SIESTA KEY
Observer Formerly the Pelican Press
Bobby Jones is in a rough financial state. PAGE 6A
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
FREE
VOLUME 48, NO. 34
BACK TO SETBACKS?
•
THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2018
YOUR TOWN Tick, tock. Turn forward your clock! Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. March 11.
The city is considering requiring more space between certain buildings. SEE PAGE 3A
DR. SEUSS FUN Courtesy photo
Street sign grammar
Students celebrate differences. PAGE 1B
We can’t vouch for the driving habits of the folks who live around Freeling Drive and Flamingo Avenue on Siesta Key, but they do have an eye for detail when it comes to traffic signs and an ear for the King’s English. Someone in the neighborhood decided the new DRIVE SLOW sign didn’t sound right and responded with an Olympics-inspired sign that awarded it a silver medal in “Downhill Grammar.” For the record, while DRIVE SLOWLY would be the preferred, there’s nothing wrong with DRIVE SLOW. And, the residents are grateful the city added the sign and hope the message doesn’t get lost in the grammatical delivery. So, just don’t drive as fast, OK?
Shane Donglasan
Brayan Gregorio, Gilberto Vaquera, Angel Molina, Iker Cruz and Luke Bertancourt celebrated the 115th birthday of Dr. Seuss along with more than 6,600 other elementary school students in Sarasota and Manatee counties March 2 as a part of Embracing Dr. Seuss’ Differences Day.
BLACK Old Hollywood style at Asolo Rep Gala. INSIDE
TIE
Security plans unclear CASSIDY ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER
I
n the three weeks since the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in South Florida, the goal of securing school campuses from future attacks has become clear, but the methods remain the subject of questions with few answers. Days after the deaths of 17 in Parkland, Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight joined the security discussion, rolling out a proposal to hire and train retired lawenforcement officers to provide security in the event of a similar attack. SEE SCHOOLS, PAGE 5A
Plans to improve security at schools lack detail.
Cassidy Alexander
The district is exploring ways to offer more protection at schools, including updating campuses and hiring security.
Photo courtesy Conor Goulding/Mote
Mascots race It was a close, but local mascots of all sizes, shapes and species failed to outrun Rocky D. Bull at Siesta Key Beach on March 6. The mascots — Cat Depot’s Petunia the Rescue Cat, the Chick-Fil-A Cow, Bradenton Marauders’ Marty the Marauder, USF’s Rocky D. Bull and Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium’s Gilly the Shark and Shelley the Sea Turtle — battled it out on the sand to raise awareness for Mote’s upcoming Run for the Turtles. The 5K run will take place on Saturday, April 7, at Siesta Key and raises money for Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program.