Page 6 Friday, December 31, 2010 Longboat Key News
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Review, page 10
The code enforcement fee structure became an issue at the end of 2010, as two residents, James Armstrong and Robert Smith, questioned the fee amounts they were fined by the Code Enforcement Board for their respective violations. Both Armstrong and Smith argued at differ-ent times that the $110 per hour fee for staff time needed to be substantiated; ultimately Town Counsel Kelly Martinson recommended the Code Enforcement Board waive the staff time fees.
Armstrong did not apply for building permits for construction that had already been performed on his home, according to the Code Enforcement Board. At the Aug. 9 board meeting, the Code Enforcement Board decided to fine Armstrong $50 per day until he brought his property into compliance, which required application for a building permit and payment of the $2,178.50 of administrative fees.
Armstrong complied by applying for a building permit Aug. 19. However Town Plan Reviewer Ric Hartman determined after staff review that Armstrong’s build-ing permit application had missing and incorrect information.
Armstrong believes the town is in violation of state statute for its charge of pass-through payroll expenses as part of administrative costs for his property construction project, which allegedly was performed in violation of town code. The
town of Longboat Key has subsequently placed a lien against Armstrong’s prop-erty, in the 2900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive, because he has not yet paid the $2,178.50 administrative fee.
In an e-mail to Commissioner David Brenner, Armstrong wrote of his objec-tions to the lien on his property, that it was not justified and that he would file legal action if the town did not remove the lien.
The commission in December gave the green light to Town Attorney David Persson to move forward in pursuing legal action against Armstrong. In the mean-time, Persson offered another opportu-nity to compromise with Armstrong: if Armstrong would allow the town to inspect the interior of his home for reno-vations, the town in turn would adjust the fees.
Resident Robert Smith was fined $500 per day for a total of $4,000 by the town for having grass and weeds in excess of 12 inches in height.
Smith says the commission and Persson failed to produce the list of town codes at the Nov. 18 workshop that specifically address the fees for code enforcement. He is now asking Mayor George Spoll to produce the specific ordinances that address code enforcement fees.
Beach renourishment method, cost debated
Commissioners decided in 2010 to move forward with the third major beach renourishment, as well as a structural solution to the North End erosion prob-lem. The renourishment issue was debat-ed in December and was nearly scrapped as a viable means to maintain the beach, with some commissioners arguing the economy precluded spending upward of $43 million on a beach renourishment project. Commissioner David Brenner in particular wanted to explore alternatives.
Town Manager Bruce St. Denis brought two beach engineer specialists to the Town Commission’s December work-shop, and both recommended the con-tinuation of beach renourishment.
While the permeable adjustable groins at the Islander appear to be working well in maintaining the beach along the
erosive hotspot, according to Public Works Director Juan Florensa, the Town Commission has yet to decide on a struc-tural solution for the North End erosion
problem.For this renourishment, Florensa said
the sand will not be a layer of dark, coarse sand with a layer of fine, white sand on top, as it was in the 2006 beach renour-ishment; instead it will consist of the very fine, white sand only—a Munsell 7 or 8. (The higher the Munsell number, the lighter the color of sand.) The renourishment project will use sand from five bor-row sites for a total of approximately 1.25 million cubic yards to renourish the 11 miles of beach along the island.
Residents will have to make one of the most important decisions for Longboat Key in March at the voting booth—whether to approve a bond that would spend approximately $43 million on the town’s beaches.
The Town Commission decided at the December workshop to place two sepa-rate referenda questions on the March ballot. The exact wording of the referenda questions will be determined at a com-mission meeting in January, but one ques-tion will address whether to spend up to $40 million on the 2011-2012 beach renourishment project, and the other question will be whether to spend up to $7.2 million for some type of structure
and extra sand placement at the North End beaches. The total cost would be an estimated $47.2 million, with a pos-sible $5 million reimbursement from
Port Dolphin and a possible $3 million reimbursement from the Sarasota County Infrastructure Surtax.
