Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/127088
SOON SERVING: FREE WI-FI Residents and visitors alike soon will have access to free wi-fi in downtown Sarasota. Photo by Norman Schimmel A GROUP WORKING IN DOWNTOWN SARASOTA HOPES TO SEE THE AREA WIRED FOR SERVICE BY LATE SUMMER By Stan Zimmerman City Editor Sure you can pop into a café or coffee shop for a "cuppa" and a quick hit on the Internet. But what if you are on the street, trying to find a specific place or waiting for an email or Tweet? lessly wiring up downtown with wi-fi repeaters on store roofs. If you look at the top of Epicure restaurant at the corner of Palm Avenue and Main Street, you will see a wee gray dome. And if you fire up your smart phone or wi-fi tablet, you will already see a signal called Digital Sarasota or Free Hotspot. Later this summer, Sarasota may have free wi-fi on downRight now it's a work in progress, town streets from the an early beta. We're still designing old courthouse to the software. Right now it's just a taste of bayfront. what's to come. A local consortium called Digital WiFi Solutions LLC is wire- John Moran Operations Manager Downtown Improvement District Several notable locals are involved in the initiative. Tony Driscoll, Peter Fanning, John Moran, Rich Swier Jr. and Jesse Biter are all working to get the op-