The shadow of a buck standing under the northern lights, created with oil pastels, will remain in 8-year-old Fanya Zhang’s private collection.
Zhang is pictured above with her artwork, aptly titled “Northern Lights,” and teacher Natalya Irlin.
Twice a year, Irlin’s students at Art Planet Studio have the opportunity to display and sell their work at an exhibition. Prices range from $18 to $100.
The pieces vary because students are taught different genres and create art using pastels, pencils, paints and charcoal.
The opening reception was held March 28 at Lakewood Ranch’s ComCenter, where classes are held. The art will be displayed through April 4.
County focuses on Braden River cleanup
Barbara Bishop-Reid and Richard Greene (above) played a friendly game of cornhole against Bob Meyer and John Grech at Waterside Place on March 24.
The game, which BishopReid and Greene won 21-19 after more than 30 minutes, was part of the weekly Casual Cornhole activity that begins at 10 a.m. on Thursdays and is run by Lakewood Ranch Community Activities.
Bishop-Reid and Greene have been “original” competitors in the weekly series since it began at Waterside Place in 2022. While they do play as partners often, they also change it up to play with new teammates. Go to LakewoodRanch.com/ Event/Casual-Cornhole-3/ for more information.
Madison Bierl
Courtesy image
Courtesy image
Madison Bierl
County trains residents to spot veterans in crisis
The county has partnered with The Fire Watch to provide free training so residents can spot veterans in crisis.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
The rate of veteran suicide in Florida is two-and-a-half times higher than that of all other civilians, so Manatee County would like to become known as a “Veteran Safe Place.”
However, that designation requires the community’s help.
The county has partnered with The Fire Watch, a statewide nonprofit focused on ending veteran suicide, to train residents to spot the signs of a mental health crisis.
To receive the designation of a safe place, 300 people need to become “watch standers,” but Commissioner Jason Bearden, who is a former E6 staff sergeant for the Marine Corps, upped the goal to 700 trained watch standers.
In the military, a watch stander is someone who looks for potential danger and threats. So in Bearden’s view, the more the better.
Training covers signs of crisis, what steps to take if spotted and myths that surround suicide.
Brianne Brown, The Fire Watch’s regional programs director for Central Florida and also an Air Force veteran, stressed that while the training is military focused, it can help save anyone’s life.
“I truly believe that we can reduce suicide, not only in Manatee County, but in the state and in the nation as this program blossoms,” Bearden said. “It’s a wonderful program that educates anybody on how to approach a major issue.”
The program is also free. Residents can sign up to attend in-person or virtual training.
Bearden said he’s working on bringing a training session to the Lakewood Ranch Library to make it easier for East County residents to
UPCOMING TRAININGS
■ April 8 from 4-5:30 p.m., virtual session
■ April 29 from 9-10:30 a.m. at Manatee Utilities, 3647 Cortez Road W.
■ May 9 from 9-10:30 a.m., virtual session
■ May 29 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Public Works, 1022 26th Ave. E.
attend in person.
Even for those individuals who don’t know a veteran personally, the course has something to offer. It guides participants through proper etiquette upon meeting a veteran and provides a glimpse into “military culture.”
Thousands of American veterans were asked one question: What is one thing that you would want someone in your life — who is trying to understand you — to know? The one-and-a-half-hour course covers the 15 most common responses.
No. 1 on the list is that not all veterans are soldiers. When meeting a veteran, take the time to ask which branch of the military in which they served.
No. 10 is that it’s hard for veterans to ask for help.
Brown said military service is so focused on others that self-care is not highly valued.
The primary emotions of guilt and shame also get in the way of veterans sharing their suicidal thoughts with others. There’s a fear of being judged and a view that the person is weak.
On the other hand, friends and family are scared to ask the “most important” question, “Are you
thinking about killing yourself?”
Brown said people can sometimes feel as if asking the question puts a responsibility on them, but watch standers are only asked to “call and connect,” which simply entails connecting the veteran with a professional at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
Studies show that most suicidal crises last for a relatively brief period of time, so a delay of a few hours, or sometimes just minutes, could save a life.
Bradenton’s Carlos de Quesada, a former officer for the U.S. Marine Corps, attended the county’s first training session March 26 at the Emergency Operations Center. He was one of a dozen people in attendance.
“My business partner is also a veteran. My wife is a veteran,” he said. “Thanks be to God that I don’t have any of the issues in terms of suicidal thoughts, but I wanted to be more
sensitive to the issue.”
He is also a managing partner at VeraCruz Advisory, a consulting firm that works with nonprofit clients that serve veterans, so he tries to stay attuned to the latest thinking on the subject.
He was impressed with Brown’s presentation and said he will be passing on the information in both his personal and professional lives.
The program uses the acronym S.A.V.E. to easily get its message across.
■ Signs include hopelessness, anxiety, insomnia, mood changes, rage, anger, increased substance use and withdrawing from family and friends.
■ Ask the most important question, “Are you thinking about killing yourself?”
■ Validate the veterans experience.
■ Encourage treatment and expedite getting help.
FLORIDA FIRE WATCH BY THE NUMBERS
■ 8,500-plus watch standers
■ 150-plus veteran safe places
■ 10,000-plus referrals made by watch standers
■ 1.5 million-plus veterans served ■ 27% reduction in veteran suicides in Northeast Florida from 2019 to 2022
“It’s good to know these things,” Bearden said. “It helps recognize veterans, and people who aren’t veterans, who are dealing with mental health issues.”
To get a veteran help, call 800273-TALK or 988, and press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line. Another option is to text 988.
Lesley Dwyer
Brianne Brown provides a “Watch Stander” training at Manatee County’s Emergency Operations Center on March 26.
County has big plans to clean up stormwater woes
Clearing the Braden River’s banks of debris and downed trees landed in the first phase of a nearly $10 million project.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
Summerfield Bluffs resident Jill Sauchinitz felt “hopeless” after hearing Manatee County’s presentation of its Hurricane Debby findings Feb. 19.
However, she said her hope was restored after the county’s Stormwater Maintenance department revealed a nearly $10 million plan to prevent future flooding.
Sauchinitz’s home flooded Aug. 5, when Hurricane Debby passed through the area. She’s spent the last eight months fighting for the county to explain what happened and how staff would prevent a recurrence.
“There’s an action plan, funding, a timeline,” Sauchinitz said. “These are important details that were not even an afterthought in the last presentation.”
The county’s goal is to complete the 202 leftover work orders from the 2024 hurricane season ahead of the 2025 hurricane season, which begins June 1. Jeff Bare, contracts manager for Public Works, told commissioners that staff alone cannot accomplish such a feat.
“Every day that we use those employees to work on clearing these canals of the debris from last year’s hurricanes means that we get further behind on our regular maintenance activities,” he said.
Maintenance staff’s normal duties include right-of-way mowing, ditch cleaning, pipe flushing, tree trimming and litter removal.
The county hired Rick Richards, a wetland and upland restoration services contractor out of Myakka City, to remove approximately 300 downed trees along the banks of the Braden River, Gamble Creek, Buffalo Creek and Cabbage Slough.
About 800 trees were downed along waterways after hurricane season, so staff cleared a good portion of them, but Bare said the targeted trees are spread across 112 locations that are “the worst of the worst.”
The locations are too difficult to access without specialized equipment.
On March 25, commissioners approved an additional $2 million of funding, which will be transferred from the Solid Waste fund to the Stormwater Management fund.
Discussions on a dedicated stormwater fund are planned for a special work session April 2.
The $2 million will cover the first phase of the nearly $10 million plan in areas designated as “high priority.” Sauchinitz called the plan “really ambitious, but a step in the right direction.”
“I feel like I’ve been heard and acknowledged and supported,” she said.
County Administrator Charlie Bishop is sending staff out to walk the banks of the Braden River with Sauchinitz so they can physically see what she’s been repeating in emails and in commission meetings for months now: The debris and overgrowth is so thick in some areas of the river that you can’t see the water underneath it.
WHAT $2 MILLION WILL AND WON’T COVER IN FIRST PHASE
The plan does not include dredging the Braden River or directly addressing the two trouble spots Lakewood Ranch identified in its own Hurricane Debby investigation.
Rex Jensen, CEO of Lakewood Ranch’s parent company Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, told the East County Observer in February that his team’s investigation identified a sediment buildup underneath the bridge on River Club Boulevard and a tee box at The River Club Golf Course that narrowed the river’s path when installed.
Jensen believes those two issues were major contributing factors that led to the flooding in Summerfield.
Manatee County has openly disagreed, stating during its February presentation that the flooding was caused by an unprecedented rain event in an area that has historically flooded.
Instead, the county is targeting the entire “Summerfield portion” of the river, which staff designated as between Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and River Club Boulevard.
The currently approved plan only addresses the banks of the river. The contractor will remove trees and debris, but will not touch the bottom of the river.
Two sets of Lidar data, which measures ground elevations, show sedimentation building up underneath the bridge on River Club Boulevard, particularly on the north side. From
2004 to 2018, the data shows the embankment is three to four feet higher.
That sediment will stay put, at least for now.
Deputy County Administrator Evan Pilachowski said staff is researching the subject, but removing sediment is a complicated process that requires special permitting.
It’s also a more costly endeavor.
Thomas Gerstenberger, stormwater engineering division manager for Manatee County, estimated that removing three feet of sediment from the Summerfield portion of the river, along with any necessary trees and vegetation, would cost between $750,000 and $1 million.
With the current plan, $494,175 covers the Summerfield portion of the Braden River, Buffalo Canal from Ellenton Gillette Road to Interstate 275 and Cabbage Slough from Interstate 275 to Buffalo Canal.
The rest of the nearly $2 million request will pay to clean up Gamble Creek in Parrish, another hard hit area during Hurricane Debby.
LOOKING AHEAD
The tee box is also staying put for now.
Tony Soletti, the current owner of The River Club Golf Course, did not install the tee box. He acquired it with the overall purchase of the golf course in 2018.
Soletti considered having his staff remove the tee box, but ultimately decided it would be best to wait and let the county make the decision.
Ogden Clark, Public Works’s communications coordinator, said that if staff determines the tee box to be an issue, they will need the commission’s approval and an easement from Soletti to perform the work.
