IV Siesta Sand - February 2014 by Brion Palmer

Why the world comes to Sarasota

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RESTAURANT HIGHLIGHT

Diana Colson has the soul of a creator. An award-winning filmmaker, a published songwriter, composer, lyricist, and journalist...

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After the big one

WHO’S PLAYING TONIGHT

By Stan Zimmerman

Post-disaster planning ramps back up

Call it weather roulette. Last year started with a scare as the first named storm of the year came ashore north of Cedar Key just shy of hurricane strength. Tropical Storm Andrea arrived on the sixth day of a hurricane season forecasters predicted to be “busy.” It wasn’t. Andrea was the only tropical system to make landfall in the United States. Overall 2013 was one of the least active seasons in decades. But it is only a matter of time, and this year Sarasota County is taking the wraps off a plan that will guide rebuilding after “the big one” hits. It does not take a monster storm to do monstrous damage. Hurricane Ike came ashore along the Bolivar Peninsula of Galveston in 2008, a category two storm, but it wiped the barrier island clean with a 20-foot storm surge. Four years later Hurricane Sandy, only briefly a category two storm, ravaged the coastline from

Commentary: Army

New Jersey to New England with a ten-foot surge. In the past 85 years, a total of 17 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 25 miles of Sarasota. They include Hurricanes Donna (1960), Charlie (2004) and an un-named category three hurricane in 1944 that made landfall on Siesta Key, 70 years ago. For decades local officials stress storm preparation. Acres of plywood are stored in local garages to cover windows and doors. Water supplies are often refreshed annually, and sales of Spam jump as the first days of storm season approach. People understand preparation. But what about afterward? Do we rebuild exactly like before the catastrophe? Should homes be allowed so close to the so-called ‘velocity zone?’ As the recent controversy over flood insurance makes clear, how much

longer will the residents of Wyoming subsidize Florida beachfront home owners’ federal flood insurance? This spring local residents will be able to weigh in on these issues. Sarasota County is about to unveil a ten-chapter-long Post-Disaster Redevelopment Plan, the long-awaited PDRP.

Not yet ready for prime time

Work on the PDRP began in 2008 with an epic cast of characters. Senior officials from Saraosta County and its cities were involved, barrier island associations were represented, law enforcement and architects, land planners and lawyers and a surprising number of local citizens all spent hours trying to get their arms around a post-storm reality. They were like a theater troupe, playing roles in an as-yetunwritten play.

KEKE KAHN AND THE WORLD OF DOGS PAGE 31

Story continued on page 27.

Corps Dredges Up New Concerns

Guest Commentary By Jono Miller

You’ve no doubt heard about the City of Sarasota’s plan to dredge sand out of Big Pass and place it on Lido Beach. Since Lido Beach has been nourished many times before, some people assume the controversy is just another one of those overblown Sarasota snit-fits that can be lumped in with the Ringling bridge name, roundabouts, and sidewalk dining. But this sand-shuffling proposal is unlike any that has come before and involves four completely new aspects, any one of which is deserving of a lot more public and professional scrutiny. Never before has a Lido Beach project invoked hurricane protection, involved placing rock groins in a County Park, successfully targeted the Big Pass shoal, or required a 50-year contract with the federal government. And every earlier attempt to take sand from Big Pass has been rebuffed as a result of technical uncertainty and public outrage. Incredibly, this radical proposal has been in the works since 1999, more or less out of public view. It was back in 2002, more than a decade ago, when

PAGE 22

it was determined the project was “technically sound, environmentally acceptable and economically justified” – a startling finding that appears to ignore the technical, environmental, and economic changes of the last dozen years. Not to mention the decade-long Save Our Sand campaign that should have made it abundantly clear that messing with Big Pass was not acceptable to the local community. The first big difference is that what everyone assumes is a simple, recurring beach nourishment is actually, according to the US Army Corps of Engineers, a “Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction Project” that involves building a 1.6 mile long, five-foot high artificial dune that is somehow supposed to provide protection from a 20-year storm. The dune component means they are looking for more than three times as much sand per mile as a nearby nourishment project taking place right now on Anna Maria –

ARTS ON THE HORIZON PAGE 26

and the result will be more than five times the per mile cost the Anna Maria work. The Corp’s public presentations have not included any detailed information about how this dune is supposed to work, but since Lido and St. Armands are islands, no dune is going to keep Hotel lobbies or St. Armand’s restaurants dry if the tide comes up. Is the Corps actually proposing to provide hurricane protection or is this just a way to charge for more beach than is needed?

SARASOTA WATERS: SARASOTA BAY PAGE 16

Commentary continued on page 24.

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signed or decorated by the dipper to identify the piece. Quality chocolates should accomplish certain requirements when tasted 1) it should break down immediately 2) there should not be a waxy or grainy feel on the roof of your mouth and 3) when you are finished with a piece, the taste in your mouth should not change. Abel’s Ice Cream displays their chocolates in a humidity controlled refrigerated cabinet as recommended by Sweet Shop USA to insure freshness. At the request of many customers, a

new flavor of ice cream has been added, English Toffee’n Cream (Toffee ice cream loaded with English toffee candy bar pieces). It has been a great addition to their 36 flavors offered and accommodates their Caramel Caribou (Toffee ice cream with thick caramel weave and mini chocolate caramel cups) and Creamy Praline (Praline flavored ice cream loaded with pecans in a butterscotch weave) flavors. Abel’s is located at 1886 Stickney Point Road between New Balance and Stonewood Grill.

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LOCAL MAPS & INFORMATION See Page 17

Island Chatter

By Diana Colson

SKA Meeting Notes Following a brief Community Welcome & Guest Sign-In, the December 5, 2013 minutes were approved and community reports.

SHERIFF’S OFFICE, SIESTA KEY:

Sgt. Osborne said there had been a lot of bike thefts of late. He also emphasized that when going to the beach, people need to keep their cars locked and leave their valuables at home to avoid car break-ins. He reminded the group that 911 was the number to call. 911 will reach both City and County dispatchers. SK VILLAGE ASSOCIATION:

Mark Smith spoke of the upcoming Crafts Fair to be held on February 8-9. Streets would not be closed, and the sidewalks will be loaded with crafts. He also mentioned that SIESTA FIESTA would be coming April 26-27, and some streets would be closed for that event. He added that the recycling program was moving along, the goal being that bins will soon be placed in the village to hold discarded bottles and papers.

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SK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE:

Today’s Guest Speaker was Ron Flynn, P.A., a Certified International Property Specialist. He serves on the Board of Directors for Siesta Key Association Board of Directors, and is also a Member of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce. He is a realtor at Key Solutions Real Estate. Ron provided handouts presenting unique and significant demographic and valuation trends for Siesta Key. He gathered these statistics from Realtors Property Resource (RPR), from MAPP, and also from the Sarasota County Property Tax Record. The news was good! In the past 12 months, the Estimated Home values on Siesta Key have gone up 14.9%. vs. 11.7% in Sarasota County. 83 % of Siesta Key residents own their own homes vs. 76% in Sarasota County. The vast majority of homes sold were between 30 and 60+ years of age. In the past 6 months, 30 homes had sold at prices in excess of $900,000. If you live in a pre-1975 home, you are subject to new rules concerning flood insurance. It you are homesteaded, you are exempt. New buyers, however, will be subject to these new, more stringent flood rules. The largest segment of population on the Key earns in excess of $150,000

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a year with more than 2/3 of the population over the age of 55. Only 553 households have children, while 2,288 do not. Over 80% of the people drive less than a half hour to go to work. In November of 2013, there were 85 houses listed on the market. 33 of them sold within the month, and all but two were Multiple Listings. In 2012, the total tax value of all Siesta Key Properties was $4,833,254,099! Valued at almost five billion dollars, these properties generatedtaxes of $63,901,937 in 2012. Ron Flynn predicts a bright future for Siesta Key. He may be reached at www.ronaldflynn.com.

ZONING & ENVIRONMENT:

toxic chemicals on our beach.

MEMBERSHIP:

Deet Jonker reported that people were signing up on line. Two weeks from now a mail campaign will be started, but SKA is hoping to avoid mail costs. It is $30 for a regular membership.

AVENIDA DE MAYO:

Michael Shay reported that the Board of County Commissioners had decided to change both-sides parking on Avenida de Mayo to staggered parking. That has not yet been implemented as signage has yet to be installed.

INLET MANAGEMENT:

SKA President Catherine Luckner spoke about a property on Beach Rd. where there is a February 19 petition to build on land that has never had a prior building. She pointed out that The Gulf Beach Setback Line (GBSL) was established to protect existing buildings. Regardless of size, this proposed building would still be 100% behind the GBSL. To make an exception would open floodgates to other undeveloped parcels. There is more information about this upcoming petition on the SKA website. Catherine also mentioned that one of the beach groomers who rakes the beach dug a hole into a small pond on December 30, letting the pond out and the gulf in. The groomer has denied doing it, but Fish and Wildlife Officials are on the case. Who was this man’s employer? SKA would appreciate your help to find out. SKA wants to keep our shoreline intact. Another man was spraying herbicide to make a path from a condominium complex out to the beach. A citizen noticed and reported the incident. SKA wants no

Peter van Roekens said there had been a meeting at the Sarasota Yacht Club. “Sailors are very worried about any changes brought in by dredging. Not one person thought it should be dredged. We need to take a stand opposing this dredging.” He then proceeded to present a proposal, which said in essence that we want a full process review, including a formal public hearing. The proposal was seconded, and opened to discussion. Catherine Luckner added: “We need to get our fellow citizens behind us. Our organization has requested public input. We want to be included in the conversation.” After much discussion, Catherine Luckner made a motion to amend Peter’s proposal in the following manner: “Based on the documentation data currently available to us, we would not support any form of dredging in Sarasota for this project in Sarasota Big Pass.” Peter van Roekens’ motion passed as amended. The next SKA meeting will be held February 6th and 4:30 PM

www.siestakeyassociation.com

MONTHLY MEETING

Thursday, February 6 • 4:30 PM St. Boniface Church • St. Francis Room 5615 Midnight Pass Road, Room F

UPDATE ON SIESTA BEACH IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT Please join us as we welcome guest speaker Carolyn Brown General Manager, Parks and Recreation, Sarasota County

PUBLIC IS ALWAYS WELCOME WITH QUESTIONS FOR OUR GUEST.

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MAKING SENSE OF INVESTING

New Florida Laws for 2014 By Jim Turner - The News Service of Florida

Election changes, sex trafficking laws start with New Year

Bills that crack down on human sex trafficking, address problems from the 2012 election, allow foster care children to remain in the program until 21, and provide an incentive for companies to expand their fleet of natural gas vehicles became law Wednesday, January 1. While the bulk of the nearly 200 new laws approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Scott from the 2013 session hit the books in July and October, a few more kicked in with the New Year. Accompanying the handful of new laws was a slight increase in the paycheck for Florida’s minimumwage earners. The automatic increase of 14 cents an hour, recalculated by law each year based on the Federal Consumer Price Index, raised the minimum pay rate in the state to $7.93, up from $7.79. The federal minimum wage is $7.25. Here are highlights of bills taking effect Jan. 1:

Elections

HB 7013: The law -- quietly signed by Scott before heading to Chile for a trade mission in May -- is aimed at cleaning up voting problems that plagued parts of the state during the November 2012 elections. The law allows up to 14 days for early voting, though local supervisors could remain at the current eight days, and allows for more flexibility with early voting sites. It would limit the length of some ballot summaries for constitutional amendments. And it would dissolve a committee that sets the date of the presidential primary and instead requires that vote be held on the first Tuesday that complies with party rules. Both Republican and Democratic delegations to national conventions have lost members over

the last several years as Florida vied for earlier primary dates. Elections reform vaulted to the top of legislative priorities after the November 2012 problems, which included some Florida voters not casting ballots until after television networks had projected President Barack Obama the winner nationwide. It also took days before Obama was declared the winner in Florida.

Sex trafficking

HB 1325 and HB 1327: The measures establish a legal process for human-trafficking victims to get their criminal records expunged -typically for prostitution charges. The new laws only apply to crimes committed while the victims were being forced, threatened or coerced. The measures ran through the Legislature as companions to a bill (HB 7005) that prevents the operation of massage establishments between midnight and 5 a.m. That bill -- which has exceptions for businesses such as health facilities and hotels that might offer massage services -- became law Oct. 1.

costs of converting certain vehicles to natural gas-powered vehicles. An applicant would be eligible to receive a maximum rebate of $25,000 per vehicle, up to a total of $250,000 per fiscal year. The bill also requires any person selling natural gas fuel at retail in Florida to obtain a license from the Department of Revenue. The Revenue Estimating Conference estimated that by 2019 the law will cut $100,000 from the state’s general revenue, $300,000 from state trust funds, and $200,000 from local governments.

Limited liability companies

SB 1300: A voluminous 224page package that is intended to modernize the rules for limited liability companies and keep Florida competitive with other states in efforts to retain businesses and jobs.

Courts

HB 7017: Repeals fixed terms of court, which are an old concept left over from the days when circuit judges or Supreme Court justices went to the town where their court was meeting for a specified term.

Foster care

SB 1036: This law gives young adults the option to stay in foster care until age 21. Those in the foster care system would be allowed to remain in the program past the age of 18 if they are completing high school, postsecondary or vocational educations, participating in jobtraining programs, working at least 80 hours per month or are unable to participate due to disabilities. The bill analysis concluded that it wouldn’t cost more to allow children to stay in the system until 21 because youths who age out of foster care often end up homeless, jobless or in jail.

Natural gas

HB 579: This measure exempts natural gas from the state fuel tax for five years, provides an incentive for companies to expand their fleet of natural gas vehicles and, starting in 2019, establishes a fuel-tax structure for natural gas that is similar to that for diesel fuel. “This legislation will pave the way for the increased use of natural gas; spurring economic growth, reducing our dependency on foreign oil, and providing a cleaner burning source of fuel,” Sen. Wilton Simpson, the Trilby Republican who sponsored the bill, declared in April. The Natural Gas Fuel Fleet Vehicle Rebate Program offers rebates of up to 50 percent of the

The groundbreaking ceremony that took place in January, celebrated the official start of construction of the Siesta Beach Park Improvement Project. The $21.5-million project is scheduled to be completed in two years and is being funded with a $12.5 million loan, Tourist Development Tax funds, and a voter-approved penny sales tax for infrastructure. The beach will remain open and accessible throughout the entire project with the implementation of a phased construction plan.

941.349.0194 • www.islandvp.com ISLAND VISITOR PUBLISHING, LLC

Siesta Key News Round-Up SKA board opposes dredge

After spirited debate the Siesta Key Association’s board of directors is on record opposing the City of Saraosta’s plans to dredge sand from Big Pass to renourish South Lido Key. The board did not take a position on another part of the project that would build groins at the south end of Lido. However the organization did not close off further evaluation of the plan. An amendment to the motion said the position reflected current information. WIth the amendment, the motion received unanimous approval. Big Pass has never been dredged, and Siesta Key residents fear that “messing with Mother Nature” could imperil the world-famous public beach. Siesta is not immune to the need for renourishment, with areas in the center and southern ends benefiting from prior re-sanding. The $22 million project is part of a 50-year plan proposed by the Army Corps of Engineers. Their carrot for the effort is a near-guarantee

By Stan Zimmerman

of a half-century of future federal money for recurring renourishment. The corps will pay 62 percent of the project cost, with the remainder coming from the state and local tourist taxes. The city argues the economic benefits from a wide and white beach far offsets the cost of the project. However pristine white sand is getting harder and harder to find, making the ebb shoal of New Pass a very attractive donor site. Offshore donor sites are close to exhaustion.

Trolley to begin Siesta service

Don’t run out to catch the trolley now, because it won’t show up until July. But the years-long wait is over. The route will run from Westfileld Southgate Mall down Siesta Drive through Siesta Village with stops at the public beach and ending at Gulf Gate. That should run every 20 or 30 minutes. Another route will service Turtle Beach on the south end of Siesta Key hourly. The state is kicking in $1 million for the service, and patrons

will need to pay a fare. But the parkand-ride amenity to get to the beach from the malls at Southgate and Gulfgate will be a godsend to lovers of the sand and sea. In the meantime, don’t ask your beach bunny to stand in a parking spot at the public beach while you circle around. A county ordinance approved almost a year ago provides a $100 fine to the “standee.” Your bunny won’t be very happy with a citation in her bikini.

Beach brides beware! Vows tough in ’15

Rumors were rife last month the county was turning people away when they applied for a permit for a beach wedding on Siesta. Not true, the county says, but things are going to be tough for wedding parties as construction begins on a $21 million rehabilitation of the public beach. The work will last nearly two years. Parks and Recreation Director Carolyn Brown says permits are available, and weddings will still be possible. But large sections of the beach will be off limits in 2015. In

SIESTA SAND February 2014 • www.siestasand.net

fact the area could be noisy, muddy and wet. Weddings are big business for Siesta Key merchants, who provide accommodations to members of the party, and cater the after-vow celebrations.

Beach ratings game

Gosh, remember back in 2011 when Dr. Beach said Siesta was the Numero Uno Beach in America? Ah the joys of being the best. But once you get to Number One, you fall off the good doctor’s chart, well, for good. Never again can you be top dog. Fame flees. Meanwhile other beach raters are fingering Siesta’s sugary sands. Last May the website TripAdviser rated Siesta as Numero Dos, based on the quality and quantity of reviewers and raters. Only Ka’anapali Beach in Lahaina, Hawaii was better, they said. I’m sure it was just as packed as Siesta, all those thousands of people texting TripAdvisor. Sure. Now Dr. Beach – actually Stephen Leatherman, a professor at Florida International University – says

he is going to revise his haughty standards and make beaches reeligible for top dog status. In 2015 he’s changing the rules, and putting everybody back in competition.

