During Hurricane Milton, Longboat Key requested help from many outside agencies, including the National Guard.
According to Fire Rescue Chief Paul Dezzi, the National Guard provided a great deal of assistance to the town postMilton. This included helping with damage assessment, checking on citizens, clearing roads and providing security.
A surprise, though, was when National Guard helicopters landed on the Longboat Key golf course. The crew was ready to assist, but Dezzi said the town sent that flight crew further south, where more help was needed.
ACE Hardware owners hope to repeat barbecue
After Hurricane Milton, ACE Hardware owners Reed and Ginny Savidge hope to host another barbecue like the one on Oct. 2 after Helene.
The event would be before the end of October in partnership with Sheila Loccisano’s Instagram, Follow Me To Longboat Key. With Loccisano’s 214,000 followers, they want to reach as many people as they can.
“It came as a good surprise when I walked into the barbecue,” said resident Chris Sachs. “That is what Longboat is all about, all of us helping each other. It was a spot of light after the darkness. I know it brought that joy that everyone needed.”
Earlier this month, the Savidges grilled about 500 hot dogs and some hamburgers.
Staff photos
Sand pushed ashore during Hurricane Helene gives credence to the Sandcastle Hotel.
Image courtesy of Matthew Ballew
photo Helene brought four feet of water inside the Old Salty Dog; Milton crashed through it shutters and tore its historic bar in two.
Image courtesy of Matthew Ballew
Debris leftover from Hurricane Helene remained a problem down many Longboat Key streets after Hurricane Milton.
The rising waters from Hurricane Milton pushed sailboats and power boats aground at Sarasota Harbor West.
Courtesy image Reed Savidge, Ginny Savidge, Jim Stonecypher and Jennifer Bartlett
WEEK OF OCT. 17, 2024
BY THE NUMBERS
“It’s a slow process. This is not something that’s going to happen overnight. We have to have patience.”
Fire Rescue Chief Paul Dezzi speaking about Longboat’s recovery after Hurricanes Helene and Milton Read more on page 9
According to emails sent by Town Manager Howard Tipton, the preliminary damage assessment to residential structures after Hurricane Milton was around $11.2 million.
This number does not include vegetation damage or changes to beaches, which may bring more costs later.
A week prior, Hurricane Helene’s storm surge caused a significant amount of damage to the island. In Tipton’s email, he said it’s estimated that Helene
affected about 2,000, or about 20%, of the island’s residential properties.
Recent damage estimates from Hurricane Helene stand around $175 million for Longboat Key. This number also does not include damage to the island’s beaches. The beaches will be evaluated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency after what seemed like more deflation and loss of sand from Hurricane Helene.
The town of Longboat Key
has waived building permit fees through the end of January to make the rebuild process smoother for residents. Tipton noted in the email that more time will likely be added to that fee waiver period to account for Hurricane Milton. Damages must be reported separately for Hurricanes Helene and Milton and can done through the town’s Planning, Zoning and Building Department. The department can also be reached at 941-316-1966.
Helpful resources after storm events
Here is a list of several local, state and national resources that may be able to provide assistance to residents recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton:
FEMA DISASTER ASSISTANCE
To apply for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, visit the website at DisasterAssistance.gov, use the FEMA smartphone application or call 800-621-3362. Multilingual phone operators are also available. When applying, residents must fill out separate applications for each hurricane. Residents will need to describe what damage occurred and on what date. To assist in the application process, it’s important to keep receipts for anything related to the disaster, such as home repairs, purchase of things like generators, replacement of personal property items and vehicle repairs.
DISASTER DISTRESS HELPLINE
This hotline is available to provide crisis counseling for victims of disasters. The hotline can be reached 24/7 for all U.S. residents at 800985-5990.
LEGAL ASSISTANCE
For hurricane survivors who may not be able to afford an attorney, the Florida Education Association offers a legal aid hotline. The hotline is available at 866-550-2929.
SARASOTA COUNTY BUSINESS RECOVERY
The county government is able to assist business owners locate other resources to help during the recovery process. For assistance, email BusinessRecovery@SCGOV.net or call either 311 or 941-861-5000.
FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT
The energy provider for Longboat Key has a website where residents can see resources like outage maps and tracking restoration. There are also other helpful resources on the website for getting assistance and frequently asked questions about insurance claims. The main
Longboaters find Milton more wind than water
Structures on the island remained intact, while the significant flooding of Hurricane Helene did not reoccur.
IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER
The house was still standing.
That was the key takeaway for many Longboat Key residents when they returned home on Oct. 11 to assess the damage following Hurricane Milton.
It was the first day that the barrier island was reopened to residents after the storm.
Michael Drake, standing and looking out at his house on Longboat Drive South, pointed to other homes on either side that had suffered from the storm surge of Helene two weeks prior.
“That house completely jeopardized. That house completely jeopardized. They lost everything,” he said.
As he looked over his own house, which he had built in 1995, there were tears in his eyes.
“We still have a beautiful home,” he said.
A MILDER STORM
Some residents agreed the situation that greeted them as they returned was far more optimistic than expected, although some flooding could be seen at residential buildings along Gulf of Mexico Drive on Oct. 11.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” said Todd Duell, a resident of Linley
Street in Longboat Village. “They were talking about a Category 4 to a 5, so we were worried about more.”
He said from what he could tell, the damage from Milton amounted to missing roof shingles, although the home had suffered major damage during Helene’s storm surge.
With his home intact, Duell’s priority was salvaging some of the components that he discarded in his driveway after Helene, which were wet again and impossible to dry due to the current lack of electricity.
These included his family’s “favorite doorknobs.”
“They were just nice,” he said.
“The people that designed the house before us had a flare on certain things.”
Frank Harrison used to run by a home along Poinsetta Avenue in Longboat Village, years ago when he was a Bradenton resident and was practicing for long-distance runs.
Although he always dreamed of buying the home, he never did, but he did end up buying the one directly across the street from it at the corner of Cedar Street and Poinsetta Avenue.
He and his wife, Priscilla VanHaven, were so glad to see the home standing that there were sometimes smiles on their faces, even as they picked up the tree branches and other debris scattered across the yard.
“We thought we were going to have no house,” said VanHaven. “We are just so happy that it withstood the storm.”
Harrison said the weak point of the home was the corner of a screen porch on the upper floor of the house, which he secured with small posts and three 18-inch straps.
“If that came loose, the whole roof’s gonna come off,” he said.
Some of the damage that did occur
included the loss of plants and flowers in the front-yard garden, and parts of the underside of the roof being chipped away.
Brian Feeney, a resident of Longboat Village, had felt optimistic as he watched the storm’s path from a condominium he and his wife own in Bradenton.
He said seeing the trajectory of the storm made him feel optimistic they wouldn’t be on the “dirty side” of the eye.
“I think we fared fairly good,” he said, noting that this time, damage came from the wind rather than from flooding.
His home on Broadway Street did experience damage to two roof vents, while he also lost some of his plants including his bird of paradise flowers, and his storage shed collapsed.
However, the shed hadn’t been a superior example of construction, created from blocks that were defective and had been tossed aside, unsuitable for use in the house, when it was built in the early 1900s.
After Helene, Feeney had about 28 inches of water in the home, and had to tear out drywall in the bathroom and laundry room, the two rooms that used the material.
He plans to stay in the condominium until comforts like electricity and water are restored to Longboat.
“We’re getting that house ready for sale, so we’re very lucky to have a place around here,” he said.
Drake said when he built his home, which he shares with his wife, Amy, he had elevated the living area above ground, even going beyond what was required at the time by FEMA regulations.