“We’re cooperative,” Soletti said. “If the community needs us to transfer some land to the county to make the world a better place, my family is
the
BY THE NUMBERS
Here’s a numerical glimpse into the life of a Manatee County Stormwater Maintenance staff member.
745stormwater maintenance work orders from the 2024 hurricane season
202work orders left to complete
545canals to inspect and maintain
334ponds to inspect and maintain
55staff members
8staff vacancies
on board with that.”
However, he agrees with the county that the tee box was not a major factor in the flooding because the entire golf course was under water in every direction during Hurricane Debby.
Soletti’s account of the river is the same as Sauchinitz’s account. He said if you walk in either direction from his course, you’d more likely think you were walking through the woods than a river bed.
Jensen was out of the office when the East Count Observer reached out for comment, but a representative offered this response on behalf of SMR:
“SMR appreciates the county’s efforts to assess stormwater management impacts and its commitment to funding the cleanup of the Braden River. We look forward to follow up conversations with the county to ensure channels and rivers are maintained to help prevent future flooding.”
The county’s plans for the Braden River only start at Summerfield, they don’t end there.
The Summerfield portion accounts for 1.2 miles, but the overall $9,686,507 includes an additional 4.25 miles of the river from Interstate 75 to Lorraine Road.
Clearing those remaining two portions of the river is estimated to cost $4,347,147.
Orlando Buexcuda, Nick Waldron and Michael Vickers are part of Manatee County’s Stormwater Maintenance team.
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
Courtesy image
Here is a view of the Braden River at the 10th hole on the Braden River Golf Course.
Clearing
banks and canals of the Braden River, from Lakewood Ranch Boulevard to River Club Boulevard, is included in a $10 million stormwater plan to prevent future flooding.
become available in the summer at SuncoastFoodandWineFest.com.
The Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch has more than 120 members. Weekly club meetings are held in person and via Zoom. For more information, go to LakewoodRanchRotary.com.
Roundabout opens at S.R. 64 and Lorraine Road
A new traffic pattern on the State Road 64 Roundabout at Lorraine Road and 145th Street East began April 1.
The Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch presented $142,000 in grants March 27 to 36 local nonprofits and Rotary projects with money raised at its annual Suncoast Food and Wine Fest.
To date, the Suncoast Food and Wine Fest has allowed the Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch to present more than $2.5 million to charitable causes.
The festival features cuisine, wine and beverages from more than 40 restaurants in the region.
The grant presentation and celebration was held at the Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club. Rotary’s Bob Grepling, who chaired the Grant Awards Committee, thanked the event’s sponsors and the participating restaurants he said make the event possible. Main sponsors for the 2024 Suncoast Food and Wine Fest were Lakewood Ranch and JPMorgan Chase and Co.
The Florida Department of Transportation said a single lane in the roundabout would be open for vehicles going in all directions. Although the roundabout will be open a month ahead of its scheduled opening, construction is still continuing on the project. An FDOT release urges motorists to follow traffic signage, obey the posted speed limits, and use caution while navigating the new traffic pattern.
Housing rehab funds available
Manatee County will distribute
At the grant presentation, representatives of the 36 organizations gave moving messages about the life-changing programs the grants will fund. A Rotary press release gave examples of helping All Faiths Food Bank to fill 1,000 backpacks with food for children, and buying furniture for the new dining hall at Foundation for Dreams.
One grant was presented to the Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch’s Books for Kids program.
The 2025 Suncoast Food and Wine Fest will be held Nov. 1 at Premier Sports Campus. Tickets will
$1.2 million in funding to support housing rehabilitation and replacement efforts for qualified homeowners through the Manatee County Community and Veterans Services Department. Low- and very-lowincome Manatee County residents can submit entry forms through the State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program Housing Rehabilitation/ Replacement Program according to a county release. The program provides 0% interest-deferred payment loans for a 20-year term to make code-related repairs to homesteaded properties or replace dilapidated single family housing structures. To be eligible, households must be in Unincorporated Manatee County or City of Palmetto and be within the program standards for low- and very-low income and property value. Go to MyManatee.org/ServicesAnd-Amenities/Service-Listing/ Service-Details/Homeowners-Rehabilitation-Replacement-Program for more information.
Photo by Courtesy of the Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch
Ashley Nolan and Megan Wenger, who represent the Tidewell Foundation’s Blue Butterfly program, join Rotarian Judy Berlow at the grant presentation luncheon.
Digging up the dirt on dust
East County residents choked up about construction dust making their lives miserable.
East County’s Chelsea Jervis described
“It looks like a fire going on,” she said. “It’s just black dirt smothering everything.”
Jervis works at H&H Nursery off of State Road 64, near Bourneside Boulevard. Her father-in-law, Mike Hotalan, is the owner.
Jervis said the dust that comes off surrounding construction sites gets so bad they’ve had to close the nursery at least twice over the past year because the conditions were unbearable.
Workers wear neck gaiters that
pull up over their mouths and noses, but it’s not enough.
“It goes right through them,” Jervis said. “Our faces are black when we take them off. We’re blowing our noses, and it’s just straight dirt coming out.”
Complaints about blinding dust storms in Manatee County are not new. Staff gave commissioners a presentation in April 2024 on how to control construction dust and again March 25.
Residents across Manatee County, from East County to Parrish to Lake Flores in Bradenton, are complaining that the dust is dirty, expensive to clean and harmful to their health.
Rye Wilderness Estate resident Bo Mortenson power washes his lanai
weekly and switches out his air conditioning filter biweekly. He called it “reprehensible“ that he pays such high property taxes on a home he can’t enjoy.
Staff’s presentation last year led to a clearcutting limit of 100 acres at a time. However, Myakka City resident Elizabeth Arnold said a drive east on State Road 64, where multiple developments are underway, illustrates why that limitation is ineffective.
County Engineer Scott May confirmed that there are still up to 400 acres being clearcut at once when sites are independent of one another.
Another major issue with the county’s handling of construction dust comes down to money.
“(Contractors) were directed by
STAFF SOLUTIONS
Here are the changes Manatee County is implementing immediately. Staff also received approval to look into additional solutions, such as adjusting fees and looking to other municipalities to see how they handle sand and dust storms.
■ To make code enforcement less burdensome on staff, developments over 100 acres are required to supply a live feed camera system, which allows access to the county.
■ Contractors are required to submit weekly reports of dust control measures used and implemented, signed by the project superintendent or someone in a higher position.
■ Contractors have to follow a designated haul path within the development, which allows the county to keep the water trucks where they’re needed most.
developers, supposedly, to go ahead and continue working because of what our current fee structures and enforcement requirements are,” May said. “It’s actually cheaper for (developers) to pay the fine.”
Fines can’t exceed $250 a day for the first violation or $500 a day for repeat violations. The fines max out at $5,000 per violation.
Commissioner Tal Siddique pressed May to openly name the developers who are ignoring the
code, but May said he couldn’t pinpoint any particular one because contractors work on multiple sites.
Instead, May described a vast difference between sites and said there could be anywhere between zero to four water trucks trying to mitigate the dust. It simply depends on the developer.
A year ago, Mark Van De Ree, spokesperson for the Waterline Road Preservation group, told the East County Observer he didn’t believe the county had enough code inspectors to enforce the rules.
He was right.
Staff asked commissioners to require a live feed camera system on any development over 100 acres to assist code enforcement.
With cameras in place, staff can act immediately on a complaint versus having to send someone to the site.
But ultimately, Siddique said this is a problem for developers to handle.
“It’s not the county’s responsibility or the taxpayer’s responsibility to (comply to guidelines), it’s the developer’s,” Siddique said. “And I think what we’re finding, even with earth moving standards, is they’re just not following the standards.”
In January, Neal Communities installed a temporary irrigation system at its Palm Grove development on State Road 64.
Ryan Fowler, land development manager for Neal, said the system was put in place to help grow grass for the “dusty season.”
“If you drive through our site, you’ll see a bunch of temporary stands that are irrigating lots,” he said. “The whole purpose of that is to mitigate the dust issue on our site.”
This is a sideby-side comparison of Bo Mortenson’s air conditioning filters after two weeks of use because of construction dust
Courtesy images
This is the start of a dust storm rolling in at H&H Nursery off of State Road 64, near Bourneside Boulevard.
Planning commissioners at risk of losing posts
Commissioners consider changing the advisory board members.
LESLEY
DWYER STAFF WRITER
fter Manatee County Commission Chair George Kruse proposed changes March 25 to Manatee County Planning Commission, some of his fellow commissioners questioned the advisory board’s purpose.
It was noted the board’s official purpose is to provide recommendations to the Manatee County commissioners based on the county’s comprehensive plan and land development code.
However, Commissioner Jason Bearden said the board also serves an unofficial purpose.
“All the planning commission is is a recruitment tool for developers to pick their next person to go into these (commission) seats,” he said. “Everybody who pays attention knows that’s what this (board) is for.”
The March 25 meeting ended with commissioners voting 4-3 to have county staff members bring back a motion that will start the process of removing the current planning commissioners. Commissioners Mike Rahn, Amanda Ballard and Tal Siddique cast the nay votes.
Bearden used Rahn and former Commissioner Ray Turner to illustrate his point because Rahn was a past president of the Manatee Sarasota Building Industry Association, and Turner was a past secretary.
“If one of those planning commissioners vote against one of (the developers’ projects), you think (the developers) are going to get behind them and support them to get on the county commission?” Bearden asked rhetorically.
Rahn noted that he’s the only former planning commissioner who was elected to the current or former county commission. Turner was appointed to the seat by Gov. Ron DeSantis after Vanessa Baugh retired.
“You want people on the plan -
ning commission who understand the comprehensive plan and the land development code,” Rahn said.
“That’s not a developer pipeline.”
Candidates for the planning commission are not required to have any particular qualifications. However, the county’s website states that applicants with “experience in planning, engineering, environmental science and the development industry shall be considered in the appointment process.”
KRUSE’S PROPOSAL
Kruse brought attention to the Manatee County Planning Commission for several reasons.
1. Terms expire in October, ahead of election day.
Kruse said it doesn’t make sense to have a (commission) board that could turn over the following month to choose members who will serve a four-year term.
2. Not every district is represented on the current planning commission.
Districts 1, 3 and 5 have two representatives each, while Districts 2 and 4 have no representation on the advisory board. The seventh seat was vacated by Lakewood Ranch’s Monaca Onstad and will be reappointed April 3.
