It’s that time of year again — time to start holiday shopping.
If you’re interested in spreading some holiday cheer to children in need, the town of Longboat Key’s annual holiday Toys for Tots campaign is going on now until Dec. 9. Residents can drop off new and unwrapped toys, books and gifts for all ages at any of the three drop-off locations, including:
n Town Hall (501 Bay Isles Rd.)
Design 2000 salon reopens after hurricane season
After weeks of sharing styling chairs at David Gregory Salon, Design 2000 employees are back in their newly renovated shop.
Design 2000 Salon reopened on Nov. 19. Co-owner Irina LaRose said they are grateful to the David Gregory staff for allowing them to work there temporarily after being flooded with a foot of water during Hurricane Helene.
Their favorite part about working with them was the camaraderie and making new friends who are also hair stylists on the island. All appliances and furniture are mostly the same except for a new front desk, which is smaller than the one LaRose used to work at. She said they have a lot to organize after being away for about five weeks.
Reopening a deeper Mote
Light Up Longboat brings community together. PAGE 16
Carter Weinhofer
Mayor Ken Schneier, Susan Phillips and Chamber of Longboat Key Commerce President Kim Verreault stand with the newly constructed Christmas tree.
Petra Rivera
Stylist Sanda LaRose from Design 2000 Salon at David Gregory Salon.
WEEK OF NOV. 28, 2024
BY THE NUMBERS
“This really is a story of resiliency, resiliency not only of Mote but this entire community that was hit so hard with a one-two
punch of hurricanes.”
— Mote CEO and President Michael Crosby Read more on page 4
With the opening of the new Concourse A this winter, Allegiant Air has announced the addition of eight new nonstop routes to and from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. It’s part of Allegiant’s largest expansion in its history, adding 44 new routes across the country.
Allegiant has leased all five of the new ground boarding gates in the first phase of Concourse A at SRQ, vacating its current gates in Concourse B. The new routes include: n Greenville/Spartanburg,
South Carolina, via GreenvilleSpartanburg International Airport beginning Feb. 13, 2025; n Moline, Illinois, via Quad Cities International Airport beginning Feb. 13, 2025; n Albany, New York, via Albany International Airport beginning Feb. 14, 2025;
n Elmira/Corning, New York, via Elmira Corning Regional Airport beginning Feb. 14, 2025; n Omaha, Nebraska, via Eppley Airfield beginning Feb. 14, 2025; n Roanoke, Virginia, via Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional
Airport beginning Feb. 14, 2025; n Great Smoky Mountains National Park/Knoxville, Tennessee, via McGhee Tyson Airport beginning Feb. 14; n Lexington, Kentucky, via Blue Grass Airport beginning April 3, 2025;
“As we approach the grand opening of our new Concourse A, we are excited to see Allegiant expand their routes to include eight new nonstop destinations,” said SRQ President and CEO Rick Piccolo in a news release.
Siddique sworn into Manatee commission
On Nov. 19, Tal Siddique was sworn in as the new District 3 commissioner for the Manatee County Commission.
Siddique’s district represents the islands, including Longboat Key, and part of downtown Bradenton. Along with Siddique, two other new commissioners and District 7 Commissioner George Kruse were sworn in. Kruse will now serve as an at-large commissioner. With the new commissioners, the Manatee County Commission remains a one-party commission. Siddique replaces former Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge after Van Ostenbridge lost to Siddique in the primary election. Then, Siddique went on to defeat Democratic candidate Diana Shoemaker in the general election by a vote of 60.39% to
Dry Dock makes OpenTable Top 100
Located
Tampa, Buccan in Palm Beach and Sails Restaurant in Naples.
OpenTable is a popular online restaurant reservation platform. According to its website, the top 100 list is curated by ratings and reviews from diners who use the platform. The list is arranged in alphabetical order by state and restaurant name, so
Clarification:
A FLOOD OF EMOTION
St. Armands residents and business owners are experiencing the five stages of grief in the wake of hurricanes.
WARFIELD
ANDREW
STAFF WRITER
At Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, the first impression arriving passengers receive at the bottom of the escalator to baggage claim is a kiosk extolling the virtues of one of Sarasota’s prime attractions, St. Armands Circle.
A large map at the display locates all of the shops, boutiques, restaurants and other businesses that are, under normal circumstances, ready to greet visitors. But circumstances are far from normal after the one-two punch brought by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, evidence of the twice-flooded St. Armands Key still prominent with largely dead landscaping and grass, and several boarded up storefronts.
On a mid-November afternoon when St. Armands Circle would ordinarily be teeming with seasonal residents and vacationers, parking was plentiful and the sidewalks sparsely populated as only a handful of restaurants and stores have reopened.
Some merchants are starting to put finishing touches in their space before bringing in inventory, hoping to capture at least a portion of the season’s revenue. Others have given up altogether. So have some residents.
“My neighbors on each side of me and across the street, their houses are essentially abandoned, so the neighborhood itself is still hurting,” said St. Armands Residents Association President Chris Goglia, who lives on North Washington Boulevard. “One lady is renting an apartment in St. Petersburg. A family on the other side of me with two young boys who went to school in Sarasota, I’ve heard that they have a rental property in Siesta Key that they’re living in now.”
That stretch of North Washington looks like the storm passed through only days ago. Debris remains piled up beside the road. Downed trees remain where they fell. Landscaping shredded by Category 3 winds is decaying and grass that was covered by seawater is brown and crusty.
Overall, it little resembles the tony enclave St. Armands residents and visitors have come to know, the eclectic collection of vintage singlestory homes — which took the worst damage — intermixed with newer construction raised above flood level thanks to modern building codes.
Just a few blocks away in the business district at St. Armands Circle, dead, twisted plants and dead grass bely the normally lush environs,
although some merchants have planted anew outside their handful of reopened storefronts. Like the rest of the residents and business interests of St. Armands, Goglia said his road to recovery is gradual.
“Every day I do a little bit more, and it’s coming along,” he said.
RESURRECT THE COMPLETE
STREET PLAN
In his capacity of residents association leadership, Goglia remains in constant communication with city leadership, most recently sending an email to city commissioners and management about the need to address St. Armands aging infrastructure and chronic water pump failures that have become more evident over the past two years.
The Circle and surrounding neighborhoods have been plagued first by rain-driven flooding from Hurricane Idalia in 2023, and this year’s Tropical Storm Debby, which was downgraded from a hurricane, followed by the storm surge events of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Although the most robust pumping system is likely ineffective against storm surge, floods from heavy rains have been frequent.
Goglia urged city officials to revisit its complete street concepts for St. Armands, which in part upgrades the utilities infrastructure there.
“St. Armands Circle is a historical, economic and tourism asset of the city of Sarasota. The city’s own website calls St. Armands a ‘jewel of Sarasota,’” he wrote. “But, after two years of flooding events and a direct hit by a CAT 3 hurricane, we know that St. Armands Key has serious stormwater management problems that have finally contributed to gutted homes and shuttered businesses.
“The jewel is tarnished.”
The city owns the stormwater management system at St. Armands, but it is maintained by Sarasota County via interlocal agreement.
Goglia asked the city to place on the agenda of an upcoming meeting the drainage issues, specifically requesting commissioning an independent engineering study to include:
■ Putting cameras into drain pipes to evaluate their condition
■ Evaluating of all pumps, generators and back-flow prevention devices
■ Evaluating the adequacy of the number and location of drains
“The county’s maintenance appears to be reactive,” Goglia wrote. “We’re asking for a proactive inspection. Are the drain pipes clogged? Do the black-flow preventers allow seawater through?”
Also, Goglia requested the city resurrect the nonfunded St. Armands Key complete streets project, a $45 million-plus endeavor that would address underground and surface upgrades. The project was tabled because of cost and duration, requiring 10 years or more. It is also is currently not in the state funding.
Goglia’s plea was heard and, at
“We know what’s happened with these storms out there and the devastation it has caused to a number of businesses. They’re not millionaires, just mom and pop shops that won’t be opening.”
Kyle Battie, Commissioner
According to a city spokesperson, crews with the Parks and Recreation Department are in the process of removing all the dead vegetation from Circle Park and medians. Those areas will be mulched and annuals will be planted within the next two weeks, and sod will be replaced early next year.
Slowly but surely, St. Armands will be revived.
STAGES OF GRIEF
Until then, Goglia likens the general state of St. Armands residents as matriculating through the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and, finally, acceptance.
Monday’s City Commission meeting, was addressed by Commissioner Kyle Battie.
“We’re doing the downtown master plan (update), and that being said, I think it behooves us as a commission to do one as well for St. Armands Circle,” Battie said. “That is our economic and tourism engine, and I think we need to have a serious, robust conversation about that. We know what’s happened with these storms out there and the devastation it has caused to businesses. They’re not millionaires, just mom and pop shops that won’t be opening.”
