We know. We hear you. It’s frustrating to not be able to get your East County Observer at Publix. We’re frustrated too.
The backstory: First, Publix required us to charge to be distributed in its stores. Then, it decided we were charging too much. Then, it decided to pull our papers altogether.
Well, we have a solution. For those of you who want to read your Observer anytime, anywhere, we have an app! And we want you to have it for free.
To read all our content on your favorite devices, visit YourObserver.com/app-offer. Then download the Your Observer app and sign in. And if you need help, stop by our booth at
on Friday and we’ll be happy to set you up.
Marble-ous opening
John Marble Park celebrated its grand reopening Feb. 22. The updated recreation center features a dual gymnasium, an indoor fitness area, three multipurpose rooms, a catering kitchen and a kids’ club.
A new 20-meter pool with eight lanes was a later addition to the $22.6 million project and is anticipated to open this summer.
Commissioner Amanda Ballard (pictured above) emceed the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Molly White, director of Manatee County Sports and Leisure Services, said the renovation has transformed the recreation center into a stateof-the-art community space.
continues grinding to conserve land
Jay Heater
Sarasota’s Bob and Carol Carter dressed the part for Tropical Nights. Carol is the event chair.
S.R. 70 construction cruises along
LESLEY
DWYER STAFF WRITER
Florida Department of Transportation officials say State Road 70, between Lorraine Road and County Road 675, is on its way to being a safer route for East County residents.
The FDOT Safety Office reported the five-year average crash rate for that particular corridor was “significantly higher than the five-year statewide average crash rate for similar facilities within the state.” When finished, the corridor will be a four-lane, and sometimes six-lane,
divided highway featuring a series of seven roundabouts, 10-foot shared use paths, 5-foot paved shoulders on both sides, street lighting, landscaping and a new drainage system.
The project is expected to reduce both crashes and congestion at a cost of $98.4 million.
The updated corridor is expected to be completed in spring 2027. Until then, drivers will have to contend with construction traffic, detours and side street closures. However, the closures will be staggered to reduce the overall impact on motorists and entrances to businesses and neighborhoods, FDOT
public information specialist David Scarpelli said in an email.
Bourneside Boulevard between State Road 70 and The Masters Avenue was closed in December and is anticipated to open in mid-March. Greenbrook Boulevard between State Road 70 and Skip Jack Loop is anticipated to close in May.
Only side streets will be impacted by the closures, not State Road 70 itself.
The intersection at Bourneside Boulevard is where one of the seven roundabouts will be located. The signalized intersections at Greenbrook Boulevard and Lorraine Road
FINISHED WORK BY THE NUMBERS
ment material” that took weeks to recover, and the winds during Hurricanes Milton and Helene knocked down temporary signs that needed replacement.
With the 2025 hurricane season kicking off in three months, the existing drainage pathways will remain open until the final drainage system is complete.
“The project will be capable of handling stormwater from tropical events to the extent it was able to pre-construction,” Scarpelli said.
WHAT MOTORISTS CAN EXPECT
There are quite a few things motorists can expect to experience while traveling S.R. 70 through its reconstruction.
are only being upgraded.
Both signals will be connected to the regional Advanced Traffic Management System. The ATMS monitors traffic conditions and can respond with signal timing changes to reduce congestion and clear traffic for emergency vehicles.
The overall project is so massive, FDOT split it into two parts. Construction from Lorraine Road to Bourneside Boulevard will cost $67 million, and Bourneside Boulevard to County Road 675 will cost $31.4 million.
While it will take about two weeks before any asphalt is poured, the base for 1.5 miles of new eastbound lanes has been laid.
The project experienced a few weeks of delays and shutdowns due to the 2024 hurricane season. Workers were diverted to recovery efforts, and some damage was done to the worksite.
Scarpelli said the heavy rainfall during Hurricane Debby caused “extensive migration of embank-
Roadwork: Work will occur Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Speeding fines are doubled in work zones when workers are present.
Smoke: Prescribed burns will continue intermittently through the summer.
Current road closure: Bourneside Boulevard between State Road 70 and The Masters Avenue is anticipated to be closed through mid-March. Motorists should use caution in the area and follow the detour route provided by way of The Masters Avenue to Lorraine Road.
Next road closure: Greenbrook Boulevard between State Road 70 and Skip Jack Loop is anticipated to close in May. Motorists can expect a closure in both directions. The north side of Greenbrook Boulevard and S.R. 70 will remain open. Message boards and detour signs will be provided in advance of the closure.
Intermittent lane closures: Motorists will be provided with the start date for all lane closures in advance. Lane closures are not permitted during rush hour from 7-9:30 a.m. and 5-7 p.m.
Lower speeds: During construction, the speed limit will be reduced from 50 mph to 45 mph on S.R. 70. Speed limits might be adjusted throughout construction. Once construction is complete, the speed limit will stay at 45 mph and be reduced to 25 mph within the roundabouts.
Acquisitions in (slow) progress
ELMAC is negotiating 11 purchases and two easements, but closing a deal can take years.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
Although Manatee County residents might have expected the Environmental Lands Management and Acquisition program to build momentum in 2025 after a slow start, ELMAC Chairman Mason Gravley said the process will continue to be a grinding one.
“Getting properties in the pipeline is such a long-term process with conservation,” Gravley said. “There’s going to be multiple years between the initial contact with the landowner to the acquisition. Not because of the (county’s) staff ... it’s the things that are out of their control like overall funding. The processes in place are very tedious.”
Over 70% of voters passed the Conservation and Parks Referendum in November 2020 to pay for the purchase of land and easements for conservation, but the county has closed on just three three properties so far — Crooked River Ranch, the Emerson Point expansion and Triple Oak Preserve.
Now, Manatee County’s website lists 13 properties on the ELMAC Candidate Property Dashboard under the label, “acquisition in progress,” so it would appear that things are speeding up. The dashboard is accessible to the public by visiting MyManatee.org.
While “acquisition in progress” sounds solid, not every sale is guaranteed to make it through the required steps.
Abiding by the strict guidelines that come with using taxpayer dollars and seeking additional funding outside the county takes more time
BY THE NUMBERS $30.3
than the average real estate transaction.
The county is negotiating with the owners of two of the properties as conservation easements, which are less expensive but more complicated than buying a property outright.
One property is in Parrish. The other is Mossy Island Ranch, 438 acres next to Myakka State Park in Myakka City.
Mossy Island Ranch owner Bobby Manning said he could sell the property tomorrow if he got an offer he couldn’t refuse, and therein lies a problem with securing conservation easements. The contracts are tougher to negotiate and take longer to close.
“You have to put together a new financial plan when you put something under a conservation easement because there are going to be restrictions,” Commissioner Carol Felts said.
The landowner and the county have to come to terms that make it possible for the landowner to financially profit without causing any damage to the land that is being preserved.
Gravley, the impact campaigns manager for the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, described the waiting period as “scary.”
He gave the example of a 78-yearold landowner whose children don’t want to continue a cattle operation, and who is sitting on a stack of business cards from developers who will pay him cash in 90 days.
Easements are advantageous for the county because the property owners are responsible for the maintenance, and it costs less to achieve the main goal of conserving the land. Gravley said an easement could cost half, or even a third, of a purchase price.
Manning took the ranch, which was listed for $12 million, off the market two years ago and said he’s in no hurry to do anything. Manning is weary of restrictions that could be placed on his business operations.
“I know how to make this work better than anybody,” he said. “You can’t send somebody from Tallahassee to tell me how many cows I can run here in Manatee County.”
County staff members are currently seeking half the funding for the easement from the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Mossy Island Ranch: 14715 Mossy Hammock Lane
FINANCIALS
While the referendum passed in 2020, it wasn’t put into effect until 2022, so millage wasn’t collected until 2023. The following numbers were provided by Sheila McLean, Chief Financial Officer for Manatee County.
■ $27.2 million has been collected from taxpayers since 2023.
■ $9.5 million was spent in FY2023 and FY2024.
■ The projected expenses for FY2025 are $9.7 million.
Not all funds are spent on land acquisition, and not all acquisitions are paid solely by the millage.
The county has purchased $30.3 million worth of land and only collected $27.2 million in millage. County staff members are paid using those taxpayer dollars. In turn, they find grant dollars to supplement the fund.
The Crooked River Ranch was the first property acquired by the program in December 2023. The 68-acre parcel in Parrish was purchased for $11.2 million.
In April 2024, the county was awarded a $5 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to put toward the purchase price.
In addition, the Florida Communities Trust awarded the county $1.5 million to cover the cost of building restrooms and restoring the tidal creeks to create a more natural flow of water.
In addition to purchases, McLean said the millage can pay for restorations, maintenance, equipment and administrative costs.
Commissioner George Kruse set the tone for a new year of funding when he pulled a request to purchase equipment with the conservation funds from the Jan. 8 consent agenda.
By Kruse’s account, nobody went to the ballot box in 2020 and voted to tax themselves .15 mills to purchase a dump truck.
“People wanted this tax because they wanted us to buy land,” he said. Director of Natural Resources Charlie Hunsicker said the last board allowed the millage to be used to maintain the county’s existing properties, too.
The $216,923 request was for a skid steer, dump trailer and a utility trail-
B Squared Ranch: 46900 Florida 64
Anson Road Property: 262 Anson Road
Three projects listed as “acquisition in progress” are located in Myakka City.
The Anson Road project is 555 acres near the intersection of Betts Road and Anson Road.
B Squared Ranch is 547 acres off State Road 64 that is currently being used for cattle grazing and recreation.
Mossy Island Ranch is 438 acres next to Myakka State Park in Myakka City.
er for maintenance, restoration and debris hauling at all Manatee County preserves, not just those purchased with environmental land funds.
Commissioners unanimously agreed with Kruse and voted to use money out of the general fund to purchase the equipment.
“Even though it might be technically allowable, it’s not in the spirit of what people wanted to see these funds used for,” Commissioner Amanda Ballard said. “Going forward, I think we need to have a larger conversation about it.”
Salaries and maintenance costs are also allowable expenses under the referendum.
There are 23 staff positions either fully or partially funded by the tax.
McLean said 14 of the salaries are split with other funding sources within the Natural Resources department.
As for maintenance, Kruse said if the county is going to purchase a property, it needs to take on the expense of maintaining it without using additional millage funds to do so.
He used developer-paid impact fees as an example. While impact fees help pay for roads to be built, they don’t pay to maintain roads.
Kruse questioned the percentage of funds actually being used to acquire land. He rounded the numbers to about $2 million paid to acquire land versus about $4 million paid to related expenses.
He said the percentage of dollars spent on the millage’s intended use is so low that if the conservation fund was a normal nonprofit, no one would ever invest in it.
“Go ahead, buy your dump trucks, but get it from a normal fund someplace (else),” Kruse told Hunsicker.
MEET THE CHAIRMAN
ELMAC meetings are typically held every other month on a Monday at 6 p.m. and are open to the public.
Chairman Mason Gravley said there’s a core group of residents who rotate in and out, but there’s never more than a handful in attendance. Considering how positive the experience has been for him, he’d like to see more residents get involved in the process.
“It’s not primetime entertainment,” he said. “Folks really have to care.”
