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Whether you're buying or selling, I’m here to make the process smooth and stress-free. With in-depth knowledge of Sarasota’s top neighborhoods and exclusive barrier islands, I provide expert advice and personalized attention to help you make the best decisions. Whether you're hunting for your dream home or a smart investment, I’m dedicated to giving you a real estate experience that’s easy, enjoyable, and perfectly tailored to your needs.
Whether you're buying or selling, I’m here to make the process smooth and stress-free. With in-depth knowledge of Sarasota’s top neighborhoods and exclusive barrier islands, I provide expert advice and personalized attention to help you make the best decisions. Whether you're hunting for your dream home or a smart investment, I’m dedicated to giving you a real estate experience that’s easy, enjoyable, and perfectly tailored to your needs.
Whether you're buying or selling, I’m here to make the process smooth and stress-free. With in-depth knowledge of Sarasota’s top neighborhoods and exclusive barrier islands, I provide expert advice and personalized attention to help you make the best decisions. Whether you're hunting for your dream home or a smart investment, I’m dedicated to giving you a real estate experience that’s easy, enjoyable, and perfectly tailored to your needs.
Premier Sotheby’s International Realty
400 Barcelona Avenue, Venice, FL 34285
Email: Lisa.Napolitano@premierSIR.com | Phone: 941-993-0025
Whether you're buying or selling, I’m here to make the process smooth and stress-free. With in-depth knowledge of Sarasota’s top neighborhoods and exclusive barrier islands, I provide expert advice and personalized attention to help you make the best decisions. Whether you're hunting for your dream home or a smart investment, I’m dedicated to giving you a real estate experience that’s easy, enjoyable, and perfectly tailored to your needs.
Premier Sotheby’s International Realty
Premier Sotheby’s International Realty
400 Barcelona Avenue, Venice, FL 34285
400 Barcelona Avenue, Venice, FL 34285
Email: Lisa.Napolitano@premierSIR.com | Phone: 941-993-0025
Email: Lisa.Napolitano@premierSIR.com | Phone: 941-993-0025
and
Premier Sotheby’s International Realty
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68
SAGE OF SIESTA
Friends and coworkers of Rod Hershberger shed light on his wisdom.
60
TIME MACHINE
Take a trip back to Longboat Key’s humble beginnings.
76
WORLDLY FLAVORS
Local restaurants dish up an assortment of international cuisine.
20 FROM THE EDITOR
25 HOT TOPICS
Two new luxury developments take root on Lido, Bird Key Yacht Club forges ahead on rebuild and environmental documentaries set to make waves.
40 KEY PEOPLE
As she hangs up her skates, hall-offamer Judy Thomas reflects on a career spent on the ice.
44 MAKING A DIFFERENCE
In the wake of the fall’s hurricanes, local leaders organize a concert to benefit hospitality workers.
48 CALENDAR
From farmers markets to vow renewals, don’t miss these key events.
54 STYLE
In the mood for love? Here are some go-to ideas to make your Valentine swoon.
89 OASIS
Longboat Key estate boasts features that make it a boater’s dream come true.
100 ART AND ABOUT
The spring arts season serves up ample opportunities to dive deeper into our collective experience.
102 BEHIND THE MENU
A staple for visitors and locals alike, the Columbia Restaurant shares the legacy behind its tasty traditions.
106 KEY ENCOUNTERS
President and Publisher Emily Walsh
Executive Editor and COO — Kat Wingert
Managing Editor — Su Byron Design — Melissa Leduc and Nicole Thompson
Contributors
Marty Fugate, Nancy Guth, Mark Gordon, Elizabeth King, Heidi Kurpiela, Louis Llovio, Robert Plunket, Lori Sax and Eric Snider
Chief Revenue Officer — Jill Raleigh
Advertising Managers — Kathleen O’Hara, Penny Nowicki and Lori Ruth
Advertising Executives — Richeal Bair, Jennifer Kane, Honesty Mantkowski, Toni Perren, Laura Ritter and Brenda White
Director of Creative Services — Caleb Stanton
Creative Services Administrator — Marjorie Holloway
Graphic Designers — Luis Trujillo, Taylor Poe, Louise Martin and Shawna Polana
To submit story ideas or calendar listings, contact Kat Wingert at KWingert@YourObserver.com. For advertising inquiries, call 941-366-3468.
Whenever a natural disaster strikes, it takes time to get back things back to normal. As we’ve learned with Hurricanes Helene and Milton, often that timeline is much longer than you think.
A trip around the keys shows a mixed-bag of recovery. Aside from some battered landscaping, some areas seem unscathed. But right around the corner are places that look like war zones, in need of repair and cleanup.
Some things may never be “normal” again. Serious events inevitably shift our thinking. To move on, we want things to be the way they were, but at the same time, we also learn a lot about our environment, our preparation and even ourselves.
Although only one of the stories in this issue is focused on hurricane recovery, the topic of the storms kept popping up, in little bread crumbs of wisdom here and there. Here are four lessons in this issue that are worth sharing.
1.) There’s power in coming together.
Duh, right? We saw this from the emergency response efforts to neighbors helping each other after the storms. But in our story on Page 44, we highlight the efforts of a group who rallied to create a benefit concert to help the thousands of hospitality workers left without jobs after the hurricanes. Thanks to a group of local leaders — both in the private and public sectors — Rock ’n’ Support featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd was held Nov. 25, and it raised more than $400,000 for area hospitality workers in need.
2.) Learn from your environment
In our story on Bird Key Yacht Club, we discuss how its
membership recently voted to rebuild the structure rather than renovate it (Page 30). Although a more costly option, the club’s members determined that in the long run, it was the smarter approach to make the club more resilient given what we’ve seen in recent hurricane seasons.
3.) Embrace the change.
Even our home story shows how things have changed, particularly what’s valuable in real estate now. Never mind the two docks, six garages, two acres of seclusion or safe room and security system — the fact that this home was high and dry in the storms and never lost power thanks to its natural gas generator is now a major selling point (Page 89).
4.) Focus on the future
As the fourth-generation leader of Columbia Restaurant, Richard Gonzmart Sr. has seen it all. This includes the flooding of his St. Armands Circle restaurant in Helene and Milton. Yet, he doesn’t even mention that. Instead, he focuses on the legacy and tradition his family has built and their focus on continuing it for generations to come.
So,whether you are one of the lucky unaffected ones or are still working on restoring your own normalcy, keep in mind: As long as we are learning, we can make things better.
It just takes time.
Kat Wingert Executive Editor
A local collaboration produces three films chronicling the environment around Longboat Key. PAGE 34
Two over-the-top projects — one a circusfancy hotel, another a condo complex with uber-luxury hotel-like amenities and service
— are primed to give Benjamin Franklin Drive on Lido Key a new look.
BY ELIZABETH KING CONTRIBUTOR
Opulence is the common thread of two developments weaving their way into the landscape on Lido Key.
One particularly posh example: A hotel and restaurant with a Roaring Twenties vibe and a nod to Sarasota’s history as a circus town are coming soon to Benjamin Franklin Drive.
More fanciness sits farther south: a towering condominium — the Rosewood Residences — is taking shape with units up to $15 million in a firstof-its-kind project that will offer an uber-luxury hotel-like experience to residents.
The circus-themed project, Cirque St. Armands, will be unveiled in March at 233 Benjamin Franklin Drive, an address that used to be the Holiday Inn and which has for months been the site
of renovations. The Holiday Inn on the site was built in 1970.
“It’s going to turn heads,” says Milo Davidovic, regional manager for the hotel, in a statement. “There are nods to the circus heritage everywhere, but they are presented in a very elegant, art deco meets Roaring Twenties-inspired setting.”
The hotel will feature ostrich-feather chandeliers, pinstriped columns, billowing draperies and geometric patterns, according to Opal Collection, which manages the property.
Cirque St. Armands includes 135
rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies, all showcasing antique photographs of circus performers training in Sarasota in the 1920s and 1930s. Ringling Bros. made Sarasota the winter home of the circus in 1927.
The hotel’s restaurant, Ringside, will also incorporate the circus theme. Billboard-sized murals will display trapeze artists, and five private booths will be set off by velvet drapery. Guests can indulge in a menu filled with gulf seafood and bold-flavored fare.
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Ringside “is going to be one of the most unique and exciting new places to dine in Sarasota for its unexpected, picture-worthy drinks, décor and dishes,” Davidovic says.
Drinks and small plates will also be on tap at the lobby bar and lounge, dubbed Midway. After March, a pool bar called the Ringmaster will also open.
Shaped like three rings and designed to bring to mind the “three-ring circus,” the pool will be completed this spring. It will feature striped loungers and tent-like cabanas. Guests will also have access to an on-site fitness center and 300 feet of private beach at sister Opal Collection property Lido Beach Resort.
Another new development, on a much larger scale, is underway at 1000 Benjamin Franklin Drive, where a massive 11-story building is being erected on the gulf side of the street. Rosewood Residences Lido will include 65 condominiums priced from $6.5 to $15 million. Each unit will have waterfront views and a private balcony.
The project marks the first residential-only, standalone Rosewoodbranded property in the country, with more to come. Previous Rosewood Residences have been attached to hotels or resorts, such as The Carlyle, a Rosewood hotel in New York.
Naples-based developer and owner of the Lido property the Ronto Group approached “multiple high-end hotel brands” about establishing branded residences there, and “they all wanted to be a part of it,” according to Ronto Group President Anthony Solomon.
“Then when we talked to Rosewood, we really felt that they would be the optimal brand because ... it’s hard to get much more prestigious than the Rosewood brand,” Solomon says of the company, which operates more than 30 properties worldwide. “We felt it complemented the Sarasota style. Their brand of luxury is that quiet sort of luxury.”
Residents at the Rosewood Residences Lido will have access to a full-
service restaurant that also provides room service and is exclusively for property owners and their guests. The eatery features private dining rooms as well as indoor and outdoor bars. A staffed beach club and owner’s lounge provide food and beverage service as well.
Other amenities include a fitness center with locker rooms, massage area, steam room and cold plunge; two zero-edge swimming pools — one on the beach level and another on the third floor; a game room with billiards, cards, arcade games and a toddler playroom; a theater; and six guest suites that have full closets and bathrooms. All common areas are designed by New York City interior designer Lillian Wu.
“It’s an amenity package that has never been done,” Solomon says, for a building of this size. “You get all the benefits of a hotel without the transience.”
Condominiums range from more than 3,300 to nearly 5,000 square feet, accessed by semi-private elevators. Each unit features a Wolf cooktop, Sub-Zero refrigerator and freezer as well as a Miele dishwasher.
Rosewood-trained staff will oversee daily operations and management of the property.
“They’re providing [service] before you even need to ask,” Solomon says.
Offering an example, he says residents might have grandchildren visit-
ing who want chicken fingers on the beach. “They’re going to make that happen,” Solomon says.
Approximately 40% of the units have been sold as of mid-December.
“One common thread, I would say, is they were all very lovely, down-toearth people,” Solomon says of the buyers he has met. “They’re excited to have this as a place to have their kids and grandkids.”
The cost of the project is upwards of $300 million, according to Solomon, who says that includes the land.
Previously, the 3.5-acre property was home to a pair of hotels that were purchased and subsequently demolished.
The Ronto Group paid $15 million for one hotel, Coquina on the Beach, and $24.5 million for the other, Gulf Beach Resort Motel. Both deals closed in 2021, Sarasota County property records show.
The Rosewood Residences Lido broke ground in January, topped out its 11th floor in November and is projecting completion by early 2026.
“Sales have been good,” Solomon says. “We knew this wasn’t going to be an incredibly brisk sellout given the price points. These are the very top price points in Sarasota, due to what we’re delivering. But we’re very happy with the sales.”
The Ronto Group, which is developing the Rosewood Residences on Lido Key, is based in Naples. It has been in business since 1967.