St. Denis has stated that the town must move quickly to comply with the Port D o l p h i n / State of Florida
M e m o ra n d u m of Agreement’s imposed dead-line to remove sand from the pipeline corridor by June 2012 to qualify for the pos-sible up to $5 million
reimbursement.The North End public beach
access at North Shore Road has been closed due to the lack of beach and the dangerous conditions there. Longbeach Condominiums and 360 North Condominiums, which are both at the
ishment; instead it will consist of the very fine, white sand only—a Munsell 7 or 8. (The higher the Munsell
of approximately 1.25 million cubic yards to renourish the 11 miles of beach along the
Residents will have to make one of the most
D o l p h i n / State of Florida M e m o ra n d u m of Agreement’s imposed dead-line to remove sand from the pipeline corridor by June 2012 to qualify for the pos-sible up to $5 million
reimbursement.The North End public beach
access at North Shore Road has been
www.lbknews.com
Friday, November 26, 2010 Page 1
place to shop, dine and stroll
whose splendid tropical ambi-
ance—to say nothing of its won-
derful assortment of more than
130 stores and restaurants—is
just a stone’s throw from the
powdery white beaches and
azure surf of the Gulf of Mexico?
Time your visit to St. Armands
accordingly and you can always
enjoy one of Southwest Florida’s
legendary sunsets just before or
after.
Always excitement, activity
On any given day there’s an
unmistakable air of electricity
on the Circle. Even if you’re not
on vacation, it’s almost feels like
being on one when you’re sud-
denly surrounded by a whole lot
of happy people who are. Add
InsideLook
What makes match
play different
...page 19
Read about the
best deal in town
...page 13
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Serving Longboat Key, St. Armands, Downtown Sarasota & Anna Maria
November 26, 2010
Your Key Source for Island News & Culture
Amy and Vince
ring in the season
...page 23
Forget Black Friday,
go Native instead
...page 23
HANNERLE MOORE
Guest Columnist
Last week we joined thou-
sands of classic car fans who
flocked to St. Armands Circle
to marvel at the 19th Annual
Super Sunday Mustang & Ford
Show—where scores of colorful
(and very powerful) Mustangs,
Shelbys and vintage Fords occu-
pied virtually every square inch
of the circle’s inner park. Once
there, however, we were even
more taken by the circle itself.
As much a revered destination
for locals as for tourists, this
grande dame of Sarasota gather-
ing spots has never looked more
fetching, nor seemed more alive
and welcoming.
What’s not to love about a
STEVE REID
Editor & Publisher
MELISSA REID
Associate Publisher
The holidays on the circle emit a special kind of magic, with more than
enough glittering lights to compensate for our lack of snow
St. Armands — Our Circle for all seasons
St. Armands, page 4
to this cheerful atmosphere the
unmistakable sights and sounds
of the holiday season and you
have a recipe for a glorious sea-
side soiree. The lights and deco-
rations are now up, the weather
is postcard perfect and judging
by sidewalks brimming with fes-
tive al fresco diners and shop-
pers, we suspect people are feel-
ing much more confident that
the worst days of the recession
are behind us.
St. Armands is definitely a
Circle for all seasons. Even dur-
LBK Special/Mary Lou Johnson
This Mid-Key eagle looks out over the golf course and water hazards.
Beach plan adrift in options
To Bond, to build, to butress are all on table as Commission faces deadline
for March referendum bond question and ongoing North-end erosion.
Former Commissioner and
Longboat Key Village resident
Gene Jaleski is busy urging cur-
rent commissioners to start talk-
ing and implementing alterna-
tives to end what he says will
soon be a temporary and unaf-
fordable way we currently fix
our beaches.
Jaleski is talking about the $40
to $50 million the Town wants
to spend to restore the adopted
beach profile that is deigned
ideal by Coastal Planning and
Engineering, our Town’s beach
consultants.
Jaleski for years has raised
alternatives including urging the
Town to study the erosive action
and management of the two
passes at each end of the island.
Jaleski, just this week, asked
fellow Village resident and
Commissioner Bob Siekmann
to study and investigate the
Sandgrabber, a proprietary
beach management alternative
that offers temporary movable
Beach, page 3
Resident
amplifies
Town fee
challenge
Longboat resident Robert
Smith is calling for a book of
codified ordinances from Town
Attorney David Persson as well
as Mayor George Spoll and the
commission.
