About Us

The name of Plymouth Harbor reveals much about the values on which it rests. Like its historic counterpart far to the north in the 17th century, Sarasota’s Plymouth Harbor is a lively community located on the water and committed to an independent life in fellowship with one another. We even call our community neighborhoods “colonies!”

Opened in 1966, Plymouth Harbor was the dream of The Reverend Dr. John Whitney MacNeil, a Congregational minister. He envisioned an inclusive, progressive interfaith community based on shared values: trust, open communications, integrity, honesty, innovation, and the highest quality.

As the decades have passed and times have changed, Plymouth Harbor continues to attract vibrant residents, both nationally and internationally. It has evolved to become one of the premier continuing care retirement communities in the United States and is recognized as an employer of choice in the region.

Our residents and staff also share a love of boating, a passion for helping others, and a natural spirit of friendship. Plymouth Harbor is home to all who love gracious living and the finer points of a sunrise and a sunset over Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

Board of Trustees

Jeff Charlotte, Chair

Jeff Charlotte is a professional in the construction industry and is a State of Florida Certified General Contractor. In 1996, Jeff’s company began as J. Charlotte & Associates, Inc. in Sarasota, Florida and merged in 2001. Then as Executive Vice President and Co-Owner of Hennessy Construction Services, Jeff’s skills helped grow Hennessy from $25 million to more than $50 million in revenue sales. In 2007, Jeff founded J.E. Charlotte Construction Corporation, specializing in General Contracting and Construction Management with focus on commercial offices, medical offices and retail construction projects in southwest Florida. Jeff is President and Chief Executive Officer of JEC and serves as Project Executive for all projects. He is responsible for final contract and fee negotiation, overseeing budgets and cost analysis and monitoring the progression and quality of the construction. Jeff began his construction career after graduating from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Building Construction.

Rebecca Sachs, Vice Chair

Rebecca Sachs is a retired attorney who practiced as an active partner in New Jersey and Florida for 37 years, before retiring in 2016. She practiced in the area of first-party coverage and litigation. Ms. Sachs was a recognized lecturer and author of programs presented by the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, the Property Loss Research Bureau, the Loss Executives Association, the ABA Property Insurance Committee and the Windstorm Association. She has been elected as a fellow of the American Bar Association, named to the Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers by Martindale-Hubbell™, named as one of Florida’s Super Lawyers in Insurance Coverage and named to the Sarasota and Manatee Counties and the Tampa Bay Top Lawyers lists from 2012 to 2015 prior to her retirement. Rebecca and her husband, Frank, are avid boaters and golfers and live at Sara Bay Country Club. They have three sons, as well as six grandchildren ranging from the ages of 14 to 25.

Eric Bledsoe, CPA, Treasurer

Eric Bledsoe is a Certified Public Accountant and is a shareholder with Miles & Thirion, CPA Firm, Inc. A University of Central Missouri alumnus, his areas of practice include individual, corporate and partnership with specific knowledge of the medical, construction and land development industries. He also holds an Enrolled Agent designation with the IRS and a credential membership with the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries practicing as a 401(k) third party administrator. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants, National Association of Enrolled Agents and the Florida Society of Enrolled Agents. Eric is originally from Florida and has been practicing in Sarasota for 20 years. He is married to Robin Bledsoe and their children are eight rescue dogs.

Lee DeLieto, Jr., Secretary

Lee DeLieto, Jr. is a professional in real estate and joined the Commercial Group at Michael Saunders & Company more than 15 years ago, creating the DeLieto Team with his father, Lee DeLieto, Sr. Their team has received repeated success and recognition as a Top Commercial Real Estate Team. In addition to the retail and office market staples, Lee Jr. opened the team’s breadth by including industrial and lands sales. And just like his father, having started in leasing, Lee Jr. also heads up the leasing division of the team. In addition to neighborhood leadership in Gillespie Park, he has positioned himself as a recognized leader and collaborative member of business and non-profit boards. Lee holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from the University of Florida.

Warren Bacon, Member At-Large

Warren Bacon is a banking executive with broad ranging accomplishments in commercial and consumer lending, domestic and international risk management, staff development and project design and completion. He has experience at several banks including TD Bank North, Bank of Boston and Con-tinental Illinois National Bank and Trust Company. Warren’s leadership also includes the development of minority owned enterprises through strategic consulting and pairing with contract opportunities – first as Chief Operating Officer of The Initiative For A New Economy, a Boston based privately funded non-profit, and then as Director for the Boston Region of the US Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency. He also has extensive experience on several non-profit boards in Bos-ton. Warren holds a Bachelor’s in Economics from Oberlin College and an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago. As a member of the First Congregational United Church of Christ, he has served as Finance Committee chair and Moderator. Warren enjoys bicycle vacations, gourmet cooking, collecting good music and exploring Sarasota’s arts and culture. He and his wife, Barbara Smith-Bacon, are permanent Sarasota residents and look forward to frequent visits from their two adult children.

