Departing flights from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport have traveled over Longboat Key since 2006.
But in 2024, the flight path for SRQ departures was altered, meaning planes now travel above Longboat about a mile north of where they used to. The new flight path has led the town of Longboat Key to look into any potential impacts of the change.
“We have seen some residue on furniture and other things that wasn’t there before, so we’re trying to find out where that’s coming from. One of the thoughts is it could be from the flight path change that was made in the last 18 months or so,” Town Manager Howard Tipton said at a recent community meeting. “So we want to try to understand if there’s a relationship to that.”
Air quality testing was performed on Jan. 12, said Public Works Director Charlie Mopps, and those results are still being evaluated. The town has also hired a contractor to collect the above-mentioned residue for testing…