Karen Curlin, Sari LindroosValimaki and Brett Thomas (pictured above) were among about 25 protesters gathered in front of Rep. Vern Buchanan’s office off Lakewood Ranch Boulevard on Feb. 20.
The protesters are members of Indivisible Manatee, a nonpartisan group that wants to see Buchanan hold a town hall meeting to address concerns over the new administration in Washington.
Reviews from motorists passing by were mixed. Several honked their horns in support, and one pickup slowed down to call the group “delusional.”
Group members will also be participating in the noshopping blackout on Feb. 28. If shopping that day, they will only be supporting small businesses.
You can golf around the clock
Jeremy Finney (above) and Alastair Weatherstone hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Feb. 25 for their new members-only golf simulator facility, The Golf Society, at 4214 Solutions Lane Suite 105.
The co-owners are hoping to provide an alternative way for people to golf.
Finney said The Golf Society is an ideal option for people who want to play golf, but either can’t find the time to tee it up during the daylight hours or want to avoid the sweltering heat and steady showers of Florida summers.
The Golf Society offers three private bays that allow golfers to hit balls into a screen that provides users with helpful information, such as distance, ball speed, launch angle and more.
County mulls stormwater solutions
Lesley Dwyer
Gabe Moberly hits a jump during an Aker Sunday Session in September before the new track was installed. The cattle are fenced off from the track.
Jim DeLa
Thelma Hunter makes gyros at the 41st-annual St. Barbara Greek Festival in East County.
Lesley Dwyer
Vinnie Portell
A Greek feast
The 41st-annual event featured the best in Greek cuisine, drinks and crafts.
JIM DELA
DIGITAL CONTENT PRODUCER
It was the first hour of the threeday St. Barbara Greek Festival, and the parking lot at the orthodox church on Friday was already filling up.
Nick Rantis, general chairman of the festival, said the weekend was the culmination of nearly a year’s work.
“We start planning for the next year like a couple weeks after this starts. It’s like a 10-month ordeal, because we’re always trying to make it better.”
One thing that improved this year is something they had little control over — the weather.
“Last year, we got rained out,” he said. “I mean, it was bad. It blew our Saturday night, which is big, and pretty much our whole day Sunday.
The opening day Friday was near perfect, with clear blue skies and just a bit of chill in the air, and the rain held off until Monday morning, creating a weekend of good weather.
Rantis said there were some new features at this year’s festival, including new tents for the popular saganaki station, a Greek coffee shop
and a new delicacy — yogurt, nuts and honey.
“If you’re from a big city like Chicago or New York, when you go into a Greek restaurant, everybody knows baklava and everything,” he said.
“But I’m telling you, when you go up north, yogurt, nuts and honey is like the go-to dessert.”
After all, it was pretty much all about the food at St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church’s 41st annual Glendi Festival.
Near the main entrance, Zach Kalles was at the saganaki booth, drawing customers like a carnival barker, juggling frying pans and bottles of brandy.
Saganaki is a simple but flashy dish.
“It’s Greek goat cheese,” he explained. “What you do is lightly toast it on both sides so it gets melty on the inside. And then you pour the brandy on top, which gives it more flavor,” he said.
He then lights the brandy, which cooks off with spectacular effect.
“It’s sort of like a grilled cheese without the bread. It’s out of this world,” he said. “Then you squeeze lemon on top. You’re in heaven.”
His booth served another Greek
speciality, loukaniko, smoked Greek pork sausage, flavored with exotic spices, orange rind and wine. It’s served with grilled pita.
Inside the main tent that featured a singer, accompanied by a keyboardist and bouzouki, servers were busy handing over generous portions of ethnic favorites including moussaka, gyros and dolmathes.
For the uninitiated, a sign at the entrance displayed a mouth-watering menu, including:
■ Psari Sto Fourno: Oven-baked white fish with Mediterranean lemon oregano sauce
■ Moussaka: Alternating layers of sliced eggplant, potatoes, and ground beef, topped with a creamy bechamel sauce
■ Pastitsio: Baked payers of tubular pasta and ground beef blended with Parmesan cheese and spices topped with creamy bechamel sauce
■ Dolmathes: Ground beef or rice wrapped in homemade marinated grape leaves
Ellie Lawton sat with friends, finishing her Athens chicken. “I get it every year,” she said. “It’s so good.”
She has been coming to the festival
for at least 10 years.
“I’m going to have to go back for a leftover one to bring home,” she said. She had her eye on the pastries for sale.
“We’re going there next.”
Another big attraction at the St. Barbara Greek festival was the raffle.
For $100, attendees could register to win a Mercedes-Benz. It’s been a popular draw to the festival, said Carol Pandis, who, with her husband, George, has been managing the raffle for the last few years.
She said by Friday afternoon, they had sold about half of the 2,200 available tickets.
The grand prize winner can choose either a coupe or SUV, or $35,000 cash. Other lesser cash prizes will also be awarded.
The winners have been pretty well split between taking the car of the cash, she said. Two years ago, a teacher from Bradenton’s name was selected as he was coming out of the food line.
“We drew the number and all of a sudden his wife is screaming,” Carol said.
“He’s in line, saying ‘I have to
pay for all of this,’” George recalled. “‘We’ll spot you two sandwiches; go up on stage,’” he told him. At the corner of the food booth, Thelma Hunter made gyros with machinelike precision, filling up an aluminum tray as fast as servers could take them. How many will she make? “About half-a-million,” she said. “Just rolling and rolling and rolling.”
Taking orders for those gyros was 18-year-old Demetria Guimond, who was also in charge of the Greek music coming from a bluetooth speaker on the counter.
When she wasn’t taking an order, she was dancing and singing along to the music. “Dancing is my favorite thing,” she said.
She said she’s been working at the festival for years, reveling in sharing Greek culture with the community. “It’s showing people our culture, our Kefi,” she said. “It’s the passion of Greece,” she explained. “If someone has Kefi, they’re showing their energy and pride.”
Photos by Jim DeLa
Zach Kalles fires up the light brandy as he makes saganaki, a dish consisting of melted goat cheese and brandy, served on grilled pita, at the St. Barbara Greek Festival.
A gyro was just one of the Greek delicacies available at the St. Barbara Greek Festival.
“Right now, we’re dealing with River Club having something affecting Summerfield. We need to have conversations with all these neighborhoods and effectively take over management.”
Commissioner George Kruse
County releases Hurricane Debby findings
Manatee County presents findings from an independent Hurricane Debby investigation at a special work session.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
After waiting more than six months to hear the findings of an independent investigation ordered by Manatee County to explain why so many streets, neighborhoods and homes flooded during Hurricane Debby on Aug. 5, Summerfield Bluffs resident Jill Sauchinitz said she was disappointed by the county’s presentation.
Hurricane Debby caused major damage to Sauchinitz’s home. Her family was displaced until just before Christmas. She described the experience as both financially and emotionally draining.
Now that she’s home, she lives in fear that her home will flood again.
“I went into that (meeting) open-minded, trying to focus on the future,” Sauchinitz said. “And I turned off that meeting feeling like they didn’t give me any hope or specific actions that are going to start now. What is going to happen with the Braden River?”
The meeting was held Feb. 19 at the Manatee County Administrative Building.
No actions were taken because, as Commission Chair George Kruse noted, it was a work session, not a meeting. Staff members can listen to what commissioners say and take actions that they have the authority to take, but motions by commissioners can only be made during official meetings.
Work sessions are meant to disseminate information only. In this
case, the session disseminated 100 PowerPoint slides’ worth of information from the Hurricane Debby investigation findings to possible stormwater solutions and how much it will cost to dredge the Braden River.
THE FINDINGS
The investigation was conducted by Patrick Tara, principal water resources engineer for the consulting firm Intera. He has 36 years of experience, more than 30 of them working in Florida.
Public Works Director Chad Butzow said the report’s intent was to answer the question of whether the flooding events that occurred around Hurricane Debby were tied to the release of water from the Lake Manatee Dam.
To answer that question, Tara looked at the timing of the peaks at different river stations.
He found that the Manatee River at the Rye Bridge “responded as expected, peaking after the peak release occurred (accounting for travel time).”
He said the Braden River at River Club Boulevard peaked before the station at Rye, so the water coming from the dam could not have caused the Braden River to peak and homes in Lakewood Ranch to flood.
There wasn’t enough travel time for the water to get from the dam through the Manatee River to the Braden River to be present when the Braden River had peaked.
Tara went through the same data for the Parrish area. He also simulated four scenarios of water discharges.
“The common thread in all these analyses is that rainfall runoff is the dominant force,” he said.
Braden River at River Club Boulevard received 11.57 inches in a 24-hour period, which exceeds a 100-year storm design. A 25-year storm system can handle 8 inches of rain in 24 hours; a 100-year system can handle 10 inches.
Tara said the dam release and storm surge were only minor contributing factors in the flooding.
From the start, Manatee County has maintained its stance that the dam release did not cause flooding in Lakewood Ranch. Engineers for Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, Lakewood Ranch’s parent company, came to the same conclusion after their own investigation.
Sauchinitz remains unconvinced because she said emergency vehicles were staged outside her neighborhood when Manatee County issued alerts to residents that water was being released from the dam and residents should evacuate.
Neighbors also said they were told by emergency responders to evacuate because the dam was about to be opened.
“I physically saw the surge of water, a tsunami surge of water that we’ve never seen before with any storm,” Sauchinitz said. “Until someone can show me where (the 18 billion gallons of water released from the dam) went, it’s hard for me to say it wasn’t the dam (that flooded my home).”
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Thomas Gerstenberger, stormwater engineering division manager for Manatee County, presented commissioners with options to reduce flooding across the county.
There were operational options, such as obtaining easements to perform ongoing maintenance. There were also policy options, such as modernizing regulatory standards for stormwater management.
Options for the Braden River included four stormwater projects that are under consideration to be funded by the over $252 million community block grant the county is receiving from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
There are currently more than $963 million worth of requests for that grant, so there is no guarantee that even one of the Braden River projects will be funded.
The submission to HUD will be finalized by the end of April. These are the four projects staff submitted.
■ Braden River Maintenance
■ Braden River Tributary Maintenance
■ Braden River Bypass Channel Improvement
■ Braden River Automated Outfall Structures
An automated outfall structure is a remotely operated system that can lower water levels in stormwater facilities ahead of major storms.
An outfall structure was installed prior to Hurricane Milton in October at the 45th Street stormwater facility that’s located north of State Road 70. Lowering the water level can create two-and-a-half acre-feet of flood storage volume before a major rain event.
Gerstenberger also provided a cost estimate to perform maintenance on the Braden River between Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and River Club Boulevard.
To remove 3 feet of sediment and any necessary trees and vegetation, the estimated cost is between $750,000 and $1 million. Obtaining the required state and federal permits could take up to two years.
After SMR identified two possible blockages in the Braden River — sediment buildup under the bridge at River Club Boulevard and a tee box installed by the River Club Golf Course — Commissioner Jason Bearden told the East County Observer he’d look into options to address those two issues on an emergency basis.
However, Deputy County Administrator Evan Pilachowski stated that, based on updated modeling, the county does not agree with SMR’s assertion that the flooding was caused by those two locations.
“We are looking at potential ways to expedite removal of downed trees and debris. Removal of sediment is a more challenging issue for permitting that is not my area of expertise, but I know we are researching it now,” Pilachowski said by email. “We want to make sure that any solution that is implemented is effective and avoid ineffective solutions that only give false expectations.”
Neither issue was addressed during the work session, nor were any other issues within the Braden River
that would have caused flooding to Summerfield other than rainfall.
When the East County Observer interviewed SMR CEO Rex Jensen on Feb. 7, he was confident in his team’s investigation.
“I think the Summerfield residents are the victims of the River Club blockages,” he said. “Somebody filled in the Braden River to build a golf hole. That ought to be removed or modified to get back to the original cross section of the river.”
Sauchinitz said the county “poured salt on the wound” when its presentation highlighted the county crews that remove debris and vegetation and use aquatic spraying to control vegetation growth.
“My neighbors that live on the river say that there are fallen trees from Hurricane Ian; that’s unacceptable,” she said. “They have all these crews; why haven’t they been to the Braden River?”
WORK NEEDED
Jensen said he would bulldoze the tee box at the River Club if he could, but it’s not his property.
Commissioner Robert McCann, who was absent from the work session, held his arm straight up in the air at his Town Hall meeting Feb. 5 and said, “I’ll take responsibility for cleaning (the Braden River) up.”
But during the work session, Gerstenberger said natural systems, such as the Braden River, are more difficult to maintain than the county’s man-made drainage systems.
The county doesn’t always have access to natural systems. One recent example is Sand Branch Creek. Hurricane Debby split the creek open and did major damage, but the damage was on private property.
On Feb. 18, the county executed a right of entry agreement with the homeowners to make repairs.
Gerstenberger said securing state and federal permits to address improvements to natural systems is “a tedious regulatory process.”
Then, there’s the question of where that natural system lies within a homeowners association or a community development district.
“Right now, we’re dealing with River Club having something affecting Summerfield,” Kruse said. “We need to have conversations with all these neighborhoods and effectively take over management.”
Taking over management will require funding. Whether the county decides to add the management to its own operational budget or charge it back to the HOAs and CDDs is another decision that will have to be made.
Commissioner Tal Siddique said the county needs a dedicated stormwater fund, and he wants to see it on a ballot, just as the Conservation Tax Referendum was on the ballot in 2020.
The referendum to conserve land was approved by more than 70% of residents.
Courtesy image
After Hurricane Debby hit the area Aug. 5, 2024, an East Manatee Fire Rescue worker paddles toward a flooded home on Quonset Road along the Braden River to rescue the occupant.
Lesley Dwyer
LAKEWOOD RANCH DELI
NEWS BRIEFS
President Bush’s daughter books appearance at Grove
The Library Foundation of Manatee County has announced it will host Jenna Bush Hager, a humanitarian, correspondent, best-selling author and daughter of President George W. Bush.
Bush Hager will speak at the foundation’s fundraising luncheon Booked for Lunch: Supporting Manatee Libraries on April 4 at Grove in Lakewood Ranch. A Manatee County release said proceeds from the luncheon “will support literacy initiatives for children and teens, as well as collection acquisitions for Manatee County Library’s new bookmobile, which will expand library services to underserved areas of the county.”
Bush Hager was raised in the White House with her twin, Barbara. Her public service began as a UNICEF intern in South America and led to her current role as Chair of UNICEF’s Next Generation initiative.
She currently hosts NBC’s “Today with Jenna & Friends” and is an editor-at-large with Southern Living magazine.
“Supporting literacy initiatives for youth in our community is paramount,” said Manatee County District 2 Commissioner Amanda Ballard, in a release. “Ensuring that the next generation is educated and well-informed gives Manatee County a competitive advantage.”
Those who attend will have an opportunity to get a photo with and/or a book signed by Bush Hager at the conclusion of the luncheon.
Tickets for Booked for Lunch: Supporting Manatee Libraries are available at ManateeLibraryFoundation.org. Individual tickets are $150.
Busted! The Truth About Common Dog Food Myths
By Kathy Pontillo, DOGPerfect Department Leader
It’s tough to navigate the sea of dog food advice, but separating fact from fiction is essential for your pet’s health and happiness. We’re here to set the record straight on two common myths.
Myth 1: Stick to One Diet
Think your dog should eat the same food forever? Not true! Just like us, dogs thrive on a varied diet. Introducing different proteins and ingredients can provide essential amino acids and micronutrients for a more balanced diet. DOGPerfect features a curated selection of premium pet food brands, and our knowledgeable team is always ready to help you create the perfect rotational diet for your pup.
Myth 2: Fresh Food and Eggs Are Risky
Worried about fresh food or eggs? Dogs’ digestive systems are designed to handle them safely. Highquality raw food or the occasional egg can offer amazing health benefits, with minimal risk when sourced properly. At DOGPerfect, we offer a huge selection of fresh and frozen foods, so you can easily find options that support your dog’s health.
Have questions about your pet’s diet? Stop by DOGPerfect, your locally owned pet store, for personalized advice from our expert nutritionists or sign up for a FREE nutrition consult at DOGPerfect.com. About the Author: Kathy has been in the pet industry since 2007, when she opened her own store, specializing in high-quality pet products. With a strong interest in pet nutrition and overall well-being, Kathy has spent years helping pet owners make informed choices for their furry companions. Her commitment to promoting health and happiness in pets has been at the heart of her work in the pet industry.
High visibility enforcement for pedestrian and bicycle safety continues
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said it will continue its high visibility enforcement details throughout the county through May 9. A Sheriff’s Office release said
Manatee County ranks in the top 25 counties in the state for traffic crashes resulting in serious and fatal injuries to pedestrians and bicyclists.
The release said “The goal of this enforcement effort is to increase awareness of and compliance with traffic laws that protect the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists. Efforts will focus primarily on education to drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists. However, violations might result in warnings or citations depending on the circumstances.”
County seeks Gold Star families for kiosk
Manatee County Veterans Services is inviting Gold Star Families to participate in the creation of an interactive memorial kiosk that will be located outside of Manatee County Commission chambers at the Manatee County Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.
The Manatee County release said that to be included in this memorial, the service member must have lived in Manatee County and died while on active duty overseas in a war zone or because of wounds sustained during service in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, or the Gulf Wars, and must have been honorably discharged.
Once an nomination is received, Veterans Services staff members will follow up.
“Manatee County is creating a space where the sacrifices of our fallen heroes are not only remembered but truly honored,” said District 4 Manatee County Commissioner Mike Rahn said in a release. A Gold Star Family refers to the immediate family members of a service member who died while serving in the U.S. military. The release said to enhance the kiosk’s interactive experience, family members and friends will have the opportunity to record personal memories and stories about their loved one’s life and service. For more information about this program or to submit a Gold Star recipient, contact Veterans Services Intake Specialist Kelly Lipp at Kelly. Lipp@MyManatee.org.
Comp plan rewrite focuses on housing and land use
Citizens will get another chance to give feedback about the process this summer.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
Although Manatee County’s comprehensive plan does not set policies, it helps to shape and guide policies.
Manatee County Commission Chair George Kruse called it “a vision for the future.”
The county held a special work session Feb. 19 to discuss revisions to the plan, which have been in the works for two years and are expected to be completed and adopted by Dec. 4.
While there are 13 elements to the plan, only two were discussed during the workshop: housing and future land use.
The U.S. Census estimates Manatee County’s 2025 population to be 447,800. The projection for 2045 is 562,300.
Affordable housing, or the lack thereof, was a major part of the discussion. Kruse called Manatee County’s affordable housing “fake.”
On Lena Road, 152 out of 606 apartments were deemed “moderately affordable.” On Lorraine Road, 17 out of 66 townhomes were labeled the same.
Neither project is built yet, but tenants applying for those units will need to make between 80% to 120% of the Area Median Income.
For example, a single mother with a child needs to earn between $64,320 and $96,480 to qualify for a twobedroom apartment. The rent would run from $1,810 to $2,715.
Commissioner Jason Bearden said he received an email from a single mother who doesn’t make that much and works for the county. He’s not in favor of completely denying affordable housing over 80% of the AMI, but he’d like to see it tied into a ratio. The 80% to 120% units could still be approved, but
IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME
Commissioner Jason Bearden wanted to know how many residential units have yet to be built in Manatee County. It was a tally staff never tracked before.
Just before the Feb. 19 workshop, Bearden got an answer.
There are 103,000 units approved, 65,000 of which have yet to be started.
The county was divided into four quadrants.
In southeast Manatee County, 44,220 units have been approved with 7,000 of them slated for the Lorraine Road area.
with that, a certain number of units could also be built for residents making 50% of the AMI.
“The only way we’ve figured out how to find affordable housing is to offer people to double the density for some nominal amount of fake affordable housing that isn’t affordable to anybody,” Kruse said.