Not all is gloom and doom. Most of the restaurants have reopened while repairs remain underway at others, but the foot traffic of shoppers is lacking where holiday shopping is normally in full swing. Plans for installing the holiday tree in circle park and the annual tree lighting event have not been announced.
“I know for myself, I’m in the acceptance stage,” he said. “This is going to take awhile, and it’s going to cost money and we’re going to get through it.”
A seasonal resident, Goglia was at his off-season home in Rhode Island when Helene struck, driving here a week earlier than planned to survey the damage to his elevated home. It was built seven years ago of resilient materials, so other than losing a vehicle it was more a matter of cleanup, which he had not yet completed before having to evacuate for Milton.
“I think a lot of residents are angry. They feel that some municipal entity has let them down,” he said. “They don’t know if that’s the city or that’s the county because this is all very confusing, but we have we had over a year of repeated flooding at St. Armands and nothing’s been able to be done about it.”
Many neighbors, he said, are still in the depression stage. Owners of the older single-story, ground-level homes are awaiting availability of contractors to repair their damages. Others who have had recently made renovations, he said, have priority from their contractors, while others languish.
“I’m hearing from some people who are giving up and they’re going to put their property on the market at some point, but I feel that that’s the minority,” Goglia said. “I feel that most people are going to restore, and in some cases they might knock down and rebuild. It depends on their circumstances. There are plenty of people out here who work and are going about their lives. There are still people out here with young children who go to school.
“I think people are starting to get used to the fact that everything doesn’t look as pristine as it has.”
Some merchants have decided to close their stores on St. Armands Circle after two years of flood events.
Photos by Andrew Warfield Dead plants on St. Armands Circle are a reminder of the storm surge brought by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Several homes on St. Armands appear to have been abandoned.
The city has begun removing dead landscaping along St. Armands Circle.
Mote overcomes challenges to reopen
Mote staff reopened the City Island facility to the community on Nov. 22 and introduced a new resident manatee, Lou.
CARTER WEINHOFER STAFF WRITER
Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium reopened its doors to the public on Nov. 22 after a twomonth-long closure from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
It was eight “long weeks” of challenging situations for Mote’s staff, said Mote President and CEO Michael Crosby.
“This really is a story of resiliency not only of Mote but this entire community that was hit so hard with a one-two punch of hurricanes,” Crosby said. “And all of us that live in this community have been impacted one way or the other, but our staff really came together.”
The staff was in the process of recovering from Helene when Milton’s track eyed Sarasota with a direct hit and estimates of up to 15 feet of storm surge. Before landfall, Milton’s track shifted and weakened, but the staff made preparations for the worst-case scenario ahead of Milton’s arrival.
Preparing an aquarium and all of its resident marine animals is no small task.
Crosby said the team went into “full prep mode” for both storms, but more extreme for Milton due to the expected direct impacts.
During preparations for Milton, the facility’s air-breathing animals had to be transported inland to Mote’s Aquaculture Research Park on Fruitville Road. This includes the facility’s birds, sea turtles and reptiles.
Mote’s manatees, Buffett and the newest addition, Lou, were moved to a sister institution also accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
“It’s also a very traumatic thing, so you have to have specialized staff, specialized vehicles to move them with,” Crosby said. “It takes a lot of time and attention and care to try to maintain the transport of these animals in a manner that is least disruptive to the animals.”
Staff also had to prepare the Ken Thompson Parkway campus by disconnecting pumps and moving them to higher ground, and ensuring generators were on standby.
After both storms, Crosby said a team of Mote first responders were sent by boat to evaluate the facility. What they found was identical to what others in the community found: Helene did more water damage, and Milton dealt wind damage. From Helene, City Island received
about two to four feet of storm surge, according to Crosby.
Crosby estimated that the recovery effort cost over $10 million, with at least $3 million for the cleanup alone.
In addition, while being closed for about two months, the Mote aquarium likely lost around $2 million in revenue.
Mote staff were able to restart the facility’s research enterprises quickly, most of which is done in the field, according to Crosby. This includes Mote’s ongoing red tide research project.
The first priority was the health and safety of both Mote’s animals and its staff. The second priority was to reopen for the community.
Now, Crosby and more than 300
Mote President and CEO Michael Crosby speaks to the media about the facility’s challenges after Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Photos by Carter Weinhofer
Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium opened the aquarium to the public on Nov. 22 after eight weeks of closure following Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
NEW LOCATION ON THE HORIZON
The Mote Science Education Aquarium, located near Nathan Benderson Park, will be the organization’s latest addition.
Due to its state-of-the-art design, the Mote SEA building is resilient to weather, so Helene and Milton had no impact on the structure, according to Crosby.
But because of the storms, the construction team for Mote SEA lost a few weeks of construction, which will delay the grand opening of the facility, Crosby said.
The original opening target was early first quarter in 2025, but Crosby said this will likely be pushed back, though sometime in 2025 is still the expected time frame.
Mote hopes to have the certificate of occupancy by the end of 2024, then staff will start filling tanks with water and acclimating the water and animals in the new facility, which will be a complicated process.
“We’re looking forward to Mote SEA opening,” Crosby said. “And then after Mote SEA, then we’re looking for the evolution of this campus into an international marine science technology and innovation park.”
This evolution of the Ken Thompson Parkway campus will include an additional 60,000 square feet of research infrastructure.
Near term, though, Crosby said the staff is looking forward to welcoming the community to the existing Sarasota campus.
“We want our community to come back, have a smile on their face and enjoy themselves at this refurbished, reopened Mote aquarium here on City Island and meet Lou the manatee, as well.”
staff are ready to do that.
“I came away from this with a really renewed love for the Mote family here, and what this special culture that we have here at Mote is all about,” Crosby said. “I feel confident that we are coming back stronger, better, more resilient and it’s because of the people that make up Mote and the people that make up this community.”
MEET LOU THE MANATEE
When Mote reopened on Nov. 22, guests met the newest member of Mote’s aquatic family: a manatee named Lou.
“Lou’s story is one that I think is very profound,” Crosby said. “Not many people gave Lou much of a chance of surviving.”
It’s estimated that Lou was born in the 1990s and rescued in December 2000 after a severe boat strike on the east coast of Florida. This incident led Lou to lose most of his tail.
This injury forces Lou to use mostly his front flippers to swim and deems him unreleasable.
Boat strikes on manatees are a common occurrence, with only 4%
of adult manatees lacking boatrelated scars, according to a release from Mote.
Lou spent time in other rehabilitation facilities and is under long-term care supervised by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Buffett was born in 1987 and arrived at Mote in 1996 after spending time at ZooTampa.
Before Lou was Buffett’s brother, Hugh. Hugh died last year, and Buffett has been alone since then.
According to Mote, it’s been the plan since then to get Buffett another companion since manatees are social marine mammals that require companionship.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identified Lou as a potential tank companion to Buffett, Mote’s longtime manatee resident.
Lou arrived at Mote on Sept. 11, and the staff had to work carefully to introduce the two large mammals. A large adult male, Lou weighs around 2,100 pounds. Buffett weighs around 1,800 pounds.
“We started the introduction in a very controlled method that everybody has reviewed and approved so that we have the animals meeting
each other very slowly, very carefully, under intense monitoring around the clock,” Crosby said.
Shortly after Lou arrived, the Mote facility was forced to start preparing for what would be back-to-back hurricanes.
“They were getting along famously, wonderfully,” Crosby said. “Then Mother Nature sent us Helene.”
During Hurricane Milton, Lou and Buffett were a part of the crew that had to be evacuated from the campus on Ken Thompson Parkway.
After the pair were reintroduced, though, Mote staff said the two continued to be compatible so far.
For the foreseeable future, neither Lou nor Buffett will be released, and both will continue to receive expert care at Mote’s facility.
The pair of manatees also help Mote staff and the public learn and understand the importance of avoiding harmful contact with these animals in the wild, Crosby said.
Today, Buffett and Lou are at Mote’s aquarium. Buffett enjoys kale, and Lou enjoys sweet potatoes more. Lou’s stumpy backside also makes him easily distinguishable from his tank mate Buffett.
Lou, Mote’s newest manatee, enjoys some greens in his enclosure where he cohabitates with Buffett.
Tree trimmed, eagles have left
The tree that stirred debate in Buttonwood Harbor was trimmed by professional arborists, removing the eagles nest but preventing property damage.
On Nov. 14, the day arrived for professional arborists to remove most of the tree that towered over a resident’s property, but also was home to a bald eagle nest.
According to previous reporting from the Longboat Observer, some residents said the eagles had been a common sight on Buttonwood Drive for about 20 years.
The tree that housed the eagle nest was rooted in one property on Buttonwood Drive, but it leaned over a neighboring property on Triton Bend.
After Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the Triton Bend property owner was concerned about the tree falling on his house and causing damage. A professional arborist, Jacob Gilliam
Tree Care, agreed the tree was more vulnerable after the hurricanes and presented a risk to the property.
The Triton Bend owner received proper permitting through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife to disturb the nest.
