DRIVE UP FOR YOUR PACKAGED GOODS AND DRINKS TO GO
SIESTA KEY MEDICAL FACILITY CLOSES First time in 52 years no medical office in village
page
5
page
BIG PASS DREDGING Federal judge denies Temporary Restraining Order
7
page
14
THE ISLAND LIFESTYLE FITNESS CENTER
Why the world comes to Sarasota
©
24 HR MEMBER ONLY PRIVATE ACCESS
AUGUST 2020 | 941.312.0665 | 27TH STATE MEDIA LLC | www.SiestaSand.net | COMPLIMENTARY
Hotel Siesta Key Plans Advance Plans for the Hotel Siesta Key, a new boutique hotel in Siesta Key Village, are moving ahead. As the Siesta Sand reported in July, a PreApplication Development Review Request was submitted to the Sarasota County Planning Department in May. As described in the PreApplication, the proposed hotel would be an eight-story, 80-foot high, 170-room structure. “We will submit a formal application to the Planning Department in approximately 6090 days,” Robert T. Anderson, one of four owners of the venture, told the Siesta Sand. “That application,” Anderson advised, “will be preceded by neighborhood meetings and continued personal interactions with business and community groups.” As of late July, Anderson told the Siesta Sand, his group has completed “about 42 individual presentations.” Meetings have been held with local area organizations such as the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce, the Siesta Key Association and the Conservation Foundation. “We’ve been very pro-active with community involvement,” he stated, noting that “the majority of the feedback has been very positive and we have been applauded on the look and
style of the structure.” Anderson went on to say that “we’re trying to get as many eyes on the project as possible.” In discussing design, construction and other future plans for the project that he noted, is still at a very early stage, Anderson said that the group is committed to working with local Sarasota businesses to build and manage the project. “We are keenly in-tune with supporting local businesses on the Key and in the Sarasota area.” Although reviews of potential construction firms, as well as the many other supporting businesses that go along with the development of a large new hotel have yet to be finalized, Anderson spoke enthusiastically of the project’s architect, Sarasota-based architect Mark Sultana, of DSDG Architecture. Sultana, Anderson said, “understands what fits Siesta Key. He has impeccable attention to detail and a good eye for placing the right products in the right places.” The hotel’s initial design plans reflect the Sarasota School of Architecture’s modern style, which Sultana’s own design embraces. The award-winning DSDG architectural firm has been creating Continued on page 38
Changes to residential density calculations key to new hotel proposals
By Rachel Brown Hackney SarasotaNewsLeader.com
barrier islands. One proposal — which would apply countywide — seeks to eliminate the counting of hotel rooms for density purposes altogether. The second calls for a 50% decrease in the count, but it would apply only to the South Village area in the vicinity of Old Stickney Point Road and Stickney Point Road. The issues of residential density and intensity of development on the island
Page 10 Meet Paw Pal, Bella
• Village Map/business listings PAGES 20-21 • Crescent Beach Map/ business listings PAGE 24 • Word Search PAGE 26 • Gulf Gate Shops PAGE 31 • Accommodations Map/ Listings PAGE 39
Shown above is a preliminary, early stage concept rendering of what the Hotel Siesta Key may look like. Courtesy DSDG Architects
Court of Appeal rules for Sarasota County in Siesta Promenade case
By Rachel Brown Hackney SarasotaNewsLeader.com The recent filings of preliminary applications for two new 80-plus-feettall hotels on Siesta Key will encompass more than land development considerations, the SNL has learned. Each proposal calls for major changes to the Sarasota County Unified Development Code (UDC), which contains all the land development and zoning regulations. Each application also proposes a modification of the county’s Future Land Use policy that applies to residential density on the
By Jane Bartnett
Continued on page 38
Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal has upheld a 12th Judicial Circuit Court judge’s ruling that the Sarasota County Commission did not violate any county regulations or procedures in approving the Siesta Promenade mixeduse project. The unanimous per curiam decision was issued by the three appellate court judges who conducted June 25 oral arguments in the case. As Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute explains it, “A per curiam decision is a court opinion issued
Page 29
Page 17
in the name of the Court rather than specific judges. Most decisions on the merits by the courts take the form of one or more opinions written and signed by individual justices. Often, other judges/justices will join these opinions. Even when these signed opinions are unanimous, they are not per curiam, as the judges’/justices’ names still appear.” Additionally, as legal scholars have told the SNL, with no written opinion, the person who filed the appeal has no means of seeking higher judicial review, Continued on page 9
Page 32
Sarasota based swimsuit
Hogfish - “The filet mignon
Highs and Lows of properties
line making waves
of the sea”
sold on Siesta Key
Happiness Is…Refreshing Here we are once again in the height of summer where the beach beckons and ballgames are on the horizon. Such a fun time of the year!
thrown you for a loop. It’s so good and refreshing to know that some things – like tasty ice cream and finding the positives – never go out of style.
It’s also a time when we’re all looking for a little refreshment – something cool and sweet to beat the heat. At Abel’s Ice Cream, they have just the thing. Stop by for a cup or cone of one of their signature summer flavors like Peach (this delicious peach ice cream is loaded with peaches and would make a Southerner proud!) or Tangerine Sorbet (refreshing and tangy, this non-dairy option is great!)
Abel’s Ice Cream is 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 our updated website, www.abelsicecream.com or connect with us on Facebook and Instagram.
Like most people, 2020 has probably
Awarded their Certificate of Excellence for SIX years straight!
1398