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.
Building Codes
To: Longboat Key Commissioner Gary Coffman
I heard there is a defective seawall on Ranger that is beginning to cave in past the 12” limit. There are supposedly workmen on site that are trying to shore it up rather than going to the city and getting a permit. Our neighbor Lynn Cook asked us to report the situation so it does not become common place to make these repairs and reduce navigation in the canals.
Al Neumann
Longboat Key
Building Codes
To: Town of Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Director Allen Parsons
After hearing about recent seawall construction in Unit 4 of Country Club Shores that isn’t in compliance with code, I have concerns that building codes are not being upheld. How can structures that are non-compliant with building codes and/or have failed inspection be allowed to stand. Please be vigilant in the enforcement of violations of our town’s regulations that have been endorsed by residents and enshrined by legal action. Nonenforcement of code will only lead to further noncompliance. Thank you for all your time and efforts on behalf of Longboat Key.
Lynn Cook
Longboat Key
Building Codes
To: Lynn Cook
Thanks for your email. The Town placed a Stop Work Order on the construction back in May, when it is found out that the construction did not match what was approved nor what is allowed by Town Code. Construction has been paused since that time. The property owners involved are pursuing options to address the situation. We appreciate your input and concern. Please know that the Town takes the review, inspection and enforcement very seriously.
Allen Parsons
Director Planning, Zoning & Building Department
Town of Longboat
Palma Sola Bay
To: Longboat Key Commission
Our staff spent yesterday morning measuring the amount of seagrass and macroalgae in Palma Sola Bay, followed by an afternoon visit to one of our ongoing restoration projects designed to continue to protect the health of that same system.
As you know, our Ecosystem Health Report Card is based on four individual metrics of the health of our local waters. Two of those are typical water quality parameters – the amount of nitrogen in the water, and also the amount of phytoplankton (floating microscopic algae). Then we add in the amount of macroalgae, and also the acreage of seagrass. For Palma Sola Bay, we had no macroalgae data until just a few years ago, after we decided to implement a bay-wide macroalgae monitoring effort – as recommended in the 2021 Macroalgae Workshop the SBEP hosted.
Across Sarasota Bay, volunteers trained by SBEP (using an EPA-approved QA/QC Plan) sample >40 sites twice a year – in the spring and then the early summer. At each site, volunteers lay out a 50-meter transect, and then determine the percent of the bay bottom that is covered by macroalgae at six stations per transect. Across the bay, this gives us several hundred values from which we can quantify the amount of macroalgae in the bay.
Palma Sola Bay is not very well-flushed, as it is a bit of a circulatory dead-end. The rate of water circulation in Palma Sola Bay is behind only Little Sarasota Bay. Also, Palma Sola Bay has those horse rides – people who ride horses on the east end of the causeway, on the north side. That site has had higher levels of fecal indicator bacteria than the portion of the causeway on the south side.
Low circulation and horses? Sounds like a potential hot spot for degraded conditions, right? Well, maybe not.
The first photo, like all others, was shot from a drone by Dylan, our intern. It shows the horses in the water while we were out there. Those horses do cause some damage to the seagrass meadows, which can be seen by anyone with aerial mapping software. But then again, seagrass meadows are damaged by boat propellors across a much wider portion of our bay, just as in Tampa Bay, Lemon Bay, Charlotte Harbor, Biscayne Bay, and the Indian River Lagoon. If we were going to get rid of activities that can cause physical damage to seagrass meadows, we should recognize that boat propellors do a lot more damage to our bay than these horses.
The second photo shows our staff laying out one of the seagrass and macroalgae sampling transects, shoreward of the horses. Yes, that’s Jay and I in the water. That’s me snorkeling – and no, I did not get sick. The third photo is from the western side of Palma Sola Bay, also north of the causeway. The fourth photo is from our third transect location, located south of the causeway, also on the western side of the bay.
