03/09/2023 ISSUE 10

At this time last year, Sheriff Eric Flowers was reeling amid the public exposure of his hypocrisy: He got caught having an extramarital affair only 13 months after telling his deputies to hold their oaths of office sacred, as if they were marriage vows. Now, the Sheriff’s Office is in crisis – with two members of Flowers’ command staff suddenly retiring, and two County Commissioners with extensive police backgrounds considering a run to replace him in 2024. News 1-14 Arts 47-55 Books 42 Dining 78-81 Editorial 40 Games 43-45 Health 57-71 Insight 35-46 People 15-34 Pets 56 Real Estate 83-96 Style 72-75 March 9, 2023 Volume 16, Issue 10 Newsstand Price $2.00 TO ADVERTISE CALL 772-559-4187 FOR CIRCULATION CALL 772-226-7925 Celebrity Chefs serve up memorable Vero dinner. P76 ‘Sew’ much fun at Quilt Show. P26 Vocal support for School Board pair on ‘hit list.’ P14 ‘Brew and Wingfest’ aces taste test. P16 © 2023 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved. For breaking news visit Is it possible that Susy Tomassi’s body had been submerged in the mangroves near the Oslo Road boat ramp for the past five years? Could the massive search that ensued after the 73-yearold woman’s high-profile disappearance in March 2018 simply have missed her? How did her body get there? Sheriff’s detectives hope to get answers to those questions and others after a fisherman found skeletal remains about 150 yards north of the boat ramp last Friday. According to a Sheriff’s Office statement, detectives believe the remains belong to Tomassi – who was last seen behind the Publix at U.S. 1 and Oslo Road – because of jewelry and other personal items located near the site. As of Monday afternoon, however, the identity of the Three from Vero are hoping to be named to bench Remains found may be those of missing woman Three local Vero lawyers were set to be interviewed this week among a field of nine Treasure Coast residents hoping to gain the governor’s favor, and an appointment to the bench in the 19th Judicial Circuit. Three of the applicants are men and six are women. One reports assets worth more than $1 million; another is still burdened by nearly $300,000 in student loans. Longtime beachside criminal defense and divorce attorney Jeff Battista, who joined the Grall Law Group after his former law partner Nicole Menz was appointed to replace Joe Wild as County Judge, has applied for a sixth time to become a judge. In addition to his private practice, Battista serves as a hearing officer for traffic cases. Battista, 52, was born in Pennsylvania and has lived in BY LISA ZAHNER Staff Writer BY RAY MCNULTY Staff Writer CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 New COVID-19 infections here were down 25 percent this past week, decreasing from 98 cases to 73 cases, according to the Florida Department of Health. But COVID Plenty of people are worried about the real estate market right now. But Premier Estate Properties agent Lange Sykes told Vero Beach 32963 he “is wildly bullish on the future of Vero Beach real estate,” especially on the barrier island. He sees 2023 as similar to 2013 – a time when the real estate market still felt shaky in the wake of the Great Recession and dramatic decline in BY STEVEN M. THOMAS Staff Writer BY LISA ZAHNER Staff Writer CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 Covid cases down, hospitalizations up Third-generation realtor ‘wildly bullish’ on island market hospitalizations here doubled. “We have 12 COVID-positive patients in-house, one of which is in intensive care,” said Cleveland Clinic spokesperson Erin Miller on Monday. Florida remains among the top five states for the number BY RAY MCNULTY Staff Writer Sheriff’s crisis deepens amid cracks in inner circle PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS MY VERO

2 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ of total daily cases, and for greatest number of daily cases in relation to population. But statewide, in terms of hospitalizations per capita for COVID illness, Florida ranks pretty well with a declining statistic of seven hospitalizations per 100,000 residents. The worst state for hospitalizations this week is Delaware with 21 hospitalizations per 100,000 residents, followed by Maine, Washington, D.C. and North Carolina with 15 people hospitalized per 100,000 residents. So far, the predicted “tripledemic” of COVID, Influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus has not materialized this winter. Influenza outbreaks across Florida have been declining, and the number of flu cases statewide is rated as low this week. Some areas of the country are still battling high levels of influenza, however, including California, New MexNEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 New COVID infections down

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 3 working to rise to their lofty and wellpaid positions. Deputy Chief Lonnie Rich, 52, was the third-highest-ranking member of the Sheriff’s Office when he turned in his retirement papers last week, one month after Captain Pat White, 46, did the same. “Two guys in those positions? At their ages? That’s unusual,” Loar said of the upper-echelon departures. “That’s a sign of something.” It’s a sign that at least some members of Flowers’ inner circle have lost faith in his judgment and ability to effectively lead the agency. The embarrassing headlines – along with others connected to two controversial shootings by his deputies, an interview in which he inexplicably told a TV reporter where his agency’s school resource officers store their AR15 rifles on campus, and getting pulled over for driving a car with stolen license plates – have all put a considerable dent in his credibility. Multiple sources familiar with situation inside the Sheriff’s Office said several of Flowers’ top deputies now NEWS CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 ico, New York and Washington, D.C. Though Indian River County remains in the “green zone” in terms of the impact of COVID illness on the community, statewide 51 out of Florida’s 67 counties are, to some degree, worse off. A pocket of 10 counties in rural North Florida remains in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s High COVID Community Level category, and another pocket of counties on the west coast of Florida spanning from the Tampa-St. Petersburg area to Lakeland and Winter Haven is in the Medium COVID Community Level category. Next week marks three years since the federal “Fifteen Days to Slow the Spread” initiative was announced, and Indian River County saw the closing of bars, nightclubs and gyms. Masks were not recommended for the average person at first – not because they weren’t effective, but because of the dire shortage of personal protective equipment for doctors, nurses and other medical personnel. Later on, public health officials at every level of government recommended masks for nearly everyone. Masks were required for entry into many buildings, on public transportation and for kids to return to school, creating much controversy among those opposed to masks. Today, it’s rare to see anyone locally practicing social distancing, or wearing a face mask, except in a medical facility that requires donning a mask upon entry. One of the last places to require masks, Hong Kong ended its indoor and outdoor mask mandates on March 1. As island residents plan their spring and summer travel, Covid hot spots around the world in terms of daily cases per capita include Australia, France, Portugal, Iceland, Greece, Germany, Austria and South Korea. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 My Vero Neither Deryl Loar, who served three terms as sheriff before retiring from law enforcement in early 2021, nor Joe Flescher, a former New York City cop and Indian River County deputy, was ready to commit to such a campaign. Both, though, said this week they are deeply concerned about the increasing turmoil and lack of leadership in the Sheriff’s Office. In the past month, two members of Flowers’ command staff – two of the sheriff’s most-trusted confidants in the agency – suddenly decided to retire after spending lengthy careers

4 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ see him as “damaged goods” and “unelectable,” which is why they have abandoned him and begun searching for someone they can endorse in the 2024 sheriff’s race. Some have approached Flescher, who won a fifth term as county commissioner in November. Others have reached out to Loar, who is four months into his first term on the commission. If either entered the race, he would immediately become the favorite to win – something Flowers surely knows. As of Monday, Flowers hadn’t yet filed to run for re-election, but he announced last year in a news report that he would seek a second term. The only candidates in the race when the week began were Fellsmere Police Chief Keith Touchberry and 2020 candidate Deborah Cooney. There’s no reason to believe Flowers would back away from either of them. But would he risk almost certain defeat against Loar or Flescher, knowing only one commissioner will run and likely will have the support of the other? “Looking at who’s in the race now, I don’t like the alternatives – so, yeah, I’m considering it,” Flescher said. “I haven’t committed to anything yet. I haven’t finalized any plans. I haven’t pulled any papers. “But being in my position, it’s very difficult to sit back and watch what’s NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 My Vero DISCLAIMER: Information published or otherwise provided by Premier Estate Properties, Inc. and its representatives including but not limited to prices, measurements, square footages, lot sizes, calculations and statistics are deemed reliable but are not guaranteed and are subject to errors, omissions or changes without notice. All such information should be independently verified by any prospective purchaser or seller. Parties should perform their own due diligence to verify such information prior to a sale or listing. Premier Estate Properties, Inc. expressly disclaims any warranty or representation regarding such information. Prices published are either list price, sold price, and/or last asking price. Premier Estate Properties, Inc. participates in the Multiple Listing Service and IDX. The properties published as listed and sold are not necessarily exclusive to Premier Estate Properties, Inc. and may be listed or have sold with other members of the Multiple Listing Service. Transactions where Premier Estate Properties, Inc. represented both buyers and sellers are calculated as two sales. Cooperating Brokers are advised that in the event of a Buyer default, no commission will be paid to a cooperating Broker on the Deposits retained by the Seller. No commissions are paid to any cooperating broker until title passes or upon actual commencement of a lease. Some affiliations may not be applicable to certain geographic areas. If your property is currently listed with another broker, please disregard any solicitation for services. Copyright 2022 Premier Estate Properties, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Your Trusted Advisor for Vero Beach Luxury Real Estate 772.234.5555 675 Beachland Boulevard OUR INCOMPARABLE GLOBAL NETWORK 726 RIOMAR DRIVE $3.295 Million Info:www.V263499.com Lange Sykes 772.234.5034 1025 ANDARELLA WAY $2.749 Million Info:www.V250160.com Brown I Talley 772.234.5148 941 ISLAND CLUB SQUARE $1.01 Million Info:www.V266675.com Nancy Hardy 772.257.7454 503 RIVER DRIVE $6.25 Million Info:www.V266057.com Brown I Talley 772.234.5148 925 BAY OAK LANE $4.995 Million Info:www.V263814.com Lange Sykes 772.234.5034 745 LAGOON ROAD $4.55 Million Info:www.V266550.com Bob Niederpruem 772.257.7456 548 Conn Way $1.995 Million Info:www.V266428.com Brown I Talley 772.234.5148 PremierEstateProperties.com Explore More Of Our Exceptional Vero Beach Collection

