GoI] ing solo 3
Ditrc reecscont le


A break
Impact fees cut, deferred


4A Taxing
County fire fees headed up?


AWTENICE.| Making up
An artist to the
stars lives in
Venice


*********AUTO**ALL FOR ADC 320
.TINIV OF FLORIDA LIBRARIES
LOCAL NEWS COVER TO COVER FLORIDA'S NO. 1 WEEKLY NEWSPAPER :) O i OF 7FLORIDA
Tr-SA to f .AINESVILLE FL 32611-7007


Hometown hero


City ponders


rental violations


BY GREG GILES
NEWS EDITOR


Joshua LeBlanc, a first-grader at Venice Elementary School, unloads seven bicycles that he, with the help of his family, donated
to VES. The school will give the bicycles to children of needy families.


MEET A 6-YEAR-OLD SANTA


BY SUSAN CAIRO
STAFF WRITER


After Thanksgiving-day dinner,
Kim LeBlanc was explaining to her 6-
year-old spn Joshua just how much
he had to be thankful for. She said
that he was very lucky because he
had a nice house and a mom and a
dad who love him.
Joshua didn't really get the mes-'
sage until his mom told him that a lot
of boys his age don't even own a bike.
That's when it hit him. At that
moment he decided what he wanted
for Christmas: bikes hundreds of
them.
The Venice Elementary School
first-grader believes no child should
be without a bike, so for the past
month he's been collecting money to
buy bicycles for needy children.
"We told him at the time that we
may not be able to buy hundreds,
but we can try," LeBlanc said.
They started with an e-mail blitz
to their family members, who then
sent the request to other friends.
Once people found out Joshua's


story, the checks started rolling in.
Joshua then took to the road.
Using his own beloved bike, and with
his parents, he went door-to-door
telling his neighbors about his story.
They in turn told their friends.
"He was very excited every time
we got another check," said Brenda
Smith, his grandmother.
Smith owns Addington's Florist in
Venice, and her customers have
known Joshua since he was a baby.
She set out a collection box with fly-
ers telling the story of a little boy with
a big heart who was collecting
money for others.
"They were very generous when
they heard about his goal," Smith
said.
Proud
When they got the money togeth-
er to buy the bikes, the LeBlancs then
had to find children to give them to.
"Since we never did this before,
we had a little difficulty finding
needy families," LeBlanc said.
Contacting Joshua's school for
help, they discovered there were lots


of children who were in need of a
bikes and helmets for Christmas.
Peaches Restaurant had three angels
left on its tree with requests from
children for bikes. A Venice church
had a mother and child who had a
bike stolen.
Slowly, the list of bike recipients
grew.
Wednesday night, Joshua, his
mom, dad and grandparents went
shopping. They purchased bikes and
helmets for each of the children.
They had enough money left to also
get gift certificates for food to giveto
the families.,
"He was so excited, he couldn't sit
still for a moment," Kim LeBlanc
said.
Although he didn't reach his goal
of hundreds of bikes this year (they
actually bought 13), Joshua plans to
start earlier next Christmas. With the
help of his parents and grandpar-
ents, they might just do it in 2008.
"You can't imagine how proud we
are of him," his mom said.


scairo@venicegondolier.com


Now that short-term ren-
tals have been deemed in
violation of city code when
they're located within sin-
gle-family residential neigh-
borhoods, the city has an-
other major decision to
make how to handle
those already in place.
Normally, the process
would be to forward code
violations to the city's code
enforcement board, so the
board could issue citations
or consider each case sepa-
rately.
But city officials aren't
sure that's the best way to
handle up to 30 code viola-
tions of the same nature. ,
Each could require its
own hearing. Not only
would that take an inordi-
nate amount of the board's
time, but there's also the
potential that remedies, like
fines and time granted to
comply, could differ, creat-


ing an administrative night-
mare and exposing the city
to potential litigation.
Violations are typically
addressed through a letter
to the owner allowing a
fixed amount of time for the
party to come into compli-
ance. If the violation contin-
ues, it's followed by more
letters, and ultimately fines.
Cases have been known
to go on and on, in some
instances lasting up to four
years.
Waiting period
.One possible option the
city is considering is use of a
court injunction to force
compliance.
"We may elect to go th-
rough a court order instead
of code enforcement, which
could be a lengthy process,"
City Manager Marty Black
said.
Black asked staff to pro-
ceed with creating enforce-

Please see CITY, 7A


BY STEVEN J. SMITH
STAFF WRITER

Former Charlotte County
Commissioner Mac Horton
proposed an increase in
village rates for those clos-
est to River Road to kick-
start funding for improve-'
ments.
"One mill of property tax
in the Charlotte County part
of District 3, which covers
Englewood, would create
roughly $10 million," Hor-
ton said at Thursday's meet-
ing of the River Road task
force, at the Suncoast Aud-
itorium in Englewood.
"Sarasota County's part
of District 3 would bring in
$5 million," Horton said.
"And just the Boca Grande
area, $2 million. That's a
start."
One mill:equals $1 for
every $1,000 of a property's
assessed value.


Horton, now Charlotte
County's Elections Super-
visor; said the' time to start
raising funds is now.
Undefined
Brian West of Kimley-
lHorn and Associates re-
minded everyone of a re-
cent offer made by Fourth
Quarter Properties, the con-
sortium looking to develop
2,850 acres of Thomas
Ranch.
"That's the up-front
funding of the construction
of River Road from U.S. 41
to 1-75, upon reaching an
acceptable fair-share agree-
ment with (Sarasota) Cou-
nty," West said. "The other is
our commitment of $2 mil-
lion for the design and build-
out of the U.S. 41- River Road
intersection."
West would not say what


Please see ROAD, 7A


Housing board takes a painful step


Three by three


Voting to move forward with relocating tenants
from Grove Terrace Apartments is a decision
based on survival, said Ben Bell, acting direc-
tor, on his last day at the troubled agency.


BY GREG GILES
NEWS EDITOR

The Venice Housing Au-
thority on Thursday acted,
on two key components of
its rebuilding plan, both of
them painful.
The first was a resolution
authorizing the housing aut-
hority to enter into a memo-
randum of understanding
with the city of Sarasota and
Sarasota County Board of
County Commissioners to
handle the relocation effort
for Grove Terrace Apart-
ment residents.
The Sarasota County
Office of Housing and Com-
munity Development will


Good morning,
Gondolier Sun subscriber,
S ERNEST SKINNER


administer Section 8 reloca-
tion vouchers.
The memorandum of
understanding precedes a
memorandum of agree-
ment to be signed at a later
date.
The VHA adopted a one-
year plan in November that
called for the demolition of
Grove Terrace and estab-
lishing a voucher program
for displaced tenants while
their units are replaced.
Commissioners said they
were well aware of the hard-
ship that relocation might
cause in the short term, but
hope their decision to re-
build at a later time will vin-
dicate their actions.


BUSNE .........10A
LEGALS 6A
LET 'EM HAVE IT ..-- 9A
LOTTO .. .......-A
OPINION 8A


A second resolution
passed Thursday authorizes
the VHA to discontinue re-
occupying vacant units un-
til further notice.
Three units in the Grove
Terrace Apartments are cur-
rendy unoccupied. The va-
cancies are due to fire, evic-
tion and a tenant moving
out.
That drew a sharp rebut-
tal from Commission Mem-
ber George Barr; who said
he is, "100 percent against
it."
Barr said with delays in
the relocation plan, it could
be six to eight months be-
fore residents are actually
asked to move out.
"If we continue this, we
could end up with 10 units
empty by July. Now you are
talking about eight mon-
ths," Barr said. "Low-cost

Please see STEP, 7A


1119S.- SAi -- --14W


POLICE BAAI .. .. 11A
SPORTS.. ..- ..12A
WEATHER ... .._2A


SUN PHOTO BY JEFF TAVARES, jtavares@venciegondolier.com
Three northbound lanes are open along most of U.S. 41 in Nokomis.The transition from two
to three lanes along southbound U.S. 41 is expected to take place by the end of this week.
Because the raising and expansion of the Dona Bay and Shakett Creek bridges is not yet
complete, traffic continues to be restricted to two lanes in the northbound and southbound
directions at that point.This traffic pattern is expected to continue until late summer 2008.


UR TOWN SECTION ALSOJN THIS EDITION
PUZZLES-.R TOWN SECT-... CLASFIEDS A Barber Plus .. .................... 4B
DEAR ABBY 4B COUPONS Twin Palms Chiropractic ... .........7B
HOROSCOPE_ ___ 5B LETS GO Venice Car Wash ................... 11A
RELIGION 8B
VENUE 3B


~iA~M~Z -l ,F umb,4Irs7


5A


Assessments could


fund River Road


I l 5 2 0 00 5 8


L


I


'k "- -









ALMANAC


2A SUN NEWSPAPERS
0


FRIDAY, DEC. 21, 2007


School calendars *


FROM SWIFTMUD


The Southwest Florida
Water Management District
has a new public awareness
campaign to encourage res-
idents who irrigate their
lawns to skip a week during
the cooler months.
According to research by
the University of Florida, as
temperatures grow cooler,
grass doesn't need to be
watered as often. The "skip a
week" campaign will use
radio and print advertise-
ments to encourage reduce


outdoor irrigation.
The ads highlight the fol-
lowing tips people can use
to determine when their
grass needs water. Your
lawn needs water when:
* Grass blades are folded in
half
* Grass blades are blue-gray
* A footprint remains on the
lawn
For more information
about water restrictions, visit
www.WaterMatters.org or
call (800) 848-0499 or (800)
423-1476, ext. 4498, during
normal business hours.


0'i S I


set for 2008-09
BY AUDREY BLACKWELL ment on the proposed calen-
STAFF WRITER dars through Jan. 15, accord-
ing to a news release from the
The Sarasota County Sc- district. Visit www.sarasota
hool Board released the rec- countyschools.net/calendar
ommended calendars for the and click on the e-mail link,
2008-09 and 2009-10 school or send comments by e-
years. The board approved mail to HR_calendar@sara
advertising the calendars at sota.kl2.fl.us. I VIII VIIIIIIV IVI
its Dec. 11 meeting. Board approval of the f t o m J w


No major changes have
been made.
The first day of school for
students next school year is
proposed to be Monday,
Aug. 18, 2008; the last day of
school is proposed to be
Friday, May 29, 2009.
The proposed 2009-10 sc-
hool year begins Monday,
Aug. 24, 2009 and ends Fri-
day, June 4,2010.
The public may com-


final calendars for both
school years is slated for the
board's regular meeting
Tuesday, Jan. 22, at 3 p.m. at
1980 Landings Blvd., Sara-
sota.
The board's first meeting
of the new year will be
Tuesday, Jan. 8, at 6:30 p.m.

ablackwell@
venicegondolier.com


- *
*


*


~-4"M -. m4


GAS GAUGE
SUN FILE GRAPHIC
According to autos.msn.com
on Thursday, the lowest gas
price in the Venice area was
$2.979 per gallon at Sunoco,
2273 South Tamiami Trail,
Venice.The highest price in the
area, according to the Web site,
was $3.149 per gallon at My- H
akka River Trading Post, 9001 "
South Tamiami Trail, Venice.


Shopping weather


Tropical Bob figures this
week's cold snap has cost him
plenty.
A buddy once observed
that when his wife goes shop-
ping, it costs him about $50
an hour. That seems accurate
to T.B.
So it was with alarm that
T.B. heard Mrs. T.B. say, "This
cold weather puts me in the
mood for shopping." And off
she went.
Ooooooo.
If normal shopping is $50
an hour, this time of year it's at
least $200 an hour. Maybe
more. She goes for hours.
Course, T.B. will use her
absence to order gifts from
Amazon.com and eBay. Costs


T.B. about $50 an hour most
of the time.


TROPICAL BOB
WEATHER COMMENTS


M .


Dec. 19............001
Dec. 18............043
Dec. 17............844
Dec. 16............553


Dec.19.......5-27-32-33-34
Dec. 18.........3-9-22-26-30
Dec. 17.........2-3-13-19-25
Dec. 16...........2-4-9-14-31
2-digit winner- Quick Pick ticket


Dec. 19..........5980
Dec. 18..........4642
Dec. 17.........0498
Dec. 16..........4779


Dec.18.............1-9-12-42
MegaBall...................... 14
Dec. 14..........13-16-26-41
MegaBall........................4
Drawings occur Tuesday and Friday


Dec. 19..................................................... 7-13-16-28-38-47
Dec. 15...............................................11-31-38-40-41-47
Dec. 12.................................................9-27-31-38-41-43
Payoff for Dec. 19
0 6-digit winners- $38 million
178 5-digit winners- $4,505.00
10,224 4-digit winners- $63.50
197,398 3-digit winners- $4.50
Drawings occur Wednesdays, Saturdays
The estimated jackpot is $47 million


Give


1he |G ive her ai sIb r ii -
her uxury, Give her casrere. ere
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D...ila.I. S The Style of Christmas.


discover
the perfect gift!
A Dillard's gift card is the perfect
solution for those hard-to-buy-for people
on your list. The recipient can use it
anywhere in our stores, up to the amount
you designate. It's the aift that always fits!


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Shop Monday Friday 9 a.m. 10 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. 10 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. 9 p.m.


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E









VFRIDAY. DEC. 21 2079UNNESPAER 3


District holds to water

supply funding policy


Visiting the jolly old elf


BY GREG MARTIN
STAFF WRITER


Sarasota County asked
the Southwest Florida Water
Management District's board
this week to change its poli-
cy calling for water projects
to be controlled by regional
water supply authorities if
they expect to win water
district grants.
But the district's govern-
ing board refused to change
the language, and that left a
cloud of doubt over where
the money will come from
to finance Sarasota County's
proposed Dona Bay water
supply project, Sarasota
County Deputy Administra-
tor Dave Bullock said Wed-
nesday.
However, Bullock express-
ed confidence the funding
question will ultimately be
resolved through coopera-
tion between his county
and the Peace River/Mana-
sota Regional Water Supply
Authority.
"Frankly, I think we'll
work all this stuff out," he
said.
Intent
The water district more
than a year ago adopted a
policy that gives top priority
in grant funding to alterna-
tive water supply projects
owned or controlled by re-
gional water supply author-
ities.
The intent of the policy is
to ensure that the district
funding is spent on projects
that provide water for a
region, not an individual
city or county, said Michael
Molligan, district spokes-
man.
That policy fits the Tam-
pa Bay Water Supply Au-
thority well, Bullock said,
because that authority
bought up all the municipal
water utilities in its area.
But within the, ,, four-
county Peace Riverauthori-
ty's region, most'f the local
counties and cities have
retained ownership of nu-
merous water supply facili-
ties, he said.
Sarasota and Manatee
counties in particular, he
said, have invested more
than $100 million develop-
ing separate water facilities.
Sarasota County has
already invested at least $20
million in purchasing land
for its Dona Bay reservoir
site, Bullock said.
To gain ownership or
control, the authority would
have to buy out the coun-
ties' investments, a costly
proposition, Bullock said. \
One word
The Dona Bay plan calls
for the county to divert
some 10 million gallons per


day or more draining into
the bay from Cow Pen
Slough. The slough was dug
in the 1960s to drain a large
agricultural area that origi-
nally drained into the My-
akka River.
As a result of the ditch, so
much water drained into
Dona Bay that its estuary be-
gan to die off, Bullock said.
Sarasota County would
treat that water at its Carl-
ton wellfield treatment
plant and deliver it to cus-
tomers within that county.
But it would serve the re-
gional supply because Sara-
sota County also purchases
water from the Peace River,
and tapping Dona Bay
would relieve pressure on
that resource, Bullock said.
Theresa Connor, manag-
er of water resources for
Sarasota County, asked the
district's governing board to
revise its policy during its
meeting Tuesday.
The change sought by
Sarasota County would
have replaced just one word
in the policy. In the phrase
"alternative water supply
projects," the word "pro-
jects" would have been re-
placed with the word "ca-
pacity."
Rejected
Sarasota County Com-
missioner Shannon Staub
had argued the change
would give the water district
more flexibility to consider
funding the Dona Bay pro-
ject, if the county negotiat-
ed a lease allowing the
authority to control a por-
tion of the project's capacity.
-The district's governing.
board rejected Sarasota
County's language but
adopted a minor language
change proposed by its staff,
said Michael Molligan,
spokesman for die district.
The policy now states
that, under the distyct's
cooperative avatersresourcy
developme nt program, the
district will rate water sup-
ply projects a top priority if
they are owned, operated or
"perpetually controlled" by
water authorities, he said.
Adding the word "perpet-
ually" ensures that counties
won't be able to get district
funding for projects that
would supply water for only
30-year periods, he said.
"We clarified a few
things, but essentially the
policy is the same," Molli-
gan said.
Despite the policy, Sara-
sota County plans to press
ahead in developing the
Dona Bay project,. Bullock
said. The county has spent
three years on the project,
which may take up to 10
years to complete, he added.
gmartin@sun-heraid.com


SUN PHOTO BY JEFF TAVARES, jtavares@venicegondolier.com
Walter Cabral brought his daughters to see Santa at West Blalock Park in Venice Thursday. Naomi, 6, talks to Santa while her
sister Katie, 4, is a little shy.






