As Ryan Gandy sits at a picnic table on Bayfront Park overlooking Sarasota Bay, he fondly lists a few things he loves about the body of water — the mullet jumping and splashing on the crystal blue water, the sound of terns calling overhead, the mangrove islands in the distance.
The group whose goal is to protect Sarasota Bay has picked a new leader, and he’s right at home.
“I’ve lived here in Sarasota for 21 years, but I never worked here,” said newly picked executive director Gandy. “I was always in other communities. I got really close with different communities across Florida, and I really wanted to do something in my own backyard.”…