonished. With a magnetism that draws you into your deepest fantasies, the water circus offers two hours of high-end entertainment. Mermaids and dinosaurs make dreamy appearances while awakening the inner child within you. Laser lights and bubbles act as interdimensional movers. Aerialists, acrobats, and contortionists take the human body to the next level – one you never thought possible! The company takes a leading stance in offering quality entertainment beyond the use of animals. For more information visit www.cirqueitalia.com and make sure to check all our social media accounts. You can purchase tickets through our website (cirqueitalia. com/tickets) or by phone: (941) 704-8572. We also respond to text message.

Places of Worship

• St. Boniface Episcopal Church 5615 Midnight Pass Rd, Siesta Key,

And Beyond… •PHILLIPI ESTATE PARK: LOCATED AT: 5500 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34231. Phillippi Estate Park welcomes back the popular Brown Bag Concerts at the park. Every Thursday from noon until 1:00 p.m. there will be a FREE concert in the Park Gazebo. Bring your lunch and lawn chair and enjoy an hour of music by local musicians in a beautiful setting. The Phillippi Farmhouse Market will have an abundance of fresh, local fruits and vegetables available at 5 produce stalls, including USDA Certified produce vendor. There’s always tantalizing smells from the food trucks featuring BBQ, fish tacos, burgers, pizza as well as freshly squeezed lemonade, soft serve ice cream, the World’s Best Donuts, baked goods, and an assortment of local artisans with hand made crafts. There’s always live music, the friendliest volunteers at the FRIENDS OF SARASOTA COUNTY PARKS Welcome Tent, which has information on what’s happening in Sarasota. For a FREE tour of the Edson Keith Mansion, please meet on the front porch of the Italian Renaissance home a few minutes before 10:00 a.m. There is only 1 tour each Wednesday, which starts promptly at 10:00 a.m. A knowledgeable docent will take you through the Mansion telling all about the history of the home and the early days of the Sarasota community. Well-behaved dogs on leash are always welcome. For more information, please call 941-316-1309.

941-349-5616 www.bonifacechurch.org

FEB 5 Orlando FEB 7-8 Lakeland

“Superb!

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

$150 $90 $70

1. Hotline: 888.974.3698 2. online: ShenYun.com/FL 3. Boxoffice: 863.834.8100 $150 $100 $70

$120 $80

— Joe Heard, White House photographer of 40 years experience

WHAT IF YOU COULD

Shen Yun 2015: Journey to the West

travel across centuries, visit imperial palaces, and discover realms hidden to human eyes? Get on a Journey through 5,000 years of civilization with Shen Yun…

“It starts off very simple,” said Mike Hogue, who animated movies from Titan A.E. to Anastasia and television shows like George of the Jungle. “Then when you all of a sudden have these surprises of people coming out of the screen, it’s just, ‘Oh my gosh, okay, this is something really different, really innovative’.” When Shen Yun comes back to Venice on FEB 10-12, its newest innovations will be on full display. Come and experience a riveting journey, in which the 5,000 years of divine culture Febcome 5, Orlando Lakeland ShenYun.com/FL aliveFeb in7–8, vivid detail through Shen Yun’s awe-inspiring performances, with its explosive digital techniques, synchronized movements, and expressive powers.

Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2017

Midnight Pass

941.349.0194

Continued from cover story

www.siestasand.net

Snapshots of Island Visitors

The Ballard Family, from Kentucky, have been spending Christmas on Siesta Key for many years. This is their 60th visit. They LOVE Siesta Key! Submitted by Aledia Tush / CB’s Saltwater Outfitters

Big Fish = Happy Faces

Capt. Tony / TNT Freedom Fishing Charters 941-400-2452 Image from a 2006 county slide show, when the county was considering an effort to try to reopen the pass

The publication continued, “The senseless act all but destroyed the historic environment, the ecosystem that once was Little Sarasota Bay… Vast and vibrant seagrass beds once teeming with life have been devastated, breaking the chain of life that existed here for as long as we know. The numbers and diversity of fish have been severely reduced, and all of the clams have been killed.” Referring to the Midnight Pass situation and the City of Sarasota/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plan to remove about 1.2 million cubic yards of sand from Big Pass, Bob Waechter said on Jan. 12, “This is what happens if you don’t stop them before they do it.”

Passion about the passes

Photo of the publication Mr. Waechter handed out to people at the SKA meeting

A former SKA director who served for many years with the organization — and a longtime member of the Midnight Pass Society— Waechter addressed about 80 people during the Jan. 12 SKA meeting. Before Midnight Pass was closed, Waechter continued, “we had all the assurances as a community from the permitting agencies: ‘This is going to work just fine.’ We didn’t know that there was a knife in their hand when they said that.” He added that the proposed Lido project is proof of Spanish philosopher George Santayana’s famous quote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” About 10 people attending the Jan. 12 SKA meeting at St. Boniface Episcopal do remember what has happened since December 1983, Waechter added. As a direct result of the closing of Midnight Pass, he continued, the county has had to help pay for two renourishments of South Siesta Key’s beach. (The most recent undertaking was completed in late April 2016, at a cost of approximately $21.5 million. The first — completed in 2007 — cost about $11.2 million.) During a November 2015 presentation to SKA members, Laird Wreford, the county’s coastal initiatives manager, also talked about how the closing of Midnight Pass had exacerbated the situation on south Siesta. When the pass was open, Wreford pointed out, “sand was still being somewhat held in” on the southern portion of the Key. “You didn’t have that same rate of erosion on Turtle Beach and south Siesta [as seen today].” During the Jan. 12 SKA meeting, Waechter told the audience that, among other impacts of the closing of the pass, the benthic creatures in Little Sarasota Bay died off, “to be replaced by another environmental community but a much inferior environmental community.” (“Benthic” refers to the lowest level of a body of water. Organisms living in that zone — including crustaceans — are an important part of the food chain, scientific research has shown.)

In 1994, Waechter explained, “the county came around to our way of thinking,” in large part because of the efforts of Nora Patterson, who served on the County Commission for four terms before having to step down in 2014 as a result of term limits. Prior to that, she was a Sarasota city commissioner for eight years. Patterson also lives on Siesta Key. Sarasota County spent $1 million in a fight for the state permits to reopen Midnight Pass, Waechter told the audience. State environmental officials required the county to undertake “all the studies and the engineering reports that they didn’t do [before the pass was closed].” The state agency that was the predecessor of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) even insisted that the county undertake an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), Waechter said. “Unfortunately, we were fought to a standstill.” The state ultimately refused to grant the county permission to reopen the pass, he added. If the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the city are allowed to dredge Big Pass once, he pointed out, “you will never get them to retreat.” Former Commissioner Patterson told the SKA members that when the USACE announced that Big Pass would be its primary sand source for the Lido project, the County Commission asked why it did not seek other sources before it dredged “a pass that had never been dredged. Their answer was that the nearest sand source was 45 miles away.” Patterson added that at the same time, the county was working on plans for the second South Siesta Key Renourishment Project. Two sand sources for that undertaking had been located in the Gulf of Mexico, she pointed out, though she acknowledged that the sand was “a little grayer … than what you could possibly get from Big Pass.” The USACE’s response, Patterson continued, “sort of inbred, especially for those of us who have been here a very long time on Siesta Key and in Sarasota … a certain distrust of really quick answers from the Army Corps.” She added, “It’s hard to trust folks once they’ve fooled you.”

The Big Water Fish Market…

where it’s a seafood festival every day! Start your year off with a great seafood sandwich at BWFM!! Monday - Grouper BLT Tuesday - Soft Shell Crab Sandwich Wednesday - Grouper Reuben Thursday - Lobster Roll Day! Friday - Aaron’s Triple Decker Sea Club Sandwich Saturday - Shrimp Po’ Boy

Open for lunch and dinner www.bigwaterfishmarket.com • 941-554-8101

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

FEBRUARY 2017

Water World Captain Jim Klopfer’s Fishing Report Adventure Charters 941-371-1390

Jeannie from Colorado with a nice sheepshead caught in a Siesta Key canal

February is the last month of winter here in Sarasota. There will be days when it feels like spring is in the air. But, weather patterns will still be unstable, and fishing will follow suit. Being flexible and understanding how weather affects fish behavior will be the key to angling success this month. On many mornings the tide will be very low, especially with a hard northeast wind following a cold front. Under these conditions, fishing the afternoon high tide is often a better choice. Also avoid the areas near the passes after a blow, the cold and dirty water is not conducive to success. One species that anglers can count on most every trip in February is sheepshead. They bite better in cold, dirty water than most other species do. Also, redfish, black drum, and flounder will be caught on the same structure and using the same techniques that are effective for sheepies. Basically, any structure will attract sheepshead. From the rocks at the west end to the Siesta Drive Bridge on the east side, the north end of Siesta Key is a great area to fish. Deep water, docks, rocks, seawalls, and rip-rap will attract and hold fish. All of the bridges and docks in both Big Pass and New Pass may hold fish, as well as the docks and oyster bars south to Albee Rd. The preferred rig is a #1 live bait hook with a 24” piece of 20 lb. leader and just enough weight to hold bottom. Live and frozen shrimp, fiddler crabs, sand fleas, and oyster worms are the top baits.

