Rabbi Michael Shefrin (above) of Temple Emanu-El led an annual Tot Shabbat celebration at Hunsader Farms in East County on Jan. 25.
Tot Shabbat is a family oriented celebration of Judaism intended to introduce children to faith in a fun and engaging way.
Shefrin led the group in songs of prayer and a reading of “Happy Birthday Tree.” He also shared challah with those in attendance. The event included a train ride and an opportunity for kids to feed the animals at Hunsader Farms.
“This is the month in the Hebrew calendar of Shevat, and on the 15th day, the Torah tells us it’s the birthday of the trees,” Shefrin said. “So we’ve taken that in many ways to understand that this is a time to focus on the environment, to be outside, to appreciate nature, and to thank God for all of the things that have been created in this world.”
For the kiddies
Just like the students who attend the Kiddie Academy, the child care franchise is growing fast in the Lakewood Ranch area.
Melodie and Sanddy Marchena (pictured above) broke ground on a new facility near University Parkway and Lorraine Road Jan. 24. The couple already own one academy on Concept Court and a third is planned for State Road 64, near White Eagle Boulevard.
Sanddy Marchena said he expects the location on University Parkway to open in August. The new day care will serve 190 children.
“We’ve got a wait list like many other centers in the area,” Marchena said.
Jay Heater
Vinnie Portell
Lesley Dwyer
Search continues for beloved Myakka horse
Cloud is a 16-year-old grey mare who has been missing since Jan. 10.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
Connie Smith hasn’t had a good night’s sleep since Jan. 10, when she realized one of her horses was missing from outside her Myakka City home.
The 16-year-old grey mare, a draft cross, has a white coat with bluish gray undertones and was aptly named Cloud. Smith rescued her 12 years ago from what she called an “overbreeding barn,” which essentially is a puppy mill for horses.
Smith’s husband, Jimmy Edwards, owns Florida Beach Horses, which offers guided rides on the beach
along with opportunities to swim with the horses.
The business is offering a $10,000 reward for any information that leads to the safe return of Cloud, which is one of the beach horses used for rides around Palma Sola Bay.
So far, only scammers have called with bogus tips.
Smith has a “gut feeling” that Cloud didn’t leave on her own because it doesn’t add up with the horse’s behavior or surroundings.
There were no fences down or gates open. In the nearly three years they’ve lived on Betts Road, Cloud has never wandered off or jumped the fence.
If Cloud did jump the fence, Smith said she would have had to jump several of the neighbors’ fences, too. It’s more likely that she would have stayed to graze or looked for a way to get back inside Smith’s fence to be with the herd.
Sgt. Robert Hendrickson of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said there’s only evidence to prove there’s a missing horse, not whether the horse was lost or stolen. Hendrickson is the supervisor of the county’s Rural Unit.
Timing raises red flags for Smith. She said the Garden Brothers Circus had a tent set up at Dakin Dairy between December and January during the same time period Cloud disappeared.
Smith said Cloud was fed on the evening of Jan. 9, and the circus was packing up to leave. By the next morning’s feeding, Cloud was gone.
She said the horses can’t be seen from the main road, but can be seen from the dairy’s property where the circus camp was set up.
Hendrickson wouldn’t comment because it is an open investigation.
Smith values Cloud at more than $25,000 because she’s a working
$10,000 REWARD
Call Connie Smith at 600-3002 or email Connie4031@gmail.com with any leads. Florida Beach Horses is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the safe return of Cloud.
horse and still of breeding age, but that’s not why there’s a $10,000 reward. She said Cloud is part of her family.
Smith’s worries are parental. Cloud gets anxious when shut up in a stall too long, and she’s still recovering from injuries.
On Nov. 29, their trailer was T-boned on State Road 70 at County Road 675. Cloud was one of eight horses in the trailer when it flipped. Another horse, Hoss, died in the crash.
Smith said Cloud didn’t have any open wounds left, but she was still experiencing muscle swelling and receiving electromagnetic wave treatments.
Smith doesn’t believe Cloud is lost because of how much they searched with drones and on horseback, but it does happen.
Hendrickson said a bull and two cows went missing during Hurricane Ian in 2022. They were found about three months ago, and by that time, the bull and two cows had three offspring.
They were found because they had become a nuisance by regularly crossing State Road 64. Residents and drivers kept reporting the loose livestock to police. Finally, someone got a photo that revealed a brand.
“They were living just fine on their own in the woods,” Hendrickson said. “Granted, that is an unusual case.”
In most cases, he said lost livestock turn up within a week or two.
If Cloud is found to be stolen and an arrest is made, Hendrickson said the charge would be the same as if a car was stolen. Grand theft is at least a third-degree felony that can result in penalties of up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
“I pray every morning,” Smith said. “It’s a needle in a haystack, but I’m always going to keep up hope that she’ll show up or somebody will want to speak out for the $10,000.”
Courtesy image
of Cloud.
More medical choices come to Lakewood Ranch area
Hospital and safety officials say more facilities can mean better outcomes for the patients due to proximity.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
As Lakewood Ranch’s population continues to grow, medical services have been increasing to keep pace.
Sarasota Memorial Hospital opened a freestanding emergency room on University Parkway in January that can serve up to 150 patients a day. Lakewood Ranch Medical Center is under construction to add another 60 beds to its facility by December, and Exalt Health is opening a 40-bed rehabilitation hospital in 2026. Those are just some of the facilities that have either opened or are planning to open in the near future in the Lakewood Ranch area.
“For any master-planned community, integrating medical services is essential to fostering a high quality of life,” said Laura Cole, senior vice president of Lakewood Ranch Communities. “Homebuyers, regardless of age or need, consistently prioritize access to health care and wellness options when making their decision to move.”
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Cole said health care is a significant driver of employment in Lakewood Ranch, accounting for 21% of all employers and providing jobs for nearly 7,000 health care professionals.
When first opened in 2004, the Lakewood Ranch Medical Center employed 160 physicians. In 2024, the hospital employed 525 physicians, plus 233 nurses and physician assistants. The five-story tower will add 100 more employment opportunities.
Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s freestanding ER contributed an additional 50 jobs to the area.
Additional facilities can mean more ambulances in service, reduce emergency room waiting times, and can give patients more choices.
The Lakewood Ranch Medical Center has a freestanding ER on Fruitville Road in Sarasota that opened in 2020, and SMH now has a freestanding ER in Lakewood Ranch as well.
Dr. Marshall Frank, medical director for the Sarasota Fire Department, said in many cases, patients have a choice when being loaded into an ambulance ... If the patient’s condition doesn’t dictate where they should go.
He said having more ERs enhances emergency services operations as well.
“(A nearby facility) reduces the time we’re out of service,” Frank said.
“The sooner we can get that unit back in service, the sooner it can go to another 911 call.”
MEETING DEMAND
Dr. Tara Wendt, medical director at the ER on University Parkway, said the volume of patients SMH sees in its main ER, and where those patients are coming from, drives the decision of where to open a freestanding ER.
The hospital opened an ER in North Port in 2009. At that time, it was only the second freestanding ER in the state. Now, the location on University Parkway is the second freestanding ER in Lakewood Ranch.
HCA Florida Healthcare operates the other one on State Road 70 near Interstate 75. It’s one of more than 50 freestanding ERs for HCA Healthcare across the state.
Wendt started with Sarasota Memorial about 11 years ago. At the start, she could see a clear delineation in patient volumes between season and nonseason. Three years in, she said that delineation was nearly nonexistent.
“The volumes we’re seeing, we’re seeing year-round,” Wendt said. “It’s not just a snowbird community anymore.”
The ERs are “continuously full.”
Having just opened Jan. 7, the ER on
“We want to be able to keep Lakewood Ranch patients in Lakewood Ranch. Every health system has to chip into that growth.”
Philip Reber, interim CEO at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center
University Parkway is already seeing about 40 patients a day, which is exceeding the hospital’s initial expectations.
Philip Reber, interim CEO at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, said the community is growing so quickly that it can be difficult to keep up with the demand. Phasing its expansion is an example of how the hospital is adapting to a rapidly growing population.
Only three floors of the five-story tower will be used when the tower first opens. The top two floors will remain shells.
Currently the hospital has 120 beds. Each phase of the tower will add 60 beds, doubling that capacity.
Already having a space with plumbing and electricity makes it much easier to expand in the future. At the rate Lakewood Ranch is expanding, Reber anticipates construction on the top two floors to begin within two years of the tower’s opening.
Reber said the hospital is constantly looking for opportunities in the freestanding ER space, as well, because “not everyone that needs health care needs to be admitted to a hospital.”
It’s better to have access points throughout the community, even if the access is via competing health care systems.
“We want to be able to keep Lakewood Ranch patients in Lakewood Ranch,” Reber said. “Every health system has to chip into that growth.”
Both Reber and Wendt stressed that timing is crucial when it comes to clinical outcomes, so additional facilities always benefit patients.
“Think about the volumes of people moving into the area and the strain on the family and internal medicine practitioners locally,” Wendt said. “Freestanding ERs are always available to be used, and many people do use us as primary care.”
The ER includes fast-track bays, specialty rooms for pediatric and behavioral health patients, resuscitation rooms and onsite laboratory and imaging diagnostics.
By means of referrals and patient choice, the health systems work
BY THE NUMBERS
Sarasota Memorial Hospital ER at Lakewood Ranch, 7250 University Parkway.
■ 15,000 square feet
■ 21 treatment rooms
■ $28 million
■ Open now
Lakewood Ranch Medical Center expansion, 8330 Lakewood Ranch Boulevard.
■ 170,000 square feet
■ 120 additional beds over both phases
■ $120 million
■ Expected to open December 2025 (first phase only)
Exalt Health rehabilitation hospital, 5800 Lake Osprey Drive.