“We have a little bit of minor damage to some of the stuff, but the structure itself is still there, and it’s just an island that has always been
dear to us,” he said.
He said until power and water are restored, they plan to stay at the home of his cousin in Lakewood Ranch, whom he called “a savior” with the storm.
While staying in Lakewood Ranch for the storm, Longboat Village resident John DeVito had wondered what to expect upon returning home.
“I didn’t know what I was going to see, but I was somewhat relieved when the town manager reported ... that we didn’t get a surge, which particularly in this section of the Village, impacts us pretty hard.”
However, at his home on Broadway Street, he just found some screen damage, a lost pergola and fence, and some broken tree limbs. He noted that his house has solid construction
MILTON, PAGE 6
A sign warns of high water
Brian Feeney’s shed was destroyed.
John DeVito saws broken tree branches after Hurricane Milton.
near flooding along Gulf of Mexico Drive.
The Rev. Brock Patterson, senior pastor at Longboat Island Chapel, and his dog, Pippa. Although the church’s roof was damaged, it hasn’t had any leaks.
Photos by Ian Swaby
Lido, St. Armands suffer less damage than Siesta
The picture was the same — the ravages of Helene’s flooding on the contents of homes and the giant felled trees from Milton’s winds.
Ringling Bridge reopened Friday morning. As you
down the
over the
the
before you seemed normal — and then it wasn’t. A boat aground at Bird Key Park — a typical post-hurricane sight. Twisted pool screens on homes to the left. Typical. Front loaders were moving sand on the compromised northern span of the Coon Key Bridge. Long-timers always knew it was a matter of time before something like that occurred. Altogether — not all that bad. And then ...
The twisted pieces of white aluminum catch your eyes. Carport roofs, some hanging like large piano keys, some gnarled into the shape of Dot’s pretzels, resting on top of a few cars at the Sarasota Harbor West condominiums.
Residents’ sailboats and power boats sat tilted on the ground, lifted to land from their moorings.
Across the street, the grand ficus trees that graced the entrance to Plymouth Harbor lay on their sides, with their 10-foot high roots sticking up like toppled lamp stands. This was only the beginning of the ravages of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
On Thursday, a tour of Siesta Key revealed street after street after street
Email press releases, announcements and Letters to the Editor to: Kat Wingert, kwingert@yourobserver.com TO ADVERTISE
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Remnants of a carport at Sarasota Harbor West.
of old and new vacation cottages and homes abandoned and beaten, with mounds of the rotting remnants of Hurricane Helene tossed into front yards. Milton added a punishing frosting to the disaster with felled palm trees and broken limbs from decades-old trees strewn about.
Friday’s tour of the residences of St. Armands and Lido keys, the beachfront resorts and St. Armands Circle was a similar photograph. But to the good, the damage was not quite as bad and extensive as Siesta Key in terms of the number of homes flooded from Helene’s surge and Milton’s winds.
Dror Mizrahi, owner of the Cotton Club of St. Armands, a women’s clothing store, was swooshing the layer of muck from the back of the store to the front.
“Helene was worse,” he said. “The fourth time, fourth time,” he said, noting his 20 years of operating on St. Armands Circle.
Helene pushed four feet of water into the store. “It destroyed everything,” he said.
With Milton, Mizrahi put what remaining merchandise he had high on shelves and covered in plastic. This time around, the water was half or less as high as it was with Milton.
“What are you going to do?” he asked. “Thank God we’re alive. We’ll get over it.”
South of St. Armands Circle, in the 400 block of South Monroe, Mike Regnier, former Sarasota County fire chief, picked up pieces of debris, a man alone in his disaster and admittedly dejected.
“Thing were going great,” Regnier said. He had retired recently after 43 years in the county’s fire department. “Then five days before (Helene), I find out I have head and neck cancer,” he said. “Then this.”
Helene’s surge destroyed the interior of Regnier’s home. Milton just added to the misery.
Traveling south on Ben Franklin Drive, a front loader roared and beeped as its driver scooped the leftover layer of sand from the road. Just beyond stood the sign for the Sandcastle Hotel.
You had to admit, it was funny to see 4-foot mounds of sand from Ben Franklin Drive piled in front of the Sandcastle.
A front loader clears a layer of sand from Ben Franklin Drive on Lido Key, leftover from Hurricane Helene.
Hurricane Milton toppled the grand ficus trees at the entrance to Plymouth Harbor.
Staff photos
Dror Mizrahi, owner of the Cotton Club of St. Armands for the past 20 years, lost most of his merchandise in Hurricane Helene. Hurricane Milton, he said, was not as bad. “We’ll get over it,” he said. “Thank God we’re alive.”
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and is elevated above ground.
He called himself “very happy” with how his home fared in both storms.
“I hope it’s the end, but we still got a month-and-a-half to go,” he said, referring to the end of hurricane season Nov. 30.
Although the impacts of Milton were limited for many residents, plenty of them were still feeling the impacts of Helene.
Mary and John Donato had experienced Helene’s devastating surge at their home on the 5900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive, with two feet of water entering the house.
“We lost all of our furniture, plus lots of memories,” Mary Donato said.
They noted that although their home was not flooded during Milton, some properties on the ocean side of the road did not appear to have fared as well during the surge. (Their home is located by a canal.)
Resident Mary Lou Johnson, who lives on the 6000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive, said most of the damage during Milton came from wind.
With Helene, on the other hand, she had seen about an inch of water in her home, as well as the loss of a boat lift and motor, and five kayaks, four of which neighbors were able to return.
“I’m praying a lot for everyone,” she said. “I know some people are going to change their minds about living here.”
Nonetheless, having spent her life living on islands, she said her plan is to continue to do what she has always done — to evacuate when a storm is approaching.
“Fortunately, it’s one weather thing that we get notice, and I just lift everything and go somewhere,” she said.
A CHANGED LANDSCAPE
Despite his home being intact, debris, including tree branches, nonetheless littered Drake’s yard.
He called the damage to the landscape the “devastating part of it.”
“If you look around, it looks like a bomb went off, but we’re still safe, and we really appreciate our leaders doing what they’ve done, and it will be years to recoup.”
The island also wasn’t without
Hurricane Resources for Sarasota Families
As our community begins to rebuild following the devastation of hurricanes Helene and Milton, it is important to extend grace to our neighbors, help each other and provide support. We are resilient and we are determined to come back even stronger.
storm surge. On Oct. 11, flooding was visible at some locations on Gulf of Mexico Drive.
The impacts of the tree and landscape damage were significant for Longboat Island Chapel, one of the island’s first buildings.
Senior Pastor Brock Patterson noted there was little damage to the structure itself.
“We have some roof damage, but no leaks. Otherwise, everything is as we left it, after Helene,” he said.
Nonetheless, the church’s garden saw significant damage, with fallen trees blocking the path and the loss of a “massive” banyan tree that Patterson said might be the largest tree in the garden. He said the damage to the property, overall, was below what was expected.
“I was expecting terrible,” he said. “We all were because Helene was so disastrous ... We’re very, very, very pleased. We are blessed. God has taken care of all of us for sure. So this is the answer to a lot of prayers.”
Although hurricane season isn’t over, Drake noted the storm is the type of event found once in 100 years.
“It seems as though we’re sort of in a biblical time right now, but still, paradise to us always has been nice,” he said. “And the good thing about Longboat is we all band together during these times and come together and rebuild together and look out for each other.”
