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.
Condominium Milestone Inspections submitted to DBPR
To: Longboat Key Commissioner Sarah Karon
Sharing the attached from Allen Parsons as an update to our community’s efforts to meet the milestone inspection report deadlines. Patti and Eileen and our entire team have been working to ensure the Town meets all reporting requirements and have done such a good job at it that Longboat Key is the standard by which all other municipalities are measured.
Kudos to Patti and the team for managing this in addition to hurricane recovery efforts. I would also like to acknowledge the hard work put in by all of the condominiums on the Key (also in addition to their hurricane recovery efforts) who have gone through a number of different reviews (and expense) to ensure the safety of their structures so that we do our very best to prevent another Surfside type incident. Great work all around!
Howard N. Tipton
Town Manager
Town of Longboat Key
Condominium Milestone Inspections Submitted to DBPR
To: Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton
This past legislative session included further updates to Florida’s Milestone Inspection requirements (which obligate structural assessments on condo buildings that are 30 years or older & that are 3 or more stories in height) via HB 913, with many provisions taking effect on July 1, 2025. One of those new requirements is reporting duties for local enforcement agencies. By October 1, 2025, these agencies must report specific information regarding Milestone Inspections to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). This data includes the number of buildings inspected and, notably, a list of any buildings that have been deemed unsafe or uninhabitable.
Attached is the Town’s first Annual Milestone Inspection Report Summary. There are a couple of noteworthy items to report on:
• The first is that 197 out of 198 buildings (required to perform a Milestone Inspection) completed their reports by the initial due date of 12/31/24. The one remaining building has been granted an extension & is underway with having this inspection completed.
• The second is that only two buildings were required to have a more substantive ‘Phase 2’ inspection completed. And out of those two buildings, none were required to have follow-up building permits issued to correct any issues.
Overall this is an excellent bill of health for the structural integrity of older/taller condo buildings in the Town. And anecdotally, we’ve heard the overall completion rate of these structural assessments in the Town and the timeliness of reporting to DBPR are exemplary within the state.
On the staff side, thanks to Patti & Eileen for standing up this new Program, including getting a complete inventory of applicable buildings, developing a tracking system, staying on top of the outreach to let condo associations know about their statutory obligations & then reviewing the reports to be sure they meet statutory requirements and following up if there are structural issues that have been identified.
Allen Parsons
Director Planning, Zoning & Building Department
Town of Longboat Key
Renaming Gulf of Mexico Drive
To: Editor
Except for the United States, the entire world recognizes the Gulf of Mexico as the name of the body of water on Florida’s western border. The Town of Longboat Key should not kowtow to the Trump administration’s jingoistic renaming policies. It is possible, in fact even likely, that a future administration will reverse some of his foolish proclamations. If the State of Florida withholds or delays promised funding to the Town for keeping the name Gulf of Mexico Drive, we should be prepared to take legal action.
Jason Brandt
Longboat Key
GMD name change
To: Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton
The following is the results of a poll of our Lands End residents on renaming GMD to GOAD:
14 opposed renaming
4 in favor of renaming
James G. Haft
Longboat Key
Gulf of Mexico Drive
To: Bill Mitchell
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Bill. Town staff are tallying all of the communications around this issue and the Town Commission will hear the community’s comments during our Oct. 20 meeting should you care to attend. That meeting will also be livestreamed.
Sarah Karon
Commissioner
Town of Longboat Key
Gulf of Mexico Drive
To: Longboat Key Commissioner Sarah Karon
I am writing to register my strong opposition to changing the name of Gulf Of Mexico Drive!
Bill Mitchell
Longboat Key
October 6, 2025 – Agenda Packet
To: Longboat Key Commission
Town Manager Tipton will be requesting the addition of the attached Public Forum Permit Fee Waiver request to the Consent agenda at the Regular Meeting scheduled on Monday, October 6th.
The request was received by our Public Works Department after the agenda was finalized and distributed. The requestor, Christ Church, has a new events coordinator who was unaware of the process and has requested the waiver approval for the October 15th event.
Premier Community, Exceptional Service
Note: Florida has a very broad public records law. Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are considered public records when they pertain to Town business. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, you should not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, you may wish to contact our office by phone or in writing. All written documents are also considered public records and open for inspection upon request.
Stephanie Garcia
Deputy Town Clerk II
Town of Longboat Key
October 6, 2025 – Agenda Packet
To: Town of Longboat Key Commission
The agenda packet for the upcoming October 6, 2025, Town Commission Regular Meeting is now available on your iPads.
If you would like to access the packet using a different device, click here.
Please let me know if you have any issues accessing the material. Thank you!
Stephanie Garcia
Deputy Town Clerk II
Town of Longboat Key
Condominium Milestone Inspection Reports- Submitted to DBPR
To: Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton
This is a remarkably positive report in so many ways. Thanks to Allen and his team for compliance with these critical new rules. And thanks again to him, but also to our condo owners and managers, for maintaining such high standards for your properties when others have failed to do so. This is just another reason to be proud of our community.
