Whole Health, a holistic and integrative clinic, cut the ribbon on a new, shared office space in the Center Point Plaza on Jan. 28. Dr. Melinda Hierholzer’s Whole Health Pediatrics and Dr. Eden Yelverton’s Her Health Gynecology have combined forces to offer care to both women and children.
About 50 people attended the ceremony to celebrate the partnership.
The 2,122-square-foot facility features four exam rooms and a laboratory. The offices are equipped to do minor in-office procedures and dispense common medications for the patients’ convenience. The office also offers high quality nutritional supplements.
In the swing at Waterside
The playground at Waterside Place has become a hot spot for families to take their kids to enjoy the outdoors.
Theresa Coleman said she appreciates the facilities and what they offer for children. She enrolled her 2-year-old daughter, Lily, in a youth soccer league held at Waterside and takes her out to the playground at least once a week.
“I think it’s a great resource for kids to let out some energy in a healthy way,” Coleman said. “It’s probably good for crime, too. If you raise kids to have well-rounded interests when they’re young, later on they’ll probably be meaningful members of society because of having access to resources like this.”
Lily and Theresa were one of several families who enjoyed the playground on Monday.
County dumps housing plans near landfill
Lesley Dwyer
Paul and Jennifer Messal can’t wait for the racket
Courtesy image
Vinnie Portell
New commission chips away at old issues
Developments east of county utilities, fluoride in the water and speeding tickets are all on track to be limited.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
Since the Manatee County Commission gained three new members in November, there’s been a shift in key policies.
From wetland buffers to impact fees, the board is exploring new ground with Commission Chair George Kruse leading the way.
The latest move by the newly formed board will repeal a comprehensive plan amendment that allowed development east of the Future Development Area Boundary.
Commissioner Carol Felts made the motion Jan. 28, which was approved unanimously.
The original agenda item that led to the motion was the discussion of a building moratorium in District 5, which was brought up by the district’s commissioner, Dr. Bob McCann.
McCann was clear that he didn’t want to vote right away. He wanted a discussion with commissioners and the public, then the builders.
The next day, McCann’s assistant, Ed Bailey, said Schroeder-Manatee Ranch CEO Rex Jensen had reached out to set up a meeting. Bailey was instructed to send invitations to Pat Neal and Carlos Beruff next.
McCann has a space reserved on the Feb. 4 meeting agenda to revisit the issue and raise a motion.
But in the moment, it was after 10 p.m., and Felts wanted to have “something to show” for a meeting that was headed into its 12th hour.
The board did not have the authority to amend the comprehensive plan
MORE FROM THE MEETING
Commissioners covered a lot of topics in over 14 hours. Here are a few more of the highlights.
■ The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development granted Manatee County more than $252 million for disaster relief in low to moderate income areas.
■ Commissioners unanimously passed a motion to adjust speed enforcement in school zones. Now, tickets will only be issued when the lights are flashing during drop off and pickup hours.
■ In a 5-2 vote, with commissioners Tal Siddique and Mike Rahn opposed, commissioners decided that all new developments will be required to hold a neighborhood workshop.
on the spot, but when the proper steps have been followed and the policy is removed, developers will no longer be able to present the board with projects east of the FDAB.
The FDAB marks where county utilities stop, and thus marks where development stops as well.
Two projects, Taylor Ranch and East River Ranch, were approved in 2023 because the prior commission voted to allow development east of the FDAB. Each project will add nearly 5,000 homes to the area.
While he was in favor of Felts’ motion, McCann’s focus stayed true to a moratorium.
“This is going to offend some people,” he said, “But this is what the people in my district want.”
Citizens have also been vocal about wanting the findings to be released from an investigation about the causes of flooding surrounding
Hurricane Debby. Kruse said both topics will be covered during a work session Feb. 19.
Brittany Lamont, president of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance, was keeping an eye on the possible moratorium for the business community.
McCann said his target is residential development, but Lamont said it’s important for the thousands of businesses in the greater Lakewood Ranch area to have a voice in the collective conversation.
By the time the board got to the discussion after 10 p.m., the chambers were all but empty. Only one
citizen remained, and he was not there to talk about building.
FLUORIDE ON THE FLOOR
The other major discussion brought to the floor was in regards to fluoride. Should the county stop adding it to the water supply?
Dentists supporting both sides of the argument pleaded their cases, which were both essentially moot because the county’s fluoridation system has been broken since 2021.
Commissioner Amanda Ballard didn’t know that when she added the item to the agenda. She wanted to carry on with the discussion because the ordinance on record requires the county to add fluoride to the water.
The board will have to vote in an upcoming meeting to decide if the county should reinvest in fluoridation or stop it all together and change the ordinance.
Deputy County Administrator Evan Pilachowski said it would cost $2 million and take a year to replace the current system, or $1.5 million and three years to upgrade to a “superior” system.
The main argument against fluoride was a lowered IQ in children, and the main argument for it was the prevention of tooth decay. Studies that favor either argument can be found.
However, the conversation
brought up more issues than just oral health. Jen Hamey, former candidate for District 1, wanted to know what happened to the over $500,000 a year that Ballard said was spent on fluoride injections.
Ballard said it costs, on average, $1.23 per citizen per year for fluoridation, but she got that information from an outside source.
Pilachowski said if the county decides to resume fluoride injections, they would cost between $60,000 to $80,000 per year.
But the question was raised as to how commissioners weren’t aware the fluoride system has been broken for four years.
The 2023 Water Quality Report on the county’s website shows only naturally occurring levels of fluoride were reported in samples taken from Jan. 23 through Dec. 23, 2023. Yet the report has the “likely source of contamination” listed as a “water additive.”
“I was actually relieved to hear we haven’t been fluoridating the water for the last four years,” Myakka City’s Elizabeth Arnold said. “But I was a little concerned to hear that the whole commission only just found out that the system was broken for the last four years, and it makes me wonder what else is going wrong with our water.”
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
Commissioners Tal Siddique, George Kruse and Dr. Bob McCann listen to a caller during the Jan. 28 commission meeting.
Dr. Steve Tinsworth, a local dentist, is pro fluoride, but he takes a look at the opposition’s information during the Jan. 28 commission meeting.
MUSGRAVE PROPERTY could revert to county services
Expanding landfill’s lifespan, county needs take precedence over housing.
TAX COLLECTOR MOVES EAST
Tax Collector East Manatee Branch, 10705
Technology Terrace
Kruse offered the tax collector’s office as an example of how Manatee County is already shifting east.
“The tax collector moved his headquarters to Lakewood Ranch,” he said. “The midpoint of the population is this side of Interstate 75.”
Tax Collector Ken Burton Jr. already had an office in Lakewood Ranch, but in September 2024, the Lakewood Ranch and North River offices merged into the East Manatee Branch.
The larger branch offers more service stations, road testing and a registration renewal kiosk inside the lobby.
Kruse said sending people downtown, which has limited parking, will only work for so long. At some point, county services will have to meet the population where it is. It’s just a matter of when.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
District 3 is on the opposite side of Manatee County, yet one East County parcel has drawn attention from back-to-back District 3 commissioners — the 161 acres near the Lena Road landfill.
Former District 3 Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge slammed the county’s purchase during his 2020 campaign and told the Observer again in July 2023 the county had overpaid for it. He doubted the county could even get its purchase price of $32.5 million back if the land was put back on the market.
Now, Tal Siddique, the new District 3 commissioner, has brought attention back to the property. During the Jan. 28 commission meeting, Siddique’s discussion of the topic led commissioners to unanimously vote to keep the land for future use.
The former dairy farm was purchased by Manatee County in 2020 from Musgrave Real Estate Holdings with the intent to build a county complex that included a transfer station for the landfill. By 2022, the property was rezoned from Suburban Agriculture to Planned Development/Mixed Use and placed on the county’s list of surplus properties.
In January 2024, the county published an Intent to Negotiate. That March, the county reviewed four proposals, and negotiations with D.R. Horton began thereafter.
The developer proposed a purchase price of $35 million that would result in a mixed-use project with more than 600 residential units. The county would have retained 11 acres for a warehouse.
The county’s original plans for the land included a property and evidence warehouse for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, plus a fleet maintenance facility for the Sheriff’s Office, field operation facilities for the Utilities and Public Works departments, a district office, a transfer station and an optional EMS station.
Siddique’s reasons to keep the property coincide with the staff’s reasons to buy the property in 2020.
The population of Manatee County has shifted east, and the property can extend the lifespan of the Lena Road Landfill.
“I believe by 2030, we were supposed to have the population we have now,” Siddique said. “For me, we have to serve the county where (the people) are now, and they’re east and north.”
Deciding to keep the property was a first step. However, Siddique has the same concerns as his predecessor about building on the property. Costs to build anything, let alone a county complex, have significantly increased since the property was first purchased. Van Ostenbridge estimated buildout costs at $100 million in 2020 and said the number probably increased by another $50 million since. Siddique wants to see a facilities plan from county staff members. He
suspects any plan will have to take a phased approach.
“Unfortunately, we’ve delayed this for four years,” he said. “We’ve got to start somewhere though.”
Siddique’s top priorities are emergency services and the landfill. He said the hurricanes “significantly impacted” the lifespan of the Lena Road Landfill.
The landfill is currently measuring its capacity and will have a lifespan update by March. As of August 2023, the landfill was estimated to have another 15 years left.
Utilities Director Patrick Shea said 70,000 cubic yards of debris were deposited into the landfill from August to November. One cubic yard is about the size of a dishwasher.
In January, the county reported collecting more than 2.6 million cubic yards of debris, which was enough to fill Raymond James Stadium more than twice, but most of that debris was hauled to a site in DeSoto County.
Plans for a Sheriff’s Office substation were moved from Lena Road to Premier Sports Campus North, but Siddique would like to see some type of emergency services on the site, whether that be the substation or an EMS station.
He called emergency response times in the area “terrible.” Siddique did a ride-along with a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputy and said servicing east and north counties from the current substation on Rangeland Parkway is a “miserable drive.”
PLANS CHANGE
Commissioner George Kruse agrees that county services need to shift east, but since the county isn’t losing money on the land, he’s not in a hurry to start building.
When the property was first purchased, Kruse thought it was overpriced, but he was mainly opposed to how the deal was done.
He said the purchase was pushed
“At some point, we’re going to need it because there’s no more land. Where are you going to find 100-plus acres anywhere on this side of the Future Development Area Boundary? You’re not.”
— Commissioner George Kruse
through, without proper due diligence, before a new board was seated, which included himself, Van Ostenbridge and former Commissioner James Satcher.
Days after the new commissioners were sworn into office in 2020, Van Ostenbridge called for then-County Administrator Cheri Coryea’s resignation. He cited the land purchase as an example of her mismanagement.
In February 2021, Coryea signed a separation agreement with the county. Since then, the facilities that were aimed for Lena Road have been relocated.
Utilities moved into a new 20,806-square-foot building off Cortez Road in March 2024, and a new 27,000-square-foot fleet maintenance facility for the Sheriff’s Office is anticipated to open by the end of the year off Buckeye Road in Palmetto.
Another 45,000-square-foot building is set to open in August off Ninth Street West that will house a property and evidence warehouse, the Crime Scene Unit, Fingerprint
Unit and a chemistry lab for the Sheriff’s Office.
The current Sheriff’s Office substation is in an interim space on the corner of Rangeland Parkway and Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and will remain there until a 5,000-squarefoot station is built at Premier Sports Campus North.
Although there may not be an immediate need for facilities, commissioners were unanimous in their vote that there is no need for residential in the area.
According to Kruse, the board was open to commercial development on the land, but it became clear through the ITN that only residential developers were interested.
