WSLR/Fogartyville founders step down

Arlene Sweeting and Dave Beaton, who founded the radio station WSLR and the nightclub Fogartyville, are stepping down and moving to Michigan.

The couple founded Fogartyville in Bradenton in 2002 and closed five years later after they moved to Sarasota and obtained a license for WSLR. 

The combined radio station and club opened in Sarasota at its current location, 525 Kumquat Court, in 2013. The board in 2018 approved the purchase of the premises in the Rosemary District, which also houses the Peace Education and Action Center.

Sweeting and Beaton will continue their work for social justice in Elberta, Michigan, through a nonprofit they've established, the Elberta Labor Heritage Center.

Jesse Coleman, WSLR station manager, will become the organization’s new general manager. Leon Kerber will become the WSLR program director.  Ariel Aparicio is the new Fogartyville house manager for events.

Fogartyville will say farewell to Sweeting and Beaton April 27 with a special event called “Rooted in Community: Celebrating Our Past and Building Our Future.”

The couple plan to become snowbirds and return to Sarasota when it gets too cold in Michigan, Sweeting said in an email.