In the last 10 years alone, it has developed more than 1,000 condominium units, according to Ronto Group President Anthony Solomon, who says that includes more than 500 in Naples. “We build large-scale condominium buildings,” Solomon says.
The firm made its Sarasota debut in 2017 with the Echelon on Palm at 624 Palm Ave., an 18-story building with 17 residences. Locally, in addition to Rosewood, it’s currently working on The Owen on Golden Gate Point, a 29-unit condo building set for completion in 2027.
The Bird Key Yacht Club is setting a resiliency example by rebuilding its historic clubhouse to be better prepared for stronger hurricanes and more flooding.
BY LOUIS LLOVIO | CONTRIBUTOR
Sometimes, rejection is the best thing that can happen.
Just ask the members of the Bird Key Yacht Club.
The club is building a new $20 million clubhouse that will open next year to replace its existing 67-year-old building. One of the major themes of the project is resilience, protecting the waterfront property from worsening
hurricanes and flooding while making sure the needs — and wants — of members are met.
This means the new building will be farther back and on higher ground and will be built using materials better suited to withstand major hurricanes that appear to be coming with more frequency.
It’s a big undertaking that would not have been possible if a previous plan to renovate the clubhouse three years
earlier had not been voted down by members.
“Fortunately, that failed,” says Dennis DeWitt, a board and project team member at the Bird Key Yacht Club. “It failed by something like six votes — it was very, very close — out of 375 members. So that was pretty amazing.”
The rejection worked in the club’s favor because it allowed for a reevaluation of the project and the decision to rebuild rather than renovate.
DeWitt says the discussion about how to proceed after the failed vote began about two years ago — at a time when Florida’s insurance crisis was worsening and the cost of insuring the property was becoming “prohibitively expensive.”
During that reevaluation process, the members working on the plan also learned about a Federal Emergency Management Agency rule that,
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Continued from Page 30
DeWitt says, won’t allow you to spend more than half the value of a building if you build or renovate a property below its floodplain.
Which the Bird Key Yacht Club was.
For example, let’s say the building is assessed at $7 million. A storm hits, caves in the roof and the insurance company issues a check for $6 million.
“We probably couldn’t rebuild the building,” DeWitt says as an explainer. “If they gave us $6 million, we couldn’t spend half of it. It’s a strange situation that we found ourselves in.”
With that scenario in mind and following the hiring of a local architect and meetings with members, the decision was made to rebuild the clubhouse rather than renovate it as originally planned.
And with that decision came resiliency.
On that front, the yacht club isn’t alone. In Fort Myers Beach, which was hit hard by Hurricane Ian in 2022, Margaritaville Beach Resort built its complex with an eye toward resilient construction and nearby, The Beach Bar, a local institution, is being rebuilt to withstand stronger and more frequent hurricanes.
Like those projects 100 miles south, the new BKYC clubhouse is being built, as best as possible, to protect the property from future hurricanes and floods.
DeWitt says the club hired Sarasota code consultants, architects, engineers and construction managers who have “extensive” experience with local codes.
The work on the project began about a year ago, before Hurricanes Helene and Milton hit the area. While the club didn’t suffer any significant damage from the storms, DeWitt says the hurricanes “only confirmed that we were moving in the right direction.”
That direction?
The one-story, 23,000-square-foot building is being constructed using concrete block and steel, with hurricane-rated windows and doors and a standing seam metal roof. It is also being built in a new spot — 15 feet farther inland and about 3 feet higher than the current building.
“It’s as hurricane resistant as any-
thing we could do,” DeWitt says.
The groundbreaking for the construction is expected in May and the work will take up to 18 months.
DeWitt sees the approach as simply “building to the current code.” Be that as it may, the elements that are going into the new clubhouse will provide much more protection for the property in the event of storms.
That’s especially significant considering the previous clubhouse was built in 1959.
Anyone visiting Fort Myers Beach after Hurricane Ian in 2022 would have seen a pattern amongst the devastation. Properties constructed to new building codes after Hurricane Andrew in the early 1990s fared much better than those built before Andrew.
“Just so you know, when we went to membership with this new concept, we had over 99% positive vote,” DeWitt says. “I mean, that’s unheard of, 99% of the membership said let’s do this and go into debt to do it.
“That vote was after the storms.”
The Bird Key Yacht Club — and Bird Key itself — has a rich history filled with interesting moments — and people. Highlights include:
n People who have stopped by, been a member or eaten with guests include famous TV anchor Walter Cronkite; comedian Dick Smothers; the late Pres. Jimmy Carter; Casey Key resident Stephen King; and TV show host and Lido Beach resident Jerry Springer.
n In 1905, Bird Key was a 12.8acre island. An Ohio couple, Davie and Thomas Worcester, bought Bird Key in 1906 for about $25 — about $2 an acre, according to "Gulf Coast Chronicles," by Sarasota historian Jeff LaHurd.
n The New Edzell Castle was
built in 1914 on the land that’s now on the five-acre site that’s home to the club.
n John Ringling purchased the whole island in the early 1920s. He also built the first bridge to connect Bird Key to the mainland.
n The island was sold again in 1959, this time to Arthur Vining Davis and the Arvida Corp., according to LaHurd’s book "The Rise of Sarasota: Ken Thompson and the Rebirth of Paradise.” Arvida’s intention was to expand the island to 511 lots — 291 of which would be on the water, plus a yacht club. Lot prices at the time were between $9,000 and $32,000.
n The Bird Key Yacht Club opened doors to its first members in 1960.
Sources: Jeff LaHurd, the Sarasota Observer
Longboat
With
Partnering
Buzz is percolating over a unique program that paired local college film students with a Rotary Club to document some Key-centric ecology success stories.
BY ERIC SNIDER | CONTRIBUTOR
When the Rotary Club of Longboat Key wanted to create some short films with a coastal ecology theme, it came up with what turned out to be a brilliant idea. Why not hand the project to students in the film program at Ringling College of Art and Design? Give the young people some
hands-on experience and make the budget leaner in the process.
Club members Jeff and Terry Driver approached Patrick Alexander, the head of the Ringling film program, with the request. “It was an immediate ‘yes,’” Alexander says. “I live on the coast; that’s the reason my wife and I came here. We had been wanting to get involved in environmental efforts.”
After months of planning, pre-pro -
duction, location shoots and editing, three films were completed in May. (As of January, they had not yet been released.) The short videos — two-anda-half to three minutes long — feature Save Our Seabirds, the Longboat Key Turtle Watch and the successful effort in the early 1990s to save Sister Keys from development and instead make it a 74-acre nature conservancy.
Word of the Rotary Club project and the short films has since circulated in the nonprofit world, and other organizations came forward wanting films made. Patrick’s wife, Alison, formed a nonprofit production company, Florida Eco Films, which is separate from Ringling, to act as an umbrella organization. New projects are underway, with more in the pipeline.
At the project’s inception, Alexander placed it under the aegis of the
Continued on Page 36
Ella Satterfield, a film student at Ringling College of Art and Design, Class of 2026, worked on the documentaries.
Continued from Page 34
school’s Index program, which provides students with opportunities to gain real-world professional experience. He recruited the best students in the branded storytelling program to form production teams for each film. Senior Celi Mitidieri was tapped to direct all three.
She’s a budding documentarian who has since moved to Los Angeles. “I saw it as an opportunity to have a relationship with clients and help realize their specific vision in a documentary storytelling way,” she says. “It was always about, ‘How can we make this compelling for the people watching?’ — so it’s not just another boring nonprofit film.”
Mitidieri’s lean teams included two producers, a cinematographer who also handled the camera and a sound mixer. They spent hours doing preinterviews to help flesh out the story in advance and decide on locations and interviewees. Each project took one or two days to shoot. One editor cut all three films.
The students received academic credit for their work, and were also paid $15 an hour. “We were spending a lot of time outside of class working on the projects,” Mitidieri says. “Paying us allowed us to put forward our best energy.”
Finishing the three films did not mean the initiative was complete. “The students had to develop marketing plans on how to distribute the videos to help clients promote them, how to think about SEO (search engine optimization) and other factors,” Alexander says. “We got business students involved to develop ways to get eyeballs on these things.”
As of mid-December, that process was ongoing.
Here’s a thumbnail of each film:
Patrick Alexander, head of the Ringling College of Art + Design film program, and his cohorts plan to hold a premiere event to show the three Rotary Club films, plus three subsequent ones, at Ringling Studio Labs in February.
It’s effectively a love story about “science nerds” Jeff and Terry Driver, their shared love of the natural world and their shared commitment to sea turtles. Much of the film shows the couple on the beaches of Longboat Key, walking, jogging, embracing. Also included is footage of baby turtles crawling through the sand. “We didn’t
The film starts with a lovely sunset shot, then a voiceover from Rusty Chinnis, a prominent local environmentalist who lives on Longboat Key. He goes on to tell the story of the Sister Keys Conservancy, a small group that in 1992 worked with the town of Longboat Key, which purchased the islands and spent $1.5 million to transform them into a nature preserve.
“I’m not necessarily a big nature person, and we had to go to Sister Keys to shoot,” Mitidieri says with a chuckle. “It’s conserved, so
there are bugs everywhere. You had to be careful where you stepped. Because I was scared of the bugs, I was really trying to keep it together. I didn’t want to yell when I saw a spider or when one touched me.”
KEY LINE
“If you take a piece of land and if you leave it alone, if you give it a chance, you’ll see the restorative power of nature. We get the Sister Keys. Never doubt that a small group can make a difference and change the world.”
—RUSTY CHINNIS
have the opportunity to film the turtles because it wasn’t turtle season,” Mitidieri says. “Fortunately, [Turtle Watch] had filmed during turtle season the year before and were able to provide us with footage.”
“Once you observe a hatchling, it’s all over. They’re like the cutest thing on the planet.”
—JEFF DRIVER
The film treats the viewer to live shots of the beautiful birds that reside at the Sarasota facility because they are incapable of surviving in the wild. Save Our Seabirds’ core mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and release hundreds of injured birds per year. On the day of the shoot the person earmarked for the main interview left to deal with a bird emergency, Mitidieri says, so the team got together and came up with an alternate plan. They shot an interview with Executive Director Brian Walton, but
also interviews with working staff members.
“We filmed inside the bird areas and there were some moments when we wanted to film an interview and all the birds started screaming,” Mitidieri says. “They could tell we were filming. When we cut, they got quiet. They were like, ‘I wanna be on camera too.’”
KEY LINE
“We’re able to put [the birds] here and use their stories to educate people about how we need to do a better job of helping birds coexist with us.”
—BRIAN WALTON
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Local groups pull together to pull off big-time benefit concert. PAGE 44
The celebrated ice skater and show recruiter looks back on five decades of career spins, flips and jumps. ‘It’s not designer brands or Olympic medals that define you,’ she says. ‘It’s your experiences, relationships and work ethic.’
BY EMILY LEINFUSS | CONTRIBUTOR
It’s been just about a year since Judy Thomas, a groundbreaking figure skater, 30-year Disney on Ice casting director and figure skating hall-of-famer, fully retired. Today she’s living her best life in a home on one of the Siesta Key Village canals.
Given her background, it’s easy to make a case she was born for a life on the ice. Growing up in Thunder Bay, Ontario, on the northwestern shore of Lake Superior, Thomas started skating at just 2 or 3 years old. “Being on the ice felt like home,” she says. The family even built a skating rink in the backyard during the winters.
Thomas’ entire family was steeped in ice culture. Her father, Penti Alexander Lund, was a professional hockey player for the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers before transitioning to sports journalism following an eye accident. Credited as the first Finnishborn player to score a goal in the NHL, her dad supported Thomas and her sisters in their skating pursuits. That included her twin, Joanne, who unlike Judy, wasn’t interested in going professional. “Joanne was not a traveler,” she says.
