Sarasota News Leader

04/11/2014

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Barbetta said Emergency Services person nel had told him they preferred parking be allowed on only one side of the street. Robinson noted she had received numerous emails from residents "saying all sorts of things [reportedly] from Emergency Services … from no parking on the street to as little as possible and only at one end." County Administrator Tom Harmer said Fire Marshal Reed was in the audience, so he asked Reed to step to the podium. For a road to permit Fire Department access, Reed explained, it has to have 20 feet of unob structed width. Furthermore, he said, no one legally can park within sevenandahalf feet of a fire hydrant. "That is something that's very important for us, too." "So all of these options are OK?" Robinson asked of Harriott's proposals. "Yes," Reed replied. As the discussion wound down, Patterson noted, "If you were really going to please everybody, you couldn't even accept the [option] with the least amount of parking, because there have been some objections to the handicapped spot down at the end [of the road]." She added that she "really would like to see us try to preserve as much access as we can but make it safe and reasonable for people who have to live there." When Barbetta argued for "minimal intrusion" by restricting parking to one side, Robinson countered that public access to the beach is also important. While she did not believe 40 cars should be allowed to park along the road at one time, Patterson said, she agreed with Robinson that as many spots as possible should be permit ted because many people regularly go to that beach access. "I think this is a balancing act," Robinson added. "I understand that not everybody's going to be happy." "I don't care how many people get angry when it deals with public safety," Barbetta replied. "The key to that public safety is enforcement," Hines pointed out. "So I'm really speaking to the Sheriff's Office and our Emergency [Services] folks." He added that people have to be informed that they no longer can park there illegally, "and if they continue, they're [going to be] towed." % Someone you know needs Planned Parenthood • Lifesaving cancer screenings • Parent & teen education • Annual GYN exams • Birth control Planned Parenthood Of Southwest And Central Florida • Sarasota 941-953-4060 • MyPlannedParenthood.org Sarasota News Leader April 11, 2014 Page 37

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