As the New Year takes off, many families are impacted financially by last year’s hurricanes.
“Diapers — they cost a lot — are a blessing to the families, and I know they really appreciate it,” said Janice Houchins, initiatives coordinator for First 1,000 Days Suncoast.
In partnership with First United Methodist Church of Sarasota, First 1,000 Days Suncoast is hosting a diaper drive and had collected almost 3,000 diapers and wipes as of midday on Jan. 14.
The network of nonprofits and health care providers helps families during pregnancy and their child’s first 1,000 days of life, covering three counties.
The next and final chance to donate will be Jan. 19, before the 8:30 and 11 a.m. services.
“This is like a giant family, all these people coming together, so a lot of us volunteer because it brings a lot of joy to us all,” he said.
Having relocated from the Carlisle Inn to Sarasota Municipal Auditorium for this year, the event had additional space to feature its comic books, magazines, toys, video games, manga, cosplay, artwork and, of course, attendees dressed like characters, including mecha robots.
$0.10 A bigger stage Volunteer August Kain didn’t have to be staffing a table the weekend of Jan. 11, but was eager to be part of Sarasota Anime Fest in his free time.
Ian Swaby
The Rev. Brett DeHart and Janice Houchins
Ian Swaby Kris Paul as the Gundam Deathscythe.
OF JAN. 16, 2025
BY THE NUMBERS
The
“I told you I have a lot of people to thank.”
Sarasota-Bradenton
The long-awaited installation of the sculpture in the roundabout at U.S. 41 and 14th Street has been completed.
Poly, a 20-foot-tall sculpture created by New York-based art studio Hou de Sousa, was installed overnight on Jan. 8. Delivered in two pieces, the 2.7-ton piece was placed on its concrete pedestal in the center of the roundabout by the studio’s team.
The $208,000 piece was unanimously approved by the City Commission in September 2019, following a call to artists
and recommendation by the Public Art Committee. Poly’s fabrication was halted in early 2020 because of COVID-19 and subsequent global supply chain issues.
Once completed, prohibitive construction costs associated with the concrete foundation required for the piece delayed installation. In July 2024, the City Commission approved a competitive bid to build the foundation. The cost of the foundation for Poly was $340,906.50, $132,906.50 more than the cost
of the sculpture.
Poly was acquired through the city’s public art fund, which is supported by developer fees. A building permit with a construction valuation of more than $1 million requires the applicant to contribute one-half of 1% of the total construction valuation toward the purchase of public art.
The sculpture is storm-resilient, built to withstand winds up to 149 miles per hour, or the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane.
GCCF scholarship applications accepted
Gulf Coast Community Foundation is now accepting applications for its annual scholarship program. Applicants may visit GulfCoastCF.org/ Scholarships to review requirements and complete the online application. Application deadline is Wednesday, March 5. Scholarship awards will be announced in late spring.
“Scholarships have been an instrumental part of Gulf Coast Community Foundation for decades, ensuring that our region prepares for the skilled workforce we need for the future,” said GCCF President and CEO Phillip Lanham. “Our scholarship program matches students of all ages to academic opportunities that propel them to reach their full potential through the power of education.”
Through its annual scholarship program, GCCF assists students of all ages in pursuing higher education at accredited two-year and four-year colleges, universities or technical schools. Applicants must reside in Sarasota County, Charlotte County, DeSoto County, Lakewood Ranch or Longboat Key; and they must plan to attend a qualifying postsecondary institution during the 2025-26 academic year. Since 1997, the Foundation has awarded more than $11.5 million in scholarships. Last year, it awarded 531 scholarships totaling more than $696,000.
Siesta Key street resurfacing resumes
Interrupted for months in the aftermath of three tropical systems striking the area, the resurfacing and milling operations on Siesta Key resumed Monday, Jan. 13. The work will be completed on residential streets before turning attention to main thoroughfares. Construction will occur 7 a.m.- 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, not including holidays. The project is expected to be completed in the summer. Resurfacing of Beach Road is scheduled to begin after April 20 and will occur at night.
For more information, visit the Sarasota County government website at SCGov.net.
Courtesy City of Sarasota
The 20-foot-tall Poly has been installed in the roundabout at U.S. 41 and 14th Street.
SRQ’S GATES TO
THE FUTURE
With a gala reception and ribbon cutting, Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport opened its new five-gate facility serving Allegiant Air’s growing presence.
ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER
Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport and its emerging primary carrier have pledged allegiance to one another with this week’s opening of the new Concourse A and its five ground-level boarding gates.
With the new terminal fully leased by Allegiant Air, which serviced its first flights on Wednesday, SRQ held its grand opening gala and ribbon cutting Tuesday night, providing the first public viewing of the facility.
As they awaited comments from airport and airline officials, dignitaries and guests were serenaded by a string quartet as they imbibed in refreshments catered by Mattison’s
in the cavernous atrium punctuated by floor-to-high-ceiling glass providing a panoramic view of the airfield.
After 10 minutes of thanking all involved in making possible the airport’s first significant expansion since 1989, SRQ President and CEO Rick Piccolo spotlighted Allegiant Air, which since first landing here in 2018 has significantly expanded its routes to Sarasota.
“I want to especially single out Allegiant tonight as they never hesitated when they became aware of the terminal project and committed to take all five gates,” Piccolo said.
“They didn’t hesitate with a $175,000 sponsorship of the playground that’s going up at the new observation area. They have been a tremendous part-
ner. In fact, Allegiant carried more new passengers in December than any other airline at SRQ and have the most seats scheduled January through February of our 11 carriers. So to say Allegiant has been a strong partner is a big understatement.”
Of the four Allegiant jets parked outside the concourse awaiting Wednesday’s initial flights, one was emblazoned with a custom wrap promoting Sarasota and Bradenton, which Piccolo said is the first in the airline’s history.
“This moment marks another milestone in what has been an incredible journey in partnership with SRQ, which began in 2018 when we announced service here with just three nonstop destinations,” said Allegiant Senior Vice President Michael Broderick. “Today, seven years later, we are proud to offer more than 27 nonstop options.”
Concourse A represents the first new gates opened at SRQ since its $70 million, 13-gate terminal complex opened 35 years ago. Current investment in Concourse A, which includes upgrades in Terminal B for utilities, restroom renovations, the new escalators and other enhancements all on the same contract, is about $115 million.
Piccolo called it a valuable investment that will pay dividends for decades to come and is essential to meeting the demands of the airport’s rapid growth over the past five years.
In 2018, SRQ served approximately 1.3 million passengers with six carriers and 12 nonstop destinations. “Today, the airport handles over 4.3 million passengers, has 11 airlines and 68 nonstop destinations,” Piccolo said. “SRQ has an annual
through A8 rather than A5 through A9 as shown.
economic impact on a community of over $3.2 billion and over 23,000 jobs in the community are derived from the airports activities. With the opening of this new terminal wing, we expect continued passenger and destination growth and even greater positive economic and job impact on the community.”
Sarasota-Manatee Airport Authority Chairman Jesse Biter took the opportunity to acknowledge Piccolo’s three decades of service to the airport, and his role in SRQ’s growth and success. Piccolo will retire this year at age 73.
“I’ve been on the board for four years. I’ve sat on numerous other boards, and I have to tell you, this is the absolute best operator I’ve ever seen,” Biter said. “He’s been committed to this airport for 30 years, and. He’s brought the board’s vision to life with what you see here. He works nonstop. He’s worked through the hurricanes. We’ve seen long security lines in the past. We’ve seen roofs torn off, and he’s here for every second of that.”
In addition to the five gates, Concourse A includes upgraded dining and bar options, including local restaurants Anna Maria Oyster Bar and Patricks, as well as a sundries shop. Because it is separated from Concourse B for now, it has a dedicated security screening area.
Moving into its new gates, Allegiant has vacated Concourse B, leaving that to be filled by other airlines.
More gates in Concourse A are on the drawing board, including a five-gate expansion at the south end and three at the north end, the latter elevated gates served by jet bridges as part of a connector between Concourse A and Concourse B.
The long-range airport master plan includes a Concourse C and 32 total gates.
Allegiant Air has leased all five gates in Concourse A at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, numbered A4 through A8. Gates A1 through A3 are planned as part of a future connection to Concourse B.
Sarasota-Bradenton
International Airport
President and CEO Rick Piccolo speaks during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Concourse A.
Photos by Andrew Warfield
Passengers will have ground-level views of Allegiant jets in the new Concourse A at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.
Mira Mar plan enters rezoning phase
The effort to preserve the historic building first requires a zoning change to allow more building height on the site.
An effort to preserve the cen-
tury-old Mira Mar Plaza and redevelop a portion of the site to pay for it had its initial submission before the city’s Development Review Committee on Dec. 18.
Prior to site plan submission, Seaward Development is seeking a rezoning of the property from Downtown Core to Downtown Bayfront, which would allow it to build two 18-story towers between the Mira Mar, which fronts South Palm Avenue, and Mira Mar Court where both intersect at McAnsh Square at the south end of the block.
The Downtown Core zone permits only 10 stories in height. The site
sits immediately next to the recently completed 18-story DeMarcay and is virtually surrounded by Downtown Bayfront zoning. Seward plans to build 70 condominiums in the mixed-use development that will provide the revenue needed to rehabilitate the Mira Mar building, whose demolition permit was previously rejected by the city’s Historic Preservation Board.
