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Your Observer

Seven of the nine poles are on Gulf of Mexico Drive. The remaining two are in residential neighborhoods.
    By
  • Lauren Tronstad
  • January 10, 2023
Longboat's north-end cell signal upgrade completed

Verizon's project to add nine poles wraps up with activation and better service.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Sapphire apartments on North Tamiami Trail will be similar in appearance to Solle Apartments on U.S. 41 at 24th Street.
    By
  • Andrew Warfield
  • January 10, 2023
Expansion of Sapphire apartment plans on Tamiami proposed

The developer of Sapphire North and South has secured the parcel separating the two.

  • Sarasota
  • News
Frank Galati when he directed Asolo Rep’s 2011 season-opener “My Fair Lady.”
    By
  • Heidi Kurpiela
  • January 9, 2023
Sarasota theater community mourns loss of stage legend Frank Galati

The two-time Tony Award winner and Asolo Rep associate artist died Jan. 2. He was 79 years old.

  • Arts + Culture
Pat DeChiara, Philip Deming, John Kurgan, Laurel Phillips, Jeff Vaughn, Cyndi Seamon and Wendi Bundy
    By
  • Lesley Dwyer
  • January 9, 2023
Rip current delays Ohana protest

A rip current made it unsafe for kayaks to traverse around the Ohana seawall Christmas morning, but protesters plan to try again.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Cheryl Mendelson will step down as CEO of the Sarasota Performing Arts Center Foundation in March.
    By
  • Andrew Warfield
  • January 9, 2023
SPAC Foundation CEO Cheryl Mendelson stepping down

The head of the Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation will leave Sarasota in March.

  • Sarasota
  • Business
Students like seventh graders Jayden Lavalle and Kiley Nowaczyk have fun creating items and determining what to sell in the vending machine.
    By
  • Liz Ramos
  • January 9, 2023
New school supplies vending machine meets Haile Middle students' needs

The students stock some items in the machine and learn basic business lessons about cost of production and return.

  • East County
  • Schools
    By
  • Lauren Tronstad
  • January 9, 2023
Upcoming public meetings on Longboat Key

A list of public meetings relevant to Longboat Key over the next 30 days.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
ODA's Zach Fox (11) and Oliver Giraud (22) double-team Sarasota Christian's Jayven Szewczyk in the post.
    By
  • Ryan Kohn
  • January 9, 2023
Gritty defense key to more wins for ODA boys basketball

As the second half of the season begins, the Thunder has already matched its win total from a season ago.

  • East County
  • Sports
The practice range at the Bobby Jones Golf Course is surrounded by a stream that feeds water into the nature park adjacent to the golf course.
    By
  • Andrew Warfield
  • January 9, 2023
Five Sarasota news stories to watch in 2023

From plans to incentivize affordable housing to the long-awaited reopening of the the Bobby Jones Golf Course, there is a lot of news in Sarasota on the way for 2023.

  • Sarasota
  • News
Rabbi Howard Simon, April Glasco and Rona Simon enjoy a bashert reunion at Shabbat service Friday night.
    By
  • Lesley Dwyer
  • January 8, 2023
Special guest surprises at TBI's Shabbat service

The founder and CEO of Second Chance Last Opportunity spoke and sang at Shabbat service Friday night.

  • Longboat Key
  • Neighbors
The Education Center at Temple Beth Israel holds a panel discussion on Thursday called "Sex, Sexuality and Intimacy in the Senior Years."
    By
  • Lesley Dwyer
  • January 8, 2023
Education Center kicks off single-session series

The Thursday series begins with a range of topics from scams to senior sexuality.

  • Longboat Key
  • Neighbors
Lakewood Ranch's Mike Minic is in the same playful mood as his dog, Chelsea.
    By
  • Ian Swaby
  • January 7, 2023
Main reason to dance at monthly event in Lakewood Ranch

Nonprofits continue to benefit from beer sales while boosting exposure.