We measured macroalgae and seagrass at 18 individual quadrats at those three locations. And we only found macroalgae at two of those quadrats. We found no evidence of “Lyngbya” type algae at any of those sites, and epiphytes (the amount of algae directly attached to seagrass blades) were low at each site. All in all, these results indicate a fairly healthy system, in terms of nutrient pollution.
Then again, that’s one day – how about over a longer period? Palma Sola Bay is not on FDEP’s “draft de-list” list for nutrient impairments, because it never was determined to be impaired for nutrients in the first place. The SBEP developed its own water quality criteria for nutrients back in 2013, which were then reviewed and approved by both the FDEP and the EPA. So it’s not as if we defaulted to someone else’s standards – we generated them ourselves.
But are those criteria protecting the health of Palma Sola Bay? The most holistic biological indicator for nutrient impairment used by Sarasota Bay is seagrass coverage – similar to what the Tampa Bay NEP uses, as well as the Charlotte Harbor’s NEP, and the Indian River Lagoon NEP (and also the Chesapeake Bay Program).
So how’s seagrass coverage doing in Palma Sola Bay? Well, look at the graph below. The area of the blue box represents our “reference period” of 2006 to 2012, when the bay as a whole had lower nitrogen, less phytoplankton and macroalgae (where we have data) and during which we had a 28% increase in baywide seagrass coverage. Although values are 6% lower than their peak in 2018, they are higher than what we had in our reference period, and also higher than estimates from more than 30 years ago.
Simply put, you’d have a hard time arguing that there was a large-scale and recent problem with water quality in Palma Sola Bay, in terms of nutrient enrichment. But these results don’t mean that we should just chill out with the thought that everything not only is okay now but will be in the future. As we’ve said before, the next 30 years are likely to be different than the last 30 years. Our air and water are warmer now than at any time over the past few decades, and the rate of sea level rise over the past 20 years has tripled from where it was in prior decades. It appears that our rate of sea level rise (about 3”/decade) is closer to what we experienced during the recovery from the last ice age maximum than what we’ve had for the entire period during which we’ve had “modern civilization”. And by modern civilization, I don’t mean just post-industrial revolution, I mean since the Sumerians sketched out their thoughts in Cuneiform about 5,000 years ago.
At a minimum, our ability to preserve our bay will require us to offset our expected population growth over the next few decades, which is what our Water Quality Protection Plan is intended to help us with.
Part of that – offsetting future pollution sources, is what we focused on yesterday afternoon. The fifth and sixth photos – also from Dylan – are from the stream restoration project that we are working on at GT Bray Park. At this site, we are creating a wetland treatment project to help reduce the pollutant loads from stormwater runoff from two creeks that drain older neighborhoods in the western portions of Bradenton. The design and permitting phases of this project were completed by the SBEP about a year ago, and we are using Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funds for project implementation.
As you can see, this project has involved a huge amount of dirt-moving and contouring. Once surveys are completed, we will move towards planting the now bare areas with a variety of upland, wetland, and transitional plants, to treat stormwater runoff that eventually makes it to the bay via Palma Sola Creek.
If we want to hold onto the healthier Sarasota Bay that we’ve achieved over the past few years, we will have to continue to design, permit, and construct projects such as this one at GT Bray Park. Back in 1987, the Irish band U2 had a song called “Running to Stand Still.” That’s kind of what we’re talking about – to simply maintain the improving conditions we’ve achieved lately, we can’t afford to sit back and admire our successes, we do indeed need to do more just to maintain the status quo.
David Tomasko
Executive Director
Sarasota Bay Estuary Program
Gulfside
To: Longboat Key Commissioner Debra Williams
II was reading in the newspaper today, $40 million in expense coming to LBK for utility repairs … but it needs to be done. Add another $10 million for canal dredging… but it affects so many homeowners in LBK, so it needs to be done. Then there is Gulfside. I welcomed your comments in the Observer regarding 16 Gulfside property owners being the main beneficiaries of a very expensive project that will also require continual renourishment. I could’ve seen some daylight in public support by “re-connecting” the beach (as I supported), but with no Ohana seawall solution it further emphasizes the unfairness to taxpayers bailing out 16 “real estate multi-millionaires” and developers that knowingly bought threatened beachfront shorelines.
