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KONKOL ON THE ROAD: When fewer vacationing snowbirds migrated to an "Old Florida" motel during the pandemic, a family of ospreys moved in.

Mark Konkol, Patch Contributing Writer

|Updated Thu, Jul 8, 2021 at 1:04 pm ET

TREASURE ISLAND, FL — Fewer sun-seeking snowbirds migrated to Arvilla Resort Motel this pandemic-plagued winter.

But in February, a couple of loud and messy squatters descended on the nearly deserted, mom-and-pop beach hotel on Gulf Boulevard.

Without the usual tourist season traffic, these nonpaying guests — two mating ospreys — started building a giant nest of twigs and driftwood atop Arvilla's neon-framed sign.

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Sabourin said she can relate. She moved to Treasure Island about six years ago, got a housekeeping job at the Arvilla and bonded with the owners, Jim and Brenda Maurer.

"Brenda hated me at first. She said I was too overqualified and I'd never work out," said Sabourin, who owned gas stations in Missouri before moving to Florida. "Jim hired me to do housekeeping. Now, I technically don't work here. I just help out. Brenda and me are best friends."

In this Gulf Coast fishing village, locals will tell you they hardly notice the brown pelicans, laughing gulls and giant birds of prey that fill the skies and stalk fishing piers for scraps.

But for this Chicago writer and my trusty navigator on a storytelling tour of America, seeing these ospreys — flapping their wide M-shaped wings and whistling "kyew-kyew" into the salty breeze just a few yards from the sidewalk — got us so excited it almost caused a wreck.

"Turn around, now!" my navigator screeched after spotting the giant birds on the hotel sign while cruising down Gulf Boulevard toward a seafood supper. I popped a U-turn into a parking lot.

The truck was still rolling when she hopped out of the passenger seat, her birding binoculars pressed against her face and pointed skyward.

The next morning, I called the Arvilla.

Sabourin answered with sales-pitch sweetness. "Greetings from a beautiful day in paradise. I hope you're having as lovely a day as we are. How can I help you with a reservation?" she said.

"Ospreys," I blurted. "I'm reporter … calling about the ospreys. The nest. On the sign."

"Oh, yes," Sabourin said. "Those are our guard birds. ... Can I help you with a reservation?"

I booked a room. Certain deck chairs by the pool offered a palm tree-framed view of ospreys taking off to hunt tiny fish for their hungry nestlings.

After more than 3,500 miles of traveling, watching those majestic birds was the best part of our trip, so far.

But they are just part of this story.

The Arvilla is "Old Florida," locals and loyal visitors said. It's a muscular throwback beach getaway built in 1952 to survive hurricanes. "Strong as a brick s---house," Sabourin said. Its rooms are small with thrifted decor, cozy beds and a tiny kitchen with an electric stove top. There's a gloriously heated, 8-foot-deep pool, shuffleboard courts and Gulf views, always for a reasonable price. It's my kind of place.

Even before the coronavirus crisis, the Arvilla and dozens of roadside beach motels were threatened with extinction as salivating developers circled like vultures.

"We don't want to be Clearwater," Sabourin said of the neighboring Gulf shore fronted with high-rise resorts.

But she wouldn't mind a post-pandemic uptick in guests.

"For almost three and a half years, we've had almost no business," Sabourin said.

First, it was Hurricane Irma. Then the red tide, a foul-smelling toxic algae bloom that can make swimmers sick and cause canceled reservations. Then COVID-19. "It's just now that we're finally starting to get bookings," Sabourin said. "The owners want to keep this place alive. We all do."

Local leaders already decided, however, that the 1950s-era beach hotel next door won't survive another season. The City Council cleared the way for developers to tear down the Treasure Island Ocean Club next year and replace it with a 63-unit residential high rise that allows owners to rent units like hotel rooms when they're away.

A single two-bedroom unit in the seven-story building is listed for the pre-construction cost of $839,900. In 2004, Jim Maurer bought the entire Arvilla Resort Motel for $1.6 million.

Barry Rubin, president of the Treasure Island and Madeira Beach Chamber of Commerce, said the skyrocketing cost of Gulf-front property and construction could mean the days are numbered for aging family-owned beach hotels struggling with a lack of guests.

