IV Siesta Sand - August 2017

Why the world comes to Sarasota

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AUGUST 2017 | 941.349.0194 | ISLAND VISITOR PUBLISHING, LLC | www.SiestaSand.net | COMPLIMENTARY

Paid Parking at Siesta Beach

BEACH CLUB

A potential solution to traffic congestion on the island, county commissioners agree

By Rachel Brown Hackney / www.SarasotaNewsLeader.com

The men behind The Beach Club in the Village

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AMENDMENTS TO RENTALS Amendment to county Zoning Code designed to help Code Enforcement officers prove cases of illegal short-term rentals

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HOTEL County Commission asks for draft amendment to Siesta zoning regulations that would lower setback requirements for commercial buildings, including hotels

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SIESTA PROMENADE

Given continuing frustrations of residents and visitors trying to find parking spaces at Siesta Public Beach, the Sarasota County Commission directed staff to work on proposals, including charging a fee, whose revenue could be used to provide more mass transit options.

County Administrator Tom Harmer said staff would look at how other beach communities handle parking demand, and then staff will propose some recommendations regarding how the Sarasota County commissioners might proceed in addressing the situation on Siesta.

“Paying is a very touchy issue,” Chair Paul Caragiulo pointed out, “but it is all in the approach.” If people understand how the money is used, they are more likely to accept a charge for parking, he added. “I think it’s a conversation we need to have.”

In fact, Caragiulo continued, whenever he talks with people about the situation at Siesta Public Beach, they generally end up asking him why the county does not charge visitors.

Commissioner Charles Hines suggested that residents would be allowed to purchase stickers that would allow them to park at the beach without any charge.

Commissioner Alan Maio raised the topic of the demand for parking on Siesta as he

gave his board report during the July 11 regular meeting of the commission, held in Venice. Members of the public have accused the board of having “done nothing to fix the situation on Siesta,” he said. However, just within the past two years, the county added 143 spaces to the lot at Siesta Public Beach and 34 at Turtle Beach Park.

“We now are moving forward as time and permits allow” on creating an extra 140 to 150 spaces in a new lot on property the county’s Utilities Department owns on South Midnight Pass Road, he continued. When Sheriff Tom Knight ceases using a training facility on that parcel early this fall, Maio added, work can begin in earnest on a design for that space — as the board has discussed during recent budget workshops. The parking lot also would encompass a turnaround area for the Siesta Key Breeze open-air trolley, as envisioned by commissioners and Siesta leaders.

“So that’s 178 new parking spaces done in the last two years,” Maio pointed out, plus the free Siesta Key Breeze open-air trolley.

As for the latter, he noted, “Its worst month, May — which exceeds everybody’s expectation — saw 600 riders a day. If one considers the average vehicle on the Key has at least two passengers, he added, that meant

Increased wave energy

9,000 fewer vehicles on the island’s roads.

Then Commissioner Hines told his colleagues that he drove his daughter and some of her friends to Siesta Public Beach on July Fourth. “I took them up there at 10 a.m., and the parking lot was closed,” he said.

Sgt. Jason Mruczek of the Sheriff’s Office told Siesta Key Association members on July 6 that the lot was full at 8:15 a.m. that day.

With Siesta Public Beach having been named No. 1 in the United States again this year by Stephen Leatherman — Dr. Beach — the expectation is that the beach will continue to draw large numbers of visitors, Hines added. “We have to figure out a way to make it painful to drive onto the Key, make it convenient and free to park your car someplace else and get on a trolley or public transit, and expand that service …”

Adding parking spaces on Siesta, Hines continued, is “never going to be enough, unless you want multiple parking garages all over the place, which no one on Siesta wants.

Parking’s free. That’s another whole issue,” he added, drawing chuckles from some of his colleagues.

The county needs a long-time funding source for the trolley, Hines pointed out.

Continued on page 22

Multi-Story Houses

|Significant increases in wave energy striking |Residents raise worries about boom in towering Siesta and Bird Keys to be expected if Army Siesta Key houses designed for tourists Corps of Engineers allowed to proceed with

By Rachel Brown Hackney Big Pass dredging plan, SKA leaders say Call it a “tale of four houses.”

By Rachel Brown Hackney Benderson Development has revised its plans for the proposed Siesta Promenade project

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Residents voice concerns over Big Pass Dredging

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SAND CASTLES

The Siesta Key Association (SKA) has unveiled one of the key arguments it intends to make against the dredging alternative upon which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has settled for the proposed Lido Renourishment Project. During the nonprofit’s regular meeting on July 6, Robert Luckner, a member of the SKA’s Environmental Committee, presented slides that the USACE submitted in its March 2015 application to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to win a permit for its joint project with the City of Sarasota. All along, Luckner said, the USACE has been saying that its plans will cause no change in the energy of the waves hitting Siesta Key. “We’re going to challenge them on that.”

Over the last two weeks of August, the first hearing on FDEP’s Dec. 22, 2016 Notice of Intent to issue the Lido permit to the USACE and the city has been scheduled in Sarasota.

Luckner explained that the USACE’s studies about wave action were undertaken from May to November 2004, which was a “pretty stormy period of time,” given the number of hurricanes that hit the Florida coast.

Continued on page 12

In a two-block span, three new towering residences and one under construction epitomize for longtime Siesta Key residents the unwelcome changes that have been taking place on the island in recent years.

The four-story structures at 547 and 551 Beach Road are advertised on rental property sites as being capable of sleeping 24 people each. Just a bit south of them, at 645 Beach Road, another multi-story house is well underway. The Sarasota County application for that project says it will have eight bedrooms and seven bathrooms.

Yet, even though the house at 641 Beach Road is four stories, as well, it has only four bedrooms and four baths — and, the builder tells SNL, it really was designed as a single-family home.

One-story, decades-old cottages on the Key increasingly are being replaced by multi-level dwellings whose owners advertise them on websites such as VRBO and Airbnb as being capable of sleeping far more people than the number of family members who occupied the previous dwellings.

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Happiness is… Finding the Positive

Casa Mar is a community of charming 1950s-and-60s built condos

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Summer is here in full force. The heat. The humidity. The doldrums.

But it’s also time for day trips, spending time with family, de-stressing.

Finding the positive may take practice, but it’s an endeavor worth getting good at.

Jerry and Jill Williams, owners of Abel’s Ice Cream, know a thing or two about positive thinking. If you stop into their store, you’ll likely notice several gentle reminders like “Chocolate Understands,” “Enjoy the little things,” and “Have courage and be kind.”

That positive attitude came in handy during a recent trip to the emergency room for the Williams’. After a few short days in the hospital, they are on the mend and moving forward, better than ever. And, wow, talk about positive.

Their amazing staff didn’t miss a beat!

Did you know that positive thinking is scientifically proven? According to the

Huffington Post, quantum physics is uncovering proof that one’s perceptions and beliefs about reality actually alter reality to fit that perspective. Fascinating!

So that means, if you’re feeling blah about the heat this summer, you have the power to change your thinking about it right now. And Abel’s can help. What’s better to chase away the heat than a cup or cone of your favorite flavor?

They’re featuring the best parts of summer with Strawberry Cheesecake (The ultimate classic Cheesecake ice cream loaded with chunks of creamy cheesecake and a flavorful strawberry ribbon), Stellar Coffee (Rich Coffee flavored ice cream with delicious fudge and mini dark chocolate coffee cups), and Road Trip (Award-winning Chocolate ice cream with moist fudge brownie chunks & creamy peanut butter).

Cooler temps and back-to-school are right around the corner. So, while you can, come

Jerry and Jill, the owners of Abel’s Ice cream

in and enjoy the summer with your friends at Abel’s Ice Cream and find out why, for the fourth year in a row, Abel’s has been awarded the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence. They are located at 1886 Stickney Point Road, Sarasota, in the South Bridge Plaza. Open Sunday through Thursday from Noon-9:30 pm, and Friday and Saturday from Noon-10 pm. Learn more online at their website, www.abelsicecream.com or connect with them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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New Beach Road Champion

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By Roger Drouin

|Environmental consultant Mary Anne Bowie takes over the helm of “Reopen Beach Road,” and presents at Aug 3 SKA meeting Mary Anne Bowie, a consultant and Executive Director of the “Reopen Beach Road,” a not-for-profit political action organization, used the boilingfrog metaphor to summarize her concern surrounding the county’s decision to relinquish a stretch of Beach Road to private ownership.

Beach Road, also known as Sunset Pointe, is one of the last remaining public waterside roads on the Key. Like the boiling frog in tepid water, many Siesta Key and Sarasota residents are not aware that more and more public beach access —including public right-ofways along the water — continue to become privatized, Bowie told Siesta Sand. For instance, the Key “lost” numerous beach and water access points in the 1970s.

More recently, in phases, the county lost ownership of Shell Road, a once public right-of-way leading to the beach, to private ownership. Now Beach Road is in jeopardy, and next, Bowie says, “conversations about Beach Access # 10 have begun, aimed at even more privatization, through development, of our precious beaches.”

“It is a slow but steady,” loss of public access to surf and sand, said Bowie, who is scheduled to appear at the Aug. 3 SKA meeting to present on the complicated Beach Road controversy.

“Everyone will finally be able to get all of their questions answered,” on Beach Road she told Siesta Sand before the meeting, scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at St Boniface Church.

Bowie also has another anecdote for the Beach Road fight: losing Beach Road to privatization will finally be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The fight is ongoing. Opponents, including longtime Siesta Key resident Mike Cosentino, who started “Reopen Beach Road,” say the county’s decision to vacate the street violates its Comprehensive Plan. Cosentino wants the roadway — the last on the Key with a direct Gulf view — improved and open to the public. The county maintains that although it is abandoning the road right-of-way,

its agreement preserves a fivefoot-wide permanent beach access path, and has accused Cosentino of conveying misinformation.

Sarasota County residents continue to sign a pair of petitions related to the increasingly tense battle over the 357-foot stretch of Beach Road. There are two separate charter amendment initiatives spurred by Cosentino — the first, if approved by voters, would prohibit the county from vacating public lands, including beach and waterside roadways, and parks and preserves; the second would overturn the county’s decision to relinquish a portion of Beach Road, the last road remaining on the Key with a direct view of the Gulf. As of June, Cosentino and a group of volunteers behind “Reopen Beach Road,” was just above a quarter of the way towards the number of petitions needed to get both charter-amendment questions onto the ballot.

Cosentino spurred the “Reopen Beach Road” organization, and in May hired Bowie to serve as executive director of the group. From 2002 to 2009, Bowie implemented a multipronged, pro-bono effort to grow Sarasota’s local green economy, producing Sarasota’s first green pages and promoting over 200 green businesses through Sarasota Green Connection, before the county began its green business partnership.

She’s now at the helm of Reopen Beach Road.

“Reopen Beach Road is committed to ensuring beach and water accessibility for all, including our elderly, our mobility impaired and our vision impaired citizens,” said Bowie, an environmental consultant who got her degree in the 1970s when environmental conservation was just a budding field. “We had to literally look up ‘environmental’ and ‘habitat,’ because the terms were so new,” she said.

Bowie, along with Brian Lichterman, a former Sarasota County planner and currently a consultant, are scheduled to present on Beach Road at the Aug.

3 SKA meeting. Bowie’s goal is to cover several important points: • To define the issue in a short and easy to understand way for residents and business owners on the Key. • Discuss why the decision was made to vacate Beach Road.

• What is the impact to residents and businesses?

• What is Reopen Beach Road’s position, and why?

• What is the organization asking for from residents and business owners?

Bowie is also leading the newly-formed Siesta Key Beach Community Trust, a nonprofit committed to the long-term goal of acquiring and protecting beach and water access property and providing full accessibility for the elderly, mobility and vision impaired. The group’s first task is to obtain the Pier at Sunset Point and rebuild it to make it safe and provide beach access to all.

Preserving public access in Sarasota County is especially important, Bowie said, because the county has less public access than neighboring counties.

“We are in bad shape, Bowie says, based on her research on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection web page on coastal access: • Sarasota County has 35 miles of sandy beaches with 37 points of public access (approximately 1 per mile).

• Pinellas County has 4 times as much public access as Sarasota with 37 miles of sandy beaches and 158 public access points (about 4.2 per mile).

• Even with only 12.3 miles of sandy beaches, Manatee County public accessibility is 6 times easier than Sarasota’s because Manatee County’s 12 miles of beaches have 72 public beach accesses (about 5.8 per mile).

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Multi-Story Houses Although most residents with whom SNL spoke declined to be quoted, they expressed dismay about how the guests of these houses translate into additional traffic congestion, and — on numerous occasions — piled-up garbage that sits at the curb for days, awaiting the weekly stop by the Waste Management truck.

Concern also has been aired that these new houses brimming with tourists mean far more people would have to be evacuated from the Key in advance of a threatened hurricane strike.

Yet, arguably the greatest cause for alarm is the potential for a raging fire in a structure built as a home, without the mandatory sprinkler systems and other safeguards upon which hotel guests can rely.

One person who has been willing to comment publicly about her worries is Margaret Jean Cannon, who lives on the Gulf side of Beach Road. Cannon formulated her concerns into a four-page document she shared with Siesta Key Association leaders and SNL. She and her husband have been fulltime Siesta residents for 20 years, she writes. “We believe citizens should have the right to purchase, update or replace residences, operate rental properties.”

They also believe property owners should be able to rent out houses, she adds, as long as the people are complying with the appropriate zoning and building codes, and other legal requirements.

“We need growth to remain vibrant and viable as a community,” Cannon continues. “At the same time, we need to work to manage our growth, so we don’t overwhelm our environment, resources, infrastructure, or lose our ‘community-residential’ culture. We need management of our zoning and building codes to ensure the quality and culture of Island life continues to support our needs. All of us and our visitors want to enjoy our beautiful environment and Island Beach.”

Matt Osterhoudt, Sarasota County’s Planning and Development Services director, has explained that the new

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Continued from cover story

multi-story houses — with enough bedrooms for a wedding party, as Cannon describes them — are permissible under the county’s zoning and building regulations. He did point out in an email, however, that “as those properties move through [the] licensing process, Emergency Services staff may be needed to conduct a fire review, as residential single-family house construction does not require a fire inspection.”

In response to a public records request, SNL received copies of applications and construction permits for all four houses.

The Michigan owner of the properties at 547 and 551 Beach Road did incorporate a “complete wet pipe fire sprinkler system” into both of them, SNL has learned. In contrast, no such separate forms were submitted for the houses at 641 and 645 Beach Road.

In a July 13 telephone interview, Daniel Gerdes, the registered agent of the company that owns 641 Beach Road, stated, he did not consider installing any fire suppression systems in the new structure there, because he planned it as a single-family home. “It’s not required by any code,” he also noted, referring to a sprinkler system.

However, Gerdes said, he is well aware of other developers packing multiple bedrooms into new houses. Without fire sprinkler systems, he pointed out, “Those are a hazard.”

Through a county spokesman, the county fire marshal declined a request for an interview.

The zoning issue Both the houses at 547 and 551 Beach Road have been the focus of county Code Enforcement complaints, SNL has learned through a public records request. For example, since May 12, Code Enforcement has kept open a case regarding the number of vehicles parked in front of 547 Beach Road. In July 2015, a Code Enforcement officer found six cars in the driveway, according to county documentation. Then, on Aug. 3, 2015, the officer who re-inspected the property

641 and 645 Beach Road houses next to Tivoli

547 and 551 Beach Road reported “multiple vehicles in the driveway crossing the sidewalk,” adding that law enforcement personnel should be notified about that.

Almost identical complaints were investigated at 551 Beach Road in 2015, Code Enforcement records say.

Although rental listings for the houses at 547 and 551 Beach Road describe them as single-family homes, the county property records list their zoning as RMF1 — “Residential, Multi Family.”

The same zoning applies to the houses at 641 and 645 Beach Road.

In response to inquiries, Osterhoudt wrote in his email, “Planning and Development Services staff has reviewed

the concerns brought to their attention.

The properties researched are zoned Residential Multi-Family, and meet the requirements to be considered short-term rentals, which is consistent with zoning regulations. In addition, the structures are permitted for Residential Single Family (RSF) homes, but the code does not regulate the number of bedrooms in any RSF structure.”

Osterhoudt added, “We understand that the Department of Business and Professional Regulations (DBPR) has been in touch with representatives of the subject properties, and informed them of state licensing requirements for vacation rentals.”

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Amendment to county Zoning Code designed to help Code Enforcement officers prove cases of illegal short-term rentals By Rachel Brown Hackney As the No. 1 Beach rankings have brought more and more attention to Siesta Key since 2011, property owners have capitalized on increased demand from visitors for accommodations — including single-family homes, Sarasota County Code Enforcement officers say.

“I get lots of emails about illegal rentals,” Susan Stahley, the Code Enforcement officer for Siesta Key, told members of the Siesta Key Association (SKA) during their June meeting.

She urged them, “Please call me any time,” because that is how she finds out about many of the situations.

SKA Director Joe Volpe pointed out that he has communicated with Stahley “quite a few times” about illegal rentals in his neighborhood. “She does an excellent job, and she does an excellent job of following up.”

The primary frustration in dealing with such violations, Stahley explained, has been enforcement. To that end, the Sarasota County Commission voted unanimously on July 11 to amend the language of the County Zoning Code relating to short-term rentals.

A Jan. 31 memo from County Attorney Stephen DeMarsh to the County Commission explains that on Jan. 3, 12th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Brian A. Iten reversed penalty orders issued by Code Enforcement Special Magistrate Meg Wittmer regarding the recurrence of violations of the Zoning Code’s short-term rental regulations.

The Code Enforcement staff had issued a Notice of Recurrence against Marian and Isabella Wierzchos of 7315 Captain Kidd Avenue — located on the Intracoastal Waterway east of Siesta Key — “for engaging in short term rentals of a single family residence that includes a small

studio apartment,” DeMarsh added. The Zoning Code, he continued, prohibits the rental of dwelling units more than once in a 30-day period and further prohibits the rental of less than the entire residence.

Iten’s ruling focused on language in the Zoning Code, “concluding it expressly ‘prohibited specified rentals but not attempts by property owners to arrange for such rentals,’” DeMarsh explained. “The penalty orders from the Special Magistrate relied, in part, on testimony [about] three separate telephone communications between Wierzchos and a code enforcement officer arranging a short term rental of the property. On all three occasions, the code enforcement officer confirmed rental dates with Wierzchos,” DeMarsh noted. However, Iten characterized those acts “as attempts to lease the property because the parties did not execute documents completing a lease agreement.”

A June 6 memo to the County Commission from Sandra LeGay, manager of the Code Enforcement Division, pointed out that when Code Enforcement officers get complaints about short-term rentals, their first objective is to educate property owners about the county regulations and try to “obtain voluntary compliance.” If the latter effort does not work, LeGay noted, “the provisions of the code can be difficult to enforce,” especially in regard to the following: • Securing leases and receipts to determine whether a short-term rental exists.

• Obtaining legitimate rental records from property owners.

• Proving that renters are not family members or friends.

• Getting a previous renter to testify in court.

• Proving that money has changed hands.

LeGay added that staff has obtained advertisements for short-term rentals, but those are considered circumstantial evidence only. “Staff has also obtained information directly from renters,” she continued, but that is considered hearsay.

Therefore, staff had tried to rent properties via telephone, so evidence would be available for Code Enforcement cases.

Those efforts had been difficult, she pointed out, but until Iten issued his Jan. 3 ruling, they had been generally successful.

Therefore, to assist Code Enforcement staff in enforcing short-term rental regulations, her memo added, staff proposed an amendment to the ordinance: “Any attempt made to solicit, advertise, or commit the act of leasing a rental in a manner inconsistent with the provisions of this section Residential Use Categories shall constitute a violation.”

The County Commission approved the language as written.

Aside from the court case …

During Code Enforcement Officer Stahley’s appearance at the SKA meeting, she also discussed the difficulties of trying to prove illegal short-term rentals.

For example, she said, with one recent case, she had taken nine different sets of photos, and she had talked with one renter of the property in early April and a second in late April. “There you have positively an illegal rental,” she pointed out, because of the violation of the 30-day regulation.

Continued on page 31

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SAVE THE DATE!!!

BECOME INFORMED

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 4:30PM

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County Commission asks for draft amendment to Siesta zoning regulations that would lower setback requirements for commercial buildings, including hotels

By Rachel Brown Hackney A June 12 vote by the Sarasota County Board of Zoning Appeals has prompted not only legal action, but also a proposal for an amendment to the county’s Zoning Code that governs all of Siesta Key. With the consensus of the Sarasota County Commission on July 12, County Administrator Tom Harmer will work with the county’s Planning and Development Services Department staff on language that would provide flexibility in the Siesta Key Overlay District to allow commercial buildings taller than 35 feet to be set back less than 25 feet from the street.

Several speakers from Siesta Key — including a chiropractor who has proposed building a hotel on Old Stickney Point Road — implored the County Commission to facilitate commercial redevelopment on the island.

In comments to the commission on the morning of July 12, long-time Siesta architect Mark Smith explained what he called the “unintended consequences” of a June Board of Zoning Appeals decision. On a 3-2 vote, the members supported the interpretation of county Zoning Administrator Donna Thompson that 25 feet would be the minimum setback for structures taller than 35 feet in commercial zones on Siesta Key. Her determination regarding the Siesta Key Overlay District (SKOD) included the interpretation that the street setback for structures up to 85 feet tall — the maximum height allowed on a barrier island in the county — would be half the height of the building.

“The intent of the Siesta Key Overlay District,” Smith told the County Commission, “was to keep the commercial district pedestrian-friendly,” with buildings close to the sidewalk.

“Unfortunately, in the district ordinance,” he continued, “it isn’t clear what happens when a building height is above 35 feet.” What should happen, Smith said, is that the County Commission should consider a special exception petition from an applicant seeking a smaller setback than the standards Thompson outlined.

Therefore, he continued, he wanted to propose an amendment specifying that in Commercial General, Commercial Intensive and Office, Professional and Institutional districts in the SKOD, buildings taller than 35 feet, up to 85 feet, be considered under the special exception process and that 2-foot setbacks be allowed for them by special exception.

“That would tie the building height with the setback,”

Smith pointed out.

He would not want to see an 85-foot-tall commercial building standing two feet from the sidewalk, he added, but he also did not want to see “a building just over 35 feet need a setback of 25 feet … That wasn’t the intent of SKOD.” He drove by the Terrace building that morning, he continued, referring to the condominium complex next to Beach Access 5, and he estimated the street setback of that 170-foot-tall building is 40 feet. “That’s twice the height we’re looking for in any Commercial General district,” he pointed out of the Terrace.

Fandango building next to Siesta Key Storage Thompson’s determination about the SKOD setbacks in commercial districts came in response to a query from Charles Bailey III of the Williams Parker law firm in an amendment to the SKOD. Sarasota. Bailey was acting on behalf of Siesta Acquisitions “We can come back with a recommendation for how the LLC, whose principal is Dr. Gary Kompothecras, the commission can deal with those [setback] requests” through chiropractor known for his “1-800-Ask-Gary” advertising. a proposed change to the Zoning Code, Harmer responded.

Bailey informed the County Commission on July 12 that “I personally would like that,” Moran told Harmer. he would be filing a petition in 12th Judicial Circuit Court, Chair Paul Caragiulo indicated that was the board’s seeking to overturn the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) consensus, so Harmer said, “We’ll take it on as an decision on June 12. While neither the county nor the board assignment.” would be named as a defendant in the case, Bailey said, the county typically handles litigation for the BZA. Opposing views Addressing the commission himself, Kompothecras

Since word began spreading in late December 2016 about decried Thompson’s interpretation of the SKOD and the June 12 vote, saying the latter “was supposed to be a formality.” Kompothecras’ plans, numerous residents have fought Instead of being able to put more money into plans for the the proposal. Former Siesta Key Association (SKA) and hotel he proposes, Kompothecras added, “now I got to fight Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations President Lourdes Ramirez has been among the leaders of you guys, which I don’t want to do.”

During his comments, Bailey stressed, “We have no the opposition. application pending [for a hotel on Siesta Key].” However, Responding to a request for comment about the July 12 he said, as the project team was looking into the feasibility of County Commission discussion, Ramirez wrote in an email, constructing one on Old Stickney Point Road, it sought the “The residents on Siesta do not want to see our island become zoning determination about street setbacks. Because of the as overly built as the City of Sarasota. To have a 2 foot BZA vote, Bailey said, “you’ll see simply bars and restaurants street setback for buildings taller than 35 feet is absurd. We replacing bars and restaurants in old, non-conforming don’t want to see a ‘Vue’ type structure in the [Commercial General] district on Siesta,” she continued, referring to buildings.”

After Bailey completed his remarks, Commissioner Michael a controversial new condominium tower in downtown Moran asked County Attorney Stephen DeMarsh if the only Sarasota. “We will fight any attempt to shorten our setbacks.”

Furthermore, in a recent survey, the SKA found that, recourse for Siesta Acquisitions was litigation.

The company could request a Zoning Code amendment by a ratio of 18-to-1, its members oppose any increase in intensity or density, beyond what the county’s to resolve the SKOD issues, DeMarsh replied.

Moran then asked County Administrator Harmer about Comprehensive Plan allows, in regard to proposals for a county staff action, if the board’s consensus was to pursue new hotel on the island.

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Financial Focus

|How Can You Leave the Legacy You Desire?

You may not see it in the greeting card section of your local drugstore, but August is “What Will Be Your Legacy Month.” So it’s a good time to think about the type of legacy you’d like to leave.

Of course, “legacy” can mean many things. In the broadest sense, your legacy is how you will be remembered by your loved ones, your friends, and the communities to which you belong.

On a practical level, establishing your legacy means providing your family and the charitable organizations you support with the resources you’d like them to have.

And that means you may need to take the following actions: create your plans, communicate your wishes, and review and update your documents.

Let’s take a quick look at all these steps: • Create your plans. You will want to work with your legal professional, and possibly your tax and financial professionals, too, to draft the plans needed to fulfill your legacy wishes. These plans may include drafting a will, living trust, health care directive, power of attorney, and other documents. Ideally, you want these plans to do more than just convey where you want your money to go – you want to impart, to the next generation, a sense of the effort that went into building the wealth they receive. Without such an appreciation, your heirs may be less than rigorous in retaining the tangible legacies you’ve left them.