The Observer reached out to the property owner before the last article on Nov. 14 and again before print deadline this week, but he preferred not to comment.
Bald eagle breeding season runs from Oct. 1 to May 30, but the egglaying period typically starts around December and January.
Since December was coming soon, Gilliam said the USFWS advised the nest be removed sooner rather than later.
According to Ulgonda Kirkpatrick with the USFWS Migratory Bird & Eagle Permit Office, bald eagles are territorial animals and typically remain within their territory — about
one-and-a half to two miles — when a nest is removed.
At a town commission meeting on Nov. 12, the issue was raised by Commissioner-At-Large BJ Bishop and Mayor Ken Schneier. Although there is nothing the town can do about the matter, Schneier and Bishop still had lingering questions.
“I understand that this is not in our jurisdiction, but we do have an interest,” Schneier said at the Nov. 12 meeting.
Town Attorney Maggie Mooney emphasized that state law says the town has no authority in a situation like this. Protected species are regulated by state and federal agencies, and the homeowner received the proper permit to authorize the trimming.
This is a private property matter, Mooney said, and should be dealt as such.
FDOT eyes five projects on LBK
Included in the draft plan are big ticket projects such as preliminary engineering for a Longboat Pass Bridge replacement and Gulf of Mexico Drive resurfacing.
he Florida Department of Transportation’s next draft tentative five-year work plan for Manatee and Sarasota counties includes five Longboat Key-specific projects, two of which are big investments.
This tentative plan for fiscal years 2026-2030 outlines FDOT capital investments in projects throughout the state. For District 1 — which includes both Manatee and Sarasota counties — public hearings are scheduled for early December.
The FDOT set aside $7.6 million for preliminary engineering for a Longboat Pass Bridge replacement on the Manatee County side of Longboat Key. This project extends from North Shore Road in Longboat Key to the Coquina Beach Park entrance.
Debate among commissioners, community groups and residents has been ongoing since the FDOT first presented bridge alternatives in March. Town commissioners formally recommended the midspan bascule bridge to the FDOT, while north-end residents favored the lowest-span bridge.
The FDOT planned to use $1,459,926 in 2027 to repair the existing Longboat Pass Bridge. According to the work plan, this project will replace a submarine cable for the drawbridge.
The largest project on the Sarasota County side for FDOT’s work plan will be the Gulf of Mexico Drive resurfacing project.
The entirety of GMD will be resurfaced, but FDOT’s plan shows Sarasota County’s side will be the first to get the upgrade. In 2027, the FDOT plans to use
$5,155,601 for this. Smaller projects on the Sarasota County side include traffic control devices and highway lighting.
The traffic control devices will be a little over $20,000 in 2026, 2027 and 2028.
The highway lighting will cost $57,715 in 2026 and $59,447 in 2027.
The FDOT will hold a public hearing for this five-year work plan on Wednesday, Dec. 11, from 10 a.m. to noon. This will occur at two locations: The FDOT Southwest Area Office (10041 Daniels Parkway, Fort Myers, FL 33913) and FDOT District 1 Headquarters (801 N. Broadway Avenue, Bartow, FL 33830). There will also be a virtual option for a public hearing with details to be determined.
For more information and to submit online comments, visit the FDOT work plan website.
Carter Weinhofer
Most of the upper canopy of the tree on Buttonwood Drive was trimmed on Nov. 14.
THE BEDROCKS OF AMERICA
Thanksgiving is much more than remembering the Pilgrims’ and Native Americans’ first feast and being thankful for what we have. It reminds us why the Pilgrims came to America: for the freedom to worship.
Editor’s note: These two editorials originally appeared Nov. 23, 2017.
Kirsten Hazelton, a second grade teacher at Southside Elementary School in Sarasota, gave her students an assignment for Veterans Day. One of those students, Rhys Parry, 7, wrote a letter to his uncle, a captain in the Marine Corps Raiders, its special forces division.
Parry thanked his uncle for serving. And by way of every child’s uncanny ability to state simple, direct truths and profound common sense, young Parry wrote: “Freedom is the best thing in the world.”
If only every American took that to heart. Especially today. What a tragedy that so many don’t appreciate that truth. They take their freedom for granted, oblivious to this extraordinary gift.
So be thankful today. Block out the noise, the national politics, the cultural strife and the depravity that has consumed us. As you gather with family and friends for your traditional Thanksgiving feast, we take this space this week to urge our readers to take stock, at least for a few minutes.
If you think deeply enough about the meaning of Thanksgiving, there is so much more to this day than being thankful for the bounty on our tables. So much more to Thanksgiving than the story of the Plymouth Colony Pilgrims celebrating the harvest with the Wampanoag Native Americans in 1621, or thanking God for the end of the drought in 1622.
To a great extent, the first Thanksgivings were the celebratory culminations of the miraculous journey of a small band of Europeans in search of a place to be free — to escape persecution and be free to practice their religion and their way of life.
That was their raison d’être — freedom of religion. And today, you can say that principle is the fundamental rock, the bedrock, the perpetual birthstone of America.
And yet, here we are, 400 years later, continuing to fight for that right and principle. And if you think about that, consider also what it will require to preserve that right — and the other rights granted to us in the Constitution. Take inspiration from the courage of the Pilgrims and how they persevered through the long, harrowing journey from England to Holland to Plymouth Rock. Freedom will always be a difficult journey. We’ve made a tradition each year of retelling the story and roots of Thanksgiving because the story of the Pilgrims helps reset our compass. It reminds us how we came to be — the New Hope in the New World. It reminds us of why we came to be. It reminds us of the price our ancestors paid to be free and to be free to worship as they wished. It reminds us to be thankful for all the blessings we have. And it reminds us that Rhys Parry is right: “Freedom is the best thing in the world.” Happy Thanksgiving.
What drove the Pilgrims to America
The roots of Thanksgiving Day go far deeper than the story of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony in 1621. Yes, they were thankful to God for their bountiful harvest and their newfound Native American friends.
But if you can imagine yourself in the shoes of any of the original 102 Pilgrims who sailed from Leiden, Holland, for America, a land unknown, and who survived that tumultuous journey, followed by two years of near starvation, your gratitude simply for being alive would put a whole new perspective on Thanksgiving. It was far more than being thankful for a big fall harvest and feast.
Seldom, if ever, do we focus in our history texts on the details that compelled the Pilgrims — also known as separatists, Puritans and Calvinists — to set sail. The textbooks typically mention they fled religious persecution. But especially today, in this world of widespread and horrific religious persecutions, it’s instructive to remember the details of why the Pilgrims mustered the courage to cross the Unknown Ocean for freedom: for religious freedom.
In his 500-page account of Plymouth Plantation, Gov. William Bradford wrote how his fellow Calvinists in England became “hunted and persecuted on every side, so as their former afflictions were but as flea-bitings in comparison of these which now came upon them.
“For some were taken and clapped up in prison; others had their houses beset and watched night and day, and hardly escaped their hands; and most were fain to flee and leave their houses and habitations, and the means of their livelihood,” Bradford wrote.
After a year of this and meeting in secret to practice their worship of God, they saw “they could no longer continue in this condition,” and “resolved to get over into Holland.”
The people of Amsterdam, they had heard, accepted the free practice of religion.
MISERY WORSE THAN DEATH
But sailing 200 miles to the Netherlands was no small matter. It was a monumental ordeal. Bradford describes the fear many of the separatists had of leaving England, as bad as it was, as “a misery worse than death.”
“But these things did not dismay them — for their desires were set on the ways of God and to enjoy his
ordinances,” Bradford wrote.
The trip to Holland was horrible for many. Chartered ship operators, once at sea with the separatists, robbed them, ransacked their belongings, molested many of the women and then sailed back into the original port and turned over the separatists to local authorities, who then imprisoned them.
Amazingly, the separatists didn’t give up. “Some few shrunk at these first conflicts and sharp beginnings,” Bradford wrote, “yet many more came on with fresh courage and greatly animated others. And in the end, notwithstanding all these storms of opposition, they all got over at length.”
For 12 years, the Calvinist-separatist-Pilgrims lived and practiced their religion in freedom and peace in Leiden, an area within Holland where many of them became weavers.
And then the trouble began again.
Bradford wrote of “Arminians, who greatly molested the whole state” and university professors and other preachers who began to slander the Pilgrims’ religious practices.
The tormenting rose to such a level that Bradford said some of his neighbors preferred being in prison in England than “this liberty in Holland, with these afflictions.”
Distressed by the increasing abuse, the separatists’ elders began to look ahead. They believed within a few years they “were fearful either to be entrapped or surrounded by their enemies” and unable to flee.
What’s more, they worried about their children. It was common for children to labor long hours in the
mills, “their bodies bowed under the weight.” Many children also were falling to the temptations of youthful “licentiousness” and being drawn into “extravagant and dangerous courses,” Bradford wrote. Parents saw “their posterity would be in danger to degenerate and be corrupted.”
