Sarasota News Leader
October 19, 2012 Siesta Seen
From 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, to 6 p.m. Sun- day, Oct. 14, Martini and Ward paddled loops of about 4.2 miles to inspire people to contrib- ute to the shelter.
"Last night I was really sore," Martini said when I spoke with him on Monday.
His feet were swollen Sunday night, his hands were blistered and "I've got a really wicked sunburn," he added. "Other than that, I'm good to go."
In fact, Martini was back on duty on Siesta Public Beach Monday.
In spite of the aches, Martini was delighted by the financial support that had come in for the shelter.
During a really rough period in his childhood, he pointed out, "My family was homeless be- fore we came to Florida. … [We] lived in our car for awhile."
That is why the Youth Shelter's services are so important to him, Martini said.
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Siesta Key lifeguard Robert Martini says people would be surprised how close to shore — and how big — black tip sharks are in the Gulf of Mexico. Photo: Beaucroft | Dreamstime.com
