Despite COVID Lido Shorians Get a Lot Accomplished

Editors Note:  2020... The year of the Corona Virus, lock-downs, social distancing.  Covid fear giving way to Covid fatigue.  We traveled less, if at all.  Definitely partied less, or not at all.  And got really tired of, or good at, Zoom calls.  

In a nutshell, we essentially spent the bulk of the year hunkered down, venturing out for masked grocery runs, and the occasional take in.  News of a vaccine has buoyed our spirits... but the roll-out will take much of next year.  

Here in Lido Shores, 2020 didn't start out that way, though.  In fact, this year's pre-Covid Annual Meeting in January, at the Sarasota Yacht Club, was the largest neighborhood gathering in the past decade.  

But, that was that. The Spring and Fall Potlucks were both canceled... as was the Annual July Hot Dogs on the Beach.  And already, we've preemptively canceled this January's Annual Meeting, the Board considering a possible try in late March.

Despite the lack of social stimulation, the LSPOA Board of Directors managed to accomplish quite a lot this past year.  Led by LSPOA President Denis Bischoff... Association member participation in decision making actually increased.  

Granted, it was out of necessity... but Board Meetings went online via Zoom.  The last meeting on Monday, December 7th, attracted more than a dozen interested neighbors in addition to the Board, unheard of in past face-to-face meetings.  

To that end... Denis compiled the following LSPOA 2020 List of Accomplishments.  Quite impressive given the social distancing constraints.  

We will continue to carry on... get through the holidays together... and know that 2021will bring us even closer together as a neighborhood.  

Cheers!

~Bob Thill - LSPOA Communications

____________________________________________________________________________________

2020 LSPOA ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Dennis Bischof - LSPOA President

• BEACH GATE CONTROL SYSTEM INSTALLED IN 2019 IS WORKING AS PLANNED.  ADDITIONAL UPGRADES WERE DONE THAT REPLACED MECHANICAL AND ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS ON THE GATES THEMSELVES.

• NEW PAVILION WALKWAY INSTALLED AND NO FALLS REPORTED SINCE THE INSTALLATION.

• WELL SERVICE AT BEACH PARKING WAS RELOCATED AND MAINTENANCE PERFORMED ON WELL, PUMP AND SOLAR PANEL THAT WILL GUARANTEE OPERATION FOR QUITE SOMETIME.

• BEACH LANDSCAPING BY OUR CONTRACTOR HAS IMPROVED.  WE’RE GETTING SPECIFIC SERVICES AS REQUESTED ... INCLUDES PARKING LOT IMPROVEMENTS.

• PAVILION CLEANING AND PAINTING IS APPROVED. ACTUAL WORK WON’T BE DONE UNTIL JANUARY 2021.

• 6-INVASIVE AUSTRALIAN PINES - MYSELF, ROSS MASTERS AND ELLIOTT HIMELFARB WILL BE TAKING ON THE TASK OF THEIR REMOVAL IN THE BEACH PAVILION AREA BEFORE THAY GET TOO BIG REQUIRING PERMITTING... BUT ALSO BEFORE THEY TAKE OVER.

• BEACH EROSION:  GOOD NEWS:  THE BEACH IS BACK.  NOT TO LEVELS OF A FEW YEARS AGO BUT A BIG IMPROVEMENT OVER LAST YEAR WHEN WATER WAS GOING UNDER THE PAVILION.  EVEN SO, LETTERS WERE SENT TO THE MAJOR OF SARASOTA, THE SARASOTA COUNTY COMMISSION AND THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TO GO ON RECORD AS TO THE BEACH EROSION ISSUES THAT HAVE HAPPENED ON NORTH LIDO BEACH.  

• NEW 2020 LSPOA DIRECTORY - COMPLETED IN MAY AND PARTIAL DISTRIBUTION WAS MADE AT THAT TIME. MAKING A SECOND DISTRIBUTION ON DECEMBER 17^TH.

• SHORT TERM RENTAL ISSUES - WE HAVE ABANDONED THE PLAN TO CREATE A MANDATORY HOA.   THE ONE PROPERTY THAT WAS OPERATING LIKE A HOTEL HOUSE WAS SOLD AND IS NOT BEING USED FOR SHORT TERM AND LARGE GROUP RENTALS.  OUR GET-TOUGH ATTITUDE AND NOT GIVING BEACH ACCESS TO PROPERTY OWNERS RENTING FOR LESS THAN 30 DAYS SEEMS TO BE WORKING.  
• WE WILL STILL BE VIGILANT AND DEAL INDIVIDUALLY WITH EVERY ISSUE REGARDING    RENTALS AND RENTERS AS THEY COME UP.    