Lee DeLieto, Sr., Plymouth Harbor Foundation Chair

Lee DeLieto, Sr. joined the Commercial Group at Michael Saunders & Company more than 25 years ago and has repeatedly received “Top Commercial Real Estate Producer” recognition. Lee is a member of The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, a member and past president of the Commercial Real Estate Alliance (CREA) of the Sarasota Association of Realtors and a founder and board member of Insignia Bank, now Centennial Bank. An active member of the Sarasota community, Lee is current Chair of the Board of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sarasota and Desoto County, past president of the Downtown Sarasota Kiwanis Club, past Board Chair of the University Club and past president of the Alumni Club of Phi Delta Theta. Lee is the current Chair of The Plymouth Harbor Foundation. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking and reading.

Kathy Hendricks, Residents Association President

Kathy Hendricks spent the last 25 years of her career with Northern Trust Company, retiring in 2009 as a Vice President and Managing Director in Trust Administration. Kathy holds a degree with Honors in Humanities from Purdue University. After teaching in the Illinois secondary school system for six years, Kathy received her Juris Doctorate from DePaul University, College of Law. She practiced law for several years before joining The Northern Trust Company, Chicago, in November of 1984 as a senior tax analyst in Estate Tax Services. In 1985, she assumed the position of personal trust administrator until Kathy was invited to join the team of professionals introducing Trust and Financial Services at the Northern Trust Bank’s offices in Oak Brook, Illinois. She then served as senior administrator until her transfer to Sarasota in 1994. Kathy has a long history of volunteerism and leadership, including involvement in several Community Theaters, Board and Finance Committee Chairman for The Wellness Community, Trustee for the Bernard and Mildred Doyle Charitable Trust and Russell Foundation, and volunteer for Tidewell Hospice and Children First, Inc. She is the current Board Member and Finance Committee Chairman for Resurrection House, Inc. and current Vice President of the Residents Association of Plymouth Harbor, Inc. She and her husband, Gary, have lived at Plymouth Harbor since 2018. They share a wonderful daughter and grandchild.

Bob Dawson, Residents Association Vice President

Bob Dawson was born in Chicago and worked more than 20 different jobs in Midwestern cities. He was drafted in 1969, and after the service went to work for IBM and then completed his B.S. in Business Management. After 34 years in a variety of positions, he retired from IBM as a Project Manager for large U.S. government contracts. In one of his last assignments, Bob managed the deployment of, at the time, the largest single installation in IBM’s history which included over 15,000 locations. Immediately upon retiring, Bob and his wife Gretchen began traveling the world, usually spending at least 3 to 4 months minimum each year somewhere in the world. Bob enjoys bridge, traveling, reading in science, bicycling, tennis and inventing. Bob’s wife, Gretchen, was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and is fluent in Spanish, French and “gets by” in Italian. They have been married since 1985.

Sarah Pappas, Residents Association Immediate Past President

Dr. Sarah Pappas served as president of the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation and past president of Manatee Community College, now the State College of Florida. She has a Master of Social Science Education degree from the University of South Florida and a Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Nova Southeastern University. Her career has spanned 40 years in higher education at three community colleges and the University of Central Florida. Dr. Pappas has a long record of service in leadership capacities including, but not limited to the Community Alliance of Sarasota; Sarasota and Manatee EDCs; board of directors for Greater Sarasota and Manatee County Chambers of Commerce; Florida Women’s Alliance; chair, United Way Board of Directors, Manatee County; and president Florida Community College Activities Association. She has also been the recipient of many awards and honors within the communities she has served. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the Ringling Museum and President of the Residents Association of Plymouth Harbor, Inc. Dr. Pappas moved with her husband, late artist Dr. George Pappas, to Plymouth Harbor in 2017. She has two children and two grandchildren.