Ken Schneier
Mayor
Town of Longboat Key
Condominium Milestone Inspection Reports- Submitted to DBPR
To: Longboat Key Commission
Sharing the attached from Allen Parsons as an update to our community’s efforts to meet the milestone inspection report deadlines. Patti and Eileen and our entire team have been working to ensure the Town meets all reporting requirements and have done such a good job at it that Longboat Key is the standard by which all other municipalities are measured.
Kudos to Patti and the team for managing this in addition to hurricane recovery efforts. I would also like to acknowledge the hard work put in by all of the condominiums on the Key (also in addition to their hurricane recovery efforts) who have gone through a number of different reviews (and expense) to ensure the safety of their structures so that we do our very best to prevent another Surfside type incident. Great work all around!
Howard N. Tipton
Town Manager
Town of Longboat Key
Condominium Milestone Inspection Reports- Submitted to DBPR
To: Longboat Key Commission
Sharing the attached from Allen Parsons as an update to our community’s efforts to meet the milestone inspection report deadlines. Patti and Eileen and our entire team have been working to ensure the Town meets all reporting requirements and have done such a good job at it that Longboat Key is the standard by which all other municipalities are measured.
Kudos to Patti and the team for managing this in addition to hurricane recovery efforts. I would also like to acknowledge the hard work put in by all of the condominiums on the Key (also in addition to their hurricane recovery efforts) who have gone through a number of different reviews (and expense) to ensure the safety of their structures so that we do our very best to prevent another Surfside type incident. Great work all around!
Howard N. Tipton
Town Manager
Town of Longboat Key
Canal Cost Inflation Factor
To: Longboat Key Vice-Mayor Debra Williams
In response to your question about whether the canal cost estimates contained any allowance for inflation, Tara Hollis with Wildan Financial Services provided the following:
To develop the numbers for Years 1 – 5, we included annual inflationary adjustments of 4.5%. The total anticipated costs for the 5-year period were then divided by 5 to get the projected annual amount to be recovered from both the Ad Valorem and Non-Ad Valorem assessments.
The maintenance costs for Year 6 and the resulting anticipated assessments we recently showed for Year 6 do not currently include a provision for inflation as they will be refined closer to Year 6. Please advise if you need any additional information.
Howard N. Tipton
Town Manager
Town of Longboat Key
Renaming Gulf of Mexico Drive
To: Longboat Key Commission
I am a full time resident of Longboat Key and I am strongly opposed to renaming Gulf of Mexico Drive.
Jerome Schwertz
Longboat Key
Canal Cost Inflation Factor
To: Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton
Thank you. That’s exactly what I was looking for.
Debra Williams
Vice Mayor
Town of Longboat Key
GMD Name Change Preferences from Bayou Hammock
To: Longboat Key Commissioner Sarah Karon
A poll of the Bayou Hammock Assoc (14 members) on the GMD name change yields the following preferences:
Of the 8 responses:
7 – Leave name unchanged
1- Suggestion that it be changed to Gulf Dr. to minimize future kerfluffles
Doubt we will hear from the remainder of the owners based on historical response rates from this group. Hope you can add this to your position for the upcoming commission meeting topic on this issue. Thanks for all your efforts and hope you all had a good summer.
Winnie Nelon
Longboat Key
August Tourism Numbers from Visit Sarasota County
To: Longboat Key Commission, Sarasota City Commission
The commencement of October signals the start of our new fiscal year at Visit Sarasota County!
To gain insight into our strategic priorities and financial projections for FY26, please click here.
We also extend an invitation to our upcoming Indicators and Insight summit, taking place November 18th at The Carlisle Inn; click here for more details.
(In addition to handing out the Haley Hall of Fame Awards, we’ll also hear from Nicole Porter, VP of Political Affairs with the U.S. Travel Association.)
Below, we present our August tourism data, illustrating a sustained increase in average daily rate, which boosts visitor expenditures, despite a slight drop in visitor numbers and occupancy.
August numbers comparing 2025 to 2024:
• Visitors were 118,100 compared to 124,000 in 2024
• Visitor direct expenditures were $96,431,000 compared to $89,007,300 in 2024
• Lodging occupancy was 49.8% compared to 48.0% in 2024
• Lodging average room rate was $237.97 compared to $225.04 in 2024
• There were 199,700 room nights sold compared to 202,300 in 2024
As always, we welcome your questions and feedback, and our team remains committed to supporting the community.
Erin Duggan
President/CEO
Visit Sarasota County
GMD Name Change
To: Longboat Key Commission
I am a full time resident of Longboat Key. I STRONGLY DISAGREE with changing the name of Gulf of Mexico Drive to Gulf of America Drive.
Marcia Mackin
Longboat Key
Please do not rename Gulf of Mexico Drive
To: Longboat Key Commission
I am writing to ask that you absolutely do not rename Gulf of Mexico Drive. Every thought that needs to be expressed in opposition to any name change has already been raised and I wholeheartedly agree with all of them. Please keep the name Gulf of Mexico Drive.
