Bayside Pet Resort Coming To Wellen Park

https://citylifestyle.com/sarasota-fl/articles/professional-services/bayside-pet-resort-coming-to-wellen-park

Article by Jennifer Hamilton

Pet parents will soon have a convenient location for day care and overnight boarding in Wellen Park. Bayside Pet Resort has announced its fourth location – a freestanding 16,000-square-foot building on US 41 offering overnight accommodations for 100 dogs and 18 cats, two doggie day cares for large and small dogs, grooming, and obedience and agility training. Complete with a pool, shaded courtyards and a half-acre agility course, construction on the luxury pet resort is expected to start by September and be open in February 2023.

“Wellen Park is home to many pet lovers who will be counting the days until Bayside Pet Resort opens,” says Rick Severance, Wellen Park President. “We look forward to bringing this quality and level of luxury in pet care to our residents and the neighboring communities.”

Founded in Sarasota a decade ago by Bob and Lynne Huff, Bayside is the 2022 'Best Pet Boarder' and 'Best Pet Trainer' as voted by readers of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. 

“Wellen Park is a phenomenal location,” says Tyler Smith, Vice President of Development and Operations for Bayside Pet Resort. “With the expanded growth happening right now and continued growth in the future, we feel this is a great service for a lot of people who will be living in the community.”

The building, situated on 2.5 acres, is a new prototype with larger dog runs and outdoor spaces. It will have various-sized kennels, including overnight boarding in 100 air-conditioned dog suites – most with popular indoor-outdoor runs – and 18 kitty condos and penthouses. The kennels are humidity-controlled with fresh air circulated every ten minutes and are equipped with webcams for owners to check in on their pets. Bayside Pet Resort also provides fresh linens and soothing music.

“We’re a five-star pet resort that offers wonderful amenities for our guests,” says Angeline Pantazis, director of operations for Bayside Pet Resort. “We take care of our clients’ pets as if they’re our own.”

Bayside Pet Resort also accepts turtles, fish, bearded dragons, guinea pigs, rabbits and snakes. A pot-bellied pig is also a frequent guest. Horses, birds and poisonous animals are not accepted.

Consistently ranked among the US’s 50 top fastest-selling master planned communities annually by prominent real estate consulting firm RCLCO, Wellen Park offers a mix of residential, commercial and recreational options. The community currently has approximately 9,500 residents, and at full build-out will have more than 50,000 residents and 22,500 homes within its three distinct districts: West Villages, Downtown Wellen and Playmore.

Downtown Wellen, the vibrant gathering hub for Wellen Park and the region, is under construction with the first phase anticipated to open in the fourth quarter of 2022. The pedestrian-friendly downtown offers retail shops, waterfront dining, professional and beauty services, public community spaces, lakefront parks and outdoor recreational opportunities along the 80-acre Grand Lake and 2.8-mile lakefront trail. Kayak, paddleboard and bicycle rentals will be available from an on-site outfitter.

Downtown Wellen also features a large events lawn, a hammock grove and alfresco lounge area under a nearly 100-year-old oak tree, a unique nature-inspired playground, and Solis Hall for concerts and community and private events.

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

‘Baby boom’: Record number of dolphins born in Sarasota Bay in 2021 after red tide issues

https://www.wfla.com/news/sarasota-county/baby-boom-record-number-of-dolphins-born-in-sarasota-bay-in-2021-after-red-tide-issues/

by: Daisy Ruth  Posted: Dec 16, 2021

 SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – A record 22 babies were born to mother dolphins in Sarasota Bay this year, surpassing the previous record set in 2017, and researchers believe it may be due to red tide.

The Chicago Zoological Society’s Sarasota Dolphin Research Program documented the births throughout the year. The program studies 170 dolphins that researchers see on a regular basis in Sarasota Bay. The dolphins have been studied since the 1970s. Through their studies, researchers know the dolphins in Sarasota Bay are long-term residents who have lived there across decades and generations.

According to the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, the dolphins are “the focus of the world’s longest-running study of a wild dolphin population.”

