LONGBOAT
Observer Longboat Key’s weekly newspaper since 1978
Food for the needy.
PAGE 15
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 42, NO. 41
FREE
YOUR TOWN
•
THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2020
Taking a careful look Town begins 2021 budget with a cautious eye on COVID’s effects. PAGE 3
Courtesy photo
FLORIST TAKES ROOT
Staff at Sarasota Memorial Hospital were treated to lunch by St. Armands Key Lutheran.
Box of thanks
Thanks to St. Armands Key Lutheran Church, several front-line workers don’t have to worry about getting a good meal while working to save lives. Like many other organizations, the church has focused on the community during the pandemic. More than 330 boxed meals from Apple Spice Catering have been doled out to Sarasota Memorial Hospital workers, firefighters, police officers and All Faiths Food Bank. All meals include a message of thanks from the church, and for every $100 raised, 10 meals get donated. Visit www.SAKLC.com to donate a meal.
Mother and daughter dig in during tough times to launch floral business. SEE PAGE 16
Vote for Mote
Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium is in the running to receive $5,000 through the Summer Sea Turtle Sustainability Grant program. Specifically, the grant supports nesting beaches, and the shores of Longboat Key and its surrounding areas served by Mote have seen increasing nests in recent years. If Mote wins, it plans to use the grant to support nesting surveys. Voting opened May 4 and will run through June 6. Visit www.SeaTurtles.org/vote to cast a ballot.
Turtle Tracks LONGBOAT May 10-16 2020 2019 Nests 36 68 False Crawls 29 64 Total as of April 19 2020 2019 Nests 73 96 False Crawls 65 85 Source: Mote Marine Laboratory
Nat Kaemmerer
Lisa and Ava O’Hara are the mother-and-daughter team behind the brand-new Longboat Key business, Ma’s Garden Boutique.
For the birds Concerns about osprey nests are accounted for in utility project plans. SEE PAGE 4
Key Club keeps golfers on course With solo carts, lots of cleaning and a pool noodle slice in each hole, the game goes on. SEE PAGE 5