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4,
'C,


SUN NEWSPAPERS 3A


FRIDAY, DEC. 21, 2007









4A SUN NEWSPAPERS FRIDAY, DEC. 21, 2007


Peace River plan not on legislative agenda


BY GREG MARTIN
STAFF WRITER

Staffers at the Florida
Department of Environ-
mental Protection have
drafted a plan to acquire,
restore and preserve thou-
sands of acres in the Peace
River basin in order to pro-
tect what's left of its ecosys-
tem.
But, the DEP is not taking
the plan to the Legislature
for approval this year, even
though it's one of the ac-
tions listed in the agency's
Peace River Basin Manage-
ment Plan, adopted some
nine months ago.
The land acquisition pro-
gram is the single most
ambitious of some two
dozen action items in the
plan. It is one of several that
would need legislative sup-
port to become reality.
The DEP has decided not
to submit any of those mea-
sures to the Legislature this
year because the agency has
other priorities, said Rick
Cantrell, deputy director of
water resources for the DEE
"I'm zero for zero for get-
ting (Peace River initiatives)
out the door, but it is not a
dead issue," he said. "You
have to consider the priori-
ties of an entire agency."
The DEP's other priori-
ties include updating the
Florida Forever program
and eliminating discharges
of waste water into the
Atlantic Ocean in Southeast
Florida.
Asked whether he would
take the measures to the
Legislature in 2009, Cantrell
indicated it was too early to
tell.
However, he emphasized
that the plodding pace is
not an indication that the
measures won't be imple-
mented in the future.
Progress
In fact, the DEP office
responsible for Peace River
restoration projects "is
making significant pro-
gress" toward tackling a
number of the action items,
according to a September
report on the projects by
James "Bud" Cates, the ad-
ministrator of the DEP's
Environmental Resource
Section.
State Rep. Paige Kreegel,
R-Punta Gorda, said he
wasn't surprised the DEP


Jl r


The flow of the Peace River near Bartow comes to a virtual standstill after most of the water
drained down sinkholes in the riverbed that once served as artesian springs in this file photo from
early this year. The river was flowing at another record low this week.


wasn't bringing Peace River
land acquisition initiatives
to the Legislature this year.
He pointed out the state
budget took a $1 billion
reduction due to a decline
in revenues amid a real
estate crash.
However, Kreegel added
that the best time to buy
riverfront land might be
now when prices are
down.
"I think (the Peace plan)
is important stuff;" added
Kreegel. "I'm guessing what
the DEP is doing is looking
at the financial realities."
Kreegel said he would
expect the DEP to assemble
a package of Peace River
action items for the Leg-
islature once the .agency.is
-ready to present them.
The ERS, which is within
the Bureau of Mining and.
Minerals Reclamation, has
been charged with imple-
menting many of the pro-
jects because it is already
responsible for managing
thousands of acres of Cen-
tral Florida phosphate mine
sites that have been donat-
ed or are under conserva-
tion easements.


The Peace River plan was
adopted in response to a
cumulative impact study
that showed the river has
suffered more than 20 sig-
nificant impacts since the
1940s. Mandated in 2003,
the study was completed
last January.

"I'm zero for zero
for getting (Peace
River initiatives)
out the door, but it
is not a dead
issue.":'
Rick Cantrell,
DEP deputy,
directorof
water resources


The impacts include the
loss of 343 miles of streams
and 136,000 acres of wet-
lands. Also, the upper Peace
now drains into a karst
limestone layer that once
contributed water as arte-
sian springs.


Networking
To date, Cates' section
has developed a map that
identifies several thousand
acres containing both flood
plains and uplands that the
staffers feel should be
acquired to carry out the
Peace plan, Cates reported.
Many of sites are located
on mined-out lands. The
map also includes the entire
flood plains of the Peace
River and its major tribu-
taries.
The map also identifies
some 30,000 acres that are
already under public own-
ership or control lin the
region, but the vast majority
of those sites are located
outside the Peact 'River
"W atershed. 1 ": ' . '
Much of the work to
identify those lands had
already been performed,
when Cates and other offi-
cials published a proposal
called the Integrated Hab-
itat Network in the early
1990s.
To date, the draft map of
the proposed Peace projects
.has been presented to a
small group of stakeholders
for their input, said Cates.


The plan also calls for the
acquisitions of older mine
sites, those excavated be-
fore the state adopted its
mandatory reclamation law
in 1975, to be financed by
the state's Nonmandatory
Lands Reclamation Trust
Fund.
Allocated
Financed by a portion of
the state's severance tax on
phosphate extraction, the
trust fund was established
to reclaim the pre-1975
mine sites.
However, that fund was
depleted to clean up phos-
phate chemical waste
stacks abandoned by Mul-
berry Phosphates in 2002.
The Legislature passed a
law in 2003 that put a stop
to the DEP accepting any
new applications for old-
mine reclamation projects,
due to inadequate funding
and a backlog of projects.
About $42 million re-
mains in the fund today.
However, all but $500,000 of
that money is already allo-
cated to the backlog, ac-
cording to a recent DEP
report.
The Peace plan calls for
the Legislature to revise the
way the revenues from the
severance tax are distrib-
uted in order to more than
double the amount going to
the reclamation trust fund.
Also, additional reclama-
tion projects would once
again be considered for
funding but only if they
reconnected their drainage
to the Peace River, under
the proposal.
But, the distribution of
funds from the severance
tax promises to be a politi-
cally sensitive issue. That's
because, to boost the fund's
share for, non-mandatory
reclamation projects from
$3 million to $8 million as
proposed, some $5 million,
would have to be cut from'
onte ofthe other state cof-'
fers that benefit from the
tax.
That would be a tough
sell this year because a
downturn in real estate has
reduced state revenues by
about $1 billion.
The statewide general
fund receives $11 million,
the statewide conservation
lands acquisition program
receives,$10 million and the
rural counties that host


mining receive $8 million
from the severance tax.
"(The acquisition pro-
gram) is probably one of the
most difficult action items
to pursue because there are
many competing desires for
funding," said Cantrell.
Accomplishments
The DEP has accom-
plished several other goals
in the Peace plan. Those
achievements include es-
tablishing a formal Peace
River Coordinating Com-
mittee. DEP Secretary Mi-
chael Sole appointed some
two dozen state and local
government officials, busi-
ness stakeholders and envi-
ronmentalists to the com-
mittee last month.
The state is also making
strides to implement one
particular project called for
in the Peace plan. That pro-
ject will reconnect drainage
from the state's Tenoroc
recreation area, a former
phosphate mine, to Saddle
Creek, a headwater of the
Peace.
The state has hired con-
tractors to create wetlands
and uplands. The first two
of three phases in the $6
million project have been
completed.
Cantrell, a former Winter
Park area resident who
spent his teenage years fish-
ing at Tenoroc Park, called
the restoration project "the
poster child" for reconnect-
ing the hydrology of the
mined lands.
"What's being done at
Tenoroc is an excellent ex-
ample of what we can envi-
sion for other non-manda-
tory lands that are now
holding water," he said.
The mining industry
plans to excavate another
150,000 acres in the lower
Peace River watershed in
the next 30 years. The min-
ing;.. ompariies willRb.e
offered mitigation credits if
they.'preserve wetlands or
forests identified on the
DEP's maps, said Cantrell.
Ultimately, however, the
degree of preservation -ac-
complished will depend
upon the will of all the
stakeholders, he pointed
out.
"What we save today is
all that's ever going to be
left," Cantrell warned.

gmartin@sun-herald.com


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4A SUN NEWSPAPERS






SUN NEWSPAPERS 5A


Sarasota County postpones impact fees


The Sarasota County
Commission directed
staff Wednesday to
postpone road impact
fee implementation
until June 2009 to ease
the burden on the
construction industry.

BY STEVEN J. SMITH
STAFF WRITER

Ease up on impact fees
and you'll encourage growth.
That thinking drove a
decision by the Sarasota
County Commission Wed-
nesday to postpone road
impact fee implementation
until June 2009 in effect,
lessening a financial burden
on the construction indus-
try.
In addition, the commis-
sioners approved decreases
in impact fees charged for
hotels and motels from
$2,972 per room to $2,052
per room, and movie the-
aters from $26 per square
foot to about $11 per square
foot.
Impact fees are financing
mechanisms to make devel-
opers bear the cost of infra-
structure and facilities need-
ed as a result of commercial
or residential construction.
"We may have upset both
sides," joked County Com-
missioner Paul Mercier dur-
ing a break. "I think the peo-
ple who collect the impact
fees will think (the delay)
isn't enough and those who
think our impact fees aren't
high enough will be unhap-
py we put it off another



Developers

take road

fees to court
bti a-ib-"rn no r ,;-rT "
BY SUSAN E. HOFFMAN
STAFF WRITER

Developers and the city
must wait a while' longer to
Learn if a legal challenge to a
road and drainage fee can
continue.
Fourth Quarter Proper-
ties XXXII LLC the devel-
oper of Island Walk on U.S.
41 filed a complaint in
Circuit Court in May to con-
test the city's construction
traffic road fee. In response,
-the city asked the court ei-
ther to dismiss the case, or
to consolidate Fourth Quar-
ter's challenge with other
pending cases on the same
issue.
Fourth Quarter's lawsuit
hinges on the claim that the
construction traffic road fee
previously called a "road
rehabilitation fee" is real-
Ily an unlawful impact fee
that cannot be charged to
repair existing roads.
The hearing, originally
,set for 2 p.m. Wednesday,
had to be postponed be-
cause Fourth Quarter's at-
torney, John Tasso of Tam-
pa, was at the courthouse in
Sarasota rather than the one
|in Venice. He was able to
Participate in the hearing by
conference phone.
Representing the city,
Jackson Kracht, with the
Nelson Hesse LLP law firm
Sof Sarasota, urged the court
to dismiss the challenge be-
Scause the developer has suf-
fered no damages.
SRather than ruling on the
emotions, Bennett reserved
judgment to have time to
review briefs filed by the
Parties.
He did niot say when he
would issue his ruling.
SOther North Port area
developers, including Di-
Vosta Homes and Gran
Paradise, filed suits in De-
cember 2006 to challenge
the fees.


shoffman@
sun-herald.com

Recycle this
newspaper


year."
Two moves
Mercier said the decision
will send an important mes-
sage to the community.
"We're saying that we're
in tough economic times,"


Mercier said. "Let's see if we
can generate some activity
in construction by being a
little sensitive to the costs
they have to add to the
product."
Clarke Davis, general
manager of public works


planning, saw staff's next
move as twofold.
"The immediate task is
making hotel/motel and
movie theater changes,
along with the implementa-
tion of the schedule," Davis
said, adding that a public


hearing on the issue could
happen by mid- to late-win-
ter.
Davis expected modifi-
cations and delays of im-
pact fees could inspire a
favorable reaction from
members of the construc-


tion industry, who have
vehemently opposed them
in the past.
"I think we might see our
deferring the June increase
as well-received," Davis
said.
ssmith@sun-herald.com


REG. AND ORIG. PRICES ARE OFFERING PRICES, AND SAVINGS MAY NOT BE BASED ON ACTUAL SALES. SOME ORIG. PRICES NOT IN EFFECT DURING THE PAST 90 DAYS. SALE PRICES IN PROGRESS
THROUGH DECEMBER 24,2007, EXCEPT AS NOTED. Orig./Now and Special Purchase items will remain at advertised pi ices attei the event and ale available while supplies last, Sales apply to selected it, n
only. Everyday Values are excluded from "sales" and coupons/Macy's Card savings. This advertisement applies to Macy's stores in I lorida. Prices and merchandise may diffei on nmacy.conm Advertised item, nii'
not be available at your local Macy's, and selections may vary. Some RegJSale items in this ad may have been pe muanently reduced foi clearance alter this ad was finalized. Fine Jewelry "tI. u's mienm, ,la:
total weight. All weights are approximate. Variance may be .05 carat. Diamond grades may vary. Colored gemstones may have been heated, such as by heating, oiling or irradiation. Photos nay be en,'iiiei,,
show detail. Additional savings are taken off already reduced prices to determine "Final Cost" Final Cost does not include salts tax ot shiipinq tlees. Watches have a warranty. To obtain a manutact i u
warranty before purchasing, visit a store or write to: Macy's Customer Service, P.O. Box 471494, Miami, FL 3324/ 1494. Moderate Sweaters available at all stoes except: South leait Ih Bwad Mall .
Boca Town Center, City Place, Westfield Southgate and Coastland Center.


*Furniture Galleries open 10am-9pm


DIRF AY DEC 21 2007








FRIDAY, DEC. 21, 2007


6A SUN NEWSPAPERS


Sarasota County fire chief seeks rate increase


Sarasota County Fire Chief Brian Gorski put

the county commissioners on notice during a
presentation Wednesday that his department
would be asking for an increase in its non-

property tax assessment rates next year.


BY STEVEN J. SMITH
STAFF WRITER

Sarasota County Fire
Chief Brian Gorski got sup-
port from the Sarasota
County

sion Wed-
nesday fol-
lowing his
presenta-
tion aimed
at securing
an increase
for his de-
partment Gorski
next year in
nonproperty tax assess-
ment rates. .
"All I'm looking for is an
opportunity to get you in-
formed on a potential rate
increase for the 2009 bud-
get," Gorski said.
Gorski's rate increase
would apply to taxpayers in
unincorporated Sarasota
County and the city of Sara-
sota. It would not apply to
Nokomis, North Port,
Englewood or Venice, as
each has its own fire de-
partment.


The increase request will
be posed next September at
the first public hearing on
the final rate resolution, he
added.


Gorski said
ment's funding


"Our fire ra

have remain
-- .. th


sample Uori t
six years."
-Brih


on rates adopt
tablished in 200;
"Our fire i
remained the sE


through a method called an
Equivalent lllini, Unit, de=
vised by calculating the po-
tential burden ofa fire event
on the fire-and-rescue team
and the size and scope of
the structure involved. One
EBU equals 100 square feet,
he said.
Current EBU rates are
assessed as follows:
Residential $6.72 per
EBU


his depart- Nonresidential -
was based $13.29 per EBU
Proposed fire assessment
tes rates will be:
Residential $7.50 per
ned the EBU
e last Nonresidential -
1e last $14:05 per EBU
At the conclusion of his
in Gorski, presentation, Gorski recog-
nized the need to educate
fire chief the public on how long it
has been since the fire de-
partment has received a
ed and es- rate increase.
2. "From now until TRIM
rates have notices go out, it's our job to
ame for the communicate to the public


last six years," he said.
Gorski expressed hope
the commissioners, would
adopt a new, higher rate
that would better support
the department for another
six years.

Education
Gorski said fire-service
charges are assessed


why we're
doing this,"
Gorski said.
"That
was going to
be my B
point," said
County
Commis -
sioner Shan- I
non Staub. Staub


"I hope you'll get out to a lot nizations. Make sure you
of the neighborhood orga- get on their agendas."


ssmiith@sun-herald.com


29th ANNUAL SHOW


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. c


March 7th and 8th, 2008 9am-4pm at the Venice Community Center


ALL PROFITS DONATED TO VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS

WITH EMPHASIS ON PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN.


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SEND CHECK TO: c/o Helen Stephan 1707 Belvidere, Englewood, FL 34223
Business Name (or Booth Sign)

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Booth Size 8x8 (1 Table) : ;8x16 (2 Tables)


LEGAL NOTICES


16 NOTICE OF ACTION

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT i
THE TWELFTH JUDICIAL C
CUIT IN AND FOR SARAS
TA COUNTY, FLORIDA
CIVIL ACTION

File No 2007-CA-14162
Division. C

PLAINTIFFS)
COMMUNITY NATIOr
BANK OF SARASOTA COI
TY,


DANIEL ZAID, and HAD/
ZAID, and JOHN DOE A
JANE DOE AS UNKNO
TENANTS IN POSSESSIl
DEFENDANTS)
TO: DANIEL ZAID
3880 Pinecrest Drive
Orange Village, OH 441

HADASS ZAID
3880 Pinecrest Drive
Orange Village, OH 44

NOTICE OF ACTION
YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIF
that an action for foreclosure
mortgage, et al., has been f
against you. You are require
serve a copy of your wri
defenses, if any, to it
Matthew Rheingans, Esq.
Matthew Rheingans, P
355 West Venice Aven
Venice, Florida 34285, oi
before January 24, 2008,
file the original with the Cler
Court either before service
Plaintiff's counsel or immedi
ly thereafter; otherwise a Def
will be entered against you
the relief demanded in the C
plaint.
WITNESS my hand and the
of said court on December
2007.
KAREN E. RUSH
CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COI
By G. Ba
Deputy C
PUBLISH:
Venice Gondolier Sun
DECEMBER 21, 2007
DECEMBER 28, 2007

GET RESULTS -
USE CLASSIFIED!