“We can recognize them from patterns of nicks and notches on their dorsal fin, on the fin on their back, and we’ve been able to track them through as many as five concurrent generations, and up to six generations for some of the lineages in the area,” said Dr. Randy Wells, vice president of Marine Mammal Conservation and Director of the Chicago Zoological Society’s Sarasota Dolphin Research Program.

This year’s baby boom comes after a difficult time for the dolphins of the bay due to strong and long-lasting red tide that came into the Sarasota area in the summer of 2018. Dr. Wells said dolphins died due to both the brevotoxins of red tide directly, as well to ecological effects of red tide, like loss of fish.

Dr. Wells said that more than 75% of the dolphins’ prey fish were gone as result of red tide.

The red tide existed in the bay through the winter of 2018 and in to 2019. Returning predators became an issue when it waned. One hypothesis that researchers have leads to sharks and their prey of stingrays.

“The dolphins stayed in the area and the sharks came back to the area. The rays did not come back in the same numbers that they had been before. Previously, when we’ve seen declines in stingray abundance through the fishing studies that we do to monitor the available fish in Sarasota Bay, when we see a decline in rays, we see it increasing the number of shark bites,” Dr. Wells said. “This time we saw a record number of shark bites on our dolphins during 2019 and 2020 following this red tide.”

Dr. Wells explained that, in those years, they saw a decline in baby dolphins, possibly related to the decline in the stingray population.

“So it’s hard to prove a negative, but these little babies are bite-sized morsels for some of the larger sharks like bull sharks and we wouldn’t expect them to necessarily show a scar that is healing. They would just be gone,” he said.

While the baby dolphin population declined due to these issues, it led to the “baby boom” of 2021.

Dolphins who lost their calves were able to become pregnant again. According to the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, Sarasota dolphins typically rear their young for around four years.

Dr. Wells said red tide issues in 2020 did not have any major effects on the dolphins in Sarasota Bay. Pregnant dolphins were able to carry their babies for 12.5 months, giving birth this year.

The fish populations have bounced back quickly from red tide blooms in 2021, according to Dr. Wells.

“We learned long ago that studying the dolphins in a vacuum doesn’t get you very far. You really need to understand the dolphins relative to the drivers that determine what their behavior is going to be,” he said. “So ecology is important. We monitor the fish and we found that the fish populations came back within a few months to near record levels.”

The new year also looks to be shaping up well for Sarasota Bay’s 22 babies and other resident dolphins, as Dr. Wells said the fish population is doing well and researchers are not seeing any indications of health issues among the dolphins.

He does ask that residents and dolphin lovers do their part to keep waterways clean and the animals safe.

“[The dolphins don’t] get to just choose which threat they’re going to face. [They] can’t say, ‘oh this month we’re going to face red tide,'” he said. “They have to face a variety of threats at any given time and we need to give them the freedom to do that by creating as good quality of an ecosystem and a home as we possibly can.” 

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

Braves Path to the 2021 Postseason is in Their Hands

https://tomahawktake.com/2021/08/23/woodbridge-wines-video-contest-adam-jones/

by Jake Mastroianni Sept 3, 2021

With all the turmoil the Atlanta Braves have had in 2021 they still have all their goals within their grasp as they enter the final month of the season. 

It’s honestly crazy to even write that headline with where this Atlanta Braves team was even a month ago when they were third in the NL East.

Since then they’ve held as much as a 5.5 game lead in the division before seeing that dwindle down to two games.

Still, entering the final month of the season and the last 29 games, their path to the postseason is pretty clear — win and you’re in.

And while the road ahead isn’t easy, it’s also not that difficult.

They just got done playing the hardest teams left on their schedule in the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. And while they lost all five of those games, there is some solace in knowing three of those games were one-run games and they weren’t overmatched in any of them.

This team is capable of competing with the best teams in baseball.

Braves remaining schedule

They’re in the middle of a four-game series in Colorado where the Rockies have been one of the best teams in baseball. But the Braves got off to a good start with a comeback win on Thursday.

Braves remaining schedule

They’re in the middle of a four-game series in Colorado where the Rockies have been one of the best teams in baseball. But the Braves got off to a good start with a comeback win on Thursday.

If they can win two of the next three they’ll be in good shape coming home where they face a terrible Nationals team, the Marlins, and the Rockies.

