- December 13, 2025
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Illustration by Marty Fugate
Welcome back, everyone, from all points north of — well, the state line of Florida. We hope you enjoyed your summer and realized one big event that did not happen on Longboat Key this year.
No hurricanes. Bet you're glad about that. We know we are as full-time residents.
So what did you miss?
Well, first the Florida Department of Transportation took down street signs because of the name Gulf of Mexico Drive. However, the town said no to any name change of the grand parkway.
So, FDOT put the signs back right where they took them down. That happened just before you got here.
Second, they took down all the utility poles along the aforementioned Gulf of Mexico Drive. However, they did not return as the utilities are all underground now.
Those were two things that happened, among others, like a new town police chief, the great Mote move and classic Longboat restaurant revived to its glory.
The “up-in-arms” topic of the summer on Longboat Key was whether to change the name of the town’s main thoroughfare: Gulf of Mexico Drive.
The possibility of a road name change became the talk of the town after the Florida Department of Transportation hired contractors in August to remove six street signs marking “Gulf of Mexico Drive” from traffic arms on the state-maintained road. The move by FDOT was in response to a state law instructing state agencies to update their “geographic materials” to reflect the new designation of the body of water to the west of Florida as the Gulf of America.
The idea of changing the name was brought to the town by a resident weeks before FDOT’s sign removal. Resident George Reenstra began advocating with commissioners to change the name of the road to “Gulf of America Drive” in early July. Town Mayor Ken Schneier asked Town Attorney Maggie Mooney for legal advice on the possibility, but that was the extent of steps taken by the town until FDOT removed the signs in late August.
When that happened, emails began flowing in. A convincing majority of residents who expressed their opinion with the town were against changing the name of the road. And at an over-capacity Town Commission workshop meeting in October, town leaders unanimously decided to take no action and leave the name of the road the same.
After the town’s decision, FDOT announced in early November that they would be reinstalling the previously removed Gulf of Mexico Drive street signs.
A fine-dining mainstay of Longboat Key abruptly shuttered its doors to diners in April, leaving residents puzzled and employees scrambling to pay their bills.
After a hand-written note taped to the front door announced the closure in late April, the owner could not be reached. Manatee County court records show a violation of a contract between her and a financing company to provide advanced funds backed by revenues from the restaurant led to a $23,000 judgment against her.
The restaurant has been a popular gathering space on the north end of Longboat Key since Leslie “Les” R. Buntin opened the restaurant named after his grandmother in 1975. Many Longboaters enjoy fond memories from Euphemia Haye, including Rachel and Jason Ghormley, who reacted to the news of the restaurant’s closing by buying and resurrecting it.
“I have some of my most cherished final memories with my parents here,” she said. “We had our last Thanksgiving here with my father. It's been such a special place to me, and that's why it's so important to keep it alive.”
Euphemia Haye has grown with Longboat, starting as a humble 28-seat restaurant and expanding six times, now able to seat 150. In 1990, there was the construction of the Haye Loft upstairs. The new owners said they would not make changes to the restaurant aside from slight tweaks to the wine menu and specials.
Euphemia Haye and Haye Loft is located at 5540 Gulf of Mexico Drive and is open for dinner starting at 5:30 p.m.
With a new $132 million aquarium near University Town Center now open, Mote Marine closed its City Island facility on July 6.
The Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium on City Island opened in the early 1980s, providing a home to rehabilitating and rescued sea animals while doubling as an aquarium and educational facility with schools taking classes on countless field trips to the building.
Just across the New Pass Bridge from Longboat Key, many Longboaters volunteered at Mote Marine’s City Island facility.
The new aquarium built on 12 acres in northeast Sarasota opened in October after five years of planning, design and elaborate construction.
“When we started, even the land didn't exist,” said Kevin Cooper, Mote's vice president for communications and strategic initiatives. “It was a lake (at Nathan Benderson Park), so we had to build the ground upon which the facility was built. It took us a couple of years just to do site preparation.”
Moving manatees, alligators, turtles and fish across town and acclimated to a new environment was a complicated effort that made the opening of the new Mote Science Education Aquarium at Nathan Benderson Park a delicate procedure.
Water chemistry, animal health and acclimation were all closely monitored as Mote workers began the process of moving Mote’s exhibits in July, and the new Mote Science Education Aquarium opened in early October to visitors.
Mote will still operate the City Island facility, but with a focus renewed on its research and rehabilitation efforts. Mote has been tight-lipped about what exactly that will entail and whether volunteer work will still be available on City Island.
Cannons Marina, a presence on Longboat Key since the late 40s, has new owners.
Started as a fish camp, David Miller’s father purchased the business in 1955 through a handshake deal with founder Ernie Cannon.
Miller, who grew up working at the marina, has been a presence on Longboat Key for 70 years — “back when rattlesnakes and wild hogs outnumbered people,” Miller likes to say.
Cannon’s Marina grew under Miller and Lucile Capo Miller’s leadership. A Grady-White dealer, Cannon’s also brokers, rents and performs maintenance at its Sarasota Bay-bordering marina.
In September, Ingman Marine announced it had agreed to purchase Cannon’s and will operate the Longboat Key location as its fifth dealership. The Cannon’s name will remain, as will all staff except for Miller and Capo Miller. The connection between Ingman CEO Mike Brimer and Cannon’s was strong even before purchase negotiations began, Capo Miller said. Turning down offers from larger companies and venture capitalists, choosing Ingman Marine as a successor was an easy choice.
“Mike Brimer and I frequently talked and have lunch together and talked about the business,” Capo Miller said. “When the hurricanes came, he was one of the first people to text and offer to help. That’s the level of trust and friendship that we all have.”