■ 40,000 square feet
■ 40 beds
■ $30 million
■ Expected to open 2026
together. Lakewood Ranch Medical Center is already working with Sarasota Memorial’s ER, so patients in need of inpatient treatment can stay in Lakewood Ranch if they so choose.
The hospital and ER offer acute care, which is on-the-spot, shortterm treatment.
Last July, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a “high performing hospital” for heart attack care. But if a patient is in need of care post-heart attack, they’re currently referred out of the area for rehabilitation.
Exalt Health broke ground on a $30 million rehabilitation hospital at the intersection of Professional Parkway and Lake Osprey Drive that will offer the post acute care that’s currently missing in Lakewood Ranch.
Reber said the average hospital stay is three to five days. Rehabilitation facilities are for anyone who needs a week or two of hospitalization.
Exalt expects to be seeing patients sometime during the first quarter of 2026. Services will include intensive physical, occupational and speech therapy, along with specialized programs for neurological, orthopedic and cardiac recovery.
“Because so many things in health care are time dependent, being able to stay as close to your home as possible is going to be the best thing for you,” Reber said. “Whether that’s heart attacks, strokes, you name it, time is of the essence in a lot of those situations.”
A freestanding emergency room is now open at 7250 University Parkway.
Construction on the fivestory tower at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center can be viewed from inside the hospital. Interim CEO Philip Reber says its not uncommon to see people stop and stare.
Courtesy image
Exalt Health expects its rehabilitation hospital in Lakewood Ranch to open in 2026.
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
Music teacher reimagines himself
Nicholas Haas struggled to relate to his students when he first became a music teacher.
A guitarist who grew up as an admirer of the Beatles and played in the jazz band at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, Haas found that the music he relates to doesn’t resonate with young students today.
However, that’s no longer an issue for Haas, who was selected as the 2024-25 Imagine School at Lakewood Ranch Teacher of the Year in a vote of his peers.
“I’ve had a lot of transition,” said Haas, who used to play local gigs and give private guitar lessons before becoming a teacher. “Just because you are a good musician doesn’t mean you can necessarily teach music. My first few years were really challenging. When I taught guitar, it went pretty well, but everything else was challenging. I’ve had to learn how to manage a class of 20 and keep them engaged and keep them on task.
“Sometimes, it’s like organized chaos. I try to get them exposed so they can try all of these different things.”
Many students want to practice music with songs that top the charts.
Some popular requests that Haas hasn’t been able to accommodate have been “Fe!n’” by Travis Scott featuring Playboi Carti and the discography of YoungBoy Never Broke Again.
Songs like that can’t be used in a school setting, but Haas has found a compromise that works.
Songs by Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga and “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd are some examples that are suitable for children and keep them excited about showing up to class.
“I’m still stuck in the ’50s or the ’60s,” Haas said. “I like all music, but I don’t really listen to current music unless the kids ask me to. They keep me young in that way.”
Haas has worked at a number of schools in the state, including Blackburn Elementary, Manatee School for the Arts, Braden River Middle
NICHOLAS HAAS’ FORMER BAND NAMES
■ “Three Songs” ■ “Rad Jacket”
■ “C’est La Vie” ■ “Bankrupt in Panama”
and Imagine School at North Manatee before arriving at Imagine School at Lakewood Ranch.
At one stop, he said he had a student who often skipped their classes throughout the day, but would show up for music class.
“There was a student who told me, ‘The only reason I come to school is to be in your class,’ so that was cool,” Haas said. “That kid was skipping school for most of the day, but then would come to the last period for my class, and they’d be like, ‘What’s that kid doing in here? He hasn’t been here all day.’
“So they made a deal with the kid to get him back on track, and that was satisfying.”
Haas said he warms up his students with body percussion sounds that can be made by tapping their legs and shoulders and stomping their feet to create a beat.
Then, he puts instruments in their hands.
Vinnie Portell
Nicholas Haas, the Imagine School at Lakewood Ranch Teacher of the Year, is a longtime guitarist who has parlayed his passion for music into a career in teaching.
Imposing challenges for Meals on Wheels Plus
CEO and President Maribeth Phillips says the considerable community needs in 2025 are real.
eals on Wheels Plus-Manatee drives its many programs into 2025 with a similar plea to its community.
More is needed.
Maribeth Phillips, the nonprofit’s CEO and president, understands the needs are repetitive. As soon as one demand is met, another emerges. But she is confident the public understands. She said the support from the community always has been incredible, and she believes it will continue to be that way in 2025 and beyond.
“The programs of Meals on Wheels are life changing and life saving,” Phillips said. “We try to incorporate that into our conversations. People
can’t survive without food. And that’s why you see somebody in a car, lining up at 11:30 a.m. when we are not starting at a food pantry until 4 p.m.
“When you see somebody sitting in a car without air conditioning — you know because the windows are
HOW TO SUPPORT MEALS ON WHEELS PLUS Ways to donate and volunteer can be found at MealsOnWheelsPlus.org. You can also attend or sponsor a major Meals on Wheels Plus-Manatee event. (Go to MealsOnWheelsPlus.org for information or tickets.)
FEB. 9 — Galentines Brunch and Bubbly, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Meals on Wheels Plus, 811 23rd Ave. E., Bradenton, $25 ($35 at door). Enjoy a champagne brunch. Bring a $10 wrapped gift to be included in the Cupid Red Elephant Gift Exchange.
Meals on Wheels PlusManatee’s Maribeth Phillips and Daybreak Adult Day Center’s Stefanie Guido hope the community continues to support the programs in 2025.
MEALS ON WHEELS HOME
DELIVERED MEALS
190,000 — Home-delivered meals to clients
535 — Average number of homebound and disabled seniors served 110 — Average number of clients who received food for their pets each month
2,400 — Bags of supplemental food provided to low-income seniors, in addition to regular meal
rolled down even though they are sitting in the hot, blazing sun — you know they need it. You see the need. The need is real.”
COVID-19 obviously presented its own challenges in Manatee County due to unemployment, illness and other strains on citizens. The community came through with food and monetary donations and Meals on Wheels moved people through a tough time.
on Wheels
— Average clients each month who attend the Daybreak Adult Day Center
— Average clients participating each month in Friendship Dining Centers
— Average number of clients who received door-to-door transportation to the Daybreak Adult Day Center and the Friendship Dining Center each month MEALS ON WHEELS
MARCH 1 — Tropical Nights, 6-10 p.m., Grove, 10670 Boardwalk Loop, Lakewood Ranch, $250. The 31st annual Tropical Nights Under Paris Lights will include entertainment, food, and live and online auctions.
“But we have not seen a drop-off since COVID,” Phillips said. “We started to see COVID in the rearview mirror, then the cost of gas, housing and food went up. That wave never went down, and then we had the hurricanes. We were hit so hard.”
MAY 16 — Drive Away Hunger Golf Classic, 8:30 a.m., Rosedale Golf and Country Club, 5100 87th St. E., Lakewood Ranch, $500 a foursome or $130 a single golfer. The scramble tournament includes green fees, cart, driving range, food and beverage, along with prizes and contests.
Meals on Wheels had special distributions to help those affected by the hurricanes.
She said those affected finished repairs and got their power back on, then went to the pantries looking for food.
“We don’t expect the numbers to go down in 2025,” said Phillips, “We have to secure food and the resources to secure food.”
Besides supplying food to those in need, Meals on Wheels Plus also has other programs of significant value to the county, such as the Daybreak Adult Day Center in Lakewood Ranch. The center provides a secure environment with social, recreational and therapeutic activities for those adults who live at home but can’t be left alone without a caregiver.
It is the only licensed and federally funded program of its kind in Manatee County. The cost is $15 an hour and includes all supplies, snacks, meals and more. Partial and full-day enrollment is available.
The Daybreak Adult Day Center’s Stefanie Guido said those who visit or tour the facility immediately see the value.
Among the programs is the monthly Traveling Chair where Kahoot! technology is used to take the clients to different locations in the world and to experience different cultures.
Music Mondays allows clients to revisit their musical talents.
“We were very lucky to receive some musical instruments,” Guido said. “We have one lady who used to play piano 50 years ago. She comes into the room with her walker and sits down and begins to play. It has been extremely therapeutic for her. It is fascinating what music does to the brain.”
Jay Heater
Local schools soar in graduation rates
Lakewood Ranch, Parrish Community and Braden River each recorded better than a 92% graduation rate for last year.
VINNIE
PORTELL STAFF WRITER
Twenty years ago, just 59% of high school seniors in Florida walked across a graduation stage with a diploma in hand.
That number has since surged to a record-high 89.7% for the 2023-24 school year, and the results are mirrored for Manatee County students, as well.
Manatee County wasn’t in as bad of shape as the rest of the state 20 years ago, graduating 75.3% of its students, but that number is up to 85.7% as of this past school year — up 3.4% from the previous year and was its highest mark for a school year in which statewide assessments were not waived.
School officials said each school faces its own unique challenges, but that it’s undeniable monumental progress has been made in the School District of Manatee County.
LAKEWOOD RANCH SETS THE POSITIVE EXAMPLE
No school in Manatee County had more success graduating students this past year than Lakewood Ranch High School.
The Mustangs graduated at a 96.5% rate in 2024, an exceptionally high number considering 2,450 students attend the school.
Principal Dustin Dahlquist is no stranger when it comes to the barriers to graduation, and his previous struggles are being put to good use.
Once at Palmetto High School — a D-rated school at the time — Dahlquist became familiar with pinpointing what it takes to get students back on track.
“I know what the struggle is in
other places,” said Dahlquist, who spent 18 years at Palmetto High, and made stops at Southeast High and Buffalo Creek Middle. “We’ve taken some of those things we’ve learned in other places and applied them here. That’s how we’ve gotten from 92, 93, 94 percent to 97.”
Dahlquist said he is blessed to lead a school filled with students who are high-achievers, but no high school is without some students who fall behind.
Individualized attention has been key.