• Communicate your wishes.

It’s important to communicate your legacy-related wishes to your family members as early as possible. By doing so, you can hopefully avoid unpleasant surprises and hurt feelings when it’s time for your estate to be settled – and you’ll also let people know what tasks, if any, they need to perform. For example, if you’re choosing a family member to be the executor of your estate, or if you’re giving someone power of attorney over your financial or health-related matters, they should be prepared.

• Update your documents.

During your life, you may well experience any number of changes – new marriage, new children, opening a family business, and so on. You need to make sure your legal documents and financial accounts reflect these changes.

For example, if you’ve remarried, you may want to change the beneficiary designations on your IRA, 401(k) and other retirement accounts – if left untouched, these designations may even supersede the instructions left in your will.

And the directions in life chosen by your grown children may also dictate changes in your will or living trust. In any case, it’s a good idea to review all your legacyrelated documents periodically, and update them as needed.

In addition to taking the above steps, you also need to protect the financial resources that go into your legacy. So, when you retire and begin taking funds from your IRA, 401(k) and other retirement accounts, make sure your withdrawal rate is sufficient

for your living expenses, but not so high that it eventually jeopardizes the amounts you planned to leave to your family or to your preferred charities. A financial professional can help you determine the withdrawal rate appropriate for your situation.

With careful planning, and by making the right moves, you can create the type of legacy you desire – one that can benefit your loved ones far into the future.

Advertorial

Joe St.Onge, ChFC® Financial Advisor Edward Jones Investments 5112 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key, FL 34242

(941)-346-0560 phone (941)-320-4030 mobile Joe.StOnge@edwardjones.com This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

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AUGUST 2017

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

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Boaters’ Recreational area could be destroyed for the next 50 years!

Photos by Elusive View Cinematography / Aaron Barnes

• The US Army Corps of Engineers proposes essentially to dig a hole that would be 500 feet wide, 13.5 feet deep and about 2 miles long through Big Pass, destroying the shoals that protect the Pass from storm wave action which could impact S Lido Key, S Bird Key and N Siesta Key. The dredge would harvest sand for Lido Beach.

• If the Army Corps is allowed to dredge Big Pass, it will have a devastating effect on storm wave action, (50% increase in wave height), tourism, ($2.8 Billion annually in this area), destruction of fish, mammals, wildlife, and recreational activities.

• Boaters/Businesses, the loss of our natural state park for boaters and beach goers- Big Pass, harmed and possibly destroyed for 50 years.

• In wave action alone, a 3 foot storm wave will now be over a 5 foot wave which would result in nearly an 80% increase in destructive wave energy. This will affect S. Lido Key, SW Bird Key, and N Siesta Key and, if the storm is large enough, the downtown City of Sarasota .

• The proposal for the specific borrow areas also would prevent the sand from drifting down to Siesta Key, as it does naturally.

• This is not a Siesta Key vs. Lido Key issue. ALL of the Greater Sarasota area will be affected with the dredging of Big Pass.

• Multiple sources of sand are available immediately, such as nearby New Pass, in dire need of dredging, 500,000 cubic yards. It’s currently closed to navigation by the Coast Guard because of dangerous unpredictable shoals that block it. State approved sand sources known to Corps also are available off site.

Siesta Key Association is fighting for you!

SKA working for You! www.siestakeyassociation.com

Under FL Statute 403.412 also known as the Environmental Protection Act of 1971, City of Sarasota may not conduct any project (e.g.,dredge) that is not consistent with a State Agency or state approved rules that protect our natural resources.

Donate NOW – Help SKA Fight for YOU! Save our world famous Siesta Key beach, Shoreline, BIG PASS waters, wildlife YOUR LIFE in our Coastal Paradise More legal action ahead and SKA needs YOU.

Donate to the SIESTA KEY ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND at WWW.SKEDF.ORG The fund is fully registered with the IRS and Florida to accept tax-deductible donations from concerned citizens. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.

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www.siestasand.net

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AUGUST 2017

Mike Granthon and The Beach Club Mike Granthon has been running restaurants and bars since he was 15. Along with his partner, Chris Brown, he is now co-owner of The Beach Club as well as The Hub, The Cottage, and a soon-to-be-opened high-end restaurant, yet unnamed. Located at the former site of Aaron’s Fish Camp, the new restaurant will feature spectacular offerings such as aged steaks on Himalayan Rock Salt. They hope to open in December of 2017, but all that depends on the completion of the building’s renovation.

Mike and Chris’s three restaurants are within steps of each other. The Hub has a “Baja California” vibe, which invites t-shirts and sandals, while The Cottage features world cuisine served in a rustic setting. The Beach Club is the beach bar with attitude! They have recently started serving Bar & Grill Pub food, things such as: Nachos, Mozzarella sticks, Parmesan Chicken, Buffalo Chicken, Funnel Cake Fries with Peanut Butter and Jelly toppings.

They have also added servers to bring it to your table. Says Mike: “Food is important to us. A lot of stuff is made right on the premises. Here, customers can see a pizza pie being thrown in the air.”

Open from noon to 2:30 a.m., The Beach Club offers dancing in a laid-back, party atmosphere. More than a decade ago, The Beach Club had morphed into a full-service restaurant. When Mike and Chris took it over, however, they returned it to what it originally was: a bar, complete with a long and welcoming Happy Hour which runs from noon to 7 p.m. daily.

Circa 1918, the first couple allowed to go to Siesta Beach to sunbathe Siesta Key has a long and colorful history. A 1918 photo shows the first couple allowed to go to Siesta Beach to sunbathe. (They didn’t catch many rays in those cover-up swimsuits!) Move forward a quarter century, and Sarasota/ Bradenton Airport was turned into a World War II air base.

Mike has been told by old-timers that planes used to land right on the crystal sands of Siesta Beach.

The Beach Club came into being after the war, and has existed in Siesta Village for 70 fabulous years! Famed for its live music, Burt Engelsman—a Sarasota local musician— has this tale to tell: “Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts have both sat in at The Beach Club. I played with The Gregg Allman Band in ’82 and ’83, and the whole band was in there at one time, but we didn’t end up playing as a band.” Other notables such as Neil Larson toured with The Gregg Allman Band for four decades. Richy Kicklighter was a popular 80’s R&B musician and played at The Beach Club each Christmas Eve through New Year’s Eve in the late 80’s to 90’s.

Today’s Beach Club features name performers like Eddie Money, hot local bands such as the FUNKTASTICS, southern singers like Marshall Tucker and Molly Hatchett, and

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

11

By Diana Colson

Co-owners Mike Granthon and Chris Brown stand in front of The Beach Club, one of four businesses they own in the Village Reggae bands such as INNER CIRCLE, famed for their signature rendition of “Bad Boys, Bad Boys”.

Some of the hottest DJ’s in the area play there 7 nights a week, inviting action on the spacious dance floor. Mike and Chris are the guys who choose the sound, and they draw from an eclectic variety of bands and nightclub acts. The famed Musical Comedy show, “Pete and Wayne” from Key West, was recently featured on The Beach Club stage, much to the delight of audiences.

Now a days, The Beach Club is abuzz with action!

In addition to live music, there are pool tables and over 30 television sets tuned to various sports channels. Special events are planned, such as the ANNUAL SEXY SCHOOL GIRL PARTY on August 9, at which all ladies drink free after 9 pm.

A contest is held to determine the sexiest school girl of the evening, with $1000 being awarded in cash and prizes.

“We want to maintain the history of the Village as well as the quality of our beautiful beaches,” says Mike. In keeping with that philosophy, every 5th of July, Mike, Chris, and all their employees go out to help rid Siesta Key beaches of any clutter left in the wake of Independence Day celebrations. It’s a big community event, and the Beach Club crowd is happy to contribute time and effort to keep our world-class beaches pristine.

Open daily, a visit to Sarasota would not be complete without a visit to the Key’s iconic Beach Club. Located at 5151 Ocean Blvd, it is open from noon to 2:30 am. For information about bands and Special Events, check out the website: www.beachclubsiestakey.com

l-r: Burt Engelsman on bass, Neil Larson on keys, John Henry on Drums, and Richy Kicklighter on guitar.

Photo taken at The Beach Club December 26, 1992

Circa 1947, The Beach Club back in the day

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In keeping with our Morton’s tradition, we also carry a delicious array of prepared foods, perfect for take-out, picnics, parties and more.

Please stop in and say hello!

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Visit our new Siesta Village Liquors just next door!

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Increased wave energy Pointing to the graphics, Luckner noted areas where the wave energy striking Siesta would increase in a range from 60% to 100% as a result of the USACE’s plan to remove about 1.2 million cubic yards of sand from Big Pass.

Bird Key would see wave energy strikes rising 80% to 100%, he added.

Sarasota County’s Gulf-front property in Ted Sperling Park on South Lido Key also would realize increased wave energy of 50% to 60%, Luckner pointed out, based on the USACE’s own documentation.

Why such big changes? The USACE proposes essentially to dig a hole that would be 500 feet wide, 13.5 feet deep, and about two miles long through Big Pass, Luckner explained. “What in the world was the Corps thinking about when they picked this as their lead alternative?”

Referring to the USACE’s assertion that Siesta Key would see no change in wave energy, Luckner added, “They’ve just honestly been lying about it.”

An alternative to the dredging proposal — which would enable the USACE to obtain sand from the outer portion of the shoal in Big Pass and from the existing channel — essentially “cleaning it up,” as Luckner characterized it — would have produced as much sand as the agency says it needs for Lido, but without the large increase in wave energy.

However, he believes the USACE project team members chose the option they have settled upon, he said, because “they think that new channel will trap all the sand that erodes off of Lido.”

That way, the USACE can obtain sand more easily for subsequent renourishments on Lido.

The FDEP permit would be valid for 15 years, FDEP documents show, though the USACE has proposed a 50-year life of the Lido initiative, with further dredging of the pass every five years.

The proposal for the specific borrow areas also would prevent the sand from drifting down to Siesta Key, as it does naturally, Luckner added. “That, to me, is another red flag. They’re actually going to somewhat starve us of sand.”

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Continued from cover story

A third dredging alternative the USACE studied would have been even worse, he continued. It would have removed sand west of what is termed “Cut B,” meaning the dredging would have been even further out in the Gulf of Mexico. “That turned out to be a disastrous idea,” he pointed out, because that would focus all the increased wave energy on Siesta Key. “They dropped that like a firecracker.”

An expert on wave energy will focus on this part of the permit

application during the August Division of Administrative Hearings proceeding, Luckner told the approximately SKA audience.

A discussion with city staff

After learning about the wave energy aspect of the USACE proposal, Luckner continued, he and his wife, Catherine - the SKA’s vice president - asked to meet with City Manager Tom Barwin Continued on the next page

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Continued from the previous page

and other city staff members to discuss it.

Barwin was surprised when they explained the findings, Robert Luckner added.

During a telephone interview, Barwin said that the way the graphics were presented, with the different colors indicating variations in the wave energy, “in a small sense misrepresented the situation … which could be, I think, interpreted to really create a stir in people, when the dredging would result in quite a minor difference …” He added that the increased wave energy would be temporary, as the channel filled again with sand.

Barwin said the meeting “was productive in the sense that we shared information in terms of trying to find a compromise to allow the vital work to occur to protect the shoreline on Lido and also meet our environmental desire to do no harm.”

Yet, while he felt city staff and the Luckners were “very close” to agreement on certain issues, Barwin continued, Save Our Siesta Sand 2 (SOSS2) — the other Siestabased nonprofit fighting the proposed dredging of Big Pass — has remained focused on legal challenges.

Peter van Roekens, chair of SOSS2, has told SNL on numerous occasions that Barwin and other city staff members have declined to consider a “Plan B,” as van Roekens puts it: a project that would not damage the pass and, subsequently, Siesta Key. “We continue to try to explain the need to have both the Siesta and Lido beaches in great shape,” Barwin added, especially with the changes climate change has produced.

Research has shown that the water in the Gulf of Mexico and Sarasota Bay has risen 7 inches since 1945, “and it’s going to continue to rise,” he said, probably an inch a decade.

“This is a slow-motion crisis that’s picking up steam… We all need to be working with and for each other.”

Publishers Note: Please see Letters to the Editor on page 19 regarding feedback from the July SKA ad.

AUGUST 2017

On the Other Side of the Issue

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

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By Roger Drouin

|As an Aug. 22 appeal hearing approaches, Bob Luckner, a longtime pipeline engineer, represents the community as he studies the technical nuisances of a controversial project Bob Luckner has forty-five years of experience as an engineer, specializing in permitting and project management, since graduating from Virginia Tech with a Ph.D. in Engineering in 1972. That background has prepared Luckner, who has lived on Siesta Key fulltime since 2003, for his volunteer role as an advisor to the SKA on the Lido Key Renourishment project and proposed dredging of Big Pass — a complex and controversial project about which Siesta residents have voiced great concern. An appeal of a draft State of Florida permit and land lease will be heard before an administrative judge later this month in Sarasota.

During his career, Luckner was often “on the other side” of the issue, as an engineer working on behalf of the permittee applying for large-scale energy transportation projects as they moved through the multi-agency application process.

In 2004 and 2005, he was working on permitting for a pipeline in Michigan. The energy companies wanted to build a new pipeline twice as large as an existing pipe and along the same route, but the state and county wouldn’t agree to it. So Luckner and company officials worked on an alternative.

“What we did instead was replace where the pipe was weakest with the new but same size pipe,” Luckner told Siesta Sand. “Where it went under a playground, we moved it away from the playground, and we found ways to get a little more oil through the pipeline, without changing its diameter, and gave up on installing a bigger pipeline.”

The modified project is still in use today.

While it was not the energy company’s first choice, the reworked plan “was the only project we could get a permit for,” Luckner explained.

Two things Luckner’s career experience taught him is that a large project “doesn’t have to be all or nothing,” and these complex

projects “are not trivial exercises, not like a building permit; they are very big projects, which increases the potential for big mistakes.”

Both principals, Luckner believes, apply to the U.S Army Corps of Engineers and the City of Sarasota’s ambitious - and flawed, Luckner believes - proposal to dredge up 1.3 million cubic yards of sand from Big Pass, place the sand on more than 1.5 miles of Lido Key beach, and build two groins on South Lido.

Luckner believes the project is a flawed project for three main reasons, and that the Army Corps is proposing something that could have a drastic and detrimental impact on Siesta Key, South Lido Key, and Bird Key. He also believes an administrative judge presiding over an appeal hearing that starts Aug. 22 could order the federal agency to go back and revise the scope of the project, specifically to reduce the amount of sand dredged from Big Pass and placed on Lido Key, eliminate a 500-foot wide dredged “hole in the shoal” that would allow Gulf storm wave energy to break on Siesta Key instead of on the shoal. He also believes the city and Army Corps should ask Sarasota County to weigh in, and provide input on any approval to dredge parts of Big Pass.

Luckner told Siesta Sand he first had concerns about the Big Pass dredging proposal in 2013, when the Army Corps first revised its project to take sand from the pass, instead of from offshore, and recently he has been speaking more publically about the project.

This year, Luckner, also an avid birder, spoke twice at SKA meetings, bringing along handouts to help residents understand the technical aspects of his presentation. His wife, Catherine, is Vice President of SKA.

Three flaws For Luckner, the three problems in the Lido Renourishment Project as it is proposed, include: first, the volume of sand that Luckner believes (based on the Army Corps

own consultant’s data) is twice as large as it needs to be; secondly, two dredge locations in Big Pass could have little impact, but a third expansive cut called Cut C would leave a large hole and potentially cause increased wave damage on Siesta Key and neighboring shorelines; and lastly, the city and Army Corps have failed to ask Sarasota County for permission to dredge Big Pass — an action that is prohibited by the county’s Comprehensive Plan with an exemption from the County Commission.

The Army Corps own consultant found that one particular proposed cut in the pass could contribute to a two-fold increase in the energy of waves reaching Siesta during a storm, and that less sand can be placed on Lido, thus reducing the amount of actual sand needed from the pass, Luckner said. “The Corps’ own data says there is a better solution, and that is what this is all about,” Luckner said.

SKA is one of three parties appealing the FDEP’s decision to advance its permit for the Corps’ project, and recently, as part of the discovery process for the appeal hearing, Luckner has read 4,000 documents.

“There is a lot of paper,” Luckner said.

Asked if he read all of the documents, Luckner replies, “I’m proud to say ‘Yes’.” Luckner plans to attend the hearing, to be held at the local courthouse, but he will not testify during the hearing; engineering experts and consultants hired by the appealing parties will testify during that time, before the administrative judge who has expertise in this area.

In his free time, when he’s not reading technical documents on coastal modeling and advising on this complex issue and do engineering consulting work, Luckner and his wife Catherine try to go out birding. They were both active volunteers protecting nesting Snowy Plovers on Siesta Key and were named Audubon Volunteers for the Year in 2011 by the Sarasota Audubon.

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Chamber turns down Seafood & Music Festival invitation

By Rachel Brown Hackney When the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce conducted its quarterly meeting for members in May, Bill Kinney of Paragon Fine Art Festivals had a spot on the agenda to talk about his second Siesta Beach Seafood & Music Festival, set for Dec. 2-3 on Siesta Public Beach.

The inaugural event in 2016 “was an enormous success,” he told the approximately 18 people present. His goal, he said, is to be more inclusive of island businesses with the next one. Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department (PRNR) staff, he indicated, also was hoping to see more involvement of island restaurants in the upcoming event. Therefore, he continued, he was seeking the Chamber’s support for the 2017 festival.

(County spokesman Drew Winchester told SNL in early June that PRNR staff members “have been working collaboratively with Mr. Kinney on the 2017

event and staff suggested that he communicate the event plans [to] the Siesta Key Chamber ...

This was not a requirement of Kinney’s getting the permit to do the event.”)

Based on revenue generated by the first festival - which does not charge admission - Kinney told the Chamber members in May that he would expect to be able to donate $4,000 to $6,000 to the Chamber from the 2017 proceeds, if it partnered with Paragon.

“You don’t have to do a thing,” he added, in terms of actual activities during the festival.

Kinney stressed that he did not want to hurt island businesses “by sucking all the energy out of the local area.” No Siesta-based restaurants participated in the first festival, he acknowledged.

However, a number of dining establishments with locations in downtown Sarasota offered food to the event-goers, he noted.

When asked how he reached out to island restaurant owners to

seek their participation, Kinney explained that he had one of Paragon’s representatives “go to each restaurant personally. … Every restaurant, with the exception of one, was invited to be part of the festival,” he added without elaborating on that exception.

On the Saturday night following the first day of the festival in December 2016, he continued, he visited several Village restaurants - Blasé Café, the Daiquiri Deck, the Siesta Key Oyster Bar and Flavio’s Brick Oven and Bar - “and all of them had an increase in business.”

He spoke to 10 people at Blasé, he added, and all of them had gone to that restaurant after attending the festival. “So we had a huge financial impact on the businesses,” Kinney said.

Additionally, worries voiced before the 2016 event about the potential that the music “would disrupt the tranquility of the residents and condos” proved

Island Wellness Awaits You

Mary White of Still Waters Alternative Healthcare Incorporated, brings alternative and complimentary medicine to Siesta Key and surrounding islands of Sarasota. Wellness, at least for Mary, offers a fusion of many disciplines. Her years of higher education and experience assists her when considering your individual medical needs.

Services are available for the individual, couples or small groups.

Locations of services may vary depending on the client’s needs. “Our wellness spa is located just steps from Siesta Key beach where Midnight Pass Road meets Beach Road. However, you may see us on Longboat Key or our newest location coming soon to St. Armand’s Circle,” noted White.

Wellness services include Yoga Therapy for the islands. “The practice of this ancient healing art is centuries old,” says White. “With each pose or ‘asana’ you are powerfully affecting and altering your overall health, well-being, your life and those around you. Yoga Therapy is not only a practice, but very much a discipline offering numerous benefits; pain and stress relief, muscle and soft tissue rehabilitation as well as relief from symptoms of PTSD.” To the novice it may seem overwhelming. You say, “Where do I begin? I could never do this!”

Getting started is the most difficult step. First comes the desire and interest. Next is to contact Still Waters.

Third, allow qualified staff to evaluate your medical condition, make recommendations and work with you on developing a personalized routine.

No matter your age or medical condition, there is surely alternative therapies that may help you feel better and improve your life.

Mary White has worked with many who have experienced real and lasting benefits from Yoga Therapy, Water Movement Therapy, Medical Massage Therapy and more alternatives; stroke recovery, hip and knee replacement rehabilitation, pain, stress and PTSD for St. John’s Fire Department of Charleston, SC, dementia, and now Mary has been approved by our Veteran’s Affairs to treat our active and retired military.

Still Waters is growing its professional team members. They offer both luxury spa and wellness served in a boutique spa environment.

For more information about Still Waters and Mary White, please visit their website at www.siestakeyretreats.com Call/text: 941-404-0881 or email them at siestakeyretreats5700@gmail.com (MM35956) Advertorial

Bill Kinney to be unfounded, he pointed out.

“We took decibel readings during the event, and we had absolutely no issues at all.”

Chamber Chair Mark Smith told Kinney that he heard complaints that the December 2016 event “hindered folks getting to the beach.”

Kinney replied that county staff decided to have the restaurant vendors set up on areas where pavers are located in the beach park. However, Kinney added, he and his staff ensured that the pavers were cleaned thoroughly after the event ended.

“The festival didn’t affect me one way or the other,” Kay Kouvatsos, co-owner of Village Café, told Kinney. However, she continued, she heard complaints about county staff allowing a private enterprise to use a public park to make money. “It raised a lot of tail feathers,” she added.

“I’m not making any money” from the Siesta event for probably three years, Kinney replied, given the start-up nature of the festival on the island. He said he saw the event as an investment in the community, and all of his vendors were based in Sarasota County.

“It’s a county park,” Kouvatsos emphasized.

“The event was sponsored by a not-for-profit organization,” Kinney responded. In May 2015, Kinney said, he asked the leaders of the Siesta Key Village Association to be a partner with him in the first festival on Siesta Beach, but they declined. Then he sought another not-for-profit organization to become involved with the event.

Her biggest concern was the potential for damage to the pavers, Kouvatsos said, given the $21.5 million the county paid for improvements at the beach park.

“We covered the pavers,” Kinney responded, reiterating his view that staff should have put the vendors in a different area.

The parking lot would have been better, Kouvatsos said.

“Let’s get everybody else involved,” Kinney told the Chamber members. “Let’s make this a community event.”

Thirty percent of the attendees were from outside the county,

he added. “This has been a solid event for us across the board,” he added of similar festivals he has planned in other parts of the county. “We haven’t had a failure yet… I just hope that we can all… get along. If there are issues, I am open to addressing issues.”

Kouvatsos told him she attended the inaugural Downtown Sarasota Seafood & Music Festival in 2015 and thought it was “a great event.”

“You gave us some food for thought here,” Smith told Kinney at the conclusion of Kinney’s remarks. “Hopefully, we’ll digest it.”

Subsequent to Kinney’s presentation, Smith sent a survey to Chamber members, asking them their views about the potential for the organization’s partnering with Paragon.

During a July 3 telephone interview with Smith, he stated he had received some responses, and then the Chamber board had discussed the matter. Ultimately, he said, the decision was made “not to get involved with Bill Kinney.”

Smith added, “The Chamber doesn’t want to get in the practice of partnering with third parties.”

Even if the Chamber were just a partner in the Seafood & Music Festival, he pointed out, the public would perceive the event as a Chamber function. That also would mean the Chamber “would take the heat” if the public was upset about any facets of the festival, Smith noted.

“To take the heat for somebody else’s party” is not something the Chamber board wants to do, he said.

When the Chamber handled its first Siesta Fiesta in April, Smith continued, one member was “extremely upset” about how that event transpired. (In the past, the Siesta Key Village Association worked with Howard Alan Events to host Siesta Fiesta; the Chamber absorbed the Village Association at the end of 2016.)

“We’re not going to stop our relationship with Siesta Fiesta,” Smith stressed, “but do we really want to make a habit of working with other entities on events?”

He had sent Kinney a letter explaining the Chamber’s position and wishing Kinney well, Smith added.

During a July 5 telephone interview, Kinney told SNL he had no comment about the Chamber’s decision other than to say, “It’s a shame.”

Asked how the planning is going for the second Siesta festival, he replied, “Phenomenal. … It’s only going to be better this year.” Additionally, Kinney said, county staff has decided to allow the vendors to set up on the sand instead of on the pavers.

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Flavors of India Sarasota - Authentic Indian Cuisine Flavors of India Sarasota is located in a strip mall about ¼ mile south of the Stickney Point Bridge. The outside of this restaurant appears unassuming, but when you enter it is anything but. The interior was remodeled when the new owners took over this location last year and has an amazing ceiling imported from India.

You may even think you’re in Indian heaven when you enter and smell the aromas that greet you. That’s because what they serve here is authentic Indian Cuisine. The daily luncheons are modestly priced at $8.99, during the week and the selections are more than you’d normally find in an Indian buffet. On the weekends they offer a Maharaja Buffet for $11.99.

Menu selections are also available for lunch. Buffet luncheons are served from 11:30 am – 3 pm. The dinner menu starts at 3 pm and lasts until 10 pm. In addition to the traditional Mango Lassi, Masala tea, and Madras coffee, beer and wine are also available for lunch and dinner.

From the many positive reviews, it is evident that service and kitchen staff are professionally trained and continuously work to provide a quality service experience.

As one customer noted, “Fantastic! Greeted by smiles and enthusiasm in this lovely, cozy Indian restaurant.”

