Florida, Longboat Key, April 2023.

Colour film shot on a mix of Ektar, Cinestill and Portra.

Longboat Key in Sarasota county is a narrow land strip between the Gulf of Mexico and Sarasota Bay. It was hit by Cyclone Ian last year.
These photographs were taken around the condo where I was staying. The grounds are meticulously maintained by a gardener. I was exploring the way water was managed on the site - by hoses to water plants when it is too hot and dry, and by swales and open drains in the ground to control run off from storm waters.

On the beachside there are palm trees, sea lettuce and historically swathes of Causarina (Australian Pine) which is in the process of being poisoned and removed. The palm trees in these images had been poisoned accidentally and were being propped up - to try and save them. This site was being cleared for a new building development.

More images were taken further up the road in the Quick Point mangrove reserve which has been regenerated after years of storm damage and pollution in Sarasota Bay. A boardwalk and pathway led through the foliage past lagoons, natural and artificial - which was established to encourage the native wildlife.