News Briefs

+ Sarasota Police Department loses accreditation
Sarasota Police Department Chief Bernadette DiPino suspended the organization’s application for accreditation last month following the discovery of non-compliance with several mandatory standards, the SPD announced Monday.

In a June 17 letter to the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation, an independent body that issues accreditation to state agencies, DiPino informed the organization of the withdrawal from the voluntary application process. The SPD has been accredited since 2002, and was scheduled for reaccreditation in February 2015.

DiPino said the department recently discovered issues dating back to 2012, causing the SPD to fall short of mandatory accreditation standards. An SPD spokesperson was unable to list the standards the organization failed to meet.

DiPino stressed the importance of complying with the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation’s standards going forward, and said the department would reapply for accreditation again in the future.

“Although it is voluntary, achievement of an accredited status demonstrates our commitment to our community best practices and it is our desire to reinstate that status as quickly as possible,” DiPino said in a release.

+ Elected mayor campaign admits defeat
A group pushing to have voters consider a new city charter has failed to get a referendum on the November ballot.

Formed earlier this year, It’s Time Sarasota has campaigned in support of a new charter that, most notably, would create an elected “strong” mayor as the executive of the municipal government. The group has attempted to gather signatures over the past several months, but was well short of the requisite number of petitions for ballot access as of a June 16 deadline recommended by City Attorney Robert Fournier.

It’s Time Sarasota was still pushing to collect signatures in hopes of getting on November’s ballot, but on Wednesday, the group announced the end of its efforts to have the charter considered this year.
The group is now refocusing its efforts in attempt to make the November 2016 ballot.

“As we plan for our next campaign in 2016, It’s Time will place greater emphasis on seeking broader community input and expanding community awareness of the need for reform,” the group said in a release.

+ Engineers refine Lift Station 87 design
Less than two months after gathering public input on design options for the new lift station slated for Luke Wood Park, the contractor in charge of the project has settled on a mission-style building for the wastewater facility.

McKim and Creed has chosen the Spanish-themed architecture reminiscent of historical Sarasota buildings for Lift Station 87, and will continue to refine the design as the project goes through the city’s review process. The firm held a community workshop in May, during which staff also presented a rendering for a building with art deco architecture.

“We appreciate residents participating in this process,” Sarasota Utility Director Mitt Tidwell said in a news release. “We know residents want to keep the project moving, and now that we have a design, we’ll start the city’s site planning review process.”

The firm had previously informed the City Commission that the facility would need to be built above ground in order to withstand a Category 3 storm surge.

“We decided the best option was a dominant feature — something that would draw attention to the park,” McKim and Creed Project Manager Robert Garland said in a previous interview with the Sarasota Observer. “Something the residents could be proud of and the city could be proud of.”

+ Wallenda’s plans for training center hit a wall
After a disappointing hearing in front of the Sarasota County Board of Zoning Appeals Monday, “King of the High Wire” Nik Wallenda’s plans for a training facility in his hometown are on the line.

Wallenda had asked for a setback variance at his recently acquired property on 51st Street near its intersection with North Lockwood Ridge Road, but was denied in a 3-5 vote. The plans were for a single-family home with a built-in training center.

The proposal was aimed at saving a row of live oak trees near the front of the property, which he purchased in three parcels last year for more than $100,000, according to Sarasota County Property Appraiser records.

Wallenda has spent between $5,000 and $7,000 during the planning process, and has reduced the size of the facility from previous drafts, but said shrinking the proposed building any further would impede on his training.

“It’s just like Michael Jordan, who has a basketball court inside his house — that’s what he needs to train properly,” Wallenda said. “There’s a certain size (building) I need in order to practice and train indoors.”

Wallenda said he could file a lawsuit, but instead would likely appeal the decision or return with a different design.

“I'm not asking for anything outrageous,” Wallenda said. “I’m doing it for the right reason: to save these trees.”

Meetings & agendas
Regular City Commission meeting — 2:30 and 6 p.m. Monday, July 21, Commission Chambers, City Hall, 1565 First St., Sarasota.

City Commission budget workshop — 8 a.m. Wednesday, July 23 and Thursday, July 24, Commission Chambers, City Hall, 1565 First St., Sarasota.

Sarasota County School Board meeting — 3 p.m., Tuesday, July 22, Landings Administrative Complex, 1980 Landings Blvd., Sarasota.