Beach Road roundabout at Midnight?

Be careful what you ask for. Back in 2011 condominium residents complained about difficulties crossing Midnight Pass Road safely. When the Florida Dept. of Transportation investigated, they agreed with the residents and six fancy crosswalks were installed in 2012, flashing lights and all. But during their study, the FDOT also decided a roundabout at Beach Road and Midnight Pass Road would improve pedestrian safety and improve traffic flow. And they put it on their project list…without telling anybody. Between 2014 and 2015 they plan to spend about $300,000 on preliminary engineering and design. It caught county commissioners by surprise. Look for a community meeting in the near future.

Siesta Key Beach Ambassadors Celebrate 10 Years 2013 Siesta Key Beach Ambassadors

Jonathan Poyner, Beach Event Coordinator for Sarasota County Parks and Recreation, thanked the 30+ Beach Ambassador Volunteers present at the annual luncheon for their generous time and support over the years. The event took place in the Edson Keith Mansion at Phillippi Estate Park. Volunteers were recognized for reaching milestone hours of time contributed as Ambassadors to the “Finest Whitest Sand” and No.1 Beach in the USA, with a total of 2,620 volunteer hours logged for 2013 and over 20,000 hours contributed since the Beach Ambassador Program’s inception ten years ago. A few on hand proudly acknowledged being among the original set of volunteers. Photos by Douglas Gothier and Emy Stein

100 - 200 Hours Logged: Paula Wagner, Judith Treloar, Linda Delaney, Nancy Zeman, & Gale Leitman Back row: Ed Wolfe and Carol Menken

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News Up & Down the Trail Boss mayor redeux

Supporters of an elected, executive mayor are considering another referendum to change the Sarasota City charter. City Commissioner Paul Caragiulo and County Commissioner Joe Barbetta are backing the measure, among others. Voters have squashed the proposal at the polls three times in the past 20 years. This time the proposal is not a mere revision of the charter, but instead is a complete rewrite of the city’s “constitution.” In the early 1950s Saraosta adopted the professional city manager form of municipal government, where the mayor is in reality the chairman of a city commission that sets policy but has no day-to-day operational authority. Supporters of the “strong mayor” concept say it will provide needed leadership and accountability. Opponents say the city manager provides professional leadership that is immune from partisan politics. Bradenton has a strong mayor form of government, electing only two men to the job in the past two decades.

By Stan Zimmerman

Legacy Trail looks to grow

The bicycle and pedestrian trail connecting south Saraosta to Venice is poised to expand both north and south. The North Port City Commission asked the county to help the city pay for a leg of the paved trail to wend its way south. Meanwhile The Gulf Coast Community Foundation is raising funds to pay half of a feasibility study to bring the trail north from Clark Road into downtown Sarasota at Payne Park. Right now the Legacy Trail is 10 miles long, and has proved extraordinarily popular with bicyclists, joggers and walkers. It is built on the old Seaboard Coastline Railroad right-of-way.

’Or else’ becomes ‘Pretty please’

The feud began in 2003. ThenCounty Administrator Jim Ley needed land for a new criminal justice center, and had his eye on the site of the city police station on

Ringling Boulevard across the street from the county jail. Give the land up, said Ley, or I’m moving the county seat out of Sarasota. City commissioners folded and signed a lengthy memo about the police station property, air rights on Main St., additional parking spaces and other items demanded by Ley. Then they sheepishly asked city voters to approve a $25 million bond issue to build a new police station. But nobody went to the courthouse to deed over the old police site to the county. And nobody proposed building anything there. Ten years later, the county is asking, “Where’s our property?” The city’s attorney says, “The city commission is under no obligation to convey that site….” And when Mayor Shannon Snyder asked for a show of hands to convey the land, all he got was a giggle. “They actually laughed at us,” said County Commissioner Joe Barbetta. But other commissioners were more concerned to head off the dispute. “Let’s keep the lawyer talk

SIESTA SAND February 2014 • www.siestasand.net

out of it,” said Chairman Charles Hines. In the interim the interim county administrator is talking with the city manager to avoid more laughter and anger.

Another one bites the dust

The Sarasota City Historic Preservation Board didn’t. Instead they voted to demolish a circa-1924 apartment four-plex on Second Street only a stone’s throw from U.S. 41. To their credit, it’s the first time in seven years they’ve approved demolition of a building on the city’s historic register. Ironically the building belongs to a family that has saved a substantial number of old Saraosta buildings from demolition, often moving them to a new location for restoration. But in this case the two-story building was too tall to migrate down U.S. 41 and then Fruitville Road to a lot across Fruitville from the new Staples office supply store. State rules allow closing a state road for only six hours at a time, not enough

time for electricians to rewire traffic lights and power lines that overhang the road. The old building was under contract to an adjoining owner who has plans (but not approval) to build a new hotel across the Tamiami Trail from the Ritz-Carlton. Alex and Marlene Lancaster bought the building in 1984 and rehabilitated it. “It’s a little like losing a child,” said Marlene after the unanimous vote to allow demolition.

County locks in slashed impact fee

Newcomers might laugh but in the early 2000s, traffic was a top political issue. Developments were springing up like mushrooms in a cow pasture. In fact the developments were in cow pastures, and fed everincreasing traffic into a choking road network. After agonizing study, in 2006 the Sarasota County Commission imposed impact fees on new development to pay for its impact on roads. Story continued on the next page.

News Up & Down the Trail

By Stan Zimmerman

Story continued from the previous page.

One year later the commission decided the fees were too high, and cut them by one-third. As the economic downturn continued, developers begged for lower impact fees. In 2011 the county cut them further, as a temporary measure to help boost construction. The county is now on the verge of freezing the impact fees at that level. For a 1,500 square-foot home, here are the numbers: 2006: $7,623, 2007: $5,171, 2011: $2,585 To make their determination final, the commission will hold a public hearing on Feb. 12. Opponents say even the highest figure does not cover the full impact of new development.

Pinecraft crackdown

It’s the last place you look for a hotbed of crime, but the Amish and Mennonite community of Pinecraft is a motoring maze. With the community growing by 60 percent every winter as the snowbirds arrive, the one-mile stretch of Bahia Vista is beset with golf carts, threewheelers, bicycles, pedestrians and motorists. The area lies just outside city limits, so it falls to the sheriff’s office to urge jaywalkers to use crosswallks, cite golf carters for lack of equipment, nab speeders and keep cyclists in line. The speed limit through Pinecraft is 30 mph, and during the winter months the Sheriff’s Office conducts repeated sweeps in the area. Although it’s hard to keep your speed down when you’re thinking about fresh-baked pie, think of all the pies you could buy for the price of one speeding ticket.

New life for Rosemary

For sale, cheap. Lots of acres of high-and-dry property (no swampland) only minutes from downtown Sarasota. Crazy government incentives available. All offers considered. In development-mad Florida, there still are pockets of property in neglect that seem so ripe for redevelopment. There is no better local example than the Rosemary District, on the north side of Fruitville Road and opposite downtown. One block from the library, two blocks from city hall but so down and out that developers would rather invest in a cow pasture ten miles outside of town. Until recently,

that is. In what may be the true sign of a real estate turnaround, two families are moving fast with plans for the Rosemary. One family is a local developer with a host of properties under their belts; the other is a first-timer in Florida. The city is dangling serious incentives. One is the possibility of allowing triple density in the area. Instead of 25 units per acre, it could be 75. That’s half-again as many as is allowed in the downtown core. And in one case, the city may be willing to surrender property it owns in return for the promise of a handful of parking spaces. One project is an apartment with 450 units. The other a mixed use development of retail, commercial, office and residential with either a boutique cinema or live-stage theater. Neither proposes a highrise to make ends meet. Both have paperwork in process in city hall.

DID scrapes for cash

Meanwhile the Downtown Improvement District south of Fruitville Road is looking at a bleak future. The group levies a two-mil surtax on commercial property for improvements to downtown. But after borrowing money for a $1.1 million improvement project in a three block area, it’s basically broke. After servicing principal and interest, paying for maintenance and funding its part-time employee, the DID has about $82,000 left. Subtract 20 percent for reserves, and $58,000 is left. That’s hardly worth having a meeting for. “What are we going to do for the next 14 years”” asked the district’s Chair Ernie Ritz. “If we don’t expand and grow, then what we have is $58,000 per year to spend,” said Ritz. “There’s no reason for this board to meet except on auto pilot.” Other members of the group were leery of expanding the district

geographically, but realized if nothing was done the board was ineffectual. Ritz proposed calling together a public workshop similar to the 2010 SEMCON that proposed creation of the DID. The group could focus on new projects, and then consider various funding methods to pay for them. Adding urgency is the looming 2016 date when the community redevelopment agency could dissolve in city-county bickering. It now has a $7.5 million annual budget (vastly larger than the DID’s budget), but that could go away and leave the DID as the only group concerned specifically with downtown’s health.

New chief shakes up discipline

When Bernadette DiPino became Sarasota Police Chief a year ago, one of her first actions was to scrap a disciplinary board, and make those decisions herself. Now she wants to substitute a matrix to make it clear to everybody what happens in the discipline process. “It takes a potential violation a police officer could make and mandates an appropriate penalty,” she says. The change is under review by the city’s human resources departemnt, but has the backing of the city manager, himself a veteran of the Detroit police force. DiPino also is changing recruitment. Instead of waiting for an opening and then advertising, she would like to build a list of qualified candidates to use when a position is available. For the first time the department recently paid for a candidate to attend the police academy. “We did not do that in the past,” she said. The new recruitment system, she hopes, will produce a more diverse body of law enforcement officers.

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Snapshots of Island Visitors FIRST TIMERS: Channing Bailey (3), and her sister Chace (7) of Avon, Indiana, making good use of the “tools of happiness” during their first visit to Siesta Beach. They are here visiting their grandparents. Chace said “This beach is really cool.” Not surprisingly, their dad said they would visit again. Photo and cutline by Trebor Britt

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Tallahassee Shorts FLORIDA WELCOMES YOU

Not every idea discussed at the Capitol was quite so serious. Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, pitched a plan for roadway displays to introduce visitors to the state. “We’ve got a little piddly sign and we junk it all up. ... It doesn’t give a welcoming entrance,” said Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach. That’s about to change. By the fall of 2015, drivers crossing the Florida state line will be greeted by majestic archways towering over palm trees and tropical-looking foliage at locations on Interstate 95 and Interstate 75. Similar signage is also planned for the Interstate 10 Florida-Alabama state line, according to DOT officials. The 30-foot-high twin towers will be connected with a 40-footwide mock-cable suspension bridge featuring the words “Florida Welcomes You” with a rising orange sun on the southbound side and “Thank You for Visiting Florida” as drivers head north. Plans also include a separate bridge, prominently displaying “The Sunshine State,” spanning the entire highway further south on Interstate 75. The department was exploring the idea of putting up more eye-popping signs along the state lines when Bean approached the agency. Bean said he promised to come up with the funds for the projects, but the DOT found the $2.8 million in its budget, and work on the towers will begin this fall.

COURT: CITIZENS CAN FACE BAD-FAITH LAWSUIT

In a case stemming from hurricane damage in 2004, an appeals court ruled Thursday that the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. can face a “bad faith” lawsuit because of the way it handled a claim. A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal reversed a decision by Escambia County Circuit Judge Terry Terrell that said Citizens was immune from such a lawsuit filed by the Perdido Sun Condominium Association. The appeals court, however, asked the Florida Supreme Court to take up the issue, a process known as certifying a question to the justices. The dispute started when Perdido Sun was unhappy with the amount of Citizens’ payment of a claim and filed a breach of contract lawsuit to get additional money. The condominium association ultimately won that lawsuit and filed another case under a law

Courtesy of the News Service of Florida

dealing with insurers failing to settle claims in good faith. The circuit judge dismissed the case, but appeals-court judges overturned that decision Thursday and sent the case back. “Citizens’ immunity does not extend to the ‘willful tort’ of failing to attempt in good faith to settle claims as provided by (state law),’’ said the ruling, written by Judge Nikki Ann Clark and joined by judges James R. Wolf and William A. Van Nortwick.

CONSERVATION AMENDMENT REACHES BALLOT

When Florida voters go to the polls in November, they will see a proposed constitutional amendment that seeks to set aside money for land-conservation projects. The Florida Department of State has formally certified a ballot measure proposed by a group called “Florida’s Water and Land Legacy.” The group announced last week that it had surpassed the 683,149 petition signatures needed to get on the Nov. 4 ballot. Also, it earlier got the wording of the proposal approved by the state Supreme Court. “Florida is home to one-of-a-kind natural waters and lands and voters now have an opportunity to make a commitment to conservation that will last for generations of Floridians to come,” campaign chairman Will Abberger, who also is director of conservation finance for The Trust for Public Land, said in a prepared statement Thursday. The proposal will appear as Amendment No. 1 on the ballot. It would set aside a portion of the state’s documentary stamp tax revenues --- fees paid when real estate is sold --- for 20 years to acquire conservation and recreation lands, manage existing lands, protect lands that are critical for water supply and restore degraded natural systems.

POPCORN HELPS HEAT UP GAMBLING WARS

It wasn’t exactly a full house but dozens of lawmakers and lobbyists showed up last night for the premiere of the anti-gambling “Pushing Luck”

movie at the at the Challenger Learning Center IMAX theater in downtown Tallahassee. The event was sponsored by Washington-based Stop Predatory Gambling. The “documentary,” produced by No Casinos, warns of the horrors of casino gambling and prominently features problems that blossomed in Atlantic City since casinos were first introduced in New Jersey three decades ago. Florida-based No Casinos has long opposed gambling expansion in Florida, and one of its early supporters, former Gov. Wayne Mixson, was in the audience for the show. Mixson was Bob Graham’s lieutenant governor and stepped in to take his place for three days in 1987 after Graham was elected to the U.S. Senate. No Casinos President John Sowinski praised Mixson for participating in the group’s first anticasino ad in 1986. The movie came out on the same day Associated Industries of Florida launched the “Best for Florida” campaign to promote “World Class Gaming for a World Class State.” Word is that gambling giant Las Vegas Sands has given AIF a hefty chunk of change to join forces in the effort to convince lawmakers to open the doors to casinos in Florida. According to Best for Florida’s website, an “integrated resort” adds “wonder,” “visitors,” “jobs,” and “revenue” to the state. Here’s part of Best for Florida’s pitch:

“Florida has become the fourth largest gaming state in America, with more types of gaming than even Las Vegas. But because of legal loopholes, few standards, and little regulation, the condition of Florida’s gaming environment is abysmal. Florida is a premier state and deserves a worldclass gaming destination. Through Legislative action, the Sunshine State has the opportunity to welcome an Integrated Resort.” Story continued on page 10.

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SIESTA SAND February 2014 • www.siestasand.net

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Featured Restaurant

By Paul Roat

|BluQue provides that smokin’ fix in Siesta Village

LIVE MUSIC

HAPPY HOUR

D’s Calamari, crisp squid lightly breaded and tossed with tomato and red onion, served with a spicy sweet chili sauce for $13. Other starter fare is the Spicy Seared Tuna, with seaweed salad and sesame chili oil, for $13.95. Sandwiches are a mainstay on almost any restaurant menu, and Blu Que has some award winners. Beau’s Bodacious Burger ($14.95) is billed as “the Rolls Royce of burgers,” and comes as a blend of Black Angus beef, short ribs, and brisket. New at Blu Que is a host of shrimp dishes. Give the Shrimp Burger a try served with avocado aioli, for $13.95. All sandwiches come with a signature side dish. Steaks and chops are also popular at Blu Que. New on the menu is lamb chops ($21), although the 14-ounce fire-grilled ribeye steak ($26) with a choice of Bernaise, Blu Cheese, red wine, or horseradish cream sauce is also appealing to many. Seafood comes with myriad tangy treats: mango chutney, crab cream, white wine butter, Jack Daniels brown sugar and soy glaze, or lemon butter. Fish may be blackened, grilled, or pan seared. Seafood is mahi ($24), grouper ($26), yellow fin tuna ($28), or 1 ½ pounds of King Crab legs ($40), all served with two signature side dishes. Be sure to leave room for dessert. The Key Lime Cloud, with Key lime custard and cream with macaroons ($8) is especially popular.

LIVE MUSIC

5 7 Wings

Blu Que has a full bar and an astonishing 33 martinis, all priced at $10. Ever had a Smores martini? How about a Cookie Dough libation? Cheesecake? Butterscotch? You get the idea. Blu Que Island Grill, 149 Avenida Messina, Siesta Village, opens at 11 a.m. daily (noon Sunday) until closing. Reservations may be made at 941-346-0738, or bluqueislandgrill. com If you’re visiting parts north, check out the new Blu Que offering in Palmetto: Blu Mangrove Grill, 102 Riviera Dunes Way, 941-479-7827, for more Blu Que flavors. For additional restaurant highlights, go to www.siestasand.net and click on Restaurant Highlights.

