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N 1 # AMERICA’S
PER A P WS
bserver LONGBOAT
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
NEWS
Villagers have sinking feeling about overnight mooring. PAGE 3A
OUR TOWN
free • Thursday, JANUARY 17, 2013
DIVERSIONS
NEIGHBORHOOD The Highwaymen exhibit paves a path to Florida scenes. PAGE 1B
Home of the Month: looking to the past. INSIDE
redevelopment revived
by Kurt Schultheis | Managing Editor
Changes made to revive Hilton project The Longboat Key Hilton Beachfront Resort seeks 85 of the 250 tourism units for a new guest tower on the property. The town of Longboat Key is making changes to get the Longboat Key Hilton Beachfront Resort renovation-and-expansion project back on track. By a 6-1 vote, the Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Board recommended ordinance changes at its Tuesday, Jan. 15 regular
meeting that directly affect the project. The changes specifically relate to the outline development process that distributes the pool of 250 tourism units. In November, Ocean Properties Ltd. submitted pre-application documents to the town’s Planning, Zoning and Building
Department for a redevelopment of the 102 rooms at the existing Longboat Key Hilton. The application also seeks 85 of the 250 tourism units for a new guest tower on the property. But, the application was put on hold the same month, after a 12th Judicial Circuit Court judge
issued a judgment that went against the town and essentially froze pending and future redevelopment applications. The judge favored the Islandside Property Owners Coalition, which challenged town code changes giving commissioners more flexibility when approving projects. More importantly, the judg-
SEE HILTON / PAGE 2A
Courtesy photo
The Rev. Bruce Porter with the Rev. Ray Woody
+ Christ Church: the first seven years Christ Church of Longboat Key, Presbyterian is just seven years old, but already, it has a historical artifact: a rough wooden box that served as its first podium. Congregation members reminisced about the church’s early days during a “History of Christ Church” fish dinner Wednesday, Jan. 9. Founding members recounted how services took place at member homes and, later, Bayfront Park Recreation Center. Then, it rented space at Mediterranean Plaza where it held services until the completion of the new church at 6400 Gulf of Mexico Drive. The church dedicated its new building in January 2012 and now has 250 members. The church’s first pastor, the Rev. Ray Woody, posed with the Rev. Bruce Porter in front of the old, makeshift podium — a reminder of just how far the church has come in seven years.
+ Man seeks lost St. Christopher medal St. Christopher is the patron saint of travel. But in this case, he might have traveled just a little too far. A man lost a St. Christopher medal Friday, Jan. 11, on St. Armands Circle. It’s a small, gold medal on a thin gold chain. It has sentimental value, because it belonged to his father. The owner is offering $50 for the medal’s return. If you have information, contact the St. Armands Circle Association at 388-1554.
GOODWILL HUNTING
Katie Hendrick
Bob Votruba, of Cleveland, has promoted peace for nearly six years as the driver of “the kindness bus,” a school bus painted with hundreds of quotes and calls for goodwill. It arrived Thursday, Jan. 10, on St. Armands Circle. For the past week, Votruba and his Boston terrier, Bogart, have walked around the Circle, spreading his message to locals and tourists alike.
RENOVATION
by Kurt Schultheis | Managing Editor
Colony unit owners in discussion with PZ&B Some Colony Beach & Tennis Resort unit owners are ready to renovate and open beachfront buildings. The shuttered Colony Beach & Tennis Resort might have some life left in it after all. Planning, Zoning and Building Director Robin Meyer said his staff has held informal meetings
with some Colony Beach & Tennis Resort unit owners to discuss renovations to their units. In particular, Meyer said, discussions have been held to possibly open some beachfront buildings on the
property. “Owners we have held discussions with have hired a contractor to perform renovation estimates,” Meyer said. The owners, which Meyer de-
clined to disclose because no permits for work have been filed, have also hired an appraiser to establish the value of the buildings they might seek to re-open. Florida Emergency Management Association (FEMA) mandates owners are limited to
SEE COLONY / PAGE 2A
INDEX Calendar............ 16A Classifieds ........ 13B
Crossword.......... 12B Letters..................9A
Neighborhood...... 1B Opinion.................8A
Real Estate.......... 8B Weather............. 12B
Vol. 35, No. 26 | Three sections YourObserver.com