Our View: Trolley folly

Prioritizing is never easy, particularly so for politicians when, for every government service, there is some sort of constituency, or special interest, wanting that service. That’s true whether it is tennis courts, community rooms or kayak access.

But in this long-term downturn, prioritizing is a real-life necessity that keeps colliding with each government special-interest group.

Surely the trolley is one of those areas of collision. And it seems prima facie to be an area that is a lower priority, one in which the town and Sarasota and Manatee counties can both save money to be allocated for higher priorities that would otherwise need to be cut if the trolley is continued.

The trolley service connects Coquina Beach on Anna Maria Island to downtown Sarasota through Longboat Key. It is supported by Sarasota County Area Transit and Manatee County Area Transit, plus the town of Longboat Key.

State subsidies were eliminated during last year’s budgeting — subsidies that do not make sense anyway, because there is no good justification for taking tax money from people in Clay County to subsidize a trolley service to Sarasota and Manatee beach communities.

Last year, the trolley cost about $600,000 to operate, but most of that funding came from the two counties. Because of budget cutbacks, the trolley’s schedule was reduced from every 30 minutes to every 60 minutes and cut back from the final run occurring at 11 p.m. to 8 p.m. Not surprisingly, there was a corresponding reduction in ridership, ridership, by the way, that has been questionable to begin with.

Both counties are looking at more cuts in personnel and services this year, and the trolley service should be high on that list.

Tom Aposporos, president of the Longboat Key, Lido Key, St. Armands Key Chamber of Commerce, as you would expect, has been a trolley proponent, seeing it as beneficial to businesses on the islands. In a world where money was no concern, the trolley could be fine. But that is not the world we are in.

Working with all of the municipalities involved and their staffs, Aposporos has been trying to expand trolley ridership. But he knows the service is more in survival mode right now than in expansion mode.

“We have been swimming against the tide on this issue since its beginning, but we are still swimming!” he said.

Aposporos’ indefatigable spirit is admirable. But with more cuts this year and next year in local budgets, it becomes harder and harder for any elected officials to justify the expense of the trolley.

+ Flags and turtles
How strong is the environmental impulse on Longboat Key, particularly when it comes to protecting sea turtles? Strong enough to trump basic patriotism, at least for awhile.

Longboater Laurin Goldner noticed that the American flag flying high at Longboat Key Town Hall was in the dark. She naturally assumed what most of us would: a burned out bulb. Nope. The light that illuminates the flag at night apparently cast a stray beam onto the beach across the street beyond the condos. That, of course, violates town ordinances against confusing sea turtles during the May-November nesting season.

But, of course, flying the flag in the dark is disrespectful and violates the U.S. flag code. So town employees lowered it at night. Turtles 1, Flag 0.

Goldner suggested it could be raised in the morning and lowered at night, but she was told there were no personnel to do that because of cutbacks. Finally, the town installed a red cover over the light to keep any beams from getting near the beach.

Kudos to Goldner for seeing the situation and staying on top of it to resolution.

+ Listen up!
Longboat Key is a special place, and everyone wants to keep it that way. But progress is progress, and cellular communication has become a necessity in the modern world.

The painful lack of decent cell phone coverage on the island is becoming a larger issue in attracting residents and part-timers who need to stay in touch with their office. That latter group should be a growing market for Longboat, but they are hamstrung with poor cell coverage.

The proposal for a cell tower at Longboat Island Chapel would help, but the town needs to relax the requirement that the setback be two times the height of the tower, in this case, 200 feet.

Practically, that means finding a site that 600 feet by 600 feet on the north end of the island, and those just don’t exist.

No one wants a tower in their backyard, but the tower proposal behind the Chapel makes a good deal of sense for the future.