When building affordable housing for people earning more than 80% of the AMI, developers do not receive financial incentives, but they can double the density, cut down more trees, use reduced buffers, provide less parking and receive expedited permitting.
Bearden voted against the project on Lorraine Road because of traffic issues along the corridor. While Kruse voted in favor of the project, he wants to shift away from adding double the density “where that density probably shouldn’t be in the first place” and look toward nonconforming lots.
Nonconforming lots used to be
legal, but they don’t fit current codes. Kruse wants to get rid of minimum lot sizes. He said there are hundreds, if not thousands, of nonconforming lots spread across the county.
He used the example of a 500-square-foot tiny home that could easily be built and wouldn’t impact roads or schools. If all the setbacks and other requirements are met, he doesn’t see why the government should restrict building a smaller home that someone could buy or rent at an affordable price.
“That’s probably my top priority in this entire comprehensive plan is getting rid of minimum lot sizes,” Kruse said. “They’re terrible.”
He’d also like to change how the incentives work for developers. Instead of tiering the incentives based on AMI, they could be tiered based on location.
If the county heavily incentivizes building on infill lots in downtown Bradenton, then developers will start
looking at options beyond the cow pastures in East County and Parrish.
FUTURE LAND USE
Commissioners say what has worked well in East County is Lakewood Ranch’s mixed-use projects, namely The Green at Lakewood Ranch and Waterside Place.
“They’ve handled transitions between single family to the fourstory buildings and duplexes to commercial very well,” Commissioner Tal Siddique said. “That’s something we should be getting advice from them on how to actually implement that in code.”
Siddique described transitions that are not well done as looking “oppressive.”
He said developers have been in charge of the transitions thus far, so a farm sits next to duplexes and single-family homes in areas where it doesn’t make sense.
Siddique wants to see the compre-
hensive plan lay out what transitions between residential, commercial and agriculture should look like.
He wants to create zones for focused growth and redevelopment versus simply drawing “another line in the sand and calling it the next version of the Future Development Area Boundary.”
Kruse used State Road 64 and the “commercial nodes” the county relies on now as poor examples of planning because they “effectively just break all of our intersections.”
All four corners of major roads are crammed with retail, and people have to drive to get there. Kruse wants to allow commercial closer to residential and change the incentives to encourage mixed use.
The public will have another chance to weigh in on the comprehensive plan this summer, but the workshops have yet to be scheduled.
Lesley Dwyer
Citizens attend a workshop to discuss the comprehensive plan Sept. 1 at the Lakewood Ranch Library. Commissioners
the comp plan Feb. 19, but additional citizen sessions will be held this summer.
WILD FLORIDA
Myakka marks backcountry
New trail markers will enhance wayfinding and help rangers locate park visitors in need.
MIRI HARDY CONTRIBUTOR
Park visitors who venture into Myakka’s extensive backcountry will notice an important new wayfinding feature: Trail intersections are now marked with numbered posts.
With nearly 200 miles of trails, Myakka’s backcountry offers an unparalleled and increasingly rare opportunity to experience expansive Wild Florida ecosystems. But to date, most park visitors did not venture into the backcountry, largely due to a lack of clear wayfinding and trail markers.
In the past, many park visitors who ventured out to the backcountry got lost, which resulted in a negative and potentially dangerous experience for them and also created a substantial drain on park resources.
Over the past few weeks, Friends of Myakka River and Florida Park Service volunteers have placed 192 unique trail markers to aid navigation. As each marker is a unique point identifier, park rangers will now be able to locate easily those who are lost or need assistance.
Fabricated by MC Metal Works, a Sarasota-based small business, the laser-cut markers were custom designed for the park. They are intentionally unobtrusive, so as not to detract from Myakka’s wild and scenic vistas.
To protect sensitive ecosystems, they have no painted or plastic parts that could deteriorate and pollute the environment.
Since the majority of Myakka’s backcountry natural communities are fire dependent, the markers are aluminium, which are fireproof and don’t combust. They’ll therefore be able to withstand the
park’s required regular schedule of prescribed burns.
This impactful project was made possible by a Two for the Trails grant from Athletic Brewing Co., awarded to Friends of Myakka River.
Named after co-founder and CEO Bill Shufelt’s family tradition of taking two brews to toast posttrail adventures, this grant program donates up to $2 million annually to nonprofits working to protect and restore local trails, waterways and urban green spaces around the world.
To further enhance accessibility to the park’s off-the-beaten-path areas, four trailhead kiosks with maps will soon be installed. But even without a map, the markers already add value to those who get turned around in the backcountry: All markers were placed with the number facing south, in the northwest corner of intersections.
Friends of Myakka River exists to support Myakka River State Park and the Wild and Scenic Myakka River. Together, we’re protecting and sharing Myakka’s Magic, to the benefit of future generations, and our own. Follow us @FriendsOfMyakkaRiver.
Diabetes management isn’t what it used to be — and that’s a good
come a long way and we’re pushing further every day. In this free lecture series, learn about the latest breakthroughs in diabetes management, and hear directly from the experts about all the ways people are
—
and
not the diabetes. A brief Q&A follows each presentation.
Thursday, March 13, 4:30-5:30pm
} Linh Gordon, RN, CDCES - Diabetes Empowerment
Wednesday, March 26, 4:30-5:30pm
} Joyce Verdejo, RDN - Outpatient Dietitian Thriving Beyond Diabetes: Steps to a Healthier You
Thursday, March 27, 4:30-5:30pm
} Manivel K. Eswaran, MD - Advances in
in
Linh Gordon, RN, CDCES
Manivel K. Eswaran, MD
Joyce Verdejo, RDN
Miri Hardy
Myakka’s trail marking was made possible thanks to Friends of Myakka River volunteers and a generous grant from Athletic Brewing.
Two pros ‘pedal’
Champion BMX riders Jeremy Smith and Will Grant are the co-owners of Aker Brand Farms in Myakka City.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
Jeremy Smith and Will Grant, best friends and champion BMX bicycle riders, had two goals outside of winning races. They wanted to buy “some acres” and build something “rad.”
Smith, 30, was an alternate athlete in the 2024 Paris Olympics, and Grant, 32, won two national titles as a teenager and turned pro at 16 years old.
Now, they’re the co-owners of Aker Brand Farms in Myakka City off State Road 64. The property is a nod to the land they had dreamed about buying for the past five years.
The 15-acre BMX training facility features a track, a house that sleeps up to 10 riders and an outdoor gym. The property features 30 chickens and about 30 cattle.
Smith and Grant bought the initial 10 acres for $285,000 in 2021. The house was worthless, and the property was trashed, but the price and location were right.
The farm is within an hour and a half of the only two Supercross tracks in Florida — Sarasota and Oldsmar.
Before renovations to the house were complete, the guys were moving dirt to build a track designed by Smith.
Grant’s sponsor for over a decade, the weather app MyRadar, paid to double the size of the original track and put a sign on it at the end of 2024.
The track now takes up about an acre of land and is known as the MyRadar Track at Aker Brand Farms. After building the original track, Smith and Grant bought an adjacent parcel that was just under five acres.
The vision for the facility is for the house and farm to stay within three acres; five acres will be filled with “as much cool BMX stuff to ride as possible,” and seven acres will be dedicated to a campground and private bunks.
Starting at 15 years old, riders can
BMX in Myakka City
IF YOU GO
MyRadar Track at Aker Brand Farms, 43005 State Road 64. Aker Sunday Sessions cost $50 per rider and run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visit AkerBrandFarms.com for more information.
stay overnight at the facility. The house has two private rooms and one big bunk room, so Grant said separate housing for elite riders is a priority.
But the housing is an aside, and the track is the main draw. Nearly 20 pros were training at Aker leading up to the BMX Grand Nationals in November.
“It’s a great track to train for Grands because it has a flat hill and a fast gate,” Grant said. “So all of a sudden, we had this influx of all these top pros. Two of the title contenders were here training.”
Amateur riders under 15 can visit the farm with their parents for private training sessions or a weekly group session on Sundays. The facility also runs summer camps.
On Sundays, the yard is filled with parents sitting in lawn chairs as their kids learn to fly through the air and ride on one wheel. The guys slice up
watermelon for the kids when they get hot and need a break.
Pretty soon, the fruit will be homegrown. A food forest is being planted on the perimeter of the property with a walking trail. There are bananas, papayas and more planted, but only the limes are ready to be picked.
Some type of community center, where visitors can socialize and play games is also on the horizon, but all in due time.
The project has been a major undertaking that the guys said wouldn’t have been possible without Larry Smith, a jack of all trades and Smith’s father.
He helped them save the house Grant described as a place you would never bring your mother or girlfriend, and the land wasn’t much better.
“Every five feet that we went with the bush hog, we’d run into either barbed wire or a pile of trash or a tire,” Grant said.
After closing on the property in September 2021, Grant pitched a tent in the cow pasture. There were only three cattle then, but he’d wake up with them sleeping about five feet away. The experience made him want a larger herd.
By November, Smith was living in his dad’s RV parked on the property. The house was livable by February, but Grant stayed in the tent until fire ants drove him inside in March.
Smith and Grant are building more than just a tangible facility. They’ve created an experience and a family atmosphere.
Rayne Lankford, a 23-year-old pro rider from Texas, lives on-site and is referred to as the “farm pony.”
Lankford has been riding BMX since he was 6 years old. Now, he’s a factory rider for Send It Bikes. He’s not sponsored by Aker, but he’s part of the family.
“It’s just a group of pretty much best friends who have this greater idea of building something really rad,” Grant said. “We don’t sponsor riders the way most teams would. We’re creating a family environment where we’re supporting these athletes in any way we can, and they’re supporting us in any way they can.”
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OLYMPIC DREAMS
BMX is one of the newer sports to be recognized by the Olympics. BMX racing debuted at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Freestyle BMX, which involves tricks, debuted at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Smith broke his hand just before the qualifying race that could have earned him a spot on the U.S. team headed to Tokyo. Smith was an alternate athlete at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Alternates train to be ready in case one of the athletes on the roster gets sick or injured. Smith did not get the chance to compete in Paris.