Shrimp are the easiest bait to obtain and work great. Sheepshead bite very lightly. Usually, it starts with several light “taps”. It is important not to move the bait at all, the fish will sense that something is wrong. Instead, wait for a steady pull, then reel fast and raise the rod tip sharply. Anglers fishing from Siesta Key beaches should do well when the surf is clear. Whiting will be abundant and silver trout, flounder, pompano, sheepshead, ladyfish and other species will hit live or frozen shrimp fished near the bottom. The deeper grass flats all throughout the area will be productive for speckled trout this month. Incoming tides a couple hours before high tide are usually the best times to fish. Again, avoid the areas around the passes when dirty water is present. The area further south, from CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at Stickney Pt. to Marker #19 in Nokomis, stays protected, resulting in reliable February fishing. Bass Assasin jigs, suspending plugs, gold spoons, and live shrimp under a popping cork are all effective baits. Pompano, jack crevelle, ladyfish, and bluefish all feed over the deep grass. Snook will be found in creeks and residential canals, along with redfish, drum, flounder, sheepshead, and jacks. Jerk baits, scented soft plastics, and live shrimp will all produce fished near structure in creeks and canals. A slow presentation will be more productive in the cooler water.

|Kathleen D Sailing Catamarans Let’s go sailing, KATHLEEN D Sailing Catamarans, serving Siesta Key from 3 locations: Downtown Sarasota, Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island. If you would like to experience being on the water viewing Dolphin Watches, Sunset Sails, Snorkeling and Shelling call us at 941-870-4349 or go to our web site for detailed information www.kathleend.net USCG Certified for 20 passengers.

GUIDED SNORKELING • SCUBA TOURS

Sarasota, Florida Florida Sarasota,

941-924-3483 www.OceanProDive.com www.OceanProDive.com

THIS AD CALL FOR DETAILS! 2.00 OFF WITH

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

Notes from the Island Fishmonger

By Scott Dolan, Big Water Fish Market

Fresh From Florida: Produce & Fish When we think of fresh foods indigenous to Florida, a few culinary products standout such as produce like oranges, grapefruits & strawberries and fish like Pompano and Grouper. Some of us are lucky enough to have fruit trees or the Intracoastal Waterway in our backyard supplying us with some of Florida’s finest. There’s nothing like picking a mango straight from the tree for breakfast, a fresh squeezed orange for your happy hour screwdriver or even catching your own fish for dinner. Unfortunately, we do not all have this luxury but we can still reap the benefits of Florida’s homegrown foods. Florida farmer’s markets are great producers of inexpensive local products. You can find me every Wednesday at the Philippi Creek Farmers Market located right here in Sarasota where I benefit from and support the local vendors and entrepreneurs. When it comes to food “Fresh is Best”. We should all make it a habit to eat organic and seasonally because we know food is healthier and tastier when fresh. Plus, eating seasonally encourages a diverse diet and is often more economical. Look for the “Fresh from Florida” label that gives you the confidence of knowing what items are local and are in season. The key to knowing what to look for when shopping is knowing what’s fresh. This is the reason I shop for food at local markets over a national grocery chain when I can (although I know we all depend on major chain grocery stores for many of life’s must haves). When it comes to buying fresh, I will always choose to support the local markets that can provide sustainable foods by retailers who have the knowledge of where the product came from and how it was raised. Now that we are shopping local, the Florida produce crops in season for February and March include bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, cabbage, sweet corn, squash, tomatoes, grapefruit, oranges, papayas, strawberries and tangerines. Browns Produce is an excellent source to buy “Fresh from Florida” foods and are available at both the Wednesday Philippi Creek Farmers Market and the downtown Sarasota farmers market on Saturdays. Make sure you get a flat of farm fresh organic brown eggs from Browns farm at the market…they are the best eggs ever! A few other good tips for fresh and local is the fresh squeezed Florida Orange Juice packed with Vitamin C and fresh flavor from Albritton Fruit Company on Proctor Road or Geier’s Sausage Kitchen on Tamiami Trail for authentic homemade German bratwurst or fresh cuts of meat and the Yoder’s Amish Market on Bahia Vista St. in the Amish village where you will find a farmers market and also Yoder’s Restaurant…nobody makes a homemade pie like the Amish! When you’re talking seafood, “sustainable” is a word you must look for. Seafood is sustainable when the population of that species of fish is managed in a way that provides for today’s needs without

damaging the ability of the species to reproduce and be available for future generations. If you buy fish managed under a U.S. Fishery Management Plan, you can be assured it meets 10 national standards. Florida fishermen are required to follow federal and state laws when harvesting seafood. The Florida seafood industry provides 84% of the nation’s supply of Grouper, Pompano, Mackerel, Stone Crabs, Pink Shrimp and Spiny Lobsters. In order to protect the fish population and make the species sustainable there are many restrictions and seasonal closings placed on local fisherman to allow our fish to reproduce. These closings often cause the market prices to fluctuate. For instance, starting February 1 there are many fishing regulations in the Gulf Coast waters which effects Mexico and parts of the Caribbean. Grouper and Mahi fishing is closed during this time which means all the Grouper and Mahi we eat come from the Florida Coast. That’s good but because we are also supplying Mexico with Grouper and Mahi, the price for these fish is always more expensive in the spring. Visitors think that the cost goes up just for the tourist season but this is simply not true. It is the supply and demand effect we are feeling due to the yearly closing that affects our area. No worries as there will be plenty of Grouper and Mahi available. In addition, there will be plenty of local Pompano, Mangrove and Yellowtail Snappers to subside the situation which are a bit less expensive. If you want truly fresh and wild caught from Florida fish packed with health benefits and the flavor of the sea, you might have to pay a few bucks more. Or you can buy previously frozen, farm raised, less expensive fish from the major chain grocery stores. It’s your body so it’s your decision but if you’re looking for great fresh Florida seafood, look right here on Siesta Key where you will find one of the best fish markets in the state right down the street. Florida fishermen are continually harvesting sustainable seafood from the Gulf and Atlantic coasts and providing their fresh catch to Big Water Fish Market who is providing it to you 7 days a week. Eat Fresh, Eat Local, Eat Sustainable!! Scott Dolan Big Water Fish Market 6641 Midnight Pass Rd, Siesta Key 941-554-8101 www.BigWaterFishMarket.com

FEBRUARY 2017 TIDE CHART Florida, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Sarasota Bay

February 2017

N 27° 20' / W 82° 33' Date

Day

Sunrise

Sunset

Moonrise

Moonset

2:37a

High Tide 1.6

3:34p

High Tide 1.4

10:00a

Low Tide -0.1

10:25p

Low Tide 0.3

7:17a

6:11p

10:23a

10:56p

3:40a

1.3

4:12p

1.5

10:37a

0.2

11:42p

0.1

7:17a

6:12p

11:03a

11:57p

5:01a

1.0

4:58p

1.6

11:15a

0.4

7:16a

6:13p

11:46a

6:57a

0.9

5:51p

1.7

1:09a

0.0

11:56a

0.6

7:15a

6:14p

12:31p

12:59a

9:19a

0.8

6:53p

1.8

2:37a

-0.2

12:46p

0.7

7:15a

6:15p

1:20p

2:02a

11:01a

0.9

7:59p

1.8

3:53a

-0.5

1:55p

0.8

7:14a

6:15p

2:13p

3:04a

11:55a

1.0

9:03p

1.9

4:55a

-0.6

3:14p

0.9

7:13a

6:16p

3:10p

4:05a

12:30p

1.1

10:02p

2.0

5:46a

-0.6

4:24p

0.9

7:13a

6:17p

4:10p

5:04a

12:57p

1.1

10:55p

1.9

6:30a

-0.7

5:23p

0.8

7:12a

6:18p

5:12p

5:58a

1:18p

1.1

11:43p

1.9

7:08a

-0.6

6:14p

0.6

7:11a

6:18p

6:13p

6:47a

1:37p

1.2

7:41a

-0.6

7:02p

0.6

7:11a

6:19p

7:12p

7:32a

12:28a

1.8

1:55p

1.3

8:11a

-0.4

7:48p

0.5

7:10a

6:20p

8:10p

8:13a

1:11a

1.6

2:15p

1.3

8:39a

-0.2

8:35p

0.4

7:09a

6:21p

9:06p

8:52a

1:54a

1.6

2:38p

1.4

9:06a

0.0

9:25p

0.3

7:08a

6:21p

10:00p

9:28a

2:41a

1.4

3:05p

1.5

9:34a

0.2

10:19p

0.2

7:08a

6:22p

10:53p

10:04a

3:35a

1.2

3:37p

1.6

10:03a

0.4

11:22p

0.2

7:07a

6:23p

11:45p

10:40a

4:44a

1.0

4:15p

1.6

10:33a

0.6

7:06a

6:23p

6:27a

0.8

5:00p

1.6

12:35a

0.1

11:05a

0.6

7:05a

6:24p

12:36a

11:55a

8:55a

0.8

5:56p

1.6

1:54a

0.0

11:45a

0.7

7:04a

6:25p

1:27a

12:36p

7:02p

1.6

3:07a

-0.1

7:03a

6:25p

2:18a

1:19p

11:22a

1.0

8:09p

1.6

4:08a

-0.3

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Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2017