“We don’t want to put more residential over there,” he said. “And we certainly don’t want to facilitate putting more residential there by selling county-owned property to single-family homebuilders.”
Staff members have also devised a plan to extend the life of the 316-acre landfill without the need for a transfer station.
In 2020, Coryea said the land purchase could extend the landfill’s lifespan by six years.
In 2023, Deputy Director Evan Pilachowski said it was possible to extend the lifespan up to 21 years by removing fill dirt from areas that were previously closed and by changing the slopes to utilize the remaining air space.
“The value (in the land) isn’t there, so we’re better off keeping it,” Kruse said. “At some point, we’re going to need it because there’s no more land. Where are you going to find 100-plus acres anywhere on this side of the Future Development Area Boundary? You’re not.”
Commissioner Tal Siddique presents a rendering Jan. 28 of possible uses for the property that include facilities for Public Works, Natural Resources, Utilities, Animal Services and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
Courtesy rendering
Lesley Dwyer
District 3 Commissioner Tal Siddique wants to see the 161 acres off of Lena Road be used for county facilities as originally intended when purchased for $32.5 million in 2020.
This is a rendering of the fleet facility for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
Park project breaks ground
Area swimmers, pickleball players expected to have a new home by 2026.
aul Messal said it is
for Manatee County’s groundbreaking ceremony for the Athletics and Aquatics Center at Premier Sports Campus North on Jan. 30.
The project was first discussed in 2017 by Schroeder-Manatee Ranch when it sold the property to Manatee County. Part of the agreement was that an aquatics center would
be built within five years.
The Messals’ daughter, Reese, was 9 years old then. Now, she’s 17. Before buying her a car at 16, her parents had to carefully consider gas mileages and safety features.
Reese Messal is a competitive swimmer for the Tsunami Swim Team. She drives back and forth on Interstate 75 from Greyhawk Landing to Sarasota’s Arlington Park six days a week, sometimes twice a day, to practice in the 50-meter pool.
She won’t benefit from the new pool at Premier, but her little brother, Cooper, is still a freshman.
The center is slated to open by late summer or fall 2026.
“It’s a game changer for us and many (Tsunami Swim Team families),” Paul Messal said. “It will absolutely affect our week-to-week life.”
In addition to a 50-meter pool, the 44,000-square-foot athletics center will feature a therapy pool, 24
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
Commissioner George Kruse welcomes the attendees. Behind him is the future site of the Athletics and Aquatics Center.
GEOTHERMAL YARD
This feature isn’t as flashy as the 50-meter pool itself, but swimmers will appreciate it nonetheless. The pool will be cooled and heated by a 40-foot-by-40-foot geothermal yard.
County staff described how it works by email.
“A groundwater well circulates water through heat exchangers to regulate the pool temperature, and the water is returned underground. The consistent temperature of the groundwater helps regulate the temperature of the pool water.”
The geothermal yard will cost approximately $1 million.
The U.S. Department of Energy reports that the installation price can be “several times” that of a traditional heating and cooling system, but the energy savings make up for it in five to 10 years. The lifespan of the system is 50-plus years.
pickleball courts, restrooms, locker rooms and walking trails.
Pickleball courts are another amenity East County residents have been asking for since the property was purchased. The only other public courts are at Lakewood Ranch Park, but there are only six, which is not enough to hold a tournament.
The Lakewood Ranch Pickleball Club has to host its Sandhill Classic tournament at G.T. Bray Park, where there are 20 courts.
But the center is not only catering to competitive athletes. Commissioner Bob McCann said it will feature programs that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, so the entire community can enjoy the amenities.
Jennifer Messal was a swim instructor. From a safety standpoint, she’s glad all East County kids will have access to a place where they can learn to swim.
WHY THE WAIT?
The county planned to have this center built by 2022, according to its
agreement with SMR. County staff said the focus shifted north to the Lincoln Aquatic Center in Palmetto, then the pandemic hit.
Commissioner George Kruse said it’s also a simple case of too many opinions. From the first design in 2021, the project has spanned three different boards.
Kruse defended the county, too, as he pointed his finger to the Lakewood Ranch Library on the other side of the parking lot.
“That didn’t exist when I got on
the board (in 2020),” he said. “Things did happen.”
Plans for the athletic center underwent several revisions, and it wasn’t just commissioners who offered input. Local swim teams also helped shape the county’s plans.
When staff originally proposed a 25-meter pool in 2021, the teams banned together and started a petition that asked commissioners for a 50-meter pool.
Plans to include the original 25-meter pool, plus a 50-meter pool
with diving boards and a therapy pool were presented to commissioners and the public in April 2023. The racket side of the center included an additional 14 hard-surface tennis courts, and the parking lot accommodated 500 cars.
The price had ballooned from $18.4 million to $39 million. Just four months later, the plans were 30% complete and the estimated cost was up to $42 million.
Staff told commissioners in December 2023 that cuts were necessary.
The 25-meter pool and tennis courts were nixed. The locker rooms and pool deck were scaled back and the parking lot shrank from 500 spaces to 166.
The 50-meter pool and 24 pickleball courts, 14 of which will be covered, remained.
In December, the county executed a contract with Tandem Construction to complete the project within 567 calendar days at a maximum price of $44,228,316.60.
McCann said the day’s groundbreaking was just the start for the recreation complex.
“(Commissioners) had a briefing this morning, and (staff) is already talking about expanding this park,” he said.
The most recent plans for the overall park include a substation for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
Located inside our massive Matter Brothers Furniture
showroom on Clark Road in Sarasota.
Officials break ground on Premier Sports Campus North.
Courtesy image
The Athletics and Aquatics Center at Premier Sports Campus North is expected to be complete by summer 2026.
JIM DELA
DIGITAL CONTENT PRODUCER
The Sarasota County Commission
Jan. 28 approved rezoning more than 2,200 acres east of Lorraine Road, a major step in plans for a southeast expansion of Lakewood Ranch.
The land between University Parkway and Fruitville Road was previously classified as Open Use Rural and Open Use Agriculture.
Despite public comments running solidly against the development, commissioners voted 3-2 to rezone the acreage as Residential, SingleFamily-2, paving the way for the project to continue.
Open Use Rural zoning allows up to one unit per 10 acres, while Open Use Agriculture zoning allows up to one unit per 160 acres. Residential, Single-Family-2 zoning allows three-and-a-half units per acre.
The acreage was divided into two separate rezoning requests for the county to consider. In both cases, commissioners Joe Nuender, Teresa Mast and Ron Cutsinger voted in favor, citing confidence in Lakewood Ranch’s track record in developing master-planned communities.
Commissioners Mark Smith and Tom Knight dissented, pointing to concerns about stormwater management and effects on area wetlands, as well as the effects of added traffic on an already overburdened Fruitville Road.
The decisions involved about half of a 4,100-acre parcel of land northeast of Old Miakka in Sarasota County already owned by Schroeder-Manatee Ranch Inc., the developer of Lakewood Ranch.
Ultimately, the project, called Lakewood Ranch Southeast, could include up to 5,000 new homes and
will extend the boundaries of Lakewood Ranch further east along Fruitville Road.
Requests to rezone the remainder of the land are expected in the coming months.
LAWSUIT ENDS IN SMR’S FAVOR
A day after the county approved the rezoning, Schroeder-Manatee Ranch got another piece of news — the Florida Second District Court of Appeals ruled in its favor in a lawsuit brought by two Old Miakka residents.
“Schroeder-Manatee Ranch has successfully defended its right to extend the vision of Lakewood Ranch,” the organization said in a news release Wednesday.
Michael Hutchinson and Eileen Fitzgerald had sued to halt the expansion. They argued, in part, that new construction goes against the county’s Comprehensive Plan, which pledges to maintain and protect agriculture.
SMR won the case, and Hutchinson and Eileen Fitzgerald filed an appeal. A week after oral arguments were made to the three-judge panel, the appeals court issued a ruling affirming the lower court’s decision.
Moratorium madness
‘Overdevelopment’ is not the problem in Manatee, and a moratorium is certainly not the answer.
ll
Awould have taken was one phone call to Sam Staley. Building moratoria, he told us, “are really bad ideas.”
Staley knows this well. He is the director of the DeVoe Moore Center in the College of Social Science and Public Policy at Florida State University. He is widely known nationally and in Florida for his expertise on economic development, land use and regulation, urban policy, economic development, public-private partnerships, growth management, transportation and regulatory reform.
When we informed Staley of Manatee County commissioners Robert McCann and Carol Felts pursuing a building moratorium in their districts, Staley responded: “They are a sledgehammer trying to pound a finishing nail — more likely to destroy the nail than drive it in for its intended purpose.”
Twenty years ago, Staley penned a commentary on moratoria for the Reason Foundation, where he was a senior fellow. The headline and subheadline tell it all.
Headline: “Moratoria on growth signal failure of planning.”
Subheadline: “Moratoria are bold evidence of poor political leadership.”
Staley’s commentary went on to say: “Sound infrastructure planning also isn’t a short-term fix. It’s a long-term process that requires diligence, commitment and professionalism. This is why growth moratoria are unsuited to solving a community’s infrastructure problems.
“Moratoria have to be short to avoid becoming a government ‘taking’ — a seizure of private property requiring compensation to private landowners. They typically span a year or less. That’s not enough time for a long-term planning process to correct past wrongs.
“Moreover, moratoria may add to local problems if they put communities at risk to lawsuits or investment falls dramatically because developers scoot off to more hospitable (and usually greener) pastures.
“When does a growth moratorium make sense? Rarely, and only as a last resort.”
Commissioners McCann and Felts repeatedly make the claim “my constituents want a moratorium.” They don’t really know that to be true. McCann says the 41,700 people who voted for him is proof.
Sure, there are many who say they want a moratorium. But if they thought through the consequences, they probably would ask what McCann and Felts should be asking:
1) Is there really a lack of infrastructure for what exists and to accommodate additional homebuilding?
2) What are the consequences of a moratorium? And, 3) What are options beside a moratorium?
■ #1: Lack of infrastructure.
McCann cites the flooding that occurred after Hurricane Debby, making it sound as if flooding is a constant problem in Lakewood Ranch. Debby was a once-in-500years occurrence. What’s more, we quoted 25- and 30-year residents of Lakewood Ranch who said Debby was the one and only time they have seen floods in Lakewood Ranch.
And, if McCann had ventured to visit with Schroeder-Manatee Ranch CEO Rex Jensen and his staff, he would learn that Lakewood Ranch has gone far beyond what is required with its roads, drainage and sewers. Flooding is not a major issue.
■ #2: The consequences of a moratorium.
First, can anyone think of the upside benefits to a construction moratorium? Sure, residents
One tyrant for another?
There’s a saying about American elections. After the votes are counted, all we have done is swapped one set of tyrants for another. That comes to mind after seeing how the pendulum has swung on the Manatee County Commission. Oh, the poor taxpayers. It’s going to be another long four years. When the 2024 votes were counted, Manatee taxpayers ousted the aggressive, arch-conservative, limited-government, pro-business, sometimes tyrannical Kevin Van Ostenbridge from District 3, and in exchange, chose an unknown populist, Robert McCann from District 5. Granted, it’s early to put McCann in a behavioral box. But after observing his presentations at the past two commission meetings, you get the sense he sees himself as the “I’m pretty smart” Big Shot legislator. It’s like watching on C-Span a puffed-up U.S. senator bloviating at a Senate confirmation hearing. Watch the video of his 20-minute ramblings at the Jan. 28 County Commission meeting (YouTube. com/Watch?V=V6WLSoOqYjc). Take note of attitude and tone.
This was McCann’s big moment. He was to explain his calling for a residential building moratorium in his district, which encompasses all of the Manatee portion of Lakewood Ranch.