3. Members are not attending meetings regularly.
Members are regularly absent. Only four out of seven members attended the most recent meeting March 27, and the meeting before was canceled because the board didn’t have enough members to meet a quorum.
4. Members don’t represent the opinions of the current commissioners.
Kruse contends that members who represent commissioners give applicants a better idea of what to expect when going before the commission. He wants each commissioner to choose his or her own representative for the Manatee County Planning Commission.
WETLAND BUFFERS GO BACK TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION
The Planning Commission voted unanimously March 27 to move forward with a plan to reverse a motion made by the prior Board of County Commissioners that reduced county wetland buffers to the minimum state standards.
While Manatee County opted to hire outside consultant Daniel DeLisi to argue its case against expanded wetland buffers, staff robustly argued the case for expanded wetland buffers.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to be before you today presenting this county initiated Comprehensive Plan text amendment for the county’s wetland protection reversion,” Planning Section Manager Kara Koenig said.
Koenig presented 25 sources with her presentation that support the argument that bigger buffers are better for the environment and water quality. The issue will go before the commission April 3.
He used a recent project, The Crossings, as an example as to how someone representing Commissioner Amanda Ballard in District 2 could have been beneficial.
Ballard fought hard for the residents in her district after a senior assisted living facility, The Cottages, was turned into a drug rehabilitation center, The Crossings, despite the zoning being specific to its prior use as a facility for senior citizens with mental health conditions.
The motion passed 4-1, with Commissioners Bob McCann and Tal Siddique absent.
Kruse said if someone advocated against that project as passionately
as Ballard did, the applicant might have made adjustments to their plan before it went before the commission.
Kruse is tired of hearing from applicants that they received unanimous approval from the planning commission, as if that means they’ll receive unanimous approval from the commission.
Unanimous votes simply aren’t helpful to Bearden. He wants to know why someone would vote against a project, but he’s not concerned that members don’t think like him. He wants members to think logically and honestly.
“I want somebody that’s voting for what they believe is right and true at that moment, not because they’re trying to set themselves up for their next job,” he said. When staff returns to the commission with a motion to remove the current members of the planning commission, it will take a supermajority of 5-2 to pass.
If it does pass, Kruse said it’s likely the terms will run through the end of the year.
Courtesy image Commissioner Jason Bearden calls the Planning Commission a “recruitment tool” for developers.
The Gallery: Thoughtfully Designed, Distinctively Sarasota
The corner of Fourth & Cocoanut in downtown Sarasota is being redefined by The Gallery Sarasota, a flawless fusion of art and world-class architecture. This luxury condominium development features 60 exquisite residences across five levels, topped by a stunning sixth-floor rooftop. Currently under construction, the project—designed by Halflants + Pichette and developed by Sarasota-based Palm One Group—has achieved remarkable sales velocity in a short time. Coldwell Banker Realty leads the sales team, with Matthew Day, Teresa Tyrrell, and Chad Fonder exclusively representing sales.
“The demand for high-end, well-located condos under $2M in downtown Sarasota
is evident in our sales success,” says Matthew Day, Managing Broker of Coldwell Banker Realty.
The Gallery attracts individuals not just for what it offers, but also for what it thought-
fully avoids. It’s not another high-rise, nor is it located in a flood zone. With six collec-
striking addition, plans are underway to further enhance the city’s landscape. “The key to creating an exceptional residential and community experience is a constant commitment to detail, both inside and out,” said Tim Tyrrell, President of Palm One Group. “Improvements include new paver sidewalks and streetlights, the repaving of 4th Street and 4th Way, updated curbs and gutters, perimeter landscaping with builtin planters and flowering trees, and a sixfoot wall adorned with lush greenery and palms along 4th Way.”
tions of residences, offering Private Courtyards, Penthouses, Open Staircases, and more—it steers clear of the cookie-cutter living experience. The amenities are equally remarkable, featuring a rooftop terrace with a pool and social lounge, as well as a state-of-the-art two-room fitness center.
Intentionally designed to fit within the neighborhood’s five-story zoning at 4th and Cocoanut, The Gallery blends seamlessly into its surroundings. Its proximity to The Bay Park, just three blocks away, was a deliberate choice. The development was timed to follow the park’s first phase, giving residents easy access to Sarasota’s walkable waterfront.
The community will appreciate The Gallery’s mid-rise design, which seamlessly complements the natural scale of the Rosemary District while contributing to its ongoing growth and vibrancy. Beyond this
At The Gallery Sarasota, every detail is a masterpiece, where elegance and comfort intertwine effortlessly. Living here is more than just homeownership—it’s about embracing a lifestyle filled with culture, convenience, and connection. While Sarasota offers many options, The Gallery Sarasota stands out for its luxury and location. We encourage you to contact our sales team to discover everything this exceptional property has to offer.
Construction of The Gallery Sarasota is on schedule for completion in the second quarter of 2026.
The key to creating an exceptional residential and community experience is a constant commitment to detail, both inside and out.
The Private Courtyard Collection - just one of the curated Collections available at The Gallery features 620 sq. ft. of luxurious outdoor living space.
The centerpiece of The Gallery is the westfacing rooftop terrace pool and lounge, a serene escape above the city with breathtaking views of downtown and the water beyond.
BERRY affordable fun
Blueberry season begins at Manatee County farms.
MADISON BIERL STAFF WRITER
David Payne, owner and operator of Jennings Road Farm in Myakka City, grew up in Havelock North, New Zealand, a town that understands farming.
“If you wanted money, you went out and you picked, and when you’re little, you picked raspberries and boysenberries and blackberries and strawberries. When you get a bit bigger, you pick more strawberries. When you get (even) bigger, you pick kiwi fruit.”
Despite growing up in a farming town and turning his current property into a working farm from a junkyard eight years ago, Payne doesn’t see himself as a farmer.
“I’m not a farmer. I have hogs, I have steers, and I’m not a farmer,” Payne said. “I’m doing it, but I know who a farmer is and what a farmer does. I’m not at that level.”
This is Payne’s first season growing and selling blueberries. He bought all his blueberry plants from a different farm that closed in June 2024. He said they are full of antioxidants, vitamins and fiber.
“The opportunity came to buy a lot of mature blueberry plants, so we took that opportunity,” Payne said. Payne lived in Parrish for 10 years before deciding he wanted to live on more acreage. Moving farther east was more affordable, and he was looking to buy five acres and ended up with 31.
He owns and operates the farm with his wife Tatiana Pashnina. They have two children, 7-year-old Katalina Payne, and 3-year-old Shane Payne. Pashnina, Katalina and Shane are usually the ones who pre-pick berries for customers and pull the weeds.
Katalina said she loves living and working on the farm.
“On the farm, you can do whatever you want. You have acres, you can have fun, you can run around,” Katalina Payne said. “There’s no signs to stop you and well, no paying for stuff!”
“It’s good for children, it’s what we did growing up,” said Marce Corbett, a customer who was born and raised in Sarasota.
Payne said that 2%-5% loss of the crop is to be expected due to natural diseases. He also said unpredictable weather is the main factor of whether or not the blueberries will grow and thrive. “We’ve got some extreme heat and a lot of rain, and blueberries don’t want to be that dry footed,” Payne said. “They don’t want to be soaking wet.”
DID YOU KNOW?
Manatee County is part of Florida’s south central blueberry production region, along with Highlands, Hardee, DeSoto, and Sarasota counties, contributing to approximately 25% of the state’s commercial blueberry acreage.
make sure the rows, parking and everything is accessible for strollers, wheelchairs and the like.
There is also a bathroom with plenty of space to change diapers, and Payne said that he is ordering wipes and sanitizer to provide to families that visit as well.
“I’m hot, pregnant and we’re picking berries!” said Alexandra Garcia, a customer who is 11 weeks pregnant. She said her goal was to make blueberry muffins with the berries she picked.
WE’VE GOT THE BLUES
Leading blueberry producing states in 2024. (Compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture)
1WASHINGTON 137,370,000 pounds
2OREGON128,870,000 pounds
3GEORGIA99,060,000 pounds
4MICHIGAN 86,800,000 pounds
5CALIFORNIA 64,130,000 pounds
6NORTH CAROLINA 54,420,000 pounds
7NEW JERSEY 50,150,000 pounds
8FLORIDA21,410,000 pounds
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
Staff Writers / Madison Bierl, MBierl@ YourObserver.com; Lesley Dwyer, LDwyer@YourObserver.com
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He opens to customers early, at 7 a.m., so they can beat the heat. According to Payne, the main goal of the blueberry farm is to provide a place that is family friendly and affordable. Bottled water is $1, and blueberries are $7 per pound. He also stressed that he has worked hard to
Blueberry season is late this year due to hurricanes. Payne made sure to water the plants heavily to make sure the pots were heavy and didn’t blow over.
The current setup for blueberries consists of rows 300 feet long across three acres. There are four different kinds of blueberries: Spring High (the most sweet), Arcadia, Emerald and Jewel. Payne said he plans to tear down his shop and grow more blueberry plants.
“It’ll take awhile,” Payne said. “It’ll take four years or so, but the blueberries will double in size.”
Payne said that it takes three to four years for a blueberry plant to grow fruit, and six to seven years for the plant to mature.
Payne said students visit the farm and he teaches them about the blueberries and science surrounding it all. For younger kids, he discusses how the plant goes from a bud to a flower to a berry.
“If they’re a little more advanced, we talk about photosynthesis, and if they’re in their early teens, I can get into a little bit of plant and soil science,” Payne said.
Marlene and Patrick Norgard visited the farm with their children, 10-year-old Deklan and 7-year-old Kali. They homeschool their children and expressed interest in returning for a lesson from Payne.
“We’re trying to teach them about agriculture and growing their own food,” Marlene said. “We’re trying to show them where food comes from so they don’t take it for granted.”
The Jennings Road Farm is open to the public every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. until the end of May.
“Let people know we’re here,” Payne said to every customer after they checked out. “We need people!”
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
Lea Cukan, 4, and Alexandra Garcia, 23, show off the blueberries they picked.
Photos by Madison Bierl
Lena Semrinec, 18 months, tastes a blueberry with her mother, Lindsey Heath.
Katalina Payne, the 7-year-old daughter of Jennings Road Farm owner David Payne, doesn’t mind working in the fields.
