IV Siesta Sand - February 2018

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FEBRUARY 2018 | 941.349.0194 | ISLAND VISITOR PUBLISHING, LLC | www.SiestaSand.net | COMPLIMENTARY

Siesta Key beaches have never needed sand renourishment

Bob Stein Publisher

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” Siesta Key is a very unique island, one of the few islands throughout Florida with public beaches that never needed renourishment.

As we await the Administrative Judge’s ruling from the December 2017 FDEP Administrative Hearing of challenges to the City plan to dredge and borrow 1.7 million cubic yards of sand from Big Sarasota Pass to nourish Lido beach, I thought it wise to look how well government intervention worked out for the southern part of Siesta Key, Turtle Beach.

Continued on page 30

FANDANGO

Demolition of old Fandango Café building approved

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SIESTA SOUNDS

Texas born B. C. Hathaway loves living and playing music on Siesta Key page

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SAND CASTLES

FDOT remains concerned about lack of documentation in traffic studies for Siesta Promenade

By Rachel Brown Hackney / SarasotaNewsLeader.com Almost exactly five months after Sarasota County staff notified Benderson Development Co. of a multitude of insufficiencies in the firm’s revised proposal for the mixed-use Siesta Promenade complex, Benderson responded to the county.

However, based on copies of correspondence SNL has obtained between the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and consulting firm Kimley-Horn and Associates of Tampa, Benderson has yet to provide all sought details about traffic projections for the project.

In a Dec. 19, 2017 email, Nathan Kautz, an FDOT traffic services engineer, notified KimleyHorn employees that they had not proved that a traffic signal would be warranted at the intersection of Stickney Point Road and Avenue B and C. Kautz added that the median opening at Glencoe Avenue would need to be closed to accommodate traffic headed from the east to a northbound queue, “if a signal is warranted.”

Further, Kautz wrote, “How Avenue A will work with the queues at the proposed signal should be addressed.”

In a Nov. 6, 2017 email to Kimley-Horn employees, Kautz noted that some of his colleagues had asked for assurance that the proposed signal at Stickney Point Road and Avenue B and C would not cause westbound traffic queues to back up into the intersection of U.S. 41 and Stickney Point Road.

In a Nov. 17, 2017 letter to Kautz, Christopher

Big Pass Hearing

By Roger Drouin

Hatton, senior vice president of Kimley-Horn, wrote that the firm’s traffic studies indicated westbound traffic at the intersection of Stickney Point Road and Avenue B and C “is not anticipated to back up into the signal at the intersection of Stickney Point Road & US 41.”

Continued on page 10

|‘David versus Goliath’ hearing wraps up; Advocates for Big Pass expect judge’s decision soon Peter van Roekens and coastal scientist Richard Gilmore went out on Big Pass with Captain Paul Oversmith on an evening in late July.

They were on the lookout for speckled trout, and they discovered the fish were mating in Big Pass and the juvenile trout were using the seagrass beds.

“That mating ground would be destroyed,” van Roekens, chair of Save Our Siesta Sand2 (SOSS2) told Siesta Sand, about the U.S. Army Corps and City of Sarasota’s proposed joint project to dredge Big Pass for sand to renourish a large swatch of Lido Beach.

The specific information van Roekens and Gilmore documented on speckled trout, during the July trip, was later presented during an administrative hearing that is the latest twist in the contentious battle over the future of the pass. It’s been noted that the Army Corps plan to mitigate any seagrass destruction from the Big Pass dredging at a distant mitigation point in Manatee County — a move that would not likely counter the negative impact to the population of speckled trout and other fish that feed on them. The reasons are twofold: first is that Perico Preserve is near a fresh water river, which is inimical to spawning sea trout. And second, it is highly unlikely that any of the sea trout will migrate the 18 plus miles from Big Pass to the preserve.

As Gilmore said, “No one has told them!”

The Army Corps project — which would place 1.2 million (note: 1.2 million cubic yards is the number the Army Corps continues to report;

however, in realty 1.7 million cubic yards can be dredged from Big Pass based on the documentation associated with the joint permit application submitted to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection) cubic yards of sand on Lido Beach — is designed to protect a vulnerable stretch of shore on Lido Key. A public affairs specialist with the Army Corps’ Florida district tells Siesta Sand the purpose of the Lido Key Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction project is to reduce future storm damage and maintain the recreational qualities of Lido Beach.

But mounting concerns about the project’s impacts on nearby areas have arisen, and a coalition of organizations spearheaded by the Siesta Key Association (SKA) and SOSS2 have filed lawsuits to stop the plan.

They say dredging Big Pass, which has never occurred before, will put their barrier island’s renowned beaches and shoreline at risk. SKA and SOSS2 have led a well-organized challenge to the Army Corps project —culminating thus far in the Florida administrative hearing, held starting Dec. 12, 2017, and running for five days in what Siesta advocates described as a “David versus Goliath” legal proceeding.

Administrative law judge Bram D.E. Canter is expected to rule in the administrative hearing by March, or April. Catherine Luckner, Vice President of SKA, describes the “David versus Goliath” atmosphere in the courtroom during the administrative hearing.

Page 4

Page 7

Sarasota mayor convinces City Commission to keep Big Pass dredging ‘insurance policy’

Variety of ‘bizarre laws’ enacted for condominium associations in 2017 legislative session

Continued on page 29

Page 14 FDOT restriping and adding ‘Qwick Kurb’ devices in vicinity of Siesta Drive/Higel Avenue

Happiness is… LOVE

Sara Sea is a small mid-Key condo community that’s a bit of a secret jewel on Siesta

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Welcome to February – the month of all things romance and love! At Abel’s Ice Cream, we’re geared up and ready to celebrate with you.

Take a step back in time, enjoy your favorite tunes from our ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s playlist, and relive the magic with your sweetheart at Abel’s. Remember the days of old-fashioned malts and ice cream sodas at the corner drug store? Our friendly staff stands ready to help you impress your special someone with traditional flavors like our award-winning chocolate or vanilla. Or, feel free to break the mold with our special love-inspired holiday flavors like Strawberry Cheesecake (the ultimate classic cheesecake ice cream loaded with chunks of creamy cheesecake and a flavorful strawberry ribbon), or Cherry Oblivion (creamy black cherry ice cream loaded with black cherries & luscious liquid chocolate chips). Of course, you can never go wrong with our fan-favorite

hot fudge sundaes and banana splits.

Maybe you’re looking for just the right gift to surprise a good friend or loved one. Our famous specialty chocolatier, Sweet Shop USA, is here to save the day. For February only, we’ve added chocolate covered cherries to our amazing variety of white, milk, and dark chocolate creations. Grab yours while they last!

As a special treat while you’re in, register to win a gift basket from award-winning romance author, Michelle Grey that will include an autographed copy of her contemporary romantic suspense, Dangerous Ally, and some of her favorite Abel’s treats from Stonewall Kitchens.

Come in to Abel’s Ice Cream and enjoy bringing back the love. Life is too short to skip the sweet stuff! 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, Instagram, and Twitter.

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Demolition of old Fandango Café building approved By Rachel Brown Hackney / SarasotaNewsLeader.com During a Dec. 7, 2017 Planning Commission public hearing, a Siesta resident noted in her remarks that the building that once housed the Fandango Café on Old Stickney Point Road was scheduled for demolition.

SNL confirmed that in county records.

As of Jan. 5, the permit was ready to be issued, county records showed.

Graber’s Excavating Inc. of Sarasota was the company that submitted an online application to the county on Nov. 10, 2017, seeking the permit.

A note in the file initially said the application failed the “Resource Protection/Air Review.”

On Nov. 20, 2017, SNL learned, county employee Jody Brown wrote that either a determination that the Environmental Protection Agency’s Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants does not apply in this situation “OR Graber’s must provide an Asbestos Survey required per County Code 54-119.”

On Jan. 5, Brown put in another comment, saying the report had been received. “No Asbestos

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Containing Material was detected,” Brown continued. Therefore, no further surveys or testing was required, he added, and he gave his approval for the issuing of the permit.

The building on the property, which encompasses 7,514 square feet, according to the Sarasota County Property Appraiser’s Office, was constructed in 1984.

It is owned by Stickney Storage LLC, whose principal is Dr. Gary Kompothecras. Over the past year, island residents have protested Kompothecras’ plans to construct a new hotel on the Key.

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Kompothecras bought the former Fandango property in August.

2016 for $1,225,000, the Property Appraiser’s Office records also show. Last year, the land was valued at $903,000, while the building was valued at $130,000.

The total land area is 35,720 square feet.

The permit application also notes, “Driveway to remain. NO TREES to be removed emphasis in the document.”

The demolition expense is listed as $26,900. The expiration date listed for the permit is May 9.

Staff Report

Would you like to work on Siesta Key, hiring all positions for new restaurant?

and Summer House.

Apply at SiestaKeySummerhouse@gmail.com

Lifeguards make a rescue in bitterly cold weather

Summer House Siesta Key Steak and Seafood

located at 149 Avenida Messina next to The Cottage in Siesta Key Village is set to open in early February 2018.

Summer House will be a fine dining steak and seafood house with a casual flair-featuring: carefully sourced steaks, fresh seafood, hand selected wine, and craft cocktails.

They are hiring all positions, accepting applications for: Servers, Bussers, Bartenders, Barbacks, Support Staff, Expos, Hostesses, Cooks and more.

“If you are professional, driven, and passionate about creating awe inspiring experiences for our guests and employees, we would love to meet you.

All candidates must be passionate about giving extraordinary service. Come and work for our growing company,” says Katie Spelman Operational Assistant for The Beach Club, The Hub, and The Cottage.

They offer a companywide 25% discount, flexible scheduling and more.

Their company includes: The Hub Baja Grill, The Cottage, The Beach Club, Mad Moe’s, Smokin’ Joes

On Jan. 3, the average Sarasota resident who has adapted to the balmy Florida winters was shivering on land. Yet, two Sarasota County lifeguards proved once again that first responders take their responsibilities very seriously, even in very uncomfortable circumstances.

Siesta resident Michael Shay, who lives on Big Sarasota Pass, went out of his home about 4 p.m. on Jan. 3 to pick up his mail. He immediately spotted a Sarasota County Fire Department truck, an EMS unit and two Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office vehicles in his driveway. Seeing no people, he walked around to the Gulf side of his property, he continued, “and that was where the ‘action’ was.”

Shay said he learned from Deputy Chris McGregor of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office that boaters had become separated from their vessel in the pass; it had drifted across the channel and become grounded on riprap along the seawall.

Continued on page 9

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FEBRUARY 2018

Siesta Key Chamber Annual Awards Dinner

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

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Photos by Trebor Britt

Sharon Cunningham Visitors Center Volunteer Award 20 Year Service Awards: Felix Power, Paula Stein, Phil Trego Volunteer of the Year Helene Hyland Shining Star Katrina Swaney, Bartender at Best Western Plus Small Business of the Year Florida Sun Weddings Large Business of the Year Tropical Sands Accommodations Community Partnership Mike Granthon The Beach Club

Award recipient Phil Trego holds pics of missing volunteers, Paula Stein and Felix Powers

Award recipient Helene Hyland with Mark Smith, Outgoing Chair

Award recipient Katrina Sweeney of Best Western Plus with Mark Smith

Business Person of the Year Wendall Jacobsen Beach Bazaar Board Service Appreciation Bob Stein Chris Tenaglia Alana Tomasso New Board Chair Wendall Jacobsen Immediate Past Chair Mark Smith Chair Elect Eric Fleming Welcome New Board Members: Steve Cavanaugh, Tropical Sands; Gabe Hartmann, The Inn on Siesta Key; and Josh Ladwig, Suntrust Bank

Award recipient Steve Cavanaugh of Tropical Sands with Mark Smith

Award recipient Mike Granthon of the Beach Club with Mark Smith

Award recipient Wendall Jacobson of Beach Bazaar with Mark Smith

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Sarasota mayor convinces majority of City Commission to keep Big Pass dredging ‘insurance policy’ By Rachel Brown Hackney Sarasota Mayor Shelli Freeland Eddie convinced the majority of her colleagues in mid-January to keep $2.5 million set aside as an “insurance policy” in the event the proposed dredging of Big Sarasota Pass were allowed to proceed and resulting damage needed to be mitigated.

Reporting on discussions she and City Engineer Alexandrea DavisShaw held in Washington, D.C., in December 2017 with representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and members of the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations committees, Freeland Eddie stressed her concern that moving the money back into the city’s general beach renourishment account could jeopardize federal funding for the planned replenishment of sand on South Lido Key. “The $2.5 million was one of the bright lights in terms of showing the city’s additional investment in the project,” she said on Jan. 16.

On Feb. 21, 2017, the City Commission voted unanimously to set up what City Manager Tom Barwin characterized as an “insurance policy.” The action came almost exactly two months after the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) announced its intent to issue the city

and the USACE a permit to dredge about 1.2 million cubic yards of sand from Big Pass to renourish about 1.6 miles of critically eroded South Lido Key. In January 2017, the Siesta Key Association (SKA) and Save Our Siesta Sand 2 (SOSS2) filed administrative law challenges in response to FDEP’s Dec. 22, 2016 announcement.

Barwin voiced optimism during that February 2017 City Commission meeting that if the board established the emergency mitigation fund, the SKA and SOSS2 could be dissuaded from pursuing their challenges. He Sarasota Mayor Shelli Freeland Eddie did not specifically address the FWF action.

“This is a good faith effort to On Jan. 16, City Attorney Robert Fournier respond to concerns which have been expressed,” he said, referring to the views pointed to the fact that because the hearing of SOSS2 and SKA leaders that the dredging already had been held, the reasoning for would damage not only the pass but also maintaining the emergency fund was moot.

Nonetheless, Freeland Eddie said, if Siesta Key. In mid-December 2017, Judge Bram Canter rules for the city and the USACE, the D.E. Canter presided over a five-day federal agency “will be able to go full-speed Florida Division of Administrative Hearings on our behalf,” based on the scoring of the (DOAH) proceeding during which the SKA city’s application for the project. and SOSS2 presented a series of expert She did not mention that the SKA also filed a verified complaint in the 12th Judicial witnesses.

Circuit Court in January 2017, seeking to prevent the removal of sand from the pass. Judge Lon Arend ruled in April 2017 that the case would be held in abeyance until after Canter ruled in the DOAH proceeding.

‘A more vulnerable position’

During her and DavisShaw’s discussions in Washington, D.C., in December 2017, Freeland Eddie told her colleagues on Jan. 16, they learned that the continuing legal challenges to the Lido Renourishment Project have put the city “in a more vulnerable position …” It was made clear to her and DavisShaw, she pointed out, that no federal money has been allocated for the estimated $21.5-million project because the legal issues have remained unresolved.

In unveiling the Lido proposal in September 2013, the USACE project manager at the time — Milan Mora of the Jacksonville District Office — said the federal agency would cover about 62% of the cost. The rest of the money would come out of Tourist Development Tax (TDT) revenue Sarasota Continued on the next page

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Continued from the previous page

County allocates to the city for beach renourishment initiatives and from the state, in the form of a grant. The latter two amounts would be equal, based on city documents released as late as the summer of 2017.

Exceeding a deadline Kelly Strickland, the city’s director of financial administration, explained to the commission on Jan. 16 that the $2.5 million could not be used for any purpose except beach renourishment-related actions.

Yet, Freeland Eddie voiced concern about the appearance of moving the money back into the beach renourishment account. “There are so many states vying for the same pot of federal dollars.”

“I agree with what the mayor said,” Vice Mayor Liz Alpert announced.

If the city did receive the FDEP permit, Alpert continued, and the dredging began, “I’d rather have this money sitting there, ready, in case we do need to use it for the mitigation.”

“I share the concerns, as well,” Commissioner Hagen Brody added. “I don’t want anything to influence the administrative law judge that just sat through this whole hearing in December.”

Brody made the motion to deny the staff request to move the money back into the overall beach renourishment fund.

Commissioners Jan Ahearn-Koch and Willie Shaw opposed the motion, resulting in a 3-2 vote.

SKA and SOSS2 responses In response to a request for a comment on the City Commission a ct i on , SK A V i ce President Catherine Luckner responded in a Jan. 16 email, “Sadly, the $2.5 million would not fully approach the portion of responsibility should there be post-project damages.”

For example, she pointed out, in its formal Biologic Opinion, which is part of the FDEP file on the permit application, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service “has stated there must be funds to remove the groins structures should they

USACE plans over a 50-year period.

Peter van Roekens, chair of SOSS2, responded in an email: “One house and its seawall on Big Pass would not be covered by $2.5 million; talk about being

create other problems for wildlife.”

That action, she pointed out, would “be costly.”

Two groins have been proposed on South Lido to help hold the sand in place between subsequent renourishments of the beach the

underinsured by many orders of magnitude. Given the data from the recent DOAH hearing, the City would find they could not purchase insurance on the open market to cover the potential risk to Siesta Key.”

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Variety of ‘bizarre laws’ enacted for condominium associations in 2017 legislative session, Sarasota attorney tells Siesta condo owners and directors

By Rachel Brown Hackney / SarasotaNewsLeader.com From term limits to websites to thirddegree felonies, the 2017 Florida Legislature enacted a number of “bizarre laws” affecting condominium associations, a Sarasota attorney who has specialized in condominium law since 1980 told about 60 people during the Jan. 23 meeting of the Siesta Key Condominium Council.

For many years, Dan Lobeck said, “I thought the condominium associations were probably the second most highly regulated industry in the state of Florida, second only to nuclear power.” In the aftermath of the 2017 legislative session, he added, he believes the associations have taken the top spot.

Lobeck explained that a number of facets played into why the Legislature “did what it did to make laws so burdensome and complicated on condo boards.” A key factor, however, was a Miami Herald expose about unethical and illegal actions involving condo boards and managers, he pointed out. After the paper published its findings, the state attorney in Miami-Dade County convened a grand jury, which offered recommendations that ended up in bills that were enacted.

