THE SARASOTA Vol. 2, No. 21 — February 7, 2014 COVER News Leader FIRST, CODE VIOLATIONS; NOW RENTAL FRAUD CHARTER BACKERS BAIL HOTEL VOTE Inside Old school journalism. 21st century delivery. GET TO HELP KNOW US A.K.A. HELP MASTHEAD Rachel Brown Hackney Cleve Posey Editor and Publisher Production Manager / Graphic Designer [email protected] [email protected] Cooper Levey-Baker Robert S. Hackney Associate Editor Opinion Editor / General Manager [email protected] [email protected] Stan Zimmerman Advertising Sales City Editor [email protected] [email protected] Subscription Services Roger Drouin [email protected] County Editor Press Releases & News Tips [email protected] [email protected] Norman Schimmel Staff Photographer [email protected] Fran Palmeri Contributing Writer [email protected] Harriet Cuthbert Contributing Writer [email protected] Elinor Rogosin A&E Writer [email protected] John Riley Editorial Cartoonist [email protected] Vicki Chatley Copy Editor [email protected] Letters To the Editor [email protected] “The Sarasota News Leader” is a registered trademark of New Sheriff Publishing, Inc., which publishes The Sarasota News Leader. Copyright © 2014 Sarasota News Leader. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Member - National Digital Press Association • P.O. Box 5099 • Sarasota, FL 34277 • (941) 227-1080 WELCOME A looming deal for prime property in downtown Sarasota, digging into the details of the latest city charter proposal and a review of some of the bons mots, if you will, of a former Republican con- gressman headed to town as a guest of the local party: That’s just a glimpse of this week’s lineup. And while I normally am loathe to put myself in the spotlight, I could not help but think this week of much beloved Miami Her- ald columnist and author Carl Hiaasen. I believe he has talked on more than a few occasions about the vast fodder of material Florida serves up to inspire his literary creations — words along the lines of “You can’t make this stuff up.” That is how I felt when I was working on my big story for this week. Regular readers know I began writing last sum- mer about a Sarasota chiropractor who became the object of Sarasota County legal action over a house he rents to visitors on Siesta Key. It is a long and complicated story. I believe Hiaasen could not help but love the twists and turns in it, including the latest ones, which involve a Sheriff’s Office investigation into rental fraud. If we had twice the number of staff, it is doubt- ful we could uncover all the facets of this tale. On the lighter side, not only do we have Asso- ciate Editor Cooper Levey-Baker’s aforemen- tioned article on that upcoming Republican event, but also a lovely review of Sarasota Ballet’s latest program by Elinor Rogosin and Norman Schimmel’s survey of “Moving Day” for the Baltimore Orioles. Enjoy! Editor and Publisher TABLE OF CONTENTS Vol. 2, No. 21 — February 7, 2014 CONTENTS CHARTER BACKERS BAIL FIRST, CODE VIOLATIONS; NOW RENTAL FRAUD Click Any Headline To Go Directly To That Article NEWS & COMMENTARY FIRST, CODE VIOLATIONS; NOW RENTAL FRAUD 8 People who rented a south Siesta Key house that has been the focus of a county lawsuit say the owner never told them he reduced the number of bedrooms from 12 to five— Rachel Brown Hackney CHARTER BACKERS BAIL 15 Changes are sought in the list of names supporting a new city charter, and questions remain about whether state action is needed on the charter plan itself — Stan Zimmerman HOTEL VOTE 21 The County Commission is expected to decide Feb. 12 on a U.S. 301/Main Street hotel proposal — Roger Drouin TAKING IT TO THE COURTS 26 Bob’s Boathouse has asked for an emergency court hearing to keep its doors open while the county pursues its own legal steps — Rachel Brown Hackney A RELOCATION UNDER CONSIDERATION 35 County leaders and staff are weighing whether to move the downtown Sarasota SCAT station to a new site on Ringling Boulevard — Roger Drouin PAYING FOR PARKING 41 City staff suggests ways to cover the State Street garage hole — Stan Zimmerman A LOCAL $50 MILLION BUSINESS 46 The Sarasota Police Department makes a ‘historic’ bust — Stan Zimmerman THE ‘ZERO-DISCHARGE ZONE’ 50 The City of Sarasota is approaching a water and sewer system milestone — Stan Zimmerman PHOTO CREDITS Front cover: Tangled Roots - Robert Hackney Sarasota Leisure: A Stormy Beach - Rachel Brown Hackney Vol. 2, No. 21 — February 7, 2014 CONTENTS NEWS BRIEFS OPINION Click Any Headline To Go Directly To That Article PAY UP 54 Airbnb’s popularity has exploded, and the Tax Collector’s Office is watching closely— Cooper Levey-Baker ANALYSIS: BEST WEEKS EVER 