At the same time, many of the separatists looked outward and spoke among their neighbors of “advancing the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of the world,” Bradford wrote.
DIFFICULT, BUT NOT INVINCIBLE
All three of these influences — persecution, the well-being of their families’ future generations and spreading God’s word — combined to motivate the Pilgrims to seek a new beginning. As they discussed their options, Bradford wrote, “It was answered … The difficulties were many, but not invincible.”
So they set sail to a land unknown. Bradford wrote of “winds so fierce and the seas so high” and the Mayflower “shroudly shaken” and leaky, raising the constant fear the ship would sink and that they would perish at sea.
When they finally stepped on land in the Cape Cod harbor, Bradford wrote, the Pilgrims “fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven, who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof.”
Freedom and freedom of religion — these are the bedrocks of America.
— MW
Wisdom on liberty, then and now
“Someone once said: It isn’t that Christianity has been tried and found wanting; it has been tried and found difficult — and abandoned.
“Perhaps the same running away from righteousness is responsible for freedom’s plight for, plainly, the American people are becoming more and more afraid of and are running away from — abandoning — their very own freedom revolution.”
— Leonard Read
“Anything That’s Peaceful” 1964
“The United States is the highest achievement of the millennia of Western civilization’s struggle toward individualism and its last, precarious remnant.
“With the obliteration of the United States — i.e. of capitalism — there will be nothing left to deal with on the face of the globe but collectivized tribes.”
— Ayn Rand
“Requiem for Man,” 1967
“The right to life is the source of all rights — and the right to property is their only implementation. Without property rights, no other rights are possible.
“Since man has to sustain his life by his own effort, the man who has
no right to the product of his effort has no means to sustain his life. The man who produces while others dispose of his product is a slave.”
— Ayn Rand
“Man’s Rights,” 1964
“Liberty looks upon religion as its companion in its struggles and triumphs, as the cradle of its young life, as the divine source of its claims. It considers religion as the guardian of morality, morality as the guarantee of law and the security that freedom will last.
— Alexis de Tocqueville
“Democracy in America,” 1831
“The reduction of the citizen to an object of propaganda, private and public, is one of the greatest dangers to democracy.
“The reiteration of slogans, the distortion of the news, the great storm of propaganda that beats upon the citizen 24 hours a day all his life long mean either that democracy must fall prey to the loudest and most persistent propagandists or that the people must save themselves by strengthening their minds so that they can appraise the issues for themselves.”
— Robert M. Hutchins
“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.” Friedrich Hayek “Road to Serfdom,” 1944
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“The Great Conversation,” 1951
“Equality before the law and material equality are therefore not only different but are in conflict with each other; we can achieve either the one or the other, but not both at the same time.
“The equality before the law that freedom requires leads to material inequality. Where the state must use coercion for other reasons, it should treat all people alike. The desire of making people more alike in their condition cannot be accepted in a free society as justification for further and discriminatory coercion.”
— Friedrich Hayek
“Constitution of Liberty, 1960
“Socialism will reduce your freedom. Higher taxes mean that you have less control over your spending.
“… Free markets are the source of most of our freedom; government generally restricts freedom, and socialism increases the power of government.
“Finally, whenever socialism has been tried, it has failed.”
— Paul H. Rubin
“A Student’s Guide to Socialism; How It Will Trash Your Lives,” 2021
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British artist Bernard Gribble’s painting of the Pilgrims boarding the Mayflower.
Van Wezel flooding highlights repurposing engineering study
Hurricane Milton damage prompts Karins Engineering’s update to the Purple Ribbon Committee to focus on water intrusion mitigation.
ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER
Flooding from Hurricane Milton has supplied added perspective to the Purple Ribbon Committee’s task of making a recommendation to repurpose the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. The timing of storm surge flooding from Sarasota Bay from Hurricane Milton that permeated the lower, nonpublic levels of the building and into the Grand Foyer has given Karins Engineering a case study as it continues to prepare its report on the structural stability of the building for a potential variety of future uses.
David Karins updated the committee on his company’s work to assess the viability for long-term use absent any improvements needed for the short-term should a new Sarasota Performing Arts Hall be built, nor what the Van Wezel’s future use should be. However, water intrusion damage that has been estimated at costing $7 million to $10 million to mitigate may cast the long-term investment value into question.
“We can look at it and say, ‘OK, we’re going to spend $80 million to save the building from an event that might happen five times in a millennium, or might happen five times in a decade,’” Karins told the committee. “You just don’t know. Ultimately, we’ll make recommendations, but it will be out of our hands on what’s the best way to go.”
Karins’ comment was only a forinstance. For now, there has been no figure attached to whatever work the Van Wezel might need for future use.
That will come in a final report that will be used as the basis for the committee’s recommendation to the City Commission. What is known for certain, though, is the sea-level building just feet from the edge of Sarasota Bay with significant utility functions located below the water table leave it vulnerable to storm surge.
Preliminary assessments are the building is on solid footing. The roof took only minor damage from the eye of Category 3 hurricane passing overhead, and its dead and active weight load capacities are sufficient for most alternative uses short of a monster truck rally.
Committee member David Rovine asked Karins to describe the scope of his firm’s work, “because part of our mission is to consider alternate uses of the building,” he said. “On the other hand, regardless of what happens with the new theater, this theater has to function as a theater for X amount of years so that Sarasota doesn’t fall out of the routing of all the shows that are critical to come to the theater.”
He asked Karins whether the report will consider protecting the building for three to five years to function as it does today and for however it may, or may not, be repurposed.
“Our primary charge is preserving the building for whatever might be inside of it,” Karins said. “The other part is what’s the functionality of the building? So we’re looking at how does it function for what it does, and the consultants are having a little bit of creative fun saying what could it also be. But that’s really not in the core of what we’ve been hired to do.
“Once we’re done with our work,
we’ll tell you this can be done to preserve it for 10 or 50 or however many years you want to.”
That analysis will include longterm recurring costs of maintenance and strategies to protect the Van Wezel from future flood events. Those can include installation of resilient materials, which would be required under FEMA policy should the cost of any retrofitting exceed 50% of the value of the building.
If so, FEMA requires:
n Elevating the structure to above flood level
n Using flood-resistant materials
n Proper flood venting
n Replacing structural elements like bearing walls, tie beams and trusses
n Replacing interior finish elements like tiling, linoleum, stone or carpet
n Replacing utility and service equipment such as HVAC
“We’re looking at evaluating how the building compares to the current design philosophies and codes for flood,” Karins said. “It is a nonconforming building in that it is not elevated to minimum flood requirements or dry waterproofed to mitigate water getting into the building. And it’s certainly not designed to be wet floodproof, which means you let the water run through the building and it doesn’t hurt anything.”
Karins described Milton as the perfect storm to imperil the Van
Wezel in that the wind came from the north, elevating the storm surge in Sarasota Bay to six-and-a-half feet. The sun-driven three-foot waves on top of that moved thousand-pound boulders into the Van Wezel parking lot and pushed water into a ramp down to kitchen doors where it penetrated the building.
The intrusion, Van Wezel Executive Director Mary Bensel told the committee earlier in the meeting, did not enter the Grand Foyer through the multiple glass doors that overlook the bay.
The path, wind direction and storm surge of Milton was unique to Sarasota, something that may never happen again or could happen next year.
Helene was an example of a stillwater flood, the effect of storm surge plus astronomical tide that raises the water level gradually. Because of the wind direction and speed, Milton exacerbated the storm surge with a wave flood.
“The main issue with Milton was that the breakwater wasn’t stout enough to absorb the wave energy,” Karins said. “One thing that we’re working on a recommendation for is looking at putting in a more substantial energy absorption device. If we’re going to be designing mitigation for still-water floods, we have to get rid of the waves, and that’s going to be a pretty heavy lift.”
Designate Van Wezel as a historic place
Contrary to public interest, a gamechanging opportunity for designating the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall as an Historic Place on the National Registry list is being overlooked or perhaps purposely hidden to rig the outcome of deliberations by the Purple Ribbon Committee and the City Commission.
A Historic Place designation of the Van Wezel PAC on the state and National Registry will exempt the building from the FEMA restrictions on funds available for its preservation, protection and adaptation for future use.
No matter what future use for the building may be determined by the Purple Ribbon Committee and the Commission, in good faith, Historic Place National Registry status will not only qualify the building for exemption from FEMA restrictions but also QUALIFY it for tax and construction financing benefits and grants available exclusively for the preservation of designated historic buildings. Sarasota taxpayers will thereby save money and share pride and benefit in preserving an iconic physical asset and a public facility treasured by the entire region. Why not move expeditiously to capture these available benefits for the community?
Please promptly rectify this egregious oversight and seize the opportunity to address this major issue honestly and with fiscal integrity before it’s too late.
ROBIN RADIN LONGBOAT KEY
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Courtesy image
Flooding from Hurricane Milton entered the Van Wezel through these doors to the kitchen.