She made her first major leap into professional skating in 1973 when she auditioned for Richard Dwyer (aka ‘Mr. Debonair’) for the “Ice Follies” in Seattle. Then, In 1981, Thomas joined the inaugural cast of Disney On Ice, performing in the first show, Walt Dis-
Continued on Page 42
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ney’s World on Ice. “Looking back the most incredible thing about the entire experience,” she says, “were all the people who enriched my life along the way.”
O ver the next nearly 20 years she performed on stages worldwide, from Boston Garden, where her dad had once played ice hockey, to the storied Radio City Music Hall. “The view from those stages is incredible,” says Thomas, now 69. One personal highlight, she recalls: performing in Thunder Bay in “Ice Follies.” “It was such a thrill,” she says. “Many skaters never get the chance to perform in their hometowns.”
Thomas recently sat down with Key Life to talk about her career, experiences and her life now.
Thomas toured almost year round for 19 years. “Touring becomes your family, and it’s an incredibly diverse group from all over the world,” she says. “These tours were long. That’s why it was so important to have the right people all contributing to making it a positive environment.” The extensive international travel, which included Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East, as well as the U.S. and Canada, opened her eyes to the wider world. “In school, you read about these places, but on tour, you see them and learn to love them.”
After leaving the road, Thomas transitioned to casting and recruitment, a move that coincided with the rapid expansion of Disney on Ice. In five years, the number of touring shows grew from two to 10, creating a significant need to recruit ice talent. “It wasn’t planned,” Thomas says of her career shift. “Life just happened. Every step led to the next.”
She delighted in casting generations of skaters. As casting director, she sought skaters transitioning from competition, helping them become performers who could connect with audiences. She also took pride in seeing skaters she performed with years earlier bring their children into the shows. “That’s a huge testament to the value of the experience,” she says.
In a nod to her impact on the performance skating industry, Thomas has earned three major honors for her contributions to figure skating. In 2017, she received the Sonja Henie Award from the Professional Skaters Association. In 2023, she was inducted into the ProSkaters Hall of Fame and in May 2024 she was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating/Professional Skaters Hall of Fame. “I didn’t set out for fame, but I’m grateful to be recognized alongside legends like Dorothy Hamill and Peggy Fleming,” she says.
Judy and her husband, Dave, have been living on Siesta Key since the late 1980s. The couple met while performing with the “Ice Follies.” Dave transitioned from performer to stage manager and eventually to company manager for Feld Entertainment, which acquired the show after Disney sold it and a few other entities ran it. In retirement Judy enjoys kayaking, walking along Siesta Beach and
exploring local treasures like Selby Gardens and St. Armands Circle. “I’m finally getting to experience Sarasota the way I always wanted to,” she says.
Thomas remains active with the nonprofit ProSkaters.org, which mentors and provides resources for skaters transitioning out of competition. She encourages young skaters to make smart, informed choices. “There are no small roles,” she says. “Everything is important.”
Reflecting on her career, Thomas shares these words of wisdom: “Think of yourself as a masterpiece. Build carefully and wisely. It’s not designer brands or Olympic medals that define you — it’s your experiences, relationships and work ethic.”
As for the future, Thomas is confident in life’s serendipity as she continues in her retirement. “Based on the past 50 years, I can trust that whatever comes next will be extraordinary.”
Rock concerts, especially ones produced on short notice, can be rife with challenges and obstacles. This one, to raise money for local hospitality workers battered by storms, came together nicely.
BY ERIC SNIDER | CONTRIBUTOR
The double whammy of Hurricanes Helene and Milton inflicted considerable damage, chaos and anxiety on the region’s barrier islands. But out of those storms came some inspiring — and highly successful — initiatives.
This is a story about what can happen when community leaders come together, pool their talents and resources, galvanize their efforts and raise a bunch of money to help people in need — and do so far more quickly than reasonably expected.
A couple of days after Hurricane Helene swamped the keys with storm surge on Sept. 26, a group of leaders held a conference call to see what they could do to provide aid, recalls Chris Culhane, executive director of The Center of Anna Maria Island. Among many other topics, the idea of a benefit concert came up and generated enthusiastic support.
Two weeks later, Hurricane Milton muddied the waters, pushing concert plans back. A core group of leaders continued to stay in touch about the project, even while some of them were cleaning up their own properties. By mid-October, plans began in earnest. Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Conven-
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tion and Visitors Bureau, committed his organization to sponsoring the event, which meant putting up most of the money. He called Rich Engler, a Pittsburgh concert promoter who promotes shows for the Center of Anna Maria Island. “We needed to find the right artist,” Falcione says. “It had to be either a country act or a classic rock act to headline. Those genres appeal to our region more than any others.”
A key factor: The concert had to come together quickly, in three to four weeks. Most major shows are booked several months in advance.
Engler made offers to a few acts, but the tight timeline and scheduling conflicts got in the way. He reached out to Lynyrd Skynyrd, the beloved Southern rock band that formed in Jacksonville in the mid-1960s and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. The band’s lead singer, Johnny Van Zant — who lives in Jacksonville — was brought into the conversation and wanted to make the show happen. The group was not on tour, and therefore available, but members and crew would have to be flown in for the gig.
A handshake deal was set. Organizers tabbed singer/guitarist Marcus King to open the show. The concert, coined Rock ’n’ Support, was scheduled for Friday, Nov. 25 at the Bradenton Area Convention Center. The county-owned facility’s capacity is 4,000. Ticket prices ranged from $75 to $125, with $500 VIP packages.
Culhane signed the contract with Lynyrd Skynyrd Nov. 1. He and his team handled ticketing and most of the concert logistics.
The community leaders decided the money raised would go directly to hospitality and tourism workers on the coastal islands — the Manatee half of Longboat Key, Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach, Anna Maria Island and the Village of Cortez. Grants would be $500 for full-time workers, $250 for part-time.
But there was still the matter of how to vet applicants and disperse the dollars. That’s where John Horne came in. He owns Oysters Rock Hospitality, whose primary brand is Anna Maria Oyster Bar. He’s also the chairman of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging
Lynyrd Skynyrd, seen here in a previous concert photo, played about a 90-minute set at The Center of
they played, according to setlist.fm, included “What’s Your Name,” “Simple Man” and “Gimme Three Steps.” The band closed the show, of course, with “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird.”
Association. A few years earlier, Oysters Rock had formed a nonprofit to help employees in need. It was dubbed Shuckin’ Good Cause, wordplay being part of the company culture.
Horne offered up the nonprofit as a conduit to issue grants to displaced workers, many of whom were out of jobs for the foreseeable future. The process needed to be nimble, free of red tape. “I said, ‘We set up this 501(c) (3) and could easily run all the disaster relief [concert] funds through it,’” Horne recounts. “It enabled us to get money directly to the workers and not have to go through the businesses.”
Shuckin’ Good Cause Director Pam Beck managed the operation. “I don’t think she’s slept since Helene or Milton,” Horne quipped in late November.
The nonprofit recruited another nonprofit, the Women’s Resource Center of Manatee, to process the applications. Beneficiaries would need to have worked in one of the eligible communities. Residency did not qualify. Organizers set a low bar for receiving the grants. Applicants had to show four pay stubs and provide a need. “I mean, everybody’s got a bill to pay,” Horne says.
Meanwhile, preparations for the Lynyrd Skynyrd concert moved along.
The community needed to have some fun after what we’d gone through”
ELLIOTT FALCIONE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE BRADENTON AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU
The Crewe of De Soto offered to handle the bar. Manatee Performing Arts Center provided volunteer ushers. Plus, “Skynyrd’s entire team was really into it,” Culhane says. “They travel with a lot of people.”
When the lights went down and Lynyrd Skynyrd hit the stage, Culhane experienced “complete relief,” he says. “Everything we did for three weeks was coming to fruition.”
“The community needed to have some fun after what we’d gone through,” Falcione adds.
Culhane estimates 3,500 people attended the Rock ’n’ Roll Support concert. Revenue included ticket sales, drinks, a percentage of merchandise, money from auctioning off signed guitars and a $50,000 donation.
As of mid-December, the event had raised a total of $377,000, according to Culhane. He expected the final tally to exceed $400,000. All of those dollars were earmarked for hospitality workers in need. Also as of mid-December, more than 500 recipients had received a total of $256,250.
That’s not bake-sale money, people.
“It’s how we work down here, man,” Culhane says. “Y’know, it’s a glorious thing, really.”
Wild Blue at Waterside has captivated homeowners with its Lakewood Ranch location, incomparable residences and resort-style amenities. This award-winning community by Stock Development features single-family homes by some of the area’s most notable builders and incredible lifestyle amenities, including the 13-acre Midway Sports Complex,
opening this spring, plus a social clubhouse with indoor and outdoor dining, two pools, a movie theater, fitness center, and a 9-hole premier putting course. Ideally situated minutes from Waterside Place, the waterfront shopping and dining destination, now is the time to discover Sarasota’s most desirable nature-centric luxury community.
Sea Glass Court, Lakewood Ranch, FL 34240 l 941.313.3852 From University Parkway turn south onto Lorraine Road and follow the signs to Wild Blue at Waterside
WildBluelwr.com Residences from $1.5 million
File photos
Felica Goett and Vickie Watts at The Market on Longboat Key’s first day of the 2023-24 season.
COQUINA BEACH MARKET
The Coquina Beach Market is open at South Coquina Beach, 1800 Gulf Drive S., Bradenton Beach. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. n Visit CoquinaBeachMarket.org.
3
SIESTA KEY FARMERS MARKET
From 8 a.m. to noon at Siesta Key Village, 5104 Ocean Blvd., the Siesta Key Farmers Market features a variety of vendors selling produce, rum, bread, wellness products, artwork, natural candles and more. Continues every Sunday. n Visit Facebook.com/SiestaKeyFarmersMarket.
BRIDGE STREET MARKET
From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Sunday through April, the Bridge Street Mar-
5
At 8 a.m. every Wednesday through March, enjoy a self-guided beach walk along Siesta Beach, 948 Beach Road, Siesta Key. Register for $5 at the main pavilion before walking at least 1 mile. After completing four walks, participants receive an event T-shirt.
n Visit SarasotaCountyParks.com.
From 92Y, hear Academy Award winner Al Pacino share the history behind his craft, from early theater roles to “The Godfather” and “The Irishman,” with philanthropist and author David Rubenstein. Watch the pre-recorded program, which is followed by a discussion, at 11 a.m. The Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key. Tickets are $10 for members and $12 for nonmembers.
n Visit TBIEducationCenter.org.
FEED THE PEEPS ART & CRAFT SHOW
ket, at 105 Bridge St., Bradenton Beach, browse food, jewelry, art and more from local vendors. n Visit AnnaMariaIsland.com.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Town Center Green, 600 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key, browse the wares of dozens of local vendors, including produce, art and home goods. Admission is free. Continues the first and third Mondays of the month through April.
n Visit Facebook.com.
4
At 8 a.m. every Tuesday through March, enjoy a selfguided beach walk along South Lido Beach, 2201 Benjamin Franklin Drive, Lido Key. Register for $5 at the Ted Sperling Park playground before walking at least 1 mile. After completing four walks, participants receive an event T-shirt.
n Visit SarasotaCountyParks.com.
Support handcrafted artisans at the second Feed the Peeps Art & Craft Show, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at Roser Memorial Community Church, 512 Pine Ave., Anna Maria. Bring canned or nonperishable items to support the food pantry.
n Visit DaniellesBlueRibbonEvents. com.
8
Enjoy a concert by Robby Krieger of The Doors at The Center of Anna Maria Island, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria. Doors open at 6 p.m. with an opening act at 7 p.m. and the headliner at 8 p.m. Tickets from $90.
n Visit CenterAMI.org.
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Start your day on the water with Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, at 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, City Island. Morning kayak tours, from 8:30-10 a.m., are guided through Sarasota Bay and across
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seagrass beds. Keep an eye out for dolphins, manatees and other wildlife that make up the bay’s ecosystem. Participants must be at least 12 years old. Cost is $45 or $40.50 for Mote members. Continues March 2 and April 6.
n Visit Mote.org.
The Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key, hosts a performing arts program that takes you on a musical journey from Joni Mitchell’s folk roots to her jazz hits. The program is from 2:30-4 p.m. Registration is $30 for members or $35 for nonmembers.
n Visit TBIEducationCenter.org.
12
From 92Y, author Neil deGrasse Tyson and TV personality Gayle King talk about Tyson’s book “Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization.” Watch the pre-recorded program, which is followed by a discussion, at 11 a.m. The Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key. Tickets are $10 for members and $12 for nonmembers.
n Visit TBIEducationCenter.org.
14
AGAIN
The annual tradition of love returns to Siesta Beach and Nokomis Beach Park for couples looking to renew their vows of love. The event includes a certificate, a gift, a flower, music and refreshments. Check-in starts at 4:30 p.m. Registration is $15 per couple. n Visit SarasotaCountyParks.com.
16
The Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key, hosts a concert of popular Paul Simon tunes intertwined with the story of his life. The program is from 3-4:30 p.m. and costs $45 for members or $55 for nonmembers.
n Visit TBIEducationCenter.org.
NIGHT
Kid Dutch returns to The Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key, with guest jazz artists. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. and is $25 for members or $30 for nonmembers. Advance registration is recommended.
n Visit TBIEducationCenter.org.
22-23
FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS
The Festival of the Arts will be at Town Center Green, 600 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key. Dozens of local vendors will be selling art, jewelry, photography and more from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Admission is free.
n Visit ArtFestival.com.
FEB. 28 AND MARCH 1
ROYAL RUMMAGE SALE
Shop for a variety of new-to-you items at St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church, 4280 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key. The sale is 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.
n Visit StMaryLBK.org/WomensGuild.
THE FUTURE OF FAITH: A DIALOGUE OF HOPE
From 92Y, Rabbi Joshua Stanton, Rabbi Benjamin Spratt, Simran Singh, Rev. Jacqueline Lewis and Rabbi Joui Hessel explore religion in the U.S., how it has changed and future possibilities. Watch the prerecorded program, which is followed by a discussion, at 11 a.m. The Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key. Tickets are $10 for members and $12 for nonmembers.
n Visit TBIEducationCenter.org.
BEACH UNIVERSITY
Learn about the local beaches and coastal ecosystems with the Siesta Beach Ambassadors. Beach University runs from 9:3010:30 a.m. every Thursday in March at the main pavilion on Siesta Beach, 948 Beach Road, Siesta Key. Admission is free, and the seminars are open for ages 10 and older.
n Visit SarasotaCountyParks.com.
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Mark and Holly Lambert celebrate their 48 years of marriage at the Say ‘I Do’ Again vow renewal ceremony Feb. 14, 2023, at Siesta Key Beach.
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8-9
SPRING ART & CRAFT SHOW
From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at City Pier Park, 103 N. Bay Blvd., Anna Maria, browse goods from 50 regional vendors at the boutique show.
n Visit DaniellesBlueRibbonEvents. com.
11
‘ANATOMY OF A BREAKTHROUGH’
From 92Y, authors Adam Alter and Malcom Gladwell share a roadmap to escaping inertia and getting unstuck as they talk about Alter’s book “Anatomy of a Breakthrough.” Watch the pre-recorded program, which is followed by a discussion, at 11 a.m. The Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key. Tickets are $10 for members and $12 for nonmembers.
n Visit TBIEducationCenter.org.
13-30
‘DEATH BY DESIGN’
The Island
Players, at 10009 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria, presents the play “Death by Design,” a murder-mystery comedy set in 1932 where a couple flees to an English country manor and are unexpectedly followed by various guests each with a secret. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $28.
n Visit TheIslandPlayers.org.
9
‘MEN OF SOUL!
The Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key, hosts Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, performing hits from their original musical “Soul Man,” celebrating the Motown, gospel and soul music of the late 1960s. The program is from 7:30-8:30 p.m. Registration is $45 for members or $55 for nonmembers.
n Visit TBIEducationCenter.org.
17
ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE
The Center of Anna Maria Island hosts its annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Details to come.
n Visit CenterAMI.org.
24
BRADENTON GULF ISLAND CONCERT
Enjoy a concert by The Moody Blues’ John Lodge at The Center of Anna Maria Island, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria. Doors open at 7 p.m. with the headliner at 8 p.m. Tickets from $75.
n Visit CenterAMI.org.
5RUN FOR THE TURTLES
Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium hosts its annual 5K and 1-mile races to support sea turtles at Siesta Beach, 948 Beach Road, Siesta Key. The 1-mile fun run begins at 7:30 a.m.; the 5K begins at 8 a.m. An award ceremony will follow the 5K. Registration is $40; children under 14 are $30.
n Visit Mote.org.
Bradenton Gulf Island Concert
Enjoy a concert by The Infamous Stringdusters at The Center of Anna Maria Island, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria. Doors open at 6 p.m. with an opening act at 7 p.m. and the headliner at 8 p.m. Tickets from $55.
n Visit CenterAMI.org.
COQUINA BEACH SPRING ART & CRAFT SHOW
From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at Coquina Beach, 2651 Gulf Drive, Bradenton Beach, browse jewelry, ceramics, mixed media, bath and body products, and other work from artisan vendors.
n Visit DaniellesBlueRibbonEvents. com.
25-27SUNCOAST BOAT SHOW
Boat enthusiasts will assemble for the annual boat show in Sarasota Bay to admire cruisers, motor yachts and other types of watercraft on display. The show will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Marina Jack, 2 Marina Plaza, Sarasota.
n Visit SuncoastBoatShow.com.
Ana Maria Cossio and her art Feb. 24, 2024, at the Longboat Key Festival of the Arts.
Take Valentine’s Day up a notch with gifts and experiences that go beyond the ordinary. From heartfelt gestures to dazzling surprises, these inspired ideas promise to set the stage for romance.
BY EMILY LEINFUSS | CONTRIBUTOR
Chorus of the Keys ChorusOfTheKeys.org
What’s better than a box of chocolates on Valentine’s Day (though we adore those too)? A quartet from the Chorus of the Keys serenading your beloved at their door, of course! This memorable gift includes two romantic love songs, a stunning red rose, and a personalized Valentine’s card. To reserve, contact Clark Niepert at CNiepert@Illinois.edu or call 217-714-1828.
$40-$50
Bennington Tobacconist
5 Fillmore Drive, Sarasota 388-1562
Benningtons.com
Foxy Lady – Siesta Key 209 Beach Road, Sarasota 349-6644
FoxyLadySarasota.com
Foxy Lady – St. Armands Circle 481 John Ringling Blvd. 388-5239
FoxyLadySarasota.com
There are countless treasures at Foxy Lady, but these Lisa Todd cashmere sweaters are the kind of gift that will keep your beloved warm and stylish for years to come. The Messenger (in rhubarb and frosting) wraps her in love and affirmations, while the Heart Stealer, pictured here in onyx, lets her wear her heart on her sleeve. Pair it with the Leeada silver-toned heart necklace.
Slim lighter: $292 Montecristo porcelain
For the cigar aficionado, the Brizard & Co. Caiman cigar accessory set is the ultimate blend of style and function. It includes the cognac-hued alligator Show Band three-cigar case, a sleek V-cutter with case and a matching lighter. And you don’t need to be a smoker to love S.T. Dupont’s Year of the Dragon limited-edition accessories. The ultra-slim lighter boasts a wind-resistant torch flame, while the Montecristo porcelain ashtray doubles as a chic dish for valuables.
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Advance Registration (per couple): $15
Day-of Registration (per couple): $25
Say ‘I Do’ on Siesta Beach
948 Beach Road, Sarasota
861-5000
SiestakeyBeachPavilion.com
Take your love to the next level this Valentine’s Day with a vow renewal on Siesta Key Beach. On Feb. 14, Sarasota County Parks invites couples to say “I do” again at its annual “Say I Do Again” sunset ceremony. Celebrate with a non-denominational ceremony featuring live music, light refreshments, photo ops, and romantic keepsakes — set against the backdrop of a stunning sunset. Check-in begins at 4:30 p.m. and activities begin at 5 p.m. The nondenominational service begins promptly at 6 p.m. For details, call 941-861-7275.
Harry’s Gourmet Deli and Bakery
548 St. Judes Drive, Longboat Key 383-0777
HarrysKitchen.com
Celebrate Valentine’s Day (or night) with a touch of gourmet charm and a setting of your choice — a sunset beach picnic or a cozy spot in your home. Harry’s Gourmet Deli and Bakery makes it easy to craft a loving feast. Pick up specialties like Deli Joe’s signature sandwiches, succulent jumbo shrimp cocktail, pâté maison, house-baked desserts and a bottle of red or white — or bubbly. It’s everything you need to turn your Valentine’s celebration into something irresistibly delicious.
(with
Pâté maison: Starting at $11.99, Housebaked desserts (per slice): $6.50, Wines and Champagne: Starting at $16.99
Burr Bakke, DDS
• Fellow of the American Dental Implant Association
• Fellow of International Congress of Oral Implantologists
• Fellow of the American Academy of Dental Facial Esthetics
• Member of American Academy of Implant Dentistry
• Post Doctoral Instructor of Full Mouth Reconstruction
Jill Morris, DMD
• Accredited Member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (only 550 accredited dentists worldwide)
• Fellow of the American Academy of Dental Facial Esthetics
• Post Doctoral Instructor of Full Mouth Reconstruction
• Member International Academy of Oral Biological Dentistry and Medicine
• Practicing dentistry for 33 years
Cameron Johnson, DMDSydney Johnson, DMD
• Member of North American Association of Facial Orthotropics
• Member of the American Orthodontic Society
• Member of the International Association of Orthodontics
• Member of American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine
• International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology
• Member of International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology
• Member of International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine
• Member of Academy of Holistic Dental Association
• RG Recognized Dental Laboratory Technician
his narrow barrier island stretches 10.8 miles from tip to tip, with its widest point just a mile across, split by a county line. Longboat Key is home to beachfront mansions and condos worth well into eight figures. It’s also home to a mobile home park and an Ace Hardware. At the northern tip, historic Longbeach Village exudes Old Florida charm and a laid-back island vibe. Heading south into Sarasota County, development attempts
to coexist with nature. Two championship golf courses, upscale condo communities and luxury resorts such as The Resort at Longboat Key Club and the new St. Regis Longboat Key dominate the landscape. Pockets of natural beauty remain, including the 34-acre Quick Point Nature Preserve and the tranquil Joan M. Durante Park, which preserve vital wetlands, mangroves and coastal hammock forests.
“Longboat Key offers choices of lifestyle that you don’t see in many places,” says Michael Saunders, who grew up on the north end of the island and is one of the region’s preeminent Realtors. “People who love the north end’s kind of shabby chic, laid-back village lifestyle probably wouldn’t be interested in living on the south end, which is more manicured. And vice versa. But you can’t say that all the rich people live at the south end and their poor relatives live at the north end. That’s not the case at all. It’s simply a choice of lifestyle.”
Longboat Key traces its colorful history back to native American tribes that, it is believed, used the island as a vacation spot. Apparently, lifestyle choices date back millennia.
Over the centuries, the Key has been a home or stopover for European explorers, pirates, a circus magnate whose Ritz-Carlton project went belly up, a renowned industrialist who started developing the south end of the island when he was 92, as well as novelists, tennis stars, and a gallery of heroes, rogues, speculators and gadflies.
Prior to World War II, most of the island was a sleepy fishing village and a home to fruit farms. Longboat Key incorporated as its own municipality on Nov. 14, 1955. The move made it so Sarasota County and Manatee County
governments had little say in the island’s affairs. It wasn’t long before deep-pocketed developers turned an opportunistic eye toward this slice of paradise.
But local government did not simply roll over for these wealthy and powerful interests. With the support of most residents, the Longboat Key Town Commission always resisted high-rise buildings and high-density communities. Longboat Key is notoriously strict with developers. Those guardrails have played a significant role in the island maintaining its eclectic feel, its inimitable charm, and its beauty, both natural and man-made.