“That’s my district,” McCann began, pounding his stack of papers on his desktop, as a map was projected on the commission monitors. Throughout his remarks, he
repeatedly pounds his papers. It’s either a tick or an attempt to send the Al Haig message that he is in power and the smartest and cleverest person in the room — or, at least on the dais.
“Get comfortable,” he began.
“Bring your boat. We got a guy who can help you park it.” What?
A pause, and then he goes on.
“Everybody knows that I am humble, lovable and gun shy.” (Was that a joke? Not from the look on his face.) “I need to start speaking up. Don’t get much press, so I’ll start writing my own Substack. Because I want to be twice as good as anybody else who is out there, I think I’ll call it ‘For lack of a fourth.’”
What is McCann talking about?
His glib quips fell flat. No one laughed. Then more …
“I’m going to answer questions today: Why? Can I get support?
What is a moratorium? I’ll get there in a roundabout way. OK, if you don’t want a roundabout, all you gotta do is call Rex Jensen and the red shirts, and they’ll change it to
who have their homes and don’t want any more near them would be thrilled to stop construction. But watch out what you wish for.
They would quickly learn the consequences of a moratorium affect everyone — negatively.
No construction equals loss of jobs (contractors, trades, building suppliers; every place where all those workers and their families spend their weekly earnings).
No residential construction means higher housing prices. Limit supply in the face of growing demand, that’s Econ 101. There already is a shortage of workforce housing; stopping construction would make a bad situation worse.
Home prices would rise not only in Lakewood Ranch. They would increase all over. Contracting supply always drives up prices.
What’s more, if McCann thinks there are too many cars on the roads now, what does he think will happen when the employees of Lakewood Ranch businesses can find affordable housing only in Parrish, Duette or Wauchula? They’ll crowd the roads even more.
This defies logic as well: to shut off Manatee County government’s taxpaying money tree. Take a look at the accompanying box summarizing the fiscal impact of Lakewood Ranch. It makes no sense to halt success.
Halting success is also damaging to future success. Capital flows where it is welcome. When politicians impose moratoria and more restrictions and regulations that interfere with a market-driven economy, investors, business owners, corporations and developers go elsewhere. It takes years to wipe away a bad, anti-growth reputation. Just ask the founders of the Argus Foundation in Sarasota County.
Argus came about in 1982 to defeat a referendum in Sarasota County calling for a construction moratorium. Business leaders and owners coalesced and educated voters on the damage a moratorium would cause. Voters rejected
a street light for you.” (Pounds his papers.) “But these roundabouts are now going to go up. We’ve got 16 of them coming up. That’s great.”
No laughs.
Later: “Lakewood Ranch. I don’t know much about that, but looking at the name. After Debby, I found the lake. After Milton, I found the wood. I still can’t find the ranch.” …
“SMR has won many awards for development, but no awards for flooded homes, traffic congestion, bankrupt individuals or ruined dreams.”
And on and on. It was as painful as watching a young comedian bomb on his debut.
More than halfway into his riff, McCann gets around to the subject of moratorium.
“The builders want to build houses. They want to put those houses in before we have roads, before we have stormwater drains, before we even have the river cleaned out.
“Rex Jensen said, ‘I would really like to avoid a moratorium.’ If he is serious about coming to the table and working out what we can do together, I am going to send him an engraved invitation. He knows where the office is; so does Pat Neal; so does Carlos Beruff.
“I’d like to see all of them. I’d like to start this dialogue. They had this dialogue in Palm Beach, and they avoided a moratorium.”
By the end of his lecture, McCann issued another snarky invitation: “I hope Rex Jensen is listening. I would like you to come to my office. I’ll have my aide contact you. And if we can actually get a good dialogue, that would be fantastic. If you want to trade insults, we can do that too.”
We are recounting all of this to illustrate the opening point — trading one tyrant for another and what
Source: Fishkind & Associates
the moratorium. But for 20 years thereafter, Sarasota County had a widespread reputation as one of the worst places in Florida to deal with county government on development issues and business climate.
In that vein, the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance and Manatee Chamber of Commerce should speak forcefully against any moratoria. While their message may sound self-serving and selfish, surely the other five county commissioners recognize the importance of a vibrant local economy and how population growth fuels a healthy economy.
What’s done is done. Call it poor political leadership in the past. So learn from it. The charge for the new Manatee County Commission is to determine the best path forward and not halt success.
That path is not a moratorium. And it’s not demonizing Lakewood Ranch or the region’s homebuilders.
There are better options. Commissioner George Kruse voiced a few options at the Jan. 28 meeting — full impact fees; a supermajority vote for any comprehensive land changes. Likewise, Pat Neal, CEO/ owner of Neal Communities, is ready to present multiple options that are far from the destructiveness of a moratorium — privatepublic road partnerships, half-cent sales tax and state appropriations.
In spite of the accusation, Manatee County is not suffering from “overdevelopment.” It’s growing, and that’s wonderful. Population growth is essential to the flourishing of prosperity.
What’s more, population growth will not stop. This is Florida, a growth state for 100 years. So prepare for it, commissioners. Your job is like that of the owners of a fastgrowing business whose demand for your products is outstripping your ability to supply them.
Raise the capital you need; charge rational prices for your goods and services and speed up production. Growth is good. Moratoria are bad.
happens when people impressed with themselves get power.
Who is the servant here? Who is serving whom?
McCann repeatedly says he ran a “people-first” campaign. He makes the claim — unsubstantiated with proven data — that the 41,700 people who voted for him all want a building moratorium.
But with his remarks, McCann clearly distinguished and established a we-they confrontation when he said Jensen, Neal and Beruff know where his office is and wants them to come to his office.
And, what is this? “If you want to trade insults, we can do that too.”
What a great way to set the stage.
If McCann sees himself as a public servant for the people, he owes everyone equal respect. Jensen, Neal and Beruff are no different than any of the other District 5 voters and constituents.
Rather than immediately cast them as enemies, create confrontation and grandstand on the commission dais with a jerk attitude, McCann could have ingratiated himself with all voters and with Jensen, Neal and Beruff by being a learner. Before dropping his moratorium grenade in early January, McCann could have and should have been the one to go to them.
Be the public servant who goes to constituents to learn and understand their perspectives and possible alternatives; talk to economists and others to understand the potential consequences of a moratorium.
Power always corrupts. Instead, an effective public servant works to collaborate … To bring people together, not tear them apart. An effective public servant is an exemplar of humility.
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MATT WALSH
File photo Commissioner Robert McCann
Transparency remains a cloudy issue
Manatee
it comes to the Manatee County Commission.
But it also was another sign that things still have a long ways to go.
Voters showed in August and November they have the power for change if they collectively get involved. Now that they have changed the makeup of the board, it’s no time to fall back asleep. The celebration at Premier should have been a reminder of a few less pleasant things. You can start with a lack of transparency.
A park is made up of the sum of its parts. G.T. Bray on the west side of the county is a gem and the watermark when it came time to plan a park on the east side, where growth has demanded a similar type of facility. Look at G.T. Bray’s list of amenities, which includes an amphitheater, baseball fields, basketball courts, disc golf, a dog park, trails, a fitness center, a football field, horseshoe courts, multipurpose fields, pavilions, pickleball courts, picnic tables, playgrounds, a pool, a recreation center, skate park, clay tennis courts, soccer fields and more.
By the time the aquatics and pickleball complex opens at Premier, almost 10 years will have passed since the county bought the property from Schroeder-Manatee Ranch. The question now is what’s next?
This is not a difficult question, and for goodness sakes, the county has had a decade to think about it.
When commissioners ran for their seats in 2024, one thing we heard as voters was there was going to be more transparency in our government. Yet, when the county is
asked about its plans for Premier, all we get is “We’ll tell you later.”
It all smacks of “We will let you know what’s good for you when we’re ready.”
The aquatics center is a great example of what is wrong with that way of doing business.
In 2021, the aquatics center at Premier was unveiled as a $13.6 million project that was more of a recreational facility with 25-meter lanes. In 2023, the lanes doubled in length to be a competition pool, and the price tag then swelled to $39 million.
Since then, the design has scrapped a diving well that had been planned, even though swim coaches in the area said it would be important when it came to attracting the type of events the facility was designed to draw. The price tag settled at $44.2 million.
Wouldn’t it have saved a lot of time and money if the process had
greater transparency from the very beginning?
The current commissioners are working to give their constituents greater access to their government and its inner workings. It is up to you, the voter, to take advantage, and not to settle for “We will tell you later.”
Demand answers, and it is likely you will get them.
So the question of the day is ... why would we trust the security gates of our communities to let in emergency workers when they so often keep the residents locked out?
If you are like me, you have those evenings when it’s been a long day and you are looking forward to that glass of wine and soft chair on the lanai. Unfortunately, you can’t get through your own gate.
You’ve been there, too. Haven’t you?
You pull up to your gate, and that sensor on the windshield fails to connect with the sensor on the gate. The front end of your car nudges up to the gate, and nothing happens. By the time you realize your gate system has failed once again, there are two cars behind you in line and you can’t back up.
Now you have to ask the drivers behind you to back up so you can circle around and try the gate system again. Oh joy.
Once again, it fails, so this time you circle around, but this time you go to the speaker. You know the one.
“Push this button for help.”
And you push, and you push, and you push.
Aaaarrrrrgggghhhhh!!!!
I grew up in a farming region, so the only gates I dealt with were to keep the cows in. I had to move up in the world to be locked out of my own neighborhood. Now I enjoy that treat all the time.
So, back to the question of the day. If emergency workers can be assured quick entrance to my community, how do I get that system for my car?
I am sure you have your own stories of entry-gate pain. Let me share some of my favorites.
Have you attended an event at Lakewood Ranch Country Club, and not being a Country Club resident, then had difficultly getting out of the neighborhood?
It has happened to me more than once. It’s dark and easy to get turned around when you aren’t familiar with the streets, so I put my address in the GPS. I am then directed to a gate that doesn’t open to let people out. Yes, that’s right. Out.
So then the search begins for a gate that will open from the inside.
Or how about this one?
You scheduled the plumber to
be at your home at 3 p.m., and your pipes are leaking at 4 p.m. You eventually find out that even though you left the plumber’s information with your security company, he couldn’t get through the gates.
Or what about ... ?
Your sister is visiting from Vermont, but after driving from the airport, she can’t get through your gates even though her name is supposed to be permanently on your list. It’s OK, though, because you will be home in three or four hours.
Or ...
You are visiting a friend, and you stop by the kiosk to give the information, then get cut off by a vehicle that goes around you toward the gate. The gate closes and you have to start all over.
OK, I am venting, but I believe in misery loves company. I am here if you want to vent as well. Send your gate stories to JHeater@YourObserver.com.
I would note that I have, indeed, imagined myself in one of those old “Rockford Files” shows where James Garner would drive his car right through the locked gates. Looks pretty cool. Unfortunately, someone from my neighborhood tried that strategy a few months ago, and in our HOA notes it said the resident was being sued for more than $20,000. If it was $500, I would be tempted.
And I used to think the pearly gates were the toughest to get through.
Jay Heater is the managing editor for the East County Observer. Contact him at JHeater@ YourObserver.com.
Lesley Dwyer
Members of the Tsunami Swim Team and the Knights of Columbus toss some dirt at the site of the future Athletics and Aquatics Center at Premier Sports Campus North.
This effort is an open book
SCREEN TIME USE AMONG ADOLESCENTS
The National Center for Health Statistics surveyed
VINNIE PORTELL STAFF WRITER
Teachers say they must employ some creativity if they want to give their students a reason to divert some of their screen time to the pages of a book.
The staff at Myakka City Elementary School has tried a variety of methods to win its students’ attention against screen-time entertainment.