“We’re requesting a rezoning from the Downtown Core to Downtown Bayfront, and our plan is to come in with a site plan at a later date that will provide for two towers and 70 residential units,” attorney Brenda Patten told the DRC members. “But the real motivation for this application is to save the Mira Mar.
“In order to generate the $25 mil-
lion it will take to restore the Mira Mar, we’re proposing the rezoning so that we can go higher and keep the ground level open like it was in 1926. We’re trying to replicate the appearance and the ambiance of the 1926 development.”
Seaward held a pre-application conference with the DRC on Nov. 6, when it officially introduced its concept to restore the structurally at-risk Mira Mar to its original form, removing architectural features and additions from the 1980s that deter from its historical significance. More than just preserving the facade, the developer plans to restore the entire structure while bringing it up to code.
The Mira Mar Plaza was constructed as a two-story apartment
building in 60 days in 1922, and a hotel behind the building was finished in time for the 1923–24 winter season. The hotel was razed in 1982, but the original apartment building along South Palm Avenue remains, now filled with restaurants, shops and offices.
Since acquiring the property from commercial developer Mark Kauffman for $17 million in May 2023, Seaward has brought on expertise in historic preservation and compatible development design to lend an architecturally cohesive project.
“That two-story, wood framed entire structure all along Palm Avenue will remain. When we’re done with our historical specialists, we aim to apply for historical significance,” Patten said. “The structure will be simple rehabilitation, adding nothing to it. The two towers are going to be behind the historic building, and they’re going to be designed to replicate the architecture of the historic portion. They’re going to be architecturally very consistent.”
Seaward’s original plan was to raze the Mira Mar and replace it with a two-story retail building of similar architecture with the condo towers behind.
Amid public outcry, in June 2022, its demolition was denied by the Historic Preservation Board.
As reported by sister publication Business Observer, at that time, Seaward was under contract to purchase the building from Kauffman, whose engineering consultant reported the building to be badly damaged, including undersized foundations, corroded structural wood wall studs, extensive insect damage and wood
rot with no lateral resistance to wind loads. The demolition denial sent Seaward back to the drawing board to hatch its current plan to preserve the Mira Mar and redevelop the rest of the site. The concept was generally well received by a capacity audience of more than 100 during a September 2024 community workshop.
There, Seaward Managing Partner Patrick DiPinto introduced a collaboration with East Coast architects Rick Gonzalez and Igor Reyes along with the plan to restore the Mira Mar to its origins and pay the bill with the 18-story residential towers behind it. Gonzalez, of REG Architects of West Palm Beach, has 40 years of expertise in historic building restoration. Reyes, of Nichols Architects of Coral Gables, specializes in designing projects that help monetize such efforts.
Seaward has received a partial sign-off from the DRC, at this stage only for the rezoning, with full signoff anticipated soon.
The rezoning request will then need approval of an amendment to the city’s Comprehensive Plan, which requires a 4-1 supermajority of the City Commission first to transmit the change to Tallahassee for comment and, if cleared, another supermajority for approval. That will be followed by a rezoning hearing before a site plan submittal to the DRC. As a development in a downtown zone district, the project will need only administrative approval absent any code adjustments that would require an appearance before the Planning Board.
File images
Mira Mar has stood on South Palm Avenue since 1923.
A rendering of the residential towers behind a restored Mira Mar.
Day docks nearing OK for The Bay
WARFIELD STAFF WRITER
With unanimous recommendation for approval from the Sarasota Planning Board, the Bay Park Conservancy is now a City Commission endorsement away from its plans to build 18 day docks in the canal at Centennial Park.
The floating dock is an integral part of plans for Phase II of The Bay to make the park, and by extension the downtown area, more accessible to visitors arriving by boat. It is part of the expansion and enhancement of Centennial Park, which will become part of the 53-acre, cityowned Bay park.
Representatives of the Bay Park Conservancy appeared before the Planning Board on Jan. 8 seeking two affirmative recommendations for City Commission consideration: a major conditional use application and a governmental zone waiver that will allow for the construction of the dock. The waivers are needed to allow for construction in the existing boat basin, for dock pilings to be 14.5 feet above the mean high-water line, and for the seawall to exceed five feet above the mean low-water line. Phase II is divided into four projects:
■ The Canal District, including upgrades and expansion of the current Centennial Park boat launch on the north side of the canal and the day docks on the south side.
■ The resilient shoreline, which is focused on the waterfront trail and some aspects of Hog Creek to make environmental, resilience aspects and water quality improvements in those locations.
■ The Cultural District, which is the frontage along U.S. 41, a comprehensive refresh including building a promenade along the eastern frontage of the park and to restore historical resources along U.S. 41.
■ The Sunset Pier, which remained mired in the Army Corps of Engi-
neers permitting process.
“This is the southern portion of the of the upland cut, and it will provide 18 boat slips for visitors,” said Philip DiMaria of consultant Kimley-Horn of the day docks. “This is important for The Bay park individually, but also Sarasota as a whole. There’s a limitation to the number of boat slips on Sarasota Bay and the addition of these 18 slips will open up Sarasota for folks visiting from the water.”
The plan met with few concerns of the three members of the Planning Board conducting the public hearing — Shane Lamay recused himself from the proceeding and Daniel DeLeo was absent — other than questioning the absence of a safety railing between the dock and the southern seawall.
That concern was borne of the personal experience of board member Daniel Clermont, whose wife is still recovering from slipping head first between a dock and a wall at MarineMax, where there is only a 15-inch separation. The tight space made it difficult for her to escape the situation.
“My concern is a safety matter, and that is a railing on the inside of the dock,” Clermont said. “Obviously, you can’t have one on the outside of the dock. That’s where the boats are. I can’t in my right mind vote in favor of something where there is not a safety rail there.”
Prior to the meeting, Clermont had expressed his concerns to staff. He asked the BPC’s panel if there had been follow-up discussions.
“In the time since being notified of some of your concerns, we spent some time analyzing our proposed dock, its design, and compared it to some of the other docks in the city for safety,” DiMaria said of project designers and consultants. “In their professional opinion, this is an extremely safe design and matches the context of this specific boat basin whereas in other situations it may not make as much sense to not have
a railing there.”
The primary difference, Clermont was told, is the clearance between the floating day dock and the seawall is 11 feet versus 15 inches, so nobody would become trapped if they fell. Also, a railing would not stop a child from falling in but could impede in rescue attempts. Finally, because the floating dock heaves with the waves, rails would have to be horizontally separated, creating possible pinch points. Additionally, the day dock will be 10 feet wide, plenty of room for maneuvering without approaching the edge of the structure.
While Clermont was satisfied with the space between the dock and seawall, as well as the width of the dock itself, board member Douglas Christy wondered about the hours the dock would be in use — specifically late at night.
“The real answer is, we don’t know,” said AG Lafley, founding CEO of the Bay Park Conservancy. “But I’ll tell you two things: The operating hours of the park conform with city public parks, 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. I do believe for Centennial Park — and I don’t know whether it extends to
the south side of the basin — that it is open for 24 access for fishing and for the return of boats.”
Site Plan for the Canal District in The Bay Park. The shown site of the performing arts center, not part of the Bay Park Conservancy’s purview, has been moved to along U.S. 41 and crossing the canal since this site plan was published.
The Canal District of The Bay park is outlined in red.
Courtesy images
City wins federal grant for Complete Streets projects
ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER
When it comes to raising money for Sarasota’s Complete Streets projects for 10th Street and Boulevard of the Arts, the fourth time is the charm.
Last week, the city received notification of its approval for a $12 million RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“We are very excited to receive this grant, which will allow us to move forward years sooner with this important connectivity project,” said Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert. “Our thanks to Sen. (Marco) Rubio for his assistance in obtaining the grant.”
It was the fourth time the city applied for the grant, which was rejected on all three prior attempts.
“Every time we received project of merit (status),” said Senior Transportation Planner Corinne Arriaga. “What that means is that it went
to the secretary’s desk, but unfortunately, we were not awarded, so we made it up high on the list every time.”
The grant, which requires a city match of $3 million, will be used to fund street transformation of several blocks of both 10th Street and Boulevard of the Arts.
Complete Streets is an approach to planning, designing, building, operating and maintaining streets for safe, multimodal use, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities.
In May 2023, the city’s “transportation twins” of Arriaga and Chief Transportation Planner Alvimarie Corales presented the plans, at the time at the 60% design phase. That is where it has remained, the other 40% of design commencing once funding is secured and the grant agreement between the city and the USDOT finalized. That requires negotiations to formalize some site specifics of the project prior to a contractor being secured.
“We are exactly where we need to be, and now that we acquired the construction funding, once all of the agreements get executed we will then go out to bid for the designbuild process,” Arriaga said.
The design-built process — designing as construction is underway — is planned to reduce costs and project duration.
Residents in the Rosemary District shouldn’t expect work to begin anytime soon. As is typical with government-funded road projects, particularly with the federal government, it may take years before ground is broken.
With 109 projects on the USDOT grant agreement negotiation docket, it will take time.
