Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/352007
are seeking clarity about when special events are allowed in the park at the center of the cir- cle, as well as larger events that might close off feeder streets. Should long-standing events have a priority in claiming a date? Should traffic-stymying events be banned during the busiest times of the year? What is the difference between a "park permit" and a "special event permit," and who needs which to do what? Fournier said he would be back by Sept. 15 with a menu of legal options. The last item on the agenda was the receipt of impassioned public testimony from a vocal and hostile audience that had waited almost six hours to speak. In all my years in City Hall, this was one of the wildest meetings ever. The televised proceedings do not do it full justice because there was a significant contingent of police on hand, off camera, to restore order should that have become necessary. The mayor gaveled the crowd to silence on several occasions and the crowd roared right back. But interestingly, the crowd's opinion on the issue at hand was not united. Many were for, and many others were against the proposed commercial curfew on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Way. One drawing surfaced of Jessie Biter's proposed high-rise rental complex. This shows an exterior view looking east down Second Street. Photo by Stan Zimmerman Sarasota News Leader July 25, 2014 Page 19