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Casey Key chickee hut request prompts discussion about amending county regulations regarding construction beyond the Gulf Beach Setback Line By Rachel Brown Hackney www.SarasotaNewsLeader.com In voting unanimously on Jan. 11 to approve the construction of a chickee hut over a deck that stands 105 feet seaward of the county’s Gulf Beach Setback Line (GBSL), Sarasota County commissioners also indicated they would consider amending county regulations to allow staff to provide permits for such an amenity in the future without the need for board action. The property owners in this case — Howard Todd Stitzer and his wife, Marenda A. BrownStitzer, of 1312 Casey Key Road in Nokomis — had erected a hut to cover their deck on the Gulf of Mexico side of Casey Key Road before learning from county staff that the County Commission had to issue a variance for such a structure. The couple promptly removed the chickee hut and, in May 2016, applied for a Coastal Setback Variance to put it back up. Commissioner Charles Hines pointed out that the board previously has approved concrete

swimming pools seaward of the GBSL. Referring to the chickee hut, he added, “This is less intrusive,” and it is not a structure in which a person will live. “If it gets blown down in [a] storm, so what. … There’s no harm to the public here.” He said he planned to follow up with county staff members to learn the potential cost of their time in providing administrative approval of such structures, so a petitioner would not have to apply for County Commission approval of a Coastal Setback Variance. Hines pointed out that he has been one of the staunchest proponents of making sure development projects adhere to the intent of the GBSL, which is to protect coastal property owners and the environment. Still, he said, “This is a difficult process to go through … to add an amenity that is really something very nice.” Hines also noted that a County Commission meeting is the only forum in which he can offer comments about a potential change in county regulations. “So thanks for letting me preach a little bit.” “We don’t get to talk like this [outside of board meetings],” Commissioner Alan Maio agreed, “because we [would] break all sorts of rules.” Maio then told Hines, “You weren’t preaching; you’re dead on.” If staff came back to the board with a proposed recommendation for amending the county’s regulations, Maio continued, “I would certainly support that.” Before making the motion to grant the Stitzers’ request, however, Commissioner Mike Moran asked County Attorney Stephen DeMarsh whether allowing the chickee hut would

set a bad precedent for the board. “First of all,” DeMarsh began, “each property is to be evaluated on its own [circumstances].” The primary consideration in this case, he continued, was whether the chickee hut would be the minimum type of structure the Stitzers could build beyond the GBSL and still enjoy reasonable use of their property. It was possible, DeMarsh pointed out, that if the commission approved the variance, future applicants could petition for similar structures. “It’s a commonsense thing,” Commissioner Nancy Detert said of the chickee hut. She apologized to the Stitzers’ attorney, Ralph Tirabassi of the Fergeson Skipper firm in Sarasota, for interrupting him earlier. As Tirabassi continued to speak after apparently failing to hear the beep signaling the end of the applicant’s 20-minute presentation period, Detert had told him, “You’re overselling.” Still, as the board members discussed the request, Detert said she, too, was concerned about setting an inappropriate

precedent. “Should we have some sort of policy where we’re not going to get into approving [a] toolshed … How far do you go with this stuff?” “I don’t think this happens very frequently,” DeMarsh replied, referring to Coastal Setback Variance requests. “This is a lengthy and expensive process … I just want to let you know that your staff does have authority to issue approvals for more minor things.”

The background

In his remarks to the board during the public hearing, Stitzer explained that in 2014, he and his wife built their house on Casey Key. “We sought to create an aesthetically pleasing building and landscaping in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, in keeping with Casey Key’s very natural, islandlike environment.” In his report, Weiqi Lin of the county’s Environmental Planning Division explained that the couple’s property extends from the gulf to the bay.

County Commission splits on vote ( Accor di n g t o the Florida Division of Corporations website, the manager of that entity is

To advertise in print or online contact: Bob or Emy Stein at 941.349.0194 Send editorial and/or photos via email to: islandvp@verizon.net

Kompothecras; he is best known for his “1-800-Ask-Gary” advertising for medical referrals to his chain of chiropractic clinics.) The Siesta Key Overlay District already allows hotels with up to 26 units per acre and — with approval of a special exception — up to 85 feet in height on the island, Ramirez explained. “So the real intent [with the amendment] is just to increase the density and intensity of use on Siesta Key.” The island’s accommodations typically are filled to capacity from February through May, she continued; however, that is not the case the rest of the year. Furthermore, Ramirez told the board, negative comments

County staff awarded the Stitzers permits for a dune walkover and the wooden deck in late 2014, Lin added. During the winter season of 2014-15, Stitzer told the commission, “We repeatedly found that our family could spend only limited time during prime daylight hours using the beach due to lack of shade and the very strong sunlight.” His grandchildren — ages 3 and 1 — are “quite fair-skinned,” he continued. “Copious amounts of sunscreen” and umbrellas just did not solve the problem, Stitzer said; yet, retreating to the house across the road “kind of destroys the concept of a day at the beach.” Stitzer added, “We then researched appropriate structures to cover our previously permitted observation deck and believed, in good faith, we’d found an aesthetically pleasing, island-like natural structure that we were told could be constructed without a building permit under relevant provisions of Florida state law; in short, a chickee hut.” The state statutes indicated that a chickee hut was allowed in any place as long as it was built by Seminole Indians and consisted only of wood and palm or palmetto fronds, Stitzer’s attorney, Tirabassi explained. “Marenda and I would like to emphasize how important the beauty of Casey Key is to us,” Stitzer told the board. “Our goal is to add the simplest form of structure: four poles and a thatched roof.” The total linear footage of the dune walkover and deck is 3,700 feet, Tirabassi noted. The chickee hut would add only about 300 feet of wooden material to the area seaward of the GBSL.

Continued from page 3

about Siesta Key on TripAdvisor reference traffic congestion and lack of parking spaces at the beach and in Siesta Village. Applause broke out in the Commission Chambers after she concluded her remarks. A second person, Gene Wulf, who lives in the Marina Del Sol condominium complex on Old Stickney Point Road, told the board he and his neighbors had settled on his being the spokesman for the group. “We do not believe our neighborhood needs any additional transient housing,” he continued. Among the three Commercial General sites where a new hotel could be built on Siesta Key — if

Kompothecras’ Comprehensive Plan amendment were approved — is one encompassing about 11 acres on Old Stickney Point Road. The others are about 16 acres in Siesta Village and a parcel of about 2 acres occupied by a Wells Fargo bank on Midnight Pass Road. “Traffic on the island is already extremely heavy,” Wulf pointed out, and a new hotel would exacerbate that situation. Frederick Lowe, who lives on Peacock Road, also pointed to the fact that Old Stickney Point Road — with which Peacock Road intersects — also protested any further development on Old Stickney Point Road.

Published by Island Visitor Publishing, LLC Contributing Writers and Photographers will be noted with bylines. Guest commentary not necessarily the opinion of island Visitor Publishing, LLC Reproduction without written permission prohibited. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. All business bios are extensions of the display advertisements. Island Visitor Publishing, LLC is not responsible for claims made by advertisers. All ads are subject to the approval of the publisher. It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in Siesta Sand to meet all applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with town, county and state codes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, or residential rental property. DISCLAIMER: Please be aware that when you hire an unlicensed/uninsured person to do work at your home, you accept the liability. Island Visitor Publishing is not responsible for claims made by advertisers.

