SARASOTA/SIESTA KEY
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
Million-dollar shape.
PAGE 2B
FREE • THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2024
VOLUME 20, NO. 9
YOUR TOWN
How to get around, the future City identifies 10 transportation projects as priorities for decades ahead. SEE PAGE 3A
Ian Swaby
Firefighter/EMT Blaze Belligan climbs the tower.
Roped up
On Jan. 23, the hard work of the fire department was visible at Sarasota County Fire Station No. 8 along Fruitville Road. The building’s tower was adorned with something extra — ropes, which crew used to ascend the side of the tower, all the way to its highest level. The Special Operations Division had just acquired the upgraded rope rescue equipment, explained Assistant Chief of Special Programs Tim Dorsey, and staff had to familiarize themselves with its workings. The department is always investing in new equipment, he said, as equipment has a limited lifespan and newer equipment also tends to be better. He also noted these kinds of activities are part of the regular training of the division’s staff. The department’s work is about more than fighting fires, he said, and rescues in high places are sometimes needed. “We are always investing in equipment and technology, and we’re always investing in training and education and continuity of that education.” he said. Ian Swaby
Jessie Ochsendorf, a seventh grader at Pine View School and winner of Best In Show Quotation in the Embracing Our Differences public art exhibition, and artist Michael White
AWESOME SQUARED
Bayfront Park’s billboard-sized artwork has an important message. SEE PAGE 6B
Courtesy image
Paid off
A new study places Sarasota in the top 10 midsized metro areas with the highest proportion of working-age residents who have paid off their homes. With 33.4% of homes paid off, North Port-SarasotaBradenton area ranks No. 10 on the list compiled by Construction Coverage. The top three metros are all in Texas: McAllen-EdinburgMission, 51.1%; BrownsvilleHarlingen, 50.9%; and Beaumont-Port Arthur, 44.7% The median income is $111,000 for North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton households with a mortgage, compared to $76,000 for those households without a mortgage. Nationwide the percentage of homeowners under 65 who have paid off their mortgage is 28%. Among those 65 and over, nearly 63% of owneroccupied houses are paid off.
A+E
City Hall social dispute Purported post of racial slur has a private citizen mulling legal action against the accuser, a city commissioner. SEE PAGE 4A
Decade of dance creation. INSIDE File image
City Commissioner Kyle Battie speaks at a 2023 event.