- December 4, 2025
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9:04 a.m., 2900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Alarm: Officers responding to a home-intruder alarm found a pair of flooring contractors with a valid work order — for a home in Holmes Beach, not Longboat Key. The house number was the same, but the street was listed as Gulf Drive North. There was a language barrier, the officer reported. The home’s owner asked police to check the property for signs of any attempted break-in. There were none. The workers drove off toward Holmes Beach without incident.
11:04 a.m., 1000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Traffic stop: The driver of an SUV originally stopped for speeding in a construction zone ended up with several criminal citations and infractions. An officer conducting speed checks on the south end of the island initially stopped the vehicle after it registered 50 mph in the 35 mph marked construction zone. The driver from Bradenton had an ID but no driver's license (it had been suspended); no proof of ownership (he said he had purchased the vehicle just days ago); and no proof of insurance. An inventory of the vehicle turned up a bottle of diabetes medicine and a bottle of pills often used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and malaria. The driver said the medications (in bottles without his name) belonged to relatives. The SUV was towed and the driver cited for driving while license suspended with knowledge; operating an unregistered vehicle; unlawful speed in a work zone with workers present and no proof of insurance coverage.
12:57 p.m., 4300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Suspicious incident: A resident called police after returning to her condo following a brief absence. She reported finding her door ajar and what she thought were footprints in the doorway. The woman told police she had been asked to move her car away from an area that was being painted and became concerned an intruder had gained access to her home in the interim. Police canvassed the area and walked room to room in the condo and found no one. They could not ascertain the existence of footprints.
10:13 p.m., 5600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Noise complaint: An officer arrived on the scene of a noise complaint and initially did not report hearing any noise. He knocked on a door and spoke to a woman inside who said she had, in fact, been watching a movie with volume levels higher than normal. She told the officer she was finished with TV for the night.
3:40 p.m., Sarasota Bay
Service call: Responding to a tip about a floating utility pole in Sarasota Bay posing a hazard to navigation, a marine patrol officer spotted a 35- to 40-foot long example in the waters off Joan Durante Park. The officer tied a line to the pole and towed it to the park’s shoreline, securing it to a park structure to keep from floating off.
7:30 p.m., 300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Suspicious incident: Insisting the delivery of three packages from an online retailer were more than just a mistake, a resident called police to report the incident as suspicious. The resident said the children’s wear and some kind of weights did not belong to her. The officer surmised they were likely mis-delivered and could be returned to sender.
10:29 p.m., 3400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Assist other agency: Fire-rescue units extinguished a fire that burned in a trash bin, igniting a palm tree and damaged a nearby rental car. The people responsible for the rental car sought a police report to help explain their predicament. An officer said he wasn’t an expert in fire investigations and couldn’t determine the cause, though one of the rental car’s drivers said fireworks had been seen and heard before the fire began.
7:54 a.m., 4700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Abandoned 911 call: Police went to a resort on a report of a dropped call to emergency dispatchers. The officer first spoke to a desk manager, who said they were unable to reach the family in the room from which the call originated. One of the room guests said his wife was in the shower and one of their children had played with the phone’s keypad. The woman in the bathroom confirmed the story through the door. Nothing untoward was seen in the room indicating an emergency or a call for help.
9:39 p.m., 3100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Suspicious person: Police agreed to take a man who they found trying to sleep on a bench to an address in Bradenton. Officers had been requested to make a patrol through the area and first found the man sitting on the bench, then in a prone position a few minutes later. The man said he was unhoused and wanted to sleep. He then asked if he could be taken to an address on Cortez Road, which the investigating officer cleared with a supervisor and then accomplished.
12:41 p.m., 3600 block of Bayou Circle
Animal problem: A coopers hawk that crashed into a window appeared stunned and unable to move when an officer arrived on the scene. The officer brought the bird, as requested, to Save our Seabirds on City Island.
12:43 p.m., 1500 block of Harbor Sound Drive
Animal problem: The owner of a dog that had been bitten by a raccoon was advised by police to seek veterinary care for the canine. Police reported the raccoon was at large after the incident.
8:50 a.m., 900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Vehicle stop: A driver who was pulled over for driving nearly 20 mph faster than the speed limit produced a passport from south of the border when an officer asked for a driver's license. The driver, clocked at 54 mph in a construction zone, said he had never possessed a license to drive. The 21-year-old said he was driving in an emergency and was on his way to work on an island construction job. He was issued two citations and told he’d need to make alternate transportation arrangements.