Services available for Sarasota residents:
Ways to apply for FEMA Individual Assistance:
DisasterAssistance.gov
Download the FEMA App
Call 1-800-621-3362
For more recovery resources & info, visit FloridaDisaster.org/Updates
It’s Time to Give Your MEDICARE COVERAGE A CHECKUP
To help people with Medicare make informed decisions for the coming year, Sarasota Memorial offers this information about Medicare Open Enrollment, now taking place through December 7.
This year, Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period runs from October 15 through December 7.
During this time, Medicare recipients can make changes to their health and prescription drug coverage, including:
returning to Original Medicare (also known as Traditional Medicare)
joining a Medicare Advantage Plan or switching from one plan to another
joining or changing prescription drug plans
Health and prescription drug plans can change from year to year, so it’s important to review your coverage during Open Enrollment to ensure it meets your needs. Any changes made during Open Enrollment will go into effect on January 1, 2025.
ORIGINAL MEDICARE (“Traditional”)
Sarasota Memorial and First Physicians Group (FPG) always accepts all Original Medicare and Medicare/Medigap Traditional supplemental plans.
If you have already made your Medicare selections for the coming year, you can make additional changes through December 7, 2024.
Give responders high-fives
People, get a grip. Two hurricanes —
Helene, a Cat 4 at landfall, and Milton, a Cat 3 at landfall — brought horrific catastrophes smack dab onto Sarasota and Manatee counties.
Sarasota was ground zero for Milton, starting at south Siesta Key, the first time in 103 years that the eye of a hurricane roared through the neighborhoods of Sarasota County.
Let’s emphasize “catastrophe,” which, by definition is “a violent, destructive natural event.”
And consider this: When Ian made landfall in Lee County in 2022 as a Cat 4, horrible as it was, it was one event — wind and surge at once. But for us, we had two — back to back, a double whammy — in a matter of 10 days. Plus Debby. Three storms in 70 days.
Just after Helene’s four- to sixfoot storm surges flowed through the thousands of homes, condos, resorts and businesses on the barrier islands and parts of the mainland, and just as Helene’s victims were coming out of the shock of her destruction — ka-blooey! Milton rose to a Cat 5 in the Gulf of Mexico, headed straight for us. It made everyone shudder. “This is it.”
Alarmed at what might be, state,
county and city officials pulled off the largest evacuation in Sarasota County’s history.
Thankfully, Milton wasn’t the Cat 5 or the 15-foot surges that had all of us thinking there would be nothing left. But even after slowing to a Cat 3 at 120 mph at landfall, Milton delivered disaster different from Helene — the force of his winds.
Milton has been gone a week, but take in the post-storm perspective. It could have been far worse.
But even at that, Sarasota County Administrator Jonathan Lewis said Saturday, Oct. 12: “Milton’s impact was from Englewood to the airport, from Siesta Key to Myakka Valley Ranches. Everyone has been impacted by this storm.” Everyone.
For Sarasota County, that’s 464,223 full-time residents; in Manatee, that’s 439,566 residents — 903,789 people over 1,200 square miles.
That’s nearly a million people returning to their homes to the remnants of Mother Nature’s vicious violence. Half of that number — 512,630 — were homes, condos, apartments, hotels, businesses, you name it, that had no power. Water was shut off to all of the barrier islands as a precaution. That was 7,000 customers for the
Recommendations explained and local tax ballot questions
Those of you who have slogged through the many long diatribes on this page surely are familiar by now with the predictable slant at election time.
On candidates, with one exception, the choice for decades has been the party line — Republican. The exception is and has been one of our local candidates — Democrat Barbara Ford-Coates, Sarasota County’s longtime tax collector. The tax collector is not a job for partisanship. To her credit, FordCoates has never tried to be an outspoken partisan political figure. Her job has been about competence, serving all citizens of Sarasota County efficiently and fairly. Except for her, we have sided with Republicans largely out of hope. It’s certainly not out of devotion to the Republican Party. In fact, we’re not registered a Republican. We signed up years ago with the Constitution Party, so disheartened after Republicans ignored the Tea Party’s attempts to reign in spending. Fact is, at the national level, there is little to no difference between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to spending and injecting the federal government into every aspect of our lives.
It’s a little better at the state level.
Thank goodness, Florida’s Republican-dominated Legislature over the past 30 years has been loathe to raise taxes. In addition, the state constitution forces the Legislature to balance the budget each year and forbids a state income tax. But Florida’s Republican legislators
are also like the vast majority of lawmakers — eager to keep adding more and more laws and subsidizing favored special interests.
So if you’re inclined to favor the Founders’ vision of a limited government, individual liberty and laissez-faire capitalism, as we do, your choices are few to none.
Then what do you do? One choice would be to abstain on principle from voting for either candidate from the major political parties and accept what you get.
Or, carry the hope that the candidates who profess to be closest to your politico-philosophical principles will be true.
And that explains our recommendations. Not that we fully endorse each candidate, but we do so because Republicans profess to be for less government and regulation and greater capitalism than do Democrats. Never give up hope.
Herewith, comments on a few ballot items and questions:
Court justices, judges
Voting to retain sitting state Supreme Court justices and appeal judges is always confusing for Floridians. The vast majority of Floridians has no idea who these justices and judges are and doesn’t know whether they should be retained or bumped from the bench.
For the most part, the lack of knowledge about the judges doesn’t matter much. It’s extraordinarily rare for a Florida justice not to be retained. He or she would have to demonstrate being unfit for the
OBSERVER RECOMMENDATIONS
FEDERAL OFFICES
President — Donald Trump
U.S. Senator — Rick Scott
U.S. Congress, District 16 — Vern Buchanan
U.S. Congress, District 17 — Greg Steube
STATE OFFICES
Representative, District 71 — Will Robinson
Representative, District 72 — William “Bill” Conerly
Second District Court of Appeal — Anthony Black, Edward C. LaRose, Susan H. RothsteinYouakim. Yes
CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENTS
Amendment 1: Partisan school
board elections — Yes
Amendment 2: Right to fish and hunt — Yes
Amendment 3: Adult personal use of marijuana — No
Amendment 4: Limit government interference with abortion — No
Amendment 5: Annual adjustments to the value of certain homestead exemptions — No
Amendment 6: Repeal of public campaign financing — Yes
MANATEE COUNTY
Supervisor of Elections — Scott Farrington
County Commission, District 1 — Carol Ann Felts
County Commission, District 3 — Tal Siddique
County Commission, District 7 At-Large — George Kruse
MANATEE REFERENDA
■ Continue school ad valorem
tax: Continue 1-mill ad valorem
tax from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2029; June for school
safety and security; recruiting and
FPL RECOVERY
As of Oct. 15
Manatee
Affected
Source: FPL
city of Sarasota and nearly 10,000 on Longboat Key. The devastation was monumental from the combined storms.
But this was also monumental: The first responders — the immediate deployment of thousands of employees from Sarasota and Manatee counties; the cities of Sarasota, Bradenton, Longboat Key, Venice, North Port, Holmes Beach, Palmetto; and from the state. Plus, the thousands of power utility repair experts from all over the country and Canada.
Say what you will; be cynical; be a jerk. Complain about how the debris didn’t get picked up after Helene and before Milton.
But get a grip. Put yourselves in the shoes of the city and county government employees working 24-7 up to and after the storms. Think of the logistics; the challenges of prioritizing what needs
ELECTION ’24
office, which would trigger an investigation from the state Judicial Qualifications Commission. Or, if enough voters disapproved of his or her opinions they could vote not to retain that judge.
Typical votes since 2000 show must justices and judges receiving more than 64% of the votes to be retained. The only justice to receive less than 60% of the votes was Justice Charles Labarga in 2010 — 59%. He went to serve two terms as Florida’s chief justice.