Thank you all for everything you do for the good of our community,
Jill Nemeth
Longboat Key
Happy New Fiscal Year!
To: Longboat Key Employees
As the calendar turns to October 1st, some people start to think about Halloween or the upcoming holiday season. But for cities, counties across Florida, and the Federal government, 10/1 marks the start of a new fiscal year.
What that means is that the budget the Town Commission approved in September becomes effective and will run from 10/1/2025 through 9/30/2026. Not too many people get excited about this kind of new year, but there are several things about it to keep in mind:
• First, you don’t have to stay up until midnight to celebrate it.
• Next, we are now fully funded to pay salaries and benefits for the coming twelve months which is always worth a high five.
• Our capital projects are also funded so that we can address our infrastructure and equipment needs.
• Lastly, we have the opportunity over these next months to continue to build our skills and knowledge. It could be earning a Lean Six Sigma yellow and/or green belt, more specific job training, or perhaps achieving a certain certification. The budget for continuing learning allows for all of that to happen.
As we kick off a new fiscal year, I want to share my thanks and appreciation for all of those who worked to build the budgets we are now living under. I also want to thank the Town Commission for their continuing support of all that we are doing to provide exceptional services. We couldn’t do what we do without their support. So Happy New Fiscal Year (party hats and streamers optional)!
Howard N. Tipton
Town Manager
Town of Longboat Key
Name change Gulf of Mexico Drive
To: Audrey Bear
Thanks for all your work on this. We have asked staff to analyze the costs of a name change as well before our October 20 workshop on the subject.
Ken Schneier
Mayor
Town of Longboat Key
Name change Gulf of Mexico Drive
To: Longboat Key Commission
Please see the attached letter. I assume that the Town staff has done a more comprehensive job of compiling similar information. Thank you so very much for all of the time you are spending on this project. I consider it a state and federal government vanity project.
Audrey Bear
Longboat Key
Gulf of America Drive
To: Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton
Hello, As a resident of LBK, I am in favor of changing the road on LBK to Gulf of America Drive.
Mary Meckley
Longboat Key
GMD name change
To: Jmes Haft
Thanks, Jim. Town Clerk Trish has been collating all the (alarmingly massive) correspondence and social media comments that have come in. FYI, more than a few who have favored renaming have proposed something other than Gulf of America Drive. Could that be true of your membership?
Ken Schneier
Mayor
Town of Longboat Key
Changing Gulf of Mexico Drive
To: Longboat Key Commission
Please! I have lived on the Gulf islands most of my life and am horrified that you could even consider changing the name of a drive at the whim of an entirely unhinged president.
Jean Blackburn
Longboat Key
SBEP’s finances during the government shutdown
To: Longboat Key Commission, Sarasota City Commission
As you know, the US EPA provides the vast majority of SBEP’s funding. For our current fiscal year, FY25, EPA provided us with $850,000, matched with $393,000 from Manatee and Sarasota Counties, the cities of Bradenton and Sarasota, the Town of Longboat Key, and the SWFWMD. Over the past few years, EPA has also provided us with a bit over $900,000 a year, which we have spent on habitat restoration projects at the FISH Preserve, GT Bray Park, the 12 artificial reef modules put out in the bay, and our recently completed seawall enhancement project at the Town of Longboat Key.
So what happens when we have a government shutdown? Well, we don’t know, exactly, but the guidance we’ve received was to process as many outstanding invoices as possible before today (the start of the shutdown). On Monday, I signed off on over $120,000 worth of invoices for folks doing work for us, whether it was to maintain our IT systems, local NGOs taking kids out on the bay, or the consultants and contractors who permit, design, construct, and/or maintain our various habitat restoration projects.
We have sufficient funds to last for a few weeks, at least. This includes a checking account balance of over $600,000, through which we will pay our direct and indirect expenses for maintaining our program. Next week, we will be sending out requests for local government partners to contribute funding in line with the amounts laid out in our approved Work Plan and Budget for FY26 – those amounts are the same as requested for FY25. That would give us nearly $400,000. Typically, we get requests processed in a couple of weeks, although the SWFWMD (our biggest local funding source) typically disperses its funds in two tranches, received in December and then March.
Should all those funds run out, we have a reserve amount of a bit more than $400,000 set aside that should allow us to operate for an additional six months. Those funds are held in an account that is meant to be used (as requested by the Policy Board) for operating the program should we run out of funds for some reason. Those funds would not allow us to do projects; however, they would just pay for staff time and employee-related expenses.
So…we should be fine, but we don’t know how long this will last, and we don’t know if the shutdown will mean that the people who help process our reimbursement requests will be working or not.