Jay Price, Member At-Large

Jay PriceJay was born in Southport, Connecticut and raised in Manchester and Stowe, Vermont. After finishing high school in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, he moved to Wichita, Kansas to serving six years in the 8th Air Force Strategic Air Command. After his Air Force service and education at Wichita State University, he joined Boeing Military Co. Aerospace Group, and worked on National defense projects. In 1984 Jay moved to Sarasota, Florida and spent 12 years traveling and managing worldwide, special access international defense projects for Fairchild Weston and its successors, Loral Aerospace – Lockheed Martin. He then served as Director, Corporate Accounts for an international telecommunications firm. He joined A.G. Edwards Investments in 1998 now part of Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC and received the Albert Gallatin Edwards Award in 2000 for his achievements as a Financial Advisor. He has served on boards including St. Thomas More Finance as chair and then advisory to the STM Foundation. He has also served with the Girls Inc. of Sarasota in a fundraising capacity and in 2007 Jay and his wife Leslie were both honored the Girls Inc. Visionary Award. Jay Price is a First Vice President – Investments and Financial Advisor with the Juron Price Private Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors. Jay and his wife, Leslie Juron, have two English Springer Spaniels and have lived in The Sanderling Club on Siesta Key for 25 years*

*Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, Member SIPC.*

Chris Sforzo, Member At-Large

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Chris SforzoChristopher “Chris” Sforzo, M.D., is an orthopedic surgeon in Sarasota, Florida and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Doctors Hospital of Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch Medical Center. Dr. Sforzo was selected as the Director of Sports Medicine for the new Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch and is the official orthopedic surgeon and hand surgeon to the Sarasota Orchestra. He is a special consultant for the IMG Academies and the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy and serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor in Orthopedic Surgery at the Florida State University College of Medicine, Sarasota Campus.

Jeff Troiano, Member At-Large

Jeff TroianoJeff Troiano is a board-certified specialist in wills, trusts and estates. He leads Williams Parker, Attorneys at Law, in estate planning, business succession, estate and trust administration practice. Jeff works with individuals and families to develop customized and tax-efficient estate plans that meet their needs. He counsels clients with regard to asset titling as well as beneficiary designations for retirement plans, insurance policies, and annuities. Jeff also handles especially complex estate and trust administrations. He has substantial experience in preparing Form 706s, Form 709s, administering trusts and estates consisting of closely held businesses, and implementing complex post-mortem planning techniques. Jeff joined the firm in 2007 immediately after receiving his LL.M. in taxation from the University of Florida. He became a partner in 2013. Jeff previously worked as a CPA with Arthur Anderson.

A Spectacular 50 Years

Plymouth Harbor is proud to have celebrated our 50th Anniversary in 2017! Plymouth Harbor opened its doors on January 15, 1966 to the first residents of our community, and on May 26, 1967, an official dedication ceremony was held. Over the years, Plymouth Harbor has grown, welcoming residents from all over the world, enhancing programs, activities, and amenities, and our expanding services. There is no doubt that Plymouth Harbor has endured the test of time due to the willingness of the entire organization to adapt and evolve to meet growing needs and changes in the industry.

As a part of our 50-year celebration, Plymouth Harbor published The Story of Plymouth Harbor — a publication that serves as a compilation of the past, present, and future of Plymouth Harbor. To view an electronic copy of the book, please click here, or you may download the PDF here.


 

Management Team

Jeff Weatherhead
President & Chief
Executive Officer

Liz Sparr

Liz Sparr
Director of Marketing &
Community Affairs

Tena Wilson
Vice President of Resident & Team Member Relations

Louis Maltaghati
Administrator, Home &
Community Based Services

John Schale

John Schale
Director of
Safety Services

Natallia Dziatsel
Vice President &
Chief Financial Officer

Ashley-Cummings

Ashley Cummings
Vice President
of Health Services

Summer Rentsch

Summer Rentsch
Director of
Wellness & Programming

Brandi Burgess

Brandi Burgess
Administrator of Assisted Living, The Seaside & Starr Residences

Steven Parsons

Steven Parsons
Director of
Information Technology

George McGonagill

George McGonagill
Vice President &
Chief Operating Officer

Beth Watson

Beth Watson
Vice President
of Philanthropy

Anthony Baffo

Anthony Baffo
Director of
Dining Services

Heather Dawn

Heather Dawn
Director of Concierge
Care Management

Justin Leathers

Justin Leathers
Director of
Accounting

Mission & Vision

Mission Statement

Plymouth Harbor is a church-sponsored, not-for-profit community of distinction for older adults, committed to providing the most positive aging experience possible for its residents.

Vision

Our vision is to become the regional continuing care retirement community (CCRC) of choice.