LBK Democratic Club hosts panel to discuss recent election losses
The club’s Nov. 19 event brought a group of journalists to discuss and answer questions about state and national election results that favored the Republican Party.
CARTER WEINHOFER
STAFF WRITER
The Longboat Key Democratic Club held its Nov. 19 event at the Sarasota Yacht Club where a panel of journalists discussed the Democratic Party’s losses in the November 2024 election.
More than 80 club members attended the lunch and panel titled “Florida Election Post-Mortem: What Comes Next?”
Longboat Key Democratic Club Board Member Barbara Katz welcomed everyone to the event before dinner and kicked off the event by saying many people in the room most likely feel the same as her: disappointed and hurt from the results.
“Nevertheless, we are still here,”
Katz said. “The fact that we have come together under these circumstances is a testament, I think, to the values we share as Democrats.”
After attendees enjoyed lunch, it was time for the main program.
Host and Managing Editor of Florida This Week on WEDU Rob Lorei moderated a panel of two fellow journalists. On the panel was Shelley Reback, an attorney and host of MidPoint on WMNF radio, and Jacob Ogles, a freelance political reporter.
Though topics like Florida’s Amendments 3 and 4 and other state elections were talked about, the main discussion revolved around the presidential election.
One thing the panelists discussed was how Democrats may have had shortfalls in the 2024 election.
Lorei’s first question to the panelists was: Why do you think the election turned out the way it did?
“I have to agree that the Democrat’s messaging on abortion and democracy was not persuasive,” Reback said.
Reback continued to say that 35% of Florida voters are millennials and Gen Z voters. Of those, 40% of those voters are nonparty affiliates.
“They’re not party voters, they’re issue voters,” Reback said. “I think that the Dems picked the wrong issue to emphasize or, if they were the right issues, the messaging about them was not clear.”
A 45-minute talk from the panelists led to a Q&A with the audience, many of whom shared frustration about the current situation for Democrats.
Katz said in her opening remarks that there are opportunities for people to get involved and help despite the situation. To learn more about how to get involved with the Longboat Key Democratic Club or other local organizations, visit LBKDems. com/Get-Involved.
“The fact that we have come together under these circumstances is a testament, I think, to the values we share as Democrats.”
— Barbara Katz, Longboat Key Democratic Club Board Member
Masters tennis returns to Longboat
Now in its 21st year, the tournament is expanding its age range.
Six years ago, tennis enthusiast Ron Watts was looking at the tournaments held by the United States Tennis Association when a particular one caught his attention.
As he read the description for the Masters Clay Courts National Tennis Tournament on Longboat Key, he thought to himself, “Who wouldn’t want to play tennis on a sunny barrier island in Florida during the cold winter months?”
Every year, 300 male tennis players from around the country come to Longboat Key, just like Watts, the week after Thanksgiving to celebrate their love for the sport while exploring the beauty of the Key.
Now, Watts is a full-time resident of the island and this year’s tournament director for its 21st year.
Sponsored by the Friends of Tennis of the Longboat Key Public Tennis Center, the USTA-sanctioned tournament will be held from Dec. 2-8.
The finals are scheduled for Friday, Dec. 7 and Saturday, Dec. 8.
The singles and doubles matches will begin daily at 8 a.m. with players in age categories from 50 to 90 years old. Last year, players ranged from 55 to 85, but the event was expanded this year for the first time.
Thirty-one courts will be open for matches at the Tennis Center, Tennis Gardens at the Longboat Key Club and Cedar Tennis Resort and Club. Due to hurricane damage, there are fewer courts than in years past, but Watts said it doesn’t stop them from accommodating around 345 registered players.
As the town recovers from the hurricanes, Watts said viewers are encouraged to be spectators at the tournament to promote some normalcy around Longboat.
“We had to give a lot of thought as to whether we’re going to hold the tournament this year,” said Watts. “Ultimately, the group consensus was that it would be a nice sign that we’re getting back to normal. All the tennis facilities had to go through repairs to be playable, so we appreciate everybody’s efforts this year to make it happen. I think that’s one of the reasons we had such a good registration this year.”
PETRA RIVERA STAFF WRITER
Carter Weinhofer
All of the tennis center courts are being used for the tournament.
Carter Weinhofer
Rob Lorei, anchor of “Florida This Week” on WEDU PBS moderated the Longboat Key Democratic Club event on Nov. 19. On the panel were Shelley Reback and Jacob Ogles.
For 50 Years This “Family Business” Mission Extends to Employees, Their Families, Other
Bob and Barbara Tiffany started Manasota Flooring over 50 years ago in 1973, just 6 years after they were married. They always intended it to be a family business. However, they didn’t realize the impact their small family business would have on its employees and the community. The company grew from one location in Manatee County to three, expanding to Sarasota and Venice. This makes Manasota Flooring one of the largest flooring companies in our area, servicing Palmetto to Venice, Longboat Key to Lakewood Ranch. Today, Manasota Flooring provides a career and steady income for over 100 employees.
AT MANASOTA FLOORING, INTEGRITY STARTS AT THE TOP
Manasota Flooring’s Mission Statement includes words like ‘honesty’, ‘loyalty’, and ‘integrity’, which starts at the top with Bob and Barbara Tiffany.
Chris Quattlebaum, Bob’s son-in-law and General Manager of Manasota Flooring, adds, “They are the founders and the foundation of Manasota Flooring, and now [my wife] Valerie and I, our boys, and other family members are continuing the legacy.” FOR OVER 50 YEARS, THEY HAVE BEEN A PART OF MANY NONPROFITS AND LOCAL BUSINESSES
The legacy doesn’t stop with the Tiffany family. Bob and Barbara’s passion for the community is epic, and for over 50 years, they have been a part of many nonprofits and local businesses.
Local Businesses and Non-Profits
Their philanthropic support includes an annual turkey giveaway, producing hundreds of holiday meals for local first responders and their families. It also includes Flight to the North Pole - a nonprofit organization that helps over 400 terminally ill children have an incredible Christmas Wonderland filled with snow, elves, lunch, choir singers, and of course Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus. This yearly event gives the children and families a stress-free holiday to take some time away from their illness or disease, and to surround them with love and joy.
“THEY WANT TO HELP AS MUCH AS THEY CAN,” SAYS CHRIS. “THAT’S JUST WHAT WE DO.”
Chris was a part of the Boys and Girls Club Palmetto when he was a young kid. It was a nostalgic moment when the Sarasota Boys and Girls Club contacted Manasota Flooring to help install new flooring in one of their newly renovated buildings. He took that opportunity to teach the kids, and to give them a hands-on experience. The kids learned how to measure, mix, and lay flooring. This was an impact-
ful moment because it gave the kids a chance to learn part of a trade skill, and also to one day look back and be able to tell their friends, family, or children that they helped build a part of that branch of the Boys and Girls Club. This was such a successful learning experience for the girls and boys that they are looking to bring an even more curtailed educational lesson plan to the Palmetto Boys and Girls Club this summer.
THE COMPANY HAS BEEN AN INTEGRAL PART OF MANATEE COUNTY
Manasota Flooring’s community impact doesn’t stop there. They have supported Girls Inc., and installed a new flooring as part of a non-profit community give-back contest. The company has been an integral part of the Manatee County 4H Club, where Chris and his wife Valerie have spent 16 years hosting and teaching young students. Manasota Flooring has also been a major contributor in helping the Manatee County Fair continue to bring the community together with a week of fun-filled entertainment of rides, games, and food.
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
At Manasota Flooring, our mission is to provide exceptional flooring and cabinetry solutions with a steadfast commitment to honesty, and integrity. We prioritize lasting relationships with our customers, partners, and team members by delivering quality craftsmanship and transparent service. Rooted in our dedication to community support, we aim to enhance the spaces we touch while giving back to the communities we proudly service. Together, we create foundations that last a lifetime. Together we create foundations that last a lifetime.
MANASOTA FLOORING TRULY BELIEVES IN BUILDING A STRONG COMMUNITY
Manasota Flooring truly believes in building a strong community. When you do business with Manasota Flooring, you aren’t just buying flooring, cabinetry, or pavers, you are contributing to the legacy that Manasota Flooring has built.
As Chris Quattlebaum says, it all starts with Bob. “He is where the integrity of the company started, and we follow in his footsteps.”
Chris Quattlebaum, General Manager of Manasota Flooring, poses with first responders at the annual Turkey Giveaway.
Ivo F. Waerlop 1938-2024 TRIBUTES
heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Ivo F. Waerlop, who left us peacefully on July 28, 2024, at the age of 86 after a long battle with cancer and kidney disease. Ivo was born on May 1, 1938, in Antwerp, Belgium and immigrated to the United States with his mother when he was 8 years old.
Ivo proudly served in the United States Air Force, where he dedicated his skills and expertise as a field service instructor. After his military service, he continued to contribute to society for 28 years at IBM, where he was a Service Planner known for his incredible work ethic and commitment. He lived in various places throughout his life, including Biloxi, Mississippi, Hopewell Junction, NY, and Raleigh, North Carolina before becoming a resident of Sarasota, Florida.