As for the food, well, just take a glimpse of some of the many comments posted on Yelp and Trip Advisor. ***Reeeeally great flavors. I don’t eat buffets usually but my friend and I were in a pinch for time so I made a compromise.... I’ve now returned 4 times. This is unlike any buffet I have had Indian or otherwise. It goes on and on: chutneys, salsas, salads, a couple vegetarian and several meat curries, rice and Briyani dishes, breads and desserts, with plenty of fresh Naan brought to the table - perfectly cooked and not

the chicken tikka masala is sooo good! Open on Sunday’s and has a very friendly staff. We will be returning again very soon. ***This is an excellent Indian restaurant and I’ve eaten at several throughout the US. Authentic and delicious and great service too! ***I highly recommend this restaurant! My family and I just moved here from Texas and we love Indian food so we decided to go there. We started with some samosas and as soon as we opened them steam came out; you can tell that they were just made and they tasted delicious!

I split the butter chicken with my mom and that was plenty for the both of us (basmati rice included). The sauce was to die for and the chicken was extremely tender to the point where I didn’t need a knife to cut it. My dad got the chicken vindaloo and I’ve never seen him devour a meal so quickly! He even asked for a second helping of rice. Our waiter was amazing and the atmosphere was relaxing. We have definitely found our hidden gem in paradise!

greasy. Both times everything was very fresh and good quality, super flavorful! It’s only $10 too - ridiculously good - it’s a must try.

Indian favorites. Kerala style shrimp curry was outstanding. Lunch buffet is varied and generous! Wait staff informative, welcoming and kind-hearted!!

***Went for dinner on a Wednesday night and my group had a paneer dish, a lamb dish and a vegetarian dish along with Mango Lassi and paneer naan. All were excellent. The service was very good, our server was very friendly and helpful. The rice was particularly tasty, I’m always impressed when a restaurant manages to master something that is so simple. The lamb vindaloo was VERY spicy, which is exactly how I like it. Delicious food, reasonable prices and great service. Highly recommend this place if you’re in the area.

***I have dined here once and I have to say the food was outstanding. When I dine out I rarely eat Indian as I never feel that the food taste like home (I am Indian). But my experience at Flavors of India was different. The beef fry was so much like the one u get back home. I tried beef, shrimp, Chole Bature and also a goat curry. Every single dish was delicious! Great staff and friendly service!!!

***Just recently discovered via Yelp review.

New owners. Food is authentic, fresh, beautifully prepared. They are from Kerala and menu offerings include many North and South

***The best buffet selection I’ve seen in a long time! The food was delicious. They have a great assortment of food from samosas to goat rogen josh! Everything is worth trying! And

An everybody issue

By Rachel Brown Hackney

During the July SKA meeting, audience members voiced frustration that insufficient public attention is being paid to the potential dredging of Big Pass to renourish about 1.6 miles of South Lido Key. One man told the directors it was his first time attending an SKA meeting, and he was present because of seeing the nonprofit’s full-page advertisement in the July issue of Siesta Sand.

The headline is, “Boaters/Businesses: Will this recreational area be destroyed?” The ad features photos of boats and people on the sandbar in Big Pass and explains facets of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/City of Sarasota proposal for removing about 1.2 million cubic

yards of sand from the pass. (See the related story in this issue.)

There is nothing in the ad “that is not factually based,” SKA Vice President Catherine Luckner told the approximately 35 attendees of the meeting. Bob Spicer, who recently became an SKA director, explained that the SKA board members have a strategy for more extensive advertising. “This board just needs to agree when and where to place those ads.”

“People think this is a sand war between Lido and Siesta,” Lorna Nagler said. “This affects everybody. How do we get the word out?”

Nagler continued, “It’s not an environmental issue. It’s an everybody issue.” She suggested

more use of social media, perhaps with the hashtag #savebigpass.

Luckner pointed out that Spicer - who has an extensive professional marketing background - worked on the Siesta Sand ad with fellow SKA Director Joe Volpe and Dave Thomas, a longtime member of the SKA’s Environmental Committee. Then Luckner explained to new members that the original Save Our Sand group was an SKA committee that fought to prevent the City of Venice from dredging Big Pass for a beach renourishment project more than 20 years ago, in the early 1990s. (The nonprofit Save Our Siesta Sand 2 — SOSS2 — is chaired by Peter van Roekens, who served as an SKA director

***7 of us eat dinner at Flavors of India and we all would rate the experience with 5 stars.

Every entree was well prepared, with excellent sauces, generous sizes, and good service. It’s been hard to find a 5 star Indian restaurant.

While only open 5 months, they have already set a high bar. This place is now a must on all our lists.

“Our customers are our guests, and we treat our guests like god,” say co-owners Lijo Lukose and Sijil Mon Thomas, “ ‘Athithi Devo Bhava’ is our motto.” That pretty much sums up why they have such a loyal following.

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Fri, Sat, Sun - 11:30 am - 10:00 pm. They are closed on Tuesdays. (Advertorial)

for many years before his retirement from the board in 2014.)

The SKA and SOS won that fight in 1994, Luckner continued. In fact, she said, the same law firm that represented SOS in that legal challenge is the firm that the SKA hired for the current challenge: Hopping Green & Sams of Tallahassee.

SOSS2’s members “essentially are partners with us now,” she explained, as the two nonprofits are sharing resources for the upcoming Florida Division of Administrative Hearings proceeding in late August. That will be the first forum for the legal challenges to be fully heard, she added.

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Restaurant/Fish Market Serves Up a Big Dose of Seafood Freshness

Congratulations to Jeannetta Tolar. Owners, Todd and Eddie Morton of Morton’s Siesta Market helped Jeannetta celebrate her 42 years of service at the same village market location.

She also took her first trolley ride with friends in honor of her special day.

Living in Florida, you expect to find fresh seafood no matter where you dine. If you are a local seafood lover, you probably have a mental list of go-to restaurants which serve the freshest seafood. This new, up and coming restaurant/fish market will undoubtedly find a place on your list.

Fresh Catch Fish Market & Grill, located at 7119 S. Tamiami Trail, just south of Stickney Point Road in the Buccaneer Plaza, is a casual restaurant/market with indoor and outdoor seating for close to 30. It occupies the space formerly known as G’s Pizza.

The father/son duo, Bob and Devon Provost have a serious passion for seafood which started way back when the family lived in the Boston area.

Their simply prepared, never-fried, never-frozen dishes are paired with a variety of simple sauces that serve to complement, so the freshness of the seafood shines.

Your fish/seafood selection goes from the case onto the grill. Prepared grilled or blackened, topped with lemon and butter, Pico de Gallo or tropical salsa. Served with a fresh ear of corn on the cob and baby roasted potatoes. Soups, salads, sandwiches and steam pots round out the menu. If room permits, be sure to order a slice of their homemade key lime pie. Bob’s wife, Debra, makes the key lime pie, using freshly whipped cream. The restaurant also offers a nice selection of beers and wines.

Here’s what patrons are saying about the restaurant online: • This is my new favorite place in Sarasota or Siesta Key. It’s so good and fresh. I could eat here every night and you could with their daily specials. I want them all! We had the clam chowder and lobster bisque both wonderful, some of the best ever. The salads were nice and very good grilled bread slices to go with each. Steamed shrimp with old bay were fresh and delicious. The Royal Reds shrimp came on a skewer and were very good and big!! This dinner came with fresh corn on the cob and wonderful herb new potatoes. The crab pots looked so good I wish I could have had that too. Their one dessert key lime pie looked so good but too full to find out this time! Nice friendly services with a family run business in attractive casual surroundings. Will be back anytime I’m in the area.

As seen on abc7, Suncoast View with chef Judy, Best New Restaurants (April 5, 2017)

Welcomed warmly by the owners and felt the pride they take in their establishment. I had the fish stew and crab cakes. Stew was thick and hearty and the portion was huge. Crab cakes are all crab and perfectly prepared. Wife had a side salad and grouper fish tacos that she is still raving about. Given the quantity and quality of the food, prices are very reasonable. Will definitely be a regular.

• Tried this place on the recommendation of a friend.

Came by for lunch. Staff is very friendly. It’s a new place and one can tell they are new to the restaurant business. However, that’s not a negative. The effort they are putting in shows.

They really care about experience they are providing. I had the grouper tacos. My wife had the grouper sandwich. The grouper tasted like it was caught this morning. Perfectly seasoned and cooked. The sides are fresh and healthy tasting. We also got a pound of jumbo stone crabs that were excellent. This is definitely worth the stop.

• This Restaurant is a Wonderful Find! Excellent fresh fish. We had the See more reviews online at Devon, Debra, and Fish (Mahi Mahi) Tacos and the Fresh Yelp and Trip Advisor Bob Provost Catch. We brought a picky friend from Special orders and reservations accepted Belgium and she LOVED the food. The restaurant is tucked away in Buccaneer Plaza off 41 just Fresh Catch Fish Market and Grill is open from south of Stickney Pt. Bridge that goes to Siesta Key. We 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday. will definitely be back.

941-413-7133 • Wife and I totally enjoyed our meal at Fresh Catch. freshcatchfishmarketandgrill.com (Advertorial)

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Siesta Promenade plan revised to include 415 residential dwelling units and a 130-room hotel, plus commercial space, latest documents show

By Rachel Brown Hackney Benderson Development has revised its plans for the proposed Siesta Promenade project to encompass 415 residential dwelling units, a hotel with 130 rooms and 140,000 square feet of retail and office space, as outlined in materials submitted to Sarasota County’s Planning and Development Department on June 28.

The application Benderson filed with the county in August 2016 called for 506 dwelling units and a 150-room hotel, with 140,000 square feet of retail/office space.

A recent Siesta Key Association survey that included a question about the 2016 Siesta Promenade plans found that, by a ratio of 23-1, members agreed with the nonprofit’s “push for no increase in density or intensity” and its opposition to “any plan that will exacerbate traffic congestion.” More than half the members responded to the survey.

In January, the County Commission voted 4-1 to allow Benderson to proceed with specific studies in accord with the company’s petition for a Critical Area Plan (CAP) designation for the approximately 24-acre site at the northwest intersection of U.S. 41 and Stickney Point Road. If ultimately approved, the CAP designation would allow Benderson a density up to 25 units per acre, instead of the 13 permitted for the county’s Commercial General zoning districts. That also would enable the company to construct buildings as tall as 85 feet, which it is continuing to plan on, as evidenced by documentation in the materials it filed on June 28.

County staff estimated it would take up to 45 days to complete the review of the material. After the application has been determined complete, a county Planning and Development Services Department notice said, it probably will be another 60 days before the Planning Commission will hold the first public hearing on the Siesta Promenade proposal, with the County Commission hearing 45 days later, at the earliest. By our calculations, the County Commission hearing probably would not be scheduled before some time in November.

Benderson is seeking county approval to rezone the property, too. As Todd Mathes, director of development for Benderson, explains in the newly submitted material, the firm “purchased the Pine Shores mobile home park and adjacent parcels that are components of the Stickney Point Road project in 2005. The property was used as a mobile home park starting in the mid-1950s.”

However, Mathes continues, the county’s Future Land Use designation of the site recently was changed to Commercial Center and Commercial Corridor. “Accordingly,” Mathes points out, “our company has studied a number of different potential commercial uses for the project, ranging from a mix of residential, hospitality, and commercial uses that were dense and intense in form, to lifestyle and town center projects that evoke new urbanism concepts.” Therefore, he adds, “What we are presenting to the County for consideration is a mixed use, open air retail/small lifestyle center … The proposed layout will significantly enhance the streetscape of the Stickney Point Road and U.S. 41 intersection [by constructing a series of buildings] along the perimeter of the property.”

In the original site plan Benderson developed for the property — in 2014 — the project “would have transitioned quickly from commercial to single family residential,” Mathes continues. “The mixed use project provides a residential buffer, stepping down to a three story, multi-family building before transitioning to the single family neighborhood of Pine Shores Estates.”

Facets of the traffic studies The documentation included an updated traffic analysis, as required by the County Commission. The Kimley-Horn and Associates report is dated April 2017.

While noting that the “final access configuration of project driveways must be approved by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT),” Kimley-Horn says its analysis included these considerations: • That the project driveway along U.S. 41 allow only right turns in and out of the site. “In addition,” the analysis notes, “this intersection location was located as far north as possible to provide as much distance between this driveway and the U.S. 41 & SR 72/Stickney Point Road intersection, as requested by FDOT.” • That the westernmost driveway along Stickney Point Road would be aligned with Avenue B and C as a full-access, signalized driveway. Because of that, the document says, the analysis included the assumption that the existing median opening at Stickney Point Road and Glencoe Avenue would be closed.

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• That the central driveway for Siesta Promenade along Stickney Point Road would allow only right turns into and out of the development.

• That the easternmost driveway along Stickney Point Road would allow only right turns into the property.

Kimley-Horn also points out that FDOT’s Five-Year Work Program for Sarasota County does not include any funding for roadway capacity projects within the vicinity of the site within the next five years. However, the report adds, FDOT has planned a “safety improvement project” at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Stickney Point Road that is scheduled to go out for bids in July 2019. “The right-turn lanes are proposed to be modified to operate under signalized control as opposed to the existing channelized right-turn lanes which will provide a safety enhancement to both pedestrians and bicyclists,” the report says.

As SNL interprets that, vehicles no longer would be able to turn right on red from U.S. 41 onto Stickney Point Road or from Stickney Point Road onto U.S. 41.

Because the County Commission called for the Siesta Promenade traffic studies to be undertaken during high tourist season, Kimley-Horn conducted motor vehicle counts at the specified intersections on Feb. 15 and Feb. 25, the report points out. The periods it analyzed were 4 to 6 p.m. on a weekday and 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. on a Saturday, the report notes.

Residents of those immediate areas have said, however, that those are not peak beach-going times. Yet, the residents maintain that the high number of motor vehicles headed to and from the beach at the height of tourist season needs to be incorporated into traffic analyses for Siesta Promenade.

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June 20 - July 18, 2017

There were a total of 40 crimes reported on the Key between 6/20-7/18/17

6/24 Grand Theft 5100 Block Ocean Blvd.

A man visiting the Key with his parents went into the Village after eating dinner with them. He visited several bars and had several alcoholic drinks throughout the night. After closing time, he met up with a group of subjects he had talked with earlier. When he mentioned that he would be going home, the group offered him a ride. The victim accepted the ride and got into their vehicle. He says from that point on, he doesn’t remember anything very clearly.

Approximately 3 ½ hours later he woke up in an unknown place and walked to a WaWa gas station at 301 and Myrtle with injuries to his face, and several personal items missing. He believes he was punched in the head at some point, but was unable to provide any information on where it would have occurred, when it occurred, or any suspect description. The victim was missing his wallet and its contents, $200 cash and $550 in jewelry he had been wearing.

He had obvious bruising on his face. The subjects who gave him a ride were described as three white males, approximately 20-30 years old. One was wearing a hat. No other information was available.

6/26/17 Burglary- Vehicle 1200 Block N Basin Ln. An unknown suspect entered a man’s boat and removed $400 worth of seat covers. A zipper to the canvas top was also damaged as if the suspects were trying to remove it as well. The man did not report the incident right away and took his boat out on the water. The boat was unable to be processed for prints due to contamination of evidence by the owner and his passengers.

The victim reported the theft to the dock master where his boat is kept.

6/28/17 Theft 6100 Block Midnight Pass Rd. A cell phone theft was captured on video at a Siesta condominium.

In the video, the victim is seen leaving her iPhone 6SE on the hockey table. Two females in their twenties are seen observing the phone and the security cameras.

They both stand in front of the phone and place a bag on it. They

then pick up the bag and walk away with two white males. The phone is no longer visible. They all leave the clubhouse and walk to villa 27. The phone was not observed missing until after the suspects had checked out of the condo and left the premises.

7/4/17 Theft Public Beach A young man reported that when he returned to his chair after swimming in the water, he noticed the zippers on his backpack open and his iPhone5s missing. He did not see anyone take his phone but was able to track it on his find my iPhone app. The first search showed the phone to be off so no signal was available. When he checked the next day, the signal was on and showing somewhere in Orlando.

7/4/17 Grand Theft 5900 Midnight Pass Rd. An unknown suspect removed two bicycles from the bike rack at a Siesta condominium. The bikes were not locked but the lock was threaded through the rear wheels.

Video cameras face this area but were unavailable at the time of the report due to the office being closed for Independence Day. A message was left at the office in reference to the video. The bikes were valued at $900.

7/5 Robbery 5800 Block Midnight Pass Rd. Two juveniles were robbed and beaten after attempting to purchase marijuana from someone they had met at the beach earlier in the day. According to the victims, they were approached by the suspects in front of the public

beach. The suspects had asked if they would be interested in purchasing marijuana. The victims exchanged Snapchat information with one of the suspects. Later that night when they attempted to buy the marijuana from the suspects they were jumped and robbed of $150 in cash. The victims did not know the name of the suspects and were unable to retrieve any Snapchat info since it had been blocked. They were described as three to four black males all in their twenties. There did not appear to be any cameras on the property, which would have captured the event.

7/5/17 Battery Public Beach A deputy observed multiple people arguing near the sun deck.

He approached the subjects and was informed by the victim that the suspect had struck him in the face with a closed fist. The victim said the attack was completely unprovoked. The suspect stated he hit the victim because he was “grinding” on some women who were with the suspect. The victim did not appear to be injured and did not wish to be treated. He did not wish to pursue charges and signed a waiver of prosecution.

Both parties were intoxicated and left the area with other friends without further incident.

7/12/17 Burglary /Vehicle 600 Block Treasure Boat Way A man reported his Honda CRV and Honda Pilot were burglarized while they were parked in his driveway. Both cars had been left unlocked and were rummaged through. A wallet, various credit cards and $110 were taken from the Pilot.

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Letters to the Editor Sirs, I am a long-time resident of Siesta Key. I am at the Siesta Key beaches virtually every day. My tourist friends are here because of the beaches, primarily the beaches that are protected by the Big Pass shoal.

These beach strands are dynamic, not static. Over the past 40 years the strands have expanded and contracted. This is Mother Nature in action--she giveth and taketh away. Adding sand to enlarge the beach strand is not a permanent fix, because of the complex of tide, wind and water current and velocity.

The Lido Key beach strand experience, broad or narrow, is similar to Siesta Key. My friendly advice to Lido Key beach re-nourishment proponents is two-fold: be patient and expect natural beach re-nourishment; or, purchase sand that is available from sources other than Siesta Key--a short-term, expensive, and ultimately, futile project.

My unfriendly notice to Lido Key is that I will protect Siesta Key beaches from sand larceny by litigation in federal and state courts, and by seeking appropriate legislation.

Richard E. Friedman Recently I became more aware of the issues related to the proposed dredging of Big Pass to replenish the beaches of Lido Key. Although I was aware there were concerns from many people on this issue, I wasn’t aware the potential impact that dredging could have on all of the areas bordering the Gulf and Sarasota Bay. The problem I have is that the information on the potential issues doesn’t come from the local media or our elected officials but rather from a small group of concerned citizens that have made it their responsibility and expense to get information to the public.

How is it possible that these issues don’t get more attention in our public discourse so we can make balanced and informed decisions on these crucial issues.

I would encourage you to use your position in the community to foster more conversation and help us all find the true facts of this proposed action.

John Garrity, Sarasota

Thank you Siesta Sand Editor for comprehensive coverage in the ongoing saga of the imminent disaster churning in the Gulf of Mexico entrance to Sarasota Harbor. As a Siesta Key resident of 34 years I’ve been evacuated a few times for nature’s beach renourishing and denourishing, watched Katrina’s and BP Horizon’s destruction of regions of the northern Gulf Coast.

I find it incomprehensible that we citizens and our elected leaders and judges could even consider allowing the planned man-made destruction of one of Nature’s creations, Big Sarasota Pass, wholesome, protective Big Pass Shoal, Sarasota Harbor, America’s No.1 Beach, and countless homes along the shores which would be affected if the Army Corps suggestion is followed. Recent review by the SKA, as published in your last edition, reveals the Corps study even mentions the added damage to occur to Lido, Bird, and Siesta Keys from Western storms due to doubling wave action after proposed dredging.

I agree that waterfront homes should be protected. The logical, easiest method to renourish Lido’s Gulf front shores is to replace with limitless offshore sand from the Gulf, then repeat the process each time a storm removes it. Help the Gulf front properties while preserving the Bayfront and Big Pass properties AND the channel depth for vessels to enter Sarasota harbor!

Peter Wolff , Sarasota Dear Editor, History does repeat itself!

When we moved to Siesta almost 30 years ago, the Army Corps was trying to convince people that all would be well after they removed the protective sandbar off the Siesta Beach. We started SOS, Save Our Sand, and defeated them. Several natural disasters later, Katrina , Sandy , the flooding of the Mississippi, most caused by the Army Corps, they are still trying to get people to drink the koolaid that “all will be well.” If we are ignorant of history we are indeed doomed to repeat it.

Sincerely, Marian Peters

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Siesta Key Round-Up More funds for the south Siesta Beach renourishment During the County Commission’s June 20 budget workshop, Rob Lewis, director of community and intergovernmental relations for the county, reported that the county was successful in obtaining about $5.9 million more from the state to pay for the South Siesta Beach Renourishment Project, which was completed in the spring of 2016.

County leaders joined forces with the Florida Association of Counties to increase the amount of state funds set aside this year for beach renourishment initiatives, Lewis pointed out.

Commissioner Nancy Detert was pleased to hear that news, she told Lewis. As a state representative and later a state senator, Detert often worked to help her constituents obtain money to bolster their beaches, she has noted.

The South Siesta project cost approximately $21.5 million overall.

www.siestasand.net

By Rachel Brown Hackney/Bob Stein

How many people???

SKA Vice President Catherine Luckner recently shared a very big number with this reporter, that Visit Sarasota County had shared with her on June 17: Since Stephen Leatherman of Florida International University — Dr. Beach — announced just before the start of Memorial Day weekend that Siesta once again is the No. 1 beach in the U.S., the total number of “media impressions” had hit the 597,000,000 mark.

“Media impression” refers to a person’s viewing information on television, for example, or reading about it in a publication.

Full-time Siesta residents have been a bit conflicted over the beach’s honor. When Siesta won the distinction in 2011, tourists flocked to the Key more thickly than migratory birds in the wintertime. Memorial Day and July 4 weekends also saw a greater influx of visitors than anticipated.

Another boom would be good news for businesses; bad news for residents would be all those extra people competing for spots on the beach and in island restaurants.

Leave your car, use the trolley and the Free Rides to get around the island.

Too close a call Glen Medeiros, co-owner of the Lobster Pot in Siesta Village, truly was counting his blessings on July 5, a day after a truck plowed into the patio in front of the restaurant.

His son and partner in the business, Tony, had given him the day off for the July Fourth holiday, Glen said. “Normally, I work on Tuesdays,” he continued, “and I sit at that table where that truck went through,” placing orders. “So I am blessed,” he said. “I am blessed.”

The crash occurred around 9:45 a.m., based on reports. The driver apparently had a medical problem.

The truck was headed north on Ocean Boulevard, reports said, when it veered into the Lobster Pot. Sgt. Jason Mruczek, leader of the Sheriff’s Office substation on the Key, also told SNL that the driver “may have suffered a medical episode.” The Florida Highway Patrol handled the accident, Mruczek pointed out.

“We are thankful that we were closed and nobody was killed

here,” Medeiros added.

Not only was he spared injury, he pointed out, but so were bystanders.

Normally, Medeiros said, at that time of morning, 20 to 25 people are lined up in front of the restaurant as they wait in line to buy treats from the adjacent Meaney’s Mini Donuts. “Luckily, yesterday, they were on the opposite side,” in front of Morton’s Siesta Market, he noted.

Even though he was supposed to be taking off July 4, Medeiros continued, he had decided to come in anyway and help out Tony. “It was a pretty scary situation,” he added of the truck’s crashing into the long-time Siesta Village dining establishment.

Sheriff happy to give up Midnight Pass space During Sheriff Tom Knight’s budget presentation to the County Commission on June 20, Commissioner Nancy Detert took the opportunity to ask about the training facility the office has on South Midnight Pass Road. In recent budget workshops, the commission has affirmed to county staff its intent to turn that space into a public parking lot and Siesta Trolley stop.

Although the Sheriff’s Office has been using one structure on the site, the county Utilities Department owns the property.

Knight explained to Detert on June 20 that the primary facility for his officers on the Key is in the Public Safety Building at Siesta Key Beach. When he was elected in 2008, he pointed out, the Sheriff’s Office rented space in Siesta Village for its substation. “Pretty high rent,” he added.

During the recession, he continued, Col. Kurt Hoffman, his chief deputy, was able to negotiate a much lower rate. However, after the downturn ended, Knight said, “they jacked [the rent] back up. So we bailed out.”

He did not know about the South Midnight Pass Road training facility for some time, Knight indicated. When he saw it for the first time, he continued, he thought, “‘This is nice, working on Siesta Key, right down from Captain Curt’s Crab & Oyster Bar.’” Continued on page 22

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

AUGUST 2017

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

VILLAGE MAP pgs 22 - 23

ACCOMMODATIONS PAGE 42

GULF GATE SHOPS pgs 28 - 29

CRESCENT BEACH MAP pg 24

LOCAL MAPS INSIDE

LIVE MUSIC PAGE 26

21

The Publication with “Key” Information | www.SiestaSand.net | 941.349.0194

Siesta Key Drum Circle Before You Leave...

If you have any non-perishable food items that have not been opened, the Siesta Key Chamber, located at 5114 Ocean Blvd, in the Village at the Davidson Plaza along with St. Michael’s Parish, located at 5394 Midnight Pass Road will gladly take these items and pass them on to the less fortunate in the Sarasota area.

Chamber hours for items to be dropped off are as follows: Monday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

For instructions on after hour drop-offs, please contact the Chamber office at 941-349-3800.

St. Michael’s hours for items to be dropped off are as follows: Monday – Thursday: 8 a.m. – Noon and again from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Friday: 8 a.m. – Noon.

If you are dropping off items after hours, please leave any items at the front door of the parish office.

For any additional questions, please contact the office at 941-349-4174.

Every Sunday is a perfect time to come to the Key to reconnect with Mother Nature and to enjoy some wonderful entertainment. I’m talking about the Siesta Key Drum Circle that takes place each Sunday starting about an hour before sunset and lasting until about 10 p.m. The gathering meets up just south of the main pavilion - just follow your ears and watch for the swelling crowd.

