News Briefs

+ Comp Plan amendments move forward
The Longboat Key Town Commission moved forward Comprehensive Plan amendments Monday, July 11, that relate to both the Bayfront Park Recreation Center and the code changes approved by the commission in May 2010 that relate to the Longboat Key Club and Resort’s Islandside renovation-and-expansion project.

Both sets of amendments will now move forward to a second reading and public hearing at an Aug. 10 special meeting before being forwarded to the state’s Department of Community Affairs.

+ Unconscious Longboat man identified
Longboat Key Police Chief Al Hogle told the Longboat Observer that Longboat Key resident Herbert C. West, 56, was the man found lying July 7 in Sarasota Bay, just south of the island’s two mobile-home park communities.

“The man was ill and had some sort of a medical condition,” said Hogle, who explained that West was pulled from the water and started breathing again on his own.

“The case is no longer under investigation and is no longer a suspicious case,” Hogle said. “Mr. West is very fortunate a fisherman found him in the water before it was too late to revive him.”

+ Marine patrol operations funding approved
The Sarasota County Commission has agreed to fund $55,000 in West Coast Inland Navigation grant requests that the Longboat Key Police Department was seeking to fund its marine patrol operations for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.

Longboat Key Police Chief Al Hogle said the town has asked the Manatee County Commission to consider funding an additional $55,000 in grants.

If both counties officially approve the requests, the town’s marine patrol operations, which cost $110,000 annually to operate, will be fully funded.

+ Subcommittee seeks resident participation
The Longboat Key Vision Planning Subcommittee, which will form a mission statement that can be the guide for the town’s future, is looking for Key residents, particularly those who have never contributed at Town Hall, to serve on the committee. Interested residents can contact Commissioner Jack Duncan about becoming a member. Duncan can be reached at [email protected].

Meetings & Agendas

• Longboat Key Subcommittee Meeting — 9 a.m. Wednesday, July 13.
• Police Officers’ Special Pension Board Meeting — 8:30 a.m. Thursday, July 14.
• Planning and Zoning Board Special Comprehensive Plan Meeting — 9 .am. Tuesday, July 19.
• Code Enforcement Board Meeting — 10 a.m. Monday, Aug. 8.

All meetings take place at Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road.