REAL Exclusive Magazine

Are The Lights Going Out On Florida’s Charm?

By Ed Bertha

“Not One Florida Official Can Claim To Be Surprised By This Year’s Algae Crisis”
bullsugar.org

As early as January South Florida Water Management District officials warned that suspended bottom sediments in Lake Okeechobee, stirred up by Hurricane Irma and winter cold fronts, had spiked nutrient levels in the lake’s surface waters. So the lake started the year with unusually abundant food for algae. The other factors needed for major blooms–sunlight and warmth–are inevitable in South Florida.

But discharges are not inevitable. The US Army Corps of Engineers Lake Okeechobee usually draws down Lake Okeechobee to a target of 12-½ feet during the dry season to leave capacity for rain in the wet season. This year the Corps didn’t do that. Spokesman John Campbell told News-Press that the Corps held water in the lake because of a dry long-term weather forecast. The forecast was wrong, the swollen lake filled up with rainwater, and the only option to lower it was discharging the lake, now brimming with algae, to the coasts. Read More

Eskimo III

1958 Trumpy

For Sale

The Eskimo III, a sister ship to the Presidential yacht, the Sequoia was the third Trumpy commissioned by paper magnate, John Kimberly. The Eskimo III was delivered to Kimberly in 1958. A 68 model (64’ in length) she contained many innovative features not seen in Trumpys until a decade later. She’ll effortlessly cruise economically at 12-14 knots without a hint of shudder due to the power of her twin 871 Detroit Diesels and comfortably sleep 7 guests and 3 crew members, with all modern amenities. A 22.5 KW generator supplies the power, 4 A/C systems, including one for the fantail, provide the creature comforts.

Her structure consists double planked Mahogany (outside hull) and double planked White Oak (Inside hull). The hull was completely rebuilt/replaced and now contains 4 coats of bottom paint. Her bilges were scraped and cleaned, then their interiors finished off with Thompson’s Water Seal. 14 new brass “Thru Hulls” were installed and transom rebuilt. This took over 10 months at the renown Rybovich Shipyard in West Palm Beach, FL. Read More

All Faiths Food Bank

“Addressing hunger through assistance to those in need throughout our community”

All Faiths Food Bank is the hub of hunger relief in Sarasota and DeSoto counties and serves more than 66,000 neighbors in need through our member network. Since 1989, we are the only food bank serving Sarasota and DeSoto counties and have been a member of Feeding America since 1990. Our number one priority has always been to serve the most needy and vulnerable, including children, seniors, veterans, and those in crisis.

In 2016, the Food Bank changed its mission representing a shift in how we address hunger and an understanding that hunger is a health issue. Since then, AFFB’s new mission has been: Together with our partners, we provide healthy solutions to end hunger in our community. Read More

Christine Nicole

Exist In Portraits, Leave Your Legacy Behind!

By: Becca Towery

Photography By: Christine Nicole

Meet Christine Nicole! A wife, mother, fur baby mom, a best friend, and of course a Photographer. She loves to cook, travel, work out and going to the movies. Yes, buttered popcorn please!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and no one knows more about that than Christine Nicole, owner of Christine Nicole Photography. Her mantra, “Exist in portraits, leave your legacy behind.” When it comes to portrait photography, Christine is the best. Her ability to capture an individual’s or families’ life through the lens is magical. Read More

REAL La Dolce Vita

Tandoor

A Sacred Communion Nourishing Body And Soul

By Sandra Halliday

Photography by Sally Ullman

If you have that sudden craving for authentic and healthy Northern Indian cuisine in a relaxed and friendly setting where the dining experience is both an exotic journey and a feast fit for a king, then you’ve come to the right place at Tandoor. Named after a type of clay oven used in Northern India, the word immediately conjures up images of delectable slow-roasted meats and flat breads. Head chef and owner Poonam Maini believes that it is her destiny to serve mankind as a chef and as a restaurateur. Inspired by her father, who was a passionate cook, she learned all her culinary techniques from her parents. Straight from the cookbook of Poonam and her family, all the dishes at Tandoor are based on time-honored traditional family recipes. Aromatic herbs and spices are specially selected for both their flavors and for their Ayurvedic healing properties. Read More

Architect Ralph Twitchell –

The Making Of A Sarasota Legend

By Norm Luppino

Ralph Twitchell’s name is best associated as being the “Father of the Sarasota School of Architecture”. He is also noted for having practiced with two of the nation’s most renown 20th century architects. The first was with prominent New York’s society architect Dwight Baum, whose credits in Sarasota include John and Mabel Ringling’s Ca’ d’Zan and the Sarasota Courthouse. In the late 1940’s, Twitchell teamed with Paul Rudolph, who went on to become internationally famous as one of world’s most acclaimed modernist architects during the 1960’s and 70’s.

Throughout his career, which spanned six decades, Twitchell designed some of the area’s most prominent buildings and structures, including the Lido Beach Casino, the layout for St Armands Circle, and many custom residences primarily on Siesta Key. As Dwight Baum’s apprentice, he was the on-site architect for Ca’ d’Zan during its construction. Read More

Two Steps to Clearing Space

By Laurel James

Do you feel like you have some breathing room every day to stop and take a moment to collect your thoughts? Do you have spaces in your home that are clear of clutter to unwind and just be?

Making time to stop and just be, is the first step. It gives you time to clear your mind, hear the essence of your inner self and focus on what you do want. Stop and take breathing time for you self each day. Breathing is the foundation of our dwelling place. Take several deep breaths and let your busy details of you lives go. Relax into your environment. Have no agenda for this moment of time. Sit, listen and feel the quiet. Even if thoughts are running through your mind, that’s okay. Just breathe. It will help to clean and clear you mind.

