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worry over wind By Rachel Brown Hackney | Managing Editor
Merry Christmas
INSIDE
Citizens’ proposal alarms Key condominium owners Residents of Key condominium complexes have voiced worry over how high their wind insurance policies will go if Citizens Property Insurance enacts a proposed change
Although the board of directors of Citizens Property Insurance delayed until Feb. 4, 2012, a decision regarding a new limit for wind coverage for coastal condominium complexes, Key condo owners remain con-
cerned they may face much higher premiums in the future. In a Dec. 10 memo sent to every Florida legislator representing Sarasota County, the Siesta Key Condominium Association stated the proposed change in
wind coverage could lead to an increase between 400% and 500% in insurance premiums for condo owners in complexes in which more than 25% of the units are rented. Noting the association repre-
sents 105 condos on the Key, the memo asks the legislators for their help. The association included with the memo a copy of a summary
SEE WIND / PAGE 2A
DIVERSIONS Holiday mayhem getting you down? Cheer up and chill out at your local movie theater. ’Tis the season for the best that Hollywood has to offer.
NEIGHBORHOOD
LIGHT SHOW BEHIND THE SCENES
Ballet 15A Sarasota School dancers
perform their own version of Tchaikovsky’s famous holiday ballet, stepping into big-time pointe shoes.
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CELEBRATING
YEARS
1971-2011
By Rachel Brown Hackney | Managing Editor Photos by Rachel S. O’Hara
Siesta Dunes, at 6200 Midnight Pass Road, offers a feast of holiday lights for residents and passersby. Its decorations wowed the judges, too, during the annual Siesta Key Condominium Association Condo Lighting Contest.
Condo complexes gleam for the season The Siesta Key Condominium Association assembled its annual team of judges Dec. 16, to pick the best condo decorations on the Key. A clear sky and balmy temperatures created ideal conditions the evening of Dec. 16, for a team of judges to set out on the Siesta Island Trolley to pick the winners for the Siesta Key Condominium Association’s annual Condo Lighting Contest. Each complex was judged
according to its size and four categories: uniqueness of decorations; seasonal quality of decorations; how colorful the decorations were; and the “wow” factor. The judges were Helen Clifford and Ginger Spencer, of the Condominium Association Board of Directors; Cheryl Gaddie, presi-
dent of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce; Russell Matthes, president of the Siesta Key Village Association; Catherine Luckner, president of the Siesta Key Association, and her husband, Bob; Mark Smith, former long-time SKVA president; and I. Clifford distributed the scoring
sheets to each of us, then took her place at the front of the trolley to direct our driver, Geoff van Deusen. We made our way from Davidson’s Plaza down Beach Road and Midnight Pass Road, back to the Village, with Clifford making sure van Deusen slowed to give us time to assess each complex. To participate in the contest, the
SEE LIGHGS / PAGE 8A
Happy Holidays from the Signature Sotheby’s International Realty Siesta Key Sales Associates.
INDEX
Vol. 42, No. 21 | Two sections YourObserver.com
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Tom Kelley 941.320.5530
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Business directory.........24A Classifieds................... 24A Community Calendar......14A Cops Corner....................9A Crossword.....................23A Opinion..........................6A Real Estate.....................2A