Longboat Key News and Sarasota City News encourages Letters to the Editor on timely issues. Please email to: letters@lbknews.com or mail to PO Box 8001, Longboat Key, FL 34228. We also print letters sent to Town Hall that address Longboat Key issues. We reserve the right to edit.
NEST items for you
To: Deborah Di Carlo
Here’s the full thread. Give me a call if you’d like to discuss further.
Sarah Karon
Commissioner
Town of Longboat Key
NEST items for you
To: Deborah Di Carlo
I appreciate your kind words and yes, please do keep in touch. So happy that your church is partnering with Paradise Ctr, great for our community!
Sarah Karon
Commissioner
Town of Longboat Key
NEST items for you
To: Longboat Key Commissioner Sarah Karon
Thank you so much for your response, Sarah. It explains a lot because the church I go to is the Longboat Island Chapel, and the person I talked to may have heard about that collaboration. I think she got the renewed relationship between the Paradise Center and the Chapel conflated with the North End community center. So interesting how these conversations take place and how decisive the context is.
As you probably know, the first generation of the Paradise Center found its home at the Longboat Island Chapel years ago. So it’s actually a bit of a homecoming! Reverend Brock is indeed committed to our community here on Longboat.
Thank you so much for bringing clarity to the situation. I’ll continue to reach out as I hear things that need clarification from you and appreciate that you represent our north end interest so well.
Thanks for your help,
Deborah Di Carlo
Longboat Key
NEST items for you
To: Deborah Di Carlo
Thank you for your work on the NEST project. I remain hopeful regarding the Chiles property, but there’s nothing concrete in the works. As far as I know, the town has no plans in mind with the Paradise Center as regards programming the eventual space (wherever we land), but I wouldn’t be surprised if some general conversations have taken place as folks dream up possibilities. Currently, the Paradise Center plans to move into the Longboat Island Chapel thanks to their kind invitation. It will be wonderful to have them with us on the North End and I am so impressed by the church’s proactive, neighborly invitation. Let me know if you would like to discuss further, I’m available.
Sarah Karon
Commissioner
Town of Longboat Key
NEST items for you
To: Longboat Key Commissioner Sarah Karon
First, I want to thank you for your contributions to establish a north end community center. You may know that I am the NEST team lead for exercise activities at the north end center.
We have collected several exercise related suggestions from residents of the north end neighborhoods, and I’ve had a few of discussions along these lines. You may have seen the results of the data we collected.
Someone at my church, mentioned that you are discussing the programming of the north end space with the folks at the Paradise Center.
Can you confirm that please? If this is the case, will you include me in such discussions, or bring me up to date on what has taken place?
I know it is still early days in the discovery and feasibility study of the purchase of the Chiles property by Mantee County, so I suspect any discussions you had were very preliminary.
We can meet and SIPs for a conversation or simply have a phone call. I want to ensure we are collaborating on programming and make you aware of the item we already have on the schedule. I look forward to hearing from you,
Deborah Di Carlo
Longboat Key
Hydrofoil/Ferry Service to Bayfront Park
To: Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier
Thank you for the response. I do believe there is confusion as I am not interested in having a ferry on LBK (especially Bayfront Park). Not sure where the idea of purchasing tickets came into play.
Elise Kidd
Longboat Key
Hydrofoil/Ferry Service to Bayfront Park
To: Elise Kidd
Ferry service to LBK has been discussed for many years. The closest version to reality is the Manatee County ferry that now runs from Bradenton to Anna Maria Island. We are discussing a future expansion of that service to LBK, but a docking point here has yet to be established.
Sarasota County has been studying a ferry service as well with the most likely island stop being on City Island. No stop on LBK itself has been seriously discussed and I am not aware of any ferry plan for Sarasota that is near approval. For many reasons, our Bayfront Park would not be a candidate for a ferry terminal and, to my knowledge, that has not been considered. I suggest not buying your tickets at this time.
Ken Schneier
Mayor
Town of Longboat Key
Hydrofoil/Ferry Service to Bayfront Park
To: Longboat Key Commission
Recently I saw an advertisement for a hydrofoil/ferry service aimed to go to Bayfront Park on LBK… I’m not sure if it was just an advertisement of a concept or soon to become a reality, but as this is a concern, I wanted to reach out promptly as to be sure my voice could be heard if on any future meeting agendas.
Allowing a ferry (of any type) to dock at Bayfront Park would be problematic for many reasons.
(1) The park already has limited parking for users and is often already overrun by beach-goers on weekends and in high season. Assuming islanders would like to take the ferry service into town, they would need to park their vehicles at the park. This poses a problem for our residents (especially families) who try to enjoy the park’s offerings.
(2) The single bathroom would be immediately overused and maintenance wouldn’t be able keep up on basic cleanliness – this is already a problem at times.
(3) This would bring significant traffic into an area of LBK that is heavily residential. To traverse up-and-down island, ferry users from the mainland would have to call on-demand transportation services – thus increasing traffic. It also would bring a lot more foot traffic from those who think it would be a good idea to walk — Zota is 1 mile, Lazy Lobster is 2 — and those are the close options. Our neighborhoods do not need tourists poking around and getting lost.
