News Briefs

+ Commission to discuss Key Club referendum
The Longboat Key Town Commission will discuss an ordinance that would place a referendum on the ballot of a special election to ask voters whether to allow tourism use with a maximum of 300 units on the Longboat Key Club’s Islandside property.

The commission will discuss the ordinance on first reading and public hearing at a special meeting at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10.

Sarasota attorney John Patterson, who represents Key Club owner Ocean Properties Ltd., wrote in a Nov. 9 letter to the commission that his client “wishes to redevelop a portion of its property in Islandside including residential and tourism (a hotel, a meeting center, and related facilities, including restaurants).”

+ Police arrest former caregiver for theft
Longboat Key police arrested a woman who allegedly withdrew more than $1,900 from the bank account of a Key woman she cared for who has progressive dementia.

On Nov. 21, police arrested Amy Campbell, 22, of Bradenton, on one count of theft. The 93-year-old victim’s daughter discovered transfers of $534 and $1,380.86 from her mother’s bank account to Campbell’s account in August, according to a police report.

Campbell is scheduled to appear Jan. 9, in the Sarasota County Courthouse.

+ Mote sells sturgeon and caviar production operation
Mote Marine Laboratory announced the sale of its Siberian sturgeon and caviar production operation to Southeast Venture Holdings LLC, also known as Seven Holdings.

Seven Holdings will integrate the operation into its Health Earth brand of sustainable foods businesses. The sale includes an agreement for Seven Holdings to invest in research at the 200-acre Mote Aquaculture Park in eastern Sarasota County.

“The sale marks the first major private business spin-off from Mote research and achieves a major goal for the Laboratory’s 2020 Vision & Strategic Plan,” said Michael Crosby, Mote president and CEO, in the release. “Mote’s strategic priorities focus on translating and transferring the information and technology produced by our diverse research enterprise in order to not only support long-term conservation and sustainable use of our marine resources, as well as to enhance ocean literacy among the public, but to also serve as a foundation for creation of new economic engines for Southwest Florida.”

Meetings & agendas
Code Enforcement Board Meeting — 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 8

Town Commission Special Meeting — 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10

Town Commission Regular Workshop — After 1 p.m. Town Commission Special Meeting Wednesday, Dec. 10

Zoning Board of Adjustment Meeting — 9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 11

Planning & Zoning Board Meeting — 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16

All meetings take place at Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road, unless otherwise noted.