An active participant in various orphanages, youth ministry, The Order of Masons and a dedicated Shriner, Ivo was passionate about giving back to his community. He enjoyed spending time with family and friends, sharing his love for antique cars and fishing. He was always the first to volunteer and help the needs of others; especially family.
Ivo was the beloved father of Alisa (Roger) W. Pettingell and Ivo (Lisa) F.
He was preceded in death by his wife “Barbara
Sue Waerlop, who passed away December 1, 2006 at a young age. Ivo is survived by family and friends who will remember him for his eagerness to help, kindness, wisdom, and steadfast presence in their lives. Ivo F. Waerlop will be
Waerlop Jr.along with his four adored grandsons; Jake, Vander, Max and Saxxon.
(Bobbie)”
deeply missed and always remembered by all who knew him.
FRIDAY, NOV. 15
CAT IN THE WALL
6:06 p.m., 3800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Animal Problem: A resident called dispatch for help getting a cat out of a wall. An officer with the Longboat Key Police Department called the resident and said the department does not respond to animal calls like this. Luckily, the caller said the cat got itself out of the wall.
FISHERMEN BEING FISHERMEN
9:07 p.m., Firehouse Lane
Suspicious Person: An officer responded to a report of a group of people loitering in the nearby area. Upon arrival, the officer spoke with the group of men who were legally parked on the side of the road and getting fishing equipment out of their vehicle. No suspicious activity was observed by the officer, and the group was free to go fish.
SUNDAY, NOV. 17
WEDDING FESTIVITIES
11:04 p.m., 4000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Officer Public Service: An officer on patrol noticed a man stumbling in the middle of the southbound and bicycle lanes of Gulf of Mexico
Drive. The officer approached the man, who said he left a wedding at a nearby resort. The man was able to call a friend who arrived shortly after and the two were given a courtesy ride back to their hotel.
MONDAY, NOV. 18
DEBRIS CLEANUP IN PROGRESS
6:18 p.m., 2800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Officer Public Service: A resident called to report a suspicious person bulldozing debris behind a property and dumping the debris on the beach. An officer arrived on scene and spoke with the man operating a Bobcat machine. The man said he was cleaning up for a hotel owner, and the officer did not see any debris being dumped on the beach. No further police action was needed.
TUESDAY, NOV. 19
CAR OUT OF SERVICE
11:31 p.m., 400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Suspicious Vehicle: While on night patrol, an officer noticed a car parked in a closed commercial lot. The officer checked to make sure the vehicle was not reported as stolen or abandoned and checked to see if anyone was inside. No one was inside, but a note attached to the windshield stated the car would be towed in the morning due to a flat tire.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 20
WHAT’S IN THE WATER?
12:17 p.m., 4400 block of Exeter Drive
Suspicious Incident: Dispatch
asked a Longboat Key officer to investigate a call in which a citizen said something was in the water, but it was not an emergency. The caller hung up with dispatch after saying it was not an emergency, but a female in the background of the call could be heard disagreeing. An officer responded to the scene and canvassed the nearby water but did not see anyone in distress or anything else that would warrant action. Bystanders said they did not hear or see anything out of the ordinary.
THURSDAY, NOV. 21
SUSPICIOUS RAILROAD TIES
9:17 a.m., 600 block of Cedar Street
Suspicious Incident: A resident called for Longboat Key police assistance over potentially illegal dumping of two railroad ties in
All are welcome at All Angels no exceptions
Worship Service Sunday 10 a.m. Live Stream the 10 a.m. service at AllAnglesLBK.org Christmas Tea, Saturday, December 7th with concert to follow.
563 Bay Isles Rd • 941-383-8161 AllAngelsLBK.org
An Ecumenical Church that Welcomes all People Founded in 1956
Please join
for worship in person on Sunday at 10 a.m. or online at our website and Facebook Live Stream at 10 a.m.
Worship With Us at Our Church Sunday Service 10:00 AM
Dr. Julia Wharff Piermont, Pastor
Sunday, December 8 at 10:00 AM
Please join us on this journey of international carols and folk songs that incorporate narration and scripture to share the Christmas story. Our chancel choir and guest orchestra will present this holiday event during our regular Sunday Service. Visitors and Residents Welcome • Free Event
SUNDAY, NOV. 17
RACCOON WITH NINE LIVES?
12:35 p.m., 6700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Assist Other Agency: While on patrol, an officer was flagged down by a concerned citizen who said he was traveling along Gulf of Mexico Drive when he hit a raccoon that ran onto the road. The man said he pulled over somewhere safe and found the raccoon resting behind the front grill of his car. Manatee County Animal Control was asked to assist and arrived at the scene to retrieve the raccoon, which miraculously was uninjured. According to the animal control officer, the raccoon was later released.
front of her house. When the officer arrived, the homeowner said about a week earlier, she had disposed of furniture and other debris after her home was devastated by the hurricanes. At that time, there were no railroad ties on her property. After the furniture was removed, she noticed the large railroad ties and believed her neighbor was to blame, though she did not have proof. The officer said without any witnesses or evidence, it would most likely be her responsibility to remove the railroad ties, and not the neighbor’s.
Enjoy the thrill of the find! Our inventory is always on the move, so visit us weekly to explore new deals and shop often!
YOUR NEIGHBORS
Tradition brings light to Longboat
After a challenging summer of hurricanes on the island, members of the community came together for an early holiday celebration.
CARTER WEINHOFER STAFF WRITER
The air was cold and the wind brisk. Well, cold for a Florida November.
But that didn’t deter Longboat Key residents from attending the annual Light Up Longboat ceremony.
The 2024 event at the Town Center Green drew hundreds of community members, many of whom said the annual event felt like a return to normalcy after a summer of backto-back hurricanes.
“People are regrouping,” said resident Blake Slansky. “People are adapting and making it work.”
Slansky recently returned to Longboat Key with his family, including his wife, Elise Kidd Slansky, and their daughters, Blaire and Brynn.
After Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the family decided to delay their return to the island. But when they got back, it felt right.
“When we got back on the island, it felt like home,” said Elise Kidd Slansky.
Light Up Longboat kicked off around 5:30 p.m., and residents flowed around the Town Center Green. The community regrouped while chatting with local organizations like Longboat Key Turtle Watch, and sampling treats from Viento Kitchen and Harry’s Continental Kitchens.
The Rotary Club of Longboat Key also noticed this year’s event drew a larger crowd than in years past.
Members of the club, including Nancy Rozance reprising her role as Santa, collected toys and games throughout the night for Hope Family Services in Bradenton.
By the end of the night, they filled a car with donations.
“We’re so grateful for how many gifts people brought to donate,” Rozance said, adding it was a record number of gifts. “I think people just wanted to give.”
Mayor Ken Schneier joined Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce
President Kim Verreault and Assistant to the Town Manager Susan Phillips on the Karon Family Pavilion stage to officially turn on the lights of this year’s unique tree.
“As you all know, we’ve had a tough couple of months here on Longboat and in the area,” Schneier said.
Schneier spoke about the town’s resiliency in the face of Hurricanes Helene and Milton and thanked all the town department heads who helped in Longboat’s recovery process.
“As you can see, we’ve had a lot of debris picked up; we’ve got services back,” Schneier said. “We have more to do, and more will be done. Everything will be done until the town is back in shape.”
After Schneier’s remarks, the crowd watched in anticipation as the tree was lit, displaying its unique design and amber glow.
CHRISTMAS (TREE) STORY
So, what’s the new tree all about?
This year, the town and Chamber of Commerce decided to switch things up, ditching a traditional Christmas tree and creating something unique.
There’s not another tree in the world like it, said Phillips.
According to Phillips, the main reason for using a flat, wooden tree was to accommodate how the wind blows through the back of the Karon Family Pavilion.
Phillips saw an idea on the internet for a wooden Christmas tree that could be decorated inside with whatever ornaments they wanted.
Phillips took the design idea to Reed and Ginny Savidge, who own Ace Hardware on the island.
Within days, the Ace Hardware family brought Phillips’ idea to life. It was exactly how Phillips imagined.
“Very rarely do you dream some thing up and it turns out exactly how you envisioned,” she said.
Then, Phillips was joined by Verreault and Chamber Marketing Manager Felicia McDermott to decorate the tree.
It took them about four hours to assemble the tree, including more than 200 ornaments and 2,400
lights. It was a “labor of love,” Phillips said.
With a golden theme, the tree has an amber-like glow that will be on from 5-11 p.m. every night at the Karon Family Pavilion until the New Year.
Mickey and Minnie Mouse also made an appearance at Light Up Longboat 2024.
Nancy Rozance (Santa) and current Rotary Club President Jan Wallace said residents brought a record number of gifts to donate at Light Up Longboat 2024.
Photos by Carter Weinhofer
Susan Phillips said the town’s new custombuilt Christmas tree is one of a kind.