Which means, if we can’t pull funds down from the Bil / IIJA funding portal, we may end up having to stop work on some of our projects. At least momentarily. We will likely try and test that out, to see if the funding portal allows us to be reimbursed even if nobody at EPA who helps us with these programs is still working
Maybe this will be like what we went through earlier this year, when we had less than a day’s notice that our BIL / IIJA funding portal was going to be shut down. That left us with about $200,000 worth of bills to pay, and no way to get reimbursed. That was a stressful time, which lasted until the funding portal came back online a few days later – with no notification, I might add.
Anyway, we’re fairly comfortable with our situation right now, but this could slow down or maybe even stop some of our habitat restoration and/or public outreach efforts, if this drags on too long.
Dave Tomasko
Executive Director
Sarasota Bay Estuary Program
Gulf of Mexico Drive
To: Longboat Key Commission
Please consider our strong opposition to renaming Gulf of Mexico Drive.
Fritz Attaway
Longboat Key
Street Name
To: Longboat Key Commission
You are welcome!
Gabriel E. Iriarte
Longboat Key
Gulf of America
To: Longboat Key Commission
Very observant. Yes, for practical reasons, I still have a Maryland phone number, but for the last four years, I have been a full-time resident of Longboat Key – Bay Isles.
The name “ Gulf of America “ sounds great and inspires patriotism. My son and I love it, however, my wife thinks it is a waste of money.
So, you have two “YES” votes from my household.
If you need more information, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Gabriel E. Iriarte
Longboat Key
Happy New Fiscal Year
To: Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton
Thanks for all your help and guidance Tip, and hats off to Lynn Curelli for a fabulous issue of Key Notes. Congratulations on a cohesive work environment that I know takes a lot of personal skill and energy, it is much appreciated.
Gary Coffin
Commissioner
Town of Longboat Key
Renaming Gulf of Mexico Drive
To: Longboat Key Commission
I am a resident of Longboat Key, living at Sanctuary Drive I oppose changing the street name to Gulf of America Drive. If we must change the name to retain state funding, I suggest Gulf Drive or Longboat Key Drive.
Abby Byerly
Longboat Key
Name change of Gulf of Mexico Drive is a waste of time and money
To: Longboat Key Commission
I live on Gulf of Mexico Drive, and I am opposed to changing the name of the street. Changing the name of the street would cost much money and time to alter drivers’ licenses and other official documents. It is absolutely unnecessary, and the Town officials should be free to do the important business like public safety and protecting us from natural disasters.
Arlene Levy
Longboat Key
Name change Gulf of Mexico Dr
To: Longboat Key Commission
Please see the attached letter. I assume that the Town staff has done a more comprehensive job of compiling similar information. Thank you so very much for all of the time you are spending on this project. I consider it a state and federal government vanity project.
Audrey Bear
Longboat Key
Gulf of Mexico Drive
To: Longboat Key Commission
Please don’t change it to Gulf of America Drive signed
Pamela and Jerry Donnelly
Longboat Key
Gulf of Mexico Drive
To: Bill Mitchell
Thanks for your clear input …I expect a lively discussion!
Steve Branham
Commissioner
Town of Longboat Key
Opposition to Gulf of Mexico Drive name change
To: Longboat Key Commissioner Steve Branham
I am writing to register my strong opposition to changing the name of Gulf Of Mexico Drive!
Bill Mitchell
Longboat Key
Gulf of Mexico Drive name change
To: Longboat Key Commission
Sent to me by Lillian Sands. Her point is well taken. She is in her 80s and unwell. She is concerned for herself and other older seniors who will need to spend hundreds of dollars for professional help to make the legal change request if the street needs changes.
Srlene Skversky
Longboat Key
Gulf of Mexico Drive name change
To: Arlene Skversky
I have sent a copy of my letter to the mayor of Longboat and all the members of the board. I hope that you get this I sent it to all the papers, but nobody said they saw it. I sent it to the Herald, Observer and the Longboat News, but no one has seen it. I plan on being at that meeting. God willing I’m still in tough shape, but I’m working on it.
Lillian Sands
Longboat Key
Gulf of Mexico Drive name changeTo: Lillian Sands
Thank you for taking the time to contact Senator Boyd and express your perspective. I will be sure to share your comments with him.
Amanda E. Romant
Senior Legislative Assistant to Senator Jim Boyd, District 20
Bradenton
Gulf of Mexico Drive name change
To: Office of Senator Boyd
I am aware that there is a proposal to change the name of Gulf of Mexico Drive. Just a few months ago, residents were devastated by Hurricane Helene (myself included).
While I could debate the merits of such a senseless proposal with no huge upside in my mind, I think your main concern should be protecting and helping residents and businesses thrive. A name change may sound simple but this proposal is a costly move for residents right now. With the median age of residents being around 72, luddite homeowners like myself will need to engage assistance to change utilities, banks, subscriptions, etc.
Businesses will need to update websites in addition to these. The additional costs per household could run approximately $200-$300, and businesses would pay out approximately $350-$900 for the additional HTML coding. All told, you would be agreeing to impose approximately $2-$4 million in direct costs to businesses and residents (mainly due to stationery, address updates, forms, helpers, and web updates—while older residents would incur higher costs for assistance). This does not include municipal signage which could cost tens or hundreds of thousands added to the municipal budget.