Then they have to go back out West to face the Giants, Diamondbacks, and Padres.

The Giants are coming back down to Earth a little and are beatable. The Padres are crumbling, and the Diamondbacks are one of the worst teams in the league.

Finally, the Braves finish up at home with a huge series against the Phillies and end with the Mets.

Certainly not the easiest schedule down the stretch, but with the way this team has played since the trade deadline I feel like they’re more than capable of winning all of those series.

Braves’ Math for Holding Off the Phillies

And the Braves essentially have to win every series the rest of the way in order to stay ahead of the Phillies who have the easiest schedule down the stretch.

After some tough games against the Marlins and Brewers, they play the Rockies, Cubs, Mets, Orioles, Pirates, Braves, and Marlins.

Let’s do a little math and see how many games the Braves need to win.

The best month the Phillies have had this year was in August when they went 17-11. They’ve had double-digit losses in each month.

I could realistically see them going 19-10 or even 20-9 the rest of the way.  That’s likely the best-case scenario for the Phillies, but also really possible with their schedule.

That would put their overall record at 88-74.

And I honestly think the Braves could go 19-10 the rest of the way with their schedule, and that’s predicting a series loss to the Giants and a four-game split with the Padres.

That’s also predicting a series win at home over the Phillies, which will be a big series.

The best month the Braves have had this year also came in August when they went 18-8.

As I said earlier, I definitely believe this team is capable of going on a similar run in September to clinch the division.

If they can win two of the next three they’ll be in good shape coming home where they face a terrible Nationals team, the Marlins, and the Rockies.

Then they have to go back out West to face the Giants, Diamondbacks, and Padres.

The Giants are coming back down to Earth a little and are beatable. The Padres are crumbling, and the Diamondbacks are one of the worst teams in the league.

Finally, the Braves finish up at home with a huge series against the Phillies and end with the Mets.

Certainly not the easiest schedule down the stretch, but with the way this team has played since the trade deadline I feel like they’re more than capable of winning all of those series.

The path for them is clear, just take care of business and win the series that you should and perhaps sweep a series or two. Either way, I hope fans enjoy this final month of the regular season and what this team has had to overcome to put themselves in a position to win the division a fourth straight year.

 Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

12th Annual Downtown Venice Labor Day Weekend Craft Festival September 4th-5th

 Aug 16, 2021 | Venice Main Street, Event, News

Saturday, September 4th, 2021- 10:00am to 4:00pm

Sunday, September 5th, 2021- 10:00am to 4:00pm

100-300 West Venice Ave in Venice, FL

Free Admission

The tremendous support of the Venice community is one reason why this craft festival is so successful! Located on Florida’s west coast, Venice is a vibrant town on the Gulf of Mexico, filled with historic charm, natural beauty, and independently owned shops and restaurants. 

Presented by Howard Alan Events in partnership with Venice MainStreet.

Please be mindful and follow CDC guidelines.

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT

 https://www.sarasotacountycentennial.com/event/memorial-day-concert/

May 31 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

FREE

The Sarasota concert Band is having its Memorial Day concert at Phillippi Estate Park ,5500 South Tamiami Trail, Monday May 31st from 5pm to 7pm.

We will be honoring all branches of the military with patriotic tunes as well as show tunes featuring our vocalist Kathryn Parks. Color guard by the Nokomis Boy Scouts troop 1001.There will be an ice cream vendor on site. Please bring a lawn chair or blanket and a snack. We will be following the CDC guidelines of social distancing and ask that you bring a mask. This event is free to the public.

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

Patriotic Pops and Fireworks

 https://www.thevenicesymphony.org/event/patriotic-pops-and-fireworks/

May 29 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm $10 – $50

The Venice Symphony is BACK LIVE at CoolToday Park, spring training home of the Atlanta Braves, with the second annual Patriotic Pops Concert and Fireworks. Music Director Troy Quinn leads the orchestra in a program of Patriotic tunes and American music from John Philip Sousa to John Williams. SFC Randall Wight, a member of the U.S. Army Field Band since 2005, returns as guest vocalist, performing an Armed Forces Medley, America the Beautiful and more.  Gates will open at 5:30 pm. Concessions will be available. The finale is a spectacular fireworks display.