Three years ago, Gravley was just a Palmetto resident who cared. He was working remotely for a nonalcoholic brewery when he decided to attend an ELMAC meeting. The committee was looking for a new member, so he wrote a letter to commissioners and was appointed to represent District 2. Gravley loves the outdoors. He worked at some notable national parks, such as Yosemite and Yellowstone, as a campground manager and tour guide, but he didn’t have conservation experience.
“I was just trying to get my feet wet, and within a couple years, I’m the chairman of ELMAC,” he said. “There’s plenty of opportunities for citizen involvement if citizens want to be involved. Now, I work in this space, and it started with this opportunity to join the board for my district.”
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
Commissioner Ray Turner emcees the celebration ceremony for the Crooked River Ranch on March 1.
Courtesy image Palmetto’s Mason Gravley is ELMAC’s chairman.
College leaders tackle issues
Administrators say partnerships with local businesses strengthen the economy.
Hearing Health Seminar
Hearing Health Seminar
Join
Hearing Health Seminar
conductive
of bone conduction solutions which can help you hear your
Monday, March 10, 2025 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm (EST)
• Hear from hearing healthcare professionals
• Discuss how a hearing implant can benefit
Seminar
• Have your questions answered as you learn your
Local administrators told the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance on Wednesday that they are grappling with issues such as keeping up with changing technology and producing graduates with the skills that local employers need.
The Creating the Talent Pipeline luncheon was hosted by the LWRBA, which brought the presidents of five local colleges together at the Grove restaurant in Lakewood Ranch.
The panel, moderated by Business Observer Managing Editor Mark Gordon, included Tommy Gregory of State College of Florida, Brett Kemker of the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, Michele Morgan of Keiser University, Larry Thompson of Ringling College of Art & Design, and Doug Wagner of Manatee Technical College.
In the hourlong session, Gordon asked questions answered by each panelist in turn.
How has new technology, including artificial intelligence, affected education?
Gregory (SCF): “We’re talking about AI and cyber security at State College of Florida, and I’m sure my colleagues are the same. We’re addressing that demand for the workforce to have those skills, and we have a talented team of faculty. We have created workforce certificates that meet that need, and twoyear degrees to produce that workforce to meet the AI challenges in the future.
Thompson (Ringling): First of all, we spend a fortune on technology. We have our computer labs that are filled with the latest and greatest. One of our latest developments is, we’re the first art school to put in a
program in virtual reality. We are the first art school to start a certificate like what you have in AI, because we know that the students are going to need to be able to have those skills.
Kemker (USF-SM): We have virtual reality labs now. We incorporate AI and VR into every course that is necessary or appropriate. We want our students to graduate embracing AI and virtual reality to make them a better professional.
We work closely with the community to stay on top of the technology that we need to be teaching or certifying our students in, and I think we’ve done a very good job of that. Internships are very important so that they can learn the applications of this technology moving into the future.
Morgan (Keiser): We’re no different. Forget your politics. The current administration has made no secret that AI is our future, and we will be going full-bore after it. We also have a fully standalone AI program offered in our Pembroke Pines campus, but we can certainly bring it to this area if there’s a need.
Benjamin Kelley, DO, FAAOA
Lynette Dornton, Au.D.
File photo
State College of Florida President Tommy Gregory says his institution is filling a need by producing hundreds of nurses who are staying in the community after graduation.
One thing that we’ve done is invest in eSports. We have a very successful team in a variety of games, nationally ranked here in Sarasota, but we’ve also added a concentration of eSports to our sports management offering.
What is your school doing to prepare students for the workforce?
Thompson (Ringling): We have a program that we call Index, which stands for Industry Experience, where we partner with people in the community, and they can bring a project to Ringling, and then we put a team together of students to work on that project. When our students graduate, some stay in this area, but not enough. Probably the biggest employer is actually an architectural firm that uses virtual reality. Another is in marketing and advertising kind of agencies, etc, but they go on to Los Angeles, New York, basically the big companies that are doing computer animation or motion design.
Wagner (MTC): We have a program called Workforce Wednesday. It’s open for all the companies here locally. They come into each of our campuses, set up a table and students will talk to all the representatives. With 50 different programs, we’re required by our accrediting body to have advisory councils with people who are in the industry hiring the students. Students already live here, so they stay in our community.
Gregory (SCF): We’re very similar to MTC and STC, and that is that the majority of our students are staying here. We’re producing hundreds of nurses, everything from two-year degrees to four-year degrees. Hospitals are reaching out to them well before graduation. Most of our students have a part-time job or they have a full-time job and they’re taking college classes in the evening or online part-time. We’ve got about 10,000 in that category. We have another 10,000 that are already in the workforce.
Kemker (USF-SM): You’ve heard the term experiential learning. We’ve managed to take that a bit further by incorporating that concept into a Quality Enhancement Plan, which is part of our national accreditation. We have what’s called a reverse career fair, which is really kind of
novel, and we do that annually. We invite the community businesses in, they set up tables, and the students interview them, and it’s been a great success.
Morgan (Keiser): We do a lot of the same things and 85% of our graduates stay local. So it’s important that we prepare them well because they’re going to be the nurses taking care of us, the people working on our computers and protecting our privacy and our security, and they’re going to be our chefs and our bakers.
If the U.S. Department of Education closes, what are some of the threats facing higher education?
Kemker (USF-SM): While I don’t think the Department of Education is closing, it might need a tune up. We’ll have to see, you know, what the ramifications of a tune-up looks like. We’ve stubbed our own toe on this one because we don’t market what we do to the community. We’re creating knowledge. We’re developing new technologies where we’re doing all sorts of things. Our students are
absolutely amazing, and I don’t think we do a good job of marketing what we do to the general public.
Morgan (Keiser): Who knows what’s going to happen? But we seem to think that should something happen with the Department of Ed, it would be a disaster, to us, to business and to America. Quite honestly, if we did not fund higher education, it would be disastrous to our brain trust to being first in all these things we want to be first at.
Thompson (Ringling): As a private institution, we’re not suffering from the situation that might be happening with the state, but we get federal funds for student financial aid. And our students require student financial aid because we are expensive. So it would be disastrous if they eliminated the federal financial aid programs for all of higher education.
There is also a decline in students going to college. There are fewer 18-year-olds than there had been in the past. But the other big issue is that males are no longer going to
ADVERTISEMENT
college at the same rate as females. We are now 75% female, which is a total sea change.
Wagner (MTC): The federal financial aid is the Pell Grant. We all receive it. Right now, 86% of our students right now are on the Pell Grant to attend Manatee Technical College. If the Pell Grant does go away, which I think would be a stretch, I could go to business and industry in this community and say, we’re training for plumbers, we’re training for roofers, we’re training for construction workers, and I would bet you we could find the funds to help support the students who couldn’t financially attend our schools.
Gregory (SCF): What’s going to happen if DOE goes away? We’re going to do a lot less reporting. I’m going to have a lot more free time. Would it have negative unintended consequences? There’s no doubt. It identifies the other threat that we’re all facing, and that is education has been the target for a long time, and this message out there that you don’t need a college education
The Tangible Benefits Of Private Aviation
For most of us time is a luxury. Flying private is about reclaiming that time and maximizing the efficiency and enjoyment of your travel. Let’s face it, say the word airport and we all cringe. For both business and leisure, private travel offers significant advantages over flying commercial.
TIME EFFICIENCY AND CONVENIENCE
Bypass the stress of long security lines, crowded terminals, and lengthy check-in processes with private air travel. You can arrive minutes before your flight and depart immediately upon landing. And, you control your schedule, flying when and where you need to.
By accessing smaller airports, you’ll be closer to your destination saving valuable time. Not to mention, Commercial airlines fly lower and slower, while private jets fly more direct and immediate routes. You’ll also avoid the risk of missed connections by avoiding the commercial airline ripple effect.
ENHANCED PRIVACY AND PRODUCTIVITY
Flying privately ensures a quiet, distraction-free space to work, hold meetings, or relax. Onboard Wi-Fi and workspaces ensure productivity throughout the journey. If privacy is essential, Orion Sky Charters
is very misleading. Very few people are going to succeed without it, and the facts are staggering. All you have to do is enroll in one of these institutions of higher education, and your lifetime earnings are expected to increase by a million dollars. So we’ve got to change the messaging on higher education.
What can businesses do to connect more with your institution?
Wagner (MTC): We need you. We need you to serve on our advisory council. We need you to come to our open house. We need you to come in and speak to our students. Talk about what you’re doing. Talk about why your career is a good one. We want all the students to graduate and stay here locally, because there are so many careers available.
Gregory (SCF): As I look across this room, I see people that mentored me. I would say you can help all of us simply by mentoring those who are related to you, who work for you. Get them to enroll, get them to take that first step. If you can support them financially, fantastic, but simply mentoring them to enrolling and then supporting them as they pursue their college education is what SCF needs.
Thompson (Ringling): We would love to have any businesses connect with us, especially through our Index program or recruiting on campus and so forth. There’s a lot of ways to connect with the college, and we would love for you to be partners with us as well.
Kemker (USF-SM): I invite you to come to the campus. If you haven’t been to the campus, I’ll walk around with you, and we’ll meet some of the students so you get a feel for what we can do. I can get a feel for what you would like from us.
Morgan (Keiser): Communicate. Communicate, communicate. Let us know what your needs are. We can do our research all day long, but we can miss the mark by doing that. Support our students, whether it be through an internship opportunity, externship and clinical, whether it be that you hire them and mentor them, or, if your company is interested in sponsoring students, scholarships.
will arrange transportation direct to your tarmac with security available for VIP clients. Clients are often provided with direct lines to a coordination team to allow for adjustments and real-time updates during their journey.
LUXURY AND COMFORT REDEFINED
Spacious cabins, plush seating, and personalized amenities provide for a relaxing flight and exceptional comfort. Enjoy gourmet dining tailored to your tastes and receive top-notch service from dedicated flight crews.
Orion Sky Charters offers access to luxurious lounges and business facilities. Orion’s staff utilizes premier FBOs and can handle a variety of requests such as hotel bookings, restaurant reservations, event tickets, or last-minute requests.
A SUSTAINABLE AND SMART CHOICE: ORION SKY CHARTERS
For those seeking a responsible and exceptional experience, Orion Sky Charters stands out. Their commitment to carbon neutrality ensures that your flight’s carbon footprint is fully offset, allowing you to travel with peace of mind. As a pilot-owned company, Orion maintains the highest safety standards, ensuring that all operators meet FAA regulations and all aircrafts hold a minimum ARGUS GOLD rating.
Moderately priced “empty-leg” flights are an excellent option for impulse travelers, offering a luxurious travel experience at a significantly reduced cost.
In 2025, spend time where it matters –Choose private air travel.
Jim DeLa
Local college presidents, from left, Michele Morgan of Keiser University, Brett Kemker, of the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, Larry Thompson of Ringling College of Art & Design, Tommy Gregory of State College of Florida, and moderator Mark Gordon spoke Feb. 25 at a luncheon hosted by the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance.