I would like to know what measurable improvement this name change will mean for our community because I only see mounting costs and inconvenience at a time we are struggling (and snowbirds are not around to weigh in on this at all).
How will this change genuinely benefit our residents and businesses after we have covered the expense and recovered from all this upheaval? Why add this now rather than focus on the many things Longboat Key desperately needs to recover?
If the town persists with this proposal, I suggest we engage an independent appraisal of the benefits and costs. That is money worth spending before devastated residents waste a bunch of time and money.
Lillian Sands
Longboat Key
Gulf of Mexico Drive
To: Longboat Key Commission
I vote for no name change. The many letters that I have read outline a myriad of reasons many of which I agree with. Thank you Commission members for all of your hard work.
Madeleine Stewart
Longboat Key
Renaming GOM drive
To: Longboat Key Commission
Please consider my vote on this issue:
I am against it. GOM should remain as is.
Nora Dempsey
Longboat Key
Gulf of Mexico Drive
To: Longboat Key Commission
I vote for no name change.
The many letters that I have read outline a myriad of reasons many of which I agree with.
Thank you Commission members for all of your hard work.
Madeleine Stewart
Longboat Key
Name Change of State Road 789 From Gulf of Mexico Drive
To: Longboat Key Commission
My wife and I have owned our condo at Sutton Place since 1994. We have been full time residents here since 2019. We object to any change of the current name. Since the road is the main throughfare on Longboat Key, we believe that the town commission has the right to maintain the current name regardless of the name change of the adjacent body of water.
That body of water was changed by a presidential order and not by the legislative branch, Congress. Therefore, the next president could change the name back to the current one. Then we would have the expense of restoring the current name.
William Shakespeare would have described this controversy as “A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”.
The town commission has better uses for its time and money than considering this change.
Carole Cohen
Howard Cohen
Gulf of Mexico Drive
To: Longboat Key Commission
I am strongly opposed to changing the name of Gulf of Mexico Drive to Gulf of America Drive. In the interest of compromise and representing all citizens of our town, not just MAGA, if it must be changed I suggest simply “Gulf Drive.” That way, everyone can feel free to interpret it how they wish, and we won’t have to go through this again, and spend more money, changing it back to Gulf of Mexico in 3 (or however many) years.
Lori Price
Longboat Key
“Yes” to Gulf of America Drive
To: Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton
Hi Mr. Tipton, thanks for all the good work you do.
My wife and I own two residences on Longboat, both single-family homes, one of which is across from the current Cannons Marina (I’m sure that name will change as well with the new ownership). We would like to see the name changed to Gulf of America Drive (or similar, such as Way, Boulevard, etc.).
Sorry, you have to deal with this matter, as we know you have much to do. Thanks again for all you and the staff there do.
Marcel and Debbie Bartley
Longboat Key
Opposition to Renaming Gulf of Mexico Drive
To: Longboat Key Commission
I urge the Commission to keep the name Gulf of Mexico Drive. Changing it to Gulf of America Drive is unnecessary, confusing, and a waste of both time and taxpayer money.
The current name is geographically accurate, historically rooted, and recognized worldwide. Renaming would erase that authenticity while forcing costly updates to signage, maps, addresses, and emergency systems — all without providing any real benefit to the community.
Longboat Key should be focusing on issues that truly affect residents’ quality of life, not fixing something that isn’t broken. Please keep Gulf of Mexico Drive as it is.
Elizabeth Morrison
Longboat Key
Gulf of Mexico Drive
To: Longboat Commission
In consideration of the upcoming meeting to discuss the topic of what to call GMD, please, please, give full consideration to keeping the name of this roadway as it has always been, Gulf of Mexico Drive.
First and foremost, my spouse and I are the owners of a historic cottage that holds a 1914 footprint in what was once Longbeach Village. I am aware that this road name has been in place since 1957. History is worth recognizing in this discussion.
A sitting President of our Country, who will be out of office in three years time, should never, ever be bothering with directing a name-change of local/county/state roads.
Consider the impact and cost to residents and businesses to adjust their proper addresses, and giving consideration to this preposterous name change idea, should it move forward, could simply revert back with the next Commander in Chief.
After all LBK residents and businesses have been through with back-to-back hurricanes, considering a crazy, and downright insulting name change is like pouring salt on a wound that is still trying to heal. Thank you for reading my email and giving consideration to my expressed opinion.
Ellen and Chris Buckley
Longboat Key
Canal drainage
To: Longboat Key Commissioner Debra Williams
Commissioner Williams, I did state on many occasions that a lot of the Key makes its way to a canal. I must have been misquoted or misspoke in the article. I will try to dig up some drainage maps to show this. You are correct about the Zota drainage, that is why it ponds there every time we have a significant rain. Give so time to dig up the drainage maps we have and get ahold of FDOT’s info. In addition, I will see what is available in the private areas like Bay Isles.
