LONGBOAT
Turtle encounters.
Observer
PAGE 8B
Longboat Key’s weekly newspaper since 1978
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
FREE • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2023
VOLUME 46, NO. 13
YOUR TOWN
Our annual recap of the news snowbirds missed. PAGE 5A Courtesy image
Dolphin whisperer
After a couple months of vacation up north, Longboat resident Cynthia Sullivan returned to some familiar friends along her seawall: dolphins. The pair, which she calls mom and baby, have been regularly visiting her area since she first bought the property eight years ago. The baby, she said, has been around for about three years, and Sullivan believes it’s the same pair that’s been visiting. About two years ago, she moved full-time to her bayfront house near Longboat Harbour and said she gets to enjoy the visits. They swim up and down her seawall almost daily, she said. Sullivan enjoys sitting outside by the bay and can usually hear the dolphins as they approach. “I’m a nature lover,” Sullivan said. “(Longboat Key) is a great place to watch nature.” The visits have become so popular that her neighbors have dubbed her as the “dolphin whisperer” and bring her dolphin-related trinkets.
File photo
Veterans Day observance The town has planned an observance for Veterans Day complete with a ribbon cutting ceremony to dedicate the Karon Family Pavilion at the Town Center Green 3-5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11. There will be performances from local organizations, such as the Manatee High School ROTC Color Guard, a vocalist and accompaniment from the Longboat Island Chapel and the Sarasota Orchestra Quintet. The town will then recognize local veterans. At the event, Mayor Ken Schneier will lead a ribbon cutting for the new pavilion at Town Center. Susan Phillips, assistant to the town manager, said this will help residents better understand the vision for the center and what’s ahead. The Rotary Club of Longboat Key, which usually hosts a Veterans Day parade, will be partnering with the town by hosting a welcome tent to help guide guests. The town also partnered with the Longboat Key Foundation in a fundraising campaign for SRQ Vets. SRQ Vets is a veterans-led nonprofit organization with a focus on local veterans helping other local veterans.
Illustration by Marty Fugate
A+E
Courtesy image
Gulfside Road to Bayport as seen on Sept. 1, 2023, following a close call from Hurricane Idalia.
Idalia ‘deflated’ beaches A new report shows the erosion and impacts from Hurricane Idalia. SEE PAGE 3A
Impressions flow.
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