Grandma stories are pure gold
The fifth graders land top two spots in Manatee County Retired Educators Association contest.
everal fifth grade students at Robert Willis Elementary School in Lakewood Ranch were honored Feb. 25 for writing winning essays in a contest sponsored by the Manatee County Retired Educators Association.
“Any time we can acknowledge kids and what they can accomplish, it is wonderful,” said Barbara Borderieux, the association president.
Borderieux and contest chairwoman Kris Williamson were at the school to award certificates, and for the first and second place winners, gift cards for their work.
The rules of the contest were simple. Write about a special moment you’ve had with a grandparent.
Willis fifth grade teacher Rachel Deitch said narrative writing is something students don’t get to do often.
“Our curriculum (and testing demands) focuses more on argumentative and expository writing, so they’re writing five-paragraph essays in kind of a set way,” she said.
“With these kinds of competitions, they get to flex their creative muscles and get to think outside the box more than they would normally.”
At the awards ceremony at Willis Elementary, Williamson thanked every student who participated.
“You have wonderful teachers and wonderful administrative staff,” she told the students. “It is going to make such a difference in your life when you do your absolute best every single day.”
Katherine Ayres won second place in the contest for her essay about an
THE ESSAY WINNERS INCLUDED:
1ST PLACE: $50 — Willis
Elementary
■ Mark Eubanks
2ND PLACE (TIE): $25 —
Willis Elementary
■ Katherine Ayres
■ James Botros
3RD PLACE (TIE): $20 -
Blackburn Elementary
■ Issabellah Fuentes
Palma Sola Elementary
■ Jace Austin
Three other Willis Elementary students earned honorable mentions: Olivia McGettigan, Rylee Scheuer and Issac Nichols.
important lesson she learned from her grandmother: that it’s possible to have fun without electronics.
Kate was at her grandmother’s house during a vacation.
“I was bored because I had zero electronics and no idea how to work the TV,” she wrote.
“My grandmother had an idea. She said to me, ‘Let’s make a bet. I bet you can have fun without the TV or anything else that is electronic. If I lose, you can watch TV. If I win, you can’t watch TV for the rest of the week.’”
Having a day in town with her grandmother showed Kate it was, indeed, possible to survive without facing a screen.
“It was the most special and the most educational thing my grandma has taught me,” the 11-year-old said after she had read her essay at the ceremony.
“People have lived without electronics in the past. Now that they have become a thing, it’s like people are starting to get addicted to them.
I think it’s important that people don’t always use their electronics.”
As for the first place winner Mark Eubanks, his essay was about his grandmother, who taught him to play chess.
“I always wanted to learn how to play chess,” Mark said after the awards presentation. “I just thought it was very kind of her to take the time to teach me and that it’s helped me to grow closer to her, and to my friends who play chess as well.”
His essay read, in part:
“She taught me how to be patient, to strategize, and to look at my surroundings. This has really impacted my life in a great way and has brought me closer to my grandma and to my other friends who play chess. I will never forget how she took the time to teach me how to play this game and
how it has helped me grow closer to her. I didn’t just learn chess; I learned that me and my grandma had something in common that was special for just the two of us, and that is truly what makes this my favorite memory with a grandparent.”
The Manatee County Retired Educators Association is a nonprofit organization with a mission to support education and provide a community for retired educators and school personnel who continue to make a positive difference in the world around them.
The Manatee County group meets between September and May on every third Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Moose Family Center, 310 44th Ave. E., in Bradenton. You can contact the group on Facebook or visit the state association website.
Jim DeLa
Fifth grader Mark Eubanks reads his winning essay at an awards presentation Feb. 25.
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.
Club’s Nancy
When it comes to throwing,
She became entrenched in the arts scene in Oslo, Norway, but decided if she wanted to earn any real money, it was time to go back to school. She came back to the U.S. and attended the Rochester Institute of Technology, earning a degree in ceramics in 1979. The university still displays examples of her ceramics work.
IF YOU GO
THE ANNUAL SPRING ART SHOW AND SALE
Who: The Creative Arts Association of Lakewood Ranch
Where: Lakewood Ranch Town Hall, 8175 Lakewood Ranch Blvd.
When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., March 22
SHE’S A BIG WHEEL
Nancy Opresnick puts her ceramics talent on display at the annual Spring Art Show and Sale.
JAY HEATER MANAGING EDITOR
It’s a ceramic bowl, for goodness sakes.
But, oh, what a special bowl.
Those visiting the Creative Arts Association annual Spring Art Show and Sale March 22 at the Lakewood Ranch Town Hall will come upon more than 50 pieces formed by Country Club’s Nancy Opresnick.
As they gaze upon the smooth, symmetrical lines that make up each jar, bowl and teapot, they will have to wonder whether their purchase will sit on a shelf for display only, or will be added to their regular kitchen routine.
For the 71-year-old Opresnick, it doesn’t matter, but she is quick to state, “I am a functional potter creating handcrafted pieces with porcelain and stoneware clay.”
It would seem that the logical explanation for her statement is that she makes ceramics for everyday use, without major regard to aesthetics.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Opresnick is one of the Creative Arts Association’s newest members, and while she might not have aspirations to be a Grayson Perry, one of the genre’s most famous artists whose creations each carry fascinating storylines, her work certainly elicits admiration.
Whether each work belongs in a museum, one thing is certain. The exquisitely formed and glazed result is a product of intricate craftsmanship.
“I absolutely believe that throwing pots on a wheel, there is definitely an art to it,” Opresnick said. “You are making a beautiful shape, and when you are talking about jars and teapots, there is more to it. You are creating a piece of art.
“But I can throw a lot of pots quickly. I want to make my work affordable so people have access to it.”
That doesn’t mean she is shoving out product in assembly-line style. She has taken a hammer to many pieces over the years that haven’t met her expectations.
“I destroy a lot of pots,” she said. She also has a strong preference for handmade ceramic items over machine-made products.
“Those are cookie cutter,” she said of the machine-made products. “It is better to have imperfections ... to put a little personality into it. There is a creative process and it is not just a mold. It comes from the heart.”
Her heart has been with art since she was a young girl growing up in East Hanover, New Jersey. Her mom, Grace Duva, was artistically inclined, even though she wasn’t a professional artist. She would spread art supplies out on a table in their home to encourage her daughter to paint.
Nancy started taking art classes in eighth grade and learned about clay and fiber arts in high school. She said high school field trips to various art venues in New York City built her appreciation of the arts and, as a senior, she was voted the best artist in her class.
She attended Dean Junior College in Franklin, Massachusetts and earned her associate of arts degree. It appeared she was headed toward a career in the arts, and she thought of being a graphics designer.
But she met a man and decided to take some time off from school.
At 22, she had an opportunity to go to Norway with her boyfriend and so she left the U.S. with the hope of attending the Keramik Verksted ceramics school. She had saved “a ton of money” so she could concentrate on learning and not worry about steady employment.
Featured: Watercolors, jewelry, pottery, ceramics, wood turning, pastels, acrylics, mixed media, and more
But following her boyfriend to Portland, Maine didn’t work out and they eventually split up, allowing her to follow her desire to pursue work in Boston. She ended up applying for a job at art supplier Charrette, actually interviewing with her future husband, Michael Opresnick. She put her art career on the back burner and became a retail store manager for Charrette in Cambridge, eventually working her way to being a company vice president.
“I missed clay, but I loved business, too,” she said. “I knew I couldn’t make money as a potter.”
Michael and Nancy Opresnick bought a vacation home in Lakewood Ranch in 2002, being one of the first ones to buy a home in the new community of Country Club. Six years ago, at 65, she retired from the working world, moved to Lakewood Ranch full-time, and started pursuing her love of the arts again.
She took a job as a beginner and intermediate throwing teacher at ArtCenter Manatee.
“For me to sit down on the wheel is instant gratification,” she said. “My love is clay. You can bring this form out of nothing ... a lump of clay.”
Although she is a “functional potter” she has decided to pursue a ceramic workshop in New Mexico in September with a friend, Laura Towle. Perhaps some non-functional artwork is coming soon. At 71, she said she is a much better potter than she was at a young age.
For now, her artwork will continue to be whatever the buyer wants it to be. She looks forward to seeing how those at the Lakewood Ranch Town Hall respond to her work.
“I’m excited,” she said.
“I absolutely believe that throwing pots on a wheel, there is definitely an art to it.” Nancy Opresnick
Country Club’s Nancy Opresnick is a member of the Creative Arts Association of Lakewood Ranch.
Publisher and President / Emily Walsh, EWalsh@YourObserver.com
Associate Publisher — East County Observer / Lori Ruth, LRuth@YourObserver.com
Executive Editor and COO / Kat Wingert, KWingert@YourObserver.com
Managing Editor / Jay Heater, JHeater@YourObserver.com
Advertising Graphic Designers / Luis Trujillo, Taylor Poe, Louise Martin, Shawna Polana
Digital Developer / Jason Camillo, JCamillo@YourObserver.com
Information Technology Manager / Homer Gallego, HGallego@YourObserver. com
Chief Financial Officer / Laura Strickland, LStrickland@YourObserver.com
Controller / Rafael Labrin, RLabrin@YourObserver.com
Office and Accounting Coordinator / Donna Condon, DCondon@ YourObserver.com
Observer Media Group Inc. is locally owned. Publisher of the Longboat Observer, East County Observer, Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer, West Orange Times & Observer, Southwest Orange Observer, Business Observer, Jacksonville Daily Record, Key Life Magazine, LWR Life Magazine, Baldwin Park Living Magazine and Season Magazine
CEO / Matt Walsh
MWalsh@YourObserver.com
President / Emily Walsh
Chairman Emeritus / David Beliles
Vice President
Country
Opresnick says she loves creating a work of art out of a lump of clay.
Photos by Jay Heater
Nancy Opresnick says over time a potter will develop the ability see the lines of their work.
Help wanted: It’s tournament time
It’s considered more of a national event, and yet, the LECOM Suncoast Classic is as much a community event as any other. If not for the community, it simply would not survive.
This is the seventh year the Korn Ferry Tour is bringing some of the top professional golfers in the world to Lakewood National Golf Club in Lakewood Ranch, and once again it’s time for the community to support the event, which runs April 16-19.
What will make running this year’s tournament a little more challenging is the fact Easter Sunday falls on April 20.
Normally a Thursday through Sunday event, the 2025 version is being backed up to Wednesday through Saturday so the championship round isn’t played on Easter. The challenge, once again, is filling out the volunteer corps for the event.
Joining the LECOM Suncoast Classic staff this year is Carley Kristich, the wife of Tournament Director Justin Kristich. A volunteer in the past, Carley Kristich is now the tournament services manager. Justin Kristich was hired before the first event seven years ago, so it’s always been his baby. However, now he has another baby.
Carley and Justin, who were married seven years ago, welcomed daughter Palmer to the family 16 months ago. If you were wondering, Palmer wasn’t named for Arnold Palmer.
“It was just on a list of names,” Carley Kristich said. “I wanted Scarlett, but Palmer grew on me.”
Even with the additional family responsibilities, they thought it was time Carley joined the LECOM Suncoast Classic staff since things
were going to be a little different putting on a tournament during Easter week.