Tickets are on sale Thursday at Ticketmaster.com, and at the CoolToday box office at 18800 South West Villages Parkway in Venice from 9am to 4pm M-F or by calling the box office at (941)413-5000 from 9am to 5 pm. Tickets are priced from  $15 to $50 with $10 student and active military tickets. Seating is socially distanced and masks are requested when not seated. 

         Presenting Sponsor is the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.  This event is paid for in part by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax. 

 Details

Date:  May 29

Time:  7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Cost:  $10 – $50

Organizers

The Venice Symphony

Atlanta Braves Spring Training

Venue

Cool Today Park

18800 West Villages Parkway

Venice, FL 34285 

Phone:  941-413-5000

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

 https://www.visitvenicefl.org/st-patricks-day-downtown-2021

Let’s get into the Irish spirit on Wednesday, March 17th in historic downtown Venice! Wear something green (so you don’t get pinched) and come downtown for music, beer and fun at participating stores and restaurants. Masks are strongly encouraged to keep this a safe event.

DOWNTOWN ENTERTAINMENT

Miami Avenue West:

Abby’s on Miami– Music by Karen

West Venice Avenue:

Café Venice – George DeJong and Rick Aaron 5-8pm

Daiquiri Deck– Nick Sperry and Forrest Shafer 12-3pm; Geoff Ramsey 4-8pm

Made In Italy– DJ Scrappy

TJ Carney’s– featuring Irish dancers, bagpipers, and Ken McBride

Venice Wine & Coffee Company– Nick Sperry’s Yacht Rock Review 6:30-9pm

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

Atlanta Braves 2021 Spring Training Guide for Fans

https://tomahawktake.com/2021/02/11/braves-need-know-spring-training-dates-attendance/

By Jake Mastroianni Feb 11, 2021

We are just one week away from Spring Training starting for the Atlanta Braves. Use this as a guide for dates and attendance information. 

It’s been another long offseason for the Atlanta Braves who came up just short in 2020, and then fans had to wait three months for Alex Anthopoulos to make a big splash in free agency bringing back Marcell Ozuna.

But now the time has come, the trucks have left the station and are heading down to Florida to prepare for Spring Training.

Or at least, that’s the plan for now. With COVID, and the situation in Florida, things could change at any moment.

But here is what we know for now about how spring training will work for the Braves and fans.

Braves Report Dates:

Pitchers and catchers are expected to report at CoolToday Park in North Port, Fla. on Thursday, Feb. 18. Most likely they will actually arrive the day before to begin going through COVID protocols.

The team’s first full-squad workout will happen on Tuesday, Feb. 23.

Recently agreed upon health and safety protocols (paid subscription required) will make things a little different.

Spring training will be rolled out in three phases to help keep players and staff socially distanced.

The Roster

On Friday teams will need to announce the 75 players and staff members that they will be taking to Spring Training.

Teams can add and remove players to that list throughout, but can never exceed the maximum amount of 75 players and 75 staff members.

How Braves Games Will Work

Games early in spring training could be as short as five innings. From March 14 on games could either be nine innings or seven innings depending on the players available that day.

The league is currently working on a new schedule for spring training where teams in southeast Florida will exclusively play each other, while the east coast teams play each other.

 Ken Rosenthal Tweet, Feb8, 2021  "MLB in process of finalizing revised Grapefruit League schedule, placing teams in separate “pods” on east and west coasts of Florida, sources tell me and @MattGelb. West-coast teams in FL will play 28 games and east-coast teams 24, making up rest with intrasquad-type matchups."

Rosenthal followed up that tweet by saying that teams “will handle any adjustments necessary with tickets.”

So if you already had your spring training trip planned, you might want to reconsider.

Another thing to note for fans potentially attending games, the back fields will be off-limits. I know that’s a bummer as that’s where most fans usually go to get an up-close look at their favorite players and maybe grab an autograph.

Of course, as of now we don’t know if fans will even be allowed to attend spring training games. The way things are going in Florida I kind of doubt it, but I hope some fans are allowed in.

As we get more information with the updated schedule and fan attendance we’ll be sure to share that with you here at Tomahawk Take.