Suffice it to say, the slate of judges on the ballot this year deserve to be retained.
School referenda
Voters in Manatee and Sarasota counties are being asked to extend a four-year, 1-mill property tax that has become widely accepted among the two counties’ electorates.
Dissatisfied with the support for public schools from the state, Sarasota County voters approved the 1-mill tax in 2002 with 63% of voters in favor. In three elections since then, 78% of Sarasota County voters have overwhelmingly renewed the tax, and it continues to have widespread support, including the county’s many business organizations.
In Manatee, after decades of seeing their schools struggle in performance ratings, voters approved the 1-mill tax in 2018 —albeit by a margin of 51.3% in favor. Three years later, voters extended the tax with a margin of 69.3% to 30.2%. The investment is paying off. After ranking 41st out of 67 districts and hovering with C’s and low B’s
retaining teachers and staff; student achievement through more instructional time and supports; early literacy programs; career and technical education; STEM, visual and performing arts, athletics; and public charter schools; with oversight by an independent citizen committee to ensure proper use of funds. Yes
■ Tourist development tax: Shall Manatee County Ordinance No. 24-49 be approved authorizing Manatee County to levy an additional 1% Tourist Development Tax from all short-term rentals of all lodging or accommodations to provide additional revenue to fund the improvements and operation of the county’s convention center, sports stadiums, aquariums, beaches, for the promotion of tourism and all other permissible uses as described under the county’s tourist development plan? Yes
SARASOTA COUNTY
Tax Collector — Barbara FordCoates
Charter Review Board, District
fixing first; of finding missing people, of rescuing the sick, injured or trapped; keeping citizens from being electrocuted; feeding and housing thousands of first responders; getting water and fuel where it’s needed. Think of doing all that and much more with staffs that — by no one’s fault — are far fewer in number than what the size and scope of the disasters call for. Indeed, if you encounter a first responder, find out how much sleep he or she has had in the past week and keep that in perspective.
Fact is, all things considered, our first responders have done a remarkable, terrific job in the week since Milton to bring back power and water and begin the cleanup.
Rich Collins, Sarasota County director of emergency services, estimates there is 2 million cubic yards of debris spread across the county. Crews are picking 5,000 cubic yards a day. “Our goal is to have 90% of it picked up in 90 days,” he said.
We all need to keep perspective — and patience. If you see a first responder from FPL or a utility, or from your city, county or the state, give that person a high-five — a high-five of appreciation and gratitude.
up to 2016 in Florida’s state rankings, the district’s scores have risen steadily. In the 2022-23 and 202324 school years, the district finished one and two points shy of becoming an A-rated district. It ranked 25th.
In addition, last year the Manatee district had 24 A-rated schools, the highest number since 2012.
Support for extending the tax and the district’s progress continues to grow. Advocating for its passage are the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corp., Bishop Parker Foundation, Gulf Coast Builders Exchange, Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance, Manatee Chamber of Commerce and Manatee Community Foundation.
Manatee tourist tax
If you’re going to tax someone, tax a tourist. As Florida economist Hank Fishkind once told us, tourists pay 20% of Florida’s tax collections.
The Manatee Visitors and Convention Bureau wants to tax them just a bit more — a new 1% tax on hotel rooms and short-term rentals. That would raise the tourist tax to 6%, making it the same as Sarasota County’s. Manatee would become the 12th Florida county with a 6% tourist tax; the other 11 are all of the major metro and tourist areas, except for Monroe (the Keys).
Mind you, this is not a new tax that would affect full-time residents.
The $7.8 million expected to be raised each year would go toward improvements and operation of the county’s convention center, sports stadiums, Bishop Museum, Mote Marine, beach maintenance and tourism promotion. — Matt Walsh
1 — Jay Riley
Charter Review Board, District 3 — Tom DeSane
Charter Review Board, District 4
— Greg “Tex” Bukowski
Charter Review Board, District 5
— Jose Jimenez
Hospital Board, At-Large Seat 1
— Sharon Wetzler DePeters
Hospital Board, At-Large Seat 2
— Kevin Cooper
Hospital Board, At-Large Seat 3
— Pam Beitlich
Hospital Board, Central District Seat 1 — Sarah Lodge
SARASOTA COUNTY REFERENDUM
■ Continue school ad valorem
tax: Continue the 1 mill per year ad valorem millage … beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2030; and sharing funds with charter schools proportionate with student enrollment, with oversight of all funds by an independent committee of citizens? Yes
Next week: Sarasota City Commission.
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What’s next for Longboat Key?
Two hurricanes in two weeks. One brought a devastating storm surge, another’s winds added to the destruction. Longboat Key officials weigh in on what recovery will look like in the coming months.
CARTER WEINHOFER
STAFF WRITER
In the days following Hurricane Milton, it felt like Longboat Key had a chance to catch its breath. Residents slowly started trickling onto the island once the water and power were restored. The Key looked a little more damaged than when residents evacuated — an evacuation that happened just about a week after Hurricane Helene blew past the island leaving a wake of 3-4 feet of storm surge and sand piled everywhere.
Town Manager Howard Tipton said thanks to Florida Power & Light’s “heroic effort” to restore the island’s power, the water systems could operate again, and the town could get on track to normal recovery operations.
After two major hurricanes flooded Longboat Key homes and threw debris around the island, it was time to start what officials expect to be a long recovery process.
LEARNING EXPERIENCES
Sitting in the Sarasota County Emergency Operations Center, Tipton and Fire Rescue Chief Paul Dezzi watched Hurricane Milton’s track aiming for Longboat Key.
“I felt confident that we did what we needed to do as far as the plans are concerned,” Dezzi said. “But knowing that you’re getting a direct hit from a hurricane, are you ever prepared?”
A last-minute breakup of the storm, plus a small shift south, saved Longboat Key from what could have been catastrophic impacts, both Tipton and Dezzi said. But Dezzi
said he and the Longboat crew were as ready as they could be.
“Sure, it’s stressful. But when you have a good working team, we’re ready to work. And that’s what we were doing,” Dezzi said. “Having the right people in the right spots was important.”
Throughout the experience of Hurricane Milton, Dezzi said his mind was focused on the estimated 150 people who chose to stay on the island.
“That was on my mind the whole time,” Dezzi said.
The Longboat team at the EOC kept a whiteboard with addresses of people confirmed to have stayed, and Dezzi said his top priority was checking on those people after the storm passed. Luckily, no deaths or serious injuries were reported.
When town officials heard from the first-in team about damage from Hurricane Milton, it was a pleasant surprise the island wasn’t damaged as much as expected.
The first-in team reported after Hurricane Milton that there was flooding and increased debris, but the damage was much less than what was expected with a possible direct hit.
Tipton noted that throughout the island, newer buildings, and those built higher up, seemed to fare better. This observation reinforces the trend of elevating homes and building them to new state standards, according to Tipton.
“If you’re going to live on a barrier island, it’s just those higher standards, literally and figuratively,” Tipton said.
Along with personal property, Tipton said the town can look at the effects of these storms to reimagine the island’s resiliency. This includes evaluating the lower-lying roads for new designs and thinking about new stormwater methods to adapt to the increased frequency and intensity of storms, Tipton said.
These are things the town will look at as a part of the recovery process moving forward from Hurricanes
Helene and Milton and adapting for future storms.
After handling emergency operations for major storms, Dezzi said there’s always a learning process involved in recovery. Over the next few weeks, this will mean checking in with department heads to receive feedback on what processes could be improved for the next event.
LEANING ON COMMUNITY
Tipton said that through a wider lens, it’s really been a long 24 months.