“I could taste it, but I wasn’t allowed to have a bite,” he said. At the same time, Smith recognized that most athletes never even get a taste. He’s proud of the accomplishment and said that as a competitive athlete, watching the race fueled him with even more motivation to make the team in 2028.
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Jeremy Smith and Will Grant own Aker Brand Farms, a BMX facility, in Myakka City.
Courtesy image Jeremy Smith is a pro BMX rider and the coowner of Aker Brand Farms in Myakka City.
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
The new MyRadar track takes up about an acre of the 15-acre property.
Will Grant is an owner and coach at Aker Brand Farms.
No bone to pick with his choice of partners
as he launched
off the bank of a pond. What more could you want?
I guess I feel a bit different now after talking to Lakewood Ranch’s John Scomillio. When it comes to dogs, let’s just say that Scomillio has higher expectations.
It was in 2004 when Scomillio decided to enter the world of dogs as a canine handler. Up until that time of his life, he was the smartest guy in the room when it come to explosives.
For 22 years, Scomillio was an explosive ordnance disposal diver with the U.S. Navy, eventually retiring to public service and quickly taking up with the New York Police Department’s bomb squad. He had 600 square miles of waterfront to patrol that was a dumping ground for guns, explosives and other physical evidence, not to mention a final resting ground for many autos, boats and more than a few airplanes.
But in 2004, Scomillio decided to add a bomb dog to his team. This would allow him to continue to be the smartest guy in the room. Think again.
Meet Kenny, Scomillio’s new partner, an English black Labrador retriever who could sniff out explosives, no matter where they might be hiding. Scomillio looked at his new partner as somewhat of a tool to be pointed in the right direction. It didn’t take long for Scomillio to find out that just wasn’t going to work.
One of the key factors of pairing up with a dog is trust. When they first went out, Scomillio said when they got close to finding out the location of the explosives, he would kind of take over, as he was used to doing. But that would make Kenny shut down.
“I knew how good he was,”
Scomillio said. “But I would just flip a switch, trying to think for my dog. It doesn’t work until you trust your dog. Emotions travel down the leash.”
When Scomillio and Kenny became equal partners, everything clicked. They worked together eight years, and very likely saved some lives along the way.
“Getting a working dog, and understanding canine behavior was fascinating,” Scomillio said. “Kenny was with me every minute of the day. I know it increased my patience and compassion. And Kenny got better with age. I always was trying to take him to higher levels.
“There was a case in the Bronx. a murder scene. He found explosives ... my dog found everything.”
In 2015, Kenny died and Scomillio was heartbroken.
“It was one of the biggest losses I’ve ever suffered,” he said.
Although Kenny was a working dog, he was like a family member.
“My wife (Terry Scomillio) loved him beyond belief,” he said. “There was not one offending cell in Kenny’s body.”
By that time Kenny already had retired from service and Scomillio had moved forward to developing airport security for four New York City-area airports. His program had used one bomb-sniffing canine when he started, but he quickly expanded to eight dogs.
Meanwhile, Scomillio had been
vacationing over the years in the Manatee/Sarasota counties area. When he decided to retire in 2020, he bought a home in the Bridgewater community.
But beaches and the quiet life were not quite enough to fill his days. Scomillio started looking for something more.
“I love dogs, animals and challenges,” he said.
He came upon Southeastern Guide Dogs, which since changed its name to Dogs Inc. He is working part-time for the nonprofit as a canine keeper who provides comprehensive care to the dogs. Canine Keepers oversee feeding times, manage the dogs’ play time, ensure that the dogs get the necessary exercise and mental stimulation, and support instructors as they work on campus with dogs in training.
It should be noted that Scomillio doesn’t work strictly with dogs that end up working as bomb, weapons and arson detection dogs, but some dog do end up in that service. Many more dogs serve as guide dogs, service dogs and skilled companion dogs.
With more than 200 dogs on the Dogs Inc. Palmetto campus, Scomillio has plenty of opportunities to help out.
Dogs Inc. Media Relations Manager Lydia Baxter said the nonprofit always is looking for volunteers, and especially volunteers who have free time.
While Scomillio is not a volunteer, he certainly has talents that could take him in a lot of directions, but working at Dogs Inc. is one way he feels he can give back.
And it also gave Dogs Inc., and the dogs in general, a chance to give back to Scomillio for his years of
service to the community.
Besides his regular interaction as an employee at Dogs Inc., Scomillio has just been awarded an emotional support dog from Dogs Inc., a 2-year-old service dog, a black Labrador, named Kelce.
“He has a sense when you are down,” Scomillio said. “He is very tuned in through your ups and downs.”
But a guy like Scomillio, who has dealt with a lifetime of pressure and has come out on top, does he really need a support dog?
“I have been through a tremendous amount of accidents, incidents, and both World Trade Center bombings,” Scomillio said.
“Yes, I do. And dogs are such social creatures.”
If Scomillio wants people to know something from his story, it’s that dogs are so valuable, so loving, and they can’t be replaced. Not even
when it comes to finding explosives.
“Nothing can replace a dog,” he said. “There are all kinds of mechanical detectors, but nothing compares to a dog.”
He hopes others will check out Dogs Inc.
“This is such a great company that serves a wide variety of people in need. The dogs are given to the people who need them — for free.
“They really do magic here.”
Jay Heater is the managing editor for the East County Observer. Contact him at JHeater@ YourObserver.com.
Jay Heater
After years of working with the military and law enforcement with explosives, Lakewood Ranch’s John Scomillio found his best partner was a dog. He now works part-time at Dogs Inc.
A ‘Blaze of Hope’ for families with sick children
Blaze of Hope provides financial assistance to families when a child is hospitalized due to a life-threatening illness.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
When Myra Moore talks about wife Lisa Moore’s life after losing a child to cancer, she describes it as beautiful.
“She turned pain into purpose,”
Moore said.
Myra Moore is now vice president of Blaze of Hope, the East County nonprofit Lisa Moore started nearly 10 years ago after losing her son, Blaze, to liver cancer in 1999.
The organization offers financial assistance to families that have a child in the hospital due to a lifethreatening illness.
Blaze was 7 months old when diagnosed with cancer and died at 13 months old.
Lisa Moore was a 21-year-old single mother, but she had her mother, Dianne Prestia Moore, and a community full of people who were supporting her emotionally and financially.
While staying at the hospital with Blaze, Lisa Moore witnessed firsthand the tough decisions parents have to make when their children are sick.
She overheard a couple arguing about their mortgage payment because they hadn’t been working. Another mom had her phone shut off.
“No parent should have to choose between spending a day with their child in the hospital or going to work to pay their bills,” Myra Moore said. “Our goal is to alleviate that burden and that worry.”
The nonprofit has assisted eight families so far this year and more than 7,000 families since its inception.
The grants started at $500 apiece and have grown to $800. They’re not intended for medical bills. The grants help ease the stress of an impending car payment or overdue electricity bill.
Moore said the nonprofit’s donations have gradually increased every year. Last year, Blaze of Hope raised more than $40,000.
The board votes to either approve
ABOUT THE NONPROFIT
Blaze of Hope 16237 Winburn Drive, Sarasota Visit BlazeOfHope.org.
Mission statement: Blaze of Hope provides financial assistance to families of hospitalized children with life-threatening medical conditions, raises awareness, builds community and enriches lives with hope.
or deny every application, but income doesn’t enter into the conversation. Applicants don’t have to refer to an income chart to see if they’re eligible.
If you have a child who is hospitalized with a life-threatening illness and you need help paying a bill, you’re eligible. Jonathan Bhatia is the sole provider for his family of four. He works for Veteran Affairs.
He doesn’t know the exact number of days he’s missed work since his now 5-year-old daughter, Scarlett, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2023, but he was in a position of “negative hours” through November 2024.
“Up until that point, anytime I would earn leave, I’d be paying back my negative balance,” Bhatia said. “While the job security was there, I just wasn’t able to make any money.”
The Family and Medical Leave Act ensures people receive up to 12 weeks leave without being fired, but it’s unpaid leave. Bhatia and his wife, Hayli, applied for financial assistance through other programs but were turned down because his annual salary was above the poverty threshold.
When Scarlett was first diagnosed and hospitalized, Blaze of Hope covered a few months of their
water bill. When she was hospitalized again in January, the nonprofit covered their car payment.
“For the sake of your kids, you’re going to put on a happy face,” Hayli Bhatia said. “They don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors, so to have a foundation you can reach out to for help is incredible. I don’t even want to say I’m grateful because I’m so beyond grateful.”
Both the Bhatias expressed an appreciation for the nonprofit’s services beyond the financial component. Hayli Bhatia felt less alone because there was a community of people who understood what she was going through.
Her husband appreciated that anytime he reached out to Blaze of Hope, the interaction began with one question: How’s Scarlett?
“It means a lot,” he said. “It’s nice not to just be looked at as someone who needs help, but as the parent of a sick child who needs help.” Scarlett is doing well. She was hospitalized for five days in January due to protocol because she had a fever, but her chemo port was removed Feb. 20, and she can stop her oral medications April 6.
The board absolutely hates to do it, but Moore said applicants have been denied on occasion based on the nonprofit’s mission statement. The child has to have a life-threatening illness.
But because the board votes on every application, it can also use discretion when cases aren’t as clear cut as cancer.
A recent application involved a child who suffered appendicitis, but his appendix did not burst. A burst appendix is life threatening. However, it was initially thought it either burst or had a slow leak. Because appendicitis cases are usually released after a day or two, and he had to stay in the hospital for a week, the board felt it was a more serious case and approved the application.
“We’re there to alleviate pain and burdens,” Moore said.
Courtesy image
Blaze of Hope’s Meghan Houlihan and Christine Dodge man a table at the North Port Farmers market. Hayli Bhatia just happened to be there with her daughters, Scarlett and Juliette.
Jessica Barnes, 16, who recently lost her mother to cancer, receives a hug from fundraising coordinator Myra Moore.