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

 

 

20 SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT VENICE FLORIDA

 https://www.mustdo.com/articles/20-surprising-facts-about-venice-florida/

Venice is tucked away 23 miles south of Sarasota in Southwest Florida. Voted one of the Top 10 Happiest Seaside Towns 2015 by Coastal Living, it has much to recommend it. See how many facts you know about this Gulf-front city. We think there are a few things that will surprise even life-long residents! 

Taking its name from its more famous Italian namesake, Venice Florida is a city on water. Separated from the mainland by the Intracoastal Waterway, this coastal city has several bridges and is often called “Venice Island”.

The VMA (Venice Museum and Archives) has over 30,000 photographs, exhibits, and archives housed in the Triangle Inn, built in 1927.

Settled in 1870s, the City of Venice was incorporated in 1927. Homes and businesses featured Italian-style architecture to create a charming model community.

Venice is one of just three cities in Florida that is on the water but does not have any barrier islands.

Calusa Indians were probably the first residents in the Venice area. These Native Americans lived in Florida over 12,000 years ago. Their shell middens provide important historical evidence for archaeologists. In the 16th century, Florida was occupied by the Spanish, although much of the southwest coast was an unchartered, mosquito-infested wilderness.

Frank Higel is considered the “Father of Venice”. He suggested the name Venice as the area has a striking likeness to the famous canal city in Italy. The area was previously called “Horse and Chaise” due to a tree formation that resembled a horse drawn carriage.

Roberts Bay is named after Richard Roberts who established a homestead in the area in the 1870s.

Venice is the home of the only professional School for Clowns in the world!

During World War II, the 27th Service Group relocated from Tampa and established the Venice Army Air Base in 1942. After the war, the air base was acquired by the city.

Don’t miss a visit to the Venice Centre Mall which has a fascinating past. It was once a classroom for the Kentucky Military (around 1932) and later operated as a hotel.

Venice City covers 16.6 square miles of which 1.4 square miles (8%) is water.

Photo credit Chris L. Smith

The original Venice Pier was built in 1966 and was washed away in a nameless storm in July 1981. It was rebuilt from swamp timber in 1984 and was again rebuilt in 2004 using wood fiber composite. The pier is 720 feet long, 22 feet wide, and 20 feet high. It stands in water up to 18 feet deep.

Boardwalk to Nokomis Beach. Photo credit Jennifer Brinkman

Venice has four main beaches: Venice Municipal Beach (the most popular); Nokomis Beach (home of the Drum Circle at sunset on Wednesday and Saturday evenings); South Browhard Beach (22 acres including a dog park) and Caspersen Beach (the longest beach in Sarasota County and famous for its shark teeth).

Venice Beach. Photo credit Justin Fennell

Brohard Beach. Photo credit Justin Fennell

The population of Venice has grown from 309 in 1930 to an estimated 22,465 in 2016.

Photo credit Debi Pittman Wilkey

Thanks to Caspersen Beach, Venice is known as the “Shark’s Tooth Capital of the World”. Many fossilized shark teeth wash up on the coastline of Venice and can easily be found by sifting the sand along the water’s edge.

Photo credit Debi Pittman Wilkey

The city of Venice has 12 structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These include Hotel Venice, Triangle Inn, Venice Depot, the Valencia Hotel and Arcade, and the Levillain-Letton House. It also has three listed historic districts: Venezia Park, Eagle Point, and Edgewood.

Venice Depot. Photo credit Justin Fennell

Hotel Venice opened in 1926 and was the first hotel in the city.

Venice Municipal Pier is a popular place for fishing. No license is required and there’s no admission fee. It’s open 24 hours a day and shark fishing is popular after dark.

Photo credit Chris L. Smith

The Venice Theatre is the largest community theater per capita in the USA. It has been a non-profit organization since 1950 and has an operating budget of almost $3 million.

Thanks to its historic preservation and the delightful palms, live oaks and trumpet trees gracing the downtown area, Venice has been designated a Florida Main Street City.

If you haven’t already visited Venice, go check out this unique and lovely city with its charming downtown architecture, cafés and shops. It’s a treat!

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179