Dahlquist said counselors at Lakewood Ranch High School have implemented annual meetings with each student in the spring semester over the past few years to see if they’re on track to graduate.
Then, a graduation team identifies at-risk students and comes up with a plan to address the problem, whether that be better attendance or credit recovery.
If a student needs to catch up, there are several different pathways for them to receive their diploma on time.
Credit recovery classes are offered both before and after school, and tutors are made available so students can pass state-mandated testing.
If that’s not enough, senior students can take summer classes and tests to meet requirements.
Lakewood Ranch has a graduation rate significantly higher than the rest of Manatee County and the state, but Dahlquist said he and his staff still aren’t satisfied.
“Once you get to 94 or 95 percent of the graduation rate, it comes down to individual work to get those last few points,” Dahlquist said. “The other side is we’re not satisfied at 97 percent. I don’t know if we can (get to 100 percent) or not, but we’re going to try.
“Is it acceptable for someone to go from K-12 and not graduate? It’s reality, however, we’re going to continue to work on ways. Maybe there was something we didn’t do their freshman year or something got lost
MANATEE COUNTY GRADUATION RATE
BY THE YEARS
■ 2003-04: 75.3%
■ 2004-05: 81.5%
■ 2005-06: 76.9%
■ 2006-07: 78.7%
■ 2007-08: 79.3%
■ 2008-09: 79.4%
■ 2009-10: 79.2%
■ 2010-11: 64.7%
■ 2011-12: 76.2%
■ 2012-13: 76.8%
■ 2013-14: 76.1%
■ 2014-15: 77.9%
■ 2015-16: 83.5%
■ 2016-17: 81.1%
■ 2017-18: 85.4%
■ 2018-19: 83.2%
■ 2019-20: 85.8%
■ 2020-21: 85.1%*
■ 2021-22: 80.3%
■ 2022-23: 82.3%
■ 2023-24: 85.7%
Statewide assessments waived due to coronavirus pandemic
along the way their sophomore year.
If you get to 97, you have to get to 98.”
Over the past decade, Lakewood Ranch has hovered anywhere from 92% to this past year’s mark of 96.5% — the best graduation rate in school history.
SIX MANATEE COUNTY SCHOOLS
INCREASE GRADUATION RATE
Several schools contributed to the county’s increased graduation rate this past year, with a few making eye-popping changes.
Southeast High jumped to 89.2% (up 12.7%), Bayshore High climbed to 81.4% (up 9.1%), Palmetto High went to 90.7% (up 5.9%) and Manatee High increased to 85% (up 4.4%).
Braden River had a marginal 1.7% increase, but it’s now at 92.4% — third best in the district behind Lakewood Ranch and Parrish Community (95.1%).
Though that may not seem like much of a difference on the surface, it’s been a battle just to stay above 90% at Braden River.
The school was graduating students at a 92% rate in 2019, but the coronavirus pandemic pushed that rate down to 90% in 2021 and 87% in 2022.
Administrators said they had a hard time transitioning their students back to a traditional classroom setting, if they could track them down.
It’s taken some concentrated effort to get back to normal, and see that be reflected in the school’s graduation rate.
“Some of those are classic, but seem to be more heightened after COVID,” Braden River Principal Wendell Butler said of the reasons why some students don’t graduate at his school. “I’ve found it boils down to students having to make life choices sometimes. If they have to worry about a roof over their head, food on the table, or things of that nature.
“If they have to help out with family financial obligations because of having to rebound, especially after COVID, the students are going to choose the immediate need over that long-term desire of trying to graduate. Especially if that impacts them in their 10th or 11th grade year and they might not get to that 12th grade year.”
Braden River has found its way
Teddy Bear Clinic
back above the county and state graduation rate via a method similar to that of Lakewood Ranch.
Butler said that the school has assembled a “graduation team” over the past few years to track students from Day 1 to graduation day — looking at attendance, behavior, credits, grades and testing.
“We always know our at-risk students. If they are in that category of at-risk, is it one risk factor or multiple? We have a solution for one of each of the four at-risk factors,” Braden River assistant principal Laura Gonzales said.
Gonzales said the four at-risk factor categories are GPA, credits, and the state-mandated math and English assessments.
Sometimes, graduating a student is beyond the control of teachers, counselors or administrators.
If a student leaves a high school and intends to transfer to a different school, it’s up to the original high school to make sure they enroll. If that doesn’t happen, that’s one more student who didn’t graduate — leaving the school with no way to combat the issue.
“The disparity between not having a high school diploma and graduating with a high school diploma, in terms of your potential earnings over your lifetime, it’s astronomical,” Dahlquist said. “There are many jobs you’re just not going to qualify for.”
Ava Horne, a Mustang graduate, celebrates during the 2024 ceremony.
Pull up a chair — and get to work
Julie Fanning of Benderson Development says she is ready for the rigors of being the LWRBA chair.
JAY HEATER | MANAGING EDITOR
After taking over as the new chair of the board of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance for 2025, Julie Fanning was asked about her hobbies.
Silence.
What, no hobbies?
“I go to events,” said Fanning, the director of marketing for Benderson Development. “We had 439 events at UTC last year (with Benderson Development). We had more than 100 events with the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance.”
Fanning and her husband of 24 years, Tim Fanning, are empty nesters now, with their 18-year-old daughter, Madeline, at Florida State University and their 25-year-old son, Ethan, working in education guidance in Kansas City.
Still, Fanning knows that taking over as LWRBA chair will include a lot of responsibilities.
“I am confident in my role,” said Fanning, who received the ceremonial gavel at the LWRBA’s 20th anniversary luncheon Jan. 24 at the Grove in Lakewood Ranch. “I have an amazing team (at Benderson Development), a strong leader (LWRBA CEO and President Brittany Lamont) and a great board.
“This is my way of giving back. The Alliance has been part of my life since I moved her 10 years ago. I was trying to make business connections and the Alliance supported me and introduced me to the community. I never pictured myself as the chair, but I am very proud. This is a huge honor.”
Fanning, who was born in Gainesville and grew up in West Palm Beach, will guide the nonprofit through its 20th anniversary year. While she said no special events have been added to the schedule to celebrate the 20 years, all their events will carry a 20th anniversary theme.
She said outgoing Chair Dave Otterness launched a three-year plan in 2024, so it’s her duty to keep that plan moving forward in 2025. Marketing will be key in “getting the brand out there.”
“Dave did an amazing job setting us up for success,” she said. “We’re in a very positive place.”
She said spreading the word about the Alliance takes more work than ever because it “isn’t the best kept secret anymore.”
The LWRBA has approximately 750 members, so she will be focused on increasing membership by retain-
STILL
GROWING
The Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance continues to add members.
2005: LWRBA founded
2010: 440 members
2014: Surpasses 500 members
2025: 750 members
ing the current members and reaching new potential candidates. She said the Alliance has new software that will help with that goal.
“As we look to 2025, we remain committed to advancing our three strategic priorities — engage, grow and impact,” Fanning said. “Together, we will continue to expand our reach across the region, strengthen our vision for the future, and, above all, stay focused on serving the needs of our members.”
One of her roles, as she sees it, is to attend committee meetings on each initiative and then report back to the board and the committees to build cohesiveness. Fanning, who lives in Nokomis, will hold a workshop where all the committee chairs can meet. She also will continue Otterness’ commitment to advocacy.
With all the events, all the committees, all her responsibilities, and a full-time job, she said Benderson Development’s commitment to the community will allow her to get things done.
“The biggest challenge for me is just finding the time required,” she said. “But I have an amazing support team (at Benderson Development) that will cover for me.” Fanning was honored at the lun-
cheon along with Schroeder-Manatee Ranch CEO and President Rex Jensen, who received the Chairman’s Award. Wayne Parrish of Rite Technology was announced as the incoming chair for 2026.
The Chairman’s Award recognizes a member who has gone above and beyond in his or her role with the LWRBA and who has been a champion and a confidant, providing guidance and insight to the chair of the board and to the leaders of the organization.
The LWRBA was established in 2005 with an office at SMR’s headquarters.
Jensen, who is a board member emeritus, talked about how “incredibly important” it has been for the business community to be engaged in the success of the community as a whole. He said he wants to see the LWRBA continue to evolve.
Jensen said if artificial intelligence made a model of a master planned community, it would include a synergy with the residents, business community, and the government. He credited the LWRBA for helping that synergy exist in Lakewood Ranch and added that SMR did well by fostering the growth of the LWRBA.
SMR and Jensen were lauded for their “community-centric approach” that led to a “place where people have a sense of belonging.”
As always, Jensen added a touch of humor to the proceedings. In talking about SMR’s contributions to the community, he noted that “Roads within Lakewood Ranch work ... roads outside Lakewood Ranch, not so much.”
Sometimes, fostering the growth of an organization, such as the LWRBA, can get expensive. Jensen said that he and fellow board member emeritus Lou Marinaccio “bought 30 tickets to every event the LWRBA held.”
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“The biggest challenge for me is just finding the time required. But I have an amazing support team (at Benderson Development) that will cover for me.”
Julie Fanning
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,
Julie Fanning holds the ceremonial gavel in taking over as the 2025 chair of the board for the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance.
Photos by Jay Heater
Schroeder-Manatee Ranch CEO and President Rex Jensen was honored with the Chairman’s Award at the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance’s 20th anniversary luncheon at Grove.
Top-end home market reaches new heights
Stock Development closes out Lake Club with a $6.3 million sale.
Perhaps you are more middle class than blue blood, like me, and you’ve gone on a cruise.
One of the things I like is that my waiter, or the bartender, has no idea whether I am staying in the top luxury suite or the dungeon cabin on the bottom floor.
An Armani jacket from Goodwill, and I’m good to go.
Likewise, when I’m at the beach and people ask where I live, I like saying Lakewood Ranch.