Hurricane Ian, which hit Florida in September 2022, also affected Longboat Key. Then, in 2023, Hurricane Idalia caused some flooding throughout the island. Now, in a two-week period, Hurricanes Helene and Milton shook Longboat Key. Aside from normal recovery operations from a town perspective, handling events like these hurricanes can be tiring.
“There’s a fatigue factor that sets in,” Tipton said. “When you get back-to-back gut punches, it’s complicated, but it’s tiring. It’s exhausting. And I think that’s going to be a piece of this as well.”
The recovery process after major storm events can be challenging,
both Tipton and Dezzi said. From a technical perspective, it can be tricky when filing claims with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, through which storms need to be documented separately. Recovery for the town also means working with residents and FEMA, helping the two work together.
The recovery phase will be a long process. Dezzi said it could be a couple of years until Longboat Key is fully back to normal.
“It’s a slow process. This is not something that’s going to happen overnight. We have to have patience,” Dezzi said.
It’s times like these that communities can come together — something that Dezzi said he saw in local churches’ eagerness to open comfort stations to the public after Hurricane Helene.
Tipton said, moving forward, it’s important for people to give themselves time to process everything and check in on others. While things can seem overwhelming now, Tipton is confident that the Longboat Key community will persevere.
“Living on Longboat is a special experience,” Tipton said. “And it will be again. We’ll get there.”
Carter Weinhofer
Town Manager Howard Tipton assesses heavily damaged beachfront houses along Gulfside Road.
Ian Swaby
Flooding is visible at Outrigger Resort on Oct. 11.
Helene, Milton were too much for a vintage Florida cottage
The owners of a 1954 cinder-block, pecky Cypress cottage are crushed. It appears they’ll be unable to preserve the home.
WALSH CEO
Hurricanes don’t care about historic preservation. Nestled in the shadows of a 10-year-old, threestory, 4,750-square-foot Gulf-front home, less than a 40-yard walk to the beach, is a 1954 cinder block cottage that looks like a Florida time warp.
The street: Whittier Drive on the southern tip of North Lido Key Park. Fact is, few people know the street exists, which may explain why this historic Florida cottage has with -
stood the test of hurricanes for 50 years and the test of redevelopment the past two decades.
But its days look to be over.
At least that’s the assessment of its owners Deb Mackiewicz and her husband, Ed Mackiewicz.
“I don’t think we can save it,”
Deb Mackiewicz said Friday as she escorted a tour through the classic Florida beach cottage. She and her husband call the home the Flamingo home — named that because of pink flamingo paintings that have been on the walls through previous owners. The parking sign in the driveway
says, “Flamingo parking only. Violators will turn pink.”
Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t care about the Flamingo’s charm. They did more damage penetrating the wood and cinder block home than it could withstand and more than all the previous storms over the previous seven decades.
“The appliances are fried,” Mackiewicz said. The HVAC system — fried. Helene’s flood waters rushed into the house through the screenedin porch and front and back doors. Milton’s winds damaged the home’s classic jalousie windows.
It pains Mackiewicz to think of the home going away and becoming the site of yet another towering mansion that is spreading across Lido Key like kudzu.
Mackiewicz and her husband bought the Flamingo and the 1963era cottage next door five years ago precisely to keep them alive as vintage Florida vacation homes.
Since then, they have been careful to rent the homes to the same families again and again. “These aren’t party homes,” Mackiewicz said, taking a break from hauling soaked Tiki hut wood from the back to the curb.
As she walked through the Flamingo, Mackiewicz pointed out the original (now mud-covered) terrazzo floors; the pristinely preserved pecky Cypress wood cabinets and walls throughout; the vintage windows; and, of course, the two bathrooms — one with original bright yellow tile, the other pink tile.
It was a walk back in time.
As the Mackiewiczes assessed the damage to the Flamingo, the cost of repairs began adding up quickly to being more than insurance would cover.
Next door, the Pelican, a fourbedroom, three-bath cottage, may have a better fate. It sits higher than the Flamingo and didn’t have near the water damage that the Flamingo did. Its HVAC system went undamaged. Can it be preserved? “We’re hopeful,” Mackiewicz said.
Deb Mackiewicz and her husband, Ed, call their home the Flamingo home — named that because of pink flamingo paintings that have been on the walls through previous owners.
MATT
Deb Mackiewicz and her husband are distressed over whether they’ll be able to save their vintage 1954 cottage on Lido Key.
Staff photos
The Flamingo house: Built in 1954, it has original pecky Cypress wood cabinets and walls and terrazzo floors.
Violators beware.
Friends and Neighbors,
The storms we have endured in the past number of weeks have been devastating, and their effects will be felt throughout our community for a long time. Recently, we’ve heard from many friends and past clients who have been seriously affected and are uncertain about their immediate next steps.
Historically, our Seaward Companies have focused primarily on new construction— both residential and commercial—as well as consulting services. However, in light of the many inquiries we’ve received, we are now prepared to extend our services to those in our community who have been most impacted by the storm. We are ready to meet with property owners to discuss the best options moving forward.
Our Seaward team members are here to assist our clients and friends with all of your needs at this time.
•
Substantial Home Remodeling
Let us assist you with a full scope of services including initial assessment, engineering, selective demolition, and through the execution of your property restoration.
• New Home Construction
Let our team guide you from architect selection and home design through vertical construction on a new or replacement elevated home with enhanced hurricane resistance safety features.
• Sale of your Property
For owners who desire to sell their property at this time and forego a construction project, we may be able to assist by purchasing your property. Alternatively, we can also connect you with one of our island team members from our real estate division at The DiPinto Group at Coldwell Banker to accommodate your real estate needs.
We at Seaward Companies are happy to meet with you to discuss all options that you may be considering at this time. We understand over the past two weeks that these storms have affected everyone differently and there is no “one size fits all” solution. What we can do now, is provide you with as much information as possible regarding your property options, from local and trusted professionals in our marketplace. With this important information you will be in the position to make the best decision for you and your family moving forward.
Best regards.
Patrick DiPinto Seaward Homes and Seaward Consulting
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Luke Schaufuss in Johan Kobborg’s Napoli Act III | Photo by Frank Atura
Jessica Lang’s World Premiere
Ricardo Graziano’s Amorosa
Johan Kobborg’s Napoli Act III
CATCHING SOME RAYS: Jax sunbathes next to his pool on Longboat Key.
TUESDAY, OCT. 8
COLLECTING COCONUTS
10:53 a.m., 6300 block of Laguna Drive
Suspicious Person: An officer responded to a suspicious person report. The complainant said she saw three young adults walking in the area suspiciously, appearing to be “casing” houses to loot. She also said she saw a white van driving behind the young adults. The officer canvassed the area and found the young adults, who were walking down the sidewalk carrying coconuts. The group turned out to be the same group of liveaboard young adults the same officer spoke with a day earlier. The officer again advised them about evacuating, but they continued to refuse. No criminal activity was observed, though.
FRIDAY, OCT. 4
RUDE REMARKS
9 a.m., 3700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Disturbance: An officer responded to an emergency call about a verbal dispute. At the scene, the officer met with the complainant, who said she was walking on the beach and saw a man removing the chairs from the beach. According to her, when she thanked the man, he responded rudely. Then, the man fell to the ground and the complainant asked if he was OK, to which he uttered another rude response. A bystander at the scene also spoke with the officer and said the man was well known in the community for his behavior. All responding officers canvassed the area for the man but came up empty. No crime was committed, so no investigation was required.