Blue Butterfly manager provides a lifetime of hugs
When I was 10 years old, I never thought of what I wanted to do past the age of 11.
When Danielle Wondrak was 10, she knew what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.
Wondrak is the manager of the Blue Butterfly Family Grief Center in Lakewood Ranch. She has held that position the past seven years, and the previous three years she did “grief work” in Fort Myers after graduating from Florida Gulf Coast University with a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s in social work.
Wondrak remembered during her early years wanting to be a teacher, then, at 10 years old, her father died.
With her entire family suffering from the death of her dad (Ralph Visone), her mother (Roseanne Visone) took her and her brother (Joseph) to the Hearts and Hope program, which bills itself as “Finding hope in grief.”
It was a safe haven for those who are grieving, and Wondrak remembered being moved in a positive way.
“I went to Hearts and Hope, and it was a magical experience,” Wondrak said. “No one cares what a kid has to say, but when I went there it was like ‘Wow, I get a chance to talk, and share my thoughts about him.’ This was amazing.”
It made such an impact that Wondrak made up her mind that she wanted to work with those in grief, and especially children.
The Tidewell Grief Care Blue Butterfly program gave her that chance upon its formation seven years ago. The Blue Butterfly website notes that it is “an evidence-based community outreach program for children ages 5-18 and their caregivers who have experienced the death of a significant person in their lives. Our evidence-
based therapy works to help kids avoid adverse behavioral responses, while giving them the chance to connect with others like them, who have also experienced loss.”
“I was able to create the model curriculum,” Wondrak said. “I was able to train the counselors.”
Although she is the program manager, she still works with individuals one-on-one when needed.
Much of what she knows about the grieving process has come through education and experience, but a large part comes from her traumatic experience with her dad’s death.
Her father had thyroid cancer and died only a few months after his diagnosis. Still, Wondrak said that such a period could have given her, even at the age of 10, time to prepare for his death.
However, no one ever told her that her dad was, indeed, dying. She was told to pray about it, which she figured would save the day.
It didn’t.
“I thought I just didn’t pray correctly,” she said. “No one ever sat me down and said, ‘You’re dad is dying.’ I was ultimately shocked.”
From her experience, she learned that children need the truth.
“They can’t heal from something if they don’t know the truth,” she said.
Wondrak and her staff work with children who have lost loved ones in every way possible. It could be a long illness, or a shocking heart attack or stroke. Their life changes in an instant due to an accident, and in agonizing situations, some are left behind by those who take their own lives.
Because of that broad spectrum, the Blue Butterfly program does a psychological social assessment of each child.
Wondrak notes that families teach their children differently about what happens to a loved one after death. That can figure into the direction the Blue Butterfly staff takes.
“What we know is that it is normal to grieve,” Wondrak said. “Where we get concerned is when grieving changes eating or sleeping habits or school performance. We are concerned when a child no longer does the things that were fun before the death. We feel that everyone can benefit from group support, and letting them know they are not alone.”
It’s obviously essential work, that I never would want to do. I know that I couldn’t be a policeman, to deal with those kinds of problems on a daily basis. I would never want to be a doctor, whose entire career involves dealing with sick people. And I absolutely know that I couldn’t walk in Wondrak’s shoes, dealing with grief on a daily basis.
“I do think about it a lot,” she said. “If Dad didn’t die, I wouldn’t be involved in this job. But I do believe that God has given me a purpose. I get to be with someone on their worst day, and I know every day is going to be a little better. Our approach is like a warm hug.”
But how can she stop from absorbing someone else’s grief?
“This gives me hope,” she said. “And joy. Recently we worked with children whose two dads (completely different situations) set themselves on fire. Set themselves on fire! The kids attached to those families need us.”
Wondrak calls herself a daddy’s girl who spent a lot of time healing her heart.
“Butterflies were always my symbol for my dad,” she said. “You
know the song ... ‘Butterfly Kisses.’” Now, Wondrak works to teach those in the program about tangible things that can keep the memory of their loved one alive.
“And if they don’t want to be here, we respect that, and we can refer them out. But when we sit down and talk to them, we can meet them where they are at.”
The program, which works with children in Charlotte, Manatee and Sarasota counties, works with about 400 kids per year. Wondrak said a typical length of time to work with a child is about a year. Some stay less or longer.
“You never get over grief,” Wondrak said. “We use the words ‘move forward.’”
She uses her own story as an example and she notes, while listening, she wants to “hold her emotions, not crying herself and not being shocked.”
“If they are crying, we don’t offer them a tissue,” she said. “That is saying that you want them to stop.”
Still, it’s got to be a lot to hold inside when she goes home to her husband, Patrick, and her 5-month-old daughter, Lily.
“When I see they have a light in their eyes and a genuine smile, I know my program provided them with that,” Wondrak said. “This is a passion project, a calling.”
To find out more about the Blue Butterfly program, and how you can help, go to BlueButterflyCenter.org.
Jay Heater is the managing editor for the East County Observer. Contact him at JHeater@ YourObserver.com.
Jay Heater
Samantha McKee, Blue Butterfly brand strategist, talks about the program with Manager Danielle Wondrak.
In Celebrating Life
Braden River wins state TSA title
Pirates now head to TSA Nationals in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 27-July 1.
Coming to the end of her run with the Technology Student Association is a lot more pleasant for Sheena Kurakula than the way she started.
Kurakula, a senior who serves as president of the Braden River High School Technology Student Association, joined the organization as a seventh grader in a time of distress. Her mother, Madhu Rao, was going through breast cancer at the time, which inspired her to join and do a project on cryotherapy versus chemotherapy.
She joined TSA with the goal of helping people and changing lives.
“Little me had so much hatred, and I had gone through so much,” Sheena Kurakula said. “I channeled all of that into creating a project that was research based.”
Now she can channel her energy into winning TSA championships.
Kurakula and her Braden River High teammates won the Florida Technology Student Association at the DoubleTree Universal in Orlando on Feb. 19-22. Braden River TSA won event titles in Biotechnology Design II, Computer-Aided Design Engineering, Dragster Design II, Engineering Design II, and Promotional Design II.
Kurakula was the team lead of her school’s engineering design project. Her team was given a prompt to manage the nitrogen cycle, and they 3D printed and created a working engineering prototype that would take out all the excess nitrogen in water.
Kurakula’s younger brother, Chaitanya Kurakula, a sophomore who is the current treasurer of TSA, is part of the team. He recalled how he originally was inspired by his sister to join the organization.
“I’m like, ‘Wow, this is something that she really cares about, and she’s
SEE STATE CHAMPS, PAGE 14
Madison Bierl
Chaitanya Kurakula, Riley Harris and Sriya Boggavarapu with their Alice in Wonderland-themed animatronics project they are fixing and altering for nationals.
Host families needed for golfers, caddies
You don’t need to be a golfer or a golf fan to help out a Korn Ferry Tour player or his caddie.
JAY HEATER MANAGING EDITOR
With the chance of hosting a future PGA star when the Korn Ferry Tour rolls into Lakewood Ranch for the LECOM Suncoast Classic on April 16-19, Eileen and Bill Wright are happy hosting tournament caddies.
Each year, the Suncoast Classic committee seeks local homeowners to host players and caddies, who struggle financially at golf’s minor league level.
One of the draws of hosting the players is that they might become famous, and remember fondly those who gave them a helping hand when they were working their way up.
Consider the case of Lakewood Ranch’s Sue Tankersley and Larry Panka, who last year hosted Alejandro Tosti, who played in the final group this past Sunday at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. He eventually faded to a tie for fifth, but earned $337,843.75.
Tosti has yet to win, but he now has two top five finishes and a seemingly bright future. Tankersley and Panka said Tosti couldn’t have been nicer than when he stayed with them, and he has continued to stay in contact with them through his PGA career.
Meanwhile, the Wrights, who live in the Stoneybrook neighborhood of Heritage Harbour, are hosting Korn Ferry Tour caddies Cody Vincent and Ken Mann.
Who?
Yes, indeed, the caddies aren’t household names among golf fans, and likely won’t be unless they strike lighting by landing a golfer on his way up. Although the Wrights remembered the two caddies both were working for players who made the cut in last year’s LECOM Suncoast Classic, they don’t remember
whose golf bags they carried.
It just doesn’t matter to the Wrights.
“We’re for the little guy,” Eileen Wright said.
The LECOM Suncoast Classic committee hopes others in the Lakewood Ranch area feel the same.
The tournament is seeking housing for both players and caddies as this year’s tournament approaches, and you don’t have to be a golf fan to volunteer.
Bill Wright notes, “There is nothing to it.”
“You just need to supply a bedroom and a bath,” Eileen Wright said.
“It is easy.”
The Wrights followed an indirect path to hosting LECOM Suncoast Classic caddies. It was about 10 years ago that their grandson, Case Wright, was visiting during a couple summers, and Bill Wright saw a short story in the East County Observer that told about the need for host families for an Education First exchange program.
They decided to host two European teen boys each summer, both to help the program, and to supply some friends for their grandson.
They both said it was a wonderful experience.
When Kay Scholten last year asked the Wrights whether they could host a player or caddy, they figured it wouldn’t be much different than their exchange students.
“I heard what they make,” Eileen Wright said of caddies on the Korn Ferry Tour. “I felt sorry for them. I thought, ‘We have to help those guys out.’”
The experience obviously was good for both the Wrights and the caddies last year.
Both caddies called them and asked if they could stay again this year.
“I heard what they make. I felt sorry for them. I thought, ‘We have to help those guys out.’”
Wright
Eileen
Bill Wright said the decision was easy.
“Here were two guys who needed a place to stay,” he said. “We were not interested in the golf. They just needed a place to stay and we gave them a place to stay.”
“It’s just the way we are ... we are helpers,” Eileen Wright said.
The Wrights didn’t attend any of the tournament rounds last year and they don’t have plans to go this year, either.
They did say they were impressed with how hard the caddies work.
“They are out early walking the course, and they track every shot,” said Eileen Wright, who calls herself a social golfer.
Scholten said anyone interested in hosting a golfer or caddie can contact her at KayScholten2@gmail. com. For more information, go to the LECOM Suncoast Classic website at LECOMSuncoastClassic.com.