Charlie Mopps
Public Works Director
Town of Longboat Key
To: Longboat Key Public Works Director Charlie Mopps
I received a few calls and emails from residents wanting clarity on something you’ve said before, and were recently quoted in the LBK newspaper as saying, specifically, that “All of the drainage from Longboat Key ends up in a canal at some point in time”. I also find this a little confusing. My understanding is that we don’t have a lot of storm drains on Longboat Key, and that much of the storm water runoff gets absorbed relatively close to where it fell. For an example, I’m thinking of the persistent road flooding in the 4000 block of GMD, near Zota. I’m sure there are other areas on the key as well that are not close to draining directly into a canal. Can you help me to understand this?
Debra Williams
Commissioner
Town of Longboat Key
Road/beachside pathway
To: Longboat Key Commissioner BJ Bishop
Mike and Commissioner Bishop, we did forward the request to FDOT this morning. Once we get a response, we will pass it along.
Charles Mopps
Public Works Director
Town of Longboat Key
Road/beachside pathway
To: Michael Bergin
Not as easy as it may appear. It is a state road issue and theirs to repair. I will forward your note to Public Works and see if they have any info from FDOT.
BJ Bishop
Commissioner
Town of Longboat Key
Gulf of Mexico street name
To: Longboat Key Commission
I support retaining Gulf of Mexico as the name of our main LBK street and I oppose changing it to Gulf of America. Thank you for taking into account the wishes of the citizens.
Shelly Lazarus
Longboat Key
Gulf of Mexico Drive
To: Longboat Key Town Clerk Trish Shinkle
Good afternoon. Could you clarify the best way to express an opinion on the proposed name change of Gulf of Mexico Drive. I am strongly opposed to that change but not sure how to best convey that information.
Vilia Johnson
Longboat Key
Gulf of Mexico Drive
To: Vilia Johnson
Thank you for your inquiry on Friday. The Town Commission will receive your email, as included below, for their consideration. The meeting to discuss the proposed name change of Gulf of Mexico Drive is scheduled for October 20, 2025, beginning at 1:00 p.m. This is a public meeting, and all residents in attendance will have the opportunity to speak.
Please note that your email will be included in the meeting agenda materials and will become part of the official hearing record. If you are able to attend the meeting, you may choose to reiterate your comments or simply reference your previously submitted email expressing opposition to the name change. Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me or any of the Town Commissioners.
Trish Shinkle
Town Clerk
Town of Longboat Key
Name change
To: Longboat Key Commission
As taxpayers and concerned citizens we abhor the misuse of taxpayer dollars and unnecessary time to make changes to the longstanding designation of Gulf of Mexico Drive.
Nancy and Martin Zimmerman
Longboat Key
Signs and flags
To: Longboat Key Commissioner BJ Bishop
There are a couple of issues that were in the photo. Signs in the r-o-w are not allowed. The Coffee Kiosk is allowed an A-frame/menu board sign during hours of operation, but it must be within the vending area. The A-frame sign for Swim City is larger than allowed by Code. And then any flag has to be set back at least 10 ft. from the property line. Please do continue to pass along any issues you become aware of.
Allen Parsons
Planning and Zoning Director
Town of Longboat Key
Signs and flags
To: Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Director Allen Parsons
So , this is illegal?
BJ Bishop
Commissioner
Town of Longboat Key
Signs and flags
To: Longboat Key Commissioner BJ Bishop
Thanks BJ. Code Enforcement has followed up & will be monitoring the situation. PD has also been made aware of requirements & allowances for after-hours & weekends.
Allen Parsons
Planning and Zoning Director
Town of Longboat Key
Opposition to Renaming Gulf of Mexico Drive
To: Longboat Key Town Commission
As a follow up to my prior emails, I am writing to respectfully voice my strong opposition to the proposed renaming of Gulf of Mexico Drive to Gulf of America Drive. I read that you are keeping a tally of resident emails on this topic. I am heartened that you are taking our views into account in making this important decision. While the state of Florida has passed legislation related to the federal directive, our town should consider the significant financial and reputational risks this local action presents. Instead of aligning Longboat Key with a divisive national political issue, we should prioritize the town’s tradition of neutrality and focus on maintaining our appeal to all visitors.
My opposition is based on the following key points:
The name change is not recognized internationally and is highly controversial. The U.S. Executive Order 14172, which prompted Florida’s HB 575 and HB 54, applies only to U.S. federal agencies. The Gulf of Mexico is an international body of water, and this name change has not been recognized by international bodies like the International Hydrographic Organization. Critical opposition has been voiced both abroad and within the United States. A January 2025 poll of U.S. voters showed 72% oppose the change. Most notably, Mexico, which shares the Gulf, objects to the change, and foreign governments continue to use the traditional name.
