Things to do on and around Siesta Key
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 4 | S I E S TA S A N D . U S | 9 4 1 . 3 1 2 . 0 6 6 5
Welcome aboard, Brittany! New Visitor Center manager feels at home, due in part to Siesta Beach history By Jane Bartnett
Brittany Stokes (left), the new Visitor Center manager and volunteer coordinator for the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce, works alongside new volunteer Heidi Natt. (photo by Jane Bartnett)
The power of volunteering is something that Brittany Stokes takes to heart. In fact, volunteerism and community service are the cornerstones of her career. So, it’s no surprise that she’s embracing with delight her new role as both the manager of the Siesta Key Visitor Center and the manager of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce’s volunteers. “This job is a dream come true for me,” said Stokes. “I knew from the start that volunteer management was where I was happy.”
As a college student, Stokes moved to Sarasota with her family and became a lifeguard with the Siesta Beach Patrol. Her post atop the colorful lifeguard chairs gave her a unique perspective of life on the beach as she observed the people and wildlife that flock to the soft white sand and water. Putting her communications studies to work, Stokes teamed up with fellow lifeguard Scot “Scooter of the Beach” Ruberg and wrote a series of articles about Siesta Beach from a lifeguard’s perspective for the
Pelican Press, a former Siesta Key newspaper. It was during her lifeguard days that she met her future husband, Christian. He now serves as a lieutenant with the Sarasota County Beach Patrol. As she settles into her new role at the chamber, it brings her joy to be back on the island that she first fell in love with 20 years ago. With her communications degree from the University of Continued on page 11V
‘It’s the last paradise area’ The campground atTurtle Beach Park is known for campers so happy they often re-book as much as a year in advance By Ned Steele
N
early everyone in a beach town is a happy camper, and Siesta Key’s happiest of all just may be the lucky, plucky few who are literally … campers. In RVs, motor homes, trailers and even tents they flock, from as close as down the road to as far off as Asia, to vacation under the stars at one of the Key’s little-known secrets, Turtle Beach Campground. It’s a rarity for Florida – a cozy campground right off a public beach, and the campers it attracts are happy indeed. Even Marco Maximillian of Lido Key, who really didn’t have much reason to be. Forced to live out of his SUV last month while his home was cleaned out by a pest control crew, Maximillian drove it straight to the campground and set up house. He was pleased
with the decision. “It’s very comfortable. You’re straight on the beach,” he said. “It’s the last paradise area. You just see concrete after concrete everywhere else.” Working on the mainland by day – he scouts cars for television productions and overseas buyers – he returned to his campsite nightly to sleep in the SUV. The irony was inescapable: “The tent is on my house,” he lamented. A few sites away his also-happy campsite neighbors, Gunther and Annette Schiedmeyer of Stuttgart, Germany, relaxed in their gleaming new RV purchased in and shipped from Hamburg. Their story was quite different. “We started in Halifax, Canada,” Gunther explained. The couple had journeyed across
Employees Martin Haire (left) and Greg Steinberg welcome you to Turtle Beach Campground. (photo by Ned Steele)
Continued on page 15V
Page 6
Page 14
Page 7
Page 11
Parade perfection graces the Village
Get acquainted with our shells
Cheers to a tasty drink, Siesta style
Some info on our local dive-bombers
Subscribe to the Siesta Sand
Go to SiestaSand.US Only $60 per year
BOTTOMLESS MIMOSA SUNDAYS
WEEKEND BRUNCH, 10AM - 3PM