“We have a lot of families (who served as volunteers in the past) who are leaving to go back north,” Carley Kristich said. “And we have people here who are hosting families coming in.”
The tournament was shifted back in the calendar last year from February and it meant a large percentage of volunteers from the past couldn’t work because they were snowbirds who were going back north in April. But the scramble for help was successful in 2024 as 470 volunteers signed up.
This year, with the added holiday period running at the same time, the tourney has attracted 300 volunteers so far. Carley Kristich said they could use another 200.
For those who are interested, you don’t need to be a golfer or golf fan to volunteer. Perhaps you just want to do something to keep a fun community event alive.
Volunteers are asked to work at least three shifts that usually run from four to six hours. Volunteers pay $50, but for that they get a polo shirt, hat, food and drink during all their shifts, four tournament tickets, a volunteer appreciation party, and a free round of golf at Lakewood National, which is a private course. You can figure your round to be worth more than $100 by itself.
Perhaps the best perk is being around the talented professional athletes, who have always shown their appreciation in past events. They genuinely are moved by the kindness of the people living in East County.
The tournament has different work tasks for just about anyone. You can be a golf course marshal, or
a standard bearer. You can work in hospitality, or drive shuttles. They have people who take tickets, and those who help at the driving range. The list of volunteer duties goes on and on.
Volunteers 17 and under are free, and they receive all the aforementioned perks. Are you a high school golfer? Sign up and rub elbows with the pros. Are you worried that you have a handicap and can’t stand all day? Carley Kristich said the tournament is willing to accommodate potential volunteers with physical challenges.
There truly are tasks for everyone. Do you need to fill volunteer hours for your school? Go to LECOMSuncoastClassic.com and sign up. Everyone 13 and older is eligible.
Carley Kristich, who met her husband while they both worked for the Bradenton Marauders for 3 1/2 years, said she has seen many new volunteers this year who haven’t worked at the tournament in the past. That new interest is exciting to her.
She is confident many other people would be interested if they knew about the opportunity, so it is important to her to “get the word out.”
“Of course, we realize it is a big commitment at that time,” she said.
While she hopes that potential volunteers sign up quickly, she will take volunteers right up until the volunteer packets are handed out on April 8.
Along with volunteers, another priority for the tournament is finding locals who are willing to host a golfer or caddy during the tournament. I have talked with several tournament hosts over the years who have developed friendships with golfers who eventually
earned their way to the PGA Tour. In almost every case, it has been a positive experience for everyone involved.
“Housing is very important in a golfer’s journey,” Carley Kristich said. “We would do it, but I just turned our guest room into a play room.”
While she said it’s nice to have hosts in close proximity to the course, several potential hosts from Sarasota have reached out this year. Homes within a 20- to 30-minute drive of Lakewood National will be considered.
Carley Kristich also noted that all the players “will be gone by Saturday night,” so hosts don’t have
to worry about having their Easter Sunday plans disrupted. Those who are interested can find information on the tournament website. Questions also can be sent to Carley@GlobalGolfManagement. com
Jay Heater is the managing editor for the East County Observer. Contact him at JHeater@ YourObserver.com.
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! RING SARASOTA
Friday, March 14th @ 6 pm
SARASOTA CONTEMPORARY DANCE
Friday, April 18th @ 6 pm
Hermitage Artist Retreat
Monday, May 12th @ 6 pm
Check out all of the events happening around The Ranch!
File photo
Volunteers at the LECOM Suncoast Classic often get a chance to be close to golfing celebrities such as major champion Mike Weir, shown participating in 2019 at Lakewood National.
Manatee considers buying Mixon Fruit Farms property again
The property could become a complex that includes a library, park and community center.
ixon Fruit Farms didn’t meet the necessary criteria to be purchased through the Manatee County’s Environmental Lands Program, so the county is pondering a new plan for the property.
Commissioner Amanda Ballard first suggested the purchase be reconsidered during the Jan. 28 commission meeting. She wants to retrofit the over 37,000-square-foot warehouse into a library.
“We are severely behind on our libraries in this county,” Ballard said.
Even after the Lakewood Ranch Library opened in January 2024, Manatee County was still at half the state recommendation for how many
libraries should serve a population.
Only seven libraries serve Manatee’s over 400,000 residents. The nearest library from the Mixon property, located at 2525 27th St. E. in Bradenton, is over four miles away.
Ballard’s additional argument was that there are already 250 parking spaces available and the building could be retrofitted “cheaply” compared to building a brand new library.
The 50,000-square-foot Lakewood Ranch Library cost $17.6 million to build from the ground up, then another approximately $6.9 million could be spent to finish the second floor.
The 39-acre farm was inspected Jan. 7, and an appraisal of $15,765,000 came back Feb. 13. The property was originally listed for $15.8 million in February 2023.
Janet and Dean Mixon have received and are still receiving offers
Janet Mixon says leaving the mural that was created in 2022 would be a nice homage to the farm’s roots. The artist Chad Ruis stands in front of his work.
Exceptional Sound Quality
From
Reduced Listening Fatigue
Many
Spheric Speech Clarity
This
Enhanced Connectivity
Market-leading
I recently purchased Phonak Sphere 70 hearing aids and I can hear much better. I'm super happy with these. I think anybody would be very happy with them. It's how hearing aids should really work. I highly recommend them. Thank you.
-Morris G., Patient
A path filled with glitter
Event planning makes Peggy Kronus’ heart happy, and now, she’s doing it for herself with a new business, PK Events & Services.
Lakewood Ranch’s Peggy Kronus doesn’t need rose colored glasses.
When the event planner sat down with the East County Observer, she had just come from looking at an event venue.
“My eyes ...,” Kronus said, “... everything was just sparkly. I think I look through glitter.” Kronus spent nearly 10 years coordinating events and marketing for Willis Smith Construction before starting her own business, PK Events & Services, in September.
The logo is her initials, PK, tucked into one side of an infinity symbol because Kronus aims to create memories her clients will never forget.
PLANNING AN EVENT?
PK Events & Services. Call 7359599 or visit PKeventsandservices.com.
Peggy Kronus has planned a party with a week’s notice, but she recommends booking at least one month in advance.
“I will always have that imprint on someone’s life,” she said. “They might not even know me, but that’s OK because it makes my heart happy.”
Giving back also makes her heart happy. Kronus was adopted, and she said people have given to her since birth, so it only makes sense to give back to others.
By virtue of her work with Willis Smith and as a longtime member of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance, Kronus has worked with countless nonprofit organizations. However, she named three “pri-
Lesley Dwyer
After a career in the coporate world, Peggy Kronus is her own boss now.
mary” nonprofits she supports — Easterseals, Sisterhood for Good and Feeding Empty Little Tummies. Then, she named two more: The Child Protection Center in Sarasota and the Med G Classic Charity Golf Tournament.
No matter what Kronus does, she is all in and gets everyone around her to be all in, too.
Willis Smith has built a lot of fire stations. Accordingly, Kronus has built a lot of incredibly elaborate cupcake stands and donut walls that looked like fire trucks and included working lights and sirens.
“(CEO David Sessions) would cut the wood for me,” Kronus said. “You never know who’s going to help — my brain, their tools.”
Now, Kronus works from home. When asked what her garage looks like, she quickly responded, “Hobby Lobby.”
She also rents a 10-foot by 20-foot storage unit to keep all her builds, which include balloon backgrounds and walls to serve champagne, donuts and whatever else a client could want.
One of her favorite ideas that came to life was “a diva.”
“I built her,” Kronus said. “She had a ball gown. She was stunning, and she was a cupcake stand. The cupcakes were high heels with jewels and pearls, and they were phenomenal.”
The diva was built for a Galentine event. Rolled wafer cookies served as the high heels for the cupcake shoes.
Kronus can make a vision come to life, but her business is called PK Events & Services because she does more than plan parties and build one-of-a-kind props.
Kronus can plan an event and market it. In addition to her catering and floral vendors, Kronus has a web vendor, Veronica Brandon Miller, who specializes in search engine optimization and web creation. Kronus has partnered with several female business owners.
Sarah Rogers is the owner of Mystic Blooms. Kronus relies on Rogers to create “magical” floral arrangements even when Kronus doesn’t know the scientific name of the flower she wants to use.
Rogers will understand. Kronus said collaborations like that are what make her events so memorable, and the multitude of partnerships Kro-
PEGGY KRONUS’ LATEST GIG
First, Kronus was asked to plan a charity golf tournament for Palmetto Downtown Main Street, an organization on a mission to revitalize downtown Palmetto.
Then, she was asked to join the board, and now, she’s helping to plan a Saturday Sundown Concert Series in Sutton Park every third Saturday of the month, starting March 15. The family and pet friendly events will feature live music, food vendors, dancing and games.
“I just started calling all the people that I love and cherish and who are business owners in the community,” Kronus said. “We’re going to make this fabulous for families and the community to come together in Palmetto.”
Kronus said new developments are coming into the area, and downtown is being reimagined. She gives it a year and a half before downtown Palmetto is “a mini Lakewood Ranch.”
nus has built over the years makes her business a “one-stop shop.”
Kronus goes above and beyond to deliver flawless events, but not everything is within her control.
During a wedding at ZooTampa, the bride and groom wanted to pose with a llama. All Kronus could do was pray the llama didn’t spit on the happy couple. Luck was on her side that day, and the llama behaved. Ironically enough, luck was not on her side when Sisterhood for Good partnered with the Sarasota Polo Club to host “Vegas Comes to the Ranch” in 2021. Kronus created a glowing casino in the polo field, and rain drove the event inside.
“The field was illuminated from the heavens, and we were inside the clubhouse,” she said. “To overcome the obstacles that get put before you, you have to be outside the box, and I think I’ve always got one foot outside the box.”
Elegant Home Transformations…
Our first phase of construction is now underway. It includes the beautiful Coral
and three
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.
Here are just a few resort-style amenities you can expect when you live at Emerson Lakes:
• Multiple dining venues
• Outdoor pool with a walk-up bar
WELCOMES
Christian Lorenzo, MD
Dr. Christian Lorenzo brings to Intercoastal Medical Group at the Lakewood Ranch II office a wealth of knowledge and
in Cardiology.
Medical School: Universidad Central Del Este College of Medicine San Pedro De Macoris, Dominican Republic
Residency: Internal Medicine, Florida State University College of Medicine, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, Sarasota, FL
Fellowship: Cardiovascular Diseases Fellowship, Orlando Health, Orlando, FL; Cardio-Oncology Fellowship Rotation, University of Pennsylvania Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
Certification: Board Certified, American Board of Internal Medicine; American Board of Cardiology
Hospital Affiliations: Sarasota Memorial Hospital; Lakewood Ranch Medical Center
Ranch II 11715 Rangeland Parkway, Bradenton, FL 34211 www.intercoastalmedical.com
and
from developers.
One developer offered to name a road in the proposed development Janet’s Way. Mixon joked that she wasn’t sure if he was trying to sweeten the deal or comment on her negotiation style.
If Janet Mixon gets her way, the county will buy the land. The Mixons are willing to drop the price down to $13.5 million to see it happen.
“The idea of just bulldozing this always makes me very, very sad,” she said. “Dean and I, our goal is that it becomes something that continues to bless the community.”
