Commission passes reduced signage plan

The Longboat Key Town Commission approved a plan at its 7 p.m. regular meeting Monday that removes 68 total sign posts and 49 signs from the Gulf of Mexico Drive right of way.

The plan includes removing:

• 17 sign posts with two bike-lane signs placed on each of them (there are 62 sign posts now)
• 26 no-parking signs (there are 32 signs now)
• 25 right-turn yield to bike signs (there are 35 signs now)

FDOT will also add two speed limit signs at the request of Police Chief Al Hogle and remove two unnecessary hidden driveway signs. The signs will be removed this summer.

Also at its regular meeting at Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road, the commission:

Executed:
• An agreement to work together on the preservation of Sister Keys between the town and Sarasota Bay Watch.

Approved:
• A request by the Longboat Key, Lido Key, St. Armands Key Chamber of Commerce to close Bay Isles Road from 9 a.m. to noon July 4 for the annual Freedom Fest Parade.

Adopted:
• An ordinance that updates the codes and violations for the town’s beaches parks and public spaces.
• An ordinance that amends the walls, fences and hedges portion of the town code.
• New mortality tables for its police, fire and general employee pension plans.
• An ordinance that eliminates the rights of a Firefighters Pension Board member to vote in elections for new members if that member is participating in the Deferred Retirement Options Program.
• An ordinance that makes amendments to a Longboat Key Police Department contract that was already ratified.

Passed:
• A proposed resolution that allows the town manager the authority to spend funds and take emergency action if a quorum of the commission is not available during hurricane season.
• A resolution that establishes a finance committee as a subcommittee of the Town Commission. The commission appointed Vice Mayor David Brenner and Commissioners Jack Duncan and Lynn Larson to the committee.

Tabled:
• A resolution that would have provided a $6,000 budget transfer to pay for iPads for the town’s seven commissioners.

Ratified:
• A one-year contract between the town and the Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department.

Submitted:
• A portion of suggested goals and objectives to the Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Board that are tied to elements in the Vision Plan.

Appointed:
• Thomas Bjou to the Longboat Key Zoning Board of Adjustment.
• Jean White to the Longboat Key Code Enforcement Department.

Cancelled:
• The July and August regular workshops and August regular meeting.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].