Longboat resident and Wimbledon winner Maria Sharapova will reclaim the No. 1 world ranking if she wins the Australian Open. Sharapova defeated Ekaterina Makarova 6-2, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, and defeated Petra Kvitova this week, and now is entering the finals against Victoria Azarenka. The winner of the match Saturday will claim the No. 1 world ranking.

Sarasota City officials will soon decide on plans for a mixed-use hotel two developers hope to build on city-owned land next to the newly created Palm Avenue parking garage. The proposals would add up to 200 hotel rooms and could potentially foster other development in downtown Sarasota. The two proposals vary in scope and cost, how they would be financed, and in how much city participation would be required develop the one-acre site at Palm and Cocoanut Avenues.

One developer, Floridays Development Co. of Sarasota, wants to build 150 to 200 hotel rooms and include a meeting space, ballroom, spa, restaurant and lounges. The Floridays proposal also calls for the top two floors to be reserved for owner-occupied or rental units, an option to manage the Palm Avenue garage, and possible development of city-owned beach property on Lido Key for a hotel amenity. Floridays estimates the cost at $41.6 million to $51.9 million, depending on the number of hotel rooms. Floridays is asking the city to partially finance the project through a credit-tenant lease, though it would acquire the land from the city for $3.8 million.

The other proposal is submitted from Jebco Ventures and McKibbon Hotel Group of Sarasota and Atlanta, and calls for 175 suites, a restaurant, meeting rooms and nearly 16,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Jebco’s proposal does not include plans for the garage or beach property. Jebco estimates the project at $25 million and would be financed by Jebco and McKibbon. The developer would lease the land from the city.

The homeowners’ board of Dolphin Tower has reached a settlement in a lawsuit against the condominium building’s insurer. The settlement with Great American Insurance Co. of New York, an Ohio insurer that Dolphin Tower homeowner’s board sued in federal court in Tampa, now ends six months of litigation and avoids a trial. The amount of the settlement has yet to be determined, and the last estimate to fix the structurally damaged building is $18 million.

Dolphin Tower, at 101 S. Gulfstream Ave., has a comprehensive insurance policy that covered the building up to a value of $25.9 million; and the condominium board paid $19,536 per year for the policy. City engineers deemed the building uninhabitable in July 2010 because of severe cracks discovered in a critical, fourth-floor concrete slab, so all residents had to evacuate.

When Dolphin Tower first made a claim against the policy in June 2011, Great American rejected the claim, contending that structural problems brought on by faulty building and design had existed from the tower’s inception in the early 1970’s. It is Experts said it is unlikely that the amount is equal to either the face value of the policy or the total repairs estimated.

The Federal Election Commission announced this week that it has officially completed its campaign contribution investigation into U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, and his former companies. The Commission has released documents generated by the three-year investigation, including a report from the agency’s general counsel that outlines the results of the investigation.

The final records released show that Buchanan is cleared of any wrongdoing in obtaining his campaign contribution funds. According to the FEC general counsel’s final report, the evidence in the case came close to supporting the finding that it is more likely than not that Buchanan violated federal election laws, but because of a lack of corroborating evidence, the general counsel advised the FEC’s six-member panel against taking further action.

Hailing from Berlin, Germany where he worked as a Senior Systems Engineer for Micros – Fidello GmbH, and ABACUS Hotel Group, Mros brings more than 20 years experience in system engineering, architecture and development of key infrastructure and network technologies. In addition to his technical expertise, he has also taught natural science at the Polytechnical School in Berlin, Germany.  He is fluent in both German and English and is a graduate of HumboldtUniversity in Berlin. He resides in Venice, Florida.

“We are very excited to have Andre onboard as the newest member of our IT Team,” said Suzy Carder, Director of Finance for Longboat Key Club & Resort.

JEANETTE BILLINGS

Media Director
jbillings@lbknews.com

We have all watched Whitney Beach Plaza week by week hoping to see increasing signs of commercial activity.

Plans announced a year ago by then-manager Brian Kenney anticipated a major anchor by last April and a subsequent improvement to the property.

And while that has not happened, slowly, patiently and strategically many of the remaining businesses have not only held on, they are embracing the season with initiatives.

Irina LaRose, co-owner of Design 2000, has been at her location for over 11 years. She counts the pluses: one-of-a-kind water views. You can show up by boat, car, bike or on foot.

During a visit to the salon this week, two customers had pedicures while watching wildlife jump, splash and swim.

Irina and husband, Jim, have been in the hair salon business for over 30 years, with a business in St. Louis, Mo before relocating to Florida.

Bayou Tavern offers Italian Food with a focus on fresh ingredients and relaxed atmosphere.

Owner Domenico Padula and Chef Angelo offer a full liquor bar and beautiful Views of Bayou canal. Dine inside with outdoor views or sit on the patio for a full outdoor dining experience.

Blue Iguana Café is Whitney Beach Plaza’s newest tenant. Owner and Chef Robbin Widnaier ceased an opportunity to offer north enders, breakfast, lunch and a great cup of coffee.

Become a member of the Longboat Key Library and enjoy its extensive collection of both fiction and non-fiction titles, including large print and audio books. Annual membership is $25 for a regular membership, $40 for patrons and $350 for a one-time life membership. Books on Wheels are available to members who are disabled or ill and unable to get to the library, call 383-2011. The library is at 555 Bay Isles Road.