News Briefs

+ Yellow lines aren’t a new crosswalk
The yellow striped lane that runs across Gulf of Mexico Drive near Country Club Shores, isn’t a new crosswalk, according to a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) spokeswoman.

The yellow striping was temporarily put in place to provide pedestrians an alternative crossing while sidewalk repairs are under way. The repairs are part of a project taking place throughout Sarasota County.
The Longboat Key portion of the project will cost an estimated $24,000.

+ Water advisory lifted for Lido Beach
A beach water advisory for Lido Beach was lifted Saturday, Aug. 4, after water samples taken Friday showed that levels of enterococci bacteria were at levels that meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state recreational water standards.

The bacteria can come from stormwater runoff, pet waste, wildlife and human sewage, according to a Sarasota County Health Department news release.

The advisory was in effect for two days, beginning Thursday, Aug. 2. Two weeks earlier, July 19, a beach water advisory went into effect for Lido Beach that was also lifted two days later.

+ Deputy fire chief makes magazine cover
Longboat Key Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Sandi Drake is featured on the cover of the August 2012 issue of West Coast Woman.

Drake, a Sarasota native, dreamed of becoming a firefighter before she was in kindergarten and became a volunteer fire cadet at age 15 while she attended Cardinal Mooney High School, according to the cover story. She worked as a charge paramedic for Manatee County Emergency Medical Services, before joining the Longboat Key department in 2001.

Drake became the department’s first female deputy chief in 2010. She is a registered nurse and also has a bachelor’s degree in management and health care.

+ September ZBA meeting canceled
The Sept. 6 Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting has been canceled because no petitions were scheduled to be heard. The next ZBA meeting will take place at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 11, at Longboat Key Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road.