When Rex Jensen and SchroederManatee Ranch planned Lakewood Ranch, they wanted a mix of housing opportunities. Sure, they wanted the high-end communities where the rest of us couldn’t see over the fence, but they also needed space for those scratching out a living in the service industry along with everything in-between.
And when you tell that beachcomber you live in Lakewood Ranch, he or she has no idea whether you live in the Lake Club or ... well ... not the Lake Club.
Just keep your 1997 Hyundai parked around the corner.
So I never have understood why people gripe when they hear Lakewood Ranch just broke ground on an elite neighborhood. I imagine Mick Jagger would still have to stand behind me in line at Taco Bell. If he wants to live in a $5 million home near me, good for him.
The bottom line is that if you squeeze into the middle class homes in Lakewood Ranch and an elite neighborhood comes to your general vicinity, there is a good chance your own home is going to appreciate in value. Moving on up. I am thinking
about a cruise upgrade.
When Stock Development’s Dominick Giallombardo says that the high-end market in Lakewood Ranch has “exploded” upward, that should be cause for celebration, for all of us.
For many places around the U.S., home sales slowed in 2024 due to high interest rates and people worrying about their finances. Lakewood Ranch, meanwhile, continues to show it is insulated to national sales trends. On Jan. 7, Lakewood Ranch was announced as the No. 1 selling, multigenerational, masterplanned community in the U.S. for the seventh consecutive year with 2,210 new home sales in 2024. Included in those sales are the
elite homes, in places such as the Lake Club, which has been Lakewood Ranch’s marquee neighborhood. The Lake Club closed out its final new home sale in December, when the home at 15315 Anchorage Place went for $6,295,000.
Giallombardo has been selling homes in the Lake Club for 11 years, the last six as a sales associate with Stock Development. Since Stock Development closed on its first Lake Club home in 2015, it has sold 382 new homes in the neighborhood and 89 homesites.
Along the way, Giallombardo said Lakewood Ranch has significantly raised the bar when it comes to its custom homes.
“Since September, the $3 million-
plus market has been on fire in the Lakewood Ranch area,” Giallombardo said. “When I started here, $2 million was the high end. Three years ago, it was $3.5 million. Now, most of the homes are starting close to $2 million in Wild Blue.
“I think you are going to see high $6 million to $8 million homes (in Wild Blue).”
He said he expects Wild Blue, in Lakewood Ranch’s Waterside area, to sell out in about three years, despite the rising prices. In the nottoo-distant future, he expects the top elite homes in Lakewood Ranch to sell for $10 million, or “north of it.”
“We set the tone on Anchorage Place,” Giallombardo said. “We built four higher-caliber, estatelot sized products that were spec homes (where the builder has mostly finished construction before the home is put on the market). Two of the homes were 5,000 square feet and the other two were 6,000 square feet. We broke ground on them 18 months ago and, realistically, they didn’t go on the market until September.
“Once the first one sold, they fell like dominoes. The first one validated the price point. You see it trending that way.”
The four homes sold for a combined $25 million.
Giallombardo said it isn’t Lakewood Ranch that has changed.
“It’s just the migration from other areas,” he said. “They still are coming from out of state.” Hurricanes be damned.
“This market has shown it has an appetite for the high-end product,” he said.
Stock Development already has planned 15 estate homes of the 505 total homes or lots for homes for Wild Blue.
Claudine Leger-Wetzel, the vice president of sales and marketing for Stock Development, said SMR
turned to Stock Development to fill the demand for custom homes. Stock began buying large parcels in the Lake Club in 2017.
“The challenge for SMR was finding custom builders who could fill the demand,” she said. “With Stock, it is so unique. The developer is a custom builder. When we came into the Lake Club, they were selling 20 homes a year. Each builder was building five to 10 homes, but they didn’t have the volume. SMR knew it needed more. They decided to sell the land and let someone else manage the project.
“There was a demand for luxury homes in a luxury community.”
Leger-Wetzel said demand started to grow significantly for luxury homes on Florida’s west coast following COVID-19. She said the east coast of Florida had dominated the luxury price point.
“People were looking around for alternatives. When they saw Lakewood Ranch, it was, ‘Wow, this place offers a lot.’ We started to build a lot of specs. Momentum breeds momentum. The custom four homes on spec in the Lake Club filled an unmet demand.”
She said Stock expects the elite home market to continue to thrive.
“We’re betting on it,” she said. I won’t be buying one, unless I hit the Powerball, but I am going to toast the future with a little champagne anyway. “Waiter! Bring me the good stuff. I live in Lakewood Ranch.”
Jay Heater is the managing editor for the East County Observer. Contact him at JHeater@ YourObserver.com.
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Stock Development Sales Associate Dominick Giallombardo stands in front of the final new home to sell in the Lake Club at 15315 Anchorage Place. It sold for $6,295,000.
Bashaw improvement project grows with garden
School’s new garden to be used for cooking, math, science lessons — and lunch.
The 40th anniversary of William H. Bashaw Elementary is coming up in August, and the school is working on a facelift so it can look its best for the occasion.
Several campuswide improvements have been underway this school year, from fresh paint in the interior buildings to a new playground for Pre-K and kindergarten students.
On Jan. 14, some students had a chance to help give the school’s garden a makeover with freshly planted
tomatoes, peppers, milkweed and flowers.
BASHAW PLANTS NEW EDIBLE GARDEN
Bashaw Elementary is one of six schools in the School District of Manatee County, along with Bayshore Elementary, Moody Elementary, Samoset Elementary, Sugg Middle School and Braden River High School, that received part of the $37,250 awarded via the USDA’s Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant for turnkey edible school gardens.
Bashaw had a unique need for the funds after its longstanding garden — the Dr. Bashaw Garden — needed some work after years of use.
“What’s happened over the course of time is that things start breaking down,” Bashaw Elementary Principal James Dougherty said. “So this past January, I got with our SAC (student advisory council) and we discussed
various campus improvements that we can make here at our school.
“So this was 12 months ago, and the garden was one of the areas that was pinpointed among other areas of the campus, too.”
Students from Kamille Bratton’s emotional and behavioral disorder self-contained class learned how to use EarthBoxes to grow plants with some hands-on experience with instruction from Will Carlton of EarthBox Garden Center.
With some assistance, students stuffed dirt into their EarthBox — a planter that protects against flooding and makes gardening easier to manage — inserted their plants and then watered the soil.
The garden will have a variety of applications.
Tomatoes grown from the gar den will be harvested for the National School Lunch Program at the school.
Other plants harvested, like peppers, flowers and milkweed, will be used for cooking lessons as well as math and science lessons.
Skye Grundy, supervisor of student nutrition for the School District of Manatee County, said math lessons, like learning how to use fractions, can be easily applied to recipes while the science of the plant, including pollination and physical makeup can be studied in a way that’s easy for students to see.
“Those hands-on visual learning moments are priceless,” Grundy said. “Especially for educators to be able to see that light bulb go off for a student that learning it out of the book didn’t do it. All of a sudden, that light bulb goes off.”
The plants will be tended to and maintained by Bratton and an inschool and after-school garden club.
There will be more mulch added to the garden, pavers added and picnic tables brought in to finalize the project in the coming weeks.
MORE CAMPUS IMPROVEMENTS COMING TO BASHAW
Bashaw’s new edible garden is one step in a campus-wide improvement project.
The school raised $15,000 in November during a color run in which it asked students to raise
money via pledge sheets, and the money is already being put to use.
Along with freshly painted walls, a new playground and a new edible garden, Bashaw is planning to add a sensory pad near its new playground — helping younger students and students with disabilities learn in a fun and interactive way — along with a new school mural that’s nearing completion.
Although these additions aren’t as directly related to education as new textbooks or new teachers, Dougherty said they’re necessary additions for what Bashaw Elementary is trying to accomplish.
“We’ve needed something to make everything a little bit more lively and give everything a little bit more of an elementary school feel, but also something that makes the kids excited to come here,” Dougherty said. “It increases school pride, and you should have seen when the kids first came out of campus and they saw (the mural) and how excited they were.”
Photos by Vinnie Portell
Students at William H. Bashaw Elementary School planted a new garden Jan. 14 with the help from Supervisor of Student Nutrition Skye Grundy (left), EBD self-contain teacher Ms. Bratton, EarthBox representative Will Carlton and Principal James Dougherty.
Bashaw Elementary student
Dimpana Yogish helps classmate Zaedin McNeir figure out how to get his plant out of its container during the planting of a new garden on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
“When things get hard, don’t get too down on yourself. Always pick yourself back up.”
FAST BREAK
District
The Braden River High girls varsity weightlifting team won its third consecutive title at the 3A Region 3 District 12 weightlifting meet at Lemon Bay High on Jan. 23. The Pirates finished first in the Olympic discipline with 81 points, beating second place Lemon Bay High. Braden River finished second to Lemon Bay in the Traditional discipline with 57 points.
... Braden River’s individual champions included junior Payton Mangay-Ayam in the Olympic and Traditional 154-pound class, junior Chloe Pogoda in the Olympic 183-pound class, junior Alora Parcells in the Olympic 139-pound class, senior Baylee Hinkle in the Olympic and Traditional 199-pound class and sophomore Emily Gonzalez in the 110-pound Olympic class.
The Lakewood Ranch High girls varsity wrestling team competed at the Queen of the Castle tournament on Jan. 25 at North Fort Myers High. The Mustangs finished sixth out of 26 teams, with sophomore Francesca Bisordi (17-1), going 3-0 on the day and defeating Parrish Community High’s Isabella Montanaro (13-6) by fall in the 170-pound championship match.
The Lakewood Ranch High girls varsity basketball team (15-4) notched its fourth victory in a row when it defeated Braden River High 44-26 at home Jan. 21.
… The Sarasota Paradise of the United Soccer League 2 is holding player tryouts for its upcoming 2025 season on Feb. 8-9 from 10 a.m. to noon at Premier Sports Campus. The Paradise went 8-1-3 last season, winning USL2’s South Florida division title and will kick off its season May 17 at Premier Sports Campus. Players interested in trying out must register online in advance. For more information go to SarasotaParadise.us.
