What’s new ... on Siesta Key Sandbar Swimwear joins Village’s retail community

Sandbar Swimwear started with a conundrum. In 2022, Barbara Bush and her husband, Matt, had finally realized their dream of living on Siesta Key — a dream they’d had since first moving to Florida in 2015.

“Every day before I come to the office, I’d go to the beach and walk,” said Barbara, an attorney practicing in Sarasota. But one cool morning last autumn, when Barbara decided on a whim to shop for a new bathing suit, she found the local retail spots had already switched to winter wear.

“We have one of the best beaches in the area. It was mind-blowing to me that there weren’t any [swimsuit] options,” she remembered. “If I want to go to the beach, I don’t want to leave the island [to shop], especially if I’m a tourist.”

Barbara and Matt quickly came to agreement: “We thought, ‘Here’s the need. No one’s offering it. Why not us?’” she said.

Barbara, who grew up in Chile, first met Matt when she came to his Arkansas high school as an exchange student. (“She was very unlucky to do an exchange there,” Matt laughed.) After graduation, Matt served in the Army and fell in love with southwest Florida while visiting a buddy in Englewood.

In 2015, he and Barbara packed up their jeep and moved down to the Sarasota-Manatee area. There, Barbara would continue to practice law while Matt worked as an EMT.

Seven years later, the move onto Siesta Key finally gave them “the full Florida experience,” said Barbara. And when looking for retail space, she added, “We always wanted to stay on Siesta. But there’s not that many retail locations. That was always one of the challenges.”

In March 2023, the Bushes opened Sandbar Swimwear in an upstairs storefront on Ocean Boulevard. They’re currently focused on women’s swimsuits and would like

By Hannah Wallace

to offer a variety of quality options, at a reasonable price point, for all ages and style preferences.

“Our main goal is we want to bring quality products, sustainable brands, recycled materials — that’s something that we’re passionate about,” said Barbara. “We have to do with the beach, the oceans, and we have to make sure we’re staying in line with that.”

In the future they hope to add men’s suits and other clothing options, beach accessories, and maybe even additional store locations on Lido and Anna Maria. They’re even talking to manufacturers about developing their own swimwear brand.

But for now, they’re taking things slowly. And for Barbara, who continues to work as an attorney, and Matt, who now commutes to Pinellas for his firefighter/EMT role, everything from inventory to advertising to product research has been a learning experience.

“We don’t have any experience in retail,” said Matt. “Finding suppliers was difficult. We’re still working on finding something for the older population. We’re finding out what they want and how we can get it for them. We’re not trying to steal business. We’re trying, if we can, to provide something unique.”

Indeed, their Siesta Village retail experience has been more about community than competition. Neighboring business owners have stopped by to offer tips and support, and the Bushes look forward to collaborations like hosting pop-up events with spray tan companies and other local vendors.

“Everybody in the community has been so supportive,” said Barbara. “This has been a very passionate project for us. We are learning as we go.”

The store is located at 5212½ Ocean Blvd., suite 4. Hours are 10 a.m. 50 5 p.m. daily. Visit sandbarswim. com or call (941) 237-0234.

South Siesta Beach Repair Project

Continued from page 1 a sand mine in Lake Wales, located in central Florida. Hauling is being done 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, excluding holidays. The sand is being placed in a massive pile, hauled to the beach, and then spread throughout a 2-mile stretch. The procedure will add about 10 feet of width to the beach.

Currently, the northern part of Turtle Beach is being topped off, and June will see an emphasis on bolstering the areas to the south of the stockpile where erosion is most significant, Eastwood said. Condos at Fisherman’s Haven along Blind Pass Road are dealing with beach widths as narrow as 5 feet, while homeowners south of that are seeing waves and sand crashing over the top of protective sea walls.

No project-related traffic incidents along Midnight Pass Road have been reported, Eastwood said, but county officials have asked homeowners to keep any service vehicles off the shoulder.

Mark Smith, the District 2 county commissioner who resides on Siesta Key, voiced his concern about road safety the day after the project began at an April 25 meeting.

“Midnight Pass is a narrow road, and those 4,600 dump trucks heading down there will be taking up the width of that road,” he said. “This is a bad way to get sand to the beach. Let’s hope to God no one gets hurt.”

Previous renourishment efforts at Turtle Beach utilized a barge, but the smaller amount of sand needed at this moment for the repair didn’t require such firepower, the county determined.

Eastwood also said no sea turtle nests have had to be relocated –something allowed, if necessary, by the permit issued by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Both Mote Marine and Audubon Florida are monitoring the turtles and shorebirds, respectively, Eastwood said.

The project was first set to begin in early March with a 60-day window for completion before the start of the sea turtle nesting season on May 1. With construction bids coming in late, the county requested a one-year extension with the idea of beginning in the fall, but never received a response. Eastwood confirmed that is still the case.

FEMA last year moved the project’s deadline up to June 30 after it discovered that Sarasota County was the only region in the country that had yet to use grant money earmarked for beach repair needs resulting from Hurricane Hermine.

Originally, 2026 was the target date and subsequent sand placement may very well be needed in future years -- it just may not be covered by FEMA, whose grant total in this case will represent 85% of the cost. The balance will be covered by Sarasota County’s tourism budget.

Still, with the clock ticking, Smith hopes the county will continue to push for extra time.

“I do have a bit of concern that we might miss the deadline if we have bad weather or something along that line. So, I hope the staff is going to pursue the extension from FEMA, because we might need it,” he said at a May 9 commission meeting. “As it stands right now the contractor believes he’ll be on time, but he only has a day or two for a window.”

Overall, the commissioner gave praise for the results to date.

“I’d like to give a shoutout to the staff and to the company with the Turtle Beach renourishment – I have numerous spies in the area that are watching everything, and they report back to me that it’s going smooth and they are very pleased with the progress.

“Good work to all those involved.”

Reviewed January 29, 2023

Ann T via TripAdvisor FRESH, DELICIOUS SEAFOOD

As frequent visitors to Sarasota, we’re not sure how we managed to miss this place in the past. Now that we have found it, we will be back to sample everything.

We tried the stone crab chowder and the grouper tacos. Both were delicious and loaded with fish. Our tacos were dressed with a pineapple, watermelon salsa and accompanied by a side of wheatberry salad which had just the right balance of sweet and tangy. Our son also raved about his broiled tripletail which came with fresh green beans and potatoes. Prices, including beer, were reasonable and portions were plentiful.