(4) A ferry, especially a hydrofoil, would disrupt the quiet, serene bay and wildlife. It would disrupt habitats for manatees, dolphins, birds, and more. It would pose a safety threat to local kayakers.
Thank you for reading and entertaining my thoughts and worries.
Elise Kidd Slansky
Longboat Key
Traffic control
To: Longboat Key Commissioner Gary Coffin
We are always happy to help. I appreciate your support.
Frank Rubino
Deputy Police Chief
Town of Longboat Key
Traffic control
To: Longboat Key Deputy Police Chief Frank Rubino
Chief, a huge thank you to Sergeant Butler and yourself for assisting in our major tree operation today. Keeping the road safe and keeping the personnel out of harm’s way. Your department is a true asset to our community’s quality of life.
Gary Coffin
Commissioner
Town of Longboat Key
Sidewalk issue
To: Longboat Key Commissioner Gary Coffin
Thank you! We’ll follow up with FDOT right away.
Isaac Brownman
Assistant Town Manager
Town of Longboat Key
Sidewalk issue
To: Longboat Key Assistant Town Manager Isaac Brownman
Isaac, that sidewalk expansion joint danger spot is about 50 feet south of Ranger on Gulf of Mexico Drive. It’s been bad for a long time, but after the flooding, it settled even more. It’s right at a storm drain.
Gary Coffin
Commissioner, Town of Longboat Key
Thank You for Meeting with Us
To: Longboat Key Commissioner BJ Bishop
How is your summer going? We have been abroad since we saw you. Portugal, Provence and now Greece. It’s been lots of fun. We will be returning in a couple weeks so I wanted to reach out to the Friends of Tennis rep that you suggested I connect about (hopefully) linking the non-profit LLC. Would you please send me his/her email and phone if you have them.
Shawn Leven
Longboat Key
Pickleball
To: Longboat Key Commission
On behalf of Eric and myself, thank you for taking the time to meet with us to discuss the future of pickleball on Longboat Key.
We truly appreciated the opportunity to hear your thoughts and to share ideas about how to meet the growing demand for this sport. It was encouraging to explore ways the tennis and pickleball communities might work together to support each other and make the best use of shared resources.
We are especially grateful for your willingness to broaden the conversation and consider new possibilities for identifying land that could accommodate additional pickleball courts. As we mentioned during our meeting, we believe that imaginative thinking leads to creative solutions—and we appreciate your openness to thinking outside the box with us. Thank you again for your time, insight, and support as we work together to enhance healthy social and recreational opportunities on Longboat Key.
Eric Drummond and Shawn Leven
Longboat Key
Pickleball
To: Eric Drummond and Shawn Leven
Happy to keep thinking of future opportunities. Thank you for your positive attitude and ideas.
BJ Bishop
Commissioner, Town of Longboat Key
Does Florida believe in climate change, or not?
To: Longboat Key Commission, Sarasota City Commission
One of the things I’ve learned over the course of my career, and as a father, is that what some might say in public is not necessarily what they are doing in private. As Ronald Reagan said about the Soviet Union and its willingness to abide by nuclear weapons treaties, “Trust, but verify”. Or, on the other end of the political spectrum, “Question Authority.” Trust is something that is earned, not given, and I hope our advice and communications over the past 4 ½ years have allowed us to earn your trust. A bit more than four years ago, I told the Policy Board members that I not only thought that we could solve the bay’s nutrient-related water quality problems in 3 to 5 years, but that we also needed to – lest we slip into the condition of the Indian River Lagoon, where most of that system is struggling to recover from multiple environmental stresses.
Instead, the stakeholders, led by local governments, have already invested over $300 million in upgrades to wastewater infrastructure, the completion of two large regional stormwater retrofit projects, multiple millions of dollars of both large and small habitat restoration projects, and a public that is better engaged and educated about how to live a more bay-friendly lifestyle. And the results are something that most people would love to have, but don’t. Across Florida, a 2020 report from FDEP (2020 Integrated Water Quality Assessment for Florida: Sections 303(d), 305(b), and 314 Report and Listing Update) found that about half of sites sampled by FDEP showed a trend of increasing concentrations of chlorophyll-a, the plant pigment used as a surrogate for the amount of algae in the water column. This percentage (47% to 48%) matches up well with the percentage of sample locations with an increase in the concentration of nitrogen, about 46% to 49% (see Table 2.9). Only about 20% to 26% of locations sampled by FDEP showed a decrease in chlorophyll a. In contrast, the reductions in nutrient loads to Sarasota Bay have brought about a bay-wide reduction in the amount of algae in our water. These improvements were large enough that the state concluded that Sarasota Bay no longer exceeds nutrient-related water quality standards which were developed for SBEP, reviewed by the SBEP’s Technical Advisory Committee, and then reviewed and approved by both FDEP and the US EPA – Director’s Note: FDEP determinations of water quality trends – Sarasota Bay Estuary Program.
