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bserver LONGBOAT
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
THINK TANK
Mote begins talks to build a facility . on the mainland. PAGE 3A
OUR TOWN
FREE • THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014
DIVERSIONS
RESTORATION
A Siesta Key home masterfully embodies the Sarasota art world. INSIDE
Volunteers snorkel the grasslands in search of scallops. PAGE 15A
PRIMARY ELECTION 2014 // See complete results on PAGE 5A
Caragiulo defeats Snyder Two school board races, one in each county, result in general election runoffs.
Harriet Sokmensuer
Laura Wendell, Mimi Edlin, Jamie Edlin Schneider and Mari Edlin
+ Birthday benefits Senior Friendship Former Longboater Mimi Edlin held her birthday party Aug. 23, at the Sarasota Bay Club. Guests wore their favorite hats while enjoying lunch and participating in a silent auction to benefit Senior Friendship Centers.
Caleb Motsinger
John Wild and Dana Keane
+ Wild receives Zeller Award Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key Treasurer Jim Larson presented Secretary John Wild with the Zeller Award for his contributions to the group’s success at its Aug. 14 meeting. Wild is also nearing the end of his one-year post as lieutenant governor for the state’s Kiwanis Club 18 North Division. Incoming Lt. Gov. Dana Keane, of the Downtown Sarasota Kiwanis Club, was also present at the Aug. 14 meeting.
+ New Lawn Party date: Dec. 6 December just got more delicious. The Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key announced it has rescheduled the fourth annual Longboat Key Gourmet Lawn Party to Saturday, Dec. 6. The event was previously scheduled for Nov. 8. The group opted to push the date back for a number of reasons, including traffic concerns because the original date coincided with the St. Armands Art Festival.
Sarasota City Commissioner Paul Caragiulo is one step closer to a new seat. After beating fellow City Commissioner Shannon Snyder 59.57% to 40.43% in Tuesday’s primary election, Caragiulo will now face write-in candidates Pete Theisen and Steve McAllister and no party affiliation candidate Alexandra Coe in the Nov. 4 general election for the District 2 County Commission seat Joe Barbetta is vacating. The results held relatively steady as the ballots trickled in. Still, Caragiulo was cautious throughout the night, even when supporters at Caragiulos restaurant were encouraged by the latest update. “You see what happened to Dewey?” Caragiulo said after the first results came in, showing a 59% to 41% lead. He’s still cautious, stressing there’s more work to do before the general election is won. The work so far has been a change for the city commissioner; he’s been forced to connect with a larger electorate. If he ends up winning the commission seat, he said he would continue to emphasize making himself available to the county as a whole. “There is a different dynamic throughout the county,” he said. “You’ve got to be a good listener, because there are a lot of micro issues you have to be very familiar with. You have to be willing to put the time in.”
David Conway
Paul Caragiulo celebrates his win with departing County Commissioner Joe Barbetta.
Photos by Amanda Sebastiano and Pam Eubanks
School Board District 5 candidates Julie Aranibar, left, and Mary Cantrell will face off in the Nov. 4 general election.
SEE ELECTION / 4A
BREAKING THE CIRCLE
by David Conway | News Editor
Show organizer fights Circle park plan Paragon’s Bill Kinney is contesting the definition of high season and the control of St. Armands Circle Park. New regulations for events at St. Armands Circle Park have been in the works for so long that Bill Kinney has had the opportunity to stand up to the status quo, back down and then remount his campaign in opposition to Circle leaders. At a July Sarasota City Com-
mission meeting, Circle stakeholders in attendance appeared to be on the same page as commissioners. They agreed on a series of revisions to the regulations, and asked City Attorney Robert Fournier to return the ordinance to the commission for further discussion. Little dissent
arose that day. That harmony was short-lived: Kinney is now gathering ammunition in opposition to the city’s proposed fix for the regulation of St. Armands Circle Park. Kinney’s company, Paragon Art Festival, organized the St. Armands Fine Art Festival held
April 26 and April 27. St. Armands residents and merchants opposed the timing of the event. Stakeholders argued that an events moratorium at the park, which covered “peak tourist season” and expired a week before the art festival, should be extended through April 28, so organizers would have to reschedule the event for May.
SEE ART FESTIVAL / 2A
INDEX Briefs....................4A Building Permits...23A
Classifieds......... 26A Cops Corner....... 10A
Crossword.......... 25A Neighborhood.... 15A
Real Estate........ 22A Weather............. 25A
Vol. 37, No. 4 | Two sections YourObserver.com