"The property on the Gulf itself is more valuable than ever," Rubin said. "And because it's going to take so much more [cash] to purchase the land, more chain [hotels] will want to come in. But we're committed to not losing that Old Florida charm. There can be a marriage of the two, and we have that in Treasure Island and Madeira Beach."

But the coming high-rise construction next door doesn't exactly make for a happy union, Sabourin told me.

"Our guests aren't going to be happy about being next to a demolition site," she said. "It's just another thing that makes it harder to keep this place going. But we will."

During our stay at the Arvilla, it was clear the motel's caretakers are more than just a band of hourly workers. Housekeeper Cindy Biedenkapp's husband chips in as a handyman. Sabourin's husband, Pete the plumber, volunteers his services when needed. And with fellow housekeeper Karen Stay, the three ladies handle the daily duties required to ensure a clean, comfortable stay for a faithful clientele of road-tripping families and international travelers drawn to a nostalgic stay.

Sabourin said she needs more help to keep up as bookings start to spike. Like so many of the Arvilla's ma-and-pa competitors on Treasure Island's main drag, the motel marquee reads: "Hiring Housekeeping."

Rubin, the chamber of commerce president, said the hospitality industry shortage is a national problem that's hit local privately owned hoteliers and restaurateurs especially hard.

Last week, the chamber held a "hospitality forum" that addressed the need for Treasure Island city leaders to provide more affordable housing and public transportation options for the cooks, bartenders and hotel staff who can't afford to live near the establishments that desperately need them by "using the right hiring tools and pay structure and benefits."

Florida's minimum wage is $8.65 —a 10-cent hike over last year. It's set to increase to $10 an hour Sept. 30 and increase a dollar a year until 2026, when the mandatory hourly wage tops out at 15 bucks.

At the Arvilla, workaday staff gets paid $10 an hour and splits tips left by visitors.

Sabourin said she hasn't gotten many applications for housekeeping jobs at the open-air motel during the summer's hottest months as tourists freed from travel restrictions start to arrive. Much of the local hospitality workforce, she contended, remains content collecting COVID-19-induced unemployment benefits that pay more than they'd make cleaning soiled hotel rooms.

On a recent steamy morning, a young woman showed up for her first day of work as Arvilla guests checked out. After being informed of the housekeeping duties ahead, the new employee excused herself to retrieve lip balm from her car and didn't return.

"A lot of people don't like to work," Sabourin said. "And this is hard work. And it's hot, and some people can't take the heat. So it's very hard to get people to stay. And some of them want to work for cash. And we don't do that here."

Happy guests, such as Brian Pennington and his wife, took advantage of the currently high vacancy rate to extend their stay at the Arvilla Resort Motel.

The Penningtons unexpectedly added a couple extra days to their visit from Ohio after falling in love with the charming two-story motel.

"We like it here because it's a mom-and-pop place. That's the main thing. We travel quite a bit, and we like that friendly feel when you walk in. This place has it. The room has a nice little kitchen, and the bed is super comfy. It's clean, close to the beach, and having Mary Ann and Cindy here has made it a great stay," he said.

"It's our first day. We were here for 11 days. It's not like we're super rich. This is a place we can afford. … I hope they can keep this place going, because we're definitely coming back."

"Like the ospreys," I said. "Find a place that feels like home and come back to it."

Pennington didn't love the birds as much as we did. He said he first spotted the birds from a poolside view. And on the third day, "that's when they decided to use my car as a toilet. Completely, absolutely covered the hood. It looked like it had snowed," he said. "Guess they wanted us to know that they were there."

We shared a good laugh as Pennington loaded his freshly washed SUV for the journey home.

After packing up Room 103, I snapped a photo of our endangered Old Florida "king suite."

We bid farewell to Mary Ann and the ospreys of the Arvilla Resort Motel.

You should visit. But when you do — don't park under the sign.

Mark Konkol, recipient of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting, wrote and produced the Peabody Award-winning series "Time: The Kalief Browder Story." He was a producer, writer and narrator for the "Chicagoland" docuseries on CNN and a consulting producer on the Showtime documentary "16 Shots."