HAPPY HOUR

Tuesday

HAPPY HOUR

Wednesday

c u si

Daily Noon -

10 P

All-You-Can-Eat

Smoked Prime Rib

All Day Long

LIVE MUSIC

Monday

Indoor and outside dining is a feature at Blu Que Island Grill in Siesta Village. Photos by Paul Roat

Li v

Blu Que Island Grill has it all: smokin’ hot barbecue, steamin’ live music daily, great food specials every day, plus a seven-hour-long drink happy “hour.” Just follow your nose down Avenida Messina in Siesta Village to find Blu Que. The scent of hickory and apple smoke will guide you to the restaurant and its barbecue fare. Slow-smoked pork, ribs, chicken, and brisket are signature dishes at the 150-seat establishment. All are smoked, then grilled to order. BBQ ribs? Go for Big Aaron’s Baby Back Ribs Whole Slab ($24.95) or a half for $16.95. Brisket? The 18Hour Brisket lives up to its name in tenderness ($18.95.) Don’t forget Ellen’s Backyard Chicken ($17.95) as a marinated half-bird. And then there’s Ken’s Pulled Pork, a half-pound dinner for $17.95. The sandwich is $12.95, with slaw. All the above dishes come with a Signature Side or two that complements the entrees. Choose from, in no particular order: braised red cabbage; cheese grits; creamy Blu Cheese Slaw; sweet potatoes baked or fried; basmati rice; regular potatoes mashed, loaded, or baked; baked beans; Beau’s Mac & Cheese Ball; asparagus; smoked corn; or salads house or Caesar. A good start on the smoke front at Blu Que is the Blu Smoke Sampler ($12.95, buns $2 more.) Munch on the long-smoked brisket, plus pulled pork and chicken, to aid in menu selection for a more fulfilling main course. Or just gorge on the Award Winning Chicken Wings, slow smoked, then tossed in a spicy Asian sauce, for $14. Visit Monday and wings are specially priced at $.75 each. Speaking of special, Blu Que is a special place when it comes to dining and drinking specials. First, there’s live music every day. Next, there’s food specials daily: $15 smoked prime rib Tuesday, all-you-can-eat lobster for $35 Wednesday, full rack of ribs for $15 Thursday, all-you-can-eat King Crab legs for $50 Friday, ditto on Snow Crabs for $35 Saturday, and $5 pulled pork sandwiches on Sunday. Owner Matt Diveley added that happy hour is now from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily (commencing at noon Sunday) and all appetizers are half-off weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m. Let’s start with those appetizers. Patrons love the starters at Blu Que. Among the popular items are Matty

Lobsters Call For Details

1/2 OFF Appetizers 3-6 PM Mon-Fri (bar only)

Specials Every Day Of The Week LIVE MUSIC

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Thursday

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All-You-Can-Eat

King Crab Legs

149 Avenida Messina (in the Village)

LIVE MUSIC

Saturday

All-You-Can-Eat

Snow Crabs

941.346.0738 www.bluqueislandgrill.com

PIG ROAST EVERY SUNDAY

Pulled Pork Sandwich $5

Happy Hour

Mon. thru Fri. Noon-6 PM

941.349.0194 • www.islandvp.com ISLAND VISITOR PUBLISHING, LLC

Major Issues Face Florida Legislature in 2014

Snapshots of Island Visitors

Photos by Jaye Clements - Sarasota Photography 1

By Marc Mansfield Florida lawmakers will begin the 2014 Legislative Session on March 4th. 2014 is also an election year for Governor Rick Scott and three state cabinet members and many lawmakers who will be keeping an eye on their own election fortunes. What will be the major issues for 2014? It is difficult to pinpoint exactly what will transpire during the 60 day session. But according to the experts and pundits,the following issues shown below will likely be some of the major issues for the 2014 legislative agenda:

include reduction in the number of businesses owing the state corporate income tax, lower property taxes, expanded sales tax holiday and a reduction in the communications tax that all Floridians pay on their cell phones and cable TV bills. There is also interest in cutting the motor vehicle fees that were raised in 2009 and Florida Realtors and others are interested in eliminating the state sales tax on commercial property leases.

The Budget

Governor Scott surprised lawmakers during the spring when he endorsed the expansion of Medicaid under the new health care law. The Senate passed an expansion plan in the 2013 session but it died in the House. Given the continuing discussion about this issue as well as increased pressure from health care industry and business leaders, this will certainly return as a major issue.

Estimates show the state should have a budget surplus this year, which will make it easier to craft the new state budget while funding new priorities. Governor Scott and lawmakers are expected to continue to boost school funding and there will certainly be discussion on the projected cost increase in Medicaid. Despite the proposed budget surplus, state agencies have been asked to decrease their spending by approximately 5 percent during the next budget cycle.

Tax Cuts

Governor Scott has asked for $500 million in tax cuts in the next budget year. While the proposed cuts have not yet been identified they could

Medicaid Expansion

Pensions

Speaker Weatherford is expected to attempt to end the traditional pension plan for new public employees and move to a 401 (k) style plan. The change would not impact current workers but would impact new state employees. The House backed this change during the 2013 session but if fell a few

Tallahassee Shorts

votes short in the Senate. Expect this to continue to be an issue during session.

Gambling

With elections occurring this year, making any change in the state’s gambling regulations will be difficult. However, the gambling agreement with the Seminole Tribe will expire in 2015, which could provide a boost to potential change. A comprehensive study ordered by the Legislature has been completed and will provide a basis for debate in the upcoming session.

Common Core

Florida is one of 45 states that have agreed to establish Common Core education standards for math and reading. They are scheduled to take effect next fall. There has been increased criticism from conservatives who see this as more federal involvement in state education, and there is an attempt to block Florida from participating in the program. Legislative leaders and the Governor have all supported Common Core, but as a result of the criticism there may be an attempt to seek some middle ground on the issue. Article Source: Sarasota RealtorR Magazine www.sarasotarealtors.com

Courtesy of the News Service of Florida

Story continued from page 8.

1: Zack from Sarasota hanging out at SK beach. 2: Sydney & Rachel from Sarasota loving a day at the beach!. 3: Corinne & Katana from Sarasota. 4: Kristin, Kara & Heidi from Boston.

Marijuana Proposal Gets B i l l W o u l d S h i e l d Enough Signatures Information In Domestic B a c k e r s o f a p r o p o s e d Violence Cases

constitutional amendment that would legalize medical marijuana have submitted enough valid petition signatures to get on the November ballot, according to the state Division of Elections website. “People United for Medical Marijuana,’’ the group behind the amendment drive, reached 710,508 valid signatures as of early afternoon Friday, topping the 683,149 needed to get on the ballot. Also, the group had met legally required petition thresholds in 14 congressional districts. The group, led by Orlando trial attorney John Morgan, still needs approval of the ballot language from the Florida Supreme Court. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Republican legislative leaders have opposed approval of the ballot language.

SIESTA SAND February 2014 • www.siestasand.net

Pointing to a need for greater protections, a House Democrat this week filed a bill that would create a public-records exemption for investigative information that could reveal the addresses or workplaces of domestic-violence victims. The proposal (HB 721) by Rep. Karen Castor Dentel, D-Maitland, would allow prosecutors to file court notices about the intent to keep information confidential about addresses or places of employment of domestic-violence victims. Defendants would be able to go to court to seek access to the information but would have to show a particular need or demonstrate how the information would be used to attack the credibility of victims. “The Legislature recognizes that

greater protection is needed for victims of domestic violence who are attempting to escape from domestic violence by relocating and to prevent harm from assailants or probable assailants that are attempting to find them,’’ said the bill, filed last Thursday.

PETA To Prisons: Go Vegan To Meet Kosher Demand

As the Florida Department of Corrections grapples with a court decision requiring that it provide kosher food, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals urged Friday that prisons offer vegan meals to meet inmate demand. PETA also offered to pay for a professional chef to help the prison system start going vegan. “Feeding inmates bean burritos rather than burgers is the way to go,’’ PETA President Ingrid Newkirk wrote in a letter to corrections Secretary Michael Crews.

Featured Restaurant

“Early” Diners 4-Course Dinner Daily 5:00 - 6:30 PM

By Evie vd Bos

|Harry’s Sports Bar & Grille beats them all

13 Entrees To Choose From!

6631 Midnight Pass Road

CRESCENT PLAZA

(1/4 Mile South of Stickney Point Road

Open 7 Days A Week 5 PM ‘til Close

All include appetizer, salad, dessert and beverage

Starting at $15.95

Entree selections include: • Chicken, Veal and Seafood Specialties • Filet Mignon • Lamb Chops • Salmon • Roast Duck • Tenders of Pork

4.50 COCKTAILS Daily 5-6 PM (Well Liquor Only)

For Reservations Call 941-349-4024 www.miguelsrestaurant.net Coming to Harry’s Sports Bar & Grille is a sports junkie’s dream. 61 flat screen T.V.’s and the latest in satellite systems are featured throughout the restaurant with a T.V. in the floor as you head to the hostess station. Steve from Minneapolis was on a desperate search for a Sarasota bar that carried the Big Ten Networks and found it here at Harry’s. As he recounted, “The BTN isn’t exactly widespread in the Deep South. But Harry’s really did the trick. They even had it on multiple screens. For an out-of-towner requesting a fairly obscure game, I was impressed with the selection.” In the way of food offerings, if you expect the usual wings and burgers, be pleasantly surprised. This sports bar offers patrons plenty more choices. Serving lunch and dinner, Harry’s features an American BBQ and Grill menu with ribs, burgers and fish dinners. But, they also include dishes you wouldn’t expect to find at a sports bar. With over a dozen “starters” choices ranging from chips and salsa to Sesame Tuna, encrusted with sesame seed and served rare with pickled ginger wasabi, soy sauce and Asian noodles, you get an idea of the scope of their menu. How many ways can you eat a salad? They serve 10 variations here with eight house specials like Jack Daniels Chicken, a char-grilled chicken breast basted with Jack Daniels™ whiskey glaze, and topped with cheddar jack cheese. This dish is served with rice, and the veggie of the day. Chicken parmesan, chicken enchiladas, fish & chips, fish tacos, chopstick bowl are some of the other dishes listed under their house specials. Flatbreads, personal pizzas, soups, burger, sandwiches, wraps, steaks, seafood and a kid’s menu help round out this extensive menu. Founder, Harry Nikias and managing partner, Dennis Georgatos have a combined 65 years of experience

in the restaurant business with several successful businesses under their belts. As many successful owners know; the customer is king, and both Harry and Dennis are committed to making your experience at Harry’s a memorable one with fresh, delectable dishes at reasonable prices on a consistent basis. As Diane from Tampa Bay raved, “Veg burger, Greek salad, wrap, veggies – hubby and I went in for lunch, food was seriously outstanding. Service was excellent. Atmosphere all sports but done very tastefully. Quality great.” Art, from Tampa, came last St. Patricks Day and had this to say, “Green beer, Irish music, and a Corned Beef & Cabbage special marked this St Patrick’s Day at Harry’s. It was starting to get busy. We sat in the outdoor bar area where there are lots of TVs for following all the sports action. I ordered the Whiskey Burger (BBQ and bacon) and housemade chips. Both were excellent. The chips were crunchy and not greasy.” Expect daily specials and two full bars with Happy Hour 11:30am - 7pm

Harry’s Sports Bar & Grille 6606 South Tamiami Trail Sarasota FL 34231 941-922-1110 every day. They are open 7 days a week for your dining convenience and sports viewing pleasure. Hours: 11:30am – 10pm, Sun – Thurs and 11:30am – 11pm, Fri. and Sat. For additional restaurant highlights, go to www.siestasand.net and click on Restaurant Highlights.

941.349.0194 • www.islandvp.com ISLAND VISITOR PUBLISHING, LLC

Food and Wine Pairings

By Maureen Rooney

Winter Comfort Wines

5758 S. Tamiami Trail • Sarasota (Serving Siesta Key and Vicinity)

941-923-1232

www.IsanThaiRestaurant.com

Winter gives us the perfect excuse to open up those big, bold reds we’ve been storing in our wine racks all year. There is nothing better than your favorite comfort foods served up with great comfort wines. As with any comfort food, we expect the same pleasure from our wine: passionate bold flavors, deep warmth and smooth texture. There are wines in every price range that will keep you warm this winter. Chile offers many options in the under $20 price range and they produce a much better quality wine than the price reflects. Our favorite is Estampa MalbecPetite Syrah. The richness of flavors in this wine is reminiscent of a more expensive Argentine Malbec, but has a unique smooth finish attributed by the Petite Syrah. This blend is a nice medium weight wine and is perfect for those who like to enjoy more than one glass. A heartier wine offering a more sophisticated palate is Abstract by Orin Swift, Napa. Although I refrain from writing about pretentious wines from Napa, there are some that stand out as exceptional wines and should be mentioned. Abstract is a blend of Grenache, Petite Sirah and Syrah from Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino. The color is dark inky purple

with scents of blackberry and sage. The palate boasts full bodied flavors of roasted plums, mulberry, black tea and even dark chocolate. The tannins are surprisingly smooth and it’s not over-powered by oak. Swift allowed 10 months aging in French oak which allows for the fruit flavors to shine. Try pairing this wine with grilled lamb chops, pork roast or even beef stew. Depending on whether you find this wine in your favorite wine shop or in a restaurant, pricing should be under $50. Yes, $50.

Royal Tea Service at Crosley Estate

AUTHENTIC HOMESTYLE

THAI CUISINE

from the Northeast region of Thailand known as Isan.

No MSG

Seafood

Vegan/Vegetarian Curries

Craft Beer

Tues.-Sat. 11AM-10 PM; Lunch ‘til 3 PM Sunday Noon-9PM; Serving Dinner Menu

Chef Larry Barrett and his wife, Jamie, of Simply Gourmet will be hosting Traditional English Tea Service at the historic Powel Crosley Estate. Tea will be served at 2:00 PM on February 4, 11, 18, 25; and March 4, 11. Guests will dine in the exclusive upstairs living area of the mansion. Expect such delicacies as Cassis Marinated Strawberry Parfait, Vanilla Cream Fruit Tartlets, Currant Scones/ Devonshire Cream, Double Chocolate Triangles, Turkey/ Sundried Tomato Pinwheels, as well as a Royal Tea Sandwich Medley, all accompanied by

SIESTA SAND February 2014 • www.siestasand.net

properly brewed English tea. The Crosley Estate is located at 8374 N. Tamiami Trail, in Sarasota. Tickets are $32, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the Crosley Foundation. Call 941225-9122 for reservations.

I did mention it was from Napa! Another Napa wine that is perfect for winter is Trinitas 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon . The release of this wine was held until this past year so that it is perfect to drink right now. Trinitas was aged for 18 months in mostly French oak allowing intense flavors of cherry, espresso, chocolate and caramel to develop. The structure is full bodied and the finish is smooth and lengthy. This is the wine to pair with your filet mignon or prime rib and grilled vegetables. The ultimate winter warmer is sipping port in front of a glowing fire. Since Valentine’s Day is right round the corner, why not surprise your special someone with Chocolate Raspberry Port from Siesta Key Wines. Made with Belgian Chocolate and Raspberries, our specialty port has been a local favorite for over 10 years. Enjoy it in a glass by itself or try drizzling it over cheesecake or vanilla bean ice cream for a decadent dessert. Stop by when you’re in town and browse our unique selection of imported and local wines. Until then, keep warm! Cheers! Siesta Key Wines 5138 C Ocean Blvd. Siesta Key Village 941-552-9105

Sheriff’s Report

Dec. 16, 2013 - Jan. 20, 2014

FOR SENIORS BY ACTIVE SENIORS®

There were a total of 41 crimes reported on the Key from Dec 16, 2013 - Jan 20, 2014. Below is a highlight covering some of the violations.

Sarasota woman killed in an accident on south end of Siesta Key

Carol Goodwin 78 years-old was killed Wednesday morning January 22nd in an accident with a car on the south side of Siesta Key on Midnight Pass Road while she was walking along the sidewalk on the west side of the street, in front of the Tortuga Club. According to Florida Highway Patrol, Maria Fernandez 35 years old was in a stopped vehicle in the parking lot at 8730 Midnight Pass Road when she accidentally pressed the accelerator. That caused her Toyota Rav 4 to drive through the bushed and across the sidewalk fatally striking Carol Goodwin. Fernandez was charged with driving without a license causing death.

12/29/13 D.U.I./ Misdemeanor 5800 Block Midnight Pass Rd.

An Indiana man was charged with D.U.I with Property Damage and Leaving The Scene Of A Crash. An officer made contact with the man in his vehicle. He was passed out at the wheel with the engine running. The deputy had to do a sternum rub to the defendant in order to wake him up. The front bumper of the vehicle had been pushed up under the vehicle. There was also minor damage to the passenger side. The man had a strong scent of alcohol and was slurring his words to the point that officers had a difficult time understanding his speech. He could barely walk without holding on to his car for support. The man stated he had been in “Downtown Siesta Key” drinking. He was unable to complete sobriety tests due to the level of his intoxication. Witnesses said they observed the defendant pulling into The Gulf Haven Condos. He struck a light pole causing approximately, $500 in damage. He left that scene and continued down the alley swiping another vehicle. A woman was in her parked car and could see the vehicle approaching her. She stayed in her car to wait for it to pass her. As it passed, it side swiped her car taking off the driver’s side rear view mirror.

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12/30/13 Battery/Misdemeanor 1200 Block Old Stickney Pt. Rd

The owner of the marina located on Old Stickney Pt. Rd called police to report an assault. He stated that there have been ongoing issues between his business and the store located next door. The victim stated that he had gone into his business that morning to check up on things. As he drove away in his vehicle with his window down, he noticed an employee of the store next door using a hose in front of the store. The victim said as he drove by the defendant, he was intentionally sprayed with the hose. The defendant then laughed out loud at the victim. Police noted the exterior and interior passenger side and console of the victim’s car was wet. His cell phone and checkbook were also wet but not damaged. When police questioned the defendant at the store, he stated that the victim is frequently harassing and threatening him. He said as the victim drove by him that morning the victim yelled at him, “stupid mother (expletive)”. The defendant told police, “I guess the hose must have accidentally sprayed him”. The victim wanted to pursue battery charges against the defendant for spraying him with the hose.