Smith says that the commis-
sion and Persson failed to pro-
duce the list of town codes at
the Nov. 18 workshop, which
specifically address the fees for
code enforcement. He is now
asking Mayor Spoll to produce
the specific ordinances which
address code enforcement fees.
In an ongoing battle with
town officials, Smith claims code
enforcement is not doing its job
correctly, and that the town’s
associated fees for code viola-
tions are not codified.
Smith was recently fined $500
Code complaint, page 3
The Crown of Bay Isles
Review, from page 4
Tourism is part of the town’s history. This plan proposes that it continue to be part of its future.”
Another aspect of the Vision Plan is the retail or commercial amenities on the island and is addressed in the following excerpt: “Concerned residents want two things to occur with the commercial or retail sector of the town. First, they would like to see improvements made to existing physical facilities. By this, they mean that too many of the existing commercial facilities look either dated or poorly maintained. Second, they would like to see: expansions of some current businesses such as a larger Publix; vacant stores filled with additional services that would reduce the need to go off the key such as health care services, bookstores, computer repair and supply services, and clothing stores.”
North End of the key, have had their beaches erode and several of their build-ings placed in jeopardy because of the problem. Also in jeopardy are the infra-structure and road at the North Shore Road beach access.
Although the commission has yet to make the final decision, one of the pro-posed solutions to the erosive hot spot at the North End is the construction of breakwaters. Breakwaters are wall-like structures that could be made out of rocks and placed parallel to the shoreline approximately 200 feet offshore.
If the North End referendum fails and the construction of some type of struc-ture is not approved, recurring renourish-ment will still be necessary, said Florensa. There is a North End interim renour-ishment already scheduled for January and February of 2011, which will place 135,000 cubic yards of sand at the North Shore Road beach access. The beach will be built to 200-feet wide and will be designed to maintain the beach for anoth-er year before the next beach renourish-ment begins in November 2011. The cost for the interim beach renourishment at the North End is approximately $4 mil-lion.
If the beach renourishment referenda are approved, the life expectancy of the renourishment will be eight years, or until 2019.
2010YEAR IN REVIEW
www.lbknews.com
Friday, November 12, 2010 Page 1
InsideLook
You just can’t
stump the expert
...page 19
ST. DENIS
Bricks with a reason
and purpose
...page 10
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Serving Longboat Key, St. Armands, Downtown Sarasota & Anna Maria
November 12, 2010
Your Key Source for Island News & Culture
Cool holiday jazz
at the Van Wezel
...page 21
Meet your
Fire Chief up close
...page7
STEVE REID
Editor & Publisher
Town Manager Bruce St.
Denis is at the center of a very
important meeting this coming
Tuesday at noon in Town Hall
wherein Longboat Key com-
missioners will have to decide
fundamental strategic questions
affecting the 10 miles of Gulf-
side beaches.
At the center is the North
End of Longboat Key, which has
and is experiencing severe ero-
sion to the point of threatening
structures.
What St.
Denis pro-
poses is for
the town to
accelerate
the instal-
lation of a
permanent
s tructural
solution to
the North
End (mean-
ing groins or breakwaters) to
Longboat Key: The next 10 years
The permitting, passage of the referendum and turtle season is a tightrope act.
Beach decision, strategy reviewed
Beach Plan, page 4
Longboat appears to have
taken a metaphorical turn in
its move to a new identity.
Last Wednesday, the Town
Commission and a packed
chamber full of business
owners and residents dis-
cussed the Vision Plan.
Town staff, residents and
business owners along
with consultants have
crafted a document
they believe embod-
ies what Longboat
is, where it came
from and what
it ought do to
deal with the
challenges at
its doorstep.
Whitney Beach Plaza
The Colony
The Longboat Key Club
be done in tandem with the
planned 2011 beach renourish-
ment.
To accomplish that, permit-
ting must be in place and the
major beach renourishment
must be approved by the state
as well. Even more sensitive is
the fact that the town taxpay-
ers will be asked in March to
pay for this beach management
plan in a referendum question.
Problem is that language must
be agreed upon and adopted
and the amount set by Jan. 3.
St. Denis does not have all the
costs and engineering work on
the North End in yet, so all he
can do Tuesday is talk about the
plan, the strategy and hope all
are in agreement.