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A Florida wildlife photographer has captured rare footage showing an osprey masterfully nabbing a large fish, only to lose its catch to a clever pelican.

Mark Smith shared his video in a tweet Friday with a “Wait for it” introduction.

Smith has captured hundreds of clips showing ospreys catching fish in Florida waters. But this was the first time he has documented a pelican stealing a fish as the osprey takes flight.

Wait for it! Shot on the #sony #a1 #osprey #pelican #fishing #florida #birdphotography #birds #birbs pic.twitter.com/L2XMnaUh9e

— Mark Smith Photography (@marktakesphoto) March 12, 2021

“Ive seen them try a lot, but this was a first in terms of success,” Smith, who captured the footage at Vero Beach, told For The Win Outdoors.

RELATED: Watch as bald eagle ‘dad’ gets knocked off perch by great horned owl

Ospreys and brown pelicans are expert fish catchers with vastly different techniques.

The former plunges into the water talons-first and grabs fish with the help of reversible outer toes and barbed foot pads. The latter dives head first and traps fish in its large bill pouch.

But as is often the case in the animal kingdom, theft of prey that has already been caught is sometimes the easiest means to a fresh meal.

Did you know that Florida is home to over 4,000 bears? That’s right, Florida black bears, a subspecies of the American black bear, are native to the state and have been permanent residents here for thousands of years. Florida black bears prefer to live in dense, forested habitats that include a mixture of swamp, palmetto and flatwood territories which provide both shelter and food sources. They historically and presently can range throughout the state but are mostly found in pockets within the central, northern, southeastern and panhandle regions of Florida.

These inquisitive mammals are omnivores, and their diet is predominantly made up of plants. Over 70 percent of their food intake comes from foraging for plants, fruits and insects. They also eat acorns, nuts, palmetto hearts, small mammals, deer, boar and carrion. Florida black bears live an average of 20 years in the wild. They are solid black, with the possibility of small patches of lighter colors on their muzzle or on their chest. Males on average can reach 250-450 pounds, while the slightly smaller females average 125-250 pounds. Black bears have flat, five-toed feet with claws that do not retract, making them especially skilled climbers.

They mate every other year, typically in the summer from June to August, with an average litter size of two to three cubs. Cubs stay with their mothers for around 1.5 years, and once the juveniles have claimed their independence, the breeding cycle will begin again. An interesting fact about Florida black bears is that they do not hibernate. Rather, they enter into a phase called denning. This period of reduced activity is common during ‘winter’ months and takes place in a den. Pregnant bears will also den in the winter in order to give birth safely inside their nests. These dens can be created from tree cavities, fallen logs or made directly into the ground like a nest using dense vegetation or thickets.

Florida black bears face the challenge of living in our rapidly developing world. Human and bear conflicts are rare and can be avoided by respecting their space and habitat. The greatest threat to our native bears are habitat destruction, degradation and roadway collisions. It is also important to reduce bear encounters by keeping trash sources lidded, ensuring outdoor pets or camping food sources are secured and being aware and alert of the wildlife among us. We can do our part to keep Florida wild and abundant and share this land for generations to come.

Over the course of nearly four years, Justin Stiver drove from Osprey, in south Sarasota County, to St. Augustine 102 times.

It was about four hours of driving each way. But Stiver did it so he could earn his doctor of physical therapy from the University of St. Augustine.

A onetime minor league baseball pitcher drafted in 2006 by the Houston Astros, Stiver brings that kind of dedication and commitment to his latest entrepreneurial effort: running a rapidly-growing physical therapy practice, Total Therapy Florida. Part of the growth stems from Stiver's counterintuitive decision to pitch a different business model, one that focuses on a team rehab approach over one patient, one therapist.

“It’s a rewarding job. People write you cards, make your brownies and say, ‘You changed my life.’” — Justin Stiver, owner, Total Therapy Florida

"We kind of squashed that,” Stiver says, of using a single assigned therapist per patient. “There’s none of that going on here.”

Total Therapy Florida consists of a practice in Osprey and one that just opened in Stiver's hometown of Englewood, south of Osprey. The Osprey practice, meanwhile, is expanding into the space next door to keep up with demand. “It’s getting busier and busier,” Stiver says. “We’ve been insanely busy for the off season."