1/11/14 Burglary/ Felony 6300 Block Midnight Pass Rd.

No signs of forced entry were found in a burglary that took place in a stand-alone rental unit a short distance from the beach. It is unknown how a suspect entered and took items from the master bedroom and guest bedroom while showing no evidence of rummaging through drawers or items. Stolen were a money clip and two hundred dollar bills taken from a wallet on the nightstand. Another victim had $75 taken from her wallet, which had been located in the closet. A diamond ring was also stolen from that victim. Multiple other pieces of jewelry were also present on the dresser, however, none of them had been taken. Money was also stolen from a wallet in the guest bedroom. The thief took $280, however, a twenty -dollar bill was left in the wallet. Another victim in the guest bedroom had $260 taken from his wallet, which was on the dresser. The thief left behind his watch, which had been lying on the wallet. The victim found his wallet, looking exactly as he had left it, but with only $1 left inside. Previous cases of burglaries very similar in nature have been reported in this area. Security video cameras show a possible subject. Condominium management is reviewing videos and a screenshot has been obtained to assist in the capture of the suspect.

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Featured Artist

By Emy Stein

|The Creative World of Diana Colson Diana Colson has the soul of a creator. An award-winning filmmaker, she is a published songwriter, composer, lyricist, and journalist who was once named as Sarasota County Teacher of The Year. She has produced 16 short films and created or co-created three full length musicals which have been produced on stage in Sarasota. Her newly published novel, Triple Destiny, is garnering 5-star reviews at www.Amazon.com. Of the story, Kirkus Reviews has this to say: “A bewitching supernatural romance… There is great potential here, and Colson shows an impressive talent that will be worth watching.” Sarasota is one of the book’s three major settings. The hero, Nick, is a marine biologist at “Gulf Marine Lab”, a fictional environment inspired by our famed Mote Marine Lab. Triple Destiny is a story about the power of love, the magic of a child, and reincarnation. The colorful page-turner moves from Sarasota to the exotic island of Bali, a place where Diana lived for three summers, and where she shot one of her early films. The outback of Australia becomes the third setting for this riveting tale. To learn more about Triple Destiny, go to www.DianaColson.com The back-story on Diana’s multifaceted career is fascinating. In the 70’s Diana was headed for an extended trip to Australia with her husband, sculptor Frank Colson, and two young sons, Kevin and Sean. This expedition took almost two years, during which the Colson’s were to cover many countries. A few days before departure, she sat up in bed and announced: “I am going to buy a 16mm camera and make short educational films for young children. I’ll invent little stories about each country and star one of the boys in each film. American kids will identify with the child in the movie and learn about other parts of the world.” She had never made a film in her life. Three years later, her first eight Diana Colson Films films were being handled by three major distributors, short films about Kyoto, Hong Kong, Sydney, Bali, Thailand, Delhi, and Mexico. She was an established filmmaker who had returned to teaching music at Southside Elementary. In 1975 Diana was named Sarasota County Teacher of the Year.

In the late 70’s she started partnering with Swain Film & Video, and the quality and sophistication of her work skyrocketed. Seven films emerged, several of which garnered major awards at film festivals. The storyline for Piñata came to Diana in a dream. Filmed in Oaxaca, Mexico, it earned many awards, and ran for several years on Calliope. Her 28-minute film, Panama Canal: the Longest Shortcut, also went on to collect many awards. Somebody noticed, for when director Victor Nunez was to make his feature film FLASH OF GREEN in Sarasota with Blair Brown and Ed Harris, he tracked Diana down, saying: “I want YOU for Assistant Casting Director!” “Work on a feature?” she thought. “Well, why not…” She had hired singer-songwriter Holly Graham to create the title song for Piñata, and the gifted performer did a magical job. Later, however, Diana puzzled: “Why didn’t I take a stab at writing that title song myself? I do teach music, after all.” That realization was the impetus to create 59 original songs for two filmstrip series called Learnalongs, which were distributed nationally to schools. In the late 80’s, Frank and Diana went to Africa on Safari. Of that unforgettable experience, 19 original animal songs emerged, along with striking safari photographs. A 35 minute video called African Songalongs was soon in national

distribution. It is still offered in the educational market, and can be found at www.songsforteaching.com A teacher at Sarasota’s Ashton Elementary in the 80’s and 90’s, Diana began writing more and more original material for her music classes. Shows like The Rumplestiltskin Cantata and The Great Carrot Robbery emerged, much to the delight of the kids. Diana had never considered writing for the adult stage. Still, when Jack Gilhooley asked her to write music and lyrics for his play, Mismatched, she could only say, “Why not!” Soon Deane Allen showed up on her doorstep inviting her to create the next Sarasota Youth Opera. It was ‘Why not’ all over again. Diana used characters from an unpublished picture book she had once created, inspired by the whimsical coyote characters created by Siesta Key artist, Suzanne Larsen. So it was Continued on the next page.

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An ultrasound exam is a way of looking inside your pet’s body (liver, kidneys, and intestines) without having to perform a surgery. It allows us to examine internal organs for location, size, shape, texture and blood supply. It is not uncommon to find “masses” within the organs being examined. Although many of these turn out to be normal changes, further tests may include an ultrasound-guided aspirate of a mass. We check your pets inside and out.

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SIESTA SAND February 2014 • www.siestasand.net

Featured Artist

By Emy Stein

|The Creative World of Diana Colson that Cornelius Coyote was born. More musical than opera, it dazzled for seven performances at the beautiful Sarasota Opera House, and was truly a howling success. Today, The Players Theatre is considering reviving the production. Encouraged, Diana tackled creating music and lyrics for a historical show, The Fabulous Mrs. Palmer, with book by Jo Morello. It was produced by Manatee Community College, received all kinds of grants, and was seen by 5000 people over eight nights of performance. Then along came percussionist Tom Suta, who asked: “Can you create lyrics for my score?” Yikes – Diana didn’t know if she could. In her own creations, lyrics came first and music followed. However, to Tom’s and Diana’s mutual amazement, the partnership worked! She’d listen to his instrumental recordings for days and days, then - minutes before he was to show up for their scheduled appointment - words would suddenly pop in her head. She’d scramble to write them down before she forgot. Their joint creation, Eye of Ra, was presented on stage by the Sarasota Youth Opera at the historic Opera House, and was greeted with standing ovations. One hot, boring summer day, Diana was reading a weekly newspaper, the PELICAN PRESS, when a tiny ad jumped out saying they were looking for a Social Columnist. Well, she’d never done that before either, but there it was: a 5-year adventure which brought loads of social action into the lives of both Colsons. Today, Diana Colson is a contributing writer for our Island Visitor group of papers. She sees each project as a challenging puzzle just waiting to be solved. A graduate of Scripps College in Claremont, California, with an MA from U.C. at Berkeley, she was recently honored for Creativity by Ringling College of Art and Design. Diana’s biggest dream is that a feature film be made of Triple Destiny, and she shows her prowess as screenwriter throughout the book. True to form, she has already composed theme music for the pivotal love scene, which can be heard on her web site. A screenplay version of the novel exists, and various actors, directors and producers have expressed interest. All Triple Destiny needs is a group of investors, and the exotic love story will appear on the silver screen, complete with Sarasota as one of the settings.

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Above: Shots taken in the 80’s, in Haiti during the production of “A Portrait of Haiti”, an educational film about the art, history, and culture of Haiti and distributed to schools nationwide. Below: Shots taken in the 70’s, in Oaxaca during the shooting of “Pinata”, a children’s story which later won a $17,500 cash prize in a Mexican film contest.

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Sarasota Waters By Paul Roat Where did all the water go from Sarasota Bay?

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Grass and mud flats abound during the winter with significant low tides, as pictured northeast of Siesta Drive Bridge. Photo by Paul Roat

Winter cold fronts often bring a surprising eruption of land from the watery depths of Sarasota Bay. A confluence of wind, air pressure, lunar cycles, and other factors can drain the bay this time of year. Water gives way to acres and acres of seagrasses and mud flats. What’s up with that? Dr. Ernest Estevez is the keeper of all lore nautical in our part of the world. For more than three decades he practiced his craft at Mote Marine Laboratory, publishing scores of technical papers on riverine, estuarine, and all other coastal ecosystems. He is truly a font of marine knowledge. Now retired, he offered some thoughts years ago about Sarasota tides in the following essay. “I moved here from New England where you could set your clock by the tides, but down here the tides are different every day. And the bay is a whole lot shallower than it was this summer! What’s going on?” … is a question I’ve come to expect this time of year. The answer is not complicated, but it has several parts. For starters, the Florida west coast experiences “mixed” tides, or a combination of diurnal (one high and low tide per lunar day) and semi-diurnal (two high and two low tides) patterns. Each by itself is regular, but when both patterns occur together we can have days with only one or, rarely, even five tides. Two to four are the most common, but even these will have

unequal heights, causing us to speak of higher and lower high tides or higher and lower low tides. Mean tide is the average of all high and low tides. To make boating as safe as possible, all navigation charts show depths relative to mean lower low tide. But there is more at work than that. The average level of the near-shore Gulf changes from month to month, being lowest around February and highest in late September to mid-October. The main reasons for this pattern are thermal expansion of water on the west-Florida Shelf (warm water occupies a larger volume) and runoff of river flow in summer months. The barnacle or oyster that settles on a seawall near high tide in summer will die from exposure to air when winter comes, just because of these differences. Seasonal winds accentuate matters, too. Winds from the north and especially east tend to drive water out of rivers and bays along our coast, whereas west or south winds push water inland. Our prevailing winter winds are of the first kind, especially after cold fronts, causing the already-lowered tides to reach even lower levels. Folks are hard-put to float their boats in the middle of a winter day following a cold front, but it’s a great time to walk out on mudflats and sand bars looking for clams! The savvy Floridian or visitor knows some other main points about coastal water levels. For example, the tide range is not the same everywhere

along the Gulf coast. The difference between highest and lowest tides varies from 1 or 2 feet to 4 or almost 5 feet, and there is no regular northsouth trend from the Panhandle to the Florida Keys. A main reason for tidal changes geographically is the distance across the continental shelf each oceanic tidal wave must travel every day; where the shelf is very wide, for example off the Ten Thousand Islands or Big Bend coastline where the tide range is greater, versus where it is relatively narrow, off the Panhandle where the tide range is small. Also, the overall level of the sea is gradually rising as a remnant of global warming since the last ice age. For west-central Florida, the rate of sea-level rise has been about 9 inches per century, a seemingly slow rate but one with enormous ecological importance in so flat a state as ours. The rate of sea-level rise is expected to increase as a result of climate change. The rarest and most extreme sea level is probably the one we most anticipate —hurricane storm surge. In a stairwell at Mote Marine Laboratory, I once marked the wall to show where computer models predict the water will reach with hurricanes of increasing intensity. A Category 5 surge would put 3 feet of water into the second floor of our barrier-island facility, and inundate all low-lying mainland areas from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor. Happy winter.

What Better Subject for Valentine’s Day than Lips?

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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Happy Valentine’s Day! 16

SIESTA SAND February 2014 • www.siestasand.net

(941) 706-3421 FREE FR REE DELIVERY DEL ELIV IVER ERYY TO TTHE KEY AM-6 PM DAILY 11 AMM 6P

LIVE MUSIC PAGE 22 ACCOMMODATIONS PAGE 34

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Build Your Own Sandwich Board

The tide comes in washing ashore, Such a wonderful thing to see. Shells, in a kaleidoscope of colors, I feel they are there just for me.

ISLAND MAP pg 30 CresCent Beach MAP pg 20 GULF GATE SHOPS pg 25

The Publication with “Key” Information | www.SiestaSand.net | 941.349.0194

Siesta Key Drum Circle

NEW EVENING HOURS: THURS. thru SUN. 8PM or LATER

SIESTA KEY

VILLAGE MAP pgs 18 - 19

LOCAL MAPS INSIDE

217 AVENIDA MADERA SIESTA ES STA K KEY EY VVIL VILLAGE, ILLA LAGEE, FL 334342 43442 43 BEACHBITESSIESTA.COM ACHB AC HBIT I TES ESSI SIEES STTA A.C A. .COM O

Every Sunday is a perfect time to come to the Key for sunset. The gathering meets up just south of the main pavilion - just follow your ears and watch for the some wonderful entertainment. I’m talking about the swelling crowd. Siesta Key Drum Circle that takes place each Sunday Photos from Facebook - Siesta Key Drum Circle starting a couple hours before sunset and lasting until

Walking alone in the sand and surf, I have such a feeling of peace. Beautiful sunsets that keep you entranced, This memory will never cease. Seagulls and pelicans flutter bout, Enthralling you with their grace. Palm trees swaying in the breeze, Warm days to embrace. Everyone has a special place, Where their hearts will always be. This is my own Garden of Eden, Right here on “Siesta Key”. The above poem was written by Carol, one of the bartenders at Captain Curt’s Restaurant. Carol has worked at Captain Curt’s for 22 years. Jean Kydd submitted the poem.

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Fresh pressed Juices are concentrated nutrition, easily digested and with the endless amounts of fruits and vegetables available there is something for everyone. Because many peoples’ digestion is not very good due to our food choices, even those with weak digestion will be able to absorb and assimilate juice’s maximum food value. Fresh pressed juice demands little to no digestive effort from the stomach which is why it is highly recommended for anyone wanting to either stay healthy or improve their health. By juicing you are putting many pounds of nutrients into one glass. One pound of juiced carrots, which would be difficult to eat, makes 10 ounces of juice full of enzymes, water soluble vitamins, minerals and trace elements. And different vegetables and fruits have an array of all kinds of nutrients and benefits. One 16 oz juice per day will get you on your way to adding more nutrition into your diet and possibly more energy amongst other health benefits. Drink up! Nirvana Juice Bar Located in the Local Bean, 5138 Ocean Blvd. Siesta Key Village

5110 Ocean Blvd, Siesta Key / Tues-Sun 5-10PM / 941-349-0818 Map B #42

Beach Bazaar & Swin Shack........... Map-C #28 Blvd. Beachwear.................................. Map-B #30 Comfort Shoes-Birki & More.........Map-D #64 Foxy Lady Fashions........................... Map-A #40 Gidget’s Coastal Provisions............... Map-B #44 Island Cotton Company.....................Map-C #29 Le Grand Bisou Chic Boutique......... Map-D #11 Lotus Boutique................................... Map-D #66 Siesta T’s............................................... Map-B #30 Sun Glass Outlet..................................Map-C #24 GAS STATION Circle K Store......................................... Map-E #6 GIFTS & SOUVENIRS Beach Bazaar...................................... Map-C #28 Created Gems......................................Map-C #51 Hurricane Rita’s Gifts.........................Map-C #51 Mount-N-Repair.................................. Map-B #48 Sea Pleasures & Treasures...................Map-C #2 Siesta Key Bead Shack....................... Map-A #36 Siesta Key’psakes................................ Map-B #29 Siesta Key Outfitters.........................Map-D #11 HEALTH & FITNESS Indep. Lifestyle Solutions ................ Map-D #10

AccomModations Siesta Beach Resort ........................Map-A #38A ART GALLERY / STUDIO Calle Studios.........................................Map-B #32 ATM / BANKS PNC ATM............................................. Map-C #61 Martin Funding......................................Map-E #1 Sun Trust Bank & ATM.........................Map-E #4 Bakery & Deli A Taste of Germany............................Map-C #53 Heavenly Cupcakes.............................Map-B #50 Meany’s Mini Donuts......................... Map-C #24 BARS & NIGHTCLUBS Blase Café.............................................Map-A #38 Blu Que Island Grill..........................Map-C #57 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 BOOK STORES Used Book Heaven...............................Map-B #48 COFFEE SHOPS Lelu’s Coffee Lounge...........................Map-B #31 The Local Bean................................... Map-D #62 DRUG & HARDWARE Davidson’s Drugs................................Map-D #65 Village Hardware................................ Map-C #26 FASHION & ACCESSORIES Aqua Beachwear................................ Map-D #12

Map D #11

SIESTA SAND February 2014 • www.siestasand.net

Nirvana Juice Bar..............................Map-D #62 Siesta Key Fitness..............................Map-B #73 Studio Rubylakes................................ Map-B #49

SASSY HAIR

ICE CREAM/treats Big Olaf Creamery..............................Map-C #52 Ciao Gelato...........................................Map-C #50 SubZero Ice Cream Yogurt............... Map-D #16 Sunni Bunni Frozen Yogurt...............Map-C #53

on Siesta Key Map A #40

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-B #48 LIQUOR STORES / Fine Wines Gabbiano’s Wine Club....................... Map-D #70 Gilligan’s.............................................. Map-B #33 Siesta Key Wines............................... Map-C #61 The Beach Club................................... Map-D #22

209 Beach Road Sarasota, FL 34242 941.349.6525

wSw Sa S ywH. sa ai rs s y h a i r . c o m on Siesta Key

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MAILING - SHIPPING UPS store............................................. Map-A #41 US Post Office..................................... Map-D #65

Map D #11

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941-554-4242

MARKETS/FOOD STORES 7-11 Store.............................................. Map-B #46 Circle K Store......................................... Map-E #6 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

Map C #53

MEDICAL - DENTAL Dr. Barry LaClair MD.........................Map-C #56 E.K. Koster DMD................................ Map-D #63 Karen F. Leggett, D.O.........................Map-C #56 Siesta Key Physical Therapy............. Map-D #20 Siesta Smiles Dentistry....................... Map-B #49 MISCELLANEOUS Chamber of Commerce..................... Map-D #67 Roberti Enterprises............................ Map-A #39 Sheriff’s Office...................................... Map-D #9 PROFESSIONAL SERVICEs CG Designs...........................................Map-E #1 Edward Jones Investments............... Map-D #68 Smith Architects.................................. Map-E #74 REAL ESTATE / Rental SERVICES Ascendia Real Estate.......................... Map-D #11 Beachside Resorts Rental.................. Map-D #11 Charles Rutenburg Realty..................Map-C #53 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 Waterside Realty.................................Map-C #29 RESTAURANTS Another Broken Egg..................Map-C #54 & 55 Beach Bites..........................................Map-D #16 Blase Café............................................ Map-A #38 Blu Que Island Grill......................... Map-C #57 Bonjour French Cafe...........................Map-C #47 Café Gabbiano.................................... Map-D #71 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 Señor Siesta........................................Map-D #69 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 Nails By Iris..........................................Map-C #50 Salon Capelli......................................... Map-D #9 Sassy Hair Salon................................ Map-A #40 Siesta Key Nails...................................Map-D #9 Village Barber....................................... Map-D #9 SPORTS INTEREST/Rentals CaliFlorida............................................ Map-B #32 Robin Hood Rentals.........................Map-D #34 Siesta Village Outfitters......................Map-C #53

Map C #61

941.349.0194 • www.islandvp.com ISLAND VISITOR PUBLISHING, LLC

CRESCENT BEACH SHOP INDEX

Gifts & Souvenirs Capt. Curt’s Souvenirs.............................B-3 #8 Green Turtle Shells & Gifts................. C-3 #14 The Silversmith ...................................... D-4 #17 Silver City Jewelry.................................. C-3 #14 Health & Beauty Lorraine’s Beauty & Barber.....................B-3 #8 Salon Siesta............................................... D-4 #17 Siesta Key Salon & Spa........................... C-3 #14 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-4 #17 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-4 #17 Crescent Beach Grocery..........................B-3 #1 Miscellaneous Moving & Storage....................................B-3 #10 Flowers by Fudgie................................... D-3 #17 Real Estate / RENTALS Beckmann Realty........................................B-3 #8 Homes & Condo Rentals........................ D-3 #17 Moynihan Realty..................................... D-3 #17 Re/Max Tropical Sands............................B-3 #1 Siesta 4-Rent.............................................. C-3 #1 Restaurants

“Home of the Orange Squeeze!”