19 NOTICE OF AUCTION

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SAL
Johnson's Towing of Ven
gives Notice of Foreclosure
Lien and intent to sell these v
cles on 1/9/2008, 09
a.m. 'at 604 Tamiami Trail
Nokomis, FL 34275-21
pursuant to subsection 713
of the Florida statutes. Jo
son's Towing of Ven
reserves the right to accept
reject any and/or all bids.

2003 DODGE
1D7HA18N63S152806
2007 DODGE
1D8GU28K07W640318
2001 FORD
IFMZU77E71UA02789
S- 1991 CADILLAC
1 6EL1I 3B8MU600458
-1999 NISSAN
3NAB41ID3XL073063

PUBLISH: DECEMBER 21, 20


N 19 NOTICE OF AUCTION

OF NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE
;IR-. Notice is hereby given that the con-
O0- tents of the rental units listed here-
in will be offered for sale at public
auction, per the Florida Self Stor-
age Act. (Statutes/Sections
83.901 83.809).
-SC n [n,,:, c rr, I, i ':,rf.i1a ,,'l here.r,
Civil ..If| e '.d I,: :j.tsr, t..-. fup.:,edi
,, EXTRA SPACE STORAGE onr,
1/10/2008 AT 9:30 AM, or
NAL thereafter. The sale will occur on
UN- premises, at EXTRA SPACE
STORAGE, located at 1266 US
Hwy 41, BYPASS, VENICE,
Florida 34285 in the County of
vs. Sarasota, Florida.
ASS UNIT 1226 JOSEPH CAMPBELL,
kND Household Items
WN UNIT 2124 MARK NORTON,
ON, Household Items
UNIT 417- AMY HARDING, House-
hold Items
UNIT 4230 ROBYN MOYER,
Household Items
122 EXTRA SPACE STORAGE
reserves the right to reject all bids.
Purchases must be made at the
time of sale by "Cash" only. All con-
122 tents are sold "as is." Contents of
the unit must bd removed immedi-
ately, or the storage unit containing
the items must be rented by the
lED purchaser.. Sale is subject to can-
e of cellation at any time.
filed PUBLISH: DECEMBER 21, 28,
d to 2007
tten
on 20 NOTICE TO
.A., CREDITORS
ue,
n or IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR
and SARASOTA COUNTY,
k of FLORIDA
on PROBATE DIVISION
ate-
fault IN RE: ESTATE OF,
au WILLIAM J. MAGNUS,
for Deceased.
om-
File No. 2007-CP-13372-SC
seal NOTICE TO CREDITORS
r 7, The administration of the estate of
WILLIAM J. MAGNUS, deceased,
whose date of death was October
ING 15, 2007, File Number 2007-
JRT CP-13372-SC, is pending in the
rates Circuit Court for SARASOTA Coun-
lerk ty, Florida, Probate Division, the
address of'which is 4000 South
Tamiami Trail, Venice, FL
34293. The names and address-
es of the personal representative
and the personal representative's
attorney are set forth below.
All creditors of the decedent and
other persons having claims or
demands against decedent's
estate on whom a copy of this
N notice is required to be served
)N must file their claims with this.
court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3
E MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF
ice THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF
e of THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS
'ehi- AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE
:00 OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE
I N, ON THEM.
37,
3.78 All other creditors of the decedent
hn- and other persons having claims or
ice demands against decedent's
it or estate must file their claims with
this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS
AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST
PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE.
ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN
THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH
IN SECTION 733.702 OF THE
FLORIDA PROBATE CODE WILL
BE FOREVER BARRED.
NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME
PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE,
ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2)
YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE
)07 DECEDENT'S DATE OF DEATH


20 N
CR

IS BARRED.


NOTICE TO
EDITORS


The date, of first publication of this
Notice is December 14, 2007
Personal Representative
MARGARET C. MAGNUS
.. 28 Titfany Stree
Englewood, FL 34223
Attorney for Personal
Representative:
Mark W. Mazzeo
Florida Bar No. 119350
4140 Woodmere Park Boule-
vard Suite 4
Venice, Florida 34293
Telephone: (941)-408-8555
PUBLISH: December 14,21,2007

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR
SARASOTA COUNTY,
FLORIDA
PROBATE DIVISION
IN REi ESTATE OF,
KELLEEN MARY MYERS,
a/k/a MARY KELLEEN MEYERS,
Deceased.
File No. 2007-CP-14359-SC
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The administration of the estate o
KELLEEN MARY MYERS, a/k/a
MARY KELLEEN MEYERS
deceased, whose 'date of death
was December 22, 2006, is
pending in the Circuit Court fo
SARASOTA County, Florida, Pro
bate Division, the address of which
is 2002 Ringling Blvd, Saraso
ta, FL 34237. The names and
addresses of the personal repre
sentative and the personal repre
sentative's attorney are set fort
below.
All creditors of the decedent and
other persons having claims or
demands against decedent's
estate on whom a copy of this
notice is required to be served
must file their claims with this
court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3
MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF
THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF
THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS
AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE
OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE
ON THEM.
All other creditors of the decedent
and other persons having claims o01
demands against decedent's
estate must file their claims with
this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS
AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST
PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE.
ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN
THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH
IN SECTION 733.702 OF THE
FLORIDA PROBATE CODE WILL
BE FOREVER BARRED.
NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME
PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE,
ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2)
YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE
DECEDENT'S DATE OF DEATH
IS BARRED.
The date of first publication of this
Notice is December 21, 2007.
Personal Representative:
Frances P. Phaler
186 Miller Rd.
Mohawk, New York 13407
William Galarza, Esq.
Attorney for Estate of Mary
Kelleen Meyers
Florida Bar No. 0760501
1100B Tamlaml Trail S
Venice, FL 34285
Telephone: (941)-488-4700
PUBLISH: December 21, 28, 2007


20 NOTICE TO
CREDITORS
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR.
SARASOTA COUNTY,
FLORIDA
IN RE: ESTATE OF
MARIE L. PATTERSON,
Deceased.
File No: Z007-CP-14771-.NC
Division: Probate


20 NOTICE TO
CREDITORS
IN THE CIRCUIT COUR
SARASOTA COUNT
FLORIDA
PROBATE DIVISION
IN RE: ESTATE OF,
JEANNE R. PFAU, '
Deceasd. .
File No. 2007-CP-13E


20 NOTICE TO
CREDITORS
T FOR NC, by the Circuit Court for
TY, SARASOTA County, Florida, Pro-
bate Division, the address of which
N is 2002 Ringling Boulevard,
Sarasota, Florida; that the dece-
dent's date of death was SEP-
TEMBER 1. 2007- rart .
A* i- .-:r.i ol5 90
and th. inme r..Tuer a 3''ir. ,',1
573-SC she to .'.r,,orr, r,: .r,
hb sc 'r, ,'r. ,-


NOTICE TO C REDITO RS o N T ... .. ... .
The administration of the estate of NOTICE TO CREDITORS
MARIE L. PATTERSON, deceased, The administration of the estate of Name
whose date of death was September JEANNE R. PFAU, deceased, BARBARA A. KISH
25, 2007, and whose social security whose date of death was August address
number is XXX-XX-5367, is pending 27, 2007, is pending in the Circuit 13535 EwbdrOLane 4
in the Circuit Court for SARASOTA Court for SARASOTA County, Lakewood Ohio 44107
County, Florida, Probate Division: the Florida Probate Division, the N
address of which is P.O. Box 3079, "r e fwhi h is 2002 Rin- Name
Sarasota, FL 34230. The names address wh i DEANWOLBRINK, Trustee of the
and addresses of the personal repre- gling Bvd, 'S Margaret S. Kish Trust Dated
sedtative and the personal represen- 34237 The names and address- Marget S Kish Trust Dated/15/01
tative's attorney are set forth below. es of the personal representative Address
All creditors of the decedent and and the personal representative's 719 President Avenue
other persons, having claims or attorney are set forth below. Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
demands against decedent's estate
on whom. a copy of this notice is All creditors of the decedent and ALL INTERESTED PERSONS
required to be served must file their other persons having claims or ARE NOTIFIED THAT:
claims with this court WITHIN THE demands against decedent's
LATER OF THREE I() MONTHS estate on whom a copy of this All creditors of the estate of the
AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST notice is required to be served decedent and persons having
PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR must file their claims with this claims or de mand persons having
THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER T must file their claims with this claims or e demands against the
r DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3 estate of the decedent other than
THIS NOTICE ON THEM. MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF those for whom provision for full
All other creditors of the decedent THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF payment was made in the Order of
f and other persons having claims or THIS NOTICE OR' 30 DAYS Summary Administration must file
Demands against the decedent's AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE their claims with this court WITHIN
estate must file their claims with this OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH
, court WITHIN THREE (3) MONTHS ON THEM. IN SECTION 733.702 OF THE
1 AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST FLORIDA PROBATE CODE.
s PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. All other creditors of the decedent
r ALL CLAIMS NOT SO FILED WITH- and otherpersons having claims or ALL CLAIMS AND DEMANDS'
SIN THETIMEPERIODS SET FO TH demands against decedent's NOT SO FILED WILL BE FOREV-
SLORIDA PROBATE CON 733.702DE WILL BOFTHE estate must file their claims with ER BARRED.
FOREVER BARRED. this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS
NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST NOTWITHSTANDING ANY
PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. OTHER APPLICABLE TIME
" CLAIMS FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR PERIOD, ANY CLAIM FILED
h MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT'S ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE
DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH AFTER THE DECEDENTS DATE
THE DATE OF FIRST PUBLICATION IN SECTION 733.702 OF THE OF DEATH IS BARRED.
d OF THIS NOTICE IS DECEMBER FLORIDA PROBATE CODE WILL
r 14, 2007. BE FOREVER BARRED. The date of first publication of this


Personal Representative:
CHARLES F. WHEELER
871 Venetia Bay Blvd
Suite 350
Venice, FL 34285
Attorneys for Personal
Representative:
CHARLES F. WHEELER, P. A.
871 Venetia Bay Blvd.
Suite 350
VENICE, FL 34292
Telephone: (941) 485-5486 Flori-
da Bar No. 116573
PUBLISH: December 14, 21, 2007


-Your Local
Source Includes
SPlaytime!


C


Illo7ter U


NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME.
PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE,
ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2)
YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE
DECEDENTS DATE OF DEATH
IC BARREDn


Notice is DECEMBER 14, 2007.
Person Giving Notice:
Dean Wolbrink, Trustee
719 President Avenue
Ldawrence, NJ 08648


Attorney for Person Giving
The date of first publication of this Notice:
Notice is December 21, 2007. Snowden S. Mowry
Florida Bar No. 0939129
Personal Representative: 217 Nassau Street South
Estate of Jeanne R. Pfau Venice, FL 34285
c/o Susan E. Pfau (941) 480-0333
5736 Concord Drive PUBLISH: December 14,21, 2007
North Port, Florida 34287 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR
SARASOTA COUNTY,
William Galarza, Esq. FLORIDA
Attorney for Estate of Jean R. PROBATE DIVISION
Pfau
Florida Bar No. 0760501 IN RE: ESTATE OF
1100B Tamiami Trail S JOYE E. THOMAS,
Venice, FL 34285 Deceased.
Telephone: (941)-488-4700
File No. 2007-CP-14462-SC
PUBULISH: December 21,28,2007
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The administration of the estate of
SARAN TSOTA CIRCUIT COUNTY, FLORDA JOYE E. THOMAS, deceased,
PROBATES ION A whose date of death was October
PROBATE DIVISION 31, 2007, is pending in the Circuit
IN R STATC OF ourt for SARASOTA County,
IN RE: ESTATE OF Florida, Probate Division, the
MARGARET S. KISH, address of which is P.O. Box
Deceased. 3079, Sarasota, Florida
File No: 2007-CP-014835-NC 34230-3079. The names and
Division: Probate addresses of the personal'repre-
sentative and the personal repre
NOTICE TO CREDITORS sentative's attorney are set forth
(Summary Administration) below.
All creditors of the decedent and
TO ALL PERSONS HAVING other persons having claims or
CLAIMS OR DEMANDS demands against decedent's
AGAINST THE ABOVE ESTATE: estate on whom a copy of this
notice is required to be served
You are hereby notified that an must file their claims with this
Order of Summary Administration court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3
has been entered in the estate of MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF
MARGARET S. KISH, deceased THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF
File Number 2007-CP-014835- THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS
AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE


20 NOTICE TO
CREDITORS

OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE
ON THEM.
All other creditors of the decedent
and other persons having claims or
demands against decedent's
: i: i ,r" .T i file 4heir .:W.,T, ,5,ir,
i-.: ,;c.,,I WTWN 3 MONTHS
AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST
PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE.
ALL CLAIMS NOT SO FILED
WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET
FORTH IN SECTION 733.702
OF THE FLORIDA PROBATE
CODE WILL BE FOREVER
BARRED.
NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME
PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE,
ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2)
YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE
DECEDENT'S DATE OF DEATH
IS BARRED.
The date of first publication of this
notice is December 21, 2007.
Personal Representative:
WILLIAM H. THOMAS
3721 Secor Road
Venice, FL 34293
Attorney for
Personal Representative:
Dennis J. Tracy. Esq.
Attorney for William H. Thomas
Florida Bar No. 176558
Dulmer & Tracy, Chartered
229 Pensacola Road
Venice, Florida 34285
Telephone: (941)-485-7761
Fax: (941)-488-9482
PUBLISH: December 21, 28,2007


Let Us Get I
S.Your I
SMessage
Across! *


38 OTHER NOTICES



TO PLACE YOUR
LEGAL NOTICE, CALL
CAROL
(941)-207-1206
fax (941)-485-3036
croak@Venicegondomiercom


38 OTHER NOTICES

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF
THE TWELFTH JUDICIAL
CIRCUIT IN AND FOR THE
COUNTY OF SARASOTA,
STATE OF FLORIDA
IN PE'
FjiF Ti- F OF:
1990 Buick Electra Park
Avenue Sedan (White)
VIN: 1G4CW54C7L1600666
Case. No: 2007-CA-1056-NC
Judge: Debra Riva
NOTICE OF ACTION
TO: ERIC EUGENE WELTER
1485 Siesta Drive
Sarasota, Florida 34239
ERIC EUGENE WELTER
2130 Palm Terrace Avenue
Sarasota, Florida 34231

YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an
action to forfeit your interest in the
above described property in Sara-
sota County, Florida, has been filed
and you are required to serve a
copy of your written defenses, if
any, on Petitioner's Attorney,
Diana R. Esposito, Assistant
Attorney General, Office of the
Attorney General, 501 East
Kennedy Blvd., Suite 1100,
Tampa, FLorida 33602, if you
wish to contest this forfeiture
action on or before December
31. 2007 and file the original with
the clerk of this court either before
service on Petitioner's attorney or
immediately thereafter. If you fail
to do so a default will be entered
against you for the relief demand-
ed in the petition.
Dated: November 21, 2007.
KAREN L.RUSHING
Clerk of Circuit Court
By: C. Brandenburg
Deputy Clerk
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I HEREBY CERTIFY that a true copy
of the Notice of Action has been
furnished by U.S. Mail to Eric
Eugene Welter, 1485 Siesta Drive,
Sarasota, Florida 34239 and to
Eric Eugene Welter, 2130 Palm
Terrace Avenue, Sarasota, Florida
34231, on the day of
2007.
PUBLISHED:
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
DECEMBER 7, 2007
DECEMBER 14, 2007
DECEMBER 21, 2007

GET RESULTS -
USE CLASSIFIED!


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CI"NY froIT aoI


ment cases for those found
in violation.
A 30-day period of no
action is required from the
day Mayor Ed Martin signed
city council's order finaliz-
ing the appeal.
That expires the second
week in January, when
notices of violations will go
out, Black said.
The 30-day waiting peri-
od will also give city staff a
chance to update their case
files.
"Rather than relying on
18-month-old information,
we are redoing the 20 to 30
cases," Black said.
He also asked the public to
aid code enforcement by
identifying all known short-
term rentals, especially those
,that may have come online
"since the issue came before
the city planning commis-
sion in 2006.
Information Officer Pam
'Johnson said the city has not
yet determined which en-
forcement mechanism it will
use.
k
,Compliance
SMeanwhile, Jacksonville


:ROAD from Page 1A


the county's "fair share"
|would be, although the con-
sortium seeks county per-
rmission to build as many as
5,700 homes on the tract. A
conference is scheduled with
the county in January
By meeting's end, County
Commissioner-Shannon St-
aub was encouraged by
everyone's input...