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 5 happening to our Sheriff’s Office,” he added, saying he has noticed a “marked change in the sheriff and in the direction of the Sheriff’s Office,” as well as an “erosion of morale” within the agency. “I’m not seeing the energy, involvement and accountability the people of this county deserve from their sheriff.” Flescher also questioned Flowers’ ability to serve as sheriff while coping with the fallout from his affair, which has produced divorce proceedings. “I thought he could separate the personal life from his public responsibilities, but it’s obvious he can’t,” the longtime commissioner said. “Just look at how he’s handling this situation with Pat White’s retirement party. He’s getting too personal about the personnel.” The sources, who agreed to speak only on the condition of anonymity because they feared retaliation from Flowers, say he already has lashed out at deputies, including Rich, for their behavior at the party. Not only did White suggest that he might run against Flowers, but many of the deputies there embraced the idea and uttered unflattering remarks about the sheriff. Rich, in fact, was suspended with pay only days before he retired. Documents provided by the Sheriff’s Office did not include a reason for the suspension, but sources said it was related to Rich authorizing use of an agency helicopter to give White a ride to his Fellsmere home after his last day on the job. NEWS DISCLAIMER: Information published or otherwise provided by Premier Estate Properties, Inc. and its representatives including but not limited to prices, measurements, square footages, lot sizes, calculations and statistics are deemed reliable but are not guaranteed and are subject to errors, omissions or changes without notice. All such information should be independently verified by any prospective purchaser or seller. Parties should perform their own due diligence to verify such information prior to a sale or listing. Premier Estate Properties, Inc. expressly disclaims any warranty or representation regarding such information. Prices published are either list price, sold price, and/or last asking price. Premier Estate Properties, Inc. participates in the Multiple Listing Service and IDX. The properties published as listed and sold are not necessarily exclusive to Premier Estate Properties, Inc. and may be listed or have sold with other members of the Multiple Listing Service. Transactions where Premier Estate Properties, Inc. represented both buyers and sellers are calculated as two sales. Cooperating Brokers are advised that in the event of a Buyer default, no commission will be paid to a cooperating Broker on the Deposits retained by the Seller. No commissions are paid to any cooperating broker until title passes or upon actual commencement of a lease. Some affiliations may not be applicable to certain geographic areas. If your property is currently listed with another broker, please disregard any solicitation for services. Copyright 2022 Premier Estate Properties, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Your Trusted Advisor for Vero Beach Luxury Real Estate 772.234.5555 675 Beachland Boulevard OUR INCOMPARABLE GLOBAL NETWORK 726 RIOMAR DRIVE $3.295 Million Info:www.V263499.com Lange Sykes 772.234.5034 1025 ANDARELLA WAY $2.749 Million Info:www.V250160.com Brown I Talley 772.234.5148 941 ISLAND CLUB SQUARE $1.01 Million Info:www.V266675.com Nancy Hardy 772.257.7454 503 RIVER DRIVE $6.25 Million Info:www.V266057.com Brown I Talley 772.234.5148 925 BAY OAK LANE $4.995 Million Info:www.V263814.com Lange Sykes 772.234.5034 745 LAGOON ROAD $4.55 Million Info:www.V266550.com Bob Niederpruem 772.257.7456 548 Conn Way $1.995 Million Info:www.V266428.com Brown I Talley 772.234.5148 PremierEstateProperties.com Explore More Of Our Exceptional Vero Beach Collection CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

6 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach for 23 years. He graduated in the top 3 percent of his class from West Virginia University with a degree in accounting, then went on to earn his Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida Levin College of Law with a 2.88 grade point average. Admitted to the Florida Bar in 2000, Battista joined the State Attorney’s Office here that same year, after working as an intern in Gainesville’s State Attorney’s Office during law school. After four years as a criminal prosecutor, Battista went into private practice. During the past five years, 93 percent of Battista’s practice has been trial law at the state circuit level. He estimates 84 percent of his cases have dealt with family law, while 5 percent have been criminal cases. Assistant State Attorney Robert “Robby” Stone Jr., son of former State Attorney Bob Stone and a former partner with his dad in the Stone and Stone law practice, is hoping to join his sister Robyn Stone on the bench. Robby Stone currently serves as a felony prosecutor at the State Attorney’s Fort Pierce office. Admitted to the Florida Bar in 2014, Stone earned his undergraduate degree from Indian River State College, then went on to Barry University School of Law, where he graduated in the lower fifth of his class. Stone, 41, reported spending 90 percent of his time over the past five years on criminal defense, with the balance of his caseload being family law. Assistant State Attorney William “Bill” Long, who during the pandemic took over running the Indian River County operations of State Attorney’s office, also is seeking the judicial appointment. Long was born and raised in the St. Petersburg area, relocating to Indian River County in 2009 after graduating from Stetson University College of Law in 2007, where he also served as a teaching assistant. He addressed head-on his regret about graduating law school 86th out of a class of 87 with a 2.26 grade point average. “It is not lost on this applicant that my law school rank and GPA may raise concern. I stand ready to address any apprehensions about this component of my education. Put simply, I did not apply myself either in the manner I was then capable of, or as I would if placed in that same academic setting today,” Long said. Long started in the misdemeanor division of the State Attorney’s Office in Certainly, the cost to taxpayers and the potential liability associated with allowing a civilian to fly in a Sheriff’s Office helicopter was worthy of investigation. But would Rich have been suspended if his once-close relationship with Flowers hadn’t deteriorated? For the record: Flowers did not respond to an email seeking comment on and explanation for Rich’s suspension, the retirements of Rich and White, and the impact of their departures. Flowers also offered no comment on the deputies’ remarks directed at him during White’s retirement party. Apparently, Flowers did not attend the gathering and was told of the remarks later that night. Sources said he began making phone calls at 7:30 a.m. the next day, and the retaliation against those the sheriff believes betrayed him soon followed. More disciplinary measures against other deputies were expected this week, when Flowers was scheduled to reorganize the upper tier of his 500-employee agency. The fact that Flowers was blindsided by these remarks, however, is as alarming as it is telling: Had the sheriff beNEWS The Finest PreOwned Rolex Watches Le Classique Jewelers and Watchmakers Every Rolex Watch comes backed with our 1 year Warranty. All Rolex Service and repairs are done on premises. Prices Upon Request 3001 Ocean Drive # 105, Vero Beach, FL 32963 772-231-2060 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 My Vero CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 19th Judicial Circuit come so detached that he didn’t know he had lost the confidence and trust of members of his command staff? More than one source said Flowers was now “so alone at the top” that he has begun repairing his fractured relationship with Captain Milo Thornton, who he demoted from deputy chief last year in a feeble and transparent attempt to discredit a potential challenger in the 2024 sheriff’s race. Rumors about Thornton running continue to buzz – he was the highestranking black law enforcement officer in the county’s history – but he has not filed and declined comment on any political aspirations or his relationship with Flowers. Sources close to Thornton, though, said he would not run against Loar and, instead, would enthusiastically support the former sheriff’s candidacy. But will Loar run? Two weeks ago, he shrugged off growing rumors that he plans to run in 2024, saying, “Unless something catastrophic happens, I don’t see it.” Now he’s saying he has “given it consideration.” Clearly, Loar and Flescher are seeing something they don’t like in our seemingly leaderless and dysfunctional Sheriff’s Office. Maybe something catastrophic. CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

8 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ 2009, moving up to the felonies one year later, and eventually to major crimes in both St. Lucie and Indian River counties. He still manages a large felony caseload along with his administrative duties as “attorney in charge” at the downtown Vero Beach courthouse office. Six applicants for the job live outside Indian River County, as the 19th Circuit also spans St. Lucie, Martin and Okeechobee counties. Though newly retired Judge Dan Vaughn served much of his 32 years on the bench in Vero Beach, he first served as a St. Lucie County judge as he lives in St. Lucie County. Donna Eng is the most experienced of the six applicants from outside Indian River County, with nearly 26 years as a trial lawyer. Since being board-certified in appellate work in 2015, Eng has tried more than 250 appeals cases. After graduating from Florida State University with a 3.8 grade point average, she earned her Juris Doctorate from NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 19th Judicial Circuit

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 9 Loyola University School of Law, finishing in the top 20 percent of her class. Now a senior associate at the Stuart law firm of Mrachek, Fitzgerald, Rose, Konopka, Thomas and Weiss, P.A., Eng has served for three years as an Assistant State Attorney in Broward County, an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Florida in West Palm Beach and as a law clerk in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida. Maryellen Farrell, 40, a Palm Beach County native, works as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Florida at the West Palm Beach courthouse. Admitted to the Florida Bar in 2012, Farrell graduated ninth in her class with a 3.67 grade point average at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School at Western Michigan University, then graduated at the top of her University of Florida School of Law class with a 3.57 grade point average. After law school, Farrell clerked at the Fourth District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach where Vero cases go if they are appealed. NEWS CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