The laws Lobeck focused on went into effect on July 1, 2017, he noted.

First, directors who serve two-year terms may not be elected more than four consecutive times. The idea behind that, he said, was that “if you’re serving your community for an extensive period, you must be abusive … even though some of the best directors that I have seen … have really devoted themselves to the community over the long haul, and the community appreciates that.”

The term limit can be waived by a vote of two-thirds of the membership, he added, and in circumstances when not enough eligible candidates are available to fill the vacancies at the time in question.

Fortunately, he said, both the state and condo association attorneys in Florida have taken the position that the four consecutive terms would have to start after July 1, 2017.

That law does not apply to directors who serve one-year terms, Lobeck noted, and case law in the state effectively has prohibited terms of three years or longer.

Another new law makes it illegal for use of a debit card issued in the name of an association or billed directly to an association. “Credit cards — you can steal money with them,” Lobeck joked, eliciting laughter from audience members.

A management company could use a debit card to draw on association funds, he continued, as long as the association name is not on the card.

Then Lobeck addressed new criminal penalties, “as if there wasn’t enough discouragement to volunteer to serve on your board.”

Moreover, “Legislators made at least half a dozen mistakes in the law,” he pointed out, as many of the crimes are not listed as such in other parts of the Florida Statutes. “You have to amend the criminal statutes to create a new crime.”

For example, he said, one new provision makes it a third-degree felony to forge a ballot envelope or voting certificate used in an election. “But they didn’t make forgery of the outer envelope a crime,” Lobeck noted.

Yet another action that results in a third-degree felony charge, he continued, is the destruction or refusal to allow inspection or copying of an official record of a condominium association that is accessible to unit owners, in the furtherance of any crime. For example, Lobeck explained, if someone stole money from an association, and a cancelled check would prove that, “it’s a felony to destroy the check.”

Any director or officer charged or indicted

for any of the crimes related to he pointed out, is not only the forgery, theft or embezzlement, agenda of any board meeting or the destruction or withholding and documents to be voted on, of records, is barred from serving but also “any other document as an officer or director of another required for the meeting,” and Dan Lobeck association,” he continued. the latter has to be put on the If an officer or director is website at least 48 hours before charged with a crime, Lobeck the meeting. That means any continued, that person is to be removed from issue that will come up at the session should the board and a temporary replacement be posted on the website, he said. put in the person’s place. “So much for the The website also has to contain a passwordprotected section including not only all the presumption of innocence.”

If the accused later is cleared of the crime, board materials, Lobeck continued, but also Lobeck said, the person can go back on the the recorded association declaration and board. bylaws; the filed articles of incorporation, Lobeck then talked of new financial reports, with all amendments; the association rules; including the necessity for associations to file bid summaries, which must be available a form naming every institution where it for a year; the annual financial report; the maintains accounts. That makes it possible, annual budget; and “any proposed financial he noted, for “an aggrieved owner to find report to be considered at a meeting.”

When asked whether a management out where you keep your money.”

In response to a question, he said that company can operate the website, Lobeck documents should be filed at the same replied that it could. He added that the address where the association provides its website “just has to be capable of access by annual report. the board without management.”

For associations with 150 or more units, he Finally, in response to another question, continued, the Legislature has required “a Lobeck said “a fairly recent law” makes it huge complicated website” by July 1 of this legal for board members to “communicate year. “This is totally insane as to what has very freely by email,” as long as they do to be on this.” not take an official vote on an issue via Among the material that has to be posted, email.

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Art project dominated by cairns

By Rachel Brown Hackney

On Jan. 12, Siesta Key Association (SKA) President Catherine Luckner had been observing changes on the 162 Beach Road parcel, which the owners agreed last year to sell to Sarasota County.

She spied two men on the property in early January, and they appeared to be creating an art project dominated by cairns. Four days later, the undertaking appeared to be complete.

Luckner kindly sent several photos to SNL, which forwarded one of them to Sarasota County staff to learn whether anyone in the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources (PRNR) Department had an explanation for the transformation of the parcel.

Media Relations Officer Jason Bartolone reported back on Jan. 18, saying that PRNR staff members he consulted were unaware of the objects on the property until after he provided them with Luckner’s photos.

Then they contacted the county’s Environmental Permitting Division.

Regardless of what the objects were, they would have to be removed, Bartolone said in a brief telephone interview.

In an email, he provided the following information from Howard Berna, the county’s permitting manager:

“The Coastal Setback Code is applicable here (Chapter 54, Article XXII of the Sarasota County Code of Ordinances). In particular, Section 54-723(a) lists out prohibitions seaward of the Sarasota County Gulf Beach Setback Line (GBSL) including: • (1) Construction or excavation; • (2) The installation of non-native plants and landscape boulders in or on a beach, dune system or coastal hammock habitat, except as provided for within Section 54-723(g)(8); • (3) Alteration or removal of native plants located within a dune system or coastal hammock habitat.”

Berna added, “It appears that these cairns are inconsistent with item (2) and quite likely item (3) above.”

By the way, Bartolone also indicated that the county closed on the 162 Beach Road parcel on Dec. 28, 2017. Owners Ronald and Sania Allen of Osprey had sought $1.7 million for the property, but the County Commission voted on Sept. 13, 2017 to maintain its earlier offer of $1.4 million. The couple finally accepted that.

Photo by Catherine Luckner

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Island Chatter

FEBRUARY 2018

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

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Continued from page 9

Then the two lifeguards came to the rescue.

According to the official Emergency Services report from Sarasota County, a call came in at 4:10 p.m. on Jan. 3 to Siesta Key Beach, reporting that two people were “stuck on a sandbar in the pass and their boat had come loose from anchor and was drifting out to the Gulf of Mexico.”

Lifeguards Brad Ward and Parker Lennertz climbed aboard one of the jet skis they keep at hand for emergency situations and responded about 4:15 p.m. to the scene amid “red flag rough conditions,” the report added.

“Red flag” means no one should be in the water, to put it succinctly. As Shay characterized the situation, “That was a miserable cold, windy day. Those boaters had no business out there.”

The temperature at 2:25 p.m. that day was 58, the National Weather Service noted, with wind gusts ranging from 22 to 31 mph out of the northeast.

Shay said he had put his mail inside the box he keeps in his home for recyclables as he talked with McGregor. “I couldn’t find a spot to put the box down … without getting stuff blown all over the place,” he added, referring to the wind.

The report says Ward and Lennertz spotted the boat along the rocks, but they

proceeded to the “patrons on sandbar to make sure everyone was ok.”

Their thinking, the report continued, was that if the boat was drivable, they would bring it to the people on the sandbar so the people could leave in it.

The folks on the sandbar told them, “‘Yes, the keys are on the boat,’” the report added.

Therefore, Ward and Lennertz proceeded to the boat. “Ward made sure that there were no leaks, hull damage or engine damage before he hopped upon the boat to make sure everything was safe.” He was able to start the engine, the report continued, so he drove it back to the sandbar.

The people “were very grateful and appreciative lifeguards were there to ensure their safety and to help them get their boat back,” the report added.

The lifeguards completed the call at 4:35 p.m. and headed back to the beach, the report concluded.

“It was a nasty day out there,” Shay stressed, and neither lifeguard was wearing a wetsuit. That was all the more reason he felt Ward and Lennertz deserved recognition — even if they were just doing their job.

Dealing with FDOT

The Bay Island Siesta Association’s Make

Siesta Drive Safer campaign — discussed at the January Siesta Key Association (SKA) meeting — reminded SKA Vice President Catherine Luckner of another long process to achieve a desperately needed traffic improvement on the Key. People who have lived on the island for many years, she said during that SKA meeting, probably remember that a blinking, caution light used to stand at the intersection of Midnight Pass Road and Higel Avenue. “I think it took four deaths in accidents at that spot,” she added, before the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) finally installed the stoplight.

Addressing the Make Siesta Drive Safer members, Luckner said, “I think you’ve exceeded that data.”

Make Siesta Drive Safer members obtained extensive accident data as they launched their effort to enhance driver and pedestrian safety on Siesta Drive from Osprey Avenue to Higel Avenue and on Higel to the Midnight Pass Road intersection.

The committee of the Bay Island Siesta Association is seeking as much support as possible from residents and other organizations on the Key as it works with FDOT and City of Sarasota and Sarasota County representatives on a variety of initiatives.

Where did Lido go??

About 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 11, heavy sea fog rolled into Big Sarasota Pass.

Visibility was so bad, one resident reported, that Lido Key — which is right across the pass — literally disappeared.

National Weather Service data recorded at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport in Sarasota noted “Fair” at 4:43 p.m., with visibility listed as 9 miles. Exactly one hour later, at 5:53 p.m., the listing said “Fog,” with visibility having dropped to one-half mile. At 6:53 p.m., the fog was persisting, the data show, with visibility down to a quarter-mile.

The fog, and then a mix of fog and mist, continued through the night. As of 5:53 a.m. on Jan. 12, the weather report replaced the “Fog/Mist” notation with “Sky Obscured.”

However, visibility was back up to 2.5 miles by 8:53 p.m. on Jan. 11.

When an inquiry to Ashley Lusby, media relations officer for the county’s Emergency Services Department, whether any boating incidents occurred in the area as a result of the rapid deterioration of visibility, she responded that the Venice Fire Department did handle one situation linked to the weather that day, but nothing else appeared in the records that was linked to the weather.

Continued on page 12

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Siesta Promenade

Continued from cover story

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Buildings Over 35’ Internal Open Public Square Internal Public Green Spaces

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However, Siesta Key residents have talked of such traffic backups occurring already on days during the height of season when beachgoers are headed from the mainland to the island via Stickney Point Road.

Additionally, the responses to county questions that Benderson submitted to county Planner Todd Dary on Dec. 28, 2017 indicate increased plans for Siesta Promenade residents and shoppers to use streets in the adjacent Pine Shores Estates neighborhood.

Todd Mathes, Benderson Development’s director of development, had assured Pine Shores residents that the firm BIRCHWOOD ST would limit traffic through the neighborhood, Sura Kochman, a spokeswoman for the Pine Shores Neighborhood Alliance, told SNL in a telephone interview. However, a map in Mathes’ 71-page response to county staff shows “Vehicular Connections” on Glencoe Avenue and Crestwood, Beechwood, Birchwood, REDWOOD ST Brentwood, Hazelwood and Redwood streets.

The Alliance is a coalition of six neighborhood associations and commercial property owners in the vicinity of the Siesta Promenade site, which is on the northwest corner of U.S. 41 and Stickney Point Road.

Parts of Pine Shores Estates date to the 1950s, Kochman told SNL. “This is not a major thoroughfare neighborhood, and they are going to destroy the instead of 150. However, Benderson still peaceful existence of everybody in this neighborhood for their own gain,” she called for 140,000 square feet of retail and said of Benderson Development employees. office space.

Kochman pointed to Future Land Use From the past to the future Policy 2.3.7 of the county’s Comprehensive Plan to underscore her belief that Siesta In that Dec. 28, 2017 letter to county Promenade, as proposed, would be Planning and Development Services staff, inappropriate where it is planned. That Mathes reiterated that Siesta Promenade policy says, “In established residential areas, is planned on property that “was formerly incompatible land uses shall be discouraged home to a 300+ unit mobile home park.” He if traffic is generated on abutting local streets added, “The site has long been considered in amounts that would substantially and eligible and appropriate for CAP Critical adversely affect traffic flow, traffic control Area Plan designation.”

On Jan. 25, 2017, the County Commission and public safety.”

On June 28, 2017, Mathes submitted voted 4-1 to allow the firm to proceed with revised plans for Siesta Promenade to county specific studies in accord with the request for staff. Instead of 506 dwelling units, the new the CAP designation. Winning approval for proposal called for 415. The December 2017 that would allow Benderson to have density up to 25 units per acre, instead of the 13 per documentation says 414.

A hotel on site was modified in the June acre allowed in standard county Commercial 2017 documents to provide 130 rooms General zoning districts.

ST

HWY 41

STICKNEY POINT RD

In his Dec. 28, 2017 letter, Mathes says the proposed density would be 18 units per acre.

However, Kochman disputes that, saying the 414 dwelling units, combined with the 130 hotel rooms — which equate to 65 residential units — add up to 20.5 units per acre.

In one response to county staff’s July 2017 questions, Mathes indicated that the residential units would be priced at “market rate (with the exception of the required attainable living units) and unrestricted by age or otherwise.” Because most will have one or two bedrooms, and they will be close to the beach, he continued, “our expectation is that more units will be occupied by temporary residents and single or dual occupant households but, again, there will be no restriction.”

The development would include five-story, three-story and two-story residential towers, transitioning down in height the closer they

would be to Pine Shores Estates, he noted.

Planner Dary wrote in a Jan. 2 email that county staff would begin its standard review of the latest documents to determine whether they are complete. That would take 30 to 45 days, he indicated. After that, if the materials are deemed complete, he added, the formal review process would commence.

The first public hearing on Benderson’s petition for rezoning of part of the 23.38 acres and its request for CAP designation would be held before the county’s Planning Commission about 60 days after Planning and Development staff signed off on the revised applications, Dary noted. The final hearing before the County Commission would occur approximately 45 days after the Planning Commission hearing, he added.

Notices of those hearings will be advertised, he pointed out.

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Sheriff’s Report

FEBRUARY 2018

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

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Dec. 21, 2017- Jan. 23, 2018

There were a total of 21 crimes reported on the Key between 12/21/17-1/23/18 12/26/17 Theft Deputies were dispatched to Access 2 in reference to a theft. The victim, a 14-year-old female, advised that her red “Bose” Bluetooth speaker ($130) was taken while she was on the beach. Her friend had a pair of sunglasses ($15) that they believed were stolen by the same suspect at the same time. The victim said a juvenile white male named Thomas had stolen the items. After describing the car in which he left the beach, he, and the driver of the car, was stopped by another deputy. The driver was adamant that he did not know the speaker was in his car and Thomas apologized and explained that he had not stolen the speaker; he had only run away with it after some other juveniles tried to search his backpack. He didn’t know anything about the sunglasses.

The females were satisfied with the investigation after getting the speaker back and did not wish to press charges. Parents were contacted and waivers of prosecution were signed.

12/27/17 Burglary- Vehicle Public Beach A man visiting the beach had his wallet stolen from his car while it was parked. The wallet, which had been in the glove box of the rental car, contained his license, $10 in cash and multiple credit cards. The man later found out his credit cards had been used at 5 different gas stations around Sarasota County. The victim thought he had locked the car although there were no signs of forced entry.

12/30/17 Theft 200 Block Canal Rd. A theft occurred at a Village Market. A loss prevention employee observed on camera two males enter the store and walk around. The men were then seen entering the aisle where the Fever Tree Ginger Beer was located. One of the men was seen ripping open a four pack of the beer and placing a bottle into his backpack. As the suspects approached the front of

MEMBERSHIP MEETING NOTICE Tuesday, February 20, 2018 • 3:30 PM Siesta Key Chapel at 4615 Gleason Ave. TOPIC:

State of the County the store and attempted to leave, the employee asked them if they wanted to purchase the beer.

Both men ran out of the store at that time. The beer was valued at $7.89.

12/30/17 Theft 5100 Block Ocean Blvd.

A Village restaurant was the victim of theft when two unknown males walked out on their bill. One was wearing a bright green hoodie and a hat with a rooster on it and the other wore a dark blue long sleeved shirt.

They were believed to be driving a black mustang convertible.

A neighboring business had surveillance video of the suspects.

A picture was captured from it and placed into evidence. The unpaid bill was approximately $90.00.

1/4/18 Identity Theft 1100 Block Lake House CI A man reported he received notification from Experian that an unknown suspect applied online for an American Express card using his name. The suspect used some of the man’s personal information to do so, thus stealing his identity. The case was still active.

1/8/18 Theft 8800 Block Midnight Pass Rd. A woman reported her safe had been broken into sometime during the past summer while she was out of town. The safe, which is located in her bedroom closet,

contained miscellaneous jewelry.

The woman first noticed the items missing when she returned to her condo in September. Although there were no signs of forced entry, she found a key sticking out of the safe and several items missing from it. She did not report the crime at that time because she was still attempting to remember all of the items that had been in the safe. Several people had access to her condo over the summer as she was having her bathroom remodeled during that time. The missing jewelry was valued at approximately $2425.

1/9/18 Burglary/ Recovery 1000 Block Portofino Dr. A woman recovered an envelope containing $3000 in cash that she had originally reported as stolen. The woman had reported that she had placed the envelope in a drawer on 12/28/17. She realized the envelope was missing when she went to retrieve it on 1/2/18. The complainant and her husband stated they looked for the cash for about a day before calling law enforcement. There was no evidence of a forced entry and the front office of the condo stated that the condo had been cleaned by staff prior to 12/28 and had not accessed the apartment since then. On 1/9, the complainant called the Sheriff’s Office to say that she had found the envelope of cash in a cosmetic bag that she had apparently placed in another room.

• Update on the Army Corps of Engineers Dredge Project • Siesta Key Overlay District • Siesta Key Traffic Considerations

Main Speaker: Alan Maio

Sarasota Co. Commissioner, Siesta Key District FOLLOWED BY QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION

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Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2018

941.349.0194

BEST RESTAURANT FOR STEAK!

Island Chatter

Continued from page 9

Lorraine Anderson, public information officer for the City of Venice, provided a copy of the Venice Fire Department report. That said a 75-foot vessel collided with a 34-foot sailboat approximately 8 miles west of the Venice Inlet. “There was poor visibility in the Gulf,” the report adds. “No injuries, but substantial damage to the sailboat.”

That call was recorded at 4:38 p.m. on Jan. 11, the report notes.

Almost there, Wastewater Treatment Plant Alpine Steakhouse is proud to be the recipient of the Sarasota Magazine Readers’ Choice award for “Best Restaurant for Steak” for the past five consecutive years.

