Disbanded 3A Comeback 6A Our View 8A VES drops accused teacher’s class Denny’s returning to South Venice $1.5 M is an expensive education Auto pilots VENICE E Car show features the classics stm and more 1B LOCAL NEWS COVER TO COVER AWARD-WINNING WEEKLY NEWSPAPER 50 CENTS VOLUME 64 NUMBER 46 WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY EDITION, SEPT. 30-OCT. 2, 2009 AN EDITION OF THE SUN Tax committee wants a redo Making a point Members want the city the vote was an overwhelming committee, then I don’t know 69 percent majority, with the what we are doing here,” said to back off from a com- performance center as the committee member Gary Bud- mitment to help fund a city’s primary selling point. way. Committee members said It appeared to be an opin- performing arts facility the recession has changed city ion shared by all members pre- at the new Venice High priorities and the project sent, including Vauzanges, shouldn’t move forward on the Alice Hicks and chair Jim Leis. School. fast track it has been placed All are leaders of the Venice BY GREG GILES on. Taxpayers League, a citizen NEWS EDITOR After the surtax vote, county watchdog group. administrators determined it “The decision has already The city of Venice Tax could save taxpayers more been made,” said City Man- Oversight Committee vented than $1 million if it took ad- ager Isaac Turner. Monday afternoon at its quar- vantage of low construction “They chose to move it up. terly meeting, frustrated it has costs now. It made a unilateral The city said, no, you can’t get not been able to overturn a decision to move the project (the money) up front” but in SUN PHOTO BY BOB MUDGE public vote on the planned up from a start date of 2015 to three annual payments, Turn- Members of SEIU Healthcare Florida, a health-care workers’ union, performance arts center at next year. City council reaf- er said. conduct an informational picket outside Heritage Healthcare Center, Venice High. firmed its support for the pro- He told committee mem- Albee Farm Road, Monday afternoon. The purpose of the demonstra- “I have nothing against the ject last week. bers that in his 25 years in city tion — one of three held simultaneously — was to draw attention to performance center,” just government he’s never seen a stalled contract talks with health-care companies Seacrest and questioning the timing, said Not consulted public vote overturned. Delta. member Rosemary Vauzanges. It still didn’t sit well with “You try to honor that,” Voters approved an exten- committee members, who say Turner said. “We don’t get to sion of the 1-cent sales surtax they weren’t consulted. on Nov. 6, 2007. Countywide “If this is a rubber-stamp Please see TAX, 12A Teens confess to auto burglaries City cool to BY BROOKY BROWN PROJECTS EDITOR local jail site Two juveniles have been arrested and charged with several felony offenses in con- nection with a series of auto burglaries that plagued the Beach Paw Park, the Venice Fishing Pier and Venice Beach. Matthew Tilka, 16, 1200 block Schooner Lane, Venice, Thaxton Patterson Martin McKeon and Jeffrey Faett Jr., 16, BY GREG GILES estimated $59 million in con- 1200 block NEWS EDITOR struction costs. East Gate Whether a community cor- Drive, Venice, At a convocation of govern- rections center is built in South have each ments meeting Tuesday, Ven- County is another matter. been charg- ice City Council formally rais- County staff are planning a ed with 12 Tilka ed objections to siting a new charrette on the subject that counts of jail off Knights Trail Road. will include looking at the third-degree The Sarasota County Board Cattlemen Road/Bahia Vista felony auto of County Commissioners re- Road area, where the county burglaries, assessed its plan, considering already has significant land one count of whether to fast track a stream- holdings. residential lined project in light of a de- burglary, one clining inmate population Solving a problem PHOTO COURTESY OF VENICE POLICE DEPARTMENT count of pos- during an economic recession. County consultant David session of A table at Venice Police Department headquarters displays some of the Despite the decline, over- Bennett told representatives of burglary stolen property recovered after two 16-year-olds were arrested in a crowding persists, and the fed- the county and cities of Sara- Faett tools, two string of burglaries. eral government has already sota, Longboat Key, Venice and counts of warned the county to take North Port that 58 percent of dealing in stolen property, six Most of the stolen property of the items at his house.” action sooner rather than later the jail population is made up counts of conspiracy to com- was recovered from Faett’s Items recovered included a to ease the situation. of those awaiting trial who mit auto burglaries, five house and some of the boys’ .38 caliber revolver, a 42-inch Commissioners could hold have not been convicted of counts of third-degree felony friends’ houses. flat screen TV, jewelry, numer- off building a new jail but anything. grand theft and one count of “Faett is a first-time offend- ous GPS devices, numerous move forward with a new com- Commissioner Nora Patter- grand theft with a firearm. er, Tilka is not,” said Venice cell phones, binoculars and munity corrections center — a son called it a startling figure. Tilka and Faett are now Police Department Detective several pocket knives. minimum-security facility — Commission Chair Jon Thax- residing at the Juvenile Justice Ron Solanes. “Because of his “No purses, wallets, credit to handle misdemeanor cases ton said a pretrial negotiations Assessment Center in previous experience, Tilka was and those awaiting trial. That Bradenton. smart enough not to store any Please see TEENS, 12A would dramatically reduce the Please see JAIL, 12A Rush-hour crash Vessel catches fire in Gulf of Mexico BY BROOKY BROWN PROJECTS EDITOR Beachgoers spotted a cloud of smoke on the horizon off the Jetties and Nokomis Beach about 2 p.m. Friday. As the bil- lowing smoke grew, it sparked curiosity in the hearts of tourists and perhaps fear in those involved in the burning boat off shore. “I called dispatch and they already had it,” said Joe Securo, a Nokomis Beach lifeguard. SUN PHOTO BY BOB MUDGE “One of the guards from the Jetty had seen the flames, fire Police Department Sgt. Jason Adams reported that a student on and smoke.” the way to school turned in front of a Corvette heading north on A 40-50 foot boat caught fire U.S. 41 at the intersection of Milan during Monday morning rush and sank in the Gulf of Mexico SUN PHOTO BY ROGER BUTTON hour.The driver of the Corvette complained of minor injuries and 13.9 miles off Nokomis Beach. was taken to Venice Regional Medical Center.The student was The Nokomis Volunteer Fire Department commandeered this lifeguard As the Venice Fire Depart- unhurt. tower on Nokomis Beach Tuesday as part of the response to a boat fire Please see FIRE, 12A in the Gulf of Mexico. 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