“This is not something that we’re going to start constructing this year, or probably the beginning of the next year, either. It’s a very involved process,” said Arriaga. “They have to go through all the motions to get these grant agreements with all of those that got awarded.”
When design work does continue, it will focus on 10th Street between Tamiami Trail and Orange Avenue, and Boulevard of the Arts from the bayfront to Orange Avenue, both constructed in two phases.
For 10th Street, the project includes:
■ 11-foot travel lanes.
■ 12-foot planted median from Central Avenue to Lemon Avenue, then varying between 9.75 feet and 14.75 feet to Orange Avenue based on width availability.
■ Eight-foot sidewalks.
■ Seven-foot planting strip areas that would act as bioswales for stormwater treatment or possible rain gardens.
■ Five-foot bike lane.
■ Three-foot bike lane buffer.
For Boulevard of the Arts:
■ 12-foot travel lanes with “sharrows” to indicate both vehicle and bicycle use.
■ No median.
■ 11-foot sidewalks.
■ Six-foot planting areas.
■ Parallel parking where possible. One roundabout is included for the dual projects, which will be at 10th Street and Orange Avenue. The reaction of Corales and Arriaga upon hearing the news of the grant? “We were screaming at the top of our lungs,” Corales said. “We both worked really hard on this and this grant was very competitive. We really appreciate how upper management and leadership supported us throughout this process.”
Florida shines fiscally
Measured against all states, Florida’s total liabilities per capita are among the lowest, thanks to Gov. DeSantis and the Legislature paying down debt. But local governments’ debt is another story.
The years since the pandemic recession have been good for state debt and liabilities nationwide, and in particular for Florida.
Reason Foundation has created a unique data set by collecting numbers from state- and local-audited financial reports. We recently compared all 50 states’ debt and liabilities for 2020 to 2022, the most recent year for which full data is available.
The accompanying map graphic gives you a sense of how all states look, color coded by the growth in the ratio of state total liabilities to per-capita liabilities, which better shows growth or reduction in state debt driven by state fiscal policies rather than just by changes in population.
You can immediately see that Florida looks pretty good relative
to most other states. But before we dive into that, there are a few larger takeaways.
First, almost all states saw revenues and asset values grow during the 2020-2022 period. That helped all but one state — North Dakota — to reduce their debt ratio (the proportion of total liabilities to total assets).
Florida, during this period, reduced its liabilities substantially, with the ratio of growth in total liabilities to per capita liabilities falling more than 15%.
Total liabilities fell from nearly $73 billion in 2020 to less than $62 billion in 2022. Per capita liabilities shrank from $3,383 to $2,871. That is excellent, especially compared to other states.
Connecticut has the highest per capita liabilities at $29,607, more than 10 times that in Florida.
But at the same time, Tennessee has per capita liabilities of less than $1,500, about half that in Florida.
So, there is still room for improvement in Florida. What we need is more of what we have seen in the last few years. Gov. Ron DeSantis has aggressively pursued shrinking the state’s debts in recent years, including in most of his budgets hundreds of millions in accelerated debt reduction. That saves many tens of millions of dollars each year in interest payments.
Each budget that includes paying
down debt early and avoiding adding to the debt reduces the state’s liabilities.
One of the largest and most politically volatile sources of state liabilities is employee benefits.
Florida reduced its government worker pension liabilities from $8.8 billion in 2020 to $3.5 billion in 2022 and also reduced other worker benefit liabilities from $91 billion to $7.3 billion.
Those reductions are thanks to a series of pension reforms passed early in DeSantis’ term in office and to resisting adding new debt and making full appropriate contributions to pension plans.
One caveat to this rosy picture, unfortunately, is local government debt in Florida. While the state has managed debt well, local governments have not.
According to Florida Tax Watch, Florida ranks third best in the nation on per capita debt, but local governments rank 19th from the bottom. That is not sustainable, and local governments in Florida should learn something from DeSantis’ fiscal management.
Adrian Moore is vice president at Reason Foundation and lives in Sarasota.
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ADRIAN MOORE
Luxury condos get approval
Planning Board OKs Amara to be built on Golden Gate Point.
Since the late 1940s, the Pier 550 condominiums on the east side of Golden Gate Point have embodied the midcentury emergence of Sarasota. Now in the shadows of towering luxury residential buildings, the collection of two-story buildings will be razed to make way for more of the same. In its place will be Amara, a twotower, 54-unit project, which on Jan. 8 received unanimous approval from the Sarasota Planning Board. The eight-story buildings will replace Pier 550, a collection of 51 low-rise condominiums built between 1948 and 1953 along a 2.26-acre stretch on Golden Gate Point.
Ronto Group completed the acqui-
PLANNING BOARD CHANGES
Planning Board Chairman Michael Halflants has resigned. During its Jan. 6 meeting, the Sarasota City Commission voted to elevate alternate member Douglas Christy to fill the seat, and named Alexander Neihaus as alternate. Daniel Deleo was absent from the Jan. 8 meeting.
sition of the properties in May, and their prior owners vacated by September. The site is now surrounded by a construction fence and demolition has begun.
Amara will join construction of three other projects on the 22-acre peninsula jutting into Sarasota Bay just east of the Ringling Bridge. Ronto Group is currently building The Owen, another condo tower, on the south end of Golden Gate Point.
road to get to the bay.”
Asked if that was a binding commitment, Clyburgh admitted it was not.
Sensing an obstacle for approval — the Planning Board can only consider a site plan as formally presented — attorney and Ronto Group representative Brenda Patten met with the applicant to offer dual drains.
Having received full sign-off of the city’s Development Review Committee and deemed in compliance with the Residential Multiple Family-5 zoning, only one sticking point remained: addressing the occasional flooding of the brick paver loop street which may be exacerbated by 2.6 acres of mostly impervious surface covering some existing areas of grass and landscaping.
During community meetings, the Planning Board was told Ronto Group said it will consider — though not included in the site plan — replacing a single stormwater outfall into Sarasota Bay with two — one at the north end and the other at the south end of the site.
“One of the primary considerations for the city would be the outfall. There is currently an existing outfall that runs through the center of the site,” said project civil engineer Bobbie Clyburgh. “One option that you may see on your plans, but it’s not a requirement that we are considering, is an additional inlet just to catch bypass flow along the
“The owner agrees to a condition regarding the second outfall,” Patten said. “It’s not part of the official site plan. This is going to be an additional exhibit showing the second outfall, which the owner agrees that he will do.”
Another concern, though not relative to approval, is a fourth construction project underway on Golden Gate Point. However, it will be about a year before construction can begin, the Planning Board was told. Ronto Group’s general contractor, Connor & Gaskins, is building The Owen on the peninsula, Operations Manager Mike Zehe said, with few issues.
A plan has already been developed, Zehe said, to bus workers from a remote location to the site. A flagger will be stationed at the entrance to the neighborhood to assist truck movement.
“I’ve created a staging plan,” Zehe said. “We’re obviously not going to load Golden Gate Point with six concrete trucks or rebar trucks or things like that. We generate delivery schedules. I have a superintendent who just manages the support and
“I have a superintendent who just manages the support and the logistics. His primary job is just keep the job flowing, keep the street clean and keep the pedestrians safe. I’m also the director of safety, so this is like 90% of my job.”
Mike Zehe, Operations Manager
the logistics. His primary job is just keep the job flowing, keep the street clean and keep the pedestrians safe. I’m also the director of safety, so this is like 90% of my job.”
Amara is a podium design with one story of parking under the podium beneath the two eight-story towers. The north building will have 31 units and the south building 23. There is a common viewing area on both buildings at the roof level.
The plan includes a combination of a common garage, private garage and surface parking spaces for a total of 115. There are two lobby entrances from the parking level that lead into the respective north and south tower lobbies.
An amenities center will be on the second floor of the north building, and between the buildings is a common pool and deck. The bay side of the property will have a limited number of boats docks for unit owners.
Andrew Warfield Pier 550 was built between in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The structures await demolition to make way for luxury condo project Amara.
Sarasota County expects $210M in federal storm recovery funding
A
arasota County officials expect to receive an additional $210 million in federal hurricane relief from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant— Disaster Recovery funding to assist with recovery and mitigation efforts from Hurricanes Idalia, Helene, Milton and Debby.
In 2023, the county created the Resilient SRQ program for Hurricane Ian recovery to allocate $201.5 million in CDBG-DR funding. The program assists in rebuilding homes, repairing infrastructure and addressing other unmet needs. Under the same program, the new round of funding will go toward leveraging and expanding existing capacity to support long-term recovery and resilience efforts.
“Last year tested our community like never before, but it’s also shown
our incredible resilience and determination to rebuild,” said Sarasota County Commission Chairman Joe Neunder in a news release. “With this funding, we’re not just repairing homes and infrastructure, we’re building back stronger and preparing for the future.”
Similar to the 2023 grant, the county anticipates staff direction for distribution from the County Commission after receiving community input. The plan will detail projects and programs to best meet the identified needs in Sarasota County, primarily offering assistance to lowand moderate-income households in the categories of housing, restoration of infrastructure, economic revitalization and mitigation.
More information about how residents may participate in the development of the next Resilient SRQ action plan will be released as it becomes available.