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 Javier’s Restaurant.................................. C-3 #17 Miguel’s Restaurant............................... C-3 #17 Water Sports - Fishing - RENTALS A to Z Beach & Bike Rentals.................. A-5 #12 CB’s Saltwater Outfitters........................ A-3 #4 Sarasota Wind and Water Adventures.A-5 #12 Siesta Key Bike & Kayak . ......................B-3 #8 Siesta Key Jetski (inside CB’s)................. A-3 #4 Siesta Key Marina..................................... A-4 #5 Siesta Key Parasailing............................... A-4 #5 Siesta Key Watersports........................... A-5 #12 Siesta Paddle Sports................................ D-4 #17 Siesta Sports Rentals............................. C-3 #14 Waves Boat & Social Club...................... A-5 #12

“A Tropical Department Store“

SHELL & GIFT CITY

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

OPEN 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM DAILY

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Map B-3#8

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

CRESCENT BEACH

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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 & Sandwiches Anna’s Sandwiches................................ C-3 #14 The Beach Deli @ Crescent Beach Grocery..... ......................................................................B-3 #1 DRUG STORES Davidson’s Drugs..................................... C-3 #14 Fashion & Accessories CB’s Saltwater Outfitters........................ A-3 #4 Coconuts Fashion.....................B-3 #1 & B-3 #8 Green Turtle Swimwear......................... C-3 #14 Key Casual Fashions............................... D-4 #17 Things You Like...................................... C-3 #14

In South Bridge Mall

6525 Midnight Pass Road

MAP B-3#14

349-4751

941-346-8080

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EXPIRES:7/05/2010 Expires 12/31/14

Map C-3#14

Expires 12/31/2014

Map B-3#8

Anna’s Deli 6535 Midnight Pass Rd.

MAP C-3 #14

CB’s Saltwater Outfitters 1249 Stickney Point Rd.

MAP A-3 #4

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

Siesta 4-Rent 6555 Midnight Pass Rd.

MAP C-3 #1

City Pizza 6645 Midnight Pass Rd.

MAP D-3 #17

Miguel’s Restaurant 6631 Midnight Pass Rd.

MAP C-3 #17

Sarasota Wind & Water Adventures 1518 Stickney Point Rd.

MAP C-3 #14

PLACE YOUR AD HERE Island Visitor Publishing 941-349-0194

SIESTA SAND February 2014 • www.siestasand.net

Snapshots of Island Visitors Photos and cutline by Trebor Britt

LIFELIKE SAND SCULPTURE Raechel Biele (14) from Huntersville, North Carolina, happy as a clam to be buried in the powdery white sand of Siesta Beach. She’s been visiting Siesta Key every year since she was born. Her grandmother has lived in Osprey for the last 25 years.

Capt. Wade Harness from Sarasota taking advantage of the unpressured mangroves from last weeks cold front. Not even the drastic lows across the coast could stop these predators from devouring the Z-Man Chatterbait & ShrimpZ. Dolphin Paddlesports provided the Hobie Revo rental. Photos by Capt. Wade Harness

Boat Safety Course offered Boat Safety Course sanctioned by Florida Fish & Wildlife is being offered by the Sarasota Power & Sail Squadron. This is a 2 Saturday course February 8 & 15. Classes are held at Squadron building 2814 Hyde Park

|The Rumrunner Located at Turtle Beach Marina in South Siesta Key | 941.349.3119 www.siestakeycharterfishing.com Captain Joe Bonaro offers more than exciting deep sea fishing opportunities aboard “Sarasota’s

St. Sarasota. Class runs 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Optional on the water training is included. Call 941-927-5879 for information & reservations. www.sarasota-boating.org

Water World

Captain Jim Klopfer

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

Adventure Charters 941-371-1390

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. Cotee jigs, Rapala 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. Rapala X-Raps, 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.

Sheepshead put smiles on faces of anglers of all ages in February.

FEBRUARY 2014 TIDE CHART

fastest charter boat,” the Rumrunner (941/349-3119). The skipper offers special boat and fishing trips for families – and for families with small children – as well as customized day and overnight trips.

941.349.0194 • www.islandvp.com ISLAND VISITOR PUBLISHING, LLC

Who’s Playing Tonight

Performing Live Weekly Monday through Friday • Noon - 3:00 PM

BluQue Island Grill 149 Avenida Messina ~ Siesta Key

This column borrows its title from a song I wrote about being a full-time island musician. It provides a snapshot of the person you see at your favorite island bars and restaurants, from the entertainer’s point of view. In this article, every month, I get to take it further, through the stories, experience and viewpoint my friends and colleagues on Siesta Key. Being a full-time local-level musician is not a typical profession to say the least, in that we are small business owners, of an enterprise spanning many categories. We are artists, performers, marketers, outside sales reps of business-to-business services and private event entertainment, equipment movers (ha ha), sound engineers, horse-traders and most of us dabble in social media, websites and graphic arts. Many of us are writers and some of us are comedians. We excel in public relations and networking begins pretty much every time we leave the house, because, the more we play in any given area, the more we can be assured that someone is always watching everything we do, on or off the stage. You could say we’re low-level celebs! Even when we conduct ourselves with the utmost professionalism, we can be replaced anytime, without notice. The income is irregular, to say the least, there are no paid vacation or sick days. A rainstorm or a slow night can cause an unexpected loss of a night’s pay and a tip jar can double it. I don’t know who started the tip jar custom, but I love you, whoever you are! This is a competitive business, but we enjoy each other’s work as well. With peers, the competition

By Mike Sales

is really about making sure we as individuals are performing at our best. We take our cues from the people who are doing their best and step up our own game accordingly. While there are typically a dozen musicians vying for any one gig, it works itself out like a game of musical chairs and the competition pretty much ends when the slot in your schedule is booked. Unlike most other businesses I know of, our customers like to collect us. The value of an iPod is based solely on how many different artists are on it. Sure everyone has favorites, but the goal is to be in the group of favorites and, at least at this level, there’s no incentive or inspiration really, to beat the competition. Its just about making sure your boat is still above water, every time the tide of the talent pool rises. It actually helps to recommend other artists to your own customers…helps! I love this game that is show business. All of the talent, strategizing, footwork, prep and planning is real and constant, but the end goal is nothing more than to give people a good enough feeling about your music, to want to hear you again and tell their friends. That’s it. In fact, most of the effort is merely to get the opportunity to be in front of people…for a living. As I look back at the past year, I feel a great sense of gratitude for the privilege to sing for a living and the aptitude to stay afloat doing it. The challenges and requirements, mentioned above, illustrate just how committed and qualified we have to be to make a living at music. It’s a level of commitment only possible by virtue of knowing no option would be bearable. I believe that musical ability and the love of performing is a gift, that when nurtured as a stewardship

LIVE MUSIC SCHEDULE

SIESTA SAND February 2014 • www.siestasand.net

creates a level of purpose, second to none. These hoops we jump through are just a rite of passage. And once we pass, the possibilities are endless. There are literally hundreds of live music venues along the gulf coast. On any given day, on Siesta Key, you can see dozens of talented musicians. Some of them are world class, and by that I mean, they have literally spent some of their career touring the world, with headlining national acts, while others are just getting started on their way up the ranks. Along with some nice publicity (thanks Siesta Sand!) a benefit of writing this column has been the privilege of sitting down with these talented people and getting a glimpse of how they see themselves, their music, their careers and the business. I get to know them better as people and friends. When I go to see them play, I feel like I’m more a part of the musical community. Many times I feel a deeper appreciation for what they bring to the stage, because I’ve heard in their own words about how the music touches them and what’s most important about their performance. My main goal with the article is to share a glimpse of each musician, from the perspective of someone who knows the business first hand and to paint a picture of the person behind the music. Whether you’re here for a week, a month or all season, I invite you to make the rounds on Siesta Key and check in each month to learn more about “Who’s Playing Tonight.” Mike Sales is a local singer/ songwriter. For more information visit mikesalessings.com

Island Humor [ A few days after her husband’s death, a grieving widow accidentally receives an e-mail from a man waiting for his wife in Miami. After reading it, she gasped and fainted. The e-mail reads: Dearest Wife, Just got checked in. Everything prepared for your arrival tomorrow. P.S. Sure is hot down here. [ Four women were driving across the country. Each one was from a different state: Idaho, Nebraska, Florida, and New York. Shortly after the trip began, the woman from Idaho started pulling potatoes from her bag and throwing them out of the window. “What the heck are you doing?” demanded the Nebraskan. “We have so many of these darn things in Idaho, I am just sick of them!” A moment later, the gal from Nebraska began pulling ears of corn from her bag an tossing them from the window. “What are you doing that for?” asked the gal from Florida. “We have so many of these things in

Nebraska, I am just sick of looking at them!” Inspired, the gal from Florida opened the car door and pushed the New Yorker out. [ A young blond girl in her late teens, wanting to earn some extra money for the summer, decided to hire herself out as a “handy woman and started canvassing a nearby well-to-do neighborhood. She went to the front door of the first house and asked the owner if he had any odd jobs for her to do. “Well, I guess I could use somebody to paint the porch,” he said. “How much will you charge me?” Delighted, the girl quickly responded, “How about $50?” The man agreed and told her that the paint and brushes and everything she would need were in the garage. The man’s wife, hearing the conversation, asked her husband, “Did you tell her that our porch goes ALL the way around the house?” “That’s a bit cynical, isn’t it?” he responded. “You’re right,” replied his wife,

IN GULF GATE...

6500 Gateway Ave • 941.554.8905

Village SHOPS

Captain Curt’s at i ik T i ik n S e Th Point Rd., 1200 old Stickney 85 242 (941) 349-38 Siesta Key, FL 34

[ A man recovering from surgery is asked by the surgical nurse how he is feeling. “I’m okay, but I didn’t like the four letter-word the doc used in surgery,” he answered. “Oh, well what did he say?” asked the nurse. “Oops”

Recipe Source: www.sasakitime.com

NFL/College Packages FULL BAR

nth...

Mo Bartender of The

[ A doctor examining a woman who had been rushed to the ER, took the husband aside, and said, “I don’t like the looks of your wife at all.” “Me neither doc,” said the husband, “But she’s such a great cook and really good with the kids.”

Valentine’s Day Recipes: Chocolate Strawberry Martini

HOTTEST BAR

Captain Curt’s

“I guess I’m starting believe all those dumb blonde jokes”. A few hours later the blonde came to the door to collect her money. “You’re finished already?” the startled husband asked. “Yes,” the blonde replied, “and I even had paint left over so I gave it two coats”. Impressed, the man reached into his pocket for the $50 and handed it to her along with a $10 tip. “Thank you,” the blonde said. “By the way, it’s not a Porch, it’s a Lexus.”

INGREDIENTS: Whipped Cream, 5 Strawberries, 1/3 Cup of Cocoa Powder, 2 Ounces of Vodka 1 Ounce of Raspberry Liquor, & Ice Directions: Muddle 3 strawberries in a bowl until soft and juicy, and then add to a cocktail shaker along with ice, vodka and raspberry liquor. Then shake vigorously for 1 minute until fully blended. Next, slice 2 strawberries down the center lengthwise and rim the martini glass with them before dusting the glass with cocoa powder. Use the remaining powder to coat the cut strawberries, and then strain the shaker into the glass. Garnish with whipped cream and a coca coated strawberry.

Name of Bartender: Vicky Hometown: Sarasota Q: How long have you been bartending? A: 11 years. Q: What was the strangest or funniest thing you experienced at work? A: A customer sat at the bar. After a few drinks later, he went to the bathroom. After 20 minutes, I sent the owner to check on him. I Well, he had fallen and wedged himself between the toilet and the wall, and he couldn’t get out.

Help me, can’t get out!

Q: What do you do in your spare time? A: I enjoy spending time with my 3 year old, running, boating, and fishing. Q: How would you describe yourself? A: I am personable and outgoing, maybe a little sarcastic at times.

Q: How would you describe the Sniki Tiki at Captain Curt’s? A: A fun place for both tourists and locals to meet for a cold drink, good food, and great entertainment. Q: When is the best time to see you? A: Weekends - during the day.

1200 Old Stickney Point Rd, Siesta Key FL 34242

Siesta Key Bike & Kayak Fun for your vacation with Bike & Kayak Rental. Tours, Delivery & Pick-up. 346-0891

Lorraine’s Island Hair Design Full Service salon. Open Monday thru Saturday. 346-7206

Home of the Orange Squeeze! Featuring hand-mixed ice cream, coffees, shakes, malts, sundaes, & smoothies. Open Til 9:30pm 941-346-8080

Coconut Fashions The best in service, quality, & design. Beachwear & accessories for the whole family. 349-4498

941.349.0194 • www.islandvp.com ISLAND VISITOR PUBLISHING, LLC

Snapshots of Island Visitors

Photos by Jaye Clements - Sarasota Photography 1

1: Building a snowman in the sand from Sweden – Saga age 7, Linnea age 6, Leo age 8, Ebbe age 5, Anki (mom), Signe age 5 – they all “really, really love SK Beach!” 2: Jana from Indiana collecting sea life for the aquarium she built at the beach. 3: Jack & Maryellen from N. Virginia. 4: Camron age 8, Isaiah celebrating his 8th birthday!, Jason age 4 all from Sarasota – having fun at the beach! 5: Hadagga & Alex, Tayna, Abigail – celebrating her 9th b-day, Alex Jr., they visit yearly & SK is their favorite place! 6: Ann from SK & Linda from ND biking SK beach. 7: David & Laurie from OH. Enjoying the kite boarders showing off their skills!