In the aftermath of the hurricanes, it’s in all of our nature to look and find the light at the end of the tunnel.
The American Psychological Association says resilience is successfully adapting to difficult or challenging experiences. Of course, we know all about that here.
For a lot of us, that’s all we have left of our lives after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Even if we didn’t lose everything as so many did.
We’re still traumatized by the realization that it can and did happen here.
So, what is it about us that makes us just keep going?
I think it’s because it’s our nature to look for the light at the end of the tunnel. In our case, we remember what life was like just two months ago.
We built that life, and we want it back. It’s our nature to adapt.
It’s what allowed us to evolve from the caves to where we are now. We’re problem solvers. We’re compassionate, empathetic, we want to help each other and ourselves. We want to be back in control. So, we’re taking control of the situation as much as we can.
Some say that resilient people were born that way. They just naturally handle stuff better.
There may be some truth to that but mostly, becoming resilient is a lifelong process. It starts with our survival instinct and through a series of experiences, mistakes and events in our lives, we develop poise and clear thinking in a traumatic situation.
Whether it’s the death of a loved one or losing everything in a hurricane, bouncing back is what we do.
If you think you’re not resilient, think again. You can do this.
Sometimes the shock and sadness of an event is so strong that maybe we have to just lay there for a while. That’s perfectly natural. We eventually get up and carry on because we know deep inside that we must if we’re going to survive. Humans are survivors. We have a deep desire to thrive and be happy again. We all feel stress. Whether it’s a sudden big event or life’s daily grind. Stress is the price we pay for being alive. Science tells us
that resilience, how we handle that stress, has a tremendous effect on our health, the quality of our daily life and how long we live. Resilient people have a stronger immune system. They have fewer chronic health issues like heart disease. They tend to live a healthier lifestyle by not smoking, eating healthy foods and exercising regularly. All that adds to their ability to be resilient in times of major stress.
Trying to take a small step back so we can calm down and see the big picture, thinking positively, looking for any good we can find in a situation — these are the building blocks of resilience. It’s hard. So don’t go it alone.
The compassion of family, friends and even strangers who’ve been through it too, can give us the strength to stay positive and rebuild ourselves and our lives.
On a personal note, we had some damage to our home from both hurricanes. It was traumatic as it happened and continues to be stressful.
But as we began to sort out what to do, neighbors gave us some disaster relief information. It looks like there’s more help out there than we initially thought. FEMA takes disaster relief applications over the phone at 800621-4FEMA and online.
We did ours over the phone. It took about 20 minutes, and it was
comforting to hear an empathetic voice walk us through the process. FEMA also gave us the link to the Small Business Administration disaster relief website that handles disruption of business claims.
Our insurance company urged us to get an insurance inspector out to the property ASAP cause the line is getting longer by the minute.
Some of us have lost loved ones or sustained irreparable damage and their resilience is the only thing that they have to rely on. Let’s give them all the help we can to find their new place in life. As for the rest of us, we’ll be back, we’re human and we’re resilient.
Storm surge and sand swamped beachfront properties on Longboat Key after Hurricane Helene.
Courtesy image
Giving thanks on Longboat Key
The six houses of worship in the area held the 44th annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Worship Service and packed All Angels By the Sea Episcopal Church.
PETRA
RIVERA STAFF WRITER
It’s a unique blend of stoles and vestments for a unique, but muchneeded spiritual church service.
For residents on Longboat Key, year-round and seasonal, the service at All Angels By the Sea Episcopal Church was a healing close to autumn after a disastrous beginning with Helene and Milton.
The six “pastor pals” gathered in the cloth of their corresponding house of worship for the 44th annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Worship Service Nov. 19.
The interfaith assembly at All Angels, with the Rev. David Marshall as the host, featured a congregation that filled the pews and left parishioners standing all the way to the entrance hall.
Marshall was in a lineup that also included the Rev. Robert Dziedziak of St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church, the Rev. Kenneth Blyth of St. Armands Key Lutheran Church, the Rev. Julia Piermont of Christ Church of Longboat Key, Rabbi Stephen Sniderman of Temple Beth
Israel, the Rev. Brock Patterson and the Rev. Jeffrey Nunes of Longboat Island Chapel.
“Our task is to reframe the stories we live by when the present seems hopeless,” said Piermont in her sermon at the service. “When we feel devastated by fear, we need to look for creative ways to invest in what we believe. We need to invest ourselves with hope in our community, in this town and these islands, our houses of worship and our businesses because hope is as unreasonable as it is indispensable.”
As the newest pastor on the island, Piermont was chosen to give her sermon called “Buying Into What You Believe.”
It focused on sharing stories that taught the importance of investing in your beliefs, especially in times of loss and destruction. This service also celebrated her one year of preaching on the island.
Along with Piermont and Marshall, each religious leader participated in reading through scripture, prayers and addresses related to the meaning of the Thanksgiving. An interfaith choir with members from
all congregations, led by All Angels Music Director David Stasney, sang hymns inspired by the various faiths they were celebrating.
The service also benefited All Faiths Food Bank. Attendees brought in nonperishable foods to donate to the local nonprofit.
Choir members Andy Sawyer and Michael Gardiner from Christ Church were amazed at the camaraderie they saw between the members of the different congregations. They said this was a monumental event that was needed after the hardship Longboat residents have been through recently.
“Every time something like this happens with a hurricane, I always say, ‘We should move,’” said St. Mary congregant Nancy Rozance.
“But then I attend events like these,
and I know that I won’t find another community like this. Every one of these religious leaders is so passion-
ate about what they do, and they really care about the people that they serve.”
Photos by Petra Rivera
The “All Faiths” choir leads attendees through hymns from their religions.
The Rev. Robert Dziedziak, the Rev. Kenneth Blyth, the Rev. Julia Piermont and the Rev. David Marshall sang at the Interfaith service.
Jules Mackie | Tracey Stetler | Nicholle DiPinto McKiernan | Patrick DiPinto | Rene DiPinto | Steven Moore | Janet Coughlin
EXCEPTIONAL VACATION RENTALS
Locally owned and managed since 1994
Specializing in Longboat Key and Lido
The resident historian
Before the high-rise condominiums and the five-star restaurants, there was nothing on Longboat Key, according to resident David Miller.
Miller arrived on the island in 1955 when his father purchased Cannons Marina. Now, he is the co-owner of the staple business and loves sharing his knowledge of the island’s history with other fellow Longboaters.
“There wasn’t even a bridge here yet,” said Miller. “I watched them build the Longboat Pass Bridge. When they finished the bridge in 1957, that was the first day I got to go to school at Anna Maria Elementary for third grade. I came home from that day and said to my dad, ‘These people know how to read and write.’”
Miller spoke at the Longboat Key Kiwanis Club’s first evening social of the season on Nov. 21 on Lazy Lobster’s patio. Members were intrigued to hear from one of the island’s longest residents.
They asked him numerous questions, such as where he would go grocery shop and where to pump gas while growing up when the island was undeveloped. Miller has a story for each question. Kiwanis Club member Michael Garey called him “the resident historian of Longboat Key.”
As the holidays approach, the Kiwanis Club is excited about what is in store for members this upcoming season.
On Nov. 29, its annual bell ringing for the Salvation Army, led by President Chris Sachs, will begin. Members of the club, the Rotary Club of Longboat Key and Christ Church of Longboat Key, will be collecting donations for the local nonprofit outside of Publix starting that morning until Christmas Eve. Anyone is welcome to join them and volunteer as a bell ringer. If interested, email Sachs at Chris. KiwanisBell@gmail.com.
— PETRA RIVERA
Petra Rivera
Former mayor Jim Brown (right) chats with David Miller (left) and Michael Garey at the Kiwanis Club meeting.
Picking up the pieces
Lord’s Warehouse plans to reopen in 2025 after flooding.
JL Bainbridge has experienced a remarkable year with assets under management reaching over 1 billion as of June 30th, 2024. It is our opinion that our equity program has benefitted from two growth trends in the equities market. While not all areas in the portfolio have performed well, a measurable portion of the portfolio is impacted by ongoing trends in Artificial Intelligence and Energy. Artificial Intelligence and Global Electrification will continue to be thematic for the investment committee into 2025.
or repurchase shares, signaling judgment strength and long-term potential growth.
• Aim for Double-Digit Returns: Our analysis targets companies with potential 18-month returns in double-digits. Returns are never guaranteed.
• Stay Fully Invested: We advocate staying fully invested in growth assets to harness the power of compounding and avoid market timing attempts.
• Maintain Cash Assets: Holding sufficient cash provides stability during market volatility and prevents panic selling. We remain committed to delivering value and personalized service to our clients.
As we continue to grow, we look forward to supporting you in reaching your financial objectives while upholding the values that have guided us for over four decades.