10 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach financial advisors M. Paul Massey and William Romans, whose felony cocaine possession charges were diverted to the county’s Drug Court after their May 2022 arrest, have started their own firm and are back doing business in Vero. Romans and Massey both pled “no contest” in September and, upon successfully completing a year-long program of drug testing and court appearances, the two former Raymond James senior vice presidents would have their charges dismissed. Massey, 47, and Romans, 46, were fired from Raymond James following their arrests for “‘conduct inconsistent with professional conduct policies,’ according to Form U5s the company filed,” the AdvisorHub trade publication reported. While they subsequently joined Wedbush Securities based in California, in July they formed Massey Romans Capital, LLC, in Vero Beach and through that LLC filed paperwork as registered investment advisers with the Securities and Exchange ComCONTINUED ON PAGE 12 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 19th Judicial Circuit Brennan Keeler, 41, a Hobe Sound resident and 33-year Floridian, works as general counsel for the Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association. Admitted to the Florida Bar in 2010, he earned his undergraduate degree from Boston University, and graduated in the top third of his class from the Florida State University College of Law. Keeler’s 13 years of experience includes three years as an assistant state attorney, three years as a staff attorney with the City of Port St. Lucie, six months as a Guardian ad Litem program attorney and three months as assistant county attorney for the Martin County government. Assistant State Attorney Anastasia Norman serves as a major crimes prosecutor in the State Attorney’s Fort Pierce office. Norman, 40, graduated in the top 10 percent of her class at Stetson University School of Law. She’s tried more than 150 cases since being admitted to the Florida Bar in 2007. Norman submitted an impressive set of recommendation letters from both the Martin and St. Lucie County sheriff’s, as well as from retired Assistant State Attorney Lev Evans. Assistant State Attorney Rubi Prieto Dial has worked as a criminal prosecutor in Okeechobee County since 2017. Admitted to the Florida Bar in 2016 after working her way through school, in law offices and at nonprofit organizations, Dial graduated from the Florida Coastal School of Law, the University of Central Florida and Indian River State College. Dial has practiced criminal trial law exclusively and managed a huge caseload, but the defendants she prosecutes rarely go to trial. Her career record is 17 jury trials, two bench trials and 2,653 cases resolved by plea. Already a General Magistrate in the 19th Circuit, Lillian Ewen may be the stalking horse of the field. A John Carroll Catholic High School graduate, Ewen earned high marks at Wake Forest University. She graduated from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2008 with a 3.0 grade point average, then returned to UF to earn a master’s in business management with a 3.59 grade point average. While a student, Ewen worked as a Deputy Clerk with the St. Lucie County Clerk of Court, and as an intern with the Rossway Swan Tierney Barry & Oliver firm in Vero Beach. In addition to being a longtime Realtor, Ewen served for 12 years as a staff attorney in the 19th Judicial Circuit Appellate Division. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Skeletal remains found remains, which had been transported to the regional Medical Examiner’s Office in Fort Pierce, had not yet been confirmed. Sheriff Eric Flowers said in the agency’s statement that the Tomassi family has requested privacy until more information becomes available. It’s unknown, however, how much detectives will learn from the skeletal remains, given how long Tomassi had been missing and how long her body had been submerged in the mangroves. The Sheriff’s Office dispatched a helicopter, K-9 and marine units, agricultural units on all-terrain vehicles, a SWAT team, detectives, and patrol deputies within an hour after she was reported missing. No clues were found. Tomassi was in the early stages of dementia when she walked away from the Quilted Giraffe restaurant, which she owned with her husband Patrick, in the late afternoon of March 16, 2018. Video evidence appeared to show she was headed south through the South Vero Square shopping plaza, then east toward the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area, where her husband said she often would walk to smoke cigarettes. Detectives believed she might’ve been abducted, but they had no leads to pursue – until October 2019, when they received surveillance video that shows Tomassi getting into a white pickup truck at the exit of the shopping center about an hour after she wandered away from the restaurant. Detectives say the video shows the truck, after Tomassi got in, heading east on Oslo Road, toward the boat ramp before turning around and speeding west toward U.S. 1 only a few minutes later. “This enhances our speculation of foul play,” then-Sheriff Deryl Loar said at the time. While it’s possible the truck driver merely offered to give her a ride and innocently dropped her off somewhere, it seems unlikely – especially since police never heard from the driver during the intensive search for the missing woman. “I believe whoever was driving that truck did something bad to her,” Greg Farless, the detective initially assigned to the case, said then. “We know she walked the plaza, turned left at the Pizza Hut and was almost to the conservation area when she ran into the stopped truck,” Farless explained. “You can’t really see it, but I believe he said something to her as she walked behind the truck. “I say ‘he,’ because I believe a man was driving the truck.” Farless, though, said he believed Tomassi was still in the truck when it returned from the boat-ramp area and sped toward U.S. 1. The video was the detectives’ last lead in the case – until last Friday. When Tomassi disappeared, she had no access to money, other than the watch and jewelry she was wearing. Tomassi’s husband subsequently closed the Quilted Giraffe, which has been razed and replaced by an emergency medical facility operated by the Fort Pierce-based Lawnwood Regional Medical Center. ‘Fresh start’: Island financial advisors back in business after cocaine arrests BY CASEY STAVENHAGEN Staff Writer After the interviews, the Judicial Nominating Committee will select those who they feel are best qualified and forward those applications to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who will make the final appointment from the committee’s nominees.

12 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Romans and Massey, told 32963 he planned to enter not-guilty pleas. These pleas were entered in June. Regarding the change of plea to no contest, Metcalf, who now only repre - sents Romans, said diversion programs are common as a means to end the risk involved in a trial. Massey and Romans have attended seven drug court appearances under Judge Robyn Stone as of press time and appear to be in compliance with the program, which includes drug treat - ment and peer group meetings. “Not everyone qualifies for these programs. It requires substantial com - mitment,” Metcalf said. “It is a program that most lawyers are going to recom - mend to minimize risk; that should not have any bearing on whether they’re guilty, not guilty or in between.” mission in December. The SEC’s In - vestment Adviser Public Disclosure database notes the still pending drug charges against both men. When called for an interview, Massey and Romans referred Vero Beach 32963 to Ed Moed, CEO of New York-based PR and marketing agency Hot Paper Lan - tern. After initially agreeing to arrange an interview, Moed several days later said, “I think the guys are probably go - ing to pass for right now. Main reason is they are under some confidential - ity agreements, so they really can’t say much at this point. “I do think they do want to have a conversation, and I think as we get to - wards late spring or early summer is probably good timing,” Moed added. Moed, who said he’s been working with Massey and Romans for last cou - ple of months on their firm’s commu - nications, said: “They are doing really well. The firm has taken off. They’d tell you themselves, they’re growing and it was kind of a singular incident way back when. For them, this is a fresh start. They’ve moved on.” Massey Romans Capital’s Miracle Mile office location has no outside sig - nage and shares a street address with a Bank of America branch. The pair’s charges stemmed from a traffic stop in which Sheriff’s Office arrest reports say Massey and Ro - mans were passengers in a blue Chevy pickup truck driven by a third man. Police say a search of the truck yield - ed a pill bottle found near Romans’ feet that had Massey’s name on it and contained approximately 11 grams of cocaine, with a street value of nearly $2,200. Massey and Romans were also charged with misdemeanor posses - sion of drug paraphernalia. The pickup truck’s 50-year-old driv - er does not appear to work in the firm, as he listed his occupation as “labor - er” when booked into the jail, but he attended Vero Beach High School at the same time as Massey. Records say he told police he’d been at a friend’s house and had about six or seven Bud Lights prior to the traffic stop, but refused to perform a roadside sobriety test. Police say they found a plastic bag with .52 grams of cocaine in the driver’s wallet, plus one empty alcohol container of alcohol, one par - tially empty container, a rolled-up dol - lar bill and a black straw with white residue inside in the vehicle. The driv - er was charged with his third DUI in addition to drug possession. His case was also diverted to drug court. Initially following their arrests, lo - cal criminal defense attorney Andrew Metcalf, who preliminarily represented NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 Financial advisors property prices that began in 2008. Then as now, people were worried about the strength of an uncertain re - covery and fearful about what the fu - ture might bring. Those fears were unfounded. Between the first quarter of 2013 and first quarter of 2020 – just prior to the pandemic real estate boom that exploded between fall 2020 and sum - mer 2022 – property values in Florida increased by 70 percent, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. So, even before the pandemic boom – a once-in-a lifetime anomaly un - likely to return – property prices in Florida had a great run. “That same opportunity is here again, right now, and I am encouraging my cli - ents to acquire property,” Sykes said. “Savvy investors who anticipate rath - er than follow the market are quietly in - vesting in Vero Beach luxury real estate as we speak as a hedge against inflation, and I believe their property acquisition now will realize a great future return on investment,” Sykes said. “The safety and security of our town, the understated elegance we have, the low population density, sound local government and stunning natural en - vironment ... are drawing population growth to Vero Beach as a whole. Buyers feel confident investing in our commu - nity, as they should.” Sykes is not a Pollyanna. He sees the same market challenges that every - one else sees but believes that – de - spite headwinds and short-term fluc - tuations – powerful forces supporting price growth here remain in play and will prevail in coming years. “Over the past two months, activ - ity in the high-end Vero Beach luxury market confirmed what we began to CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Bullish on island real estate

