Police investigate Country Club Shores break-ins
Police investigate Country Club Shores vehicle break-ins
Longboat Key Police are investigating six vehicle break-ins that occurred in Country Club Shores over the weekend. The vehicles that were broken into were all unlocked and contained cash or wallets all visible from the window of the cars, according to Longboat Police. While the Police Department doesn’t believe that the incidents are related to a series of similar thefts that occurred last weekend in the Longbeach Village area, they have not ruled out the possibility.
Publix update
Publix obtained a building permit June 27 to install the new roof on the new Publix. The grocery store chain is holding a ‘topping-off’ party to celebrate the construction of the new roof, which is scheduled for 9:30 a.m., Thursday, July 12.
Night construction on the roof has begun this week, which will enable the floor construction. The estimated cost for the roof is $298,500.
Dry Dock site plan approved
The Town Commission unanimously approved Dry Dock Waterfront Grill owner Eric Hammersand’s site-plan amendment, which will allow construction of the 1,107-square-foot addition to the Dry Dock’s second-floor dining area. The vote took place in a special meeting held Friday, June 29, and construction is set to begin in August or September.
Sarasota city manager search ends with no one chosen
Of the four candidates that remained for city manager of Sarasota, none it turns out are good enough for the job. The final four candidates were interviewed last Friday and Saturday by a citizen panel, department heads and the Sarasota City Commission. Then on Monday, commissioners made a determination that none of the candidates were good enough.
Robert Bartolotta, the former city manager, resigned in January over allegations of fraud. Currently, the interim city manager is Terry Lewis, who is delaying his retirement and has yet to commit to staying on through the end of the year.
Commissioners eliminated the finalists Monday because two candidates had public controversies in their pasts and the others simply did not get enough votes.
The search for a new city manager will begin again this month and is expected to take about three months, according to city officials. Then the city will need to negotiate a contract and a city manager-select might need more time to resign from their current position. To make the city manager position enticing, the consultant hired to find the next city manager, Colin Baenziger, has recommended increasing the salary range from $150,000 to $180,000 to about $220,000.
Yoder’s restaurant founder dies at 84
Amanda Yoder, founder of the popular Yoder’s Restaurant off of Bahia Vista Street in Sarasota, died Monday at the age of 84 after losing her seven-week battle with colon cancer. Yoder was surrounded by family in her home when she died.
Her Amish-style restaurant, Yoder’s, gained national notoriety after being featured on the TV show “Man vs. Food.”
Yoder was born in the small Amish community of Nappanee, Ind. Yoder was one of nine children and loved to cook from an early age; at 9 she began to cook family dinners and at 11 she began to work in the kitchen of a neighbor.
Shooting into a moving car not considered best protocol
A fatal shooting by Sarasota Sheriff’s officers into a moving car is still under investigation. Rodney Mitchell, a 23-year-old Sarasota man, attempted to escape from a traffic stop by driving toward a Sarasota County Sheriff’s deputy, and the deputy shot and killed the man.
Some are asserting that the shooting was in self defense, with deputies acting because Mitchell suddenly accelerated toward one of them. Others adamantly assert that the two deputies did not have to shoot at the vehicle but could possibly have gotten out of the way. Some cities have eliminated the policy of shooting at moving vehicles but state that officers should get out of the way of the vehicle.