Sarasota History By Paul Roat Bertha Palmer: Winter visitor turned mogul One of the most influential and famous of Sarasota’s winter visitors set foot on the region Feb. 22, 1910. Bertha Honore Potter Palmer, socialite and widow of Chicago multi-millionaire Potter Palmer, read of Sarasota’s balmy breezes, white sand beaches, and mild temperatures in an advertisement in a northern newspaper. She, with an entourage including her father, two brothers and a son, visited Sarasota for a week. The auspicious vacation eventually led to her purchase of 80,000 acres in the Sarasota region as well as an additional 19,000-acre hunting preserve named River Hills to the north, an area now encompassed by the city of Temple Terrace. “She dined with royalty, socialized with captains of industry, enjoyed close connections to the White House, and had a good head for business,” according to a history from Historic Spanish Point, which was a portion of her vast local land holdings. “She raised children and enjoyed her grandchildren, buried a beloved husband, and chaired the Board of Lady Managers for Chicago’s World’s Columbian Exposition [the 1893 World’s Fair.]” She revolutionized local land use. Before Mrs. Palmer’s arrival, most of the area’s “industry” was invested in fishing and farming, particularly

citrus. She brought cattle, and money, to Southwest Florida in a big way. “Mrs. Palmer’s varied business interests in Sarasota may have contributed to the land boom and further development of the Gulf Coast,” according to Historic Spanish Point documents. “One of those interests was cattle ranching. As a member of the Florida State Livestock Association, she operated a 15,000acre ranch she called Meadow Sweet Pastures.” That ranch later became a part of Palmer Ranch, the sprawling housing development in central Sarasota County. A portion of the property was also transformed into today’s Myakka River State Park. “Mrs. Palmer purchased Lawrence Jones’ two-story house on Little Sarasota Bay, just north of the homestead established by John and Eliza Webb, the first settlers of Osprey,” according to Sarasota History Alive. That property is now a part of Historic Spanish Point. “With assistance from Thomas Reed Martin, a Chicago architect who had moved to Sarasota, Mrs. Palmer added rooms and columns to The Oaks and surrounded it with formal gardens, walkways, ponds, and buildings for servants and work crews. A water and irrigation system and electric plant supported the

estate. Potter Palmer Jr. died in “Mrs. Palmer was in large part 1943. Honore Palmer died in responsible for transforming the 1964 at the age of 90. sleepy town of Sarasota into a national winter residence Factoid: destination for the well to do, Mrs. Palmer’s husband such as Stanley and Sara Field Potter had spotty luck with his of Chicago.” namesake, the luxurious Palmer The Fields’ estate on Little House hotel in downtown Sarasota Bay is now the Chicago. exclusive Field Club. The first Palmer House was Mrs. Palmer died in 1918 a wedding gift for Mrs. Palmer at age 69. Her sons, Honore by her husband, and opened and Potter II, carried on their Sept. 26, 1871. It burned to the mother’s love of the area. ground 13 days later in the “Honore Palmer served as Great Chicago Fire. one of the first officials of the Undaunted, Palmer rebuilt Sarasota-Venice Company, Bertha Honore Potter Palmer heralded the virtues and re-opened a seven-story formed to develop the Palmer of Sarasota to her socialite friends, prompting both hotel in 1875. holdings,” according to Sarasota That structure stood until visits and winter homes for many. History Alive. 1925, when a 25-story building Photo courtesy Sarasota County Historical “In 1922, he and Potter made was erected around the smaller Society. the first planting in what was hotel and stands today as the known as the Hyde Park Citrus Established by Honoré and Palmer House — A Hilton Groves, today known as South Gate. Potter Palmer and Prince Michael Hotel. The groves would eventually cover Cantacuzene, Palmer National Bank Mrs. Palmer also in renown in over 1,200 acres. The next year, and Trust Company organized on cooking circles as the creator of the Honore and Potter Palmer aided July 20, 1929, and took over the First brownie. in the formation of the Sarasota- Bank and Trust Company building at T h e c h o c o l a t e t r e a t w a s Fruitville drainage district near Five Points. commissioned by Mrs. Palmer during Fruitville. In the development of the “The Palmer Bank survived the the 1893 world’s fair to ensure that district, more than 8,000 acres were Great Depression and became one of dessert would not dirty the hands of made available for cultivation. the strongest banks in Sarasota. The her guests. The same brownie recipe “ O n e o f t h e i r m o r e l a s t i n g bank remained at Five Points until is served at the hotel today. developments was the Palmer it merged with Southeast Bank in National Bank and Trust Company. 1976.”

Commentary: Army Corps Dredges Up New Concerns Of course, the entire project is premised on the idea that Lido Beach is critically eroded and needs major attention and it’s true -- the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has a document stating that all Lido Beach is “critically eroded.” But that is based on information from four years ago, and since DEP claims that over 98% of the county’s beaches are critically eroded, they have instead eroded the meaning of the term. Walk Lido Beach for yourself and see what you think. Many people are

of the opinion that North Lido has seldom been wider. At the south end of their proposed project, they intend to place three rock groins, with two going in Ted Sperling South Lido Park. It came as a surprise to the Corps in the late Fall when someone broke the news that South Lido is a County, and not a City, Park. Until then, there had been no involvement with County Parks regarding whether massive groins were needed or wanted in this park noted for its

dynamic wild stretch where the Pass meets the Gulf. Go figure. The Big Pass Shoal is an enormous sand bank that trails a mile and half from the south end of South Lido Beach Park and supplies sand to Siesta Key. It may be the only place left in the county that could be considered pristine. In the five hundred years since Europeans showed up in Florida, there has never been a need to mess with the shoal, but the Corps proposes to change all that. Not even the most sophisticated computer models can predict with confidence what would happen if they take more than a 27 million cubic feet of sand from the shoal. And once they start taking sand, it is hard to believe it will be off limits for additional raiding for other projects. In fact, other needy beaches have already been mentioned. Once this project is approved, how could others be denied? One of the most eyebrowraising aspects is the requirement to sign a fifty-year contract with the Feds for millions of dollars and they intended to do it with no public hearings! Local

SIESTA SAND February 2014 • www.siestasand.net

Guest Commentary By Jono Miller Continued from cover story. governments don’t frequently sign multi-decade contracts and for good reason. To make matters worse, Katrina has shown the Corps has immunity from lawsuits, so if anything goes wrong on Siesta, don’t bother taking the Corps to court. Sadly, the Corps posture has been that we have to either accept what they are proposing, or they will be “forced to go back to square one” – implicitly threatening that no sand would be forthcoming. This play-byour-rules-or-we-are-taking-ourbasketball stance is not helpful and starts sounding like a federal version of a protection racket -- we agree to their terms and they’ll take care of us, otherwise. .. So there are several reasons to be questioning this proposal – whether you are concerned about wasting tax dollars, affecting Siesta beaches, unintended consequences, navigation, government accountability, the character of South Lido, or how we might best prepare for hurricanes, this is a project that would benefit from more scrutiny. At a minimum that

would involve an improved public process with public hearings. There should also be an independent analysis by experts unconnected with the dredging industry of the Corps assumptions and claims. Ideally, it would result in a more responsive public process that involved all stakeholders in a quest for the most effective way to keep Lido Beaches and St Armands Circle viable without creating unwarranted risk. Because it is hard to imagine a greater risk than a fifty-year contract with an unaccountable agency for a project all concede is “upstream” of Siesta Key and the number one beach in the nation. Jono Miller is an environmental educator and activist and former candidate for the Sarasota County commission (2008). On January 15, 2014, the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce, in a unanimous decision, joined the Siesta Key Association to oppose the dredging of the Big Pass Shoal.

|Discover Gulf Gate... Be sure to include a trip to the Gulf Gate shops next time you frequent the Sarasota Pavilion. 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. Gulf Gate Golf Course – Conveniently located just a stones throw from the Gulf Gate Shops, this 27 hole Executive Course offers men’s and women’s rental clubs. You can start your day with a round of golf, enjoy a bite to eat at the many wonderful restaurants or simply relax with a pint of ale at the pub before you head out to explore the many fine shops. Moments In Time Photography (G28) specializes in several different photography services including Siesta Key Beach portraits starting at just $49 and wedding beginning

at $495. Check out their website: www.sarasotaphotos.com or visit their store to see why they have been the photographer of choice for over a decade and a half. Piccolos Italian Market & Deli (G-20) carries a full line of imported cheeses, fresh baked 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. Scandinavian Gifts (GG-37) has an extensive selection of gifts and Scandinavian foods. The specialties here include candles, Ekelund table linens, Flensted mobiles, imported glassware, Swedish Klippan textiles and so much more. The baked goods and groceries include imported candies, salty licorice, as well as cheeses, breads, seafood and vegetables from Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. 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 mouthwatering 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. Operating since 2003, Nontando (G-34) has an extensive selection

of African Art, Home Décor and Gifts. Specialties include Textiles, Ceremonial Masks, Ceramics, Stone and Wood Carvings, Music, Framed Art, Metal Sculptures, Wire and Beadwork, Food Condiments, Candles, Glassware, and much more. The owners of Nontando travel annually to the African continent to do their buying and bring you 100% authentic, affordable and unique products of the highest quality. www.nontando.com

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…

For Entire Listing of Gulf Gate Businesses Go To www.siestasand.net and Click on the Maps

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Arts on the Horizon Something new at the Ringling!

Every Friday and Saturday, 10:30am to noon - Garden tours at the Bayfront Gardens. A guided tour of the incredible grounds at the Ringling! You’ll learn about their interesting living collections. Wear comfortable shoes, the tour covers about a mile! $20 (Weather permitting)

By Jaye Clements

Big Band classics, such as “In The Mood,” “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “A String… read more

February 4 to 8pm Complexions at the Van Wezel.

February 1, 6:30pm The Opera Gala 2014: A Masked Ball at The Hyatt Regency!

Black Tie Attire/Masks encouraged! The annual Opera Gala celebrates the beginning of Sarasota Opera’s Winter Festival. The event will include a cocktail hour, silent auction, and a delightful four course dinner. $250 Enjoy a special performance by Sarasota Opera Principal Artists and dance to music by 42nd Street Big Band. This season’s fundraiser will be an awesome celebration! Call (941) 366-8450 ext. 402. The Hyatt is at: 1000 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota.

February 1, 12pm to 4 p.m. 7th Annual Grand Ovation at Lakewood Ranch

Enjoy this family friendly street festival with local talent including musicians, singers, dancers and drama groups with 3 live performance stages. Visit the unique shops and restaurants. Free! Lakewood Main Street, LWR.

February 1 The Sarasota Ballet presents Program 4

Balanchine, Tuckett & Ashton at FSU Center for the Performing Arts. www.sarasotaballet.org

Feb 1 & 2 - 5th Annual Sarasota Masters Art Festival - 10am to 5pm. on Palm Ave.

The art festival is a high quality show with skilled artists. Historic Downtown Sarasota will be filled with white tents and plenty of color! One of the artists is Nicholas Toth from Tarpon Springs. He creates copper diving helmets. The helmets were used to dive for sponges many years ago in Tarpon Springs. He learned this skill from his grandfather who arrived in Tarpon in 1913. Today, Nicolas makes these unique pieces into works of art!

February 2, 2pm Sarasota Ski-A-Rees Water Ski Show. Free!

Every Sun until May 4. Ken Thompson Park City Island behind Mote Marine Aquarium.

February 1 & 6, 8, 8pm - Last Lists of My Mad Mother & February 2 & 9, 2pm Players Theatre

A touching and humorous look at the toll Alzheimer’s disease takes. The Players Theatre is presenting a new theatre experience, backstage. The Backstage Series is a show with minimal sets and costumes, offering performances in an intimate setting. $15 Over 60 years ago, the public first embraced the incredible Glenn Miller Sound, and still both the legend and the music live on. Led by an exciting new Musical Director, Nick Hilscher, this program will include all their

Orthodox Church - 7671 North Lockwood Ridge Road (Sunday until 8pm.) Admission is $4. Free 12 & under. Parking is free! There will be Shuttles available one mile north at Trinity Church for overflow parking. http://bradentonorthodox.com/

February 9, 2pm - The 2014 Joy of Jazz concert series - at Centennial Park in downtown Venice.

The Venturas will be playing. Free. Donations will be accepted to support the Jazz Club’s scholarship fund. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. visit www.jazzclubsarasota.org

February 11, 5pm Meet the Artists of The Barber of Seville

Complexions redefines dance. Two of the great artistic directors, Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson bring together a lifelong appreciation of the art. Beautiful dancers will reinvent dance in a delightful piece with music ranging from gospel to classical to rock.

February 4, 11, 18, 25 at 2pm to 4pm - Royal Afternoon Tea time! at Powel Crosley Estate.

Tea and a light savory menu will be served in the exclusive upstairs living area, overlooking the bay, at the Crosley mansion. 8374 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. $32. Reservations required (941) 225-9122 Simply Gourmet Caterers http:// www.simplygourmetcaterers.com/ royal_tea.html

February 4, 5pm Meet the Artists of Il trovatore - $15

Il trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi shows: Feb. 8, 12, 16, 22, 25 & 27. Verdi’s drama tells the story of a quest for love, a soldier and a Gypsy’s quest for revenge. Featuring some Opera favorites set in 1853.

Feb. 17 & 24, 10:30am Opera House Tour!

Sarasota Opera House 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota (941) 328-1300 www.sarasotaopera.org

The Barber of Seville - shows: Feb. 15, 18, 20, 23, 26, 28 - $19 to $120 Determined to win the heart of the beautiful Rosina with charm and wit, rather than money, Count Almaviva recruits the help of Figaro, the barber of Seville, to steal her away from Dr. Bartolo. The Barber of Seville is one of the most beloved comedic works in the operatic repertory. www.sarasotaopera.org

February 15 & 16, 10am to 5pm - 26th Annual Downtown Sarasota Art & Craft Festival on Main St. in Downtown Sarasota.

Fine & contemporary crafts by more than 100 national artisans. 2014SarasotaFestival - Free Admission.

February 16, 7pm Masters of Illusion Live! at the Van Wezel.

Masters of Illusion Live! is a spectacular stage phenomenon comprised of the most astonishing and amazing magical performers in the world! Traveling with a cast of 25 people and two 53 foot semi-trucks, audiences are constantly entertained by the myriad of magic and comedy at a pace that moves in a… read more Masters of Illusion Live is a spectacular magical performance!

WORD LIST:

February 5 through April 5 - Daddy Long Legs at the Florida Studio Theatre.

A musical set in the early 1900s, in New England. It’s a story of a young girl named Jerusha Abbott. She’s a brave young orphan, who dreams of a better life. An anonymous benefactor sends Jerusha to a prominent college, where she begins an exciting journey. Jerusha overcomes her challenging past to fall in love and experience true happiness. $19 to $42. In the Gompertz Theatre. The Green Room will be open for pre-show dining! Reservations required for dinner. (941) 366-9000 http:// www.floridastudiotheatre.org/ show_shows.php?id=405

February 6,7,8,9, 11am to 9pm. 30th Annual Greek Glendi

An authentic cultural experience, with Arts & Crafts! Amazing authentic Greek food! Greek Dancers and so much more! Join in on the fun! St. Barbara’s Greek

Answers on page 32

SIESTA SAND February 2014 • www.siestasand.net

February 17, 8pm The Hit Men at the Van Wezel.

The original performers from Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons & Tommy James and the Shondells. Amazing musicians with big hits from the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s.

February 20, 2pm Man of La Mancha at the Van Wezel.

16405 Myakka Road, Sarasota. http://crowleyfl.org/

February 23 through March 1 - 34th Annual Sarasota Jazz Festival

This year’s lineup includes jazz greats: vocalist Alexis Cole; the world-renowned pianist and composer Dick Hyman; acclaimed saxophonist and clarinetist Ken Peplowski; The Anderson Brothers, and saxophonists: Wynton Marsalis, Wycliffe Gordon, Jimmy Heath and Michael Feinstein; the Charlie Bertini Quintet, with outstanding trumpeter Charlie Bertini and more. www.jazzclubsarasota.org/ A free youth clinic will be held at Riverview High School. The clinic will be led by Charlie Bertini and Jeff Phillips on February 25th at 3pm.

February 25, 5pm

Meet the Artists of The Flying Dutchman at the Sarasota Opera House.

One of the most loved musicals of a generation. The production brings to life adventure in an epic tale, which celebrates the triumph of the human spirit!

February 20, 5pm to 8pm

soulRcoaster plays with high energy and a diverse array of genres, it’s sure to be a fun night! Bayfront Gardens at the Ringling! Included with Art after 5 Admission. $10. http://www.ringling.org/

February 22 10am to 4pm 7th Annual Southwest Florida Heritage Festival at Crowley Museum & Nature Park.

Free Admission. There is a parking fee of $3.00 to benefit the Sarasota Military Academy. Civil War acts, weavers, blacksmithing, horse trail rides, games and music. You’ll fall in love with the area and the beautiful nature walks! Crowley’s regular hours: Thurs. thru Sun. - 10am to Sunset.

February 27, 8pm The Moscow Festival Ballet: Don Quixote at the Van Wezel.

Nobleman Don Quixote de la Mancha pours over his books and tales of distant knighthood. Soon he believes he’s called to knightly deeds as the valiant and eccentric Don Quixote. He and his comic sidekicksquire, Sancho Panza, lead the cast of from Cervantes’ novel through this classic ballet love story.

February 27, 5 to 7pm

Ringling in Bloom at the Ringling Museum of Art! $10. http://www. ringling.org/

Feb 28, 8pm Rhythm of the Dance at the Van Wezel

Since the creation of Rhythm of the Dance, it has consistently toured internationally, achieving greater critical acclaim year after year with a wonderful, gifted young cast of dancers, musicians, and Irish tenors. The performance is sure to be spectacular! www.vanwezel.org/

WORD SEARCH

After the big one

By Stan Zimmerman

Continued from cover story.

It turns out preparing for a storm is fairly easy, facilitated by modern forecasting that gives residents and officials plenty of advance warning. But the after-storm work is complicated, messy and expensive, the PDRP troupe found. Just paying to clear the roadways is a multimillion dollar expense. And taking debris to the dump costs more millions. The $40 million Sarasota County Commissioners socked away as an emergency fund for hurricane clean-up was soon found less than adequate as the numbers added up. The kick-off meeting was on May 19, 2008. Yes, nearly six years ago. The lead-off speaker was fresh from a disaster of his own. Mitchell Austin, a city planner in Punta Gorda had fresh memories of the head-on collision with the compact and fast-moving hurricane named Charlie. “One year after the storm, half of the affected businesses were still not open for business,” he told the troupe. “There were permitting problems after the storm, because the permitting offices were gone.” A galaxy of questions were raised at the kick-off. Who determines if a house is safe to reoccupy? Longterm temporary housing, where and for how long? How fast can infrastructure – water, sewer and power – be re-established? Can volunteers be managed, or trusted? How can tourism be restarted? How soon can people get back to work? Will non-conforming buildings be “grandfathered” for reconstruction or replacement? Participants reassembled on Nov 17, 2008 to review progress. Four task forces were established: environmental restoration; housing and planning; infrastructure and public facilities; and economic redevelopment. A follow-up meeting was held on Feb. 4, 2009, where attendees got their first glimpse of a vulnerability study conducted by then-doctoral candidate Tim Frazier of Penn State. It looked at how Sarasota County would be impacted by not only the storm surge of a hurricane, but also gradual increases in sea level. For example, a category three storm, combined with a three-foot rise in sea level by the end of the century would look very much like a category five storm from a flooding point of view. April 15, 2009 saw another working group meeting. and again on July 31 as the participants began grappling with major questions and coming up with draft chapters. Then a disaster of another sort hit, and the PDRP was dropped cold.