One of those efforts is an annual Literacy Night event the school hosted Jan. 30.
“Just having their hands on an actual book instead of a device is so key,” said Myakka City Elementary Principal Carol Ricks. “Just being able to have conversations and that rich language and vocabulary helps kids.”
Finding a way to encourage stu-
dents to embrace reading isn’t an issue unique to Myakka City.
The New York Times reported Jan. 29 that the National Assessment of Educational Progress released historically low data for struggling readers across the country.
According to the NAEP, 33% of eighth grade students are “below basic” reading level while 40% of fourth graders are behind pace — the
lowest marks in each category in over 20 years.
Though there is no evidence-based information to show what exactly is the reason for the lower marks, increased screen time and learning lapses caused by the pandemic have been suggested by educators.
Some instructors have adopted the “if you can’t beat them, join them” strategy.
Myakka City allows students to use ClassDojo, an application that includes a game called “Dojo Islands,” in which students learn through play.
The book fair explored the excitement generated by technology, too, selling marker cases that look like cellphones, and books of the popular “Dog Man” series.
“We sell these little things and it looks like a phone, and they all want it because it looks like a phone, but it has markers in it,” Myakka City media specialist Elizabeth Harris said. “But they go, ‘Oh, I wish it was a real phone.’ That’s what we fight.”
Myakka City’s Literacy Night was a two-hour event that featured second grade teachers Maureen Geary and Karen Washington reading books to the students, music teacher Kate Cline leading a musical read-aloud, and students shopping at a Scholastic book fair.
Washington said that while it is fair to say that screen time is a concern when students are away from school, that’s not as much of a problem when they are in a classroom and can’t access a cell phone or tablet.
“I’ve had a lot of these kids since kindergarten because I taught kindergarten and then moved up to second (grade),” said Washington, who is in her 41st year of teaching. “They’ve always enjoyed stories. Stories calm them when they’re getting wild and they kind of need some downtime. They love it because people don’t read to their children as often as they used to.”
Maureen Geary reads “Fractured Fairytales” and asks questions to Myakka City Elementary students and their family members who attended Literacy Night on Jan. 30.
Photos by Vinnie Portell
Graphic
Myakka City Elementary School
media specialist Elizabeth Harris said.
Myakka City Elementary students Xavier Freeman and Maclin
COMING SOON TO LAKEWOOD RANCH: Vibrant Senior Living!
Emerson Lakes Is Now Accepting Reservations.
Our first phase of construction is now underway. It includes the beautiful Coral Ridge Clubhouse and three residence buildings: Sandhill Point, anticipated to open in the fall of 2026, followed by Laguna Springs and Mangrove Run, opening in the first half of 2027.
At Emerson Lakes, Every Day Is a Holiday
Here are just a few resort-style amenities you can expect:
• Multiple dining venues
• Outdoor pool with a walk-up bar
• State-of-the-art fitness center
• Pickleball and bocce ball courts
• Outdoor fitness center with meditation garden
• Fire pits
A Financial Structure You Can Count On
Our community’s smart financial structure will provide peace of mind and security by streamlining most bills into an easy monthly payment. Your Monthly Service Package covers:
• Utilities, maintenance, and property taxes
• Cable TV, internet, and landline phone
• Use of fitness center, pool, and dozens of other amenities
A New Community With Decades of History
When you start a life at Emerson Lakes, you’ll be part of a community you can trust. The Erickson Senior Living network of managed communities has provided quality care for seniors like you across the nation for more than 40 years. Our track record is one you can count on.
Alyssa Gay is keeping busy after campaigning for the District 72 house seat.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
Alyssa Gay didn’t win the Republican nomination to represent District 72 in the Florida House, but she has been offered two other types of seats since.
Gay now serves on the Manatee County Planning Commission and on the All Florida Conservation board.
“At my core, I want to serve my community,” she said.
At 32 years old, Gay is considerably younger than many of her political counterparts, but she knows Manatee County firsthand.
She was born at Blake Hospital in Bradenton. She’s lived in both the west and east sides of Manatee County. She’s a local business owner and a Leadership Manatee graduate.
Gay may not have won the primary, but she held her own in a four-way race against Bill Conerly, Richard Tatem and attorney Richard Green. Conerly served on the Planning Commission for 12 years, and Tatem serves on the Manatee County School Board.
Conerly won the race, and Tatem came in second with 28.1% of the votes. Gay, who owns the Honeycomb Creative Agency, received 22.5% of the votes her first time running.
She is a third-generation entrepreneur, so it’s in her blood to take charge. She might be the youngest in the room, but she’s not the quietest. Gay likes to ask questions.
Asking the right questions early on is important to her, especially in
KUDOS FROM COMMISSIONERS
Gay was the first-round pick by commissioners for the Planning Commission in a pool filled with accomplished citizens. The 25 other applicants came from all walks of life — the military, medicine, engineering, cybersecurity, construction and real estate.
Planning Commissioners
Richard Bedford and Paul Rutledge also applied to be reappointed. District 3’s Matt Bower was also appointed.
Commissioner Amanda Ballard described Gay as “whip smart,” and Commissioner Tal Siddique lauded her for being a Leadership Manatee graduate.
“I watched Alyssa campaign,”
Commissioner George Kruse said. “I trust from hearing her speak that she’s a knowledgeable person who understands what works and what doesn’t in this community.”
her new role on the Planning Commission.
During her first meeting as a planning commissioner, she asked such a question about Triple Oak Preserve, which is a 105-acre parcel in Myakka City that Manatee County purchased in 2024 for conservation.
Gay wanted to discuss the end goal and whether Triple Oak will be comparable to Robinson Preserve or Rye Preserve. Robinson Preserve attracts significantly more traffic than Rye Preserve.
Having lived in Myakka City, Gay is familiar with Betts Road, where the property is located. Her question stemmed from a public safety standpoint that the area already
experiences “fatal accidents on a recurring basis.”
“I told (staff) that I might be getting ahead of myself,” she said, “But I want to ask those questions before it gets farther down the line.”
A healthy dialogue is exactly what commissioners are seeking from their appointments. Commissioner Jason Bearden said he’s tired of seeing 5-0 votes from the Planning Commission because it doesn’t offer any details as to why someone would oppose a vote.
“The Planning Commission is an advisory board,” Commission Chair George Kruse said. “They don’t make decisions; they give us guidance. It serves us better to have a diverse board.”
Kruse said he looks at the way individual members vote because they often vote the way their neighbors want them to vote.
Commissioner Carol Felts is happy to see a second District 1 resident join the Planning Commission because it’s the fastest growing area in the county.
Gay lives on the south side of the Manatee River with her husband, Taylor, who is a land surveyor. The
couple know their surroundings.
“He loves to dig into the history of things,” Gay said. “The Fort Hamer Bridge was platted in the early 1900s.”
The Manatee County website reports that a bridge over the Manatee River was first proposed by the county commission on Sept. 9, 1909. A bridge over the river wasn’t proposed again until 1989 and wasn’t built and open to drivers until 2017.
Now, the bridge that took more than 100 years to build is a source of frustration for residents sitting in traffic. Getting appropriations to widen the bridge would have been one of Gay’s priorities had she taken the District 72 seat.
Gay believes in the balance of growth and conservation, a balance she’s found in her two board seats.
All Florida is a nonprofit focused on conservation, and the Planning Commission is mainly making recommendations on developments, even though a project like Triple Oak will come up here and there.
“If you’re not growing, you’re dying,” she said. “It’s good to have growth, but we have to manage that with our green space.”
Lesley Dwyer
Alyssa Gay says she just wants to serve her community.
Make A Plan.
TRIBUTES
Larry G Bedsole, Sr. 1941-2025
Larry G Bedsole, Sr., passed away on January 22, 2025, at the age of 83, following an acute illness. He was surrounded by Martha Bedsole (Tysinger), his devoted wife of 61 years and their loving family. He will be sorely missed by his family and many others who considered him to be their most loyal friend. Larry had a great sense of humor but was both a passionate and a compassionate friend and family man. He would do everything possible to help one in need.
Always living life to the fullest, Larry (a.k.a. Jess Hall) grew up in a small, Fayetteville, NC, tightknit community, Massey Hill, “The Hill.” Attending Massey Hill High School, he not only was a lettering football captain and lettering, outstanding basketball player, helping his team to County Championships but was a participant in the Baptist and Methodist youth groups. Larry went on to attend Campbell University, where he developed lifelong friendships. As a young member of the National Guard, Larry loved his country and remained a Patriot and a man of Faith. Once living in FL, they made First Sarasota Downtown Baptist Church home.
Larry was an entrepreneur and successful Series 7 financial services professional. Following an outstanding career with Prudential
Insurance Company, in the
1980’s he and his brother, Gene Bedsole (deceased), established B&B Insurance Associates, growing it into one of the most highly respected and successful agencies in Northern Virginia. Later, living in MD and the last several years, Lakewood Ranch, FL, Larry continued to live life to the fullest, playing cards and golfing with his friends who will miss his bantering, physical presence. It is difficult for those who knew and loved Larry to say goodbye but we know his Faith endured and he is in a better place teeing up at the most prestigious course that’s ever been played. In addition to his loving wife, Martha, Larry is
survived by their daughter, Maria Gregorio of MD, son, Larry Bedsole, Jr. of FL; grandchildren, Caitlyn Boardman (Matthew), Danielle Bowersox, Justin Bowersox and Joshua Gregorio; and three great grandchildren, Alyda Higdon, Brennan Boardman and Raelynn Boardman.
Larry is preceded in death by his brother, Gene Bedsole (Kay); mother, Elsie Harris Bedsole; father, Stacy Gordon Bedsole and several aunts and uncles.
SERVICE:
A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Tidewell Hospice, Sarasota, FL and First Sarasota Downtown Baptist Church, Sarasota, FL.
SPORTS
FAST BREAK
Out-of-Door Academy sophomore Maggie Yull scored once in regulation and in penalty kicks to help the
The Out-of-Door Academy girls varsity soccer team (13-4-2) won the 1A District 10 title when it defeated Bradenton Christian 5-4 at home on penalty kicks after the game was tied at 1 through regulation Jan. 28. Sophomore Maggie Yull scored in regulation and in the shootout. Seniors Katherine Triola, Ellie Hierholzer, Tiernan George and junior Clara Bloodworth scored in penalty kicks. ... On the boys’ side, the Thunder (15-3-2) captured the district title when they defeated St. Stephen’s Episcopal 0-0 by scoring three goals over St. Stephen’s two in a penalty shootout at home Jan. 29.
The Braden River High girls varsity soccer team (12-0-5) was crowned the 5A District 12 champions when it defeated Tampa Bay’s Freedom High 12-0 at home Jan. 30.
The LPGA is coming to Manatee County. From Feb. 6-9, Bradenton Country Club will host the Founder’s Cup, the second tournament of the LPGA season with a purse of $2 million. Bradenton native and LPGA world No. 1 Nelly Korda will try to win in her hometown, but will have to face world No. 2 New Zealand’s Lydia Ko. The 2024 Founder’s Cup winner, Rose Zheng, will return to defend her title.
Quote of the week: “As a team, there are always going to be games where we don’t play great, but being able to make it through those games and getting those wins is what makes a good team,” said Jacob Gillson, senior captain of the Lakewood Ranch High boys soccer team. “Not turning on one another, instead, uplifting and pushing each other through that adversity is what makes us a strong group.” The Mustangs (15-2-2) won the 6A District 11 championship.
“
If I’m not training on the field then I’m hitting the weight room or I’m doing speed and agility drills.”
A GIANT dream
Lakewood Ranch High graduate
Grant McCray wants to shine when he can ‘feel the stadium shaking.’
