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Your Observer

Teresa and Bob Simmons, coordinators of the Tuttle Elementary Nutrition program
    By
  • Kristen Herhold
  • July 22, 2015
Real Estate Reports

Longboat Key Real Estate Reports

  • Longboat Key
  • Real Estate
    By
  • Kristen Herhold
  • July 22, 2015
Summer boat traffic has striking impact on marine life

Several animals have been killed or injured by boat strikes this season.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
5871 Gulf of Mexico Drive
    By
  • Kristen Herhold
  • July 22, 2015
Luxury market

The Longboat Observer counts down the top 10 Longboat Key sales for the first six months of 2015.

  • Longboat Key
  • Real Estate
    By
  • Kurt Schultheis
  • July 22, 2015
Cops Corner: Longboat Key 7.23.15

Enjoy this week's edition of Longboat Key Cops Corner.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Portions of the middle portion of Longboat Key’s shoreline will see sand come to the shore via dump trucks first. (File photo)
    By
  • Kurt Schultheis
  • July 22, 2015
Town seeks to bid adieu to erosion

With state permits in place, pending federal permits are the only hurdle standing between the town of Longboat Key and millions of dollars worth of sand.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Colony Beach & Tennis Resort unit owners will decide in August whether they want to assess themselves an extra $15,000 per unit .
    By
  • Kurt Schultheis
  • July 22, 2015
Colony unit owners will vote on settlement assessment

Fifty-one percent of the Colony Beach & Tennis Resort’s 237 unit owners are needed to approve a $15,000 per unit special assessment that raises $3.5 million in settlement cash.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
    By
  • Kurt Schultheis
  • July 22, 2015
News Briefs: Longboat Key 7.23.15

Manatee and wildlife protection; Bullock provides transportation update

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Patricia Finnan of Country Club Shores walks her Akita, Yoshi, 5, along Bogey Lane before a storm July 16.
    By
  • Kurt Schultheis
  • July 22, 2015
Town takes lead on tougher island leash laws for pets

Who let the dogs out of their leashes? Not the Longboat Key Town Commission, which seeks to be tougher than other municipalities about leads.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Florida Power & Light Co. workers spent hours digging up and fixing a buried power line July 7 in the 2100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive. (Kurt Schultheis)
    By
  • Kurt Schultheis
  • July 22, 2015
Power outage sparks concern

A 10-hour power outage on Longboat Key July 7 sheds light on the difficulty of repairing buried wires.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
The Sarasota Heat 16U softball team will compete in the ASA National Championships July 26 through Aug. 2, in Chattanooga, Tenn.
    By
  • Jen Blanco
  • July 22, 2015
Setting the Stage

The Sarasota Heat 16U travel softball team will compete in the ASA National Championships for the first time July 26 through Aug. 2, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

  • East County
  • Sports
Don Olinger and Tracy Rhodes moved into their two-bedroom apartment in May with dogs Ralphie and Gary.
    By
  • Jessica Salmond
  • July 22, 2015
Dogs help roommates see eye to eye

Don Olinger and Tracy Rhodes' service dogs guide them to independent living and a lasting friendship.

  • East County
  • Neighbors
The Manatee County School District is one member short on its school board.
    By
  • Amanda Sebastiano
  • July 22, 2015
Manatee County School Board awaits appointment for District 5

Gov. Rick Scott will decide who will fill the seat on the Manatee County School Board held by Mary Cantrell, who died July 12.

  • East County
  • News
The exterior of the home at 5762 Carriage Drive is pristine—even the lawn has been kept up. Inside, however, fell into ruin.
    By
  • Jessica Salmond
  • July 22, 2015
Nightmare on Carriage Drive

A Mote Ranch house is undergoing an extreme home makeover.