Cannon’s Marina is located on the north end of Longboat Key at 6040 Gulf of Mexico Drive.
Longboat Key has a new police chief, Russ Mager, replacing George Turner who left the department in January.
Mager was picked from a pool of 76 applicants. With 29 years of experience in police work, Mager comes from the other coast of Florida via Delray Beach, serving as chief from 2022 until his cross-state departure. He has experience in the SWAT team, as detective, sergeant and lieutenant. But the geography of his previous home may have had a hand in setting him apart from the 75 other applicants.
“I think it was being in a coastal community in Florida,” said Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton at Mager’s swearing-in ceremony. “He's got that storm experience, which is helpful with the hospitality experiences that we have out here and I think, just as interpersonal, I think he's very engaging kind of very connected, and I think that'll go a long way here on this island.”
Being visible is a priority of Mager, and he has been showing up at community meetings to introduce himself, putting a face and personality behind the badge and title. Mager also said he wants his department as a whole to be visible by those driving through the barrier island.
“The last thing we want to hear is we hardly see the police,” he said. “I think it makes people feel safe when we’re visible. I think it deters crime.”
The Paradise Center had an uncertain future earlier this year after a purchase of the building they rented in led to increased rent.
The $2.1 million purchase of the Tidewell building was a strategic one for Longboat resident Tom Simonian, who said the building’s central location near Publix and Town Hall was alluring. His planned renovations, which he is working to convert to a Class A commercial building, led to increased rents for tenants. The Paradise Center had a lease extension to allow more time for the organization to find a suitable new home.
In September, the center returned to a new but familiar location for the community hub, Longboat Island Chapel. The Paradise Center, which started as an outreach program through the church, branched off on its own to become a nonprofit, which now organizes educational lectures, yoga classes, bridge match get-togethers and much more. The community group is utilizing the church’s 2nd floor activity space at 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive. The church underwent extensive repairs and renovations after experiencing extensive storm damage from the 2024 hurricanes.
“We weren't sure where we were going to end up,” said Gail Loefgren, board president of The Paradise Center. “This is where we started years ago, so this is a homecoming to a beautiful space.”
The Paradise Center posts a calendar of its classes and programs at its website, TheParadiseCenter.org. Recurring classes include tai chi, meditation, stretch/strengthen, Pilates, yoga, mahjong and bingo. Prices vary from free to $10 for members or $20 for nonmembers.
Goodwill is coming to Longboat Key, with a bookstore and donation drop-off center set to open at a newly constructed 3,400 square foot building.
The first Goodwill on the barrier island is a goal for Goodwill Manasota for years.
“I’ve been trying to get out on Longboat Key since I first got here 13 years ago,” Goodwill Manasota President & CEO Donn Githens said.
Expected to open by the end of the year, both the bookstore and donation center will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. They will refresh the shelves with new books multiple times a week, Githens said.
Some local organizations are cautiously preparing for Goodwill. The Lord’s Warehouse, which relies on donations to stock its thrift shop, uses proceeds from sales to help community members in need.
“We're doing everything we can to mitigate the impact (of the Goodwill) on us,” Lord’s Warehouse senior manager Valarie Evanko said.
Githens said he hopes to work together with other charitable organizations to benefit the island collaboratively.
Goodwill Manasota has a long history of partnering with other nonprofits in our community,” Githens said. “We have a model that is 123 years old for the collection, production and sale of donated good to fund our mission programs, and some of those mission programs are to help other nonprofits in the community, and we’re always looking for new partners.”
Ten years after voters decided in a referendum to fund the project, crews buried utility lines and removed the poles on Longboat Key.
Paid for by resident-approved bonds totaling $49.1 million, the project came in more than $6 million under budget, according to Mayor Ken Schneier.
The removal of 1,134 utility poles and 743,000 feet of wiring placed underground during the work which began in 2019. Work divided into four sectors of the island and in four phases, which included service conversions and switching orders from Florida Power and Light. The completion of the project was delayed from the original timeline of three and a half years because of many hiccups, which included supply chain issues of sourcing transformers and hurricanes diverting FPL crews. The process of removing utility lines and boring underground paths along the entire island was intricate and time-consuming process.
“A lot of the construction alone was incredibly complex, very time-consuming, very invasive because it touched every single parcel on the island,” Assistant Town Manager Isaac Brownman said.
But it was well worth it, town leaders say.
“Today really is about looking at the future and saying, we are going down the right path,” Town Manager Howard Tipton said when the last utility pole was removed in June. “That brilliancy is our future and today is a celebration of a huge part of that.”
Design work is underway again for a roundabout on Broadway Street and Gulf of Mexico Drive.
Initial plans the town submitted were denied by the Florida Department of Transportation because of the banking of the road. The town went back to the drawing board. Town engineers are using the redrawing of plans as an opportunity to incorporate “complete streets” aspects into the design, which include bike lanes and other pedestrian improvements.
“The community up there has looked for safer access to the beach from the village, and the roundabout will do a great deal to make that a safer intersection,” Commissioner BJ Bishop said. “I’m not a huge fan of roundabouts, but in that area it works. It will work very well to mitigate the pedestrian and cycling safety issues.”
In September, the Longboat Key Town Commission approved an agreement to allow the contractor who eventually constructs the circle to perform utility relocation work before paving. The commission also approved a separate agreement with FDOT that states the town will be responsible for landscaping and brick paver maintenance at the roundabout.
Design work for the project is to wrap up by the end of February, and FDOT will advertise for construction bids in July. Expected to cost $5.4 million to $6 million, the town is contributing $1.7 million with FDOT funding the bulk of the cost.
