LONGBOAT
Observer Longboat Key’s weekly newspaper since 1978
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 43, NO. 6
FREE
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PAGE 16
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020
Opinions split on COVID-19 closings
YOUR TOWN
File photo
Even with about 7,100 people living permanently in town, it’s often easy to have the beach to yourself.
On the rise
Town remains consistent on pandemic plans, though changes might be in store. SEE PAGE 3
GOING UP … Rules for lightning rods reconsidered. SEE PAGE 5 Mark Bergin
Turtle Coffee Bar worker Tierra Garwood and Owner Heather Gaus say they’ve had to tell beachgoers they can’t park in the establishment’s private parking lot.
In person? Online?
Mark Bergin
Boris Miksic and Ines Tendler brought the issue of lightning rod height to town commissioners earlier this year over an installation atop their home in Country Club Shores.
A+E
There are a few more neighbors on Longboat Key than there were in 2019. To be exact, the population of the town increased by 55 over the past year, according to the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research, which means that the population is 7,098. Of course, that’s not including the part-time residents, and it’s unclear exactly how many snowbirds the island regularly attracts. Colloquial estimates around town put the winter population near 20,000, which the in-season traffic backs up.
Longboat is area’s fittest Take that, Siesta Key. No, we’re not comparing Longboat’s beaches with that other seaside community — you know, the one on MTV? We’re gloating a bit over a website’s ranking of Florida’s fittest cities, in which Longboat came in at No. 28. The nearest local community? Siesta Key at No. 77. Barbend.com looked at walkability, exercise opportunities, access to healthy food, air pollution, drinking water quality and other factors. No. 1 was Pelican Bay, near Naples. Dead last at No. 300: Port St. Lucie, on Florida’s east coast.
Turtle Tracks LONGBOAT Sept. 6-12 2020 Nests 0 False Crawls 0
Mark Bergin
Town weighs fines Increase to $75 for illegal parking one vote away from reality. SEE PAGE 2
A different kind of show. SEE PAGE 18
2019 0 0
Total as of Sept. 12 2020 2019 Nests 1,136 1,342 False Crawls 1,307 1,518 Source: Mote Marine Laboratory