  • East County
  • Real Estate
At 6'5, Chris Loftus says he's the "shrimp" of his cousins, all of whom are 6'8 and taller.
    By
  • Amanda Sebastiano
  • July 22, 2015
Conversation with Chris Loftus

​After a career on the soccer field, Chris Loftus traded his cleats for a career in the medical field. He is now the new chief operating officer of Lakewood Ranch Medical Center.

  • East County
  • News
This Country Club East home at 15324 Helmsdale Place sold for $647,000. It has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,478 square feet of living area.
    By
  • Adam Hughes
  • July 22, 2015
Richmond Park home sells for $860,000

See the top transactions in your neighborhood.

  • East County
  • Real Estate
Bashaw Elementary Principal Josh Bennett hopes the renovation and implementation of STEAM curriculum will bring the East County school up to speed with other area schools.
    By
  • Amanda Sebastiano
  • July 22, 2015
Bashaw Elementary prepares for first-class makeover

An expanded cafeteria and a possible building addition that would house 10 classrooms are part of a $10 million renovation.

  • East County
  • News
San Marco Plaza President Barb Smith said the plaza may host a "Rock Around the Clock Tower" event, as it did Christmas 2011, once the plaza's anchor space secures a new tenant.
    By
  • Pam Eubanks
  • July 22, 2015
San Marco gains momentum

The summer has proved an eventful time for tenants in San Marco Plaza.

  • East County
  • News
Mixon Fruit Farms owners Janet and Dean Mixon will be in Washington, D.C. this week lobbying for tighter regulations on agricultural imports.
    By
  • Pam Eubanks
  • July 22, 2015
Farmers lobby for regulations

Following an incident at Port Manatee, Mixon Fruit Farm owners Dean and Janet Mixon this week will lobby for stronger protections for farms against pests.

  • East County
  • News
Members of the Inter-District Authority Board vote on their 2015-2016 budget.
    By
  • Pam Eubanks
  • July 22, 2015
IDA holds costs down

The budget adoption paves the way for Lakewood Ranch CDD budget adoptions next month.

  • East County
  • News
Of the 65 Manatee Elementary students who participated, they voted the Cookies and Cream ice cream flavor as the most liked.
    By
  • Amanda Sebastiano
  • July 22, 2015
East County school hosts taste test

Freedom Elementary teams up with RaceTrac to provide frozen yogurt for campers at Manatee Elementary.

  • East County
  • Neighbors
Marina and Bill Schmidt, owners of the Kiddie Academy of Lakewood Ranch, received the President's Circle Award a few weeks ago.
    By
  • Amanda Sebastiano
  • July 22, 2015
East County school receives leadership award

Kiddie Academy of Lakewood Ranch earned The President’s Circle Award at a national Kiddie Academy Conference.

  • East County
  • Neighbors
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • July 22, 2015
Cops Corner East County 7.23.15

Enjoy this week's edition of Cops Corner.

  • East County
  • Cops Corner
    By
  • Kristen Herhold
  • July 22, 2015
OBITUARY | ​Herbert Kellner

Herbert Kellner died Jan. 21

  • Longboat Key
  • Neighbors
Longboat Key Fire Rescue Lieutenant and lead union negotiator Jason Berzowski spends a third of his life on Longboat Key with firefighter/paramedics he calls his brothers.
    By
  • Kurt Schultheis
  • July 22, 2015
A Conversation with Jason Berzowski

Longboat Key Fire Rescue Lieutenant and lead union negotiator Jason Berzowski, 37, is an eight-year employee of the town who trains rookies, sits at the negotiation table this summer to discuss contract negotiations and even cooks dinner at the fire house

  • Longboat Key
  • News
    By
  • Amanda Morales
  • July 21, 2015
In Bloom: Selby Gardens–Butterfly Garden Curator

Barbara Feinberg volunteers as the Butterfly Garden curator for Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

  • Sarasota
  • Neighbors
The city will consider replacing some grass in shaded areas of the park with other plants, such as ferns.
    By
  • David Conway
  • July 21, 2015
DID mulls future of Five Points Park landscaping

As the city prepares to replace worn-down turf at Selby Five Points Park, officials could cut down on the grass footprint to allow for healthier overall growth.