Image courtesy of Sarasota County
FRIDAY, JAN. 3 BATHROOM
6 p.m., 1400 block of First Street Lewd and lascivious act: An employee of a retail establishment told an officer a man had made a recording or had taken photos of a 16-yearold minor inside the restroom.
The victim stated he went into the restroom and was inside a stall when he looked up and saw the top portion of a cell phone pointed down toward him. He said he swatted at the phone and unsuccessfully attempted to grab it.
The victim’s mother told the officer she received a text from him asking her to come inside immediately.
A witness gave a description of the peeping perpetrator, who ran out of the store after the incident. The store manager accessed security footage of the suspect and the image was disseminated to other patrol officers.
The victim and mother informed officers they were not from the area and did not wish to pursue charges.
SATURDAY, JAN. 4
A CONCERNED EX-CON
DAD
1 p.m., 1700 block of South Tamiami Trail Family dispute: Having recently been released from prison, a man only wanted to visit his ill infant daughter at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, but the baby mama’s mama and her boyfriend objected, resulting in a verbal altercation in the lobby.
THURSDAY, JAN. 2
CHECK BAGGAGE
8:48 a.m., 1400 block of South Tamiami Trail Dispute: A man told officers his girlfriend disposed of his suitcase that contained clothing, identification and, most importantly, a check for $22,000 from a client that he needed to deliver to his boss in Utah. He advised he missed his flight to the “Beehive State” because of the disposal of his belongings. The woman said that earlier in the morning she noticed $300 was missing from her wallet, that the man had stolen from her in the past and she believes he took the money. She said she purchased the suitcase and clothing the night before, that she threw out the items because she bought them, and she believed the man had stolen from her. She added she was unaware of the five-figure check inside.
An officer met with the father, whose demeanor was very calm while advising he had recently been released from custody for burglary and was on probation. He said he was just visiting his daughter, but his girlfriend’s mother and he do not get along.
The officer advised that given the situation, it would be best of the father and grandmother arrange a schedule to visit the patient at different times.
While explaining the solution to the embattled grandmother and her boyfriend, she continued to talk
The man denied stealing the woman’s money, and that there were two other men staying in the motel room. The man was advised to contact his client and place a stop on the check and that the incident was civil in nature. He then left the area in his rental vehicle.
over the officer, displaying a “bad attitude, at which point I changed my mind seeing they seemed to be the source of the conflict,” the officer wrote.
Given the unsuccessful attempt at diplomacy, the officer informed the pair they would have to leave the hospital because of their behavior and return at another time. The officer attempted to provide the grandmother with a business card and case number, but she refused to take it.
Sarasota schools sets new record
a graduation rate of 92.5% for the 2023-24 school year, the highest in its recorded history.
IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER
Sarasota County Schools announced a record graduation rate of 92.5% for 20232024 on Jan. 9.
The announcement followed the release of the data for that cohort, by the Florida Department of Education, that same day.
This statistic does not include the class of 2019-20, when graduation and assessment requirements were waived because of the pandemic.
During a press conference, individuals highlighted a districtwide initiative behind the graduation rates, which Superintendent of Schools Terry Connor said represented a 2 percentage point increase over the previous year.
He noted the district moved from 19th to 13th place in the state in one year, calling it a “tremendous jump due to the dedicated people that are behind me today.”
Schools that attained a 100% rate included Pine View School, Suncoast Polytechnical High School and Sara-
sota Virtual School.
High-achieving Sarasota-area schools included Booker High School, which saw a 5% increase in graduation rates over the past year and a 7% improvement over five years, reaching 90.6%, and Sarasota High School, which had a year-overyear increase of 6.7% for a 93.2% graduation rate, its highest in five years and the largest increase of any of the traditional public high schools.
All traditional public schools, reached or exceeded a 90% graduation rate for the first time, Connor said.
“It’s such an honor to work with all of these individuals who put their heart and soul into making sure that students have what they need, the support that they need, the love that they need to be successful, whether they’re going off to college, they’re going into the workforce, they’re
going into the military, we’ve done our job in preparing students to do whatever they want to do in life, to be successful in that next phase,” Connor said.
Connor also said the English language learner population increased 16 percentage points in its graduation rate over the last year, which he called a “tremendous job that is because of the very targeted interventions that we are providing all of our students, and especially our students that are speaking languages other than English.”
Principal Ryan Chase of Sarasota High School spoke on the school’s initiatives.
“I first want to recognize that this achievement would not be possible without our district leadership support and prioritization of academic excellence, and in particular, our Chief of High Schools Dr. Megan Green, who was not just a participant but a collaborator in this process ...” he said.
He said the school’s team offered programs including a mentorship
program which focused on 64 students identifying as credit or GPA deficient, resulting in 98% of those students graduating, and on-campus ACT, SAT and CLT testing and testing preparation centers, which reduced the number of seniors requiring tests at graduation by 99%.
Rachel Shelley, principal of Booker High School, called the five percentage point increase “unbelievable,” stating that, “number one, it was the support of our district staff, led by the best executive chief that exists, Dr. Green.”
She said it was also because of the “collaborative world of our project team,” as well as to community, staff, and district support.
“In addition to that, we had amazing teachers that decided it was their number one priority to help us reach our objective,” she said.
She said of 342 students who graduated, 64% were on free and reduced lunches.
“Everyone was a part of making this accomplishment become a reality, so we are so very, very grateful for everyone,” she said.
“We are not finished,” Connor said. “We are excited about where we’re at, but we’re not satisfied. We will continue to push forward, and we will not stop until we reach 100 percent graduate rate, because we have a mission: Every student, every day, and when every student graduates, then we have fulfilled that mission.”
Andrew L. Clark, Esq.
M. Michelle Robles, Esq.
Emily M. Flinchpaugh, Esq.
Ian Swaby
Booker High School Principal Rachel Shelley, school board member Liz Barker and Venice High School Principal Zoltan Kerestely participate in a press conference.
“My favorite part of wrestling is that it’s one on one ... It’s all about grit and determining who’s better.”
Fast Break
Cardinal Mooney High inducted three alumni into its athletic Hall of Fame on Jan. 10. Craig Calhoun, class of 1991, Stephen Ierulli Jr., class of 2009 and Pole Vault and Track and Field coach John Raleigh Calhoun was a two-sport athlete in baseball and basketball, scoring more than 1,000 points in his career and receiving First-Team All-Area Basketball honors in 1991 before attending St. Leo University on a basketball scholarship. Ierulli Jr., a running back, amassed 3,818 total yards in his career with 36 touchdowns and was named to the Florida 1st Team All-State 2008. Raleigh has coached at Cardinal Mooney for 25 years, coaching 67 regional qualifiers, 27 state qualifiers and a high school national champion during his tenure.
... The Riverview High boys varsity basketball team (8-9) traveled to Sarasota High (16-2) in a crosstown clash on Jan. 10. The Rams fell to the Sailors 68-63, with junior Josh Harris and senior Rhys Gamble leading the way with 16 points each. Senior Gavin Howard added in 14 points and a team-high six rebounds in the loss. On the girls’ side, the Rams improved their record to 13-3 when they traveled to Wesley Chapel (12-6) and defeated the Wildcats 53-44 on Jan. 11. Sophomore Taylor Davidson led Riverview with 18 points and 12 rebounds. ... University of Florida swimmer Michaela Mattes helped the fourth-ranked Gators (5-1) defeat the visiting University of Indiana 164-136 by placing first in the 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 9:45.64 on Jan. 3. Mattes, a redshirt freshman, was a four-time FHSAA Class 1A state champion at Cardinal Mooney. The Gators will next square off against Texas A&M in College Station on Jan. 17.
SARASOTA HIGH GIRLS RAISE THE BAR. PAGE 18A
Riverview girls soccer seeks second straight district title
After the departure of six seniors in 2024, the Rams have restocked with a rock-solid senior class and promising underclassmen.
DYLAN CAMPBELL SPORTS REPORTER
Joe St. Onge coaches by a simple motto: Get better and have fun.
Four years ago, the Riverview High girls varsity soccer head coach never imagined he’d be where he was on Jan. 6, standing in Ram Bowl stadium, watching his team as it prepares to defend its Class 7A-District 8 title in the district playoffs on Jan. 23.
St. Onge, a former Riverview soccer standout himself who played four years at Division 1 Mercer University, is a financial adviser by day and soccer coach by night.
When the head coaching job opened up four years ago, St. Onge, who’d coached at FC Sarasota in his off-time, was approached by athletic director Rod Dragash.
At first, St. Onge balked, thinking that he would be unable to hold practices after school since the stock market closes at 4 p.m. When he found out that he could practice with the team later in the evening, however, he was all in.
Ever since St. Onge stepped in as head coach in 2021, the Rams have been building themselves into a formidable presence in the region’s soccer scene.
In 2021, Riverview went 9-8-2, before bowing to Venice in the district playoffs. The same fate awaited the Rams in 2022, when they went 7-2-3, before losing 7-1 to North Port High in the district semifinal game. Things changed, however, in the 2023-24 season. The team went 11-52 en route to winning the 7A-8 title, the program’s first in 18 years.
Junior striker Rachel Paule had a breakout campaign, scoring 15 goals. Sophomore Olivia Shkorupa emerged as a force, finishing second on the team with seven goals.