Mixon is “ecstatic” about the prospect of a library. However, that wouldn’t be the only use for the property.
“There’s an area down 27th Street, which is always flooding,” Ballard said. “I believe that it’s possible that the acquisition of the Mixon Farm property, and then turning that into some sort of stormwater park, could alleviate some of that flooding.”
Stormwater parks are dual-purpose. They manage stormwater and provide recreation space for residents.
Commission Chair George Kruse said he could be on board with the idea if the math makes sense.
He didn’t like the county’s first plan to purchase the farm through the Environmental Lands Program because the discussions were more about the property not being sold and developed versus how it would be used by the county.
Kruse said between the golf course and Pirate City, the area has enough green space. East Bradenton Park is also within a mile.
Plans to incorporate multiple elements, such as a park, a library and a community center is a plan he’s more apt to support.
The Mixons would love to see some of the farm’s history included in the plans, too, but it’s not something that will make or break the deal for them.
There’s a fairly new mural that was installed on the side of the store in
ADAPTIVE REUSE
Adaptive reuse, when an old building is repurposed into something new, is not a new or uncommon concept for libraries. Churches, factories and even a Walmart have been transformed into libraries.
The city of McAllen, Texas spent $24 million in 2012 to transform a 123,000-squarefoot vacant Walmart into the largest one-story library in North America. In 2023, a 158,000-squarefoot factory that used to manufacture rockets was transformed into a $44 million library in Frisco, Texas. It’s not only massive structures either. On a much smaller scale, a 900-square-foot, early 1900s bank building was reworked into a library for a town of less than 200 residents in Newbern, Alabama in 2017. The redesign included a 700-square-foot addition to the original bank building.
“The idea of just bulldozing this always makes me very, very sad. Dean and I, our goal is that it becomes something that continues to bless the community.”
Janet Mixon
2022 that Janet Mixon can’t imagine the county would want to cover, but she’s not pushing for anything.
Instead, Mixon and her friends are praying.
“We’ve got everybody praying for this,” she said. “This is our last chance.”
Mixon noted that the taxes are due each year, so the property will be sold either way. The couple would just prefer to sell to Manatee County over a developer.
The Mixons were supposed to meet with county staff March 3, but staff asked that they postpone until March 7.
SPORTS
FAST BREAK
The Braden River boys wrestling team is sending seven athletes to the 2A state championships at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee on March 6. That marks the most wrestlers to advance to the state championships in the history of the program. The qualifers are Matthew Ireland (second in 120-pound weight class), Israel Clark (second in 157-pound weight class), Scott Cook (second in 175-pound weight class), Freedom McDaniel (second in 215-pound weight class), Jayden Russell (third in 113-pound weight class), Jacob Fuentes (third in 132-pound weight class) and Evan Rowe (third in 165-pound weight class). Braden River will also send one girls wrestler to the state championship meet. Karlianna Artega placed fourth in the 190-pound weight class at the 1A Region 3 meet.
…Lakewood Ranch High is sending boys wrestler Aiden Sanders (fourth in the 120-pound weight class) and girls wrestler Francesca Bisordi (second in 170-pound weight class) to the state championships.
…After finishing 9-8 last season, the Lakewood Ranch girls lacrosse team is 7-1 through its first eight matches. Sophomore Gigi Canali (35 goals) and junior Gabbie Hotaling (29 goals) have led the Mustangs to their hot start.
…Former Braden River girls basketball player O’Mariah Gordon scored 15 points with three rebounds and three assists to help No. 24 Florida State upset No. 3 Notre Dame on Feb. 27. Gordon, a senior, is averaging 16.3 points per game.
…County rivals met on the softball field on Feb. 27 and Lakewood Ranch High came away with a decisive 17-2 win over Braden River.
“Running
is humbling because if you think you’re fast ... no you’re not. There’s probably a 13-year-old who’s faster than you.”
Mustang sophomore hunts history with a javelin
Liam St. John placed first at last year’s district meet one month after he first picked up a javelin.
VINNIE
PORTELL STAFF WRITER
Liam St. John stumbled onto a path last year that could lead him to becoming Lakewood Ranch High’s record-holder in the javelin.
St. John, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound sophomore, plays tight end for the school’s football team, but he wanted something to fill his free time in the spring.
His decided to join the track and field team.
The only problem was that he had no experience in the sport, and he wasn’t sure where to start.
At the suggestion of Chris Monoki, a football offensive line coach and the sprint and relays coach for the track and field team, St. John started throwing discus.
During a meet, though, the Mustangs’ javelin thrower was sick, and St. John agreed to fill the spot.
He threw 42.40 meters that day (March 23, 2024), which was good enough for third at the ODA Thunder Classic. He’s never looked back.
“It’s inspiring,” Monoki said. “It’s confidence-building, and that confidence leaks back into everything else. If he thinks he can throw, maybe he can (also) do the 400 (meter run). He has the stride length for it. I hope that it also goes into his classes, where if he ever finds a class that’s a challenge, then he says, ‘You know what, I can get over this, too.’”
A SELF-TAUGHT CHAMPION
St. John’s throws improved with each meet as he learned the technique.
Less than a month after his first attempt, he had already increased his javelin throw to 44.33 meters and had placed in the top-four in four of his five varsity meets.
NUMBERS TO BEAT
■ St. John’s personal best throw: 48.31 meters
■ Lakewood Ranch High javelin throw record: 51.44 meters
■ Best in FL last year among high schoolers: 67.13 meters
■ Top throw at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships: 80.70 meters
“He has great explosion and a very fast arm. It’s like a whip. I think he can definitely break the school record if he spends the time on it.”
Dave Revord, Lakewood Ranch throwers coach
tance from their ball to the pin — St. John measures how far he throws his javelin at home.
When he isn’t practicing, he said he searches for Olympic javelin highlights on YouTube. Though he said he doesn’t even know the names of the throwers, he takes notes about their technique.
“We don’t really have a javelin coach,” St. John said. “I’ve taught myself everything I’ve known from YouTube.”
Using his phone, St. John started to record his practices and compare them to videos of the best throwers he could find.
The results speak for themselves.
St. John went on to win the 2024 4A District 8 meet with a throw of 48.31 meters.
He finished fourth at the 4A Region 2 meet with a throw of 46.80 meters, which left him two spots away from moving to the state meet.
Despite not advancing, he was hooked on his new sport.
CHASING HISTORY
He said there’s still progress to be made, and the early results are promising.
That led him to take the school’s javelin to his home, which sits on 11 acres and makes for a nice practice area. He would practice in the cow pasture while listening to Lo-Fi hiphop.
Using a rangefinder — an instrument golfers use to measure the dis-
St. John said his steady progress was a revelation. He had found something he excelled at, which meant it was time to start taking the sport seriously.
His best throw last year left him ranked No. 78 overall in the state, per the Track and Field Results Reporting System, but that was good enough to be No. 1 among all freshmen.
He kept up his pursuits last summer with a trip to Greensboro, North Carolina to compete in the AAU Junior Olympic Games.
Competing against other throwers in his age bracket, St. John had a strong showing. He finished eighth out of 71 competitors in the nationwide event with a throw of 42.61 meters.
Last season’s success has carried over to the start of this track and field season.
After debuting this season with a fourth-place finish at the Bobcat Relays Feb. 14 with a throw of 41.80 meters, St. John won the Pirate Booty Invitational at Braden River High with a throw of 47.40 meters.
He uncorked his personal-best throw of 50.39 meters to place first at the Lakewood Ranch Invitational on Feb. 28. That throw is currently the second-best in 4A Region 3 this season and the seventh-best in the 4A classification.
With a district championship already under his belt, the natural next step would be to place among the top two finishers at regionals and advance to the state meet.
Along the way, he said he hopes to break Lakewood Ranch High’s school record of 51.45 meters set by senior Blake Wood in 2021.
“He has great explosion and a very fast arm,” said Lakewood Ranch throwers coach Dave Revord, who specializes in discus and shot put, but also aids St. John in javelin practice. “It’s like a whip. I think he can definitely break the school record if he spends the time on it.”
Dylan Campbell
Braden River wrestler Matthew Ireland, pictured here competing against Everett Smith of George Jenkins High School, is one of seven Pirates to advance to the state championships after finishing in second at the 2A Region 3 meet on March 1.
Liam St. John had never picked up a javelin until last year. Now, he’s nearing the school record and he wants to pursue the sport in college.
Photos by Vinnie Portell
Liam St. John threw a personal-best of 50.39 meters to win the Lakewood Ranch Invitational Feb. 28. That mark is just 1.07 meters shy of the best throw in Lakewood Ranch High history.
Sanctioning girls wrestling proves to be smart call
Francesca Bisordi will become the first girls wrestler at Lakewood Ranch High School to compete in the state championships on March 6 at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee.
That’s an impressive accomplishment, but it’s worth noting that it wasn’t even possible just five years ago.
The Florida High School Athletic Association sanctioned the sport ahead of the 2021-22 season, but before that, girls had to join boys teams and typically compete against boys at tournaments.
They also couldn’t participate in postseason tournaments recognized by the FHSAA.
Now, girls who want to wrestle have legitimate teams where they can find a community and have the chance to place their names in the FHSAA record books.
Several other states have also sanctioned the sport, and it’s become the fastest-growing high school sport in the nation, according to a report by the Associated Press.
That increased access has opened doors for countless athletes, and it has been especially monumental for Bisordi.
FINDING A HOME ON THE MAT
Self-described as someone who was awkward and didn’t know where she fit in, Bisordi credits wrestling with changing her life.
“I found my thing,” she said.
“I’ve been looking for one specific thing that I fit into my whole life, and I found wrestling, and I’m so in love with it. It’s something that I can keep getting better at and I can prove to people I can. I like that I’m always doing something, I have a community, and I like fighting. It’s fun.”
Bisordi, a sophomore, grew up watching her older brother, Thomas Bisordi, wrestle for the Mustangs. She said she wasn’t particularly
U.S. WOMEN’S WRESTLING BY THE YEARS
1989: The United States entered the Women’s World Championships for the first time. The U.S. brought home three medals, including two silvers and a bronze.
1990: The National Federation of State High School Association begins to track girls wrestlers for the first time. That amounted to 112 girls from 101 teams.
1993: The University of Minnesota Morris creates the first varsity women’s wrestling team at the collegiate level.
1996: USA Wrestling hosts first age-group national championship for female wrestlers.
1998: Hawaii holds the first high school girls wrestling state championship.
2002: International Olympic Committee announces it will add women’s wrestling to the 2004 Olympics.
2004: Missouri Valley College hosts first collegiate women’s wrestling national championships.
2017: Presbyterian College (Clinton, South Carolina) becomes first NCAA D-I school to add women’s wrestling.
2025: The NCAA adds women’s wrestling as its 91st championship sport.
interested in it at the time.
She tried softball when she was younger, but didn’t enjoy it. At Lakewood Ranch, she first tried girls weightlifting and liked it, but it didn’t scratch her competitive itch.
At the urging of her brother, Bisordi finally decided to give wrestling a shot last spring as a member
ships.
of the inaugural girls wrestling team at Lakewood Ranch High.