FISHERMEN CHECK OUT
10:59 p.m., 7300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Suspicious Person: A caller reported a suspicious person fishing from a boat. When officers arrived at the location, they saw fishermen legally fishing from a boat. The officers then advised the complainant that no illegal activities were going on.
SATURDAY, OCT. 5
WATER APPROACHING
1:26 p.m., 6500 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Officer Public Service: An officer responded to a citizen assist call regarding flooding near Gulfside Road. Due to the flooding, the officer advised the caller that police response would be delayed. She said water was starting to reach her backyard, but that she did not require any emergency services.
SUNDAY, OCT. 6
PROFANITY PROBLEMS
5:07 p.m., 600 block of Dream Island Road
Civil Disturbance: Officers were dispatched to respond to a verbal argument between two men, possibly between the caller and other men in a tow truck that was towing a boat. Dispatch also said the people in the truck might have been dumpster diving. Upon arrival at the scene, the caller was no longer on the phone with dispatch and did not want to meet, but the officers located the truck in question. The two men said they lived at the nearby address and someone passing by started yelling profanities at them and said he was calling the police. No further incident was observed by the officers, and the case was closed.
MONDAY, OCT. 7
RIDING OUT THE STORM
2:11 p.m., 700 block of Hideaway Bay Lane
Welfare Check: A resident called to ask an officer to check on four young adults who were living on sailboats in a nearby canal. When the officer met the caller at the scene, she said she was concerned about the four liveaboards because of Hurricane Milton. The officer then met with the four young sailors, who said they were going to ride out the storm and understood the consequences of staying during a mandatory evacuation. Further, they said they had enough food and water on the boats and were fine on the boats. Though the officer tried to persuade them to go to safety on the mainland, the four continued to insist they were fine to stay.
ELECTRICAL ASSISTANCE
4:23 p.m., 500 block of Linley Street
Officer Public Service: An officer responded to a resident’s call for help turning off a breaker at her residence. While en route to the home, the officer spoke with the resident over the phone and she gave the officer verbal permission to enter her house and turn off the breaker, which the officer did when he arrived at the house.
TUESDAY, OCT. 8
FORGOT TO LOCK UP
3:20 a.m., 6000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Officer Public Service: Dispatch sent a Longboat Key officer to a residence after the homeowner called for some assistance from afar. The homeowner asked if an officer could double-check that the deadbolt to his condo was locked. When the officer arrived at the scene, the homeowner directed the officer via a phone call where the spare set of keys was, and the officer locked the deadbolt for him.
DANGEROUS MANHOLE
5:52 a.m., 3200 block of Bayou Road
Officer Public Service: A resident called for police assistance after she reported a nearby manhole was uncovered. At the scene, the caller said she contacted Public Works and Comcast for the past five days about the manhole, but no one had responded. On top of that, she said her dog almost fell inside the hole earlier that day. The officer placed the cover over the manhole.
HURRICANE FATIGUE
PETRA RIVERA STAFF WRITER
o-owner of Lazy Lobster
Michael Garey has been the eyes and ears of the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key during the 2024 hurricane season.
As he drove down Gulf of Mexico Drive after Hurricane Milton, he noted many piles of landscape debris as he passed. Trees and branches were scattered across the sidewalks, lawns and golf courses on both gulf and bay sides, and the sand piles have grown taller than Hurricane Helene had left them just two weeks’ prior.
The most interesting thing Garey noticed was how the piles of people’s belongings on the side of the road had stayed put and multiplied.
“It seems that Milton left us with more landscape debris,” said Garey. “Helene was more of water and wind storm, while Milton was all about the wind. I cannot believe how many trees and branches and parts of our beautiful landscape are all over the place.”
Many people noticed the same thing as they drove back to their homes after Hurricane Milton on Oct. 11 and 12.
Some Longboaters chose to drop in to assess the damage and then head back to their hotels for the rest of the weekend. Some decided to wait it out until the power and water came back to the island.
As they wait patiently for updates from the town, they all have the same feeling: exhaustion or, as Country Club Shores resident Tammy Sachs called it, “hurricane fatigue.”
With the prediction of a hectic
Residents are relieved that Hurricane Milton hit south of Longboat Key but are worried about how this season on the island will look.
hurricane season, Sachs’ husband, Chris, was surprised the big storms hit in the second half of the season. Tammy, a Florida native, said she has never seen a hurricane season like this. The two were devastated when they had to pick up twice to evacuate.
With the hopes of moving back to her condominium in Seaplace, June Hessel headed back Friday to check out the island. It was frustrating for her to head back to the mainland for the rest of the weekend while they waited for water and power to return.
“We are very grateful that we had less surge because that is really what destroyed the homes of so many during Helene,” said Hessel. “We were just so sad and worried about what we were going to come back to, but thankfully, it wasn’t as bad as we thought. But Longboat isn’t going to be the same for a while now.”
As resident Austin Scherer went to Lido Key on Friday, he echoed everyone else’s thoughts and was in shock at the mess of debris and people’s belongings around the Key and St. Armands Circle. He said it is going to be a long road to return it to paradise.
As we enter mid-October, Longboaters can’t help but wonder what this snowbird season will look like.
Longboat Harbour resident Kar-
WORSHIP directory
en Pashkow said she evacuated to Sarasota in high anxiety because of the impact expected of Milton. Her anxiety wasn’t severed when her hotel lost power for two days.
While updating her snowbird friends up north, she heard many have decided to postpone their flights to come back to Longboat while they wait for it to return to normal.
Even with the season expected to look different this year, Longboaters still wear their positive attitudes proudly as they go back to the island.
“We do have a hashtag, which is #LongboatKeyStrong,” said Chris Sachs. “There’s a lot of resilience.
This is a great community effort with everybody pitching in, especially with communication. People have been really supportive of each other. We have a text chain in our neighborhood, which almost turned into kind of like a support group, and it was really positive.”
Courtesy image
A personal watercraft washed up to a home near St. Armands Circle along with trees and other debris after Hurricane Milton.
Hurricane Milton’s strong winds added many downed trees to the debris that was left behind by Hurricane Helene.
Image courtesy of Matthew Ballew
Carter Weinhofer
The sign at The Centre Shops leans from Hurricane Milton’s winds.
YOUR NEIGHBORS
PICKING UP THE PIECES
Helene and Milton battered the Old Salty Dog and New Pass Grill & Bait Shop. But they plan to come back — yet again.
MATT WALSH CEO
They are beloved restaurant institutions — the New Pass Grill & Bait Shop and the Old Salty Dog on City Island. They take you back to Florida’s bygone era — laid back, where you hang out in your trunks, coverups and flip-flops and enjoy the casual cuisine and unpretentious friendliness of the staffs.
And you do all that while breathing in the sea air and looking out at Sarasota Bay almost lapping at your feet. Take your pick. They’re almost a stone’s throw from each other on New Pass.
But how they fared after Hurricanes Helene and Milton are remarkably different.
Both restaurants sit 10 feet above sea level, but with the Old Salty Dog situated farther east from the New Pass Bridge, it was more exposed to the open waters and crashing waves.
The New Pass Grill & Bait Shop, meanwhile, is almost tucked in a corner near the bridge. And that made a difference.
Location, location, location.
“Helene was nothing,” Ashley Gauthier, the Grill & Bait Shop’s grill manager, said Friday as she and six others picked up debris and stacked scattered dock boards into piles. “We made out like a champ. We didn’t lose anything inside.”
The outside was another story. A deck atop a concrete slab on the water’s edge was uprooted and tossed. A roof covering for the deck now sits on the ground next to the shop. Looking at the place from the water or from the road Saturday morning, it took on the appearance of a salvage yard you’d see on a county road in Apopka.