  • Sarasota
  • News
The project is slated for completion in spring 2017.
    By
  • Jessica Salmond
  • July 21, 2015
$6.9 million Myakka River Bridge repair to proceed this week

One lane will remain open between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

  • East County
  • News
Samantha Bisceglia submitted this photo of a least tern and its baby chicks, taken on Siesta Key.
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • July 21, 2015
Sarasota photo contest winner: July 23

Samantha Bisceglia submitted this photo of a least tern and its baby chicks, taken on Siesta Key.

  • Sarasota
  • Neighbors
Angie Stringer will serve as the new executive director of Girls Inc. beginning Aug. 31.
    By
  • Kristen Herhold
  • July 21, 2015
Girls Inc. welcomes new executive director

Angie Stringer will serve as the new executive director of Girls Inc. beginning Aug. 31.

  • Sarasota
  • News
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • July 21, 2015
Longboat Key photo contest winner: July 23

Jeffrey Jones submitted this photo, taken on Longboat Key.

  • Longboat Key
  • Neighbors
Lakewood Ranch resident Lynn Nagle Flood submitted this photo of a bird of paradise, taken at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • July 21, 2015
East County photo contest winner: July 23

Lakewood Ranch resident Lynn Nagle Flood submitted this photo of a bird of paradise, taken at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

  • East County
  • Neighbors
TripAdvisor names Mote Aquarium the fifth best aquarium in the U.S. and 15th best in the world. Reviews on the website particularly mention Mote's limited-time exhibit Oh Baby, which focuses on baby marine animals.
    By
  • Kristen Herhold
  • July 21, 2015
TripAdvisor names Mote the fifth best aquarium in the U.S.

TripAdvisor listed Mote Marine Aquarium the fifth best aquarium in the U.S. and 15th best in the world in its 2015 Travelers’ Choice awards.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Angie Stringer will serve as the new executive director of Girls Inc. beginning Aug. 31.
    By
  • Kristen Herhold
  • July 21, 2015
Girls Inc. welcomes new executive director

Angie Stringer will serve as the new executive director of Girls Inc. beginning Aug. 31.

  • Sarasota
  • News
Sixteen dogs, including great danes, are Nate's Honor Animal Rescue's newest residents.
    By
  • Amanda Sebastiano
  • July 21, 2015
East County rescue needs supplies

Towels, dog beds, toys and paper towels: Nate's Honor Animal Rescue needs donations after taking in 16 animals over the last two days.

  • East County
  • News
    By
  • Jen Blanco
  • July 21, 2015
Mustangs score with hoops camp

Eighty-three boys and girls, entering second through ninth grade, hit the court for the final week of Lakewood Ranch High’s summer basketball camp July 13 through July 16.

  • East County
  • Sports
    By
  • Jen Blanco
  • July 21, 2015
Pirates enjoy summer slugfest

Braden River High held its third annual softball and baseball summer camp July 13 through July 16.

  • East County
  • Sports
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Latest News

1
Letters to Santa carry Christmas wishes and love
  • December 21, 2025
Letters to Santa carry Christmas wishes and love
2
Sue Wertman has rung the bell outside the Publix on Longboat Key on behalf of the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key since 2013.
  • December 21, 2025
Longest-serving Longboat bellringer attributes motivation to family
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Sarasota Memorial Hospital's Kolschowsky Research and Education Institute.
  • December 21, 2025
SMH participates in global bladder cancer treatment clinical trial
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Santa greets visitors from the window of 9605 Governor's Club Place in The River Club.
  • December 20, 2025
Christmas decorating isn't just for kids
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The Family Church caroling crew from left to right is Melody Johnson, Laurie Houston, Nancy Pilato, Pastor Phil Derstine and Terrial Robinson.
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East Manatee church members will go through bars to spread Christmas joy

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