Cops Corner

Resident not happy with service dog on Longboat beach

A complainant called to report a dog, and even after it was discovered to be a service dog, the complainant wasn’t happy. This and other Longboat Key Police reports in this week's Cops Corner.


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Friday, Aug. 15

Surrendering the ship

11:20 a.m., Longboat Pass Bridge

Abandoned Vehicle: A Longboat Key officer saw an abandoned sailboat that drifted into the Longboat Pass Bridge and was hitting the bridge because of waves. The officer then contacted the U.S. Coast Guard, which sent officers to move the vessel to a safe location further from the bridge. Upon further investigation, the responding Longboat PD officer was able to contact the vessel’s owner, who said he did not have enough money to have the vessel properly towed and secured. He said he contacted a salvage company to take ownership of the vessel later that day. 


Saturday, Aug. 16

Service dog exception 

5:26 p.m., 1600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Animal Problem: Dispatch sent an officer to investigate a report of a dog on the beach. When the officer located the dog and its owner, the owner said the dog was her registered service dog and insisted on showing the officer the dog’s paperwork. The officer thanked her for the information and then called the complainant, who said it was unacceptable to have a dog on the beach. Even after the officer explained it was a service dog, the complainant became argumentative, according to the report. 


Tuesday, Aug. 20

Cause of power outage frustration 

11:28 a.m., 3000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Assist Other Agency: An officer was dispatched to the corner of Buttonwood Drive and GMD in reference to power lines arcing and starting a fire in the surrounding brush. When the officer arrived at the scene, there were no fires or wires arcing, but a powerline was down, and the Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department and Florida Power & Light were notified to respond. It was later discovered that the powerline took out power on the south end of Longboat Key and Lido Key. Once FPL arrived on the scene, the responding officer conducted traffic control. 


Wednesday, Aug. 21

Suspicious cable workers 

11:35 a.m., 3400 block of Bayou Sound 

Suspicious Person: A resident called for police assistance when she said she saw two men wearing bright shirts close to her backyard. She claimed they did not speak English, but they called their supervisor who said they were with a cable and construction company. The officer met with the supervisor when he arrived on site, and he validated their claim. The supervisor also advised the homeowner that the crew would need to return to inspect the work done on the cable box. 

Emergency construction OK'd

7:15 p.m., 500 block of Companion Way

Noise Disturbance: A reported construction noise disturbance required police assistance. At the scene, the officer met with the site manager, who said the crew was completing emergency structural repairs to the back of the residence, which had been washed out from Hurricane Debby. The site manager showed the officer where the rain had caused dangerous erosion and structural issues that needed to be repaired as soon as possible to prevent the back of the residence from collapsing. After the officer confirmed that the resident had spoken with the town about the work already, the officer allowed the work to continue because of the circumstances. 


Thursday, Aug. 22

Blame the plumber

4:09 p.m., 500 block of Bayport Way

Alarm: An officer was on his way to respond to a fire alarm, but before arrival, the Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department determined it was a false alarm tripped by a plumber. 

 

author

Carter Weinhofer

Carter Weinhofer is the Longboat Key news reporter for the Observer. Originally from a small town in Pennsylvania, he moved to St. Petersburg to attend Eckerd College until graduating in 2023. During his entire undergraduate career, he worked at the student newspaper, The Current, holding positions from science reporter to editor-in-chief.

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