IN BRIEF

+ Car-tag camera system pays off
Sarasota Police Officer John Lake has been named the city’s employee of the month for his efforts in securing a patrol car-mounted camera system that will track any license plate in its path.

During the presentation of the award at the June 1 City Commission meeting, Police Chief Peter Abbott said Lake studied the Veriplate system on his own time, before the department purchased the $50,000 system.

Veriplate has four cameras that rest on top of a cruiser. The cameras continuously scan car tags and run them through the system to see if a car is stolen, was used in a crime or even has unpaid parking tickets.

+ Citrus Square architect honored
Sarasota architectural firm Jonathan Parks Architect has been awarded a Keep Sarasota County Beautiful award for its Citrus Square development and the Origami-Loft House, in Venice.

Citrus Square is a new mixed-use development on Orange Avenue, two blocks north of Fruitville Road. It is a three-story building, set back 10 feet from the road, with brightly colored store fronts, oversized doors and small wrought-iron balconies on the second- and third-floor residences.

Citrus Square’s 20 residential units and 11,000 square feet of retail space is nearly sold out.