Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/360116
the release points out. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Ticket pick-up locations will be posted online Sept. 1 at WaterFestivalAfterParty.com. The 2014 Sarasota Bay Water Festival will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Ken Thompson Park, with live music; dragon boat races; speakers, including acclaimed nature pho- tographer Clyde Butcher; water recreation exhibitors; an Art Zone with art and pho- tography for sale; a display of the winning submissions to the I Love Sarasota Bay Photo Contest; children's activities; food trucks; and a beer and wine garden. The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) is the founding sponsor of the festival. Learn more at SarasotaBayWaterFestival.com. Proceeds from the Sarasota Bay Water Festival will benefit organizations that protect wildlife and help save those that come to harm. Contributed photo On July 31, Sarasota Police Chief Bernadette DiPino, City Manager Tom Barwin and mem- bers of the Sarasota Police Department sat down with north Sarasota residents and busi- ness owners for nearly two hours to discuss late-night violence, quality-of-life issues and proposed changes to retail business hours along the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Way cor- ridor, the Police Department has announced. Throughout the meeting, residents and busi- ness owners "expressed a desire for strict enforcement of laws" regarding violence, alcohol-related crimes, noise violations and narcotics, a news release says. By the end of the meeting, retail business owners volun- tarily vowed to close their doors at 2:30 a.m., the release adds. "This agreement continues the Community Oriented Policing philosophy of listening to the public and working together in partnership to solve problems," the release notes. Since the meeting, all retail businesses have closed their doors at 2:30 a.m. as promised, the release adds. At the same time, the Police Department has begun more traffic enforce- ment in north Sarasota; officer presence will be increased on strategically chosen days in the coming weeks, the release notes. The "Police Department will be strictly enforcing laws" and asking members of the community and visitors to adhere to all laws or face cita- tions and the possibility of arrest, the release points out. CITY HOSTS SESSION WITH NORTH SARASOTA RESIDENTS Sarasota News Leader August 8 & 15, 2014 Page 69