I recognize the concerns expressed by Browder and Mopps in the article if nothing is done. This is not an emergency as it has knowingly been a problem for over 50 years as we now see the exposed seawalls that were installed ears ago to fight naturally occurring erosion on a section of beach that likely never should have been developed. And installing expensive groins is not a guaranteed solution, so why not try an alternative.
As I understand it, property owners cannot armor their beachfronts without the approval of FDEP. Also, as I understand it, approval to armor is typically not granted unless adjoining properties are already armored (seawalls or hardscapes). After recent storms, it is now apparent that pretty much all of the properties are hardscaped/seawalled, (but none of them stick out and likely cause erosion like the Ohana wall). Additionally, it might be the legal responsibility of a property owner to maintain existing seawalls and hardscapes (I read this somewhere but might be mistaken). If LBK helped homeowners get FDEP approval and suggested plans to hardscape the entire Gulfside shore. Why not try a Casey Key approach first by fortifying the existing armor, then wait and see how that works. LBK might even agree to add sand onto private property for any homeowner that takes advantage of re-armoring. I’m thinking this might be a practical and fair approach for homeowners and taxpayers.
P.S. An argument that at very high tides walkability north of the Gulfside public access might be limited. That could occur, but that part of the beach is blocked now by Ohana anyhow, so access is limited even under the best of circumstances.
Steve Weyl
Longboat Key
Gulfside
To: Steve Weyl
Thank you for your comments and observations about Gulfside. As you are aware, the Town has several significant infrastructure projects that must be paid for, including the Country Club Shores water mains and the subaqueous waste line – very big expenses for Longboat Key. The Commission has not made any decisions on beach restoration for Gulfside Road, but we have requested our public works department to apply for a grant which would allow us to bring in sand for Gulfside Road. This is obviously not a permanent solution but would buy some time. If you haven’t done so, you may want to view the recorded commission meeting where this was discussed in detail. Our consultant Dr. Browder and assistant Public Works director Charlie Mopps gave a detailed and informative presentation addressing this issue:
Longboat Key Commission Meetings (ibm.com)
Thanks again for your input – I always appreciate hearing from residents and getting their opinions. I’m happy to discuss further if you would like.
Debra Williams
Commissioner
Town of Longboat Key
Longboat Key Roadway lighting safety system
To: Longboat Key Commissioner Gary Coffin
Welcome to Lux-Solar in-road-light systems. Our passion is roadway safety and we’ve designed and patented our systems for multiple use cases to dramatically enhance visibility and increase both vehicular and pedestrian safety.
We have done many projects across the state of Florida and are currently installing a system very close to you in Sarasota.
As you can see below, our crosswalk systems greatly improve driver awareness and are ideal for dimly lit locations, especially in school crossing situations.
Our systems are FDOT approved and are on the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Approved Product List (APL). Therefore, they can be contracted through sole source or a piggyback contract. This makes the purchasing and installation process quick and cost effective.
We invite you to visit our website to learn more about our products and the positive impact our lighting systems have had on public safety. Let’s work together to improve community safety on Longboat Key!
Mark Robinson
Sr Project Manager
Luxe SolarPark/Open Space Map and Level of Service
To: Sarasota City Commission
Please see the information below and the attached map. Please pay close and particular attention to the information I highlighted below. Simply put:
Parks (Rec. and Open Space) Level of Service – requires 10 acres for every 1000 residents
City of Sarasota presently – we are at 18.047 acres for every 1000 residents
Population that can be served at 18.047 acres – 102,879 residents (we have 57,005 residents – 2023).
Marlon Brown
City Manager
City of Sarasota
Park/Open Space Map and Level of Service
To: Sarasota City Manager Marlon Brown
Attached is a parks map for the city that has been jointly created by the Parks and Recreation, IT, and Planning Departments. The map displays both county and city owned lands located within the city that provide recreation or open space for the population. The total calculated acreage is 1,028.79 acres.