Despite Helene and Milton being the ninth and 10th hurricanes to batter the 42-year-old Grill & Bait Shop, Gauthier said the owners plan to rebuild and keep going.
“Absolutely we are reopening and rebuilding,” Gauthier said Saturday.
“Ten times better!”
For the Old Salty Dog, Helene and Milton appeared to be more brutal — on the inside and outside.
Friday afternoon, Amy Blair, general manager of the Salty Dog for the past 32 years, sat on the restaurant’s concrete foundation with fellow manager, Josh Shear, and her daughter, Emma Blair, taking in the latest sights of the damage.
“It’s not totaled,” Blair said. “The building and the roof are OK.”
But that’s about it.
Helene flooded the 40-year-old restaurant with four feet of water and destroyed all of the kitchen equipment. Over the next 10 days, the restaurant had new wiring, a new computer system and all new restaurant equipment installed. And just when it was about to reopen, Milton showed up on the radar screen.
On Oct. 8 and 9, Blair and her team disconnected all of the new kitchen equipment and hauled it to safety. They battened the shutters around all of the restaurant’s open-air views to Sarasota Bay and hoped for the best. They didn’t get it.
The force of Milton’s winds and the waves bashed through the shutters. The water from the crashing waves was so high, the restaurant’s water bowls for dogs, on a shelf about 10 feet high, were full of water Thursday after the storm.
The restaurant’s outdoor, plastic chairs, stacked up against the kitchen wall before the storm, were scattered in a bramble of mangroves 100 and 150 yards to the south across Ken Thompson Parkway.
Blair walked along the mangroves Saturday morning, pulling orange plastic chairs out of the muck.
Half of the Old Salty Dog’s famous bar — an old wooden racing boat given to the restaurant by Gene Whipp, Marine Max’s original owner next door, was blown to the Mote Marine Education Center to the southwest.
As Blair surveyed the devastation inside the restaurant Friday, an air of exhaustion hovering over her, she said, “It’s heartbreaking — all the memories we have here.”
But like the New Pass Grill & Bait Shop, Blair said the Old Salty Dog isn’t giving up.
Staff photos Crashing waves filled the dogs’ water bowls high up on the shelf.
The view of the Grill & Bait Shop from Ken Thompson Parkway.
Friday’s cleanup crew at the New Pass Grill & Bait Shop: from left, Chelsey Clements, Emily Ford, William Thompson, Matt Dandy, Lucas Gauthier, Ashley Gauthier and Rhoda Tanui.
Back for a second time in 10 days to assess the damage to the Old Salty Dog were daughter Emma Blair, Manager Josh Shear, General Manager Amy Blair and Bill Blair.
Not canceled: Events to look forward to on LBK
Community centers and organizations assess how to approach the 2024-2025 season on Longboat Key after two hurricanes.
PETRA RIVERA STAFF WRITER
With two hurricanes back to back, many residents, business owners and leaders have expressed the time it will take to get the island back to normal. This doesn’t stop the season from being just around the corner. Here are a few events to look forward to after weeks of uncertainty and destruction of our paradise.
5
lowship and unity on the island with a dinner and service the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.
These churches include All Angels By the Sea Episcopal Church, Christ Church of Longboat Key, Longboat Island Chapel, St. Armands Key Lutheran Church, St. Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church and Temple Beth Israel. The service plans to provide financial support to All Faiths Food Bank.
The Rev. Julia Piermont will finish her first year on the island as the preacher at this year’s Interfaith Thanksgiving Service.
LIGHT UP LONGBOAT
Nov. 29 at the Town Center Green, 600 Bay Isles Road
Tis the holidays as November arrives. The Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce hosts this free tree-lighting event every year with holiday music, raffles, food and a special guest, Santa Claus. You can also learn about multiple local nonprofits and how to get involved in the community.
EINSTEIN’S COMPASS: A STAGED PLAY READING
2-3:45 p.m. on Jan. 19 at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road
Learn about the life of the man who revolutionized science at the beginning of the 20th century, Albert Einstein, in a staged-play reading at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel. Watch the Temple’s very own Rabbi Stephen Sniderman read the leading role of Einstein as they take you through the struggles and discoveries he had, starting when he was a child. The play will dive into the opposition Einstein faced and the way that Germany’s antiSemitism transformed his view of his Jewish heritage. A lively audience discussion will follow.
SAVOR THE SOUNDS
January, February and March at the Town Center Green, 600 Bay Isles Road
Local bands play every year on Longboat Key for everyone’s favorite outdoor concert series on the island.
Longboaters can enjoy the Florida winter air with a picnic at this event and enjoy music that will bring through your favorite decades and modern hits. Last year, the lineup included Kettle of Fish, SoulRcoaster and Yesterdayze. The three bands brought a variety of tunes from genres such as reggae, Motown, blues, jazz, disco, country and soul.
WESTCOAST BLACK THEATRE
TROUPE PERFORMANCE
7:30-8:30 p.m. March 9 at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road
Sarasota’s own Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe will perform its original musical “Soul Man,” which celebrates the music from the late 1960s, at Temple Beth Israel. It touches on how black music evolved during the Civil Rights movement through powerful soloists such as James Brown, Otis Redding, Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke. Program Manager Susan Goldfarb said it is one of the most attended programs of the year.
Courtesy image
Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe will perform its original musical “Soul Man,” which celebrates the music from the late 1960s, at Temple Beth Israel.
File photo
Dr. Jack Rozance and Nancy “Santa” Rozance at Light up Longboat.
Medicare: Demystifying the Eligibility and Enrollment Process
Navigating the complexities of Medicare can be daunting, and factors such as age, employment status, healthcare needs, and financial status can influence your choices. Making the right decision requires careful planning - which is why JL Bainbridge wants to keep you informed.
match potential Medicare plans with their clients’ specific needs. These tools, combined with the advisors’ experience, provide clients a clearer understanding of which plans might be best suited for their unique healthcare and financial situations.
JL Bainbridge offers a free financial review, which includes a comprehensive exploration of twelve key areas of financial planning.
A crucial part of that review is a Medicare briefing, which explains how Medicare fits into a larger financial strategy. As fiduciaries, JL Bainbridge advisors are required by the SEC to prioritize their clients’ best interest, ensuring that their advice is intended to align with their client’s long-term goals. By integrating Medicare into overall retirement planning, they help clients avoid the potential financial pitfalls of poor Medicare choices, including the potential penalties from late enrollment.
Lawn Party postponed until early 2025
Organizations understand what damaged restaurants have to face and say it would be inappropriate to ask for help with annual fundraisers.
fter the surge of Hurricane Helene hit businesses hard, the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key decided to postpone its annual fundraiser, the Lawn Party, to February or March of 2025.
Usually hosted in December, the Lawn Party is the Kiwanis Club’s biggest event of the year. It gathers prominent restaurants, such as Cafe L’Europe, Harry’s Continental Kitchens, Columbia and Lazy Lobster, to provide samplings of their favorite menu items at Ken Thompson Park.
For more than 30 years, Longboaters have brought trays to hit all booths for the elite tastings of the area. All funds go to the Children’s Guardian Fund. Last year, it raised $102,150 from its raffle sales, sponsors and ticket sales combined.
After Helene and Milton, the event’s biggest sponsors received major damage, and most are closed indefinitely to reconstruct and assess how to move forward. Cafe L’Europe received about six feet of water in flooding in Helene. Harry’s Continental Kitchen received flooding in all of its buildings from Helene and damage to its roof from Milton.
