E
N 1 # AMERICA’S
PER PA S W
bserver LONGBOAT
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
DIVERSIONS
NEWS
Town maps bay accesses for residents. PAGE 5A
OUR TOWN
free • THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013
ANNIVERSARY La Playa Resort celebrates four decades. PAGE 15A
Beat the heat with these cool summer treats. INSIDE
gaining speed
by Kurt Schultheis | Managing Editor
Restrictions will rock the boat The Planning and Zoning Board will consider a revised ordinance that Longbeach Village residents oppose.
Liam Schultheis
Kurt Schultheis
+ Liam Schultheis reports to Town Hall
“You can have my trailer parking space when you pry my cold dead hands from my engine tiller handle.” Longbeach Village resident Paul Moore wrote those words as part of a letter to the editor submitted to the Longboat Observer
this week (see page 9A). Moore and other Longbeach Village residents are opposing a new ordinance, which a subcommittee recommended, that would force property owners Key-wide to keep boats and trailers out of their front yards.
The ordinance, which the subcommittee received in draft form Monday and will recommend to the Planning and Zoning Board in September, will also state that residents with corner lots can’t park their boats and trailers on side yards that also have access
There’s a new face on the Longboat Key Town Commission dais: Liam Schultheis took a break from festivities at the Fourth of July Freedom Fest to pose for a picture in the chair typically occupied by Mayor Jim Brown. It’s not surprising that Liam would gravitate toward a seat at the dais. After all, his dad, Longboat Observer Managing Editor Kurt Schultheis, spends a lot of time at Town Hall. We’ll have to wait a few decades to see if Longboat Key will get a Mayor Liam Schultheis. But, that’s OK, because Liam has more important items on his agenda — such as turning 4 next month and celebrating baby brother Kyle’s first birthday this week.
Information the Colony Beach & Tennis Resort’s selected developer, JHM Financial Group, submitted to the town irked commissioners and gave them more cause for concern. The Longboat Key Town Commission has been seeking to review financial information from Stamford, Conn.,-based JHM Financial Group LLC since May 20. The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort Association’s board selected the company to be the resort’s exclusive developer and to seek settlements from a list of Colony-affected parties. On July 12, the town received some information from JHM — but it wasn’t what commissioners wanted. Commissioner Terry Gans requested the company provide financial information at a May 20 special meeting. Almost two months later, July 11, JHM President John McClutchy Jr. presented to Town Manager Dave Bullock a press kit, a rendering and site plan for a transit-oriented development (a parking garage) project through the Stamford Transportation Center. Once it’s built, the project will follow up with commercial office space, retail space, a 150-room hotel and 150 residential units. JHM is also one of four principal entities and a managing partner for the redevelopment of Bowles Park and Westbrook Village in Connecticut
+ Brey investigates retirement scene
DOUBLE THE FUN
SEE OUR TOWN / PAGE 14A
Turtle tracks Week of July 7 through July 13
Nests..................................72 False crawls........................66 2013 2012 Nests 466 515 False crawls 344 380
SEE PARKING / PAGE 2A
New Colony info frustrates commissioners
Robin Hartill
Police-service technician Richard Brey has investigated many crime scenes, but now he’s checking out a new scene: retirement. Brey retired July 12, after 14 years with the Longboat Key Police Department. His law-enforcement career spanned approximately 36 years.
to the street. Language will also differentiate between those who have waterfront access and those who don’t. The subcommittee also wants boats and trailers parked in side yards to be screened so they are not as visible from the road. Subcommittee member and Longbeach Village Associa-
SEE COLONY / PAGE 2A Robin Hartill
Twins Doug and Veda Spoto, 4, enjoy a swing at La Playa Resort’s signature hammock during a day at the beach. For the story on La Playa’s 40th anniversary, see page 15A.
INDEX Briefs....................4A Classifieds ........ 26A
Crossword.......... 25A Letters..................9A
Neighborhood.... 15A Opinion.................8A
Real Estate........ 22A Weather............. 25A
Vol. 35, No. 50 | Two sections YourObserver.com