The four-round tournament runs on a Wednesday through Saturday format this year to avoid finishing on Easter Sunday. For those hosting golfers, that golfers and their caddies will be gone the day before Easter. Hosting will not affect any Easter events.
Jay Heater
Stoneybrook’s Eileen Wright says that after seeing how much Korn Ferry Tour caddies earn, she wanted to help them with a place to stay during the LECOM Suncoast Classic.
GRAND OPENING
Join us for the grand opening of the 13-acre Midway Sports Park, where outdoor fun awaits the whole family. Watch exciting tennis, pickleball, and outdoor fitness demonstrations, and enjoy lawn games in a lively outdoor setting. Live music will set the mood while local food trucks serve up delicious complimentary
refreshments. Explore this award-winning waterfront community by Stock Development featuring 15 designer-decorated models by the region’s premier builders. Discover our innovative residential offerings, stunning surroundings, and vibrant lifestyle—and find the home of your dreams!
State Champs
putting so much time toward it,’” Chaitanya Kurakula said. “Then, after seeing different events that piqued my interest, I joined.”
The sister and brother (He was involved in an animatronics project.) celebrated a state championship and now look forward to the nationals, June 27 through July 1, with their teammates at Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee.
“It’s like this euphoric feeling when we all get to go up on stage and grab the trophy and walk together,” said Sheena Kurakula. “In fact, it was so euphoric that somebody actually jumped into the pool just to celebrate.”
Braden River High also earned second-place finishes in Board Game Design, Chapter Team II, Drone Challenge, Geospatial Technology, Photographic Technology II and Transportation Modeling.
TSA is a career technical student organization that is almost completely run by students. Each TSA chapter enters a wide variety of categories in various competitions. Points are awarded in each category and that adds up and determines which organization wins the overall title, such as the state championship in Orlando.
The Braden River High chapter consists of 50 people, and 46 attended the state conference. Thirty-eight of the students will attend the national conference in Nashville. Projects, or what members call events, range from highly technical endeavors like robotics and software development to more creative pursuits including fashion design, board games and children’s story writing. Graphic design and marketing are also areas that can be focused on.
The Braden River High TSA members stressed that while there are plenty of STEM and science based events, anyone could join TSA.
“I feel like everyone I know who has an interest could fit into TSA whether they do art, designing clothes and stuff like that,” said Sriya Boggavarapu, the team lead of the animatron-
ics project. “They have a place here.”
Some events have specific prompts that are presented on the national TSA website.
“Even if you have a set prompt, you can interpret the prompt however you feel,” said Chaitanya Kurakula.
This year the prompt for animatronics was to build an exhibit to excite young readers. Boggavarapu, Chaitanya Kurakula and secretary Riley Harris were a team for the project. Harris said she loves stories, and that is what attracted her to the events she is involved in — board games, children’s stories and animatronics.
“This year we did Alice in Wonderland, which is a story that we brought to life,” Harris said.
Boggavarapu is involved in multiple events including board games, which focuses heavily on aesthetics and debate, which is public speaking. She said that the interview practice and presentation has improved her skill set for the future.
She said her greatest lessons in high school that will apply to her future came from TSA.
Sheena Kurakula said that what sets their TSA chapter apart from others and helps them win is that everyone is involved in every project. Even though students are assigned to different projects, it is never just those couple of people working on their own.
Braden River High School has a reputation for winning awards in TSA, but Sheena Kurakula said that is not the main goal. She said they don’t think about the competitors.
“We’re all doing these little projects that we’re passionate about, and it’s so authentic. It’s just the passion that we’re really going up against,” Sheena Kurakula said. “We’re only thinking about ourselves because we’re wanting to beat ourselves and just immerse ourselves into our topics.”
Sheena Kurakula said that it is important for members of TSA to put more work and effort into their events between competitions.
“We just went up against all of Florida, but now we’re going up against the whole country,” Sheena Kurakula said.
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Find Your Place in East County
3
3
Finely tuned
A year after taking over the program, Ethan Hacker has won over his students and the assessment judges.
MADISON BIERL STAFF WRITER
Ethan Hacker’s passion for music and teaching has struck a chord with his students at Braden River Middle School.
Only a year after he took over his current position, his first teaching job, Hacker has taken the school’s concert band to the highest level. His band received the coveted “superior rating” at the 2025 Florida Band Masters Musical Performance Assessment held at Manatee High School on March 11. It is the highest level a band can achieve in the statewide assessment.
Jordan Ellis-Teris, who plays the oboe, is an eighth grader who has been in band since sixth grade. He said Hacker has brought everyone together, especially after the program has had two previous band directors in less than two years.
“I feel like last year we had better individual players, but this year Mr. Hacker has been focused on tone and blend and playing together,” EllisTeris said.
Ellis-Teris said he admires that Hacker often records the band and listens to it after business hours and takes note of what they need to improve. The admiration is reciprocated by Hacker, who sees Ellis-Teris as a natural leader in the band.
“He kind of bought into the whole idea of ‘Hey, we’re going to strive for excellence,’” Hacker said. “He has set a good example and the other students respond well to him and like being around him.”
Ellis Quintanilla, a seventh grade
and we communicate with notes and music.”
Quintanilla said there have been moments of panic due to notes that were difficult to reach, but she always got them in the end.
“Mr. Hacker has been super funny and supportive with all our music. He helps us out with whatever we need. It has been a great thing for all of us to experience,” Quintanilla said.
“She puts in the work, is receptive to feedback and is also just a really talented musician,” Hacker said of Quintanilla.
“I like Mr. Hacker and the way he teaches,” said eighth grader Hezekiah Coblentz who plays the French horn.
Hacker said he has been experimenting with his teaching techniques. He said everyone’s way of learning is different.
tenor saxophone player, uses music as a stress reliever when her life gets “chaotic.”
She compared it to meditation, and also said that being in band has greatly improved her ability to communicate effectively with others.
“One thing I didn’t want to do in the band was communicate, and I had to because we do sight reading
“I find new or different ways to teach the same concepts to people in different ways that might connect with them more,” Hacker said. “You’ve got to think outside the box in using multiple ways to do the same thing.”
The songs the band played at the assessment were “Forward March!” by Paul Murtha, overture “Saqqara:
“I
put challenging music in front of them. They weren’t sure they’d be able to play it, but they got the ultimate reward because of that.”
Ethan Hacker
A Window to Ancient Egypt” by Francois Olivier-Fortin, and “The Spirit of an Eagle” by Larry Clark.
Ellis-Teris said they have been playing “The Spirit of an Eagle” since the beginning of the school year and started practicing the other two songs in January. He said he enjoys that Hacker breaks up the practice so they aren’t playing the same song for too long, so they stay engaged.
Coblentz said “Forward March” was his favorite to play because he loves marches. He also said “The Spirit of an Eagle” was difficult but still had lots of fun with it.
There were mixed feelings of nervousness and eagerness right before the performance.
Hacker said that he told his students that regardless of what rating they received, they would be making beautiful music as long as they
showed up and performed like they were capable of doing.
Quintanilla said her friends were scared for her and the band, but she was confident they would put on a good performance.
“I was feeling good, because we had everything down,” Quintanilla said. “We rehearsed and I was ready to go.”
Coblentz said that during the performance he was focused.
“I love playing my instrument, and I’m just passionate toward being good at it,” he said.
Ellis-Teris said he felt they played well, but also thought there were still some things that could have been improved.
Quintanilla said after the competition they were sitting in their school bus when Hacker entered the bus, holding the performance medals.
“We were screaming for, I swear, an hour,” Quintanilla said.
Hacker loved seeing his students ecstatic after all their hard work.
Braden River Middle’s jazz band also received superior ratings in February.
“I put challenging music in front of them,” Hacker said. “They weren’t sure they’d be able to play it, but they got the ultimate reward because of that.”
Photos by Madison Bierl
Ellis Quintanilla is a seventh grade tenor saxophone player.
Ethan Hacker has been Braden River Middle School’s band director since February 2024.
Eighth grader Jordan Ellis-Teris plays the oboe in Hacker’s band class.
Alliance talks traffic
When it comes to the most popular topics of discussion in the Lakewood Ranch area, one thing stands above all others.
And it’s not the weather.
People love to talk about traffic.
Knowing that, the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance scheduled a transportation expert to be the guest speaker at its March 26 luncheon at the Lakewood Ranch Country Club.
“I will say, if there is one conversation that everybody seems to have these days, it is about traffic,” said Brittany Lamont, president and CEO of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance.
The alliance hosted Wayne Gaither, southwest area office director at the Florida Department of Transportation. He discussed all of the current and prospective projects that the FDOT is operating.
Among the topics was the State Road 70 widening project that is expected to be finished in February 2027.
Michelle Lloyd, a resident of Myakka City, expressed concern for semi trucks and dump trucks using all the roundabouts scheduled to be built on S.R. 70 as it heads east toward Myakka City. She asked why they don’t consider turn lanes over roundabouts. Gaither said they get a lot of questions regarding roundabouts, and said FDOT analyzes what will work the best in every scenario they come across.
“We’ve worked closely with the design of the roundabouts to accommodate the various modes of travel that go through,” Gaither said. “So it’s not designed specifically for cars. It is designed to accommodate trucks and larger vehicles that go through.”
Gaither also talked about the State Road 64 project at Lorraine Road and 145th Street East. He said the goal of the project is to convert the signalized intersection to a multilane roundabout.
“This new roundabout is anticipated to relieve a lot of the backups on Lorraine Road,” Gaither said.
Along with the roundabout, milling and resurfacing, lighting, pavement marking and an additional sidewalk will be added. Construction started in April 2024 and is expected to be complete in June at a cost of $6.1 million.
Many of the improvements he talked about are in the planning stages.
Gaither noted that $1.5 billion is being invested in Manatee and Sarasota counties in four categories — planning, project development and environment study, design and construction.
One of the anticipated projects Gaither discussed was building a Bradenton-Palmetto connector, which he said is in the planning phase to address additional capacity needs.
He said studies necessary for the project are either underway or wrapping up. That part of the process has cost $5.6 million. The designing and construction time and funding have not yet been determined.
FDOT is planning to replace the aging DeSoto Bridge and its entryways from S.R. 64 to Haben Boulevard to better serve traffic headed to and from Palmetto and Bradenton and to give the region another northsouth alternative. Gaither said a new bridge would be of a “similar length and similar profile.”