Blindsided

When the Deepwater Horizon subsea oil well blew out in 2010, the Sarasota County PDRP was

shelved because a real disaster was in progress. Between April and September an estimated 4.9 million barrels of crude oil vented into the Gulf of Mexico during the biggest accidental oil spill in human history. Sarasota County officials feared a south-flowing current along the western side of the Florida peninsula would carry the oil to local beaches, with catastrophic environmental and economic consequences. For a variety of reasons, that did not happen. The oil didn’t arrive, but neither did tourists who stayed away in droves. Staffers involved in coastal and environmental issues were diverted to prepare for what seemed a looming disaster. When the oil slicks didn’t appear, their attention turned to civil litigation, attempting to recover from BP the lost tourist income and opportunity costs of Sarasota County’s reaction to the spill. “We kept in communication with some of the representatives of the barrier island groups, so the concept stayed alive through the intervening years,” said Wreford. It was not until last year that county staff picked the PDRP off the floor, and restarted the process. Much smaller teams were reassembled to draft the chapters. Early this year Wreford plans to go public. “We are close to the launch of the newly revisited chapters,” he said. “”We’re going to try to kick it off in February.” He plans to post the chapters on a county website, where people can either read it or download it. A series of workshops with neighborhood groups, homeowner associations, the Siesta Key Association and others will be planned, as well as an omnibus public workshop in the coming months.

How vulnerable are we?

Wreford gave us a peek at one of the almost-finished chapters. It addresses Sarasota County’s vulnerability to a hurricane. After receiving his PhD in geography from Penn State, Frazier updated his doctoral thesis with new information from his post as assistant professor at the University of Idaho. It is scary. Frazier’s analysis finds 75 percent of the population of Siesta Key is “at risk” from the storm surge of a mere category one hurricane. It jumps to 95 percent for a category three storm. Other county areas are similarly impacted by a category three: Warm Mineral Springs In North Port (100 percent), the City of Venice (82 percent), Nokomis (95 percent) and Englewood (98 percent). In other words, the southern half of Sarasota county is at the same risk of storm surge damage as Siesta Key. Frazier then says what nobody

Soulful Advice Q: Dear Donnarose, my mother is a very angry person. So now at 52, I made a New Year’s resolution to help our relationship. I wrote my mother a very kind letter telling her that I felt our relationship was not healthy, and I would love to create a new one. I told her that I would love to be in touch more, however, I cannot handle the constant criticism, etc. Weeks later, she made comments on the letter, sent it to our family, and told them she no longer wants me in her life. Apparently, she couldn’t follow the rules and boundaries I set. I had to set them, as they were ruining my mental health. Do you agree with what I said and did? Regards, Lisa M. A: ~“As you love yourself more you will only accept, that the boundaries you set will be met with respect.”– Donnarose Melvin Your situation is common amongst many of my clients. The thing is, your mother’s issues started before you were born. So even though letters can be a good idea, it will take more than that to see a change in her. We truly can’t force change on anyone, except ourselves. The biggest issue here is that in tough situations like this, self-love tends to take a nose dive. And

else dares to say: “Sarasota County is particularly vulnerable to the threat of SLR [sea level rise] due to the county’s extensive urban development in low-lying areas and along the coastlines, the economic importance of tourism, its unique ecosystems and its reliance on groundwater.” When Frazier combines a one-foot rise in sea level with the storm surge from a category three storm, much of south county simply disappears under water. More than 190,000 people are affected in their homes, or about half the county’s population. Frazier is now looking at historical rainfall patterns associated with hurricanes from the last 50 years, which just add to the danger and misery. Total rainfall is dependent on how fast a storm moves through the area, making it more difficult to model anything but the least- and most-severe examples. But even a minimal two inches of rain has an impact on the overall inundation. Wreford knows the PDRP can do nothing to divert a hurricane. Emergency managers already have plans for evacuation, and the hardening of some key structures. “The plan is intended to guide and direct pre-storm activity, and provide an after-storm action plan.” For example, stockpiling forms for federal assistance in advance can save days and weeks of processing time. Simply by having the correct form. “It is not an exact prescription, but rather an encouragement to look for opportunities to redevelop smarter and better and more resilient,” said Wreford. He’s quick to add, “Current residents and business owners would prefer to get back what they had before, and current law supports that. The PDRP asks, ‘Where are there opportunities?’ Maybe we can retreat a little bit from the Gulf shoreline.” Meanwhile the people keep coming, and they want to live on the coast. Between1990 and 2008, population density increased by 32% in Gulf coastal communities in the United States. Although Sarasota County has slowed from its explosive population growth rate of the 1970s and 1980s, it grew even during the recent recession by 1.1 percent between 2010 and 2012. The overwhelming majority of people living here today have never experienced the fury of a serious hurricane. Or the shock of its aftermath. An unspoken function of the PDRP makes residents and officials think beyond the storm to develop both personal and governmental responses that will speed recovery, and create the opportunity to mitigate the impact of the next “big one.”

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From Donnarose so if we’re unable to receive love from ourselves, how could we expect to be able to receive love from someone else? In order to see any improvement in your relationship with your mother, it has to start with you healing you first, and loving yourself fully. Practice thinking love-based thoughts about yourself on a daily basis. The clarity that comes with this is amazing. And if you continue pouring love into yourself like this, don’t be surprised if the overflow of love energy starts to reach your mom energetically. This is when improved communication starts to unfold, and boundaries are respected, all because you increased your love for yourself. This actually works, as I’ve seen it many times.~♥ Go to www.siestasand.net for additional Q&A. Donnarose Melvin is a professional psychic, medium and energy healer, whose pleasure is to assist clients worldwide. She incorporates knowledge from her degree in psychology, along with her clairvoyant, clairaudient, clairsentient and empathic gifts to guide her clients towards peace and success. Please send your questions to GoWithYourSoul@gmail.com or private message her via facebook: Go With Your Soul. Donnarose will select questions each month to share with you. She regrets that unpublished questions cannot be answered individually.

941.349.0194 • www.islandvp.com ISLAND VISITOR PUBLISHING, LLC

IT’S IN THE EAR OF THE BEHOLDER

Snapshots of Island Visitors Photos by Jaye Clements - Sarasota Photography

Artist Craig Colorusso of Rogers, Arkansas, set up twenty Sun Boxes to be displayed on the white sands of Siesta Beach. The artist displayed his boxes at several public beaches and city parks in Sarasota over a three-day period. The exhibit consists of twenty solar powered speaker boxes that emit sound of the artist’s composition when in the sunlight. Serenely melodious, the boxes invite viewers to linger in a space, often lying down to enjoy the peace of the space that Sun Boxes create. Emma Thurgood, Exhibitions Coordinator at Art Sarasota in front of the artist’s Sun Box exhibit worked with Criag. The exhibit was sponsored jointly by Art Center Sarasota and the City of Sarasota. Craig was onsite at all installations of the Sun Boxes throughout Sarasota to talk to the public about his work and the Sun Boxes project.

Top Left: River age 5, and Jack from PA. Enjoying a yogurt at Sunni Bunni on SK. Top Right: Patrick & Analiese from OH. Enjoying lunch at Anna’s Deli on SK. Bottom Left: Catlyn & Gerry from CT enjoying a ride around the key! Bottom Right: Mary Paris & Stacie from Sarasota at Beach Bites.

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FOR SALE • House For Sale By Owner Elegant 5 bedroom, den, 3 bath, 3 car garage. Executive home in the popular gated community of Turtle Rock, in the heart of Palmer Ranch. Walking distance to Legacy Trail. Close to Siesta beach and downtown. Asking price: $474,900. 941-587-7330

• Siesta 4 Rent - Vacation Rentals, from studios to 5 bedrooms. Serving Siesta Key since 1997, 941-349-5500

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ACCOMMODATIONS • Jeanette Properties - long term vacation rentals. 941-927-7222 • 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

Services

• Massage Heights -1-hour massage $49.99, custom facial $59.99 – intro offers, 4948 S. Tamiami Trl, 941-9271030 (See Display ad in this paper)

• Robasota Real Estate – Annual and Seasonal Rentals, 941-926-1800, ext. 102

• Massage Experience Siesta Key Open 7-day a week. 5138A Ocean Blvd, Siesta Key, 941-349-4833

HEALTH • 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

TRANSPORTATION • Siesta Key Free Rides – Siesta Key Free island shuttle for beach, village, condo and tours – tips only. Electric vehicles. Call 941-952-8294 • Sun Ride Pedicab – Eco-friendly Pedicabs. Siesta Key Tours and rides – tips only, 941-343-3400

• Senior Home Companions – companionship and In-Home care. daily living needs, hourly, overnight, 24-hour care, 941-924-0494

• Surfside Free Ride – Provides free Taxi service all over Siesta Key and short distances off the north & south bridge on the mainland from

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Services

10am to 2am 7 days a week, tips only, 941-961-8238 • Unique Car Transportation – airport transportation to Sarasota or Tampa airports, 813-927-5045 SPORT RENTALS • 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. 941554-4242 • 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

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Services

• 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 BEACH & BABY EQUIPMENT RENTALS • ABC Rentals – We are family owned and operated baby and equipment rental and retail store. We provide top quality baby equipment such as cribs, highchairs, strollers and car seats. Beach rental equipment includes umbrellas, beach hammocks, cabanas and beach chairs. View our complete inventory on line www. abcbabyrental.com 2300 Bee Ridge Rd Ste. 204 Sarasota 941-929-1850

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Keke Kahn and the World of Dogs Sarasota resident, Keke Kahn, lives in Sarasota at The Landings. She will be serving as judge at the 2014 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show to be held in Madison Square Garden on Monday & Tuesday, February 10-11. The show may be seen live on CNBC from 8-11 PM. It is her 6th tour of duty at the prestigious Westminster Show, and Keke will be judging on Monday night. The Toys are the second group to be judged that night. Toys include Affenpinschers, Brussels Griffons, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Long Coat Chihuahuas, Smooth Coat Chihuahuas, Chinese Crested, Blenheim and Prince Charles English Toy Spaniels, King Charles & Ruby English Toy Spaniels, Havanese, Italian Greyhounds, Japanese Chin, Maltese, Toy Manchester Terriers, Miniature Pinschers, Papillons, Pekingese, Pomeranians, Toy Poodles, Pugs, Shih Tzu, Silky Terriers, Toy Fox Terriers, and – last but not least - Yorkshire Terriers. This group of Toys represents only 23 of the 190 breeds that Keke is qualified to judge, for she is one of a handful of Americans trained to serve as an All-Breed Judge. To achieve and maintain this rank, she has had to take oral, practical and written tests every single year, tests administered by the American Kennel Club. “Every breed has its own standards,” says Keke. “There were only 146 breeds in 1997 when I first became an AllBreed Judge.” Today, there are a total of 190 breeds and varieties in competition, and she is required to know the desired characteristics of each and every one. Data on the

multitude of breeds is stored in her pink cell phone. Keke lives an amazing life. She judges about 100 shows a year all over the world, with most jobs taking several days. She travels to such far-flung places as South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, and Russia. In 2014, for the first time, she will travel to Korea. As a visitor, she has attended the famed Crufts Show in England, a gargantuan dog show that has been around since the time of Queen Victoria. Things are sometimes not easy. When handling an impressive dog like a Rottweiler, Keke finds it important to make eye contact to assess whether the dog might turn on her. One time in Perth, however, she was required to judge 50 Rottweilers in the dark on a scorching hot night in a place that seemed like the end of the earth. Keke’s only thought was: “What have I gotten myself into?” Before becoming a judge, Keke was a successful breeder of Lhasa Apsos, a dog originally from Tibet. The tale of how this breed captured her heart is an interesting one. In her youth she was a tournament golfer playing at Pebble Beach. As she headed into the pro shop to look for a skirt, a charming dog in a parked car caught her eye. It was a Lhasa Apso. One cock of its ear, and Keke was hooked. Her promising career as a golfer went to the dogs. When she and her physician husband returned to Philadelphia, she went to the library and researched the breed. Before buying her first dog, she traveled to the West Coast and to Europe to learn more about these handsome animals. “I believe that the

only way you can breed to improve breeding stock is to start with the best you can buy,” says Keke. Her first dog was a bitch named Tchin Tchin. When her second bitch earned Best in Show, Keke knew she was on the right track. She went on to finish 58 Champions, 6 of which became All Breed Best of Show. A trainer of perseverance and skill, she calls herself phenomenally lucky. Keke Kahn had entered a business that was growing right along with her. Gradually, her career morphed, and she found herself becoming a judge. Of that life-changing experience, Keke has this to say: “You have to first judge Matches to become prepared to be the judge at a Show. You have to learn procedure, breed knowledge, and how to handle people. That last point is extremely important because everybody can’t win. Rejected dog owners often feel you are being nasty to their children.” When it comes to dogs, Keke has no favorite breed. She likes them all, but travels far too much to keep a dog of her own. A trim, vivacious trend-setter, Keke was the first female judge to start wearing pants instead of skirts at competitions. Pants allowed her to move freely in the ring and concentrate on her job of examining the animals. Before long, other female judges were emulating her choice of wardrobe.

Gecko’s At The Landings On December 30, 2013, Gecko’s at The Landings’ very own Katelyn Baranski gave the gift of life to her younger sister, after a long ordeal of Dara’s failed kidney, and another previously attempted and unsuccessful kidney transplant. Though Katelyn was a ‘perfect match’, and Katelyn and Dara received great care from their medical team, the surgery was not without its tense moments, and the recovery process will be a long one for Katelyn, and a lifelong one for Dara. But when a member of our Gecko’s family is down, we rally! Our General Manager, Amy Leithauser, took the reins and organized our wonderful

regular guests, fellow members of the business & hospitality community, and other Sarasota friends and well wishers to help put together a fundraising benefit to help the sisters offset the costs of their ordeal. Businesses donated Gift Certificates and all manner of goodies, our Owners, Mike Quillen and Mike Gowan pitched in with donations of raffle items, labor, and even a ‘celebrity guest bartending’ gig, and the staff at Gecko’s at the Landings all organized to help get the word out. On the day of the raffle sales, all of our staff wore white tee shirts in to work and we and our guests signed the tee’s with messages which will

By Diana Colson

Keke Kahn has 3 kids, 7 grandkids, and a great life with no complaints. Each year, she travels the world to interact with hundreds of magnificent creatures. It may be a “Dog’s Life,” but it is one filled with action and adventure.

Surprise Fundraiser for their very own Katelyn.

eventually be incorporated into a quilt for the sisters. We wanted the fundraiser to be a surprise, so we had to keep off of our ally Social Media, hoping that Katelyn would not know until the moment of the presentation of the check. Katelyn’s dear friend and fellow bartender, Stacy, will be flying up Friday to present Katelyn and Dara with their ‘check.’ In addition to the wonderful support of the community, the good news is that both sisters are going to be released from the hospital this week to begin their recovery. We couldn’t be more grateful.

Our Girl Katelyn

The Gang at the Landings location rallies for Katelyns kidneys

Tristan posing with the loot.

$10,501.01 raised

Our wonderful guests are our most valuable asset 941.349.0194 • www.islandvp.com ISLAND VISITOR PUBLISHING, LLC

What’s Happening …on the beach EACH WEEK: BEACH HOOP DANCE CLASS – Thurs. 6:30 – 7:45pm. For more information or to register go to: www.outwardspiral.net FREE YOGA Mon-Wed.-Fri.-Sat. 8-9:30 am. Classes held between blue & green lifeguard station. Call 941-320-6693 to register or www.yogaonsiestabeach.com NIA Tues. & Thurs. 9a.m., Siesta Public Beach(yellow lifeguard chair) Joy Donation: $12.Contact Kathy Oravec at 941-724-9719 or Kathyoravec@gmail.com PILATES ON SIESTA KEY BEACH – Every Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sun. 7pm. Cost: $10. (yellow lifeguard station). Register online: www.studiorubylake.com SUNSET FUSION – every Wednesday at 7pm. For additional info and to register online go to: www.studiorubylake.com DRUM CIRCLE – Every Sunday two hours before sunset and lasts until around 10pm. South of the main pavillion. EVENTS FOR FEBRUARY: FEB. 1 (SAT) UNIFEM WALK TO END VIOLENCE, 830AMNOON - Help us end this violence by joining us as a walker or a sponsor. Funds raised from our walk will aid in the US National Committee’s education efforts and will further the programs of UN Women to eliminate violence against women and girls. For more information, go to www. unwomen-usnc.org/gccevents Registration donation for walkers is $20. Onsite Registration begins at 8:15a.m.; Walk starts at 8:30a.m. FEB. 5,12,19,26 (WED) SUNRISE BEACH WALKS, 8-9:30AM – The walks will take place every Wednesday in February. There is a one-time $1 registration fee. This is a 1-mile walk with no timing. Beach walks are hosted by the Sarasota County Parks and Recreation. For more information, call 941-861-5000. FEB. 14 (FRI) 6PM - “SAY I DO AGAIN” - A wedding vow renewal at Siesta Key Beach, Valentine’s Day! An annual Valentine’s Day event. Renew your vows at the best beach! Stay & enjoy the beautiful sunset!

