Letters to the editor: Observer has served as Unicorp’s shill

Observer has served as Unicorp’s shill

It is little surprise that the Longboat Observer has endorsed my opponent in the Town Commission race, given the Longboat Observer’s penchant for island-wide, uncontrolled growth, kowtowing to suit out-of-town developers and rewriting our zoning rules to allow density increases on redeveloped tourism developments across our island.

Throughout Unicorp National Development’s extended battle with the voters of Longboat Key, as well as with Longboat Key’s Town Commission and Planning and Zoning Board, the Longboat Observer has proudly served as Unicorp’s unwavering shill. Taking this process a step further to recommend a candidate who supported density increases affecting the redevelopment of a key piece of our island is of no surprise at all.

Longboat Key voters get it. We have shown our disdain for higher density redevelopment loudly and clearly in past referendums. Meanwhile, my opponent, Ken Schneier shows his support for density increases by serving as the deciding Planning and Zoning Board vote (4-3) on Dec. 19 in support of a text amendment that would have given Unicorp Development the density increase it wanted to redevelop the Colony property.

Only by Unicorp’s own acquiescence to accept what the PUD process provided (and not the density increase that Unicorp sought) did we arrive at an agreeable property density, thus preventing Longboat’s gradual slide toward making Gulf of Mexico Drive rival Miami Beach in the not-so-distant future.

When you combine Mr. Schneier’s support of redevelopment density increases with the Longboat Observer’s unwavering support of Unicorp Development, it’s not difficult to see how the Longboat Observer arrived at the choice for town commissioner of District 3 that it did. 

Longboat Key voters are smart, know better and are not fooled in the least. Get out and vote for a solid and secure future on the voters’ terms on March 20.

John Weber

Longboat Key

Town Commission candidate, District 3

Candidate shows little regard for boaters

My wife and I recently read the candidate Q&A in the Longboat Observer’s March 1 issue.  We are residents and voters in Longboat Key and have been visiting Longboat Key for the past 20+ years with our boats.  We own boat slips and keep our boat at the Longboat Key Club Moorings Marina and are active in the community.

We were particularly disappointed, to the point of writing this message, in the comments by candidate John Weber and the lack of appreciation of how the boating community adds to both Longboat Key and the greater Sarasota area. 

The reason that we live in Longboat Key is that we arrived by boat and fell in love with the area and eventually decided to purchase our home here.  The same could be said for many others in the boating community. 

Mr. Weber’s recommendation that bridges only open every two hours and that no on-demand openings be allowed are not only dangerous, but clearly demonstrate his lack of understanding of the needs of the many boaters that help to support our community.  It is difficult to hold a boat in place for two hours, even on a nice day, but much more difficult when you take into consideration wind and currents.

Frankly, we were shocked at the recommendation.

Wes and Barbara Compton

Longboat Key

Thanks for painting pickleball courts

I just wanted to say thank you to the town commissioners and the Longboat Key Parks and Recreation Department for painting the two additional pickleball courts at Bayfront Park.

Open play was initiated last week on the three pickleball courts from 9 to 11 a.m. with an excellent turnout. Twenty-two players rotated onto the courts.

It appears that pickleball has found a home on Longboat, and I am confident the numbers will continue to grow.

Sara Cullen

USA Pickleball Association ambassador for Longboat Key

Transportation issues are a regional problem

Thanks again to the Longboat Observer and to Emily Walsh for a fine job as moderator of the candidates' forum on March 1.  While I listened  with appreciation to some favorable comments with respect to my roles as the town's representative on the Regional Sarasota/Manatee MPO Board and the ongoing FDOT Barrier Island Traffic Study (BITS), be assured that many individuals, including our town manager, Tom Harmer,  and our public works director, Isaac Brownman, along with Tom Freiwald and Lennie Landau of the Revitalization Committee, have all been involved in trying to solve our traffic issues.

However, with my tongue in cheek, I reflected that this might have been a good time for me to be a candidate for re-election. Next year, should I decide to run again, could be a lot different.

In the meantime, let's see how the BITS and related recommendations evolve, and more importantly, whether real traffic remediations can be identified and implemented. The proof will be in the pudding.

 I offer  a few observations, some of which were noted by the candidates, and some broader comments that were not mentioned. First, as acknowledged, our traffic issues are essentially all due to bottlenecks and regional transportation decisions involving  off the key on FDOT-owned and operated highways in Sarasota and Manatee counties, meaning that FDOT must endorse, take ownership and implement any and all remedies.

Second: There are many ongoing separate regional FDOT projects that are crucial to Longboat's traffic situation. Our challenges during the BITS, in addition to fashioning recommendations, necessitates that town staff, our commissioners, our residents, all working together, do our best to influence  these  ongoing FDOT projects with respect to their impact on traffic on the Key, which in many cases are in competition with other county and regional interests, and they  are perhaps even more important than the ultimate BITS recommendations. 

I offer two examples -- there  are about seven roundabouts under consideration by FDOT on the U.S.  41 corridor adjacent to the Ringling Bridge and in nearby Sarasota city  intersections. The focus of the city of Sarasota is on pedestrian mobility,  and each of these proposed roundabouts involves multiple on-demand crosswalks over four lanes on U.S. 41, in contrast to our focus and concerns with automobile traffic flows.

We obviously need to achieve a balance of these competing interests; perhaps by considering elevated walkways and other remedies.  Also, as was mentioned at the forum, assuming that FDOT approves a high, fixed span to replace the Cortez bridge, as we endorsed, a third reversible lane would greatly enhance our traffic situation.

Again , while these and other ongoing FDOT projects are technically outside the BITS, they need to be identified and influenced therein, in order to meaningfully address our long-term key traffic issues.

Third, I continue to believe that we all need to focus on ways, including through our zoning and land use regulations, to support and promote retail services on our island that our citizens desire, which are economically challenging in our seasonal environment, in order to minimize the needs of our residents to drive off our island for such services. As pointed out by a comment from a resident  last night, over time,  we have lost a significant number of restaurants, two gas stations, a hardware store, etc.

Finally, perhaps we may need to consider a full-time town traffic staff expert to continually focus on achieving meaningful regional traffic  remedies for what has  become one of our most important short- and long-term issues facing  our residents, which is raised at just about every public meeting.

 Jack Daly

Longboat Key

Here's a way to honor Billy Graham

I have an idea of how we might honor the passing of Billy Graham. Why not rename the federal holiday we celebrate on the third Monday in January -- Martin Luther King Jr. Day -- and call it our National Day of Prayer (now celebrated on the first Thursday in May). We would be honoring great men of faith whose lives made a difference to our nation. 

That would include Rev. King, Graham and others. 

What inspired me in Rev. King's message was his wisdom in recognizing it wasn't about skin color, it was about a man's character. Character transcends color. 

I think we could better honor his memory than the way we currently do. Something more inclusive and less segregated. 

He was a great American of great faith. In a country that is increasingly divided, I think we would all benefit from a federal holiday that recognizes our need to come together for a National Day of Prayer. 

Mona Schonbrunn

Longboat Key