Michael Saunders’ family lived in Tampa and visited Longboat Key frequently, moving to the island full time in 1957. In the 1930s, her parents, Fran and Frank Mayer, purchased property on the northern tip of Longboat Key and named it “Land’s End.” Frank built the cottage himself, creating a secluded retreat that eventually became the family’s cherished vacation home. Michael and her two younger siblings had the run of the place. “Living there helped you develop a sense of independence, a kind of pioneer spirit,” Saunders says. “Our house had a ship’s bell. One ring was my call, two was my sister’s, three was my brother’s, and four rings meant we all came home.”
“We would just go out and play,” Saunders continues, her tone effusive. “We learned to swim at a very early age. We learned to sail. We learned to stone crab. We’d go out on skiffs and drift by the shores, gigging for flounder or mullet or whatever we saw that was edible. Scalloping was abundant.”
The kids’ catch often ended up on that night’s dinner table.
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1279 S Tamiami Trl • (941) 308-7600
NORTH 2855 UniverSiTy Pkwy • (941) 556-6400
BRADENTON 4734 CorTez rd w • (941) 909-0800 MASSAgEENvy.cOM oPen laTe, nighTS & weekendS m-F 9a-9P | S 9a-8P | SU 10a-6P
The construction of the north Longboat Key bridge in the late 1950s ended its isolation and also brought opportunity. Frank began transforming the beach cottage into the Land’s End marina and restaurant, which opened in 1958. For several years, it was a lively hub for boaters, fishermen and families, with teens gathering on weekends for late-night dance parties.
The island transformed into a desirable address over the ensuing decades. Longboat Key is all but built out, Saunders says, but the community has retained its distinctive character.
Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t do Longboat Key any favors. The storms flooded historic structures on the north end — some of which will be torn down — toppled majestic trees, and generally caused a big mess. No casualties were reported, though, and town officials were pleasantly surprised that the island didn’t suffer as much damage as expected.
“Compared to our neighbor barrier islands — where mattresses line the streets, Longboat Key is a world of difference,” said Michael Drake, the president of the Longboat Key Historical Society, said in November.
Resilience has always been a Longboat Key trait.
“All the things that make Longboat Key such a wonderful place, no storm could ever change,” Saunders says.
So, as Longboat Key looks toward its 70th anniversary in November, we reflect on how this place evolved to become so special.
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Photos courtesy of Michael Saunders Michael Saunders grew up on the north end of the Key and enjoyed a childhood spent swimming, sailing, fishing and stone crabbing. Her parents turned their property, Land’s End (below), into a marina and restaurant when the north Longboat Key bridge opened in 1958.
n Longboat Key encompasses 16 square miles, 11.92 of which is water.
n As of 2023, Longboat Key had a population of 7,488.
Average age: 69.
n Longboat Key has 12 public beach accesses, but it’s no picnic to find a place to park. Most spaces are on the streets.
The town government website cites a total of less than 300 spots.
The native Timucuan, Tocobaga and Calusa tribes inhabited Longboat Key. Their primary mode of transportation was long canoes. According to Michael Drake, president of the Longboat Key Historical Society, the island got its name from those crafts.
1539
Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto is thought to have visited Longboat Key. His scout, Juan de Añasco, was likely the first European to explore the island. He paddled a “longboat” around Sarasota Bay, the Manatee River and elsewhere in the region.
Cuban and Spanish fishermen and some squatters inhabited Longboat Key. Maps from the era refer to the place as Palm Island.
1821
The pirate Jean Lafitte is said to have been shipwrecked on or near Longboat Key for several months.
1848
Longboat Key’s first recorded hurricane hit on Sept. 22, reportedly causing widespread destruction. Little is known about the island until the late 1800s.
1882
Colin and Rowlin Witt were the first people of European descent to claim land on Longboat Key — seven acres on the north end of the island.
1885
Thomas Mann, a Confederate soldier, homesteaded 144 acres on the north end of Longboat Key in 1885 to escape a yellow fever epidemic.
On June 17, President Benjamin Harrison signed a land grant awarding Thomas Mann — an Indiana native who fought for the Union Army in the Civil War — 144.47 acres in what is now Longbeach Village.
A passage was dug from Tampa Bay to Sarasota Bay, and paddle boats made trips to and from the island, increasing commerce and interest in the Longboat Key as a place to live and visit.
Longboat Key got its first post office at Byron Corey’s pier at the south end of the island. Corey served as the community’s first postmaster.
Rufus and Annie Jordan filled out a plat on the north end of the key and laid out a community, naming it Longbeach.
Longbeach featured a hotel, 16 residences, and a dock at the end of Broadway Street, the village's main thoroughfare. Some homes built with local sand and mortar blocks, as well as frame houses from the 1920s and ’30s, still stand today.
July 1: The Florida Legislature created Sarasota County, which was carved out of Manatee County, effectively splitting Longboat Key between the two.
October 25: A hurricane destroyed docks, Longboat Key’s first school, the post office, several homes and damaged crops.
John Ringling purchased hundreds of acres on the south end of Longboat
Key. He planted Australian pines along what was then Ringling Boulevard, now Gulf of Mexico Drive.
Ringling contracted to develop a luxury Ritz-Carlton at New Pass. Construction began in February, at the fever pitch of the first Florida land boom. The hotel, which was to have more than 200 rooms, docking facilities and a railroad to bring in guests, was never completed. It was eventually demolished in 1963.
The first road to Longboat Key was established. A bridge was built from St. Armands to the island.
Gordon Whitney, a former Chicago insurance agent, started buying property to construct a series of cottages on the north end of the island. The area was called Whitney Beach.
The first telephone service came to the southern part of the island. Service was brought to the north end in 1939 or ’40.
A man surfcasting off Longboat Key in 1958. A family enjoys a picnic on the beach circa 1960. The demolition of John Ringling’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel in 1963.
The Army Air Forces used an area near Longboat Harbour as a target range for P-50 fighter planes firing 50-caliber bullets.
The Colony Beach Resort first opened with a 9-hole pitch-and-putt golf course and a collection of quaint cottages.
On Nov. 14, the town of Longboat Key was incorporated, changing its name from Longbeach. Will LePage was elected mayor. Roughly 215 people lived on the Key.
The Longboat Pass Bridge, connecting the north end of Longboat Key to Bradenton Beach, was built.
The Arvida Corp., established by industrialist Arthur Vining Davis, purchased 2,000 acres for $13.5 million, which included the southern half of Longboat Key. It sparked development on the island, which peaked in the 1960s and ’70s.
Arvida built Country Club Shores.
1963-1964
The unfinished Ritz-Carlton was torn down in December and January.
Longboat Key Towers was the first condominium built on the island. In light of Longboat Key’s increasing popularity, the Town Commission tightened zoning and approved town water and sewage.
Dr. Murray Klauber, a Buffalo orthodontist, purchased The Colony Beach Resort and eventually transformed it into the acclaimed Colony Beach & Tennis Resort, which launched the career of tennis guru Nick Bollettieri. In 1996, Tennis magazine named it the No. 1 tennis resort in the country, a title The Colony held for eight years.
On Oct. 4, the Longboat Key Club, a luxury resort hotel, welcomed its first guests. Its current name is The Resort at Longboat Key Club.
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n On Oct. 7, 1895, the Tampa businessman and shipping fleet owner John Savarese launched the maiden voyage on his steamship, the “Mistletoe,” from Tampa to Longboat Key. Savarese was the great uncle of prominent area Realtor Michael Saunders. She refers to him as “Uncle Johnny.”
n The Mistletoe sank during a hurricane in 1910. After being raised and enlarged to carry 200 passengers and cargo, it was christened “The City of Sarasota” on Feb. 6, 1911. By 1917, it had ceased its runs and was converted into a barge at Pillsbury Boat Ways on Snead Island.
n John Ringling planted Australian pines along Gulf of Mexico Drive in the 1920s, but they are invasive and prone to toppling during storms, endangering evacuation routes. Longboat Key offers $1,800 to remove trees near GMD and $1,250 for others affecting roads, buildings, or utilities.
n John Ringling platted his property for lots that would have resulted in a Longboat Key population of 80,000. The land bust of 1926 changed all that.
n Industrialist Arthur Vining Davis was 92 when he discovered Longboat Key, and in 1959 formed Arvida Corp. and bought a large chunk of the island, along with other nearby coastal properties. He died three years later.
n In the 1960s and ’70s, novelists John D. MacDonald, MacKinlay Kantor and Borden Deal — as well as other writers and artists — were regulars at the popular Monkey Bar at The Colony Beach Resort.
Jan Chalupecký, conductor | Maxim Lando, piano
Feb 13, 2025, 7:30 pm | Van Wezel
Conductor Jan Chalupecký will lead the Orchestra in Mozart’s “Prague” Symphony No. 38 and Dvořák’s Piano Concerto featuring 21-year old international competition winner Maxim Lando.
Vivaldi Four Seasons
Les Arts Florissants
Théotime Langlois de Swarte, violin
March 14, 2025, 7:30 pm
Riverview Performing Arts Center
A 300th anniversary celebration.
National Symphony Orchestra
Gianandrea Noseda, Music Director
Hilary Hahn, violin
March 24, 2025, 7:30 pm | Van Wezel
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Erich
Korngold’s Violin Concerto featuring violinist Hilary Hahn.
President George W. Bush and associates were staying at The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort on the night before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. It’s rumored that he and his retinue used the resort’s boardroom to formulate a plan after receiving the news.
In the wake of legal battles, The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort closed. It sat vacant for several years. In 2015, residents referred to it as an eyesore and a nuisance.
Unicorp National Development Inc. purchased The Colony’s recreational property in August, and demolished nearly all of the facility in 2018.
The St. Regis held a soft opening on Aug. 16. The development sits on 18 acres that formerly made up the Colony Beach Resort. It is likely to be Longboat Key’s final major development. The island is all but built out.
n In the late 1990s, Stephen King and his wife, Tabitha, rented a home just south of Joan M. Durante Community Park. They came every winter for three years, paying $100,000 per season.
n Longboat Key preservationist Joan Durante inspired her husband, Jim, to donate $750,000 for a park in her memory after her death in the early 1990s. Opened in 1995, the 32-acre Joan M. Durante Community Park remains a lasting tribute.
n How did Beer Can Island get its name? How d’ya think? From the huge accumulation of beer cans left by partiers over the years. They give the rugged shoreline its metallic glimmer.
n The Longboat Key Holiday Inn, which closed in 2003, had the distinction of featuring the smallest Holiday Inn sign in the world — due to stringent enforcement of the town’s signage code.
n Shoplifting records from the Longboat Key Publix for a six-month period in the late ’90s showed a surge in the activity. The average thief was 71 and the mean theft was $1.61.
n In October 2024, a 10,887-square-foot condominium at the St. Regis sold for $21.24 million. It’s the highest price ever paid for a property on Longboat Key.
Sources: United States Census Bureau, Town of Longboat Key’s website, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Corcoran Dwellings: Longboat Key, Longboat Observer, Booze Guys website
Photos by Lori Sax
When Rod Hershberger, founder and former CEO of PGT Innovations, speaks, people listen. Guided by a genuine pay-it-forward philosophy, his north star is helping others —a testament to his reputation as a truly nice guy.
BY MARK GORDON | CONTRIBUTOR
A23-year resident of Siesta Key, Rod Hershberger has built a rich life of family, friends and more in the past seven decades. He’s also, in one big way, lucky to be alive. Ask Hershberger about his four grandkids, which happen to be two sets of twins, 4-year-old boys and 14-year-old girls, and he will smile widely and tell a lot of stories.
Same with the other important things in his life: his wife of 46 years, Elaine. His grown adult children, Benji and Jordan. Or ask him about surfing in Costa Rica, or the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ask him about the dozens upon dozens of people he has taken lobster fishing in the Florida Keys. He will happily engage in a conversation on any of those topics and more.
