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EAST COUNTY
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NEWS
Chicken-keeping program clucks into East County.
Miner unearths diamonds in Lakewood. PAGE 3A
PAGE 3A
OUR TOWN
SUNDAY, April 1, 2012
Manatee to use taxpayer dollars for new stadium. PAGE 3A
old college try
By Michael Eng | Managing Editor ch-ch-ch-changes beauty and the feet
PARKING METERS COME TO RANCH
After the Sarasota City Commission voted in March to shut down its $510,000 parking-meter program, Schroeder-Manatee Ranch Inc. purchased all 459 meters to install in Lakewood Ranch.
+ Mr. Potato Head discovered out east Move over, Legoman. There’s a new oversized toy in town. Kayakers on the Manatee River last week discovered a mysterious Mr. Potato Head statue staring at them as they paddled upstream. The giant replica of the popular toy was complete with what appeared to be removable facial features, the kayakers said. Manatee County officials currently are searching for the statue’s creator.
+ Network considers Ranch for new show Talent scouts for the Bravo network will be in Lakewood Ranch next week to begin casting for a new “Real Housewives” series. According to network sources, “The Real Housewives of Manatee County” will be a suburbanmeets-rural adaptation of the popular reality TV series. Show producers are looking for three country club-type women as well as three from a more rural part of the East County. “We want to see people’s reactions to jeans and cowboy boots at their black-tie galas,” said producer Darren Doughty. According to SchroederManatee Ranch President and CEO Rex Jensen, his wife, Fran, owner of Knot Awl Beads, already has secured one of the spots on the show. Barring any complications with casting, taping will begin in September at the Music on Main concert in Lakewood Ranch.
SEE OUR TOWN / PAGE 6A
LAKEWOOD RANCH — Parking meters are coming to Lakewood Ranch. Schroeder-Manatee Ranch President and CEO Rex Jensen last week negotiated with the city of Sarasota to purchase all the assets from its failed downtown parking-meter program. The meters will be removed from Sarasota curbs this week and placed throughout Lakewood Ranch in the next two months, Jensen said. Sarasota paid $510,000 for the 459 meters; SMR purchased them for $300,000. “It was a bargain,” Rex Jensen Jensen said. “These things are practically brand new, and they’re top-of-the-line. They’re a perfect fit for Lakewood Ranch.” Jensen said SMR plans to place the majority of the meters in the busiest areas in the community, including Main Street, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, San Marco Plaza, Premier Sports
By Michael Eng | Managing Editor
Pat Neal leads new push to incorporate A new Florida statute will make it easier for Lakewood Ranch to incorporate into its own city. LAKEWOOD RANCH — With a background in politics, Lakewood Ranch-based developer Pat Neal is confident he has the skills necessary in helping Lakewood Ranch finally becomes its own city. And after a new Florida statute relaxed the incorporation process easier this year, Neal has become the main voice Pat Neal behind the second effort for cityhood. The Florida Senate passed on March 8 the CS/SB 692 bill, which will go into effect July 1. The bill, titled “Formation of Local Governments,” revised several of the steps required for incorporation, including the deadline for a feasibility study. It also makes it much easier to get the incorporation resolution placed for voter input. And because much of the work completed by the resident-led Incorporation Study Committee is still valid, Neal is confident his resolution for the incorporation of Lake-
SEE METERS / PAGE 5A
Boot purchase complements meter program
In addition to the parking meters, Schroeder-Manatee Ranch also purchased 150 car boots for about $7,500, President and CEO Rex Jensen said. Because Lakewood Ranch does not have its own police department, the boots will serve as the primary way to enforce the meters, he said. If a person’s meter expires, a roving patrol will place a boot on the car. The driver must then pay a $39 fine at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall to have the boot removed, he said. Currently, SMR is painting each of the boots Lakewood Ranch’s signature green. Each boot also will feature the community’s sandhill crane logo. “These are upscale boots,” he said. “They will not be those ugly, yellow ones you see elsewhere in the county.”
SEE STATUTE / PAGE 6A
POLL QUESTION
Below is the exact wording of the Lakewood Ranch incorporation resolution that will appear on November’s ballot. Do you support building a stronger Lakewood Ranch community by giving it a true identity?
INDEX Building Permits...13B Business............. 14B
Classifieds ........ 16B Crossword.......... 15B
Letters............... 11A Real Estate........ 12B
Sports................ 15A Weather............. 15B
Vol. 13, No. 13 | Two sections YourObserver.com