Longboat Key has new April deadline for library fundraising

Town Manager Howard Tipton and the Longboat Key Foundation agree it’s time to ramp up the fundraising campaign for an enhanced version of a Sarasota County library. 

After two requests for extensions, the town of Longboat Key has until the end of April to fundraise the $3.5 million needed for the enhanced version. 

Last year, the town fully engaged in the public library project which kicked off with community input sessions in February 2024. 

Sarasota County will fund the $11.1 million to construct the core library, at about 8,780 square feet. But after the community input sessions, it was evident that Longboat Key residents wanted more.

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The county offered the chance for Longboat Key to include an expanded meeting space and covered terrace to the library, but the onus to fund those extensions was put on private donations. 

An expanded community meeting space, enough to hold about 250 people, would cost $2 million, and the terrace another $1.5 million. These enhancements would bring the library’s total square footage to about 11,230 square feet. 

First, the town had a deadline of the end of August 2024. Tipton attributed the slow start to the migration of snowbirds away from Longboat Key. 

The county gave the town another extension, which was overshadowed by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The impact of those storms took over the rest of Longboat Key's 2024. 

“I think the storm really redirected our energy,” Tipton said.

Now, with the new deadline set, Tipton is hoping for a productive spring. 

Jim Brown, founder of the Longboat Key Foundation, has been a partner in the fundraising campaign since it kicked off last summer.

So far, he’s collected about $100,000 and said he has more people interested who want to schedule meetings about the project. 

Though the start to the fundraising was slower than expected, Brown said he's feeling positive about the next phase. 

Tipton said the fundraising team has scheduled meetings with potential donors over the next few weeks and, in the meantime, the team is trying to refine their messaging and approach to fundraising. 

This means reaching out to a wider audience with a clear message about the positive impact the project could have on all the nearby barrier island communities. 

“We are going to try to refine our approach for a wider audience,” Tipton said. “It’s not just Longboat, this library also serves Lido and St. Armands.”

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Tipton also said a wider approach means being less focused on a few large donations to meet the $3.5 million mark and, instead, taking any donations as they come. 

With that, though, Tipton understands that people may want to be recognized for the donations. 

According to the county, naming rights are available if someone were to donate 25% of the estimated project cost, which would be about $3.65 million. 

Tipton said the campaign going forward will include working with Sarasota County to figure out how donations smaller than $3.65 million — for example something in the range of $500,000 — would be recognized. 

“I think it’s in our messaging, it’s in the materials that we have…and if it’s a wider campaign, working with the county on how people will be recognized,” Tipton said about the emphasis moving forward.

Tipton and the town may look to additional outside help like a professional fundraiser to help boost the campaign. 

“Somebody who could help us chart the right path is what we’re looking for,” Tipton said. 

With more part-time residents coming back for peak season, Tipton is also optimistic that the campaigning will start to pick up.

“We expect it to ramp up,” Tipton said. “We’ve got to show progress. It’s time to go.” 

Tipton said anyone interested in becoming a donor for the library should reach out to him directly at [email protected].