  • East County
  • Neighbors
Rachel Sellers is named the School District of Manatee County's deputy superintendent of business services.
    By
  • Liz Ramos
  • January 7, 2023
Manatee School District introduces new deputy superintendent of business services

Rachel Sellers will start her new post Jan. 9 after previously working for the Florida auditor general.

  • East County
  • Schools
The single-story, 6,050-square-foot building on the property will be demolished to make room for new construction.
    By
  • Andrew Warfield
  • January 7, 2023
Main Street parcel acquired for $4.29 million

An affordable housing option is driving up the value of property once considered for mixed-use development.

  • Sarasota
  • News
Tara and Natalie Segedi take the Polar Bear Plunge while visiting from Minnesota.
    By
  • Lesley Dwyer
  • January 6, 2023
Seaplace plunges into a new year

The Polar Bear Plunge is an annual tradition at the Seaplace condominiums on Longboat Key.

  • Longboat Key
  • Neighbors
Sen. Joe Gruters, Rep. Fiona McFarland and Rep. Michael Grant attended the Save Siesta Key town hall meeting.
    By
  • Dariela Delgado, Eric Garwood
  • January 6, 2023
Legislators will again vote on proposed Siesta Key incorporation

After a failed vote in January 2022, approval at the delegation's Jan. 12 meeting is crucial for advancement of the incorporation proposal.

  • Siesta Key
  • News
Owen's Fish Camp is expected to open at Center Point in Lakewood Ranch in March.
    By
  • Ian Swaby
  • January 6, 2023
Owen’s Fish Camp plans March opening in Lakewood Ranch

Supply shortages have delayed the opening of the Old Florida seafood restaurant, which will be an anchor of the Center Point development.

  • Arts + Entertainment
  • Eat + Drink
Just getting started for the day
    By
  • Eric Garwood
  • January 6, 2023
Just getting started for the day

A worker well-versed in the town's rules on noise and more in this week's edition of Longboat Key Cops Corner.

  • Longboat Key
  • Cops Corner
The planned Bath & Racquet redevelopment includes luxury apartments surrounding a private tennis, pickleball and swim club.
    By
  • Andrew Warfield
  • January 6, 2023
Sarasota city leaders side with Bath & Racquet redeveloper in appeal

With a 4-1 vote, commissioners have decided that neighbors opposed to the project failed to reach "aggrieved" status.

  • Sarasota
  • News
New homes continue to be built in Lakewood Ranch, solidifying its position as the No. 1-selling, multigenerational community in the U.S.
    By
  • Jay Heater
  • January 5, 2023
Lakewood Ranch again top-selling multigenerational, master-planned community

The Villages senior community remains the top-selling master-planned community in U.S. while the Ranch remains No. 2 overall.

  • East County
  • News
The home at 4028 Roberts Point Road was built in 1992, it has four bedrooms, five baths, a pool and 3,275 square feet of living area.
    By
  • Adam Hughes
  • January 5, 2023
Top residential real estate sales for Dec. 12-23 for Sarasota, Siesta Key, Palmer Ranch, Nokomis, Osprey

A Siesta Key home on Roberts Point Road tops the week's sales at $3.2 million.

  • Sarasota
  • Real Estate
Rams junior Charles Lester III cuts upfield on a designed run.
    By
  • Ryan Kohn
  • January 5, 2023
Top 10 Sarasota athletes to watch in 2023

These athletes combine talent and hard work to find success in their respective sports.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
First responders work at the scene of a multi-car crash on Thursday at Fruitville and Cattlemen roads.
    By
  • Eric Garwood
  • January 5, 2023
Fruitville Road crash snarls Sarasota County traffic

A multi-car crash occurred at Cattlemen Road on Thursday morning.

  • Sarasota
  • News
    By
  • Matt Walsh
  • January 5, 2023
Wake up. Have hope.

Our word for 2023 is "hope." We all must have hope — hope that our fellow Americans wake up to what is being done to them. History shows us the power of hope. It propels us to take action.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
The roundabout at 14th Street and U.S. 41 is among the network of roundabouts along Tamiami Trail planned by the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization through Sarasota.
    By
  • Andrew Warfield
  • January 5, 2023
Sarasota still has a ways to go to be a 'roundabout city'

Sarasota is among the state's leaders in converting intersections into roundabouts. On a national level, it's not even close.