And, subsequent to these improved conditions, our colleagues at the Southwest Florida Water Management District informed us that seagrass coverage had increased by nearly 2,000 acres between 2022 and 2024, a 19% increase, and the second biggest increase in over 30 years – Director’s Note: 2024 Seagrass results – further good news on the bay’s recovery – Sarasota Bay Estuary Program.
So, hopefully, we’ve earned your trust in terms of the concerns that we should have about nutrient supply to our waters. Unfortunately, there is not the same amount of consensus, much less concern, about the impacts of releasing CO2 into our atmosphere as there is about the impacts of releasing NO3- into our hydrosphere. And let’s be honest with ourselves and each other – there isn’t the same amount of publicly-announced consensus.
But…that doesn’t mean that people aren’t looking into the potential impacts of climate change, even if they aren’t highlighting their findings in press conferences on the steps of the State Capitol.
The Resilient Florida Program, signed into law in May 2021 by Governor DeSantis, clearly acknowledges that our climate is changing and that the recent past may not be all that useful for predicting our near future. For example, the State’s estimates are that sea level in our region should increase between 8 to 9 inches between 2020 and 2050, and by 16 to 24 inches between 2020 and 2080. The increase per decade over the next three decades averages about 3 inches per decade. For the three decades beyond then, the expected rate is 3 to 5 inches per decade, indicating an increase in the rate of increase is expected – Resilient Florida Program | Florida Department of Environmental Protection. What are the likely implications of such changes? Well, we’ll likely see more street flooding in low-lying areas, particularly when it reins during high tides. This will likely become a more widely noticed phenomenon than water coming over the top of seawalls, at least during days with no tropical weather events – Director’s Note: Sea level rise – SBEP values compared to FDEP estimates and their implications – Sarasota Bay Estuary Program.
But what else might we expect? Well, thankfully, and as expected for a state with such a large agricultural economy, the State of Florida has an official Office of the State Climatologist, which compiles data on the likely impacts of climate change – Climate Change – Florida Climate Center. The Office of the State Climatologist clearly lays out the link between CO2 levels and global temperatures, and highlights (Figure 2) that the CO2 levels we’re recording now are the highest in over 800,000 years. Frankly, we are running a global experiment – while sitting inside the test tube.
What kind of impacts are expected to occur as a function of these changes? Well, under the same range of scenarios as those used by the Resilient Florida Program, our region would be expected to have an increase in the number of days with air temperatures higher than 95°F of more than 30 days, as illustrated below. Think of how gross it is to be outside when the air temperature is that high. And now consider the conclusion from the State Climatologist is that we will be adding another month’s worth of such days in the future.
What else? Well, the Office of the State Climatologist predicts that under the same scenarios accepted by the Resilient Florida Program, it is likely that we will see a 10 to 20% increase in “extreme precipitation amounts” as shown below. By their definition, that would mean that rain events that are considered so rare as to have a 1 percent probability of occurring in any given year are anticipated to become more common by somewhere between 10 and 20%. As stated by the Office of the State Climatologist, “Extreme precipitation events are expected to become more frequent and intense in a warmer world. Recent heavy rainfall events, such as the extreme rainfall event in Fort Lauderdale on April 12, 2023 and recent hurricanes (Idalia, Ian, Nicole), are consistent with expected increases in precipitation, tropical cyclone intensity, and coastal storm surge flooding…”
Our local stormwater treatment and conveyance systems appear to be based upon an expectation that rainfall amounts greater than 10 inches in 24 hours are expected to be so rare that their probability of occurrence is about 1 percent for a given year. That is the more precise way to phrase the term “once in a century” rain event. But at the same time, the Office of the State Climatologist is telling us that those “rare” events aren’t going to be as rare over the next few decades as they were over the past few decades. Are we ready for that? Are we even discussing this topic in forums that could give us effective responses to these predictions?
I hope I’ve earned your trust on matters related to water quality and the restoration of our bay. So I would like to think that you would be open to the idea that climate change is real, humans are playing a role in those changes, and the next thirty years are not likely to be the same as the last thirty years, in terms of air temperatures, water temperatures, rates of sea level rise, and the intensity of rain events and tropical weather.
Going back to the original theme, just because the state and/or DC don’t highlight concerns about climate change and its likely impacts doesn’t mean that no action is being taken. That’s not the case here in Florida. You may agree or disagree with the scenarios being used, but the State’s Resilient Florida Program and the Office of the State Climatologist both accept that climate change is real, as do the State of Florida’s current and former Chief Science Officers (Drs. Mark Rains and Tom Frazer, respectively). This is good, because over 90% of Floridians believe that our climate is changing, and nearly 70% of Floridians want state and federal governments to do more to address their concerns – FAU | Floridians Believe in Climate Change and Want Government Action.
It’s unknown to me why climate change isn’t being discussed and debated with the same openness and urgency as our state-wide water quality problems. But similar to raising a teenager, what people say they’re doing (or not doing) is not always the same as what they are actually doing. Florida does take climate change seriously, even if we don’t talk like we do.
Dave Tomasko
Executive Director, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program