It didn’t come naturally.
“I joined right before the first preseason tournament and I went in there knowing nothing,” Bisordi said. “I got pinned right away, and it was horrible, but I still kept coming back.”
Bisordi had never wrestled before and it showed. She went 3-20 last season.
Despite all those losses, she was hooked.
BREAKING THROUGH
Bisordi practiced relentlessly, studied the moves of collegiate wrestlers and found her favorite move, the barbed wire — a move in which Bisordi crosses an opponent’s arms over their upper torso.
Thanks to that hard work, this season has been a different story for Bisordi.
She currently holds a 27-4 record in the 170-pound weight class and is coming off a second-place finish at the 1A Region 3 meet Feb. 22. That performance allowed her to advance to the 1A state championships.
“When I first met her she would barely make eye contact with me,” Lakewood Ranch girls wrestling coach Nate Lancaster said. “She was the shy kid. Now she’s outgoing and loud.”
Bisordi has also found close friends through wrestling who have made it easier for her to devote so much of her time to the sport.
Lakewood Ranch’s girls wrestling program is in its second year and has just seven wrestlers on the team, but that’s led to a tight-knit community.
That mentality expands beyond just one high school team, too.
“The girls on the team are my
best, best friends,” Bisordi said. “I literally made my best friends from wrestling, and at tournaments, all the other girls are really nice. We always make friends at tournaments. Even if we wrestle (against) them, we’re friends. There’s no hard feelings.”
Though Bisordi has already made school history by becoming the first girls wrestler to make it to the state championships, she said she’s not satisfied.
If she can finish in the top eight of her 16-person weight class at the 1A state championships, she will medal and get her name on the wall of the wrestling room — known to all future Mustangs girls wrestlers as the first to do so.
Bisordi said she also wants to cut down her weight to the 155-pound or 145-pound weight class for next year, which will allow her to be more fit.
She hopes that further dedication one day leads to a state championship.
When high school is over, she said she hopes to continue wrestling at the next level. That’s something that never would have been an option if the sport hadn’t become sanctioned.
“Last year I didn’t think I would get that good, but I just kept training and I was like, ‘Wait, I can actually wrestle in college,’” Bisordi said. “It seems so fun, seeing other people on teams. Every year there are more colleges adding women’s wrestling, and it’s something I want to do.”
Veins
Veins
LAKEWOOD RANCH
T, W, Th: 8:00am-5:00pm Friday: 8:00am-12:00pm
Vinnie Portell
Francesca Bisordi practices the barbed wire move on freshman Jacob Gomez during a practice at Lakewood Ranch High leading up to the 1A state champion-
Vinnie Portell is the sports reporter for the East County Observer. Contact him at VPortell@ YourObserver.com.
Jonathan Leatt
Lakewood Ranch High senior Jonathan Leatt is a three-sport athlete who competes in cross country, soccer, and track and field. He turned in a solid performance on the track on Feb. 28, helping the Mustangs boys team beat 17 other teams to win the Lakewood Ranch Invitational. Leatt finished in first place in the 800-meter run in 2:01.09, third in the 1600-meter run in 4:33.78 and second as a part of the 4x400 relay team in 3:32.95.
When and why did you start running?
It was second grade. I’ve been running for a long time because my whole family runs. I would always do the local 5Ks with my dad. I started taking it seriously at the end of middle school.
What’s been the most memorable moment for you in track?
Probably regionals last year. It was a very big meet and I think I did four events that day. I did the 4x4 at midnight. It was a long day and very memorable.
What’s been your most humbling moment in track?
Running is humbling because if you think you’re fast ... no you’re not. There’s probably a 13-year-old who’s faster than you.
What’s gone right for you to start this season?
I was happy to start well because I kind of took a break because of soc cer season. It’s senior year, so I’m going all-out.
What’s your favorite TV show or movie?
I like horror movies. I’d say my favorite is probably ‘Smile.’
What’s your go-to warmup song?
If I want to get hyped, I’ll probably listen to “Stargaz ing” by Travis Scott. That’s my go-to song.
If you would like to make a recommendation for the East County Observer’s Athlete of the Week feature, send it to VPortell@YourObserver.com.
If you’re not running, what are you doing?
Playing soccer for the school or my club team. I like to fish a lot. I go to the beach. I hang with friends and family. I go to church.
What does your ideal weekend look like?
I like the outdoors a lot, so an ideal weekend would be camping with my family, maybe a long run on Sunday and a nice breakfast.
What’s been your best run ever?
The cross country state meet was probably my best running experience. There were so many people and the course was beautiful. It was a lot of downhill, so it felt fast.
Do you have a favorite runner and why?
I like Eliud Kipchoge, the marathoner. He’s older now, but very wise and has insane times. I watched a documentary about him a while ago when he broke two hours in the marathon. It was very inspiring and amazing to see the miles he runs and how dedicated he is.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Finish this sentence. Jonathan
When it comes to fundraisers:
That’s amore!
Bradenton’s Blair Smith figured he had the perfect shirt for the Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee’s major fundraiser of the year, Tropical Nights Under Paris Lights, on Saturday at the Grove in Lakewood Ranch.
It was a Disneyland Paris shirt he had to buy in Paris after Delta had lost his luggage following a flight there with his wife, Debbie. He figured he wouldn’t have many opportunities to wear the gaudy shirt in the future, but when he was considering attire to go with the fundraiser’s theme, it seemed like the appropriate choice.
It all made Meals on Wheels Plus CEO and President Maribeth Phillips grateful.
“It all makes me so happy,” Phillips said. “This is just so wonderful, that people enjoy dressing to go with the theme. It means the world to me to know people care. Great friends, great time, great cause.”
The event was sold out at 240 attendees.
The 2024 event raised $200,000 and Phillips said they hope to raise even more this year.
— JAY HEATER
Shamekia and Joseph Dunn of Lakewood Ranch were looking dapper at Tropical Nights Under Paris Lights.
Photos by Jay Heater
Bradenton’s Blair and Debbie Smith had some snappy attire to wear at Tropical Nights Under Paris Lights at the Grove. Blair was forced to buy his Disneyland Paris shirt after the airline lost his luggage.
Yudelsy and Eric Epler of Sarasota bought their outfits for the 2024 Tropical Nights that had a pirate theme but felt that fit quite well for Under Paris Lights in 2025.
Frank Perry welcomes guests to Tropical Nights with a tip of his tophat. Perry is a Meals on Wheels vice president. He says he loves seeing the community coming together and buying into the mission.
Sarah Fleener of the band Tropical Avenue entertains the crowd during Tropical Nights.
The corner room in The Lake Club’s Grande Clubhouse was meticulous on the afternoon of Feb. 27 when the Lake Club Women’s Giving Circle held its annual Celebration of Women, Philanthropy and Community.
The sun was shining in through large glass windows overlooking the veranda. Chatter bounced off the walls. Macarons and parfaits were artfully displayed on tiered trays, among a feast of appetizers and sweets.
“We live in a bubble here (in The Lake Club),” board member Nancy Lepain said. “And two miles away from us, people are suffering in poverty and children don’t have food. It’s our responsibility to help in any way we can to make their lives a little better.”
The group doesn’t simply write checks from the bubble. They were recognizing the volunteer hours, food and clothing drives and also the $33,000 given to nonprofits across the area in 2024.
The event brought together sponsors, such as Jared Hermann with Morgan Stanley, and grant recipients, such as Maribeth Phillips, CEO of Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee.
— LESLEY DWYER
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
Beyond the Spectrum’s Lauren Carpenter talks about knowing the value of her work because her brother Scotty has attended the school since 2017 and is now part of the adult learning program.
Andrea Stephens, Renee Snyder and Kathleen McCoy enjoy the afternoon out of the office. Stephens and McCoy work for the Pines of Sarasota, and Snyder is the president and CEO of Sarasota’s Habitat for Humanity.
Joe Najmy, Maribeth Phillips and Jared Hermann chat during the cocktail hour.
Club members Maureen Cozzi and Fran Berg are
at the
Barbara Najmy and Nancy Lepain sit on the board
IT’S READ EVERYWHERE
Headed on a trip? Snap a photo of you on vacation holding your Observer, then submit your photo online at YourObserver.com/ ItsReadEverywhere. Stay tuned for this year’s prize, and happy travels!
OBSERVER
VATICAN CITY: Sonya and Steve Kazenoff from the Country Club of Lakewood Ranch brought a copy of the East County Observer to St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican City.
YOUR CALENDAR
Big Top at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota. Times for this week are Thursday and Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Doors open one hour before show time. Tickets start at $30 and up while parking is $10. The event is a showcase of top global circus artist performing in a one-ring traditional setting.
THURSDAY, MARCH 6
THROUGH SUNDAY, MARCH 9
LIVE MUSIC AT JIGGS LANDING
Runs from 3-6 p.m. each day at Jiggs Landing, 6106 63rd St. E., Bradenton. The live music lineup at Jiggs Landing includes Steve Arvy (Thursday), Side 2 (Friday), Blue Grass Pirates (Saturday) and Tom Gath (Sunday). The Friday and Saturday concerts are $5 and the others are free. For more information, go to JiggsLanding.com.
FRIDAY, MARCH 7 AND SATURDAY, MARCH 8
MUSIC AT THE PLAZA
Runs 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1560 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch. Singer Mylon Shamble entertains those strolling through Waterside Place on Friday night with acoustic rock/pop numbers. Then singer/songwriter Danielle Mohr entertains on Saturday. For more information about the free music series, go to WatersidePlace.com.
SATURDAY, MARCH 8
CARNIVAL
Runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Living Lord Lutheran Church, 11107 Palmbrush Trail, Lakewood Ranch. All God’s Children Preschool is hosting its annual Carnival. Come enjoy drinks, food, rides and games. For more information, call 739-2776.
SATURDAY, MARCH 8 AND SUNDAY, MARCH 9
MUSIC AT THE LODGE
Runs from 6-9 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday at Linger Lodge, 7116 85th St. Court E., Bradenton. The Divebombers perform
BEST BET
FRIDAY, MARCH 7
MUSIC ON MAIN Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch. The free block party and concert series returns with MonkeyFinger providing classic rock, pop, and some hair-band metal. The March event will benefit Lakewood Ranch Community Activities. Come enjoy the music, food vendors, beer and wine trucks, sponsor booths, and games and activities for the kids (provided by Grace Community Church). For more information, go to MyLWR.com.
on Saturday at Linger Lodge while Scott Yates is the entertainment on Sunday.
FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS
Runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch. The Lakewood Ranch Festival of the Arts showcases handmade works of artisans from across America. Admission is free. For more information, go to ParagonFestivals.com.
SUNDAY, MARCH 9
POLO Gates open at 10 a.m. and the match begins at 1 p.m. at the Sarasota Polo Club, 8201 Polo Club Lane, Lakewood Ranch. General admission is $15. VIP tickets run $20 and up. For more information, go to SarasotaPolo.com.
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, will be offering seafood, eggs, meats, dairy products, pastas, bakery goods, jams and pickles among other items.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12
RANCH NITE WEDNESDAY Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place. Ranch Nite Wednesday features food trucks, dessert trucks, live music, weekly programing, outdoor bars and a recreational cornhole league. Please do not bring coolers or bring outside food or beverages. Go to Waterside.com for more information.
