SIESTA KEY
Observer Formerly the Pelican Press
Coverage of the storm
PAGES 2-17
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
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VOLUME 48, NO. 9
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
Close call Sarasota area escapes worst of Irma’s wind.
DAVID CONWAY AND CASSIDY ALEXANDER OBSERVER STAFF
C
arl Shoffstall returned to Lido Key on Tuesday, driving past dozens of downed Australian pine trees on John Ringling Boulevard as he drew closer to finding out what effects Hurricane Irma had on his island condominium. He was coming from a home in Plant City, east of Tampa, that lost power at 5 p.m. Sunday. The neighborhood was littered with tree damage — and, unlike Lido Key — was an area that hadn’t been under a mandatory evacuation order since Friday. SEE PAGE 3
Anna Brugmann
Siesta Key resident Peter Hull surveys the damage on his street after Hurricane Irma. A fallen tree took down a powerline and blocked entry to his home.