Register at parksonline.scgov.net or call 941-861-9930. Registration ends Monday, Feb. 10. (no onsite registration.) The cost is $5 per couple. Music will entertain at 4:45pm. Couples will receive a certificate & refreshments. SIESTA KEY VALENTINE STROLL - From 4:30 to 8:30 on Valentine’s Day - Stroll SK Village with live music and some Valentine’s Day fun! Participating merchants will be giving candy kisses! (Merchants participating will have red & pink balloons outside their business) Face painting & flowers will be available. Free Trolley service from SK public beach parking lot to the village. www.siestakeyvillage.org …around the island SIESTA KEY FARMER’S MARKET – every Sunday from 8am – 2pm in Davidson’s Plaza in the Village. 5124 Ocean Blvd. Fresh fruits, vegetables, music, art. FEB. 8 & 9 (SAT & SUN): ANNUAL SIESTA KEY CRAFT FESTIVAL - The Festival will be located along Ocean Boulevard in Siesta Key. Free Admission. 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. CB’S SALTWATER OUTFITTERS ORVIS-ENDORSED FLY FISHING SCHOOLS. Feb. 15, Mar. 8 & 29 and Apr. 12, 2014. The schools 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 schools, which will run from 8:30 AM to 3 PM, is $150 per person and includes the use of Orvis fly tackle, a text book and lunch. Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 or info@cbsoutfitters.com to make reservations. 1249 Stickney Point Rd. near Stickney Point Bridge on the island.

MARCH 1 (SAT) BENNY KIMSEY’S BLUEGRASS PICNIC AT TURTLE BEACH. Noon – 5pm. FREE EVENT. Lunch will be served from 11:45 – 12:30. Red Cross volunteers will be there to accept donations for hurricane relief. For more info call Benny Kimsey at 941400-7212 or go to their website at: www.turtlebeachbluegrass.com …and beyond PHILLIPPI FARMHOUSE MARKET – Phillippi Estate Park kicks off the month of February with WINTERFEST IN THE PARK, an arts and crafts show run by Sunset Boulevard Productions. This event will be held in the front field with ample parking and is free to the public. The Phillippi Farmhouse Market continues the month of February on every Wednesday from 9 am until 2 pm, featuring local growers of fruit and vegetables as well as prepared foods, which one may eat picnicstyle at the market or take home for a quick and delicious meal. There are also local artisans in the market selling their unique handicrafts and the market always has live music. There is ample parking, a Welcome Tent staffed with knowledgeable volunteers and your four-footed furry friends are welcome in this dog friendly park and ample free parking. Each Wednesday at 10 a.m. there is a free, guided tour of the Edson Keith Mansion, a 1916 Italian Renaissance home. Knowledgeable docents will show you through the Mansion and explain the early history of the Sarasota community. For more information, please call 941-861-5000 or go to: www.farmhousemarket.org During the months of February and March, Phillippi Estate Park is delighted to again host the BROWN BAG CONCERTS series at the Gazebo. The concerts start at noon and last one hour. Bring your lawn chair and your brown bag lunch and enjoy free music. Also, on Sunday, Feb 23, the Jazz Club of Sarasota will kick off their 34th annual Jazz Week with a free concert at the Gazebo from noon until 5 p.m. Bring your lawn chair and enjoy an afternoon of free jazz. For more information, please call Sarasota Jazz Club at 941-366-1552.

Places of Worship

Island Churches:

Siesta Key Presbyterian Chapel 4615 Gleason Ave, Siesta Key, 941349-1166 www.siestakeychapel.org St. Michael’s Catholic Church 5394 Midnight Pass Rd, Siesta Key, 941-349-4174 www.stmichaelssiesta.com St. Boniface Episcopal Church 5615 Midnight Pass Rd, Siesta Key, 941-349-5616 www.bonifacechurch.org Church On The Beach Every first Saturday night of the month. Come as you are for informal worship and fellowship – at the beach! We meet at the yellow lifeguard tower on Siesta Beach at 6 pm. All are welcome! Bring a chair or towel to sit on.

Off- Island: Temple Sinai, a Reform Congregation (The closest Jewish congregation to the Key for visitors) 4631 S. Lockwood Ridge Rd, Sarasota, 941-924-1802 www.templesinai-sarasota.org St. Andrew United Church of Christ (Protestant) (In the Gulf Gate area, near Beneva and Gulf Gate Drive) 6908 Beneva Road, Sarasota, 941.922.7595 www.uccstandrew.org

Admission is free, thanks to the support of the Boniface Friends of Music; there will be a freewill offering. The concert will also be repeated on Sunday, February 23 at 6:00 pm at Church of the Redeemer, 222 S. Palm Avenue, (941)955-4263 (Free event) FISH FRY - Join us on Fridays February 7 & 21 this month for a delicious fish dinner that includes fried Tilapia, macaroni & cheese, coleslaw, cornbread, dessert and a drink - and all for only $10! Dine-in or take-out from 5 - 8 p.m. in the St. Boniface Community Center, 5615 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key SIESTA KEY CHAPEL School of Christian Living: Every Wednesday Evening in February 5:00 pm Dinner is $9:00 6:007:00 pm Classes (free of charge) What the Bible is all about, Dr. Tom McElheny Early Christianity & the British Isles, Dr. Kathleen Wiggins Where can Wisdom be found? Susie Willis Celebrating the Spirit- BodyMind: Exercise Program - Group exercise with certified personal trainer Ashleigh Willhite. MonWed- Fri 9:30- 10:30 am Yoga with Helen Kesler, all levels Tues. and Thurs. 9:30- 11:00 am Chair yoga, Thur. 11:00- 12:00

Church News: SAINT BONIFACE CHURCH Sunday, February 9 at 6:00 p.m. “Masses for two Choirs and two Organs” In a wonderful collaboration of the Choirs of St. Boniface Church and Church of the Redeemer, music for the Mass from the Parisian Masters, CharlesMarie Widor and Louis Vierne, will be the presented. Both “Messes Solennelle” utilize two organs and the forces of two talented choirs.

Answers to the WORD SEARCH from page 26

Blooming this month

Garden ray of sunshine Nidularium seidelii is a relatively new species of bromeliad originally discovered in Brazil in 1963. The plant’s 2-foot-long, bright green leaves produce a spectacular lemon-green flower spike that can last for months. Photo courtesy Rob Branch. Sarasota’s Only STAINMASTER FLOORING CENTER® Featuring Karastan Carpet STARTING AT

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SIESTA SAND February 2014 • www.siestasand.net

Meet your LandingS FLooring SpeciaLiStS

Jan Melville, Jim Rinchich, Mary Victoria, Cathy Raskey, Jacci Shovlin, Mike Benson

Snapshots of Island Visitors

Come be a part of my success in 2014.

Photos by Jaye Clements - Sarasota Photography

O S

D L

1456 POInt cRISP ROAD

call me for a selection of other waterfront Siesta Key Homes

Top Left: Robin welcoming patrons at A Taste of Germany restaurant on SK. Top Right: Mark from Arizona at Napoli’s Italian restaurant on the Key! Bottom Left: Robert from Sarasota kite surfing. Bottom Right: Jamie & Francis from Sarasota at Corkscrew Deli at the Landings.

Investing for Your Future

By Martha Stokes, CMT

Peg Davant, Sales Associate, 941.356.4552 Sotheby’s International Realty and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered service marks used with permission. Each office is independently owned and operated. Equal Housing Opportunity.

“Bond Trading” Fixed Income Market Boom and its Impact on Stock Market Volumes Fixed Income assets have been a strong area of the financial services industry as Quantitative Easing invigorated Bond Trading. This led to a steady and obvious decline in stock market volumes. This was one of the unexpected side effects of intervention of the Federal Reserve as it sought to shore up the failing banking industry which underpins the economy. However the Bond Market has been showing sudden declines in volumes in the past months. After the banking debacle and the initiation of the Quantitative Easing program by the Feds, Bond Markets rallied with high speculation and heavier than normal trading. This created more activity as funds rushed to participate in short term trading speculation. Fixed income assets saw a surge of steadily increasing volume while the stock market and stock options markets saw a steady decline. Bond Markets are now facing a future where Quantitative Easing will no longer be driving money into the fixed income market. This poses the question of whether the high volumes of the past will return to the stock market, or if Brokers/Dealers and the Sell Side Institutions who sell products to smaller funds must readjust their business plans to a significantly lower volume in stock trading. Stock market volume declines have strained the Sell Side Institutions profit margins as well as the Brokers/Dealers for both the professional side and the retail side. Stock Market Volumes have been falling since the inception of the increase in the first round of Quantitative Easing. Volumes for the Dow and S&P500 further declined as the Mutual Fund and Pension Fund industries took a buy and hold stance, rather than the high levels of short term trading activity they did after the Rule of 3 was eliminated in 1998. This initial fervor

for short term trading by the funds decimated the Mutual Fund industry, when investors redeemed Mutual Fund monies in 2002 as they discovered not only had the Mutual Funds lost money on their behalf, they owed taxes on the short term trades. Mutual Funds have been rebuilding first by using the now highly popular Exchange Traded Funds ETFs, and by showing Mutual Fund investors they intend to be long term rather than short term on their behalf. Pension Funds have risen over the past two years, boosting the amount of money held long term. The combination of Bond Market trading popularity with the buy and hold stance for Mutual Funds, Pension Funds, and Derivative Product developers is the primary cause of the decline in volumes traded for the big index stocks. The link between volumes traded for the Dow and the S&P500, and the surge of increased volumes for the Bond market are clearly indicative of Quantitative Easing and where the money from the Feds ended up. Now with Quantitative Easing ending, the Bond market rally is showing signs of weakening. If money is pulled from short term trading Bonds, it will find its way to some other financial trading instrument. A debate continues as to whether this means renewed surges of short term trading activity for stocks will return, or if the buy and hold posturing of the giant funds will continue to keep stocks at lower volume levels than in the past. Just keep in mind that stock values also are tied to supply and demand as much as any other product. Trade wisely, Martha Stokes, CMT and CEO of TechniTrader® TechniTrader® the Gold Standard in Stock Market Education™ www.technitrader.com/courses Phone: 888-846-5577

Siesta Key Real Estate Report 600

Total Homes Sold

Median Sales Price $200K $150K

400

$100K

200 $50K

Dec-09 Dec-10 Dec-11 Dec-12 Dec-13

$0K

Dec-09 Dec-10 Dec-11 Dec-12 Dec-13

Months of Inventory

Days on Market 200

10 150 100

Dec-09 Dec-10 Dec-11 Dec-12 Dec-13

KEY SOLUTIONS REAL ESTATE

Dec-09 Dec-10 Dec-11 Dec-12 Dec-13

For more information call (941)894-1255 Or visit www.keysolutionsrealestate.com

Single Family Condos *Statistics provided by MFR MLS

Home prices in Sarasota County continue their ascent, as the median sales price for condos and single family homes in December 2013 were up double digits over the figures from December 2012, once again ending the year on a high note. The median sales price of a single family home reached $189,950 in the month of December, marking an impressive 15.1 percent increase over last December’s median sales price of $165,000. The condo market also experienced a significant price jump in December 2013 as the median sales price for condos in Sarasota County reached $182,000, representing a 10.2 percent increase over last December’s median sales price of $165,100.

941.349.0194 • www.islandvp.com ISLAND VISITOR PUBLISHING, LLC

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Beach Reads By Terri Schlichenmeyer “The Thicket” by Joe R. Lansdale

You know who your friends are. They’re the ones who keep your secrets, or your car keys when you need them to. They’ll loan you five minutes or five dollars, tell you when your ideas are good and your breath is bad, and can be counted on, but never out. You’d like to think they’d even take a bullet for you but, as in the new novel, “The Thicket” by Joe R. Lansdale, you hope you’ll never have to know. It all started with the pox. Right after Jack Parker and his Grandpa finished burying Jack’s Ma and Pa, dead from the disease, Grandpa decided that Jack and his little sister, Lula, would be better off in Kansas City with their Aunt Tessle. And that might’ve been true – they’d never know because, while crossing the Sabine River, they were attacked by bandits and Lula was kidnapped. His Grandpa dead, his sister gone, seventeen-year-old Jack ended up in a nearby town where he hoped to find The Law but instead found a dead sheriff, a black boar hog with

tusks, and a tall Negro man who was commencing to bury the aftermath of mob justice. The man introduced himself as Eustace, and told Jack that he was a tracker and could help him find the men that took Lula – but it wouldn’t come cheap and he wouldn’t do it unless they could “get Shorty to sign up.” With the hog tagging alongside, Eustace took Jack down a “rabbit path” to meet with Shorty. As they neared Shorty’s home, Jack saw a child peering through a telescope and it took him a minute to understand that he wasn’t meeting with a child. He was meeting with a dwarf. Eustace seemed a little unstable. Shorty seemed to want to kill, but Jack was a Parker and that wasn’t how Parkers did things. He didn’t want violence or bloodshed. He didn’t want any trouble at all, really. He only wanted his sister back. And he’d learn quick enough what it would take to get her. Let’s say you planned to write a

story set in, oh, about 1916 in Texas. Borrow a little from The Wizard of Oz, a little Mark Twain, and make a nod toward classic western literature. Add humor, some savagery, and remove just about everything “PC” – and you might come close to the perfection that is “The Thicket.” Actually, scratch that. Don’t even try. Nobody does a modern-western novel like author Joe R. Lansdale. And that’s good because you won’t find any fully-stereotypical “western” characters in a Lansdale novel. You’ll find the gunslinger, a prostitute, and a man-boy who grows up fast, yes, but they don’t do things the way they do in other westerns. You’ll find them in shocking situations of cruelty and violence with rays of goodness and surprising playfulness, though, and it works. It works wonderfully. If you’re in the mood for something down-and-dirty but oh-so-enjoyable, here’s your book. Read “The Thicket” and then loan it out carefully. You know who your friends are.

Beach Reads Bio: The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer. Terri has been reading since she was 3 years old and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 12,000 books.

SIESTA SAND February 2014 • www.siestasand.net

Snapshots of Island Visitors Photos and cutline by Trebor Britt AHRRRRRR. . . MATEY

Pet Talk

By Dr. Anne Chauvet

1. Endoscopy or surgery – what works best for ingested foreign body? When is surgery necessary? Dogs and cats eat stuff and that stuff can get stuck. We’ve seen string, stones, coins, socks, toys and much more. Most of the time, your missing item “comes out” at the other end, but sometimes it gets stuck in the bowel and leads to tremendous trouble. When the object is in the stomach, it can be removed with endoscopy for most cases. This is minimally invasive and involves a scope placed down the throat to the stomach, special grabbers and a very skilled doctor with training in the matter. Anesthesia, of course, is needed for the comfort of the patient. When the object is further down into the digestive system or is too big or too sharp to be removed through the esophagus with

endoscopy, then surgery is becomes a necessity. Surgery is more invasive and more costly, but there are times when it is the only option. Ask who in your area offers endoscopy! Visit them! Here at CriticalVetCare we believe in making our clients part of the process and thus welcome you to come and check out our clinic and state-of-the-art equipment. 2. What to look for when performing an at home wellness check of my pets? Alarming signs. You play a vital role in your pet’s life and health. Look for lumps and bumps. Make sure you look in their mouth for any injuries, ulcers and dental problems. Check for hair loss, change in color in skin. Weigh your pet to make sure there is not radical weight gain or loss. Any change in behavior could be a hint that your pet is not doing well. If unsure, call your vet and ask.

Dr. Chauvet earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada, completed a small animal medicine/surgery internship at the University of Illinois in Urbana and finished her residency in neurology/neurosurgery at the University of California, Davis. She has been trained in small animal rehabilitation by the Canine Rehabilitation Institute of Wellington, Florida and is known internationally for her specialized work in the relatively rare field of veterinary neurology speaking to, training, and consulting with veterinary practices and organizations globally. Ben Cannon, a real estate agent from Sarasota, catching the wind on Siesta Beach with his pirate ship kite. It’s a handmade kite that he brought back from a recent trip to Bali. This was the kite’s maiden voyage.

If you have a question about your pet, please email your question to criticalvetcare@gmail.com Each month, Dr. Chauvet will choose a few questions to share with readers.

941.349.0194 • www.islandvp.com ISLAND VISITOR PUBLISHING, LLC

Island Girl

Photos by Trebor Britt

This month’s island girl is Ashley from Milwaukee,Wisconsin. This is her first trip to Siesta Key visiting family. She’s currently working two jobs and is planning a career in special FX as a make-up artist. In her spare time she enjoys running, knitting, reading, drawing and walking her pom. If you would like to be considered for our next Island Girl, contact us at islandvp@verizon.net (You must be of legal age to participate)

6208 MIDNIGHT PASS RD # 404

You won’t want to miss this outstanding Siesta Dunes Condominium located in Building 5 on the 4th floor. It is a mesmerizing spot to enjoy the Gulf view. Offered at $795,000.

6206 MIDNIGHT PASS RD # 102

Here is your opportunity for your own Siesta Key beach retreat or an investment with great rental history! This 2 bedroom 2 bath condo is very inviting. Offered at $495,000.

6232 MIDNIGHT PASS RD # 6232B

Siesta Dunes deluxe condo. It is a perfect beach retreat. Completely renovated and furnished to a high standard this condo is well worth considering. Offered at $1,290,000

Located on America’s #1 Beach–Siesta Key

Enjoy the finest in resort-style living right on Siesta Beach. Siesta Dunes is well-managed and offers an optional on-site rental program for your convenience.

Your Siesta Dunes Preferred Realtors JuDy GrEEnE,

realtor® | 941.350.0451

JudyGreene@michaelsaunders.com

Tara LamB, realtor® | 941.266.4873 TaraLamb@michaelsaunders.com

JudyandTara.michaelsaunders.com 5100 Ocean Boulevard | Sarasota, FL 34242 | 941.349.3444 michaelsaunders.com

SIESTA SAND February 2014 • www.siestasand.net