- April 24, 2024
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For Bob Bunting, it's all a matter of numbers.
Numbers of people crowding into Longboat Key's north end beaches, often parking illegally, drinking and leaving behind a mess for someone else to clean up.
“We don’t want thousands of people on a beach that won’t support hundreds,” said Bunting, a resident of 360 North.
Memorial Day weekend was a perfect example of what Bunting and others are concerned about. They say it's not just holiday weekends, but problems certainly get worse when an extra day off is involved.
Bunting theorizes that when Coquina Beach becomes too crowded, beachgoers move to the Broadway beach access, which he said lacks the space, amenities and parking to handle the overflow.
And then there is Greer Island, also known as Beer Can Island.
The colloquial name is apt, given the drinking and littering resident Maureen Merrigan said she sees there.
“It’s a frat party on the weekends,” Merrigan said.
Their complaints are backed up by official numbers. Town Manager Dave Bullock said police were busy during Memorial Day weekend at Greer Island, the Broadway Street beach access and the shoal near Jewfish Key.
Jewfish Key has long been a popular spot for vessels to meet up, drop anchor and party. That’s largely due to the roughly 126,000-square-yard sandbar that flanks the northwest end of the island, and its easy access from Longboat Pass and the Intracoastal Waterway.
Police Chief Pete Cumming said he is preparing for the July 4 weekend with Memorial Day in mind. Along with a plan to station additional officers in the area, he said he is working with town staff to post more signs on north end beaches indicating the town’s ordinance that prohibits alcohol consumption on beaches.
Bullock added that one of the Police Department’s two marine unit boats was in for repairs during Memorial Day weekend, but both will be ready for duty over the July 4 holiday weekend, which could stretch to four days, because the actual holiday falls on a Tuesday and many people will likely be off July 3 as well.
Merrigan and other north end residents say issues have intensified in recent years.
“It’s worse now than it’s ever been in the past,” Merrigan said.
“It’s gone from mild to wild,” Bunting said.
Merrigan and Bunting mentioned that underage partiers make a destination of Greer Island, likely drawn by its remote location. The two residents say partiers often cross private property to arrive at their destination and act belligerent when told they are trespassing.
On Monday, Pat Zunz addressed the Town Commission about the illegal activity at Greer Island, noting drinking, drug use and littering.
“It’s becoming a tremendous problem for the people who live in that vicinity,” Zunz said, mentioning that residents clean up trash in the area daily.
In the long-term, Cumming hopes to determine with town staff a means to make Greer Island easier for police officers to patrol. A sliver of land, covered in mangroves, connects Greer to Longboat Key's main island. The chief said increasing erosion in the area has made it difficult for officers to navigate the department’s ATV onto Greer, especially during high tide.
Zunz urged the Town Commission to increase efforts in addressing erosion.
Cumming encourages north end residents and visitors to continue to alert police to any problems they see in the area.
“We appreciate all the help we can get from our eyes and ears out there,” Cumming said. “These people are a real asset to us.”
By the numbers
The Longboat Key police were busy on Memorial Day weekend around Greer Island, the Broadway Street beach access site and the sandbar near Jewfish Key. The breakdown was:
Longboat's not alone
Longboat Key's neighbors to the south on Siesta Key were shocked the Tuesday morning after Memorial Day to find widespread trash along their favorite stretch of shoreline.
Sarasota County said about 48 tons of refuse was left behind on the sand, which touched off a social media storm, largely blaming out of the area visitors and Dr. Beach's recent No. 1 rating as contributing factors. Volunteers and county staff turned out that morning and had most of the mess cleaned up by lunchtime.
For the Independence Day holiday, county staffers say trash bags will be handed out to beachgoers and an emphasis will be placed on the importance of leaving the beach as beachgoers found it.
"Such disrespect, and I've been coming here nearly 30 years,'' said Paul Oberle, a part-time Siesta Key resident.
Trash on the beach also can be an impediment to sea turtles coming ashore to nest or hatchlings making their way to the surf line for the first time.
