OBITUARY | Robert Drohlich

Former Longboat Key Mayor Robert “Bob” Drohlich has died. He was 99.

A St. Louis native, Drohlich served in the U.S. Air Force as a pilot and owned radio stations and the public relations firm Robert Drohlich Associates.

Drohlich was elected to the Longboat Key Town Commission in 1993 in a race against longtime Colony Beach & Tennis Resort owner Dr. Murray “Murf” Klauber. He ran unopposed for his second term and served a year as vice mayor beginning in 1995, followed by another year as mayor beginning in 1996.

At the time Drohlich was unanimously chosen by his fellow commissioners for the mayor role, the Longboat Observer described him as “known for his common sense approach and independence.”

Upon becoming mayor, he said:

“I will dedicate myself to opposing any new mainland bridge that touches Longboat Key. I will push for the immediate construction of two new tennis courts at the Rec Center, which the voters want.”

Drohlich lost his bid for re-election to John Redgrave in 1997.

He went on to serve on the Planning and Zoning Board from 1997 to 2002.

Drohlich was the author of technical books and three nonfiction books and also published his first fiction novel, “The Finding,” in 2011.