The PD&E study will cost $3.1 million, and the design process will be $8.2 million.
Madison Bierl
Wayne Gaither, Southwest Area Office director of the Florida Department of Transportation, speaks to the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance.
Elegant Home Transformations…
SALE END OF SEASON
SPORTS
FAST BREAK
Courtesy image
Ashley Pater worked her way into the University of Southern California beach volleyball starting lineup as a freshman and helped the Trojans win a national title in 2024.
ormer Lakewood Ranch
FHigh student Ashley Pater has won 13 straight matches with her doubles partner in her sophomore season for the University of Southern California beach volleyball team to improve her season record to 19-3. Pater has helped the Trojans go 16-6 this season and earn a No. 4 national ranking in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Collegiate Beach Poll. Braden River baseball continued its late-season resurgence with another strong week. The Pirates defeated Riverview 15-0 in four innings on March 25 and defeated Manatee 8-5 on March 28 to improve to 10-8 on the season. Senior shortstop Camden Pope had a good week at the plate in those two wins, going 4-for-7 with five runs and two RBIs.
… The Lakewood Ranch boys track and field team placed second out of 25 teams at the 2025 North Port Invitational on March 28. The Mustangs were led by sophomore Liam St. John, who took first place in javelin with a throw of 48.28 meters, along with senior runners Jonathan Leatt, second place in 1,600-meter run (4:34.57), and Derek Robinson second place in the 3,200-meter run (9:48.87).
… Lakewood Ranch flag football improved to 11-2 with two wins last week, including a 13-12 win against Manatee that avenged an early season loss to the Hurricanes.
The USA Swimming Open Water Nationals and Junior competition will take place at Nathan Benderson Park on April 4-6. The event will feature the 10K national championships (10 a.m. start on April 4), the 5K junior national championships (8:30 a.m. start on April 5), the 5K national championships (8:30 a.m. start on April 6) and the 7.5K junior national championships (10 a.m. start on April 6).
“We
started to get timely hits, our defense has been making less errors and we are playing better all around.”
Suncoast Classic has been springboard to the PGA Tour
Byeong Hun An, the 2022 winner, has earned $19,967,667 competing on the PGA Tour.
PORTELL
VINNIE
STAFF WRITER
Golf fans in the Lakewood Ranch area are likely to be watching the next player to take a pivotal step toward the PGA Tour.
The LECOM Suncoast Classic
— a Korn Ferry Tour event — is back at Lakewood National Golf Club from April 16-19.
Since the tournament began in 2019, each champion has earned the right to play on the PGA Tour. Last year’s winner, Tim Widing, used his first-place finish to catapult himself into the best stretch of his career.
If history is to repeat itself, this year’s winner will be on the PGA Tour soon.
This year’s field also features Blades Brown, 17, and Miles Russell, 15, who both debuted on the PGA Tour last year despite being teenagers.
Other notable names include Hank Lebioda, the current points leader on the Korn Ferry Tour, and former PGA Tour player Justin Suh.
Here’s what’s become of former LECOM Suncoast Classic champions:
2019 CHAMPION:
MARK HUBBARD
Hubbard, 35, is the most seasoned of the LECOM Suncoast Classic champions. He won the event with a -26, two strokes ahead of the rest of the field. His debut on the PGA Tour came at the Frys.com Open in October of 2013 and he’s played in 240 PGA Tour events — making the cut in 158 of them.
He has seven top-five finishes on tour, with the best of them a T2 at the Houston Open in October of 2019. Hubbard has also played in five major championships, including a T24 finish at the 2024 PGA Championship.
He officially joined the tour in 2015 and his career earnings on tour are $11,013,424.
2020 CHAMPION:
ANDREW NOVAK
Novak, 30, debuted on the PGA Tour
Classic. He won the LECOM Suncoast Classic with a -23, one stroke ahead of John Chin. He has now competed in 96 tour events and has made the cut in 57 of them.
His best performances have come in the past year, including a runnerup finish at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in November 2024 and a third-place finish at the Farmers Insurance Open on Jan. 25 of this year.
Novak has made $5,778,727 in career earnings since officially joining the tour in 2022.
2021 CHAMPION:
HAYDEN BUCKLEY
Buckley, 29, won the LECOM Suncoast Classic in a three-man playoff against Dawson Armstrong and Taylor Montgomery after posting a -13. Buckley followed that win by earning a spot in the U.S. Open later that year and earned his PGA Tour card the following season.
He made his PGA Tour debut at the Sanderson Farms Championship in October of 2018, but had played in just two PGA Tour events before winning the LECOM Suncoast Clas-
Since making the tour, he’s made 47 cuts out of 95 tour events. His best tournament performance was a runner-up finish at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January of 2023. He has earned $4,952,175 on the PGA tour.
Hun An, 33, has played PGA Tour events since he debuted at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March of 2010. He won the LECOM Suncoast Classic with a -17, one stroke better than four runner-ups. An struggled early in his professional career and bounced around from the PGA Tour to the DP World Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour until he broke through in the 2016-17 season. An has now competed in 211 PGA Tour events and has made the cut in 148 events. Though he hasn’t won on the PGA Tour, An has five runner-up finishes and four third-place finishes. An has earned $19,967,667 competing in the PGA Tour.
IF YOU GO
What: The LECOM Suncoast Classic
When: April 16-19 (Gates open at 7 a.m. each day.)
Where: Lakewood National Golf Club Ticket pricing: $20 for daily grounds pass; $60 for weekly grounds pass; $175 for daily all-inclusive hospitality experience; $650 for weekly allinclusive hospitality experience; free entry for active duty military, veterans, first responders, teachers and children 17-years-old and younger Ticket information: Tickets. LecomSuncoastClassic.com
Parking: There is no parking available at the golf course. However, free parking and trolley service can be found at Premier Sports Campus at 5895 Post Blvd. in Lakewood Ranch.
2023 CHAMPION: SCOTT GUTSCHEWSKI
Gutschewski, 48, is the oldest player to win the LECOM Suncoast Classic. He won the event with a -21 in a onehole playoff against Logan McAllister. His first PGA Tour event came in February of 2004 at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. He has persevered through struggles in his game and a foot injury to play in 158 events on the PGA Tour and 260 events on the Korn Ferry Tour. He has one top-five finish and three top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour, but has found more success on the Korn Ferry Tour, with three wins, five-runner up finishes and has placed in the top-10 44 times. His career earnings between both tours is $3,868,743 with $1,973,987 coming on the PGA Tour.
2024 CHAMPION: TIM WIDING
Widing, 27, has the least amount of professional golf experience of any of the LECOM Suncoast Classic winners. He won the event by beating out Steven Fisk and Patrick Cover in a three-man playoff after posting a -20. He used his win last year as a springboard to compete in two majors last summer — the PGA Championship (missed cut) and the U.S. Open (T41). Widing earned his PGA Tour card for the first time this year and has played in just 11 tour events in his career, the best of which was at last year’s U.S. Open. Despite struggling to make cuts this year, Widing placed T45 with a -11 at the Puerto Rico Open in March. He only has earned $83,847 on the PGA Tour.
— Lakewood Ranch softball’s Bella Toscano SEE PAGE 22
Photos by Ryan Kohn
Tim Widing gives the LECOM Suncoast Classic trophy a kiss. Widing won the 2024 tournament in a two-hole playoff against Patrick Cover and Steven Fisk.
Scott Gutschewski holds up the 2023 LECOM Suncoast Classic trophy.
Mustang girls surge toward regional berth
Wins and losses in sports are often determined by much more than the statistics could reveal.
That’s the case for the Lakewood Ranch girls lacrosse team.
The Mustangs lost four of their top players — and 62% of their scoring — to graduation after going 9-8 last season.
Naturally, one would think that Lakewood Ranch would be struggling this season, but that hasn’t been the case thanks to someone whose name won’t often be prominent in the box score.
Sophomore attacker Janelle Gonzalez hasn’t recorded any statistics this year, but her dedication has helped the Mustangs (9-4, No. 49 in Florida) be on track to have their best season in program history. Gonzalez has autism and Turner
syndrome, but that hasn’t stopped her from finding the time to travel to practice 45 minutes each day and play fearlessly when her name is called.
“She’s the hardest working kid at practice,” Lakewood Ranch girls lacrosse coach Blair Woods said.
“She’s worked forever on her skills, off season and everything. Physically, she’s not able to compete with the big girls, but every minute she gets on the field, she makes the most out of it, and she’s the happiest player on the team.”
Gonzalez attends Sunshine Christian Academy in Bradenton, and has played lacrosse for club teams.
“It seems like a fun sport, and I get to be in a group,” Gonzalez said.
“It’s been fun. My teammates are
very nice.”
She wanted the experience of playing for a high school team, and Lakewood Ranch welcomed her with open arms last season. However, it wasn’t as if it was hard for Gonzalez to fit in.
According to her coaches, Gonzalez memorized all of her teammates’ names by the end of her first practice and was quick to make friends.
There might be no one more aware of the finer details of the Mustangs’ season than Gonzalez.
Woods said she asks how each win and loss will affect the team’s chances at receiving an at-large bid to the regional playoffs, and her teammates said she comes prepared to each match with a scouting report on the opposition.
“Her memory is crazy,” junior
Gabbie Hotaling said. “It’s always impressive when she’s coming up to me and reciting all the games that are happening that day and what we need to do to make the postseason. She even knows the best players on each team and tells us about them.”
Despite losing so much talent from last season, the current Mustangs players said that has helped them in a way.
Hotaling (47 goals and 24 assists), sophomore Gigi Canali (48 goals and seven assists) and sophomore Gigi Haines (22 goals and 21 assists) have stepped up, and the lack of senior goal-scorers has forged a more team-oriented style of play.
“Since we started as a super focused team, at least my freshman year, it was a very determined team and we had a lot of strict seniors, which I think built a strong team,” Hotaling said. “But by bringing Janelle in, who’s super positive and excited to be here, it’s definitely added positivity to our team.”
Lakewood Ranch is in a position to make it to the regional tournament for the first time since the program was established in 2018.
Gonzalez is paying close attention for good reason.
The Mustangs have the secondbest record in their district and are currently ranked as the ninth-best team in 2A Region 3.
To make the Florida High School
Athletic Association regional playoffs, a team must either win its district tournament or be ranked as one of the four best teams to not win its district.