DYLAN CAMPBELL SPORTS REPORTER
When San Francisco Giants outfielder Grant McCray stepped up to the plate on Aug. 14, his hands were shaking.
It made sense — the Lakewood Ranch High graduate was making his Major League debut, called up from AAA-level Sacramento earlier that morning to start in center field against the Atlanta Braves.
McCray had played in big league stadiums before — a high school showcase at Tropicana Field, an instructional league game at Chase Field, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ stadium — but nothing to this extent.
“The lights just hit differently when there’s 40,000 people in the stands and you can feel the stadium shaking,” McCray said.
McCray, who bats from the left side and throws from the right, went 0-4 in his debut, which the Giants lost 13-2. He said making it to the big leagues was a dream come true, but his first foray into the Major League experience with the bright lights, the media attention, and the crowds, was a lot to take in.
McCray, 24, had been taken by the Giants out of Lakewood Ranch High in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft.
“I was never the biggest name, so even though I was a higher pick out of high school, I’d never interacted very much with the media,” McCray said.
“Once I was called up, though, there was media all around me, asking all kinds of questions. At first, I tried to play it cool, but as more lights and cameras and microphones appeared in front of me, it started to get a little surreal.”
JUST PLAY BALL
It didn’t take long for McCray to settle in. The next night, he notched his first two hits, including a solo home run off Braves’ reliever Jesse Chavez in the bottom of the sixth inning.
“After my first game, I was ready to go,” McCray said. “Honestly, once you get up here, it’s the same game as it is in the minors. For a young player, that’s what you have to learn. It can be a little intimidating because there’s a camera on you and the game is actually on TV, but you get used to it fairly quickly.”
McCray finished the year with the big league club, showing flashes of what had made him the No. 11-ranked prospect in the Giants’ farm system at this time of his callup per MLB Pipeline.
In 37 games with the Giants, McCray made 35 starts, all at center field. Across 130 plate appearances, he hit .202 with five home runs, 10 RBIs and five stolen bases.
McCray’s high-water mark came on Sept. 7 in the Giants’ 6-3 road win over the San Diego Padres, when he blasted a pair of home runs. The first was a 417-foot shot off Padres’ ace Dylan Cease in the second inning, and later he added a 425-foot shot off lefty reliever Yuki Matsui in the ninth.
While McCray’s first Major League stint was not perfect, it did position him going into the biggest season of his professional career to date. What McCray proved is that the tools that make him a tantalizing outfield prospect for the Giants are, to some
PART OF THE JOB
There’s a chance McCray won’t play every day for the Giants in 2025, at least not initially. Coming off the bench or making spot starts a couple of times a week is part of life in the big leagues, something he has talked about with former Major League first-baseman Travis Ishikawa, his hitting coach in A-Level San Jose.
“Travis is probably my favorite hitting coach that I’ve had in the Giants system,” said McCray. “He was more of a utility player and had been designated for assignment over five times by different teams, but he also sent the Giants to the 2014 World Series with a walk-off home run in Game 5 of the NLCS. When you’re coming off the bench, getting one atbat a night or even just one a week, you have to be ready at all times. You have to be on your game mentally.”
degree, transferable at the Major League level.
A SPECIAL TALENT
At 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, McCray possesses the elite athleticism that scouts drool over. It’s a trait that impacts his game in a variety of ways.
In the field, his arm strength, which ranks in the 99th percentile of outfielders according to Baseball Savant, affords him the ability to play at all three outfield positions. McCray is also listed in the 93rd percentile for sprint speed, which allows him not only to have tremendous range in the outfield, but makes him a threat to steal any time he gets on base.
At the plate, McCray’s athleticism comes in the form of raw power.
In 2022, McCray slugged 23 home runs with the A-level San Jose Giants and High-A level Eugene Emeralds. In 2023, he hit 14 home runs and swiped 52 bags with the Emeralds. In 37 games with the Giants, he posted a 44.1% hard hit rate on batted balls, above the league average of 36.5%.
However, McCray is a free and loose swinger. He struck out in 43.1% of his at-bats at the big league level, almost twice the Major League average. MLB pitchers have been a challenge.
“They’ll attack rookie batters head on and just see what they can do,” said McCray. “They might give you a fastball down the middle in your first at-bat, just to see how you react, and if you don’t swing or put it in play, then they’ll know that you’re looking for something else. They’ll play mind games with you the whole time. (San Diego starter) Joe Musgrove threw me in a blender.”
The Giants outfield is a crowded group. With incumbent starters Heliot Ramos in left, Jung Hoo Lee in center and veteran Mike Yastrzemski in right, McCray could solidify himself as the team’s fourth outfielder with a strong spring.
Another injury, like Lee’s torn labrum last May, or a dip in
performance from one of the three starters could see McCray given an opportunity to play every day at some point during the season.
To do so, McCray knows he will need to capitalize on the parts of his game that make him special — like his speed — and rein in the tendencies that get him into trouble at the plate. He plans to try to put the ball in play as much as possible in Spring Training to get on base any way that he can.
He’s focused heavily on his mental approach at the plate this offseason, trying to strike the delicate balance between over-aggression and passiveness.
“How well can you focus on swinging at the pitch that you want in the spot you want it in?” McCray said.
“Everybody throws hard. Everybody has good secondary pitches. If you’re overly aggressive, that means you’re in trouble before you even step foot in the box. Understanding that and sticking to my plan is going to be the biggest tool for me this season.”
“Everybody throws hard. Everybody has good secondary pitches. If you’re overly aggressive, that means you’re in trouble before you even step foot in the box. Understanding that and sticking to my plan is going to be the biggest tool for me this season.”
Image courtesy of S.F. Giants Grant McCray (No. 58) of the San Francisco Giants, returns to the dugout during the Giants’ home game at Oracle Park on Aug. 14, 2024.
— Lakewood Ranch High’s Gabriel Lara SEE PAGE 19A
TOPSoccer scores with fun, passion
There is an imbalance in the world of youth sports. For children, sports start out as an activity, a chance for them to get outside and be active. T-ball is meant for running around on the grass, heading down the wrong baseline and whiffing at a stationary object. It doesn’t take long, however, for sports to become something entirely different. Teams start to have tryouts that leads to tiering children based on skill level and athleticism. Suddenly, the recreational league isn’t enough for the young athlete, so travel teams, starting for kids as young as 6 or 7 years old, come into the picture. What used to be an activity becomes an investment. Kids invest
their time and effort, forgoing birthday parties and field trips to play in the next basketball tournament on the other side of the state.
Parents invest their time and effort, too, but more importantly, their money.
Gas isn’t cheap and neither are the hotels, team registration fees, equipment and weekly private lessons. The older and better their children get, the more expensive and time consuming athletics become for parents. Sports become a pursuit.
What is often lost is the fact sports are meant to be fun. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone having more fun than the participants in the Braden River Soccer Club’s TOPSoccer program.
The program, founded in 2007, celebrated its 18th season this past fall and just began its winter season Feb. 1. TOPSoccer provides an avenue for people with special needs, developmental disabilities and physical disabilities to partake in the world’s sport.
“It’s the most inclusive game in the world,” said Chris Collins, executive director of Ability to Include, the nonprofit organization that runs Braden River’s TOPSoccer program.
“It represents inclusion not just for its ability to connect cultures, but in its simplicity. All you need is a ball and your feet to play. You don’t even need the goals.”
TOPSoccer structures itself based on age and ability, with participants
ranging from as young as 2 years old to those older than 25.
A morning session, from 9-10 a.m., serves both younger players and those with higher needs based on their disability. A full game or traditional practice isn’t always in the cards. The league offers different stations or a general free play session. For the higher-functioning players, TOPSoccer provides a more traditional approach, with structured drills and scrimmages.
For participants, which Collins expects to be in the younger age range this spring, the focus is just on letting loose and having a good time. Collins hopes the program can be a break in what can be a stressful day for those with special needs.
“There’s a lot of times during the day where these kids are having all of these rules and demands put on them,” said Collins. “A typically developing kid will go to school and do their homework, but these kids are going to occupational therapy, behavioral therapy, speech therapy as well. This is the place where they’re in charge and they get to have fun.”
Making all of this possible is the dedicated group of volunteers, the majority of whom are first and second-year students from LECOM Medical School. For every player, there is a volunteer providing oneon-one support.
Some things have changed with the program since its inception in 2007. At the time, Collins was a senior soccer player at Southeast High and a first-year volunteer with the program. Over the years, players have grown alongside the program. TOPSoccer is no longer just for children, but for adolescents and young adults as well.
Some, like Gilberto Rios, who has autism, have been with TOPSoccer since it began. Others have used the foundational skills they learned at TOPSoccer to move onto more traditional recreational soccer programs at Braden River.
More recently, Collins removed the buddy system with the older groups, inserting volunteers into group activities instead of pairing a 17-year-old with a personal buddy,
which can be infantilizing, he said.
“We’ve also added an inclusive element to it, where the siblings of the players can also join in,” Collins said. “A lot of them have typically developing siblings and to see them on the sidelines isn’t fun. I was a pre-school teacher in an inclusive class room and have always understood the benefits of having strong peer models for these kids and the difference that it makes.”
Collins has grown with the program as well. He credits his time spent with TOPSoccer in high school as the reason he’s devoted his life to working with special needs children. After college, Collins initially planned on being a high school teacher.
“The only reason I weighed out the option to teach in a special needs preschool was because of TOPSoccer,” said Collins. “From that moment on, I knew that this is what I was meant to do. I just love working with kids and soccer is my other passion.
“Sometimes the volunteers or the parents will come up and thank us for doing this, which adds an element of humility,” said Collins. “The motivation in what I’m doing with this is so inherent. It’s not a chore, and it’s not a difficult endeavor. I’m lucky enough that I get to do something like this for these families.”
Collins referenced the support of the community, like the $4,000 grant from the Manatee Community Foundation this past season, to being critical to the program’s success. He hopes to grow the program’s reach in the coming years, partnering with other soccer clubs in Sarasota and Manatee counties to create an over-arching umbrella for TOPSoccer in the area.
Courtesy Image
TOPSoccer player Warren Cannon receives advice from LECOM volunteer Hunter Salisbury. Every player in the TOPSoccer program is assigned a personal buddy.
Gabriel Lara
Gabriel Lara is a junior forward on the Lakewood Ranch High boys varsity soccer team. On Jan. 29, Lara helped power the Mustangs to the 6A District 11 title when he scored two goals late in the second half of Lakewood Ranch’s 3-2 victory over Parrish Community High in the district final game. On the season, the speedy junior is tied for third on the team in goals scored with eight.
When did you start playing soccer and why?
I started playing soccer when I was very young, around 4 years old. My dad is from Colombia, so soccer was always present in the house — from watching it on TV to kicking around the ball together.
What’s the appeal?
I love the team chemistry and the connection that we have with each other. On the field, I love winning, scoring and just playing in general.
It’s become such a massive part of my life at this point. If I’m not training on the field, then I’m hitting the weight room or I’m doing speed and agility drills.
What’s your best skill on the field?
My ability to read the game. I know where to be and what to do in any situation. I’ve got the vision to see where players are moving and where to pass the ball. A lot of people tend to lose focus of the area around them when they’re watching the ball and I use that to my advantage, positioning myself behind them before they realize where I am.
What’s your favorite soccer memory?
Either winning the district this season or going to nationals with my old club team, the Chargers Soccer Club in 2023. During our district title game, we were down 2-1 with 10 minutes left. I scored once with 10 min utes to tie the game and then again with just two
If you would like to make a recommendation for the East County Observer’s Athlete of the Week feature, send it to Dylan Campbell at DCampbell@ YourObserver.com.
minutes left to win it. I was ecstatic. I still have trouble believing that it happened.
