BUSINESS OBSERVER

+ Jungle Gardens awarded for good customer reviews
Sarasota Jungle Gardens was honored with a certificate of excellence from TripAdvisor. The award recognizes Sarasota Jungle Gardens’ consistent achievement of outstanding traveler reviews and maintenance of a rating of four or higher. The award is given to approximately 10% of businesses worldwide. 

 “We love providing our visitors with an extraordinary experience,” said Chris Lavick, Sarasota Jungle Gardens’ chief operating officer. “It is so gratifying to our staff when guests take the time to visit the site and write in outstanding reviews.”

+ Cat Depot earns ASPCA grant
Cat Depot, a nonprofit dedicated to helping homeless animals, received a $23,360 grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for the purchase of an AnimalSafe mobile unit.

The 20-foot shelter trailer includes collapsible, variable-size cages, heat and air conditioning and is powered by generator or electricity. The trailer will provide a solution to animal-displacement issues related to disasters and emergency management, as well as rescues, and the mobile unit will accommodate dogs, cats, birds and other small animals.

“We are honored to be a recipient of this generous grant by the ASPCA,” said Shelley Thayer, executive director of Cat Depot. “The trailer will enable Cat Depot to continue our emergency response rescue work, as well as be prepared during a disaster, locally or nationally.”

+ Sarasota Chamber honors Ludwig-Walpole Insurance
The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce has awarded Ludwig-Walpole Insurance Agency with the Insignia Award for the month of July. This award recognizes the achievement of quality customer service and commitment to the community. 

The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce presents the Insignia Award, sponsored by Insignia Bank, to a company or organization each month in recognition of its quality service and commitment to the community under the chamber’s code of ethics. Recipients are recognized at the after-hours event, First Monday.

+ Casey Key property named top 25 coastal home
The $8.8 million property, currently for sale through Michael Saunders & Co., is located at the north end of Casey Key and will be featured in Ocean Home magazine’s top 25 coastal homes in the U.S list.

Located at 712 N. Casey Key Road, the property features a regulation-size tennis court, expansive terraces, a summer kitchen, an indoor lap pool and spa, a two-bedroom guesthouse, staff quarters, a wine cellar, a billiards room and home theater.