- December 21, 2024
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Illustration by Marty Fugate
The island may look a bit different for snowbirds returning to Longboat Key after this summer, so pardon the dust.
Over the summer, three major hurricanes left their marks on Longboat Key. The two most recent — Helene and Milton — left many Longboat Key properties flooded and filled with debris.
Although the town is still recovering from these two events, the community persevered as local businesses picked up the pieces and pushed to get open for locals and visitors.
While the hurricanes have been dominating the page space in the previous month of the Observer, other town news before the hurricanes was still plentiful.
This included a day the entire town talked about for years: the opening of the St. Regis Longboat Key.
The town commission took a short recess, as they always do, but worked hard before and after the recess to plan and foster debate for major infrastructure projects.
Here are some of the top news stories from this summer to catch up those who were away.
Shocking.
That's a common word used to describe many people's first reactions while driving along Gulf of Mexico Drive after Hurricane Helene. Piles of debris, appliances and sand were common sights along GMD in the weeks after Helene.
The storm made landfall on Sept. 26, and its main impact to Longboat Key came from the high storm surge. Some residents reported 3-5 feet of water intrusion in their homes.
This amount of water flooded out many in Longboat's low-lying areas like Buttonwood, Sleepy Lagoon and the Village. Many homeowners tried to get back to the island as quickly as possible to begin ripping out drywall and restoration.
The town followed a tiered re-entry protocol after Helene, which resulted in residents being allowed back the following Sunday, Sept. 29.
According to estimates from the Town of Longboat Key, about 2,200 properties in the town were damaged by Hurricane Helene, which resulted in $176 million worth of damage. Some homes, like beachfront properties along Gulfside Road, were almost completely destroyed.
Longboat Key residents and officials didn't have much time to take a breath, though, as another hurricane formed in the Gulf of Mexico.
It seemed like Longboat Key couldn't catch a break.
About a week after Hurricane Helene, another hurricane had its eye set on Longboat Key. Hurricane Milton's track seemed to predict it being a Category 4 hurricane with a direct hit on the island.
This prediction included up to 15 feet of storm surge for Longboat Key.
Town officials were worried as it drew closer, but the system weakened before making landfall near Siesta Key. Still, the 100 mph gusts of wind caused more vegetative debris and structural damage on Longboat Key.
Milton hit the region on Oct. 9, and town officials opened up the island for re-entry on Oct. 11. This time, the town didn't follow a phased re-entry and instead opened the island up to everyone at the same time.
When residents returned, it was time to clean up again and add to the growing piles of debris. Water, wastewater and electricity took a few days to be fully-operational again.
In the weeks after Milton, the state responded by sending crews to clean up GMD, which is a state-owned highway. The state and Florida Department of Transportation was responsible for cleaning up debris along GMD.
Police officers from agencies like Miami-Dade and Biscayne Park responded to a request made by the Longboat Key Police Department through the Florida Police Chiefs Association. These extra officers were asked to help deter scavengers and direct traffic for dump trucks sent for debris cleanup.
At times, 40 dump trucks were working on the island, which caused some traffic delays through the rest of October and into early November.
Despite Helene's flooding and Milton's strong winds, Longboat Key businesses were eager to re-open and welcome locals back. Throughout the island, a sense of community was one positive that many took way from the summer of storms.
The day arrived at last for the St. Regis Longboat Key.
After nearly a decade of legal struggles, development departures and planning the five-star resort, the St. Regis Longboat Key held an unveiling ceremony on Aug. 16. With the ceremony, the resort ushered in a soft-opening phase that continued until Hurricanes Helene and Milton caused a short closure.
The resort marks the largest capital investment on Longboat Key in decades. Residences at the St. Regis Longboat Key were sold out before construction was completed, and a recently closed $21 million sale broke the island's highest sale record.
Beyond the valet service and unique welcome bar mural is the heart of the resort, complete with a lazy river and multiple pools that offer poolside butler service.