What went right for your team this season?
In other years we’ve had great players, but we’ve never had the bond that we have this season. There’s a lot more passing this season than in years past — we’re working as a team instead of as individuals. We’ve all grown up with each other, especially in these last few years, which allows us to understand how to play best together.
What’s your favorite food?
I’d say steak. Not quite medium-rare, but with just a little bit of red in it.
What’s your favorite school subject?
I’m taking marine science right now — I like learning all the different parts of the ocean and how they function together. It’s kind of like soccer, the way all of these different components work in sync.
Finish this sentence. Gabriel Lara
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A charmed life
Kelsey Armstrong traces inspiration for Haricot Vert back to Lakewood Ranch High.
VINNIE PORTELL STAFF WRITER
Former Lakewood Ranch High student Kelsey Armstrong has come a long way from her days of selling jewelry and handmade cards to her high school classmates via an Etsy page.
Today, she is owner of Haricot Vert, a jewelry company based in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, whose fun, charm-like pieces have been featured in the New York Times and worn by the likes of supermodel Gigi Hadid and actress Emma Roberts.
Anyone who knew Armstrong growing up might not be too surprised by what she’s accomplished, but her path to success is one that’s been several years in the making.
Self-described as someone with an entrepreneurial spirit, Armstrong’s first forays into sales included fruit baskets and lemonade in her back yard and Girl Scout cookies as a young child.
Now, the rest of the world is catching on to Armstrong’s creativity and salesmanship.
“I grew up in a middle-class family, and I was always kind of a big dreamer,” Armstrong said. “Something now in my company that I always try to do is inspire other people to realize they have the ability to do the same thing.”
A DREAM BORN
CELEBRITIES SIGHTINGS
GIGI HADID Hadid has been featured in several photos wearing Haricot Vert jewelry.
“Gigi Hadid wore some pieces on a date with Bradley Cooper, and she got caught smoking weed on vacation and she was arrested, and in her mug shot, she’s wearing one of our necklaces,” Armstrong said.
EMMA ROBERTS Armstrong said one of her “pinch-me” moments was when Emma Roberts direct messaged her on social media with a list of items she wanted from the store. She said Roberts remains a customer to
Her mother, Charlette Armstrong, said she would find her daughter on the lanai listening to French pronunciation guides. Armstrong’s friends would be bewildered when she wanted to watch movies in French.
Haricot Vert means “green bean” in French, and French influence is evident Armstrong’s work — from the music her store plays down to the artistic inspiration for several pieces of the jewelry she sells.
That inspiration first struck at Lakewood Ranch High.
Armstrong, 28, said she initially enrolled in Latin classes in high school to prepare for the SAT, and she quickly became inspired by her teacher, Susan McDonald.
As Armstrong progressed in Latin, McDonald, who ran a Frenchexchange program at the time, needed more students to host French students. She reached out to Armstrong to see if she could recruit her to help.
“When I first met her, I don’t think she knew how gifted and how talented she was,” said McDonald, who has since retired from teaching after spending 14 years at Lakewood Ranch High. “I’m hoping that she’s realizing that now.”
Armstrong, who had lived in Hawaii, California and Nevada growing up, had experience hosting Korean exchange students at past stops, but this particular exchange program set her life on a new course.
The first of three French exchange students happened to be a boy, Enzo Le Fur, with whom Armstrong said she quickly fell in love.
He was learning English; she was learning French. She thought they could learn together.
“My dream after that was to go to France and to visit him and be with his family,” Armstrong said. “ ... My family laughs at me to this day because I became so obsessed with it.”
From then on, Armstrong said she made it a priority to spend at least 30 minutes a day after school learning the language.
“She would listen to (French pronunciation tapes) over and over and over at night to get the pronunciation down,” Charlette Armstrong said. “It was everything French after that.”
Before long, Armstrong was set to graduate from Lakewood Ranch High and was making plans to attend a university in France.
LIFE BEFORE HARICOT VERT
The girl who grew up buying trinkets from Goodwill and taking clippings out of magazines in local bookstores in Sarasota found herself at the American University of Paris
Haricot Vert often hosts do-it-yourself charm creations that allow customers to embrace their creative side.
shortly after graduating Lakewood Ranch High. Armstrong said her parents, who were hesitant about their young daughter moving to France, insisted that she major in business so she could come away from her time there with a useful degree at the least.
That didn’t stick for long.
“I was kind of struggling at the more financial and accounting side of business,” Armstrong said. “So then I realized, ‘I don’t know if I am a business person,’ so I kind of talked myself out of it. This was at a time when I started realizing I was more of a creative person.”
Armstrong switched to marketing, which she credits for having a monumental influence in the growth of her brand.
After graduation, Armstrong moved to New York, “like a dummy,” she said, and had to hustle on the side
as a French instructor on weeknights and as a nanny on weekends. Eventually, she moved on from working at a French magazine to the French-American Chamber of Commerce that included a pay bump — freeing her of her side-hustle obligations.
It was then, leading into 2019, that Armstrong gave herself another goal.
“It was a New Year’s resolution where I said, ‘This year, I’m going to focus on my artwork,’” Armstrong said. “‘I’m going to focus on the things that make me happy, and I’m going to prioritize that over my social life.’
“I made a pledge to myself. Any free time you have outside of work should be focused on that. Obviously, rest is involved, but I’m a bit of a maniac. I’d work like 18-hour work days, and I still do.”
BUILDING THE BRAND
COVID-19 wound up changing everything for Armstrong.
Relegated to remote work at the time, Armstrong said she would typically finish work early and spend the rest of the day crafting her charms.
As the orders started stacking up, Armstrong soon ran out of room in her apartment. That led to her adding a studio, and eventually, her current store at 119 N. First St. in Brooklyn.
Armstrong’s operation currently includes 20 employees who work out of a store with a cafe, a do-ityourself charm station, offices that overlook the store and a basement for production.
The collage-themed art, described as “wearable poetry,” allows customers to pick pre-made art, customize orders or create their own pieces in the store.
“It’s not a transactional vibe,” said Armstrong, who estimates that she receives roughly 100 custom orders a day. “When people come here, it’s supposed to be for them to stay for a little while, hang out, get creative, sit down. It’s a very creative space. The brand started from these little charms and has turned into this creative community. It’s so cool to see.”
For more information on Haricot Vert, visit HaricotVert.shop.
Photos courtesy of Kelsey Armstrong
Kelsey Armstrong first sold jewelry to her Lakewood Ranch High classmates. Now, she operates a store in Brooklyn, New York, and celebrities wear her jewelry.
Haricot Vert leans into the unusual, emphasizing that with unique charms.
EYE ON BUSINESS
Jazzercise shimmies to the Ranch
Despite competition, Shari Nastri expects Jazzercise to thrive in Lakewood Ranch.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
When Amy McPherson walks into Shari Nastri’s Jazzercise studio, an hour flies by.
“I don’t realize I’m exercising,” she said. “You can come in at any fitness level and be accepted. There’s nobody judging.”
That’s exactly the atmosphere Nastri set out to create when opening a Jazzercise franchise two years ago. The goal is to make people feel welcome and good about themselves, no matter what age or shape.
“Life is hard,” Nastri said. “Whatever you have to give today is enough.”
Nastri opened a Jazzercise franchise shortly after moving to River Club from Connecticut. She taught classes in the area and operated out of an office on Town Center Parkway.
Since the business has grown, Nastri opened a studio in the Lake Osprey Plaza on Jan. 2.
The studio held a grand opening Feb. 1. The Manatee County Chamber of Commerce cut a ribbon to kick off the festivities, which included fruit and juice vendors and a free one-hour class for those who wanted to give Jazzercise a try.
McPherson loves the workout because she loves to dance, but Nastri described herself as a “gym rat” with no dance background.
As a former in-house litigator for an insurance company, Nastri liked pushing as hard at the gym as she did in the office. She admits to “having a chip on her shoulder” when walking into her first Jazzercise class 19 years ago because it was something her mom used to do.
However, the class introduced her to the idea that cardio could be fun. It was a new experience to leave a workout feeling energized as opposed to depleted.
The results are hard to argue when looking at Nastri, who is now 55 years old, in peak physical condition.
“I like telling people my age because I feel stronger at this age than 10 years ago,” she said. “You should feel good when you’re working out. You shouldn’t feel like you’re pushing your body to do something it’s not meant to do.” That doesn’t mean the workout isn’t a challenge. At its core, jazzercise is a dance cardio program, but workouts include stretching and strength training, too. Nastri said the moves strengthen bones and muscles without resulting in a bulky look.
Exercise physiologists create the choreographed routines with purpose. Each move is chosen for its efficiency, effectiveness and safety.
Even the floors of the studio take into account joint health. Extra foam padding underneath the planks acts as a shock absorber.
And for anyone who is shocked that Jazzercise is making a comeback, Nastri will tell you that in over 55 years, Jazzercise never went away. Judi Sheppard Missett started the
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
Shari Nastri says her Jazzercise franchise found a home since opening in the Lake Osprey Plaza in January.
Students work their muscles with weights and laughter at Jazzercise.
IF YOU GO
Jazzercise, 6265 Lake Osprey Drive. The grand opening kicks off at 9 a.m. with a ribbon cutting by the Manatee Chamber of Commerce, followed by a free class from 9:30-10:30 a.m. The Fruit Addict truck and Siesta Sea Moss and Juices will have items available for purchase following class. For regular hours, view the schedule at Jazzercise.com/ Studio/FL/Lakewood-RanchTown-Center-Parkway-21581.
exercise craze in 1969.
“That was before Jane Fonda and all that stuff,” Nastri said. “It grew over the next decade, and then the 1980s was like its heyday. Everybody knew what Jazzercise was.”
Missett began franchising the business in 1982. There are still more than 8,500 franchises across all 50 states and 20 countries.
The brand has maintained its roots in dance cardio but has also modernized over time, incorporating current music and equipment, such as resistance bands and free weights.
Since leaving law behind after eight years and raising three children, who are now all in their 20s,
Nastri has been waiting to transfer those business skills into the fitness sector to fulfill her passion for exercise.
Nastri is a certified Barre trainer, too, so she considered other options before launching the franchise. But no matter what she looked at, she kept going back to Jazzercise.
It’s plain to see, the program is a good fit for Nastri. She exudes confidence and enthusiasm when talking about the studio and classes.
She can instruct, smile and crack jokes, all while wearing a resistance band around her legs and lifting weights over her head.
She also knows a great market when she sees one. As soon as Nastri landed from Connecticut, she knew Lakewood Ranch was the place to make her vision come to life.
She said her corporate office loved the demographics of the area, too, but was slightly concerned about how many competing fitness brands were already in Lakewood Ranch.
Again, Nastri was confident.
She believes in the product because the brand has managed to “stay true to itself” over the course of five decades.
“This is what I eat, breathe and live every day,” she said. “In order to do that, you have to really love it, and it has to work.”
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YOUR CALENDAR
COMMUNITY
THURSDAY, FEB. 6 THROUGH
SUNDAY, FEB. 9
LIVE MUSIC AT JIGGS LANDING
Runs from 2:30-5:30 p.m. each day at Jiggs Landing, 6106 63rd St. E., Bradenton. The live music lineup at Jiggs Landing includes Steve Arvey (Thursday), Side Two (Friday), Bluegrass Pirates (Saturday) and Santiago. The Friday and Saturday concerts are $5; the others are free. For more information, go to JiggsLanding.com.
FRIDAY, FEB. 7 AND SATURDAY, FEB. 8
MUSIC AT THE PLAZA
Runs 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1560 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch. Carmen Forte plays acoustic rock and pop for those strolling through Waterside Place on Friday night. Singer-songwriter Danielle Mohr will entertain the crowd on Saturday. For more information about the free music series, go to WatersidePlace.com.