The City’s adopted level of service standard in the Recreation and Open Space Chapter of the comprehensive plan states:
Action Strategy 1.1, Level-of-Service Standards: The level-of-service standards for open space and recreation facilities will be a minimum of 10 acres per 1,000 resident population.
Currently, the City exceeds the minimum level of service standard. According to the Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR) at the University of Florida, the City’s most recent resident population estimate was 57,005 persons as of April 1, 2023. We have not yet received the April 1, 2024 estimate, but it should be received sometime next month.
The calculation for determining the level of service is:
Park Acreage (1,028.79 acres) / [Resident Population Estimate (57,005) / 1,000 Resident Population] = 18.047 acres of recreation and open space land provided per 1,000 residents.
The 1,028.79 acres of park and open space land allows for a total resident population of 102,879 persons in accordance with this adopted level of service standard.
Please let me know if there are any questions or comments. Thank you.
David L. Smith
Manager of Long-Range Planning
City of Sarasota
Memorial Bench Donation
To: Sarasota City Manager Marlon Brown
I hope your day is going well. I just got off the phone with Ms. Bonomi-Amass. She was very gracious with accepting my apology. I’m meeting with Ms. Bonomi-Amass this afternoon to get the generous donation, along with the location she selected for the bench. We will order the bench ASAP.
Jerry Fogle
Parks & Recreation Director
City of Sarasota
Memorial Bench Donation
To: Sarasota City Manager Marlon Brown
I hope your day is going well. I called and left a voicemail for Ms. Bonomi-Amass to personally apologize. I also sent an email (attached).
Obviously, if Parks and Recreation drops a ball, it’s on me. I will handle accordingly with staff to ensure we do a much better job moving forward. We will work with Ms. Bonomi-Amass to get her generous donation processed and installed. I will be involved with this donation. Candie will assist with the other generous donation offers.
Jerry Fogle
Parks & Recreation Director
City of Sarasota
From: Susan Bonomi-Amass <suziesmax@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2024 8:50 AM
To: Marlon Brown <Marlon.Brown@sarasotaFL.gov>
Cc: Liz Alpert <Liz.Alpert@sarasotaFL.gov>; Jen Ahearn-Koch <Jen.Ahearn-Koch@sarasotaFL.gov>; Kyle Battie <Kyle.Battie@sarasotaFL.gov>; debbie.trice@sarasotafl.go; Jerry Fogle <Jerry.Fogle@sarasotaFL.gov>
Memorial Bench Donation
To: Sarasota City Manager Marlon Brown
I am writing to inform you of my extreme dissatisfaction with the Sarasota Parks and Recreation Department.
I initially emailed Ms. Judy Soenneker in 2022, inquiring about making a bench donation in honor of my late sister at the Bayfront Park.
At that time, I was informed that there were 6 donors ahead of me and that nothing would move forward until the Splash Pad was complete. In an effort to follow up on the status of my inquiry, I emailed Ms. Soenneker on March 4, 2024, March 25, 2024, April 3,and April 29, 2024 with no response.
I set up an appointment to meet with Ms. Soenneker on June 11, 2024 which was subsequently cancelled by her office. I left a message to reschedule but I did not receive a call back. In an effort to determine where my request was in this process, I sent an email to Mr. Jerry Fogle on June 19, 2024. Mr. Fogle responded that he copied Ms. Soenneker to reach out to me regarding the status of my inquiry. As of this date, I have had no response.
The level of unprofessionalism and the lack of disregard is appalling! I also find it equally disrespectful to blatantly ignore me when my primary goal is to honor my late sister! I live across the street from the Bayfront Park and I walk there everyday. There are numerous benches that have no plaques of dedication on them.
It is my understanding that the city is seeking to increase revenue from new parking fees. Wouldn’t it behoove the city to move forward with my donation , which at the time was estimated at approximately $3,300.
I appreciate your time looking into this matter. I am hopeful that we can move forward with my request in a timely and efficient manner. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.
