Winner: Christopher Gorman
Finalists: Aron Bryce, Yadaira Rivera-Reyes

Living near the water is a way of life that gets under your skin. And if you’ve been lucky enough to experience the thrill of wind filling your sails as you cut effortlessly through the water, you’ll understand why sailing has captivated generations since Homer’s “Odyssey.” A committed group of local seafaring women meet for both fun and competition at the newly renovated pram shed at the Dunedin Marina. They race in the intracoastal waters of St. Joseph Sound most Thursdays to prepare for competitions with other sailing groups from around the state in regattas. While some members are middle-aged, these are strong Boomer women who span many decades. They also never miss a chance to dress up; a recent Halloween featured a flamboyance of pink, feathery flamingos as well as many variations on the Barbie revival. windlasses.org —Jon Palmer Claridge

Sisyphus, a deviant tyrant in Greek mythology, was punished by the gods to spend eternity rolling an immense boulder up a hill, only to have it roll back again. So in modern culture, that classical reference has been linked to tasks both futile and laborious. But Elizabeth Brincklow, despite being the daughter of a beloved Dunedin teacher who taught generations of students classical arts and ideas, somehow got a bug in her ear that her Dunedin hometown needs a professional theater complex. She came back to town from New York City to marry Zeke in the ‘80s and they’ve both been fully immersed in local art and politics since. Now, they’ve assembled a team of donors, developers and supporters and are close to having the funds for a feasibility study as a first step toward this marvelous dream.
dunedinpublictheater.org —Jon Palmer Claridge

Winner: Dunedin
Finalists: Gulfport, Pass-a-Grille

The last of the WMNF founders to host a regular show signed off in May and headed for Chicago (with intentions of returning at some point as a snowbird). Dilley commandeered the Morning Show on Friday for 45 years. Along the way, his program evolved from a focus on singer/songwriters in the early days, to a wildly eclectic three hours that left no genre unturned. Dilley eschewed the interminable between-sets patter that some of the MNF jocks indulged in. He was a pro in a volunteer environment. Dilley meticulously prepared his shows for flow and coherence, and sprinkled in heaps of musical surprises. He simply loved turning listeners on to shit they’d never heard before. And not for nothin’, Cam is just a really good guy. Come back and guest DJ, friend. —Eric Snider

Winner: Lat and Sons - St. Petersburg
Finalists: Burg Body Fitness, Tampa Wing Chun Kung Fu

Winner: Angie Soul
Finalists: I Love the Burg, Alyssa Young

The laughably named Florida Department of Environmental Protection came up with a nifty idea: Protect our state parks by adding hotels and golf courses and pickleball courts! Because nothing says protection for endangered species and wild places like acres of pavement and tourist traps. —David Warner

Winner: Silent Book Club Riverview
Finalists: Tombolo Books - Romance Book Club, Booze & Book Club