Core Values

  • We build inclusive relationships and a sense of community through trust and open communications.
  • We encourage cooperation through collaboration and the respectful sharing of ideas and beliefs.
  • We exhibit integrity and honesty in all dealings.
  • We encourage innovation and ensure excellence through high quality standards.
  • We emphasize a holistic approach; supporting resident independence by celebrating individuality and treating people with dignity.
  • We recognize the importance of preparedness and are committed to providing a safe and secure environment for all constituents.

Awards

 
 

2018

Sarasota Magazine’s “Best Of” Reader’s Choice Awards

Plymouth Harbor was selected as a finalist in the Retirement Community category for Sarasota Magazine’s 2018 “Best Of” reader’s choice awards.

 
 

2017

Sarasota Magazine’s “Best Of” Reader’s Choice Awards

Plymouth Harbor was selected as a finalist in the Retirement Community category for Sarasota Magazine’s 2017 “Best Of” reader’s choice awards.

 
 

Sarasota Herald-Tribune Best Places to Work

Plymouth Harbor was recognized by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune as one of the top 25 Best Places to Work in the Sarasota/Manatee area.

 
 
 

2016

Gold-Seal-Logo-2014 (4)Governor’s Gold Seal for Excellence 

In January 2016, Plymouth Harbor’s Smith Care Center was awarded the Governor’s Gold Seal for Excellence. This award recognizes nursing facilities that demonstrate excellence in long-term care over a sustained period, promote stability of the industry and facilitate the physical, social, and emotional well-being of nursing facility residents. The Gold Seal is awarded to only three to four percent of nursing facilities in the state of Florida.

 
 

Sarasota Magazine’s “Best Of” Reader’s Choice Awards

Plymouth Harbor was selected as a finalist in the Retirement Community category and in the Best Place to Meet Singles category for Sarasota Magazine’s 2016 “Best Of” reader’s choice awards.

 
 

Sarasota Herald-Tribune Reader’s Choice Awards

The Plymouth Harbor Foundation was selected as a finalist in the Best Non-Profit Organization category for Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s 2016 Reader’s Choice Awards.

 
 
 
 
 

2015

LeadingAge Florida Best Practice Award

Plymouth Harbor was awarded LeadingAge Florida’s Best Practice Award for our new Employee Wellness Program, OnBoard. This award recognizes LeadingAge Florida member communities who develop programs and services that are models of excellence, innovation, and best practices at work.

 
 

2015+Gold+HonoreeSarasota Chamber of Commerce Salute to Business Awards

Plymouth Harbor was awarded the Investing in Our Future Award at the 2015 Salute to Business Awards, hosted by the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. This award recognizes major investments being made in the Sarasota community, and Plymouth Harbor was recognized for this award because of past and future capital investments.

 
 

Sarasota Garden Club Civic Beautification Award

Plymouth Harbor received the Civic Beautification Award from the Sarasota Garden Club for continually maintaining landscaping excellence. Each year, the Sarasota Garden Club’s Civic Beautification Committee reviews various properties in the Sarasota area that previously won this award, searching for properties that continue to produce outstanding landscaping and curb appeal.

 
 

Sarasota Herald-Tribune Reader’s Choice Awards

Plymouth Harbor was selected as a finalist in the Retirement Community category, and The Plymouth Harbor Foundation was selected as the first place winner in the Non-Profit Organization category for Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s 2015 Reader’s Choice Awards.

 
 

CaptureSarasota Magazine’s “Best Of” Reader’s Choice Awards

Plymouth Harbor was selected as a finalist the Retirement category for Sarasota Magazine’s 2015 “Best Of” reader’s choice awards.

Community Involvement

community-involvement

Plymouth Harbor residents are valued contributors to the surrounding Sarasota community.

Our residents serve on boards and assume key leadership positions at charities and service organizations, working with the community on efforts as varied as conservation, preserving historic landmarks, advancing world-class healthcare, and supporting arts and culture.

In fact, Plymouth Harbor residents played pivotal roles in starting two important local nonprofits: the Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning and the Glasser-Schoenbaum Human Services Center. The Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning provides lectures on a wide array of topics, including discussions of the arts and contemporary global issues. The speaker series features former ambassadors and think tank experts in efforts to promote lifelong learning. The Glasser-Schoenbaum Human Services Center works with 17 local nonprofit health and human services agencies to support low income or at risk adults.

Plymouth Harbor residents, employees, and trustees collectively tens of thousands of hours of service to more than 100 local organizations over the past five decades.