Power of dragon boat racing unleashed
Hundreds of cancer survivors gathered at Nathan Benderson Park for Unleash the Dragons.
DYLAN CAMPBELL SPORTS REPORTER
Hundreds of pink flowers floated in the water at Nathan Benderson Park, carried away from the bank by the stiff breeze that had billowed through for most of the morning.
They had been placed by the hundreds of dragon boat paddlers, all cancer survivors, who gathered at the park Jan. 25 for the Unleash the Dragons: Dragon Boat Festival and Leadership Camp.
Some of the paddlers wept as they placed roses in the water. Others laughed and embraced their fellow survivors. Many held back tears.
The flower ceremony was a somber moment during a day of celebration. The ceremony was designed to remember those who had crossed life’s finish line before them. Every paddler who had survived the disease carried with them the memories of those who had not.
The paddlers, who hailed from 99 different teams across 24 states and 13 countries, had come to Nathan Benderson Park three days prior for the start of the program. Unleash the Dragons, presented by the park and Linked in Pinks, a group of breast cancer survivors dedicated to promoting excellence in dragon boat racing, was designed to be more than just a series of races.
There are teams around the world of dedicated breast cancer and all cancer survivor dragon boat teams, inspired by a movement started over 20 years ago by Canadian sports medicine specialist Dr. Don McKenzie to prove breast cancer survivors could — and should — exercise.
EXERCISE IS GOOD
The sport, previously restricted from breast cancer survivors because of the notion that rigorous upperbody exercise would encourage the spread of lymphedema, has become a landing spot for cancer survivors to become active once again.
Unleash the Dragons was designed to foster growth among the international community of cancer survivor dragon boat paddlers, a connection point for those who have found this sport to be a saving grace in their post-diagnosis lives.
Unleash the Dragons began on Jan. 22 with a two-day leadership camp, featuring a lecture from McKenzie. Individual leaders from each home team registered for the leadership training portion, where they could grow their skills.
On Jan. 24, the rest of the participants joined in — the only catch was that the paddlers were purposefully not assigned to their home teams, instead placed on composite crews of new boats, with new team names from paddlers across the world.
This gave the participants a chance
to connect with new faces. It also gave team leaders, who had participated in the leadership camp, a chance to practice their skills before the actual race day on Jan. 25 when the newly formed teams competed.
“Every team that you see is a composite team made up of six or seven teams from around the world,” said JoAnn Moore, a Lakewood Ranch resident and founder of Linked in Pinks. “It’s a mixed bag of different skill levels and different languages and backgrounds, so that they have to jell together as a team and operate as a team on the water.”
It was not an easy task for the newly formed crews.
“The first couple of days were definitely challenging,” said Water Warriors steerer Nadia McConnville, who races with Pink Phoenix Dragon Boat Team and the Catch-22 Ospreys out of Portland, Oregon. “Every paddler has a different idea of how they paddle at home. Some of the paddlers had never even raced before.”
Moore said the leadership camp and the purposeful assigning of composite teams is meant to empower future groups of breast cancer and all cancer survivor paddlers. By bringing in race officials and experienced Dragon Boat coaches from across the world, paddlers can not only learn the skills of leading a team — coaching techniques, off-water management, steering and more — but also go through the motions of actually starting their own team.
TIME TO RACE
On Jan. 25, 24 teams of 20 paddlers each raced in three divisions, racing in knockout rounds of 500 meters and a final round of 1,000-meter races. The results, however, weren’t the focus. None of the composite teams were going to be as competitive as that of the paddlers’ home boats.
It was the stories behind them, of what dragon boat racing has done for the paddlers, that mattered the most. There are paddlers like McCon nville, who was diagnosed with breast cancer 14 years ago, and has stayed with the sport even as she’s fought through suc cessive surgeries in her postdiagnosis journey.
“Unfortunately, a year after my treat ments, I found out that my bones had dete riorated from the chemotherapy and I had to replace my shoulders and hips,” said McConnville. “I couldn’t paddle anymore, so I switched to steering. I’m a bionic steerer.”
Linked in Pinks member Annette Johnson, a breast cancer survivor, credits dragon boat racing in changing
her outlook on post-diagnosis life. Johnson was introduced to dragon boat racing by her physical therapist after developing lymphedema while in remission.
“I like to refer to finding dragon boating as the lemonade from my cancer lemons,” said Johnson. “I lost my mother and grandmother to breast cancer. When I was diagnosed, I didn’t have examples of my chapter after diagnosis being positive. After joining my team 12 years ago, I had examples of women who were stronger, fitter versions of themselves after their breast cancer diagnosis.”
There’s a special bond formed among cancer survivor Dragon Boat paddlers, one that can only be forged on the water. It’s a bond that makes it difficult to stay out of the water, according to Susan Balmert, a 75-year-old breast cancer survivor from Akron, Ohio.
“I’ve tried to wean myself away from it a couple of times, thinking that I should leave a spot for the young people coming into it,” Balmert said. “But I keep coming back and they keep welcoming that. So I will be in the boat as long as I can pick up the paddle and keep moving forward with these women.”
THE STAT SHEET
While the results weren’t the most important part of the festival, the paddlers still fought hard for their respective boats. Three divisions (A,B,C) with 24 boats of 20 paddlers each — not including the steerer on the back and drummer, who sets the pace, on the front — battled for bragging rights at Nathan Benderson Park.
OVERALL RESULTS:
1ST PLACE: Flamazing Flamingoes, 31 points
2ND PLACE: Not Wimpy Women/Water Warriors, 29 points each
3RD PLACE: Pink Tastic Dragons/Synch or Swim, 28 points each
4TH PLACE: Sunshine Dragons, 27 points
5TH PLACE: Heroes United, 26 points
— Braden River High’s Payton Mangay-Ayam SEE PAGE 15A
Dylan Campbell
Braden River junior Chloe Pogoda finished first in the Olympic discipline of the 183-pound weight class at the Class 2A
12 championship at Lemon Bay High on Jan 23. Pogoda finished with 300 points.
Above: Breast cancer survivor Nadia McConnville, of Washington (back), steers the Water Warriors boat. McConnville made the switch from paddling to steering after undergoing shoulder and hip replacement surgeries as a result of her cancer.
Christine Trasteveri, of New York City, and Ellen Schell, of Long Island, New York, hold their flowers during the flower ceremony at the Unleash the Dragons festival at Nathan Benderson Park on Jan. 25.
Photos by Dylan Campbell
Tough season for local prep basketball teams
Coaching a high school sports team, at least in Florida, is akin to managing a company that is in a constant state of flux. Not only are the employees adolescents, smack dab in the middle of the biggest growth period of their young lives, but they are also incredibly transient.
The transfer culture of the NCAA has seeped down through the cracks to the Sunshine State, where every year, student-athletes transfer from school to school, chasing coaches, opportunities and playing time. Such is the case for the boys basketball programs of rival high schools Braden River and Lakewood Ranch.
Each program saw the transfer of impact players prior to the start of the season. Their matchup on Jan. 21, which Braden River won 65-45, depicted two programs still in a state of transition.
Braden River, 8-12 after the victory, seemed to be coalescing into the team head coach Dwight Gilmer envisioned. Lakewood Ranch, which fell to 3-16 after the loss to the Pirates, appears to just be hanging on. Since that game, both teams have split two games with the Mustangs now 4-18 while the Pirates are 9-13.
How both programs navigate the tumultuous waters of high school basketball leading up and into the start of their respective district tournaments Feb. 3 could be a telling sign of their futures.
BRADEN RIVER, CLASS 5A
DISTRICT 9
The season had started off perfectly for Braden River. The Pirates were 4-0 through their first four games, with impressive wins over Cardinal Mooney (19-1) on Nov. 22 and Parrish Community High (14-6)
on Dec. 3. Despite the graduation of the team’s three top scorers in 2024 — Marcus Schade, Isaac Heaven and Jacobi Murray — and the departure of key pieces such as point guard Tatum Spikes and combo guard Dudache Belony, Braden River looked like the team that had captured the 5A District 10 title in 2024, its first since 2012.
Then the train fell off the tracks.
Starting with Dec. 6’s 57-46 loss to Palmetto High, Braden River failed to record a win for over a month, losing 11 consecutive games.
“We had just about everything that could go wrong with a basketball team go wrong, from injuries to personality conflicts to health scares,” Gilmer said. “But that’s why we coach the game. That adversity makes us stronger as a team and as a family.”
Figuring out team chemistry, Gilmer noted, has taken time.
“When you lose the number of guys that we lost last year and bring in the number of new players that we have, chemistry becomes a huge factor,” said Gilmer. “It’s been tough this year, figuring out who we are as a team and as a program. You never know with young people how fast they’re going to latch onto something and how quickly something will resonate with them.”
Gilmer is confident, however, that the Pirates are beginning to right the ship. The team’s 65-45 victory over Lakewood Ranch, was Braden River’s third in a row. The Pirates have been carried offensively by a pair of sophomore guards, 5-foot-9 Anquan Polynice and 6-foot-2 Jerrod Long.
Polynice, a transfer from Southeast High, has led the Pirates in scoring, averaging 14.7 points per game and racking up 13 in the win
over Lakewood Ranch. Gilmer noted that not only is Polynice the team’s lead guard, responsible for getting the offense into sets, but the sophomore also sets the tone with his toughness and tenacity.
Long, who scored 17 in the win, has been a natural compliment to Polynice with his length and shooting range. Gilmer also noted the contributions of senior guard Jaron Fields, a transfer from Lakewood Ranch who, Gilmer said, has been a “beautiful surprise.”
“As the season comes to a close, we’ve talked a lot about controlling what you can control,” Gilmer said. “Control your attitude, control your effort, control your confidence, things of that nature. If we can do that, we can be right there in any game we have left and we can win.”