The one topic Rod Hershberger doesn’t like to talk about? Rod Hershberger.
Asked to meet for an in-person interview for a profile story about his life and accomplishments, he agreed — sort of. “We can try,” he texted. “Not real good talking about me, but maybe we can tell some stories.”
The story of Hershberger is one of remarkable success in life and business. That can be traced, in a simple way, to what Hershberger, 68, calls his three pillars of decisions: faith, family and work.
Less straightforward, Hershberger’s story can be traced to a series of fortunate happenings. That list includes surviving a harrowing van accident when he was 18, breaking both legs; a second, even-more
harrowing experience when he was 60 and was lost in the ocean off the Florida Keys, hanging on to a buoy for 24 hours until a boating captain randomly found him; and co-founding a manufacturing business that began with a product design on the back of napkin and grew into a $1.5 billion, multistate, 3,500-employee enterprise.
A third part of Hershberger’s life story, and success, can be traced back to what more than half-dozen people in his life, friends and colleagues, say is one of his defining characteristics: his sincere, genuine pay-it-forward belief system where his north star is helping people. Put more simply, Hershberger is a nice guy.
One of many stories to illustrate that point: When Hershberger was CEO of PGT Innovations, the Venice-based manufacturer he and his friend Paul Hostetler founded in 1980, an employee came to him with a dire situation. The worker, says Debbie LaPinska, head of human resources at PGT, needed to get home, to Haiti, to attend a relative’s funeral. But the employee didn’t have the money for the trip.
“Rod just covered the whole trip out of his pocket,” LaPinska says. “He didn’t expect anything in return. He didn’t make a big deal out of it. He didn’t brag about it.”
Going deeper to trace what makes Hershberger Hershberger — and why a swath of people in the Sarasota-Manatee busi-
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ness community call him, lovingly, the “Rodfather” — requires a stop in Ohio and then rural western Canada. (Christine Robinson, executive director of the Argus Foundation, a probusiness group in Sarasota, is one of several who call Hershberger when they hear chatter about some happening, deal or legislation that impacts the region. Hence, the Rodfather. “I always call Rod,” Robinson says, “to ask ‘what do you know about this?’”)
Hershberger was born in Ohio, the son of missionaries. His parents moved from the Buckeye State to a town between Calgary and Edmonton when he was a young boy. They were going to go to Africa, but his mom had some health issues. They eventually settled in South Bend, Indiana. Hershberger was a standout football player in high school, playing in the shadow of Notre Dame.
Hershberger was good enough at football that legendary Ohio State
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Rod Hershberger, despite the accolades and praise he’s received from a variety of sources for being a great friend, business leader and community citizen, says he’s far from perfect. One thing the 68-year-old guards against often: not micromanaging.
“If there’s something not going well I could kind of be a jerk,” he says. “I’m going to go out and fix it. People often tell me, ‘You’re taking too much control of the situation. Maybe you need to back off.’”
Continued from Page 70
coach Woody Hayes recruited him in the early 1970s to play for the Buckeyes — a made-it-in-life moment for someone born in Ohio. Hershberger recalls Hayes, when they met, razzed him a bit.
“When I met Coach Hayes, he said, ‘You are good, but you are not going to be our running back next year,’” Hershberger recalls over breakfast at Village Cafe in Siesta Key Village in late November. Hayes, Hershberger says, then quickly said, “Turn around, I’d like you to meet next year’s running back.”
Behind Hershberger stood Archie Griffin, the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner who is also considered one of the greatest college football running backs of all time.
Beyond that, Hershberger says the van accident he was in ended his college football dreams. Instead of going to college, Hershberger went to work. He obtained his blasting license when he was 18 and began working at factories in Ohio. “That’s a real cool job to have,” he says. “It was a really dirty job, too.”
In Ohio, Hershberger met and befriended Paul Hostetler. In 1980, the pair moved to Florida and looked to start a manufacturing business. They drew a vinyl porch enclosure product on a napkin, which led to a company dubbed Vinyl Tech. The company started with the two of them and one other employee.
Growth came slow, but steady. Then, Hershberger says, Hurricane Andrew in 1992 changed everything. The company, by then PGT, went from a $24 million business to a $42 million business, with work flowing constantly. Hershberger says a key to the company’s success wasn’t just showing up for the seemingly endless amount of window work but sticking to a high customer service model that fosters repeat business. That and a lot of 12-hour days. “Looking back now it sounds fun,” he says, “but it was not fun while you were going through it.”
The next big tipping point for PGT came on June 28, 2006: the company launched an IPO, raising $123 million when it debuted on the Nasdaq stock
“The one topic Rod Hershberger doesn’t like to talk about? Rod Hershberger.”
exchange. The company remained publicly traded for the next 18 years, as it grew from $333 million in annual sales to $1.5 billion. Pennsylvaniabased Miter Brands, another window company, acquired PGT in March 2024, in a $3.1 billion deal.
Hershberger was CEO of PGT from 2005 to 2017, when he retired from day-to-day leadership. He was then named non-employee chairman of the PGT board — and over the summer he was named to the Miter board.
Another defining characteristic of Hershberger that comes up regularly when talking to people about him? An ability to mesh intelligence with integrity. It’s why people often come to him for guidance and advice.
Lakewood Ranch-based Willis A. Smith Con-
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Rod Hershberger has long been an aficionado of water sports. In 2012, he shared his love of surfing with a local publication.
From special occasions to daily dining, Morton’s Market has got you covered. Stop in for fresh seasonal produce, prime cuts of meat and seafood, and hot-from-the-oven baked goods. Choose from our tempting array of chef-prepared deli and gourmet to-go items, as well as fine wines, exotic cheeses and cut flowers. Think of us for your catered events, holiday menus and gift baskets too.
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struction Chairman David Sessions has served on two boards with Hersberger and says he has always looked up to him. “He is the quiet strength in the room,” Sessions says in a text. “He doesn’t talk for the sake of talking. But when he has something to say everybody listens. His points are well-organized, well thought out and to the point.”
Christine Robinson has seen that side of Hershberger, too. She worked alongside Hersberger on several prominent civic and business issues and reported to him when he chaired the Argus board.
“He’s like the wise old owl,” Robinson says. “Whenever we had a discussion on what to do, we always looked to him for guidance and perspective. He could be quiet. But he could command the room.”
Hershberger, says Robinson, is also the kind of leader and mentor who could find and cultivate other great leaders. One year, at her annual review at Argus, Hershberger wrote, “needs to take a vacation” in Robinson’s action plan. At first, Robinson was taken aback, calling it a “jaw-dropping” moment, that maybe the organization didn’t need her.
But Hershberger explained taking a day to go to a daughter’s volleyball game or a son’s concert isn’t a vacation. “He said the organization and I would both do better if I took a vacation,” she says. He was right, she adds.
LaPinska is one of multiple PGT employees to consider Hershberger a mentor. “He invested quite a bit in my career,” she says. “I don’t know if I’d be where I am today without him seeing things in me that I didn’t see in myself.”
LaPinska, in working with Hershberger for some 30 years, also learned that, while he’s a caring, servant-leader kind of person, he also has a long memory — for practical joke revenge.
After one series of hijinks at the office, Hershberger told LaPinska he would get her back. “You won’t know when, you won’t know where,” the then-PGT CEO told her.
It took a few years, but Hershberger got his revenge: LaPinska came back from vacation to her office and every-
thing in it was gone. The only thing left was a sign that directed visitors to… the women’s bathroom down the hall. Inside was her desk, and a sign that said: “Welcome to Debbie’s office.”
More revenge: Around Christmas one year LaPinska saw a huge poster of two young girls hanging in the main PGT lobby. As she walked in from the parking lot, she thought it was for the company’s adopt-a-family program for the holidays. “As I got closer I said, ‘Oh my gosh,’ that’s a picture of me and my sister as young girls,” she says, chuckling at the memory. “Rod had called my parents in Arizona and gotten this picture and blew it up into a poster.”
Hershberger was the opposite of joking the night eight years ago he was lost without his boat in the Atlantic, outside Marathon in the Keys. The incident started with what in retrospect he called a was stupid decision to go out looking for good lobster fishing spots for the next day with friends during some bad weather. It was noon. He was alone, and the boat got dislodged from its anchor, drifting away. Hershberger was wearing boardshorts, with a mask, snorkel and fins. He had no shirt on.
“I looked up and I knew there was no way I was going to catch that boat,” Hershberger says. “My first thought was, ‘I’m just gonna die out here.’”
Hershberger spent the next 23.5 hours out on the water, much of it hanging on to a buoy. His boat, a 24-foot Yellowfin, was gone — eventually it was found 50 miles off the coast of Cuba.
A boat dubbed the Mystic I passed by Hershberger and the captain spotted him hanging on the buoy.
Hershberger was saved.
He spent a night at Fisherman’s Community Hospital in Marathon recovering. His wife had actually been in the same hospital the night before due to complications from surgery.
Out in the ocean alone Hershberger says, in addition to his fight-or-flight survival instincts, his thoughts went to his wife, kids and then two grandkids. “You’re not thinking about stuff at work or stuff that you did or didn’t do,” he says. “You’re just really thinking about your family.”
Hershberger’s rare blend of intelligence and integrity makes him a trusted source of guidance and advice.
Skip the hassle of airports and long flights. A culinary odyssey awaits in our area’s islands in the sun.
BY SU BYRON AND MARTY FUGATE | CONTRIBUTORS
Sarasota’s keys are worlds of their own, where restaurants draw inspiration from global gastronomic traditions. With a food scene rivalling major cities, island dining is a passport to cultural adventure. A short drive can transport you to the authentic flavors of distant lands. Here are five spots to kick off your culinary odyssey.
Building on the success of José and Victoria Martinez’s original Parisian restaurant, Maison Blanche has offered fine dining with a distinctly French flair since 2002. José, the executive chef, wouldn’t have it any other way. “Our menu isn’t confined to one region,” he explains. “We draw inspiration from across France, blending tradition with a touch of creativity.”
One of the restaurant’s standout dishes is the Dover sole, or sole meunière, a classic that famously captured Julia Child’s heart. In true French fashion, sole meunière lets the natural flavors of the fresh fish shine, enhanced by sauce Grenobloise — a tangy, savory blend of capers, lemon juice, butter and parsley. Other house favorites include the mushroom
ravioli, the bright tomato tart and the tender red snapper. For a more substantial option, the short rib is always a crowd-pleaser.
Chef José’s culinary philosophy revolves around the essence of ingredients. “It’s about getting to the heart of each item,” he says, “whether it’s a carrot, potato, or lobster.” This heartfelt commitment extends to the wine list, which boasts an enticing assortment of French wines. From crisp whites to rich reds, each vintage is selected to complement the restaurant’s lovingly crafted dishes.
If You Go: 2605 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key; 383-8088; TheMaisonBlanche.com
and sweet 1975
No meal at Maison Blanche is complete without dessert. Their chocolate soufflé is nothing short of a spectacle. Golden, airy, and perfectly risen, it makes a dramatic entrance to the table. A side of crème anglaise adds the final layer of indulgence.
Located in the heart of Siesta Key, Café Gabbiano serves up an authentic taste of southern Italy, courtesy of co-owner Marc Grimaud, a master sommelier; head chef Paolo Di Costanzo, who hails from the island of Ischia near Naples; and a team of fine dining experts. They all share a passion for Italian cuisine, blending classic recipes with contemporary twists to create unforgettable dining experiences.
“Our approach is grounded in family recipes and a commitment to fresh, seasonal ingredients,” says Grimaud. “We make all our pastas in-house, age our steaks on-site and craft rotating specials using locally sourced ingredients. Our attention to detail shines through in every dish.”
