News Briefs

+ Longboat campaign-sign debate continues
The election is over, but Larry Grossman isn’t ready to let one campaign issue rest just yet.

Grossman, who ran and lost to Mayor Jim Brown in the March 12 election, wrote Brown an email March 14 to express displeasure with Vice Mayor David Brenner. Last month Brenner took campaign signs belonging to Grossman and Gene Jaleski out of a Sarasota right of way after explaining the property owner had not given them permission to place their signs there.

“I’m not going to allow Commissioner Brenner to evade and self dismiss his illegal actions to remove our signs, and I’m going to pursue this matter relentlessly until justice is done,” Grossman wrote.

Grossman and Jaleski reported on the disappearance of at least 10 of their signs during the public-comments section of the March 4 Longboat Key Town Commission meeting.

Jaleski said before the Longboat Observer/Longboat Key Public Interest Committee candidate forum in February, Brenner handed him two of his signs and said they were on private property and the property owner didn’t give him permission to place them there.

Later, Jaleski discovered Brenner took them from the outskirts of the Lido Shores neighborhood, within city of Sarasota limits. It turns out the signs were placed in a right of way, not on private property, and clarification was sought as to where they could be placed.

“No responsible public official would remove or steal signs,” Grossman wrote. “He should provide an explanation of his actions in conjunction with this incident of sign stealing and should resign from his office. He is not above the law and is answerable to the people of Longboat Key.”

Brenner said he did nothing illegal and declined to comment further.

“My focus is on the town of Longboat Key and real problems at hand that we as commissioners need to address,” Brenner said.

+ Intracoastal dredging occurring behind Key
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is dredging the Intracoastal Waterway in the vicinity of Jewfish Key and Sister Keys.

The dredge material, which isn’t suitable for sand placement, is being placed on nearby Egmont Key.

The dredge, named “Murden,” started dredging the waterway in northern Manatee County and is working its way down the Intracoastal.

Meetings & Agendas
• Town Commission Regular Workshop — 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 20.
• Town Commission Regular Meeting — 7 p.m. Monday, April 1.
• Code Enforcement Board Regular Meeting — 10 a.m. Monday, April 8.
• Zoning Board of Adjustment Regular Meeting — 9:30 a.m. Thursday, April 11.
• Town Commission Goals & Objectives Workshop — 10 a.m. Monday, April 15.
All meetings take place at Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road, unless otherwise noted.