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DearDonnarose

Q: Dear Donnarose, this may sound selfish, but when is it my turn to enjoy my life? This thought goes over and over in my mind. I am newly retired, but I have a line of family members who constantly pull at me for my attention and care, including my spouse. I love them, but it’s just not fair. Any insight would be appreciated. ~Kindest regards, P.T. A: “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” ~ Anaïs Nin Well, I will refer to the above quote first thing, because I couldn’t say it better than that. I would describe how you’re feeling to be other than selfish. Instead I would describe it as having what I call “the thought before the growth spurt.” Meaning, sometimes we have to be pushed to the end of our rope before we’re willing to make changes, for the better that is. You are now there. And the good news is, there’s a new script at the end of the rope. A new script that entails setting boundaries, and reorganizing your day so it includes permanently doing things for you. Now initially, this newfound script typically comes with resistance from the family since they’re used to the old script. But after a while, just like they were in the habit of responding to the old script, they’ll start adapting to the new one you’ll read from, providing you remain consistent. It’s hard to make changes at first because it’s not so easy breaking a habit. But after a while, as you continue to include yourself on the list of people to care for, you’ll see it produce a ripple effect. In this case, this means your family will start to copy you, and treat you the way you’re treating yourself. It’ll be then that you’ll realize they’ve been copying you all along. But now they’ll be copying the nice way you’re treating yourself. And it most often feels good for people when their actions are in alignment with love. So as you can see, this will be a gift you’ll give yourself, as well as your family. So start allowing your bud to blossom, and re-write your script. And if you call on the Angels for assistance, they’ll help you carry it out with more ease and peace. ~ ♥ Q: Dear Donnarose, I’m clairvoyant and would love to do intuitive readings. However, I’ve been hesitant because I’ve had a couple experiences with negative energies which really frightened me as a child. Do you have any tips to help me possibly avoid a repeat occurrence so I can get started on doing readings? ~Blessings, M.B. A: “Chances are there’s nothing to fear, when you keep your vibration high, and your energy clear.” ~Donnarose Melvin Well, as a medium who has channeled many thousands of spirits throughout approximately 8000 readings in the past 6.4 years, I have to say, the steps I’ve taken have helped to prevent what could have been some negative experiences. I will pass them on

FEBRUARY 2017

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Wake & Shake to you. However, I couldn’t guarantee they’ll work for you, because I’d have to be there with you to see if the exact steps were taken. But, thus far, my clients who have come to me with your same issue have been successful. There are a few things I suggest. But definitely google more information on this topic since I have limited space. Now having knowledge is important, but consistently applying it is the key. It’s suggested you choose a Divine Source to call upon for protection, as well as to keep your energy clean daily and to keep your vibration high. This helps prevent what some call psychic attacks, and/or any disruption from a negative energy. What I like to do, and you can try this as well, is I call in the angels daily, and say, “Thank you Archangel Michael for clearing my body and space of any negative energy, for protecting me with your protective shield, for keeping me safe, and filling me with love, please and thank you.” “Thank you for cutting all energetic cords that I share with any person, place, animal, thing or spirit that is not in alignment with love, in this or any other lifetime, please and thank you.” Thank you Archangel Metatron for clearing and opening my chakras, please and thank you.” You can also use sage spray, or burn sage in the space you’re in once in a while. Doing all of this, plus meditating, etc., can all help prevent having an encounter with negative energies. Prior to any session you have with your clients, it’s suggested to do the clearing part above. If your client happens to walk in with a dark energy (rare because of initial clearing), they are usually aware it’s with them, and will be delighted to be rid of it. And you would just do another clearing targeting the dark energy present. But like my quote above indicates, the more the intuitive does the preventative work, and keeps their energy body and space clean, and vibration high, the chances are much greater that your negative encounters will be very limited.~♥ Donnarose Melvin is a professional intuitive medium, and also does powerful distant energy clearings. Her knowledge from her BA degree in Psychology, along with her natural intuitive gifts, have helped thousands achieve increased peace and success. Please send your questions to: Donnarose1010@gmail.com or Facebook private msg her at Donnarose. She will select questions each month to share with you. Donnarose regrets that unpublished questions cannot be answered individually. If you’d like an energy clearing, or an intuitive reading, please contact Donnarose at the email address above. * E-Gift Certificates are available!

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Siesta Key REAL ESTATE & HOME SECTION ACCOMMODATIONS PAGE 46 SAND CASTLES PAGE 43

HOUSE HUNTING PAGE 42 HIGH & LOW OF SOLD PROPERTIES PAGE 38

The Highs and Lows of Properties Sold on Siesta Key

Provided by Key Solutions Real Estate / www.keysolutionsrealestate.com

Following are properties sold on Siesta Key in the last 60 days, providing a snapshot of home values on the Key for both single family homes and condominiums.

HIGHEST PRICED SINGLE-FAMILY PROPERTY: 100 Ogden St: Sold For $2,500,000 Celebrate the art of modern living in this remarkable 0.68-acre waterfront estate on N. Siesta Key. The main residence is a 4,755-squarefoot modernist masterpiece, designed by acclaimed architect Guy Peterson and built to the highest standard. The floor-to-ceiling windows reveal striking views throughout the house. The wide open interiors and cunning interplay of materials, with gleaming Terrazzo floors, Brazilian Ipe wood walls and brushed aluminum staircases, set the stage for freeflowing indoor-outdoor living. The first living

level is comprised of the great room, chef-driven kitchen, dining area and two en-suite bedrooms. Take the elevator to the resortstyle master retreat, which occupies the entire second living level. The bedroom and terrace offer tranquil water views, while the spainspired bath beckons one with its serene minimalist décor and sculptural soaking tub. An office completes the retreat. Look down on the 20-by-40-foot pool with spa and reflect on the source of the architects inspiration: The Revere Quality House. This nationally recognized 1948 home was designed by famed Sarasota School architects Paul Rudolph and Ralph Twitchel. Restored in 2007, and presently used as a two-bedroom guest house, this iconic home was an important part of the emerging Modernist movement. Abundant seating areas, colorful plantings, artfully designed lighting and private dock further enhance the truly unique waterfront lifestyle that this rare estate offers the discerning. The sale of this property came to $435.62 a square foot. Courtesy of Premier Sotheby’s Intl. Realty

LOWEST PRICED SINGLE-FAMILY PROPERTY: 737 Siesta Dr: Sold For $505,400

This two story - two bedroom, three bath pool home situated on an oversized lot in on Bay Island will need some work but has great potential. Features of this home include a completed first floor family room with full bath, office and laundry room. Master bedroom and dinette have sliders to balcony that overlook pool and wooded yard. And is just a short drive to the sugary sands of Siesta Key Beach and the Village. The sale of this property came out to $204.04 a square foot. Courtesy of Allison James Estates & Homes

HIGHEST PRICED CONDO: 5880 Midnight Pass Rd, #804: Sold For $900,000 Rarely available 2 bedroom, 2 bath beachview unit in Casarina. These popular condominiums are set back on Midnight Pass Road in the perfect “midkey” location, this tropical paradise offers its residents 7 acres of beautiful foliage as well as the white sandy beach. Built in 1982, the 89 residences range from 1/382 to 2,542 square feet. Casarina has a beautiful clubhouse and offers grills and cabanas near the beach swimming

pool. Other amenities include fitness center, lighted tennis courts outdoor kitchen and grill. The sale on this unit came out to $600.80 a square foot. Courtesy of Lacey Realty Inc.

LOWEST PRICED CONDO: 1350 N Portofino Dr, #207, #712: Sold For $225,000 Elegant, spacious, absolutely beautiful – this open, bright and airy one bedroom (two bath) condo has refreshing intercostal and harbor views from all rooms. It was completely updated a few years ago and still looks brand new. The sparkling kitchen is convenient and efficient with maple cabinets giving a warm, rich feeling to both the kitchen and the bathrooms; the owner does not cook, so the oven has never even been used. The lovely diagonal tile flows to every room and gives a feeling of spaciousness and grace to the rooms. Updated bathrooms complete the picture. Siesta Harbor has a fishing pier, deep water harbor, a pool and hot tub,

plus deeded beach access. The on-site manager and excellent maintenance staff are there to assist you (or your renters) all week long. The owners are active and friendly with fishing trips, barbecues, parties, as well as yoga classes and pool aerobics…… come and enjoy the good life at Siesta Harbor. Buyers do not have to be over 55 to purchase, but one renter must be 55.The sale came out to $288.46 a square foot. Courtesy of Michael Saunders & Company

Spacious Island Home

Located in the quiet northern end of Siesta Key, this Key West style home is close to just about everything! Enjoy the day on secluded Shell Beach a few streets south!

Surrounded By Water Views

This impeccable condo unit has been beautifully renovated from floor to ceiling. The utmost attention to detail - wood paneled interior doors, a wall of closets in the master, recessed lighting throughout - truly sets this unit apart.

99 ,9 99 $6

,0 80

9 $5

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This Week’s Featured Listings

Secluded Home On Siesta Key

This Siesta Key gem is on quiet street in the heart of charming Siesta Village. Leave the car at home! No worries about parking or traffic. Just the quiet pleasure of winding your way around the village, to the beautiful sandy beach.

