LONGBOAT
RESS UALITY PROG FREEDOM EQ TAGE
CE HERI
INDEPENDEN
ERSITY UCATION DIV BEAUTY ED N
Observer
OLUTIO LIBERTY REV
SPIRIT OF AMERICA
Longboat Key’s weekly newspaper since 1978
E PERSISTENC TRADITIONS ITED OVATION UN INN NS RA VETE PATRIOTISM VOICES OF ING POT MILY MELT GROWTH FA
STRENGTH EXPRESSION RENEURSHIP EP TR EN SPIRITUAL E TIVITY PRID BRAVE CREA Observer
INSIDE
ITY OPPORTUN
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 40, NO. 46
FREE
On the road to a solution
•
JULY 2018
THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2018
YOUR TOWN
OFF WE GO Campers paddle off into the bay as part of their Marine Explorers experience. SEE PAGE 15
Photo courtesy Abby Hincker
Painting smiles
Barrier Island leaders prioritize study’s traffic fixes, big and small. PAGE 3
While digging her toes in the sand recently, Abby Hincker came across a rock with a message saying “Keep or re-hide. Post pic on FB. @ TheCrossingRocks.” The back said “Trust God” with a white dove. Hincker said she was near the first and second public beach access points on Longboat when she found it. The rock is a part of a project inspired by the group The Kindness Rocks Project. This specific rock is part of a project through The Crossing Rocks, which was started by an Ohio woman. The Crossing Rocks Facebook group’s description said it’s “a group of people who are trying to spread a smile … one little rock at a time.”
Al fresco the best way
File photo
A new role for Phillips Island volunteer and Town Hall assistant will lead July 4’s Freedom Fest activities. SEE PAGE 6
Katie Johns
Campers head out on Sarasota Bay during Marine Explorers and Waterman’s Camp.
A+E Debating the Van Wezel. INSIDE
Demo day in sight for Colony Unicorp wins bid to demolish site with $0 offer and July date. PAGE 5
The Columbia Restaurant was recently recognized for its outdoor ambiance. OpenTable, a restaurant reservation app, named its 100 Best Al Fresco Restaurants in America for 2018. The Columbia Restaurant on St. Armands Circle is one of the 100. The list is generated by more than 12 million verified reviews on OpenTable for more than 27,000 restaurants nationwide. Restaurants from 22 states were named to the list. Florida is home to 26 of the restaurants, second to California’s 30.
Turtle Tracks JUNE 17-23: Nests False Crawls
2018 2017 117 176 183 111
YEAR TO DATE: 2018 2017 Nests 537 614 False Crawls 533 543 Source: Mote Marine Laboratory Data for Longboat Key