SARASOTA
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 14, NO. 41
FREE
YOUR TOWN
•
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
Longboat urges Circle traffic fixes
Long and winding
Beach Road
St. Armands stakeholders wonder who would pay for recommendations made by Longboat Key.
Courtesy photo
Airbus Perlan Mission II pilots Miguel Iturmendi of Sarasota (left) and Jim Payne
Hitting the high points
BRET HAUFF
Miguel Iturmendi, a flight test engineer from Sarasota, did something last month typically associated with astronauts. He flew an airplane — an engineless glider — twice as high as a typical airliner, setting an altitude record for such craft. In a flight over South America’s Andes Mountains, he and a crewmate climbed to 65,000 feet. Less than a week later, another team associated with the Airbus-sponsored effort flew to 76,000 feet in the same gilder to break Iturmendi’s short-lived record. The mission’s goal is to reach 90,000 feet.
STAFF WRITER
Proposed charter changes lead to legal concerns. SEE PAGE 3
Paddling for awareness
SEE TRAFFIC, PAGE 14
A+E
Sailor and dog reunited
Turtle Tracks AS OF SEPT. 1
Dachshund mix found on the beach after being swept overboard.
TOTAL NESTS: 2018 2017 Lido Beach 123 186 Siesta Key 360 638 Casey Key 1,186 1,853
Source: Mote Marine Laboratory
Longboat Key leaders are advocating for the return of crossing guards to St. Armands Circle intersections, citing the Florida Department of Transportation’s own suggestions for how to keep traffic moving along the barrier islands. Longboat commissioners suggested in June that FDOT and the city of Sarasota consider trafficremediation measures for nearby high-traffic intersections that affect Longboat. Now, Longboat staff have found a report commissioned by FDOT in 2016 that recommends traffic measures for St. Armands Circle similar to what Longboat commissioners proposed just months ago.
David Conway
Members of Survivors in Sync were honored by the Sarasota County Commission on Aug. 29 for finishing fourth out of 125 teams in the International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission Dragon Boat Festival in Florence, Italy in July. The team posted its best-ever time at two minutes and 22 seconds in the final 500-meter race. “It’s a huge honor,” said coach Angela Long.
TOTAL FALSE CRAWLS: 2018 2017 Lido Beach 144 209 Siesta Key 327 665 Casey Key 1,432 2,115
Design phase OK’d for Circle restrooms. PAGE 6
SEE PAGE 19 Courtesy photo
Shane Hale is reunited with his dog, Harley, after they were separated in a storm 3 miles off the coast of Englewood.
Sights and sounds. INSIDE