56 On the eve of his Sarasota appearance, a look back at some of Rep. Allen West’s greatest hits — Cooper Levey-Baker A THIRD VOICE 59 The Siesta Key Village Association concurs with two other island organizations in opposing the dredging of Big Pass, based on current information — Rachel Brown Hackney A LOT OF PROGRESS 64 A committee’s revised draft of the Siesta zoning ordinance governing outdoor displays nears its completion and then reviews by island groups — Rachel Brown Hackney THE OTHER RENOURISHMENT PROJECT 68 The county is close to submitting its paperwork to the state for the upcoming $11 million undertaking on southern Siesta Key — Rachel Brown Hackney NEWS BRIEFS 72 CRIME BLOTTER 86 OPINION EDITORIAL 92 Sheriff Tom Knight delivers positive results LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 94 Reader suggests a different method of fracking — Pete Theisen Vol. 2, No. 21 — February 7, 2014 CONTENTS SIESTA SEEN TUCKETT STEALS THE SHOW Click Any Headline To Go Directly To That Article SARASOTA LEISURE TUCKETT STEALS THE SHOW 96 A premiere by a British choreographer proves its place amid works by Balanchine and Ashton — Elinor Rogosin SURE SIGN SPRING IS NIGH 103 The Orioles mark Moving Day, with the 2014 Spring Training home opener just weeks away — Staff Reports SIESTA SEEN 107 Bay Island seawall work is mired in a legal morass; the streetlight issue finally may be resolved; and the Sheriff’s Office is asking for help in identifying an island burglary suspect — Rachel Brown Hackney A&E BRIEFS 113 RELIGION BRIEFS 130 COMMUNITY CALENDAR 134 SCHIMMEL SIGHTINGS 135 QUICK TIP Share stories by clicking the icon in the menubar and choosing to share via e-mail, post to Facebook or Twitter, or many other sharing options. NEWS & FIRST, CODE VIOLATIONS; COMMENTARY NOW RENTAL FRAUD To a person standing on the street, the house at 6537 Sabal Drive appeared no different on Dec. 3 than it did more than four months earlier, when the downstairs still had multiple bedrooms. File photo PEOPLE WHO RENTED A SOUTH SIESTA KEY HOUSE THAT HAS BEEN THE FOCUS OF A COUNTY LAWSUIT SAY THE OWNER NEVER TOLD THEM HE REDUCED THE NUMBER OF BEDROOMS FROM 12 TO FIVE By Rachel Brown Hackney Editor After reviewing information provided by The weeks to say they rented the house with Sarasota News Leader, the Sarasota County the understanding that it had about twice Sheriff’s Office has begun an investigation as many bedrooms as they later discovered into whether fraud was perpetrated upon it contained and that they were unable to people who rented get refunds. the same Sabal Drive Late last summer, house on Siesta Key Luckily I was able to find another Sarasota chiropractor that remains the focus property to accommodate all of us but it Dr. Craig Siegel — the of county legal action was $9,600!!! I am so sick about this. I purported owner of over previous building don’t know where to turn but I want to the house — hired a code violations. get the story out there. Bradenton firm to tear Two people have Sharon Thibodeau out construction in contacted the News Michigan the lower level of the Leader in recent house to bring it back Sarasota News Leader February 7, 2014 Page 9 into compliance with the Sarasota County be broken in the event of a fire blocking the Building Code, including regulations regard- other door.” ing construction in a flood zone, county When Jones invited Qualey into the house on records showed. Nov. 7, 2012, Qualey noted in a report that In November 2012, when Julie Miller Jones she saw “several areas of concern related to of Arden Hills, MN, and members of her safety — improper exits, TVs hung on walls family walked into the house, which they with wire …” had rented, Jones was alarmed by what she The County Commission next week will hear considered to be serious safety violations, an update on the July 2013 lawsuit the Office according to county documents. In a formal of the County Attorney filed against Siesta statement prepared for Sarasota County Fire Resorts LLC — of which Siegel has been Safety Inspector Katelyn Qualey, Jones wrote, represented as the trustee — to force it to “None of the six rooms in the basement, billed comply with the county building regulations, as bedrooms, had windows, egress or sprin- county spokesman Curt Preisser told the kler systems. For the entire space, there was News Leader on Feb. 5. As of late December, only one door for egress and a plate glass no formal resolution had been announced window in the ‘kitchen’ which would need to regarding tens of thousands of dollars in An aerial photo shows the Sabal Drive house on the southern part of Siesta Key.