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 13 NEWS experience last year,” Sykes says. “The market has shifted from a strong sell - er’s market to a buyer’s market. “Nevertheless, it is still an ideal time for sellers to list their properties during this high selling season, with the influx of buyers from Miami, the Northeast, California, Canada, Europe and South America flocking to Florida in general, and more specifically to our barrier is - land. There is demand for real estate in Vero Beach. “During the pandemic, there was rapid [price] growth during a 24-month period that normally would have taken 10 to 15 years. That level of activity just cannot sustain itself and we are expe - riencing a normal cooling-off period that actually is very healthy in order to avert a major correction later on.” Sykes sees what is happening now – with low inventory, moderating prices and decreased sales volume – as a mi - nor correction, the market “taking a breather for the next year or so,” and believes this lull presents an opening for smart investors. “Florida as a whole is a magnet for the ultra-wealthy and those seeking a quality lifestyle and a tax advantage,” he says. “That hasn’t changed.” His assessment is backed up by in - dustry sources. Almost a third of high-net-worth “in - vestors are looking at property invest - ments to provide an inflation hedge and diversification” in 2023, according to The Wealth Report, an in-depth an - nual publication produced by Douglas Elliman and Knight Frank. That includes 32 percent who plan to increase their holdings in residen - tial real estate. The report goes on to state that the sunbelt, where Vero Beach basks hap - pily, was the leader in price apprecia - tion in the U.S. last year, with “wealth preservation, hybrid working and early retirement themes supporting resort markets.” Of course the steep increase in is - land home prices over the past cou - ple of years is one reason some have doubts about future price apprecia - tion. Sykes doesn’t agree. “Even though prices and carrying costs are up here, due to insurance and higher interest rates, an outsider, some - one from South Florida or from a hightax state in the Northeast or California, looks at values here in conjunction with the quality of life we have and can’t be - lieve what a great value it is,” he says. “From an investment standpoint, when one compares the cost of acqui - sition of property here and the lifestyle it affords, compared to other markets in Florida, we have tremendous value-add.” Sykes has a strong vantage point on the Vero Beach market that makes his opinion worth serious consideration. He is a third-generation island resi - dent and realtor whose grandmother, Esther Stroud Paxton, started her ca - reer selling property in New York before moving to Riomar in 1969. Here, she joined Alex MacWilliam as an agent, selling homes on the barrier island un - til she was 86, according to Sykes. His mother, Carolyn Lange, joined MacWilliam as an agent in 2003 and con - tinues her successful career there today. Lange Sykes grew up on the island – swimming, surfing, boating and watch - ing his mother and grandmother list and sell houses, listening in on the de - tails of deals and hearing about market ups and downs before heading off to Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif. There, while surfing between classes, he met and struck up a friendship with Chris Cortazzo, who is generally known as “the king of Malibu real estate.” Com - pass, where Cortazzo hangs his hat these days, says that he sold $1 billion worth of property in 2021 and has a life - time total of $8 billion in luxury sales. “As Chris and I became friends, I was afforded the opportunity to see how business and best practices at that level were conducted. I came to understand the profile and mindset of the ultrawealthy,” Sykes says. Sykes moved back to Vero in 2009, got his Florida real estate license and went to work alongside his mother at Alex MacWilliam, where he says he re - ceived “additional guidance on ethical business practices.” In 2020, he moved to Premier Estate Properties, which sells homes priced at $1 million and up exclusively. “I knew immediately that Premier Estate Properties was exactly the right plat - form to springboard my luxury real estate career, and the last three years have borne that out,” says Sykes. “As a third-generation Vero Beach native and Realtor, as well as a for - mer vice mayor, Lange Sykes has al - ways been committed to making a difference within his community,” Joe Liguori, co-owner of Premier Estate Properties, told Vero Beach 32963. “Lange’s ongoing success as a luxury estate specialist in Vero Beach, which is deeply rooted in his homegrown perspective, has thrust him into the very top tier of real estate profession - als nationally.” “I have been at this long enough now to have sold the same properties mul - tiple times and to have the children of earlier clients be my clients now,” Sykes said. “What we have here in Vero Beach and on the barrier island is extremely valuable and unlike anything else any - where in the country, in my opinion. “The more uncertain the outside world, the more precious our quality of life becomes. I don’t have a crystal ball, but everything in my gut tells me the future of Vero Beach is very bright.”

14 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Community leaders are stepping up to defend School Board Chair Peggy Jones and School Board Member Brian Barefoot after Gov. Ron DeSantis targeted the former Sebastian River High School principal and the former Indian River Shores mayor for electoral defeat in 2024. Local NAACP President Tony Brown, School Board Vice Chair Teri Barenborg and former School Board member Mara Schiff were among those who rallied around Barefoot and Jones last week, after they were included on DeSantis’ list of 14 Florida school board incumbents who, according to a Fox News report, didn’t protect parents’ rights and did not shield students from “woke” ideologies. The report stated the hit list was compiled after the governor’s aides met with Republican leaders in the Florida Legislature and representatives from the Moms For Liberty, an ultra-conservative group co-founded by island resident and former county School Board member Tiffany Justice. “Today, it is Dr. Jones and Mr. Barefoot, but don’t close your eyes,” Brown said in an impassioned speech during the public-comment segment of a sixhour School Board meeting attended by more than 100 people last week. “Tomorrow, it might be you.” Brown was among more than a dozen local residents who spoke in support of Barefoot and Jones at the meeting, where Moms’ members were noticeably outnumbered by attendees who voiced opposition to the governor’s actions. Some of them said DeSantis’ collaboration with the Moms had put public education in Florida “under attack.” Many in the room booed the group’s local chair, Jennifer Pippin, as she addressed the board and endorsed the governor’s targeting of Barefoot and Jones. Pippin argued the two board members violated state law and DeSantis’ executive order when they voted to impose a temporary, on-campus mask mandate during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic – and that the Moms were merely “holding our elected officials accountable.” Barefoot said he continued to receive “a lot of support,” especially from Republicans around the state, in the days after the list was made public. He said many of the people who have contacted him share his concern that “public education is under attack and, in general, deteriorating” – because it has become too politicized. “It has become very partisan, and as a result, we’re seeing an absence of civility in discussions among people with different points of view,” Barefoot said. “And the teachers and administrators are caught in the middle.” Barefoot, a lifelong Republican who was surprised to learn he was on DeSantis’ list, said he spoke with one of the governor’s aides last week, and she told him she will get back to him this week. Jones, meanwhile, said she, too, has been hearing from supporters who have assured her that they would “be there for her” in 2024. Asked if she has received any negative responses from anyone other than backers of the Moms group, she replied, “Not one.” Schiff, who served one term on the board and decided last year to not seek re-election, expressed empathy for the embattled board members during her turn at the public-comment podium. A rare Democrat elected to countywide office here in recent years, Schiff did not flaunt her political leanings from the dais. She often voted with Barefoot and Barenborg – both longtime Republicans – and Jones, who was a Republican until changing to noparty-affiliation status after she was elected to the board. Schiff cited “constant accusations” and “blatant attacks” from others with “limited information, and awareness of laws and policies,” adding that the job is too often made less appealing by “others who think they can and should tell citizens of Indian River County how to think and how to vote.” She called DeSantis’ list a “blatant usurpation of local control and an expansion of government interference in local decision making,” and she said county voters should be able to select their representatives “without interference and propaganda from the state.” Schiff closed by telling Barefoot and Jones: “It’s unconscionable that you should have to suffer these attacks from the governor and others, and I, for one, support and value you for your impartial, unbiased and apolitical work.” Barenborg didn’t address DeSantis’ list during the meeting, but when reached by phone last week, she heaped praise on Jones, a career educator, and Barefoot, who was a wildly successful investment banker and served as president of Massachusetts’ Babson College. “Peggy and Brian are two of the most professional people I’ve ever served with on any board or committee,” Barenborg said. “Their reputations are above reproach, and their knowledge and backgrounds in education is a benefit to our school district. “They are the type of School Board members our community deserves.” Cindy Gibbs ran against Rosario for the School Board’s District 2 seat and lost, but she remains an advocate for public education and spoke flatteringly of Jones and Barefoot at last week’s meeting. She called Jones, the board chair, a “shining star” who has served in public education for decades and is “always for kids – all kids, every kind of kid – and for families and teachers.” As for Barefoot, Gibbs noted his “decades of business experience” and said she was “sad that he hasn’t been able to really use that experience here” because the board has been forced to waste time on culture-war issues rather than focus on improving education. “There are so many people in this room,” Gibbs said, “that are so tired of this nonsense.” NEWS Vocal support for School Board pair targeted by DeSantis BY RAY MCNULTY Staff Writer

CAR COLLECTORS’ FAVORITES A MCKEE TREASURE TROVE P. 30 Judy and Bob Miller.

16 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 PEOPLE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Royal Palm Pointe was overrun by fans of craft brews, chicken wings and family fun during the 11th annual Florida Craft Brew and Wingfest hosted by Sunrise Rotary Vero Beach. Prior to the big day, sponsors had been feted at a VIP event at the Vero Beach Outlets, where they enjoyed a BBQ dinner and had the chance to look under the hood of several Strickland Auto Racing cars. Gray skies loomed the morning of the Brew and Wingfest, but seemingly by the sheer will of the collective Rotarians, it turned out to be a beautiful day with the last of the season’s cooler weather. Attendees enjoyed live music from stages at both ends of the Pointe as they made their way from one end to the other, nibbling on a wide variety of delicious wings from 16 competitors and washing them down with more than 200 craft beers, ciders and sours. Rotary Ladies sold pretzel necklaces to cleanse palates between tastings. Wing variations included everything from traditional barbecue and Buffalo to mango habanero. The restaurant Pepper and Salt embraced the essence of the Wingfest by using Orchid Island’s Indian River Grapefruit IPA to create their El Chefe’s wings. A panel of judges assessed the wings on presentation and taste, ultimately selecting Cap’s Pizza as the First Place winner in the Restaurant division. Big Shots received the Spirit Award. The Source won the Peoples’ Choice Award and took First Place in the Independent Chef division for Mo’s Famous Wings. The sweet jalapeno and pineapple sauce was in memory of Maureen Archer, the beloved assistant executive director of the nonprofit, who died unexpectedly last year – a fitting tribute to the sweet and spicy powerhouse. The afternoon held other amusements, including a wing-eating contest won by Parrish Lore and Root Beer tastings for the little ones. Organizers estimated that more than 10,000 people enjoyed the day, which raised money to support the many Sunrise Rotary projects. “We do this for the satisfaction that the community gains from our volunteer efforts. The Wingfest is a short event, but it is impactful,” said Arthur Sunrise Rotary’s ‘Brew and Wingfest’ again aces taste test BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF Staff Writer Linda Scott and Lisa Fortunato Lewis. Phyllis Parks and Katie Reader. Jacqui Worthley and Pam O’Donnell. Lonnie Strickland, Janie Graves Hoover and Tarik Kawi. Marty Lewis, Tracy Carroll, Arthur Hodge and John Carroll. PHOTOS: JOSHUA KODIS & STEPHANIE LABAFF Tori and Stephen Hume. KIrk and Kat Funnell. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

PEOPLE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 17 Hodge, adding that it took some 150 volunteers to pull off the massive event. Fulfilling their motto “Service Above Self,” Sunrise Rotary members support youth, environment and education programs by lending a hand and providing funding for projects and programs. Among them, the Little Wonders program at the Environmental Learning Center, the Rain Garden at Citrus Elementary School, books for students in the school district’s Pre-K program, laptops for Little Birthday Angels, food for the Fellsmere Fridge project, and support for St. Francis Manor, Ocean Research Conservation Association, Coastal Connections and LaPorte Farms. At the international level, Sunrise Rotary is helping to bring clean water to residents of the Dominican Republic by providing water filters and building aqueducts. Sunrise Rotary members meet Wednesdays at 7 a.m. at the Riverhouse. For more information, visit SunriseRotaryVeroBeach.org.