Two resident Aldabra tortoises, about 2,800 tropical fish and 50 stingrays give guests unique wildlife experiences.
Around the resort are also multiple dining options, including the high-end C.W. Prime for seafood and steak, and the Riva provides guests with an Italian experience.
General Manager Winfred van Workum welcomed Longboat Key residents to visit the resort in numerous stories published previously by the Observer. He's said he wants the St. Regis to be like a "living room" where residents can meet up and socialize over drinks or food.
The St. Regis Longboat Key looks to create its own legacy on the land that was once The Colony. The Colony and its operator, Dr. Murray "Murf" Klauber helped put Longboat Key on the map, and van Workum hopes the St. Regis can blend that rich history with its own legacy.
At the start of this year — before many snowbirds migrated north for the summer — property owners of Jewfish Key submitted a petition to the town asking to be de-annexed, or removed, from the Town of Longboat Key.
The petition, submitted on Jan. 16, required the town to conduct a feasibility study within six months of its submission. If the petition would have been approved, then Jewish Key would have become a part of unincorporated Manatee County.
According to property owners on Jewfish Key, the reasons behind the petition included evaluating the amount of taxes paid versus services received from the town and opposition to the town's short-term rental restrictions.
After residents heard about the potential for Jewfish Key to be de-annexed from the town, many north-end communities voiced their opposition. Town staff estimated that over 267 residents submitted signatures throughout various petitions in opposition of the de-annexation.
A first public hearing was set for June 3, which lasted mere minutes.
That's because, days before on May 31, the Jewfish Key Preservation Association — who submitted the original petition — retracted the petition. The six-month feasibility study cost the town about $80,000 including outside legal assistance and extra staff hours.
“While no reason was given for the withdrawal, it’s my sincere hope that — having reviewed the extensive study prepared by the town, our staff’s analysis of that study and the overwhelming opposition — the petitioners saw the wisdom of terminating this matter and remaining a part of our community as they have been since its founding in 1955,” Mayor Ken Schneier said at the June 3 hearing.
So, for now, Jewfish Key will remain a part of Longboat Key.
The discussion about alternative builds for the Longboat Pass Bridge began in March before many residents left for the summer.
To briefly recap, the Florida Department of Transportation presented the community with three build alternatives to replace the Longboat Pass Bridge: a low-level bascule bridge, a mid-level bascule bridge and a high fixed-span bridge.
It was clear from the start that residents and town leaders disapproved of the high fixed-span bridge, which would have been 78 feet high. Many said that bridge was out of character for the town.
Over the summer, discussions continued and the town commission formally recommended the mid-level bascule bridge to the FDOT. This would be a 36-foot high drawbridge, which would reduce the amount of openings required per day compared to the current, outdated drawbridge.
But north-end residents — specifically the Longboat Key North group of homeowners associations and condominiums — preferred the lowest option and voiced that to town leaders. Members of the coalition said concerns about the width of the bridge and slope were paramount along with the height.
A decision over which bridge alternative will be chosen was slated to be presented in early 2025. Following Hurricanes Helene and Milton, town staff said the FDOT may explore a "no-build" alternative more seriously, which would include making significant repairs to the existing bridge.
Before Helene and Milton, there was Debby.
Hurricane Debby was the first major hurricane to have impacts on the Suncoast this summer, which began what climate experts predicted to be a very active Atlantic hurricane season.
The storm made landfall on Aug. 1 as a Category 1 storm in Florida's Big Bend Region. Though Longboat Key didn't take a direct hit from Debby, the storm dropped a record amount of rain on the Sarasota area.
Sarasota was reported to experience 17.78 inches of rainfall flooding, according to the National Weather Service.
Wind gusts on Longboat Key were estimated around 56 mph, and no evacuations were required for residents. The island's low-lying areas experienced some flooding as a result of the downpour.
