Republicans Club of Longboat Key meets for February

The Republican Club of Longboat Key met Feb. 11 for dinner, drinks and details on how the government works, in Longboat Key, Sarasota and beyond.

After the initial cocktail hour, attendees sat and listened to Laina Moran, the executive director for the Republican Party of Sarasota County, who shared plans for registering voters for 2020.

The next speakers of the evening were town employees Isaac Brownman, Sue Smith and Charlie Mopps, who were there to inform the public about the upcoming beach renourishment project, which is currently projected to start in late 2020. The beaches need more sand to keep from eroding away, and multiple price points of “imported” sand were explained to the group.

“It’s a great opportunity to take care of the beaches on Longboat Key,” Brownman said.

The beaches, vital to the Key’s economy and value, need to be nourished every six to eight years because sand moves so much, Brownman and Mopps said. The project will lead to a tax increase (more on the Gulf side than on the bay side), but it’s unknown how much that would be. Town Financial Director Sue Smith said that based on the support the town receives, the project could cost up to $34.5 million. No numbers are set yet, so the project could cost less.

After the beach renourishment presentation, Longboat Key Deputy Police Chief Frank Rubino and Kurt Hoffman, who’s running for Sarasota County sheriff, spoke about the resources available to them and the collaboration between their departments.