STEP from Page I A


Beach businessman Steve
Milo, who owns more than
20 of the rentals in question,
appears to have taken steps
to comply with the most
recent city ruling.
He's already updated his
Web site to reflect only mon-
thly rentals, and took down
vacationrentalpros.com
signs from in front of the
homes.
On Thursday Milo said
he intends to take the city to
court over council's ruling
against short-term rentals
in single-family neighbor-
hoods.
"We are 100 percent
appealing this ... until this is
reversed," Milo said. "This is a
matter of constitutional law'
... that's what it's turned out
to be, and we will prevail."
"The city acted illegally"
by making its ruling after the
fact, Milo said. "There was
never a dispute on the city's
right to do so. (It's about) how
the city did it."


ggiles@
venicegondoller.com


"Our next meeting should
be a good one," Staub said.
"We'll hear from finance
people from both counties
on Mac's idea, get some toll-
road information, have an
update on the U.S. 41-River
Road intersection funding
and we'll know, where we
are on the fair-share agree-
ment."

ssmith@sun-herald.com


housing is at a premium
and with three units vacant
we have to tell them to stay
out when they need a place.
Morally, I really don't think
it's right."
Bell said the move was
necessary to maximize all
available resources.
"It does a disservice to
(residents) because in three
months they would be mov-
ing again. On the other
hand, it doesn't help any,
financially, to reoccupy,"
Bell said.
"In fairness to the board,
you closed the wait list a
year ago, but they (former
staff) just kept on reoccupy-
ing," he said. It's one of
those hard decisions you
have to make."
Survival tactics


"We need to be as honest
as possible. These units that
are vacant, one is burned.
(It would require) substan-
tial dollars into this (to
make it habitable)," Bell
said, and the insurance
deductible wouldn't even
cover the repair costs.
"I want it to be clear we
are not about keeping costs
down. We're talking about
finding the dollars to sur-
vive."
The income generated in
the short term by' renting
the units, he said, would be
gobbled up in the long run
because the new tenants
would fall under the um-
brella of those who would
be eligible for relocation
funds down the road.
To make matters worse,
Bell told the commissioners
VHA would be responsible


for relocation funds to ten-
ants as far back as August
2006 when it approved its
demolition plan.
"Just because people
move out ... you still have to
(pay the) relocation all-
owance," he said. "One of the
young ladies who moved to
Miami, for example, is eligi-
ble for relocation monies.
And you have to try to find
them."
"I don't want you to think
because the number (of res-
idents at Grove Terrace) is
going down, that it means
your expenses are going
down."
Bell said he was. also
unsure if the federal Housing
and Urban Development
office in Miami would even
pay for additional relocation
vouchers after the board
passes the resolution.
"Once you decide on
relocation, you may have to
foot the bill if you keep on
housing them," Bell said.
He also warned that credi-
tors are knocking on the door
daily, including two legal
firms to which theVHA owes
almost $20,000 for services
rendered during a failed
attempt to rebuild last year.
Bell warned the board
those creditors "could put a
lien on Grove Terrace (prop-
erty) until they're paid, and
you won't get any develop-
ment done on this place."
"If we keep adding (resi-
dents), we will have to find
them housing," added Board
Member Gloria Felcyn. 'Add-
ing to the list makes it that
much more difficult I don't
think it's cost effective, and
we have to think of the resi-


dents we already have."
"Sooner or later we knew
we had to draw the line,"
added Board Member Joe
Dalton.
"We are not turning a
deaf ear to those who need
assistance. We can refer
them to others who can
assist. We have to go on. If
we don't, we're going to be
sitting here next year right
where we are now."
Director leaving
Technically, the meeting
signaled Ben Bell's last day
on the job. A consultant for
HUD, Bell is leaving in part
because federal HUD fund-
ing for next year has yet to
be authorized.
Turnover of the director-
level position for the trou-
bled agency has been ongo-
ing.
Bell was in the position
for four months. He succeed-
ed Tom Madsen, who ran
Grove Terrace Apartments for
four months before leaving
for another position.
Prior to that a resident
who worked as an assistant
at VHA was left to run the
agency for a two-month
period after the Housing
Authority of the city of Fort
Myers ceased providing
interim assistance.
That's the situation again
facingVHA, as Marsha Clark,
an assistant that Bell trained
on-the-job, will be in charge
of day-to-day affairs until
Miami HUD appoints anoth-
er person to the director-level
position.

ggiles@
venicegondolier.com


Let Gondolier Sun Classifieds work for you.


REPORTER'S
NOTEBOOK

NEWS BITS COMPILED
BY GREG GILES
NEWS EDITOR

Watch that fire hose
Venice Fire Chief John
Reed sent this e-mail to city
council members to share as
a friendly reminder of the
importance of not driving
.over a fire hose.
"Below is a passage from a
newsletter we receive: A
Cambridge (Mass.) firefighter
was hurt yesterday afternoon
while on a fire call after a clue-
less delivery truck driver ran
over a fire hose, sending the
coupling crashing into the
firefighter.
"The driver ran over a
charged hose line and the
hose became tangled in the
truck's rear wheels, discon-
necting it from the fire hy-
drant, sending the hose flying
through the air and smashing
into the firefighter's back. The
driver was issued a traffic
citation after he told police he
had 'no clue' he wasn't sup-
posed to drive over the fire
hose. The hose also struck a
female pedestrian, bruising
her ankle. Fortunately we
have not had any recent inci-
dents in the city," Reed wrote.
Quote of the day
"Having a former judge
(siting on city council) made
it interesting. Judge (John)
Moore is uniquely qualified
to cut through the smoke
and mirrors and identify
points of contention." -Tom
Slaughter, planning and zon-
ing director, on council's
approval of his administra-
tive decision that short-
term rentals are not a per-
mitted use in single-family
residential neighborhoods.


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while supplies last, and are not available by phone order. REG. & ORIG. PRICES ARE OFFERING PRICES, AND SAVINGS MAY NOT BE BASED ON ACTUAL SALES. SOME ORIG. PRICES NOT IN EFFECT DURING THE PAST 90 DAYS. SALE PRICES IN EFFECT THROUGH
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%LA&*


SUN NEWSPAPERS 7A


DIRF AY DEC 21 2007







PUBLISHER
ROBERT A. VEDDER
PHONE: (941) 207-1000
FAX: (941) 484-8460
8A
FRIDAY
DEC. 21, 2007


OPINION


GONDOLIER SUN EDITOR
BOB MUDGE
bmudge@venicegondolier.com
SUN EDITOR
BROOKY BROWN
brown @ venicegondolier.com


OURVIEW


A vote for citizen oversight of county budget


Lean times can prompt creative
thinking.
The Sarasota County Commis-
sion recently began a discussion of ways
to control the sheriff's office budget and
ended up with an idea that could help it
clarify and control its own.
A good idea, at that.
At a commission workshop, board
members discussed the possibility of
establishing a municipal services taxing
unit for the sheriff's operations. The idea
grew from the board's frustration with
Sarasota Sheriff Bill Balkwill's reluctance
to trim his budget in the face of state-
mandated cuts.
The thinking was the county commis-
sion would have more authority over an
MSTU budget. That may be a good thing.
At the heart of the matter is the $88 mil-
lion sheriff's budget for the coming year,


which is 28 percent of the overall general
fund budget.
But changing from the current system
would be complicated, and it would be a
hard sell politically.
Since an MSTU would shift some of
the current tax burden onto residents of
unincorporated Sarasota County, it
would be extremely difficult if not
impossible to sell the plan at any time,
especially in the current climate.
And, as Commissioner Paul .Mercier
said, county officials would have an
extremely difficult time explaining how
the MSTU would work in the first place.
Clarity in the budgeting process is dif-
ficult to begin with, even for commission-
ers whose job it is to approve one. As for
the large sheriff's budget, board members
often lack the expertise to determine the
validity of line items. That may also hold


true for the county budget at times.
While scuttling the MSTU approach,
commissioners came up with the idea for
a citizens oversight committee to review
the sheriff's budget. Then they realized it
would be a good idea to expand the con-
cept to their own budget.
"I would like to have the same level of'
certainty from local business leaders,
financiers, entrepreneurs and people
skilled in managing large budgets,"
Commissioner Jon Thaxton said.
All agreed.
CountyAdministrator Jim Ley will now
come up with a plan to start a citizens
budget committee that could review and
make recommendations to the board.
It's a good idea. Local residents with
business expertise may well have insights
into the budgeting process that elected
officials lack. They can bring fresh eyes to


the effort. They may also inject a greater
business perspective into government
operations. There's nothing wrong with
that.
It's a common argument that private
business is more efficient than govern-
ment. That may be correct. It's certainly
true that people with financial expertise
can bring a fresh perspective to the
processes of government.
And there's no doubt that including
more citizens in government oversight
can bring more transparency and give the
public more faith in the budgeting
process, especially in leaner and more
difficult years.
No one likes to cut back whether it's
a household, business or government
budget. But it can force you to be smarter
when you're spending money, and that's
always a good idea.


Medicare drug plan


deadline is Dec. 31


VERN BUCHANAN
GUEST COLUMNIST


Seniors age 65 and olde
make up 26 percent of th
people in Florida's 13t]
Congressional District. Tha
is the largest percentage c
seniors in any jisrict in th
miationiav v.f.* .TL ,f fj *;s
to strengthen ard stabilize
the federal health care pro
gram to meet the needs c
the district's 176,721 Medi
care beneficiaries and fu
ture generations.
In 2003, Congress passe,
legislation to help pay th
prescription drug costs fo
millions of Florida senior
by adding a voluntary pre
scription drug benefit ti
Medicare.
Medicare Part D wen
into effect Jan. 1, 2006, an,
has helped lower drug cost
for millions of FloridE
seniors but there is roon
for improvement.
Earlier this year, I vote
for a bill strongly endorsed
by AARP to help lower pre
scription drug costs fo
seniors by requiring Medi
care to negotiate with druj
companies for the bes
available prices. This i
common-sense legislation
that could save taxpayer
money and lower prescrip
tion drug costs for the thou
sands of seniors in my dis
trict.
In the meantime,
recent survey conducted fo
AARP found that most o
the seniors enrolled ii
Medicare Part D are happy.
with their prescription druF
benefit, many saying tha
prescription drugs are mor,
affordable now than the)
were prior to their enroll
ment.
The October 2007 survey
found that about two-third!
of respondents with Medi
care Part D coverage said
they think their prescription
drugs are much more af
fordable (20 percent), some
what more affordable (24
percent) or just as afford
able (19 percent) as they
were before their enroll
ment.
About two-thirds said the
saving they received were
better or about the same as
they had expected.
The annual open enroll-
ment for Medicare Part E
began on Nov. 15 and ends
Dec. 31 for coverage effec-
tive Jan. 1.
During open enrollment


Medicare eligible seniors
have until the end of De-
cember to enroll for the first
time in the Medicare pre-
scription drug benefit or
switch from their current
benefit to another plan.
I encourage seniors in
the 13th Congressional Dis-
trict to review the available
plans and choose the one
that provides them with the
most help with their drug
costs.
In Florida, several private
e companies are competing
h for your business. Of the 58
It plans they offer, there are 33
A with no deductibles and
. eight with premiums less
e than $20 a month. There are
s ali. 16' plans'!tha'treduce
s out-of-pocket expenses by
covering generics once se-
A niors reach a gap in cover-
- age between the initial cov-
erage and catastrophic cov-
erage referred to as the
d "donut hole."
There are 135,000 people
in the 13th District already
S benefiting from the Medi-
Scare Modernization Act,
" which provided seniors
o with drug coverage.
Medicare beneficiaries
d who want to keep your cur-
rent plan don't need to take
any action. But some of you
a may be.able to save money
by changing plans for 2008.
d There may be a plan that
d covers the same drugs as
your current plan but for
r less money. Maybe your
r current plan has changed
, the list of drugs it covers or
t your prescriptions have
s changed and you need a
different plan that covers
s your new medications.
Information regarding
- the prescription drug pro-
- gram is available online at
www.medicare.gov or by
a calling Medicare at (800)
r MEDICARE.
)f For help choosing a plan,
n seniors may contact Serving
Health Insurance Needs of
y Elders at (800) 963-5337.
* When calling for assis-
t tande, make sure to have
e your Medicare card, the
Y name and location of your
pharmacy and a list of your
medications handy.
Y Low-income seniors
.s should contact the Social
d Security Administration to
a apply for additional help,
_ (800)772-1213.
My office can also pro-
, vide seniors with informa-
tion on the Medicare pre-
scription drug program or
y assist seniors experiencing
problems with Medicare or
any federal agency.
Seniors, their families
s and caregivers may call my
office in Sarasota at 951-
6643 or Bradenton at (941)
747-9081.
s
Vern Buchanan repre-
sents Florida's 13th
, Congressional District.


LETTERS FROM OUR READERS


Never vote against a tax break


Editor:
While navigating channels on the TV, I car
local political analysis discussion. The "experts
the president of the Pinellas Democratic Clul
cussing the proposed tax relief that we get to
January.
The thrust of the discussion, agreed to by all
ticipants, was that it would somehow be to ou
tage to pass this proposal,
Imagine that our local government propo
its ability to take our money, and that is not goo
The true motive for opposition to the tax re
apparent when several of the participants, ea
own turn, detailed how the proposal would hu
nization or that organization..
In brief, the harm would be that these or
would not be able to get as much of our money
do, and would have to implement some efficier
Don't be fooled, folks. It is not often that you g
to limit the amount of your money the govern
take from you.
Don't let this chance pass you by. Get outE
favor of the property tax relief. It will be a long
you get another chance.


We don't care
what you want
Editor:
I am responding to your
Let'em Have It caller who
was picking up his or her
marbles and going home
because the city election
did not go his or her way.
To the caller: The reason
the three incumbents (no
matter who they were) lost
so badly was simply
because the voters wanted
to stop the backslapping,
business-as-usual attitude
in Venice that was destined
to develop this city in ways
we would later regret.
To the caller: Was your
expenditure of thousands of
dollars and hours on local
nonprofits done solely to
benefit your business?
To the caller: How do you


know that all the
tried to discred
donated as you h
To the caller: I
that you only
your interests. Ji
and appreciate
direction the cit
about to take.
It is one where
ential donating
slapping will acc
tie or nothing. WE
care about your



A simple gift
of kindness
Editor:
Sunday, I wa
stocking up on s
my very sick son
Saturday, he


run to the hospital emer-
me across a agency room because he
," including could no longer eat or drink.
b, were dis- Because of the circum-
vote on in stances, our entire family
was beginning to feel de-
l of the par- feated. As proud Americans,
ir disadvan- we never asked what any-
one could do for us; we did
)ses to limit for ourselves. That was until
)d for us. Sunday.
lief became Embarrassingly, I did not
ich in their bring enough money for the
rt this orga- Power Bars, drinks, Ensure
and other food stuffs I
ganizations thought would prime his
as they now system.
icy. After deciding the five-
get a chance minute trip home to get
nment can more money would be too
much to ask of the cashier, I
and vote in was going to get one of the
time before six-packs of Ensure refund-
ed to cover my $5.95 short-
age.
John Burton The lady behind me
Venice handed the cashier a $5 bill
and the cashier made up the
people you change and they told me to
it have not get all of my purchase. This
have? act of kindness was so
It is obvious unsuspecting I began to cry.
care about I think I said "thank you,"
ust sit back but I know it was not nearly
the new as sincere and gracious as it
y council is should have been.
In a world that seems to
eyourinflu- be getting harder to remain
and back- positive and hopeful in, we
omplishlit- have simple gifts of kind-
ompls, ness like this.


e no longer
interests.
Donne Haines
Venice



s at Publix
supplies for

had to be


I truly would like her to
know how she helped us
and thank her for the inspi-
ration and the recharge it
gave my soul, reinforcing
my courage to be strong
enough to get through this
hurdle God has put before
us.

Dorian Summerlin
Englewood


Wait for the
call to disarm
Editor:
The recent tragic shoot-
ings at the big mall in
Omaha created enormous
shock and grief for the fam-
ilies of the eight victims
killed by a crazed gunman,
and torment for the families
of the wounded.
Our hearts go out to
those families, and we are
mindful of the many Amer-
icans wondering how such a
killing rampage can hap-
pen.
Now we should prepare
for the inevitable voices
calling for the disarming of
all Americans in order to
prevent a recurrence of
such tragedies. There are at
least two camps from which
these strident voices em-
anate.
First are those sincere
individuals who cannot
think beyond the tragedy
itself and honestly believe if
all firearms are taken from
us such slaughter will never
happen again. Nothing fits
such irrational thinking bet-
ter than the cliche, "When
guns are outlawed, only
outlaws will have guns."
The other quarter from
which demands come for
civilian disarmament too
often includes some of
those in government whose
motivation I regard as men-
acing.
These individuals would
disarm us simply because it
makes dominance by a run-
away government so much
easier.
I am reminded Adolph
Hitler assured the German

Please see LETTERS, 9A









r- n IfLimV1,flF %.C-91 0 SU NWSPPER I


SLET 'EM HAVE IT: ARE INSURANCE ISju S MAKING IT HARI) Ig',
ICAL TREATMENT? 1 Al. US AT 207-1111.



Venice just hates dogs


Mental illness remains


in society's shadows


Dog dirt. I deeply resent the Dec. 9 paper where the
blurb starts with, "Your dogs' can't pick it up." I have just
returned from walking my two dogs on the Venetian
Waterway Park, which I do every day, and it was pristine as
usual. This person must not like dogs at all, and certainly
doesn't like the people who own them. I would say that this
person's comment is greatly exaggerated. I have never seen
"dog dirt" on the trail. Every now and then I might see some
in the grass, but certainly you can't blame all dog owners for
one or two people not taking advantage of the bags. There
ought to be signs telling people that somewhere on the trail
they can get these bags. So, I just couldn't let this go. I have
lived here for two years and find that it's a very anti-dog
place, and it upsets me greatly.