Susan Bonomi (Amass)
Sarasota
Lido Beach party
To: Sarasota City Vice Mayor Jen Ahearn-Koch
I hope things are going well for you. I am looking to plan a casual Bird Key Yacht Club member party on Monday July 29, 2024. I also want to make sure that we do everything as permitted and do not inadvertently do anything that is not allowed. I had read that alcohol is permitted as long as zero glass containers are used, and wanted to confirm whether that is true. I was also thinking of having 3-4 tiki torches but was wondering if they would be permitted as they are not a fire. We would of course ensure that all trash and traces of our presence on the beach would be removed after the event.
The idea is a reasonable, fairly quiet gathering to socialize and walk the beach for 30 or 40 60 plus year-olds. We might have some music from a portable player but certainly nothing disruptive.
Is there a department or individual I could speak with to ensure our gathering meets all of the Sarasota City guidelines?
Tony Britt
Bird Key Yacht Club
Lido Beach party
To: Tony Britt
Thanks for your email and questions … I have copied the City Manager and Deputy City Manager to respond to your email and questions. I am confident you’ll get a timely response. Hope you have a lovely event!
Jen Ahearn-Koch
Vice Mayor
City of Sarasota
Preserve Our Parks
To: Sarasota City Commission
I strongly urge you to vote “NO” to dismantling our city parks for further commercial development. We are currently blessed to have a beautiful city with beauty everywhere we look. Further development of city parks will add nothing, and indeed make our city less desirable. Please be responsible and vote as your constituents desire.
Kelly Dather
Sarasota
Preserve Our Parks
To: Kelly Dather
Thank you for writing and letting us know your position. This will be a very touch choice for our commission and your input is vital. I’m attaching their proposal to this e-mail. They originally wanted the municipal auditorium, which I was against.
The current building they would be occupying is seldom visited and was being used by our staff as storage, which I don’t think amplifies the area or the park. Would a smaller footprint like what is being proposed impact your opinion? Are there things you specifically like or dislike of this project?
I’d be more than available to meet during my office hours or for coffee to discuss this matter if you would like.
Again, thank you for letting us know your position as it helps us be better commissioners.
Erik Arroyo
Commissioner
City of Sarasota
Gillespie Park accident at 7th and Osprey Ave
Marlon and Kyle
Please see attached pictures of accident that occurred at 7th and Osprey Ave last week. As usual, confusion over who stops caused this accident.
The neighborhood continues to be frustrated by lack of action on this intersection.
The question I am being asked is; how much injury is needed before we will be listened to? How do I answer this question? Please help us
Kelly Brown
Sarasota
Gillespie Park accident at 7th and Osprey Ave
To: Sarasota City Manager Marlon Brown
Good afternoon. According to our records we have a total of 4 crashes there going back to June 2021. Including the one from last week, we have had 2 this year. Hope this helps.
Scott Mayforth
Deputy Police Chief
City of Sarasota
Sister-City Request
To: Sarasota City Commission
We would like to offer compliments and write on behalf of the Monrovia City Council to express the City of Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa’s desire to develop sister-city relations with Sarasota County.
The City of Monrovia sees increased understanding and appreciation for both cities’ cultures, as well as a variety of collaborative initiatives that will benefit our communities. We are confident that this collaboration, once created, will last for many generations, promoting educational, economic, and professional exchanges.
This partnership will begin with an agreement between our respective municipalities, and we hope that the power and energy of this long-term engagement will come from our communities’ organizations, schools, businesses, and individuals.
In anticipation of the Sarasota County’s approval of Monrovia’s sister-city interest, we have directed our sister-city committee to work with your team to start steps that will lead to the start of sister-city engagement. We look forward to hearing from you.
Pekeleh Gbuapaye
Director Press and Public Affairs Department
City Government of Monrovia
Sister-City Request
To: Sarasota Vice Mayor Jennifer Ahearn-Koch
Can you please direct Mr. Gbuapaye to the Sister Cities reps to handle accordingly. Thank you.
Marlon Brown
City Manager, City of Sarasota