If you haven’t yet, it’s time for you to discover the Alpine Steakhouse, Florida’s oldest premier restaurant, steakhouse, meat market (butcher shop) and small specialty grocery all under one roof. The Alpine is something of a cultural landmark, being more than 40 years old, the first place in Sarasota to specialize in prime meats of the New York City steakhouse persuasion, and has continually been operated and crafted to perfection by the same family.

Come in and enjoy a great steak in the newly remodeled 70 seat dining room. You can choose your own steak from the meat case.

“The thing that makes me the proudest is that virtually nothing we serve comes out of a box or shrink-wrap,” says co-owner Mark Rebhan.

Owners Mark and son Matt Rebhan, want to invite everyone to come and enjoy a great meal in this unique restaurant.

“What an amazing place! It is not fancy or pretentious!”

Just excellent food and great service. We had the NY strips and the filet mignon...all cooked perfectly and melted in your mouth. The twice baked potatoes are amazing as is the homemade clam chowder. We were full but we HAD to try dessert...we had the truffles mint chocolate chip and spumoni with fresh whipped cream. Even the coffee was good... what took us so long? Also want to order from the meat market... wow.

One of my new favorite places.

Here is what they are saying online:

Choose your steak from the meat case

“Pittsburgh Style” We had the NY Strip “Pittsburgh Style” which means heavy sear on both sides. Lots of flavor. Mmmmm.

We had a twice baked potato to go with it. We are on our way again for the second time this week. Great Atmosphere. Also, an in house butcher shop right inside. Next time I’m going to come here to pick up my steaks and fresh ground sirloin for some tasty burgers.

The Rebhans want everyone to know that they offer a complete catering service for business, holiday and events.

The restaurant is located at 4520 S. Tamiami Trail, one block north of Proctor Road at traffic light of Field Road and US 41. Hours; Mon-Thu 9am-9pm, Fri & Sat 9am-9:30pm, Sun Closed. (941) 922-3797 www.alpinesteak.com Advertorial

On April 7, 2016, residents packed the Parish Hall at St. Boniface Episcopal Church, a number of them eager to vent frustrations about a year-long delay in the schedule to decommission the Siesta Key Wastewater Treatment Plant.

They had come to the SKA’s monthly meeting to hear a report on that project, whose primary goal was to send all of Siesta’s wastewater to county facilities on the mainland, where it would be treated; that would mean no more discharge into the Grand Canal.

Most important to residents at that April 2016 meeting, several indicated, was that the transformation of the plant would mean no more horrid odors as they tried to engage in outside activities in their neighborhoods.

Along with running a sewer forcemain and a new water main from the mainland, under the Intracoastal Waterway, to Siesta, the overall project called for transforming the Siesta wastewater plant to a master pumping station, David Cash, the manager of the county’s Water/Wastewater Division, and Gregory S. Rouse, a county engineer who had been involved in the design process, explained to SKA members and guests during that April 2016 meeting.

Rouse said that residents in a mainland neighborhood where lines had to be laid had protested about the initial design of that facet of the work. Therefore, staff agreed to changes in the design. Knowing that would add a bit to the project schedule, county staff also won permission from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to allow the Siesta plant to continue to function until June 2018.

Originally, the county’s plan called for wastewater treatment to end on Siesta as 2016 ended.

County Commissioner Alan Maio noted the change in the timeline during his “State of the County” update to SKA members as part of their 2016 Annual Breakfast Meeting. Then the news spread among residents who live near the plant.

As SKA Vice President Catherine Luckner put it during the Jan. 4 SKA meeting, “Everybody was so angry last year.”

Almost exactly 21 months after that contentious April 2016 meeting, Robert Luckner, a member of the SKA’s Environmental Committee, reported to about 70 members and guests on Jan. 4 that the end of the project truly was near.

If Hurricane Irma had not struck the state in September 2017, Luckner said, he believed the county could have met its late December 2017

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deadline for ceasing the treatment of wastewater on Siesta Key. The new master pump station was about 90% complete as of early January, he noted, and the final sewer line tie-ins were expected to be completed at night by the end of January. The latter work involved areas of the northern end of the island, Luckner said.

The new sewer forcemain had been pressuretested, he continued. Testing at the pump station was planned for late January, as well, he added.

A few “punch list” items remained to be addressed in the right of way of the Siesta Isles subdivision, where drilling was necessary to feed the forcemain to the plant, Luckner said. Nonetheless, “Everything looks like it’s all set to go,” Luckner pointed out.

That many vehicles!?!

As a condominium complex resident who lives near Stickney Point Road bridge, Michael Nestor has seen a lot of traffic backups on that bridge. Still, he went on to say, the situation a day or two after Christmas was the worst ever.

His understanding, he continued, was that traffic literally was backed up all the way to Beneva Road as visitors and residents labored to reach the fine white quartz sands of Siesta Key Beach.

In fact, Nestor added, he also understood that drivers were getting ticketed for creating gridlock at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Stickney Point Road.

The ‘hotel amendment’ debated During the Jan. 4 Siesta Key Association (SKA) meeting, Director Joe Volpe reminded audience members that on Jan. 30, the County Commission was scheduled to hold a public hearing on a proposed zoning text amendment to the Siesta Key Overlay District (SKOD) regulations.

Volpe and SKA Secretary Joyce Kouba encouraged residents opposed to the amendment to send emails to the County Commission so their comments could be made part of the public record provided to the board in advance of the meeting.

When an audience member suggested a petition drive, SKA directors responded that individual letters to the commissioners are more effective.

Vice President Catherine Luckner recommended people use the email bcc@scgov.net, as all the commissioners receive communications sent to that address.

“I think the SKA board is going to do some brainstorming about this,” Luckner said of the proposed amendment, adding that the board planned to send its own letter to the commission.

On Dec. 7, 2017, the county Planning Commission voted 8-1 to recommend that the County Commission approve the change to Siesta’s zoning regulations for which the owners of Clayton’s Siesta Grille have applied. It would allow a commercial structure as tall as 85 feet to be as close as 2 feet to the sidewalk.

The County Commission would need to grant a special exception to make that narrow a distance possible, however.

Continued on page 20

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

FEBRUARY 2018

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

Nothing but Clean, Organic Gelato Served at This Gelateria Those in the know have already found this little gem, nestled in the shops of the Siesta Key Village, which cranks out small batches of freshly made organic gelato.

Not only is co-owner of Made in Rome Organic Gelato, Massimo Cuna from Italy, he also has deep family roots in the gelato business.

In less than a year, this shop has racked up many rave reviews. Here is what a recent visitor posted on Trip Advisor: During the course of my journey’s I’ve had the wonderful pleasure of enjoying gelato in Rome. Much to my surprise my wife and I stumbled across Made in Rome Organic Gelato. I had the opportunity to chat with the owners who are from Italy.

We tried samples of several of their organic gelatos and in the end I settled on their stracciatella. The flavor immediately took me back in time to Rome. My wife raved about the chocolate brownie, made in Rome and cookies in cream. Good service, great gelato, definitely recommended.

The décor in this small gelateria resembles an authentic gelato shop in Italy, and if you happen to catch Cuna good-naturedly bantering with his wife in his native Italian tongue, you may even think you’ve just stepped through a portal to his native country.

Cuna starts with a world renowned Italian recipe, along with all organic USDA certified natural ingredients, then churns out small batches of this Italian-style ice cream that rivals any found in Italy on a daily basis.

Wife, Diane states, “We are proud to be the first gelateria in Siesta Key to make organic handcrafted Italian gelato using the process and equipment found in the best gelateria’s of Italy and we are the only shop serving organic gelato in Florida!”

As a former circus performer at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Diane has taken a que from her earlier days and takes turns with Massimo showcasing the unique process used to create the cool and creamy delight for those fortunate enough to be there when the gelato is being constructed. The process is so unique, so special, that they want to show it off. They welcome all to stop by and watch them make it.

Each flavor is produced in small batches to ensure the freshest tastes.

Made in Rome Organic Gelato offers 30 flavors of gelato, nine of which are vegan along with a small assortment of sugar-free flavors. The organic cones are made from gluten free, kosher certified, vegan waffles and the cups and spoons are made of 100% recyclable corn fiber.

Other reviews find both the gelato and proprietors worth a second and third visit during their stay on the Key. Excellent Gelato- The real thing Great little place to taste gelatos before you buy. The owners, who make their ice cream on the premises, are generous with their tasting spoons and their time.

Superb flavors, wonderful genuine Italian coffee, and affogato -- put a scoop of vanilla or other flavor into the best hot coffee! As good as any gelato I’ve had in Italy!

Wonderful!

This is probably the best gelato I’ve ever had, loved it so much that I came back the next day. They let you sample as many as you like. I highly recommend the cherry crunch, but every flavor that I tried was wonderful. The husband and wife that own it are from Italy and super nice.

Organic ingredients and a recipe from Rome.

The proprietor was very nice and told us her story. The gelato is YUMMY. Lots of fresh fruit flavors. I had papaya which was awesome. Try the dark chocolate rum.

Made in Rome Organic Gelato is located at 5204 Ocean Blvd. in Siesta Village, (941) 960-5344. Advertorial

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FEBRUARY 2018

941.349.0194

www.siestasand.net

FDOT working on restriping and ‘Qwick Kurb’ devices to slow down vehicles and prevent accidents in vicinity of Siesta Drive/Higel Avenue curve

By Rachel Brown Hackney / SarasotaNewsLeader.com

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27080000

(2012-2017)

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is working on plans for restriping and the installation of “Qwick Kurb” devices at the intersection of Siesta Drive and Higel Avenue on Siesta Key, the president of the Bay Island Siesta Association announced to Siesta Key Association (SKA) members.

The goal is to reduce the number of accidents in that vicinity, Pat Wulf, the newly elected Bay Island Siesta Association president, explained during a January presentation.

The flexible poles, about 3 feet tall, he said will be anchored into the asphalt, creating a barrier to keep cars from veering outside the travel lanes.

The poles — made by Qwick Kurb Inc., which is headquartered in Ruskin — will not cause damage to a vehicle that hits them, he pointed out. If the system works, he added, FDOT engineers said they would consider replacing the poles with a guardrail.

Additionally, FDOT plans to install new speed “feedback” signs facing motorists entering the curve, so if people are traveling more than 25 mph, the signs will flash “Slow Down,” Wulf said.

The current signs flash “Slow Down” only if a motorist is driving faster than 30 mph, Wulf noted.

As for the 25 mph warning signs on both approaches to the curve: Wulf explained that those are not considered speed limit signs. A person driving faster than 25 mph cannot be cited for an infraction, he said.

In August, FDOT installed new signage that lowered the speed limit from 40 mph to 30 mph in the immediate vicinity of the Higel/Siesta Drive curve. The sign facing southbound traffic will be moved nearer the Anglin Drive intersection, he noted, to make it more visible.

FDOT also will consider installing another speed feedback sign on the left side of Higel Avenue to increase the odds that northbound drivers will see a warning about their speed as they approach the sharp curve, Wulf continued during his January presentation.

That would complement the sign on the right side of the road, he noted, which will be moved from its location behind a utility pole, so it will be more visible.

Wulf addressed the approximately 70 audience members on behalf of the Make Siesta Drive Safer (MSDS) committee of the Bay Island Siesta Association, which has been working over the past months on a number of initiatives to try to increase the safety of both drivers and pedestrians on the 1.9-mile segment of Siesta Drive from the Osprey Avenue intersection to the Higel Avenue intersection.

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Continued from the previous page

Yet another request MSDS has made, Wulf continued, is for FDOT to forbid left-hand turns out of La Paloma Avenue, which is the residential street just north of the Siesta/Higel curve.

If a person tries to turn left onto Siesta Drive from La Paloma, Wulf pointed out, “You are basically taking your life into your hands.”

One audience member familiar with La Paloma, however, cautioned Wulf to talk further with FDOT staff about the installation of the “Qwick Kurb” devices. The woman pointed out that if those devices are in place, that will reduce the ability of motorists to veer out of the way on Siesta Drive if they are behind a northbound vehicle getting ready to turn right into the La Paloma neighborhood. In spite of residents’ efforts to ensure they use signals and brakes well in advance of their turns, the woman said, some motorists fail to take sufficient notice and steer to the left to avoid collisions. If the flexible posts are in place, a southbound vehicle on Siesta Drive would have nowhere to go to avoid hitting a northbound motorist attempting not to hit someone making that turn into La Paloma, she explained.

“I appreciate your bringing that up,” Wulf replied. “No one had thought of that,” he added, but MSDS representatives will address that with FDOT. Members of the committee had suggested a stoplight at the intersection of Siesta Drive and Higel Avenue, Wulf noted, but FDOT officials opposed that. Their goal is to keep traffic flowing on the road, Wulf said, as it is a hurricane evacuation route.

Speed limits and crosswalks

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Although Make Siesta Drive Safer would like to see the speed limit lowered to 30 mph from Osprey Avenue to the intersection of Midnight Pass Road and Higel Avenue, Wulf explained, FDOT says that because the route is a state road (758), state guidelines call for the 40 mph signs to remain there — unless accident statistics and/or a speed study conducted in early October give the department sufficient reasons to lower the speed.

If the road were a county road, he said, FDOT engineers indicated they easily would be able to lower the speed limit to 30 mph because of its residential nature.

Although MSDS representatives have talked with Sarasota County Administrator Jonathan Lewis about the potential swap of River Road, a county road, for several Siesta routes, that transaction is unlikely to occur soon, Wulf added.

A few months ago, then-County Administrator Tom Harmer announced that negotiations had begun between county administrative staff and FDOT regarding such a swap. The county has been unsuccessful in winning state funding to make the improvements the commissioners argue are needed for River Road because of significant new residential development in that area of South County and the construction of a new Spring Training complex for the Atlanta Braves in the West Villages.

The latter is scheduled to open in 2019.

When SNL asked county staff for an update, Media Relations Officer Drew Winchester replied that as of Jan. 5, “there was nothing new to report regarding the potential swap. Negotiations remain ongoing with FDOT.” Finally, Wulf noted that MSDS has been talking with FDOT engineers about adding crosswalks at the intersections of North Shell Road and Hamilton Avenue, along with how best to create a safe crossing situation for pedestrians to the north and west of the Siesta/Higel curve.

When SKA Environmental Committee member Robert Luckner pointed out that the pedestrian crosswalks FDOT installed in 2012 on Midnight Pass Road between Beach Road and Stickney Point Road were an inexpensive but successful addition, Wulf replied, “We’re jealous as we can be about those crosswalks.” FDOT staff has said that the statistics it has about pedestrian crossings on Siesta Drive and Higel Avenue have been insufficient to warrant the installation of crosswalks, Wulf added. However, MSDS members are hopeful that the October 2017 traffic study will provide updated numbers to support such an initiative.

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Siesta Key Association (SKA) Director Joe Volpe found an unwelcome “visitor” at his home on Jan. 16, a 12-foot python that appeared to still be alive but that was suffering the effects of the cold temperatures.

He fished it out of the canal, he said.

Volpe ended up contacting a private trapper to come to his home to collect the critter.

When the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) was contacted about the snake, Melody Kilborn, public information coordinator in the FWC’s Southwest Region Office in Lakeland, undertook a bit of research. In a Jan. 17 email, she wrote that the type of snake Volpe captured was a reticulated python. From 1989 up until this week, she continued, the FWC “has received 12 verified reports of reticulated pythons in the wild,” adding that they likely escaped from owners or were captive animals or pets that had been released into the wild.

In response to a related question, Kilborn noted that the pythons found outside south Florida that have been reported to the FWC are not considered to be part of the “breeding population of Burmese pythons.”

State newspapers have had quite a few stories in recent years about Burmese pythons in the Everglades.

A doozy of a start to DOAH hearing

By Rachel Brown Hackney Another topic anticipated for SKA discussion was the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH) proceeding, which began on Dec. 12 in Sarasota and ended up concluding a day early — on Dec. 18 — in Tallahassee.

The proceeding allowed the SKA and Save Our Siesta Sand 2 (SOSS2) to present expert witness testimony that challenged the plan of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to issue a permit to the City of Sarasota and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to dredge 1.7 million cubic yards of sand from Big Sarasota Pass to renourish a 1.6-mile stretch of critically eroded South Lido Key Beach.

The first day of the hearing began with more than a little confusion, as this reporter learned firsthand.

The DOAH case file included a notice about the location of the proceeding, which was to begin at 9 a.m.

However, many attendees focused on one phrase in that notice, “Sarasota County Justice Center,” figuring that meant the location would be the Judge Lynn Silvertooth Judicial Center.

When this reporter could not locate Courtroom 2 on the sixth floor of that Ringling Boulevard structure in downtown Sarasota, this reporter was fortunate indeed to find a bailiff who readily showed her the correct location, across the street.

The correct courtroom, as it turned out, was in the building where the Sheriff’s Office’s administrative staff used to work and where the State Attorney’s Office continues to operate.

Fortunately, too, while Judge Bram D.E. Carter entered the courtroom early on the morning of Dec. 12, he did wait until about 9 to start the hearing. That at least enabled other confused parties to find seats in the nick of time.

As for concluding the hearing in Tallahassee: On Dec. 15, Canter conferred with the parties and counsel and then made the decision to finish up testimony at

the DOAH headquarters in Tallahassee. Along with the DOAH, FDEP’s offices and, in fact, the offices of Hopping Green & Sams, the SKA’s law firm, are in Tallahassee. The USACE counsel represented that federal agency’s Jacksonville District Office, while the City of Sarasota’s outside counsel was from the GrayRobinson firm’s offices in Fort Lauderdale.

The Lido Key Residents Association had hired the Bradenton firm Lewis, Longman & Walker to represent it.

Interested persons who did not want to make the trip to Tallahassee were afforded the opportunity to participate in the rest of the hearing by video conference at the Office of the Judges of Compensation Claims on Parkland Drive in Bradenton, a bit north of University Parkway. Later, the DOAH staff did provide a call-in telephone number, too, as space in the Parkland Drive facility was reported to be quite limited.

