Newsletter 156

NEWS FROM THE SUNCOAST …..

DOWNTOWN SARASOTA SLAMMED BY FLOODING

Downtown Sarasota businesses bore the brunt of Tuesday’s downpour, which saw 5-10 inches of rain flood the streets. Restaurants on St. Armands Circle and Siesta Key sustained some of the worst flooding. Siesta Key restaurants The Cottage and The Hub Baja Grill announced they were closed on Wednesday. The inclement weather left restaurants like Mattison’s City Grill at 1 Lemon Ave. deserted. Darryl Dillon, the restaurant’s general manager, said water crept into the outdoor patio for the first time in a storm that wasn’t a hurricane. “Nobody was out,” Dillon said. “I stepped out of my car into a foot-and-a-half of water.” Restaurateurs in downtown Sarasota herald outdoor seating as a highlight of their businesses, with bayfront views and mostly pleasant weather adding an extra dimension to the dining experience. But when the rain and the wind hit, that option disappears. Matt Hess, one of the owners of El Melvin Cocina Mexicana at 1355 Main St., said the outdoor option is a vital piece of the restaurant’s puzzle — which also includes live music and open accordion doors. “It’s huge,” Hess said. “We want to make sure that that invites people to walk in.” In an oceanside city, Hess said, it’s paramount to build a rain protocol that both keeps doors open and customers and staff protected. With this year’s hurricane season speculated as one of the most intense on record, he said he and his staff are looking to revise their procedures. “Typically we board up, but we’re thinking about having some tracks set down.” “We’re already thinking about the next coming months.” While the severe drought in Charlotte, Manatee and Sarasota counties may have helped with water absorption, the saturated ground won’t be able to absorb incoming rain as well as it has, which could lead to more flooding later this week, Pearce said. “We’re at higher risk of experiencing flooding,” Pearce said. “It [flooding] could happen a little bit quicker as the week progresses.” Northern Sarasota County and Sarasota proper received eight inches of rain in just three hours that overwhelmed the county’s storm drainage. Sarasota County Public Works Director Spencer Anderson said that he had crews out all night clearing debris on storm grates and improving drainage in order to help the pump system clear water from the roads. Anderson said they saw water recede and roads cleared early this morning. While the county has recently invested over $1 million to rehabilitate the pump stations in St. Armands, Anderson said that the heavy rain completely overwhelmed the system. For more information on this story, courtesy of Sarasota Herald-Tribune, please click here: Sarasota Slammed By Flooding

EMERGENCY DECLARED OVER FLOODS

Both the city of Sarasota and Sarasota County declared states of emergency Thursday afternoon after a storm system caused historic flooding in the region this week. Sarasota city spokesperson Jan Thornburg and Sarasota County spokesperson Genevieve Judge said in separate statements that the declarations allow for more flexibility to authorize public funds for the storm damage and receive state and federal assistance for their respective local governments. Thornburg also said the city's declaration is to prepare for any additional rain. The county declaration, written by Deputy County Administrator Steve Botelho, said the heavy rainfall Tuesday "threatens and would constitute a natural disaster for Sarasota County." "The severe rainfall event has impacted and caused damage to roads, bridges, businesses, and homes in areas of Sarasota County. The ongoing threat brings the potential for further damage to and destruction of roads, homes, bridges, public facilities and businesses creates the threat of significant public and private financial loss and poses an immediate and present danger to the health and safety of the citizens of Sarasota County, necessitating the exercise of all reasonable preparatory, precautionary, and recovery measures," Botelho wrote. The city and county directed business owners affected by the storm to a survey by the Florida Division of Emergency Management and Florida Commerce to report damage. The information will be organized by the Small Business Administration to allocate possible assistance. The city also encouraged people to document any flooding to their property to floodinfo@sarasotafl.gov for a report to the Federal Emergency Management Administration. The National Weather Service said between 5 and 10 inches of rain soaked Sarasota Tuesday evening. Many restaurants and businesses at St. Armands Circle and Siesta Key took the brunt of the storm and flooding. Please click here for more: Emergency Declared Over Floods

