bserver O SARASOTA
You. Your neighbors. Your neighborhood.
DIVERSIONS
Ringling student Van Jazmin illustrates the art of community. INSIDE
OUR TOWN
FREE • Thursday, AUGUST 9, 2012
back to school in focus Look inside for our annual guide to the new school year.
red light, green light
Toale Brothers celebrates 100 years. PAGE 15A
by Kurt Schultheis | City Editor
Red-light cameras get green light Red light cameras have already recorded more than 10,000 violations since December. Plans to install more cameras are in the works.
Ariel and Ana Samedi, 7, play in the water fountains at Sun-N-Fun.
+ Children enjoy end of summer bash
The Sarasota Police Department is giving the green light for the installation of red-light cameras within city limits. Currently, seven red-light cameras, located at four Sarasota intersections, are taking pictures and video cars that run a red light in those locations (see sidebar, on page 2A).
Currently, all red-light cameras in Sarasota are operated by the city of Sarasota but soon red-light cameras will be installed by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office in other locations, including South Tamiami Trail and Bee Ridge Road. Sarasota Police officer John Lake warned motorists that the regis-
tered owner of a car that runs a red light is responsible for paying the $158 Notice of Violation fine, regardless of whether the owner was driving the car at that time. The Notice of Violation is not considered an actual ticket and
Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Suncoast hosted an end-of-summer fun day Saturday, Aug. 4., at Sun-N-Fun. Kids enjoyed swimming, competing on the aquatic obstacle course and sliding down the Hippo Slide, a three-and-a-halfstory water slide. At the end of the event, each child was given a backpack full of donated school supplies so they could start of the school year prepared.
SEE CAMERAS / 2A
unintended consequences By Kurt Schultheis | City Editor
Firefighter pension fund jeopardized Voters could determine the fate of hundreds of thousands of subsidy insurance dollars helping to fund retirement benefits for firefighters.
+ YourObserver.com takes top awards Local Media Association, formerly called the Suburban Newspapers of America, has recognized YourObserver. com for its high standards in social media, multimedia and online local community news. The Local Media Association awarded the Observer Media Group with “Best Overall Local News” for non-daily newspapers with a total circulation under 100,000 in its 2012 Local Community Website Contest. Observer Media Group also claimed first place for “Best Social Media Initiative,” for community engagement on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube; first place for “Best Local Community Initiative” for the It’s Read Everywhere online photo contest; and first place for “Best Video Initiative,” for the Daily Headlines Broadcast.
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE Rachel S. O’Hara
Ashyiah Davis, 2, was excited about the new tricycles that the children at the Evalyn Sadlier Jones Child Care and Learning Center at the Pines of Sarasota received, Tuesday Aug. 7, as a gift from the Rotary Club of Sarasota Bay. For more photos from the event, see page 19A.
One word in a strong city manager charter amendment will affect whether retired city firefighters lose $500,000 a year that their pension plan depends upon to pay out benefits. The word is “administration,” and it’s in the strong city manager charter amendment that city commissioners voted to place on the November ballot. A law firm hired by the firefighters pension board to render an opinion on whether or not a proposed charter amendment could affect future pension funds for retired city firefighters believes “the pension fund will be jeopardized should the voters approve the proposed charter change in November.” The proposed charter amendment would
transfer more responsibilities from City Auditor and Clerk Pamela Nadalini’s office to City Manager Tom Barwin’s office, if approved. One of those responsibilities that would be reassigned if the charter amendment is approved is the “administration” of retiree pensions. The charter amendment states the city manager shall “serve as the pension administrator of General Employees’ Pension Plan and any other city retirement plan.” Earlier this month, city attorney Robert Fournier alerted commissioners that the referendum language could mean the city would have to forfeit state subsidy money from the state’s insur-
SEE PENSION / 2A
INDEX Briefs.................... 5A Classifieds..........23A
Cops Corner.......... 7A Crossword...........22A
Neighborhood.....15A Opinion................. 8A
Real Estate.........20A Vol. 8, No. 41 | Three sections Weather..............22A YourObserver.com