News Briefs

+ Tropical Storm Isaac affects SKVA billboard
Tropical Storm Isaac had little effect on Siesta Key but forced the Siesta Key Village Association billboard on Bee Ridge Road to be furled, said the organization’s president, Russell Matthes, during a Sept. 3 monthly meeting.

The billboard is one facet of the ramped up marketing strategy SKVA implemented this year to counter any potential negative effects from the Siesta Key north bridge lane closures this summer.

Matthes said he was not sure when the billboard would be unfurled, but would check on its status following the meeting.

+ Vehicle burglaries continue on Siesta Key
A rash of vehicle burglaries on Siesta Key continued Aug. 27, when at least four residents reported items missing from their cars. All of the vehicles were unlocked, according to incident reports from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s office.

A Gameboy, a diaper bag, a pack of cigarettes and more than $10 in loose change were reported missing by residents living on Commonwealth Drive and a tourist staying on Siesta Woods Drive, who said his 6-year-old daughter heard suspicious noises at 3:30 a.m.

Sgt. Scott Osborne, during a Siesta Key Association meeting earlier this month, said it was possible that a band of thieves was coordinating burglaries at beach accesses. Deputies conducted an undercover sting aimed at catching the culprits but were unsuccessful.

+ Say, what Siesta?
“(Sarasota County Project Manager Curtis Smith) thought he would have that to me by the end of last week, which I thought was ambitious. Apparently it was, because I didn’t get it,” Mark Smith, chairman of the Siesta Key Village Maintenance Corp., on holdups facing the Siesta Key beach improvement project and plans to pare down its price tag.

+ Meetings and Agendas
Development Review Committee meeting — 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 6, Conference Room 2, 1001 Sarasota Center Blvd., Sarasota

Siesta Key Association meeting — 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6, St. Boniface Episcopal Church, 5615 Midnight Pass, Siesta Key

Planning Commission public hearing — 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6, Administration Building, Commission Chambers, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota

Health and Human Services recommendation meeting — 12:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 7, Administration Center, 1600 Ringling Blvd., Third Floor Think Tank, 1600 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota

Sarasota County Commission South County budget hearing — 4:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 10, R.L. Anderson Administration Building, 4000 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice