The Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department and the dispatch center for the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office wanted to clear up any confusion.
Longboaters know Greer Island and Beer Can Island are synonymous. They also know La Lenaire Drive is on Jewfish Key, which has eight residential homes but is only accessible by boat.
Emergency calls from all of Longboat, and most of the rest of Sarasota County, are routed to the Sarasota Emergency Operations and 911 Dispatch Center on Porter Road, about 15 miles east of Longboat Key Town Hall. From there, a telecommunicator gathers information on the type of emergency, location and more. Town police or fire units are then assigned to respond, backed up by responders from other jurisdictions if necessary. Countywide, call takers can handle as many as 650,000 calls a year, about 10% of which typically come from Longboat Key.