So, where to start? Grimaud suggests diving into a homemade ravioli appetizer, like the slow-braised ossobuco ravioli or the succulent cold-water lobster ravioli. For the main course, entrées like locally caught grouper and house-aged steaks stand out; each dish is created with seasonally inspired preparations. Want to end on a sweet note? Try a decadent chocolate lava cake or classic tiramisu, complemented by a selection from the restaurant’s award-winning wine list. With over 180 wines and two in-house sommeliers, Café Gabbiano boasts a cosmopolitan wine collection that spans the globe. Grimaud recommends lesser-known gems like the bold Italian red Taurasi or the Florida-exclusive Porter Family Vineyards Cabernet.
“At Café Gabbiano, our philosophy is simple: If you’re not happy, we’re not happy,” says Grimaud. “We strive to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere with exceptional food, drink, and service.”
If You Go: 5104 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key; 349-1423; CafeGabbiano.com
Right: Café Gabbiano’s seafood masterpiece, linguine pescatora, brims with fresh pasta, calamari, mussels, clams and shrimp in a luscious marinara. For heartier appetites, try Café Gabbiano’s Allen Brothers dry-aged NY strip served with seasonal vegetables and Parmesan risotto.
Start with homemade ravioli — either the slowbraised ossobuco, featuring tender veal shank in Bolognese sauce, or the coldwater lobster ravioli, with lobster and potato filling in a vodka-style pink sauce.
For entrées, try the locally caught grouper, with a daily-changing preparation, or the house dry-aged Allen Brothers steaks, aged in-house for a minimum of three weeks, served with seasonal vegetables and Parmesan risotto.
For dessert, the homemade chocolate lava cake or tiramisu are must-haves.
Star Thai & Sushi is the place where artful sushi and bold Thai flavors meet. This Siesta Key gem is known for fresh ingredients, beautiful presentation and a welcoming vibe. Its vibrant Thai dishes and sushi rolls are pretty to look at. And they taste just as good as they look.
The menu’s Thai selections are full of punch and personality. With its creamy coconut milk base, the roasted duck curry is always a crowd-pleaser. The rich, tender duck meat is perfectly balanced with Thai spices, fresh bell peppers, bamboo shoots and basil. Craving hot and savory? The hibachi scallops are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, seared to perfection — and drenched in a smoky, spicy hibachi sauce. The Hurricane Snapper gives a taste of a calmer climate to local storm survivors. It’s deep-fried with tempura eggplant, veggies, and topped with a green curry sauce that will, well, blow you away.
Sushi and sashimi lovers will find plenty to love here, too. The showstopping Drama Queen roll is packed with spicy tuna, avocado and tangy eel sauce
— bold flavors that demand attention. Want to turn up the heat? The Red Hot Chili Pepper roll will set your taste buds on fire with spicy tuna, crunchy jalapeños, and a bold, tangy sauce. Whether you’re dining inside or soaking up the Florida sun (or moonlight) on the patio, Star Thai & Sushi al-
ways shines. Their laidback mix of tasty Thai and Japanese cuisine and stellar service will keep you coming back.
If You Go: Star Thai & Sushi: 230 Avenida Madera, Siesta Key; 2176758; StarThaiSushiSiestaKey.com.
Morgan Stanley is proud to congratulate
op Women Wealth Advisors (Ranked #1 in the State of Florida North Region for the 2nd year in the row)
Being named to Forbes’ 2024 Top Women Wealth Advisors Best-In-State list is a testament to your experience, focus, and dedication to your clients’ financial future. Thank you for the work you do each day, and for carrying forward the standard of excellence at our firm.
The Bellwether Group at Morgan Stanley
Aimee Cogan CFP®, CIMA® Managing Director—Wealth Management Family Wealth Director Wealth Advisor 2 N Tamiami Trail, Suite 1100 Sarasota, FL 34236 941-363-8515
Aimee.Cogan@morganstanley.com advisor.morganstanley.com/ bellwethergroup/
2023-2024 Forbes America's Top Women Wealth Advisors & Forbes Top Women Wealth Advisors Best-In- State (formerly referred to as Forbes Top Women Wealth Advisors, Forbes America's Top Women Wealth Advisors) Source: Forbes.com ( 2023-2024). Forbes America's Top Women Wealth Advisors & Forbes Top Women Wealth Advisors Best-In- State ranking awarded in 2023-2024. Each ranking was based on an evaluation process conducted by SHOOK Research LLC (the research company) in partnership with Forbes (the publisher). This evaluation process concluded in September of the previous year the award was issued having commenced in September of the year before that. Neither Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC nor its Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors paid a fee to SHOOK Research LLC to obtain or use the ranking. This ranking is based on in-person and telephone due diligence meetings to evaluate each advisor qualitatively, a major component of a ranking algorithm that includes client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations, and quantitative criteria, including assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion. Rankings are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research LLC and this ranking may not be representative of any one client’s experience. These rankings are not indicative of the Financial Advisor’s future performance. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC is not affiliated with SHOOK Research LLC or Forbes. For more information, see www.SHOOKresearch com.
For over four decades, Miguel’s Restaurant’s menu has artfully blended classic French cuisine with continental influences. The vision of Miguel Garcia, a chef originally from Málaga, Spain, continues to thrive under the care of his sons, Gabriel and Daniel Garcia. Opened in 1983, Miguel’s is more than a restaurant; it’s a tribute to a culinary pioneer and the traditions he cherished.
Miguel’s enduring success rests on three pillars: outstanding food, immersive dining experiences, and stellar service. Signature dishes include the 20-ounce chateaubriand, a tender USDA prime center-cut filet, and the slow-roasted duck, a perennial favorite. Their gourmet cuisine is complemented by an exceptional wine list curated by Gabriel Garcia, who is not only the executive chef but also a trained sommelier. “Gabriel’s wine selections are unique,” Daniel says. “His passion and knowledge ensure that our vintages stand out.”
While Miguel’s menu reflects innovation, it remains rooted in tradition.
Standout items like the rack of lamb and Chicken Champagne have been mainstays since day one — always staying true to Miguel Garcia’s original recipes. “Chef Gabriel has elevated the menu, but we’re still faithful to our father’s vision,” Daniel emphasizes.
If You Go: Miguel’s Restaurant: 6631 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key; 3494024; MiguelsRestaurant.net.
Irish eyes are smiling, and so are everyone else’s. This local favorite serves up a mix of Irish charm, hearty meals, a welcoming vibe and a menu of Irish and American classics. Fish and chips are a crowd favorite, but the real star is the traditional Irish cottage pie — ground sirloin in rich gravy, topped with creamy mashed potatoes and baked to golden perfection. It’s the kind of comfort food that warms both body and soul. To wash it down, there’s a lovingly curated selection of Irish staples and international brews, from smooth Guinness draught to Smithwick’s and Harp, plus over 100 whiskeys for a proper toast. Sláinte!
If You Go: Lynches Pub & Grub: 19 N. Boulevard of Presidents, Sarasota; 388-5550; Lynches.pub.
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This Longboat Key estate provides a ready escape to the water. PAGE 90
Set on two acres overlooking peaceful Bishop’s Bayou, this waterfront masterpiece is both eye-catching and private.
BY ROBERT PLUNKET | CONTRIBUTOR
It’s one of the most expensive houses on Longboat Key — and certainly one of the most unique. It was designed for — and designed by — a Florida sportsman. But we’re not talking golf and tennis here. Randy Langley’s passions are the ones he grew up with in central Florida: boating, fishing, hunting, cars, even a helicopter or two. Langley used to keep his in the pole barn that’s on his property. Now it’s housed at the airport.
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“The spectacular wood floors are prime reclaimed lumber, brick and stone accents are prominent and eye-catching, and the scale of the rooms is vast.”
The property itself is set on just over two acres, up at the northern end of the Key. It was originally a little subdivision of its own and is still zoned for four residences. Right on busy Gulf of Mexico Drive, the estate’s size provides it with a great deal of privacy. The main house is located far from the road; it faces calm and peaceful Bishop’s Bayou and, through the trees, you can make out other houses here and there, many of them owned by old time Longboaters who have been there for generations.
Randy and Carlotta Langley — he’s a builder/developer, she’s a pediatrician — bought the property in 2017. “It was heavily wooded and overgrown,” Randy recalls. “It took me just over a year to clear the property.”
During this time the Langleys, along with their two sons, lived in the vintage 1937 beach cottage that is part of the property while they built their dream home. Randy was the driving force behind the project’s design. He knew what he wanted and worked closely
with architect Robert Rokop to make sure it would suit his family’s needs perfectly. Rokop was a fortuitous choice. His specialty is coastal and flood zone properties, and during the recent hurricanes the home suffered no damage at all.
The result is pure Florida. There is a coastal look to the place, a back-tothe-basics feeling. You can see hints of local vernacular architecture everywhere. The spectacular wood floors are prime reclaimed lumber, brick and stone accents are prominent and eyecatching, and the scale of the rooms is vast. The great room is 25 by 35 feet. The home seems much larger than its three-bedroom size would indicate. The use of space is so generous it becomes a luxury in itself. The primary bath boasts a soaking tub, large walkin shower, and even its own balcony.
Most Longboat Key mansions turn inward, but not the Langley’s. Throughout the main house there is a feeling of tropical living. Windows are everywhere, looking out over the
treetops, and there are over 160 feet of wide, open verandas at the rear of the home. Langley was hands on when it came to building the house, and his personal touches are everywhere — wooden mantels and counters he made from old wood found on the property.
The kitchen is particularly elaborate, with Wolf and Subzero appliances (there are three gas stoves), but what really sets the house apart from other Longboat Key estates are the elaborate facilities to enjoy all the local sporting activities. “It’s a boater’s and fisherman’s dream,” Langley says, a claim that might actually be a bit of an understatement. The home has two docks and mooring for a 50-foot boat between them, along with three boat lifts. This mini marina is located on Bishop’s Bayou, calm and peaceful yet with direct access to the Intracoastal. There’s also an air-conditioned tackle room with an elaborate array of rods and reels, and — the perfect touch —
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“The estate overlooks tranquil Bishop’s Bayou and features two docks, mooring for a 50-foot boat, three lifts and direct Intracoastal access.”
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“The 1937 cottage, one of the original vacation homes on Longboat, has an entirely different vibe than the main house.”
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one of the nicest outdoor showers on Longboat Key.
But that’s just the beginning. With six garages there is plenty of room for the serious car enthusiast, including a car lift for Langley’s Hummer. The family also enjoys a large billiard room on the lower level, and there’s an enormous pool (24 by 50 feet) and spa next to an Old Florida classic — an expansive chikee (the Seminole Indian version of a Tiki hut). It’s a perfect spot for outdoor meals and parties, and there’s a 900-bottle wine cellar just steps away. The pool can be heated — and even chilled — thanks to a gas reverse heat pump.
The entire property is gated and fenced, with a 24-camera security system. There’s even a safe room — an 8- by 18-foot interior space with a bank vault door, cleverly concealed and hiding in plain sight. And of course, there’s an elevator.
During the recent storms, Randy and Carlotta stayed put and report that the house did great. There was no damage, and the natural gas generator kept the power on the whole time. The vegetation didn’t fare as well — whose did? — but it’s already coming back.
The Langleys are putting their home on the market, but no, they’re not downsizing. They’ve bought a larger property on the east coast of the state and are envisioning a sort of family compound now that their two sons are grown. The new owner of their estate will have both Longboat’s past — the retro cottage —and Longboat’s future — a house that can survive hurricanes.
The 1937 cottage, one of the original vacation homes on Longboat, has been remodeled for use as a guest house. It has an entirely different vibe than the main house: it maintains its original wood paneling and beachy furnishings. The Langleys use it to house guests and visiting family, plus occasional renters.
Spring is the season of renewal, rebirth and reinvention. The area art scene is no exception.