Renaming our main thoroughfare carries significant financial risk by alienating tourists. Longboat Key’s economy is highly dependent on tourism. Adopting a politically charged name like “Gulf of America” risks alienating visitors who do not share the political ideology behind the Executive Order, as well as international tourists who are aware of the controversy and do not recognize the name change. Potential visitors seeing an address like “Gulf of America Drive” for our world-class resorts, such as the St. Regis or Zota , could be put off. They may view this as an act of arrogance and hubris, leading to a loss of bookings and revenue for our local businesses.
This action would thrust Longboat Key into the center of a national culture war. Adopting a partisan, ideologically fueled road name would attract unwanted and negative attention to our town. This would cause our town to be viewed as aligning with one side of a deeply divided debate, eroding our reputation as a welcoming, neutral, and inclusive community. Our residents and business owners deserve to be insulated from this partisan political conflict, not put at its center.
A more neutral alternative is available. If the Commission decides a name change is necessary to avoid confusion with federal and state agencies that are removing old signage, a politically neutral name should be selected. The name “Gulf Drive” is a logical, non-controversial, and respectful alternative that avoids the divisive connotations of “Gulf of America” while accurately describing the road’s location.
I urge you to consider these significant risks and opt for the politically neutral alternative of “Gulf Drive” or, better yet, retain the traditional local name of “Gulf of Mexico Drive” and recognize it as State Road 789. Longboat Key’s identity is one of grace and hospitality, not political grandstanding. Let’s make a decision that protects our tourism economy and preserves our community’s respectful, non-partisan character.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Barbara C. Woods
Longboat Key
Front Page Report: “What’s in a Name on Longboat Key”
To: Editor
One year after banding together with teamwork to overcome the hurricane disasters, I ponder, why is divisiveness being wrought on this beautiful peaceful island to change the name of its historic, romantic thoroughfare? What are the benefits of a name change to its people and businesses, if any?
My read of all the letters in the past two issues of LBK News indicate that approximately 82% desire the status quo. Town Manager Tipton states that the status quo is favored by 60%.
Aside from reconciling this disparity, 60% of the opinions desiring the status quo is still a formidable number. So the issue becomes: why divide and disrupt this oasis when maintaining the status quo is the favored logic? On what basis is the name game decision going to be made, actually? Or is it already a done deal? Just wondering.
Dean Kross
Longboat Key
Blocking view of canal
To: Longboat Key Commission
Just checking back about the fence between properties and blocking view of canal. I have looked on the town’s zoning website and it seems like section 158.152 would explain fencing, but it is unavailable on the website? If you could direct me on where to find it I would be grateful.
Kim Dellosso
Longboat Key
Blocking view of canal
To: Longboat Key Commission
We live at Bogey Lane and our neighbors directly to our left if you are facing the canal have remodeled the home and put in new fencing/vegetation. The fence is black and see through, which is fine-many neighbors on both sides of our canal have this type of fencing. The question I have is in regards to planting trees along that fence that are now impeding our view of the canal that we have always enjoyed for 16 years. None of the other fences in our canal have anything planted in front of them so I was wondering if there is any kind of rule in regards to this?
Kim Dellosso
Longboat Key
Do we have public works plumbers on call?
To: Longboat Key Commissioner Gary Coffin
The Town has on-call utility staff to manage the Town’s utility system during off hours and weekends. The Town also has a plumbing company our utility staff uses when there is a specific plumbing need, for example, to work or sleuth issues within our buildings.
If you would like, give me a call and let me know if there is a specific question I can help answer.
Isaac Brownman
Assistant Town Manager
Town of Longboat Key
Introducing our next Director, Dr. Ryan Gandy
To: Longboat Key Commission, Sarasota City Commission
Effective November 17, 2025, Dr. Ryan Gandy will take over as the next Executive Director of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program. Ryan was far and away the choice of the Policy Board members – much more so than I was five years ago! This means he’ll hit the ground running with in-depth knowledge of the bay, how the SBEP functions, and he has already become very popular with our citizens, Technical Advisory Committees, and the general public.
Ryan earned his Ph.D. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science and his M.S. in Mariculture from Texas A&M University, as well as a B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of Charleston. Over his 15-year tenure as a Research Scientist and Research Administrator with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, he led and supported the development of scientific programs focused on research, monitoring, stakeholder engagement, citizen science, fisheries management, and the restoration of shellfish resources statewide. For the last year, he has served as the Science and Restoration Manager for SBEP, where he successfully advanced the program’s library of restoration projects and ensured key initiatives are informed by current science.
Ryan is also a fifth-generation Floridian and 21-year resident of Sarasota County (whereas I wasn’t even born in this country…), and as such, he has witnessed firsthand the region’s ecological challenges and transformations. He is committed to protecting and enhancing the natural resources of Sarasota Bay so that future generations can continue to connect with and benefit from Florida’s unique coastal environment.
A quote from him encapsulates the multiple reasons why Ryan’s choice was the right one for our bay and its many stakeholders – “While we’ve made significant progress in restoring bay health and increasing marine habitat, our coastal ecosystem still faces challenges. I look forward to working with our partners and the community to strengthen the estuary’s resilience for the benefit of all.”