SARASOTA PARADISE HAS ARRIVED!
Watch your soccer club grow from a USL League Two team in 2025 to a professional League One team in 2026. Join us at our new home, the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch. Get your tickets now for the 2025 season (May-July) and follow our journey to the pros! Sarasota Paradise will be the heart of our community, shining on the field and developing players for the global stage. We’re committed to a great game-day experience, hospitality, and making a positive impact. Our values will unite Sarasota, create pathways for youth to go pro, and represent our city worldwide.
- Owner, Marcus Walfridson
JIM DELA
DIGITAL CONTENT PRODUCER
On Stage Alaska
EXPERT PLANNING ADVICE • BEST DEALS OF THE YEAR
AAA Travel invites you to preview the wonders of an Alaskan journey through On
12, 2025 • 2:00pm Sarasota Art Museum 1001 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota
Space is limited. Scan this code to reserve your seat or call 941-929-2299
SARASOTA INSTITUTE OF LIFETIME LEARNING WORLD CLASS GLOBAL AFFAIRS LECTURES IN LAKEWOOD RANCH Cornerstone Church: 14306 Covenant Way, Lakewood Ranch
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2025 @ 11:00 AM
THE MIDDLE EAST YOU DON’T KNOW
The Arab Spring’s promise for a new relationship between Arab states and their citizens unraveled. Given social, political, and economic trends, is there still a demand for change and reform? Are important developments not covered in the Western press? Ellen Laipson will try to illuminate some of the complicated realities of this key region.
THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2025 @ 5:00 PM
UNDERSTANDING THE BRAIN
Dr. John Bruno will provide an introduction to how the brain works in health and psychiatric disorders. Cognitive control regulates a broad network of brain regions. Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other diseases are all tied to brain function. Finally, Dr. Bruno will discuss the drug therapies used in treatment.
Alocal fishing tournament and charity auction April 5-6 is raising money for the Tidewell Foundation that will help terminally ill patients while also honoring a young man whose life was cut short by cancer.
The seventh annual Chad Day Memorial Fishing Tournament is a catch-and-release tournament and charity event, headquartered at Tarpon Bay Grill & Tiki Bar, 7150 N. Tamiami Trail. After a captains’ meeting 3 p.m. April 5, the teams are released to fish from that point on, with the final photo needing to be submitted by 2 p.m. April 6. Tarpon Bay will host fundraising events for the tournament from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 5 and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 6.
For Chad’s mother, Joann Day, it’s a way to celebrate her son’s life and passion for fishing.
“I just want to keep his memory alive,” she said. “I thought, you know, he loved to fish. And I just went all around trying to find a place to hold the event, because I was just like, I’ve got to do something.”
A LIFE TOO SHORT
Chad Day was, his friends say, the life of the party. “He was a very goofy, silly kid,” his mother said.
Joann’s husband, Alan Dormeyer, remembered Chad’s skill on the water.
“Chad was the one these guys that, if you went out on a boat, he’s reeling in all these fish and everybody else is just kind of sitting there,” Alan Dormeyer said.
“That’s one thing all his friends told me, is that he could catch (fish),” Alan Dormeyer said. “He had the magic hand. And I think his spirit was in the water with him.”
At 23, his life was taking shape.
Since becoming a certified welder at Manatee Technical Institute while still in high school, he had a job, a girlfriend and a passion for fishing.
“He had a big heart. Every chance he got, he was on the water fishing,” his mother said.
One day in 2014, Chad drove to a pond to put a line in the water. While getting out of his truck, his arm involuntarily went into the air and he fell to the ground.
“He had a seizure,” Joann Day said.
Passersby saw Chad fall and they called for an ambulance.
“He called me in the ambulance,” she said. “I was at work, and his voice was all shaking. He said he was on his way to hospital. He didn’t know what happened.”
At Manatee Memorial Hospital, a CT scan of Chad’s brain revealed frightening news.
“That’s when they found the
Courtesy images
Chad Day loved fishing. He always was out around East County fishing and participating in tournaments. His memory is now honored through the Chad Day Memorial Fishing Tournament.
tumor,” his mom said.
Doctors at Moffitt Cancer Center performed a biopsy.
“At first they thought it was a different type of cancer. But when Moffitt did the surgery to remove as much as they could, they found out that it was a glioblastoma,” his mother said. Glioblastoma is an aggressive cancer that grows quickly and destroys healthy tissue.
According to the American Brain Tumor Association, the five-year survival rate for someone Chad’s age is only 27%.
The constant trips to Tampa for treatment began to take its toll on Chad, she said.
“Even the ride up there was getting a little rough on him,” his mother said.
A friend suggested contacting Tidewell Hospice, which soon took over his home care, administering medications and providing a wheelchair and bed.
Chad soon became bedridden.
“I couldn’t deal with it. I needed a nurse around the clock,” his mother said.
It was time for Chad to enter hospice care.
“So he had a little kitten,” she said. “We took the kitten with us. We went to the Tidewell facility on 26th Street in Bradenton. Everybody was so nice. I slept there. They wanted to make sure I was comfortable.
“We were there for two weeks before he passed,” on May 16, 2015.
TIDEWELL’S MISSION
All of the money raised from the tournament goes to The Tidewell Foundation, which funds Tidewell’s services.
Tidewell cares for patients with a broad range of diagnoses, including heart and lung disease, cancer, AIDS, renal failure, ALS and end-stage Alzheimer’s in Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and DeSoto counties.
Tidewell Hospice serves anyone, regardless of their ability to pay.
The foundation raises millions of dollars each year, but the Chad Day Fishing Tournament is something special, said Megan Wenger, senior philanthropy advisor at the foundation.
“The fishing tournament is definitely unique, she said. “We have families that donate to the founda-
tion after a loved one has been in hospice, but I don’t know of anyone who works as hard as Joann every year to raise money.”
THE TOURNAMENT
The entry fee is $320 per boat for up to four anglers. There is an $80 fee for each additional angler, up to a maximum of six anglers per team.
Participants will be trying to land fish such as snook, redfish and trout.
First-, second- and third-place prizes are $1,000, $700 and $400, respectively.
Joann Day starts planning the tournament in November.
Since the tournament started, Day has raised more than $78,000 for Tidewell, and she hopes to break the $100,000 mark this year.
“Last year I raised $25,500, so if I do the same this year, I should be right around the $100,000 mark.”
She would like to see more teams enter.
“I average about 15 teams,” she said. “I’m hoping we get at least 20, if not a little bit more.”
Corporate sponsorships are also available at the $1,500, $1,000 and $500 levels.
At the event at the Tarpon Bay Grill & Tiki Bar, there will also be raffles for gift baskets, silent auctions, a 50/50 drawing and live music by the pool.
“It’s around $10,000 to $12,000 in total prize money with all the baskets and all the donations,” Day said.
All teams registered for the Fishing Tournament will receive a captain’s bucket which includes a shirt, meal and drink tickets and more.
Chad Day Memorial Fishing Tournament attendees show their support by participating in the silent auction and raffle. Proceeds from the tournament benefit the Tidewell Foundation.
The class instructor, Ruth Landes, has been an emergency medical technician since 1995. She, along with her husband Rick Landes, owns Landes Emergency Training Services, which offers a variety of instruction, including first-aid, active shooter training, live fire extinguisher training and more. The participants had a number of reasons why they chose to attend. Some have taken a class before and needed a refresher. Others said they have new grandchildren and wanted
Jim DeLa
Leo Eineker and Susan Groover practice CPR on mannequins during a class Feb. 25 at the Tara Golf and Country Club. Ruth Landes, center, led the seminar.
First aid
FROM PAGE 10B
to be prepared for a visit.
For some, a close call spurred them to action.
“My husband, just two weeks ago, had a cardiac issue,” said Susan Groover. “I want to have the tools to help him myself.”
Landes shared her own professional experiences, along with course material, to give practical advice to these potential lifesavers.
One common fear people have, she said, was being sued if they try to help but fail. Legislation in nearly every state, called Good Samaritan laws, protect people volunteering to give aid in emergencies.
Under the Florida Good Samaritan Act, “Any person, including those licensed to practice medicine, who gratuitously and in good faith renders emergency care or treatment… shall not be held liable for any civil damages as a result of such care or treatment.”
“You’re covered,” she said, with one caveat: If you start CPR on an unresponsive person, you must continue until someone else, either first responders or another civilian, can take over.
After some basic instruction, participants knelt on the floor next to special mannequins. Electronics inside the mannequins measured the depth, speed and rhythm of the chest compressions.
The proper cadence, Landes said, is between 100-120 compressions a minute. That, coincidentally, is the same beat as “Stayin’ Alive,” the Bee Gees disco tune.
Giving chest compressions looks easy — until you do it for a couple of minutes. “Holy cow,” Groover said after two minutes. “You’re not kidding,” quipped Leo Eineker, who was working on another mannequin.
Eineker was trained in CPR on the job years ago. “Then I was young, so doing that stuff was very easy,” he said.
“The one thing that threw me was, we would be a team, OK, you go two minutes, and then I go two minutes,” for two or three rounds. “Oh, my
goodness, I was exhausted.”
Landes also provided a short demonstration of an AED, which can give a victim an electric shock to restart their heart in case of cardiac arrest.
The small portable machines are designed to be used by nonprofessionals. At the touch of a single button, the device gives audible instructions on exactly what to do and when.
“Turn it on and listen,” Landes said.
After placing adhesive pads on a victim, the device checks for any heart activity. Landes demonstrated on a mannequin. “A shock is advised,” the device boomed. “Stand clear and push the red button.”
The device can deliver several potential life-saving shocks before first responders arrive.
There are five AEDs in various locations at the Tara County Club. Landes also demonstrated a phone app, PulsePoint AED, which will let a user know where the nearest known AED is to their location, anywhere in the U.S.
After the class, the participants said it was well worth the time.
“You learn something new every time,” Eineker said. “Now I know who I want to play golf with,” as he looked around the room.
“I think it was definitely worth it,” Groover said. “I had a CPR certificate in my 20s, probably when I had young children.
“This was a great refresher, and also it really helped me to learn how deep the compressions need to be. I think prior to this class, my compressions would have been way too shallow.”
Jim DeLa CPR instructor Ruth Landes shows Tara residents an automated external defibrillator or AED.
Abraham Lincoln revisited as teacher of valuable leadership lessons
A New Jersey college professor and Abe Lincoln aficionado, at a Southwest Florida event, details why one of the most famous Americans ever is also an underappreciated leadership expert.
By Mark Gordon Reprinted from the Business Observer
It’s hard to overlook Abraham Lincoln.
For starters, the 16th U.S. president signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, ending slavery in the country. It’s also well known that Lincoln was physically hard to miss, standing six-foot-four, the tallest of the 46 U.S. presidents. And, of course, he was so celebrated for telling the truth that his famous nickname, Honest Abe, lives on 159 years after he was assassinated.