And speaking of the hearing …

Those who attended the DOAH hearing found Judge Canter not only to be quite engaged in the testimony but also to have a good sense of humor.

On Dec. 18, for example, Robert Young, director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines — a joint Duke University/University of Western Carolina initiative — was on the stand. As Martha Collins, the attorney for Save Our Siesta Sand 2 (SOSS2) was attempting to enter an exhibit into the record at one point, opposing counsel apparently had some difficulty finding the document to which she was alluding. That led to Canter dropping the second “S” in SOSS2 as he worked with Collins to clarify the number of the exhibit.

“If I refer to your client as SOS, which has a certain ring to it, would that be OK?” Canter asked Collins.

She readily agreed that that would be fine.

Thus, he was dubbing the exhibit SOS 83, Canter told opposing counsel.

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Seafood lovers, it’s good and fresh Yelp review: I see why this place is all five stars. Amazing find, tucked away in a nondescript strip mall adds to its local, simple vibe.

Best seafood I have had in a long time. Service made it feel like we were part of the family, four happy diners tonight. If you read this post, stop searching and start eating. Seriously do not pass up this little gem.

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. Fresh Catch Fish Market & Grill needs to be added to it.

Fresh Catch’s, 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, neverfried, 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.

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.

Here’s what more patrons are saying about the restaurant on line: Tried this place last night on a whim and it did not disappoint!

Everything from the staff, to the menu, to the meal itself was perfection.

It’s a small place and luckily we’d come in between dinner rushes and got a table right away. Within 10 mins the place was full again. The wait staff was smiling and helpful.

We shared stone crab soup to start with a couple of ice cold beers, tons of crab in the soup and excellent flavor. For our meals we got blackened tripletail and snow crab claws. Each came with a side of roasted potatoes.

I can’t say enough about how fresh and delicious the entire meal was.

We will be back!

WOW! WOW! WOW! This place is a hidden gem! Fish was fresh today and you could taste the difference. Very clean kitchen. They cooked the fish to perfection and the presentation was 5 stars like you would expect at a fancy resort; those extra added steps. This place is the real deal. Only thing that made me upset was that I never knew it was here before.

Sooooood GOOD! This is must try!

I was so glad to find this cute restaurant and fish market. To get a high-quality fish you need a fish market and this fits the bill. I wanted a takeout fish plate and I got the blackened pompano with potatoes and corn. I made a salad at home and had a beautiful meal. The corn was not overlooked. It also has a big counter so the next time I will order some oysters and try another dish. It’s much bigger than I thought. I am going to become a regular.

See more reviews online at Yelp and Trip Advisor, Special orders and reservations accepted.

Fresh Catch Fish Market and Grill is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday. 941-413-7133, freshcatchfishmarketandgrill.com (Advertorial)

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By Robert Frederickson

From Very Small Spaces to Very Big Numbers ‘Tiny Home’ Concept Coming (back) to SW Florida?

You’re probably aware of the ‘tiny home’ trend that has caught on in some parts of the country, mostly in places like San Francisco, Seattle and other communities where housing costs have soared beyond the means of modest wage earners lacking trust funds or degrees in software engineering or database analytics. There are even shows featuring the phenomenon on cable TV, including Tiny House, Big Living on the Home & Garden channel and Tiny House Hunting on FYI.tv.

But so far the trend has failed to gain much traction here in SW Florida, where conspicuous consumption has been cultivated as an art form, where bigger is almost universally seen as better, where modest, functional/ practical homes have been torn down by new owners in some of our more affluent neighborhoods and replaced with towering ‘megamansions’ that cast enormous shadows (both literally and figuratively) over their formerly well-proportioned neighborhoods.

Just take a drive through Country Club Shores on Longboat Key if you need to see for yourself.

So I was surprised to read about a recently approved development called Hunters Point planned for just under 19 acres north of Cortez Road adjacent to the northern reaches of Sarasota Bay in Manatee County. According to the Herald Tribune, the project will feature 86 solar equipped ‘cracker’ style cottages boasting 484 square feet of interior space...Really? 484 square feet? Why, that would barely qualify as a reasonably sized kitchen in some parts of town.

The irony here is that the concept of small living spaces has already come and gone in these parts, with the many beach cottages built on Siesta Key back in the late 40s and throughout the ‘50s as part of the genesis of what would come to be known as the Sarasota School of Architecture pioneered by Paul Rudolph who later went on to become dean of Yale University’s School of Architecture.

Those early designs featured simple, open floor plans and exterior walls that merged exterior

and interior spaces with such innovations as the now ubiquitous sliding glass door, which originated right here in Sarasota.

Early examples were small and open to the outdoors allowing breezes and filtered light to stream in...They were perfect as beach getaways; but alas, success led to ever larger, grander examples like the Umbrella House on Lido Shores in a trend reminiscent to my mind of the svelte, classic 1955 Thunderbird morphing into the giant, gas guzzling monstrosity it became throughout the 60s and 70s.

So good luck to Hunters Point developer Marshall Gobuty and his plan to return to a simpler time when less was seen as more.

But I just wonder if his vision can survive the inevitable crush of potential buyers asking his sales associates to ‘super size’ their orders.

Returning Merchandise Means Never Having to Say You’re Sorry...

Have you ever felt guilty about returning merchandise that maybe you used once or twice, then wrapped back up as best you could in the original packaging and brought back to the store for a full refund? Well, apparently there was no such anxiety for a Costco shopper who purchased a ‘live’ Christmas tree before the holidays and then returned it a week after Christmas, wanting a full refund because...(wait for it)... the tree died!

No, you can’t make this stuff up.

But perhaps the most ridiculous part of this story? Costco gave the woman her money back!

Squeezing in an Appointment at the Dentist’s Office Authorities are still trying to figure out how a driver was able to crash his car into the second story of a medical office building in Santa Anna, California last week, though speed, just the right angle of impact with a median...and yes, alcohol and/or drugs, are all suspected in this improbable traffic mishap that left the driver and his vehicle wedged in the window of a dentist’s office, 10 feet off the ground.

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

Mardi Gras is just around the corner and if you want to partake in the festivities but don’t have the boundless time and energy that propelled you on road trips to New Orleans during your misspent youth, well, perhaps you should consider getting your ticket punched for Goodwill Manasota’s 13th annual Mardi Gras Gala on February 8th, 6-9 pm at Michael’s on East in Sarasota.

There will be Cajun music, shrimp étouféé, crab cakes, jambalaya. Guests are encouraged to dress in masks and beads and all manner of ridiculous costumes; an open bar will serve hurricanes and other adult beverages.

And in the spirit of Lent, your ticket proceeds will contribute to the community by actually helping Goodwill Manasota help folks get the type of training and experience needed to land and keep a job, a refreshing and vastly more successful ‘handup’ approach to helping turn lives around than the ‘handout’ approach that has contributed to the growing, self-perpetuating problem of homelessness in the area over the past several years.

While the intoxicating element of risk that accompanied those long ago trips to the Big Easy may be missing, at least you shouldn’t have to worry about waking up face down in the street in an unfamiliar part of town outside the French Quarter, where if you’re lucky, all that’s missing is your wallet.

For information and tickets, call 941-355-2721, ext. 104. But get a move on, this event usually sells out quickly.

Run Oprah, Run! Yet more evidence of the truth behind Paul Simon’s observation in the song “The Boxer” that “...a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest...”

It comes in the aftermath of Oprah’s dramatic and moving speech delivered at the Golden Globe Awards in which she addressed recent revelations of entrenched sexual harassment throughout Hollywood and other corridors of power.

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www.siestakeyassociation.com

MONTHLY MEETING Thursday, February 1 • 4:30 PM St. Boniface Church Parish Hall 5615 Midnight Pass Road

PLEASE JOIN US! Latest News

• Big Pass/Lido Project • Commercial Zoning Setbacks • Wastewater Treatment Plant public is always welcome with questions for our guests.

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Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2018

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South Gate Barber Shop: An “Olde Fashion” Place The South Gate Barber Shop has been in existence for over fifty years. It was fading into obscurity when taken over by TJ Vincent in 2014, who came in, redid the shop, and kept it all going.

TJ Vincent is a lady barber in a field usually dominated by men. At the time she got her first license, she was the first female in Florida to be tested for barbering. TJ—also known as Teresa—first graduated from Beauty School before deciding that becoming a barber would be even more appealing.

She attended Barber College in Ft. Lauderdale, passed stringent state tests with flying colors, and—before long—was a full-fledged barber with three shops in Orlando and one in Old Englewood Village. She had but one goal: to provide first-class barber services.

TJ soon went back for additional studies. “I wanted to know it all and become well-rounded,” says this entrepreneurial woman. She took a course in the Roffler method of hair design. The program was designed by Edmond “Pop” Roffler in 1958. It brought advanced European hair cutting methods to America, translating those methods to fit American taste and style. Entirely new and different, Roffler used the straight razor to cut and blend the lengths of hair.

His system caught on quickly and he began to teach courses in his advanced technique. TJ signed up for one, and soon was completely enthralled!

When the South Gate Barber Shop became available in 2014, TJ jumped at the chance to take it over. Her goal was to run a real “Olde Fashion” Barber Shop with a candy stripe barber pole out front. She came in and redid everything. She brought Old Tampa Theater seats to use as her waiting chairs. She filled the place with Burma Shave pictures, hung lures from a fishing pole, and stocked the room with a lot of antiques. TJ put in five stations for haircuts, bought red and white striped capes, and found four other lady barbers to help—as well as a gentleman barber who fills in when snowbirds arrive.

Before long, customers came streaming in, for the services were truly professional.

South Gate Barber Shop offers a variety of haircuts: Tapers, Flattops, Fades, and Razor Cuts. They also offer beard trimming, full face shaves, men’s hair color, and shampoos on request. Attention is paid to various grooming needs, including ears, nose, eyebrows, and mustache. The shop is “real picky” about sanitation, and all haircuts are finished with a hot lather neck shave.

“We don’t cook breakfast, but we do serve coffee,” says TJ, and two large screen television sets are housed at either end of the shop to keep adults entertained. The shop also specializes in serving children, for TJ feels that “Kids are our future!” She keeps a few toys on hand to amuse kids as they wait, and every boy’s haircut ends with the presentation of a Tootsie Roll.

The aim of the shop is to be homey and comfortable.

As TJ puts it, “A lot of old-fashioned barbershops have faded away, but we are here to stay! No appointments are necessary. A guy can come in, relax, and have a good time.”

www.siestasand.net

By Diana Colson

TJ finishing up her signature hot lather neck shave

Don’t let the down-home approach fool you. The haircuts being offered at South Gate are both skilled and sophisticated, for the Roffler technique is one in which TJ is utterly proficient.

This method is an approach that focuses on understanding and mastering the hair design process. It uses classic principles of art and beauty, as well as proven cutting techniques. The use of quality products completes the Roffler look.

Gentlemen—you are going to emerge from this barbershop looking GREAT! Famed for its fair prices and friendly atmosphere, South Gate Barber Shop is located at 2081 Siesta Drive in Sarasota, opposite LUCKY’S in the same strip mall as the Siesta Drive Post Office. It is open Monday through Friday from 9 to 6, Saturday from 9 to 4, and is closed on Sunday. Call 941-312-6001 or simply walk in.

What Better Subject for Valentine’s Day than Lips?

Lips are the portals that help us take in food, liquids and air.

They are also important in communication, both verbal and non-verbal and let’s not forget they’re very important in relationships and for expressing love and affection.

Lips need care especially in the heat and sunshine of our area.

They tend to dry out and become cracked because they lack oil and sweat glands. They are also a clue to our overall health. d for lip health...avoid or protect against dryness Keep this in mind n. and the sun. ♥ Don’t lick them ♥ Avoid mouth breathing ♥ Stay hydrated ♥ Protect with frequent applications of thin coats of lip balm of at least SPF15.

So, be good to yourself in 2014 and remember that anything that doesn’t get better in a week or so needs to be checked out..

Palmer Ranch Dental 8800 S. Tamiami Trail Sarasota, Florida 34238

941-966-5603

Happy Valentine’s Day!

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

FEBRUARY 2018

Naturally More Beautiful There are many options when considering how to keep your skin and body younger looking and feeling great. At Massage Experience, Siesta Key, we offer natural and results-driven methods to pamper and improve your skin’s health and appearance. Some of our offerings include our most popular anti-aging facial, micro-current technology by Beautiful Image™. The newest product to be launched later this month, called Power Repair, focuses on minimizing pore size and fighting hormonal breakouts. Combined with red clover extract and hyaluronic acid, this revolutionary proprietary blend of bio active and natural ingredients works as a potent PROBIOTIC formula for a perfectly refined, flawless complexion.

Our micro-current “non-surgical facelift” facial utilizes very low levels of electrical current to lift, tone, and tighten facial muscles. A study by the University of Washington proved that microcurrent increases your skin’s elastin fibers by 45%, collagen by 10% and the number of blood vessels by 35%. It can increase ATP, you body’s building block, by 500%. This is how it “rejuvenates” your face, softening wrinkles and toning facial muscles.

The effects are immediate and cumulative. This uplifting therapy is preventative, as well as, corrective. It is a great alternative to surgery, as it is non-invasive, requires no recovery time, has no complications, is far less expensive than plastic surgery, and above all gives instant results. If you have received facial injections (such as Botox or Juviderm™) this treatment will help maintain your lifting results between injections. The microcurrent facial offers the most beneficial results on a cumulative basis with a series of 5 treatments, followed by a monthly maintenance treatment.

The most beneficial home care regimen while receiving Micro-current facials is Pevonia Botanica’s MYOXI CAVIER in the Timeless Repair line. It is the ultimate anti-aging concept. It is specifically designed for more mature skin types that require a bit more rejuvenation and moisture. Caviar, literally translated (as I was told) means life itself.

The main ingredient in Myoxi Caviar is black Russian caviar, a patented topical wrinkle relaxer!

The full set is available and includes moisturizer, lotion serum and cleanser.

Power Repair age corrector is best paired with women from age 20-35. The condition of enlarged pores stems from multiple factors. Our cells are preprogrammed to function a specific way; however, other factors may alter their activity over time. There are at least three main contributing factors to enlarged pores.

1. Due to genetic, increased hormone function, skin dehydration, lifestyle or other factors, the skin may produce an excess of sebum. To accommodate the heavier outpour of sebum from the sebaceous glands the pores will adapt their diameter accordingly.

2. Accumulation of dead cells due to Parakeratosis.

Parakeratosis is a disorder of the maturation of the cells, in this case lining the inside of hair follicles, where the cells are not completely broken down and ready for normal exfoliation. When paired with

oily skin these cells stick to other surrounding cells for longer than normal. This creates resistance to the out pour of sebum which increases the pressure inside the hair follicle leading to congestion and pore dialation.

Having the distinction of Siesta Key’s only boutique day spa we proudly offer combination spa services on our menu.

Our talented licensed massage therapists offer therapeutic massage, which includes Swedish Massage, Deep Tissue Massage, Neuromuscular / Medical Massage, Sports Massage, or Reiki in 30, 60, 90, and 120 minute sessions. Massage upgrade options include a hot stone treatment; aromatherapy oils (which includes oil to take home); a hand or foot scrub, and/or an herbal infused full body polish.

Massage Experience Siesta Key is conveniently located in the Davidson Plaza in the Village and is open 6-days-a-week, year round and 7-days-a-week in season. Appointments may be made online at www.MassageExperienceSK.com or by calling 941349-4833.

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Connie Lewis, BS, LMT, Aesthetician and owner established Massage Experience, Siesta Key in June of 1996.

She attended the Bancroft School of Massage Therapy in Worcester, Massachusetts in January of 1994, then moved to Sarasota, Florida to continue her career in massage therapy.

“My personal philosophy when massaging a client for the first time, or the hundred and first time, is to let my hands ‘tell me what to do.’

After so many years of practice I have a sixth sense about pressure and what the client may need from me during the session. I listen with my hands and utilize my years of practice and personal experience to give the client the perfect session for them.”

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Island Chatter

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Continued from page 12

Dr. Gary Kompothecras, prominent for his 1-800-Ask-Gary advertising for his chiropractic clinics, has been working for more than a year on a proposal to construct a hotel on property zoned for commercial uses on the Key. His actions led to the zoning regulations proposal.

In June 2017, the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) voted 3-2 in support of county Zoning Administrator Donna Thompson’s interpretation of the SKOD commercial zoning stipulations. She had provided a letter to Kompothecras’ attorney, Charles D. Bailey III, saying that the SKOD requires a building to be set back a minimum of 25 feet from the sidewalk if the structure is taller than 35 feet. The maximum setback would be half the height of the building. Since 85 feet is the maximum height allowed on the county’s barrier islands, Thompson indicated in a zoning determination letter, the setback for an 85-foot-tall building in the SKOD would be 42.5 feet.

Bailey, who is with the Williams Parker firm in Sarasota, had appealed her determination to the BZA. Subsequently, a different attorney acting on Kompothecras’ behalf filed a complaint in the 12th Judicial Circuit Court, seeking to overturn the BZA ruling. That case has been on hold as a result of an agreement between

the County Commission and Kompothecras, as the proposed zoning text amendment remains under consideration.

Although residents on Old Stickney Point Road are convinced Kompothecras has plans to erect the hotel partly on the site of the former Fandango Café, Volpe told the SKA members on Jan. 4, “The elephant in the room is the Village,” as it is zoned for commercial uses. “And there’s a lot of money at stake here,” Volpe added.

Yet, he continued, “Everybody likes the quaintness of the Village.”

“Commissioners get elected by votes,” Volpe said. “It’s time to speak up and put a stop to this nonsense.”

Then Bob Waechter, a past chair of the Sarasota County Republican Party and a former SKA board member, asked Volpe if he could speak.

“I think you’re mischaracterizing it a little bit,” Waechter said of the SKOD. “I was very involved in the whole process to draw up the Siesta zoning regulations. And I realize what I am going to say is probably not going to be popular with some of the folks in this room.”

