Pelican Press 07.12.12

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PelicanPress SIESTA KEY

AN OBSERVER NEWSPAPER

BUDGET WCIND requests more money from Sarasota County. PAGE 9A

OUR TOWN

Thursday, JULY 12, 2012

DIVERSIONS

NEWS

TV host Jack Perkins takes his journaling to the next level. INSIDE

Parking problems surface again on Siesta Key. PAGE 3A

sinking feeling By Alex Mahadevan | News Editor

Siesta Key road sinks further The private street skirting Beach Access 3 on Siesta Key gained more craters from recent flooding. But there’s little anyone can do to slow it from slumping into the surf.

Courtesy photo

+ What a hoot! In April, Annette Broy moved to Sabal Drive on Siesta Key, and within a few days of moving in, she found that a family of owls had taken up residence in a tree in her yard. Broy was happy to have the family of owls and began taking photos of them in groups and by themselves. Then Tropical Storm Debby hit. “I was afraid they would leave with Tropical Storm Debby, but they hung right in through the strong winds,” she said.

+ Party for a cause The Village Café will be hosting a special happy hour and wine tasting from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 14. The event has set donation prices with $10 pre-paid or $15 at the door and will include one pink drink, snacks, a silent auction, 50/50 drawing and live entertainment. Kay Kouvatsos, of the Village Café, will be walking in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure walk Oct. 26 to Oct. 28 in Tampa. Monies raised at the “Drink Pink” event will go toward supporting walkers.

+ Mote verifies nests on Siesta Key Mote Marine Laboratory scientists continue to monitor the effects of Tropical Storm Debby on turtle nests laid on area beaches. As of Tuesday, June 26, a total of 244 nests out of 1,367 that were marked before the storm have been verified. As many as 82% of local nests lost their yellow stake identifications during the storm. On Siesta Key, 55 of 198 nests (28%) have been verified.

Erosion is the ultimate destructor. It can tear the foundation from beneath a beachfront mansion and pull the remnants into the sea once it collapses — it leaves little evidence behind. Cyclists and joggers who take the path through the closed section of Beach Road near Beach Access

3 will notice some new crevasses in the asphalt after Tropical Storm Debby accelerated erosion of the area, which is known as Sunset Point. The crumbling infrastructure is only the start of the devastation that could come from another tropical storm. But, Sara-

sota County doesn’t have any plans for repairs or support for the roadway, according to County Commissioner Nora Patterson. And there’s only so much sand bags can do to protect coastal areas from storm surge. “It used to be a road with two

lanes, but the county got sick of repairing it — so they started maintaining it as a one-way road,” she said. “Now it’s only accessible from one side.” Mike Solum, environmental

SEE EROSION / PAGE 2A

what a blast By Alex Mahadevan | News Editor

Siesta fireworks amaze despite restrictions The beach was smaller for the Fourth of July celebration this year, but worries about illegal fireworks — and some dark clouds — didn’t wash out the explosive fireworks show. There’s something about Siesta Key beach on the Fourth of July that makes rain clouds steer clear. Call it Mother Nature’s patriotic streak — or coincidence — but, once again, the fireworks show sponsored by the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce was threatened by a bit of forecasted rain. And, for the eighth time, lead pyrotechnician Craig Merrill launched an 18-minute dazzling flurry of pops and bangs, all choreographed to music, with no interruption. But Tropical Storm Debby left little room with which Merrill could work. Usually, volunteers set up the explosive canvas 600 feet from the surf, but they only had 400 feet to navigate for this year’s show. Thus, the shells were smaller — six inches or less in diameter compared with the eight-inch shells used in the past. And folks who watched from their balconies on Point of Rocks on south Siesta might have noticed the trajectory made viewing difficult. The higher-flying fireworks had to be angled slightly, making the larger mortars explode at smaller heights. However, the crowd erupted in a roar heard all the way in Siesta Isles after the show ended, and participants said it was one of the best shows in the two-decade history of the event, which was originally conceived to honor Desert Storm troops during the first

Iraq War. Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office deputy Chris McGregor said at the July 5 Siesta Key Association meeting that there were only seven arrests during the 15-hour shift the previous day. Most of the arrests were for disorderly intoxication, he explained, and there was one petty theft arrest, when an individual from Port Charlotte attempted to steal a bicycle. He said the large digital sign warning beachgoers not to ignite their own personal fireworks show was successful — the downward slope of illegal fireworks citations continued this year. The 12 officers who patrolled the beach before and after the fireworks show had air support from a helicopter. “With the number of people, it’s nice to have an eye in the sky,” McGregor said. Also, a newly formed technology unit was on site to aid beach patrols. But teenage drinking again plagued the Fourth of July event. McGregor arrested a 15-year-old boy for underage drinking at this year’s Independence Day celebration. “It is a problem, but I think it’s always been a problem before I was a cop,” McGregor said. “And long before that,” said SKA board member Bob Waechter. The VIP Beach Party was crowded with nearly 550 peo-

SEE FIREWORKS / PAGE 2A

Rachel S. O’Hara

INDEX Briefs....................4A Classifieds ........ 22A

Cops Corner....... 10A Crossword.......... 21A

Neighborhood.... 13A Opinion .............. 8A

Sports................ 20A Weather............. 21A

Vol. 42, No. 50 | Two sections YourObserver.com


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