  • Sarasota
  • News
A roundabout was added to GreyHawk Boulevard and Pope Road in 2021.
    By
  • Ian Swaby
  • January 5, 2023
FDOT encouraged by lack of negative feedback on SR 64 roundabouts

Two roundabouts have been added in the Lakewood Ranch area with another on the way.

  • East County
  • News
Sarasota School of Arts & Sciences students show off their finished car.
    By
  • Dariela Delgado
  • January 5, 2023
Fab Lab's remote-controlled car competition invites students to register

Registration is open for Suncoast Science Center/Fab Lab's eighth annual remote control car competition.

  • Sarasota
  • Neighbors
Groundwater seepage and occasional flooding from Sarasota Bay are among the reasons the city is pursuing a replacement for the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.
    By
  • Andrew Warfield
  • January 5, 2023
Commission OKs owner's rep for SPAC architect selection

The city will hire an owner's representative to advise on the new art center process, and commissioners held an initial discussion on repurposing the Van Wezel.

  • Sarasota
  • News
Longboat Key's annual citizen survey to be mailed out Jan. 9.
    By
  • Lauren Tronstad
  • January 5, 2023
Longboat Key's annual citizen survey to be mailed out Jan. 9.

The deadline for residents to fill out the online survey is Feb. 11.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
East County's Alyssa Miller and Juliya Hochstetler try a different food truck every time they go to Ranch Nite Wednesdays. One of their favorites is the cheese curds from Say Cheese Curd Company.
    By
  • Liz Ramos
  • January 4, 2023
Ranch Nite Wednesdays offers diverse menu at Waterside Place

The weekly event in Lakewood Ranch keeps patrons coming back with its many food trucks and restaurants.

  • East County
  • Neighbors
    In Memoriam |
  • January 4, 2023
George L. Spoll

George L. Spoll, 89, of Longboat Key, FL, passed away peacefully on December 25, 2022, at Sarasota Memorial Hospital following a period of declining health.

  • Longboat Key
  • Tributes & Obituaries
Byeong Hun An won the 2022 LECOM Suncoast Classic at Lakewood National Golf Club.
    By
  • Ryan Kohn
  • January 4, 2023
Keep an eye on these Lakewood Ranch-area sports events in 2023

From rowing races to football rivalries to attempted three-peats, 2023 looks like another exciting year.

  • East County
  • Sports
The home at 639 Mourning Dove Drive was built in 1967, it has five bedrooms, five-and-a-half baths, a pool and 5,172 square feet of living area.
    By
  • Adam Hughes
  • January 4, 2023
Top residential real estate sales for Dec. 12-23 on Longboat Key, Lido Key, St. Armands Key, Bird Key

A Bird Key property on Mourning Dove Drive topped the week's sales at $5.30 million.

  • Longboat Key
  • Real Estate
The city of Sarasota is exploring future uses of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall once a new Sarasota Performing Arts Center is built.
    By
  • Andrew Warfield
  • January 4, 2023
Van Wezel heirs demand name be removed from SPAC materials

Descendants of the Van Wezel family sent a cease and desist demand to the city and SPAC Foundation to stop using the Van Wezel name in promoting and fundraising for a new performing arts center.

  • Sarasota
  • News
Bouncer bounces man with a service dog
    By
  • Andrew Warfield
  • January 4, 2023
Bouncer bounces man with a service dog

A man with a service dog was denied entry into a bar and was shoved by a bouncer because he blocked the doorway. This and other tales from the Sarasota Police Department in this week's Cops Corner.

  • Sarasota
  • Cops Corner
Ken Schneier will enter his third term on the Longboat Key Town Commission in March 2023.
    By
  • Lauren Tronstad
  • January 4, 2023
Five questions with Ken Schneier

Schneier discusses his decision to pursue a third time and his hopes for Longboat Key's future.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
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Benderson Development's latest plans for the former Sarasota County Administrative Center property as presented to Laurel Park residents in December 2025.
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