Town requests input for Bay Isles Road sign

There are more businesses on Bay Isles Road than there are spaces on a new wayfinding sign that sits just off Gulf of Mexico Drive.

The eight spaces on the new wayfinding sign will remain blank, for at least the next month, until a recommendation can be brought forward to the Town Commission.

At its Thursday, June 17 regular workshop, the Town Commission decided to let the Longboat Key, Lido Key, St. Armands Key Chamber of Commerce coordinate an effort with business owners to make recommendations for what kind of language will be put on the signs.

Longboat Key resident and real-estate agent Andrew Vac attended the workshop to ask the commission to place his Re/Max Excellence firm on one of the signs.

But Vac told the commission he realizes that would cause a problem.

“I would love to have it say ‘Re/Max Excellence’ on the sign,” Vac said. “But, in light of that, my suggestion was generic names.”

Public Works Director Juan Florensa also suggested using generic names (such as Bank and Real Estate Office) at the meeting.

But Florensa wants the commission to have the final say.

“We are going to punt and let you make the final decision,” Florensa said.

But the commission deflected the decision away last week.

Vice Mayor Jim Brown and Commissioner Lynn Larson said the business owners should have input before a decision is made.

The signs — which sit along Gulf of Mexico Drive at Broadway, the 5000 block of GMD, the 4000 block of GMD, Bay Isles Road and just south of Longboat Club Road — all have eight blank nameplates on them.

But the only problematic area is Bay Isles Road because none of the other signs has more businesses and local amenities in the area than there are nameplates.

For instance, the commission gave Florensa direction to order nameplates for the Broadway sign after it agreed with Moore’s Stone Crab Restaurant & Marina owner Alan Moore’s suggestion that his business and Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub should have spaces on the sign.

The businesses are the only two restaurants on Broadway.

The rest of the Broadway wayfinding sign nameplates will include: Center for the Arts, Boat Ramp, Beach Access, Police/Fire Rescue, Chamber of Commerce and Town Hall.

The commission wants to hear the business community’s input on the Bay Isles Road sign at its Monday, July 12 regular meeting, before it breaks for the summer.

The move would allow the signs to be created over the summer before the commission reconvenes in September.