What is sometimes overlooked with Lincoln—despite the 16,000 books written about him—is the set of soft skills he learned, and then exhibited, about leadership throughout his life. This is the message Louis Masur, a Lincoln expert and Distinguished Professor of American Studies and History at Rutgers University in New Jersey, shared in Southwest Florida in 2024.
Masur was a keynote speaker for a Sanibel Captiva Trust Co. Speaker Series event. His talk, “Lessons of Abe Lincoln: How Effective Leadership Can Change the World,” was given at the Tribby Arts Center at Shell Point in Fort Myers. In a virtual interview, Masur remarked, Lincoln “saved the union and freed the slaves, but what made him such an incredible leader during such a divisive and partisan time?”
Masur, who has researched, taught, and spoken about other historical figures, says Lincoln remains his No. 1 educational and leadership muse. Masur has distilled Lincoln’s leadership into a few powerful lessons:
Education: Lincoln’s dedication to selfeducation was critical to his success. Despite his father’s disapproval of reading, Lincoln’s “love of learning” played a pivotal role in his ability to lead. When Lincoln became president in 1861, he had no formal military experience, except for volunteering in the Black Hawk War. To prepare, he read military strategy books from the Library of Congress, immersing himself in the details of military tactics.
Diplomacy: Masur points to Lincoln’s letter to General George Meade after the Battle of Gettysburg as an example of his restraint. Lincoln wrote a letter to express disappointment that Meade didn’t pursue Confederate General Robert E. Lee after the Union victory. However, Lincoln ultimately chose not to send the letter, recognizing that chastising his general would be counterproductive.
Empathy: Lincoln’s empathy and ability to step outside himself were hallmarks of his leadership. Masur tells a story of Lincoln writing a condolence letter to the daughter of a friend who had died in combat. In the letter, Lincoln wrote, “You are sure to be happy again,” sharing his own experience with grief. This ability to connect with others helped him lead with compassion.
Principle over power: Lincoln’s commitment to principles is another lesson Masur highlights. During the 1864 presidential election, Lincoln refused to postpone the vote, even though he risked losing. He believed that “We cannot have free government without elections.” This resolve to uphold democratic principles, even in times of war, defined his legacy.
Masur’s insights emphasize that Lincoln’s leadership was as much about character as it was about strategy. “I just never tire of reading about him and thinking about him,” Masur says.
Join us for an engaging speaker series featuring two of the nation’s leading historians. Dive deep into American history as our expert speakers bring the past to life with captivating stories and fresh perspectives.
Azario Esplanade home tops sales at
ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
An Azario Esplanade home on Derna Terrace topped the week’s sales. Sharon Studley, of Bradenton, sold her home at 15515 Derna Terrace to Penelope Prett, of Suwanee, Georgia, for $1.45 million. Built in 2022, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,022 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,106,700 in 2022.
ESPLANADE
Susan Ruble, trustee, of Edina, Minnesota, sold the home at 4523 Terrazza Court to Chris and Michelle Hughes, of Bradenton, for $1 million. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,421 square feet of living area. It sold for $550,900 in 2019.
BRIGEWATER
Osvaldo Miranda and Vivian Lourdes Acebal Lopez, of Puerto Rico, sold their home at 13614 Swiftwater Way to Paul Stern and Jamie Stern, trustees, of Bradenton, for $915,000. Built in 2016, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,107 square feet of living area. It sold for $523,600 in 2016.
ISLES
Toll FL XIII Ltd. Partnership sold the home at 8003 Redonda Loop to Mohamed Kamel Eldeeb Ahmed and Lucie Dominique Louise Ladurantaye Ahmed, of Lakewood Ranch, for $900,000. Built in 2024, it has three bedrooms, three-anda-half baths and 2,517 square feet of living area.
COUNTRY CLUB EAST
David and Christine Houghton, of Ontario, Canada, sold their home at 14528 Whitemoss Terrace to Teena Rosanne Johnson, of Lakewood Ranch, for $721,000. Built in 2012, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,148 square feet of living area.
John and Sarah Buehler, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 12018 Thornhill Court to Shane Phillips, of Lakewood Ranch, for $695,000. Built in 2011, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,861 square feet of living area. It sold for $810,000 in 2022.
PERIDIA
Larry Dean McWhorter and Joseph Patrick Killmeyer, of Bradenton, sold their home at 4213 Pro Am Ave. E. to Michael and Margot Gay, of Valrico, for $679,000. Built in 1990, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,866 square feet of living area. It sold for $335,000 in 2014.
WATER OAK
Larisa Rozin, of Bradenton, sold the home at 6414 67th St. E. to Emmanuel Metellus, of Bradenton, for $660,000. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,003 square feet of living area. It sold for $411,000 in 2018.
COUNTRY CREEK
David Rosengrant and Tiffany Rosengrant, of Palmetto, sold their home at 208 147th St. N.E. to Jason Michaels and Olivia Michaels, trustees, of Bradenton, for $653,000. Built in 2004, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,504 square feet of living area. It sold for $399,000 in 2017.
SWEETWATER
M/I Homes of Sarasota LLC sold the home at 17353 Savory Mist Circle to Amanda and Christopher Robertson, of Bradenton, for $644,800. Built in 2024, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,190 square feet of living area.
M/I Homes of Sarasota LLC sold the home at 18178 Cherished Loop
$1.45 million
to Lisa and Stephen McClain, of Bradenton, for $375,000. Built in 2024, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,452 square feet of living area.
GREYHAWK LANDING WEST
Leigh Ann Grooms, of Bradenton, sold the home at 912 Buttercup Glen to Julia Pringle and Christopher John Levins, of Bradenton, for $640,000. Built in 2013, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,822 square feet of living area. It sold for $398,000 in 2016.
BEACON COVE AT RIVER PLACE
Teena Rosanne Johnson, of Lakewood Ranch, sold her home at 6915 67th Terrace E. to Sean Andrew Padilla and Sarah Kain, of Bradenton, for $620,000. Built in 2002, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,276 square feet of living area. It sold for $400,000 in 2021.
SARACINA AT ESPLANADE
G. Shannon and Jeanne McDaniel, of Bradenton, sold their Unit 106 condominium at 13511 Messina Loop to James and Lauren Pulie, of Stratford, Connecticut, for $615,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,146 square feet of living area. It sold for $318,600 in 2016.
Katrina and Jeremy Block, of Delafield, Wisconsin, sold their Unit 106 condominium at 13506 Messina Loop to John and Jeanne Schmidt, of Bradenton, for $450,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,146 square feet of living area. It sold for $340,000 in 2019.
CENTRAL PARK
Gregory Vigrass sold his home at 12117 Forest Park Circle to Ellen Singer, trustee, of Bradenton, for $600,000. Built in 2014, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,022 square feet of living area. It sold for $297,000 in 2017.
Christine Braun, trustee, of Temple, Texas, sold the home at 12426 Tranquility Park Terrace to Christopher Minea, of Longboat Key, for $550,000. Built in 2014, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,844 square feet of living area. It sold for $272,400 in 2014.
Steven Bires, of Bradenton, sold the home at 4908 Kincaid Park Lane to Larisa Rozin, of Bradenton, for $550,000. Built in 2013, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,755 square feet of living area. It sold for $337,000 in 2020.
Brody and Devynne Cone, of Liberty Lake, Washington, sold
Vinnie Portell
This Azario Esplanade home at 15515 Derna Terrace sold for $1.45 million. Built in 2022, it has three bedrooms, and is 3,022 square feet.
THE SOONER THE BETTER
Partnering with you to provide quality emergency care right in your neighborhood.
Medical Emergencies
• 24/7 care for all ages with board-certified physicians 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.
To learn more about our emergency services, visit lwrmc.com/ER
at 9605 Bladesmith Lane to Paul Shaughnessy, trustee, of Bradenton, for $580,000. Built in 2001, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,293 square feet of living area. It sold for $310,000 in 2018.
CREEKWOOD
M2 Property Solutions LLC sol the home at 5012 76th St. E. to Karina and Vladimir Gashchenko, of Bradenton, for $535,000. Built in 1996, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,429 square feet. It sold for $419,900 in 2024.
INDIGO
Donald David Goben and Michael Alan Kelley sold their home at 12735 Aquamarine Ave. to Anne Mutchner and Ralph Dale, of Bradenton, for $495,000. Built in 2023, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,528 square feet of living area. It sold for $492,600 in 2023.
SUMMERFIELD
Faith Peterson, trustee, sold the home at 6215 Blueflower Court to Michael and Anne Morle, of Lakewood Ranch, for $445,000. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,732 square feet of living area. It sold for $249,900 in 2013.
MALLORY PARK
Kathleen and Michael Kaywood, of Bradenton, sold their home at 11926 Seabrook Ave. to Jacquelyn Maria Kasulis, of Brooklyn, New York, for $430,000. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,876 square feet of living area. It sold for $445,000 in 2022.
CHAPARRAL
PALM AIRE AT SARASOTA
Lee and Amy Amberg, trustees, of Evanston, Illinois, sold the Unit 256 condominium at 6939 W. Country Club Drive N. to Robert Craig Hanson and Janet Lee Hanson, of Ontario, Canada, for $390,000. Built in 1979, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,620 square feet of living area. It sold for $250,000 in 2021.
CLUB VILLAS AT PALM AIRE
Diane Bedrick, of Painesville, Ohio, sold her Unit 7732 condominium at 7732 Palm Aire Lane to Merritt and Christina Carlton, of Sarasota, for $365,000. Built in 1988, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,872 square feet of living area. It sold for $375,000 in 2023.
TERRACE AT LAKEWOOD
NATIONAL
Kevin Charles Lowerre and Kari Lois Lowerre, of Cape Coral, sold their Unit 1713 condominium at 18114 Gawthrop Drive to Jennifer Staggs, of Bradenton, for $342,500. Built in 2022, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,142 square feet of living area. It sold for $361,600 in 2022.
STONEYBROOK AT HERITAGE
HARBOUR
Lief Watts, of Winter Haven, sold his home at 9019 Stone Harbour Loop to Herbert James Schaffner Jr., of Bradenton, for $300,000. Built in 2006, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,270 square feet of living area. It sold for $320,000 in 2022. In
Jenna Kathryn Campo and Christopher Bradley, of Bradenton, sold their home at 6805 Winslow St. to OP SPE PHX1 LLC for $405,500. Built in 1997, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,858 square feet of living area. It sold for $190,000 in 2012.
DIVISION OF LABOR by Priyanka Sethy & Rajiv Sethy, edited by Jared Goudsmit
Under Contract in 2 Weeks
#1 in Sarasota. #1 in Manatee. #1 in Lakewood Ranch.
Coldwell Banker leads the market, ranking #1 in total sales volume for both Sarasota and Manatee counties in 2024. At the Lakewood Ranch office, the Shanahan Luxury Group remains the top-producing team for the second consecutive year – a testament to the trust our clients place in us.
The Shanahan Luxury Group is your trusted source for buying and selling in Southwest Florida’s elite real estate market. Backed by the power of the Coldwell Banker Global Luxury® program, we provide national and international exposure, ensuring your property reaches the world’s most discerning buyers.
The results speak for themselves. If you’re considering a move, we invite you to experience the unparalleled service and expertise that set us apart.
