News Briefs

+ Meeting advertising doesn’t add up
A plan to sell advertising during livestream videos of Longboat Key Town Commission meetings has been a tough sell: No advertisers have signed up for the program that the town, Longboat Key, Lido Key, St. Armands Key Chamber of Commerce, and Studio 26 Productions unveiled in March. The program was designed to offset the town’s costs for the service. The commission authorized a $5,000 budget transfer at its July 2 regular meeting to cover costs for the remainder of the current fiscal year.

+ Weekly Publix progress report
Publix and CVS construction has really been blossoming this week.

At the southwest portion of the site surrounding the new CVS, contractors’ efforts have taken root in the form of trees and other plantings that they were busy planting on Monday morning.

In preparation for Publix’s soon-to-be completed roof, the Lakeland-based chain will hold a topping-off celebration at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, July 12, at the Publix site. The event will include light refreshments and brief remarks about the future Key store.

+ Mote releases turtle, continues to treat dolphin
Mote Marine Laboratory caregivers released a 15-ounce loggerhead turtle nicknamed “Stanley” July 3 offshore Sarasota. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation staff brought Stanley to Mote in March. Stanley appears to be a hatchling from 2011 and is the first loggerhead to be treated at Mote’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital at this stage of life. Edna, a bottlenose dolphin found stranded on Longboat Key in June, remains in critical condition but is improving and has gained 22 pounds in her month of treatment. Mote officials are awaiting the results of recent medical tests and will perform a hearing test on her in the next two weeks.