Growing up on Longboat Key

Condominiums on Longboat Key are often family jewels passed down through generations. Chat with a snowbird, and it’s common to hear a story about them frolicking on the beaches as a small child. 

But those are part-time residents. Gabriella Vinson is a 27-year-old newlywed who has lived on Longboat Key for 25 years and is happily staying put. 

“I have such a tie to it. It’s changed a little bit, obviously, but I just love that island feel,” Vinson said. “Growing up, there were all these little beach bungalows around. I scuba dive and spearfish and all that, so I just love being close to the water.” 

Vinson’s road to residency started out like any snowbird’s: Her grandparents owned a place on Longboat. It took a turn one vacation when her dad asked her mom, “If I can find a job within the five days that we’re here, would you move here?”

Not expecting him to ever find a job in five days, her mother said, “Sure!” He came back not too long after and said, “Honey, pack your bags. We’re moving.” 

The family moved from Staten Island, New York, into a home on Juan Anasco Drive on the north end. Vinson’s dad used to ride his bike through the village pulling her on a skateboard behind him. 

“All the neighbors would be waving,” Vinson said. “We kind of stuck out like a sore thumb, but they loved it.”

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Vinson’s father, fondly known around town as “Big Mike,” died after a heart attack six years ago, but her mother and grandmother still live on the island. 

Her uncle Carmine Astuto owned Ciao Italia! for over two decades. It was in the Centre Shops where La Norma is now. Vinson waited tables for him through high school and college. 

The family made a lot of memories over dinners at Moore’s Stone Crab Restaurant, too, but Shore took its place, and Vinson is all grownup now.  

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She owns her own condominium in Longboat Harbour, where her neighbors call her “the baby” and she lives with her new husband, Gary Vinson. The couple was married on Feb. 18 at the Longboat Island Chapel by Rev. Brock Patterson. The reception was held at the Zota Beach Resort. 

Not only does Vinson live on the island full-time, she also works on the island full-time. Fitness Quest is located in the Tidewell building on Bay Isles Road. Vinson is a physical therapist assistant and has been with the clinic for four years.

The office staff are all under 30 and have become fast friends on an island where the census bureau calculates the average age to be 71.3 years old. But growing up around an older population has its benefits.

“I was everybody’s granddaughter,” Vinson said. “We had an elderly neighbor, and I was probably six or seven, and I would just go down and hang out with her and her little doggie. She loved it because her grandchildren were up north.” 

Vinson wasn’t left without friends her age either. There were about four or five kids in the neighborhood. They spent a lot of time at the beach, and she made friends on the mainland, too. Vinson attended St. Joseph’s Catholic School in elementary and middle and went to Cardinal Mooney for high school. 

Vinson even commuted to and from Longboat for college. She earned an associate's degree from the University of South Florida and finished up at Keiser University, where she received her physical therapy assistant license. 

She also met her husband on the mainland, three and a half years ago at a bar in downtown Sarasota called Smokey Joe’s. 

“It was kind of cheesy. You know how there’s those guys that pass out the roses you can buy,” Vinson said. “He bought me one of those roses, and the rest was history.” 

Gary was born in Sarasota, but grew up in California. After getting out of the Marine Corps, he came back because he still had an uncle in the area and was looking to try something different. He works for Synergy Equipment delivering heavy machinery.

They leave for Rome at the end of the month, so the honeymoon comes first, but buying a bigger condo and raising one or two children on Longboat Key is among the couple's longer term plans. Gary, 30, has adjusted quite well to the Longboat lifestyle. 

“He loves it. He’s become one of the old guys. He goes down to the grill area and has a couple beers with the guys and talks about I don’t know what,” Vinson said. “And our friends love coming out here too because it’s just so beautiful. I hope I can stay on the island forever.”