DOWNTOWN CONDO SELLS FOR RECORD PRICE

A 17th-floor condo in the Epoch in Sarasota has sold for $11.35 million, setting a new price benchmark for a downtown condo property. The most recent mark surpassed a June 2023 condo sale in the same building when the 18th floor unit in the Epoch at 605 S. Gulfstream Avenue sold for $11.15 million. While a slower sales pace has returned to Sarasota's luxury market after a pandemic buying surge drove prices to new heights throughout the region, luxury sales records continue to be broken even as some properties are sitting longer. In February, a penthouse in the L'Ambiance set a price record for a Longboat Key condo at nearly $11 million, and in March a Harbor Acres home sold for $20 million, the most for a single-family property in Sarasota history. The previous record, set in 2022, was $17.5 million. Lisa Rooks Morris, a luxury specialist with Douglas Elliman Real Estate, represented the sellers in the recent Epoch sale. Morris has been a full time Realtor in Sarasota for the past 25 years. She said while there's no doubt that the current market isn't as hot as it was even a year ago, she believes that luxury buyers remain in Sarasota, although now they are a bit more "price and value sensitive" before signing on the dotted line. "The premium properties will still sell," she said. "This record sale says a lot about the Sarasota market; we just closed a record sale in this market." Morris said the previous sellers remained in Sarasota, closing on a property in the 4200 block of Bay Shore Road north of downtown for $9.5 million. To read more please click here: Downtown Condo Sells For Record Price

LIDO SHORES RETREAT COMMANDS RECORD PRICE

A Lido Shores property has sold for $12.5 million in a cash deal that sets a record in that island neighborhood , according to a news release from Coldwell Banker Realty . The 5,400-square-foot residence located at 1325 Westway Dr. has three bedrooms on nearly a half-acre. The main house is connected to a two-bedroom guest house by an enclosed courtyard. The property includes 75 feet of water frontage on New Pass and the roof allows the owner to practice their putting as it's been designed as a putting green. David and Linda Hargreaves, the sellers, built the house in 2011, which also includes a four-car garage, a boat dock with two boat lifts and floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the residences to fully showcase the stunning water views. Roger Pettingell and Nicholle DiPinto McKiernan, both luxury real estate specialists with Coldwell Banker Realty, listed the property for the seller. “The sellers were patient, waiting for the right buyer for this exquisite home,” Pettingell said. “Waterfront homes like this do not come along that often in the Lido Shores/Longboat Key market — both the design and private location are a rare combination." While this property set a record in the 34236 zip code for price, several other properties across the area have also set recent records. The highest residential sale in Sarasota County history also closed this spring as a Harbor Acres property sold for $20 million in March, breaking a 2022 record that had closed at $17.5 million , also for a Harbor Acres site. There's more on this story here: Lido Shores Retreat Commands Record Price

LBK ESTATE'S SALE SETS RECORD FOR MANATEE

A Disney character once said Ohana means family in Hawaiian and family means no one is left behind, but on Longboat Key, Ohana now also will be associated with luxury and record prices. A Longboat Key home dubbed the Ohana Estate has been sold for $19.75 million, breaking a Manatee County record for sale price of a residence. The 2.7-acre property is at 6633 Gulf of Mexico Dr. The Longboat property's aesthetic leans heavily into Hawaiian imagery, with plenty of white sand, meticulously landscaped palm trees and several tiki hut-like structures located on the large estate. Property records show at least four structures on the property, 23,000-square-feet of shaded area that includes more than 9,600 square feet under air conditioning. The site has at least 10 bathrooms and seven bedrooms, according to property records. The property was owned by the Ohana Trustee LLC, which was managed by Williams Parker lawyers William Seider, Michael Wilson, Patrick Ryskamp and Thomas B. Luzier. Additional details about the ownership were not available. A deed has also not been recorded on the transaction and the Realtor who represented the seller did not disclose the buyer. Reid Murphy, of Developers Realty LBK Inc., listed the property for the seller. Murphy sold the property off market, meaning it was never listed by his company on a multiple listing service before it went under contract. Murphy has set the Longboat Key record three times in his career, including once when he last sold the same property in 2019 for $11.4 million..Murphy started selling property in the area in 1995. Prices during the pandemic shot up all over Florida, including in Sarasota, causing a near doubling of the record in less than five years. Murphy said the 2024 real estate market is much different than the pandemic frenzy when few properties would stay on the market for long. "We have a lot of inventory and a lot of it isn't moving super quick," he said. He pointed to more than three dozen properties for sale with prices above $10 million as signs the market has turned from the high points in 2021 and 2022. Still, other signs show a stronger market than the number of $10 million properties sitting for sale. For example, he said he's been told the sales pace at the Rosewood Residences on Lido Key have been strong and he noted the expected summer opening of the St. Regis Longboat Key resort as good signs for the local real estate market. He also said there have been at least two $10 million sales on Longboat involving owners who demolished the home they bought to replace with newer structures that could sell in the future at a record price. He also said that north Longboat Key — largely the portion of the barrier island that falls inside Manatee County — has come of age and now rivals the southern portions of Longboat Key located in Sarasota County for desirability. Please follow the jump for more on this story: LBK Estate's Sale Sets Record For Manatee