SATURDAY, FEB. 8
TASTE OF ODA
Runs from 8 a.m. to noon at The Out-of-Door Academy, 5950 Deer Drive, Lakewood Ranch. Enjoy a day of competition and fun at the Taste of ODA 5K and Food Festival. A 5K race will be held along with a fun run for kids 10 and under. The 5K is $45; the fun run is $20. All proceeds benefit the Thunder Athletic Club. For information, go to ODA.edu.
SUNDAY, FEB. 9
POLO Gates open at 10 a.m. and the match begins at 1 p.m. at Sarasota Polo 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
BEST BET
FRIDAY, FEB. 7
MUSIC ON MAIN
Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch. Frisson will provide the live music for the monthly, free concert and block party series. Enjoy food vendors, beer trucks, sponsor booths, music and rides and activities for the kids. Proceeds from the event benefit the Asolo Repertory Theatre. For more information, go to MyLWR.com.
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.
MONDAY, FEB. 10
GOLF BENEFIT
Begins at 9 a.m. at Calusa Country Club, 18812 Scallop Loop, Lakewood Ranch. The Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation hosts the first Charity Golf Scramble. Foursomes are $1,000 per team. Breakfast and lunch will be served. A shotgun start will begin at 9 a.m. For more information, go to LWRCF.org.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 12
BINGO
Begins at 10 a.m. at James Patton Park, 7525 White Eagle Blvd., Lakewood Ranch. Weekly Bingo under the pavilion is hosted by Lakewood Ranch Community Activities. For more information, go to LakewoodRanch.com.
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. Go to Waterside. com for more information.
VALENTINE’S GIFT GUIDE
BOCA BOUTIQUE
6969 S Tamiami Trl • Sarasota, FL 34231
941-529-1000
www.BocaBoutiqueSRQ.com
Looking for the perfect Valentine’s gift? Stop in and explore our amazing collection. From chic and unique home decor to gifts, wellness and beauty, you’ll find something for everyone on your list. Local Artists, apparel, jewelry, pet products, indoor & outdoor furniture and so much more. Open daily: 10-5, Thursday till 6 and Sunday, 12 to 4.
ANNA MARIA OYSTER BAR
Find a location near you • www.OysterBar.net/locations
Oysters are for lovers, but lobster and crab are for romantics! Celebrate Valentine’s Day at Anna Maria Oyster Bar with a special seafood experience. At the Pier, enjoy a Snow Crab Boil for two, featuring snow crab, lobster tails, mussels, shrimp, and more. At all other locations, savor Twin Lobster Tails with two sides. A simple, elegant way to celebrate.
MCCARVER & MOSER
THE GIVING TREE GALLERY
5 N Blvd of the Presidents • Sarasota, FL 34236
941-388-1353 • www.thegivingtreegallery.com
Make hearts sparkle with high-design jewelry from awardwinning designers. For over 30 years, The Giving Tree Gallery has offered unique, artful jewelry and home decor on St. Armands Circle. From demi-fine to 18KT fine jewelry, we have pieces for every budget. Experience exceptional customer service in a warm, welcoming atmosphere this Valentine’s Day!
1301 Main St • Sarasota, FL 34236 1601 Gulf of Mexico Dr • Longboat Key, FL 34228 941-387-8000 • www.mccarvermoser.com
McCarver & Moser Jewelers has sophisticated design collections from around the world. We provide customer service that exceeds expectations with our knowledge, hand crafted designs and a personal concierge team that represents over 115 years of experience. Making our customers happy and beautiful is our passion.
Bartlett Jewelers, your trusted local jeweler for 52 years, offers a stunning selection of engagement rings, wedding bands, and designer fashion jewelry. With an experienced team to guide you, discover the brilliance of lab-created diamonds, identical to mined diamonds but at a more affordable price. Celebrate your love with the perfect piece for your sweetheart.
SAIL AWAY STUDIO (SAS)
COASTAL
CHIC BOUTIQUE
6612 Gateway Ave • Sarasota, FL 34231
508-971-4410
www.instagram.com/SailAwayNewport
Come in and find some thing as unique as you are! From Euro, chic, clothing, jewelry and accessories. To fine soaps and house warming gifts and enjoy our superb customer service. You won’t be disappointed! Open Mon 12-5, Tues-Thur 11-5 & Fri-Sat 10-6.
MOLLY’S! A CHIC AND UNIQUE BOUTIQUE 1874 Stickney Point Rd • Sarasota, FL 34231 941-921-1221 • www.MollysSarasota.com
Your perfect Valentine’s gifts can be found at Molly’s! Named Best Gift Store in Sarasota for 5 years, you are sure to find something special to give or get for yourself. Beyond gifts, enjoy their large selection of quality shoes, jewelry, apparel and accessories too.
The Perfect Gift for Your Valentine, a gift card from the #1 Spa in Lakewood Ranch. Full service hair salon, spa and medical spa featuring state of the art services, 11 treatment rooms (including couples room!), Serenity Lounge, 200+ services including Massages, Facials, Botox, Fillers, Laser Hair Removal, IPL, Morpheus8, Lash Services & More. *Gift cards available at LWR location only.
PET PICS
Have photos of your four-legged family members? We want to see them! Share them at YourObserver.com/Contests/Pet-Pics to be published online and for a chance to see them in print!
Caught in the Webb
Chris Pereira is director of land planning and entitlement at Pulte Homes, but on Feb. 1, he was a shuttle driver.
Pulte hosted a grand opening for its latest Lakewood Ranch 55-plus community, Del Webb Catalina.
Guests were able to tour seven professionally decorated model homes in the new community, which is located on the east side of Bourneside Boulevard, north of Rangeland Parkway.
Pereira said they expected to fill the parking lot and maybe see 100 people by the end of the three-hour open house. Instead, about 500 people showed up, and Pereira had to shuttle them back and forth to their cars.
It was a lucky turn of events for both Del Webb Catalina and its visitors.
Pereira spent over four years working on the project. He worked on the land acquisition, zoning, permitting and design. While he’s not in sales either, he probably sold quite a few homes to those who opted for a shuttle ride.
“Look at those trees,” he said. “We wanted this California coastal feel that just did not exist anywhere in the area.”
The trees are Washingtonia robusta, also known as Mexican fan palms, that were shipped from Arizona. Agave is another landscaping feature that lends itself to the California coastal feel.
Pereira described the 37,000-square-foot amenity center as contemporary and different from anything the company has done before.
“(Del Webb Catalina) is like our baby; I’m so proud of it,” he gushed to shuttle guests. “After over four years of working on it, it makes me happy you’re all here today.”
— LESLEY DWYER
Chris Pereira, director of land planning and entitlement at Pulte Homes, shuttles guests back and forth from their cars because the parking lot is full.
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
Dale and Margie Denault live in a 55-plus community in the Sun City area but might be future Lakewood Ranch residents.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2025 @ 11:00 AM
THE DARK ARTS: UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE FOR OUR TIME
We are not defenseless against autocratic bullies like Russia, China, and Iran. While democracies are vulnerable to disinformation, we have tools to respond without nuclear escalation. Dr. Sean McFate will explain the dark arts and the questions about ethical, legal, and strategic concerns that pose the dilemma: Is it somehow better to lose honorably than win dishonorably?
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2025 @ 5:00 PM
NEW FACES, NEW PLACES: GLOBAL MIGRATION IN A COMPLEX WORLD
International migration is a large and growing phenomenon. Approximately 272 million people - 3.5 % of the world’s populationnow live outside of their home countries, and more than 110 million people were forcibly displaced in one recent year. Dr. Katharine Donato will discuss the challenges and opportunities that global human mobility presents to global, national and local leaders. Dr. Katharine Donato holds the Donald G. Herzberg Chair in International Migration and is Director of the Institute for the Study of International Migration in the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Her research addresses questions related to global migration.
onsite
• Direct admission to Lakewood Ranch Medical Center or arranged transfer to a hospital of your choice, if needed
Laboratory
• 24/7 for medical emergencies
Imaging, including X-ray and CT services
• 24/7 for medical emergencies
Outpatient laboratory and imaging services available.
• Call for more information.
Maria Noelis Belgrave Rosario is a broker with B1 Realty. Since it’s Saturday, her husband, Roger Rosario, son, Benjamin, and daughter, Amelia, joined her for a tour of the new community.
Guests pick three flower stems, and Stevie Krumm, owner of Sarasota Florist, wraps them to go. Lakewood National’s Larry and Debby Weigel take a look at a Del Webb Catalina community map.
IT’S READ EVERYWHERE
MUSIC TO THEIR EARS: Bonnie Burgess-Wiedeman and Annabelle Newland show off the East County Observer at the Special Music Celebration presented by the Omena Presbyterian, while looking down toward Omena Bay in Michigan.
Dirty Dough cookie shop to open in Lakewood Ranch
The business, formerly run from a mobile trailer, will now have a storefront near Waterside.
ELIZABETH KING BUSINESS OBSERVER
Specialty cookies will soon be available at a new brick-andmortar store in Lakewood Ranch. Dirty Dough, which previously served sweets from a mobile cookie trailer, is adding a storefront on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard to its offerings. The shop, near Lakewood Ranch’s Waterside development, is expected to open Feb. 8. Dirty Dough specializes in cookies with “mix-ins” and unique fillings as well as toppings. For example, some items on the menu include a strawberry shortcake cookie, which is a tart strawberry cookie filled with strawberry jam and topped with vanilla frosting, as well as toffee macchiato, which is a brown sugar cookie with coffee frosting, caramel drizzle and crunchy chocolate toffee pieces.
Lyndon Hansen and Mike Stockton, who have both lived in Sarasota for decades, are co-owners of the Lakewood Ranch franchise, having met through their careers in the real estate industry.
“The difference in our cookies versus the competitors and why I personally invested in Dirty Dough is because the cookies themselves, which are stuffed with a variety of mix-ins and flavors, are good enough to eat even without toppings,” Stock ton says in a statement. “The chef for Dirty Dough has created incredibly tasty recipes just for the base cookie, so then adding in the toppings takes it to entirely new levels.”
The most popular
choice is the classic chocolate chip, according to Dirty Dough’s corporate data, followed closely by cookies ’n’ cream, which has “rich, creamy and crunchy elements,” according to the statement. Every week, the business also releases a limited-time cookie, with flavors like tiramisu or cherry pie, and it offers seasonal favorites too.
“The cookies all draw to a different taste. If you ask 10 people their favorite cookie, you will get 10 different answers,” Stockton says. “I think most are just eager to try the rotating flavors and the new Dirty Drinks.”
Dirty Drinks complement the cookie menu with flavored sodas, coffee-based drinks and shakes among the beverage offerings.
There are 74 Dirty Dough franchises nationwide, and the Lakewood Ranch location will be the first on the west coast of Florida. The company was founded in 2018.
Starting a Dirty Dough location costs $49,500 for the franchise fee and more than $160,000 for store buildout, according to the company.
Once the Dirty Dough storefront opens in Lakewood Ranch, the franchisees plan to continue operating the Dirty Dough mobile trailer, which they launched in November 2023. It will be used for local marketing and catering efforts.
Dirty Dough will be located at 1920
Out-of-Door Academy: Jazz Under the Stars
Tuesday, February 11th @ 6 pm
RING SARASOTA Friday, March 14th @ 6 pm
Elegant Home Transformations…
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Let’s create the home you’ve always wanted — together.
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The stage is set
Sights + Sounds is an outdoor showcase of the best instrumental, visual and performing arts the Sarasota region has to offer. Come out for dinner at the town center and stay to enjoy the show!