Courtesy image
Exceptional in every way.
We are proud to honor our top-performing sales associates of 2024. We salute their steadfast commitment to delivering the best results for their customers and giving back to the communities they serve across Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties.
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Her lessons can be heard on the wind
Amy Bradley and her clarinet will be a big part of the Lakewood Ranch Wind Ensemble’s March Melodies.
who have retired down here who are good players.”
my Bradley has played the clarinet most of her
In fifth grade, her school band director was introducing students to all the available instruments.
“They try to fit you to an instrument,” she explained.
The teacher told her she should play the trumpet.
“I’m like, ‘I don’t want to play trumpet,’” she said. “And there was a girl at my bus stop who had a coollooking clarinet case, and I thought, ‘Well, I like her case, so I’m gonna pick the clarinet.’”
It might not have been the best way to pick an instrument.
“That was a stupid reason to pick the clarinet,” she said. “Then when I got my case, it wasn’t even the same case.”
She did like the sound, and “everything about it.”
Bradley eventually wanted to transition to the saxophone but her school band did not have them. So, a lifelong love of clarinet was born.
Bradley is now a retired music teacher and a member of the Lakewood Ranch Wind Ensemble, a group of accomplished musicians who perform several times a year in the community. The next concert is “March Melodies: A Musical Prelude to Spring” on March 2 at Peace Presbyterian Church, 12705 State Road 64 E.
“It’s a nice group,” she said. “Some are working professionals right now. Some are retired teachers, band directors, and then some are people
The quality of the performances might surprise people.
“This definitely is not the random pickup band kind of thing,” she said. “It’s a high-level band.”
A LIFETIME OF TEACHING
A graduate of Booker High School and the Florida State University School of Music, Bradley has spent most of her life in the area. She is a Florida Bandmasters Association adjudicator in the area of solo and ensemble woodwinds and concert band.
She has served as a guest clinician for the Charlotte County All-County Bands and has taught clarinet and chamber winds at the Summer Music Festival at the University of the South.
Most of her career was spent teaching middle school kids, which often is considered one of the toughest challenges, age-wise.
“I had picked middle school, which is probably the worst developmental age possible,” she said. “They are crazy, sixth and seventh and eighth grade.”
She said her own middle school years were not the best, but band kept her wanting to go to school.
“I am a perfect fit for middle school kids,” she said. “I wanted them to have something to go to school for. They need to be proud of something.”
She’s also taught in elementary and high schools, “but middle school is mine, my thing,” she said.
She also likes the challenge of teaching beginning students. Her largest class is 120 students, all
IF YOU GO
What: March Melodies
Who: Lakewood Ranch Wind Ensemble
Where: Peace Presbyterian Church, 12705 S.R. 64 E., Lakewood Ranch,
When: 2 p.m., March 2
learning their instruments.
“You have to have your classroom control down,” she said.
For the first couple of months, “it’s not necessarily pretty sounds, but they come together.”
It’s a profession that she and her husband, Owen, also a retired band teacher, wouldn’t have traded for anything.
“There was a moment in college when I was about my junior year, and I’m looking around Florida State and said, ‘Hey, you know what I could have? I could have been anything. I could have been a doctor.’
“And I’m like, well, it was a little
too late at that point, but I thought,
‘You know what? I can’t think of anything better that I wanted to do.’”
In addition to teaching, Bradley and her husband have also played with various groups. She was the principal clarinet for the Sarasota Pops Orchestra for more than 20 years before health issues slowed her down.
She said the Wind Ensemble is a hidden musical gem in Lakewood Ranch.
“We’re still just playing in a church and not in an auditorium or anything like that.
“But gosh, the music these people can bring together is at a high level. You only rehearse twice. Twice, right? And then put the concert on.
I’m hoping that people will come out and listen to it,” she said.
The March 2 concert starts at 2 p.m. at Peace Presbyterian. Learn more about the ensemble and the remainder of the season’s schedule at the group’s website.
Jim DeLa
Amy Bradley practices a piece the Lakewood Ranch Wind Ensemble will perform March 2 at Peace Presbyterian Church.
SPORTS
FAST BREAK
The Lakewood Ranch girls soccer team was eliminated in the 6A state semifinals against St. Thomas Aquinas on Feb. 20 in a 2-0 loss. Despite the loss, the Mustangs had a season to remember. They won a regional championship for the first time since 2014 and finished the season ranked as the 32ndbest team in the state, per the Florida High School Athletic Association.
The Lakewood Ranch baseball team earned its first win of the season, 6-5, over Cardinal Mooney in 11 innings on Feb. 19. Senior Tanner Buteau came up clutch with an RBI double in the bottom of the 11th to drive in the winning run.
… Seven Braden River boys wrestlers won district titles Feb. 20. Jayden Russell (113-pound weight class), Matthew Ireland (120-pound weight class), Israel Clark (157-pound weight class), Evan Rowe (165-pound weight class), Scott Cook (175-pound weight class), Freedom McDaniel (215-pound weight class) and Gabe Rojas (285-pound weight class) each finished in first place at the 2A District 9 meet.
... The Lakewood Ranch boys wrestlers didn’t win a district title, but the Mustangs will send six wrestlers to the regional round. The Mustangs were led by Shawn Maestre, who finished second in the 165-pound weight class at the 3A District 8 meet on Feb. 21. … Quote of the Week: “You don’t remember the winning. You remember the memories. That’s kind of how I approach every single year. If you can’t live without the gold medal, you’re not going to live with it,” said Braden River Girls Weightlifting coach Jordan Borges ... Sarasota Crew is hosting a “Learn to Row” class on March 2 from 9-11 a.m. at Nathan Benderson Park.
“I’m excited to see the growth in everyone and see everyone be better as a team.”
Heavy lifting
Ellen Lehman wrapped up a record-breaking year for the Pirates with a fifth-place finish at the state meet.
VINNIE PORTELL STAFF WRITER
No freshman girls weightlifter at Braden River High had received a medal at the state championships until Ellen Lehman this year.
Despite competing against lifters a couple of years older than her, Lehman lifted 125 pounds in the snatch and 145 pounds in the clean to place fifth overall in the 2A Olympic category for the 119-pound weight class at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland on Feb. 14.
Lehman had an unusual advantage on her competition when she joined the Braden River High’s girls weightlifting team this past year for a few reasons that set her on a medal-winning course.
A HEAD START
Weightlifting, in general, hasn’t been as popular as other youth sports commonly offered, like soft ball, basketball, soccer, gymnastics or cheerleading.
That was life for Lehman early on.
She tried gymnastics, jiu-jitsu and flag football when she was growing up, but fell in love with weightlifting when she was encouraged to try it in the sixth grade.
She started out compet ing in USA Weightlifting events, and although she said there were times of self-doubt, her prog ress was enough to light a fire in her
that she used to push herself to her limit at Braden River.
“I remember one of the first (personal records) I hit was 35 kilograms for clean and jerk,” she said. “It was hard, and that took me awhile to get, but I was like, ‘I still want to do more and I want to one day be able to medal at nationals.’”
Lehman and her family moved to Bradenton this past summer and were careful in deciding which school would be the best fit.
After training by herself for her middle school years, jumping into a new environment with dozens of teammates and a new coach was a lot to consider.
Once Lehman and her parents, Zach and Kelly Lehman, met Braden River girls weightlifting coach Jordan Borges, they were sold.
“We went to other gyms and some of the coaches were a little mean, and I didn’t like their gym set-up,” Ellen Lehman said. “I went to Jordan, and he seemed like a good fit for me, and I felt like he would understand my personality. He knows what to say to me to help me understand what I need to do on the platform to hit my lift.”
It didn’t take long for Ellen Lehman to adjust.
Borges said she broke the school’s freshman record for her weight class with a 125-pound snatch and a 145-pound clean and jerk.
She’s since increased those numbers to a 135-pound snatch and a 155-pound clean and jerk.
“I remember one of the first (personal records) I hit was 35 kilograms for clean and jerk. It was hard, and that took me awhile to get, but I was like, ‘I still want to do more and I want to one day be able to medal at nationals.’”
Ellen Lehman
“She’s the best 119 (pound) weightlifter we’ve ever had,” Borges said.
‘THE SKY IS THE LIMIT’ Lehman had years of experience and what Borges described as “elite speed and technique” similar to weightlifters who compete on the national stage.
However, she still had to back up that talent and experience with hours in the gym.
Borges said she comes into the school’s weightlifting room every day to work, and Lehman also couples that with workouts with a mat, a platform and weights in her garage at home.
That adds up to two hours every day, except Sundays.
The best example of Lehman’s ambition came recently, Borges said.
Despite being just a few days removed from medaling at the state championships, Lehman texted Borges asking when she could begin training for next season.
“The season’s only been over for four days and here she is already preparing for next season,” Borges said. “That shows it all right there. I think next year will be even a better year and I think she’ll be in here again after four days training again. I don’t think she’s satisfied.”
Lehman also had to work at adjusting to fitting in with teammates, all of which were new faces to her this past summer.
Despite being unsure of how that would go, Lehman said she made fast friends with her fellow lifters and they’ve served as another source of
Borges said he doesn’t want to put any pressure on Lehman, who has put herself on a path to return to future state championship meets, but it’s also hard not to think about what that potential could one day become.
“I know her goals are to be a state champ and to be a national champ,” Borges said. “She has very big goals, but I don’t think anything is not achievable. I think the sky is the limit with the kid. I think if she keeps her mind focused and she works hard and continues to trust the process, she’ll achieve everything she wants, just as she did this year.”
— Braden River High’S Kaydence Evans SEE PAGE 20A
Vinnie Portell
Lakewood Ranch junior midfielder Aubrey Mau, left, battles for the ball in the regional championship match against East Lake senior Natalia Carapazza.
Ellen Lehman was back at work practicing her deadlifts just four days after becoming the first Braden River freshman to medal at the state championships.
Photos by Vinnie Portell
Ellen Lehman took fifth place
Atypical soccer players give up typical high school life
It’s become commonplace for high school students to transfer to another school for sports-specific reasons, but two Lakewood Ranch area soccer players have taken that to another level.