Please note the following rules of etiquette that need to be observed at the Drum Circle so that all can enjoy the experience: the inside of the drum circle is for participants only, not for people standing around. Feel free to enter the circle, take a picture and dance, but always keep moving. Never play someone’s drum without getting clearance from the owner. Always ask before borrowing other people’s property, especially hula hoops. Flash photography and bright video lights are distracting, so photograph during daylight or use a night vision camera. And

finally, please do not drink alcohol or smoke inside the circle and respect our beach by placing all trash in the appropriate receptacles.

Photo Courtesy of Samantha Rose.

Before you leave Sarasota, you must try this one!

As seen on the Food Network Guy Fieri’s “Diner’s, Drive-In’s and Dive’s” show. The TurDucKen “One big bird” Boneless chicken stuffed in a boneless duck stuffed in a boneless turkey with a variety of great seasonings. Alpine Steakhouse just off of Siesta Key located between the bridges at 4520 S. Tamiami Trail.

941-922-3797

Lunch Turducken Sandwich $8.95 and Dinner Turducken $18.95 w/mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce

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941.349.0194

Paid Parking at Siesta Beach Yet, people have been reluctant to talk about the county’s charging for parking at the beach.

“The trolley was a magnificent idea those folks on Siesta thought up,” Maio added. If the county could create parking options off the island and extend the trolley’s route to pick up those drivers and passengers, he said, that would be a solution.

“I agree with all of that,” Chair Caragiulo replied.

The key for visitors who are used to the freedom personal vehicles provide them, Commissioner Michael Moran pointed out, is making certain they can get back to those vehicles quickly if they do use a mass transit system to reach the beach.

In response to questions about the County Commission discussion, Harold Ashby, president of the Siesta Key Association (SKA), wrote in an email that he was unable to comment on behalf of the nonprofit, because the directors have not discussed the topic since he joined the board last year. “In due course,” he added, “SKA will address the topic and make its position known.”

Mark Smith, chair of the Siesta Key Chamber

DISCOVERTHEYEAROFTHE

Continued from cover story

of Commerce, declined to comment when SNL spoke with him about the commission discussion.

Then and now In early February 2014, the issue of paid parking at the beach arose at an SKA meeting: A woman in the audience asked then-County Commissioner Nora Patterson why the county continued to let everyone park at the beach for free.

“I’m not the proper spokesman,” Patterson replied. “I was on the other side of this issue.”

In 2008, Patterson was part of a 3-2 board majority that did approve fees for parking at county beaches. Subsequently, Shannon Staub, then the chair, changed her mind about the plan, and the commission scrapped the idea.

On July 11, Commission Chair Caragiulo told his colleagues, “I know it’s a dangerous conversation to have about people paying.”

However, he added, he believes that if the county started out with just a small area where a fee was charged, over time, people would realize that paid parking is the only solution to the traffic congestion.

Siesta Key Round-Up

exceptional guest experience is at the cor day-to-day operations. Our staff is comm going above and beyond, and this reco is a reflection of their hard work an dedication to superior customer service

Congratulations to the Best Western Plus!

With turtles appearing to be on track pun intended — for another record-br nesting season, Siesta residents recently concerns about holes beachgoers are lea One person sent the paper a photo of trapped in a hole, pointing out that the cr cannot just back up if they start into a someone has left on the shore.

After checking with staff in respon query, county spokesman Drew Win reported in a July 10 email that Parks, Rec and Natural Resources Department emp are working with the SKA leaders and to increase awareness of the situation educate visitors about the danger to tur On its website, Mote Marine’s turtle tips includes this advisory: “Beach fur trash and other obstacles can impede sea and their young.”

Nesting season began on May 1 an

The Best Western Plus Siesta Key Gateway Hotel received the 2017 TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence for the fourth consecutive year, the hotel has announced.

Now in its seventh year, the award “celebrates hospitality businesses that have earned great traveler reviews on TripAdvisor over the past year,” a news release points out. “Certificate of Excellence recipients include accommodations, restaurants and attractions located all over the world that have continually delivered a quality customer experience,” the release adds.

“The Best Western Plus Siesta Key Gateway Hotel is honored to receive the 2017 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence,” said Maria Bankemper, co-owner and director of operations, in the release. “Delivering an

Daiquiri

3-7 PM Y L I A D S I DAIQUIR ACCOMMODATIONS Siesta Key Beach Resort & Spa.....Map-A #38A ANTIQUES Relics on the Key .................................Map-D #9 ART GALLERY / STUDIO Calle Studios..........................................Map-B #32 The Gallery on Siesta Key................... Map-D #11 ATM / BANKS PNC ATM.............................................. Map-C #61 Martin Funding.......................................Map-E #1 Sun Trust Bank & ATM..........................Map-E #4 BARS & NIGHTCLUBS Blaśe Café.............................................Map-A #38 Daiquiri Deck Raw Bar.................Map-B #42-43 Gilligan’s.............................................. Map-B #33 Siesta Key Oyster Bar......................... Map-B #45 The Beach Club...................................Map-D #22 The Cottage........................................... Map-C #58 The Hub-Baja Grill............................... Map-D #59

NOW WITH 4 LOCATIONS...

SOUTH SIESTA KEY • ISLAND OF VENICE • SIESTA KEY VILLAGE • ST. ARMANDS CIRCLE Map B #42

COFFEE SHOPS Lelu’s Coffee Lounge......................... Map-B #31 The Local Bean.....................................Map-D #62 DRUGSTORE Davidson’s Drugs................................Map-D #65 FASHION & ACCESSORIES Beach Bazaar’s & Swin Shack........... Map-C #28 Blvd. Beachwear....................................Map-B #30 Comfort Shoes-Birki & More...........Map-D #64 Everything But Water.......................... Map-D #12 Foxy Lady Fashions............................. Map-A #40 Gidget’s Coastal Provisions.............. Map-B #44 Island Boutique.....................................Map-B #50 Island Style............................................ Map-C #53 Lotus Boutique..................................... Map-D #66 Marley Vibes........................................... Map-D #9 Sea Shanty............................................. Map-C #24 Siesta T’s.................................................Map-B #30 The Sandal Factory...............................Map-B #46

DAIQUIRIDECK.COM

GAS STATION Circle K Store...........................................Map-E #6 GIFTS & SOUVENIRS Beach Bazaar........................................ Map-C #28 From God’s Garden............................... Map-D #9 Island Trader......................................... Map-C #51 Sea Pleasures & Treasures.................... Map-C #2 Siesta Key Outfitters...........................Map-D #11 Siesta Kids..............................................Map-B #36 HEALTH & FITNESS Indep. Lifestyle Solutions .................. Map-D #10 Siesta Key Fitness............................... Map-B #73 ICE CREAM/TREATS Big Olaf Creamery............................... Map-C #52 Ciao Gelato............................................ Map-C #50 Made in Rome Gelato........................ Map-C #53 Meany’s Mini Donuts.......................... Map-C #24 SubZero Ice Cream/Yogurt................ Map-D #16 Sunni Bunni Frozen Yogurt................ Map-C #53 The Donut Experiment........................ Map-D #16 INTERNET / WiFi SERVICES Davidson Drugs..................................Map-D #65 Internet Cafe........................................... Map-D #9 Lelu Coffee Lounge............................ Map-B #31 The Local Bean.....................................Map-D #62 JEWELRY Created Gems....................................... Map-C #51 Mount -N- Repair Jewelers.................Map-D #9

Map C #61

Continued from page 20

Still, he told Detert, “We don’t belong there. … We’re out of there. … You can have it.”

“They really want a parking lot there.” Detert responded.

Knight did suggest that razing the building would be a good idea, “because it leaks.”

MEET ME AT THE DECK!

2-4-1

www.siestasand.net

LIQUOR STORES / FINE WINES Gabbiano’s Wine Club.......................Map-D #70 Gilligan’s.............................................. Map-B #33 Siesta Key Wines................................. Map-C #61 Siesta Village Liquors........................ Map-C #26 The Beach Club...................................Map-D #22

Watch out for the turtles

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k — no reaking y raised aving. a turtle reatures a trench

nse to a nchester creation ployees d others and to rtles. nesting rniture, a turtles

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www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

AUGUST 2017

conclude on Oct. 31.

Mote Marine Laboratory’s documentation of nests for the week of July 2-8 showed Siesta had a total of 488. In comparison, Siesta Key had 310 nests for the same period of the 2016 nesting season.

The week of July 24-30, 2016, Siesta Key broke its previous record of 408 total nests, set in 2015.

Mote’s final count for 2016 nests put the Siesta total at 476. Altogether, the county had 4,578 last year.

Pilot whale stranding The pilot whale found stranded on the beach at Point of Rocks about 4 a.m. on June 23 was much older than Mote Marine Laboratory’s response team originally suspected, Shelby Isaacson, Mote’s public relations manager, stated in a telephone interview.

After the team returned to Mote with the whale, she said, it discovered that the mammal was a mature male instead of a juvenile. During the necropsy staff performed, she continued, the whale was found to be 16.9 feet in length, and it weighed 3,675 pounds.

At this point, she said, the Mote team has no “smoking gun” for the cause of death. However,

it has sent off samples for further testing.

Isaacson cautioned, however, that the results still may not provide a definitive answer.

The necropsy did reveal what Isaacson called “very typical findings” of whales in strandings, including minor parasite “loads” and an empty stomach. The mammal also had scarring to indicate it had interaction with human long-line fishing, she pointed out, though that incident was not associated with the stranding.

The American Cetacean Society says pilot whales feed primarily on squid, though they also are known to eat octopus, cuttlefish, herring and other small fish when they cannot find squid. When males reach sexual maturity, the Society’s material adds, they generally are about 15 to 16 feet in length. They continue to grow until they are approximately 20 feet long and weigh up to 3 tons, it says.

The lifespan for a male, according to Wikipedia, is about 45 years.

The mammals are found in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres and in tropical and temperate waters, the Cetacean Society notes.

Additionally, the whales are considered to be very social and most often are found in groups of 20 to 90, the Society points out.

The report about the whale went first to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, Isaacson noted, and then the office contacted Mote.

Rebeccah Hazelkorn, senior biologist with Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program, talked with beachgoers at the scene before the whale was towed to Mote’s facilities on City Island.

Final property value for Public Improvement District The overall taxable value of property in the Siesta Key Village Public Improvement District (PID) for this year is $67,704,401, the county Property Appraiser’s Office reported — along with the other final values, which were due to the state by July 1.

The total for the PID is an increase from the 2016 value of $66,686,461.

The Public Improvement District is the area where Sarasota County undertook the beautification initiative that was completed in early 2009.

The property owners pay taxes each year that cover the cost of upkeep in the district.

Continued on page 32

• segway rentals • PaDDleBOarDs • scOOter cars • kayak tOurs/rentals • Bikes • scOOters Map B #34 • Beach gear

23

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

NOTICE: Looking for the Village Barber?

For those that have enjoyed the cuts and comradery at The Village Barber over the years, you can still continue to see Scott at his new location. In July 2015, Scott Reich announced moving out of the Village and off the Key. Reich and his stepfather Pete Sparks had been servicing patrons in the Village for the past 20 years. The Siesta Center was sold and the new ownership of the Ocean Blvd building wasn’t quite meeting up to expectations he and Sparks had of the new landlord. Sparks announced his retirement and Reich announced a move to The Shop SRQ at 6625 Gateway Ave. in Gulf Gate. You can reach Scott Reich at 941-3460222. His hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tues – Fri, and Sat from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. www.

SiestaKeyBarbershop.com

Gizeh

5255 Ocean Blvd • Siesta Key Village www.robinhoodrentals.net

Mayari

941-554-4242

MAILING - SHIPPING UPS store............................................... Map-A #41 US Post Office....................................... Map-D #65

Boston

MARKETS/FOOD STORES Circle K Store...........................................Map-E #6 Morton’s Siesta Market...................... Map-C #25

Arizona Map D #64

MASSAGE Hands of Light Massage......................Map-B #35 Massage Experience Siesta Key........Map-D #62 Massage Therapy....................................Map-E #1 Siesta Key Massage Ctr........................Map-D #9 MEDICAL - DENTAL Siesta Medical Center.......................... Map-D #63 Siesta Key Physical Therapy............... Map-D #20 Siesta Dental........................................ Map-B #49 MISCELLANEOUS Chamber of Commerce....................... Map-D #67 Roberti Enterprises.............................. Map-A #39 Tarot Card Reading & Gifts.................Map-B #50 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Edward Jones Investments................Map-D #68 Smith Architects...................................... Map-E 74 REAL ESTATE / RENTAL SERVICES Ascendia Real Estate............................ Map-D #11 Coldwell Banker Realty....................... Map-D #20 Horizon Realty......................................Map-B #34 Island Homes........................................ Map-C #51 Key Realty.............................................. Map-E #5 Michael Saunders Realty................... Map-E #72 Re/Max Alliance Group..................... Map-D #60 ReMax Tropical Sands.......................Map-D #67 Robasota Rentals & Real Estate.......Map-A #39 Siesta Key Realty...................................Map-D #9 Waterfront 7 Realty.............................. Map-C #56 Waterside Realty.................................. Map-C #29 RESTAURANTS / CAFÉS Another Broken Egg................... Map-C #54 & 55 Blasé Café.............................................Map-A #38 Bonjour French Cafe............................ Map-C #47 Café Gabbiano.....................................Map-D #71 Daiquiri Deck Raw Bar.................Map-B #42-43 Flavio’s Brick Oven & Bar....................Map-B #29 Flavio’s Italiano Ristorante..................Map-B #30 Gilligan’s Island Bar & Grill............ Map-B #33 LeLu’s Coffee Bar................................ Map-B #31 Lobster Pot............................................ Map-C #23 Napoli’s Italian Restaurant................. Map-C #53 Old Salty Dog Rest. & Pub.....................Map-E #2 PI Pizza & Craft Beer...........................Map-A#37 Señor Siesta..........................................Map-D #69 Siesta Key Deli...................................... Map-A #37 Siesta Key Oyster Bar......................... Map-B #45 Solorzano Bros. Pizzeria....................Map-D #15 Subway Sandwiches.............................Map-B #30 Sun Garden Café.................................. Map-D #19 The Cottage........................................... Map-C #58 The Hub - Baja Grill............................. Map-D #59 Village Café..........................................Map-D #14 SPAS - HAIR & BEAUTY LaPlaya Spa........................................... Map-C #50 Sassy Hair Salon................................... Map-A #40 Siesta Key Nails.....................................Map-D #9 SPORTS INTEREST/RENTALS CaliFlorida..............................................Map-B #29 Robin Hood Rentals........................... Map-B #34 Siesta Village Outfitters....................... Map-C #53

Bringing you quality and comfort for more than 30 years!

Birkenstock & More 5128 Ocean Blvd. Siesta Village

941-346-7425 www.rickscomfortshoes.com

Map D #11

THE LOCAL BEAN • Internet Café • Coffee Shop • Tea Room 5138 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key Village

941-346-8000

WHAT BETTER WAY TO START YOUR DAY IN PARADISE?

Map D #62

Organic and Fair Trade Coffees & Teas Cold Pressed Coffee Organic Smoothies Light Lunch (Salads & Sandwiches) Breakfast Sandwiches, Bagels & Lox Local Pastries Free Snacks

Siesta Sand

AUGUST 2017

ATM & BANKS Bank of America........................................ A-3 #3 BARS & NIGHTCLUBS Capt. Curt’s Backroom Saloon................B-3 #7 Crescent Club........................................... C-3 #13 Sniki Tiki....................................................B-3 #8 DELIS / BAKERIES A Taste of Germany................................ C-3#14 Anna’s Deli & Sandwiches.................. C-3 #14 Nutritious You......................................... C-3 #14 The Beach Deli @ Crescent Beach Grocery......B-3 #1 DRUG STORES Davidson’s Drugs................................... C-3 #14 FASHION & ACCESSORIES CB’s Island Outfitters.............................. A-3 #2 CB’s Saltwater Outfitters........................ A-3 #4 Coconuts Fashion......................................B-3 #1 Coconuts / Island Colors..........................B-3 #8 Green Turtle Swimwear......................... C-3 #14

941.349.0194

CRESCENT BEACH SHOP INDEX

Key Casual Fashions............................... D-3 #17 Things You Like...................................... C-3 #14 GIFTS & SOUVENIRS Capt. Curt’s Souvenirs.............................B-3 #8 Green Turtle Shells & Gifts................. C-3 #14 The Silversmith ...................................... D-3 #17 Silver City Jewelry.................................. C-3 #14 HEALTH & BEAUTY Siesta Key Salon & Spa........................... D-3 #17 The Key Spa & Salon.............................. A-5 #12 ICE CREAM & TREATS Orange Octopus .......................................B-3 #8 INTERNET / WiFi SERVICES Davidson’s Drugs................................... C-3 #14 Mail Pack Center..................................... C-3 #14 LIQUOR STORES Crescent Beach Grocery...........................B-3 #1 Crescent Club............................................B-3 #13 Siesta Spirits............................................. C-3 #17

Siesta Key Winery and Bootlegger’s Moonshine Company.................................................... A-4 #5 MAILING & SHIPPING Mail Pack Center..................................... C-3 #14 US Post Office Sub Station..................... C-3 #14 MARKETS 7-11 Store.................................................. C-3 #16 Big Water Fish Market.......................... C-3 #17 Crescent Beach Grocery...........................B-3 #1 MISCELLANEOUS Moving & Storage....................................B-3 #10 Flowers by Fudgie................................... D-3 #17 REAL ESTATE / RENTALS Homes & Condo Rentals........................ D-3 #17 Re/Max Tropical Sands............................B-3 #1 Siesta 4-Rent............................................ C-3 #14 RESTAURANTS / CAFES A Taste of Germany................................ C-3#14

www.siestasand.net

Boatyard Waterfront Bar & Grill...............A-5 #12 Capt. Curts Crab & Oyster Bar.................B-3 #7 City Pizza Italian Restaurant................. D-3 #17 Clayton’s Siesta Grille...............................B-3 #9 Daiquiri Deck.................................................A-3 #2 Toasted Mango Cafe....................................C-3 #17 Miguel’s Restaurant................................ C-3 #17 Munchies.................................................. C-3 #17 WATER SPORTS - FISHING - RENTALS A to Z Beach & Bike Rentals.................. A-5 #12 CB’s Island Outfitters.............................. A-3 #2 CB’s Saltwater Outfitters........................ A-3 #4 Parasail Siesta............................................ A-3 #2 Siesta Key Bike & Kayak . ......................B-3 #8 Siesta Key Marina..................................... A-4 #5 Siesta Sports Rentals............................... A-3 #2 Siesta Sports Rentals............................. C-3 #14 Waves Boat & Social Club...................... A-5 #12

Big Water Fish Market................................C-3 #17

“Home of the Orange Squeeze!”

“A Tropical Department Store“

SHELL & GIFT CITY

Bathing Suits $

Siesta Key’s Most Friendly & Unique Shopping Spot!

SOUTHBRIDGE MALL

OPEN 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM DAILY

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IN FEATUR

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Map B-3#8

941-346-0202

19.95 Reg. To $49.00

SIESTA KEY

Siesta Key’s Largest Seashell & Coral Selection!

Sundaes l Shakes l Smoothies l Coffees Espresso l Cappuccinos

1220 Old Stickney Point Rd., Siesta Key In the Captain Curt’s Plaza

CRESCENT BEACH

er Sale up Ladies

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24

GIFTS & SOUVENIRS BEACH FASHIONS BEACH SUPPLIES BEACH COVER-UPS LADIES & JUNIORS FASHIONS SUPER MEN'S LINE In South Bridge Mall

6525 Midnight Pass Road

MAP B-3#14

green TURTLE COUPON

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Map C-3#14 Open 7 Days 9 am-5 pm

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“Voted Small Business of the Year

by Siesta Key Chamber”

RepaiRs, sales anD accessORies New 50cc Scooters

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TREK BIKES • BEACH WHEELCHAIRS • PADDLEBOARDS SCOOTERS • SCOOTER CARS • KAYAKS • KAYAK TOURS CHAIRS/UMBRELLAS • STROLLERS • SNORKELING GEAR

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welcome!

Willkommen

GERMAN BAKERY & CAFE

© Island Visitor Publishing, LLC 2012

German café offering fresh soups and sandwiches on freshly baked breads!

Rum Cakes Breakfast Lunch German Beers and Brats

941-346-1800 • www.ATasteofGermany.net 6575 Midnight Pass Rd., Siesta Key (South of Stickney Pt.)

Map C-3 #14

Map B-3#8

A Taste of Germany 6575 Midnight Pass Rd.

MAP C-3 #14

Anna’s Deli 6535 Midnight Pass Rd.

MAP C-3 #14

Big Water Fish Market 6641 Midnight Pass Road

Boatyard Waterfront Bar & Grill 1500 Stickney Point Rd.

MAP A-5 #12

CB’s Saltwater Outfitters 1249 Stickney Point Rd.

MAP A-3 #4

Coconuts Fashion MAP 1215 Old Stickney Point Rd. B-3 #1&8

Crescent Beach Grocery 1211 Old Stickney Pt. Rd.

MAP B-3 #1

Siesta 4-Rent 6555 Midnight Pass Rd.

MAP C-3 #14

Toasted Mango Cafe 6621 Midnight Pass Rd.

MAP C-4 #17

MAP C-3 #17

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

AUGUST 2017

Snapshots of Island Visitors

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Photos by Jaye Clements - Sarasota Photography

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Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

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1. Brenda, Addison 6 months, and Will from Auburndale, FL 2. Ben and Gabriella from Sarasota 3. Will age 7, Jackson age 10, Keri, and Chris from IL 4. Abby and Payten from OH 5. Megan, Gavin, Edmond from Lebanon, Amy, Laylah, and Jesse from IN 6. Gabby, Addison age 2, and Jessica from Cape Coral, FL 7. Nicolas, Lana, Victoria age 7, Alina age 5, Katie age 4 from North Port, FL 8. Hollie, Sydney, and Jeremy from IL 9. Mike, Cole, Brenna, and Jeremy from IL 10. Jaxson from Sarasota 11. Gabriella age 6, Sofia age 4, and Olivia 20 months from Ft. Myers, FL 12. Lola age 6, Brody age 8, and Jack age 2 13. Hanna and Sandra from West Palm Beach, FL 14. Noah age 3, Caesar, and Sarah from New Orleans

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Siesta Sand

AUGUST 2017

941.349.0194

Who’s Playing Tonight

|An interview with Chris Otto Revisited

www.siestasand.net

By Mike Sales

I first saw Chris Otto perform, when I was at a gig, on break, taking a walk and heard the most amazing guitar-shredding solos echoing over the water from across the marina. I HAD to go see who and what was making that sound, so I borrowed my venue’s golf cart and drove over to find him on the stage, layering everything and playing beautifully.

I interviewed Chris over a table full of his latest press-kit material and a hot tea on the breezeway of The Local Bean coffee shop, which he incidentally cofounded…

Chris Otto: It’s considered “Americana/Folk”, but I’m really everywhere, it’s always upbeat. I write about current events and matters of the heart and family related subjects; I’ve written 4 songs about my son’s life and how he’s growing up. I have a lot of songs about moving down here and all of the well-to-do hippies I met. I like to joke that not all of them are all that bright, but they know how to have fun…I managed to blend right in!

I don’t like to write about negative stuff and prefer the songs have meaning.

WPT: Where are you from?

WPT: What process do you use to write songs?

Chris Otto: Cleveland, Ohio

Chris Otto: I just catch ideas as they come to me when I’m playing. I can’t abide trying to force things or make them up, and I don’t edit or pander. I rely on inspiration entirely, practice what comes to me, record it and copy-write it.

WPT: How did you get to Siesta Key? Chris Otto: I was headed down to Key West with a friend who’d gotten me some gigs there. I wound up spending 6 months doing research and handing out press kits. I made connections in Key Largo, where I’d play 3 nights and then head down to Key West to play a few nights per month. On my way down there, I stopped on Siesta Key, played, and returned, because I liked beaches. Down in Key West, without beaches, I imagined I’d have nothing to do but drink all of the time. I prefer to wind surf and hang on the beaches.

WPT: Where do you see your career growing from here?

Chris Otto Chris Otto: I like connecting with people. I love putting smiles on their faces and watching as they open up and interact with the music. I love to hear that I’ve played a part in making their vacation so enjoyable. I even have people tell me they heard me the year before and sought me out when they came back to the island!

WPT: How long did it take you to get a full schedule on Siesta Key? Chris Otto: I got a gig at SKOB on Sundays right away, then made the rounds to create a Gulf Coast music career from there. It took a little while to fill in the schedule on the island, because I wouldn’t compromise my price. I have spent time honing my craft and know what it’s worth, so I played as far away as Bradenton and even went on an East Coast tour, before my Siesta Key schedule came together.

It was tough driving all that way for 3 years, but I’m glad I held out instead of marking down my fees. It’s a trade off between how much I truly love what I do and how much more money I’d make with the same level of study and competence at a more traditional career.

WPT: How many instruments do you play?

Chris Otto: At the same time? (laughs) I sing, play guitar, bass, harmonica, and percussion.

MONDAY

In the Village 941-349-9822

GILLIGANS

Chris Otto plays weekly at: Captain Curts – SnikiTiki 1200 Old Stickney Point Rd. Siesta Key S.K.O.B. 5238 Ocean Boulevard, in the village Mike Sales is a local singer/songwriter.

For more information visit mikesalessings.com

WPT: You write songs; what kind of music do you write?

TUESDAY

Soundpainters w/ Evan Eastmoore & Zack Yoder 7 PM

Rodney Shenk 6 ‐10 PM

Lelu’s Coffee Lounge In the Village 941-346-5358

SIESTA KEY OYSTER BAR (SKOB) In the Village 941‐346‐5443 THE BEACH CLUB

Al Donadi 7‐11 PM

In the Village 941-349-6311

For more information about Chris Otto visit: www.facebook.com/chris.otto.52

Chris Otto: A barefoot, sizzling guitar action, non-stop, acrobatic, watch the feet, feel the beat, step to the street…I layer rhythm, bass & percussion and then play a lead and sing over that…I like to refer to myself as a 5-piece act.

WEDNESDAY Open Mic 7 PM

Service Industry Night Half off Drinks 9PM‐CLOSE

THURSDAY Live Music 7 ‐10 PM

th

rd

FRIDAY

Callie & the Whole th Band (except 11 ) Jason Haram (8/11) 7pm LIVE MUSIC (3‐7 PM) DJ TJ (10 PM)

nd

In the Village 941-346-8122

Chris Otto: Al Donati, he’s quite a performer. I love when Damon Flower and Chuck come into town and Callie Chapel and whomever she plays with is always a great show. If you’re looking for a nice date night, Chris Rolo and Nick LeValle are mellow, up-to-date and have great harmonies… there are a lot of great choices on the Key.

LIVE MUSIC SCHEDULE

BLASE CAFÉ

DAIQUIRI DECK RAW BAR In the Village 941‐349‐8697

WPT: Who do you like to go see when you’re not playing?

WPT: What can people expect to see at your show?

WPT: What is your favorite thing about being a full-time professional musician?

CLUB

Chris Otto: I’d eventually like to see myself making the rounds in my RV, up and down the Coast to play the area festivals and sell merchandise, during the season.

Justin Layman th th (4 & 11 ) th Sandi Greco (18 ) th Billy Lyons (25 )

Tozier (2 , 16 , 23 ) Soundpaint (9th) th Vince Colaicco (30 ) 6 ‐10 PM DJ – 10 PM

RPM 6 ‐10 PM Ladies Night w/ DJ 10 PM

Open mic night 7‐11 PM

Kettle of Fish 7‐11 PM

FolkLab 7‐11 PM

Tic Toc Tuedays 9 ‐10:30 PM 50 cent Beer & Cocktails

Ladies Night DJ Coz or Kensi 9 PM – 2 AM

Sink or Swim DJ Coz 9 PM‐2 AM

Whiteleather 2‐6 PM Rising Tide 8 PM – 12 AM

RPM 6‐10 PM

6‐10 PM DJ – 10 PM

SATURDAY th

SUNDAY

Jason Haram (Aug. 6th & 13th) Mike Kach & Friends (19th) Bird Tribe Howling Bob & Richy (Aug.20th & 27th) Kicklighter (26th) 7pm 7pm LIVE MUSIC BREE (3‐7 PM) (3‐7 PM) DJ Crawford (10 PM) Instigators (5 ) th Rallo Pucci (12 )

Acoustic Pete 1‐5 PM Desi Adams: 2 – 6 PM th Beach Monkeys (5 ) Scott Curts: 6‐10 PM th Skyway (12 ) th th th th (6 , 13 & 27 ) Ted Stevens (19 ) th th Soundpaint: 6‐10 PM (20 ) MoFungs (26 ) 6‐10 PM

DJ – 10 PM Eddie James Jazz Band 7‐10 PM Dana & Co 2‐6 PM Mike Tozier 8 PM – 12 AM

Live Band: 8 – 11 PM Live Band: 8 –11 PM Live DJ 11 PM ‐2 AM Live DJ: 11 PM‐2 AM

DJ – 10 PM

T.B.A: 2‐6 PM Tozier: 5‐9 PM

Chris Otto: 11 PM – 3 AM

Reggae Sunday w/Live Band 9 PM‐1 AM

THE COTTAGE

Live Music 6-9 PM

Live Music 6-9 PM

Live Music 6-9 PM

Live Music 7-10 PM

Live Music 7-10 PM

Live Music 7-10 PM

Live Music 6-9 PM

THE HUB‐BAJA GRILL

Live Music Noon – 3 PM 3:30 – 6:30 PM 7-10 PM

Live Music Noon – 3 PM

Live Music Noon – 3 PM

Live Music Noon – 3 PM

Live Music 1 – 4 PM

Live Music 1-4 PM 4:30 – 7:30 PM 8:30 PM - midnight

Live Music Noon – 3 PM

In the Village 941-312-9300

In the Village 941-349-6800

BACKROOM SALOON @ CAPT. CURTS Crescent Beach Shops

Crescent Beach Shops

BOATYARD BAR & GRILL

941‐349‐3885 SNIKI TIKI @ CAPT CURTS

941‐349‐3885 Turtle Beach Grill Southern end of SK 941‐349‐2280

Marcel Almanzor (5‐8 PM)

SAND DOLLAR POOL BAR @ Best Western Plus 6600 S. Tamiami Trl. Sarasota 941‐924‐4900

CASEY KEY FISH HOUSE 801 Blackburn Pt. Rd, Osprey 941‐966‐1901

Every Tues Sunny Jim 6‐10 PM

3:30 – 6:30 PM 7-10 PM

Paul Duffy nd th th (2 , 9 , & 16 ) 6‐10 PM

3:30 – 6:30 PM 7-10 PM

Karaoke 9:30 PM ‐1:30 AM Every Thurs.

Chris Otto 6‐10 PM LIVE MUSIC 5‐9 PM

Over the South Bridge

941‐921‐6200

3:30 – 6:30pm 7-10pm

Steel Drums & Island Sounds (5‐8 PM)

RPM (5‐8 PM)

Bri Rivera (5‐8 PM)

Above information is subject to change. We suggest calling venues for confirmation.

4:30 – 7:30 PM 8:30 PM –midnight

Aug 11th & 25th Chris Otto 6‐10 PM LIVE MUSIC 5‐9 PM The Richy Kicklighter Band 5‐9 PM

Karaoke 9 PM – 1 AM (Aug. 5th only)

LIVE MUSIC 5‐9 PM

3:30 – 6:30 PM 7-10 PM

Larry Williams 5‐9 PM

Reggae Music

Live Music 3‐6 PM

Live Music 3‐6 PM

Live Music 3‐6 PM

Live Music 4‐8 PM

Live Music 3‐7 PM

Live Music 3‐7 PM

3‐7 PM

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

AUGUST 2017

Island Humor [ The Smiths were unable to conceive children and decided to use a surrogate father to start their family. On the day the proxy father was to arrive, Mr. Smith kissed his wife goodbye and said, ‘Well, I’m off now. The man should be here soon.’

Half an hour later, just by chance, a door-to-door baby photographer happened to ring the doorbell, hoping to make a sale.

‘Good morning, Ma’am’, he said, ‘I’ve come to...’

‘Oh, no need to explain,’ Mrs. Smith cut in, embarrassed, ‘I’ve been expecting you.’

‘Have you really?’ said the photographer. ‘Well, that’s good.

Did you know babies are my specialty?’

Well, that’s what my husband and I had hoped. Please come in and have a seat!

After a moment she asked, blushing, ‘Well, where do we start?’

‘Leave everything to me. I usually try two in the bathtub, one on the couch, and perhaps a couple on the bed. And sometimes the living room floor is fun. You can

really spread out there.’

‘Bathtub, living room floor?

No wonder it didn’t work out for Harry and me!’

‘Well, Ma’am, none of us can guarantee a good one every time.

But if we try several different positions and I shoot from six or seven angles, I’m sure you’ll be pleased with the results.’

‘My, that’s a lot!’ gasped Mrs. Smith...

‘Ma’am, in my line of work a man has to take his time. I’d love to be in and out in five minutes, but I’m sure you’d be disappointed with that.’

‘Don’t I know it,’ said Mrs. Smith quietly.

The photographer opened his briefcase and pulled out a portfolio of his baby pictures. ‘This was done on the top of a bus,’ he said.

‘Oh, my God!’ Mrs. Smith exclaimed, grasping at her throat.

‘And these twins turned out exceptionally well - when you consider their mother was so difficult to work with.’

‘She was difficult?’ asked Mrs. Smith.

‘Yes, I’m afraid so. I finally had

HOTTEST BAR IN GULF GATE...

MLB/College Packages FULL BAR

6500 Gateway Ave • 941.554.8905

to take her to the park to get the job done right. People were crowding around four and five deep to get a good look’ ‘Four and five deep?’ said Mrs. Smith, her eyes wide with amazement.

‘Yes’, the photographer replied.

‘And for more than three hours, too. The mother was constantly squealing and yelling - I could hardly concentrate, and when darkness approached I had to rush my shots. Finally, when the squirrels began nibbling on my equipment, I just had to pack it all in.’

Mrs. Smith leaned forward. ‘Do you mean they actually chewed on your, uh... equipment?’

‘It’s true, Ma’am, yes... Well, if you’re ready, I’ll set-up my tripod and we can get to work right away.’

‘Tripod?’

‘Oh yes, Ma’am. I need to use a tripod to rest my Canon on. It’s much too big to be held in the hand for long.’

Mrs. Smith fainted. [ An Irishman, a Mexican, and a blond guy were working on scaffolding on the 20th floor of a building. They stopped for lunch and the Irishman exclaims, “Corned beef and cabbage again!

If I get corned beef and cabbage one more time, I’m going to jump off this building.”

The Mexican opens his lunch and says, “Burritos again! If I get burritos one more time, I’m gonna jump too!”

The blonde guy checks his lunch and sees that it is bologna – again.

He says, “Bologna again! I’m gonna join you guys if I get bologna one more time!”

The next day the Irishman opens his lunch pail and sees corned beef and cabbage, then jumps to his death. The Mexican sees a burrito and jumps too. The blond guy opened his lunch and sees a bologna sandwich and jumps to his death.

At the funeral, the Irishman’s wife said as she wept, “If I’d known how tired he was of corned beef and cabbage, I never would have given it to him again!” The Mexican’s wife was beside herself saying, “I could have given him a taco or enchilada, if I only knew!” The blonde guys wife says, “Don’t look at me. He made his own lunch.”

27

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

h...

Mont Bartender of The 2

46-982 Blasé Café 941-3 e Village), th n (i d lv B n a ce 5263 O 4242 Siesta Key, FL 3 afe.com www.TheBlaseC

Name of Bartender: Taylor Hometown: Sarasota, FL Q: What’s your bartending experience and how long have you worked at Blasé Cafe? What drink have you perfected?

A: : I have been officially bartending for a year. I have always done small bartending events but Blasé Cafe was my first bartender opportunity. I have been in the restaurant business for 7 years, and worked at Blasé for 3 years, bartending here for the past year.

A specialty drink I have perfected is our chocolate martini!

It’s beautiful and delicious.

Q: What was the strangest or funniest experience you witnessed or were party to at work?

A: I was bartending at a wedding and we had a cocktail named Liquid Sunshine. Well, it was frozen and I was told to just put a couple scoops in a champagne glass and garnish with an orange slice. People were going nuts over this cocktail! It was pleasing to the eye and tasted like a real frozen Florida orange. Little did I know, I was ‘supposed’ to be topping these drinks off with champagne, so for the past 2 hours I was serving this cocktail with absolutely no alcohol. But, the funny thing was, I had guys left and right telling me how drunk they were getting off this drink! So, of course, I’m just cracking up, and didn’t have the heart to tell these guys that it was all a placebo effect!

Q: Any hobbies, goals, etc. you enjoy when not working?

A: I love to explore nature, paint, read, and creative side jobs.

Q: How would you describe yourself?

A: Funky, corny, and full of energy.

Q: What makes Blasé Café a special place to visit?

A: Blasé Cafe is such a special place to visit because we’re different than every other place on the Key. We have such a unique calling, the moment people walk in they’re captivated.

Q: What specialty drink is Blasé Café noted for?

A: We are well known for our chocolate and ruby red martinis!

Q: When is the best time for locals and visitors to enjoy your company at Blasé Cafe?

A: Come visit me at Blasé Café any Friday and Saturday from 4-10 p.m.

Karaoke Thursday, Friday & Saturday

28

Siesta Sand

Off Key

AUGUST 2017

941.349.0194

DISCOVER GULF GATE’S SHOPPING VILLAGE

By Robert Frederickson

|From Happy Feet to Minimum Wage Deceit “Dancing, Dancing, Dancing in the Street...”

Edwin Rose Jr. was arrested by Pasco county deputies recently for the crime of dancing in the street.

Deputies said Rose was blocking traffic at US 19 and Alternate 19 at the time of his arrest. This was the third time Rose has been arrested for his happy-feet routine.

Martha and the Vandellas could not be reached for comment.

Off Key/On Key Speed Zone Delay While this item isn’t ‘off key’ in a physical sense (since it relates to a Siesta Key issue), it is ‘off-key’ just the same in the sense of a flawed or ‘flat’ performance, like an opera singer who fails to hit the high notes.

The matter concerns the two approaches to the Key: Stickney Point Road and Siesta Drive. After a mere 180 accidents over five years along the section of Siesta Drive extending from Osprey to Higel Avenues, including two fatal crashes this year alone, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) finally decided that perhaps the speed limit should be reduced - from 40 mph to 30 mph - along this narrow stretch, with its slim-to-non-existent shoulders, limited sight lines approaching the roadbed’s canal crossing by way of a narrow bridge, and the sharp, unforgiving turn at the intersection with Higel.

None of these geographical impediments are new, so why five years to realize that perhaps drivers should tap the brakes in the area? The delay is all the more bewildering given the background behind traffic back-ups along Stickney Point Road a couple of years ago that arose after the FDOT tinkered with the right-on-red rule for traffic turning north onto Midnight Pass Road from Stickney Point Road.

Formerly, the rule in place had allowed vehicles to turn right when no pedestrians were present. But this was changed in favor of right turns on a green arrow only. The resulting traffic back-ups were monumental...often stretching all the way back to US-41 on the mainland.

When asked at the time what prompted the new rule, an FDOT spokesperson said the decision followed complaints from pedestrians in the area. When asked how many complaints were received, the spokesperson wouldn’t answer directly, but instead said FDOT takes even a single complaint seriously. The impression was that a single complaint – one not tied to any personal injury or property damage that could be gleaned at the time – would be enough to rollout the new rules that led to weeks of gridlock along the southern approach to the Key

before the misguided policy was mercifully put out of our misery.

The ‘off-key’ part of the story? Well, if a single pedestrian complaint, or even a mere handful, could prompt FDOT to spring into action mid-key, why should it take over 180 vehicle accidents involving property damage and, in many cases personal injury and even fatalities, to get the agency’s attention on the north end of the Island?

Just asking...

“Imagine A Place Where Everything is Possible...”

That’s the message splashed across the screen in the opening frames of the promotional video for MTV’s new reality series, ‘Siesta Key.” The words are set against a stunning aerial view of Siesta Beach at sunset that must make the good folks at Visit Sarasota absolutely giddy with anticipation for the high profile publicity the show is certain to bring to the area after it debuts nationwide on July 31.

So be prepared. Remember the upswing in attention the Key garnered after Dr. Beach first named Siesta Beach the nation’s best in 2011? This could be every bit as big.

Even if the show becomes the kind of train wreck its precursor “Jersey Shore” devolved into, with Snooki, Joey, and the Situation reaching previously unseen new lows of televised depravity, that opening aerial view of our pristine beach is likely to attract a whole new untapped demographic to the area.

United Way Unites!

United Way Suncoast and United Way Manatee have, well…united! The new combined organization now covers a five county region covering Sarasota, Manatee, Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Desoto counties

Missing in Action?

The international sign for playgrounds remains a silhouette

of children riding a seesaw. But have you noticed that these icons of the American playground of years past have gone the way of the Dodo bird? They’re conspicuously absent from just about any new playground built over the last decade or so, at least in these parts. The sign shown here is near the modern new playground at Rothenbach Park on the western end of Bee Ridge Road. But alas, there’s no see saw to be found nearby.

The reason? I would imagine it’s an overabundance of caution, which isn’t necessarily a good thing.

Anyone who remembers riding one of these things as a kid likely carries the memory of crashing to the ground after some maladjusted playmate on the other end abandoned ship while you were at the apex of your ascent.

Not a pleasant experience, but generally survivable with nothing more than a sore rear-end and a bruised ego.

But what about the life lesson taken from the experience? About the importance of trust and working together. And also about learning the valuable insight that there will always be those willing and able to take advantage of you, so it’s important to be a good judge of character.

We all want to protect the little ones, but dealing with setbacks is all part of growing up.

Seesaws can help!

Bumper Sticker of the Day...

“Attempting to Care...Loading.

Please Wait...”

Any Wonder Why a College Education is so Expensive?

It’s at least in part because many colleges and universities have added positions that were unheard of a generation or so ago.

Like ‘Diversity Directors’ who now rake-in about $175,000 per year (the average at the nation’s top 50 schools).

But with the widening of physical diversity on college campuses, have you noticed a corresponding widening of intellectual diversity on the part of students?...Or does it seem to be just the opposite? A narrowing field of view passed down from an enlightened class of academics who seem unnaturally like-minded in the view of the world they pass down to our youth.

“Would You Like Fries with that Unemployment Check?”

It was altogether predictable.

With the push for a $15 per hour minimum wage over the past several years, economists and business owners alike assured those behind the effort that, if adopted, jobs would be lost. But as cities and even states like New York have begun the process of implementing the higher starting wage, companies have begun the process of eliminating lower wage positions by turning to automation.

McDonalds will replace 2500 workers with kiosks by the end of this year. Those kiosks can already be seen locally. Another 3000 workers will follow in 2018.

Joke of the Day Message on sign outside a local print shop on Bee Ridge Road: “Two cannibals are eating a clown when one turns to the other and says: ‘does this taste funny to you?’ ”

www.siestasand.net

Sarasota Pavilion is a popular shopping destination for numerous locals and visitors alike. Its prime location is close enough to the island for frequent trips with a nice selection of chain stores set in one convenient location. But what truly lends to the uniqueness of this district is the host of small, locally owned, specialty shops, boutiques, restaurants, and neighborhood bars bordering this pavilion. It makes for a fun and rewarding shopping experience.

Over 150 businesses make up this district. This section helps highlight what you’ll find within this walkable Gulf Gate shopping Village.

Piccolos Italian Market & Deli (G-47) carries a full line of imported cheeses, fresh baked bread daily, homemade sausages, fresh mozzarella, and numerous hard to get items.

They now carry Khorasan Wheat which is an ancient and organic grain. Their deli is complete with huge hot and cold sandwiches, salads, fresh homemade lasagna and baked ziti. And, you cannot leave without trying their cannoli filled with their own homemade cannoli cream or the tiramisu or Sfogliatelle from Brooklyn.

Here is where you will find great Italian specialty gourmet items without the gourmet price.

Tony’s Chicago Beef Company (S-16) is owned and operated by true Chicagoans.

Dedicated to deliver Chicago’s best food - Chicago style Hot Dogs wit’ the works...

Dragged through the garden on poppy seed buns with fresh cut fries, Italian Beef Sandwiches anyway you like, dipped or dry, sweet or hot. All served in true Authentic Chicago Style.

Sarasota Brewing Co. (G-4) Sarasota’s first micro brew pub always has something new to offer.

From over 20 seasonal beers that rotate throughout the year, the Brewing Company always has at least five unique brews online as well as several favorites from around the world. Established in 1989, their menu has been a winner in the Reader’s Choice Awards of the Sarasota Herald Tribune featuring their mouth watering burgers, Chicago style Pizzas, and Chicago beef sandwiches.

With dozens of televisions, it’s a great place to catch a game with friends and family.

West End Pub (G-49) Where else can you watch your favorite game with a great selection of beers, wines, and liquors served by a friendly staff AND where you’re allowed to bring your own restaurant or deli food?

Right here.

Hurricane Mike’s Saloon (M-10) is a little neighborhood bar at 2639 Mall Drive, where everyone knows your name type of establishment and friendly staff.

TV’s with the MLB and NFL packages, pool table, and full Florida Lottery games. Happy hour daily from opening to 7pm.

Hours: Mon – Sat, 8am – 2:30am and Sun., noon – 2:30am.

Continued on the next page

Italian/American Restaurant

White Tablecloth Restaurant

A Real Hoboken, NJ Restaurant

S-55

• Lobster & Shrimp • Salmon & Scallops • Broccoli Rabe • Escarole • Clams • Mussels • Veal • Chicken • Beer • Wine

6516 Superior Ave. (Gulf Gate) Sarasota, Florida

Reservation Required

941-906-9444

Places of Worship Island Churches: • Siesta Key Presbyterian Chapel - 4615 Gleason Ave, Siesta Key, 941-349-1166 www.siestakeychapel.org • St. Michael’s Catholic Church 5394 Midnight Pass Rd, Siesta Key, 941-349-4174 www.stmichaelssiesta.com • St. Boniface Episcopal Church - 5615 Midnight Pass Rd, Siesta Key, 941-349-5616 www.bonifacechurch.org Off- Island: •Temple Sinai, a Reform Congregation (The closest Jewish congregation to the Key for visitors) 4631 S. Lockwood Ridge Rd, Sarasota, 941-924-1802 www.templesinai-sarasota.org

• St. Andrew United Church of Christ (Protestant) (In the Gulf Gate area, near Beneva and Gulf Gate Drive) 6908 Beneva Road, Sarasota, 941.922.7595 www.uccstandrew.org • The Superior Word Rev. Charlie Garrett Service starts Sunday mornings at 10am.

Bring a friend and share in God’s word.

6512 Superior Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34231 • First Christian Church 7601 Clark Road, Sarasota, FL 34241.

941-922-4434 www.fccsarasota.com

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

AUGUST 2017

29

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

DISCOVER GULF GATE’S SHOPPING VILLAGE

The Shop SRQ (G-2) offers flat-tops, fades, tapers, blowouts, razor cuts, and straight razor shaves. Owners Erick and Dawn use a back-to-basics approach to grooming with a precise attention to personal detail.

Their commitment to excellence has provided them with many loyal customers.

They welcome the opportunity to earn your trust. Hours: Tues.

– Fri. 8:30am – 6pm, Sat., 8:30am – 3pm. Closed on Sundays and Mondays. 6625 Gateway Ave, 941-626-4894.

At the original Word of Mouth Restaurant (G-31), every seemingly insignificant detail receives special attention from the warm, inviting decor to each specially crafted variety of freshly baked muffins to the signature menu items.

This small diner is where the locals come to eat breakfast and lunch.

Each staff member works hard to make sure you receive the best service and quality food so you’ll 1

Moments In Time Photography (G-28) specializes in several different photography beach portraits starting at just $49 and wedding beginning at $495. Check out their website: www.sarasotaphotos.com or visit their store to see why they have been the photographer of choice for over a decade and a half.

want to return often. Take a look at their mouth-watering menu at www.originalwordofmouth. com. Hours: Mon-Sun.: 8AM2PM. 6604 Gateway Ave., Sarasota, 34231, 941-925-2400.

Pride of the South (S-34) has been awarded Top Barbeque in Sarasota for 2016 by Trip Advisor and Yelp. It has been awarded for the best Southern Hospitality.

Pride of the South has a brisket BLT, hands down, one of the best sandwiches you ever tasted.

The smoked chicken wings are unbelievable. Backed up with the pulled pork sandwiches, the smoked bologna, the smoked turkey, the collard greens, fried corn on the cob, fried okra, fried green tomatoes, and one of the best mac ‘n cheese you ever tasted. We do catering with no limit to the size of the group.

Come in and follow your nose to 6616 Superior Ave, Sarasota, FL 34231. Call (941)926-0099. See you soon.

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One Minute Key Shop (GG51): Left your keys in the car?

No worries, the One Minute Key Shop will help you safely unlock and retrieve your keys.

They specialize in high security locks, keys, re-keying, master keying, and safes for residential, commercial or automotive. Give them a call at 941-924-8020 or visit their showroom where they have a large display of locks and safes. 2120 Gulf Gate Drive.

Solorzano’s Late Night Pizzeria (S-32): At every Solorzano’s, they offer an experience familiar to those 4

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Hooters

Sun Trust

Publix

Michaels

D Beall’s Outlet

Bed Bath & Beyond

Books-AMillion

Ross

Dress for Less

B

© Island Visitor Publishing, LLC 2017

A

Ba Am nk o eri f ca

Iberia Bank 3

4

G8 G7 G6 G5 G4 G3

G1

THESHOPSRQINC.

4

G-2

Flat-Tops, Fades, Tapers, Blowouts and Razor Cuts

S29 S28 S27 S26 S25 S24 S23 S22 S21 S20 S19 S18 S17 S16 S15 S14 S13 S12 S11 S10 S9 S8 S7 S6 S5 S4 S3 S2 S1

“Straight Razor Shaves”

941.626.4894 / 941.536.1656

Tonsorial Artistry

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G-4

D

All packaged liquor sold until 2 AM

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B

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Catering Available

We Put the South in Your Mouth 6616 Superior Ave. Sarasota

941.926.0099

FREE SIDE With the purchase of ANY entreé

Golden Tee Megatouch

FREE Pool ALL DAY Sunday thru Wednesday

2639 Mall Drive One mi.from Siesta South Bridge (behind Publix)

941-923-9827 Open Daily 9 AM-2:30 AM

Hot or Cold

Authentic New York Italian Market & Deli

COUPON

Mike’s Bud Select Brew $1.50/Pints • BEST Bloody Mary’s in Sarasota • Pool Table-

PICCOLO

6625 Gateway Ave.

S-34

• 9 AM - 7 PM EVERY DAY

Italian Market & Deli

& Vegetarian Sandwiches

Open Tues.-Fri. 8:30 AM-6 PM Sat. 8:30 AM - 3 PM Closed Sun. & Mon.

Open Daily from 9 AM ‘til 2:30 AM

• 12 TV’s with MLB and NFL ticket sports package • All Florida lottery games • Smokers Welcome!

by

www.TheShopSRQ.com

941-925-2400

S30

Gulf Gulf Gate Gate Drive Drive

5

Original Word of Mouth 6604 Gateway Ave. Sarasota, FL 34231

M-10

GG1 GG2 GG3 GG4 GG5 GG6 GG7 GG8 GG9 GG10 GG11 GG12 GG13 GG14 GG15 GG16 GG17 GG18 GG19 GG20 GG21 GG22 GG23 GG24 GG25 GG26 GG27 GG28 GG29 GG30 GG31 GG32 GG33 GG34 GG35 GG36 GG37 GG38 GG39 GG40 GG41 GG42 GG43 GG44 GG45 GG46 GG47 GG48 GG49 GG50 GG51 GG52 GG53 GG54 3

Combined 25+ Years Experience

Tonsorial Artistry

by Erick & Dawn

G10 G9

G2

G24

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G12 G11

Gulf Gulf Gate Gate Drive Drive

2

SRQ

2

G14 G13

Eat Where The Locals Eat!