Think of clearing your mind as going to the “Peaceful Mind Gym” at a specific time for a certain number of times each week. Read More

SNEAKER Mania!

Sneakers are acceptable footwear pretty much anywhere, from a polished day at the office to a slinky, sexy night at the bar.

By Becca Z. Towery

Ladies “we’re never, ever going to say goodbye to Sneakers as they are everywhere, everyday shoes.” So treat yourself to a couple of fabulous pairs this summer and walk the Sarasota streets in REAL Style! Take note – this year we are benching our beloved white sneaks in favor of fashionable-approved tennies. After fashion week, it’s clear that the top 2018 sneaker trends are anything but basic. Between “ugly” dad sneakers, refreshing pastels, and the reboot of the retro gum sole, we wouldn’t want to be caught dead in plain white low tops.

Here are 6 Sneaker Trends every fashion girl will be wearing in 2018. These six styles have built up some major hype from sneakerheads and Instagram stars alike in only two short months. Read More

Hair Accessories

By Sheila Venancia

Hair accessories come in lots of different shapes and sizes. Many are great for securing your hairstyles, some are a good way of getting your bangs off your face, and others just work as hair adornments. Try what suits your look the best.

Jaw Clips
Jaw clips come in a range of sizes, so you’re likely to find one suitable for your hair’s length. Closer spaced teeth mean they’re more suitable for finer hair types. Mini jaw clips are a great way of separating pieces of hair. These work best for casual occasions, like when you’re running a few errands.

Snap Clip
Snap clips are good for securing pieces of hair that are any type and texture. Snap clips are really for casual looks, because they’re basically about securing layers or pieces of hair that would otherwise fall out of a ponytail or half up/updo. Read More

Welcome! To Our Summer Real Estate Buyers

By Patricia Tan

Just as our tourism market is becoming less seasonal, so too is our real estate market. The gap is narrowing between the number of transactions closed as a result of our winter seasonal visitors, and transactions closed during the steamy summer months.

No sooner have we waved goodbye to our winter residents and visitors, then we start to greet summer tourists who come to sample our sunny shores. We hope they will stay a while and enjoy the Florida lifestyle. Many of our summer visitors will be from other countries, particularly European nations where the tradition of a long summer holiday persists. Walk around St Armand’s Circle and listen to the many different languages being spoken – French, Italian, Spanish, German, Norwegian, Swedish and Portuguese to name a few. Many of our international visitors will enjoy their time here so much, that they may look to purchase a home they can use for future vacations or retirement. Read More

Are You Thinking Of Selling Your Home?

By Lori Collins Rodriguez and Helaine Giddens

Seller Beware!
Reasons FSBO are a BAD Idea!

Homeowners obviously know their homes better than anyone, but that doesn’t mean they’re the best salespersons for their properties.

Some sellers are tempted to try a For Sale by Owner (FSBO) transaction because their local community is in the midst of a sellers’ market and they think they can sell easily without help. Others try the FSBO route because they want to maximize their profits and avoid paying a commission to a Realtor.

However, statistics show that selling your home with the assistance of a professional real estate agent will garner you a higher profit, enough to cover the commission as well as put more money in your pocket. According to the National Association of Realtor’s 2017 Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers, the average FSBO sales price was $190,000, while the average price for a home represented by an agent was $250,000, a difference of $60,000! Read More

The Emerging Trends In Retail And Commercial Real Estate

By William Henry, PhD

The keynote addresses delivered by retail and commercial real estate experts at the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) annual RECON conference in Las Vegas last month can be boiled down into three major themes:

1) The oversupply of single purpose retail space is causing the repurposing of large underperforming retail properties to other uses

The United States has the highest amount of single purpose retail space in the world. Per recent census numbers, for every man, woman, and child, the US has more than twice the retail space per capita than any other developed country. Read More

3 Reasons A Balanced Life Is A Better Life

At Work And At Home, Success Depends On Finding Equilibrium, Stroke Survivor Lumbie Mlambo Shares

Life sometimes can seem off kilter as responsibilities mount and people plow all their physical and mental resources into what seems to be the most pressing crisis of the moment.

But Lumbie Mlambo says that’s a good time to take a step back. Everyone has the potential to shine in life’s darkest moments, but the key to achieving goals and an overall better existence is to maintain a balance so that one aspect of your life isn’t consumed by another.

While some people might say balance in life is an impossible goal, she disagrees and says when each of us find our equilibrium, we become more productive and a greater asset to our communities. Read More

John & Denise Saputo

Gold Coast Eagle Distributing

The King & Queen Of Beer For Charity

Cover Photography By James Corwin Johnson

The numbers just get bigger every year: 450 golf tournaments, 1,400 external events, 250 corporate events, 50 yacht excursions.
ALL FOR CHARITY

There’s no other business in the Sarasota/Manatee area, and beyond, impacting so many people’s lives, in so many ways.

Meet the owner of Gold Coast Eagle Distributing, John Saputo. He’s a third-generation beer wholesaler. John was 8 years old when he first began is the beer business, working for his grandfather’s and father’s distributorship in Michigan, sweeping his way up through the ranks.

Venturing out on his own, in 1977 he purchased his first distributorship in Raleigh, NC. A series of distributorships later found him and his family in Sarasota when he purchased Gold Coast Eagle Distributing in 1996. And as they say, the rest is history. Read More

Casey Key Gulf To Bay Private Listing

Your Hidden Oasis

By Brad Ayres

This phenomenal estate offers a 75-foot unobstructed deeded beach easement for both viewing, and toes in the sand experiences. Watch the dolphins play as the sun sets over the horizon; you may just see the fabled green flash.

To the rear of the home you will find a day dock suitable for your recreational and angler needs. This well protected cove leading directly into Dryman Bay offers the perfect docking area while prepping for the adventures to come. Read More