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Longboat Key | News

The Bayfront Park Recreation Center still welcomes thousands for yoga, Pilates and other classes annually, but is about 56 years old, and talk of replacement has begun again.
    By
  • S.T. Cardinal
  • May 20, 2026
Push begins again for new rec center on Longboat Key

The aging building donated by Murf Klauber and moved to Bayfront Park may be replaced with a private-public fundraising effort.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
The oval median at Bay Isles Road will be refreshed in a landscaping project that will uproot the unkempt plants in the median.
    By
  • S.T. Cardinal
  • May 19, 2026
Bay Isles landscaping project begins

The medians along Bay Isles Road should be refreshed in time for an Independence Day parade.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
ABC 7 Chief Meteorologist Bob Harrigan speaks at the Longboat Key Disaster Preparedness Seminar organized by the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce Thursday, May 14.
    By
  • S.T. Cardinal
  • May 19, 2026
Panel gives tips to prep for the worst on Longboat Key

Just before the start of hurricane season, disaster preparedness seminar included misconceptions addressed, forecasts shared and serious warnings.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
The St. Regis Longboat Key arch is installed on a private groin that extends into the Gulf.
    By
  • S.T. Cardinal
  • May 18, 2026
Longboat Key makes case against St. Regis arch

Jurisdiction claims and FDEP permit both addressed in town’s suit against St. Regis.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
City of Anna Maria Mayor Mark Short shares an update on the Anna Maria Pier to Longboat Key Mayor Debra Williams (left) and Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton (right) at a Barrier Island Elected Officials meeting May 6.
    By
  • S.T. Cardinal
  • May 18, 2026
Barrier island mayors meet to discuss pier, parking and phone pings

The mayors of Longboat Key, Anna Maria and Holmes Beach met May 6 to discuss issues facing the barrier islands and projects that are underway or planned.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
A lane closure will affect traffic on the John Ringling Causeway during an FDOT maintenance project.
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • May 14, 2026
Roadwork will close Ringling Causeway lane at Bird Key

One westbound lane expected to be shut down after 7 p.m.

  • Sarasota
  • News
Longboat Key has dozens of canals, 88 according to a report by the town’s costal engineering consultant firm First Line Coastal.
    By
  • S.T. Cardinal
  • May 13, 2026
Canal payment plan gets first approval by Longboat commission

The first of two votes passed unanimously to establish flat fees and ad-valorem assessments to dredge and maintain Longboat Key's canals.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
A great egret perches on a mangrove that fronts Longboat Pass. Mangroves are an important habitat for birds and juvenile sport fish while providing erosion protection.
    By
  • S.T. Cardinal
  • May 13, 2026
30 years after mangrove law passed, enforcement still relies on citizen reporting, education

Mangrove health statewide has slightly increased since the law was passed, but violations are going unpunished, advocates say.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Costello’s Neighborhood Pizza owner Kenny Palin takes a pie out of the oven at the Longboat Key branch of Costello’s.
    By
  • S.T. Cardinal
  • May 12, 2026
Owner rebrands Longboat, Gulf Gate pizza joints to Costello's Neighborhood Pizza

As the franchise contract reached expiration, owner Kenny Palin decided to personalize his two pizzerias with a family name.

  • Longboat Key
  • Business
The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort is the only Gulf-facing property on Longboat Key with a private beach groin, constructed decades ago by Colony Beach & Tennis Resort owner Murf Klauber to fight beach erosion.
    By
  • S.T. Cardinal
  • May 12, 2026
St. Regis, town headed to court as Whittall defies order

The developer and owner of the St. Regis Longboat Key Resort says he will fight in court "to whatever extent necessary" to leave the arch that town code enforcement has ordered taken down.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Officer Jorge Castro had his badge pinned onto his uniform by his wife, Melissa Castro, after he was sworn in as the newest Longboat Key Police Department officer Wednesday, May 6, 2026.
    By
  • S.T. Cardinal
  • May 11, 2026
New Longboat Key police officer brings force to 19

Officer Jorge Castro most recently served as a police officer with the Bradenton Beach Police Department.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
A single-family residence at 3515 Gulf of Mexico Drive has been under construction for years and is nearing completion.
    By
  • S.T. Cardinal
  • May 6, 2026
Application tweaks aim to streamline permitting process

Longboat Key’s Planning, Zoning and Building Department has introduced a checklist, intake coordinator and file naming conventions for building applications.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort installed a stainless steel arch on a private groin, leading to a lengthy dispute with the town of Longboat Key, with leaders claiming it violate’s the town’s sign code.
    By
  • S.T. Cardinal
  • May 6, 2026
Friday deadline set for St. Regis arch removal

If the metal arch installed on a groin in the Gulf is not removed by 5 p.m. Friday, the town of Longboat Key and developers will meet in court to decide the matter.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
The John Ringling Causeway connects Sarasota to Bird Key.
    By
  • S.T. Cardinal
  • May 6, 2026
Recent projects show the new era of Sarasota-area bridges

In the latter half of the 21st century, drawbridges were the preferred method to bridge barrier islands to the mainland in the Gulf Coast, but that doesn’t mean they’re a relic of the past.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Damages on Longboat Key after Hurricane Ian.
    By
  • S.T. Cardinal
  • May 5, 2026
Seminar scheduled for disaster preparedness

The Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce is hosting a hurricane preparedness seminar May 14 at the Longboat Key Club.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
1 2 3 4 5 »
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Latest in Longboat Key

1
The Bayfront Park Recreation Center still welcomes thousands for yoga, Pilates and other classes annually, but is about 56 years old, and talk of replacement has begun again.
  • May 20, 2026
Push begins again for new rec center on Longboat Key
2
The home at 865 Longboat Club Road sold for $17.5 million. Built in 2001, it has six bedrooms, six-and-two-half baths, a pool and 9,328 square feet of living area.
  • May 20, 2026
Top residential real estate sales for May 4-8 in Longboat, Lido, St. Armands, Bird Key
3
Karen and Gregg Sweeney, Chris and Cathy Goglia, and Debbie McPeak socialize at the Longboat Key Club's farewell lawn party on May 15.
  • May 20, 2026
Longboaters jam with Big Z Band to close out season
4
In a room packed with family members — adjacent to another room with several times as many additional friends — longtime Longboat Key resident Harold Goldstein celebrated his 100th birthday on May 11 at Rosemary and Thyme.
  • May 19, 2026
100 years young takes on new meaning for mold-breaker Harold Goldstein
5
The oval median at Bay Isles Road will be refreshed in a landscaping project that will uproot the unkempt plants in the median.
  • May 19, 2026
Bay Isles landscaping project begins

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