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Longboat Key works toward north-end flooding solutions

With several low-lying areas throughout Longboat Key, the town is considering its priorities to address flooding.

Flooding is an issue for many neighborhoods on Longboat Key, leaving some feeling left behind as Buttonwood Harbour and Sleepy Lagoon neighborhoods get targeted solutions to their flooding problems.

Residents in other neighborhoods on the north end of the island find themselves wondering if their issues have been forgotten or if they are just further down the line.

“Several neighbors asked why Buttonwood Harbour and (Sleepy Lagoon) were chosen to study when (Tropical Storm) Eta proved the lowest locations on the island were located throughout the north end,” resident Ashlie Thomison wrote in a Facebook message to The Observer.

Thomison lives on St. Judes Drive near Joan Durante Park.

She cited that following the tropical storm in 2020, many residents in her neighborhood had to gut their homes due to damages.

"It's just a question of triage or prioritization of what has to happen first," Mayor Ken Schneier said.