• LSPOA BY-LAWS & RULES - WITH THIS IN MIND WE REVISED AND UPDATED THE LSPOA BY-LAWS, RULES FOR THE EASEMENT... AND CREATED GOOD NEIGHBOR GUIDELINES MAKING THE LSPOA RULES AND REGULATIONS CLEAR.  THESE NEW UPDATES WERE EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 9, 2020. THE LSPOA BOARD ALSO REVISED HOW WE HANDLE NEW OWNERS AND DEVELOPED A PROTOCOL FOR GETTING THEM DIRECTORY AND MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION.  THE NEW DIRECTORY AND INFORMATION FORM... AND APPLICATION FOR ASSOCIATION MEMBERS ALSO CLEARLY SPELLS OUT OUR RENTAL GUIDELINES.  WE'RE ALSO WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE ST. ARMANDS RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION TO GIVE SUPPORT FOR THEIR FIGHT AGAINST HOTEL HOUSING.

• NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY - WE'RE WORKING  WITH THE SARASOTA POLICE FOR IMPROVED NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY AND CREATING A SPECIFIC PROTOCOL FOR OUR “ONE CALL NOW” EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM

• POWER OUTAGES - WE'RE WORKING WITH FPL TO PROVIDE SUPPORT IN PREVENTING NEIGHBORHOOD POWER OUTAGES.

• FLOODING - WE'RE WORKING DIRECTLY WITH SARASOTA COUNTY/STORM WATER ENVIRONMENTAL UTILITY TO ELEVATE FLOODING IN CERTAIN AREAS WHEN IT RAINS (SPECIFICALLY WESTWAY PLACE AND JOHN RINGLING BLVD).

• WE'VE ADDED ZOOM TO OUR MEETING FORMAT SO THAT WE CAN INCLUDE MORE NEIGHBORS.   ZOOM MEETINGS ARE NOW AVAILABLE TO ALL MEMBERS. A ZOOM INVITATION IS SENT OUT PRIOR TO EACH MEETING WITH AN RSVP.   UPON RECEIPT OF THE RSVP... YOU GO ON TO AN APPROVED LIST AND ARE SENT A COPY OF THE MEETING AGENDA.  IT’S A WORK IN PROGRESS BUT GETTING BETTER AND I THINK THE PEOPLE ATTENDING ENJOY IT.  (THE ONLY NEGATIVE: IT CAUSES MEETINGS TO LAST LONGER).

• INFORMATION - WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO BE MORE OF A BROADLY INFORMATIVE BOARD BY SENDING OUT SPECIFIC THINGS,  NOT JUST ABOUT LIDO SHORES,  BUT DOWNTOWN, ST. ARMANDS, ETC. ANYTHING THAT WOULD IMPACT LIDO SHORE RESIDENTS.

• ANNUAL MEETING - IT'S STILL UP IN THE AIR. ANNE ESSNER HAS A TENTATIVE RESERVATION AT THE SARASOTA YACHT CLUB OUTDOORS FOR THE END OF MARCH, BUT THAT IS STILL PENDING DUE TO COVID.

• WE ARE SAYING GOODBYE TO TWO GREAT BOARD MEMBERS AS THEIR TERMS EXPIRE, LYNN CARVEL AND ROBERTO ARGUESAS. THEY HAVE BOTH DONE AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB AND WILL BE MISSED. HOWEVER, WE NOW HAVE EQUALLY QUALIFIED REPLACEMENTS,  AND HAVE EVEN ADDED AN EXTRA BOARD MEMBER. THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS ARE: KIMBERLY PETERSON, PETER STELIAN AND FIKRY ISSAC. CATHY VOIGTS HAS AGREED TO BE BOTH SECRETARY/TREASURER WITH ROBERTO’S DEPARTURE.

It's a great Board, and hopefully with the new Covid Vaccine, 2021 will open up and we can start having fun again in our neighborhood.

Many thanks to our Board members and Committee representatives for making all of this happen. We will continue to strive to make Lido Shores the best neighborhood in Sarasota.  

Happy Holidays!

Denis Bischoff - LSPOA President