Taxing dilemma
Lurking in the minds of all
commissioners and the town
manager is the reality that they
have to convince taxpayers of
the plan and hope the support
is strong for what will likely be
See Vision Plan,
Page 8
By Steve Reid
InsideInsideInsideLookLook
FREEFREE
Serving Longboat Key, St. Armands, Downtown Sarasota & Anna Maria
Serving Longboat Key, St. Armands, Downtown Sarasota & Anna Maria
November 12, 2010
November 12, 2010
Cool holiday jazzCool holiday jazz
at the Van Wezelat the Van Wezel
www.lbknews.com
Friday, July 2, 2010 Page 1
InsideLook
Playing your ball
is your decision
...page 19
Fishing at its best
off Longboat Key
...page 4
FREE
Serving Longboat Key, St. Armands, Downtown Sarasota & Anna Maria
July 2, 2010
Your Key Source for Island News & Culture
Your Key guide
to 4th of July
...page 3
Beauty in
the Celery Fields
...page 20
Town Commission voted 6 to 1 in approval of the plan with Siekmann
casting the dissenting vote.
STEVE REID
Editor & Publisher
Victory for Key Club
Oil page, 4
After many months of pub-
lic hearings, public input and
commissioners and town staff
debating the merits of the plan,
the Longboat Key Club and
Resort’s $400 million renova-
tion has been given the green
light. The Longboat Key Club’s
Islandside redevelopment plan
received approval by the Town
Commission in a 6-1 vote, with
Commissioner Robert Siekmann
the dissenting vote.
The vote came following a
morning of debate in which
Vice Mayor Jim Brown said the
project was not out of scale
nor too massive and that the
Commission had ample time to
understand all of its departures,
impacts and ramifications. He
said it was time to decide.
The other side of the debate
came mainly from Commissioner
Bob Siekmann who said the
Commission only received the
amended plan the day prior and
that was not adequate time for
staff, the Commission or attor-
neys to properly vet the Key
Club’s revised amended plan.
“This is not good for the Key
and it is not going to survive a
court challenge,” said Islandside
Property Owners Coalition
President Bob White following
the approval of the plan.
Arguably of most importance
to IPOC, which fought the plan,
was the testimony of Planning,
Zoning and Building Director
Monica Simpson who recom-
mended denial.
Key Club, page 6
Residents join hands to fight oil
Concerned citizens are organizing to devise a better than BP plan.
OilWatch
LBK Special/Steve Reid
LBK Special/Mary Lou Johnson
Alison Albee joined thousands across the country to promote clean energy.
Loeb Partners Realty President Michael Brody emerges victorious from the Temple Beth Israel after the Commission
approved the Islandside plan. Loeb owns the Key Club.
Simpson did not recommend
approval of the plan and said
while the amended revised plan
was a move in the direction of
compliance, many of her con-
cerns, objections and determina-
tions remain — chiefly that the
plan in general is too massive
and does not comply with many
elements of the Town Code and
is not consistent with current
code and policy.
“Staff cannot recommend
approval,” said Simpson at the
Wednesday hearing. “My role as
planning and zoning director is
to interpret zoning code, imple-
ment and provide recommenda-
tions on how a proposal works
in relation to what we have in
place today. My zoning code
is the template for review; if I
had a different zoning code, I
may have a different reaction or
interpretation.”
Simpson then opined on the
manner in which the units were
added back to the North parcel
in the Key Club’s amended plan.
“You heard testimony that
applicant needs certain units
and they need square footage,”
said Simpson. “What you have is
adding forced height. The pur-
pose of adding a fourth story
to one of the villas is not an
undulating architectural effect
of building height, it is clearly
marked to me as just an attempt
to bring back and retain the
units. It appears they are literally
Longboat Key Captain Wayne
Genthner is concerned that
Sarasota’s Oil Spill Response
Plan will not be enough.
“We need a Plan B, a bet-
ter than BP Plan B. The booms
are failing to protect Pensacola
Sound because they are not
engineered to withstand the cur-
rent. We need better booms with
better resistance to current,” said
Genther.