View All Siesta Key Listings: www.keysolutionsrealestate.com Or Call 941-894-1255

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New owners build custom home and keep the tree swing Realtor predicts more new homes in the community By Roger Drouin During their search for a site on which to build a new home, Bob and Kay Goodman looked throughout several West of the Trail neighborhoods. Then their attention was drawn to a single-family home in The Landings. The large, corner lot afforded privacy and the lot size they were seeking. It was, however, a grand oak, complete with a charming swing that won them over. The Goodmans purchased the home, at 5169 Kestral Park Lane, in July, and are in the process of building a new home, to be constructed by John Cannon Homes, Inc., on the site. As of press time, the demolition of the existing home was nearly complete. Of course, they are keeping the large oak on the property. “It is probably a 100 years old,” notes Kay Goodman. The Goodmans’ home is the second new home to replace an existing home in The Landings in two years. Tim Field, a realtor and broker-

associate at Michael Saunders Real Estate and the buyer’s agent for the Goodmans, believes that more such projects could be expected within The Landings — following a trend that is already visible in West-of-the-Trail neighborhoods such as Hudson Bayou or Harbor Acres. “People don’t necessarily want to go to Lakewood Ranch,” Field says. “They want to be closer in [to Sarasota], and they want new.” In some ways— such as precise cost estimates—newer construction can be easier than a remodeling project, the realtor says. And The Landings is looking more and more attractive for those buyers who are seeking a home to “tear down” to clear way for a new custom home complete with the modern touches, from high ceilings to high-tech air conditioning systems to hurricanecode windows, Field says. Factors such as the community’s central location, rising potential value of a newer home, a variety of lot sizes, and the amenities in The Landings

are making it more attractive for buyers who may want to build new. For the Goodmans, building a new home in The Landings made the most sense. “We wanted a custom design we could call our home,” Kay Goodman said. The Goodmans have always liked The Landings and have friends in the community they know through the Sarasota Yacht Club. In addition, their future, new neighbor across the street went to high school in Sarasota with Bob. The Goodmans, who are moving from Siesta Key, plan to soon list for sale their Hidden Harbor home that features 150 feet of waterfront. “We sold our boat, and that is one reason we are moving off the Key,” Bob Goodman said, noting that traffic congestion on and off the island also contributed to their decision to move. They recently purchased an RV, and plan to travel more. Continued on page 40

A large oak was one of the factors that won over the Goodmans, and the tree will remain on the property

Paradise Awaits... E IC ED! R P UC D RE

1122 Horizon View Drive, Sarasota, FL

322 Island Circle Sarasota, FL

Deeded Beach Access!!! Your feet will be in the Gulf of Mexico in 60 seconds. This immaculate pool home features large rooms and volume ceilings. Lovely oak Floors and stylish tile will dazzle you. 3 BR, 3.5 BA with LL bonus area for generational living. A truly unique find!

Beaches, boating and bistros! Live the island lifestyle in this spacious 4 BR, 4 BA house located on desirable Palm Island. Recently renovated with new kitchen, new master BR and master BA. Lounge in the heated pool and spa. Perfect home or investment property .

997,000

959,000

E IC ED! R P UC D RE

389 Island Circle, Sarasota, FL

Single Family Home, 4 BR, 4.5 BA, Private Pool, Corner Lot, 1 Car Attached Garage, Located on Palm Island on Siesta Key, A Short Walk To The Beach, Wood and Marble Flooring Throughout, Low Maintenance Yard, Private and Secluded

779,000

418 Island Circle, Sarasota, FL

Single Family Home, 3 BR, 2.5 BA Key West Style Grand Canal home on Siesta Key. Built in 2005. Huge lower level bonus area, pool shower, 4-car garage. Open floor plan. Custom touches, must see!

1,415,000

L O S

6151 Hollywood Blvd., Sarasota, FL

Front building consists of two 1 BR, 1 BA units. Rear building is a 3 BR, 2 BA unit. Close to beach and shopping. Walking distance to shopping. Upside potential.

425,000

5206 Winding Way, Sarasota, FL 5350 Calle Florida, Sarasota, FL Great Siesta Key home just a short walk to the sugary sands of Siesta Key Beach. Full remodeled with new stucco, paint and custom woodwork on the exterior. Brand new A/C unit, new stainless steel appliances. Bonus glassed-in Florida room is a pure joy for relaxation.

425,000

Tropical Sands Dan D. Miller 941-376-7442 Licensed Real Estate Professional

ddm1@comcast.net

Currently the lowest priced duplex close to the beach. 2 BR, 1 BA on each side. Possibilities abound on this property with room for a pool and low maintenance landscaping,. Rent out one side and use the other, or rent both sides for a great return on your investment.

500,000

Service. Integrity. Results.

Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2017

Snapshots of Island Visitors Photos by Jaye Clements - Sarasota Photography

Jeffrey and Luke from Siesta Key

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Blooming this month: American Beauty Berry Callicarpa Americana How does one resist a beautiful plant that is native to our Florida conditions and produces bright green foliage and gorgeous fat purple berries which individually cling directly to its stems? It is a perfect fit for this season of giving as it provides beauty to our environment, generously feeds the birds and wild life, and can even be used for medicinal purposes, both externally as a topical treatment and internally as a tea. Beauty Berry is easy to grow in our locale, adaptable to a variety of growing conditions and requiring little care. It is a fast grower, usually growing to 3-5 feet, sometimes taller in rich soil conditions. It survives in full sun to light shade with few pest problems. In the spring and early summer flowers in the pink color range adorn its branches. It makes a great gift, whether for the gardening novice or seasoned expert. It is truly Mother Nature’s gift to us all.

Submitted in 2015 by Jean Hansen, 3rd Vice President and Grounds Chair Sarasota Garden Club

New owners build custom home and keep the tree swing Continued from page 39

Randall, Joy, Daniel, and Martina from SRQ

The security of The Landings community, therefore, was another factor in the decision to purchase in the community. Bill Whitman, president of the Landings Home Owners Association, Inc., agrees with Field that residents could notice some more new homes in The Landings. “I think we will see more of it,” Whitman said. But he notes that the majority of buyers who are purchasing a single-family home in The Landings, often at a pricetag of upwards of $500,000, could likely still opt to remodel — rather than raze the home — even if it does need some work. “Mostly, we will see more renovations of homes with a satisfactory structural condition,” Whitman predicts.

There are 218 single family homes in The Landings, and most were built from 1982 to 1986. In February, the Goodmans hope to present home plans to The Landings landscape and architecture review committee. That committee then makes a recommendation whether to approve the plans to The Landings Home Owners Association, Inc. board, Whitman said. Whitman has seen some preliminary designs of the home, and he believes it looks like the home will become a positive addition to the community. “John Cannon homes is a first class operation,” Whitman said.

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House Hunting Siesta Key to Longboat Key • TUSCAN INSPIRED MASTERPIECE ON PALM ISLAND: $779,000 389 Island Circle, Siesta Key, FL. MLS# A4110340. 4,134 sq. ft. single family home. 4 bedrooms, 4 ½ baths, roof top pool, private spacious in-law/guest apartment with separate entrance. Dan Miller, Re/Max Tropical Sands. 941-376-7442 • KEY WEST STYLE GRAND CANAL HOME ON SIESTA KEY: $1,415,000 418 Island Circle, Siesta Key, FL. MLS#A3990080 3BD/3BA. Lushly landscaped tropical lot with Tiki Bar in the pool/spa area. Dan Miller, Re/Max Tropical Sands. 941-376-7442 • HOME ON CANOPIED ROAD: $425,000 5206 Winding Way, Siesta Key, FL. MLS# A4163466 Fully remodeled home just a short walk to the sugary sands of Siesta Key beach. Single family home located in a canopied neighborhood with new stucco paint and custom woodwork on exterior. New A/C unit and stainless steel appliances. Dan Miller, Re/Max Tropical Sands. 941-376-7442

Lowest priced Single Family Home on Siesta Key 5234 Winding Way $425,000 Post modern enthusiasts will appreciate this gem from the Sarasota School of Architecture. Sited on a quiet shaded canopy road on Siesta Key just under a mile from main Siesta Pavilion, This slice of paradise offers the lifestyle. Maintained and renovated in keeping with the original character, this home makes a statement of style and class. Enjoy the comfortable island lifestyle on the white

www.siestasand.net

• DEEDED BEACH ACCESS: $997,000 1122 Horizon View Drive, Siesta Key, FL. MLS# A4163952 This immaculate pool home features large rooms and volume ceilings. Lovely oak floors and stylish tile will dazzle you. 3BD/3/5BA with LL bonus area for general living. Dan Miller, Re/Max Tropical Sands. 941-376-7442 • RECENTLY RENOVATED PALM ISLAND HOME: $959,000. 322 Island Circle, Siesta Key, FL. MLS# A4170620 Spacious 4 BR, 4 BA house. Recently renovated with new kitchen, new master BR and master BA. Lounge in the heated pool and spa. Dan Miller, Re/Max Tropical Sands. 941-376-7442 • LOWEST PRICED DUPLEX CLOSE TO THE BEACH: $500,000 5350 Calle Florida, Siesta Key, FL. MLS# A4169144 2 BR, 1 BA on each side. Possibilities abound on this property with room for a pool and low maintenance landscaping. Dan Miller, Re/Max Tropical Sands. 941-376-7442 • 1690 PINE HARRIER DR, THE LANDINGS, $775,000: MLS #A4168186 Family home with 4Bd/ 3BA, Caged Lanai and Pool. Judy Greene/ Tara Lamb, Michael Saunders & Company Licensed Real Estate Broker. 941-350-0451 (Judy) or 941266-4873 (Tara). • 1445 GULF OF MEXICO, #401, THE PLAYERS CLUB, $949,000: MLS A4123420 Longboat Key Gulf front Penthouse, 3bd/3Bth on the beach in the Players Club. Judy Greene/Tara Lamb, Michael Saunders & Company Licensed Real Estate Broker, 941-3500451 (Judy) or 941-266-4873 (Tara).

sands of Siesta with the shops, dining and entertainment of the village. This is the home you’ve been waiting for, the stylish Siesta classic priced at market bottom for Siesta. Take advantage of this bargain before someone else does.