The SKOD was written to encourage the construction of commercial buildings “2 feet off the sidewalk,” Waechter continued.

Referring to the 12th Judicial Circuit Court case, Waechter noted, “There is a legal

challenge pending that will go through if this amendment doesn’t go through.” If the court overrules the BZA, Waechter pointed out, “There will be no recourse.” Buildings will be allowed to stand 85 feet tall just 2 feet off the sidewalk, he continued, without the County Commission having any say about extra setback, as the board would under the guidelines of the zoning text amendment. “So I think you’re making an argument against your own interests,” he told Volpe.

“We should just roll over and just let ’em do this?” Volpe responded, referring to approval of the amendment. “I don’t think so.”

Then Lourdes Ramirez, president of the Siesta Key Community, told the audience that Waechter “is a good friend of 1-800 Dr. Gary, so he has a special interest in getting Gary’s hotel built.”

Ramirez added, “The lawsuit is frivolous.

Kompothecras is suing for a right he doesn’t have.”

Siesta Sand will have a full accounting of the County Commission hearing on the amendment in its March issue.

A littering issue In a Jan. 8 email, SKA board member Joe Volpe addressed an issue that he did not have the time to bring up during the Jan. 4 SKA meeting.

Off Key

He copied the paper on a Dec. 30 email he sent to Susan Stahley, the county Code Enforcement officer who works on the Key. “I have attached a piece of literature that was folded up inside a zip-lock bag with rocks and thrown out of a vehicle ‘delivering’ them,” Volpe wrote. “Not only is this littering but whoever did the delivery just dropped them in the gutters in front of the homes on Treasure Boat Way sometime late Friday or Saturday 12/30/2017.”

The material to which Volpe was referring was a flyer for a landscaping company in Sarasota.

In response to a query about a Code Enforcement response to the complaint, county Media Relations Officer Drew Winchester explained that the Sheriff’s Office handles littering. Therefore, SNL contacted Kaitlyn R. Perez, community affairs director for the Sheriff’s Office.”

She wrote in a Jan. 9 email, “It sounds like based on your email this incident isn’t something that would typically meet our threshold of investigating.” However, she pointed out, “dumping a large quantity of anything on a residential street, wooded area, public access road or other, would certainly fall under the county ordinance for illegal dumping and littering.”

Continued on page 32

Continued from page 17

The resulting swoon by the media suddenly had Oprah running for President in 2020. But the narrative initially got started due to a misunderstanding on the part of her longtime companion Stedman Graham of a reporter’s backstage question.

Asked if Oprah would make a run for president, Stedman replied “Absolutely!” But amid the noise, he had misheard the question.

What he thought he was being asked was whether Oprah would make a good president.

Most everyone heard his answer in the context of the question the reporter had actually asked; few heard the later explanation of his answer in terms of what he thought her question had been, proving yet again the power of fake news, intentional or not: that a good story can circle the globe before the truth can get its shoes on.

Amazing Numbers for Amazon If this was a youth baseball game it would have been called after the first inning with Amazon ahead a gazillion to nothing and

the competition – even Wal-Mart –thoroughly demoralized.

According to Bloomberg News, Amazon accounted for 89% of online spending from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Talk about covering it all from A-to-Z as the company’s smiley face logo suggests, Amazon’s dominance in online retail would make the robber barons of the gilded age blush. But few politicians or writers today seem to notice or care the way the likes of Theodore Roosevelt and Sinclair Lewis did early on in the last century. Remember how fearful everyone was over Wal-Mart’s supposed dominance of retail not that long ago? Even at its zenith, it was nothing like Amazon’s online dominance today.

And on a related item: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is now not only the richest person alive; he is the richest person to have ever lived, with a reported wealth of $105 billion.

Parting Thought The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

FEBRUARY 2018

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 by Kenny Brooks

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

22

Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2018

Village News

941.349.0194

www.siestasand.net

Staff Report

A ‘symbol’ of the holiday season Apparently, someone who may have been celebrating New Year’s Eve a bit too robustly hit the Village sign on the southern approach in the wee hours of Jan. 1.

The collision destroyed the solar panel as well as the sign, Michael Shay, manager of the Siesta Key Village Maintenance Corp. reported. “The wooden light post and light are still standing!” he wrote in an email that morning to Maintenance Corp. directors and Lisa Cece, the county special district coordinator who supervises the Village upkeep. “In the dark the bushes didn’t look too bad but the sign is in pieces!”

Shay added.

The good news, though, he noted, was that all the bollards that light the Village crosswalks managed to survive the New Year’s Eve/New Year’s traffic.

The Highway Patrol handled the Jan. 1 collision, but Siesta Sand was unable to obtain a copy of the report.

Again?!

The landscaped medians and decorative signs that mark the entry to Siesta Village from both the northern and southern approaches just seem to be magnets for accidents.

On Jan. 9, Michael Shay, manager of the Siesta Key

DISCOVERTHEYEAROFTHE

Village Maintenance Corp., reported that the northern median was struck sometime after midnight. Signage ended up in the grassy area just east of the median, he added. “You can also see that the plants have been run over again!” he wrote in an email to Sgt. Jason Mruczek of the Sheriff’s Office, leader of the Siesta substation, and Lisa Cece, special district coordinator who supervises the Village upkeep for the county.

On Aug. 27, 2017, a 26-year-old Sarasota man was

charged with careless driving after he struck the welcome sign on the northern end.

Questions arise about new signs in the Village The second week of January, the manager of the Siesta Key Village Maintenance Corp. noticed small red-and-white signs attached to different structures

Daiquiri

NOTICE: Looking fo

For those that have enjoyed th cuts and camaraderie at the Villag Barber over the years, you can sti continue to see Scott Reich at hi new Gulf Gate Barbershop locatio at 6575 Gateway Ave. in Gulf Gate The Siesta Center was sold an the new ownership of the Ocea Blvd building wasn’t quite meetin up to expectations.

You can reach Scott at 941 346-0222. His hours are 8:30-4:0 Tuesday thru Friday and 8:30-12:0 Saturday.

MEET ME AT THE DECK!

2-4-1

3-7 PM Y L I A D S I DAIQUIR ACCOMMODATIONS Siesta Key Beach Resort & Spa........ Map-A #38A 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 COFFEE SHOPS LeLu’s Coffee Lounge........................ Map-B #31 The Local Bean.....................................Map-D #62

NOW WITH 4 LOCATIONS...

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

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 #29 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 LeLu’s 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

while on his monthly wa whether any upkeep issue One of the signs was at reported.

The top line on the sign Life.” That was followed b for cigarette butts on the g When Shay checked with director of the Siesta Key

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

www.siestasand.net

alk-through to determine es needed to be addressed. t Big Olaf’s, Michael Shay

ns said, “Protect Our Sea by the notice, “$250.00 fine ground.” h Ann Frescura, executive y Chamber of Commerce,

941.349.0194

FEBRUARY 2018

about whether the Chamber staff knew anything about the signs, she responded in an email, “New to me!”

By Jan. 11, the number of signs Shay counted had doubled, from three to six.

Lisa Cece, the special district coordinator who supervises Village maintenance for Sarasota County, checked with Code Enforcement staff and learned that the posting of any signs on county property or rights of way is illegal. Additionally, she notified Shay and Chamber leaders, a county permit is required if a person wants to post a sign on private property. “This type of sign would not be approved,” she pointed out of those Shay had spotted.

Moreover, Cece explained, no fine exists in the county Code of Ordinances for the offense of dropping cigarette butts on the ground.

She also noted that the signage “creates a liability for the County, within the Siesta Key Village Public Improvement District,” where the county oversees maintenance. (The property owners in the district are assessed annually by the county for the Village upkeep.)

In December 2012, after the City of Sarasota lost a lawsuit over its prohibition of smoking on Lido Beach, the Sheriff’s Office ceased enforcing the prohibition against smoking at Siesta Public Beach. Because of a

state law, local governments cannot forbid smoking in public places, the Office of the County Attorney explained to the county commissioners.

Therefore, Cece asked for the Chamber’s help in notifying its members and other business owners that the signs needed to be removed. If they were not gone in a week, she added, county staff would remove them.

As a convenience to whoever had purchased, the signs, Cece added, the signs would be delivered to the Chamber office for return to the purchaser, if county staff had to take them down.

Further, she suggested that if the Chamber leaders wished to communicate with the public about the proper disposal of cigarette butts, perhaps a discussion at an upcoming meeting for Chamber members would be the appropriate time for that.

The next quarterly Chamber meeting for members will be in mid-February.

Finally, Cece wrote that she would be happy to provide more information to the Chamber about the county’s Code of Ordinances and its permitting requirements.

Repaired at last It took about five months, but the streetlight that had been out at the intersection of Givens Street and

23

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

Ocean Boulevard, just north of Siesta Village, finally is shining again.

Michael Shay, manager of the Siesta Key Village Maintenance Corp., reported in August 2017 that the light was not working. In spite of several conversations and emails Shay conducted with Florida Power & Light Co. representatives, FPL was just slow in getting the streetlight operational again.

Conversely, the utility company had streetlights put out by Hurricane Irma shining again in much quicker fashion, Shay noted.

Siesta Key dates to remember for February The Annual Siesta Key Village Craft Festival takes place Sat. and Sun., Feb. 24 and 25, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Arts and crafts, music and great food make this twoday celebration the first popular event of the year.

The Village Valentine Stroll takes place Wednesday, Feb. 14. Take a stroll through Siesta Key Village for sweets and treats. Look for pink or red balloons displayed outside participating businesses. Both events are sponsored by the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce. For more information, visit www.siestakeychamber.com or call (941) 349-3800.

or the Village Barber?

he ge ill is on e. nd an ng

• SEGWAY RENTALS • PADDLEBOARDS • SCOOTER CARS • GOLF CARTS • BIKES • SCOOTERS • BEACH GEAR Map B #34

Gizeh

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

100 00

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 MEDICAL - DENTAL Siesta Dental........................................ Map-B #49 Siesta Key Physical Therapy............... Map-D #20 Siesta Medical Center.......................... Map-D #63 Siesta Village Dentistry....................... Map-D #63 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

Bringing you quality and comfort for more than 30 years!

Birkenstock & More 5128 Ocean Blvd. Siesta Village

941-346-7425 www.rickscomfortshoes.com

REAL ESTATE / RENTAL SERVICES Coldwell Banker Realty....................... Map-D #20 Horizon Realty......................................Map-B #34 Island Homes........................................ Map-C #51 Keller Williams Real Estate................. Map-D #11 Key Realty.............................................. Map-E #5 Michael Saunders Realty................... Map-E #72 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

48 47 46

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 Old Salty Dog Rest. & Pub.....................Map-E #2 PI Pizza & Craft Beer...........................Map-A#37 Señor Siesta........................................... Map-D #69 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 & Spa........................Map-D #9 SPORTS INTEREST/RENTALS CaliFlorida............................................. Map-C #29 Robin Hood Rentals........................... Map-B #34 Siesta Village Outfitters....................... Map-C #53

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

FEBRUARY 2018

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 Sunshine Sand Hidden Treasures........ D-3 #17 Silver City Jewelry.................................. C-3 #14 HEALTH & BEAUTY Sanctuary Siesta Key............................... A-5 #12 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

“Home of the Orange Squeeze!”

www.siestasand.net

Big Water Fish Market................................C-3 #17 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 FIN Island Co. . ........................................ 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 Key Jetski . ...................................... A-3 #2 Siesta Sports Rentals............................. C-3 #14 Waves Boat & Social Club...................... A-5 #12

“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

G

IN FEATUR

Homemade Ice Cream

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

!

THE GREEN TURTLE

S

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

FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE! A Free Tropical Gift! 79 c Just For Stopping In

349-4751

VALUE

With This Coupon

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EXPIRES:7/05/2010 Expires 12/31/18

Open 5 pm pm Map C-3#14 O pen77DDays ays99am am--5

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“Voted Small Business of the Year 941-346-1797

by Siesta Key Chamber”

RepaiRs, sales anD accessORies New 50cc Scooters

HOuRly • Daily • Weekly

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

Snapshots of Island Visitors

FEBRUARY 2018

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

25

Photos by Jaye Clements - Sarasota Photography 2

1

3

4

6 5

7

1. Melitello Family from Detroit, MI 2. Kaye & Brosen Family from MD 3. Sammy age 4, Tad age 6, Tami, and Ryan from OH 4. Maureen from Sarasota, Shelley, Erin, Tarah, and Aurora from MI 5. Bryanne, Shawn and Oliver 8 months, from Nova Scotia, Canada 6. Joe & Kara from Sarasota 7. Tiffany, Jordan age 1 ½, Paiten age 4, Pam, Chloe age 1 ½, and Tana from Sarasota

26

Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2018

Siesta Sounds

941.349.0194

www.siestasand.net

By Charmaine Engelsman-Robins

B.C. HATHAWAY Threading neatly through the southern end of Siesta Key is Midnight Pass Road, a winding two-lane drive named for what was an adjacent natural waterway created hundreds of years ago by Mother Nature, then destroyed in the early 1980s by two self-serving humans determined to live where they pleased. The sad saga in Siesta Key history has been told many times in many places, perhaps best in this very publication by my friend and a former editor, the late/great journalist extraordinaire, Paul Roat 1.

Despite the waterway’s tragic story, the road bearing its name goes on forever… or so it may seem. Whatever you do, don’t turn back or you’ll miss something wonderful. There is an end in sight so just enjoy the wonderful excursion. Drive south, south, and still further south on this winding, tree-shrouded road (extra points for those in convertibles or on motorcycles) and eventually you’ll find yourself at Turtle Beach Grill and Bar , a bay front, boataccessible (inter-coastal waterway marker 48) dog-friendly (on the deck section) oozingly-tropical thatch-roofed throwback old-Florida island restaurant and bar with affordable eats and a Thursday through Sunday Happy Hour side of live music for your listening and deck-dancing pleasure.

It’s a friendly, laid-back atmosphere where a cheerful, welcoming staff serves a rather extensive pub menu; boasting, among other offerings, what has been named the area’s best burger, there are also some vegetarian and gluten-free choices, and $3.99 happy hour appetizer specials from 3 to 6 p.m.

The Gulf breezes, salt air, and spectacular sunsets are included at no extra charge.

A first look at this castaway-ish venue may belie its silent secret: while it certainly bears no resemblance to a high-tech/pitchperfect, finely tuned band shell or concert hall, it features some of the best acoustics available for performers and listeners alike.

CLUB BLASE CAFÉ In the Village 941-349-9822 DAIQUIRI DECK RAW BAR In the Village 941‐349‐8697

The food and music had a multigenerational appeal for this visiting family

The cushy thatch roof absorbs enough ambient noise to make a four hour gig a little easier on a solo vocalist, while allowing listeners to listen and converse without having to strain their ears or vocal chords. This rare attribute, pointed out to us by Sunday night special entertainer B. C. Hathaway, is one part of what has made Turtle’s his favorite place to play, a privilege he says he’ll thankfully continue “for as long as they’ll have me.” And this man has played a lot of rooms all over the country over the years.

In a rocky start, Texas born B.C. faced a future without his mother; she died the day after he was born. He and his older sister grew up in what was called a “Children’s’ Home,” with its own self-contained school, then “graduated” into the open world at 18 years old. B.C. says he thanks God for that upbringing and remembers it fondly.

It was there that he and some of the other boys sang (under duress at first) in what

had formerly been an all-girls glee club, and where he bought his first guitar from a fellow resident “for four dollars,” he laughs, adding wryly “and it was worth about fifty cents.” But it was a great investment, fueling what would turn out to be a lifelong love of music, an amazing career, and a constant source of joy.

In 1973, B.C’s agent booked him into a Tampa gig, at the end of which he called to query if the singer might like to extend his Florida stay by playing a marina club in a city slightly farther south: Sarasota.

The town was not as yet “on the map,” but it sounded good so B.C. accepted, never dreaming he would fall in love with the area and the “extended gig” would turn into many, many southwest Florida gigs that would both last and sustain him for the rest of his life. B.C. finally came off the road where he’d lived for so long, to a home of his own where he could settle down and sleep in the same bed every night… quite a novelty for someone who had spent his childhood in a group home and his young adult life on the road. This certainly isn’t lost on him; B.C. says “I thank God for every day, I love it here. I am so blessed.”

MONDAY

LIVE MUSIC 6‐10 PM

TUESDAY

Sound Paint 6‐10 PM

WEDNESDAY

Savanah Brady & Zak Yoder 6‐10 PM

THURSDAY Rob Viola (1,8,15) Al Fuller & Burt nd Engelsman (22 ) 6‐10 PM

FRIDAY

Callie & the Whole Band 6‐10 PM LIVE MUSIC (3‐7 PM) DJ TJ (10 PM)

Rodney Shenk 6 ‐10 PM

RPM LIVE 6‐10 PM

DJ – 10 PM

RPM LIVE 6 ‐10 PM ……………………….

