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restaurant space but rarely the other way around. Gollub said that in speaking with business- people, he had heard increasing concerns about the wisdom of closing Main Street for special events during high season. "I talked to merchants who told me they hate Thunder by the Bay," he said, referring to the motorcy- cle event each January that raises funds for Suncoast Charities for Children. "Last week the Downtown Sarasota Merchants Association voted to keep Main Street open during season except for major holidays like New Year's Eve, the Fourth [of July], Memorial and Veterans Day," Golub added. "I'm just reporting what I hear on the street." "As a merchant, I'd agree 100 percent," said DID board member Eileen Hampshire. "Not one person in 42 stores on Palm Avenue sold anything" during the Thunder by the Bay event, she added. Street closures longer than 72 hours will now require a public hearing and a vote of the City Commission, following unanimous action taken later in the day by the City Commission. (See the related story in this issue.) The com- mission also took testimony from John Vetry, who manages a condominium complex at Five Points. The recent arts festival had mer- chants blocking the entrance to his building, he said. The former home of the Floribbean and Patrick's restaurants at Five Points soon will house a retail running store. Photo by Norman Schimmel Sarasota News Leader February 21, 2014 Page 47