Ballad of the Lost Hotel

"Down at the lost hotel
Where there’s battles to be won
But the silence overwhelms you
Whoa and you come undone
You lose all your good sense
You go way over the edge
There’s no turning back
Once you’ve checked into the lost hotel"

This sad song refrain reflects on the lost opportunities and squandered resources suffered by the residents of Longboat Key over the past 3 years. For all their focused efforts to legislate a motel/hotel at the north end and the south end of the island, the result has been economically disappointing for the community as a whole. We were all told that the commission was involved in community-changing legislation that would be the salvation of Longboat Key. Instead we stand here, after three wasted years, somewhat behind where we were before this commission took power in their single-minded quest to create a "happy hunting ground" for developers.

If the commission had instead put its efforts into promoting the paradise that is already here, we might already be in the middle of a community renaissance and healthy housing recovery. Instead we have litigation, property owner unrest and falling demographics. We are no further along than when a now commissioner made his famous "penthouse edict" that he was going to take back the commission. The commissioner has been overwhelmingly successful at that, but sadly ineffectual at implementing anything he promised that promotes the well being and prosperity of Longboat Key.

The news that the north end bank building is in receivership with the Securities and Exchange Commission, prompted a developer to call me and say he was no longer interested in looking at a motel/hotel on the north end. Once again we discover that another member of the much touted member of the local business community is a scoundrel, and I am not referring to the developer who has been a "good guy". As a result much of the north end commercial property is likely to remain in a state of decay. This in turn has a negative effect on surrounding property values and community moral. There has been too much "shuck & jive" surrounding the north end motel. Some prominent citizens should hang their heads in shame.


The most recent actions by the town commission may actually be hindering what remains of any opportunity to re-mediate the north end commercial blight. I speak of the 30% residential restriction in the 2012-6 town ordinance. The commissioners tried to legislate a motel/hotel by employing the 30% residential restriction. Now their efforts have done more harm than good.

Hundreds of north end residents attended 3 commission meeting to protest any legislation that permitted inappropriate commercial tourism in a uniquely residential community. The commissioners totally ignored the people and passed legislation that favored a motel/hotel, while making it impossible to develop a residential solution.  The commission has now made a mess of things.

The first action of the commission in the fall should be to undo the restriction on residential development on north end commercial land. There will be no motel/hotel in the foreseeable future. The north end cannot wait another decade for a new commission to take effective, instead of pro-tourism, action to restore the beautiful ambiance that was once the jewel of the north end of Longboat Key.

As it turns out, the actions of the current commission have not furthered the great island revival promised by the Key Club. Just the opposite has occurred. The land use reforms sought by this commission have destabilised the real estate market on Longboat Key. Perspective property owners are faced with the spectre of uncertainty in town land use policies. Whereas in previous decades, Longboat offered home buyers a stable economic future, the current commission has demonstrated its willingness to allow unbridled commercial tourism by removing all safeguards that had guaranteed that investments in our community were stable and secure.

In a previous election I was helping a candidate put out campaign signs. I noticed that one of my signs had been removed soon after I had placed it on a commercial property that had always allowed signs to be posted from all candidates. When I inquired, the person in charge informed me that my candidate's sign would not be allowed. When I asked why, I was told that there were promises of a 5 story hotel at the north end. That was the day I became opposed to strong arm politics on Longboat Key. Promises, promises, lots of smoke and no fire. That is what happens when a communitity allows a few people to run the show.

Increasingly over the past three years, Longboat Key politics have deteriorated. As if that was not bad enough, the people who are responsible for this have failed to deliver on any of  their election promises. We have no new motels/hotels. I am told the Key Club is being allowed to deterioriate further. Retail business continues to deteriorate in spite of increased tourism figures. Perhaps that is because tourists only require food and tee shirts. Residents long ago found that going off-island was cheaper and more efficient, since much of the local retail business was directed at tourists anyway. It seems we cannot have it both ways. Either we are a residential community or we are a tourist destination. One way is good for the residents. The other way is good for the business community. The struggle continues.

Town government has become bare-knuckled power-brokering and fractured public interests.

The past three years have not been good for our community. When we should have been accelerating into the technology age as a community, we squandered our time and efforts on useless campaigns to promote cell towers and large motels in residential neighborhoods and community centers we cannot afford. We have allowed special interests to take control of the town government agenda. Worst of all, the town has accomplished nothing that furthers the community as a whole. The current regime has failed to produce any meaningful actions for three years.

We have lost more than a couple of motels/hotels and a few years where we could have been moving forward as a community. We, as a community, have lost our way politically.