LAKEWOOD RANCH, CLASS 6A
DISTRICT 11
Lakewood Ranch head coach
George Holub knew that this season, his first as head coach, might be a tough one. The team’s two leading scorers from last season, 6-foot-3 guard Isaiah Allen and
Bogdan Godlevskyi, a sophomore forward at Lakewood Ranch, drives to the basket against Braden River’s Charlie Wilson on Jan. 21. Godlevskyi scored a season-high 11 points in the game, which Lakewood Ranch lost 65-45.
6-foot-6 power forward David Young, had transferred out of the program.
Holub, a basketball lifer who led Long Island’s Elmont Memorial High to a New York state title in 2016, is Lakewood Ranch’s third head coach in four years.
Last season, the Mustangs, which went to the state championship final in 2019 under longtime head coach Jeremy Schiller, posted an 8-16 record.
While they won’t reach that win total this season, it hasn’t been for a lack of effort.
Against Braden River, which Lakewood Ranch defeated earlier in this season 78-67 on Dec. 10, the Mustangs played a gritty style of basketball, never giving up on possessions until the whistle blew.
Lakewood Ranch, down 34-14 at the half, scored 20 points in the third quarter, showing signs of life.
“We’re trying to find our footing again,” said Holub. “We’re transitioning and we have some players left over from previous regimes. They’re trying, but we’re not the most talented team out here. We give effort every single night, but
we’re outgunned most of the time.”
While the Mustangs’ chances in the 6A District 11 tournament starting Feb. 3 might not look great, there are indications of a brighter future in the years to come. Holub was quick to point out the development of the team’s younger players throughout the course of the season.
Sophomore Bogdan Godlevskyi, a 6-foot-3 forward, scored a season high 11 points against Braden River. Freshman Greg Dauer, a 6-foot-1 guard who is averaging 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds a game, has shown flashes, racking up 14 points in Lakewood Ranch’s 59-54 season opening victory over Bayshore High on Nov. 19 and scoring 11 in the team’s 57-43 loss to Parrish Community High on Dec. 5.
Campbell is the sports reporter for the East County Observer. Contact him at DCampbell@ YourObserver.com.
Dylan Campbell
Dylan
Payton Mangay-Ayam
Payton Mangay-Ayam is a junior on the Braden River High girls varsity weightlifting team. At the Class 3A District 12 meet at Lemon Bay High on Jan. 23, Mangay-Ayam was crowned the individual champion in the Olympic and Traditional 154-pound class, recording a 150-pound snatch and a 200-pound clean and jerk. Mangay-Ayam is to compete at the 2A Region 3 Regional Championship on Jan. 29 at Wesley Chapel’s Cypress Creek High.
When did you start weightlifting and why?
I started weightlifting during my freshman year. I’d just quit gymnastics after a nasty injury and was introduced to the girls weightlifting team during our sports orientation at school. I thought it looked like fun, so I gave it a try.
What’s the appeal?
I love the environment and the competitive aspect of it.
What’s your best lift?
Definitely the clean and jerk. The snatch has a lot of techniques that I’m still working on.
What’s your favorite weightlifting memory?
Going to states my freshman year. It was amazing just to be there and I finished seventh.
What’s your favorite food?
Pasta. I like pasta with Alfredo sauce and mac and cheese.
What’s your favorite movie or television show?
My favorite show is “Grey’s Anatomy.” I love medical dramas.
If you would like to make a recommendation for the East County Observer’s Athlete of the Week feature, send it to Dylan Campbell at DCampbell@ YourObserver.com.
What’s your favorite school subject?
Science. I’m taking anatomy right now. I love learning about how the body works, in college I think I want to major in something related to it.
What are your hobbies?
When I’m not lifting weights, I’m in the athletic training room shadowing the athletic trainer. I’m interested in working in that field.
What’s the best advice that you’ve received?
When things get hard, don’t get too down on yourself. Always pick yourself back up.
Finish this sentence. Payton Mangay-Ayam is … Confident.
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The drive to be a champion YOUR NEIGHBORS
akewood Ranch’s Misdee
LWrigley Miller used one word to describe the course after her marathon run on Jan. 25 during the first Combined Driving at TerraNova event.
“Magnificent.”
It was four years ago that Wrigley Miller, who owns the Sarasota Polo Club with her husband, James Miller, “planted a seed” with TerraNova Equestrian Center founders Hannah Herrig Ketelboeter and her husband, Zach Ketelboeter, to host a combined driving event in Myakka City.
Molly Oakman was hired as president of the TerraNova Equestrian Center in 2024 and she pushed the event forward.
Wrigley Miller expects there to be more combined driving events at the facility.
“Having this the first time, they built three permanent hazards,” she said. “I think that means we can come back.”
“Everything is flat and that is good for this sport,” Lemcke said.
“You have enough parking.
“You are going to see a lot of competitors here in the future. It is beautiful.”
Germany’s Henning Lemcke, an official for the International Federation for Equestrian Sports, said the TerraNova Equestrian Center in Myakka was a fabulous host for its first combined driving event.
Wrigley Miller was covering the course with her team of four horses — Corleone, Doorman,
Alonso and Calipso — along with navigator Dee Aldrich, and backstep Tristan Aldrich. But several classes were contested with one-, two- and four-horse teams competing in dressage, marathon and cones. The competition ran Jan. 23-26
JAY HEATER
Photos by Jay Heater
Multiple U.S. national champion driver Raymond Helmuth, of Cambridge, Iowa, was one of the top competitors at the Combined Driving at TerraNova event Jan. 25 in Myakka City.
Sarasota’s Amy Chenard, Wendy DeGilio and Katy Rosen enjoy champagne and a picnic lunch as they enjoy the combined driving at TerraNova Jan. 25.
Driver Allison Stroud, of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, competes in combined driving at TerraNova on Jan. 25.
The turns are so sharp when going through a hazard that Misdee Wrigley Miller’s team of four horses looks like it is going in opposite directions. Lakewood Ranch’s Miller was competing Jan. 25 in the combined driving event at TerraNova.
Navigator Carrie Ostrowski-Place gives her horse a kiss at the start line for the marathon portion of the combined driving event at TerraNova on Jan. 25.
CERT teaches emergency pet prep
Staying ready for disaster includes some steps many might overlook.
VINNIE PORTELL STAFF WRITER
Many Floridians have become well-versed in the dress rehearsal for hurricanes, but some aspects can be easy to overlook.
One of those can be knowing what to do for your pet before, during and after a natural disaster.
Lakewood Ranch’s Community Emergency Response Team hosted a Pet Emergency First Aid event, which was open to the public, at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall on Jan.
“To be honest with you, for a lot of people, their animals are family members, so it’s just as important to them.”
Dr. Devon Diaz
25 to address that issue.
“We’ve had neighbors who have come to other events who have said, ‘OK, this is what I do with CPR or stopping the bleed,’ and yes, we all are trained in that, but I wouldn’t have known how to apply CPR to an animal,” said Jim Curran, director of community outreach for Lakewood Ranch CERT.
“To be honest with you, for a lot of people, their animals are family members, so it’s just as important to them. It just makes sense with what we do to bring it to the animal kingdom as well.”
Dr. Devon Diaz, a veterinarian at Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch who specializes in emergency critical care, gave a presentation on everything that pet owners should do to be ready, and what to do in case preparation isn’t enough.
Diaz said that 19% of emergency visits at his veterinary clinic after hurricanes Helene and Milton could have been prevented, and reducing that intake could make a difference.
HOW TO PREPARE
Planning for evacuation isn’t new to anyone who’s experienced a hurricane, but additional steps are a must when pets are involved.
Diaz recommended doing a test run of packing a vehicle with everything a family might need and everything a pet might need. Necessary pet supplies — such as a crate, leash, collar, food, medicine, sanitation, water, bowls and comfort items — can take up more space than some realize.
If evacuating to a hotel or shelter, it’s also important to check ahead of time to ensure your destination accepts pets. Some hotels and shelters don’t accept pets, while others
place limitations on the species and size of the animal.
Diaz said a good rule of thumb for pets is to have three- to seven-days’ worth of food (including a can opener, scoop/spoon and bowl), sevendays’ worth of water and two weeks’ worth of medication, at the least.
Typical items Diaz said is an afterthought for many are medical and identification records and proof of ownership.
WHAT TO DO IN A PET EMERGENCY
Even though 75 of the 395 pet emergencies from hurricanes Helene and Milton at Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch could have been prevented, that means 320 of them were unavoidable.
In some cases, cardiopulmonary resuscitation might be needed, and pets are administered CPR in a different manner than humans, Diaz said.
After checking for breath and a pulse, dogs are to be given chest compressions with two hands and cats with one — depressing from one-third to one-half of the chest cavity.
To blow air, the pet’s mouth must be sealed and hard breaths are to be administered into the nose.
Diaz said a good average to stick to is two breaths to every 30 compressions, if the CPR is being done by one person, or 10 breaths per minute with two people.
When pets are bleeding, Diaz said to apply direct pressure, pack the wound and use a stretch wrap and tuck tourniquet.
Overheating can also be an issue in Florida because humidity over 35% can jeopardize evaporative cooling. Animals should be cooled down to 104 degrees Fahrenheit before transport, using immersion in tepid water if available.
For more information on how to handle pet emergencies, the staff at Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch can be reached at 15205 Garnet Trail, Bradenton, or by phone at (941) 739-1800.
Vinnie Portell
Dr. Devon Diaz of Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch demonstrates how to check a dog for a pulse during a pet first aid presentation at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall on the morning of Jan. 25.
What Would the Founding Fathers Think of America Today?
It would be nearly impossible to overestimate the reverence afforded America’s celebrated founding fathers. They were real men whose brilliance launched our country, and they vigorously discussed and debated the important political issues of their time.
