Snowbirds returning to our island paradise undoubtedly know that things remain unsettled in the Middle East and that in Iraq the Shias and Sunnis are still killing each other because of a disagreement over the proper way to worship Allah.

As we look at the future of Longboat Key there are clearly two directions we can take. The one favored by the current commission appears to be toward more development, that is, high-rise condo-tels and tourist towers similar to what has befallen other Florida beach communities. The other direction points toward a community similar to Casey Key, which is predominately private residences.

Contrary to the constant incantations coming from the Town Commission and the LLSA Chamber of Commerce, the residents residing in the northern reaches of our community really would rather not rely on commercial developers or academics to tell us what we will or will not do with our real estate. When I read that the town does not have the money to include the residents in any north end development study, I think of the half million the town just spent for a lot adjacent to Bayfront Park. The current commissioners seldom use the word resident, preferring instead to dwell on commercial interests. Who pays the taxes?

According to Islandside Property Owner’s Coalition (IPOC) President Bob White, the coalition filed a motion to amend the de-novo complaint this week, dropping counts that the development order was inconsistent with the town’s Comprehensive Plan. IPOC maintains that the town violated its own charter and state law when it amended its Zoning Code and the Comprehensive [...]

Opponents to the idea of a cell tower at the Longboat Island Chapel were disappointed the Town Commission voted 5-2 to make Comprehensive Plan changes eliminating height restrictions from the document that controls all land use policy on the key.

‘Faux Sure’ is a mixed-use of languages for sure. It is meant to point to the predicament the community finds itself in, where a small group of powerful people have hijacked the town government and are telling us we need to greatly expand development on Longboat Key

Certain town politicians are now espousing the rationale that we must retain the Planning, Zoning and Building Department director because she is too professional to lose. They are employing this rationale as their justification to excuse the director’s behavior that had been allowed to go on under the former town manager. I am sorry that this story is not pretty

Town group finding success in fashioning overall vision statement for Longboat Key.

In the very near future, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear of the University of Florida Law School renaming a building to honor Longboat Key. With the economy in Florida in the doldrums, lawsuits involving Longboat Key are a godsend to dozens if not hundreds of families who work for law firms

Excuse me if I profess to being a little confused about what it is that the commission and the Key Club are doing these days. For the past 18 months the commissioners have told us repeatedly that they are hard at work developing tourism and retail business on Longboat Key