18 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 PEOPLE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Ken Symanski, Rocky Phelps and Alex Alexander. Nikki Williams and Jim O’Connell. Lindsey Weixler and Devin Giles. Lisa Fortunato-Lewis, Kaden Simmons, Kai Simmons and Melanie Fortunato. Bree Burris, Sam Luke and Lauren Paquette. Mia Forsman, James Schnell and Eric Forsman. PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16

PEOPLE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 19 Kristy and Matthew Ellison. Skye Carbone and Joe Cavaliere. Kathryn Kalnes and Ginny Leamy. Katie Cook and Raymond Thomas. Jackson and Liam King. Kiaran Kabat and Katie Gordon. Mark and Heidi Kluis.

20 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 PEOPLE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Guests showed a whole lot of love for the less fortunate at an elegant Valentine Ball at the Oak Harbor Club to benefit United against Poverty of Indian River County. It was their first ball since 2020, and the stylish crowd was more than eager to reconnect and support the nonprofit. Welcoming everyone, UP CEO Gwendolyn Butson said the generous sponsors and gala committee had underwritten the cost of the event, so all contributions raised that evening would directly fund UP programs. Matt Tanner, UP executive director, acknowledged the hard-working UP staff and said 2023 marks their 20th anniversary. “Which means that for two decades now, United Against Poverty has been transforming lives and lifting families out of poverty. That’s an incredible amount of time,” said Tanner, adding that there had been some highs and lows over those 20 years. “But I can tell you with certainty that we would not be standing here tonight celebrating the impact and success that we have as an organization, if it wasn’t for each and every individual in this room tonight.” After commenting on their committed and invested board of directors, Tanner paid tribute to the “irreplaceable” Amy Patterson, recognizing her passion, persistence, patience and sense of humor, before presenting her with the United Against Poverty Hand Up Award. Tanner said their Success Training Employment Program has grown and evolved since its 2016 launch. Power of love for the needy evident at UP’s Valentine Ball BY MARY SCHENKEL Staff Writer Alexandra Nuttall and Lynn Miller. PHOTOS JOSHUA KODIS Paul and Maxine Gallagher with Barbara Butts and Pam Harmon. PHOTOS, STORY CONTINUED ON PAGES 22-25

PEOPLE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 21 John and Robin Brienza. Jane McNulty Snead with Peter and Kjestine Bijur. Mark and Cindy Galant.

22 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 PEOPLE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ “Every single year since that launch, we’ve had an opportunity to work with over 100 incredible adults in the community who came to us ready to transform their lives and change their career pathways,” he said. Over each of those three-year pathways, he said, staff supports the graduates as they grow, develop, thrive and ultimately lift themselves and their families out of poverty and into economic self-sufficiency. “And without fault, every single year, there’s always a handful of those graduates who end up impacting our lives more than we probably have a chance to impact theirs. And that’s because we have a chance to have a proximity to their energy, to their light, to their amazing stories of overcoming incredible obstacles,” said Tanner. He introduced STEP graduate Bruce Tye, who shared that he had grown up in an abusive home and spent time in prison. “The poverty that somebody talked about was the story of my life. There was no hope,” said Tye, who came to Vero in 2021.

PEOPLE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 23 United Against Poverty and the STEP program gave him a sense of purpose and the skills needed to become selfsufficient and employed. “I’m grateful for this opportunity, and I’m grateful for the trajectory that STEP has pointed me towards. And that trajectory is up,” said Tye. “We are the largest social service agency in the county,” said longtime board chair Barbara Lowry, adding that UP serves some 750 people a day. She said it costs almost $3.5 million a year to maintain the level of programming and services they provide. However, as UP is not eligible for any county or state funding; they rely solely on philanthropic gifts and grants. Other UP services and programs include the Member Share Grocery Program, Crisis Care and Housing Assistance, life skills workshops, job and GED preparation, and specialty skill training. Collaborative partnerships with other agencies provide additional on-campus resources. For more information, visit UPIRC. org.

24 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 PEOPLE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Terrie Divine, Tanya Divine and Sandy Divine. Michael Beechem and Susan Kamer. Brooks and Malorie Robinson. PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGES 20-21

PEOPLE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 25 Becky and Herb Torbin. Mark and Karan Morein. George and Elke Fetterolf. Sandra and Francis Papineau. Tashan and Yani Kilkenny. Deborah and Ed Simmons with Amy Patterson. Richard Schlitt, Debbie Brenner and Paul Gallagher.

26 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 PEOPLE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Fiber artists showcased their talents with a colorful display of more than 200 quilts at the Vero Beach Quilt Guild – Sunbonnet Sue Quilt Show, held at the Indian River County Fairgrounds. “We turned the Quilt Show over in 11 months, so that was a big undertaking,” said Cindy Baron, show cochair with Diane Miller. While Vero Beach shows are generally held on the odd year, they held their 2021 show in 2022 due to COVID and are now back on track. The fairgrounds have already been booked for the next show, Feb. 6-8, 2025. A complex art form that spans thousands of generations around the world, quilting has experienced a resurgence in recent years. “We’re finding a lot of new, younger folks interested in quilting and fiber art, which is stunning to us. I think they’re trying to find peace in their lives, and this is a peaceful thing to do. It’s meditative,” said Miller. “I think COVID had a lot to do with it also, bringing back old-fashioned values and trying to keep the art alive,” said Baron. Proceeds from items sold in their Boutique Booth benefit a different charity each show and this time it was Shining Light Garden, which grows and donates food to feed the hungry. Because the nonprofit also gives flowers to places such as nursing homes and the Hospice House, the guild held a Floral Quilt Challenge, where each 20-inch by 20-inch wall hanging featured a floral interpretation. Those pieces were judged by Beth Sweet of Sweet Time Quilting and Diane Titherington from Shining Light Garden. Quilters who wished to could have their other pieces judged by a professional show judge. Categories included small, medium and large sized pieces, various sizes of appliqued and mixed techniques, miniature, wool quilted with batting, wool only, abstract/art and block of the month. This year’s Best of Show was “Moorea” by Martha Dallesandro. New this year was a Youth Fabric Textile Art category. The guild had invited high school students to participate and the quilts from six students at Masters Academy who accepted the challenge were on display. Additionally, Vero Beach fiber artist Susan Rienzo brought a selection of her remarkable abstract and pictorial art quilts, and Judith Kratts created the beautiful “Potted Petals” Raffle Quilt, and a Tiny Quilt Exhibit and Sale of 36 pieces, with proceeds from both to benefit the guild. “She purchased a book and did every miniature inside the book. And then she just turned around and donated them to the quilt show to sell,” said Miller. The nonprofit guild will use those funds to craft and donate items, such as placemats, fidget quilts and teddy bears to some 15 local charities and the Sheriff’s Victims’ Advocate Unit, and Baron said they have just started making covers to put over isolettes in neonatal intensive care units. The guild meets Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon at St. Augustine Episcopal Church parish hall, and quilters of all levels are invited to join. Quilt Show sees surge in interest from young fabric artists BY MARY SCHENKEL Staff Writer Cindy Baron and Diane Miller. PHOTOS JOSHUA KODIS PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

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28 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 PEOPLE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Keirsten Gallegos with Laura Riddle and Annette Riddle. Karen Egan and Phyllis Gardiner. Mary Anne McMillen and Minnie Vasquez. Carol Strawderman and Willie Gettys. Rose Gaines, Kit Shappie and Cheryl Reed. PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26

PEOPLE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 29 Marilyn Pacheco and Joyce Belfour. Jo Wigington and Wendy Bernstein. Liz Locke and Peggy Stoll.

30 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 PEOPLE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Gavin Ruotolo and John Stefanacci. PHOTOS JOSHUA KODIS Katie Jackson and Joe Rossmann. McKee’s Motor Car exhibit: A transportation treasure trove

PEOPLE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 31 Joan and Tom Creech. Carolyn and Charles Duncan. Carol and Don Hubbs. Mitch Henderson, Kynleight Owens, Brenden Smith and Shirley Henderson. Scattered throughout the lush vegetation of McKee Botanical Garden, visitors were treated to a one-day display of unique antique, vintage and modern cars at the 14th annual Motor Car Exhibition, this year themed ‘Car Collectors’ Favorites.’ Owners had selected more than 40 cars and assorted motorcycles from their private collections to showcase and were on hand to answer questions from the crowds of car enthusiasts who stopped by to admire the vehicles. Owners are encouraged each year to bring something different to ensure that there is always something new to see. While there, visitors also enjoyed the Garden of Glass Exhibition, featuring remarkable one-of-a-kind glass orchids, waterlilies and other plants crafted by master glass artist Jason Gamrath, which will be on display through April 30.

32 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 PEOPLE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Passports were not needed by the roughly 200 guests who came to enjoy the international culinary delights featured in Wine & Dine, an aroundthe-world food and wine pairing evening at the Grand Harbor Clubhouse to benefit the Hibiscus Children’s Center. This year’s event was co-chaired by Carole Casey and Jan Harrell, whose hard-working committee had also pulled together an impressive assortment of auction items that filled tables along the two hallways leading to the dining room. Music for the evening was provided by four talented students from Vero Beach High School, headed by Sam Moss. Grand Harbor Executive Chef Joe Ferro and his exceptional staff presented a progressive buffet featuring dishes at various food stations, each paired with a selection of wines to complement the delicious cuisine. Among them, a spectacular Spanish seafood paella in an enormous pan, a Californian style salad bar, assorted Italian pasta and juicy Argentinian steak. Pastry Chef Tim Blouin outdid himself with a selection of Hawaiian desserts, including a pineapple baked Alaska, and a pineapple bombe starring pineapple ice cream covered in hard chocolate. To showcase the delectable desserts, Shain Rodrigues, Grand Harbor’s assistant general manager, had even set up a backdrop of movie shots of Hawaii that played on a screen behind the tables. Like all events hosted by the ladies of the Hibiscus Guild, the goal of their fundraising efforts is to improve the lives of teenagers, ages 13 through 17, living in Vero’s Hibiscus Children’s Village. Once the victims of child abuse, neglect and abandonment, the teens at the village live in safe, secure, family-style homes where they receive counseling, recovery and educational support. Longtime guild member Suzanne Bertman spoke passionately about several of the residents of the village who had been removed from their parental homes by child protection services and are now sheltered and cared for in their Hibiscus home. To prepare them for the time when they will live on their own, once they age-out of the system at age 18, teens at the village are taught to develop life skills and are given job readiness training. Additionally, on-site internships are provided in graphic design and culinary skills through the Hibiscus Career Pathways to Independence program. The funding they raise at events also enables the women of the guild to provide extras for the residents, such as birthday parties with gifts, Christmas presents, and clothes for proms and other special occasions. Their next fundraiser is the Springtime in Paris-themed Blue Ribbon Luncheon and Fashion Show, April 5 at the Oak Harbor Club. For more information, visit HibiscusChildrensCenter.org. Exquisite ‘Wine & Dine’ benefits Hibiscus Children’s Center BY MARY SCHENKEL Staff Writer Liz Crowther and Sally Pearse. Linda and Mel Teetz. PHOTOS JOSHUA KODIS PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