The team was led by six seniors, including defender and two-year captain Alyssa Gancitano, midfielder Venessa Huynh and midfielder Majestic Van Ingen. The departure of the seniors, St. Onge admitted, made him slightly skeptical heading into this year.
“We lost six seniors, five of whom were starters,” said St. Onge. “You think to yourself, how in the world are we going to replace that?”
The transition, so far, has been surprisingly seamless, said St. Onge.
As of Jan. 9, Riverview is 9-2-1, with its only losses to perennial powerhouses Land O’ Lakes Sunlake and
ing scorer, with six goals to go along with four assists. Sophomore Emily Simone, who emerged as a force at center midfield halfway through her freshman season, has carried that momentum into 2025, with five goals and one assist thus far into the year.
Anchoring the Rams’ defense is a mix of upperclassmen and freshman. Senior center back Laci Young has been “the rock” of defense in the back end, said St. Onge. Fellow senior Lena Benz has blossomed into a critical defender at the behest of assistant coach Reggie Thomas, who joined the staff last season.
Thomas, who played professionally in Brazil, is in charge of Riverview’s tactical training and has been a massive addition, said St. Onge.
“Lena had played a more attacking role her entire life,” said St. Onge. “When Reggie came in, he saw something in her and said she’d make a great right or left back, functioning in a more defensive role and she hasn’t looked back since. She’s probably the smallest player on our team, but she plays like a bulldog.”
Cape Coral Mariner. For what Riverview has lost in its departing seniors, it has gained in the maturation of its core players and the emergence of new faces.
This year’s senior class is headlined by strikers Paule and Bailey Springman, who lead the team in goals with nine and seven apiece. Through 12 games, Paule, who has started for all four years under St. Onge has already eclipsed her 2023-24 assist total of six with nine this season.
More than just her ability on the field, a rare combination of speed and touch, St. Onge credits Paule’s relentless drive as a key to her success. Not only can you not coach speed, St. Onge said, but you also cannot coach passion.
“I remember in her freshman year, there was a junior that Rachel was starting over and she asked me. ‘What do you see in Rachel?’ Why am I not getting the playing time that I did as a sophomore?” said St. Onge. “I told her that Rachel acts like she hasn’t eaten in a week and you just stole her sandwich.”
Riverview’s offense is not just dominated by its two top strikers in Paule and Springman, however. Adding to the fire is junior midfielder Olivia Shkorupa, who has taken her game to another level this year, said St. Onge. Shkorupa is the team’s third-lead-
St. Onge said freshmen Lyla Johnson, Avery Hunt and Sophia Oszlanczi have filled in valiantly for the departing seniors, helping to shore up a defense that has only allowed nine goals in 13 games.
Starting in goal for the Rams is sophomore Bronwyn Leggett. Leggett, nicknamed the “flying squirrel” by goalkeepers coach Sean Springman for her ability to make leaping saves, has been a stone wall in the net for Riverview this season.
As a freshman, Leggett started six games before suf fering a nasty concussion which sidelined her for eight months.
Leggett, who plays an extremely aggres sive style of goalkeep er, attacking defenders before they have the chance to get a shot off, has been even better in her second season.
Through 13 games, Leggett has allowed just eight goals, aver aging a hair under five saves per match and recording six shutouts.
It’s a collection of talent on the roster and a group of coaches to help guide that talent, making St. Onge optimistic about the Rams’ chances in the district and state playoffs in the com ing weeks.
While head coach Joe St. Onge has a mantra he coaches by, goalkeepers’ coach Sean Springman, who joined St. Onge’s staff in his first year, has a slogan of his own: building something special. The slogan goes beyond just the play on the field. It represents a culture that Riverview is trying to build within its program.
The staff has gone about doing so in different ways. The first is through the soccer clubhouse, a Springman invention, dedicated to just the school’s soccer teams, replete with carpeting and flat screen TVs where the team gathers pregame and at halftime.
The other way is through team outings and social media.
“We’ll hold practice on the beach,” said St. Onge. “After every season, there’ll be a movie night at my house with the whole team. I started an Instagram account, where I post a player of the match for every game — I make sure to put some though into it, with a couple of paragraphs for each post.”
Riverview’s Rachel
— Blake Roulund, junior, Cardinal Mooney High wrestling. SEE PAGE 19A
Courtesy Image
Running back Stephen Ierulli Jr. (left), Cardinal Mooney class of 2009, broke his father’s rushing record, totaling 3,818 yards and 36 touchdowns over his career at Cardinal Mooney.
The Riverview High girls soccer team gathers at midfield before its home match against Lemon Bay on Jan. 10.
Photos by Dylan Campbell
Riverview sophomore midfielder Emily Simone takes a shot during warmups prior to the Rams’ match against Lemon Bay on Jan. 10. Simone emerged as a foundational piece for the Rams midway through her freshman season.
At home in the weight room
The Sarasota High girls weightlifting program raises the bar for everyone involved.
Sarasota High sophomore Itzel
Padilla-Chavez just needed to add an extra curricular to her schedule. Now, she has a home gym in her garage. What happened? She joined the Sarasota girls weightlifting team.
It’s safe to say Padilla-Chavez, who is about as short and slight as any high school sophomore can be, does not look like the prototypical weightlifter.
That’s because she’s not. Before joining the team this fall, PadillaChavez didn’t have much experience at all working out.
“I saw during my freshman year that the team was looking for new girls to join, but I kind of psyched myself out of doing it,” said PadillaChavez. “When I joined this fall, I initially thought it would just be something fun to do to get some exercise and get my body moving. Once I got with the team, though, I realized that it was a community of girls and it was about more than just lifting weights.”
High school can be a hard place to find a home. All of a sudden, early teenagers are thrust into an atmosphere with “peers” that are
entering adulthood.
Unlike college, the difference between 14 and 18 years old is a much larger gap than that of, say, an 18-year-old and a 22-year-old.
When I was a freshman at an all-boys Catholic school, every senior might as well have been Paul Bunyan himself. They were big and mean, with full beards and deep, bellowing voices. They rode to school in pickup trucks, revving their engines in the school lot.
Meanwhile, I was escorted in the back of my mom’s Honda Odyssey, the top 40 pop hits blasting through the radio.
By the time a student reaches their freshman year, most traditional varsity sports like baseball, basketball, soccer, lacrosse and football are too specialized for prospective athletes to just try for the first time. Unless the student is unusually athletically gifted — which, news flash, most kids are not — the competition level is just too high.
Athletes in said sports have been training in them since they could walk — ask any varsity level athlete in Sarasota when they started play-
ing their sport. The median age will be 4 or 5 years old.
Ask them how many days a week they spend training, be it in the weight room, on the field or in private lessons with professional instruction, and the answer will be similarly intense: six or seven days a week.
Most varsity level athletes don’t have the time to engage in real hobbies outside of their sport. It’s just the reality of the commitment that is needed to play at that level.
So how in the world could somebody who might treat a sport as a hobby and not an all-consuming lifestyle, even try to find a home in high school athletics?
More than just the physical differences between high schoolers, though, the emotional and mental gap between age groups is its own cross to bear.
Trying to find where you fit in, in a place where everybody around you seems to have the answers, can be overwhelming. Unlike the Hollywood portrayal, adolescence is so very rarely as fun as it’s made out to be on the big screen.
The bodies and minds of adolescents are changing at an incredible rate, all while trapped in a fishbowl with one another. For many, being a teenager is just plain old tough.
Schools across the country are full of students that are adrift.
Programs like head coach Holly Shafer’s Sailors weightlifting team are there to catch them.
What Padilla-Chavez and her 30-some teammates have found in the Sarasota girls weightlifting team is a home — which is ironic, because Olympic weightlifting includes some of the most technically complex and intimidating movements in all of sport.
Everything about the snatch — one of three movements, including the similarly terrifying clean and
jerk and more normative bench press — looks unnatural.
The objective of the movement is to lift the barbell from the ground to over the lifter’s head in one continuous motion. The lifter starts in a deep squat, with their shins close to the bar, back straight and hands in a wide grip on either end of the barbell.
The lifter then explodes upwards, knees driving out and hips pushing the bar up as high as possible, so that they can settle under it in a squat position, the bar held straightarmed above their heads like some sort of Cross-Fit contortionist.
Finally, the lifter squats the bar upwards, holding it victoriously high above their heads, before letting it clang ceremoniously down to the platform beneath them.
Somehow, however, in the hands of Shafer’s lifters, the movement looks as natural as riding a bike. It’s a testament to the work that Shafer, in her third year as coach, puts in with her team and, in turn, the commitment they have to her.
While the door is open to Shafer’s program, it is not for the faint of heart. Practices are intense, said the team, with Shafer toeing the line between being the ultimate encourager and the butt-kicking motivator that coaches need to be.
Under Shafer, the Sailors weightlifting program has grown, both in size and in prestige.
“Here’s the cool thing,” said Shafer. “In my first year, we only had about 12 or 13 girls on the team and we only had one girl place at the county meet and she took third. This year, we had around 31 girls on the team and had seven girls place at counties, one in first, two in second and a few in third.”
What’s really cool, though, is the type of program that Shafer has built.