Bob Stahlschmidt - 941.266.2684 Your Real Estate Professional SarasotaRealEstatePro.com Likes us on Facebook.com/SarasotaBob See Reviews at Zillow.com/BobStahlschmidt

• 5420 EAGLES POINT CIR #401, THE LANDINGS $599,000: MLS #A4163181 3Bd/2.5Bth Updated Penthouse Condo Intracoastal View Judy Greene/Tara Lamb, Michael Saunders & Company Licensed Real Estate Broker. 941-350-0451 (Judy) or 941-266-4873 (Tara). • 5430 EAGLES POINT CIR #203, THE LANDINGS $787,0000: MLS #4162162 3 BD plus Den / 4.5 BA with private garage. Spacious floor plan. Judy Greene/Tara Lamb, Michael

Saunders & Company Licensed Real Estate Broker. 941-350-0451 (Judy) or 941-266-4873 (Tara). • 1695 STARLING DR, LANDINGS VILLA $499,999: MLS #A4163378 3BD/2.5BA Villa at Eagles Point- spacious and bright- master downstairs/2 beds and a loft up. Judy Greene/Tara Lamb, Michael Saunders & Company Licensed Real Estate Broker, 941-350-0451 (Judy) or 941-266-4873 (Tara). • 1734 Starling Dr., LANDINGS COACH HOUSE $315,000: MLS #A4171338 2BD/2BA ground floor condo with lake view. Judy Greene/Tara Lamb, Michael Saunders & Company Licensed Real Estate Broker, 941-3500451 (Judy) or 941-266-4873 (Tara). • 1350 SIESTA BAYSIDE Great vacation home or investment property. Deeded beach access just across the street. Beautifully furnished 3/2 end unit with garage. MLS#A4142552, $650,000. Key Solutions Real Estate Group, Sheri & Bob Ruiz. Bob: 941-544-3299 or Sheri: 941-400-4186. • PEPPERTREE BAY Direct bay views from this fabulous 2/2 in sought-after Peppertree community. Tastefully, turnkey furnished. Private garage. MLS# A4172526, $590,000. Key Solutions Real Estate Group, Sheri & Bob Ruiz. Bob: 941-544-3299 or Sheri: 941-400-4186. • THE POINTE Wake to incredible sunrises over the Bay from this fabulously renovated and beautifully furnished 2/2. Tile throughout, granite, stainless, built-ins and great lighting features. MLS# A4165199, $480,000. Key Solutions Real Estate Group, Sheri & Bob Ruiz. Bob: 941-544-3299 or Sheri: 941-400-4186. • HARBOUR TOWNE YACHT CLUB Minutes’ walk to Siesta Beach with deeded 40’ boat dock with 10k lift. 3/3 on 2 floors with garage and abundant storage. Beautifully renovated. MLS# A4167104, $699,000. Key Solutions Real Estate Group, Sheri & Bob Ruiz. Bob: 941544-3299 or Sheri: 941-400-4186 • 840 SIESTA KEY CIRCLE Lovely old-Florida style 3-31/2 home on large corner lot. Abundant

glass doors and windows bring the outdoors in! Large pool. Boat dock (minutes to the ICW) with 10k lift. 2 car garage. A short walk to Siesta Beach and Village. MLS#A4173735, $1,150,000. Key Solutions Real Estate Group, Sheri & Bob Ruiz. Bob: 941544-3299 or Sheri: 941-400-4186. • LIDO AMBASSADOR Direct Beachfront community just 10 minutes’ walk to St. Armand’s Circle and a short drive to downtown Sarasota. Large 1 1 1/2 unit beautifully renovated and furnished. Move right in for season. Beachfront pool, clubhouse, fitness, etc. Low HOA fees. MLS #A4174292, $370,000. Key Solutions Real Estate Group, Sheri & Bob Ruiz. Bob: 941-544-3299 or Sheri: 941-4004186. • TURNKEY FURNISHED TOWNHOME This 3BD/2BA townhome, is totally updated. The gated waterfront community features fabulous recreational facilities, a private boat slip, garage, and is just a short walk to the beach. 1267 Dockside PL #214, Siesta Key, $699,000 MLS #A4155386 Key Solutions Real Estate, (941)8941255. • SIESTA KEY GEM This 3 BD/2 BA home in the heart of charming Siesta Village features a split floor plan with a loft and cathedral ceilings. House has a large yard (.39 of an acre) perfect for entertaining and relaxing poolside. For investment opportunity, home can rent for $4000-5000 per month. 4868 Featherbed Ln, Siesta Key, $699,999 MLS#A4174977 Key Solutions Real Estate, (941)894-1255. • SPECTACULAR BAYFRONT TOWNHOME This 2,326 square foot 3 bed, 3 bath Condo with Gourmet kitchen and lots of upgrades has an attached garage, deeded 25’ boat slip with new lift, and is just a short walk to Siesta Key Beach. 1333 Dockside PL # 223, Siesta Key, $979,000 MLS # A4157478 Key Solutions Real Estate, (941)894-1255. • BUILD YOUR DREAM CUSTOM HOME WEST OF THE TRAIL In one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Sarasota. The over-sized lot allows flexibility of construction. 16,436 SqFt. $359,000. Maria Rocha 941-275-6266 Keller Williams On The Water.

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

FEBRUARY 2017

Sand Castles

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

Great location and value make White Sands Village a unique choice By Roger Drouin In 2003, Carolyn Varilek and her husband Ron decided to move down to White Sands Village, where they had owned a unit for several years. The couple owned an RV and property on Hilton Head, South Carolina and ended up selling the property. “It was too cold for us,” Varilek recalled about that winter. “It got down to 18 [degrees], and I remember I said to my husband ‘This is it! We are going to move down to Siesta Key and live there.’” Now Varilek doesn’t plan to leave White Sand Village — a community of one and two-bedroom condo units set amid seven acres of lush landscaping and a short stroll to the beach — any time soon. “I’m going out here with a toe tag,” she jokes. “I am never leaving. I love it here.” The community’s location at Midnight Pass and Beach Roads across from the newly renovated public beach is the top asset at White Sands Village, says Varilek who walks the beach five times a week in the mornings. In addition, recent sale and listing prices make it one of “the best values on Siesta Key” within waking distance of the beach, notes realtor Bob Ruiz, of Key Solutions Real Estate. “It’s proximity to the world renowned Siesta Beach and the fact that it is mid-Key and readily accessible to both Siesta Village, mid-Key Village and both bridges make it highly unique among Siesta Key communities,” Ruiz added. Recent sales have ranged from $211,750 for a one bedroom, one bath, with 797 square feet to a higher-end sales price of $305,000 for a two bedroom, two bath unit with 1,012 square feet. There are ten, two-story buildings on the property. The condos were built in 1975. “As is the case in most all properties on Siesta Key built in the 70s, some units have been beautifully renovated and updated, while others retain their original décor,” Ruiz notes. “Most new buyers undertake some renovation, but the extent just depends upon the owner.” White Sands Village is a very active and close-knit community, with a full social calendar. “Something is going on here all the time,” Varilek said. She added that residents are friendly and willing to help their neighbors, and recalled how one neighbor had offered and fixed her screen door that was not shutting correctly. There are many permanent and seasonal residents, but also renters who return year after year and become integral to the community. The fact that this is one of the only communities on the Key that permit renters to have small dogs, speaks volumes about the friendliness and affability of White Sands, Ruiz said. The on-site management is integral to the rental

program, and many renters return year after year. “They love the community — and the location,” Ruiz said. The community has a two-week rental minimum. But many renters stay for longer, Varilek said. “Once they come here, during their next visit, they will stay for a month or two,” Varilek said. “A lot of renters come back every year.” The clubhouse at White Sands Village Condominium, adjacent to the swimming pool and office, is the hub of activity. The community’s pool is heated year-round to a warm 86º, so residents and renters can enjoy a swim even during the cooler months. There is also a ‘his and hers’ sauna, and lending book library. A new gas grill, located next to the pool and covered picnic tables, are available.

