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Scavenging Siesta to Save Lido |An overview of Siesta Key news In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, we are introduced to “Precious,” a mysterious ring that drives a narrative lasting thousands of pages. Siesta Key has a “Precious,” but it is not a ring. It is a bank of sand to which residents give almost mystical powers. Big Pass, the inlet separating Siesta from Lido Key to the north is unique. It has never been dredged. Its sand never harvested. Its depth never deepened. It’s as natural as a sand spur on the beach. But the hand of man is groping for that sand spur. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting a study – mostly by computer – to see if Big Pass could be dredged, its sand harvested. The result would not be a deepwater channel for boats to traverse the ever-shifting shoal offshore of Siesta Key. The result would be gleaming white sand pumped onto Lido Key’s beach. While the earliest date for such a shift would be 2017, Siesta Key residents are already mobilizing to worry the issue. The issue is made more complex
By Stan Zimmerman
by plans to include groins – hardened structures jutting into the gulf – on Lido. These would be “permeable,” says City Engineer Alex Davis-Shaw. The Corps of Engineers plans to present its findings to the Siesta Key Association in December with or without groins. See companion articles on pages 2 and 8
• Shell Road parking
Speaking of Big Pass, the only place the public can see the majesty of that deep and fast-moving water from shore is at the terminus of Shell Road. At its western end is a tiny public beach space locals know and love. Parking along Shell Road is a problem for the ages. For decades homeowners complained of people parking normally or erratically along the one-block stretch leading to the tiny beach. The drumbeat has not ceased. A new property owner on July 31 emailed County Commissioner Nora Patterson (who lives on and represents the island): “I have counted up to 50 cars at one time,
many of which are blocking private drives, mail boxes and [the] fire hydrant.” Patterson resisted calling for signs banning parking on the south side of Shell Road. Instead she called for county staff to clear vegetation on the north side of the road to allow parking. “That’s pretty inexpensive,” she said. And she sent off new resident’s complaint to Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight, asking if “he would have his men stop by occasionally and ticket those who are parked after 9 p.m.”
• Baby birds get help?
Regular readers know Snowy Plovers and the Least Tern are having a hard year on Siesta Key, The beach-nesting birds have been hit by vandals and know-nothings on multiple occasions. While the Audubon Society’s “chick patrol” is on the prowl, problems have been on-going in this year’s nesting season. Story continued on page 22
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