That typically shakes out to the top-eight teams in each region, which leaves the Mustangs one spot out right now.
The Mustangs have games remaining against Out-of-Door Academy (April 3) and IMG Academy Blue (April 4). Win both of those games, and a regional playoff bid could be in the cards.
There’s no telling how the rest of this season will unfold for Lakewood Ranch, but the players can meet it with a newfound perspective thanks to their secret weapon.
“She’s such a unique and special person that I think she’s also helping the people around her,” said Paige Abronski, the principal at Sunshine Christian Academy, who has mentored Gonzalez since the third grade. “She’s a great teammate. She’ll cheer on anybody.”
Photos by Vinnie Portell
Lakewood Ranch girls lacrosse is having one of its best seasons in program history despite losing most of its top goal scorers from last year.
Vinnie Portell is the sports reporter for the East County Observer. Contact him at VPortell@ YourObserver.com.
Gigi Canali, Janelle Gonzalez and Gabbie Hotaling have each been pivotal for the Lakewood Ranch girls lacrosse team as it chases its first regional playoff appearance.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Bella Toscano
The Lakewood Ranch softball team has won four straight games after starting the season 3-7. Mustang freshman Bella Toscano has been at the heart of that second-half surge.
Toscano, a pitcher/first baseman, is batting .425 with four runs, 17 RBIs, seven doubles and one home run, while also serving as one of the team’s three starting pitchers. In a three-game stretch from March 2528, Toscano went 7-for-9 with three runs, six RBIs and two walks.
When and why did you start playing softball? I started playing softball when I was 7, and I started playing because both of my parents played baseball and softball. I wanted to follow in their footsteps.
What’s been the most memorable part of this season for you?
Probably when I hit a grand slam against Manatee.
What is your favorite all-time softball memory?
When I pitched my first no-walk game a little less than a year ago in the fall season.
Lakewood Ranch has turned it around lately. What’s gone right?
We’ve all come together as a team. We’ve started to get timely hits, our defense has been making less errors, and we’re playing better all-around.
What’s it been like playing varsity softball as a freshman?
I was a little bit nervous at first, but after my first game, I realized it wasn’t that bad. It kinda felt like travel, just a little bit older.
What’s gone right for you personally this season?
I’ve worked on my hitting a lot more. I didn’t prac tice it as much before, but now that it’s starting to get
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.
more serious, I’ve been practicing a lot more and staying consistent. That’s helped me a lot in games.
What’s your favorite meal?
Chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-A.
What’s your favorite TV show or movie?
I really like “Gossip Girl.” I can watch it for a really long time without getting bored and there’s always something happening.
What’s your go-to warm-up song?
“Nokia” by Drake. It really hypes me up because it’s a really upbeat song.
If you’re not playing softball, what are you doing?
Hanging out at the beach or with my friends.
What’s been your most humbling moment in softball?
When I was going through a really big slump at the beginning of the season and I was striking out a lot. It was a bad slump and it was really hard to get out of. It was getting to me and making my confidence go down a lot. My mindset was
‘Don’t strike out this time,’ but that changed and I wasn’t in my
Finish this sentence.
Bella Toscano is…
Delightful day for divas and dogs YOUR NEIGHBORS
In the business of saving animals, The Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch doesn’t concentrate on taking the “perfect” dogs.
“Maybe there’s 10 dogs, and one of them has a life-threatening problem, a leg that needs removal or something,” said Susan Giroux, Divas and Dogs event chair. “We will take that dog.”
That leads to an above-andbeyond effort that needs to be supported by fundraisers, such as the annual Divas and Dogs event that was held March 28 at the Lakewood Ranch Country Club.
Divas and Dogs is the nonprofit’s major fundraiser that allows it to save dogs, cats and bunnies in Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties.
Giroux has been the chair for the past six years. There are 18 volunteers who have been working and planning Divas and Dogs since Jan. 15.
Giroux thanked Lakewood Ranch Country Club for hosting the luncheon.
“They work very hard to put it all
together for us, and it’s a lovely day,” Giroux said.
Eight local women volunteered to be models in the fashion show portion of the event, sporting looks by Sun Bug and Twist Boutique.
Giroux said it is almost never the animal’s fault they end up without a home. They are either “lost, relinquished because someone’s died or someone just can’t
financially keep them.”
She stresses The Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch won’t let its animals go just anywhere after the shelter.
“We want them to have a good life, a forever home,” Giroux said.
To support The Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch, go to HSLWR.org.
— MADISON BIERL
Photos by Madison Bierl
Alice Busch carries Bentley into the Divas and Dogs fundraiser.
Back: Debbie Urban, Ellen Moore, and Kathy Hunt, attend Divas and Dogs. Front: Susan Hendrix, Sue Tankersley and Jan Martin.
Model Jill Wellinger enjoys her walk during the Divas and Dogs fashion show.
Evelyn Hernandez, Morgan Tinl, Lucy Kisela, Dani Ziegler, and Mora Jordan pose with shelter dogs Des and Rigo.
Des, who was found as a stray, goes to Divas and Dogs with the hope of finding a forever home.
Susan Giroux, Divas and Dogs chair, congratulates Vicki Fitzgerald, who won the golden pearl contest and a $500 reward.
Lots to do on Ranch Nite
While the star of Ranch Nite Wednesdays is a
The entire area was packed March 26. Country Club East’s Cary Verasco took the opportunity to play miniature golf with his 5-year-old son, Jack.
Sharky’s Events & Inflatables sets up a 9-hole course in Gateway Park once a month for Ranch Nites.
In the plaza, Prodigal Sons was entertaining a huge crowd with some classic rock tunes, and the Sarasota Paradise soccer team had player Seth Heiland doing tricks in the street.
Heiland was also kicking the soccer ball to anyone who met his eyeline. The Paradise started setting up a tent at Ranch Nites in January.
“We just want to raise awareness and let people know we exist,” Director of Operations Tim Jansen said.
LESLEY DWYER
Sarasota Paradise player Seth Heiland entertains the crowd at Ranch Nite Wednesdays by showing his skill with a soccer ball.
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
Country Club East’s Cary Verasco teaches his 5-year-old son, Jack, how to putt.
Sarasota band Prodigal Sons plays a Grateful Dead tune for the crowd in the plaza.
East County’s Seth Heiland launches a bean bag during a game of cornhole.
Sarasota’s Eyal and Lacey Ohana are ready to dig into some wood-fired pizza.
YOUR CALENDAR
COMMUNITY
THURSDAY, APRIL 3
SUNSET POLO Gates open at 4:30 p.m. and polo begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Sarasota
Club. Sunset Polo Happy Hour makes its 2025 debut and will run each Thursday through April 10. Live music by Saint Tone Duo will play after the match. General admission tickets are $15; other tickets plans also are available. For more information about ticket plans or the event, go to SarasotaPolo.com.
THURSDAY, APRIL 3 THROUGH
SUNDAY, APRIL 6
LIVE MUSIC AT JIGGS LANDING
Runs from 4-7 p.m. each day at Jiggs Landing, 6106 63rd St. E., Bradenton. The live music lineup at Jiggs Landing includes Steve Arvey (Thursday), Bluestar Band (Friday), the Garbage-Men (Saturday) and Rick “Rooster” Arrighi (Sunday). The Friday and Saturday concerts are $5; the others are free. For more information, go to JiggsLanding.com.
SUNDAY, APRIL 6
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. Each week has a theme for those who want to participate. For more information, go to SarasotaPolo. com. The season runs every Sunday through April 27.
FARMERS MARKET
Runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Lakefront Drive in Waterside Place, Lakewood Ranch. The Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch, which was voted as the top farmers market in Florida for the second year in a row in 2024, will run year-round every Sunday. Vendors will be offering seafood, eggs, meats, dairy products and pickles, among other items. Other features are children’s activities and live music. For information, visit MyLWR.com.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9
BINGO
RANCH NITE WEDNESDAY Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place. Ranch Nite Wednesday
BEST BET
SUNDAY, APRIL 6
MUSIC ON MAIN Runs 6-9 p.m. at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch. Join the crowd for the monthly free concert and block party series. Sweet Fleet is the featured entertainer with a Fleetwood Mac tribute. The event will benefit the MVP Feel Good Fund. The street is lined with food vendors, beer trucks and sponsor booths and has rides and activities for kids. For more information, go to MyLWR.com.
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.
FRIDAY, APRIL 11
CHORUS FUNDRAISER
Begins at 5 p.m. at the Braden River High School cafeteria, 6545 S.R. 70 E., Bradenton. The Braden River High chorus hosts its BBQOUSTIC fundraiser. The event includes a BBQ dinner (pulled pork, three sides, roll, drink, dessert) and music performances. Tickets are $18 for adults; $12 for students. For tickets, go to Ticketleap.Events/Tickets/ Braden-River-Choirs/BBQOUSTICNight-610004041. For more information, call Stacey Cline, chorus vice president, at 518-4333.
SATURDAY, APRIL 12
EGGSTRAVAGANZA
Runs from 9:30 a.m. to noon at Waterside Park, 7301 Island Cove Terrace, Lakewood Ranch. The massive egg hunt of more than 10,000 eggs returns. Children enjoy the hunt, face painting, photos with the Easter bunny, sweet treats and more. Tickets for a Lakewood Ranch resident child are $10; $20 for nonresidents. The egg hunt for children 5 years old and younger begins at 10:30 a.m., and the egg hunt for children 6 years old and older begins at 10:45 a.m. The event is presented by Grace Community Church. Go to MyLWR. com for tickets or more information.
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Concession home tops sales at $4.05 million
ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
AConcession home on Newlane Place topped the week’s sales at $4.05 million.
Roger and Samantha Ann Tichenor, of Bradenton, sold their home at 19407 Newlane Place to Keith Ford, trustee, of Bradenton, for $4.05 million.
Built in 2014, it has four bedrooms, five-and-ahalf baths, a pool and 5,491 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,175,000 in 2021.
LAKE CLUB
G. Leslie Elliott, trustee, sold the home at 17120 Verona Place to Lee Bushman, trustee, of Bradenton, for $2,875,000. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,829 square feet of living area. It sold for $2.2 million in 2022.