Recent listings: Two units were listed for sale, as of press time, for $350,000 or $346 a square foot. • One of the units, a two bedroom, two bath unit with 1,012 square feet, was a recently-new listing. The unit is completely remodeled and turnkey furnished. The unit has diagonal-tile floors in the living areas and baths, and laminate in the bedrooms. The lanai was converted to a glass enclosed area, opening into the living room. • The other unit is the same size, and remodeled as well. The unit features an updated kitchen with granite counters, opened-up to the living area, and a washer and dryer installed. The bathrooms have all new tiles and stone floors with new showers, vanities, sinks and faucets, according to the MLS listing. The unit is located on the second floor. “The $60K+ renovation has made this a popular rental, grossing over $40K in bookings, including future bookings that will transfer to the buyer,” according to the MLS listing. Recent sales at White Sands have ranged from $211,750 for a one bedroom, one bath, 797-square foot unit to a higher end sales price of $305,000 for a two bedroom, two bath unit with 1,012 square feet. • The one bedroom unit that sold for $211,750, was in need of a remodel, but it featured a garden view on the first floor. The sale came out to $266 a square foot. • While the two-bedroom, two-bath units, advertised as a quiet, first floor unit, sold for $305,000, or $301 a square foot. The unit came furnished. • A two bedroom unit also sold for $287,000, or $284 a square foot. The unit was move in ready, with recentlyinstalled living room flooring and an open layout.

Making Things Happen on Siesta Key...BOB and SHERI RUIZ

840 Siesta Key Circle

Peppertree Bay

Gulf & Bay Bayside

The Pointe on Midnight Pass

minutes boat ride to the ICW. 3 3 1/12 with pool and 2 car garage. Large corner lot.

Direct bay views from this fabulous 2/2 in sought-after Peppertree community. Tastefully, turnkey furnished. Private garage. Beach access just across the street.

Great beach home, vacation or rental property. Deeded beach access just across the street. 3/2 end unit. Beautifully renovated and furnished with attached garage. Great amenities.

Incomparable views of the Bay from this fabulously renovated and furnished 2/2. Tile throughout, granite, stainless, built-ins and great lighting features. Every amenity.

MLS #A4149391 $1,150,000

MLS#A4149092 $590,000

MLS #A4142552 $650,000

MLS #A4165199 $480,000

Lovely Old-Florida style home just minutes to Siesta Beach and Village. Dock w/lift,

A R T N

O C R

D UN

Your Resident Siesta Key Realtors

The Pointe on Midnight Pass

Lovely 1/1 on the 9th floor with incredible water views. Turnkey furnished. The Pointe is a beautiful 5+ acre community at the southernmost end of Siesta Key with every amenity. Enjoy sunrises and sunsets. MLS #A4169754 $359,000

Harbour Towne Yacht Club

Beautifully renovated and turnkey furnished 3/3 with deeded 40’ dock and 10k lift. Garage and abundant storage. Just across the street from Siesta Beach. Great boating community of just 50 units. MLS #A4167104 Just Reduced For Value Sale $699,000

Lido Ambassador

Direct beachfront community just 10 minutes walk to popular St. Armand’s Circle and a short drive to downtown Sarasota. Amenities abound-beachfront pool, clubhouse, fitness, etc. Large 1, 1-1/2 beautifully renovated and furnished MLS #A4174292 $370,000

Bob Ruiz 941-544-3299 RobertRuizRR@aol.com Sheri Ruiz 941-400-4186 Sheri Lasley@aol.com www.SiestaKeyNow.com

Key Solutions Real Estate Group

Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2017

941.349.0194

www.siestasand.net

Classifieds / Here’s My Card ACCOMMODATIONS / VACATION RENTALS • Best Western Plus Siesta Key – AAA -3 Diamond Property, Free shuttle service to and from Siesta Key 941-924-4900, 6600 S. Tamiami Trl., Sarasota • Canal Pool B&B – Master bedroom with private bath. California King bed. 1 mile to Siesta’s Public Beach. Call Shawna at 941-5187774. • Siesta 4 Rent - Vacation Rentals, from studios to 5 bedrooms. Serving Siesta Key since 1997, 941-349-5500 • Siesta Key Realty Rentals, Reservations, and Property Management. Homes and Condos, 1-3 Bedrooms. Serving Siesta Key since 1992. Siestakeyrealtyrentals.com, 941-349-8900.

ANTIQUES

CLEANING SERVICES

DRY CLEANERS

Green Magic Cleaning Service

“Residential and Commercial”

We don’t cut corners, we dust them.

A family owned business with 16 years of experience.

• High quality services • Competitive rates • Great references • Always the same crew www.SarasotaHouseCleaningService.com

Environmentally Conscious Laundry and Dry Cleaning Service

Free Pick Up & Delivery Service

GreenMagicCleaning@gmail.com Call for a FREE estimate today!

(941) 780-4248

Call

ExEcutivE Shirt SErvicE • houSEhold itEmS • SamE day SErvicE availablE

DENTIST

COMPUTER SUPPORT

20With%ThisOFF Ad Vintage, Antique, Mid-Century

Relics on the Key

www.relicsonthekey.com relicsonthekey@gmail.com (941) 346-3600 Phone 5049 Ocean Blvd Like us on (941) 346-7600 Fax Relicsonthekey Siesta Key Village

BEACH & BABY EQUIPMENT RENTALS

SARASOTA’S BEST BABY RENTAL CENTER SELF SERVICE NOW AVAILABLE Order online or by phone Available 24/7 CLEAN • SAFE • RELIABLE

941-929-1850

5700 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key www.abcbabyrental.com

BOATING RENTALS / FISHING CHARTERS

Having Fun Fishing in The Sun

The

Digital Handyman Computer Support Specialist

In-Home and Remote Support Software Installation and Training Virus Recovery and Security Home and Office Networking

Steve Lombardo support@dhdym.com

Digital Photograpy and Video Smartphone Configuration Smart TV Configuration Disaster Recovery and Backup

(941)266-5005 www.dhdym.com

941-400-2452

Scott G. Ames

www.scottamesdmd.com

D.M.D.

General & Cosmetic Dentistry

941-923-1910

The Office Park, Suite 101-B 2477 Stickney Pt. Rd. Sarasota, FL 34231

ENTERTAINMENT

Tom The Tech Guy

Computer Repair, Smartphone and Wireless Configuration and Setup, Printer and TV Installation and Much More!

Thomas J. Smith

941-526-9105

tommy8223@yahoo.com Sarasota and Surround Areas

CONTRACTORS

New LookReasonable Prices! Shower & Bathtub Walls

Cleaned - Regrouted - Caulked - Sealed

Shower & Bath Makeovers Free Estimates Call John 941.377.2940

Sarasota resident since 1974

Tony Fudoli Sr. CAPTAIN tntfreedomfishing@yahoo.com

from your home or business

941-275-4647

www.showerandbathsarasota.com

• Hawk’s Nest Construction Inc. is a certified Class A general contractor licensed in all phases of construction. Owner, Mark Veteran Owned Business Hawkins Sr. personally oversees every aspect of your project from start to finish, using only the best and most reliable licensed • CB’s Saltwater Outfitters – CB’s Saltwater Outfitters is an artisan and craftsmen. His passion is delighting his clients by ORVIS Endorsed Outfitter Fishing Charter Service serving Siesta turning their home-improvement dreams into a beautiful reality. Key as well as Longboat Key, Lido Key, Sarasota and Venice. Call 941-650-9499 or visit their website: Our veteran guides offer exciting Fishing Adventures for www.hawksnestconstruction.com. anglers of all ages from novice to the expert. See our website: www.CBsOutfitters.com or stop in their store for additional info. 1240 Stickney Point Rd, Siesta Key. (941)349-4400.

FURNITURE

PATIO, WICKER, & CAS FURNITUR ALL ON SALE AT HUG

PATIO FURNITURE DIRECT Bring in this ad to get

20%

off your TOTAL PURCHASE

*Expires January 31 2017, not valid on BBQ grills and accessories*

PATIO OUTLET LOCATION: 7261 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34231 HOURS: Open 10am-6pm daily Sun 12pm-5pm | Closed Wednesday

HOUSE WATCH

(941) 961-4309

www.SuncoastHomeConcierge.com

House Watch Sarasota Licensed and Insured

Affordable and Dependable Service Solutions For Your Home While You Are Away LANDINGS RESIDENT OWNED AND OPERATED

941-896-6400 www.kathleend.net

www.qualitycountscleaning.com

CANDY & SWEETS

941.756.1082 Carpet, Tile and Upholstery Cleaning • Free Estimates • Satisfaction Guaranteed • Stain Specialists • Chamber of Commerce Members

Serving Manatee and Sarasota Counties Locally Owned and Operated

Bring In This Ad And Receive

20%OFF

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941.312.4118 candytimesarasota@gmail.com 2067 Siesta Drive • Sarasota, FL 34239 www.itscandytime.com

TO ADVERTISE CALL 941-349-0194

• Wilson Windows is a State Certified General Contractor specializing in glass porch enclosures and window replacement. They offer only top quality products installed by professionally trained technicians. All projects are engineered and permitted to meet the new state building codes related to impact, water infiltration and high velocity windload calculations. Their services include window repair, new custom screens, glass cut to size, and hard to find window parts inventory at both locations. Fully insured and their work is guaranteed. 941-921-1113, www. wilson-window.com.