CHECK-IN NEARS AT ST. REGIS

Little blue stickers dot the tiniest of imperfections at the St. Regis under construction on Longboat Key . One blue blemish denotes a tile that's not even an eighth of an inch from being flush. Each day, a team focused on quality control scours the emerging luxury hotel , logging where paint may have dripped or a mismatched door hinge has been mistakenly installed. "This is nothing," St. Regis General Manager Winfred van Workum said during a recent tour of what aspires to be the first five-star hotel on Florida's west coast. "You should see us a week before opening." While a date hasn't yet been set, opening day is expected this summer for the largest development on Longboat Key in decades, set to fill a destination void on the island that's been a sore spot for years. The storied Longboat Key property where the Colony Beach and Tennis Resort once welcomed presidents and celebrities has been out of commission for more than a dozen years. The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort has been under construction for about 31 months following a groundbreaking ceremony hosted by the Orlando-based developer Unicorp National Developments in October 2021. During a recent tour of the facilities, hotel management gave a preview of the property while construction continues, showcasing homages to local history and extensive investment in the site.

According to initial permits submitted to the Town of Longboat Key, the total construction value of the project is estimated to be more than $331.2 million. Even while construction workers hustled throughout the property on a late afternoon in May, clear signs of the anticipated luxury feel were impossible to miss. From ballrooms with a television the size of a stadium scoreboard to a state-of-the-art chocolate room dedicated just to create chocolate treats for guests, only select properties in the world can boast of more elegant offerings. Then there's the real estate, boasting 800 feet of beach along the Gulf of Mexico. Guests will be welcomed upon entering to towering glass windows that face the stunning gulf waters lapping the white sand. Still, it will also take an army of workers and the creation of a service culture to eventually gain the coveted five-star designation.

Van Workum said the resort will employ about 400 people during its busy season, with his focus being on processes and procedures to create that service culture.

He said he's already filled most senior management positions, with more employees joining in the coming weeks as the resort readies for the summer opening. The 168-room resort will include four full-service restaurants, a spa, a lazy river and a 350,000-gallon lagoon filled with sea creatures that guests will have the opportunity to swim with. Please click here for more: Check-In Nears At St. Regis

SARASOTA NOW 11TH ON 'BEST PLACES TO LIVE' LIST

Sarasota is still considered one of the best places to live in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report rankings released recently. U.S. News & World Report ranked Sarasota No. 11 in its annual Best Places to Live in the U.S. list. It’s the second-highest Florida city in the report behind Naples, which took the No. 1 overall spot. The report considered four indexes — Quality of Life, Value, Job Market and Desirability — in its rankings. U.S. World & News Report sourced its data from the U.S. Census Bureau, FBI, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sharecare, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other internal sources. Sarasota was one of 13 Florida cities to make the list, which also included Naples (No. 1), Pensacola (No. 31), Fort Myers (No. 37), Melbourne (No. 49), Jacksonville (No. 56), Orlando (No. 68), Tallahassee (No. 75), Ocala (No. 78), Lakeland (80), Port St. Lucie (83), Daytona Beach (96) and Miami (123) in the top 150. Sarasota is no stranger to rankings, with a No. 5 spot in last year’s report. U.S. News & World Report lauded the city’s “vibrant arts scene, beachy atmosphere and burgeoning food culture,” in its report, which highlighted the Sarasota Opera House, Siesta Key and other local spots as standout attractions. Sarasota also ranked No. 18 in the Best Places to Retire list, the third-highest Florida city behind No. 8 Daytona Beach and No. 12 Tampa. Last year, it ranked No. 11, dropping from the top spot in the 2022 rankings that called it an “ideal retirement community.” The accolades come as Sarasota continues to experience skyrocketing growth, with a No. 2 spot on U.S. News & World Report’s 25 Fastest-Growing Places list. It’s the first of seven Florida cities on that list, ahead of No. 3 Fort Myers, No. 4 Lakeland, No. 5 Port St. Lucie, No. 7 Ocala, No. 8 Daytona Beach and No. 9 Naples. Please click here for more: Sarasota Now 11th Best Place To Live

NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING BREAKS GROUD

Golden shovels hit the dirt where the city of Sarasota’s first affordable housing efforts will eventually stand. Developers and city officials broke ground recently at the New Trail affordable housing complex at 4644 N. Tamiami Trail. The complex, developed by Tampa-based Blue Sky Communities and Community Assisted and Supported Living Inc., will create 96 affordable units across a six-acre parcel. The project will include one, two and three-bedroom apartments priced for incomes between $21,000 and $72,000. The complex will also construct a playground, business center and activity room across two buildings. Completion is predicted for 2025. New Trail Plaza will accommodate families routinely cost-burdened by housing prices: a figure that’s growing locally and nationwide. A Harvard University study found that half of U.S. renters spend more than 30% of their annual income on rent and utilities, and Sarasota residents have reported that a lack of local affordable housing has threatened to price them out of the area. CASL CEO Scott Eller said he hopes New Trail Plaza’s affordable options — as well as after-school and extracurricular programs for kids sponsored by the complex — will ease this burden for families. “This is going to be an amazing community with infrastructure, not just utilities,” Eller said. “The social support infrastructure that is so crucial.” The groundbreaking comes as the city and county have jumpstarted affordable housing efforts, including newly approved zoning districts offering density bonuses in exchange for attainable housing and $40 million in county grant funding for affordable housing project proposals. The initiatives aim to promote workforce housing and revitalization of some of the county’s major corridors. Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert commended New Trail Plaza as a positive sign for Sarasota’s broader affordable housing landscape. The complex will provide much-needed accommodations for those staffing local businesses, she said. “This is a great example of a public-private partnership to bring about what we want in our community, which is more affordable housing,” Alpert said. “We need people to work in our hospitals, our schools, our restaurants." Please click on the link for more: New Affordable Housing Breaks Ground

DOWNTOWN PROJECT TO INCREASE TREE COVERAGE

The city of Sarasota is on track for more tree coverage with the next phase of the urban forest project. In an update to the Sarasota City Commission at a recent workshop, city planning and sustainability staff reported the urban forest project is in its second phase of bolstering canopy coverage along Ringling Boulevard. The project, which the commission approved last fall, will facilitate tree installments using $55,000 of funding from a U.S. Department of Agriculture urban forestry grant. The urban forest project’s second phase took data from the initial tree survey and plotted where to plant trees along Ringling Boulevard. Per an outline based on that data, the stretch of Ringling from Lime Avenue and Pineapple Avenue will become a “canopy road” shaded by trees dotted both along the median and on the sides of the street. Under current city guidelines, a “canopy road” designation is only a title and provides no additional benefits or safeguard measures for tree maintenance. Phil Smith, a landscape architect, recommended the city amend this part of the code to align with the county definition of a canopy road, which comes with a comprehensive plan for maintaining the designated street’s collection of trees. “Right now, it’s just a name,” Smith said. “We prepare a complete arboriculture plan so that during construction it’s monitored and the trees are protected in the entire corridor.” The corridor Ringling Boulevard that the project focuses on has a baseline canopy coverage of 12%, according to project documents. Staff aims to increase that coverage to 24% over a 10-year growth period by planting trees in medians and along street sides as well as converting some lane separation areas to landscape spaces. Necessary tree coverage in a given area is determined by a tree equity score — which, according to nonprofit American Forests, measures how well the benefits of tree canopies reach residents in urban areas — and existing canopy coverage. A tree equity score of 100 means an area has achieved its canopy coverage goal. Tree equity across Sarasota County varies, with scores in the 80s and 90s in the northern and southernmost parts with lower scores in central parts and closer to the city. Downtown Sarasota’s canopy coverage ranges from 15 to 20%, with tree equity scores ranging from 66 to 75% across the downtown core, the bayfront and the Rosemary District. Staff’s presentation to the commission also included several recommendations for long-term tree vitality downtown such as the removal of invasive species from city parks, higher fines for violations of local tree protection guidelines and increased funding toward planting projects and other tree conservation measures. Staff also suggested amending the City Tree Protection Ordinance to reflect current national standards and adjusting the local greenspace policy to allow more biodiversity. There's more on this story here: Downtown Project To Increase Tree Coverage