Kiwanis Club President Chris Sachs said after seeing this damage, they felt the restaurants needed time to recover before they could think of sponsoring an event coming up soon.
event is perfect to sample Longboat Key’s prominent restaurants while mingling and dancing with your neighbors.
John B. Leeming, CFP® and president of JL Bainbridge, recently shared his own experience with the Medicare enrollment process, emphasizing that Medicare is an essential aspect of financial planning. “Many people underestimate the impact their Medicare choices can have on their retirement,” he said. “Without proper planning, medical expenses can quickly drain retirement savings. And that doesn’t even include the significant permanent annual financial penalties that can come from late enrollment.”
Head of Financial Planning and Analytics at JL Bainbridge, Ryan Thompson, CPA, stresses that every decision can shape the future of your healthcare and financial security. Will you need prescription drug coverage? Do you plan to travel, or live in multiple states? Will you require supplemental coverage? The answers to these questions can significantly affect the quality of your retirement years. With such an individualized process, it’s important to rely on expert advice. At JL Bainbridge, financial advisors utilize powerful software tools to
Your future is worth a conversation. Join JL Bainbridge at one of our upcoming free seminars. Take the time to plan and make informed decisions today, so you can have peace of mind during your retirement years.
“Having done this already for so many years, we already have most of it planned,” said Sachs. “It is really the yearly logistics, such as confirming with the restaurants and the location, which would happen in September. But that is when the hurricanes started, so that is why we decided to pull the plug now and postpone. We know the restaurants won’t be ready for December. So, it’s better to let them get their bearings in order.”
The Kiwanis Club plans to start communicating this new plan to postpone with its yearly sponsors with the hope they will be able to contribute to its new 2025 date.
Similar to the Kiwanis Club, The Garden Club of Longboat Key is weighing its options on whether it will put on its biggest event, Taste of the Keys, usually held in February. With this being one of the prominent fundraisers for the club, the annual
Garden Club President Melanie Dale said its whole season is up in the air after this hurricane season. Its calendar has events lined up for November, but it is hard to confirm the locations for these events as the island works to recover. In regards to the Taste of the Keys, Dale said it isn’t appropriate to ask the restaurants to donate their time and supplies to raise funds for the club.
“We have had trouble getting together to make a decision because of the impact of the storms,” said Dale. “But, we will be weighing our options for a while because of the hardship the restaurants are dealing with. We are just trying to do what is best for our community right now.”
“We know the restaurants won’t be ready for December. So, it’s better to let them get their bearings in order.”
Kiwanis Club President Chris Sachs
File photo
Michael Garey updates the raffle prize money count at the 2021 Kiwanis Lawn Party.
Home in John Ringling Estates tops week’s sales at $6.5 million
ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
Ahome in John Ringling Estates tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. Christopher Fisher, of Schoolcraft, Michigan, sold his home at 387 S. Washington Drive to Robert DiPetrillo and Arthur Leonard, trustee, of Sarasota, for $6,485,000. Built in 2000, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,268 square feet of living area. It sold for $2,295,000 in 2019.
Annie Holmes-Inserra and Robert Inserra, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 3-C condominium at 2525 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Joseph D’Alessandro, of Massapequa, New York, for $1,125,000. Built in 1972, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,468 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.09 million in 2021.
BAYVIEW ESTATES
David Watson sold his home at 589 Bayview Drive to Thomas Timothy Galati and Meghan Louise Beard,
SEPT. 30-OCT. 4
Christopher Fisher, of Schoolcraft, Michigan, sold his
trustee, of Sarasota, for $6,485,000.
of Newtown, Connecticut, for $1,065,000. Built in 1951, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,664 square feet of living area. It sold for $425,000 in 2009.
KEY TOWERS SOUTH
Bernard Pinon Dhas, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the Unit 6-G condo-
TOP BUILDING PERMITS
minium at 1750 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Jeremy Fairbanks, of Johnson City, Tennessee, for $850,000. Built in 1970, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,403 square feet of living area. It sold for $397,500 in 2002.
ONLINE
See more transactions at YourObserver.com
Images courtesy of Doug Parks
home at 387 S. Washington Drive to Robert DiPetrillo and Arthur Leonard,
The cook-off before the storm
Todd Morton, owner of Morton’s Gourmet Market, said the question arose of whether the Firehouse Chili Cook-Off could take place this year.
Yet, despite the drizzle and upcoming Hurricane Milton, members of the public still turned out for the event, which was held outside the store, benefiting the Sarasota Firefighters Benevolent Fund.
“I’ve been questioning myself all week. Should we cancel? Should we cancel?” Morton said.
“And we didn’t, and thank God we didn’t, because the (firefighters) love it, and the public loves it. We need that little break in between storms.”
The event featured teams of firefighters making their own takes on chili amid themed booths. An expert panel of judges delivered verdicts on the best chili offerings, all while live music entertained guests and chili chefs alike.
Morton said although the event
is loved by the public, it’s also important to the firefighters.
“We don’t know who’s going to show up today, but half of what we do here, really is for the camaraderie of the firefighters to get together and have that convivial time, and they love it,” he said. “They look forward to this every year.”
Firefighter and paramedic Miriam Troyer of Station 12 said the cook-off has always been an opportunity for staff at the fire department to have fun working as a team.
“This is one of my favorite things that the Benevolent Fund does,” she said, noting that the team came together to make chili despite the hurricane keeping them from carrying out plans for their elaborate booth this year.
She also noted the presence of the police department and various fire departments. “People from other departments come together,” she said.
— IAN SWABY
WINNERS OF FIREHOUSE CHILI COOK-OFF
JUDGE’S AWARDS
First place: Stations 6 and 9 (Margaritaville Chili)
Second place: Sarasota Police Department, and People’s Choice recipient
Third place: Station 11 (Make Chili Great Again)
BEST BOOTH
Englewood Fire Department (Zombie theme)
Darren Lally, of Station 5, stirs a pot of chili.
Photos by Ian Swaby
Englewood firefighters Mason Adkins and James Farley prepare cups of chili.
Best friends Alix Urban and Mackenzie Riley dance to the live music.
Keith Misja, Mike Matheis, Stephen Dickmann and Kaleb Smith, of Station 12, prepare a pot of chili.
NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH
FORECAST
FRIDAY,
MOON PHASES
TIDES
Oct. 17 1:09p 7:11a 7:05p Friday,
FREE FORMS by Kevin Christian, edited by Jeff Chen By Luis Campos
Leighton Allenby captured this manatee coming up for some fresh air at Longboat Key Club Moorings.
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Stand Strong, Rebuild Together SUPPORT HURRICANE RELIEF
We live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. In fact, many use the word “paradise” to describe Sarasota. Our community has it all—natural beauty, incredible theater, dining, and culture. The sense of community is strong, and we are lucky to have people from all over the world as our neighbors.
Recently, our area was hurt by the surging waters of Hurricane Helene. In the over 40 years that I have lived in Sarasota, we have never seen the kind of flooding many experienced. Now, we have experienced the winds of Hurricane Milton, and we are undergoing a big cleanup.
In these challenging times, the strength of our community shines brightest. We have personally witnessed neighbors coming together, offering helping hands and lifting each other up. It is this resilience and unity that makes Sarasota more than just a beautiful place—it is the home we all share.
I urge us all to rally together to help those in need. The charities mentioned here are just some of the organizations stepping up to support our community. At Pettingell Professionals, we’ve created a $10,000 challenge fund to encourage others to give. Please consider helping these organizations—or one you support—as they work to rebuild and strengthen our community.
As we face the uncertainties ahead, remember that we’re not just rebuilding structures, we’re rebuilding lives, together. Your support, no matter how big or small, can make a difference.