R. BRuce Whittinghill, llc (941) 955-1864

Call or e-mail sarasotabruce1@housewatchsrq.com housewatchsrq.com for quotes and references Serving SaraSota and Surrounding areaS Since 1979

MEDICAL

Dermatology Skin CanCer laSer, Botox anD Hair/nail DiSorDerS 1952 Field Road Sarasota, Florida 34231

www.dermatologyexperts.com

J Morgan O’Donoghue, MD.

Amy Fenenga PA-C

941.926.7546

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

FEBRUARY 2017

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

Classifieds / Here’s My Card MEDICAL

SPAS / HAIR & BEAUTY

CONTINUED

Deep tissue massage is our specialty

TRANSPORTATION

941.920.0010

65/hr.

Pierre Nedelcovych, M.D. www.sarasotamedcenter.com info@sarasotamedcenter.com

MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES

RIDE THE KEY FREE

15-20 MINUTE RESPONSE TIME (Based upon traffic)

SERVICING

Siesta Key Beach Siesta Village Turtle Beach

FAAFP FAAUCM

US 41 Office 941-927-1234 • Siesta Key Office 941-312-6708

A Healer’s Touch

CONTINUED

941-928-9200

MA34776

For First Massage

Family Practitioners • Pediatrics-Geratrics • Urgent Care

DRIVER TIPS ONLY

Restaurants and Accommodations Operating 10AM to 2AM Daily

www.JonnysOriginalFreeRide.com

3800 Tamiami Trail

(Corner of Bay Street & Hwy 41/Paradise Plaza by Silverberg Jewelry)

• Massage Experience Siesta Key Open 7-day a week. 5138A • Jonny’s Original Free Ride – The Original Ride the Key Free service on Siesta to anywhere, everyday from 10 AM – 2 AM. Ocean Blvd, Siesta Key, 941-349-4833. (MA17596/MM6727). Driver tips only. Call 941-928-9200. • Dollar Limo – holds up to 10 people and is cheaper than a D.U.I or taxi. Call 941-735-4732

Transportation for everyone on the Sun Coast Friendliest Ride In Town

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT • For 100 years, we have provided the most comprehensive property management services in both the commercial and residential industries. Your investment is our priority. Experience the difference. Call today for a free rental price analysis. 941-952-3168. McMullenProperties.com

Olde Fashion Barber Shop

Tapers • Flattops • Fades • Styling • Razor Cuts • Shaves

ther”

“Hot La

941-312-6001

South Gate Barber Shop (Across from Southgate Mall)

2081 Siesta Drive, Sarasota, FL 34239

REAL ESTATE AGENTS

Walk-Ins Welcome

Monday-Friday 9 AM-6 PM; Saturday 9 AM-4PM

www.SouthgateBarbers.com

HELENE M. HYLAND REALTOR®

(941) 685-2274 Cell (941) 349-4411 Office (800) 237-9403 Toll Free (941) 349-8090 Fax HeleneHyland@comcast.net

Tara Nelson

Master Stylist / Colorist

FIRST RIDE

10% DISCOUNT

30 YEARS EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS DOOR-TO-DOOR SERVICE 24/7 ACCOMMODATES UP TO 7 PASSENGERS

Call 941-284-8840 or 941-323-0442 For Current Rates

WANTED TO BUY

5145 Ocean Blvd. Sarasota, FL 34242 Owned and Operated by NRT, LLC

RV4CASH

www.SheSellsSiestaKeySarasota.com

Piro & Associates

4141 S. Tamiami Trail - Sarasota, FL 34231 - 941-925-0928

Expert in 1031 Exchange

SPORTS RENTALS / ACCESSORIES

REALTORS®

Office: (941) 923-3900 Cell: (941) 356-8699 Fax: (941) 924-0086 mail: piroassociates@comcast.net Website: www.pirorealty.com

James J. Piro, MAI, CCIM Licensed Real Estate Broker

7719 Holiday Drive, Sarasota, FL 34231

Siesta Beach Realty SARASOTA FLORIDA Steven Whitmore, Broker

Use my 30 years of experience to help you with your property.

• Robin Hood Rentals – for all your Siesta Key rental needs with a wide variety segways, bikes, kayaks, scooters and more, free pickup and delivery anywhere on the key. 5255 Ocean Blvd Siesta Key Village. 941-554-4242

AY WE PH! CAS

WANTED:

All Motor Homes, 5th Wheels and Travel Trailers Any Condition! Cash Paid On The Spot!

CALL NOW FOR FAST, EASY SALE

954-789-7530

• Siesta Key Bike & Kayak – Located on Siesta Key in Capt Curts Village serving Siesta Key, Lido Beach and Sarasota. We offer bikes, kayak rentals, kayak eco tours, paddleboards and scooters. 1224 Old Sickney Pt Rd. 941-346-0891 • Siesta Sports Rentals – Located on Siesta Key, bike, kayak, kayak tours, scooter, children strollers and car seats. Delivery and pickup available, 6551 Midnight Pass Rd, 941-346-1797

SENIOR SERVICES

Visit our website at: SiestaBeachRealty.com Call or email me stevenwhitmore@verizon.com

941-993-5722

• A Bridge for Independence provides in home companion services including companionship, transportation, light housekeeping, medication reminders and meal preparation and planning. Call us at 866-279-4390, FL License #230517

MarinerWord Answers to the Search WORD SEARCHwww.TheMariner.com found on page 37

SPECIAL OFFER : List Your Home With Me For 4%!

• Making things happen on Siesta Key with Real Estate agents Bob and Sheri Ruiz from Key Solutions Real Estate Group. If you are looking to buy or sell on the Key contact us. Bob Ruiz 941-544-3299 RobertRuizRR@aol.com, Sheri Ruiz 941-400-4186 SheriLasley@aol.com • Your Siesta Dunes and Landings Preferred Partners in Real Estate, Judy Greene 941-350-0451 and Tara Lamb 941-266-4873 with Michael Sanders & Company 5100 Ocean Blvd Siesta Key 34242 JudyGreene@MichaelSanders.com

Place your classified ad here for $6. (15 words) and $.10 for each additional word. Copy must be submitted with payment on or before the 15th of the month prior to publication. For display ads, please call 941-349-0194 for rates.

TO ADVERTISE CALL 941-349-0194

ritz”

“For F

TRANSPORTATIONAnswers from

Airport Rides From Sarasota To:

Page 14

941.735.4732 Seacoast

Picked up from Airport:

SRQ

$ 30

$ 40

TPA/St. Pete

$105

$125

Punta Gorda

$ 70

$ 80

Miami

$250

$300

Orlando

$200

$220

Ask for Eddie

Prices Include Tolls, Fuel & Parking For Airport Pickups your Chauffeur will have a sign with your name on it.

• Sun Ride Pedicab – Eco-friendly Pedicabs. Siesta Key Tours and rides – tips only, 941-343-3400 • Siesta Key Free Rides – Siesta Key Free island shuttle for beach, village, condo and tours – tips only. Electric vehicles. Call 941952-8294

Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2017

941.349.0194

www.siestasand.net

Accommodations Locator Map

See our maps of the island online at

F Siesta Key Inn F Siesta Palms by the Beach

www.siestasand.net/maps

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

FEBRUARY 2017

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

24/7 Emergency Dentistry Call for your appointment now! (941) 375-4005

10% OFF

Any Emergency Dental Work Uninsured patients only. During regular business hours.

Not valid with any other offers. After hours and weekends are extra.* Expires 2-28-2017. Code 026

FREE

Oral Sedation

(D9248) Will need driver. During regular business hours. After hours and weekends are extra. Uninsured patients only. Not valid with any other offers.* Expires 2-28-2017. Code 026

EmergencyDentistry.com

Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2017

Island Girl

Candice

941.349.0194

This month’s Island Girl is Candice of Bradenton, born in Sarasota. She stays busy juggling her schedule as an assistant manager at a local clothing store and a student at State College of Florida. When she does have spare time, you may find her mudding, fishing, painting, listening to country music or engrossed in another “Fast and Furious” movie. Candace loves the super soft sand of Siesta Beach and especially craves pizza. You’ll see her on the beach any time she’s not working and can get some friends together.

If you would like to be considered for our next Island Girl, contact us at islandvp@verizon.net (You must be at least 18 years old to participate)