DJ Ryan 10 PM

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

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

1‐5 PM: th Rob Viola (5 ) th David the King (12 ) th Kaptain Kurt (19 ) th Joshua Gilton (26 ) Al Donadi 7‐11 PM

1‐5 PM: st Evan Eastmoore (1 ) Gabriel Strange th nd (8 & 22 ) th Dana & Co (15 ) FolkLab 7‐11 PM

2‐6 PM Whiteleather nd Jason Haram (2 ) Nick LeValley th rd (9 & 23 ) th Deven Starr (16 ) 8 PM – 12 AM

THE BEACH CLUB In the Village 941-349-6311

THE COTTAGE In the Village 941-312-9300

Live Music 6-9 PM Live Music Noon – 3 PM 3:30 – 6:30 PM 7-10 PM

1‐5 PM: 1‐5 PM: th Sara Nelms (6 ) th st Frankie Raye (7 & 21 ) th Frankie Lombardi (13 ) th st Deven Starr (14 & 28 ) th Frankie Raye (20 ) Kettle of Fish th Ty Turner (27 ) 7‐11 PM Open mic night 7‐11 PM

DJ Ryan 10 PM

BOATYARD BAR & GRILL Over the South Bridge 941‐921‐6200 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

1. https://siestasand.net/sarasota-history-13

BREE (3‐7 PM) Reggae w/Desi Adams 2 – 6 PM th st Scott Curts 7 & 21 6‐10 PM & DJ – 10 PM

2‐6 PM: rd th Dana & Co (3 & 24 ) th Evan Eastmoore (10 ) th Bain Beakley (17 ) th 1‐5PM Dana & Co (24

10 AM – 1 PM:

Vince Colaiocco (4th & 18th)

Mike Tozier (11th & 25th) th

2‐6 PM: Hatley (4 ) th David the King (11 ) th Music Box (18 ) th Rob Viola (25 ) Mike Tozier 8 PM – 12 AM 7‐11 PM: Kevin & Callie th 8 –11 PM: Tropical Ave (3rd) Squares (4 ) th th Stereo FM (10 ) Jah Movement (11 ) th th Sweet Spot (17 ) Propagania (18 ) th th New Divide (24 ) Nostaljah (25 ) Live DJ: 11 PM‐2 AM 9 PM‐1 AM

DJ Coz or DJ Kensi 9 PM – 2 AM

Country Thursdays 9 PM‐2 AM

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

KARAOKE 9 PM – CLOSE

KARAOKE 9 PM – CLOSE

LIVE MUSIC 6‐10 PM

LIVE MUSIC 6‐10 PM

LIVE MUSIC 6‐10 PM

LIVE MUSIC 5‐9 PM

LIVE MUSIC 5‐9 PM

LIVE MUSIC 5‐9 PM

LIVE MUSIC 5‐9 PM

RPM (5‐8 PM)

Bri Rivera (5‐8 PM)

The Richy Kicklighter Band 5‐9 PM

Joker’s Duo 5‐9 PM

Tribal Love 3‐7 PM

LIVE MUSIC 6‐10 PM

LIVE MUSIC 6‐10 PM

Marcel Almanzor (5‐8 PM)

SUNDAY th Strangeways (4 ) th th Birdtribe ( 11 & 25 ) th Jason Haram Band (18 ) 6‐10 PM

8 – 11 PM: Twinkle (2 ) th Torched (9 ) th Pitbull Toddler (16 ) rd The Funk (23 ) Live DJ 11 PM ‐2 AM

LIVE MUSIC 6‐10 PM

SATURDAY rd Concrete Edgar (3 ) th Lady B & the Buzz(10 ) Doctor Drive (17 & 24) 6‐10 PM LIVE MUSIC (3‐7 PM) DJ Crawford (10 PM) Acoustic Pete 1‐5 PM …………………………….

DJ KConn 10 PM Eddie James Jazz Band 7‐10 PM

nd

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

Also appearing at Turtle Beach Grill and Bar located at 8865 Midnight Pass Road for this month’s Happy Hours: Patty Highland on Thursday and Saturday; Captain Dave on Fridays. www.turtlebeachgrill.com

LIVE MUSIC SCHEDULE

GILLIGANS In the Village 941-346-8122

THE HUB‐BAJA GRILL In the Village 941-349-6800 BACKROOM SALOON @ CAPT. CURTS Crescent Beach Shops 941‐349‐3885 SNIKI TIKI @ CAPT CURTS Crescent Beach Shops 941‐349‐3885

So that’s how this seasoned entertainer ended up at the end of Midnight Pass Road some 45 years later to entertain the crowds at Turtle Beach Grill and Bar every Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m. The music is, as B.C.’s life was, varied. In the course of an evening you may enjoy some old time “real country,” some Big Band tunes, a few Latin rhythms, and of course the 50s and 60s classic rock that is the soundtrack of every Boomer’s life. In a locale like Siesta that draws people of all ages and backgrounds, from all walks of life and every part of not only the country but the world, entertainers need a wide repertoire. B.C. has just what the club owners search for when choosing entertainers who will keep the customers happy and coming back for more. And as B.C. says, he’s happy to do it for as long as they’ll let him, so meander down Midnight Pass to the south end of Siesta and enjoy it with him.

Island Sounds Dezi/Dami Canies (5‐8 PM)

KARAOKE 9 PM – CLOSE LIVE MUSIC 6‐10 PM

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

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

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

FEBRUARY 2018

Island Humor [ Two doctors in practice in a small town clinic in Bluebell had to hire a new nurse. They interviewed nurse Nancy and decided to hire her. She had only worked two days when one doctor called the other to his office and said that they would have to let nurse Nancy go.

“Why, we just hired her?”

“Well, I think she is dyslexic and does things backwards. I told her to give Mr. Smith two shots of morphine every 24 hours, but she gave him 24 shots in two hours and it almost killed him. I told her to give Mrs. Jones an enema every twelve hours and she gave her twelve in one hour.”

The doctor barely finished his reasons when the other doctor rushed out of the room.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?” the doctor asked.

“To see nurse Nancy, I just instructed her to prick Mr. Hill’s Boil!” [ I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape, so I got my doctor’s permission to Join a fitness club and start exercising.

I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors.

I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. But, by the time I got my leotards on, the class was over. [ A f e w d a y s b e f o r e h i s proctological exam, a one eyed man accidentally swallowed his glass eye. He was worried for a while, but there were no ill effects, so he forgot about it.

Once he was in the doctor’s office, the man followed instructions, undressed, and bent over. The first thing the proctologist saw when he looked up the man’s arse was that eye staring right back at him.

“You know,” said the doctor, “you really have to learn to trust me.” [ Jim and Mary were both patients in a Mental Hospital. One day while they were walking past the hospital swimming pool, Jim suddenly jumped into the deep end. He sank to the bottom and stayed there. Mary promptly jumped in to save him. She swam to the bottom and pulled Jim out.

HOTTEST BAR IN GULF GATE...

MLB/College Packages FULL BAR

6500 Gateway Ave • 941.554.8905

Becoming aware of Mary’s heroic act, the medical director immediately ordered her to be discharged from the hospital, as he now considered her to be mentally stable.

When he went to tell Mary the news, he said “Mary, I have good news & bad news. The good news is you’re being discharged, because since you were able to jump in and save the life of another patient, I think you’ve regained your senses.

The bad news is, Jim, the patient you saved, hanged himself with his bathrobe belt in the bathroom. I am so sorry, but he’s dead.”

Mary replied, “He didn’t hang himself, I put him there to dry.” [ R e p o r t e r i n t e r v i e w i n g a 104-year-old woman: ‘And what do you think is the best thing about being 104?’ the reporter asked.

She simply replied, ‘No peer pressure.’ [ The nice thing about being senile is you can hide your own Easter eggs. [ My wife and I have the secrets to making a marriage last...

Two times a week, we go to a nice restaurant, a little wine, good food and companionship. She goes Tuesdays. I go Fridays.

We also sleep in separate beds.

Hers is in Florida, mine is in NY. I take my wife everywhere, but she keeps finding her way back.

I asked my wife, “Where do you want to go for our anniversary?”

“Somewhere I haven’t been in a long time!”

So I suggested, “How about the kitchen?”

We always hold hands. If I let go, she shops.

She has an electric blender, electric toaster, and electric bread maker. Then she said “There are too many gadgets, and no place to sit down!”, so I bought her an electric chair.

My wife told me the car wasn’t running well, there was water in the carburetor. When I asked where the car was, she told me “In the lake.”

My wife is on a new diet.

Coconuts and bananas. She hasn’t lost weight, but BOY, can she climb a tree now!

She got a mudpack and looked great for two days. Then the mud fell off.

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

27

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onth.

M e h T f o r e d n e t r Ba

The Cottage a, in the Village in ss e M a id n e v 153 A 941-312-9300 stakey.com www.cottagesie

Wishing all the ladies a Happy Valentine’s Day Name of Bartender: Rudolf (Rudy) Ondrejkovic Hometown: Kosice, Slovakia Q: What’s your bartending experience and how long have you worked at The Cottage?

A: I’ve been in the restaurant business since high school and have gone through every position available. I’ve been bartending for the last 10 years. I joined the Cottage a year ago from the Ritz-Carlton.

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

A: Oh, well, with my lovely, cute and sometimes sexy accent, there is always fun around me. Beach turns into “bitch”, burger into “bugger”, etc. Stop by to see me and find out for yourself.

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

A: I enjoy taking care of my family and anything that my daughter wants to do. I also like watching some football and hockey, if allowed…lol.

Q: How would you describe yourself?

A: Hm…hm…hmmmmm…why don’t you stop by and be my judge.

Q: What makes The Cottage a special place to visit?

A: Outstanding food and drinks, and of course, awesome service and a unique environment with nightly live music in our lively back patio.

Q: What specialty drink is The Cottage noted for?

A: There are too many to mention, but a favorite of the ladies would be “Adam & Eve” made with German fig vodka, a splash of fresh lime juice and topped with prosecco and a basil leaf. For the guys, their favorite may as well be, “The Perfect Getaway” made with Jameson, a touch of chocolate bitters and in-house made cinnamon, orange blossom honey syrup and topped with an awesome Amarena cherry. And, everyone’s favorite is Jalapeno Watermelon Margarita made with fresh watermelon puree, jalapeno infused agave, and fresh lime juice makes it so yummy!

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

A: Monday / Tuesday – all day. Friday/Saturday – Dinner (after 5 p.m.)

Karaoke Thursday, Friday & Saturday

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Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2018

941.349.0194

www.siestasand.net

DISCOVER GULF GATE’S SHOPPING VILLAGE

G-31

Eat Where The Locals Eat! Original Word of Mouth 6604 Gateway Ave. Sarasota, FL 34231

941-925-2400

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

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.

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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.

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.

The Shop SRQ (G-2) Local owners, Erick and Dawn use a back to basics approach to grooming with precise attention to detail. Their commitment to excellence has provided them with many loyal customers.

Their old school barber traditions, clean contemporary shop, coupled by their southern hospitality and humor are what separates them from the rest. They welcome the opportunity to earn your trust. Hours: Tues. - Fri. 8:30am - 6pm, Sat., 8:30am - 3pm.

(Nov. 1st - May 30th) and Sat., 8:30am - 1pm (Jun. 1st - Oct. 31st). Closed on Sundays and Mondays. 6625 Gateway Ave, 941-626-4894.

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 At the original Word of Mouth Restaurant catch a game with friends and family.

(G-31), every seemingly insignificant detail West End Pub (G-49) Where else can receives special attention from the warm, you watch your favorite game with a great inviting decor to each specially crafted selection of beers, wines, and liquors served variety of freshly baked muffins to the by a friendly staff AND where you’re signature menu items. This small diner is allowed to bring your own restaurant or deli where the locals come to eat breakfast and food? Right here. lunch.

Continued on the next page

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GULF GATE Hooters

Sun Trust

Stein Mart

Publix

Michaels

D Beall’s Outlet

• 9 AM - 7 PM EVERY DAY

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

(BOX STORES AND SO MUCH MORE)

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Bed Bath & Beyond

Books-AMillion

Ross

Dress for Less

Golden Tee Megatouch

FREE Pool ALL DAY

B

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

2639 Mall Drive

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

Iberia Bank Panera Bread

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G-4

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Gulf Gulf Gate Gate Drive Drive

Gulf Gulf Gate Gate Drive Drive

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PICCOLO

SRQ

Italian Market & Deli

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THE SHOP SRQ 6625 Gateway Ave.

Traditional, Old School Barber Shop 15 Years + Experience

www.TheShopSrq.com

& Vegetarian Sandwiches

941.626.4894 / 941.536.1656

Authentic New York Italian Market & Deli 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

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“We Straight Razor Shave”

Hot or Cold

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One mi.from Siesta South Bridge (behind Publix)

Ba Am nk o eri f ca

© Island Visitor Publishing, LLC 2017

Sunday thru Wednesday

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Superior Avenue

Marshall’s

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

Gateway Avenue

All packaged liquor sold until 2 AM

Open Daily from 9 AM ‘til 2:30 AM

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• No Appointment Needed •

TONSORIAL ARTISTRY

BY ERICK & DAWN

Open Tues.-Fri. 8:30 AM-6 PM Sat. 11/1 - 5/30; 8:30-3 PM Sat. 6/1 - 10/31; 8:30 AM - 1 PM

S-34

Catering Available

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

941.926.0099

COUPON

FREE SIDE With the purchase of ANY entreé

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

Big Pass Hearing a legal assistant taking on the legal wrangling of the hearing.

Conversely, the side representing the project — including legal staff for the City of Sarasota, the Army Corps, and the Lido Key Residents Association — had a larger presence in the courtroom where the hearing was held. “The other folks had four tables,” and well over 10 legal representatives, Luckner told Siesta Sand.

Legal costs mount In terms of legal costs, SKA and SOSS2 have invested thousands in their efforts thus far to protect the pass.

Martha Collins, a Saint Petersburg lawyer who has successfully litigated, lobbied, and negotiated precedent-setting environmental and land-use cases and policies to protect Florida’s environment, represented SOSS2; and representing SKA was environmental lawyer Kent Safriet, from Hopping, Green & Sams (Tallahassee) with a legal assistant.

SOSS2 has spent over $200,000 since it first contested the project in 2014. More funding will be needed when this case goes to appeal no matter which side wins, and the SOSS2 continues to accept donations at www.soss2.com/ donate.

The Siesta Key Association has exceeded $170,000 in 2017 alone, when it was most active in the efforts involving the administrative hearing. Luckner noted Safriet worked with the group to keep legal costs down — including not charging for his legal assistant. Several months ago, the organization launched a specific website [skedf.org] for its Siesta Key Environmental Defense Fund that helps donors know how much has been raised thus far; skedf.org is a Tax

FEBRUARY 2018

Each staff member works hard to make sure you receive the best service and quality food so you’ll want to return often. Take a look at their mouth-watering menu at www. originalwordofmouth.com.

Hours: Mon-Sun.: 8AM-2PM. 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.

Moments In Time Photography (G-28) specializes in several different photography

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Continued from cover story

Exempt charitable organization.

The Fund will be a ‘forever’ entity as part of SKA’s protection of the environment and structures of Siesta Key. “We are fortunate that donors initiated a new $10,000 Matching Fund. We hope all able, will donate again through skedf.org.

For all donations up to $10,000, the matching fund doubles anyone’s donation,” Luckner added.

Both groups deposed expert witnesses, such as Gilmore, to speak about the project and its anticipated impacts.

In addition, there are likely to be additional legal costs associated with a secondary hearing in state court, a process that Luckner says is a backup option, or an appeal of the administrative hearing.

“Whoever loses this will obviously appeal,” van Roekens added. And though van Roekens doesn’t expect the Siesta side to lose, they will have to be there to challenge the appeal.

During one interesting turn in the administrative hearing, Luckner recalls how experts from USF discovered what Luckner calls an error in the Army Corps coastal modeling.

“The Army Corps gave us 7 terabytes of data, and we had two experts from USF who were looking at all this data and saw the error,” Luckner said.

The Army Corps modeling had a default setting that accidently eliminated more extreme wave occurrences from the modeling, Luckner explained. As the experts uncovered the mistake — that would in turn throw off predictions made regarding sand and waves movements after the proposed dredging — the administrative law judge “listened very carefully,” Luckner said.

The Army Corps, Luckner

DISCOVER GULF GATE’S SHOPPING VILLAGE Continued from the previous page

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

beach portraits starting at just $49 and weddings 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.

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 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.

added, was asked if representatives had notified the Florida Department of Environmental Protection or the City of Sarasota of the oversight.

The answer, according to Luckner, was, No, they had not.

A public affairs specialist with the Army Corps’ Florida district said, “the Corps of Engineers stands behind our engineering model and we are awaiting the findings of the administrative law judge.”

The overall projected downdrift impacts on Siesta Key, as a result of a possible oversight could be incorrect, Luckner said.

“That’s an important factor when looking at an inlet project that can impact other people’s homes,

safety, and infrastructure,” the SKA Vice President said.

One projection involving possible wave height was off by two times. “What kind of faith can you put in measurements like that?” van Roekens said.

Making their case Luckner, who is former president of SKA, says she believes the Army Corps and City of Sarasota were surprised how organized the “David” side of the courtroom had been during the hearings.

“We were organized and on top of stuff, and I think they had no idea we would be that prepared,” Luckner said. As a result of this miscalculation, the

presentation by the Army Corps was fairly brief, allowing the parties challenging the permit to provide more information to the judge.

Big Pass is an untouched natural asset that’s part of the allure of the coastal region, Luckner says, and should be protected. Conversely, people don’t travel to Tampa Bay, for instance, because they want to “go into a lovely bay.”

Luckner is hopeful that the judge will at least order the Army Corps to modify its project or revise its engineering and design.

Van Roekens says SOS2 is committed to fighting for Big Pass, even if that means going to federal court, if “we lose at the state level.”

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

30

Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2018

941.349.0194

Siesta Key Public beaches have never needed sand renourishment Siesta Key’s Midnight Pass, a cautionary tale In December 1983, two property owners on the southern part of Siesta Key — Pasco Carter and internationally acclaimed artist Syd Solomon — were alarmed that their homes were precariously close to tumbling into Midnight Pass. Their only hope, they decided, was to relocate the waterway. On Oct. 4, 1983, they won permission from the Sarasota County Commission to do that.

Then in December 1983, they brought in bulldozers and closed the channel, according to a timeline provided by the nonprofit Midnight Pass Society.

As members of the Society wrote in a publication they issued a decade later, “State officials hastily blessed the plan with no environmental impact studies, no baseline data, no water monitoring, no administrative hearing and no engineering review to improve chances the plan would succeed.”

The publication continued, “The senseless act all but destroyed the historic environment, the ecosystem that once was Little Sarasota Bay. … Vast and vibrant seagrass beds once teeming with life have been devastated, breaking the chain of life that existed here for as long as we know. The numbers and diversity of fish have been severely reduced, and all of the clams have been killed.”