By focusing on key writings and speeches of founders such as Washington, Jefferson, Adams and others we can certainly speculate what they’d think about the issues of today. That’s the fascinating and unique idea behind the Observer’s upcoming event in Sarasota on February 6th. It will be presented by renowned Brown University Professor Wendy Schiller, Chair of the Department of Political Science.
Here’s an example. The partisan hostility of our two major parties
has certainly frustrated nearly everyone. It turns out that the “Father of our Country” and our very first President was concerned about that very issue. In George Washington’s words from his famous farewell address in 1796, “There is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of the government and keep alive the spirit of liberty. But then he went on to assert “the constant danger of excess” and ended by referring to a political party as “ a fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance topresent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume”
Another subject area that was discussed thoroughly at the start of our country and continues to be a major focus today is the role of religion. While many believe
that the Founders felt that religion should be kept entirely outside political life, that’s really not what most of them felt. James Madison wrote that all men are “equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience”. In actuality the founders were less concerned about religious influences on government than they were with any effort to exclude some religions and favor others. That is what they had experienced as citizens of England and was what they were primarily concerned with. One more example would be concerns about economic and wealth inequality. Many think of this as an area of concern only in recent times, e– launched in large part by the now well known “occupy Wall Street” movement in 2011. In fact, it was a subject ad-
vanced by many founders, and some of their thinking was quite advanced. Thomas Paine wrote of the need to “make some provisions for people become poor and wretched not only at the time they become so. Would it not, even a matter of economy, be far better to devise means to prevent their becoming poor?”
And finally, apparently federal spending has been a hot button
Dive into the past with our exciting speaker series, featuring renowned scholars from top universities. Each lecture brings history to life with fresh insights and captivating stories you won’t hear anywhere else.
issue for as long as our country has been in existence. It was Thomas Jefferson who wrote
“That same prudence which in private life would forbid paying our own money for unexplained projects, forbids it in the dispensation of the public monies” Sounds a lot like something you hear every day on TV!
Band boosters instrumental to Pirates’ success
Braden River High’s band director calls the parent-led nonprofit ‘crucial’ to the program’s success.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
Volunteers for the Braden River High School Band Boosters Association include several multitalented parents.
Of course, they fundraise. The nonprofit’s annual goal is to raise over $200,000 to support the high school’s band program. But these parents also act as travel agents, tailors, cooks, cleaners, movers and builders.
“It’s my second full-time job,”
President Nicole Soler said in a halfjoking manner. “We’re all full-time employees. I work in IT.”
Jessica Eastman is a nurse practitioner. Naturally, she serves as the “medic mom,” making sure the band members are fed and hydrated before competitions. Her official title is Color Guard representative.
Danny Abercrombie is a mechanical engineer by trade. His most recent side project was designing and building a giant jack-in-the-box for the marching band last season.
He engineered the walls to come apart during the performance and come back together for each show thereafter. The box was designed to have a student inside who pulled a
pin on cue, then all four walls collapsed onto the field for a dramatic effect.
Director of Bands Cliff Dawson said a productive booster organization is essential to the students’ success. There are 83 members of the marching band, but the band program serves 149 students.
The program includes three concert bands, three jazz bands, a percussion ensemble and the color guard, which is akin to a dance troupe, but they use flags and other props to enhance their performances.
“Without (the boosters’) support, we would not achieve the same level of excellence,” Dawson said. “Every task they undertake, no matter how small, is crucial to the success of the students.”
To perform in the marching band costs at least $800. Color guard has two seasons, so that’s about $1,500. The boosters set aside $10,000 each year to pay for students who can’t afford the expense.
The nonprofit raises most of its funds through manning the concession stand at football games, but members also throw occasional fundraisers, too. They hold periodic bake sales and try to pull together an
auction once a year.
Outside of scholarships, the funds are spent on equipment, props and travel. A trip to the marching band championships requires charter buses, hotel rooms and a lot of pizza.
Anyone with organizational skills is encouraged to join, but ultimately, the boosters are successful because they all share a common goal to see their children succeed.
“It’s so much fun,” Soler said. “You really get to know the parents you’re volunteering with, and you make
friends. As adults, it’s harder to do that.”
Soler also pointed out that it’s not just the parents running around doing all the hard work. The boosters do what they do because of the dedication shown by the kids and the band directors, who are willing to put in equally long hours of practice.
All of the hard work paid off when Braden River High School’s Marching Band of Pirates won the Division 2A state championship Nov. 16. It was the band’s first state champion-
Courtesy images
Sara and Danny Abercrombie support their daughter, Allyson, by wearing marching band T-shirts and volunteering for the Braden River High School Band Boosters.
ABOUT THE NONPROFIT
Braden River High School Band Boosters Association. Visit BRHSBands.org/Boosters.
Mission statement: To raise funds and offer assistance with logistics so the music staff can focus on teaching the students of the band program.
ship since 2019.
“It was like we won ourselves,”
Soler said. “We’ve seen the growth going back to July, when these kids first started, and then it’s November, and we’re at their very last performance. I’m getting filled (with emotion). These kids are amazing and what they do is incredible.”
Soler’s daughter, Kirsten, is a junior. She started in the color guard as a freshman.
Kirsten Soler’s freshman-year reaction to her mom and dad volunteering at the concession stand during football games was, “Go home,” but her attitude has since changed. Now, she wants an explanation if Soler has to miss a show.
For Nicole Soler, that’s what makes the effort worthwhile.
“You get to spend that extra time with your kid, even if it’s just within
the same vicinity,” she said. “It’s hard to come by with teenagers.” So the parents do what they do, just on a grander scale. They hand wash multiple uniforms and line dry them. They pack 100 lunches and haul instruments in a trailer. When the teenagers forget their instruments or accidentally drop a mouthpiece into a drainage grate, both of which have happened, they find loaners. Equally importantly, the boosters stand on the sidelines and cheer.
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Braden River High School’s Kirsten Soler and Quinn McGettigan kiss the trophy after the Pirates earned their first state championship title in five years.
The booster board of directors take a photo with Director of Bands Cliff Dawson.
From left to right: Scott Close, Jessica Eastman, Dawson, Nicole Soler, Jennifer Hubley and Adrienne Small.
Amber Creek at Lakewood Ranch
YOUR CALENDAR
COMMUNITY
THURSDAY, JAN. 30 THROUGH
SUNDAY, FEB. 2
LIVE MUSIC AT JIGGS LANDING
Runs from 2:30-5:30 p.m. each day at Jiggs Landing, 6106 63rd St. E., Bradenton. The live music lineup at Jiggs Landing includes Steve Arvey (Thursday), Deadwood Dick and the Drifters (Friday), The Garbage-Men Band (Saturday) and Rick “Rooster” Arrighi. The Friday and Saturday concerts are $5 and the others are free. For more information, go to JiggsLanding.com.
FRIDAY, JAN. 31 AND SATURDAY, FEB. 1
MUSIC AT THE PLAZA
Runs 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1560 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch. Frankie Lombardi plays acoustic rock and pop for those strolling through Waterside Place on Friday night. The Saturday night performer has not been announced. For more information about the free music series, go to WatersidePlace. com.
SATURDAY, FEB. 1
DEL WEBB CATALINA GRAND
OPENING
Runs 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 4844 Starlight Beach Lane, Lakewood Ranch. The new 55-plus community of Del Webb Catalina is hosting a grand opening party that is open to the public. Those who attend can explore seven model homes and get information about the community. A complimentary lunch will be available to those who visit.
FIRST SATURDAY YOGA
Begins at 9 a.m. at Bob Gardner Park, 2710 White Eagle Blvd., Lakewood Ranch. Gentle/Yin yoga is held the first Saturday of each month. LWR Yoga Barre leads the session, which is designed to stretch, soothe and restore your body and mind in a natural setting. All levels are welcome. Bring a mat. Go to LakewoodRanch.com for more information.
GULF COAST GAMES
Begins at 9 a.m. at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota. The 36th annual Gulf Coast Games for Life include
BEST BET
SUNDAY, FEB. 2
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.
Olympic-style rowing, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding, which are as qualifiers for the Florida Senior Games. The event gives seniors the opportunity to compete at the local, state and national level. Register at Bit.Ly/GCGFLRegister or call 8617275 for more information. For more information about other events, sites and dates, go to visit FloridaSeniorGames.com.
SUNDAY, FEB. 2
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. For more information, visit MyLWR.com.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 5
BINGO Begins at 10 a.m. at James Patton Park, 7525 White Eagle Blvd., Lakewood Ranch. Weekly Bingo under the pavilion is hosted by Lakewood Ranch Community Activities. For more information, go to LakewoodRanch.com.
RANCH NITE WEDNESDAY
Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place. Ranch Nite Wednesday features food trucks, dessert trucks, live music, weekly programing, outdoor bars and a recreational cornhole league. Please do not bring coolers or bring outside food or beverages. Go to Waterside.com for more information.
IT’S READ EVERYWHERE
Headed on a trip? Snap a photo of you on vacation holding your Observer, then submit your photo online at YourObserver.com/ ItsReadEverywhere. Stay tuned for this year’s prize, and happy travels!
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GREAT VIEWS OF THE OBSERVER: Jennifer Angileri and Marla Matteson hold the East County Observer in Montenegro in the Balkans.
Concession home tops sales at $3.4 million
ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
The following residential real estate transactions took place between Jan. 13-17. A home in the Concession top all transactions in this week’s real estate. Iolanda and David Goodfellow, trustees, of Arden, North Carolina, sold the home at 19423 Newlane Place to John and Mary Geoghagan, of Bradenton, for $3.4 million. Built in 2017, it has three bedrooms, threeand-two-half baths, a pool and 4,351 square feet of living area.