Drew Pintacuda and Charlie Hosier have sacrificed much of their high school experience at Lakewood Ranch High to chase their dreams of playing soccer at the next level via MLS Next. I don’t blame students for doing whatever they can to gain access to better opportunities, but that doesn’t make it any easier to wrap my head around.
For me, the best part of high school was the friends I made along the way, and all of the “classic” high school experiences, like rooting on your school with lifelong friends at sporting events, attending school spirit events and enjoying home-
coming and the prom.
Those experiences were enjoyable because I grew up with most of the people around me and saw many of them on a near-daily basis.
That’s something that Hosier and Pintacuda had to give up almost entirely.
The two friends are soccer players with talent and even more drive.
They need that drive when they hit the road to make the trek up to Tampa to play for the Tampa Bay United of MLS Next.
When Hosier and Pintacuda were in eighth grade, they came to a fork in the road.
The two friends had been playing for the Braden River Soccer Club and then made the team at IMG Academy. When high school arrived, however, they decided to try out for Tampa Bay United of MLS Next rather than playing for
Lakewood Ranch High School.
That move has proved to be lifechanging for the two friends.
NEW OPPORTUNITIES
Both Hosier and Pintacuda said they’ve gained access to opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise had if not for MLS Next.
Last fall, Hosier committed to playing soccer for Butler University while Pintacuda recently committed to play for Emory University. They said the biggest differences have been the instruction they’ve received — their MLS Next coaches all played at the MLS level — and the exposure from going to showcases around the country.
For instance, Tampa Bay United USL League 2 head coach Brian Johnson played for the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer for five seasons and has coached for
experience, and put in the work to make that sacrifice worth it. They took just one class at Lakewood Ranch High last semester, and now aren’t enrolled in any.
“That’s one of the things we were told by doing this ... that we weren’t going to have the normal high school experience,” Pintacuda said. “We don’t go to classes with all of these guys, so it’s kind of hard to be involved with everything at school.”
Ohio State University, West Virginia University and MLS team Real Salt Lake.
That technical experience coupled with the national showcases and the level of competition is hard to beat.
“I had already seen a lot of people going to play in college through this system, and it was kind of enticing,” Pintacuda said. “This is an opportunity that not a lot of people get, and it was one that I was willing to take, even if that meant I had to make some sacrifices.”
It’s more than just about playing soccer beyond high school for Hosier and Pintacuda.
Hosier said there’s a good chance he might not be able to afford attending Butler, or a similar private university, if not for the scholarship money he’s receiving.
Pintacuda had different motivations. His school of choice, Emory University, has an acceptance rate of just 11% per U.S. News and World Report, and he said without making the soccer team he wouldn’t have been accepted.
SACRIFICES MADE
Hosier and Pintacuda still find time to play golf and poker with their friends, but they’ve had to give up a chance to have a typical high school
A typical weekday starts with dual-enrollment classes online through State College of Florida, then it’s out to the fields for extra training or to the gym. When 2:30 p.m. arrives, Pintacuda and Hosier carpool with a couple of other local soccer players to drive to Tampa for practice from 4:30-6 p.m., some days followed by a half-hour strength and conditioning training. Finally, the players arrive back home close to 8 p.m. and prepare to do it all over again the next day.
Hosier and Pintacuda said they spent much of their time during the COVID-19 pandemic training to make one of the 11 starting spots.
“You have to put the work in,” Hosier said. “Even with all of these opportunities, there’s still kids who aren’t going to make it.”
A prime example of Pintacuda’s dedication came at a showcase event last year. He had gone up for a header during a match just prior to his showcase and landed awkwardly, breaking both of his arms. Yet Pintacuda, knowing how important a national showcase could be, played anyway with both of his arms in a cast.
“I stayed positive and I worked on, ‘How can I get ready in these five days to potentially be able to play?’ I still drove up to practice and supported my team.”
Vinnie Portell
Charlie Hosier and Drew Pintacuda said they’ve missed out on some moments in high school but ultimately changed their lives for the better by locking down commitments to play at the next level through MLS Next.
Vinnie Portell is the sports reporter for the East County Observer. Contact him at VPortell@ YourObserver.com.
Courtesy image
Drew Pintacuda, left, and Charlie Hosier have been searching for better opportunities for years, including participating in sports at IMG Academy in middle school despite not attending the school.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Kaydence Evans
Braden River High junior Kaydence Evans has led the school’s softball team to a 1-1 start. In a seasonopening 23-0 demolition of Southeast on Feb. 18, Evans went 2 for 4 with two doubles, three runs and five RBIs along with three innings of shutout pitching. Evans followed that with a masterful performance on the mound in a 1-0 loss to Riverview on Feb. 20 in which she allowed only one hit, no walks and had six strikeouts.
When and why did you start playing softball? I started playing softball when I was 4 years old. I started playing because I used to go out to the fields with my aunt (Elaine Evans) because she used to play. I thought it was fun, so I wanted to get into it. She signed me up for a rec league. It didn’t come natural, but I just kept practicing.
What’s your favorite all-time memory in softball?
Me and my aunt would go out to the field and practice. She would stand there as a target, and I would have to hit her. It got me into getting my aim down.
What’s your favorite meal?
A good steak, cooked medium-rare. It has to have a little pink in there. A fully loaded baked potato on the side.
What’s your favorite TV show or movie?
My favorite movie would probably be “42.” I’m really big on history, so learning about history and baseball was pretty cool.
Do you have any go-to, warm-up songs? I like listening to rap. It gets me kinda pumped. I don’t think there’s a certain song, but definitely rap music. Just whatever comes on.
If you would like to make a recommendation for the East County Observer’s Athlete of the Week feature, send it to VPortell@YourObserver.com.
If you’re not playing softball, what are you doing? I work at the desk at Square Up batting cages and I check people in. If nobody comes in, I’m hitting and doing my own little thing in the cages. If I’m not there, I’m just at home.
What are you most excited about this season?
I’m excited to see the growth in everyone and see everyone be better as a team. I want us to have a winning record.
What’s been your most humbling moment in softball?
There’s always a few. Whenever I’m pitching and someone hits a home run, that’s always humbling, but it just pushes me to practice more and be better.
What does your ideal weekend look like? A nice beach day, going out with some friends and going to the cages with my aunt. Some hitting, fielding and pitching. entence.
Kaydence Evans is … A team player.
Abraham Lincoln revisited as teacher of valuable leadership lessons
A New Jersey college professor and Abe Lincoln aficionado, at a Southwest Florida event, details why one of the most famous Americans ever is also an underappreciated leadership expert.
By Mark Gordon
It’s hard to overlook Abraham Lincoln.
For starters, the 16th U.S. president signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, ending slavery in the country. It’s also well known that Lincoln was physically hard to miss, standing six-foot-four, the tallest of the 46 U.S. presidents. And, of course, he was so celebrated for telling the truth that his famous nickname, Honest Abe, lives on 159 years after he was assassinated.
What is sometimes overlooked with Lincoln—despite the 16,000 books written about him—is the set of soft skills he learned, and then exhibited, about leadership throughout his life. This is the message Louis Masur, a Lincoln expert and Distinguished Professor of American Studies and History at Rutgers University in New Jersey, shared in Southwest Florida in 2024.
Masur was a keynote speaker for a Sanibel Captiva Trust Co. Speaker Series event. His talk, “Lessons of Abe Lincoln: How Effective Leadership Can Change the World,” was given at the Tribby Arts Center at Shell Point in Fort Myers. In a virtual interview, Masur remarked, Lincoln “saved the union and freed the slaves, but what made him such an incredible leader during such a divisive and partisan time?”
Masur, who has researched, taught, and spoken about other historical figures, says Lincoln remains his No. 1 educational and leadership muse. Masur has distilled Lincoln’s leadership into a few powerful lessons:
Education: Lincoln’s dedication to selfeducation was critical to his success. Despite his father’s disapproval of reading, Lincoln’s “love of learning” played a pivotal role in his ability to lead. When Lincoln became president in 1861, he had no formal military experience, except for volunteering in the Black Hawk War. To prepare, he read military strategy books from the Library of Congress, immersing himself in the details of military tactics.
Diplomacy: Masur points to Lincoln’s letter to General George Meade after the Battle of Gettysburg as an example of his restraint. Lincoln wrote a letter to express disappointment that Meade didn’t pursue Confederate General Robert E. Lee after the Union victory. However, Lincoln ultimately chose not to send the letter, recognizing that chastising his general would be counterproductive.
Empathy: Lincoln’s empathy and ability to step outside himself were hallmarks of his leadership. Masur tells a story of Lincoln writing a condolence letter to the daughter of a friend who had died in combat. In the letter, Lincoln wrote, “You are sure to be happy again,” sharing his own experience with grief. This ability to connect with others helped him lead with compassion.
Principle over power: Lincoln’s commitment to principles is another lesson Masur highlights. During the 1864 presidential election, Lincoln refused to postpone the vote, even though he risked losing. He believed that “We cannot have free government without elections.” This resolve to uphold democratic principles, even in times of war, defined his legacy.
Masur’s insights emphasize that Lincoln’s leadership was as much about character as it was about strategy. “I just never tire of reading about him and thinking about him,” Masur says.
Join us for an engaging speaker series featuring two of the nation’s leading historians. Dive deep into American history as our expert speakers bring the past to life with captivating stories and fresh perspectives.
Reprinted from the Business Observer
YOUR NEIGHBORS
Chuck and Phyllis Stolteben have been entertaining crowds at the Lakewood Ranch Elks Club for more than 25 years.
Chuck and Phyllis Stolteben celebrate 25 years of providing music and supporting fundraisers for the Elks.
Spinning years
JAY HEATER MANAGING EDITOR
It was in 2000 when Chuck and Phyllis Stolteben were trying to help a young couple booked for a special entertainment event at the Elks Club in Sarasota.
Chuck had years before been a singer who once even cut a record.