Dave Tomasko
Executive Director
Town of Longboat Key
City of Bradenton’s efforts to address wastewater issues
To: Longboat Key Commission, Sarasota City Commission
As you know, the recovery of Sarasota Bay’s water quality over the last few years didn’t come about by chance alone. Two years ago, we informed the board about FDEP’s findings that they were going to formally “de-list” the open waters of Sarasota Bay from their prior determination of being out of compliance with Numeric Nutrient Concentration (NNC) criteria – Director’s Note: Good news from FDEP – with a caveat… – Sarasota Bay Estuary Program. Based on the documented improvements in water quality, FDEP – independent of us – determined that the trends in the amount of algae in the water column were sufficient in terms of the magnitude and duration of improvements that they would “de-list” that portion of the bay from Ringling Causeway down to Venice Inlet, in terms of prior exceedances of NNC criteria.
Note the last year in that analysis – 2022. Remember anything unusual about 2022? How about Hurricane Ian, which gave us winds in excess of 80 mph, and between 5 and 15 inches of rain. As we discussed earlier, our watershed received up to twice as much rain in 3 days as we would normally see over the entire month of September – Hurricane Ian’s Impact on Sarasota Bay. Hurricane Ian adversely impacted our water quality in the lower bay for about a month. And yet, even with that massive rain event, our bay’s water quality in 2022 was determined by FDEP to be better across the lower bay than at any time over the prior years of 2015 to 2021.
That’s not by accident, and that’s not because it was abnormally dry in 2022. It’s because we were starting to see the improvements in water quality that were anticipated as we got our wastewater overflows under control, as we discussed early in 2024 – Director’s Note: Honing in on the basis for recent trends… – Sarasota Bay Estuary Program.
During the years 2013 to 2019, our bay received in excess of 1 billion gallons of overflows of mostly treated, but high-nutrient, wastewater. Those discharges seem to explain the majority of the degradation our lower bay experienced – Director’s Note: Honing in on the basis for recent trends… – Sarasota Bay Estuary Program. And as far back as 2019, it was thought that the bay’s biggest threats were being posed by wastewater issues, not stormwater – Preliminary assessment of Sarasota Bay water quality trends.
Why bring this up now? Because the improvements that occurred in the lower bay in response to Sarasota County dealing with its problems are hopefully going to be repeated as the City of Bradenton addresses their problems. Sarasota County’s efforts to address their problems at the Bee Ridge WWTP have cost in excess of $230 million. Well, the City of Bradenton is looking to implement a similarly expensive series of projects for its wastewater system.
As outlined in their recently released brochure, the City of Bradenton has committed to spending over $200 million to deal with the issues that have caused their own wastewater overflow issues – Face It, Fix It Brochure. The City’s overflows have mostly been associated with excessive amounts of water coming into their WWTP, which has resulted in bypasses and discharges of treated, but high-nutrient wastewater (similar to what happened at Bee Ridge) along with raw sewage mixed with rainfall. Why the problems with wastewater volumes? Because of infiltration and inflow issues, mainly. Infiltration refers to water leaking into wastewater collection pipes from the groundwater, and inflow refers mostly to water entering the collection system via manholes and other entry points.
The City of Bradenton’s collection system includes over 270 miles of collection pipes, with over 60 miles being either clay or cast-iron pipes that are looking more like colanders every year. Add in aging lift stations, the more intense rainfall we’ve seen these past decades, and an accelerated rate of sea level rise, and you have a problem that has been decades in the making. But you also have a City that has committed to a plan that should address most of those problems.
The City’s ongoing and planned projects include the following:
• 25 miles of collection system pipes lined, for $9 million, with another $15 million planned
• 1,000 manholes rehabilitated, at a cost of nearly $4 million
• Over $6 million spent to rehabilitate problematic lift stations, with another $24 million planned
• Approximately $2 million spent on force main improvements, with another $10 million planned
• Design and permitting underway for a deep-well injection facility for excessive wet season volumes, for $13 million
• An additional $37 million for expanding the capacity of their wastewater treatment plant
• And…additional planned investments of approximately $100 million for other projects to address the collection, treatment, and disposal of wastewater volumes
Get out your calculator, and you can see that the City of Bradenton is looking at spending over $200 million to upgrade the collection, treatment, storage, and disposal of wastewater. This is a huge number, but it is necessary to bring an aging infrastructure up to speed for the increased population we’ve experienced, and to help the City become more resilient with the increased rates of sea level rise and increased frequency of large rain events we are likely to experience over the next few decades.
Hopefully, as we saw in the lower bay when Sarasota County invested in its wastewater infrastructure, we will see a similar ecosystem-scale response as the City of Bradenton implements these huge, and hugely expensive, improvements to its own wastewater infrastructure.
Dave Tomasko
Executive Director
Sarasota Bay Estuary Program