It’s one that welcomes both the novice, like Padilla-Chavez, and the experienced lifter, like junior Elizabeth Lawson, a transfer from Venice whom Shafer expects to make a splash at the state championships on Feb. 14 after winning the county meet in the 154-pound weight class. It’s a program that does more than just lift weights. It lifts the lives of everyone involved.
Photos by Dylan Campbell
Sarasota High senior Mackenzie Riley is a co-captain on the girls varsity weightlifting team.
Dylan Campbell is the sports reporter for the Sarasota/ Siesta Key Observer Contact him at DCampbell@ Your Observer.com.
Sophomores Vanessa Vegh, Jasmine France, Isla Procopio, Madison Galvan, Itzel Padilla-Chavez and Annabelle Hill are members of the Sailors weightlifting program.
Blake Roulund
Blake Roulund is a junior wrestler on the Cardinal Mooney High wrestling team. Roulund, who also stars as a defensive end and middle linebacker for the football team, was instrumental in helping the school start its first wrestling program, said head coach Will Schenerlein.
When did you start wrestling and why?
I started wrestling when I was 7 years old. I wrestled all throughout my elementary years and up until COVID hit, when I took a big break. In my freshman year. In 2022, I took it back up again.
What’s the appeal?
My favorite part of wrestling is that it’s one on one. You don’t have to rely on a teammate. It’s all about grit and determining who’s better.
What’s your best skill on the mat?
Definitely my neutral takedowns. That’s where I’m the strongest.
What are you working on to improve?
I need to work on wrestling from on top. Keeping guys down, pinning them and working on my combinations.
What’s your favorite wrestling memory?
When I was wrestling for my youth program, Jaws, we had a coach who was a former NCAA champion come to coach us, which was awesome.
What’s going right for your team this season?
We have a lot of first-year guys.
We’ve become twice as good from where we started — we’re starting to gel together and look good. We’re wrestling a lot of great teams, which makes us better.
If you would like to make a recommendation for the Sarasota Observer’s Athlete of the Week feature, send it to Dylan Campbell at DCampbell@ YourObserver.com.
What’s your favorite food?
Sushi. I like to get it from U-Yee Sushi and Grill.
What’s your favorite movie or television show?
I recently started “Dexter” on Netflix. It’s pretty good.
What are your hobbies?
Outside of football and wrestling and school, there isn’t a whole lot of time, but I’ll play some video games, like Rocket League. I like to cook as well. I grill foods like chicken and steak. I love rib-eye steaks.
What’s your favorite school subject?
Math. I think I’m going to go into engineering when I’m older.
What’s the best advice that you’ve received?
To live every day like it’s your last.
Finish this sentence.
Blake Roulund is ... Hard working, a good teammate and kind.
Wellness for every soul
The Community Wellness Lounge and Cacao Cafe includes cacao and alternative therapy technologies, while it’s also intended to foster contributions from the community.
IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER
Nestled in the Rosemary District amid the activity of downtown Sarasota is a place for calm.
“Everything is about the nervous system,” says Shannon Hunt of the faith-based nonprofit Conscious Cause, which he founded with his partner, Kristen Kruger. “We can’t really function through society and ‘Go, go, go, do, do, do,’ the fast-paced world that we’ve been conditioned to.”
The donation-based Community Wellness Lounge and Cacao Cafe, established through a partnership with another nonprofit, Streets of Paradise, held its soft opening in December and is now open to the public.
Visitors can mix cacao, a coffee alternative known for its calming effects, and take advantage of an offering that includes vibroacoustic beds, an infrared sauna, a cold plunge and more.
However, Hunt says most central to the concept is the ability to engage with others in what he describes as a community-run, community-led space and share in their collective experiences.
“We’re inviting the community to come in and share what has worked for them, whatever modality, whatever practice, whatever philosophy, whatever teachings, whatever lessons,” Hunt said.
A SPACE FOR SHARING
Hunt and Kruger bring their own experiences of transformation to share.
Hunt comes from a past he describes as “death defying,” which saw him moving between the streets and prison for 30 years, fueled by meth and alcohol addictions.
After meeting a holistic healer, Scotty King, through an inpatient program, he chose to pursue a path of recovery beyond the conventional.
“The old, outdated recovery centers, I noticed, with the Big Pharma and stuff, were keeping people stuck
in their addiction,” Hunt said. “They were getting people sober enough to relapse again from their big business. And then as soon as I met this guy, I learned his stuff, the clouds parted. Chains and shackles came off. I was like, I can live a life of freedom, of easy grace, of meditative mind.”
Kruger comes from a similar past. After a near-death assault in 2015, she began to change her life and pursue healing, going on to live in the jungles of Peru and Costa Rica, a country she is currently staying in once again, before heading to Sarasota.
“I was guided there through my spiritual journey from Costa Rica, and Shannon and I divinely met and recognized we were from the same area in Virginia and many synchronicities, and we realized there was a divine intervention, alignment, for our union, and what we were being guided to bring to the world and really, humanity,” she said by phone from a retreat center in Costa Rica.
Together, Hunt and Kruger founded Conscious Cause, their faithbased nonprofit devoted to helping people improve their lives through “ancient, modern and elemental wisdom.”
“We have now put together something that has worked for us, something that has gone from surviving to thriving, something that’s got us sober, staying sober and thriving in sobriety,” Hunt said. “So now, we’ve built (this lounge) for the people that are curious, spiritual curious, sober curious, thinking of a better way.”
Providing the lounge space are Cathy Bryant and Greg Cruz of Streets of Paradise, an organization devoted to serving the community’s homeless population while fighting poverty and racism.
That nonprofit benefits from the donations raised by the lounge, while
Conscious Cause serves as its wellness outreach.
Hunt says the lounge is a place for everyone, whether they have autism, disabilities, ADHD or PTSD, or whatever issues, such as trauma, homelessness or addiction, they may be facing.
It will welcome not only community members, but practitioners and facilitators looking to share their methods.
“We do one-on-one experiences, we do group experiences, and then the rest of it is led by the community, to come in and lead their gifts, their dharma, their passion,” Hunt said.
One thing that will ultimately draw people to spend time there are its features.
Found on a shelf are packages of cacao imported from Guatemala and Peru.
The raw material used for creating chocolate, cacao is known for its lower caffeine content than coffee, and its calming effects. High in
antioxidants, minerals and vitamins, the medical community believes it to reduce inflammation and improve blood flow.
Hunt said it will make a person feel “more connected with your higher self and with others.”
“What it does is it gives you that clean, good energy,” Hunt said. “Not that caffeine where you go up, crash, burn ... It’s not addictive.”
The range of alternative therapies is something you won’t come across every day. For instance, two custom-built vibroacoustic beds manufactured by Opus and inHarmony, combine vibrating motions with acoustic technology that sends sound vibrations through the body.
“This is where you just kind of drop in, and you relax and forget about the outside world for a while and kind of realign your body,” Hunt said.
Some other devices include a Centropix PEMA/PEMF mat, which generates a mild electric current known as pulsed electromagnetic field therapy; a neuroVIZR that emits different types of light said to stimulate the brain and enhance cognitive health, another light-based device called a Lucia no.3.; a Juvent Micro Impact Platform, which delivers gentle vibrations to the feet said to stimulate bone and muscle health, and meditation cushions offering similar functions to the two beds.
Guests can also take advantage of an infrared sauna and a cold plunge.
“We cherry pick from all these places around the world,” Hunt said.
He hopes it will grow with even more programs and modalities, something which Kruger said hopes to bring to Sarasota from Costa Rica.
“(Costa Rica) was the inspiration for a lot of what Conscious Cause manifested to be, so reconnecting here, and then creating these grids and connectivity between here and Sarasota, and connecting the community to this type of healing, is definitely an intention,” she said.
Currently, she said, she is looking into sourcing Costa Rican cacao, and exploring the possibility of bringing practitioners from the area to visit Sarasota and vice versa.
FOR MORE INFORMATION COMMUNITY WELLNESS LOUNGE AND CACAO CAFE
Where: 734 Central Ave., Sarasota. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays or by appointment.
To make an appointment for an individual or group, email Love@ ConsciousCause.org, call 858-222-7096 or visit Facebook.com.
For more information, visit ConsciousCause. org.
“So
now we’ve built (this lounge) for the people that are curious, spiritual curious, sober curious, thinking of a better way.”
Shannon Hunt
Ian Swaby
Shannon Hunt makes cacao.
Courtesy image
A meditation session takes place in the lounge.
A church spot for chilling out
Fher family’s time with the church, which they began attending last year after their previous experience at a snow day.
“Hopefully for other families here, this is their first time, and they will come back like us,” said the girls’ mother, Ally Glauser, with their father, Daniel Glauser, also in attendance.
Mitchell West of First Sarasota said this year’s Snow Day, which took place Jan. 12, was the most widely attended yet, as kids enjoyed 17 tons of crushed ice, snow slides, and trucks offering pizza and shaved ice.
West called the event, which also featured indoor activities held alongside the weekly modern service, a space for the community to spend time together, where the church can “tell people about Jesus and have a good time while doing it.”
The Tampa Bay Home Shows—always
Photos by Ian Swaby
Volunteer Roni Smith assists as Whitney Livingston, and her daughter Lynne Livingston, 4, watch her son and brother RJ Livingston, 2, descend the slide. Weston Schurr, 8, and his brother Parker Schurr, 6, build a snowman.
