Early voting begins on Longboat Key

Early, in-person voting for the town commission races and a pair of density referendums runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily from March 6 through March 11 at Town Hall,  501 Bay Isles Road.

The Town Clerk’s office will be providing refreshments for all early voters.

On Election Day, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. On that day, Sarasota County voters may cast their votes at Town Hall while polling for Manatee County voters will be located at Longboat Island Chapel (6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive).  

The ballot includes two races for seats on the Town Commission. Incumbent Jack Daly aims to retain his District 4 seat against Larry Grossman, while Jim Brown and Gene Jaleski vie for the At-Large seat currently held by Vice Mayor Phill Younger.

Two referendums are also on the ballot. The first gives the town the authority to allow construction of 10 residential units on 1.82 vacant acres at 5630 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

The second is the hotly debated referendum regarding the former Colony Beach & Tennis Resort property. The vote will determine whether density may be increased to allow Unicorp National Developments to add 180 residential units to the property’s existing 237 tourism units.

As of March 2, about 14% of the Key’s 6,344 voters had already cast their votes by mail.

Early voting has also begun in the city of Sarasota. Click here for information on City Commission candidates.