Decaf. I had a good care of it. Also, there would be
chuckle from the call about no charge for my next
the parking patrol at Venice appointment to review my
Marketplace. It must be ter- feet, and then I would sched-
rible to need a cup of coffee ule my foot surgery. I've never
and no place to park. I am seen or contacted that doctor
not a coffee drinker so I will since. I've seen numerous
never have that problem. I doctors over the years and it's
do shop at Stein Mart, Office possible this could be small
Depot and Sally's and the compared to what I and
other merchants the park- Medicare have been scam-
ing lot serves. Why don't you med, but this was so obvious
complain to Starbucks?Why and it made me mad. Also,
don't they pay to use the lot? the medication I was taking
Problem solved; then you cost more than $500 for 90
can get your coffee. days. My doctor said there
Editor's, note: As our was no generic. I recently
story pointed out, the owners found an FDA-approved
of the two properties couldn't similar medication for the
agree on compensation for the same condition for $135.
use of the Marketplace parking The generic for it is $15 for
lot. 90 days. So it pays to do your
Telling. I loved the Let homework.
'em Have It from the busi- Wasted. I wish to make a
nessman who is angry about comment about Waste
the three new city council Management, which I un-
members and who states he derstand moved all of its
will no longer participate in customer service reps to
charities with exception of Leesburg. I just tried to call.
the two things that are close I was on the phone for 37
to his heart: of course, the 1/2 minutes before I ever
chamber of commerce com- reached a human voice. She
ing first, and then his church wanted to know what my
(God). I think this tells a lot problem was, and she's not
about this man's priorities familiar with the area; there-
and just what kind of man he fore, they offered me a sur-
is. vey to take, which I declin-
Homework. I read your ed. But I can see from this
article with interest about point on that the people in
medical doctors and hospi- Venice are not going to be
tal overcharges, scretii ''gi'veiL. the personal service
counts and:so forth. 1 agree, from Waste Management"
"the fraud has got to stop." I that we have had in previ-
went to a doctor. I had put a ous months, years and days.
corn pad on my toe. He It's a very poor setup.
removed it and checked my No volunteer. I was just
feet. He replaced it with an wondering about "Local
- identical new corn pad. He volunteers make MainStreet
then told me to schedule run." The thing I have to say
, another appointment for a about that is the columnist
more thorough foot check- is the executive director of
up and to schedule foot MainStreet; isn't she a paid
surgery. I left and took my
time thinking it over. I re-
ceived a copy of the charges fro Pa 8A
from Medicare from that L I from Page 8A
doctor for my first appoint- civilian population that tak-
ment. I was shocked when I
saw head charged $8 for the ing their guns away meant
one corn pad he had stuck on they'd all be safer on the
my toe, especially after I sidewalks at night.
looked at my own package of George H. Shyrock Sr.
the same corn pads and saw Englewood
* the price of 12 pads for $2.99.
I wrote a letter describing the
above situation, then I called Two mistakes on
'and read this letter to his school nurse
nurse and told her I intended Editor:
-to send the letter to Medicare. I am sad and concerned
I received a letter from the about Nurse Kendra Bu-
doctor stating that was not chanan-Marsden being re-
necessary, that this "may have placed at Venice High
been an error." He would take School.
School.


employee? I would like you to
print in the paper about how
much she makes. As far as her
volunteering goes, isn't she
paid to do that job? That's not
called volunteering.
EDITOR'S NOTE: KC Quar-
etti-Lee never claimed in her
column to be a volunteer.
Risky. I'm calling about
all the wonderful Christmas
parades that are held
throughout our area during
this time of the year. I don't
understand why, in this day
in time, they continue to
throw candy or beads or
other types of trinkets to chil-
dren as the people and floats
go along in the parade. It
should not happen because
one of these days, a child is
going to be hurt. Oh, wait a
minute. Isn't that just what
happened at Plant City? A
little child trying to get
candy from a float was run
over and killed? Why would
we let this happen for a
penny piece of candy? It's
unsafe. You don't know
what's being thrown. And
the safety of children out
into the street during a
parade with vehicles and
bands and floats moving
along? Maybe we need to
rethink it and think a little
differently from now on
when we have parades and
pageants in Venice and in
other cities in this area
before it happens here.
A tip. In regard to the
AAAAuto Club South Tow to
Go program, be sure to tip
your tow truck driver.
Costly medallions. Road
surface brick medallions are
dangerous and costly. One
reader called them, correctly,
asinine. How could govern-
ment planners and engi-
neers possibly approve of
suclA uneven road surfaces at
interactions, whiqh are the
most frequent sites of acci-
dents and the most critical
sections of road needed for
smooth stopping? Motor-
cycles are extremely vulnera-
ble. Ask anyone with ex-
perience of driving on roads
in Jersey City, N.J., in the '40s
and '50s. We will pay for it in
lives, repairs and time lost to
accidents.


I was misled by your
recent article, which stated
Gulf Coast Community
Foundation will be financ-
ing the position for the rest
of the school year but failed
to state that they will not be
retaining Nurse Kendra in
the position. They are hiring
another nurse to take her
place for the remainder of
the school year. This seems
ludicrous to me.
The replacement may be
a competent professional;
that's not the point. It will
take the replacement the


BY CAROLYN EAGEN
GUEST COLUMNIST


It was 1945. The war was
over.
There were six brothers,
and they had seen action
around the world. They all
returned safely home, as
heroes, to their small town
in Michigan.
One brother, Walter, the
most handsome, a high
school football star and voted
most likely to succeed, now
failed at every job he encoun-
tered and was better known
for "hanging out" at the old
movie theater.
Years later, I would be
told my Uncle Walter died
from complications of ma-
laria he experienced during
the war.
Several months ago,
however, the youngest and
last surviving brother, my
dear Uncle Jim, now near
his own death, shared with
me the reasons he respected
and supported my 10-yeaf
commitment to Mental
Health Community Centers.
You see, my Uncle Walter
suffered from mental illness
and spent the remaining 20
years of his life in a state
hospital. Uncle Walter had
long been forgotten by my
family because of the stig-
mas associated with mental
illness. The malaria story
was a cover-up.
Even today, 62 years later,
many who live with mental
illnesses are not seeking
treatment because of those
stigmas.
They are not alone.
More common than heart
disease, cancer or diabetes -
one out of every four adults
in Sarasota County will-expe-
rience a diagnosable mental
illness this year. Less than
orW-third will receive treat';,
ment. :a t
How can this be? What
other factors can account
for the lack of treatment?
Well, let's imagine that
you have a mental illness.
Public information re-
garding symptoms and
treatment is limited.
The medications neces-
sary for your survival will be


rest of the school year to
learn the ropes in this com-
plicated position. Figuring
out the layout of the school,
learning the various and
numerous job responsibili-
ties, getting to know all the
staff and continuing to
build rapport with students
in need are just some of the
new nurse's challenges.
Students and staff ad-
mire and trust Nurse Ken-
dra. She has held this posi-
tion for five years, and is a
well-respected part of the
VHS community. It takes


expensive and may have
unpleasant side effects.
Marriage may be out of
the question. Your family
may shun you.
You may not be able to
keep your job.
Without a job, how could
you pay for anything? You
might have problems find-
ing housing.
You might even consider
suicide.
It is not your fault you are
ill. It is widely accepted that
mental illness is caused by
faulty brain chemistry. But
most people don't act like
they believe this.
Bill Wallace, past board
member and friend to
MHCC, has described the
magnitude of these biologi-
cal illnesses as "the tsunami
of mental illness." Let me
explain further.
In this country, more than
30,000 persons each year
commit suicide and hun-
dreds of thousands make the
attempt. Suicide. occurs
every 17 minutes. There are
approximately 5.4 million
grieving family members.
In Sarasota County sui-
cides are at least double the
rate of homicides, and we
know that each week there
is an attempt to jump from
the Skyway Bridge.
I recently learned via the
new NAMI Veterans Re-
source Center that nearly
one out of three veterans
returning from Afghanistan
and Iraq confronts mental
health problems and, last
year, the suicide rate in the
Army reached its highest
level in 26 years.
I was even more shocked
to learn, as part of my gen-
eration, that more Vietnam
veterans have now died
from suicide than were, kill-
eA^rtlygduhing,the wacn
the.1960s.and '70s.
The numbers go on and
on. Can you imagine anoth-
er illness with this many
deaths per year, affecting so
many loved ones, still con-
sidered to be a private fami-
ly matter?
No, mental illnesses are
not yet curable, but we can
do more to save lives by tak-


time to build such strong
trusting relationships; un-
fortunately, this change will
affect students already con-
nected to Nurse Kendra.
Venice Regional Medical
Center was supposed to
assign Nurse Kendra back
to the hospital staff, but in-
stead, her position is being
eliminated. I find it quite
unprofessional for VRMC to
take this action and disrupt
valuable community ser-
vice in the middle of the
school year.
Shame on you, VRMC,


ing a positive and proactive
approach to our future.
First and foremost, re-
search verifies that those
who receive early treatment
have better clinical out-
comes. According to the Na-
tional Institute for Mental
Health, for every $1 invested
in mental health treatment
there will be a $3 to $8 sav-
ing by the reduction of hos-
pitalization alone.
Most of all, by providing
treatment we have the obvi-
ous benefit of productivity
and talent given back to our
community.
Yes, with access to the
right medications, and a
well-coordinated system of
care, people with serious
mental illnesses can recover
and lead productive lives.
Helen Keller once said,
"There is nothing worse
than those who have sight,
but have no vision."
While the task may seem
daunting, we have a vision
for a better future that can
meet the challenges. After
all, this is the mission and
the passion of everyone
associated with MHCC.
We are limited only by
resources: time, talent and
support. We have high
hopes and, like the New
Freedom Commission on
Mental Health, we envision
a future where persons with
a mental illness will recover;
a future when mental illness
can be prevented or cured; a
future when mental illness-
es are detected early; and a
future when everyone with
a mental illness at any stage
in life has access to effective
treatment that leads to liv-
ing, working, learning, and
participating fully in the
community.
Most of all, as we prepare
for the,pew year and, mtle
resolutions, it is time to
make a promise to those af-
fected by mental illness. It's
the right thing to do, for our
families, our soldiers and
our community.

Carolyn Eagen is execu-
tive director of Mental
Health Community Centers
Inc.


and thumbs down on your
poor timing.

Nancy Heart
Mentor VHS
Cornerstone Program


Voice your
opinion: Call
the Let
'Em Have It line
at 207-1111


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FRIDAY. DEC. 21. 2007


I


SUN NEWSPAPERS 9A













DEC. BUSINESS MATTERS


CONTACT US
BOB MUDGE
EDITOR
(941) 207-1000
bmudge@venicegondolier.com


Professional fighters wanted at kick-boxing school


ROGER BUTTON
BUSINEWS COLUMNIST


Professional fighter Gino
Bucci has opened Hard
Time Gym & MMA School
of Kick-Boxing, East Tampa
Avenue, Suite 7, across from
the former American Legion
post on the island of Venice.
From New Jersey, Bucci, a
Golden Gloves champion,
has been in Florida for two
years.
He is looking for fighters
to train to win ultimate
fighting awards and com-
pete in championships all
over the world.
His experience is from
more than 26 years in mar-
tial arts, and he is a kick-


boxing K1, having compet-
ed all over in national com-
petitions. In January he will
be competing in champi-
onships at Sarasota's Rob-
arts Arena. *
His personal-training
gym offers by appointment
one-on-one kick-boxing,
boxing and martial arts for
anyone from 8 to 70 years.
"I teach people to defend
themselves and keep in
physical shape," said Bucci.
Hard Time Gym is com-
mitted to helping clients do
something good for them-
selves exercising to feel
young, comfortable and
energetic while building
confidence and stamina.
Bucci's school is affiliated
with others in Tampa, Ellen-
ton and Englewood. Call
626-2081.
New restaurant
opening
Opening around Jan. 15
will be the new Crossroads
American Grill, 385 North
U.S. 41 Bypass, in the for-
mer Vincenzo's Little Italy.
Owners Tommy and
Cleopatra Galanos, with
daughter and son-in-law


Joanna and Rick Danz from
Prince Frederick, Md., will
operate the grill, serving
continental and Greek food.
Danz is managing the
minor remodeling, adding
four high-definition televi-
sions for sports fans in the
bar, where they will serve
chicken wings and pizzas
and cater to people who like
to watch sports.
The dining area remains
at the front; soon after the
opening the rear event
room will be available for
meetings, weddings and
banquets.
The Galanos owned Pat-
ches Restaurant in Venice
from 1987 to the late 1990s.
They operated M & D's
Restaurant in Osprey until
selling it recently.
Crossroads American
Grill will open for breakfast,
lunch and dinner.
,DQ starting new
service
'- Starting Jan. 1 there will
be a new delivery service to
businesses from the Venice
DQ.
New manager Mark
Roditis began his career on


a kitchen crew and is now
general manager of DQ
Grill and Chill, 1465 E.
Venice Ave. Originally from
New Port Richey, he moved
for eight years to Fort Myers
before joining DQ five years
ago.
The largest Florida fran-
chise of 45 company restau-
rants was acquired by Kraft
Foods two and a half years
ago. Taking over the Venice
location in August, Roditis
has overseen remodeling of
the store, removing bar
stools and long tables for
easier customer access.
New equipment has
replaced older kitchen facil-
ities; restructuring the crew
and changes to the menu
have all added to a new
image.
DQ operates with three
managers and 18 crew
members.
"We're expanding our
horizons," said Roditis.
Another Great
Clips opens
Just opened this week is
owner and franchisee Chris
Albright's fourth Great
Clips for Hair, 1073 North


Tamiami Trail, Nokomis Vil-
lage.
"Our theme is quickness,
efficiency and convenience,
with no appointments,"
said Albright. "Customers
can take any stylist." ,
Salon manager Denise
Wright has six full-time and
four part-time experienced
stylists operating 10 stations
and two shampoo bowls.
Originally from New
Canaan, Conn., Albright, an
entrepreneur, was a senior
vice president with Pepsi-
Cola.
He came to Orlando,
where he built the largest
dry-cleaning business in
the state before retiring. He
has a salon in the Venice
Village Shoppes in South
Venice and two others in
Sarasota.
Great Clips started in
Minneapolis in 1982 and is
now the largest franchised
limited-service salon, of-
fering cuts, styling and
shampooing to a 50/50
split of women and men in
2,800 salons across the
country.
The salon opens at 8 a.m.
weekdays and Saturdays


and later on Sundays. Call
484-1666.
Diner extends hours
"Since opening six
months ago, business has
increased and customers
have asked us to open
longer and for dinner," said
Dawn Surak, co-owner
with Alan Laskowski of The
Lucky Dog Diner, by Venice
Regional Medical Center.
On Dec. 27 hours will be
extended to 7 p.m. Tuesday
through Saturday.
"The hospital cafeteria
closes at 3 p.m. and we have
done the same. We don't like
having to turn people away,
so we are extending our
hours," said Surak.
Decorated with retro,
family and old Venice pho-
tographs,, the diner has
become a favorite for its
comfort food, healthy-
choice and vegetarian menu.
Chef Daniel O'Keefe is being
assisted by new chef Mark
Gonyea to manage the
extended hours.
Call 483-4840.


businews@comcast.net


Home for the holidays


MCC wins most marketing awards


FROM MCC


Manatee Community
College won the most
awards of any community
college participating in 2007
Institutional Advancement
Commission marketing/ad-
vertising competition.
MCC won four first-place
and five second-place
a ward s, which- -were--pre-


sented at the FloridaAssoci-
ation of Community Col-
leges 56th Annual Con-
vention in Orlando in Nov-
ember.
MCC won first-place
awards in Best Direct Mail,
Best Redesign, Best Press
Release/Story Pitch and
Best Video/Electronic Pro-
motion categories, and sec-
-ond- in-Single-Sheet-JFlyer,--


Best Promotional Item, Ex-
emplary Practice Award for
Overall Campaign, Best An-
nual Report and Best View-
book/Recruitment Piece
categories.
The winning submis-
sions were prepared by the
college's public affairs and
marketing staff with the
help of local businesses and
-contractors.


What about leasing computers?


Shannon Patten, Publix corporate office, and Melody Pruitt, store manager, hold a $20,000
check presented to Habitat for Humanity South Sarasota County Inc. from Publix
Supermarket Charities. Also shown are, from left, Mike Kot, store manager; Terry Ball, district
manager; Judith Wilcox, Habitat executive director; Randy Williams, store manager; Chick
McNamee, store manager; and Maryann Terry, Habitat director of development. The donation
will go toward the house Habitat is currently building on Music Lane in North Port.


