Commission considers ZBA change

The Longboat Key Town Commission reached consensus at its regular workshop today to forward an ordinance to its next meeting that allows the town to refer cases to the Planning and Zoning Board if the Zoning Board of Adjustment cannot reach a quorum in 30 days. The ordinance also  reduces the number of seats on the board from seven to five.

Zoning Board of Adjustment Chairman Ben Feole announced his resignation from the board at its Feb. 13 meeting, citing family and medical issues.

Feole’s departure brings the number of vacant seats on the board to three. If the seats remain unfilled, all four members of the ZBA will need to be present at meetings to obtain a quorum.

The commission discussed the ZBA’s future Tuesday and adressed the concerns of Feole, who also spoke at the workshop. 

“I don’t think there’s a person sitting up here or a person in the audience who doesn’t want more citizen participation,” Younger said.

But referring to the ZBA, Younger said, “We can’t even get participation by the people who are on it.”

Further complicating matters, the board has received one application for the ZBA in the past year.

“The zoning board is not considered, for whatever reason, a desirable board,” said Commissioner Pat Zunz.

The commission voted 7-0 in November to place a referendum question on the March 25 ballot asking voters whether to eliminate the ZBA because of the board’s difficulty reaching a quorum. The town learned in January that it had missed a Dec. 31 deadline to provide ballot language to the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Office.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].