The following are actual police reports as written by Longboat Key Police Officers. They are edited for length, punctuation and to protect privacy.
Oct. 4
Citizen assist
12:15 a.m.
Officer Puccio while on patrol on North Shore Road, observed a vehicle with its flashers on, parked at a residence. Officer Puccio made contact with the homeowner who advised it was his vehicle and that he was ordering food to be delivered and thanked the officer for stopping and checking. Case clear.
Citizen assist
4:11 p.m.
Sgt. Smith was dispatched to the 2500 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive in reference to a missing personal property. Upon arrival, Sgt. Smith made contact with the caller who advised that he and his spouse had recently been relocated from another unit. The couple stated that staff had been instructed to deliver groceries to their new unit. The complainant advised the items could not be located and were believed to be missing. Contact was made with property staff, who reported that the items had been removed by cleaning staff under the mistaken belief the property was abandoned. Staff further advised they were en route to return the items to the residents. No theft occurred and the incident was reclassified as an officer public service. Case clear.
Oct. 5
Animal
9:06 a.m.
Sgt. Smith was dispatched to the area of Gulfside Road and Gulf of Mexico Drive in reference to an injured seagull. Upon arrival, the bird was located on the beach south of the public entrance. The seagull appeared to have an injury to its right wing. A representative from Save Our Seabirds responded to the scene and took custody of the bird for care. No further action was required. Case clear.
Information
5:28 p.m.
Sgt. Smith while on patrol at the 2100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive observed a subject operating a motorized bicycle on the sidewalk. The subject was observed traveling in excess of 25 mph, confirmed by the in-car camera and vehicle speedometer. The conduct was a violation of Town Ordinance 73.04 which regulates bicycle operation. Specifically bicycles propelled by human power and mopeds area subject to the same rights and duties as vehicles and use of bicycles on sidewalks requires yielding to pedestrians and adherence to all applicable safety provisions. The operator was advised of the ordinance violation and the requirements under Town Code. The subject departed the area without incident. Written warning through Tracs was completed verbal warning issued to the rider. Case clear.
Oct. 6
Found property
9:20 a.m.
Officer Troyer was dispatched to 6600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive in reference to a found property. The complainant contacted the Sarasota County Dispatch Center and he reported he found a bag with laptop inside located in the middle of Gulf of Mexico Drive. Upon arrival, Officer Troyer met with the complainant who told the officer he was driving northbound on Gulf of Mexico Drive when he located a handbag int eh roadway. The complainant got out and retrieved the bag in hopes of finding the owner to return the bag. The complainant got out and retrieved the bag in hopes of finding the owner to return the bag. The complainant was unsuccessful with finding any identifying information. Officer Troyer inventoried the bag and located an Apple Macbook laptop along with miscellaneous jewelry and other miscellaneous items. Officer Troyer did locate an envelope with an airline ticket inside which was destined for Las Vegas. Officer Troyer responded to the resort and spoke with staff. Staff reported the name on file and provided Officer Troyer with the phone number. Staff also said the woman had already checked out. Officer Troyer contacted the phone number several times and left voicemail messages but was unsuccessful. Officer Troyer entered the purse with contents into property. Case clear.
Oct. 7
Citizen assist
8:35 a.m.
Officer Mathis was dispatched to the 5100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive in reference to a citizen assist. Upon arrival, Officer Mathis met with the caller and the caller explained that due to his license suspension he had to Uber from the airport yesterday evening to 5100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive. The complainant further advised that while he was unloading his luggage and bicycle, he had somehow forgot his backpack containing his government laptop and his official credentials in the Uber. The caller attempted to contact the Uber driver via telephone this morning and was unable to reach the driver to advise of the lost items in the vehicle. While speaking to the caller in the parking lot, the Uber driver returned and gave the backpack to the caller. This report was generated to document the incident. According to the caller, all items that he forgot in the Uber were returned. No further action needed. Case clear.
Vehicle
11:55 a.m.
Officer Troyer while on patrol, received a license plate reader alert whereas the registered owner had a suspended/revoked/cancelled license. The LPR alert was from the south site and informed Officer Troyer the vehicle was driving northbound on Gulf of Mexico Drive. Officer Patrol cleared the license plate through NCIC/FCIC which revealed the driver had a suspended license. Officer Troyer located the vehicle traveling northbound in the 1000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive when the vehicle passed by the front passenger window was down and Officer Troyer observed the driver who appeared to be the registered owner, the driver based on a driver’s license photograph, uploaded to NCIC/FCIC. Officer Troyer asked the driver if he was indeed a traffic stop in the 1000 block of Bogey Lane, Longboat Key. Upon walking to the vehicle, Officer Troyer asked the driver if he was indeed the driver, to which he confirmed he was. Officer Troyer informed they informed the driver the reason for the stop, to which he told the officer to go ahead. Officer Troyer conducted a pat frisk to which he told me to go ahead. Officer Troyer conducted a pat frisk of the man’s person and had him stand in front of his vehicle until Officer Troyer was complete with the traffic stop and provided the man with the necessary citation. Based upon his investigation, Officer Troyer found probable cause to issue the man a criminal citation for the driving while license suspended with knowledge. Officer Troyer followed the man to the Mobile fuel station where he could wait for a licensed driver. Case clear.
Oct. 8
Vehicle
2:00 p.m.
Officer Maple was conducting traffic enforcement operations at the 6900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive in full uniform and in a marked Longboat Key police patrol car. Officer Maple observed a southbound white sedan traveling at a higher rate of speed than the posed limit. The vehicle was later identified as a 2017 Mitsubishi. Officer Maple utilized the departed radar to determine the vehicle’s speed to be 49 mph in a 35 mph zone. Utilizing the emergency lights, Officer Maple conducted a traffic stop and approached the driver to inform him of the reason for the stop and asked for his driver’s license, registration and proof of insurance. The driver presented a California license number. When asked for registration of the vehicle, the driver stated it was his roommate’s vehicle. Officer Maple asked how long he had been living in Florida and the driver stated for a year. Officer Maple then asked when he obtained employment and if he worked. He said he had obtained employment on Longboat in December. Officer Maple issued the driver a criminal citation for failing to obtain a Florida Driver’s license within the required timeframe with a court date of Nov. 18, 2025. Case clear.