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Lo Ho ng rn

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Panera Bread

G16 G15

S59 S58 S57 S56 S55 S54 S53 S52 S51 S50 S49 S48 S47 S46 S45 S44 S43 S42 S41 S40 S39 S38 S37 S36 S35 S34 S33 S32 S31

Superior Avenue

(BOX STORES AND SO MUCH MORE)

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G23 G22 G21 G20 G19 G18 G17

Gateway Avenue

Marshall’s

7

Mall Mall Drive Drive

G50 G49 G48 G47 G46 G45 G44 G43 G42 G41 G40 G39 G38 G37 G36 G35 G34 G33 G32 G31 G30 G29 G28 G27 G26 G25

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HOURS: Monday - Sunday 8:00AM to 2PM www.originalwordofmouth.com

M22 M21 M20 M19 M18 M17 M16 M15 M14 M13 M12 M11 M10 M9 M8

M7

GULF GATE Stein Mart

Solorzano’s Italian Ristorante (S-55) Solorzano’s brings a true Hoboken, New Jersey attitude to the area and offers a nice selection of made-to-order dishes.

Stepping into their restaurant feels like you just entered an old-world Italian family’s dining room, complete with portraits of family and friends, and maybe even one of Frank Sinatra. Reservations are required for this intimate setting.

941-906-9444, 6516 Superior Ave.

6

M6

M5 M4 M3 M2 M1

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who understand the importance of family and dedication.

Their recipes and techniques have been perfected through three long generations based on the traditional simplicity of the methods used by their Italian ancestors. Dine inside, outside, pick up, or DELIVERY anywhere on Siesta Key, or in Sarasota until 4:00 a.m. 6670 Superior Ave., 941-924-5800.

We carry a full line of Imported Cheeses, Boars Head Luncheon Meats, Pasta, Olive Oil, Assorted Imported Olives, Khorasan Wheat (ancient & organic grain), and more.

GG-46 G-47 Specialty Italian gourmet items without the gourmet price

Come See Our New Location Store Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10am - 6pm 6518 Gateway Ave.

941-923-2202

www.PiccoloMarket.com

S-16

30

Siesta Sand

AUGUST 2017

941.349.0194

www.siestasand.net

Seagulls and Volleyballs Sail Through The Air On Siesta Beach

By Trebor Britt More than 750 Pro, Amateur, and Junior beach volleyball players participated in the final “Dig The Beach Volleyball Series” tournament of the season on spectacular Siesta Beach. Over $4000 of prize money was awarded to top men’s and women’s Pro Division winners. Adult and Junior players each have their choice of four amateur divisions as well as divisions for Pro and CoEd teams. Tournament Director, Diogo Sousa commented, “This tournament attracts some of the best volleyball players in the nation.” “Wilson” is this year’s major sponsor of the tournament providing all the tournament balls, as well as a large share of the Courtside signage. Tournament Director Diogo Sousa was pleased to announce that he and the athletes have agreed to join the “Go Green” bandwagon by eliminating the use of plastic water bottles. They now utilize a 125 gallon filtered water tank filling station. All tournament athletes are provided a refillable bottle. By doing this, they will cut the use of nearly 150,000 plastic water bottles per season.

Founded in 1991, the Dig the Beach Series is the longest standing and largest series of its kind in the United States. The Dig the Beach Volleyball Series is also the most established and successful grassroots series of its kind. Since 1992, they have catered to both professional and amateur players. This tour has graduated some of the top professionals on the Domestic & World Tours. Annually, the series makes 8 stops throughout Florida from April through August.

Each tournament features 2 person teams in Adult & Juniors divisions. “We have created and developed the largest Juniors Program in the U.S., totaling over 200 hundred Juniors teams at some events. Our Juniors Program consists of children ages 18 years old and younger, and caters to both boys and girls.” This program involves the parents, family members, and friends. “We have created a platform that has created the visibility for close to 40 young women to get scholarships to play Sand Volleyball in College. We will continue to grow the visibility for the young women to be seen as potential college players,” Sousa said.

(Source help: www.digthebeach.com)

Rodrego Saunders (37) of Brazil sets a ball for his partner in the Men’s Pro Division of the Dig the Beach Volleyball Tournament on beautiful Siesta Beach.

He dedicated this entire year to playing volleyball in America.

Jordan Perkins (26) of Bradenton launches a jump serve during an early round of the Tournament.

Maggie Skjelbred (23) of Norway, Madison Tormey (23) of Orlando, Jennifer Drouin (25) of Delray Beach and Caitlin Haworth (27) of Ft. Lauderdale all smiles before their Women’s Pro Division second round match.

WEEKLY BEACH CLASSES: • FREE T’AI CHI CHIH - Siesta Beach, Access #5 Every Monday, 15 minutes before sunset. Open to all, no experience necessary. Contact Diana Daffner 941346-1024 for information. (Access #5 is in Siesta Village, where Beach Rd meets Ocean Blvd.)

• FREE YOGA - Mon.-Wed.-Fri.-Sat. 8 a.m. Classes held between blue and green lifeguard station. Call 941-320-6693 to register or go to website for more info. www.yogaonsiestabeach.com/about • NIA - Tues. & Thurs., 9 a.m., Siesta Public Beach (yellow lifeguard chair). Contact Kathy Oravec at 941724-9719 for more info or check website: www.nianow. com/kathy-oravec • SIESTA KEY BEACH HOOP JAMS – Every Tuesday one hour before Sunset on Siesta Key beach we gather for a community Hoop Jam. (Between the red lifeguard stand and the pavilion; around where the Sunday drum circle happens.) Register at: www.outwardspiral.net WEEKLY DRUM CIRCLE: • Every Sunday about an hour before sunset. South of the main pavilion. You can participate or watch this weekly gathering and dance, hoop, play the drum or other musical instrument, and enjoy the spectacular Siesta sunset.

On The Beach…

• AUG (M-F) 8AM – NOON / PRNR SUMMER CAMPS: For a complete list of summer camp activities for the kids or event guide, please go to Sarasota County’s website: https://www.scgov.net/prnr/Pages/default.aspx • JULY 31 –AUG.4 (M-F) 9AM - NOON / LETS GO CAMP: Campers will spend their mornings at Turtle Beach Park learning camping skills. They will put their new skills to work at the Friday night camper/parent campout at Turtle Beach Campground in their tents (only eight campsites are available) or inside the Turtle Beach Park classroom. Campers will learn to set up a tent and build a campfire. Campers will try their hand at kayaking and fishing; enjoy hiking; and learn basic orienteering using a compass, map and trail markers. Campers will learn to identify poisonous and edible plants, and critters they may encounter while camping, as well as how to “leave no trace” to help protect our environment. Fee

Giovanni Candeago (22) of Italy leaps high in the air to spike a ball at the Dig The Beach Volleyball Tournament on Siesta Beach.

Jillienne Cangelosi (17) of Boynton Beach positioning to spike as her partner, Mackenzie Morris (18) of Jacksonville Beach sets the ball.

What’s Happening includes daily snack and activity supplies, plus dinner, snack and breakfast for the overnight cookout.

Campers are required to wear closed-toe shoes and bring water, snack, sunscreen and a hat. Campers may get wet.

Fees: $125 / Ages: 7-11

• AUG 1 & 8 (TUES) 5:30-730PM / KIDS SUMMER BEACH RUNS: This is a one-mile fun run for kids of all ages. Weekly registration held at 5:30 p.m. with race time at 6:30 p.m. Registration is on-site. All participants receive a ribbon and a popsicle. Free T-shirts are earned after 4 runs are completed. There is a one-time, $1 registration fee. Contact County for additonal info: 941-861-5000.

• AUG 6 (SUN) 7AM - NOON / BLACKOUT SARASOTA TRIATHLON: The vision of the event is to focus on providing the best possible athlete race day experience, in a fun, friendly, family-focused environment.

This event focuses on the athlete in several ways: • The swim is parallel to shore with the option to enter the 50-yard swim division • Plenty of police for traffic control on Beach Road and Midnight Pass Road • Lots of gear for those who participate: Race singlet, 6” Finisher’s Medal (!), Subway sandwiches post race You are invited to be a part of this inaugural race!

We guarantee a great time for everybody!

Further information is available at: https://www. facebook.com/blackoutsarasotatriathlon/ Online registration is available here: https://raceroster. com/events/2017/12671/siesta-sprint-triathlon/ • AUG. 7-10 (MON-THURS) 9AM - NOON / SAND SCUL0PTURE CAMP: Amaze your family and friends with the sand-sculpting skills and techniques you’ll learn from a master sand sculptor on beautiful Siesta Beach.

Fee includes a sand-sculpting tool kit for campers to keep. Bring plenty of water, a hat and sunscreen. A shade tent will be provided for breaks from the sun.

Dates: June 7-9 (3 days) Fee: $145/$115 (3 days) /Ages: 6-12 • AUG. 26-27 (SAT -SUN) 8AM-5PM / WORLD LACROSSE BEACH TOURNAMENT: The 3v3 beach lacrosse tournament will be open to boys and girls broken down into the following age groups: Ages 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14, 15/16, 17/18. All teams will be

Caitlin Haworth (27) of Ft. Lauderdale serving the ball at the Dig The Beach Volleyball Tournament on Siesta Beach.

guaranteed fun within each age division. You may have up to 5 players on a team. Find the sponsorship letter tab on the website and then find your friends and sign up.

A highlight of the youth event will be the Exhibition game of Pro Speed Beach Lacrosse. It will be in Speed Lacrosse format of 3v3. Watch some of the best professional and collegiate lacrosse players play on the best beach in the US. Surround yourself with Lacrosse Ambassadors. In addition to the beach tournament games, there will be live music, beach games, water sports and much more that will help create the festival atmosphere.

Check out their website for more information on this fun sport. https://worldlacrosse.org/beach-festival/ general-information/ Around the island…

• WEEKLY FARMER’S MARKET IN THE VILLAGE: Every Sunday from 8am – 1pm in Davidson’s Plaza in the Village. 5124 Ocean Blvd. Produce, Plants & Flowers, Music, Art, Organic Skincare, Italian Olive Oil, and Freshly Prepared Foods. Listen to live music while you shop.

• FREE EXERCISE CLASSES FOR SENIORS: Every Thursday morning at 9am. Focus will be on stretching, strengthening, toning, posture and balance. Call 941870-5811 for more info. SK Sports & Physical Therapy is located in the Village.

And Beyond…

• PALM AVENUE FIRST FRIDAY GALLERY WALK / 6-9PM: Every month, local galleries open their doors to the public for the evening, offering a chance to meet with artists and admire their work. See website for location map. http://palmavenue.org/ • TOWLES COURT THIRD FRIDAY ARTWALKS / 5-9PM: Gallery and studio openings on a moonlit evening of fun and beauty- both natural and handcrafted beauty. Free music, events, refreshments. Meet the artists, shop and dine in authentic “ Old Florida” in downtown Sarasota. 1938 Adams Lane Sarasota, Florida 34236. http://www.towlescourt.com/index.htm We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of this information. However, please be sure to always call ahead to confirm dates, times, location, and other information.

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

Water World Captain Jim Klopfer’s Fishing Report Adventure Charters 941-371-1390

Big grouper caught at the north end of Siesta Key

There is a little secret here on Siesta Key; the fishing is terrific in August! Many anglers assume that the heat slows down the action, but this is far from true. The reality is that due to daily rain showers, the water temperature is actually lower in August than it is in June. Hordes of bait fish cover the flats. This combination results in excellent conditions for anglers to succeed. The best action will be early morning, late afternoon, and at night.

Snook love the infusion of fresh water into the bay. Snook migrate back into the bays after spawning out on the beach in August. Shallow diving plugs such as the Rapala X-Rap are very effective baits. They cover a lot of water and produce explosive strikes. Bass Assassin soft plastics also work well. Live shrimp, pinfish, and pilchards will also catch a lot of snook, particularly once the fish are located. Outgoing tides at first light and in the evening are the best times to fish.

Redfish will begin to school up in large numbers in August. The bars south of Siesta Drive are worth a try. Weedless gold spoons and scented soft plastic baits on a 1/8 ounce jig head are proven baits.

Hand-picked shrimp cast into pot holes is a deadly technique, too.

Low, incoming tides are best.

The deep grass flats on the north end of Siesta Key will be good spots to target speckled trout. High tides in the morning will produce plenty of fish. Spanish mackerel,

pompano, bluefish, ladyfish, jack crevelle, sharks, small gag grouper, and mangrove snapper will also be caught by anglers drifting the deep grass. A live shrimp under a popping cork works very well. A jig with a grub tail is the preferred artificial bait, but plugs and spoons are also effective.

The bars from CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at Stickney Pt. south to Blackburn Pt. will hold some very nice trout along with a few redfish.

This area does not get a lot of pressure in the summertime. This is an early morning bite and a high tide is preferred.

In the last several years, mangrove snapper fishing has been outstanding! Grass flats that drop off into deep water with some current flow should produce plenty of nice snapper this month. Live bait works best and baitfish will usually catch larger fish than shrimp. A 1/0 live bait hook tied on a 24” piece of 20 pound flourocarbon leader with just enough split shot to get to the bottom is the simple but effective rig.

Surf casters should have opportunities for snook; the beach fishing for snook this year has been outstanding. Small artificial lures such as white jigs and small plugs work well, while live shrimp and baitfish will score more consistently. Other species such as Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, drum, trout, pompano, and flounder will be taken as well. The best conditions are an east wind and an incoming tide.

AUGUST 2017

31

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

Notes from the Island Fishmonger

By Scott Dolan, Big Water Fish Market

We always have WHAT’S HOT WHAT’S NOT a lot going on during the summertime on RED MEAT the Gulf Coast, but FISH BLUE CRAB SEASON especially this summer FLORIDA SCALLOP SEASON of 2017. Siesta Beach has FLORIDA SHRIMP SEASON GULF COAST OYSTER once again garnered the SEASON No. 1 beach status from KEY WEST LOBSTER LIONFISH Dr. Leatherman, MTV’s SMOKED MULLET new reality series shot SMOKED MAHI on Siesta Key beach FRESH FISH PREVIOUSLY FROZEN FISH aired the end of July, AMBERJACK TRASH FISH and the proposed Big WILD LOCAL FISH FARM RAISED FISH Pass dredging is still a TUNA POKE FRIED SHRIMP TEMPURA hot topic.

BUTCHERS Summer vacations FISH MONGERS and family reunions GROUPER SANDWICH CHEESEBURGER are starting to wind OUR HEALTH HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE down while politics PADDLE BOARDING JET SKIS continues to be the talk AIR CONDITIONING of the country. And, no THE WEATHER matter where you are, Come chew the fat with the weather is always a us about our selections in the major point of discussion.

Big Water Fish Market What we really like to talk following table. Let us know 6641 Midnight Pass Rd, about on the Gulf Coast is what’s how our list matches up with Siesta Key hot and what’s not and that’s our yours.

941-554-8101 MEAT WITHOUT FEET…….. Live well…Eat Meat Without www.BigWaterFishMarket.com Feet. Scott Dolan FISH!

|Kathleen D Sailing Catamarans Let’s go sailing, KATHLEEN D Sailing Catamarans, serving Siesta Key from 3 locations: Downtown Sarasota, Longboat Key, and Anna Maria Island. If you would like to experience being on the water viewing Dolphin Watches, Sunset Sails, Snorkeling and Shelling call us at 941-870-4349 or go to our web site for detailed information www.kathleend.net USCG Certified for 20 passengers.

Amendment to Zoning Code Nonetheless, she said, the photos and her conversations were considered hearsay, “so all that was basically thrown out.”

What did work, she added, were records she had compiled showing names of the renters and the time frames during which they occupied the home.

In that case, she continued, she requested a Finding of Fact. Therefore, she said, if an illegal short-term rental occurs again at that dwelling, she can proceed straight to imposing a fine.

The 30-day rule Stahley also took time during the June SKA meeting to explain the Zoning Code language regarding the frequency of short-term rentals. Her predecessor on the island — John Lally — often entertained questions on the same issue when he came to SKA meetings.

The key, Stahley pointed out, is single-family

Continued from page 5

residential zoning. Anyone unsure of the zoning of his or her neighborhood may call the County Contact Center at 861-5000, she pointed out, and the staff member answering the call can check the zoning designation for the address.

Subsection 5.2.3 of the County Code says, “Dwelling units may be rented as a whole and for periods of greater than 30 days provided that a dwelling unit shall not be rented more than once every 30 days.”

The code also notes that, with the exception of units designed for “community residential” purposes, “any rental or lease of a single-family residence to more than one individual and his or her family or roommates is prohibited, unless all persons residing in the single-family residence have full access of the entire residence, including the single kitchen, accessory buildings, and associated property.”

AUGUST 2017 TIDE CHART Florida, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Sarasota Bay

August 2017

N 27° 20' / W 82° 33'

The Big Water Fish Market…

where it’s a seafood festival every day!

Monday - Grouper BLT Tuesday - Tuna Tacos Wednesday - Soft Shell Crab Sandwich Thursday - Lobster Roll Day! Friday - Grouper Reuben Saturday - Shrimp Po’ Boy Sunday - Pompano Cubano

Open for lunch and dinner www.bigwaterfishmarket.com • 941-554-8101

Date

Day

1

Tu

2 3

High Tide

Sunrise

Sunset

Moonrise

Moonset

1:59a

1.1

4:30p

0.5

6:54a

8:20p

3:34p

2:03a

2:52a

1.2

5:29p

0.4

6:54a

8:19p

4:25p

2:43a

3:48a

1.3

6:18p

0.2

6:55a

8:18p

5:15p

3:25a

2.3

4:41a

1.4

6:59p

0.1

6:55a

8:17p

6:04p

4:11a

11:11a

2.3

5:28a

1.3

7:35p

0.1

6:56a

8:17p

6:52p

5:00a

1.5

11:50a

2.4

6:10a

1.3

8:08p

0.1

6:56a

8:16p

7:37p

5:51a

2:12a

1.6

12:28p

2.4

6:50a

1.2

8:38p

0.1

6:57a

8:15p

8:20p

6:45a

Tu

2:28a

1.6

1:07p

2.4

7:31a

1.1

9:08p

0.2

6:57a

8:14p

9:00p

7:40a 8:36a

7:59a

2.0

We

8:52a

2.1

Th

12:02a

4

Fr

5

High Tide 10:49p

1.4

1.5

9:42a

2.2

12:52a

1.5

10:29a

Sa

1:28a

1.5

6

Su

1:54a

7

Mo

8

Low Tide

Low Tide

9

We

2:45a

1.6

1:48p

2.4

8:13a

1.0

9:38p

0.3

6:58a

8:14p

9:40p

10

Th

3:07a

1.6

2:31p

2.3

8:59a

0.9

10:09p

0.4

6:58a

8:13p

10:18p

9:33a

11

Fr

3:34a

1.7

3:20p

2.2

9:51a

0.8

10:43p

0.5

6:59a

8:12p

10:56p

10:31a

12

Sa

4:06a

1.9

4:15p

2.0

10:49a

0.7

11:18p

0.6

7:00a

8:11p

11:35p

11:29a

13

Su

4:44a

2.0

5:22p

1.7

11:58a

0.6

11:55p

0.8

7:00a

8:10p

14

Mo

5:28a

2.1

6:51p

1.6

1:18p

0.6

7:01a

8:09p

12:16a

1:30p

15

Tu

6:20a

2.2

8:51p

1.5

12:36a

1.1

2:47p

0.5

7:01a

8:08p

1:01a

2:33p

16

We

7:21a

2.3

10:50p

1.5

1:22a

1.2

4:10p

0.3

7:02a

8:07p

1:49a

3:36p

17

Th

8:30a

2.4

2:23a

1.4

5:21p

0.1

7:02a

8:06p

2:43a

4:38p

18

Fr

12:05a

1.5

9:38a

2.5

3:37a

1.4

6:19p

0.0

7:03a

8:05p

3:41a

5:37p

19

Sa

12:50a

1.6

10:42a

2.5

4:49a

1.4

7:08p

0.0

7:03a

8:04p

4:42a

6:33p

20

Su

1:22a

1.6

11:39a

2.5

5:51a

1.3

7:50p

0.0

7:04a

8:04p

5:46a

7:24p

21

Mo

1:48a

1.6

12:31p

2.5

6:46a

1.1

8:27p

0.2

7:04a

8:03p

6:49a

8:10p

22

Tu

2:09a

1.6

1:19p

2.5

7:36a

1.0

8:59p

0.3

7:05a

8:02p

7:51a

8:52p

23

We

2:30a

1.7

2:04p

2.4

8:24a

0.9

9:29p

0.5

7:05a

8:00p

8:51a

9:31p

24

Th

2:51a

1.8

2:49p

2.2

9:12a

0.8

9:58p

0.6

7:06a

7:59p

9:49a

10:09p

25

Fr

3:16a

1.9

3:36p

2.0

10:02a

0.7

10:27p

0.8

7:06a

7:58p

10:45a

10:45p

26

Sa

3:44a

2.0

4:28p

1.8

10:55a

0.7

10:57p

0.9

7:07a

7:57p

11:40a

11:22p

27

Su

4:17a

2.0

5:32p

1.6

11:56a

0.7

11:29p

1.1

7:07a

7:56p

12:33p

28

Mo

4:57a

2.1

7:00p

1.6

1:06p

0.6

7:08a

7:55p

1:25p

12:00a

29

Tu

5:45a

2.1

8:58p

1.5

12:07a

1.3

2:25p

0.6

7:08a

7:54p

2:17p

12:39a

30

We

6:46a

2.1

10:39p

1.6

12:58a

1.4

3:42p

0.6

7:08a

7:53p

3:08p

1:21a

31

Th

7:58a

2.1

11:35p

1.6

2:12a

1.5

4:47p

0.5

7:09a

7:52p

3:57p

2:05a

©2017 FreeTideTables.com - For comparison only - Times are local - Tides in feet from MLLW

Phase

Full

12:29p 3rd

New

1st

32

Siesta Sand

AUGUST 2017

941.349.0194

Arts on the Horizon

Thanksgiving in August The pilgrims arrived in the land of the Wampanoag and Mahigan on November 9th, 1620 after leaving England on September 6th. They were probably buying supplies in August of that year, but those free market acquisition activities are not what we are celebrating. The pilgrims that settled in America were both fleeing one thing and seeking another. We know, in the aggregate, that they were fleeing religious intolerance and seeking the right to be intolerant of others, but what of their personal stories?

What do we know of the individuals of that migration and their whys and wherefores?

Not much; so these pilgrims of yesteryear are not who we are now celebrating.

We believe we know what the pilgrims of today flee and seek. The Syrian refugees of today flee the fist of tyranny and seek the right to live in freedom; Latin Americans flee gang warfare and economic servitude while seeking the right to live and earn; and Americans, it seems, flee and seek each another at the same time. Ah, but what of the pilgrims of tomorrow - what will be mean, and meaningful, to them? Are they driven away or do they leave of their own accord?

Do their fears and demons mirror our own?

And how do they feel about each other; are they as one, or are they each separate? These future pilgrims are the ones who will be celebrated starting August 4th, and who will continue to be celebrated until September 10th, when the play Pilgrims completes its

By Rodger Skidmore

run at the Urbanite theatre on Second Street in downtown Sarasota.

Brendan Ragan, Artistic Director and Co-founder of the Urbanite, will portray a soldier with PTSD fleeing _______, and Betsy Helmer will be a young girl thrown together with the soldier on their journey to _______. Yes, they could be both fleeing and seeking the unknown, but which unknowns and why? Cameron Morton plays either an assistant or a companion on this voyage into the beyond; it is hard to know which she (it) is. This play by Claire Kiechel had its premiere on June 8th at the Gift Theatre in Chicago, with that first production just ending July 30th. Kiechel’s original idea for the play was about a girl detective on a cruise ship, death, and the American way of life, but it morphed as it developed into what we will be pleased to see at the Urbanite www.urbinitetheatre.com. While at their website, check out the new plays being presented during their upcoming winter/ spring season.

European Getaway During Snowbird Season many Europeans fly from Europe to Sarasota for sun, fun, and opera (not that opera can’t be fun as well). Why don’t you do the same in reverse this summer? And why visit just one city while there, how about an old fashioned European Tour, visiting England’s Stratford and London and on the continent stopping off in Paris, Salzburg and Turin between July

Siesta Key Round-Up Parks Department asking for more permanent help Although the County Commission’s decision on the request may not be made final for a while, the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department is seeking six new full-time employees for the 2018 fiscal year.

Five of the positions would replace contractual workers, enabling staff to keep beach facilities in tip-top shape, Carolyn Brown, the department’s director, explained to the board during its June 21 budget workshop. The sixth person would supervise the new “medallions” program for companies offering rentals of non-motorized watercraft at Turtle Beach Park, Brown added. That employee also would help out at the Turtle Beach Campground, she said.

The goal with the five beach attendant positions, Brown explained, is “to be able to deal with the job at hand” — directing work as needed, including cleaning restrooms and picking up trash. “We feel it’s important … so that we can more easily direct them to do various tasks.”

When Chair Paul Caragiulo pressed for more details, Brown told him that the department has been contracting with

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30 and August 27? Take too long? Not really.

Just trot on down to the Sarasota Opera House each Sunday for the 1:30 p.m. High Definition opera and ballet performances.

On July 30th they will be showing the Stratford Festival’s version of Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost; the comedic tale of a Spanish king and 3 of his courtiers swearing off love just as a princess and 3 of her hand maidens arrive from France.

Things ensue. Moving on to Spain on August 6th, London’s Royal National Opera production of Otello gives us another chance to see this masterpiece by Verdi. Otello was written 16 years after Verdi completed Aida and has even more conflict and drama.

The title role is sung by Jonas Kaufman and is conducted by Antonio Pappano.

Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake is next, on August 13th, as performed by the Paris Opera Ballet at Opéra Bastille in an updated version of Rudolf Nureyev’s famous work. Not an opera but just as expressive, through motion, in its exploration of idealized love. Jonas Kaufman is back on August 20th in both Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci from the Easter Festival held in Salzburg. This Philipp Stölzl production divides the stage into six segments and combines video with live actors while moving the setting from Sicily to northern Europe. Conducting these short operas is Christian Thielemann. Rounding out our journey is the August 27th Teatro Regio Torino production of Gounod’s - from Turin, Italy. The set is stunning in both its simplicity and its complexity - modern in every way. Conductor Gianandrea Noseda is magnificent in underlining the arcane and diabolic passages of the score and in depicting, with morbidity and grace, the brief love idyll between Marguerite and Faust.

Why High Definition at the Sarasota Opera House in August? Two reasons. The first is quite simple - while opera is great live, the close-ups that HD provides are wonderful. Zooming in on the action is not just technical showmanship, but truly helps to focus on the emotions being shown. Also, it has forced opera singers to act better as well as to sing beautifully. More details about these and other operas in Sarasota at www.sarasotaopera.org.

Know what to do with trash?

Why, eat it of course. Sure, put your newspapers in the recycling bin, compost your overcooked broccoli, take your Diet Coke cans to Vermont, and don’t even bother buying anything with high-fructose corn syrup. But Trash Fish (now known as Sustainable Seafood) can be eaten in so many ways that each is worth a try. This August 6th, the Chefs Collaborative is holding its 4th Annual Sustainable Seafood dinner. Yes, the first three were called Trash Fish Dinners, but PC wording often wins out in Sarasota (Remember the Ungala Galas when people weren’t supposed to wear a tux?). Anyway, often the best tasting bits of fish are those that are thrown away. Why are they discarded? Often simply because many diners just don’t know how tasty these little morsels are. The roe that is attached to scallops is cut off and put into cat food because when Americans started eating scallops we did not have refrigeration. And grouper cheeks and fish lips? Well, how many of those do you have to collect in order to have a full serving?

Edible Sarasota magazine and Louies Modern restaurant are hosting eleven of Sarasota’s nationally-renowned chefs so you may sample some underutilized and invasive seafood species. Most of the seafood eaten in America is farm-raised tilapia, salmon, and shrimp (think China and Vietnam), while quite a lot of what we export is higher end wild species. Highlighting some of these more exotic fish will add to the enjoyment of those who try these tastier varieties. The great chefs from The Cottage, Indigenous, Libby’s, Louies Modern, MADE, Mattison’s, The Sandbar, the Siesta Key Oyster Bar, the Seafood Shack and the Veronica Fish and Oyster will prepare their specialties for you when you partake in these festivities. And what drinks will accompany this six course seated dinner - craft beer and amazing wines that will keep your palate satisfied. And yes, Chef Steve Phelps and Edible’s editor Tracy Freeman will guide you through each new treat. Find out more at www. chefscollaborative.org/events/sustainablefish-dinner-sarasota.

Continued from page 23

janitorial services to handle the work these full-time employees would be doing. “On multiple occasions,” she said, “the contract failed.”

Given the popularity of the county’s beaches with tourists and residents, Brown continued, her department needs “to be able to have a reliable and dependable crew on site.”

When Caragiulo asked for clarification that the shift to use of the full-time employees would save money, Brown replied, “That’s correct.”

As he did at other points throughout the county’s late June budget workshop discussions, Caragiulo asked for more details about the breakdown of expenses regarding those new employees.

“Let’s not kid ourselves: We’re being forced to make some pretty serious decisions.” The commission has been working with staff to try to balance the 2018 fiscal year budget without raising the millage rate.

At the end of the two days of workshops, it was Caragiulo who — after passing the gavel to Vice Chair Nancy Detert — made the motion calling for County Administrator Tom Harmer to work with each department whose budget showed an increase for the 2018 fiscal year to determine what would

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get cut if the department had to have that increase. The total PRNR budget for the next fiscal year was projected to be down by 3.7%, compared to the FY17 budget.

The final budget workshop was set for Aug. 21.

FDOT renews funding commitment for trolley The Sarasota County commissioners recently heard more good news about the Siesta Breeze open-air trolley.

During the Board’s June 21 budget workshop, Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT) Director Rocky Burke reported that the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) staff had agreed to provide matching funding to keep the Breeze operating for another two years.

MTV’s Siesta Key to debut this month On May 7, during the MTV Movie and TV Awards, MTV unveiled an ad for a new reality series set in Siesta Key. In early July, MTV used a Twitter account to announce that the series would debut on July 31.

The show will air at 10 p.m., @siestakey says. The Twitter tagline is “Get ready for

the summer of a lifetime in #SiestaKey.” The Twitter account featured the same 15-second promo that aired in May, with emphasis on romance and elegant houses on the water.

Chamber made its fireworks financial goal With eight days to go before the big event, the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce achieved what Executive Director Ann Frescura called its “pie-in-the-sky” goal of $50,000 to pay for the spectacular July Fourth fireworks show at the beach.

The last donations came in on June 26.

When she left work on June 22, she said, the total was at $45,000, so she felt pretty good about hitting the goal. Then, over the weekend, she continued, a couple of contributors who had made verbal commitments came through with their money.

To reach the mark well before the last minute, she acknowledged, was a cause for celebration. Frescura was quick to point to the determination of the fundraising committee members and Chamber directors who “worked behind the scenes.”

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AUGUST 2017

DearDonnarose

it.” ~Marianne Williamson

Q: Dear Donnarose, one of the ladies in our circle of friends cannot seem to listen to anything about our lives without saying “I’m jealous.” She knows I hate when she says that, but she says she’s just saying how she feels. How can I get her to enjoy our conversations without having to put a pin in our positive bubble? ~V.C. A: “Jealousy is when you count someone else’s blessings instead of your own.” ~Unknown

In reference to the quote above, when people are busy focusing on another’s blessings in a jealous manner, it tends to put them in that “state of lack” energy.

This in turn causes them to negatively judge themselves, which will continue to lower their vibration. And the word lousy sits in the word jealousy which is what someone will continue to feel if they choose to remain jealous.

So that being said, instead of trying to “get” someone who’s currently at a lower vibration to do something, it’s suggested that you focus more on why her statement triggers resentment in you. As much as we’d like to blame others for making us feel badly, it’s often what’s already in us that’s being triggered.

In my line of work, what your friend is doing can be considered a gift, as now you can clear out the resentment you’ve been showing up with during your conversations. You may notice that others in the group don’t even pay attention to her statement.

It often depends on where we are energetically that determines how we respond to people. So perhaps considering this peacemaking prayer may help: “Infinite Source, for me, my family, our entire lineage and all our relationships throughout all timepast, present and future: For all hurts and wrongs; for all the things we said and done in word, thought or action that caused any of us to feel unlike love; for all feelings of unworthiness, anger and resentment; for all swallowed anger and times we weren’t allowed to speak up, please help us all forgive each other, forgive ourselves, completely and totally, now and forever, no matter what happened, please and thank you.” By saying this prayer for as long as needed, you’ll more likely see this situation from a higher perspective.

And you’ll become more and more untouched by your friend’s “I’m jealous” statement. And you may even start forgetting the last time she said it. This is what can happen when we remove blocked energy that no longer serves us. ~♥ Q: Dear Donnarose, I often read that to walk on a spiritual path, we must “go within.” How do I go about doing that? ~B.N. A: “The path to love is our spiritual destiny.” ~Deepak Chopra “The spiritual path is simply the journey of living our lives.

Everyone is on a spiritual path...most people just don’t know

Many get overwhelmed with the concept of “walking on a spiritual path” because there’s an overload of information out there. So it can get confusing. The above two quotes may make the answer to your question more simple, which is a good way to start. And the fact that you’re asking your question usually means that you’re ready to live your life- which is your spiritual path as Marianne says, but now with fewer detours. Meaning, you’re ready to walk on a straighter and simpler path, where instead of fear, you’ll be more connected to love, which as Deepak says, is our spiritual destiny. And as time goes on, you’ll become aware that you are the Love that’s walking on the spiritual path.

But for now, let’s keep it nice and simple.

So to answer your question on how to go within, start by first saying thank you to Spirit for protecting you and keeping you safe. Then begin being still in a quiet space, and allow yourself to receive whatever is coming in your mind without judgment. Being still, to me, is one of the most important habits to form to go within. As you’re being still, allow yourself to practice over and over just listening. If you get distracted, just go right back to listening again. As time goes by, you’ll be able to receive Divine messages geared towards assisting you on your spiritual path. Some good sources to help you form the habit of being still, listening and going within are: Deepak Chopra 21 day meditations (https://chopracentermeditation. com/about-us ), Ros Place’s chakra meditations, and Doreen Virtue also keeps things nice and simple. And Wayne Dyer’s books often mention some of the greats from many moons ago that will provide knowledge as well. And adding to all the above, it’s very important to maintain a higher vibration. (See 1st Q&A in link below). As you do all the above, more and more Divine guidance will be “presented” to you, and you’ll start to have a “knowing” of what to do from there. But overall, be sure to keep the process nice and simple.~♥ http://siestasand.net/soulfully-yoursdonnarose-7-16/ Donnarose Melvin is a professional Ancestral Energy Clearing Intuitive, and a Medium. Her knowledge from her BA degree in Psychology, along with her natural intuitive gifts, have helped thousands achieve increased peace and success. Please send your questions to: Donnarose1010@ gmail.com or Facebook private msg her at Donnarose.

She will select questions each month to share with you.

Donnarose regrets that unpublished questions cannot be answered individually. If you’d like a powerful distant energy clearing, or an intuitive reading, please contact Donnarose at the email address above.

MarinerWord Search MarinerWord Search WORD SEARCH

Answers on page 41

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WORD LIST: Artesian spring Artesian Biscaynespring Bay Catamaran Biscayne Bay Colorful fish Catamaran Coral reef Colorful fish Crystal clear Coral reef Destin Dolphin cruise Crystal clear Eco tour Destin Key Largo Dolphin cruise Key West Marine Eco tour life Nature park Key Largo Ocala Key West Ocean world Marine life Park Pennekamp Plants park Nature Scenic Ocala Sea fan Ocean world Shallow reef Pennekamp Shell Island Park Silver River Spirit Plants Silver Springs Scenic Snorkel Sea fan Sponges Tourist attraction Shallow reef Tropical fish Shell Island Undersea park Silver River Spirit Vibrant Silver Springs Wakulla Springs Snorkel Answers on Page 21 Sponges Tourist attraction

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Siesta Key REAL ESTATE & HOME SECTION ACCOMMODATIONS PAGE 42 SAND CASTLES PAGE 36

HOUSE HUNTING PAGE 39 SIESTA KEY MARKET STATS PAGE 38

The Highs and Lows of Properties Sold on Siesta Key

Provided by Key Solutions Real Estate / www.keysolutionsrealestate.com

Following are properties sold on Siesta Key in the last 60 days, providing a snapshot of home values on the Key for both single family homes and condominiums.

HIGHEST PRICED SINGLE FAMILY PROPERTY: 825 TROPICAL CIRCLE SOLD FOR: $3,925,000 A Yachtsman’s Paradise with downtown views on Sarasota Bay. Award Winning Coastal Architecture blends indoor - outdoor entertainment areas. This 6,000 sq. ft. Residence built in 2010 to today’s hurricane codes features 122 feet of Open Bay on a 20,000 sq. ft. Private Point Lot. Complete with new seawall, new dock with shore power and 25,000 lb. boat lift, indoor and outdoor fireplaces and a 3-stop elevator. Four to six bedrooms, 4 full plus 2 half-baths. A short stroll to World Famous Siesta Key Beach. Custom designed high-end finishes, brilliant Gourmet Chef’s Kitchen with Sub Zero, Fisher-Paykel, Wolf Gas Range and Bosch top of the line appliances.

The first floor luxury Grand Master Suite includes expansive Bay and pool views, new European Oak floors, private study area, 2 complete his and hers baths, 2 walk-in closets, jetted soaking tub and garden shower.

The attention to detail includes a 3 tier magnificently-

LOWEST PRICED SINGLE-FAMILY PROPERTY: 4837 HIGEL AVE, SOLD FOR: $445,000

huge home theater. A separate formal dining room, butler’s pantry, 500 bottle wine cellar. Lush, mature, tropical landscape includes Tropical Palms, Mango and Bougainvillea. The sale of this property came to $654.17 a square foot.

Courtesy of Sarasota Beach to Bay Inc.

LOWEST PRICED CONDO: 6703 MIDNIGHT PASS RD, #209: SOLD FOR: $229,000 Immaculate move-in ready 1 bedroom condo is nicely furnished and has great rental history. Located just south of the Stickney Point Bridge on Siesta Key, Sea Winds is a community with 2-buildings and 35 units with a wonderful heated pool and easy walk to Crescent Beach.

Convenient location being able to get on and off the Key, while not needing a car during your stay. Immediately around this complex are some long-time favorite Siesta Key restaurants such as Miguel’s and Captain Curt’s and other amenities like grocery, water craft rentals etc. An end unit, this personal retreat offers a nice sized bedroom, living room with pull out sofa, built-in dining table with storage below, plenty of closet space, a well-equipped kitchen with window that overlooks the pool. The second floor ensures no noise from above, on-site bike storage room, pet friendly and allows 2-week

minimum rentals - most rent for a month or more. Relax on the quiet end of the Key yet be only a few minutes’ drive (take the free trolley) to Siesta Key Village and only 10 minutes to downtown Sarasota for enjoying many cultural venues such as theater, opera, ballet and more. This property is rented regularly. The sale came out to $336.27 a square foot.

Courtesy of Berkshire Hathaway.

A charming 3 bedroom 2 full bath home awaits you on Siesta Key. Very light, bright home with a split floor plan.

Great location; a short distance to Siesta Beach and Shell Beach, Siesta Village and close to the Out-of-Door Academy.

This is a quiet neighborhood. This home is nestled in between many more expensive homes. The home is one of the lowest priced homes currently listed on Siesta Key. Rebuilt and remodeled in 2000 with 2 skylights and tiled floors throughout. This lovely home is all on one floor. A full-sized washer and dryer are in the over-sized second bathroom.

There is a central vacuum system and every room has a ceiling fan. The shed workshop has electric power.

Want a pool?

Plenty of room for it. The sale of this property came out to $297.86 a square foot. Courtesy of Michael Saunders.

HIGHEST PRICED CONDO: 6208 MIDNIGHT PASS RD, #100: SOLD FOR: $809,280 The renovation of this 2 bed/2 bath, ground floor Siesta Dunes unit is nothing short of amazing. New tile, cabinets and granite counters sparkle in the kitchen and bathrooms. Cozy furniture and fashionable finishes complete this refreshing space.

Sleek and modern, yet warm and inviting, this condo can lend itself

to entertaining multiple guests or intimate dinners on the peaceful patio.

Convenience is key with ground level access and easy walks to the salt water pool/hot tub and the beautiful, white sand of Crescent Beach. Siesta Dunes offers gated entry, parking, beachside and garden grills, pavilion, club house, great rentals and much more. The sale on this unit came out to $647.42 a square foot.

Courtesy of Michael Saunders.

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AUGUST 2017

Call it a ‘debriefing’ about the Fourth Illegal parking, illegal fireworks, traffic congestion, fights over spaces at the public beach, and lots of trash: It was pretty much a typical July Fourth holiday on Siesta Key, Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office staff, residents and Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department (PRNR) staff said during the July Siesta Key Association (SKA) meeting.

Sgt. Jason Mruczek reported that the beach parking lot was full at 8:15 a.m. on the holiday. “Saturday and Sunday were pretty steady,” just slightly busier than a normal weekend, he noted, but “not as crazy as Memorial Day weekend was.”

As they did last year, Mruczek explained, deputies closed the beach lot when it was full and then re-opened it only when enough people had left to enable more visitors to find spaces.

“We did write a lot of tickets,” Mruczek said, referring to people parking illegally on county rights of way. At Siesta Estates, he continued, deputies wrote about 40 tickets. Siesta Estates is across Midnight Pass Road from St. Boniface Episcopal Church.

In response to a question, Mruczek said he was unaware of the Sheriff’s Office having any vehicles towed, but he had no details about private property situations. Yet another “kink in the works,” so to speak, was an accident on the Stickney Point Road bridge around 9:30 a.m. on July 4, audience members said.

Mruczek told the approximately 35 people present that because the Florida Highway Patrol investigated the incident, he had no details about what had happened.

SKA Vice President Catherine Luckner also took the opportunity to applaud the Sheriff’s Office for the quick work to put out a grass fire near the beach caused by illegal fireworks.

“The response was very well done,” she added.

“It was a bit chaotic at the time,” Lt. Donny Kennard replied, noting, “There are probably about 500 videos of it on YouTube.”

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By Rachel Brown Hackney

Mruczek reported that lifeguards and a couple of deputies grabbed fire extinguishers to fight the flames before the Fire Department crew arrived. Still, he said, because a number of people had left the beach parking lot, the firefighters were able to get to the scene quickly.

As for the trash …

During the SKA meeting, Cindy Turner, manager of Siesta Public Beach, talked of all the county staff and volunteer efforts that went into preparation before and after the holiday weekend to try to keep the beach as clean as possible.

Planning had been going on for weeks, she said — what she referred to as “the performance before the curtain goes up.”

The county’s Keep Sarasota County Beautiful staff provided 4,000 yellow bags, which county employees and volunteers distributed to beachgoers, she pointed out. The goal was to be able to count how many of those bags people actually disposed of themselves. Although Turner cautioned that the count was not precise, staff estimated that the public used 1,000. “We feel pretty good about the number,” she added, but the total actually might have been a bit higher, as county staff was unable to check the receptacles at the beach accesses before a contractor emptied them in the mornings.

As county employees drove along the beach on ATVs and walked through the crowds, Turner continued, they offered bags to people, to supplement the distribution volunteers handled at the beach accesses. “The majority of people [on the beach] were very receptive,” she said.

People had asked her whether she felt the endeavor was a success. “To us, it’s a success,” she pointed out. Yet, staff was still disturbed on the morning of July 5. “It’s disgusting, disheartening, it’s troubling” to see so much debris left on the beach, Turner added. Nonetheless, she continued, staff who

worked on the beach last year after the Fourth assured her, “‘This is nothing; this is half of what we had last year.’”

After Mote Marine volunteers checked for turtle nests, she said, it was about 6:10 when county employees received the “All Clear” to tackle the trash.

Turner lauded the many volunteers who came out to help, including those signed up for the Liberty Litter Cleanup sponsored by Keep Sarasota County Beautiful. The owners of the Beach Club, The Cottage, and The Hub Baja Grill in Siesta Village also had organized volunteers to help, she noted. “Somebody said, ‘How do you stop that trash?’” Turner continued. “I don’t know that you can.”

The lifeguards counted more than 50,000 people on the public beach - just in the area between the lifeguard stands - from Saturday, July 1 through July 4, she pointed out. One factor that contributes to the trash left on the beach, she noted, is the consumption of alcohol. “I saw a lot of intoxicated young people.”

In fact, she said, she tried to shame some of them into collecting their trash by stooping to pick up beer bottles and offering yellow trash bags to the young people next to the bottles.

Turner stated to the SKA audience that county staff referred to one area of the beach as “Tent City.” “It was tent to tent to tent to tent of young people,” Turner explained.

As the thunderstorm began — and the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce fireworks show came to a fast end — people “took off running,” Turner pointed out. During the cleanup, she continued, “We found a lot of cellphones.” (That comment drew gasps from some SKA audience members.) Additionally, “a lot of beach chairs” with all sorts of college logos were in the same area the next morning, she added. “I’m picky about litter,” Turner said. Nonetheless, she confessed, “I’m not sure I would have carried my aluminum chair in that lightning.”

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Great Siesta Key home just a short walk to the sugary sands of Siesta Key Beach. Full remodeled with new stucco, paint and custom woodwork on the exterior. Brand new A/C unit, new stainless steel appliances. Bonus glassed-in Florida room is a pure joy for relaxation.

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Siesta Sand

AUGUST 2017

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Sand Castles Charming Condos at Casa Mar

www.siestasand.net

By Roger Drouin

Situated in the middle of Crescent Beach with 300feet of private beachfront, Casa Mar is a community of charming 1950s-and-60s built condos in one-and-two story buildings.

Constructed with 18-inch concrete block and exposed panel and beam ceilings, the units are on the smaller side, but well-constructed and easily made light and bright with some paint and interior design, says Dawn Lacey, office manager since 1993.

The community has palm-lined common areas and walkways, and one of the largest private beachfronts on the Key, Lacey added, because it was built before developments started having smaller beachfronts.

There are a total of 74 units, in two two-story beachfront buildings and four one-story buildings closer to Midnight Pass.

Casa Mar has a list of attributes that draw potential investors who rent out their units and seasonal residents alike, said Realtor Bob Ruiz, with Key Solutions Real Estate. Those amenities include a “great center of island location directly on Crescent Beach, a very short walk to the mid-Key village with restaurants and shops, and a quick ride to Siesta Village.” Other amenities include: tennis, volleyball, four lighted shuffleboard courts, clubhouse, video library and Internet café, and two resort-like pools. “The clubhouse and other community amenities are an important feature for investors as well as owner/residents,” Ruiz told Siesta Sand. “Everyone seems to love the common areas — particularly the pools!”

Lacey notes that only several current owners are seasonal residents, and most other current owners are investors who rent their units out throughout the year.

The one-week rental minimum policy, ideal mid-Key location, and the on-site rental program, make it a good choice for investors.

The community is popular among vacationing families and retirees, and many renters are return guests. “I would say 70 to 75 percent are return guests,” Lacey said.

Most guests stay for longer than the one-week minimum stay.

Casa Mar has linen service and weekly maid service.

The community is already booked up for winter 2018, and the rental office has been taking reservations for June and July in the upcoming year, as well. Lacey said units near the clubhouse rent well, along with units close to the water. Many guests request a certain unit when they are booking their stay, and renovated and light-and-bright units tend to be most popular.

Another plus for residents and guests is the convenient parking. “Parking is right behind [the] units, so people don’t have to walk with groceries or things,” Lacey said.

The community’s layout is conducive for a friendly, neighborly atmosphere. “With the way the courtyard and picnic areas are set up, it is very family friendly and there is space for guests to mingle,” Lacey said.

The community is popular for weddings, as well, because of the expansive beach.

There are currently two units for sale in Casa Mar. • A 420-square foot studio is listed for sale for $285,000, or $679 a square foot. This charming and open concept studio has been completely renovated with designer upgrades, according to the MLS listing. Light tile throughout matches the white-painted wood ceiling.

• A larger two-bedroom, two bath Gulf-front unit is listed for $879,000. With 1,008 square feet, the listing works out to $872 a square foot. Beach chairs overlook the Gulf and the first-floor unit’s screen door leads directly out to the sand, according to information from the MLS listing. The unit is turnkey furnished and ready for use as a rental or for a getaway. It is listed by ReMax Tropical Sands.

There have been three recent sales in the community, ranging from $385,000 for an 840 square foot unit to $299,000 for a 600 square-foot unit. Both units are located in the one-story buildings east of the beachfront buildings.

Your Resident Real Estate Professionals - - SHERI and BOB RUIZ

Dolphin Bay

The ultimate 2/2 in over 1900 feet of living space. Split plan with large en-suite bedrooms. Spacious lanai.

Awesome water views. Private garage. Easy walk to Siesta Beach.

$849,000

Somerset Cove

Boaters paradise. 3 BR, 3½ BA with 40’ 16k lift, minutes to the Gulf and easy walking distance to the beach and Village. Luxuriously appointed. New elevator. 2 car garage.

$865,000

Bob Ruiz 941-544-3299 RobertRuizRR@aol.com

Harbour Towne Yacht Club

Walking distance to Siesta Beach with deeded dock and water views! Fabulous 2/2 end unit. Attached garage.

Gated community with pool, tennis and clubhouse.

$439,000

Gulf & Bay Bayside

Sheri Ruiz 941-400-4186 Sheri Lasley@aol.com www.SiestaKeyNow.com

$539,000

Key Solutions Real Estate Group

Exceptional renovated and furnished 2/2 with water views. Attached garage. Deeded beach access. Ideal home, vacation or investment property. Resort-style amenities.

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

AUGUST 2017

Snapshots of Island Visitors 1

2

Photos by Jaye Clements - Sarasota Photography 4

3

1. Ewa and Amy from West Palm Beach, FL 2. Wyatt and Brenda from Auburndale, FL 3. Jordan age 10, Laila, age 8, Alexia age 3, Ledora, and Lydia from Ruskin, FL 4. Jesus and Virginia from Puerto Rico, Lorna, Noe, Elisa, and Nelson from Kissimmee, FL 5. Denise, Cara age 10, Ben age 7, and Barry from Ireland

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC 5

37

38

Siesta Sand

AUGUST 2017

941.349.0194

AT THE BEACH

Handmade Antique Rugs Bought and Sold

Florida’s Largest Selection of Antique Oriental and Chinese Rugs for 45 Years

Mosby oriental rugs

941-925-1025 by appointment

www.antiqueorientalrugs.com

Top: Soaking up the Siesta Beach sun are Terra Jones (18) of Sarasota, Hannah Jenkins (18) of Venice, and Sarasota High students Kenya Clayton (16) and Kayla Jones (17). Jones and Jenkins will head to SCF this fall to study Marine Biology and Radiology.

Middle: Chicago school mates and BFF’s, Loralei Quinn (13), Mariam Azeez (13), and Rylie Szablewski (13) enjoying fabulous Siesta Beach. Azeez (center) just won the Illinois State Track Long jump Title in her age group.

Bottom: State College of Florida student, Shelby Curtsinger (19) of Sarasota, Gabrielle Derose (22) of Pennsylvania, and Tessa Robinson (19), a student at Miami Dade College, brought everything they need to enjoy an incredible day on the white powder sand of America’s No. 1 beach.

May

www.siestasand.net

By Trebor Britt

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

AUGUST 2017

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

39

House Hunting Siesta Key to Longboat Key • SHORT WALK TO SIESTA BEACH 195 Vista Hermosa Circle, #9-A, Siesta Key, FL. MLS# A4189942 Wonderfully remodeled 2 BR, 2 BA villa. Designer tile & carpet throughout. This villa is being sold turnkey furnished (with some exclusions). Dan Miller, Re/ Max Tropical Sands. 941-376-7442 • RECENTLY RENOVATED PALM ISLAND HOME: $959,000.