Although he had turned 60 in 2000, Chuck figured he still had his voice and could add something to that young couple’s musical fundraiser to help the Elks.
Then the young couple absconded with all the money they had collected through ticket sales.
All those associated with the Elks were shocked and disheartened.
“Chuck said, ‘We are going to make that money back,’” said Phyllis Stolteben. “But Chuck said he didn’t know how to do a show.”
While Phyllis Stolteben is not a singer, she put together “A Night to Remember” to make up for the stolen money. She lined up singers, found equipment and set up the lighting.
“It was terror,” Phyllis Stolteben said. “I had to produce the show. I had to figure out where to put the acts. They were dressed up in full costume.”
Everyone at the Elks who could possibly lend anything to the effort helped.
The show went on with Chuck being the headliner and 250 people buying tickets. A Night to Remember made $2,500 to make up for the $2,000 that was stolen.
Chuck and Phyllis headed home, wondering what had just happened.
“I remember the gratitude of everyone at the lodge,” Phyllis said. “We made all the money back and more. Then we were up until 2 a.m. We had to figure it out.”
Although they still had full-time jobs, Chuck at Publix and Phyllis in the insurance industry, they started doing shows twice a week, once on Thursdays at the ice arena in Ellen ton and a second on Fridays at the Elks. Chuck thought up the name Lynn Spins.
Twenty-five years later, they still play professional gigs, and they still play at the Elks.
On March 1, Chuck and Phyllis are set to headline the Lakewood Ranch Elks’
Harry Anna Fundraiser, which will provide funds for the Florida Elks Children’s Therapy Services and for the Florida Elks Youth Camp programs, with a show titled “Thru the Years” with Chuck and
Phyllis. The Harry Anna fund started in 1951, named after Harry and Anna Miller, who established the original Florida Elks Hospital for Crippled Children.
Christine Carruthers, who is both the lodge chair and the Southwest District chair for the Harry Anna program, said the money raised is crucial.
“Seeing the difference (the therapy) makes in their lives ... the impact ... it pulls at your heartstrings,” Carruthers said. “And providing the opportunity for kids who have never had an opportunity to attend a camp, seeing their self-confidence grow, is tremendous.”
Carruthers said Chuck and Phyllis always have donated their time to
“Seeing the difference (the therapy) makes in their lives ... the impact ... it pulls at your heartstrings.”
Christine Carruthers, lodge chair and the Southwest district chair for the Harry Anna program
raise money to benefit children and veterans through the Elks.
“They are very dear friends to (the Elks),” she said. “We value their energy, their passion and their friendship.”
She said Chuck Stolteben can still “fill the room” with his voice at 85.
“He is an amazing performer,” she said.
Phyllis’ and Chuck’s relationship began 57 years ago. He was a purchasing agent for McMaster-Carr Supply Co. in Illinois. She was a secretary in his division.
“I really hated him,” Phyllis said. “He was too confident, and he had women dripping off him.”
But Chuck remained persistent.
“I saw a different side of him,” Phyllis said. “He wouldn’t let go. And he was a gymnast and he had these big arms and no tummy.”
So did she give in because of his looks?
“That’s probably true,” she said with a smile.
What Phyllis didn’t know when they were married was that her husband had been a professional singer.
“The year we were married, we went to a bar,” Phyllis said. “I heard somebody call Chuck Lynn to the stage. Who the heck is Chuck Lynn?”
Her husband jumped from the chair to the middle of a table. “It’s me,” he said. He started to sing and, before long, women were throwing underwear at him.
“I was embarrassed and I wanted to leave,” Phyllis said. “He said, ‘Look at the wardrobe you are get-
Before he met Phyllis, Chuck had spent 287 straight days on the road, trying to get DJs to play the record he had cut, “Only by Your Side,” with “I’ll Never Learn” on the back, through Cherry Lane records. He had served as the warm-up act for artists such as Sam Cooke, The Drifters and Little Eva.
But he decided that life on the road wasn’t what he wanted, and he packed away his singing talent, until he brought it back out at age 60.
The March 1 event will allow Chuck and Phyllis to reminisce. So how did Chuck get the stage name Chuck Lynn?
“It was the middle name of one of my girlfriends,” he said.
“Thanks for asking that,” said Phyllis, who said she never knew where the name came from. “At least it wasn’t her first name.”
Chuck Stolteben once was a professional singer who cut a record under the name Chuck Lynn.
Fashion show spotlights ‘Effortless
Elegance’
When Katherine Pike was 20 years old, she was asked to be a spokesperson for Cover Girl.
When asked if she regretted turning down an offer from the cosmetics company because she had just started nursing school, she said, “To this day.”
But she said it with a huge smile on her face.
“I ended up being a nurse administrator,” Pike said. “I had a great nursing career (for 38 years). I worked with children who had cancer.”
On Feb. 21, the smile didn’t leave Pike’s face as she relived her modeling days and strutted around the Palm Aire Country Club for the annual fashion show hosted by the Palm Aire Women’s Club.
This year’s theme was Effortless Elegance. The clothes were provided by Darci’s Boutique, and everything worn by the models was for sale.
Darci’s also set up a pop-up shop in the back of the ballroom.
Victoria Frigo picked up a pair of mod sunglasses and a blue cross-body bag. She’s not a club member, but her friend Allyson Cooney modeled in the show.
“I wanted to come see what Allyson was up to,” Frigo said. “They do a great job. It was so organized. Everything went smoothly, and lunch was delicious.”
Proceeds will go toward the club’s scholarship fund and to local charities that serve women and children.
— LESLEY DWYER
We offer
Katherine Pike’s sleeves are trimmed with ostrich feathers.
Kay Kwenski shows off a green jumpsuit to a crowd of about 140.
Lesa Hardigan lets audience members feel a purse as she works the room.
Melodie Dickerson has some fun and pretends her purse is an actual camera.
Photos by Lesley Dwyer Vice President Sandy Keir is the organizer behind the fashion show.
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Amber Creek at Lakewood Ranch
Sisterhood scores with Jazz
Presenting sponsor Melissa Howard looked around the beautifully decorated Hyatt Regency ballroom in Sarasota on Saturday night, the Suncoast Swing Band playing in the background, and heaped praise on Sisterhood for Good founder Angela Massaro-Fain for putting together All That Jazz: Cabaret for a Cause.
“This is all Angela,” Howard said, looking around at the many people who came dressed in 1920s-era attire to add fun to the event. “It is so beautiful.”
Of course, Massaro-Fain is the driving force behind the effort, but as she says, it takes a village to put together such events, and the Lakewood Ranch’s Sisterhood for Good advisory board is 18 strong.
A night of dancing, live entertainment, food, drink and live and silent auctions would lead to another windfall for area nonprofits. Sisterhood for Good handed out $153,036 in grants in 2024 and Massaro-Fain said the goal is $175,000 in 2025.
Photos by Jay Heater
Karen Medford and Scott Ginn supported Sisterhood for Good at All That Jazz: Cabaret for a Cause.
Longboat Key’s Cynthia Gillespie, Kim Howard and Deanna Rollyson came to support Sisterhood for Good at All That Jazz: Cabaret for a Cause Feb. 21 at the Hyatt Regency in Sarasota.
ADOPT DON’T SHOP
COMMUNITY
THURSDAY, FEB. 27 THROUGH MARCH 9
CIRCUS SARASOTA
Circus Sarasota is back under the Big Top at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota. Times for this week are Thursday and Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.; and Wednesday 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Doors open one hour before show time. Tickets start at $30 and up; parking is $10. The event is a showcase of top global circus artist performing in a one-ring traditional setting.
THURSDAY, FEB. 27 THROUGH SUNDAY, MARCH 2
LIVE MUSIC AT JIGGS LANDING
Runs from 3-6 p.m. each day at Jiggs Landing, 6106 63rd St. E., Bradenton. The live music lineup at Jiggs Landing includes Steve Arvey (Thursday), Bluestar Band (Friday), Gator Ridge Ramblers (Saturday) and Rick “Rooster” Arrighi (Sunday). The Friday and Saturday concerts are $5 and the others are free. For more information, go to JiggsLanding.com.
FRIDAY, FEB. 28 AND SATURDAY, MARCH 1
MUSIC AT THE PLAZA
Runs 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1560 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch. Singer/musician Frankie Lombardi entertains those strolling through Waterside Place on Friday night with acoustic rock/pop numbers. Then Jesse Daniels plays country, rock and soul on Saturday. For more information about the free music series, go to WatersidePlace.
BEST BET
SATURDAY, MARCH 1
TROPICAL NIGHTS
Runs from 6-10 p.m. at Grove, 10670 Boardwalk Loop, Lakewood Ranch. Meals on Wheels Plus Manatee hosts its annual Tropical Nights event, this year titled Tropical Nights Under Paris Lights. The event features live entertainment, food, drinks and live and online auctions. Tickets are $250 and available at MealsOnWheelsPlus.org. Those who attend are asked to wear Paris-themed or cocktail attire.
Club, 8201 Polo Club Lane, Lakewood Ranch. General admission is $15; VIP tickets run $20 and up. Each week has a theme for those who want to participate. For more information, go to SarasotaPolo. com. The season runs every Sunday through April 27.
FARMERS MARKET
Runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Lakefront Drive in Waterside Place, Lakewood Ranch. The Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch, which was voted as the top farmers market in Florida for the second year in a row in 2024, will run year-round every Sunday. Vendors will be offering seafood, eggs, meats, dairy products, pastas, bakery goods, jams and pickles among other items. Other features are children’s activities and live music. For more information, visit MyLWR.com.
YOGA IN THE PARK Runs 9-10 a.m. at Waterside Park, 7301 Island Cove Terrace, Sarasota. Start the morning off with gentle yoga with lake views. For more information, go to LakewoodRanch.com.
Lutheran Church, 11107 Palmbrush Trail, Lakewood Ranch. The church is hosting “The Orion Trio” for its Spring Jazz Concert. Admission is $15 at the door. For more info, call
Gates open at 10 a.m. and the match begins at 1 p.m. at the Sarasota Polo
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5
RANCH NITE WEDNESDAY Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place. Ranch Nite Wednesday features food trucks, dessert trucks, live music, weekly programing, outdoor bars and a recreational cornhole league. Please do not bring coolers or bring outside food or beverages. Go to Waterside.com for more information.