Local author uses Web to sell children's book


BY ROGER BUTTON
BUSINEWS COLUMNIST

Among local authors, Ju-
lie Woik probably became
one of the most successful
in the shortest time period.
Her first book for chil-
dren, "The Life and Times of
Lilly the Lash, The Garden
Gathering," features the
whimsical adventures of a
fairy.
The poetic dialogue of
the storybook is designed to
encourage children to un-
derstand basic values and
guide them to self esteem.
She discovered her writ-
ing abilities after discussing


with a friend using a poem
she had composed on a
birthday card. The friend
encouraged her to consider
writing a book. She did, and
it was published in late
summer and has already
sold more than 1,400
copies.
Most of the sales have
resulted from inquiries to
her Web site, www.lillythe
lash.com.
Woik has completed her
second book, which will be
available in the new year.
Call 358-9265.
Correction
I inadvertently missed a


dash last week in one of the
Web sites promoting Ven-
ice: www.venice-fla.com,
one of the original sites
operating since 1995. It pro-
vides a comprehensive
guide to the city with real
estate, rentals, builders, res-
taurants, shopping, culture,
beaches and even pet vaca-
tion homes.
Promote your
Web service
E-mail details about your
newWeb site and services to
busiwebnews@comcast.net
and it could be included in a
future busiWEBnews col-
umn.


Rainbow-friendly tavern opening


When faced with the
decision of leasing or buy-
ing computer equipment,
first instincts are often to
purchase the equipment
outright. Owning a system
outright, paying no interest
and stretching the life-span
of the the new equipment
sounds attractive on the
outset.
There are however, sever-
al reasons to consider leas-
ing before racking up the
corporate credit card.
The true cost
If a company wishes to
make a $10,000 purchase


and is in the 25-percent tax
bracket, it will have to make
$13,333 pretax to pay for
that $10,000 capital expen-
diture.
If it leased the same
equipment over three years,
it would cost approximately
$303 times 36=$10,909, plus
a $1,000 buyout should it
decide to keep the equip-
ment $11,908.
The company has just
saved $1,425 pretax by leas-
ing the equipment rather
than paying cash.
The capital
Leasing equipment helps
with cash flow. Rather than
draining the company bank
account, the new equip-
ment becomes an operating
expense.
Startup companies, or
companies that are growing
fast, often can use their cap-
ital for something other
than a rapidly depreciating
asset.
Capacity to borrow
Because leasing does not
affect the balance sheet,
leasing equipment means


that the company has not
reduced its capacity to bor-
row from other sources.
Keeping up
The average length of a
lease is 36 months about
the same time that technol-
ogy usually gets an upgrade.
Too many companies
hang on to out-of-date
technology longer than they
should in order to maximize
the capital expense and
avoid another big hit to the
pocketbook.
Disposing of old equip-
ment has also become more
difficult and more expen-
sive. Leased equipment is
simply returned to the leas-
ing company and it looks
after wiping any data from
the equipment as well as
recycling the equipment in
a way that is environmen-
tally responsible.
See if leasing makes
sense for you.

LamontAndrews is with
Nerds on Site in Venice,
www.nerdsonsite.com, 539-
9343.


BY ROGER BUTTON
BUSINEWS COLUMNIST

A grand-opening Christ-
mas Party will launch the
city's newest tavern in the
next few days.
Geared toward people of
the arts, plans are to have
entertainment, plays, skits,
singing, comedy and pian-
ists.
Tavern on the Island, or
TOTI, 127 E. Tampa Ave.,
across from the former
American Legion, will be
operated by owner Joseph
Micely, who has been in-
volved in the entertainment
business for many years.
An entrepreneur who has
opened various businesses,
he is a consultant to the city
manager of Providence, R.I.


A recent transplant to
Manasota Key, he has
acquired property and is
moving to the island of
Venice.
TOTI has a full liquor
license and will open
Wednesday through Sun-
day from 6 p.m. to mid-
night. Micely stated it is
"rainbow friendly" gear-
ed to the 30Lplus gay popu-
lation but straight people
are welcome to participate
in the open, friendly atmos-
phere where everyone can
have fun.
There will be small cock-
tail tables around the dance
floor, and entertainment
will feature music of the
1970s, '80s and '90s. Four
employees from the arts
and theater world will sing,


act and entertain.
"I know the theater
across the street has a the-
atrical show featuring a drag
queen and singing show,"
said Micely. "Those people
of the arts will be very wel-
come. Some people are
shocked or happy to find a
person is gay. I already
know seven business own-
ers on Venice Avenue who
are gay and want to go to
this type of establishment."
His intention is that TOTI
will be a place where people
can come and express their
friendships openly with gay
friends and mingle together.
"There will be no harass-
ment, bullying or drunken-
ness," said Micely. "It will be
OK and safe for them to be
themselves."


BIZ BRIEFS


Biz Briefs features notices
of business-related events
and meetings, new hires
and promotions, new busi-
nesses and significant pro-
fessional awards, honors
and achievements. Submis-
sions should be e-mailed to
bmudge@venicegondolier.
com.
New Web site for
sight center
Center For Sight has
launched a new Web site.
The new site, www.center
forsight.net was designed
by GravityFree, a Sarasota
Web agency.


Center For Sight is a
multi-physician vision, cos-
metic and skin care practice
in Southwest Florida, with
five locations in Sarasota
County and 17 board-certi-
fied and Florida licensed
physicians.
Services range from
comprehensive vision care
and sophisticated eye surg-
eries, to advanced cosmetic
facial procedures, derma-
tology services, hearing ser-
vices and skin care treat-
ments.
Youman appointed
Charryl Youman, a Real-


tor at Prudential Florida
WCI Realty in Venice, has
been appointed vice presi-
dent of the 2008 board of
directors of the Women's
Council of Realtors in Ven-
ice.

Gamble joins Weichert
New Realtor Susan Gam-
ble has joined Weichert
Realtors as a specialist in
residential sales.
She serves clients in
Englewood, Venice and sur-
rounding areas as a mem-
ber of the Englewood Area
Board of Realtors.


Recycle this newspaper.












SWAT team trains in South County


SUN PHOTOS BY STEVEN J. SMITH, ssmith@sun-herald.com.
Sarasota County Sheriff's SWAT team members prepare to force their way into a vacant home during a training exercise Monday on
Cherokee Street in Englewood.


BY STEVEN J. SMITH
STAFF WRITER

The idyllic tranquility of
Cherokee Street was shat-
tered Monday morning as
members of the Sarasota
County Sheriff's SWAT team
suddenly stormed into a
vacant home.
After a few moments
they quickly and quietly
regrouped outside and
abruptly invaded the home
again.
Then they broke for
lunch.
"Today we're working on
a variety of exercises," said
Lt. Kevin McElyea, a leader
of the Strategic Weapons
and Tactics team, during
the break. "Dealing with


barricaded subjects inside a
residence, people who have
arrest warrants or suspects
who refuse to come out of
houses."
Techniques, planning
and coordinating were op-
erative words of the day as
SWAT members executed a
variety of methods to quick-
ly enter and secure the
house. After each training
exercise, members then
took turns playing the bad
guys lurking around cor-
ners and hiding inside clos-
ets as the next group
focused on the most effi-
cient ways to safely enter
the building and subdue
them.
"Right now we're working
on the tactics of particular


room searches," McElyea
said..
No furniture
He squashed any notion-
that the activity might have
the glamor of a TV cop
show.
"In reality, it's tedious
and sometimes slow work,"
he said. "We need to get the
tactic correct, get the com-
munications between team
members correct, get the
positioning of personnel
around the residence cor-
rect. It's a long, drawn-out
process sometimes to fine
tune it."
Inside the home, a video
recorder caught all the
action so after the event
SWAT members could gath-


er around a monitor and
review what they did right
- along with what they did
wrong.
Sgt. Marc Pezzella, team
trainer, offered praise and
helpful criticism to the
members after each exer-
cise, pointing out which
tactics worked and which
potentially life-saving ef-
forts could have been per-
formed better.
"Each situation is differ-
ent," Pezzella told his team.
"Tactics that work great in
' one building may not work
at all in another. And today
you guys are lucky. There's
no furniture here for the
bad guys to hide behind."
ssmith@sun-herald.com


A Sarasota County Sheriff's SWAT team member guards the door
of a secured room as his counterparts search for additional "bad
guys" throughout the house.


15,J )J.~JA j I ~ 0. ,r~r


POLICE BEA
Sarasota County
Sheriff's Office arrest
Tammy R. Bogart, 48,
500 block The Esplanade,
Venice. Charge: contempt
(possession of drug para-
phernalia). Bond: $2,500.


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SUN NEWSPAPERS 11A


FRIDAY, DEC, 21, 2007










CONTACT US
TRIPP MILLER
SPORTS EDITOR
(941) 207-1107
tmiller@venicegondolier.com


FRIDAY
DEC. 21, 2007S


. LateNorth Port goal


Ends game in tie


BY TRIPP MILLER
SPORTS EDITOR


SUN PHOTO BY TRIPP MILLER
Venice High School's Brandon Wilkinson blocks a shot during the third quarter of Thursday's 49-29 win over Lemon Bay High School.
He finished the game with two blocks.


Slow start doesn't slow Venice


in win over Lemon Bay


TRIPP MILLER
SPORTS EDITOR

The Venice High School
boys basketball team shut
down the Lemon Bay High
School offense in the first
half of Thursday's game at
Sthe eaps0) iB siim) )tow
The, In iaps, .held the
Manta Rays to just one field
goal and six first-half points.
Venice had some offensive
woes of their own in the first
quarter, putting up just five
points, but they recovered
to win 49-29.
"I just think, that's the
nature of the gare that was
being played, they were in a
match up zone trying to
protect the inside and I
thought we were a little bit


Adult volleyball
The Venice YMCA will be
hosting open gym volleyball
for players high school and
adult age Tuesday evenings,
7:30-9:30 p.m. Open gym
dates are Jan. 8, Jan. 15, Jan.
22, Jan, 29 and Feb. 19. Adult
Volleyball League play begins
February 25.
Basketball
coaches needed
The Venice YMCA is now
accepting applications for
head coaches and assistant
coaches for its boys competi-
tive basketball program.
Positions are available for
teams with players from gra-
des three through eight. Bas-
ketball background and
coaching experience are re-
quired, and additional train-
ing is available.


too quick in the beginning second half with three bas-
and took too many quick kets and two free throws
shots," Venice Head Coach from Trey Burton. Tyler
Steve Cavallaro said. "I think Christian andAnthonyHack-
once we settled in and got ett each added a basket as
people in the position they well, with Jutras draining two
needed to be in we did a free throws.
great job of attacking the From there, there was no
basket and getting the ball looking back. Lemon Bay, on
to the open man." the other hand, continued to
Venice was without Jus- struggle. After David Lutz hit
tin Grant, who had a 103- the opening basket, 'the
degree fever. With a much Mantas didn't get another
shorter Dre Archer filling in, field goal until Kyle Parker got
the zone was effective early one early in the third quarter.
in the game. Archer did, "You can't knock us on
however contribute to a defense," Cavallaro said.
strong defensive effort by "When you hold a reallywell-:
the Indians. coached varsity basketball
"Dre idid-a great jobr ve P teatrit qimpQJats4t 3ep
have total confidence in that's a.,pretty good job, ,
Dre," Cavallaro said. "He Coach (Tom) Catanzarite, in
works really hard, he plays my opinion, is one of the best
fantastic defense and he did coaches in the area."
a great job distributing the By the final buzzer, eight
ball. He did everything we of nine Venice players who
asked of him tonight and came into the game had
some." scored and three finished in
A 3-pointer by Kyle Jutras double digits. Burton led
in the first- quarter bailed with 15, followed by Jutras
the Indians out of what with 11 and Christian with
would otherwise have been 10.
a 2-point quarter. For Lemon Bay, Kyle
Venice came alive in the Parker led with seven, fol-


To apply, complete a vol-
unteer application at the
membership services area,
located at 701 Center Road
across from Garden Elemen-
tary School. For more infor-
mation, call Dan Quail at the
VeniceYMCA at 492-9622 ext.
143, or e-mail dquail@venice
ymca.org.
Venice YMCA winter
basketball camp
This half-day basketball
camp (9 a.m. to 12 p.m.) fea-
tures instruction through
drill stations, three on three
and five on five games, an
end of week tournament and
daily competitions for a-
wards. Open to students
grades three through eight,
the basketball camp runs
Jan. 2-4.
The cost is $30 for YMCA-


members, $45 for nonmem-
bers. Registrations will be
accepted at the YMCA at 701
Center Road or on theWeb at
www.veniceymca.com.
The deadline to register is
Dec. 26. For more informa-
tion contact YMCA sports at
492-9622 ext. 131.
YMCA winter
break sports camp
This full-day sports camp
offers instruction in various
sports, sports based games,
traditional camp activities
and individual and team
competitions. Open to stu-
dents grades three through
eight, the camp runs 7 a.m. to
6 p.m. Jan. 2-4.
Cost is $15 per day for
YMCA members and $20 per
day for non-members. Reg-
istrations will be accepted at


lowed by Ed Laughlin and
Lutz with five apiece.

Venice (49), Lemon Bay (29)
AtVenice

Venice (49)
Tyler Christian 3 3-4 10; Trey
Burton 5 4-6 15; Dre Archer
1 0-0 2; Kyle Jutras 3 2-2 11;
Anthony Hackett 1 0-0 2;
Clay Burton 2 0-2 4; Max
Brandow 0 1-2 1; Beckett
Wales 1 2-6 4.
Lemon Bay (29)
Ed Laughlin 1 3-6 5; Kyle
Parker 2 3-4 7; David Lutz 2
0-0 5; Thomas Kisiday 2 0-0
4; Mike Lauer 2 0-0,5. .
OBiendan Sullivan .li 0-0 3
Venice'-:"'" ..
5 14 14 16 49


Lemon Bay
3 3 11


12 29


3-Pointers: Venice, 5, Jutras
had three, T. Burton and
Christian each had one;
Lemon Bay, 3, Lutz, Lauer
and Sullivan each had one.
Records: Venice 7-1, 3-1;
Lemon Bay2-11.
Next game: Venice at
Manatee Friday at 7:30 p.m.


the Venice YMCA at 701 Cen-
ter Road or on the Web at
www.veniceymca.com.
The deadline to register is
Dec. 26. For more informa-
tion contact YMCA sports at
492-9622 ext. 131.
YMCA traveling
basketball teams
The Venice YMCA will be
holding tryouts for their boys
traveling, competitive bas-
ketball teams for the upcom-
ing 2008 season.
Open to boys in grades
three through eight, season
runs from January through
June. Tryouts will be held Jan.
6 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. in the
YMCA gym.
For more information call
Dan Quail at 492-9622 ext.
143 or e-mail dquail@venice
ymca.org.


The Venice High School
boys soccer team was less
than 30 seconds from a win-
ning record Thursday night.
,, The Indians were leading
1-0 with only a few seconds
to hang on for the win but
North Port High School's
Joseph Nastri put one in the
net to tie it up 1-1. Time
expired, and Venice moved
to 4-4-3.
"I knew we needed
another goal," Venice Head
Coach Seth Jones said. "We
needed one more to really
solidify a win and we just
couldn't grab a hold of it."
The Indians took the lead
in the second half when
Zach "The Rock" Greening
hit a beautiful left-footed
shot into the goal. Even with
the defense pitching a shut
out through 79 minutes, it
wasn't enough to give the
Indians the win.
, Late in the game, things
began to get snippy bet-
ween teams. North Port's
Lamont Bacchus was sent
off in the 78th minute with
his' second yellow card.
Jones thought another play-
er could have been sent off
later.


"We were up 1-0, the
defense was playing real
well and I thought it was a
poor call by the referees tak-
ing out Adrian Hevia," he
said. "He's got a concussion.
That's what happens during
the game, you take your
bumps and bruises. Ace
went to go kick the ball out
of bounds and the guy just
rammed right into him.
From my view, it did not
seem like the guy was going
for the ball at all. But that's
soccer,"
For North Port, Thurs-
day's game was sweet re-
venge. In their last meeting,
Venice trailed 2-0 with nine
minutes to play. The Indians
came back and tied that
game, and could have won
if a bicycle kick in front of
the goal had gone in.
Venice now gets a break,
with the next game coming
Jan. 8 at Sarasota High
School.
"We're practicing a num-
ber of days over the break,"
Jones said. "Even though
they're not playing until the
8th, we'll be out here hitting
it hard. They're not really
getting a vacation."

miller@
venicegondolier.com


Topsy-turvy game ends

with Venice on top


BY TRIPP MILLER
SPORTS EDITOR
W e ( .. . ., .
Venice High Siobol |iI s
basketball teariTrailed 1-f-7.
They outscored Charlotte
High School 15-4 in the sec-
ond, and both .teams
swapped quarters again in
the second half Thursday
night.
The Indians ultimately
came out on top 52-50 in a
game that started off very
similarly to these two teams'
last meeting. In that game,
Charlotte blew Venice off
the court in the first quarter,
but surrendered a huge lead
to lose by eight.
"It was a tough, tough
game. It's a tough matchup
for us with those big kids,"
Venice Head Coach Bruce
Reichenbach said. "It's tough
to get a 'W' in the district
because everyone plays
harder."
Even though this game
was in Charlotte's home
gym, it was the Indians that
played harder and escaped
the road game.
After so many lead ex-
changes, the difference was
not in rebounds, but in just
one rebound. In the waning
seconds, Dianna Mehserle
came up with an offensive
rebound and put it back in
the hoop. With the basket,
Venice took a 2 point lead
with little time remaining.