HOMEOWNERS WIN ON ROOF REPLACEMENT LEVY

Sarasota County Property Appraiser Bill Furst's office will no longer increase a homesteaded property's taxable value for routinely replacing a roof after two homeowners successfully challenged the practice. Despite the homeowners' successful challenge to the property appraiser's interpretation, homeowners who have seen their property values raised over the past decade-plus for new roofs can't expect to see their taxes reduced. Even Furst celebrated his loss, as it will mean lower taxes for Sarasota County residents, calling the decision "a win for Sarasota County taxpayers." "While the law is clear that the improvements at issue should be taxable, we now have an interpreting legal opinion making it clear that this is not the case in practice," Furst said. "I'm thankful for the clarity, and glad that Sarasota County residents can keep more of their hard-earned money as a result." They can thank Joseph McCarthy. He sought a reduction in the taxable value on his property, arguing before a special magistrate that the property appraiser should treat a simple roof replacement as maintenance and not as a capital improvement like adding a pool or room addition. The 80-year-old homeowner said during his December hearing that he felt cheated after discovering a 12% increase in his home's taxable value — well above the 3% allowed by state law for homesteaded property. The judge agreed. "The Special Magistrate having reviewed the applicable Florida law finds that the roof replacement on the subject property was not a change, addition or improvement to subject property," the recommended order said. The county's Value Adjustment Board, a panel of local government officials and citizens that considers challenges by property owners to the county appraiser's valuation, accepted that recommendation in May, reducing the taxable value on McCarthy's property by about $20,000. After winning his case, McCarthy asked the five member panel whether this would mean others could also expect reductions in their property's taxable value if they also were hit with an increase for a roof replacement. "I thought that was wrong not just for me," he said of the property appraiser's interpretation. "I think it's wrong for everybody in the county of Sarasota. So my questions is … is there any relief for anybody else in Sarasota County?" The lawyer for the board said that body does not have any jurisdiction over what happens at other county offices, with its only mandate to hear the annual petitions on valuations. Furst, who was first elected in 2008 and is currently running unopposed in his re-election bid this year , had previously said he continued the policy of his predecessor and that his office had applied that standard for at least the past 15 years. There's more on this story here: Homeowners Win On Roof Replacement Levy

LICENSE PLATES FUND EFFORTS TO SAVE REEFS

More than $400,000 raised through sales of Protect Our Reefs specialty license plates was recently awarded in grants to help restore the Florida Reef Tract.

The plate – created in 2003 through legislation sponsored by the late Nancy Detert when she was in the state Senate – has raised more than $7 million for coral reef restoration and research. While Mote administers the fund, which receives $25 from each tag, the money is awarded through a competitive grant process. “A unique component is the competitive grant program associated with this,” said Kevin Claridge, Mote’s vice president for sponsored research and coastal policy programs. “Any time you have that, you bring collaborators together.” The goal is to help fuel the restoration of the Florida Reef Tract with heat and disease-resistant corals. The funding has gone to 300 projects and 100 partners. Here is a sampling of award recipients for this year. Dr. Philip M. Gravinese and his students at Eckerd College are studying the effects of elevated temperature on the physiology of Caribbean king crab larvae. The crabs, bred in a complex at Mote Aquaculture Park, are a key component of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s $100 million plan to restore 3 million square feet of coral on seven iconic reefs in the Florida Reef Tract, dubbed Mission: Iconic Reefs. On an economic level, NOAA attributes the assessed value of Florida’s coral reefs at $8.5 billion, contributing to $4.4 billion in local sales, $2 billion in local income, and providing employment for 70,400 individuals in both full-time and part-time positions. The introduction of crabs, which are exclusively herbivores, along with long-spined sea urchins are meant to control the growth of nuisance algae that compete with corals. Dr. Kylie Smith, founder of I.CARE – Islamorada Conservation and Education Restoration – is studying sponge resistance and resilience during peak hyperthermal stress period. Sponges are key to water filtration. Dr. Matthew Gilg of the University of North Florida is exploring transgenerational environmental memory of thermal stress in brooding coral – specifically Porites astreoides, more commonly known as Mustard Hill Coral. Gilg will conduct his research at Mote’s Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration in Summerland Key, using the facility’s state-of-the art Climate and Acidification Ocean Simulator (CAOS). Access to that technology, designed to test how climate change, including ocean acidification and warming temperatures impact corals, was a key element of Mote’s partnership agreement earlier this year with two aquariums in Taiwan and the philanthropic foundation of a leading Taiwanese electronics manufacturer. Click here for more: License Plates Fund Efforts To Save Reefs