After Debby, environmental experts chimed in on how the storm impacted the region's waters. Water quality concerns were raised after the heavy rainfall caused stormwater and wastewater systems to become overwhelmed.
It was estimated that 25 million gallons of sewage leaked from the city of Bradenton’s system into Manatee River, and another 17.7 million gallons leaked from the city of Sarasota into Sarasota Bay.
Two major infrastructure projects are needed for Longboat Key, and neither can be put off any longer. To make substantial progress on both, the town must take on loans for an estimated $27 million debt.
At the June 28 commission meeting, commissioners reached a consensus to direct staff to pursue a loan through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) Loan Program. The interest rate for this loan would be about 2.89% for a 20-year term, which amounts to a total repayment of $37.6 million.
This loan option requires approval from town voters, which will likely come as a referendum in the March 2025 election.
The largest of the two projects is the subaqueous force main replacement, which is estimated to cost $31.4 million for the remainder of the project. The mainland portion of the project has already been completed in 2023 for a price of $2.72 million.
Two state appropriations for $1.25 million and $800,000 will help bring the cost down, and some town funds will also be used.
This replacement is necessary after a 2020 fracture and leak from the existing pipe. The new pipe under Sarasota Bay will be installed about 50 feet away from the existing one to decrease the chance of accidental fractures during construction.
The other major infrastructure project is the Country Club Shores asbestos cement pipe replacement project, which already started. The outdated water pipes were installed in the late 1960s and early 70s, and will now be replaced with new polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes.
The older pipes are more fragile and susceptible to breaking.
The first two phases of the asbestos cement pipe replacement will require about 15,000 linear feet of pipe and cost around $5.5 million. The first two phases are estimated to cost around $3 million to $3.5 million.
Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton all contributed to the early end of sea turtle nesting season this year.
Debby's rain and overwash caused a significant washout of many of the nests still active at that point in the season. Marine Laboratory and Aquarium estimated that 79% of the nests were impacted to some degree, and 42% were wiped out entirely.
Then, Helene's strong storm surge effectively led to the end of sea turtle nesting season. Those nests that survived Debby likely did not survive on Longboat Key after the Gulf of Mexico met with the bay on many parts of the island.
Before the hurricanes, though, nesting numbers were strong. According to Mote's last published weekly nesting summary, Longboat Key had a total of 1,259 nests. In all of Mote's territory, there were 4,376 nests.
Despite strong nesting numbers on Longboat Key, lighting concerns were raised again this season.
First were issues with lights installed along Gulf Drive and Gulf of Mexico Drive as a part of the Florida Department of Transportation's new crosswalk installation project. After an adult sea turtle became disoriented and struck by a vehicle on Anna Maria Island, the FDOT temporarily shut off the lights until proper lighting shields were installed.
There were also issues with the St. Regis throughout the end of construction and after it opened to the public. These issues persisted from May to the end of the nesting season, with a couple of weeks of compliance at one point. Still, the St. Regis received over $6,800 in fines.
This led to St. Regis representatives appearing at a Special Magistrate Hearing, where town code enforcement officers presented the case to the magistrate. After a nearly three-hour hearing, the magistrate opted to allow the St. Regis more time to come into compliance.
The hearing was continued to the following month. This was scheduled for Oct. 9, which was then canceled due to Hurricane Milton. On Nov. 13, the hearing will go before the magistrate for a second time.
Sea turtle releases brought glimpses of positivity during the summer, notably the release of Lil' Dougie. The female loggerhead sea turtle was named after Doug Johnson, creative communications specialist for the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, who was out paddleboarding with his wife, Susannah when they saw the distressed turtle and called Mote to rescue her.
Lil' Dougie was showing signs of lethargy and buoyancy issues and also had an injured flipper.
On Aug. 12, Lil’ Dougie was lively and ready to go back to the ocean. She was released at Siesta Key Beach after 73 days of rehabilitation at Mote.