Arleana Croce, 3, and her twin brother Olin Croce, make snow angels.Rylie Charles, 5, gifts a snowball to Colton Woods, 3.
Dale Chelette, 5, enjoys the thrill of a snow slide.
Myakka counts record black skimmers
On Dec. 16, 2024, 44 participants gathered for the annual Myakka River Christmas Bird Count. Now in its 78th year, the count took place in a 15-mile-wide circle, within which all birds seen or heard were tallied.
The CBC is a National Audubon Society community-science project that helps highlight conservation action required to protect birds and the habitats they need to survive.
As this year’s count took place in the aftermath of three major storms, resulting impacts on habitats critical for countless bird species were widespread. Nonetheless, 120 species were tallied, only four less than last year’s count, with a count total of 11,853 birds.
Of note, 158 black skimmers, a Florida State-threatened bird, were spotted in three areas of the park. Skimmers were first sighted during the Myakka CBC in 1954, then off and on in the 1960s-80s. Since the 1990s, skimmers have only been spotted seven times. The previous record, set in 2003, was 28 skimmers. Strictly coastal in most areas of North America, black skimmers are threatened by habitat loss from development, storms, rising sea levels and human disturbance. They’re also impacted by oil spills and chemical pollution, which threaten fish populations — their
food source.
In winter 2023, with red tide conditions persistent in the gulf and bay, a flock of over 90 skimmers took shelter in the park. Interestingly, coastal red tide blooms are prevalent again this year, whereas at Myakka, ample untainted food is available.
Seasonal low water levels, work to restore the natural flow of the river and reduction in invasive vegetation — all of which create favorable loafing and feeding areas for skimmers — are also factors that likely attract these boisterous birds inland to the park. Thanks to bird band sightings, we know that both local and migratory skimmers winter in the park. In previous years, skimmers from the Lido Key colony, as well as ones from New York and New Jersey, were spotted at Myakka. And on the first day of 2025, H64, a banded young black skimmer from North Carolina, who migrated south for the first time this year, stood up to be counted, too.
Friends of Myakka River exists to support Myakka River State Park and the Wild and Scenic Myakka River. Together, we’re protecting and sharing Myakka’s Magic, to the benefit of future generations, and our own. Follow us @FriendsOfMyakkaRiver.
Whether
Ready to make a change? Call today and let
Miri Hardy
At Myakka River State Park, imperiled native species, such as black skimmers, find undisturbed habitats and abundant food.
Key Chorale: The Lubben Brothers
Thursday, January 16th @ 6 pm
Sarasota Opera Friday, January 24th @ 6 pm
Out-of-Door Academy: Jazz Under the Stars
Tuesday, February 11th @ 6 pm
Sarasota’s Zack and Greta Hamric spend 100 hours each year maintaining their 1956 Jaguar XK 140MC Roadster formerly owned by Hollywood stars Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
When they saw it at the St. Louis Car Museum & Sales four years ago, they quickly decided to purchase the vehicle.
In addition to the average of 12 miles per week they drive the car, they enjoyed showcasing it at St. Armands Circle Park, during Concours d’Elegance on Jan. 11.
Zack Hamric called the event “tremendous” because of the number of Jaguar enthusiasts present, calling it a “great show” with a “beautiful job” of production.
Held by the Sun Coast Jaguar Club, the free event allowed the public an opportunity to view the British luxury vehicles, which came mainly from around Florida, as well as for members of the club and affiliated clubs to gather together.
Originally scheduled for Oct. 12, it was postponed due to Hurricane Helene, and Hamric noted he was glad for the chance to support the businesses of St. Armands to help them move forward into the new year. Club member Craig Green said members enjoy gathering together “because we love Jaguars, because we enjoy the legacy of Jaguars, the beauty of the car.”
The stage is set
Sights + Sounds is an outdoor showcase of the best instrumental, visual and performing arts the Sarasota region has to offer. Come out for dinner at the town center and stay to enjoy the show!
Check out all of the events happening around The Ranch!
Dan Parke and David Sunter look inside a car.
Sarasota’s Zack and Greta Hamric sit in their 1956 Jaguar XK 140MC Roadster formerly owned by Hollywood stars Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Above: Santiago Fuintos, 13, and Alma Fuintos explore the cars.
Peter Goldreich, of Sarasota, displays his 1969 Jaguar E-Type Series II
Photos by Ian Swaby
A fresh start
Not long after the Pineapple Drop on New Year’s Eve, the public was in downtown again for January’s Fresh Fridays event, “New Year on the Block.”
Chris Voelker, chair of the Downtown Improvement District, called the experience of seeing the community celebrating together, to the music of The Danny Bub Combo, “amazing.”
“I think there’s some real jubilation about starting this year,” she said. “It was a tough year last year, so to be able to celebrate the New Year with our whole community out here, with great music and dancing, it doesn’t get any better.”
More than 30 Fresh Fridays events have been held in Downtown Sarasota in the past four years, said Joseph Grano Jr., president of Next-Mark, the marketing agency that organizes the events. The season of events, which concludes in June, will offer the love-themed Hearts & Soul on Palm set to take place next month. — IAN SWABY
Scott
Ultimate Tips to Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy Through Nutrition
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Lisa Vila and Kia Ebr near the end of a game of Jenga.
Photos by Ian Swaby Cesar Lopez of The Danny Bub Combo plays the trumpet.
Malouf, Christine Williams, living statue performer Joe Abel, Teri Tillaart and Terry Tillaart gather together.
How to Make Florida Your Legal Residence
Join Us for an Informational Seminar
There are many misconceptions about establishing residency and even more ways to create ties to Florida that people don’t know about. Our team hosts seminars November through March, free of charge, to further explore these strategies and more. Join us to learn the facts you need to know about making Florida your legal residence.
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Lisa Mullins had just moved from Massachusetts to Sarasota and was pleased with her first weekend out, which she spent at the Sarasota Bay Seafood & Music Festival.
“This is awesome … ” she said. “This is like a last-minute thing, and it’s the best thing ever — all the music, the seafood, the people; it’s great.”
Mullins, who grew up in Venice, returned to the area after 35 years, and enjoyed the festival alongside her sister, Linda Mullins, who lives locally, and her other sister, Lindsey Mullins, who visited from Canada.
The festival, held Jan. 10-12, featured fresh seafood, from a Cajun broil to a crispy grouper sandwich, live music by bands such as the Kara Nally Band, Kettle of Fish, Dirty Byrd and many others, and a vendor marketplace with crafts, jewelry and more.
Held at the Sarasota Fairgrounds for the first time, the event offered a larger space than it had in its former location of J.D. Hamel Park.
Mullins noting the weather wasn’t too hot that Saturday, called the event “an awesome thing for the community.” —
IAN SWABY
Photos by Ian Swaby
Melissa Darusz, Drew Wolcott, Kosar and Thatch
Steven Gillison and Carlos Dravo tend to the Cajun broil.
A mixture of seafood sits on a bed of rice.
Cooper Register, 2, a visitor from Port Charlotte, takes the cornhole beanbags straight to the goal.
Linda, Lisa and Lindsey Mullins
Cocoanut Bayou home
ADAM
HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
Ahome in Cocoanut Bayou tops the week’s real estate. Richard and Anne Hallock, trustees, of Los Angeles, sold the home at 255 Cedar Park Circle to Lisa Hallock, trustee, of Sarasota, for $3.4 million. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,246 square feet of living area. It sold for $3.1 million in 2007.
MARK SARASOTA
Maureen Walter and Ray Hui sold their Unit 903 condominium at 111 S. Pineapple Ave. to Francine Achbar, of Sarasota, for $1,379,000. Built in 2019, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,513 square feet of living area. It sold for $824,000 in 2019.
BAYVIEW HEIGHTS
Jacki Boedecker, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 1703 Bayview Drive to Calvin Griffin and Adelaide Boedecker, of Sarasota, for $1,222,000. Built in 1952, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,922 square feet of living area.
HARTLAND PARK
Mary Nolan and Frank Freitas sold their home at 1905 Jasmine Drive to Mark and Kathy Dooley, of Sarasota, for $679,000. Built in 1952, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,658 square feet of living area. It sold for $350,000 in 2005.
BROADWAY PROMENADE
Michael James Alexander and Joann Alexander, of Bradenton, sold their Unit 1117 condominium at 1064 N. Tamiami Trail to Wheeler Investments LLC for $620,000. Built in 2007, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,706 square feet of living area. It sold for $360,000 in 2019.
HOMECROFT
Par Ventures LLC sold the home at 3547 Bimini St. to Soho DK Investments LLC for $500,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 1,780 square feet of living area. It sold for $495,000 in 2022.
SINGLETARY’S
Joanna Ink LLC sold the home at 2450 Hawthrone St. to Bayfrontbilds LLC for $500,000. Built in 1947, it has two bedrooms, one bath, a pool and 952 square feet of living area. It sold for $275,000 in 2020.
SIESTA KEY
BANYAN CLUB
Laura Roberts, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 124 Sand Dollar Lane to Joseph Duffus and Martina Troup Duffus, of Sarasota, for $2.5 million. Built in 1979, it has three
bedrooms, four baths and 2,638 square feet of living area. It sold for $450,000 in 1994.