More than 135,982 families in Sarasota and Manatee counties have children under the
With 66% of summer camp shoppers taking action after seeing a newspaper ad, our Summer Fun Guide is great place to grow your business and keep kids busy this summer!
PUBLISHING: PRINT: Thursday, March 27
ONLINE DIRECTORY: Thursday, March 20
AD DEADLINE: Tuesday, March 4
IT’S READ EVERYWHERE
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The
Performers
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2025 @ 11:00 AM
Ambassador Christopher R. Hill will draw on his recent experiences in Serbia, an EU candidate country, to discuss the ongoing crisis in transatlantic relations and the prospects for the European project in the future.
THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2025 @ 5:00 PM THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONSHIP
POPULATION PUZZLE: UNDERSTANDING GLOBAL DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES
Dr. Toshiko Kaneda will examine global demographic trends today and projections for tomorrow and explain how trends in population aging, urbanization, and migration shape our world and how they could impact the future.
LIKE THE OPERA, THE OBSERVER HITS ALL THE HIGH NOTES: Mary Quinn poses with the East County Observer in front of the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Mary and husband, Ron, traveled to Australia and New Zealand during a recent cruise.
Cypress Creek home tops sales at $2.15 million
ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
ACypress Creek
Estates home on Ninth Avenue Circle N.E. topped the week’s sales. Joshua Nelson sold the home at 6164 Ninth Ave. Circle N.E. to Alexander and Sharon Rankin, of Dresher, Pennsylvania, for $2.15 million. Built in 1993, it has three bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 4,802 square feet of living area.
AZARIO ESPLANADE
Michael and Kelly Giesler, trustees, of Sarasota, sold the home at 14728 Derna Terrace to Adrienne and James DiGiorgio, of Bradenton, for $2 million. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,316 square feet of living area. It sold for $994,400 in 2021.
Joshua and Tamar Blazer, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 14913 Derna Terrace to Bryan Armstrong and Kerri Armstrong, trustees, of Bradenton, for $1.72 million. Built in 2023, it has four bedrooms, four-and-two-half baths and 4,813 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,416,700 in 2023.
REGENTS PARK
Southern Property Group sold the home at 8128 Regents Court to Mary and Daniel Raupp, of Arlington Heights, Illinois, for $1,195,000. Built in 1993, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,748 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.05 million in 2024.
COUNTRY CLUB
Marilyn Martin, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 7939 Treesdale Glen to Michelle and James Johns, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1,075,000. Built in 2003, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,919 square feet of living area. It sold for $590,000 in 2011.
GRAND OAKS AT PANTHER RIDGE
Michael Clark and Karen Milo, of Parrish, sold their home at 22402 75th Ave. E. to John and Simone Brown, of Bradenton, for $955,000. Built in 2005, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,711 square feet of living area. It sold for $475,000 in 2016.
DEL WEBB
Daniel and Tammy Jo Wenstrom, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 7440 Summerland Cove to Robert and Sharon Aho, of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, for $890,000. Built in 2022, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,105 square feet of living area. It sold for $685,400 in 2022.
Marilyn Boice, of Sarasota, sold her home at 17616 Northwood Place to Sara Weinberg, of Bradenton, for $450,000. Built in 2020, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,589 square feet of living area. It sold for $328,000 in 2020.
HERITAGE HARBOUR
Andy and Julie Miller, of Upper Freehold, New Jersey, sold their home at 8919 River Preserve Drive to Stephen and Darla Richardson, of New Brunswick, Canada, for $750,000. Built in 2008, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,537 square feet of living area. It sold for $516,000 in 2021.
Glen Robert Schrotenboer and Kristina Schrotenboer, of Mooresville, North Carolina, sold their home at 6719 Rookery Lake Drive to Michael and JoMarie Vespi, of Syracuse, New York, for $675,000. Built in 2016, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,231 square feet of living area. It sold for $348,500 in 2016.
EAGLE TRACE
Odimar Aragon-Pandales and Clara Milena Arango-Palacio sold their
RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS FEB. 10-14
This Azario Esplanade home sold for $2 million. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,316 square feet of living area.
home at 12607 Lake Silver Ave. to Sandra MacPherson, trustee, of Hudson, Ohio, for $722,000. Built in 2016, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,266 square feet of living area. It sold for $354,400 in 2016.
BRADEN RIVER LAKES
Pauline Morgan Anderson, of Savage, Maryland, sold their home at 4828 14th Ave. E. to Melissa Beljan and Peter Alexander Keppler, of Bradenton, for $710,000. Built in 1994, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,090 square feet of living area. It sold for $210,400 in 1994.
WATERCREST
Gordon Mickelson and Sandra Manning Mickelson, trustees, sold the Unit 404 condominium at 6474 Watercrest Way to Alain Dessaint, of Lakewood Ranch, for $710,000. Built in 2006, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,134 square feet of living area. It sold for $327,000 in 2010.
COUNTRY CREEK
Jeffrey and Vicki Lee Layhew, of Palmetto, sold their home at 207 147th St. N.E. to Robert Anthony Usher Jr. and Jodi Lynn Usher, of Bradenton, for $699,900. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,243 square feet of living area. It sold for $710,000 in 2022.
MOTE RANCH
Karen Miller, trustee, sold the home at 6426 Westward Place to David and Lisa Depino, of Bradenton, for $689,000. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,362 square feet of living area. It sold for $245,500 in 2000.
ROSEDALE GOLF AND TENNIS CLUB
Paul and Maria Ficarro, of Bradenton, sold their home at 5207 88th St. E. to David and Janet Herrington, of Bradenton, for $655,000. Built in 1995, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,757 square feet of living area. It sold for $510,000 in 2004.
COACH HOMES AT LAKEWOOD
NATIONAL
Peter Geoffrey Kenneth Tucker, trustee, sold the Unit 722 condominium at 5827 Wake Forest Run to Seth Fischer, of Bradenton, for $600,000. Built in 2017, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,108 square feet of living area. It sold for $375,000 in 2020.
COUNTRY CLUB EAST
Kelly Smith, trustee, of Hyattsville, Maryland, sold the home at 7118 Westhill Court to Hani AbdelQader, of Lakewood Ranch, for $580,000. Built in 2013, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,209 square feet of living area. It sold for $364,200 in 2014.
GREYHAWK LANDING
Rodrigo Ruis and Brenda Reeves, trustees, of Bradenton, sold the home at 12335 Lavender Loop to Dearl and Kelly Duncan, of $575,000. Built in 2005, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,230 square feet of living area. It sold for $289,000 in 2013.
SARACINA AT ESPLANADE
Robert and Karen Nocera, of Middlebury, Connecticut, sold their Unit 104 condominium at 13511 Messina Loop to Stephen Brown, trustee, of Bradenton, for $485,000. Built in 2015, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,628 square feet of living area. It sold for $261,500 in 2016.
REAL ESTATE, PAGE 10B
Vinnie Portell
ESPLANADE AT THE HEIGHTS
Stephen Richard Brylinsky and Cynthia Marie Brylinsky, of Bradenton, sold their home at 6304 Plateau Court to Matthew and Lynn Anne Perrotta, of Howell, New Jersey, for $480,000. Built in 2021, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,500 square feet of living area. It sold for $374,000 in 2021.
POLO RUN
William Kurt Mackintosh, trustee, of Bradenton, sold the home at 17339 Blue Ridge Place to Minghan Situ and Siu Shuk Tam, of Bradenton, for $480,000. Built in 2020, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,006 square feet of living area. It sold for $347,000 in 2020.
EDGEWATER
of Bradenton, for $432,000. Built in 1988, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,138 square feet of living area. It sold for $230,000 in 2013.
TARA Maurice Harlow Manahan and Jean Marie Manahan, trustees, of Bradenton, sold the home at 6445 Rookery Circle to Joel King, of Bradenton, for $380,000. Built in 2003, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,662 square feet of living area. It sold for $224,000 in 2003.
COACH HOMES AT CUDDY COVE
Tara Tavakoli, of Bradenton, and Majid and Robaba Tavakoli, of Delray Beach, sold their Unit 301 condominium at 115 Red Fox Court to Frank Preston Skipper Jr. and Julane Lee Skipper, of Colleyville, Texas, for $375,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,786 square feet of living area. It sold for $302,000 in 2021.
HARMONY
Dorothy Roehr sold her home at 8426 Idlewood Court to Thomas Halberda, of Lakewood Ranch, for $477,500. Built in 1998, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,586 square feet of living area. It sold for $151,500 in 1998.
VERANDA AT LAKEWOOD NATIONAL
Jerry Lee Allen and Cathy Allen, trustees, of Danville, Indiana, sold the Unit 326 condominium at 5538 Palmer Circle to Paul Hannan, of Land O’Lakes for $460,000. Built in 2017, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,462 square feet of living area. It sold for $275,000 in 2020.
SONOMA
Daniel Marchiando, of Bradenton, sold his home at 8156 Villa Grande Court to Gregory and Faith Lykens, of Sarasota, for $445,000. Built in 2007, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,121 square feet of living area. It sold for $248,000 in 2010.
WEDGEWOOD
Matthew Young, as Plenary Guardian, and Kathleen Phillips, of Parrish, sold the home at 5125 Wedge Court E. to Patrick Percival Diiorio,
Kory Lee, of Sarasota, sold his home at 11818 Sky Acres Terrace to 308 Love Lane LLC for $365,000. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,747 square feet of living area. It sold for $394,000 in 2023.
TERRACE AT RIVER STRAND Scott Hutter and Mary Hutter, trustees, of Bradenton, sold the Unit 2631 condominium at 6519 Grand Estuary Trail to John Joseph Coyle III and Morgan Shae Birch, of Philadelphia, for $335,000. Built in 2015, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,297 square feet of living area. It sold for $380,000 in 2022.
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