Charlotte had an oppor-
tuni.ty to score for the win,
but the buzzer-beater was-
n't even close.
Don't look now, but the
Lady Indians are on a win
streak. Having won two in a
row, Venice is back at .500
looking at a five-game home
stretch after a three-day tour-
nament at Southeast High
School Dec. 27-29.
"Two and a row, here we
go," Reichenbach said.
"We're on a win streak so
look out, the Indians are on
the war path."
miller@
venicegondolier.com

Venice (52), Charlotte (50)
At Charlotte

Venice (52)
Jen Thoennissen 5 5-9 17;.
Lauren Ramey 2 0-0 6;
Chloe West 1 1-2 3; Kaylee
Ream 5 1-2 11; Dianna
Mehserle 5 2-2 12; Kirsten
Walchle 11-1 3.
Charlotte (50)


Venice
7 15 10
Charlotte
14 4 16


20 52

16 50


3-Pointers: Venice, 4, Thoe-
nnissen and Ramey each
had two.
Record: Venice 6-6, 4-4.
Next game: Venice at South-
east Holiday Classic, Dec.
27-29.


GOLF RESULTS


MR. SHEEPSHEAD
COLUMNIST

Good morning/after-
noon/evening, fellow Sheeps


headites. Well, our favorite
fish is starting to stir. From
the Tampa Bay area to
Bonita Springs, they're stag-
ing on the sand bars ready
to come into the rocks to
begin their spawning ritual.
I'm hearing the same thing
from all of these areas, that
they are extremely abun-
dant and huge.
Bait shop owners are all
saying the same thing:
"Many 8-10 pounders."
Wow! I sure hope this is
true.


I personally saw many
large ones at our jetty the
other day. It's the same old
story for this time of the
year. Most of them have
lockjaw. The next cold front
should really get them start-
ed. The bait shops' sales
have really been off the past
few months. One of the rea-
sons is that we were in a
summer mode up until a
few days ago. Fishermen
were netting the abundant
white bait (minnows) in-
stead of buying shrimp and


other baits.
Please patronize these
independent bait shops.
They really need your busi-
ness. They don't have gro-
ceries, etc., to fall back on.
: Well, fellow Sheepshead-
ites, the time has come to
say goodbye until next
'week.

Mr. Sheepshead is
Dave Hack. You may contact
,Rim at: 486-1998, 321-8849
"or nrsheepshead
@verizon.net.


Myakka Pines Golf Club
New England Bandits,
Quota Points
Dec.15
t-1st: Bob Banz, +9; t-1st:,Dick
Moran, +9; t-1st: Dick Newcomb,
+9; t-1st: Elwin Sawtelle, +9; t-
1st: Bob O'Brien, +9; t-1st: Don
Greene, +9; t-lst: Harry Mac-
Pherson, +9; t-8th: Al Belcher,
+6; t-8th: Bill Lappen, +6; t-8th:
Tim Horgan, +6; t-8th: Tom
Murphy, +6.

Nine-Hole Men,
Quota Points
Dec. 19
1st: Burch Millsap, George Irvin,
Charlie Smith, +1.

All Stars, Quota Points
Dec.19
t-1 st: Roy Rossetti, Casy Boczar,


Andy Wright, Irv Brott, +1; t-1st:
Bob Taphouse, Dave Filkins,
Jack Drees, Harold Bowers, +1.

New Englanders,
Quota Points
Dec. 19
1st: Bill Riley, Bill Allen, Harry
MacPherson, +6.

Women's Golf
Association
Dec. 18
Flight 1: 1st: Cindy Bock, Shirley
Loud, Sue Good, Sally Kinney,
143; 2nd: Sally Sakola, Meri Hill,
Donna Martyn, Ginny Burau,
145.
Flight 2: 1st: Judy Bruce, June
Nelson, Esther Kennedy, Pat
Knasiak, 145; 2nd: Audrey
Anderson, Pat Myers, Helene
Hutter, Jackie Reardon, 148.


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', While some associate the holidays with
Christmas Carol's and its theme of gaining
and sharing the holiday spirit many find it the
most stressful time of the year. Here are a few
tips on how to cope with thle Holiday Stress.

What are some early signs of stress?
Stress can be brought about by a traumatic accident,
death, or emergency situation. Stress can also be a side
effect of a serious illness or disease. Stress can take on
many different forms, and can contribute to symptoms of
illness. Common symptoms include headache, sleep
disorders, difficulty concentrating, short-temper, upset
stomach, job dissatisfaction, low morale, depression, and
anxiety.
How can I help handle my stress?
Don't let stress make you sick. Often we aren't even
aware of our stress levels. Listen to your body, so that you
know when stress is affecting your health. Here are ways
to help you handle your stress.
Relax. It's important to unwind. Some ways include deep
breathing, yoga, meditation, and massage therapy. If you
can't do these things, take a few minutes to sit, listen to
soothing music, or read a book.
Make time for yourself. It's important to care for yourself.
No matter how busy you are, you can try to set aside at
least 15 minutes each day in your schedule to do
something for yourself, like taking a bubble bath, going
for a walk, or calling a friend.
Sleep. Sleeping is a great way to help both your body and
mind. Your stress could get worse if you don't get enough
-lMbep'.-'Uti alsot n't'fight off'ickne's- a well when you'
sleep poorly. With enough sleep, you can tackle your
problems better and lower your risk for illness. Try to get
seven to nine hours of sleep every night.
Eat right. Try to fuel up with fruits, vegetables, and
proteins. Good sources of protein can be peanut butter,
chicken, or tuna salad. Eat whole-grains, such as wheat
breads and wheat crackers. Don't be fooled by the jolt
you get from caffeine or sugar. Your energy will wear off.
Get moving. Believe it or not, getting physical activity
not only helps relieve your tense muscles, but helps your
mood too! Your body makes certain chemicals, called
endorphins, before and after you work out. They relieve
stress and improve your mood.
Talk to friends. Finding someone who will let you talk
freely about your problems and feelings without judging
you does a world of good. It also helps to hear a different
point of view. '
Get help from a professional if you need it. Talk to a
therapist.A therapist can help you work through stress and
find better ways to deal with problems. For more serious
stress related disorders, like PTSD, therapy can be
helpful. There also are medications that can help ease
symptoms of depression and anxiety and help promote
sleep. \
Compromise. Sometimes, it's not always worth the stress
to argue. Give in once in awhile.
Write down your thoughts. Keeping a journal can be a
great way to get things off your chest and work through
issues. Later, you can go back and read through your
journal and see how you've made progress!
Help others. Helping someone else can help you. Help
your neighbor, or volunteer in your community.
Get a hobby. Find something you enjoy. Make sure to give
yourself time to explore your interests.
Set limits. Set limits with yourself and others. Don't be
afraid to say NO to requests for your time and energy.
Plan your time. Think ahead about how you're going to
spend your time. Write a to-do list. Figure out what's
most important to do.
Don't deal with stress in unhealthy ways. This includes
drinking too much alcohol, using drugs, smoking, or
overeating.


Venice (941) 484-1939
600 S. NokomisAve., Suite 204

Enewood (941)475-2022
900 E. Pine St., Suite 127


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SUN NEWSPAPERS 13A


FRIDAY, DEC. 21, 2007







FRIDAY, DEC. 21, 2007


14A SUN NEWSPAPERS


* 0


149


Publix
Semi-Boneless
Smoked
Whole Ham
Fully-Cooked,
Old-Fashioned Flavor,
Lean & Tender
SAVI UP TO 70 LB


MoD Boar's Head
Rotisserie Chicken .-. ,.. Ovengold 7
,4otrFresh Chilled,' Breast fTurkey. . . . .799b
Fresh From the .-, 'Sied.Frsht:. i
6- iix Deli' each '.. 'in thtei ,.H x i. .. .'I
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Public beli proudly features
S '., a. full line of Boar's Head*'products.


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Or Peeled and Cored, Costa Rican Grown, Filling Made Using Fresh Harvest Pumpkin With Just
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Prices effective Thursday, December 13 through Monday, December 24, 2007.
Only in the Following Counties: Lee, Highlands, Pasco, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas, Sarasota
and Charlotte. Prices not effective at Publix Sabor. Quantity Rights Reserved.
p u b lix. co m/a d s


PUblix will be closed Christmas D.iy, Decombei 25, 2007.








FRIDAY
DEC. 21, 2007


CONTACT US
KIM COOL
FEATURES EDITOR
(941) 207-1105
kcool @ venicegondolier.com
SUN NEWSPAPERS
HOT TO TROT 3B


JOYOUS VOICES 8B


Like


wearing --






SECOND


PREENING PARROTS 10B


Fran Brett's face is reflected in a mirror as makeup
expert Linda Cook begins Brett's makeover.


SUN PHOTOS BY JEFF TAVARES
jtavares@venicegondolier.com


BY KIM COOL
FEATURES EDITOR


P avarotti returned to
Linda Cook and her
gentle ministrations
year after year.
The relationship began
one Halloween when Linda
Cook was operating a
makeup boutique in Green-
wichVillage,.
"We'd set up a chair out-
sside the shop and do make-
up," Cook said. "Pavarotti
sat in my chair one year and
then he came back every
year. He kind of got a kick
out of me not saying any-
thing about who he was. He
was just another person."
So were Bette Midler and
many other celebrities who
came to Cook for help with
their makeup, and not just
at Halloween.
A week or so ago, she tur-
ned her attentions to Fran
Brett, a neighbor at Vene-
tian Golf & River Club. In
less than ant hour, Brett
looked years younger, her
skin seemed to acquire a
youthful glow and she
learned how she could
recreate the new look in her
own home with just a few
products.
"The appropriate make-
up should enhance what
you have," she said. "It is
like wearing a second skin.
The wrong makeup is like
wearing the wrong clothes."
Cook was her own best
customer. Seeking to find
makeup that would appear
natural, not heavy, and not
like a mask, she discovered
a private-label, vitamin-ba-
sed makeup, which con-
tained vitamins A, D and E.
She also found some miner-
al makeup. Between the two
types, she became an expert
at helping her clients
enhance their natural looks.
For more than 20 years,
running shops in New York
City locations such as


Madison Avenue and the
Village, she helped clients
learn to enhance their nat-
ural appearance.
Working part time, by
appointment, at the Eden
Salon in Venice, she hopes
to continue helping people
achieve a more natural look
while erasing years in the
process.
The makeover begins
Like an artist painting a
canvas, Cook began Brett's
makeover by applying
primer on her face and a lip
correcting cream to soften
the lines around the lips
and "to plump them."
It is vitamin based and
contains camomile, she
said. The primer, which she
called a "silky serum" is
designed to allow makeup
to go on- more easily while
also preventing the makeup
from being absorbed into
the skin so it lasts longer.
Next came the "correc-


Above, left: Linda Cook applies eyeliner to Fran Brett's lower lashes with a brush bent in the manu-
facturing process to make application easier. Above, right: Cook applies blush with a special
brush.


tor."
"Especially on a fair-
haired person, you don't
want to use concealers that
will mat and cake," she said.
The corrector also en-
hances the eyes by acting as
a foundation primer and
shadow magnet.
"This is so relaxing," Brett


said as Cook gently applied
the!primer and corrector.
Cook's goal was to give
Brett a day-time look with a
touch more pizzazz a
look that would work well at
a luncheon or a trip to Saks.
"If she wanted to go
without eye shadow, she
could just use a liner and it


would look finished," Cook
said. "See how it is already
diffusing the light? The
primer contains SPF (sun
protection) and makes the
skin look finished and
bright.
"Use a brush so the foun-
dation is not spotty. Spon-
ges work but I prefer a


Linda Cook, left, completes Fran Brett's makeover.


brush. It gives me more
control, doesn't cake."
Cook said she preferred
the liquid foundation for its
coverage and the brush for
a more even application.
With the primer in place
Cook picked up a smaller
brush and went straight to
the eyebrows, filling them
in with a soft shade of taupe
to frame the face.
"If you don't do the
brows, they fade into the
hairline," shd said.
She put some tinted
foundation on the eyelids
for a "clean look" requiring
nothing more than eye-
brows and lipstick.
Brett would get more
than the basics.
"She has beautiful blue
eyes," Cook said. "I'm going
to use blue-gieen shadow
but just a little. Apply it onl\
from the middle o0 the e\C'-
ball out. I suggest hlai l.idic,
staywith the same colors .all
the time so they become
comfortable \\ ith them."
Cook then ,applit'd a dark
blue-green onl in the
crease at the corner. Pi, ki i,
up another brush, she used
it to apply more of d Ie base
color over the eye shadow
to blend it and softien the
look and a touch of %,hi'
inside the e\elil to take
away the redness.
"You don't miit to look
like you smashed lith color
on." Cook said,
Chloosing .talthlien color
from her palette, she .ipl
lied some gold-toned base
just under the brow.
Instead of a heavy line
around the eyes. Cook
chose a sil\t-i-gt.v liner,
which she applied with a
brush only to the lash line.
She used a gel product that
would stay in place until
removed with soap and
water or special eye make-
up remover.
Please see MAKEUP, 6B


,ddMMMk6
o



Ull












2B SUN NEWSPAPERS


YOUR TOWN COVER EASY


FRIDAY, DEC. 21, 2007


And now


... The News from


All in the family


BY TED RANK
STAFF ESCRITOR


Hang on to your sanity,
ladies and gentlemen. It's
time for News from
Ecineville.
A transcript of a phone
call was given to the Ec-
ineville Sun by a source
within the FBI.
The conversation, acc-
ording to our source, took
place Nov. 23 between an
individual in Nwotsgnuoy,
Oiho, and another in Sim-
okon. The individuals were
, identified by first names
only.
Tony: "Jimmy, it's Tony"
Jimmy: "Hey, Tony, how
you doing?"
Tony: "I don't have
much time, Jimmy, so lis-
ten up. The new shipment
comes in tonight."
Jimmy: "Great. I got.
business owners breath-
ing down my neck waiting
for this shipment."
Tony: "Well, don't be
upset, Jimmy, but we
couldn't meet quota this
week."
Jimmy: "How many,
Tony?"
Tony:. "Just 37."
Jimmy: "Thirty-seven?
Tony, are you nuts? We
need triple that or more.
My #%$ is on the line with
the business owners if all
we can get them is 37
northerners down here to
work for them at sub-par


Ecineville

wages. This is four or five
weeks in a row that you
guys haven't met quota."
Tony: "We're already
shipping in as many 'guest
workers' as we can. The
border patrol is coming
down hard on us. But
damn, we need more low-
wage workers."
Jimmy: "Look, the boys
up north are doing the best
they can. We keep feeding
the newspapers, magazines
and TV in key cities all the
good stories. No hurricanes
this year; beautiful, renour-
ished beaches; beautiful,
fresh air (no red tide sto-
ries all year) and, heck, we
even got some papers run-
ning a series that says peo-
ple live longer if they move
here."
Tony: "It's not enough..
We're hurting. These busi-
ness owners are going to
cancel my contract or
worse. We've got to get this
sorted out."
Jimmy: "Well, Tony, we
and the boys up here have
an idea."
Tony; "Well, let's hear
it."
Jimmy: "Iraqis."
Tony: "Iraqis? Are you
out of your mind? How are
we going to get Iraqis into
the country and down
here?"
Jimmy: "Well, Tony, we
can use C 130 Hercules air-
craft military aircraft."
Tony: "JIMMY, ARE


YOU..."
Jimmy: "Wait, Tony, lis-
ten. We got a guy from the
neighborhood who is a
captain in the Air Force
stationed at the Balad Air
Base. We talked to him and
he's got a bunch of guys
already shipping stuff out
and he says he can get us
150 Iraqi men and women
a week and they work for
even less than the 'guest
workers.'"
Tony: "Really, Jimmy?"
Jimmy: "Yeah, we can
start next week. We'll land
them in the middle of the
night at the Ecineville
Municipal Airport on the
old Runway 33, the one
the CIA and us used to run
guns to Abuc in the '60s."
Tony: "OK, do it. Get me
150 Iraqis by next
Thursday."
Jimmy: "You got it,
Tony. Oh and may I wish
happy holidays to you and
yours."
Tony: "Thanks, man,
same to you."
Well, this is Ted "I'm a
reporter, I'm a reporter"
Rank reporting. I'll see you
next issue with more news
from Ecineville. Until then,
remember, stay away from
the airport between mid-
night and 4 a.m. here in
Ecineville.

trank@
venicegondolier.com


PHOTO COURTESY OF EARS
Because her owner recently died, Miss Edith needs a new home. She is a perfect, 8-year-
old kitty with beautiful Torti coloring. She has been declawed on all four paws, so she is
definitely an inside cat only. Miss Edith may be seen at Englewood Animal Health Center
on Placida Road. For more about Miss Edith or other EARS-sponsored animals, call EARS
at 475-0636.


Your Town Over Easy is
brought to you by Editors Debbie
n3 Shulman and Jeff Tavares and other
unnamed co-conspirators.