34 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 PEOPLE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Robin and Brenda Lloyd. Barbara Ruddy, Dr. Bill Cooney and Gerri Smith. Jim and Jean Kelly. Shane and Debra McCain. Lyndsey and Jad Shalhoub. David Huber with Nancy and Jay Hoder. PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33

36 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ INSIGHT COVER STORY Every spring, the sweet smell of citrus blossoms permeates the air on the Estes family farm in Vero Beach. The family has grown and harvested citrus on this land for more than a century. “The smell used to filter into town,” the farm’s third-generation owner Cody Estes says, smiling. But despite their heritage and deep connection to the industry, Estes doubts he’ll ever plant another citrus tree in the groves. Eventually, his family’s plan is to leave Florida’s $6.5 billion industry to invest in a new, imported crop, much as citrus was before European colonizers brought the Asia-derived fruit to North American shores. Anything else he puts in the ground, Estes says, will be a tree called pongamia. With disease threatening their crops, farmers in Florida aim to meet adversity with ingenuity – even if that may mean leaving a storied tradition behind. The citrus industry, long a defining symbol of Florida, is facing an existential crisis due to a plant disease that arrived in the state in 2005 and has spread to affect 80% of the orange groves. In 2004, Florida had an estimated 7,000 growers. Today, there are about 2,000. If the latest estimates hold, the state’s current growing season will yield 61% less fruit than last season, partly due to hurricane effects. The Estes family’s most productive trees have been cut down and burned. Back at his office, Estes leans back in a chair and crosses his hands over his chest. Years after the arrival of what’s called citrus greening disease, “we reCitrus Expert Peter McClure stands underneath a pongamia tree in a Florida orchard.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 37 INSIGHT COVER STORY ally don’t have a good answer,” he says. What he does have is a willingness to adapt. He and other farmers aim to chart a path of ingenuity that can keep agriculture – and its livelihood for workers – in the state. To do that, a first step is to prove that new crops like pongamia fulfill their promise. In 2005, Michael Rogers felt the citrus industry shake beneath his feet. Rogers, director of the University of Florida’s Citrus Research and Education Center, was sitting in a meeting with a large citrus processing company when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. A text from a colleague read, “It’s here.” Mr. Rogers texted back, “What’s here?” The colleague replied, “HLB.” Huanglongbing, or citrus greening, has been documented in China for at least a century, but it hadn’t reached the Western Hemisphere’s shores until 2004, when it was recorded in Brazil – the world’s leading citrus producer. Prior to greening’s arrival, the pathogen was so feared that the U.S. Department of Agriculture classified it as a potential bioterrorism weapon that STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 38 Scientists have been exploring ways of combatting the disease known as citrus greening.

38 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37 INSIGHT COVER STORY could be used against the nation’s agricultural sector. “The alarm bells were rung very loudly,” Rogers says. “It’s like one of those moments where everybody knows where they were when they heard the news.” In the ensuing years, some headway has been made in understanding the role of bacteria in citrus greening. Growers rethought fertilization techniques, as well as how – and when – they irrigate crops, with water pumps that have features such as moisture sensors. In the estimate of Jim Hoffman, Estes Citrus’ production manager and an industry veteran of two decades, the fight against greening’s effects has made more efficient farmers through their increased attentiveness to the health of groves and new technologies. “We’re more purposeful with our resources,” Mr. Hoffman says. “We’re farming smarter.” Ideas for new crops have arisen as farmers try to keep the land in use, such as blueberries, cotton, alfalfa, eucalyptus, and sugar beets. Polk County citrus growers Henry Hooker and his sister Deborah Hooker partnered with the HBCU Florida A&M University and Green Earth Cannaceuticals to grow legal hemp. But pongamia carries the most promise so far, says Peter McClure, whose family’s roots in Florida citrus date to the seedlings his great-grandparents planted in Orange County in 1868. McClure is also the chief agriculture officer at Terviva, the California startup helping lead pongamia’s commercialization through partnerships with farmers like Mr. Estes. In India, Australia, and parts of southeast Asia, pongamia grows wild as it bears little beanlike pods that, in India, are crushed and used for lamp oil. Terviva hopes to corner the tree’s American market; their plan, use it for biofuel production, fertilizer feedstock, and a more sustainable alternative to soybeans for protein. Like citrus, pongamia grows in Florida’s unforgiving sandy soil. Unlike citrus, though, pongamia is mostly pestresistant, has a lower cost of production, is drought-resistant, and can withstand wet conditions, and it requires minimal inputs. In fact, it requires a fraction of the irrigation necessary to keep citrus trees healthy. And unlike labor-intensive citrus, the pongamia can be harvested using a mechanized shaker. It’s also how Estes and McClure found themselves working together. Just like citrus soared in the economic boom that followed World War II, they envision a potential pongamia boom today, helping to meet the rising demand for climate-friendly agriculture. “With pongamia, we have a different A University of Florida citrus researcher holds an orange affected by citrus greening disease. PHOTOS BY JOSHUA KODIS AND TERVIVA

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 39 INSIGHT COVER STORY confluence of factors,” McClure says of their goals. “Huge numbers of people in Asia are becoming affluent. When you become affluent, you want more protein.” McClure adds, “North America’s plowed up. Asia’s plowed up. To feed the next 3 billion people, you’d have plow up the Amazon and Africa, which isn’t a good idea. That’s where pongamia comes in.” Estes’ pongamia groves are four years or so away from production. They expect the trees’ output to max out as a mature crop around the time each tree reaches its eighth year. The pongamia crop “holds the promise that we can continue farming, provide for our families, and leave a gentle footprint on the land,” says Hoffman, the Estes Citrus manager. In September, Hurricane Ian rolled over southwest Florida, surging with 4 feet of water into homes in North Fort Myers. It also affected citrus farmers in Desoto, Hardee, and Polk counties though dodging Indian River County. Some crops were reported as a total loss – a severe blow to an already struggling industry. Government can only aid their industry for so long. Measures like a box tax that funds research about citrus greening may help. If nothing else, some farmers hope to find an alternative so they can pass the land along to family, rather than sell the land to developers that will pave it over. As his children grew up, Estes steered them away from the family citrus business, because it’s so difficult to make a living. But he wants to keep their land alive for his grandchildren. He hopes they’ll follow him into pongamia. Citrus equates to family for Estes. Asked whether removing the citrus trees his grandfather planted 45 years ago feels like a turning of the page, he takes his time. A sly half-smile sneaks across his face. “I often wish that he was still here to debate some of the issues,” he says. “It takes decades to have enough experience to know what you think will work, and it’s not something you can just learn from a book – or learn from a year or two of experience.” Estes opens the door of his truck and climbs outside. He’s standing in front of what, someday, will be the beginning of the farm’s pongamia grove. The trees are still young and shrubby. Estes looks at the trees and then back out at the dying groves around him. He puts his hands on his hips, turns around and says, “It just really feels like it’s going to work.” A version of this story appeared in the Christian Science Monitor Pongamia beans are harvested from trees. Florida citrus farmers have begun replacing their dying citrus orchards with the species.

