Key Club mail ballot turnout rises to 48%

Voter turnout for the May 12 mail-only ballot referendum has risen to 48%.

Town Clerk Trish Granger reported mail-in ballot returns as of Wednesday afternoon that show returns have risen from 39.5% the week before to 48% this week.

The referendum is asking voters if Ocean Properties Ltd. can convert 300 residential units to tourism use to build a new Longboat Key Club hotel in Islandside.

In Sarasota County, 2,297 of 4,346 mail-in ballots have been returned. In Manatee County, 781 of 2,023 ballots have been sent back. So far, that’s a combined participation of 3,078 voters, or 39.5%, of the island’s 6,340 registered voters.

In March, which included an early voting period at Longboat Key Town Hall, 1,830 registered voters, or 29.5% of the island’s voters, participated in the election for two commission seats.

Voters have until 7 p.m. on Election Day, May 12, to return their mal-only election ballots. Ballots must be mailed or dropped off at the supervisor of elections offices. Ballots cannot be mailed to Longboat Key Town Hall or forwarded by any party to the supervisor of election offices.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].