AREA SURGERY CENTERS HONORED

Five local surgery centers – two in Sarasota County, one in Bradenton and two in Charlotte County− earned high performing ratings in the first rankings by U.S. News & World Report of the Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers in the United States. Other rankings routinely released by U.S. News & World Report include the nation's best hospitals , best nursing homes and best high schools. U.S. News & World Report, along with CareJourney, an Arlington, Virginia-based healthcare analytic firm, ranked almost 5,000 ambulatory surgery centers in four separate specialty areas: colonoscopy & endoscopy, ophthalmology, orthopedics & spine and urology, awarding a total of 717 high performing ratings. U.S. News said that it developed the consumer-centered ratings to help patients – along with their health care providers – identify high-quality sites for common same-day diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. Fewer than 15% of evaluated facilities earned a “High Performing” rating. “Same-day procedures play an increasingly prominent role in health care as an alternative to overnight hospital care,” Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News & World Report said in a press release. “Building on our 34 years of experience evaluating Best Hospitals, we’re proud to give patients this new, free, data-driven tool to help them navigate their health care needs.” The Surgery Center at Pointe West, East Center, 6015 Pointe West Boulevard, Bradenton, earned a high-performing ranking in Orthopedics and Spine surgery, as did Premier Surgery Center of Sarasota, 983 S. Beneva Road, Sarasota.

The Center for Endoscopy-Sarasota, 3325 S. Tamiami Trail, earned a high-performing ranking in Colonoscopy and Endoscopy procedures. In all, U.S. News & World Report analyzed the performance of 12 ambulatory surgery centers in Sarasota, eight in Bradenton and three in Venice. It also analyzed four centers in Charlotte County – two of which received high-performing rankings as well: the Charlotte Endoscopic Surgery Center in Colonoscopy and Endoscopy procedures; and Surgery Center of Port Charlotte in Orthopedic and Spine surgery. Both are located at 23970 Suncoast Blvd., Port Charlotte. Please click here for more: Area Surgery Centers Honored

SUMMER CIRCUS SPECTACULAR

The Circus Arts Conservatory will be reaching even more people than usual this summer with two versions of its Summer Circus Spectacular, one in Sarasota and a new location in the Berkshires in Massachusetts. The annual collaboration with The Ringling Museum continues the summer tradition June 14-Aug. 17 with intimate performances in the Historic Asolo Theater. What began as a two-week run in 2007 has grown to nine weeks this year with many sold-out performances. It will feature several returning performers, including the clown Renaldo , contortionist Uranbileg Angarag and the acrobatic hand-balancing troupe The Bello Sisters (who were featured on “America’s Got Talent”), who performed in the winter Circus Sarasota show . New this year is Zoré Espana, a Cyr wheel performer who grew up in Englewood and is extending her family’s circus history to its sixth generation.

Pedro Reis, the founder and CEO of the Circus Arts Conservatory, said the company will test out an expansion with a two-week run of what is called “SummerSaults in the Berkshires,” featuring most of the performers who appeared in last year’s Sarasota summer show. “My vision is to repeat what we’re doing in Sarasota in the Berkshires” the next year, he said. “It’s going to require word of mouth and buzz. There is some kids stuff up there, but there’s nothing like the circus that’s truly a family-oriented discipline up there.” “SummerSaults” will feature the comedy duo of Dick Monday and Slappy, the hand-balancing act of La Vision, bounce juggler Tersit Asefa Dersu, the crystal balance act of Serge Sergeev and Aurika Annaeva, and aerial rope artist Garrett Allen. The Sarasota production has become popular with summer camp programs. “Most of the kids come and see a circus show for the first time and most of them are coming to the Ringling Museum for the very first time, too,” Reis said. Ticket buyers can buy a pass to visit the Ringling Circus Museum for $5 on the day of the performance. There's more to read here: Summer Circus Spectacular

