Commissioners peruse Colony occupancy issue

On the heels of their first regular meeting tonight at Town Hall since their two-month summer break, Longboat Key commissioners have requested information from Town Manager Dave Bullock about the future occupancy of Colony Beach & Tennis Resort units.

Bullock informed commissioners in a Sept. 5 email that “additional detailed inspection and research would be necessary should a property owner submit a specific request to occupy a building.”

Bullock, though, provided commissioners with several documents and reports submitted since the resort closed in 2010 that show the complexities involved with owners receiving a certificate of occupancy for units zoned only for tourism use.

“That includes a $343,000 overdue utility bill (for water and sewer services,” Bullock informed commissioners.

The news comes after Colony Beach & Tennis Resort unit owners Blake Fleetwood and Ruth Kriendler received building permits from the Planning, Zoning and Building Department last week to make interior renovations, repair and replace windows, install working air conditioners and upgrade electrical panels.

The units have been closed since 2010, and Fleetwood believes that more owners will follow suit for permits to fix up units and make them habitable, even amid the legal turmoil affecting the resort.

Obtaining a certificate of occupancy for Colony units being repaired, though, will be an issue for owners such as Fleetwood and Kriendler. The units are designated to be used for tourism-related purposes only and cannot be occupied on a full-time basis.

Commissioners could discuss Colony matters tonight at their 7 p.m. regular meeting at Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road.

For more information, pick up a copy of Wednesday’s Longboat Observer.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].