Check out all of the events happening around The Ranch!
SARASOTA CONTEMPORARY DANCE Friday, April 18th @ 6 pm
Courtesy image Dirty Dough stuffs its cookies with things like chocolate, cream, jam and chocolate chips.
Tobacco Free Manatee Partnership Meeting
February 11, 2024 (3pm - 4pm)
All are welcome to join the fight against tobacco. Building a tobacco-free community partnershipone at a time.
RSVP or request more information at: manateetobaccofree@gmail.com
Please join our meeting from your computer, tablet, or smart phone. Copy this link to join the meeting: https://bit.ly/4blzGYT OR
Casey Cares hosts benefit
Local pickleball players helped raise funds for critically ill children.
VINNIE PORTELL STAFF WRITER
Hundreds of local pickleball players and spectators came out to the second annual Casey Cares Serve Up Smiles pickleball tournament Feb. 1 at Country Club East.
Casey Cares was founded in 2000 by Casey Baynes when she realized many similar nonprofit organizations helped kids with cancer, while others with other health issues were left without that same aid.
“It started by hearing one child who wished he had cancer,” said Baynes, founder and executive director. “This little boy wished he had cancer so he could get cool stuff, too. It was at that moment when I realized that he didn’t want cancer; he wanted someone to wrap their arms around him and say, ‘We got you, dude. We’re here for you and we’re going to help you and your family through this.’
“There’s so many great resources out there for kids with cancer, and there should be, but think about all of the other children who are dealing with cystic fibrosis, organ transplants, rare blood disorders and even undiagnosed patients. Casey Cares is there to help them, not once in a lifetime, but continuously throughout their treatment.”
Casey Cares has helped bring some joy to more than 1,600 critically ill children and their families.
The organization provides tickets to events like sports games, concerts, live shows, museums and more, along with providing some day-today fun like pajama, popcorn and pizza parties and birthday surprises.
Chris Neher Jr., 17, is a Casey Cares teen with cystic fibrosis who competed in the pickleball tournament
has had some fun evenings at home with the help of Casey Cares, but his favorite memory was Feb. 1.
“I used to play pickleball every day,” Neher Jr. said. “I took a little break, but I’m getting back into it.”
Competitors only had bragging rights and medals on the line, but food and beverages were provided along with a silent auction, a raffle giveaway, local vendors, and the ability to buy mulligans — erasing a point lost — in tournament play.
“Whatever these families need, whatever they want, we’re there to support them and provide that hope,” Baynes said. “Unfortunately, a lot of these families have to cram a lifetime worth of memories into a few short years, but we’re there to
Vinnie Portell
Tournament organizer Lee Ann Reich and Casey Cares founder Casey Baynes spent much of the afternoon welcoming the 150-plus pickleball players and spectators to the second annual Serve Up Smiles tournament on Feb. 1.
A Century of Care, A Future of Hope
In 1925, the people of Sarasota County came together to open a new hospital — their only hospital. With just 32 beds, it was named simply Sarasota Hospital.
One hundred years later, we have grown into something extraordinary: a healthcare system with two full-service hospitals, a Level II Trauma Center, a renowned cancer institute, comprehensive rehabilitation services, a dedicated behavioral health pavilion, and a vast network of outpatient and physician services. Today, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System stands as an award-winning symbol of excellence, recognized nationwide and respected worldwide.
While our name and reach have expanded, our mission remains steadfast. The promise endures: to safeguard our community’s health, to be there for our neighbors in times of need, and to carry forward the trust that has defined us for a century.
Because at our core, we are still a community hospital. And some things will never change.
Lakehouse Cove home tops sales at $1.78 million
ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
ALakehouse Cove at Waterside home on Waterbend Trail topped the week’s sales.
Christopher and Catherine Schmidt, of Sarasota, sold their home at 8040 Waterbend Trail to Craig Treankler and Maureen Treankler, trustees, of Sarasota, for $1,775,000. Built in 2023, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,138 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,412,300 in 2023.
Ana Muller and William Charles Muller, of Sarasota, sold their home at 8149 Redonda Loop to Scott Sexter and Kristine Sexter, trustees, of Osprey, for $1.43 million. Built in 2022, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,844 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,020,600 in 2022.
Toll FL XIII Ltd. Partnership sold the home at 17904 Palmiste Drive to Cameron and Jessica Henry, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1.28 million. Built in 2024, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths and 4,055 square feet of living area.
AZARIO ESPLANADE
Aaron Van Natta, of Champaign, Illinois, and Matthew Van Natta, of Portland, Oregon, sold their home at 15032 Verole Place to John Conlin and Cynthia Lacey Conlin, of Naples, for $1.33 million. Built in 2023, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,421 square feet of living area. It sold for $429,000 in 2017.
LAKEWOOD NATIONAL GOLF CLUB
Nathan and Laura Macinoe, of Bradenton, sold their home at 5937 Cessna Run to Joe Edward Hugh Ens and Natasha Yasmine Ens, of Bradenton, for $1.06 million. Built in 2017, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,224 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,285,800 in 2024.
COUNTRY CLUB
John Dixon, of Princeton Junction, New Jersey, sold his home at 7704 Weston Court to Patricia Hoag and Steven Lewis, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1 million. Built in 1998, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 3,543 square feet of living area. It sold for $640,000 in 2018.
DEL WEBB
John and Sandra Casullo, of Parrish, sold their home at 6766 Chester Trail to Jerry Engleson and Arlene, trustees, of Bradenton, for $863,000. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,823 square feet of living area. It sold for $552,200 in 2018.
BRADEN OAKS
Patricia Lynne Couture, of Bradenton, and Rebecca Wells, of Parrish, sold their home at 3914 62nd St. E. to Guy Floyd Hews, of Venice, for $759,000. Built in 1979, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,384 square feet of living area.
ST. JAMES PARK
Olga Juliette Cravat-Tybursky, of Luxembourg, sold their home at 6641 Saint James Crossing to David Doyle, of Birmingham, Michigan, for $750,000. Built in 1993, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,096 square feet of living area.
MILL CREEK
Tyloer and Courtney Johnson, of Parrish, sold their home at 808 Woodview Way to Angela and Michael Gerholdt, of Bradenton, for $749,000. Built in 1995, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,464 square feet of living area. It sold for $415,000 in 2018.
JAN. 20-24
SWEETWATER M/I Homes of Sarasota LLC sold the home at 17333 Savory Mist Circle to Damon and Carly Ann Jannelli, of Bradenton, for $740,200. Built in 2024, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,190 square feet of living area.
ROSEDALE ADDITION
Victoria Charlene Tilson-Goode, of Roswell, Georgia, sold her home at 4760 Royal Dornoch Circle to Gerald Ronning and Maureen Ronning, trustees, of Bradenton, for $650,000. Built in 2015, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 2,237 square feet of living area. It sold for $425,000 in 2016.
DESOTO LAKES COUNTRY CLUB
COLONY
Breckenridge Property Fund 2016 LLC sold the home at 8003 Conservatory Drive to HORSESANDHOUSES LLC for $639,900. Built in 1981, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,033 square feet of living area. It sold for $400,000 in 2024.
SUMMERFIELD
Thomas and Deborah Taylor, of Orchard Park, New York, sold their home at 12209 Clubhouse Drive to Taylor and Rachael Dodgen, of Lakewood Ranch, for $615,000. Built in 1999, it has five bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,514 square feet of living area. It sold for $410,000 in 2016.
HERITAGE HARBOUR
Brian and Kathleen McMillan, of Saratoga Springs, New York, sold their home at 6422 Willowshire Way to Peter Orlando Miranda and Virginia Lee Miranda, of Bradenton, for $590,000. Built in 2016, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,287 square feet of living area. It sold for $411,300 in 2016.
ESPLANADE
David and Dawn Piano, of Bradenton, sold their home at 5109 Serata Drive to Johnathan Robert Erickson, of Bradenton, for $572,000. Built in 2013, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,684 square feet of living area. It sold for $282,800 in 2013.
MOTE RANCH
Lisa Anne Thompson, trustee, of Ishpeming, Michigan, sold the home at 6413 Grand Point Ave. to Robert Peter Staudenmaier and Shawn Arnold, of Bradenton, for $500,000. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,142 square feet of living area. It sold for $314,500 in 2010.
COACH HOMES AT RIVER
STRAND
Sandra Behn, of Winter Springs, sold her Unit 904 condominium at 8110 Grand Estuary Trail to Theresa and William McKeon and Luke Vodopia, of Bradenton, for $463,000. Built in 2007, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,786
SEE REAL ESTATE, PAGE 16B
This Lakehouse Cove at Waterside home sold for $1,775,000. Built in 2023, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,183 square feet of living area.
ISLES
Photo courtesy of Realtor Victoria Turner
OLD GROVE AT GREENFIELD
PLANTATION
Rodney Goulding, of Bradenton, sold the home at 10527 Old Grove Circle to Brandon Taylor Hamilton and Emilee Hamilton, of Morehead, Kentucky, for $425,000. Built in 2001, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,856 square feet of living area. It sold for $241,900 in 2001.
COUNTRY OAKS
Dennis Kirby Jr., Joy Artus and Scott Kirby, of Palmetto, sold their home at 8223 Country Oaks Court to Corey Joseph Mobley and Ashley Kay Mobley, of Sarasota, for $419,900. Built in 1985, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,744 square feet of living area. It sold for $179,900 in 2013.
COTTAGES OF SAN CASCIANO
Martin Allen Forbes sold his home at 310 San Lorenzo Court to Robert and Shelene Ward, of Bradenton, for $409,000. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,585 square feet of living area. It sold for $276,300 in 2019.
CENTRAL PARK
Gustav Eriksson and Sheila Olsen Eriksson, trustees, of St. Pete Beach, sold the home at 5032 Newport News Circle to Ross David Harpole, of Bradenton, for $390,000. Built in 2011, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,487 square feet of living area. It sold for $270,000 in 2019.
Richard Allen Banks, of Bradenton, sold his home at 11118 Battery Park Place to Thomas and Heather Hendon, of Bradenton, for $320,000. Built in 2013, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,156 square feet of living area. It sold for $220,000 in 2020.
HARMONY
Lori Ann Basilone, of Parrish, sold her home at 5502 Pleasantview Court to Donald and Dawn Morin,
of Bradenton, for $355,000. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,635 square feet of living area. It sold for $284,000 in 2020.
WOODBROOK
Rachael Kraemer sold her home at 6405 Pine Breeze Run to Susan Hoffman, of Charlottesville, Virginia, for $340,000. Built in 2012, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,080 square feet of living area. It sold for $215,000 in 2019.
MIRAMAR LAGOON
U.S. Bank National Association, trustee, sold the Unit 104 condominium at 8439 Miramar Way to Vivek Gupta, of Lakewood Ranch, for $312,500. Built in 2005, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,626 square feet of living area. It sold for $375,000 in 2006.
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*All ads are subject to the approval of the Publisher.
*It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in the East County Observer to meet all applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with towncodes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, or residential rental property Notice: All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex,
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Calm. That’s the overall feeling my wife and I had working with Katina and her team. We were extremely apprehensive about selling our house- we’d been through it before-all the preparations, decluttering, questions about how much, how long, etc. Katina and her team sat down with us and made us feel so comfortable and we felt CALM. We were actually able to sell our home with very little work from us- they took care of most of the details we were so worried about. And since we sold the house IN ONE DAY, we never had to worry about staging, but if we had, they were ready to deal with that also. Finally, they got us well above what we were expecting and guided us through all the closing details, which were tricky, since we were closing on a new house the next day! And they also recommended a fantastic cleaner and mover. Thanks to Katina, we are in our new house with no worries. Thank you Katina!
