OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Bay Shore Laguna Drive Safety Alternative Study Information Session - July 8, 2025

City Council & Boards — Tuesday, July 8, 2025
BodyVenice, Florida
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateTuesday, July 8, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:20:30

Transcript — Verbatim
2:01

Good afternoon, everyone.

2:03

We're going to get started here.

2:06

Welcome to the Bay Shore Laguna Drive Safety Alternative Study Information Session.

2:12

For the record, I'm acting city engineer John Kramer, and I'm going to begin with a brief presentation.

2:24

Maybe.

5:00

When you reach four minutes, the yellow light will turn on.

5:03

And uh at five minutes, the red light will illuminate and we'll ask that you wrap up your comments there so that everyone has an opportunity to speak.

5:12

And again, if you're online and you wish to speak, please sign up as well.

5:18

The clerk will call on you.

5:20

And if you're called, please raise your hand in the Zoom meeting in case your legal name does not match the name you logged in on.

5:30

And comments are always welcome to be sent to the email address, Bay Shore Corridor at DMK ASSOC.com.

5:40

And we have received some comments already.

5:44

Uh comment period will probably be open for a couple more weeks, and we'll send an advertisement stating when that period will close, so everyone will be aware.

5:58

Following this meeting, DMK will investigate the various ideas that have presented and they'll prepare a summary report.

6:07

Then DMK and the city will work together on a resident survey that will distribute it to see how the community feels about the best option for this quarter.

6:20

Following the survey results, we'll hold a second community workshop to discuss the options and present the results of the survey.

6:31

And at this time, I'm going to turn the media administration over to the clerk to call on those that have signed up to speak.

6:40

Again, if you could approach the presenter stand, there is an overhead projector if you have materials you wish to display, and please limit your comments to five minutes or less.

6:51

Thank you.

6:53

Okay, our first speaker is Sam Humphries.

7:06

Okay, thank you.

7:07

I'm sorry.

7:10

Okay.

7:11

Um it's no secret.

7:13

I've talked at all these meetings that I'm a pedestrian of serial pedestrian.

7:20

Um I walk on our street all the time.

7:23

I walk on Laguna, and it is, in my opinion, and others, a very dangerous street to walk on.

7:31

Right now is not a good time to judge that safety.

7:35

There aren't as many people in town.

7:37

The jetty is closed, so you're not getting the traffic that you normally do.

7:41

But once a jetty is back open and once season is back, it's going to be crazy again.

7:48

I have heard about a couple of possible options to correct this.

7:53

One being making uh Bay Shore uh one way.

7:57

Interesting idea, and another one is making Bay Shore wider, about three feet wider on either side.

8:03

Both are very interesting ideas, and I love that people are thinking out of the box and come trying to come up with a creative solution.

8:09

And I think that definitely would help vehicular traffic, uh making it smoother, making it easier, definitely streamlined.

8:18

I don't think it's going to make it any safer for pedestrians.

8:21

We're still going to be out there on the road playing Dodge Car.

8:26

That's not safe.

8:28

Three feet in takes you to the gullies.

8:31

Not everybody has one, but there's enough of them.

8:33

And if there's a work vehicle parked on the side, I'm not going to pass it on the inside against traffic, but they don't see me coming out.

8:42

I'm going to have to park on the outside of the truck, which means possibly walking into a gully, which could be wet, full of water.

8:51

It could be rocky, which is slippery.

8:54

Um, can you imagine doing it with a cane or a walker or a baby carriage?

8:58

That's ridiculous.

8:59

Or children in tow or dog.

9:02

I just don't see that working.

9:04

Not safely.

9:06

Um I'm not sure at this point that we're going to be able to come up with something that satisfies both streamlining it for traffic and making it safer for pedestrians.

9:19

I hope there is a solution.

9:21

I'm not hearing one right now.

9:23

And I hope you don't have to choose one over the other.

9:26

My concern, biggest concern in choosing the option that makes it more streamlined for vehicles is that once it's more streamlined and more easily accessible, it's going to be more appealing.

9:39

So people are going to take more people are going to take that route as a secondary route.

9:44

Um, and they're going to start going faster.

9:47

It's just human nature when you have a nice smooth straightaway with no obstacles, people drive faster.

9:52

They don't even know they're doing it half the time.

9:54

As far as the stop signs, I don't think we've anything we can do to watch people paying attention to the stop signs.

10:01

I've given that one up.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Transportation Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████53%
Public Engagement███████████████████████████████36%
Parks and Recreation███████8%
Procedural███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Bay Shore Laguna Drive Safety Alternative Study Information Session - July 8, 2025

