STEVE REID
Editor & Publisher
sreid@lbknews.com
Longboat Key Town Attorney Maggie Mooney did her best to keep commissioners from becoming as disoriented as misguided sea turtles when talking about beach lighting violations last week.
The St. Regis Resort on Longboat Key has been the subject of violations of the island’s turtle lighting ordinance and faced a hearing before a magistrate last Wednesday.
Two days prior, Longboat Key Turtle Watcher Cyndi Seamon opened the commission meeting during the Public to be Heard in stating that, “St. Regis is an issue obviously, an ongoing issue.”
Seamon, who has spent many years walking the beach and monitoring turtle nests to help the threatened species make it through their nesting season unfettered by lights from buildings, gave an overview of several issues on the 10-mile-long barrier island. She started by saying that even though it is near the end of turtle season, there are still active nests, but issues with the streetlights on Gulf of Mexico Drive remain.
Seamon spoke of the challenges of Tropical Storm Debby that washed out numerous nests as well as stakes that are used to demarcate where eggs are buried.
But when the Town Commission brought up the situation of the St. Regis, which opened its doors last month for guests as well as residents in its condominiums, the Town Attorney waxed cautious.
“I