Genthner said he and other
concerned citizens are organiz-
ing a group to come up with a
“Better Than BP” plan. Genthner
said they will be looking into
booms with better resistance,
training and organizing volun-
teers as well as how to get
trained individuals into the
needed response areas and
removing much of what he calls
the “red tape” from their quest to
save our ecosystem.
“We can’t sit and wait for BP
to drop the ball again. The oil
has been spewing for over 70
days and they have failed to rise
to the benchmark of miserably
poor.
“This is a geological time
event, of which the effects will
stay in our environment and
change our ecosystems long
after we are no longer here,” said
Genthner.
Genthner credits the City of
Sarasota for enacting an Oil Spill
Plan, but notes that cities are
confined to work within the
constraints of the Coast Guard’s
2010YEAR IN REVIEWLookLook
Fishing at its best
Fishing at its best
off Longboat Keyoff Longboat Key
...page 4...page 4
Serving Longboat Key, St. Armands, Downtown Sarasota & Anna Maria
Serving Longboat Key, St. Armands, Downtown Sarasota & Anna Maria
Town Commission voted 6 to 1 in approval of the plan with Siekmann
casting the dissenting vote.
STEVE REID
Editor & Publisher
Victory for Key Club
After many months of pub-
lic hearings, public input and
commissioners and town staff
debating the merits of the plan,
the Longboat Key Club and
Resort’s $400 million renova-
tion has been given the green
light. The Longboat Key Club’s
Islandside redevelopment plan
received approval by the Town
Commission in a 6-1 vote, with
Commissioner Robert Siekmann
the dissenting vote.
The vote came following a
morning of debate in which
Vice Mayor Jim Brown said the
project was not out of scale
nor too massive and that the
www.lbknews.com
Friday, January 1, 2010 Page 1
FREE
Serving Longboat Key, St. Armands, Downtown Sarasota & Anna Maria
January 1, 2010
Your Key Source for Island News & Culture
MELISSA REID
Staff Writer
Candidates, page 4
STEVE REID
Editor & Publisher
Commission, page 3
NewsWorthy
NewsWorthy, page 2
InsideLook
Play the ball
as it lies
...page 11
Be thrilled by the
Golden Dragon
...page 17
Isabelles to sizzle
Whitney Beach Plaza
Isabelles Eatery owner Linda
Loscalzo makes a comeback to
Longboat in 2010.
Famed eatery owner Loscalzo
will be taking over the opera-
tions of the Whitney Beach
Deli, bar and restaurant.
Isabelles formerly occupied a
north-end unit at Whitney Beach
Plaza. Andrew Hlywa, owner
of Whitney Beach Deli, Liquors
and Plaza, has entered into an
agreement giving Loscalzo over-
sight and management of his
deli and eatery. Loscalzo will
bring back all the beloved menu
items as well as new fare. Along
with serving breakfast and lunch,
At the Monday, Jan. 4 regu-
lar commission meeting, heat-
ed topics such as the fate of
Moore’s Stonecrab Restaurant,
Christ Church and north end
beach erosion will be discussed
and decided. Residents will be
attending to voice their con-
cerns regarding these conten-
tious subjects.
Moore’s re-zone
The Comprehensive Plan
Amendment for Moore’s
Restaurant, which would allow
the property to be re-zoned from
commercial to residential will be
Town to take final vote on Moore’s rezone
Christ Church site plan and north-end erosion fix also to be discussed.
up for its second reading on Jan.
4 at 7 p.m. At the last reading in
December, the ordinance passed
by a narrow margin of 4-3, with
Commissioners Hal Lenobel,
Gene Jaleski, Peter O’Connor
and Vice-Mayor Robert Seikmann
voting yes and Commissioner
George Spoll, Jim Brown and
Mayor Rothenberg voting no.
Moore said that he is mak-
ing the request to re-zone in
an attempt to re-negotiate his
loans that will be due in January
2010. According to Moore, the
property, which is located at 800
Broadway, is better collateral if it
is zoned as residential and will
enable him to improve his loan
terms with his financing com-
pany. If the commission does
not pass the charter amendment
on second reading, Jan. 4, Moore
says he will most likely close his
business, if it is passed, Moore
will be allowed to change the
property from C-1 commercial
to R-6SF residential (six units per
acre, Moore’s restaurant is a .89
acre site).