The city held an information session to gather public comments on safety improvements for Bay Shore and Laguna Drives. Acting City Engineer John Kramer presented the study process, which includes collecting public input, a resident survey, and a second workshop before any recommendations are made to city council. The meeting featured extensive testimony from residents with divergent views on sidewalks, widening, speed reduction, and alternative traffic calming measures.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Sam Humphries (pedestrian): Stated that Bay Shore is very dangerous for pedestrians and that widening the road by three feet would not improve safety; advocated for a sidewalk.
  • Ed Elop (resident, Bay Shore Circle): On behalf of himself and Dean Ricci, stressed pedestrian safety, opposed widening without sidewalks, and presented a concept for a boulevard with a center sidewalk and bike lanes.
  • Sharon Bellandier: Opposed a sidewalk on the west side of the 300 block; raised concerns about flooding and insurance costs; suggested enforcement of stop signs and solar-lit signs.
  • Nora Bellender: Opposed a sidewalk on the west side, stating there are no police or fire department reports of incidents on Bay Shore.
  • Jim Leftwich (329 Bayshore): Not opposed to a sidewalk but against it on his front yard; supported widening and the center boulevard idea; called for enforcing the speed limit (possibly lowering it) and police presence.
  • Alison Williamson (El Dorado Drive): Requested a stop sign at Laguna Drive and a curve warning sign due to fast traffic on the sharp curve.
  • Joan Piper (336 Bayshore, east side): Represented four families on the east side who all want a sidewalk on either side; supported widening and expressed frustration with the prolonged process.
  • Robert Argys (704 Laguna): Questioned the need for major changes, noting no recorded accidents; suggested speed bumps as an immediate, low-cost solution.
  • Judy Collins (corner Bayshore and Laguna): Stop signs helped but believes a full-length sidewalk is necessary, not just the first block; urged waiting for funding to cover the entire corridor.
  • Linda Letendre (305 Park Lane): Concerned about a sidewalk being extended onto Park Lane; acknowledged the need for action but hopes for a balanced solution.
  • Linda Messerly (412 Bayshore): 20-year resident, stated no known accidents; opposed a sidewalk, suggested alternative walking paths on quieter streets, radar speed signs, and speed humps; noted that service vehicles and bicycles create additional hazards.
  • Carol Humes (east side): Wants a sidewalk to separate pedestrians from traffic; noted no police reports because injuries didn't require hospitalization; urged the city to make a decision.
  • Linda McCullum (305 Bayshore, via Zoom): West side resident, strongly opposed a sidewalk on her side due to property value, drainage, insurance, and privacy concerns; proposed removing the bike lane and reducing traffic; requested respect for west side residents' preferences.
  • An audience member stated they were seriously injured on Bay Shore, despite no police report or hospital visit.

Discussion Items

  • Acting City Engineer John Kramer clarified that the city has not selected any solution; the earlier proposal for three-foot paved shoulders was not an official plan. The study will examine the full length of Bayshore and Laguna, not just the 300 block.
  • Assistant City Manager James Clinch emphasized that the city council directed staff to take time to find a balanced solution addressing safety while preserving neighborhood character. He noted that police have identified safety concerns on the corridor.
  • Several attendees asked about the survey distribution (online and mailed to residents), future meeting format (breakout groups suggested), cost transparency, and the timeline (survey in fall, second workshop a month later).
  • Kramer confirmed that the comment period will remain open for a few more weeks; comments can be emailed to BayShoreCorridor@DMKASSOC.com.

Key Outcomes

  • No decisions or votes were made; this was an information-gathering session.
  • The next steps: DMK Associates will produce a summary report of all comments, then a resident survey will be distributed (likely in fall 2025) asking about preferences for sidewalks, paved shoulders, speed humps, electronic speed signs, and other options, including whether residents support them on their side of the street.
  • A second community workshop will be held after the survey to present engineering analysis and survey results.
  • The city intends to ultimately bring a recommendation to city council for a policy decision.
  • The public can continue submitting comments for approximately two more weeks via email.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon, everyone. We're going to get started here. Welcome to the Bay Shore Laguna Drive Safety Alternative Study Information Session. For the record, I'm acting city engineer John Kramer, and I'm going to begin with a brief presentation. Maybe. When you reach four minutes, the yellow light will turn on. And uh at five minutes, the red light will illuminate and we'll ask that you wrap up your comments there so that everyone has an opportunity to speak. And again, if you're online and you wish to speak, please sign up as well. The clerk will call on you. And if you're called, please raise your hand in the Zoom meeting in case your legal name does not match the name you logged in on. And comments are always welcome to be sent to the email address, Bay Shore Corridor at DMK ASSOC.com. And we have received some comments already. Uh comment period will probably be open for a couple more weeks, and we'll send an advertisement stating when that period will close, so everyone will be aware. Following this meeting, DMK will investigate the various ideas that have presented and they'll prepare a summary report. Then DMK and the city will work together on a resident survey that will distribute it to see how the community feels about the best option for this quarter. Following the survey results, we'll hold a second community workshop to discuss the options and present the results of the survey. And at this time, I'm going to turn the media administration over to the clerk to call on those that have signed up to speak. Again, if you could approach the presenter stand, there is an overhead projector if you have materials you wish to display, and please limit your comments to five minutes or less. Thank you. Okay, our first speaker is Sam Humphries. Okay, thank you. I'm sorry. Okay. Um it's no secret. I've talked at all these meetings that I'm a pedestrian of serial pedestrian. Um I walk on our street all the time. I walk on Laguna, and it is, in my opinion, and others, a very dangerous street to walk on. Right now is not a good time to judge that safety. There aren't as many people in town. The jetty is closed, so you're not getting the traffic that you normally do. But once a jetty is back open and once season is back, it's going to be crazy again. I have heard about a couple of possible options to correct this. One being making uh Bay Shore uh one way. Interesting idea, and another one is making Bay Shore wider, about three feet wider on either side. Both are very interesting ideas, and I love that people are thinking out of the box and come trying to come up with a creative solution. And I think that definitely would help vehicular traffic, uh making it smoother, making it easier, definitely streamlined. I don't think it's going to make it any safer for pedestrians. We're still going to be out there on the road playing Dodge Car. That's not safe. Three feet in takes you to the gullies. Not everybody has one, but there's enough of them. And if there's a work vehicle parked on the side, I'm not going to pass it on the inside against traffic, but they don't see me coming out. I'm going to have to park on the outside of the truck, which means possibly walking into a gully, which could be wet, full of water. It could be rocky, which is slippery. Um, can you imagine doing it with a cane or a walker or a baby carriage? That's ridiculous. Or children in tow or dog. I just don't see that working. Not safely. Um I'm not sure at this point that we're going to be able to come up with something that satisfies both streamlining it for traffic and making it safer for pedestrians.

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