Joseph Bongiorno, trustee, of Leland, North Carolina, sold the home at 16435 Daysailor Trail to Wayne and Deborah Seitl, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1,952,500. Built in 2016, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,023 square feet of living area.
LAKEHOUSE COVE AT WATERSIDE
Ian Stewart and Karen Lynch, of Ontario, Canada, sold their home at 7928 Mainsail Lane to Francis Suits III, of Sarasota, for $2.15 million. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,938 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.55 million in 2021.
John Richard Mele an Caitlin Jennifer Mele, of Bradenton, sold their home at 764 Tailwind Place to Ellen Frankel and Steven Bruce Frankel, of Sarasota, for $1.62 million. Built in 2022, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,138 square feet of living area. It sold for $867,000 in 2022.
Serge Baribeau, of Quebec, Canada, sold his home at 1092 Waterline Court to Kevin Joseph Morton and Norma Ann Morton, of Sarasota, for $1.15 million. Built in 2024, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,279 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,004,200 in 2024.
BRADEN OAKS
Louise Gosselin and Todd Thompson, of Bradenton, sold their home at 3514 62nd St. E. to Romain Onteniente and Maeva Paolini, of Bradenton, for $1.3 million. Built in 1986, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 3,080 square feet of living area.
RIVER CLUB NORTH
Matthew George Bench and Faith Bench, of Bradenton, sold their home at 6522 Spyglass Lane to Robert Andrew Wozniak III and Briana Marie Wozniak, of Bradenton, for $1,277,500. Built in 1994, it has six bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,821 square feet of living area. It sold for $512,500 in 2020.
WINDWARD Neal Communities of Southwest Florida LLC sold the home at 8116 Anthirium Loop to Garret Andrew Ratcliffe and Judith Ruth Ratcliffe, of Sarasota, for $1,250,300. Built in 2024, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,861 square feet of living area.
Renee Lynn Aiezza and Pat Anthony Aiezza, of Bradenton, sold their home at 2724 Butterfly Jasmine Trail to Eckhard Kuesters and Barbara Spangler, trustees, of Sarasota, for $790,000. Built in 2021, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,315 square feet of living area. It sold for $455,600 in 2021.
Neal Communities of Southwest Florida LLC sold the home at 2304 Blue Mahoe Lane to Gregory Gale
Gresham and Francoise Vieux, of New York City, for $571,300. Built in 2024, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,527 square feet of living area.
LAKEWOOD NATIONAL GOLF
CLUB
Jeffrey and Jaime Hartfield, of Wildwood, sold their home at 5704 Arnie Loop to Nicholas Alexander Harrison, of Bradenton, for $1.21 million. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,273 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,198,000 in 2022.
RIVERDALE REVISED
David Blair and Karen Lancy, trustees, of Sidney, Maine, sold the home at 3907 Fourth Ave. N.E. to Jeremy Wade, of Bradenton, for $880,000. Built in 1995, it has two bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 1,616 square feet of living area. It sold for $364,000 in 2002.
MALLORY PARK
Nicholas and Sarah Morley, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 11424 Golden Bay Place to Thomas Steven Auld and Jerette Jean Schultz, of Bradenton, for $860,000. Built in 2017, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 3,142 square feet of living area. It sold for $825,000 in 2022.
STONEYBROOK AT HERITAGE
HARBOUR
Christer and Peggy Ann Wingardh sold their home at 8205 Quail Greens Terrace to Donald Skalman, trustee, of Bradenton, for $850,000. Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,954 square feet of living area. It sold for $802,000 in 2005.
EDGEWATER
Whit and Phyllis Banks, of Scottsville, Virginia, sold their home at 6605 Nautical Drive to Edwin Ortiz and Mary Irene Ortiz, trustees, of Lakewood Ranch, for $820,000. Built in 1999, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,515 square feet of living area. It sold for $475,000 in 2007.
STATE ROAD 64
John Preston Williams, of Lakeland, Georgia, and Josephine Kelly, of Riverview, sold their home at 15505 S.R. 64 E. to Travis Newell and Aaron McKamey, of Bradenton, for $800,000. Built in 1982, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,977 square feet of living area. It sold for $281,000 in 2004.
HERITAGE HARBOUR
Michael Joseph Famiglietti and Robyn Lorriane Famiglietti, of Burlington, Connecticut, sold their home at 6720 Wild Lake Terrace to Robert and Glenda Milne, of New Brunswick, Canada, for $730,000. Built in 2014, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,287 square feet of living area. It sold for $700,000 in 2024.
NOTTING HILL
Joan and Lloyd Spear, of Albany, New York, sold their home at 7220 Kensington Court to Margaret Stine and Karl Johnson, trustees, of Stoughton, Wisconsin, for $685,000. Built in 1999, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 2,203 square feet of living area. It sold for $395,000 in 2016.
DESOTO LAKES COUNTRY CLUB
COLONY
Joseph Parent, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 5216 Canterbury Drive to David Lippman and Cheryl Lippman, trustees, of Sarasota, for $675,000. Built in 1990, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,406 square feet of living area. It sold for $320,000 in 2016.
Harry and Jurate Shugerman sold their home at 5006 W. Country Club Drive to Walter and Grace Hackett, of Sarasota, for $649,000. Built in 1974, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,735 square feet of living area. It sold for $170,000 in 2001.
GREYHAWK LANDING
Gregory Holloway and Iliana Benitez Holloway, of Palmetto, sold their home at 432 Snapdragon Loop to John Milam and Mandy Wahby, of Bradenton, for $639,000. Built
RESIDENTIAL
MARCH 17-21
7928
has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,938
in 2005, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,648 square feet of living area. It sold for $395,600 in 2005.
RIVER PLACE
Derik Moore and Kathy Harrison, of Mendon, Massachusetts, sold their home at 7011 74th St. Circle E. to Benjamin and Kelly Hamel, of Bradenton, for $637,000. Built in 2006, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,290 square feet of living area. It sold for $390,000 in 2018.
TARA
Robert and Helene Johnson, trustees, of Bradenton, sold the home at 6515 Turners Gap Road to Clifford James Lanning II and Karen Lee Lanning, of Leesville, South Carolina, for $595,000. Built in 1995, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,079 square feet of living area. It sold for $602,000 in 2022.
COACH HOMES AT LAKEWOOD
NATIONAL
John and Laura Whinfield, of Parrish, sold their Unit 5912 condominium at 6015 Worsham Lane to Quinn and Katherine Clarke, of Plain City, Ohio, for $590,000. Built in 2022, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,786 square feet of living area. It sold for $475,000 in 2022.
MILL CREEK
Kevin Neurer, of Bonita Springs, sold his home at 13609 Second Ave. N.E. to James Braun and Shaille Sacino, of Bradenton, for $585,000. Built in 1998, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,428 square feet of living area. It sold for $300,000 in 2015.
Madison Bierl
This Lakehouse Cove home at
Mainsail Lane sold for $2.15 million. Built in 2020, it
square feet of living area.
COUNTRY CLUB
Robert Mariano and Stacy KalmanMariano, trustee, sold the home at 7074 Woodmore Terrace to Karen Ann Earsing, of Owings Mill, Maryland, for $565,000. Built in 2001, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,730 square feet of living area. It sold for $276,000 in 2017.
MAGNOLIA MANOR
Donald Samuel Lusby, Jill Elaine Woodham, Jane Rose Jefferson and Joan Ruth Fultz, of Myakka City, sold their home at 6424 18th Ave. E. to Abel Rodriguez and Ana Carmela Carmela Cicala, of Bradenton, for $555,000. Built in 2001, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,408 square feet of living area.
CENTRAL PARK
Clell Marshal Tarbet Jr. and Amber Tarbet sold their home at 12180 Longview Lake Circle to Eric and Lori Chang, of Bradenton, for $549,900. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,865 square feet of living area. It sold for $439,000 in 2021.
Marcus and Kayla Behrman, of Sarasota, sold their home at 4505 Golden Gate Cove to Collin and Amanda Habig, of Sarasota, for $545,000. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,744 square feet of living area. It sold for $290,000 in 2018.
ARBOR GRANDE
Kansas City Nevada LLC sold the home at 12221 Perennial Place to Thanh Nguyen and Quynh Le, of Bradenton, for $540,000. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,234 square feet of living area. It sold for $480,000 in 2024.
RIVERSIDE PRESERVE
Pawel Krasucki and Carrie Lynn Krasucki, of Dunnellon, sold their home at 1028 Fernleaf Run to Lazaro and Reyna Murga, of Bradenton, for $515,000. Built in 2021,
it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,333 square feet of living area. It sold for $491,000 in 2021.
MIRAMAR LINKS
Ralf Capelan sold the Unit 56 condominium at 8226 Miramar Way to Cornelia Uccello, of Lakewood Ranch, for $500,000. Built in 2011, it has three bedrooms, two-and-ahalf baths and 2,169 square feet of living area. It sold for $263,100 in 2011.
CROSSING CREEK
Alexa Cucci and Michael Cucci, of Bradenton, sold their home at 4412 67th St. E. to Anne and Christopher Coffman, of Bradenton, and Susan Hilton and Daryl Lafferior, of Bradenton, for $485,000. Built in 2008, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,266 square feet of living area. It sold for $240,000 in 2017.
COACH HOMES AT RIVER STRAND
James and Melissa Nuss, of Bridgeport, New York, sold their Unit 1304 condominium at 8402 Grand Estuary Trail to Paul Battaglia and Mary Battaglia, trustees, of Bradenton, for $465,000. Built in 2009, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,786 square feet of living area. It sold for $249,500 in 2019.
SAVANNAH PRESERVE AT UNIVERSITY PLACE
Christine Koch, of University Park, sold her Unit 7967 condominium at 7967 Tybee Court to Cheryl and Dallas Sterling, of Findlay, Ohio, for $450,000. Built in 2007, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,813 square feet of living area. It sold for $291,000 in 2013.
NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH
BRACKETOLOGY by Desiree Penner & Jeff Sinnock, edited by Jared Goudsmit By Luis Campos
In my view, Tyler is less a “salesman” than he is a partner. At every point in our sale process, his commitment to making the experience smooth and stress-free was evident. Moreover, he went above and beyond in terms of supporting us, such as ensuring small repairs were done. I cannot conceive of how much more difficult selling our house would have been without Tyler. If you don’t use him, I think you are missing an opportunity to make buying and selling real estate less difficult.
