LONGBOAT
Observer Longboat Key’s weekly newspaper since 1978
Newsmaker match game. PAGE 2
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 42, NO. 22
FREE
YOUR TOWN
•
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2020
BRIDGE WORK
Summer project aims to fix up New Pass span. PAGE 3
Courtesy photo
Santa took a break to get some sun.
Santa Del Mar
Eric Garwood
Sand-a Claus came to town once again. The big man at the North Pole took his yearly southern vacation at Casa Del Mar when he visited guests at the resort just before Christmas. Just like in years past, Santa exchanged his red pants for bright red shorts and mingled on the beach with guests on a perfect Floridian winter day. Kids got to see their favorite Christmas character in his offduty hours, and it was a last chance for folks to put in a good word for themselves to get on the Nice List.
Parking near a driveway is now a more clear-cut proposition.
Village rules reset Eric Garwood
A variety of projects will be done on the New Pass Bridge over the summer.
Series of code changes clear up some parking issues in Village. PAGE 6
File photo
Mike Ball helped place flags along GMD in 2016.
Delivering for the holidays
Happy retirement! Public Works Department employee Mike Ball is retiring after 14 years. His final day at the department was Jan. 2. “He was a do-it-all guy,” said Mark Richardson, Parks and Recreation director and Ball’s supervisor. “He could do anything. You don’t have many of those guys.” Ball has been a friendly face at the annual Fourth Of July parade for years and recently helped with a project in the Sleepy Lagoon area to install valves to stop roads from flooding.
Courtesy photo
Katrina Michel, right, holds her daughter, Lili, who has CHARGE syndrome.
Fire department staffers make a family bright with their generosity. SEE PAGE 14
BLACK
TIE
Ballet celebrates 29. INSIDE