SU BYRON MANAGING EDITOR
Susan J. Klein is famed for her vivid, prismatic acrylic landscapes that capture the heart of wild America. Over the past two decades, she’s painted unspoiled terrains in national parks from Florida to California. This Arts Advocate exhibition, “Places,” features approximately 35 of these stunning works, many created during commissioned residencies at the parks. The artist shares, “Nothing makes me feel so alive, so safe, and so at peace with myself as to be surrounded by and immersed in nature.” Klein will also offer two of her books, “National Park Artist” and “Myakka Chronicles,” for purchase at the exhibition. Arts Advocate Gallery, The Crossings at Siesta Key Mall, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Open every Saturday through Feb. 22. Visit ArtsAdvocates.org
The Grammy Award-winning Catalyst Quartet redefines classical music with dynamic performances and a mission to uplift young Black and Latinx musicians. The ensemble is celebrated for its innovative programming, blending familiar works with diverse influences. Artists Series Concerts brings them here in March, with a program featuring works by Gershwin, Piazzolla and Ravel. The quartet comprises Abi Fayette and Karla Donehew Perez on violin, Paul Laraia on viola and Karlos Rodriguez on cello. March 30, 4 p.m., at First Presbyterian Church, 2050 Oak St., Sarasota. Visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org.
For 21 years, Embracing Our Differences has transformed Sarasota’s Bayfront Park into a colorful outdoor gallery. The 2025 Sarasota exhibition
runs through April 13 and features 50 billboard-sized works and inspiring quotes. Highlights include Amanda Marie’s “Through Your Story,” celebrating literature’s power, and Junho Chung’s “Nevertheless,” a testament to resilience. “Best-in-Show” quotes include Kim Howard’s, “Choosing to speak when others are silent is an act of bravery this world needs,” and Aashna Parsa’s, “We can choose to build bridges or spend a lifetime lost on our own islands.” Explore all the works and words online at EmbracingOurDifferences.org.
Choral Artists of Sarasota brings Craig Hella Johnson’s “Considering Matthew Shepard” to life — a poignant cantata recounting the story of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man brutally killed in Wyoming in 1998. Through its haunting melodies and
hopeful message, the work envisions a world rooted in love and acceptance. April 5, 4 p.m., at The Venue @ LEC, 3650 17th St., Sarasota. Join Artistic Director Joseph Holt for a preview discussion with guest performances on March 27, 6 p.m., at 16 S. Palm Ave., Sarasota. Visit ChoralArtistsSarasota.org.
Mara Torres González’s exhibition “Fragmenting Layers of the Soul” is a poignant exploration of healing after trauma. Through richly layered paintings, the artist delves into how emotions can feel fragmented or concealed until a safe space allows for expression. Vibrant colors symbolize specific emotions, culminating in a final white layer that signifies healing and resolution. This transformative journey celebrates resilience, courage and empathy. Inviting personal reflection, the exhibition offers viewers a chance
to connect deeply with universal emotions and the art of self-reclamation. February 27 to March 31 at MARA Art Studio + Gallery, 76 S. Palm Ave., Sarasota. Visit MaraStudioGallery.com.
Once upon a time in America, Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil so he could play a damn good guitar. Or so the story goes. Nobody knows if it’s true, but it’s a damn good story.
“America at the Crossroads: The Guitar and a Changing Nation,” tells that story and many more at Bishop Museum. This exhibition showcases 40 instruments — from the vihuela of the 1500s, to the axes of B.B. King and other Mississippi bluesmen, to a 21st-century steampunk guitar. Each guitar (or proto-guitar) tells its own story — and the story of our nation as well. Through May 18 at Bishop Museum, 201 10th St., W., Bradenton. Visit BishopScience.org.
A standard Gibson SG-style guitar carved by Doug Rowell is part of the “America at the Crossroads: The Guitar and a Changing Nation” at Bishop Museum.
BY MARTY FUGATE CONTRIBUTOR
Founded in 1905 by Spanish Cuban immigrant Casimiro Hernandez Sr., the Columbia Restaurant began as a humble saloon in Tampa before evolving into a culinary icon. Today, it stands as the world’s largest Spanish restaurant and Florida’s oldest, with seven locations, including the cherished St. Armands Circle outpost. Known for its authentic Cuban sandwiches, vibrant paella and signature sangria, Columbia remains a family legacy. Fourthgeneration owner Casey Gonzmart Sr. proudly upholds its traditions and recently shared his reflections with us.
Family tradition is important at the Columbia.
Our philosophy is built on honoring our history; it informs our approach to every dish we create. My greatgrandfather brought traditional recipes from the old country. While we’ve expanded to new locations and embraced new technologies, the essence of the Columbia remains intact. We’ve been “trendy” for over 120 years because our food resonates with people.
Consistency is the key to our success.
Our kitchen teams use the same recipes, and we oversee every detail with no shortcuts. We’ve worked with some suppliers for generations, ensuring the same quality ingredients across all locations. For example, the bread we’ve served since the early 1900s still comes from the same Tampa bakery.
Locally sourced ingredients are very important to us. We highlight Florida’s agricultural bounty, from gulf shrimp to fresh citrus, while reducing our carbon footprint. It’s not just about the food, it’s about telling the story of Florida and honoring its agricultural roots.
The Columbia is not just a business; it’s a living history. My proudest moments in continuing the Columbia’s legacy come when generations of customers return, telling me the Columbia is part of their family’s story. Every time someone shares their connection with us, I feel immense pride.
Restaurant’s fourth-generation owner Casey Gonzmart Sr., believes that passion and fun are essential in running a restaurant empire.
My top two culinary heroes are . . .
My grandfather and Ray Castro, a Cuban restaurateur in Chicago. Ray taught me the importance of having priorities in the restaurant business. My grandfather, who ran the Columbia, taught me about quality and professionalism, especially in simple tasks like making an omelet or handling fresh fish. They both influenced my approach to excellence in food and service.
My favorite Columbia dishes are those that have been part of our family for generations.
My mother’s empañadas de picadillo, a simple peasant dish, is a favorite. I also love our 1905 Salad and black bean soup. Our guests travel far to enjoy these dishes. It’s about sharing what we love with others.
The secret of Columbia’s paella is all in the ingredients.
“Paella” refers to a two-handle pan, not
what’s in it. It changes across the different regions of Spain, depending on the local ingredients. At Columbia, we combine traditional Spanish elements like pork, chicken and vegetables with all the finest quality Florida ingredients — especially fresh seafood. That’s what makes it special.
How do you recharge after a busy day running a restaurant empire?
Running Columbia Restaurant is the way I recharge! At 76, I still go in daily, connecting with staff and diners. It’s important to motivate young people and create an environment where work is enjoyable. I believe that passion and fun are essential in what we do, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
IF YOU GO
411 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota
In this intimate dining getaway located on Siesta Key, Chef Paolo di Costanzo, hailing from Ischia Italy, brings you a diverse seasonal menu. Certified sommelier, Marc Grimaud, specializes in pairing the perfect wine with your food. Enjoy dining in one of our wine rooms, or choose outdoor seating in our climate-controlled patio.
• Open Daily at 5pm
• Locally Sourced
• Award-Winning Wine List
• Handmade Pasta
• In-House Aged Steaks
• Events & Catering Available
5104 Ocean Blvd, Siesta Key 941-349-1423 | www.cafegabbiano.com
Locally-owned and operated by Christophe and Geraldine Coutelle, this award-winning local favorite opened in 1997. Experience an authentic Parisian café for breakfast, lunch, coffee, house-made French desserts, or a glass of wine! Featuring monthly winepairing dinners on select evenings, C’est La Vie is also available for creating party platters and customized cakes and desserts!!
9118 Town Center Pkwy, Lakewood Ranch 941.961.0111 • Open Tues-Sun 7:30am-5pm
1553 Main St, Sarasota • 941.906.9575 • Open Mon-Tues 7:30am-6pm, Wed 7:30am-9pm, Thurs-Sat 7:30am-9:30pm, Sun 8:30am-9pm
cestlaviesarasota.com
CHEF ROLF’S NEW FLORIDA KITCHEN Restaurant, Tiki Bar, Fine Dining & Ballroom
Chef Rolf offers the perfect location at the CASEY KEY RESORTS MAINLAND for your private event and can accommodate up to 200+ people.
Enjoy all of Chef Rolf’s Amazing Dining Experiences:
• The TIKI BAR serving lunch and dinner daily from 12-9pm, happy hour & live music.
• INSIDE DINING ROOM open daily for dinner and Sunday brunch.
• CORAL ROOM FINE DINING open daily for dinner.
• THE OSPREY CAFE serving breakfast daily 8-11am and Sunday brunch 11-2pm.
21660 S. Tamiami Trail, Osprey 941.966.2121 | www.ChefRolf.us
Step into a world of vibrant energy and tropical delights at Gilligan’s Island Bar, where the island spirit comes alive with every sip and bite. Whether you’re a local or just passing through, our tiki bar offers an unforgettable escape filled with refreshing cocktails, mouthwatering dishes, and the best live entertainment on Siesta Key.
Don’t miss out on the ultimate island experience; Join us today and let the good times roll!
Sunday-Wednesday: 11:00am - 12:00am
Thursday-Saturday: 11:00am - 2:00am
5253 Ocean Blvd, Siesta Key 941.346.8122 | GilligansIslandBar.com
For a really cool break in the day, walk yourself into Mojo Risin’ Coffee Co. located in Siesta Key Village next to Gilligan’s Island Bar. This tropical retro coffee bar features all locally private roasted coffee and espresso including our World Famous North Shore roast. Join us for Bloody Mary Happy Hour from 7am-9am or sip an Espresso Martini on one of our patios. Hungry? Enjoy something from our selection of fresh made empanadas or one of our fresh fruit smoothie bowls.
A visit to Siesta Key is not complete without a relaxing stop at Mojo Risin’ Coffee.
Free Wi-Fi, Indoor and Outdoor seating available. Open Daily 7:00am - 5:00pm
5251 Ocean Blvd, Siesta Key, FL 941.349.6656 | https://MojoRisinCoffee.com/
Siesta Key Oyster Bar, or “SKOB” as the locals call it, is the hangout with the laid-back, beachy atmosphere that will put you in the Island Spirit. Our food is just one of the reasons we are #1 on the Key!
From Raw Oysters and Fresh Seafood to All-Natural Burgers and Chicken Wings, there is something for everyone on the menu. With over 21 beers on tap including Local Craft Beer, Domestic and Specialty Imports plus a variety of creative Specialty Cocktails you will not go away thirsty!
We have live music every day and night with some of the best local musicians around.
So, the next time you are in the heart of Siesta Key Village and want to relax with a frosty beverage, enjoy some fantastic food, or listen to great live music, stop by SKOB, the Hot Spot in Siesta Key. You’ll be glad you did!
NOW SERVING BRUNCH 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM every Sunday
5238 Ocean Blvd, Siesta Key 941.346.5443 | skob.com
BY NANCY GUTH
Casey Key is a sliver of time preserved — a place where the salt air whispers of both luxury and legacy. On one hand, it’s home to stunning residences by award-winning architects. And Stephen King lives here! But nature still holds dominion, with mangroves clinging to the shoreline and seabirds swooping and diving, unbothered by the human rhythm that hums softly in the background. Amidst this, there are still pockets of old-school Florida funk, where the spirit of a simpler, laid-back era lingers.
The Casey Key Fish House is one of those places, where that rhythm slows to a mellow beat. It’s a place that defies urgency. The Tiki bar, open to the breeze, invites you to linger. Conversations flow like the water beneath weathered docks where boats bob lazily, tethered but free. Plates of fresh seafood are passed across tables, seasoned by both the kitchen and the briny air. Laughter mingles with live music, and dancing — soft-footed on sand — feels natural under the moonlight.
Casey Key doesn’t shout its charm; it reveals it slowly, like an oyster offering its pearl. At its heart, the Casey Key Fish House is a reminder of what Old Florida once was — and, in this corner, still is.
Teri A Hansen • Marianne and Bill McComb • Keith Monda and Veronica Brady Drs. Joel Morganroth and Gail Morrison Morganroth • Jeannie Russell • Martin and Zelia Trueb