Total Therapy Florida’s model is different than some other physical therapy companies in other ways, besides building locations around teams. Instead of franchises, for example, Stiver aims to open more corporate-owned locations. And instead of waving goodbye after a patient’s last session, Total Therapy is doing everything it can to stay top of mind once that session is over.

Like a handful of others in physical therapy, Stiver got into the business initially as a patient after an arm injury ended his career. “I was not myself after my injury,” he says. “I started doubting myself in all these ways.”

When he went to the team physical therapist, Stiver says he could tell the therapist loved the work. “When baseball wasn’t an option for me, I decided this is what I want to do,” he says.

In physical therapy school, Stiver says he had offers to work at great clinics. But the Osprey clinic where he was working, then called Total Therapy Solutions, offered a good opportunity — a handshake agreement he could buy the practice when he was ready.

Stiver bought the practice in April 2018. He declined to disclose the price he paid for the practice, or revenues so far.

Total Therapy Florida, to underscore the team approach, holds weekly tactical meetings where employees discuss every patient. The conversations include insights on specific patients and how they handle certain equipment. The hour-and-a-half meetings are a standing appointment for his team. Unless you put it on the schedule, he says, it won’t happen.

The result of the team approach, Stiver says, is better for clients. But for it to work, the right team has to be in place — and not everyone in the business is willing to adjust to a new model. “You have to hire the right person who’s open to that,” he says.

One of the core challenges physical therapists who run their own practice face is the business side, in terms of marketing, accounting and anything that's not treatment. That's how a company like Sarasota-based Fyzical, a chain of physical therapy clinics, has grown from startup to $14.5 million in sales in five years, by finding those practices on a national scale.

But Stiver has made big strides in the non-therapy area of the business. To maintain connections with Total Therapy Florida patients, for example, the company set up a patient portal with exercise videos and a chat function for asking therapists questions. It opens up a door, Stiver says, to make it easy for patients to reach out again.

The practice’s independent wellness program also allows patients to stay connected. For a monthly fee of $50, clients can come to the clinic up to three times a week and use equipment under the supervision of therapists. "We have had such good success with the wellness program," Stiver says.

With the demand he’s built up, Stiver wants to open more locations in the area. “We’ve found people don’t want to travel much for physical therapy,” he says.

He doesn’t have a specific number of locations mapped out, but would like to open one every 10 to 15 miles. The more locations he has, Stiver says, the more people he can help. “It’s a rewarding job. People write you cards, make your brownies and say, ‘You changed my life.’”

LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. - A Sarasota County father found videos and photographs of inappropriate sexual activity between 32-year-old Lance Darren Goodall, Jr. and his 14-year-old child, according to deputies.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) is investigating allegations of sexual battery of a minor.

The father contacted the sheriff's office after finding the inappropriate content on his child's phone. Officials say Goodall was a jiu-jitsu coach and owner of Venom Fitness in Osprey.

The child had been Goodall's student since October 2021, according to investigators.

Detectives say that Goodall would send the 14-year-old victim videos of the sexual battery that happened at his gym. Goodall and the victim mostly communicated about sexual topics via Snapchat, according to officials.

Investigators say the victim told them that Goodall was fearful of losing custody of his child if anyone found out and asked the victim not to tell anyone. According to the victim Goodall said he would commit suicide if he ever was caught.

Detectives say that Goodall sent pictures of a gun and told the victim that he owned six.

The victim told investigators that they did not want any trouble and wanted to achieve a black belt in jiu-jitsu.

Detectives say they charged Goodall with three counts of sexual battery by a person in a position of custodial authority after reviewing the test messages sent to the minor.

Since Goodall lived in Manatee County, investigators from the Manatee County Sheriff's Office tried to contact Goodall at his residence on Friday evening. However, investigators say when they arrived they found him dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The investigation remains open and ongoing, according to officials.

The sheriff’s office asks anyone with information regarding this case or anyone who may have been a victim to contact SCSO Detective Taylor Garrison.

If you or a loved one is feeling distressed, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The crisis center provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to civilians and veterans. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 (Crisis Text Line).

CLICK HERE for the warning signs and risk factors of suicide. Call 1-800-273-TALK for free and confidential emotional support.