40 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ INSIGHT EDITORIAL During the coronavirus crisis, our Pelican Plaza office is closed to visitors. We appreciate your understanding. By David Ignatius There are different ways of showing presidential courage. One is getting on a train to visit Kyiv in the middle of the war there. Another is picking up the phone and calling Xi Jinping at a time of sharply deteriorating U.S.-China relations. I know the objections. Xi will treat Biden’s outreach as a concession and a sign of U.S. weakness. The United States won’t get meaningful benefits. Xi’s ruthlessly self-interested regime will pursue its goals even more aggressively. And Europeans will think that they have a license to dicker with China, too. Reaching out to the Chinese leader wouldn’t win President Biden popularity points at home, either. So why should Biden signal that he wants to engage Xi now? The simple answer is that it’s the right thing to do, embodying mature global stewardship. The relationship between Washington and Beijing is near its lowest point in modern times, prodded by hard-liners in both capitals who seem to believe confrontation is inevitable. Confrontation might indeed lie ahead. But Biden was right last year to try to put a “floor” under this deteriorating relationship. At the Bali summit in November, Xi and Biden both seemed ready to reduce tensions and improve strategic stability. “I’m looking to manage this competition responsibly,” Biden said afterward. Xi similarly said: “As the leaders of these two great powers, China and the United States, we must play the role setting the direction of the rudder.” But the relationship has imploded since, because of bad Chinese policy, a bad U.S. response and just plain bad luck. The balloon overflight was an example of all three, and although it had little military or strategic importance, the fiasco collapsed the postBali diplomatic opening that would have sent Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Beijing – and might have set the ground for a Biden-Xi summit. Xi wanted the Blinken visit; that became clear with China’s semi-apology after its surveillance balloon was discovered drifting across the United States. Blinken canceled the trip, but he hoped to rehabilitate relations (and rebook his flight) in a meeting in Munich last month with Foreign Minister Wang Yi. But that, too, soured, partly because the United States decided to leak to its allies intelligence that China was considering sending weapons to Russia. With public warnings to China and Blinken’s private attempt to re-engage, U.S. diplomacy was moving in two directions at once, and not surprisingly, it went nowhere. Meanwhile, with “low confidence” but headline-making intelligence suggesting that covid-19 might have resulted from a lab leak, Washington has been experiencing a “perfect typhoon” that could swamp efforts at dialogue. So the desired floor under the relationship has now all but collapsed. The current focus of tension involves the U.S. intelligence reporting that China might supply Russia with ammunition to sustain its flagging war in Ukraine. U.S. officials believe that some leaders beneath Xi are wary of this doubling-down on Russia, seeing a stable relationship with the United States and its European allies as a better bet for China than backing a losing, escalation-prone Vladimir Putin. Officials tell me that China hasn’t sent the weapons yet; if it does, Biden will have to take sharp countermeasures. That’s why Biden should make that call to Beijing now – because we are on the lip of a significant further deterioration in U.S.-China relations. The audience would be China, and also the countries of the global south such as India, South Africa and Brazil that worry about increasing instability in a world where the United States seems obsessed with greatpower conflict but unable to cap rising tensions. It’s true that the Chinese calibrate U.S. strength. But appearing weak shouldn’t be such a worry for a United States whose military power dwarfs that of its rivals. Consider the array of U.S.-led power emerging in the Indo-Pacific: U.S. Marines are deploying forward to provide better leverage against any Chinese attack against Taiwan. A rearming Japan is deploying American-made Tomahawk cruise missiles. The Philippines is providing the United States with military bases close to Taiwan. Later this month, Biden will formally launch AUKUS, the major new Asian military alliance with Australia and Britain. These strong deterrence moves don’t preclude diplomacy, they enable it. Biden should close his phone call by inviting Xi for a face-to-face meeting. Such summits amid global tension are high-risk, high-reward. Some of President Ronald Reagan’s advisers thought he was nuts to meet with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Iceland in 1986. But the meeting was a positive inflection point. What should Biden propose as topics for a possible summit meeting with Xi, beyond the usual U.S. focus on crisis control and strategic stability? I’d suggest the two biggest challenges facing the two superpowers: A dialogue about artificial intelligence and other worldaltering emerging technologies, as former secretary of state Henry Kissinger has proposed; and discussion of an agreement for a “green energy” transition to save the planet from catastrophic climate change. Would a Biden-Xi meeting produce any meaningful results? No one can say. Is it worth a try? Absolutely. A version of this column first appeared in The Washington Post. It does not necessarily reflect the views of Vero Beach 32963.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 41 INSIGHT OP-ED Carmen Santos thought she might have lost her engagement ring in an Enterprise rental. The company looked for the ring, then sent her a $452 bill. Can it do that? QUESTION: I recently rented a car from Enterprise in Miami. While I was using the vehicle, I lost my engagement ring. I told an Enterprise employee about it, and he agreed to look for my jewelry. The next day, I called Enterprise to see if they had found the ring. An employee told me the ring was “a hazard,” and they would charge me for some repairs needed as a result of looking for it. Two days later, I found my ring at home. But I received a bill from the Enterprise claims department for $452 for damage done to the car while searching for it. I don’t think that was fair. I returned the car exactly as I had picked it up. Can you help? ANSWER: I've had plenty of cases involving renters damaging their cars. But this is a first for me: A car rental company charging a customer for its own damage. Enterprise's bill is interesting. It charged you almost $100 for "scanning" the vehicle. Then there's work to the glove box, the instrument panel and almost eight hours of labor. It looks like the car rental company took your rental apart in their search. I'm not saying these charges are bogus. But someone from Enterprise should have apprised you of the extra charges for looking for your ring. Unless you told the company, "Do whatever it takes to find the ring; I don't care about the cost" – which you didn't – Enterprise should have obtained your approval before tearing the car apart. Your case offers a lesson in the importance of effective communication. If you ask a company for something, make sure you get a price before it starts the work. If the price is right, try to get an estimate in writing. Otherwise, you could get broadsided by the final bill. You might have sent a brief, polite appeal to Enterprise in writing, noting that you did not knowingly order the work performed on the car. If the company insisted on charging you, then you could have appealed to one of the Enterprise corporate contacts I list on my website, Elliott.org. I contacted Enterprise on your behalf to find out more about your charges. The company said it would drop the $452 bill. Keep an eye on your engagement ring the next time you rent a car. Get help with any consumer problem by contacting Christopher Elliott at http://www.elliott.org/help BY CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT

42 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ The girl at the center of Donal Ryan’s exquisite new novel is born into animosity and grief. Her mother was ostracized for getting pregnant; her father was killed the day she was born. But from that cruel soil grows a life of unbridled joy and affection. Such is the abiding miracle of “The Queen of Dirt Island.” Here, in Ryan’s seventh book, unfolds the story of a small Irish village “that nobody’d ever heard of, tucked between a hillside and a lake.” That baby who arrives under such inauspicious circumstances is named Saoirse, which means “freedom” in Irish. Her distraught mother worries that “if she ever goes to America the yanks won’t have a clue how to pronounce it,” but she needn’t worry about that. County Tipperary will be Saoirse’s whole world. And it’s in such cramped geography that Ryan, one of Ireland’s best-selling writers, finds everything he needs to traverse the universe of the human heart. Fans of Ryan’s work will recognize this area and some of these characters from his previous novel, “Strange Flowers,” which was voted Novel of the Year by the Irish Book Awards in 2020. But Ryan has set his new novel apart by subject and structure. The paradoxical smallness of this place is aptly reflected in the form Ryan uses for “The Queen of Dirt Island.” The entire novel is presented as a series of two-page chapters – each about 500 words long. That constraint makes heavy demands on the narrative, but the effect for readers is a series of emerald moments. We encounter Saoirse’s life in finely cut anecdotes polished in the tumbler of her little home. Everything here feels utterly surprising and yet entirely inevitable. This is a realm of women. Men exist here, but they’re tangential, sidelined by their anger or their sorrow or their careless habit of dying. Saoirse’s mother – forever loyal to her late husband – raises her only child in a newly built bungalow in a small housing development. Saoirse can see that other children have fathers, but she doesn’t mind the difference. “Better to have a mother who smoked,” she thinks, “and wore sunglasses even when it wasn’t sunny.” And what a voice she has! “Most of Mother’s speech was indirect, utterances flung around like fistfuls of confetti, vaguely aimed and scattered randomly.” Although she won’t tell Saoirse anything about her past – “her secret other life” – that leaves plenty of room for the imaginative girl “to wonder and speculate and to draw inside herself vistas of possibilities, to build a castle of towers and battlements and to let it fill with all of Mother’s whispered ghosts, all the sorrowful mysteries of the world.” That may sound lonely, but there’s little loneliness in this house, where she’s “swathed and cosseted in love,” especially after Saoirse’s grandmother – “Nana” – moves in. This older woman, who loves with a “gruff constancy,” is an inveterate gossip and a born storyteller. Even before Saoirse knows what her grandmother is talking about, she can appreciate the older woman’s patter, which “felt like a stream of sparkling water that the sun was shining on so fiercely that you couldn’t quite see the stream itself but just the light off it.” Indeed, much of “The Queen of Dirt Island” is made up of Nana’s wild yarns, “like the one about the chickens and her first holy communion cardigan,” which involves a disastrous car ride of human vomit and bird poo. Many a night, Saoirse lies in bed imagining writing down these antics “so that everyone could read about the impossibly ancient world of Nana’s girlhood.” These stories could get precious if Ryan weren’t so attentive to the strains of violence and heartache running under the surface of the village. The same rumors that provide so much entertainment can suddenly turn vicious and wreck a home or snuff out a life. Ryan captures the despair that sometimes opens up under a young person with no more warning or explanation than a sinkhole; families are torn apart by greed; one of Saoirse’s beloved uncles gets snarled up in the Irish Republican Army; another marries an infertile woman driven mad by longing. As Saoirse grows older, she encounters disappointments, too. But she also becomes more selfconscious about the pleasures of storytelling. In fact, as the novel progresses, the act of recording and shaping family tales becomes central to the plot. Indeed, there’s as much implicit wisdom in these pages about how to live as how to write. In many delightful ways, this is territory well traveled by other great contemporary Irish writers, including John McGahern, Niall Williams and Claire Keegan. But Ryan has his own emotional range and a way of capturing the largeness of what look like tiny lives but aren’t – as when Saoirse notices her mother at a relative’s wedding and feels “a surge of sadness and love so strong that it winded her.” Reaching the last page, I had the same reaction. THE QUEEN OF DIRT ISLAND BY DONAL RYAN | VIKING. 244 PP. $27 REVIEW BY RON CHARLES, THE WASHINGTON POST INSIGHT BOOKS

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 43 INSIGHT BRIDGE YOU SHOULD OBEY THE RULE OF LAW By Phillip Alder - Bridge Columnist Once, when playing in a tournament in London and sitting North, I bid seven diamonds after a competitive auction in which our opponents had preempted us out of Blackwood. East sacrificed in seven hearts, whereupon West took the diamond ace from his hand, licked the back of the card and stuck it to his forehead! My partner, West, the kibitzers and I started laughing. East, properly keeping his eyes on his cards, wondered why. If a card is exposed during the auction, it becomes a penalty card, to be played at the first legal opportunity. There are some other possibilities, but they didn’t arise in this deal. Uncoincidentally, it also features the diamond ace. West’s bid of four no-trump was wild with 4=8 distribution. Then, when South bid seven diamonds, East couldn’t wait for his turn. He doubled and immediately led the diamond ace! South, realizing that seven diamonds was doomed, retreated to seven no-trump. Declarer was now permitted to stop West from leading a diamond! Smiling to himself, West selected the spade five. Expecting West to be 5=7 in the black suits, declarer tried to restrict his losses. He finessed the spade jack at trick one; then, with the aid of three finesses, he took four heart tricks. Next, South played a club to dummy’s king and cashed dummy’s spade ace and king. Finally, he led a club to the ace, preparing to concede down four, when something strange happened. East, being out of clubs, was forced to discard the exposed diamond ace! Dealer: South; Vulnerable: North-South NORTH A K J Q 9 3 9 8 7 4 3 K 9 WEST Q 7 6 5 2 — Q J 8 7 6 5 3 2 SOUTH 10 A J 10 4 K Q J 6 5 2 A 4 EAST 9 8 4 3 2 K 8 7 6 5 A 10 10 The Bidding: OPENING LEAD: 5 Spades SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST 1 Diamonds Pass 3 Diamonds Pass 3 Hearts 4 NT 5 Diamonds 5 Spades 6 Diamonds 6 Spades Pass Pass 7 Diamonds -- -- Dbl. 7 NT Pass Pass Pass