At the December commis-
sion meeting, Town Planner Ric
Hartman said Moore’s charter
amendment request is consistent
with the Town’s Comprehensive
Plan and reminded the com-
mission the main reason for
the rezone request is financial
necessity.
Many commissioners at the
meeting expressed concern that
if Moore’s is re-zoned residential
and then the restaurant closes,
another restaurant may not be
able to open again in its place.
Hartman said that if the prop-
erty remains zoned C-1 there
is no guarantee it will remain a
restaurant and other uses such
as a beauty parlor may be placed
at the site. Hartman recommend-
ed to change the future land
use component of the Town’s
Comprehensive Plan, as well as
rezone the property.
Commissioner Brown was in
direct opposition to rezoning
the property. He said it was
Candidates tackle Key issues
It is shaping up to be a heated race as three Longboaters vie for the District
One Commission seat. Mayor and
incumbent Lee Rothenberg is being challenged by two of his Country Club Shores neighbors, Lynn Larson and
Lee Pokoik. Instead of flowery biographical sketches, Longboat Key News delved right into the issues to get a a
sense of where these three stand. Here is what they said:
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the current
Town Commission,and what strengths would you bring to
the Commission if elected?
Larson: The strength of the current commission is experience;
unfortunately this has also become its greatest weakness. The group
has failed to come up with new ideas or accept input from the com-
munity and its citizens, rather the current mindset seems to be that
the group and its individual commissioners know more than anyone
else and will do what it chooses. Having mediation experience will
“I’ll work for you!”
My mission is to improve and
maintain the Quality and Vitality
of the Longboat Key experience
following my core principles...
• integrity
•fiscal
responsibili
ty
• support Longboat businesses
• limited government
• control property taxes
• protect Longboat’s ambience
Elect Lynn Larson
for Longboat Key Commissioner District One
Lynn will bring a fresh perspective and a diversity of experience to the
Commission. More than twently years with the State of Florida managing
an over $400 million non-profit fund and many years with Travelers
Insurance in executive roles has given her a deep well of exeprience in
both private and public enterprises.
Civic Responsibility!
Lynn takes here civic responsibilities seriously.
As a Florida State Supreme Court Certified
Mediator, she is skilled in bringing opposite
sides to common ground. She is a Trustee for
the Longboat Police Pension Board and Clerk
for Sarasota and Longboat Elections, as well
as volunteers with the Red Cross helping
hurricane evacuees. Here she rings the bell
to help others less fortunate.
Remember: all LBK voters can vote
for candidates in every district!
Vote for Lynn January 26
A Fresh Perspective
LynnLarsonLBK.com • [email protected]
Paid for and approved by Lynn Larson for LBK Commissioner, District 1
Lynn Larson
Lee Pokoik
Lee Rothenberg
Colony future remains wide ‘open’
Although reopening the
Colony was a plan all along, both
Chairman Murf Klauber and
General Manager and daughter
Katie Moulton were moved to
tears with the outpouring of sup-
port, excitement and congratula-
tions from around the world as
they saw their long-loved resort
brought back to life.
“Guests from Spain, England,
Scotland and across America
called and emailed. It touched
us,” said Moulton who has spent
the better part of her working
Colony, page 16
REAL ESTATE REPORT 2009 - PAGE 3
assist in communication with other Commissioners to arrive at solu-
tions to problems. Other experience in business will help me under-
stand what businesses on the island are facing and my experience in
government will contribute enormously.
Pokoik: The current Commission, with the exception of Gene
Jaleski has no energy or desire to question the Town Manager’s
answers to very important decisions such as solving beach erosion,
cell phone reception, the pension shortfall of $26 Million, the annual
budget, and the continued use of Coastal Planning and Engineering
life learning and then managing
most every aspect of the resort
operation.
But it is her father, Murf, which
the name Colony is synonymous
with in the world of tennis and
travel. And in the face of what
might appear as immovable
obstacles, Chairman Klauber
and his drive to operate a top-
tier resort remain unfettered. In
a conversation with Longboat
Key News last week, Klauber
says there is a very strategic and
thought-out plan to renovate and
reopen the Colony incrementally
as funds become available.
The heart of The Colony: Katie Moulton and Murf Klauber.
Residents question code enforcement fees