Longboat and Sarasota plan joint commission meeting

Town Commissioners will be asked Monday to vote to approve a joint meeting with City Commissioners from Sarasota to discuss topics of mutual concern.

Both Longboat Key and Sarasota commissioners first must routinely approve a resolution enabling the meeting to take place.  Such an item has been placed on meeting agendas for both municipalities’ Monday meetings for commission action.

The joint meeting is planned for 3-6 p.m. June 13 in Temple Beth Israel’s Social Hall, 567 Bay Isles Road.  It is open to the public.

Though the two panels of elected leaders have yet to set an agenda for the meeting, transportation and traffic are high on the list of issues of concern on both sides of Sarasota Bay.

Among the topics of discussion under consideration by Town Manager Tom Harmer and Sarasota Deputy Town Manager Marlon Brown for discussion are:

Issues put forward by the city of Sarasota:

• An overview of current and planned transportation projects within the downtown area of Sarasota and the city’s work toward a transportation master plan, which is set for completion in 2020.
• The city’s feasibility study of a water-taxi service between the mainland and the barrier islands.
• An update on flooding issues on U.S. 41 and Gulfstream Avenue.

Issues put forward by the town of Longboat Key:

• Status of the Barrier Island Traffic Study undertaken by the Florida Department of Transportation and a review of recommendations of recommendations related to both municipalities, such as projects suggested in St. Armands Circle and the U.S. 41 area.
• Improvements to Gulf of Mexico Drive.
• Public transit options on Longboat Key.

Recently, Longboat Key leaders have been critical of transportation projects within the city of Sarasota, saying upstream and downstream effects could exacerbate traffic issues on the barrier islands. Among the projects: a series of traffic circles on U.S. 41, anchored by a proposed circle at Gulfstream Avenue and U.S. 41. Longboat Key Commissioners last year commissioned a peer-review of traffic data presented by Florida Department of Transportation that indicated such a circle might not present a level of service now seen with recent turn-lane changes to that intersection. 

Additionally, Longboat Key lobbied against a so-called "road diet" on a downtown segment of Fruitville Road, which they said had the potential to bottleneck through traffic from the barrier island, especially in the event of an evacuation. Sarasota Commissioners ultimately rejected that proposal. 

Longboat leaders also have had an issue with a plan to install temporary speed bumps on the approaches and exits of St. Armands Circle with the  idea of slowing traffic and improving pedestrian safety. FDOT would study the effects of the temporary installations and consider the possibility of permanent fixtures.