322 Island Circle, Siesta Key, FL. MLS# A4170620 Spacious 4 BR, 4 BA house.

Recently renovated with new kitchen, new master BR and master BA. Lounge in the heated pool and spa. Dan Miller, Re/ Max Tropical Sands. 941-376-7442 • FULL GULF VIEW OF #1 BEACH: $550,000 797 Beach Rd, #305, Siesta Key, FL. MLS# A4188853 Completely remodeled unit with high end tile floors in main living area, quality custom kitchen cabinets with granite counters. All the lighting has been upgraded throughout this TURNKEY FURNISHED (some artwork excluded) unit. Dan Miller, Re/Max Tropical Sands.

941-376-7442 • 1413 CEDAR BAY LANE, THE LANDINGS, $995,000: MLS #A4189600 Main house with separate Guesthouse.

Impeccably maintained Judy Greene / Tara Lamb, Michael Saunders & Company Licensed Real Estate Broker. 941-350-0451 (Judy) or 941-266-4873 (Tara) • 5408 EAGLES POINT CIR #102 THE LANDINGS $399,000: MLS #A4182828 2BD/2BA Condo- Updated kitchen, Lake View, New Windows. Judy Greene/Tara Lamb, Michael Saunders & Company Licensed Real Estate Broker, 941-350-0451 (Judy) or 941-266-4873 (Tara) • 1704 KESTRAL PARK DR, LANDINGS CARRIAGE HOUSE $375,000: MLS #A4186635 2BD with Den/2BA. Updated, lovely setting with lake view.

Judy Greene/Tara Lamb, Michael Saunders & Company Licensed Real Estate Broker, 941-350-0451

(Judy) or 941-266-4873 (Tara) • 1734 KESTRAL PARKWAY S, LANDINGS CARRIAGE HOUSE $325,000: MLS #A4180684 2BD with Den/2BA. Great location near Pool. Judy Greene/ Tara Lamb, Michael Saunders & Company Licensed Real Estate Broker, 941-350-0451 (Judy) or 941-266-4873 (Tara) • 4967 KESTRAL PARK WAY N., LANDINGS CARRIAGE HOUSE $449,500 MLS#A4183699 2 BD with Den/2 BA Significantly updated.

Judy Greene/Tara Lamb, Michael Saunders & Company Licensed Real Estate Broker, 941-350-0451 (Judy) or 941-266-4873 (Tara) • 5272 HERON WAY, LANDINGS COACH HOUSE $295,000: MLS #4185882 3BD/2BA Southern exposure with lake view. Judy Greene/ Tara Lamb, Michael Saunders & Company Licensed Real Estate Broker, 941-350-0451 (Judy) or 941-266-4873 (Tara) • 1610 STARLING DR, LANDINGS COACH HOUSE $285,000: MLS 4182814 2BD/2BA Ground floor condo with patio overlooking a fabulous lake view. Judy Greene/Tara Lamb, Michael Saunders & Company Licensed Real Estate Broker, 941-350-0451 (Judy) or 941-266-4873 (Tara) • 1610 STARLING DR, LANDINGS COACH HOUSE $295,000: MLS 4182814 2BD/2BA Ground floor condo with patio overlooking a fabulous lake view. Judy Greene/Tara Lamb, Michael Saunders & Company Licensed Real Estate Broker, 941-350-0451 (Judy) or 941-266-4873 (Tara) • 1380 LANDINGS PT TREEHOUSE $455,000: MLS #A4187270 3BD 2.5BTH Private Setting with Lush Landscape Judy Greene/Tara Lamb, Michael Saunders & Company Licensed Real Estate Broker, 941-350-0451 (Judy) or 941-266-4873 (Tara) • HARBOUR TOWNE YACHT CLUB Minutes’ walk to Siesta Beach with deeded 40’ boat dock with

10k lift. 3/3 on 2 floors with garage and abundant storage.

Beautifully renovated.

MLS# A4167104, $699,000.

Key Solutions Real Estate Group, Sheri & Bob Ruiz. Bob: 941-5443299 or Sheri: 941-400-4186 • 840 SIESTA KEY CIRCLE Lovely old-Florida style 3-31/2 home on large corner lot. Abundant glass doors and windows bring the outdoors in!

Large pool. Boat dock (minutes to the ICW) with 10k lift. 2 car garage. A short walk to Siesta Beach and Village.

MLS#A4173735, $1,150,000. Key Solutions Real Estate Group, Sheri & Bob Ruiz. Bob: 941-5443299 or Sheri: 941-400-4186.

• LIDO AMBASSADOR Direct Beachfront community just 10 minutes’ walk to St. Armand’s Circle and a short drive to downtown Sarasota. Large 1 1 1/2 unit beautifully renovated and furnished. Move right in.

Beachfront pool, clubhouse, fitness, etc.

Low HOA fees.

MLS #A4174292, $370,000. Key Solutions Real Estate Group, Sheri & Bob Ruiz. Bob: 941-5443299 or Sheri: 941-400-4186.

• DOLPHIN BAY The ultimate 2/2 in over 1900 square feet of living space.

Exceptional property with split floor plan, each bedroom with private bath. Large kitchen with sit-in area and expansive living/ dining space. Spacious lanai with great views of the ICW. Garage.

Pool, clubhouse, tennis, and day dock. Short walk to Siesta Beach.

MLS #A4178449, $849,000. Key Solutions Real Estate Group, Sheri & Bob Ruiz. Bob: 941-5443299 or Sheri: 941-400-4186.

• GULF & BAY BAYSIDE 2 units for sale! Great beach home, vacation, or rental property. Deeded beach access just across the street. 3/2 end unit or 2/2 with views of ICW. Both beautifully renovated and furnished with attached garages. Resort-like amenities.

MLS #A4185953, $649,000 and MLS#A4182348, $539,000. Key Solutions Real Estate Group, Sheri & Bob Ruiz. Bob: 941-5443299 or Sheri: 941-400-4186.

• HARBOUR TOWNE YACHT CLUB

Short walk to Siesta Beach with deeded dock and water views! Fabulous 2/2 end unit with attached garage.

Gated community with pool, tennis, clubhouse, grill/picnic area, and marina. MLS#A4185066, $439,000.

Key Solutions Real Estate Group, Sheri & Bob Ruiz. Bob: 941-5443299 or Sheri: 941-400-4186. Key Solutions Real Estate Group, Sheri & Bob Ruiz. Bob: 941-5443299 or Sheri: 941-400-4186.

• TURNKEY FURNISHED TOWNHOME This 3BD/2BA townhome, is totally updated. The gated waterfront community features fabulous recreational facilities, a private boat slip, garage, and is just a short walk to the beach.

1267 Dockside PL #214, Siesta Key, $699,000 MLS #A4155386, Key Solutions Real Estate, (941)894-1255

#210, Siesta Key, $699,000. MLS #A4167104, Key Solutions Real Estate, 941-894-1255.

• MID CENTURY BEAUTY This 3BD/3BA home, is a former Ralph Twitchell show home with an amazing open floor plan and high ceilings located on a quiet canal front corner lot.

Has a 7K lbs. boat lift and is a short 5-minute commute to the bay. Has a new modern kitchen with gorgeous Brazilian granite counter tops. 505 Givens St, Siesta Key, $859,000 MLS #A4160488, Key Solutions Real Estate, 941894-1255.

• LUXURIOUS BEACHFRONT CONDO Located in the fabulous Crescent Siesta Key, this 2 BD/2 BA condo offers a view from your sunny lanai with outdoor kitchen.

Community offers 2 pools, spa, fitness center, outdoor grills, and convenient walking to everything South Siesta Village has to offer. 6512 Midnight Pass Rd #406, Siesta Key, $1,229,000 MLS #A4171720, Key Solutions Real Estate, 941-894-1255 • JUST MINUTES TO SIESTA BEACH This 3 bed, 3 bath condo with garage has a deep water boat basin with private dock for 40’ boat. Located in Harbour Towne, beautifully landscaped and features heated pool with spa, tennis court, pickle ball courts, and clubhouse. 1251 Dockside Pl

AT THE BEACH

By Trebor Britt Jen Briguglio from Aurora, IL thirty-five miles west of Chicago bonding with her daughters Lucy (8) and Tea (11) walking the Siesta Beach shoreline. Along with the title of America’s No. 1 beach, Siesta Beach is also known to be one of the top walking beaches in the United States.

40

Siesta Sand

AUGUST 2017

941.349.0194

www.siestasand.net

Classifieds / Here’s My Card ACCOMMODATIONS / VACATION RENTALS

CLEANING SERVICES

• Best Western Plus Siesta Key – AAA -3 Diamond Property, Free shuttle service to and from Siesta Key 941-924-4900, 6600 S. Tamiami Trl., Sarasota

Green Magic Cleaning Service

• Canal Pool B&B – Master bedroom with private bath. California King bed. 1 mile to Siesta’s Public Beach. Call Shawna at 941-5187774.

A family owned business with 16 years of experience.

• Siesta 4 Rent - Vacation Rentals, from studios to 5 bedrooms.

Serving Siesta Key since 1997, 941-349-5500

“Residential and Commercial”

We don’t cut corners, we dust them.

• High quality services • Competitive rates • Great references • Always the same crew www.SarasotaHouseCleaningService.com

GreenMagicCleaning@gmail.com Call for a FREE estimate today!

• Siesta Key Realty Rentals, Reservations, and Property Management. Homes and Condos, 1-3 Bedrooms. Serving Siesta Key since 1992. Siestakeyrealtyrentals.com, 941-349-8900.

20With%ThisOFF Ad Vintage, Antique, Mid-Century

Relics on the Key

www.relicsonthekey.com relicsonthekey@gmail.com (941) 346-3600 Phone 5049 Ocean Blvd Like us on (941) 346-7600 Fax Relicsonthekey Siesta Key Village

BAIT & TACKLE

Bradenton Bait sn &tghings C t ,B ,C ait

offe hop

ifts

sUmmer speCials:

25% off a B a LOW PRICE BAIT GUARANTEE: ll

eaCh

20%

SaraSoTa, Fl 34231

(941) 227-5771 | (786) 975-0939

www.bradenTonbaiTnThingS.webS.com

FREE COFFEE EVERY SATURDAY / 49¢ WATER

BEACH & BABY EQUIPMENT RENTALS

The

Digital Handyman Computer Support Specialist

In-Home and Remote Support Software Installation and Training Virus Recovery and Security Home and Office Networking

Digital Photograpy and Video Smartphone Configuration Smart TV Configuration Disaster Recovery and Backup

Steve Lombardo

(941)266-5005 www.dhdym.com

support@dhdym.com

(941) 961-4309

www.SuncoastHomeConcierge.com

CONTRACTORS

New LookReasonable Prices!

House Watch Sarasota Licensed and Insured

Affordable and Dependable Service Solutions For Your Home While You Are Away

Shower & Bathtub Walls

Cleaned - Regrouted - Caulked - Sealed

Free Estimates Call John 941.377.2940

Sarasota resident since 1974

www.showerandbathsarasota.com • Hawk’s Nest Construction Inc. is a certified Class A general contractor licensed in all phases of construction. Owner, Mark Hawkins Sr. personally oversees every aspect of your project from start to finish, using only the best and most reliable licensed artisan and craftsmen. His passion is delighting his clients by turning their home-improvement dreams into a beautiful reality.

Call 941-650-9499 or visit their website: www.hawksnestconstruction.com.

941-400-2452 Veteran Owned Business

• CB’s Saltwater Outfitters – CB’s Saltwater Outfitters is an ORVIS Endorsed Outfitter Fishing Charter Service serving Siesta Key as well as Longboat Key, Lido Key, Sarasota and Venice.

Our veteran guides offer exciting Fishing Adventures for anglers of all ages from novice to the expert. See our website: www.CBsOutfitters.com or stop in their store for additional info.

1240 Stickney Point Rd, Siesta Key. (941)349-4400.

Dolphin Watch • SunSetS • half Day aDventure SailS

MASSAGE

Massage Experience

Siesta Key

5138A Oc ea Siesta Ke n Boulevard y, FL 3424 2

Intuitive Therapeutic Massage

Spa Director

5138-A Ocean Blvd.

Siesta Key, FL 34242

941-929-1850

Having Fun Fishing in The Sun

Call or e-mail sarasotabruce1@housewatchsrq.com housewatchsrq.com for quotes and references Serving SaraSota and Surrounding areaS Since 1979

Connie Lewis

#MA00017596

5700 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key www.abcbabyrental.com

BOATING RENTALS / FISHING CHARTERS

R. BRuce Whittinghill, llc (941) 955-1864

Facials & Skincare • Wellness Coaching • Reiki Microcurrent (Non-Surgical Facelift) • Custom Day Spa Packages

SARASOTA’S BEST BABY RENTAL CENTER SELF SERVICE NOW AVAILABLE Order online or by phone Available 24/7 CLEAN • SAFE • RELIABLE

Tony Fudoli Sr. CAPTAIN tntfreedomfishing@yahoo.com

HOUSE WATCH

Shower & Bath Makeovers

CCessories

Bring in oUr Competitors sales reCeipt and We Will Better YoUr next Bait pUrChase BY 7210 S Tamiami Trail

(941) 780-4248

COMPUTER SUPPORT

ANTIQUES

omplete aCkle

ENTERTAINMENT

MassageExperienceSK.com

#MM6727

Massage Experience LANDINGS RESIDENT OWNED AND OPERATED

• Wilson Windows is a State Certified General Contractor specializing in glass porch enclosures and window replacement.

They offer only top quality products installed by professionally trained technicians. All projects are engineered and permitted to meet the new state building codes related to impact, water infiltration and high velocity windload calculations. Their services include window repair, new custom screens, glass cut to size, and hard to find window parts inventory at both locations.

Fully insured and their work is guaranteed. 941-921-1113, www. wilson-window.com.

Carpet, Tile and Upholstery Cleaning • Free Estimates • Satisfaction Guaranteed • Stain Specialists • Chamber of Commerce Members

Serving Manatee and Sarasota Counties Locally Owned and Operated

DERMAPLANING UPGRADE ($30 value) with purchase of Deluxe Facial, exclusively with

Linda Conti

LMT, Paramedical Esthetician #MA84893

5138-A Ocean Blvd.

Siesta Key, FL 34242

Sailing From Marina Jack, Sarasota

Kathleen D Sailing Catamaran

Environmentally Conscious Laundry and Dry Cleaning Service

www.KathleenD.net

TO ADVERTISE CALL 941-349-0194

Free Pick Up & Delivery Service Call

from your home or business

941-275-4647

ExEcutivE Shirt SErvicE • houSEhold itEmS • SamE day SErvicE availablE

#MM6727

#FB9741005

941-349-4833 Office

MassageExperienceSK.com

Massage Experience

www.qualitycountscleaning.com

941.756.1082

Siesta Key

5138A Oce an Bouleva Siesta Key rd , FL 34242

Siesta Key

5138A Oce an Bouleva Siesta Key rd , FL 34242

Gentle Pain-Free Muscle Relief and Release via Vibrational

ROCK-AWAY METHOD

Releases the Stagnant Emotional and Physical Tension from Muscles and Fascia

VIRGINIA SILAS LMT

5138-A Ocean Blvd.

Siesta Key, FL 34242 MA85887

MM6727

DRY CLEANERS

941-896-6400

941-349-4833 Office 941-350-7495 Mobile

941-349-4833 Office MassageExperienceSK.com

MEDICAL

Dermatology Skin CanCer laSer, Botox anD Hair/nail DiSorDerS 1952 Field Road Sarasota, Florida 34231

www.dermatologyexperts.com

J Morgan O’Donoghue, MD.

Amy Fenenga PA-C

Sara Popovich PA-C

941.926.7546

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

AUGUST 2017

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

Classifieds / Here’s My Card MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES

SPAS / HAIR & BEAUTY

CONTINUED

TRANSPORTATION

41

CONTINUED

• Jonny’s Original Free Ride – The Original Ride the Key Free service on Siesta to anywhere, everyday from 10 AM – 2 AM. Driver tips only. Call 941-928-9200.

• Dollar Limo – holds up to 10 people and is cheaper than a D.U.I or taxi. Call 941-735-4732

WANTED TO BUY

Kayla Kunz Hair Stylist

RV4CASH

4141 S. Tamiami Trail - Sarasota, FL 34231 - 941-685-4994

REAL ESTATE AGENTS

• Massage Experience Siesta Key Open 7-day a week. 5138A Ocean Blvd, Siesta Key, 941-349-4833. (MA17596/MM6727).

HELENE M. HYLAND

SPORTS RENTALS / ACCESSORIES

REALTOR®

(941) 685-2274 Cell (941) 349-4411 Office (800) 237-9403 Toll Free (941) 349-8090 Fax HeleneHyland@comcast.net

5145 Ocean Blvd.

Sarasota, FL 34242 www.SheSellsSiestaKeySarasota.com

Owned and Operated by NRT, LLC

Piro & Associates REALTORS

• Robin Hood Rentals – for all your Siesta Key rental needs with a wide variety segways, bikes, kayaks, scooters and more, free pickup and delivery anywhere on the key. 5255 Ocean Blvd Siesta Key Village. 941-554-4242

CALL NOW FOR FAST, EASY SALE

954-789-7530 WELNESS CENTER

pickup available, 6551 Midnight Pass Rd, 941-346-1797

®

Office: (941) 923-3900 Cell: (941) 356-8699 Fax: (941) 924-0086 mail: piroassociates@comcast.net Website: www.pirorealty.com

SENIOR SERVICES

James J. Piro, MAI, CCIM

• A Bridge for Independence provides in home companion services including companionship, transportation, light housekeeping, medication reminders and meal preparation and planning.

Call us at 866-279-4390, FL License #230517

Licensed Real Estate Broker

TRANSPORTATION

7719 Holiday Drive, Sarasota, FL 34231

Siesta Beach Realty SARASOTA FLORIDA Steven Whitmore, Broker

Use my 30 years of experience to help you with your property.

Visit our website at: SiestaBeachRealty.com Call or email me stevenwhitmore@verizon.com

941-993-5722

SPECIAL OFFER : List Your Home With Me For 4%!

• Making things happen on Siesta Key with Real Estate agents Bob and Sheri Ruiz from Key Solutions Real Estate Group. If you are looking to buy or sell on the Key contact us. Bob Ruiz 941-544-3299 RobertRuizRR@aol.com, Sheri Ruiz 941-400-4186 SheriLasley@aol.com

• Sun Ride Pedicab – Eco-friendly Pedicabs. Siesta Key Tours and rides – tips only, 941-343-3400 • Siesta Key Free Rides – Siesta Key Free island shuttle for beach, village, condo and tours – tips only. Electric vehicles. Call 941952-8294

Airport Rides From Sarasota To:

941.735.4732

Picked up from Airport:

SRQ

$ 30

$ 40

TPA/St. Pete

$105

$125

Punta Gorda

$ 70

$ 80

Miami

$250

$300

Orlando

$200

$220

Ask for Eddie

Prices Include Tolls, Fuel & Parking For Airport Pickups your Chauffeur will have a sign with your name on it.

• Your Siesta Dunes and Landings Preferred Partners in Real Estate, Judy Greene 941-350-0451 and Tara Lamb 941-266-4873 with Michael Sanders & Company 5100 Ocean Blvd Siesta Key 34242 JudyGreene@MichaelSanders.com

941-928-9200

RIDE THE KEY FREE

15-20 MINUTE RESPONSE TIME (Based upon traffic)

SERVICING

Siesta Key Beach Siesta Village Turtle Beach

DRIVER TIPS ONLY

Restaurants and Accommodations Operating 10AM to 2AM Daily

www.JonnysOriginalFreeRide.com

Transportation for everyone on the Sun Coast

SEEKING EMPLOYMENT • Early retired Executive/Administrative Assistant interested in personal aide/assistant position in the Siesta Key area. Can livein part time if necessary. 727-385-3536, Sue.

SPAS / HAIR & BEAUTY

Olde Fashion Barber Shop

Tapers • Flattops • Fades • Styling • Razor Cuts • Shaves

ther”

WANTED:

All Motor Homes, 5th Wheels and Travel Trailers Any Condition! Cash Paid On The Spot!

• Siesta Key Bike & Kayak – Located on Siesta Key in Capt Curts Village serving Siesta Key, Lido Beach and Sarasota. We offer • Still Waters Alternative Healthcare offers a variety of bikes, kayak rentals, kayak eco tours, paddleboards and scooters. alternative modalities for stroke recovery, hip and knee 1224 Old Sickney Pt Rd. 941-346-0891 replacement rehabilitation, pain, PTSD, dementia and more. For • Siesta Sports Rentals – Located on Siesta Key, bike, kayak, more information go to: www.siestakeyretreats.com or call 941kayak tours, scooter, children strollers and car seats. Delivery and 404-0881. (MM35956)

Expert in 1031 Exchange

“Hot La

AY WE PH! S A C

941-312-6001

South Gate Barber Shop (Across from Southgate Mall)

2081 Siesta Drive, Sarasota, FL 34239

Walk-Ins Welcome

Monday-Friday 9 AM-6 PM; Saturday 9 AM-4PM

www.SouthgateBarbers.com • Massage Experience Siesta Key Open 7-day a week. 5138A Ocean Blvd, Siesta Key, 941-349-4833. (MA17596/MM6727).

ritz”

“For F

Place your classified ad here for $6.

(15 words) and $.10 for each additional word.

Copy must be submitted with payment on or before the 15th of the month prior to publication.

For display ads, please call 941-349-0194 for rates.

TO ADVERTISE CALL 941-349-0194

IMPORTANT NUMBERS Emergency (General)..................................................911 Emergency Animal Clinic......................... 941-929-1818 Fishing & Hunting Licenses..................... 941-362-9888 FPL – Florida Power & Light.................... 941-917-0708 FPL – Outage Report..............................1-800-468-8243 Marriage License Bureau.......................... 941-362-4066 Poison Info Center..................................1-800-282-3171 Sarasota / Bradenton Intl. Airport.......... 941-359-2770 Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT)........................... ...................................................................... 941-316-1234 Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce................................. ...................................................................... 941-349-3800 Sheriff / non-emergency.......................... 941- 861-1601 Waste Management................................... 941-924-1254

Answers to the WORD SEARCH found on page 33 MarinerWord Search www.themariner.com

Friendliest Ride In Town

Answers from Page 14

Glass Bottom Boat

42

Siesta Sand

AUGUST 2017

AT THE BEACH

941.349.0194

By Trebor Britt

www.siestasand.net

Accommodations Locator Map

Brent Ables of Columbus IN, Payton Sehy (14) and Stacey Sehy of Effingham IL, Reagan Ables (13), and Amy Ables happily witnessed Reagan getting her hair wrapped for the fourth time since they’ve been visiting amazing Siesta Beach.

F Siesta Key Inn F Siesta Palms by the Beach

© Island Visitor Publishing, LLC 2012

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

AUGUST 2017

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

Siesta Dental Get the smile you’ve always wanted!

License # DN-15657

FREE

Most PPO Insurances Accepted. Financing Available.

(D0140, D0270, D0220, D0330) Includes any necessary X-rays. Present this coupon to redeem the offer.

Uninsured patients only.

Not valid with any other offers.* Expires 8-31-2017.

Call now (941) 234-4450

$500

Implant / Denture Consultation

$95 0 valu e

Small Diameter Implant code 026

(D9310, D0330) Must present this coupon to redeem offer. Uninsured patients only. Not valid with any other offers.* Expires 8-31-2017 Call now (941) 234-4450

$27 8 valu e

2nd Opinion

code 026

(D0150, D0210, D1110, D0180, D0330) Includes Exam, X-rays, Cleaning in the absence of gum disease, and VELscope Oral Cancer Screening. Uninsured patients only.

Not valid with any other offers.* Expires 8-31-2017 Call now (941) 234-4450

code 026

and his Dedicated Dental Team are serving patients from Sarasota, Osprey, Venice and surrounding areas.

Call for your appointment now!

$99

FREE

$59 9 valu e

New Patient Cleaning Special With Oral Cancer Screening

code 026

Dr. Alexander Gaukhman

(D6013) Uninsured patients only.

Not valid with any other offers.* Expires 8-31-2017 Call now (941) 234-4450

Siesta Key 5223 Avenida Navarra Sarasota, FL 34242

(941) 234-4450 Osprey 416 S. Tamiami Tr. Suite F1 Osprey, FL 34229

(941) 234-4450 Venice 463 US HWY 41 Bypass S. Venice, Fl 34285

(941) 234-4450

SiestaDental.com

*The patient and any other person responsible for payment has a right to refuse to pay, cancel payment, or be reimbursed for payment for any other service, examination, or treatment that is performed as a result of and within 72 hours of responding to the advertisement for the free, discounted fee,

24/7 Emergency Dentistry Call for your appointment now! (941) 244-4944

$100

Single Tooth Extraction Uninsured patients only. During regular business hours.

Wisdom teeth extra. Not valid with any other offers.

After hours and weekends are extra.* Expires 9-15-2017. 941-244-4944

FREE

Oral Sedation

(D9248) Will need driver.

During regular business hours.

After hours and weekends are extra.

Uninsured patients only. Not valid with any other offers.* Expires 9-15-2017. 941-244-4944

EmergencyDentistry.com

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Siesta Sand

AUGUST 2017

Island Girl

Paige

941.349.0194

www.siestasand.net

This month’s island girl hails from the west coast; Glendale, California.

Paige enjoys gaming (Zelda is her all-time favorite), good food and modeling.

She paints with acrylics and has some of her artwork hanging in a gallery in Lakeland. She’s also built her own computer from scratch. Paige currently works as a freelance model/brand ambassador and is looking to go back to school in the computer hardware field.

Paige was finally able to visit the white sands of Siesta Key beach that she’s heard so much about. “Siesta

Key beach is so much nicer than most other beaches I have ever been to,” she concedes. She definitely plans on returning soon.

Photo Credit: FLPIXX by Mark Robbins

If you would like to be considered for our next Island Girl, contact us at islandvp@verizon.net (You must be at least 18 years old to participate)