THE SKY'S THE LIMIT

What are contemporary visual artists up to in this part of Florida? Every three years , the Skyway collaboration answers that question with a regional exhibition. It’s one show, but not in one place. “Skyway 2024” unfolds on a staggered schedule through January 2025 in five regional art museums – The Ringling and Sarasota Art Museum in Sarasota; the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg; USF Contemporary Art Museum, in Tampa; and Tampa Museum of Art, in Tampa. New work by 63 local artists is showcased in all five venues. They’re all based in the greater Tampa Bay region. But they share no Tampa Bay style, message or method. These creators work locally, but think globally. Their creations are inspired by art and cultural movements around the planet. For many expatriate artists, the inspiration flows from their lands of birth. “Skyway 2024” reveals these local/global connections. It begins at The Ringling this year. Ola Wlusek and Christopher Jones curated The Ringling iteration of “Skyway 2024,” selecting nearly 100 art pieces by 13 area-based creators and co-creators. There’s a lot to see. There's more on this story here: The Sky's The Limit

SARASOTA MUSIC FESTIVAL OPENS 60TH SEASON

On the heels of the Sarasota Orchestra’s 75th anniversary, this summer marks the 60th anniversary of the Sarasota Music Festival, a three-week program that pairs some of the most promising young musicians with professionals for a masterclasses, one-on-one lessons and a wide variety of concerts. The program was launched as the New College Music Festival in 1965 by Paul Wolfe , who was in the fifth year of a long tenure as music director of what was then known as the Florida West Coast Symphony . In 2004, as he was preparing for the festival's 40th anniversary, Wolfe told the Herald-Tribune that he wanted to provide some chamber music in the warm summer months of Sarasota. He invited some colleagues to come for a week in July for a series of concerts at New College where he was an adjunct professor. "In that first year of the festival, we didn't have a teaching component," said Wolfe at the time. "But many people who attended the concerts asked if there were any way to take classes with these great musicians."

Now, 60 young musicians spend three weeks in Sarasota training and performing with some of the top professionals from around the country, who come, primarily for a week at a time, giving the fellows a chance to get new experiences with a rotating roster of musicians. Each week, the fellows are highlighted in Rising Stars concerts, while faculty members are featured in the weekly Artist Showcases, both in Holley Hall. Fellows and professionals perform together in the larger Festival Fridays and Festival Saturday concerts at the Sarasota Opera House. The Sarasota Orchestra took over festival operations in 1985, and Wolfe continued to lead it until his retirement in 2006. He was succeeded for 10 years by pianist Robert Levin, before Jeffrey Kahane took over in 2017. The caliber of the young musicians who come each summer has grown as much as the program has evolved, Kahane said. “The level of fellows we’re getting now is incredibly high,” Kahane said. “Many of them have already launched their careers, some are still in school. The fellows come here because they want to be challenged and love to play things they know well, but the amazing thing at that stage, is you get to play the Brahms first symphony for the very first time. It’s like falling in love.” Kahane selects the music, “but I always consult the faculty. They’re not just told you’re playing this or that; 95% of the time, they’re fine with it,” he said. “With the fellows, it’s different. I choose a certain amount of repertoire before we know who’s coming and then the fellows are given a form where they indicate what they’d like to play and we do everything in our power that every fellow gets to play at least one piece they want.” Please click on the link for more: Sarasota Music Festival Opens 60th Season

BRITISH HONORS FOR SARASOTA BALLET LEADER

Just days after he arrived in London to oversee his company’s first international performances at the Royal Opera House , Sarasota Ballet Director Iain Webb was named the winner of the British National Dance Awards for outstanding achievement. The awards, which were announced recently at the Coronet Theatre in London, were selected by 60 members of the dance section of the United Kingdom's Critics’ Circle, which revealed nominees in April. There were 311 companies, choreographers, performers and other creative artists nominated this year. The awards have been presented since 2000 “to celebrate the vigor and variety of Britain’s thriving dance culture.” Webb’s award is officially the De Valois Award for Outstanding Achievement, named for the legendary British dancer, teacher and choreogrpaher Dame Ninette de Valois. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater was named outstanding company. The Sarasota Ballet made its international debut on June 7, kicking off a week of performances on the stage of the Linbury Theatre inside the Royal Opera House (home to the Royal Ballet). They are a featured company in the two-week “Ashton Celebrated” festival, highlighting the career of choreographer and director Sir Frederick Ashton. His work has become a centerpiece of The Sarasota Ballet’s repertoire. Please click here for more on this story: British Honors For Sarasota Ballet Leader