ESPLANADE
Richard and Rita Hutchings, of Paris, Illinois, sold their home at 5008 Benito Court to Kristy Waters, of Bradenton, for $1,682,500. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, fourand-a-half baths, a pool and 3,139 square feet of living area. It sold for $997,500 in 2020.
Joan and Wes Martin, of Ocala, sold their home at 5237 Napoli Run to Kevin and Cheryl McCarthy, of Bradenton, for $845,000. Built in 2014, it has two bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,087 square feet of living area. It sold for $457,400 in 2014.
ISLES Toll FL XIII Ltd. Partnership sold the home at 8006 Nevis Run to Karon Payne and Dennis Payne, trustees, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1.5 million. Built in 2024, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 3,569 square feet of living area.
LAKEWOOD NATIONAL GOLF CLUB
Sandra May Hagenbrock and Alfred Alan Henke, trustees, sold the home at 5589 Mulligan Way to Edwin Ryan Akers III and Carolyn Joy Akers, of Bradenton, for $1.49 million. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,776 square feet of living area. It sold for $740,200 in 2020.
Kelly Cottone and George Francis Rickard sold their home at 5757 Cheech Glen to Kyle Yamashiro, trustee, of Bradenton, for $1.08 million. Built in 2022, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,224 square feet of living area. It sold for $917,000 in 2022.
RIVERDALE REVISED
Paul Leskinen and Jennifer McCullen, trustees, of Sarasota, sold the home at 4735 Mainsail Drive to Claude Michael Hanbury, of Bradenton, for $1,465,000. Built in 2006, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,602 square feet of living area.
PRESERVE AT PANTHER RIDGE
John and Josephine Leavy, of Bradenton, sold their home at 22296 Panther Loop to Jennifer Ann Petersohn and Christopher Petersohn, of Bradenton, for $1,425,000. Built in 2002, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,615 square feet of living area. It sold for $535,000 in 2009.
SHOREVIEW
James Faris and Nora Shuart-Faris, of Brentwood, Tennessee, sold their home at 7977 Grande Shores Drive to Lisa and Richard Ade, of Sarasota, for $1.31 million. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,674 square feet of living area. It sold for $730,700 in 2019.
TIDEWATER PRESERVE
Charles and Susan Hintz, of Fort Worth, Texas, sold their home at 5311 Tidewater Preserve Blvd. to
Matthew Spenks, of Bradenton, for $975,000. Built in 2016, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,092 square feet of living area. It sold for $482,600 in 2016.
COUNTRY CLUB EAST
Kyle and Judith Kappes, of Sarasota, sold their home at 7507 Haddington Cove to Mohammad Abuel-Haija and Maria Alejandra Freire Santillan, of Bradenton, for $935,000. Built in 2013, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,405 square feet of living area. It sold for $950,000 in 2022.
Charles and Patricia Diggs, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 7266 Belleisle Glen to Philip and Marta Grande, of Sarasota, for $625,000. Built in 2012, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,752 square feet of living area. It sold for $367,500 in 2018.
MOORINGS AT EDGEWATER
David McCarthy, Janine McCarthy and Susan McCarthy sold their Unit 202 condominium at 6515 Moorings Point Circle to Delfine and Linda Martin, of Lakewood Ranch, for $895,000. Built in 2004, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 3,155 square feet of living area. It sold for $572,700 in 2004.
LAKEHOUSE COVE AT WATERSIDE
Sharon and John Glees, of Georgetown, Texas, sold their home at 8067 Slipway Drive to Douglas Crouch, of Sarasota, for $890,000. Built in 2023, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,133 square feet of living area. It sold for $846,100 in 2023.
EDGEWATER Daniel Paver and Wakana Toki sold their home at 8474 Sailing Loop to Joseph Corbett, of St. Albans, Missouri, for $788,000. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,355 square feet of living area. It sold for $330,000 in 2015.
AZARIO ESPLANADE
Jo Anne DeSantis, trustee, of Marietta, sold the home at 4630 Trento Place to Louis and Gina Shapiro, of Bradenton, for $780,000. Built in 2022, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,144 square feet of living area. It sold for $554,300 in 2022.
DEL WEBB
Martin and Bridget Mineck, trustees, of Bradenton, sold the home at 6908 Gosport Cove to Robert Norrid Jr., of North Potomac, Maryland, for $775,000. Built in 2017, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,000 square feet of living area. It sold for $845,000 in 2022.
MILL CREEK
William and M. Jane Icely, of Bradenton, sold their home at 13509 Second Ave. E. to Gary and Lori Jones, of Bradenton, for $625,000. Built in 1989, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,390 square feet of living area. It sold for $233,000 in 2002.
GREYHAWK LANDING
Lee and Allison Pappas, of Parrish, sold their home at 12582 Cara Cara Loop to Cory and Heather Travalena, of Bradenton, for $612,500. Built in 2005, it has five bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,854 square feet of living area. It sold for $515,000 in 2024.
WATERLEFE
Edith Renee Chapman, of Sarasota, sold her home at 9822 Discovery Terrace to James Edward Burns and Lorna McMullen, of Bradenton, for $600,000. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,017 square feet of living area. It sold for $554,300 in 2022.
COUNTRY CLUB
Sabrina Misiaszek and George Cooper, of Clinton, New York, sold their home at 7349 Wexford Court to Warren and Donna Bovich, of Lakewood Ranch, for $585,000. Built in 2006, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,562 square feet of living area. It sold for $570,000 in 2023.
COACH HOMES AT RIVER STRAND
David and Cynthia O’Connor, trustees, sold the Unit 3703 con-
RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS
JAN. 13-17
dominium at 7208 River Hammock Drive to Scott Hutter and Mary Hutter, trustees, of Bradenton, for $567,500. Built in 2012, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,108 square feet of living area. It sold for $312,500 in 2020.
Anthony Albert Cairo Jr. and Jean Louise Cairo, of Middletown, Maryland, sold their Unit 6502 condominium at 6818 Grand Estuary Trail to Phillip and Zanrha Esteban, of Bradenton, for $452,500. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,108 square feet of living area. It sold for $269,000 in 2018.
RIVER POINT OF MANATEE
Carol Ann Banks, of Flanders, New
Jersey, sold her home at 3912 Fourth Ave. N.E. to 3912 4th Ave LLC for $565,000. Built in 1997, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,681 square feet of living area. It sold for $565,000 in 2023.
HERITAGE HARBOUR
Susan Hirsch sold her home at 405 River Enclave Court to Patrick Pribyl and Jamie Sehi-Pribyl, of Bradenton, for $560,000. Built in 2009, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,840 square feet of living area. It sold for $304,700 in 2014.
Courtesy image
This Concession home sold for $3.4 million. It has three bedrooms, three-and-two-half baths, a pool and 4,351 square feet of living area.
HAMPTON GREEN
James and Eileen Heller, of Sarasota, sold their home at 6403 Saunton Place to Mary Goot, of Bradenton, for $552,000. Built in 1993, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,753 square feet of living area. It sold for $350,000 in 2017.
SONOMA
8240 Villa Grande LLC sold the home at 8240 Villa Grande Court to Pascal Florida Invest LLC for $530,000. Built in 2007, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,121 square feet of living area. It sold for $385,000 in 2024.
RIVERWALK
Matthew Robert Supernaw, of Rochester Hills, Michigan, sold his home at 10910 Water Lily Way to Lakewood Holdings LLC for $520,000. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,641 square feet of living area. It sold for $250,000 in 2012.
MAGNOLIA MANOR
Robert Kinney, trustee, sold the home at 2109 67th St. Court E. to 3705 Windsor Park 922 LLC for $500,000. Built in 1990, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,206 square feet of living area. It sold for $103,000 in 1994.
GREENBROOK
Yaya LLC sold the home at 6542 Blue Grosbeak Circle to Jennifer and Paul Labbato, of Clarendon Hills, Illinois, for $469,000. Built in 2002, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,016 square feet of living area. It sold for $235,000 in 2014.
Warren Blake, trustee, of Loudon, Tennessee, sold the home at 6450 Blue Grosbeak Circle to Thomas and Nancy Savoy and Hillary and Oliver Joggi, of Lakewood Ranch, for $451,000. Built in 2002, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,074 square feet of living area. It sold for $220,400 in 2003.
CARLYLE AT THE VILLAGE OF PALM AIRE
Susumu and Viviana Yamashita, of Gambrills, Maryland, sold their home at 5040 Creekside Trail to Jane Corsaro, of Sarasota, for $450,000. Built in 2002, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,727 square feet of living area. It sold for $205,500 in 2002.
WATERFRONT AT MAIN STREET
Michael Junk and Julie Junk, of Bradenton, sold their Unit 3-402 condominium at 10510 Boardwalk Loop to Scott Lewis Young, of Lakewood Ranch, for $450,000. Built in 2018, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,400 square feet of living area. It sold for $440,000 in 2019.
DEL TIERRA
Alexander and Patti Ann Robinson sold their home at 15236 Peaceful Bull Place to Martin Gerald Robinson and Deborah Louise Robinson, of Bradenton, for $445,000. Built in 2016, it has five bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,868 square feet of living area. It sold for $271,500 in 2016.
CREEKWOOD
Michael Stevenson and Therry The, of Brazil, Indiana, sold their home at 7109 46th Ave. Circle E. to Anthony and Nancy Cothron, of Bradenton, for $430,000. Built in 1999, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,617 square feet of living area. It sold for
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Shanahan Luxury Group made my home-buying experience in Lakewood Ranch seamless and stress-free, thanks to their unmatched local market expertise, tailored advice, and unwavering professionalism. Relocating from out of state came with challenges, but their team went above and beyond, managing every detail with care-from providing thorough market updates and comp analyses to coordinating inspections, documenting the home with videos and photos, attending builder walk-throughs, and recommending trusted maintenance services. What stood out most was their personable approach, building a level of trust that far exceeded a typical real estate transaction. I wholeheartedly recommend Shanahan Luxury Group to anyone looking to buy or sell a home.