^'*?c~a'/ *;/ ,*;/ r i i" 'i -.


,oL urJ hiLt ErPHOTO


i Do you have trouble sleeping at night?


If you are between the ages of 18-64, you may qualify for a clinical research study
testing an investigational medication for insomnia.
Study participants will receive at no cost investigational medication,
study related physical exams and care.
To see if you qualify, please call Dr. Peter Kaplan at TRIO Research
941-955-7070 lB


EVERYBRANDNAMEOF.EVERYPRODIUC-EVER MADE.EVERYDAY
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CONTACT US
(941) 207-1000
calendar@sun-herald.com
RI IN NEWSPAPERS


VENUE


3B
FRIDAY
DEC. 21, 2007


FRIDAY,
DEC. 21
Empowerment
The Women's Resource
Center of Sarasota County
hosts Empowerment and
Self-Esteem, 10-11:30 a.m.,
at 806 Pinebrook Road.
Led by Lori Tuttle. Fee: $5.
Call 485-9724.
Food bank
The Florida Department of
Agriculture and Consumer
Services and All Faiths
Food Bank distribute free
USDA commodities to eli-
gible Sarasota County resi-
dents, 4-5:30 p.m., at the
Habitat ReStore, 1400
Ogden Road. Call 493-
0529.
Taking care
The Parkinson's Support
Group meets at 10 a.m. the
third Friday of the month
in the Englewood Com-
munity Hospital Suncoast
Auditorium, 700 Medical
Blvd. Call 473-3919.
A free weekly caregiver
support group meets 1:15-
3 p.m., Fridays at St. Mark's
Episcopal Church, 508 Ri-
viera St. Led by a profes-
sional facilitator, Caregiver
Time Out offers group sup-
. 2 port, community resources
and activities provided for
loved ones during the ses-
sion. Registration required.
Call Pamela at 366-2224.
Step in the Right Direc-
tion, an Al-Anon newcom-
er meeting, takes place at
7 p.m. at St. Mark's Episco-
pal Church, 508 Riviera St.
Call 426-7655 or visit south
floridaal-anon.org. Alateen
meets at the same time in
the lounge. Call Ray at 497-
6879.
Spay day
Animal Rescue Coalition's
mobile-clinic will be at K-
OTOH l -fWWPlaza, 1687 U.S. 41
Bypass. The clinic offers
low- or no-cost spays and
neuters for pets of income-
eligible families. Appoint-
ments required; call 957-
1955, ext. 4.
Friday music
The Sophisticated Swing
Big Band performs 10 a.m.-
noon, Fridays, at Harmony
House at the Venice Holi-
day Inn, 455 U.S. Bypass.
Call 474-7408.
Greg Allen & Friends per-
form noon-12 p.m., and
Skunk Monkey performs
5:30-8:30 p.m. at Snook
Haven, 5000 E. Venice Ave.
Visit snookhavenfl.com or
call 485-7221.
The Tucker Antell Quartet
performs at 2 p.m. at the
SBayfront Community Cen-
ter, 803 North Tamiami
S Trail, Sarasota. Admission:
$8. Call the Sarasota Jazz
*. Club at 316-9207 or visit
jazzclubsarasota.com.
Pastor Randy and the
musicians and singers
from New Life Assembly '
meet at 4:30 p.m. Friday
near the lifeguard station
; at Venice Beach. Bring a
chair and your request for
a favorite gospel song. Call
493-0775 or 497-7142.
*" The Venice-Nokomis Elks
Lodge 1854 hosts dance
music by Ziggy, 6:30-9:30
p.m., at 1021 Discovery
Way, Nokomis. Call 485-
S8807.
A beginners and interme-
diate Native American flute
circle meets at 7 p.m. at
Serenity Gardens, 602 E.
Venice Ave. No need to
Sown a flute or read music.
SDonations welcome. Call
; 486-3577.
S The American Legion No-
Vel Unit 159 presents live
Music by Eric Vaughn, 7-10
p.m., at 1770 E. Venice Ave.
; Call 488-1157.
S Acoustic jam circle 7:30-
10:30 p.m., Fridays at Sara-


sota Books-A-Million, 6591
South Tamiami Trail. Call
922-7804 or 342-6419.
The Ditchfield Family
* Singers Christmas Show
will be on the MainStage at
Venice Little Theatre at
8 p.m. Dec. 21 and 22 at


G et your tickets now for the world
famous Lipizzaner Stallions, per-
fo- rming their 38th anniversary
presentation of the Dancing White
Stallions at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 11, at
the Turner Agri Civic Center, 2250'N.E.
Roan St., Arcadia. Tickets are $24.50 for
Gold Circle; $22.50 and $19.50 regular
admission. For ages 12 and younger and


140 W Tampa Ave. Tickets
are $13-$25. Call 488-1115
or visit venicestage.com.
Movie night
First Baptist Church of
Englewood shows "The
Nativity Story" at 6:30 p.m.
at 278 S. Mango St. Admis-
sion is free, as are hot dogs,
popcorn, candy and ref-
reshments. Call 474-2473.

Senior Friendship Cen-
ters, 2350 Scenic Drive,
584-0075; seniorfriendship.
corn
* 9 a.m.: crochet class
* 9:30-10:15 a.m.: balance
movement class
* noon: $3 lunch for 60+
with 24-hour reservations.
Call 584-0031 or 584-0090.
* 1 p.m.: music by the Gene
Bennett Trio
* 2 p.m.: December birth-
day party

Venice Public Library, 300
S. Nokomis Ave., 861-1332
* 10 a.m.: French Club
* 2 p.m.: Film: "Holiday
Inn" (1942), starring Bing
Crosby and Fred Astaire

SATURDAY,

DEC. 22
Cattery sale
The Cattery Thrift Store of
St. Francis Animal Rescue
of Venice offers holiday
items and Christmas deco-
rations at 75 percent off
Dec. 22 and Dec. 24 at
1651 South Tamiami Trail
in the Jacaranda Plaza.
Hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m.,
Monday through Saturday.
Call 492-6210.
Farmers' market
The Venice Farmers' Mar-
ket is located in the 200
block of Miami Avenue in


the breezeway and parking
lot behind it. The market,
which offers fresh. produce
and handmade items for
sale, is open.8 a.m.-noon.
Call 484-3801.

Music makers
* The Snake Oil Bandits
perform 1-4 p.m., and Lau-
rie Colvin performs 5:30-
8:30 p.m. at Snook Haven,
5000 E. Venice Ave. Visit
snookhavenfl.com or call
485-7221.
* DooWop Denny per-
forms 7-10 p.m. Saturday
at the Saltwater Cafe, 1071
North Tamiami Trail, No-
komis. Call 488-3775 or
visit doowopdenny.com.
The great outdoors
* Walk along Sleeping Tur-
tle Preserve with the Ma-
natee-Sarasota Sierra Club
at 8 a.m. Bring water, sun-
screen and lunch, and
wear sturdy shoes. Dona-
tion: $5. RSVP to Sally at
484-4113.
* The Saturday Morning
Walkabout group meets at
8 a.m. at Volunteer Park,
located behind the Gulf
Coast Community Foun-
dation of Venice. Bring
your pets, too. New walk-
ers welcome.
* The Friends of Myakka
River holds its Bird Interp-
reter program, 9 a.m.-1
p.m., Mondays through
Saturday, at 13207 State
Road 72. Volunteer bird na-
turalists will set up their
spotting scopes at Myakka
River State Park's Birdwalk.
Interpreters share their
field guides, bird photos
and their expertise with
visitors. Fee: $5 per vehicle,
up to eight people. Call
361-6511.
* At 9:30 a.m. Saturday, a
group of bicyclists meet at


60 and older, $20.50 and $17.50. Visit
turnercenter.com or call (863) 993-4807.
The stallions also perform at 2 p.m.
and 6 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 13, at the St. Pete
Times Forum, 401 Channelside Drive,
Tampa. Tickets: $29.50 for Gold Circle;
$24.50 and $22.50 regular admission.
Call (813) 287-8844 or visit ticket
master.com.


Volunteer Park, behind the
Gulf Coast Community
Foundation of Venice, to
enjoy a leisurely paced 10-
mile bike ride. Routes vary
but are primarily on the
Venetian Waterway park.
Rides last about an hour
and are held as part of the
Venice Bicycle Friendly
Communityprogram. All
levels of experience wel-
come. Call 468-8124.


MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Some of your favorite
activities might be post-
poned because of the hol-
idays. Phone first.



SUNDAY,
DEC. 23
Sunday serenades
* Smoked Mullet performs
1-5 p.m. at Snook Haven,
5000 E. Venice Ave. Visit
snookhavenfl.com or call
485-7221.
* The Christian Science
Church holds a Christmas
carol singalong at 4 p.m. in
the Sunday School at 600
W. Venice Ave. All are wel-
come and refreshments
will be served. Call 486-
1406.
* New Life Assembly of
God hosts a free concert by
the Ditchfield Family Sin-
gers at 10 a.m. at South


Venice Christian Church,
2390 Seaboard Ave. All are
welcome. Call 493-0775.
* The Klezmer/Dixie Band
of the Jewish Center of Ve-
nice is looking for people.
who would like to play
with the band, which prac-
tices at 9:30 a.m. Sunday
at 600 North Auburn Road.
Improvisational ability
helps but all are welcome.
Call JasonArkin at 484-
1856.

MONDAY,
DEC. 24

Kids' Christmas
,First Church of God pre-
sents "Finding the Christ-
mas Star" at 6 p.m. at 351
Orange Road. Join Miss
LaToe, Coach Masader and
a host of middle-schoolers
as they work their way to
find the real Christmas
star. Treat bags for all chil-
dren attending. Call
Saundra Richardson at
475-0842.
For bookworms
* The Jewish Center of Ve-
nice Sisterhood Book Cir-
cle discusses "Snow Falling
on Cedars," by David Gu-
terson at 1 p.m. at 600
North Auburn Road. Led
by Joan Weiner. Call 484-
2002.
* Fran Orenstein signs her
teenage fiction book, "The
Ghost Under Third Base" at
1 p.m. at Circle Books, 478
John Ringling Blvd., St.
Armands Circle, Sarasota.
Call 388-2850.

COMING UP
Benefit cruise
The Wildlife Center of Ve-
nice hosts a fundraising


BEST BETS
THE LOCAL SCENE


natee River. Bring water
and bug spray. Donation:
$5. RSVP to Gail at (941)
748-1668.

Please see VENUE, 7B


QUI)l


cruise for five nights begin-
ning March 3. Sail aboard
the Royal Caribbean's
Grandeur of the Seas to
Cozumel and Progresso,
Mexico, sailing from Tam-
pa. Donations help injured
and orphaned wildlife.
Final payment due Dec.
26. Call Teri at (888) 462-
1434 or (941) 627-8795.
Black-tie at SFC
Senior Friendship Centers
hosts an Out with the Old
and In with the New event,
11 a.m.-3 p.m., Friday, Dec.
28, at 2350 Scenic Drive.
Dress to the nines and
enjoy hors d'oeuvres and a
champagne toast at noon
to ring in the new year. En-
tertainment by Carolyn,
Miles and Tony, the Char-
lotte Noteables at 11 a.m.
Music and dancing with
the Gene Bennett Trio, fea-
turing Bonnie Wendler, 1-3
p.m. For lunch reserva-
tions, call 584-0090 with a
$5 donation.
Open-caption show
An open-caption perfor-
mance of "Putnam County
Spelling Bee" will be offer-
ed at 2 p.m., Saturday, Dec.
29, at the Van Wezel Perfor-
ming Arts Hall, 777 North
Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.
Call the box office at 953-
3368 for ticket information,
and request the open-cap-
tion seating area.
New Year's
* The Polish American So-
ciety of Venice holds a New
Year's Eve gala, 7 p.m.-2
a.m., Monday, Dec. 31, at
Venice Gardens, 406 Sham-
rock Blvd. Dinner and a
midnight buffet with
champagne will be served.
Music by two orchestras.
Tickets are $60 for mem-
bers, $75 for nonmembers.
RSVP to Chester at 408-
9657 or Lucjan at 485-5750.
* TheVenice-Nokomis Elks
hold'a NewYear's Eve din-
ner and dance, Monday,
Dec. 31, at 1021 Discovery
Way, Nokomis. Tickets are
$75 per person and include
hors d'oeuvres, filet mig-
non or salmon, dessert
buffet, midnight buffet and
champagne toast, party
favors and more. Dance
music by The Party Con-
tinues. Doors open at 6:30
p.m., and the party starts
at 7 p.m. The public is wel-
come. RSVP to Eunice Bur-
roughs at 493-7624.
* The South Venice Yacht
Club holds its annual New
Year's Eve party Monday,
Dec. 31, at 4425 Yacht
Club Drive. Cocktails 6:30-
7:30 p.m.; prime rib dinner
7:30-9 p.m. BYOB; cham-
pagne toast at midnight.
Dancing starting at 9 p.m.
with music by Karen Dee
and Doowop Denny. Ti-
ckets: $50 per person for
members, $60 for non-
members. Paid reserva-
tions due by Dec. 24 by
calling Robin at 497-1169.
* Country Club Estates
holds a NewYear's Eve din-
ner and dance at 7 p.m. at
Monday, Dec. 31, at 700
Waterway. Tickets are
$32.50 per person. RSVP to
412-3551.
Nature lovers
The Manatee-Sarasota
Sierra Club hosts a New
Year's walk of four to six
miles, 8-11 a.m., Tuesday,
Jan. 1, at Myakka State
Park, 13207 State Road 72,
Sarasota. Bring water, sun-
screen and lunch, and
wear sturdy shoes. Dona-
tion: $5 plus park fee. RSVP
to Sally at 484-4113.
Roll and stroll around
Emerson Point with the
Manatee-Sarasota Sierra
Club, 2:30-5 p.m., Saturday,
Jan. 12. Explore restored
wetlands and archaeologi-
cal remains at this preserve
between Terra Ceia Bay
and the mouth of the Ma-







FRIDAY, DEC. 21, 2007


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Food Distributions from
4:30-6:00pm on
Friday, December 21
at the Habitat ReStore .
Help build local homes.
Donations of furniture & appliances acc te;
Save Money Shop Our Store! .
Open to the Public
Monday Saturday, 9am 5pm
(1400 Ogden Road, Venice). We can be contacted
at 941-493-0529 with any questions.

Habitat ReStore
for Humanity' South Sarasota County, Inc.


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The Red Cross needs you


The Southwest Florida
Chapter of the American
Red Cross is looking for vol-
unteers in the following
programs:
* Emergency Response Team
Members: Serve on a team
that responds year-round to
local disasters such as single
family fires. Be on call one
week per month, either day
or night shift. Training is
provided free of charge.
* TOUCH Program: "To-
gether Our Understanding
Can Help" is a program con-
sisting of mild exercise pro-


vided to residents of nurs-
ing and retirement facilities.
A few hours per week is
required. All training is pro-
vided.
* Sewers and Knitters are
needed to craft-handmade
items that are distributed to
the elderly and families in
need. The group meets
Tuesday mornings but work
can be done from home.
Also needed are donations
of yarn and fabric.
Contact Kathy LaPietra at
379-9300, ext. 226 or e-mail
lapietrak@usa.redcross.org.


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EVERY BRAND NAME OF.*EVERY PRODUCT EVER MADE EVERYDAY
NOW! New at
CONSIGNMENT AMERICA
Florida's Largest Consignment Shop
BOOTH SPACES AVAILABLE
Starting As Low As
$60 A Month
showcases As Low
s ^ JAs 130 A Month
Call (941) 474-9776
Quality Used Furniture
SAntiques Collectibles Gifts
M Ma, iand now Clothes
Monday thru Saturday 9-6 Sundays 10-5
S 1881 Englewood Road
(Hwy. 776) at Lmaon Bay Shopping Center. Engtlood


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BEDS m
* Wall Bed Experts
* Home Offices
* Custom Closets
* Computer Design Ctr.
* Entertainment Ctrs.
1808 TamlamI Trail
Unit D1
Port Charlotte
(941) 613-2797
7418 S. Tamiami Trail
Sarasota
(941) 927-0807
1847 Lakewood
Ranch Blvd.,
L Bradenton
941-538-6574 Tur


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A Barber Plus
MEN'S REGULAR HAIRCUTS $10.00
II
Welcome Connie, Formerly
of Partridge Barber Shop.
Connie Joins Linda, Kelsey
II
and Jay.

Rialto Center 486-8802 I
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We are pleased to welcome
7Thomas DeVo4 D.v.S.
to our Venice office!


Thanks Once Again For Voting Us
THE BEST OF THE BEST
For The 10th Year.


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~ov~d we 1are i)(cteA that ke ujvd
our te~am.of aedaocltea dregos.ers at
The Stot~e Cepr.tre!


Bridges/Partials Cosmetics
Dentures General Dentistry
Warm, Relaxed, Caring Atmosphere


PT 1740 S. Tamiami Trail 493-4834
Toll Free 1-800-321-3336 www.venicegardenofeden.com


University Parkway
941.351.4468


Center Road
941.497.5451


S. McCall Road
941.474.1245


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