History highlights A former SKA director who served for many years with the organization — and a longtime member of the Midnight Pass Society— Bob Waechter addressed about 80 people during the January 2017 SKA meeting.

Referring to the Midnight Pass situation and the City of Sarasota/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plan to remove sand from Big Pass, Bob Waechter said, “this is what happens if you don’t stop them before they do it.”

Before Midnight Pass was closed, Waechter continued, “we had all the assurances as a

community from the permitting agencies: ‘This is going to work just fine.’ We didn’t know that there was a knife in their hand when they said that.” He added that the proposed Lido project is proof of Spanish philosopher George Santayana’s famous quote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

About 10 people attending the January 2017 SKA meeting at St. Boniface Episcopal do remember what has happened since December 1983, Waechter added. As a direct result of the closing of Midnight Pass, he continued, the county has had to help pay for two renourishments of South Siesta Key’s Turtle beach. (The most recent undertaking was completed in late April 2016, at a cost of approximately $21.5 million. The first — completed in 2007 — cost about $11.2 million.)

During a November 2015 presentation to SKA members, Laird Wreford, the county’s coastal initiatives manager, also talked about how the closing of Midnight Pass had exacerbated the situation on south Siesta.

When the pass was open, Wreford pointed out, “sand was still being somewhat held in” on the southern portion of the Key. “You didn’t have that same rate of erosion on Turtle Beach and south Siesta as seen today.”

During the January 2017 SKA meeting, Waechter told the audience that, among other impacts of the closing of the pass, the benthic creatures in Little Sarasota Bay died off, “to be replaced by another environmental community but a much inferior environmental community.” (“Benthic” refers to the lowest level of a body of water. Organisms living in that zone — including crustaceans — are an important part of the food chain, scientific research has shown.)

In 1994, Waechter explained, “the county came around to our way of thinking,” in large part because of the efforts of Nora Patterson, who served on the County Commission for four terms before having to step down in 2014

as a result of term limits. Prior to that, she was a Sarasota city commissioner for eight years.

Patterson also lives on Siesta Key. Sarasota County spent $1 million in a fight for the state permits to reopen Midnight Pass, Waechter told the audience. State environmental officials required the county to undertake “all the studies and the engineering reports that they didn’t do before the pass was closed.” The state agency that was the predecessor of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) even insisted that the county undertake an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), Waechter said. “Unfortunately, we were fought to a standstill.”

“The state ultimately refused to grant the county permission to reopen the pass,” he added.

If the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the city are allowed to dredge Big Pass once, he pointed out, “you will never get them to retreat.”

Former Commissioner Patterson told the SKA members that when the USACE announced that Big Pass would be its primary sand source for the Lido project, the County Commission asked why it did not seek other sources before it dredged “a pass that had never been dredged. Their answer was that the nearest sand source was miles away.”

The USACE’s response, Patterson continued, “sort of inbred, especially for those of us who have been here a very long time on Siesta Key and in Sarasota … a certain distrust of really quick answers from the Army Corps.” She added, “It’s hard to trust folks once they’ve fooled you.”

Money, money, money…

As noted above, Turtle Beach has been renourished twice since Midnight Pass closed at a cost of $32.7 million. Oh by the way, property owners by the beach are hit with a renourishment fee on their annual property taxes to help pay for the renourishmnets,

What’s Happening 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 941-3461024 for information. (Access #5 is in Siesta Village, where Beach Rd meets Ocean Blvd.)

• FREE YOGA - Mon.-Wed.-Fri.-Sat. 9 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 • YOGA AT TURTLE BEACH - Residents and visitors to the south end of Siesta Key can enjoy All-Levels Yoga on Turtle Beach, every Tuesday, from 8:30 – 9:30 a.m., starting December 5, 2017. For more information about registration, please e-mail Julie at: julie@chesapeakeyoga.com 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…

• FEBRUARY 7, 14, 21, 28 (WEDS) 8-9:30AM / SUNRISE BEACH WALKS: Participants pay a onetime $5 registration fee and receive an event t-shirt with orginal design and sponsor logos and a punch card. Each week, participants check in with parks and recreation staff between 8-9:30AM and after walking four weeks they are entered into a drawing for prizes. Contact 941-861-5000 for details. Potluck at the beach. Meet at the pavilion, then head to the beach. Members only event.

• FEBRUARY 14 (WED) 6-8PM / SAY I DO: A romantic beachside renewal of wedding vows, offering couples a beautiful backdrop to express their continuing love and commitment to one another. Couples renew their vows at this non-denominational sunset ceremony then enjoy wedding-themed refreshments. Couples receive a beautiful certificate to commemorate this very special ceremony. Registration is required. Call 941-8617275 to register.

Around the island…

• WEEKLY FARMER’S MARKET IN THE VILLAGE: Every Sunday from 8am – 2pm 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.

• FEB. 24, MAR. 24, APR 14 (SAT) – 8:30AM-2PM/ CB’S SALTWATER OUTFITTERS ORVIS-ENDORSED FLY FISHING SCHOOL: the schools will cover fly casting basics, line control, shooting line and the roll cast.

Instructors, Capt. Rick Grassett and Capt. Ed Hurst, will also cover leader construction, fly selection and saltwater fly fishing techniques. The course, designed for beginning and intermediate fly casters, will focus on basics but also work with intermediate casters on correcting faults and improving casting skills. Cost for the schools is $175 per person and includes the use of Orvis fly tackle and lunch.

Contact CB’s Saltwater Outfitters at (941) 349-4400 or info@cbsoutfitters.com to make reservations.

CB’s Saltwater Outfitters is located on Siesta Key, just over the Stickney Point Bridge. 1249 Stickney Point Rd. • FEBRUARY 14 (WED) 5-8PM / VILLAGE VALENTINE STROLL: Residents and visitors are invited to stroll through Siesta Village which will be adorned with Valentine cheer. There will be something for everyone including live music throughout the Village and candy kisses which will be distributed by the merchants.

Participating merchants will be displaying red and pink balloons outside of their businesses. Siesta Key Village offers romantic destinations for you and your sweetheart and lots of fun for the whole family. To avoid parking problems, you can use the FREE trolley service or one of the TIPS ONLY pedi-cab or golf cart services. Sponsored by the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce. Call 941-3493800 for more information.

• SIESTA KEY CRAFT FESTIVAL FEBRUARY 24 & 25 (SAT & SUN): VILLAGE, 10AM – 5PM: Free admission.

Join us at the 24TH Annual Siesta Key Craft Festival and discover wonderful creations from more than 100 crafters exhibiting and selling their work in an outdoor gallery. From photography, paintings, sculpture, jewelry and more showcased from local and traveling crafters as well as music and great food. For more inforamtion visit: www.ArtFestival.com or the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce at 941-349-3800.

And Beyond…

• FEBRUARY 9 (FRI): SHIVOO HAVANA FASHION SHOW & LUNCHEON: Live Cuban Music, a Flower Photo Wall and Silent Auction in addition to the Luncheon

www.siestasand.net

Continued from cover story

something the Lido folks will not have to pay.

It’s all about the money for the city of Sarasota. At an annual cost of about $21 million to do each harvest of Big Pass, the Federal portion is about 62%, $13 million, with the last portion split between the state and city, going on for the next 50 years.

Without the federal dollars the city would have to carry a bulk of the costs.

During the Administrative Hearing, Army Corp and FDEP staff verified that neither the ACOE nor a municipality (city) can be held liable for damages as a result of a project such as the Lido Beach renourishment.

Questions asked How many millions of dollars will be spent

by Siesta Key residents protecting the north end of the key with continuously replacing new seawalls?

Will this affect tourism to Siesta Key? Siesta Key has been the golden goose for the area.

How will the Big Pass ecosystem change, since this will happen every 5 years never allowing a healing process?

What will be the financial impact on the boating community, business and personal with the sand bars destroyed?

What will the north beaches look like on Siesta Key? Siesta Key beaches to the north end of the island will be like the south end and every other island in Florida, waiting for beach renourishment. Something so special will be destroyed.

As noted by Nora Patterson, there are alternative harvesting sites along with mined sand inland.

We need to stop this before it gets started.

Stop history from repeating its self. If you care about Siesta Key, please donate to the Siesta Key Environmental Defense Fund. This is charitable and fully tax exempt. Please go to www.Siestakeyassociation.com and donate.

Please be sure to always call ahead to confirm dates, times, location, and other information.

and Fasion Show all taking place at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota. Show Tickets are $75 per person ($65 for SGC members). To purchase Fashion Show Tickets via PayPal click here, or go to www.eventbrite.com or call (941) 524-3749 or e-mail SHIVOO@dkkjj.com, but wait there is more….. a Raffle. Gardening Tour Trip for two to CUBA. See website more information: sarasotagardenclub.org/ events/event/fashion-show-shivoo-havana/ Drawing to be held Feb 09, 2018 at the SHIVOO Fashion Show. Winner need not be present.

• PHILLIPI ESTATE PARK: LOCATED AT: 5500 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34231. Phillippi Estate Park welcomes back WINTERFEST IN THE PARK, an Arts and Crafts show, on Sat, February 3, and Sun. February 4.

The Arts and Crafts show will take place in the front field of the park, is FREE and has ample parking available.

The show features local, regional and national artisans.

Hours are 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. both days.

On Wednesday, February 21 join in the ARCHAEOLOGICAL WALKING TOUR. A Sarasota County Historical Resources archaeologist will discuss the Phillippi Flake Scatter and the Prodie Shell Midden as you stroll the estate and learn about the prehistory of the area. From 5,000 B.C. to 2,500 B.C. the native population sharpened and produced stone tools on site. The FREE tour begins in front of the Historic Keith Farmhouse. For details, please call 941-316-1309.

Join us for the annual BROWN BAG CONCERT SERIES at the Gazebo every Thursday during February and March at noon for a one hour concert.. There is ample free parking at the Gazebo and Open Space field on the south side of the park. [Add attachment schedule].

February 18 JAZZ IN THE PARK returns to the park.

This annual salute to the traditional American art form appeals to all ages, is FREE and will feature a local high school jazz band as well as professional artists. Mark your calendar for a wonderful afternoon of jazz in Phillippi Estate Park. For more information, please call the Jazz Club at 941-366-1552.

Sunday, February 25 the Bradenton-Sarasota Rose Society will be holding its monthly meeting at the Edson Keith Mansion from 2 to 5 p.m. The public is welcome to join in this free event to learn about roses and how to grow roses in southwest Florida. For more information, please visit: www.b-srs.org.

Phillippi Estate Park is open daily from 6 a.m. until midnight. Enjoy the shoreline trails for bird-watching, photography, picnicking and being out in nature. There are 2 fishing piers, a Gazebo and playground. Fun for the whole family!

For more information, please call 941-316-1309.

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

Sarasota History

Water World

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

February is the last month of winter here in Sarasota. There will be days when it feels like spring is in the air. But, weather patterns will still be unstable, and fishing will follow suit. Being flexible and understanding how weather affects fish behavior will be the key to angling success this month.

On many mornings the tide will be very low, especially with a hard northeast wind following a cold front. Under these conditions, fishing the afternoon high tide is often a better choice. Also avoid the areas near the passes after a blow, the cold and dirty water is not conducive to success.

One species that anglers can count on most every trip in February is sheepshead. They bite better in cold, dirty water than most other species do. Also, redfish, black drum, and flounder will be caught on the same structure and using the same techniques that are effective for sheepies. Basically, any structure will attract sheepshead.

From the rocks at the west end to the Siesta Drive Bridge on the east side, the north end of Siesta Key is a great area to fish. Deep water, docks, rocks, seawalls, and rip-rap will attract and hold fish. All of the bridges and docks in both Big Pass and New Pass may hold fish, as well as the docks and oyster bars south to Albee Rd. The preferred rig is a #1 live bait hook with a 24” piece of 20 lb leader and just enough weight to hold bottom. Live and frozen shrimp,

FEBRUARY 2018

fiddler crabs, sand fleas, and oyster worms are the top baits. Shrimp are the easiest bait to obtain and work great. Sheepshead bite very lightly.

Usually, it starts with several light “taps”. It is important not to move the bait at all, the fish will sense that something is wrong. Instead, wait for a steady pull, then reel fast and raise the rod tip sharply.

Anglers fishing from Siesta Key beaches should do well when the surf is clear. Whiting will be abundant and silver trout, flounder, pompano, sheepshead, ladyfish and other species will hit live or frozen shrimp fished near the bottom.

The deeper grass flats all throughout the area will be productive for speckled trout this month. Incoming tides a couple hours before high tide are usually the best times to fish. Again, avoid the areas around the passes when dirty water is present. Bass Assasin jigs, suspending plugs, gold spoons, and live shrimp under a popping cork are all effective baits.

Pompano, jack crevelle, ladyfish, and bluefish all feed over the deep grass.

Snook will be found in are rivers, creeks and residential canals, along with redfish, drum, flounder, sheepshead, and jacks.

Jerk baits, scented soft plastics, and live shrimp will all produce fished near structure in creeks and canals. We are shaping up to have an actual “winter”, this should trigger a river snook migration.

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.

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

31

Republished in memory of Paul Roat (1957 - 2014)

|John Ringling’s bad luck with boats February was a cruel month for Sarasota entrepreneur, circus magnate, and yachtsman John Ringling.

Ann Shank, former Sarasota County Historian, sums it up best when describing Ringling’s boat disasters.

“One exploded and burned.

Another ran into an uncharted object and sank. Small or large, John Ringling’s yachts were a signal to local residents that he had a presence in Sarasota.”

The “presence” element — horrible circus fire that killed more than 160 people in Hartford, Conn., failed real estate projects, an abandoned hotel left crumbling for decades on Longboat Key, bankruptcies — set aside, his boating problems and the cast of characters involved read like a mystery novel.

And anyone who has ever owned a boat will recognize this cacophony of catastrophes as being even beyond the kin of the joys of boat ownership.

Circa 1910, Ringling owned a small yacht named Wethea. He used the vessel to entertain dignitaries as they tooled around Sarasota Bay and other Southwest Florida ports.

Ringling exchanged the Wethea for the Vidoffner II in 1917. His latest 110-foot yacht began Ringling’s spate of bad boat luck Feb. 13, 1920, when it exploded.

The boat was getting new engines and receiving other repairs at port in Tampa when it blew up.

Crewmember Ben Olson died in the explosion.

Chief Engineer Erwin Gremli suffered serious burns.

Boaters may question why a boat needs new engines after three years, but the record is mum on the need or rationale.

Ringling was undeterred in his need for yachting and purchased the “Zalophus” for $200,000 in January 1923. She was 125 feet long, had six staterooms, and held smaller cabins for what could only be described as housing for myriad servants.

As historian Shank put it, “The Zalophus was well suited to the kind of hospitality Ringling hoped would impress potential investors and buyers, especially those whose name and fortune attracted attention.”

Attention did indeed strike the yacht at 3 a.m.

Feb. 4, 1930. Reports indicate that the vessel struck an uncharted rock and sank.

Two crew members were injured, but the four passengers escaped without injury.

Then the mystery began and lasted for several years.

As Shank phrased it, “Years later the story emerged that two of the unnamed passengers had been New York Mayor Jimmy Walker, who had several times visited the Ringlings in Sarasota, and actress Betty Compton.”

Also aboard was reportedly Mr. and Mrs. Sam Gumpertz.

Oh, and they were all on their way to Useppa Island.

And as an FYI, why was Ringling in New York when all of New York was visiting him in Sarasota?

Jimmy Walker, Betty Compton Jimmy Walker was a songwriter (Will You Love Me in December (as You Do in May)?) and was a New York State Assemblyman and Senator until his election as New York Mayor in 1926. He had no problem with speakeasies during his terms during Prohibition nor chorus girls like Betty Compton, for whom he left his wife.

After intense federal investigation, Walker resigned his office in 1932 and went to Europe, where he married Compton. Walker’s life was featured in a 1957 film “Beau James” starring Bob Hope.

Samuel Gumpertz “Dreamland” morphed into Coney Island circa 1911 in New York. Samuel Gumpertz took over management. It was slated to be high-tech, high-class entertainment with what was described as 1 million light bulbs illuminating its buildings.

Oops.

Just before opening night there were some lastminute repairs to a concession called Hell Gate, a boat trek through dimly lit caverns. There were leaks. There was tar to fix the leaks. The light bulbs began to explode. Fire ensued. Fire hydrants weren’t operational, and the facility was completely engulfed in flames and destroyed.

Useppa Island Useppa Island is located in Lee County northeast of Captiva and Sanibel. It was bought by Barron Collier (Collier County) in 1911 and at various points entertained dignitaries such as Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, the Vanderbilts, President Herbert Hoover, the Rockefellers, the Rothschilds, Gloria Swanson, Shirley Temple, and Zane Grey.

Useppa Island later gained some level of infamy as the staging ground for the ill-fated Central Intelligence Agency’s (whatever) at Bay of Pigs in Cuba in 1961.