COMMITTED TO PERSONALIZED SERVICE
As we expand, JL Bainbridge remains steadfast in delivering the personalized, boutique experience that has defined our firm for over 43 years. Located in the heart of downtown Sarasota, we are committed to helping you meet your financial goals with tailored advice and dedicated service. Over the years, many of our clients have grown alongside us, and we take pride in fostering long-term relationships and nurturing the growth of your financial portfolio.
JL Bainbridge will continue to monitor market trends as we strive to adhere to our longtime company investment principles. Client retention, client referrals and the conversion of prospects to new clients as well as growth in the equities market have all contributed to reaching a milestone of having $1 billion in assets under management (as of June 30, 2024).
GUIDING INVESTMENT PRINCIPLES
At JL Bainbridge, our investment principles for the growth portfolio remain steadfast:
• Invest in Great Businesses: We prioritize investing in exceptional businesses managed by outstanding leaders.
• Focus on Cash Flow and Shareholder Returns: We emphasize businesses with strong cash flow that can pay dividends
This past year has been a notable success for JL Bainbridge. We are proud of our achievements and remain committed to providing exceptional value and personalized service to our clients. As we look to the future, we are excited to continue supporting you in achieving your financial objectives, while upholding the core values that have guided us for more than four decades.
helves of second-hand shoes and racks of donated clothes were toppled on the floor. Glass from rare china and other household items were spread through the racks covered in mud.
Unique jewelry on the bottom shelves of the display cases started to rust only a week later. The water line on the wall marked the height of the four feet of water that flooded in.
Longboat Island Chapel members said it looked like someone had broken in, but really, it was Hurricane Helene that robbed Longboat Key of its favorite thrift store.
Eight weeks later, the Lord’s Warehouse at the chapel is empty of its numerous donations from residents and gutted from its shelves and appliances.
Senior Manager of the Lord’s Warehouse Valerie Evanko said its volunteers are working around the clock for a hopeful reopening in February.
“As we look more into the structure of the building and how it was damaged, the costs continue to mount,” said Evanko. “But we are committed to reopening because of how many nonprofits who depend on us.”
While little of its profits go to church expenses, the Lord’s Warehouse focuses on benefiting the 12 nonprofits partnered with the chapel’s charitable outreach committee. Evanko said they only keep about half of the donations to sell in the store.
This money goes to the committee to buy donations for the nonprofits and host its monthly charity social hour, Gather and Give. At this event, church members bring donations
DONATE TO THE LORD’S WAREHOUSE
The Lord’s Warehouse will start accepting donations on Dec. 1 to rebuild its inventory. It is looking for a variety of gently used clothes, jewelry, antiques, household goods and furniture. It does not accept electronics. All donations can be dropped off at 6140 Gulf of Mexico Drive.
To volunteer at the Lord’s Warehouse or the Longboat Island Chapel, call 3834738 or 383-6491, respectively.
for a specific charity while mingling with its leaders and learning more about how they can help them. The warehouse’s profits also go to the upkeep of the store. The other half of its merchandise is sorted and donated to local charities, such as Stillpoint Mission in Bradenton. Evanko said they give away around 40 bags of clothes each month.
In Hurricane Helene, the flooding ruined about 75% of the merchandise in the building and storage. Evanko said this affected all the bottom shelves, cabinets and racks. The standing racks were knocked down by the water rushing in. The warehouse also lost its $8,000 air conditioner.
After assessing the damage, the warehouse needed to be completely gutted. As this process began, termites were discovered, which resulted in the store having to be mitigated.
With drywall replaced, the plan is to install a new air conditioner, wall boards and cabinets as well as treatment for termites. Evanko didn’t specify the costs of the repairs. They are hoping to reopen Feb. 1, but that is not definitive. Because of this, the annual March fashion show is canceled.
Petra Rivera
The Lord’s Warehouse was flooded with four feet of water during Hurricane Helene.
Bird Key home tops week’s sales at $1.6 million
ADAM HUGHES
RESEARCH EDITOR
Ahome on Bird Key tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. Michael and Rebecca Royer, of Arlington, Virginia, sold their home at 465 Partridge Circle to Jeffrey Rhinelander and Jacqueline Bohannon, of Sarasota, for $1,568,000.
Built in 1973, it has three bedrooms, two-and-ahalf baths, a pool and 2,330 square feet of living area. It sold for $790,000 in 2018.
LONGBEACH
Robert Stephen Howard Jr. and Crystal Yvonne Howard, of Mount Dora, sold their Unit 24 condominium at 7095 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Daniel George Pavlovich and Antonia Mastrocola Pavlovich, of Lake Mary, for $1.1 million. Built in 1974, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,170 square feet of living area. It sold for $485,000 in 2015.
HARBOUR OAKS II
Frederick Obear, trustee, of Signal Mountain, Tennessee, sold the home at 2323 Harbour Oaks Drive to Ryan Monson, of Longboat Key, for $960,000. Built in 1986, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,395 square feet of living area. It sold for $325,000 in 1994.
SLEEPY LAGOON PARK
Rebecca Brodeur, trustee, of
Bradenton, sold the home at 612 Marbury Lane to Shehzad Amer and Mariena Evans, of Longboat Key, for $755,000. Built in 1966, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,128 square feet of living area.
SEAPLACE
Brian and Julie Meta, of New York City, sold their Unit M1-615F condominium at 2045 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Valerie Zingapan, of Buffalo, New York, for $750,000. Built in 1974, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,076 square feet of living area. It sold for $540,000 in 2017.
TOP BUILDING PERMITS
CEDARS EAST Deborah Richards, of Delmar, New York, sold her Unit 9 condominium at 511 Forest Way to David Vangellow, of Sarasota, for 639,200. Built in 1990, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,440 square feet of living area. It sold for $319,000 in 2018.
Image courtesy of Adnan Dedic Michael and Rebecca Royer, of Arlington, Virginia, sold their home at 465 Partridge Circle
Jeffrey Rhinelander and
Bohannon, of Sarasota, for $1,568,000.
YOUR CALENDAR
Exclusive Dinner, Wine for Four at the famous Maison Blanche
Hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer, soft drinks
Thursday, Jan. 16 | 5 to 7 p.m. at The Resort at Longboat Key Spike ‘n’ Tees, Islandside
Friday, Jan. 17 through Sunday, Jan. 19
Longboat Key Public Tennis Center NEW
Four Players per Team (2 women, 2 men)
Two doubles pro sets (men vs. men; women vs. women); Two mixed doubles matches; tie breaker if necessary $60
THURSDAY, DEC. 5 THE UNCONSCIOUS: WHERE ALL
From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at The Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road. Art Emrich, a board-certified clinical medical hypnotist, will explain how powerful mind/body practices can transform the world you live and work in for the better, for the rest of your life. Members. $20; nonmembers, $25. Call 383-8222 or email Admin@ TBIEducationCenter.org.
RECURRING EVENTS
MONDAYS STRETCH AND STRENGTHEN
From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. This class is mostly seated and great for all fitness levels. Focus is on strength training and flexibility for balance. Suzy Brenner leads the class. Fee is $15; free for members. Walk-ins welcome. Call 383-6493.
MIXED BEGINNERS BRIDGE
From 1-2:30 p.m. at The Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road. Professional bridge player and teacher Larry Auerbach will cover the basic mechanics and fundamentals of the game combining players who have some knowledge of the game and new players. Members, $85; nonmembers, $95. Call 383-8222 or email Admin@ TBIEducationCenter.org.
TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS
PILATES SCULPT
From 9-9:50 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Pilates Sculpt is a combination class mixing traditional Pilates exercises into a fun, challenging workout to upbeat music. It will make you sweat, encourage your body to burn calories, and make you stronger and more flexible. This class is for all levels. Cost is $15; free for members. Walkins welcome. Call 383-6493.
YOGA
From 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Debby Debile of Feel Good Yoga & Massage leads a gentle yoga class that can be done on a mat or in a chair. Cost is $15; free for members. Call 383-6493.
BEST BET
MONDAY, DEC. 2
MONDAY FILM CLUB: ENJOY TWO GREAT HIDDEN GEMS
From 1:30-4:30 p.m. at The Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road. View two full-length movies followed by stimulating discussions with popular movie critic Gus Mollasis. Enjoy fresh popcorn. Members, $40; nonmembers, $45. Call 383-8222 or email Admin@TBIEducationCenter.org.
TUESDAYS AT THE MOVIES
From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at The Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road. Enjoy quality assigned films at local theaters and come to class to discuss them with popular film maven and critic Gus Mollasis. Films are assigned a week before class discussion. Package of six — members, $95; nonmembers $105. Pay as you go, $17 per class. Call 383-8222 or email Admin@TBIEducationCenter.org.
MAHJONG
From 1-3 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Fun time for experienced players. RSVP only. To check availability at the tables, email Amy@TheParadiseCenter.org.
WEDNESDAYS
BEGINNER TAI CHI
From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Class is outdoors, weather permitting. Cost is $15; free for members. Walk-ins welcome. Call 383-6493.
File photo
Gus Mollasis teaches “At The Movies” at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel.