44 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ INSIGHT GAMES The Telegraph How to do Sudoku: Fill in the grid so the numbers one through nine appear just once in every column, row and three-by-three square. The Telegraph SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (MARCH 2) ON PAGE 80 ACROSS 1 Strength (5) 5 Comes down from cloud (5) 8 Scold; hard rock (5) 9 Indian rice (5) 10 On which papers sit (4-5) 11 I (3) 12 Fruit with many seeds in edible flesh (11) 15 Thorough (11) 19 Yours and my (3) 20 Other way around (4,5) 22 Brass instrument without valves (5) 23 Eddy (5) 24 In that place (5) 25 North African country (5) DOWN 1 Cleared away (liquid) (6,2) 2 Horse’s pace (6) 3 Destructive waves (8) 4 Insect; eavesdrop (6) 5 Agents (4) 6 Tropical lizard (6) 7 Tray on which to slide (4) 13 Friendly (8) 14 Hungry; retinues (anag.) (8) 16 Because of the possibility of (2,4) 17 Skilful (6) 18 Unusual cricket delivery (6) 20 Unit of electric potential (4) 21 Urn (4) Established 19 Years in Indian River County (772) 562-2288 | www.kitchensvero.com 3920 US Hwy 1, Vero Beach FL 32960

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 45 INSIGHT GAMES ACROSS 1 Up on things 6 Bee-deviled? 11 Smear 15 Cops having COs 18 Groundhog’s favorite painter? 20 See 124 Across 21 Northern sea bird 22 “The ___” (groundhog’s favorite song?) 24 The rocks 25 Adder relatives 26 Away from the wind 27 Do up 28 “So what else ___?” 30 Alcoholic’s affliction 31 Malicious hoaxes 34 Naturalist’s prefix 35 Org. for sharp students 36 Number 37 Conger mongers 40 Pt. of 4/1, calendar-wise 42 Up on things 45 Does the first show 48 Quick on ___ 51 Striver’s model 52 One pound sterling, once 53 Grier of Mars Attacks! 56 “There came ___ without reply” (Emerson) 57 Groundhog’s way of saying he’s a nonsmoker? 61 Had the rights to 62 Plop or plunk preceder 63 Move carefully 64 Eagles’ home 65 Targets of Eliot Ness’s ax 66 Some of a beach 68 Fish in a John Cleese comedy 70 Perjured oneself 72 M*A*S*H co-star 74 Mr. Arledge 76 Premeditate 78 Lea plea, perhaps 81 Between, poetically 82 Rueful groundhog’s comment? 86 Plane lane 88 Teacher’s advanced degree: abbr. 89 Prepare apples for a Waldorf 90 Close again, as a fly 91 Meantime 93 Alexander Pope forte 95 Jackson and Leigh 96 Kin of “hmmm” 97 White powder used in soapmaking 100 LeBlanc of Friends 101 Studio that made Suspicion 103 Pine or Ly follower 104 Like an October birthstone 108 Kitchen meas. 111 Film director Raoul 113 6,700-ton Cunard liner, familiarly 115 Take down ___ (humble) 116 Pennsylvania city 117 One of Cybill’s exes, on Cybill 118 “___ Groundhog” (his second favorite song?) 123 Pantagruel, to Gargantua 124 With 20 Across, a “current” college course: abbr. 125 Groundhog’s favorite car magazine? 126 Remnant 127 Waistband or window frame 128 A Muse 129 Big name in decaf DOWN 1 ___ of wind 2 Corrupts 3 Affected manners 4 Abbr. after Al D’Amato’s name when he was in office 5 Superlative ending 6 Bottom of a shoe, in Italian (or backward, a noted baseball family) 7 Less phony 8 Entreated 9 Japanese theater 10 1939 epic: abbr. 11 Vandalize 12 “___ in a storm” 13 Actor Tognazzi 14 UCLA player 15 It can get all wound up 16 Brownish purple 17 Bias, as results 19 Explosive-sounding Indian hemp plant 22 Pet rocks, once 23 Pitcher Hershiser 29 Followed 31 Electromagnet parts 32 Colonist of a sort 33 Subcmte. member, perhaps 36 Man and Superman author 38 Noticed 39 ___ Na Na 41 Derbies 42 Candle part 43 Unencumbered by employment 44 Go like lightning 45 Inning events 46 Film studios outside London 47 Tokyo’s old name 49 Call up, as an image 50 Tied the knot 52 It means “four” 54 Loss of the ability to write 55 With tai, a cocktail 58 Dustin in The Graduate 59 Whacked with a malacca 60 Tie (shoes) again 66 Dudley Moore-Mary Tyler Moore movie 67 Rose oil 69 Battery terminals 71 India, for one 72 Went for a pitch 73 San Francisco concert hall where Scorsese’s The Last Waltz was filmed 75 Be a prisoner of plastic? 77 Ethel’s friend 78 Labyrinth 79 Landed 80 Where edelweiss bloom 81 52 Down minus one? 83 Certain bank securities, for short 84 On the warpath 85 Abode in a bag 87 Nickname of Wizard of Oz lyricist E.Y. Harburg 92 They have minarets 94 “___ nuff!” 95 Michael Vincent’s missing piece? 98 “___ his own” 99 Et ___ (and others, in Latin) 100 Strength 102 “But of course!” 105 Bamboo lover 106 Cocteau’s Blood of ___ 107 ___ Man Write My Epitaph 108 Hauler 109 Island town of Alaska 110 Pod dweller 111 Possessing discernment 112 East of Eden character 114 Concerning, in contracts 116 Abba of Israel 119 Pay ending 120 Craggy peak 121 The thing is 122 Rifleman’s grp. The Telegraph The Washington Post COMING-OUT PARTY By Merl Reagle Proudly Serving the Treasure Coast for over 40 years 640 Old Dixie Highway Vero Beach, FL 32962 772-569-3874 [email protected] ISA Certified Arborist Hazardous Tree Removal Oak Tree Trimming Specialist Professional Mangrove Trimmers Fully Licensed and Insured

46 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ INSIGHT BACK PAGE Dear Carolyn: Two months ago, my dad died. He was young, and it was shocking and unexpected for everyone. I live close to my mom, and my sisters are in other states. However, through our entire lives, we have always had close, loving relationships, separate from my parents. Since my dad’s death, it feels as if my youngest sister is avoiding us, especially me. She doesn’t want to talk about the death and avoids phone calls, texts and communication with my kids. I feel very hurt by this. She is my best friend. I know I need to give her space, but I am terrified we will never get back to where we were. When I try to talk to her about it, she is avoidant and brushes me off. Is there anything I can do? It’s making me feel even more lost and isolated. – Distant Distant: I am so sorry, for the twin agonies. The best thing you can do, from the sounds of it, is think long term. Your youngest sister is struggling, and she’s handling it her way – or mishandling, as the case may be, but that’s her prerogative. It’s not the way you want her to handle it, so you have tried to steer her in your direction, which was fine for what it was. But when it became clear she didn’t welcome your efforts, that was your cue to change your approach. Giving her space is one option. Try pulling back a little from your usual contact, or asking her whether she wants that. Offer to talk about anything but your dad; it may seem weird or even disrespectful to his memory, but it would be very respectful of your sister’s preference to process her feelings outside her relationships with the rest of her family. You can also let go of the “get back to where we were” standard. An unexpected, highly emotional loss changes things. It’s normal for people who have been through a devastating loss to see their lives as “before” and “after.” So it might be healthy (for both of you) if you thought in terms of building a new, “after” relationship with your sis, maybe even a closer one, when she’s ready. It’s probably too soon to conceive of that now, but as you heal, do start to think in terms of forming a new bond as the different people you both have become. Readers’ thoughts: • Relationships change in a multitude of ways over time; even happy developments, such as weddings or births, can effect lasting changes in your existing relationships. There can be gains (new beings in your life), but also losses – of the relationships you had before with others, and even with yourself. Relationships are never static, and change can bring feelings of grief and loss for what was before, but we must go on nonetheless. You and your sister cannot go back, but you can go forward (I hope) through happier times in the future. I am so very sorry for your loss. • My sister told me a few weeks after our sibling’s death that she couldn’t manage anyone else’s grief at that time. The sister might feel she has to comfort Distant in a way she just cannot at this time. • My sister and I have a mismatch in how we process things. I feel 1,000 percent better if I talk it out. My sister disappears. BY CAROLYN HAX Washington Post Sister has grown distant since father’s unexpected death

A MIXED-MEDIA ARTIST’S ‘CONTINUAL AND EXCITING JOURNEY’

ARTS & THEATRE 50 Vero Beach 32963 / March 9, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Creative expression and visual beauty have been lifelong passions for Vero Beach artist Reggie McCormack, whose studio offers an all-encompassing view of an extraordinary woman, one who creates beauty in everything she touches. A self-described mixedmedia abstract artist, her range is eclectic, and includes acrylics, oils, pastels, wax and collages. Another favorite is encaustics, an ancient art form where oil paint is mixed with beeswax and then torched, a technique that creates multiple layers with rich depth and texture. “I love mixed media,” says McCormack. “It allows so much freedom to create a lot of interesting layers which evoke much emotion.” McCormack says she signs her work on the back, so as to not interrupt the flow of the eye and, not wanting to influence what the viewer sees, does not name her abstracts. “Abstract art can be appreciated on many levels, considering the use of color, shape, texture, line and how these relate to one another,” she explains. “Moving in and out of a painting and connecting on a deeper level often is related to our life experiences and where we are BY DEBBIE TIMMERMANN CORRESPONDENT Mixed-media artist rejoices in ‘continual and exciting journey’