SARASOTA SURF AND RACQUET
CLUB
Heimbrock Family Property LLC sold the Unit 405 condominium at 5924 Midnight Pass Road to Deborah Thaman, trustee, of Verona, Kentucky, for $1.6 million. Built in 1971, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,218 square feet of living area. It sold for $63,000 in 1972.
MIDNIGHT HARBOR
Carolyn Elizabeth Worrell, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 1231 Starboard Lane to Colette Adams, trustee, of Elmhurst, Illinois, for $1,475,000. Built in 1961, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,818 square feet of living area. It sold for $800,000 in 2015.
SIESTA’S BAYSIDE
Richard Llewllyn, trustee, of Denver, sold the home at 737 Tropical Circle to Joelle Tierney, of Sarasota, for $1.3 million. Built in 1982, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,512 square feet of living area. It sold for $147,500 in 1983.
REVISED SIESTA
Clark Zumwalt and Jack Zumwalt, trustees, of Delavan, Illinois, sold the home at 141 Garden Lane to The Land Trust Co. of Florida Inc. for $685,000. Built in 1960, it has two bedrooms, one-and-a-half baths and 895 square feet of living area. It sold for $275,000 in 2008.
PALMER RANCH
STONEYBROOK AT PALMER RANCH
Deborah Davidson, of Sarasota, sold her home at 8472 Hawksmoor Lane to Justin and Naomi Van Wie, of Sarasota, for $730,000. Built in 1995, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,799 square feet of living area. It sold for $400,000 in 2013.
VILLAGEWALK Alan and Silvia Saslow sold their home at 5821 Valente Place to Joan Donahoe, trustee, of Sarasota, for $610,000. Built in 2005, it has four
bedrooms, four baths and 2,521 square feet of living area. It sold for $350,000 in 2005.
THE COUNTRY CLUB OF SARASOTA
Kurth Shelp, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 3660 Torrey Pines Blvd. to Joanne Gibbs and Donald Kilmartin, for Sarasota, for $600,000. Built in 1978, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,637 square feet of living area. It sold for $225,000 in 1992.
ONLINE
See more transactions at YourObserver.com
Other top sales by area
SARASOTA: $2.5 MILLION
Nichols
Bruce Wagner and Janet Baublis, of Sarasota, sold their home at 1717 Hillview St. to Lana Barrett Owens and Leonard Owens Jr., of Sarasota, for $2.5 million. Built in 2023, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,615 square feet of living area.
PALMER RANCH: $785,000
Deer Creek
Marilyn Stevens, of Sarasota, sold the home at 8350 Cypress Hollow Drive to Robert and Judy Ann McCurdy, of Dublin, Ohio, for $785,000. Built in 1990, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,534 square feet of living area. It sold for $375,000 in 2012.
OSPREY: $1 MILLION
Southbay Yacht and Racquet Club
Russell Smith Jr. and Cathleen Smith, trustees, sold the home at 408 Yacht Harbor Drive to Mark and Patricia Southern, of Big Rock, Illinois, for $1 million. Built in 1976, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,624 square feet of living area. It sold for $670,000 in 2018.
NOKOMIS: $650,000
Calusa Lakes
Greg Janaczek and Jeffrey Janaczek, of Westfield, New Jersey, sold their home at 2110 Calusa Lakes Blvd. to John and Katinka Ivey, of Nokomis, for $650,000. Built in 1999, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,572 square feet of living area. It sold for $600,000 in 2022.
Source: Sarasota County, city of Sarasota
Ian Swaby
The home at 1717 Hillview St. was built in 2023 and has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,615 square feet of living area.
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YOUR CALENDAR
SATURDAY, JAN. 18 FAMILY SATURDAY AT SELBY GARDENS
10 a.m. to noon at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Downtown Sarasota Campus, 1534 Mound St. Included with admission; free for members. Kids and families are invited to spend Saturday morning enjoying art and nature activities at Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota Campus. In the Ann Goldstein Children’s Rainforest Garden, visitors can create their own nature-inspired art with materials including crayons, colored pencils, markers, colorful paper and more. Family Saturdays are held once a month from January to May. Visit Selby.org.
PILLAR #2: EXERCISE (THE FOUR PILLARS OF LONGEVITY LECTURE SERIES)
Noon-1 p.m. at Sarasota Garden Club, 1130 Boulevard of the Arts. Free. Start off the new year with this four-week interactive lecture series featuring two knowledgable and engaging Sarasota cardiologists, Dr. Chippy Ajithan and Dr. Smriti Banthia. They will help audiences understand the “whys, whats and how to’s” of longevity of life. Visit TheBaySarasota.org.
ASTRONOMY AT THE BAY: MARS OPPOSITION
6:30-8:30 p.m. at Common Ground, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts. Free. View the unique phenomenon of Mars being positioned directly opposite the sun, which occurs once every two years, in this event originally planned for Jan. 11, Suncoast Stargazers will provide telescopic views of the highly illuminated planet. Visit TheBaySarasota.org.
MONDAY, JAN. 21
MEET THE PUPS!
4-5 p.m. at Selby Library, 1331 First St. Free. Meet therapy dogs and their owners, and enjoy the benefits of spending time with therapy pets! Visit SCGovLibrary.LibraryMarket. com.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 22
THE SARASOTA MUSIC ARCHIVE PRESENTS THE JOHN GOODMAN PERFORMANCE AND LECTURE SERIES
10:30-11:30 a.m. at Selby Library,
BEST BET SUNDAY, JAN. 19
SUNDAYS AT THE BAY FEATURING J SANTI & THE VITAL GROOVE
4:30-5:30 p.m. Free. The blues rock trio of J Santi and the Vital Groove offers a sound of “fiery blues solos, heavy grooves, and hypnotic riffs” in this session of the free weekly Sundays at The Bay outdoor concerts. VisitTheBaySarasota.org.
1331 First St. Free. Principal artists from the Sarasota Opera will perform opera highlights from four of this season’s classic operas including the Cavalleria Rusticana/ Pagliacci, The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro, and Stiffelio. Visit SCGovLibrary.LibraryMarket.com.
THEATRE OF THE MIND
PRESENTS ‘THE SECRET LIFE OF MILDRED WILD’
2-3:30 p.m. at Selby Library, 1331 First St. Free. Theatre of the Mind offers a fun, fast-paced dramatic reading of a comedy play, “The Secret Life of Mildred Wild.” Visit SCGovLibrary.LibraryMarket.com.
ZEN CALLIGRAPHY
2-3 p.m. at Fruitville Library, 100 Apex Road. Free. Learn about the Japanese writing system, and practice writing Zen words mindfully with a brush and ink. Registration is required. Visit SCGovLibrary.LibraryMarket.com.
Courtesy image
What Would the Founding Fathers Think of America Today?
It would be nearly impossible to overestimate the reverence afforded America’s celebrated founding fathers. They were real men whose brilliance launched our country, and they vigorously discussed and debated the important political issues of their time.
By focusing on key writings and speeches of founders such as Washington, Jefferson, Adams and others we can certainly speculate what they’d think about the issues of today. That’s the fascinating and unique idea behind the Observer’s upcoming event in Sarasota on February 6th. It will be presented by renowned Brown University Professor Wendy Schiller, Chair of the Department of Political Science.
Here’s an example. The partisan hostility of our two major parties
has certainly frustrated nearly everyone. It turns out that the “Father of our Country” and our very first President was concerned about that very issue. In George Washington’s words from his famous farewell address in 1796, “There is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of the government and keep alive the spirit of liberty. But then he went on to assert “the constant danger of excess” and ended by referring to a political party as “ a fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance topresent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume”
Another subject area that was discussed thoroughly at the start of our country and continues to be a major focus today is the role of religion. While many believe
that the Founders felt that religion should be kept entirely outside political life, that’s really not what most of them felt. James Madison wrote that all men are “equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience”. In actuality the founders were less concerned about religious influences on government than they were with any effort to exclude some religions and favor others. That is what they had experienced as citizens of England and was what they were primarily concerned with. One more example would be concerns about economic and wealth inequality. Many think of this as an area of concern only in recent times, e– launched in large part by the now well known “occupy Wall Street” movement in 2011. In fact, it was a subject ad-
vanced by many founders, and some of their thinking was quite advanced. Thomas Paine wrote of the need to “make some provisions for people become poor and wretched not only at the time they become so. Would it not, even a matter of economy, be far better to devise means to prevent their becoming poor?”
And finally, apparently federal spending has been a hot button
Dive into the past with our exciting speaker series, featuring renowned scholars from top universities. Each lecture brings history to life with fresh insights and captivating stories you won’t hear anywhere else.
issue for as long as our country has been in existence. It was Thomas Jefferson who wrote
“That same prudence which in private life would forbid paying our own money for unexplained projects, forbids it in the dispensation of the public monies” Sounds a lot like something you hear every day on TV!
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The Sarasota and Siesta Key Observer reserves the right to classify and edit copy, or to reject or cancel an advertisement at any time. Corrections after first insertion only.
*All ads are subject to the approval of the Publisher.
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Notice: All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.
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