FEBRUARY 2018 TIDE CHART Florida, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Sarasota Bay

February 2018

N 27° 20' / W 82° 33' Date

Day

1

Th

2:13p

High Tide 1.1

High Tide

Sunrise

Sunset

Moonrise

Moonset

8:07a

2

Fr

12:42a

2.0

2:37p

3

Sa

1:34a

1.8

3:01p

4

Su

2:27a

1.6

5

Mo

3:25a

6

Tu

4:37a

7

We

8

Low Tide -0.7

7:10p

Low Tide 0.6

7:17a

6:11p

7:41p

8:08a

1.2

8:44a

-0.6

8:06p

0.5

7:17a

6:12p

8:45p

8:54a

1.2

9:19a

-0.4

9:05p

0.4

7:16a

6:13p

9:46p

9:35a

3:29p

1.3

9:51a

-0.1

10:08p

0.3

7:15a

6:14p

10:44p

10:14a

1.3

4:01p

1.4

10:23a

0.2

11:18p

0.2

7:15a

6:14p

11:41p

10:52a

1.1

4:38p

1.5

10:56a

0.4

7:14a

6:15p

6:15a

0.9

5:23p

1.6

12:37a

0.1

11:30a

0.6

7:14a

6:16p

12:36a

12:06p

Th

8:27a

0.8

6:14p

1.6

1:59a

0.0

12:10p

0.7

7:13a

6:17p

1:29a

12:45p

11:29a

9

Fr

10:23a

0.9

7:13p

1.6

3:13a

-0.1

1:07p

0.8

7:12a

6:17p

2:22a

1:26p

10

Sa

11:27a

1.0

8:12p

1.6

4:14a

-0.3

2:26p

0.9

7:12a

6:18p

3:13a

2:09p

11

Su

12:05p

1.1

9:07p

1.7

5:03a

-0.4

3:37p

1.0

7:11a

6:19p

4:03a

2:55p

12

Mo

12:32p

1.1

9:55p

1.7

5:45a

-0.5

4:33p

0.9

7:10a

6:20p

4:51a

3:44p

13

Tu

12:53p

1.1

10:38p

1.7

6:20a

-0.5

5:18p

0.8

7:09a

6:20p

5:37a

4:35p

14

We

1:07p

1.1

11:17p

1.8

6:52a

-0.5

5:57p

0.7

7:09a

6:21p

6:20a

5:28p

15

Th

1:19p

1.2

11:55p

1.8

7:20a

-0.5

6:34p

0.6

7:08a

6:22p

7:01a

6:22p

16

Fr

1:30p

1.2

7:47a

-0.4

7:12p

0.5

7:07a

6:22p

7:40a

7:16p

17

Sa

12:33a

1.7

1:46p

1.3

8:13a

-0.3

7:52p

0.4

7:06a

6:23p

8:17a

8:11p

18

Su

1:14a

1.6

2:07p

1.4

8:40a

-0.2

8:37p

0.3

7:05a

6:24p

8:53a

9:06p

19

Mo

1:59a

1.6

2:34p

1.5

9:09a

0.0

9:29p

0.2

7:04a

6:25p

9:29a

10:03p

20

Tu

2:50a

1.4

3:05p

1.6

9:39a

0.2

10:29p

0.1

7:03a

6:25p

10:07a

11:01p

21

We

3:52a

1.2

3:43p

1.6

10:09a

0.4

11:41p

0.0

7:03a

6:26p

10:46a

22

Th

5:17a

1.0

4:27p

1.7

10:40a

0.6

7:02a

6:27p

11:29a

12:00a

23

Fr

7:34a

0.8

5:22p

1.8

1:06a

-0.1

11:10a

0.7

7:01a

6:27p

12:16p

1:02a

24

Sa

6:31p

1.8

2:33a

-0.3

7:00a

6:28p

1:08p

2:04a

25

Su

7:49p

1.9

3:49a

-0.5

6:59a

6:29p

2:05p

3:06a

26

Mo

11:56a

1.1

9:04p

1.9

4:51a

-0.6

3:26p

1.0

6:58a

6:29p

3:08p

4:06a

27

Tu

12:18p

1.2

10:10p

2.0

5:42a

-0.6

4:39p

0.9

6:57a

6:30p

4:12p

5:02a

28

We

12:38p

1.2

11:07p

2.0

6:25a

-0.6

5:38p

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Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2018

Arts on the Horizon

941.349.0194

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By Rodger Skidmore

Baseball, war, and music The Washington Grays baseball team started in Homestead, PA and played for 38 consecutive years, most of its later years in Washington, DC. The Washington Grays of Philadelphia were a volunteer army regiment formed in 1822, and there were three Washington Grays regiments in New York State. Of all these Washington Grays, only one, the 8th Regiment, based in the Bronx at the Kingsbridge Armory, had a march named for it. So, if you are not at an Orioles spring training game at 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 25th (they play the Red Sox), attend the Suncoast Concert Band at Church of the Palms on Bee Ridge Road, and hear this march. It was written in 1861 by Claudio Grafulla, and is a mainstay in US parade and band repertoire. While there will be a Sousa march (there usually is), there will also be two pieces by Percy Grainger - “Ye Banks And Braes O Bonnie Doone” and “Themes from Green Bushes”. The George Washington Bicentennial March and Scott Joplin’s The Entertainer, will also be on the program. The theme for this concert is “February Potpourri” which is French for “February grab bag of good things.”

Time for a question. Do you have tickets for the Orioles game against the Phillies on Sunday, March 25th or will you be attending the Suncoast Concert Band’s concert at Church of the Palms on that date? This venue seats over a thousand, is comfortable, has unobstructed views, and is air conditioned. Unfortunately, they don’t sell popcorn.

March’s theme is “Spring to Bach and Bernstein” and will feature a world premiere of a composition by Johannes Bach. To be a bit more exact, a world premiere of Leonard Murphy’s arrangement of Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue.

How many world premieres of a work by Bach have you heard? What else will you hear on March 25th? How about two pieces by Leonard Bernstein to commemorate his 100th birthday - A Musical Toast and a selection of pieces from West Side Story. And, get this, a euphonium solo - “Un Bel Dei.” How many people even know what a euphonium is? One clue is that its name comes from the Greek word for “sweet voiced.” And if you can’t get enough of that instrument, it is then joined by a flute when you hear “The Elephant and the Flea” played by Nada and Mike Montgomery. Second clue is that the elephant is represented by the euphonium.

The Big Three - Music, Voice and Dance The Choral Artists of Sarasota are laying it all on the line on February 3rd at the Church of the Palms on Bee Ridge Road. One of the most transcendent works in music is Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. Not just the music itself, which was written in 1935/36, but the choral singing of poetry from the 11th thru 13th centuries in the style of Gregorian chants from the 9th and 10th centuries - a most wonderful blending

by Orff. The Carmina Burana is a series of 254 Latin poems and texts which are often satirical in nature. But fear not, Orff composed his music around only 24 of those poems so we are not talking about an all day, all night performance. And by keeping the Gregorian chants in Latin one can perceive the voices as being a single low monophonic musical instrument.

Of course the English version of the poems is also fun to read.

A partial translation of one is ....hateful life first oppresses and then soothes as fancy takes it; poverty and power it melts them like ice.... The untranslated text, when sung with the meaning intact, gives a most ominous tone. So much so

Sheriff’s Report

that it has been used in many movies (The Hunt for Red October, Natural Born Killers, Joan of Arc and Oliver Stone’s documentary on The Doors) and at every Pittsburgh Pirates home game.

Many ballet companies have mounted quite exciting productions of Carmina Burana and the Choral Artists of Sarasota have enlisted Leymis Bolaños Wilmott and Sarasota Contemporary Dance to choreograph a new piece for Carmina Burana in Motion (yes, another world premiere). The Sarasota Young Voices will augment the chorus along with the dynamic range provided by Catherine Wethington, soprano; Timor Bekbosunov, tenor; and Jason Sterns, baritone. There will be two pianos and a percussion ensemble to provide the background beat. More info at www.ChoralArtistsSarasota.org. And yes, this is the group formally known as Prince (I mean Gloria Musicae). Want more music? These choral artists will be doing Brahms’ Requiem and Clara Schumann’s Piano Trio in G Minor at First Church on April 15th at 7:30 p.m., you may wish to attend after sending in your income tax forms (check included) - just joking, the 15th is a Sunday, so taxes aren’t due until Monday.

World War II comes to Sarasota No, not the war, just the civilians who supported what led up to the war. The Iron Guard, a fascist group in Romania, was formed in 1927 and the playwright Eugéne Ionesco, a student in Bucharest, watched his fellow students being recruited, one by one. Ionesco saw the dichotomy develop between reasonably well to do students and their families, who felt they were slowly being left behind in a faltering economy, and similar Romanian’s who did not see that there

Island Chatter

Continued from page 11

1/15/18 Grand Theft 6200 Block Midnight Pass Rd. A woman reported items stolen from her parents’ residence. The woman, whose parents now reside in a nursing home, had hired a cleaning service she had worked with in the past to clean the apartment. Since she was not available to let the crew into the apartment herself, she asked her realtor to meet them for her. Once the crew was inside, the realtor left them alone to clean. When the woman came back to give a check to the crew, they said they needed another 30 minutes to finish up. The woman advised the subjects that she had to be somewhere and that they could shut the door when

was a specific group that could be blamed for what occurred.

The leaders of the Iron Guard shared many of the beliefs of Nazi Germany and so allied themselves with the Germans when war became imminent. And when one buys into a set of beliefs, it is hard to disentangle oneself when approaching the edge of a precipice - if one sees the precipice - and/or if one sees that one is entangled.

Perhaps Ionesco could see this dichotomy because his father was an ultra-nationalist Orthodox Christian (81% of Romanians are) ready to support anyone or any group in power, and his mother was a French Protestant from a Jewish family that had converted to Calvinism. He grew up living within two belief systems and during his formative years saw how they began to tear apart his country.

Ionesco’s play, Rhinoceros, written in 1959, takes place in a small French town where, one by one, all the residents turn into rhinoceros (plural is the same as the singular, hence, one by one, the ones become like the many). The people that have directed or played the leads in this play, over the years, are phenomenal - Orson Wells, Laurence Oliver, Joan Plowright, Michael Gough, Maggie Smith, Eli Wallach, Anne Jackson, Jean Stapleton, Zero Mostel (Tony award), Gene Wilder, Karen Black and Benedict Cumberbatch.

This play seems to be as valid today as it was when first experienced, written and performed. The adaption is by twotime Tony award winner Frank Galati and will be running at the Asolo Rep, February 7 - April 14. David Breitbarth will play Jean Berenger (Mr. Breitbarth has performed in over 75 productions at the Asolo Rep). More info at www.AsoloRep.org.

NOTE: The Tony Bennett concert that was cancelled due to Hurricane Irma has been rescheduled for 8:00 p.m. at the Van Wezel on February 10th.

they were finished and not worry about locking up since she would be back to do it. On this same day, a member of the cleaning crew had asked if she could have some of the clothing in the closet. The woman told the subject she did not want to give away the clothes. The woman returned to the apartment after the crew had left and locked the door without inspecting.

The next day, she returned and noticed that the Captain Spy glass made of wood ($1000) was missing as well as the clothes from the closet ($1500).

The names of the cleaning crew were reported and the case is under further investigation.

®

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Continued from page 20

If the issue on Treasure Boat Way continued, she added, Volpe should contact the Sheriff’s Office with details. Then an officer would arrange to meet with the business owner to discuss the matter.

Love is in the beach air Say “I Do” Again! Wednesday, Feb 14, celebrate a renewal of your wedding vows at sunset on beautiful Siesta Beach. The nondenominational service begins promptly at 6 p.m. Registration required. For more information, call Sarasota County at (941) 8615000.

Trolley riders There were 42,958 riders on the trolley from September thru December. The Siesta Key

Chamber and other business leaders meet with SCAT staff regularly to make the Breeze Trolley a better experience for residents and visitors.

Next Siesta Key Council meeting The SK Condo Council’s next meeting will be Tuesday, February 20, 3:30 PM at the Siesta Key Chapel at 4615 Gleason Ave. on Siesta Key. The main topic is the State of the County, with guest speaker Commissioner Alan Maio.

There will be a question and answer session following the commissioners presentation.

Other topics to be discussed are the Update on the Army Corps of Engineers Dredge Project, Siesta Key Overlay District and the Siesta Key traffic considerations.

Published by Island Visitor Publishing, LLC Contributing Writers and Photographers will be noted with bylines.

Guest commentary not necessarily the opinion of island Visitor Publishing, LLC Reproduction without written permission prohibited. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement.

All business bios are extensions of the display advertisements.

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC is not responsible for claims made by advertisers.

All ads are subject to the approval of the publisher. It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in Siesta Sand to meet all applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with town, county and state codes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, or residential rental property.

DISCLAIMER: Please be aware that when you hire an unlicensed/uninsured person to do work at your home, you accept the liability. Island Visitor Publishing is not responsible for claims made by advertisers.

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FEBRUARY 2018

“Living life in the ‘Light’”

Donnarose Melvin is an Ancestral Energy Clearing/ Healing Intuitive whose pleasure it is to serve clients worldwide. Her knowledge from her advanced practitioner trainings in Ancestral Energy Clearing, and her BA degree in Psychology, along with her natural born intuitive gifts, have helped many achieve increased peace and happiness. Please send any inquiries or comments to: Donnarose1010@gmail.com ~If you’d like an ancestral energy clearing/healing, please contact Donnarose at the email address above.

Answers on page 41

AMELIA CITY ARLINGTON BRYCEVILLE FERNANDINA BEACH FOLKSTON HILLIARD JACKSONVILLE KINGSLAND LAKE BUTLER LAKE CITY (CAN YOU FIND IT TWICE?)

LAKESIDE MIDDLEBURG ORANGE PARK PALM VALLEY PONTE VEDRA SANDERSON ST AUGUSTINE WINDY HILL YULEE Answers on Page 19

Just roll out of bed...your hair looks great!

“Infinite Source, All That you Are, for me, my family, our entire lineage, and all our relationships throughout all time-past, present and future: For all hurts and wrongs, heartbreak, loneliness, lies, betrayal, swallowed anger, infidelity, mistrusting energy, unworthiness, times we put a wall up so we wouldn’t get hurt again; For all regret, resentment, judgment, jealousy, mistreatment, abuse, fear, shame, rejection, times we felt we let love slip away; For times we put everyone else first and neglected ourselves, times we felt unloved, unwanted, invisible, forgotten, taken for granted and advantage of, times we felt no one cared; Please help us all forgive each other, forgive ourselves, forgive all people, and all people forgive us for the highest good, no matter what happened, or who was involved, please and thank you. Please help us be at peace with each other and ourselves, love and bless each other and ourselves, now and forever, please and thank you, please and thank you, please and thank you.”

Reading this prayer repeatedly, as well as engaging in life in ways that are aligned with love, should help you more and more to feel the love in your heart and soul. And the more we continue to prosper in love, the faster we will raise our vibration, as well as help with the positive shifting of our planet’s vibration. “And the world will be a better place, for you and me. You just wait and see.”

(Enjoy listening to the rest of the above quote in this song link: “Put a Little Love in Your Heart”).

Happy Valentine’s Month! ~♥ https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=pu t+a+little+love+in+your+heart+video&sourceid=opera &ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

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33

Wake & Shake

~

There’s no way around it, “Love is the answer”.

That sure sounds good to me. Speaking of love, what better time to talk about it than during “Love month”. I say month, because one day is simply not enough to celebrate love, as the topic is so important for our spiritual existence. Even better, how great would it be if we considered including love throughout our day, every day? That would certainly be what I call “living life in the light”, as anytime we put a little more love in our heart, it raises our vibration, and expands our light. Just think about one of the happiest times in your life where love was involved. Your love energy at that moment could probably light up the room. That’s the kind of light we’re talking about- the light of love. Yes we need more of that!

We discussed the importance of raising our vibration in last month’s column. Well feeling, giving and receiving love will raise it for sure.

When we share our love, it’s like unzipping our heart and letting love energy pour out. As a result, our vibration gets higher and higher. The more consistently we share love, the more our vibration tends to maintain at that higher frequency. That’s what helps us to stay in Higher living mode, and live life in the light continually. Those around you will benefit from that love energy emanating from you as well. And, believe it or not, it helps lift the energy on our planet too. Love is that powerful.

But certain people have told me that they indulge in all types of loving activities, yet something is still missing. That they can’t seem to feel love at the level they desire. The thing is, it’s not what they’ve been adding to their lives that’s been the issue, it’s what has yet to be removed. Meaning, for years they’ve been carrying around negative energy in the form of resentment, guilt, anger, jealousy, shame, unworthiness, etc., towards themselves and others.

Does this resonate with you? However the good news is, once this negative energy that no longer serves us is lifted and cleared out, that emptied space gets filled with that which is our true natureLove. What this means is that we just have to clear away anything that’s blocking our natural flow of love. It’s similar to if you saw rocks blocking the water from flowing down the stream and moved them aside. It would allow the natural movement of the water to continue. So let’s do a little clearing to perhaps get some love flowing. It’s somewhat in prayer form some would say. So if you feel uncomfortable, just skip to the end of it.

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34

Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2018

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Siesta Key REAL ESTATE & HOME SECTION ACCOMMODATIONS PAGE 42 HOUSE HUNTING PAGE 39 SIESTA KEY MARKET STATS PAGE 37

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: 5332 SHADOW LAWN DR, SOLD FOR: $2,090,000 Brand New...Award winning Allegra Homes new construction. British West Indies inspired located on the coveted Grand Canal of Siesta Key in Siesta Isles. Enjoy a waterfront lifestyle of boating and the beach. A deep water

idle ride out the canal into Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Located on the curve of the Grand Canal, this home features broad views. Situated on 1/3 of an acre and 130 ft. of newer seawall. An impressive exterior greets you as you approach this smashing, drop dead gorgeous home. The center and heart of this home is the beautiful gourmet kitchen including Wolf brand gas 42” stove, Sub Zero brand refrigerator, furniturestyle all wood cabinetry with a large island overlooking great room. Master Suite is on the ground floor with a glamorous bathroom including separate vanities overlooking the custom designed pool. The pool, spa, and summer kitchen are all enclosed with clear view screening overlooking the Grand Canal. Unique, barnstyle sliding door in the office and upstairs game room.

Beautiful hardwood floors. Very close to the #1 rated beach, Siesta Key. All Hurricane windows and doors and 3 car garage. 1 year builder warranty and 10 year structural warranty. The sale of this property came to $511.63 a square foot.

Courtesy of Michael Saunders. bedroom and master bath ensuite with pedestal tub, and dual vanities. On the level below are three guest bedrooms and recreational area/media room/wet bar with quality finishes from the coffered ceilings, granite counter top island and custom cabinetry. Intimately private from the gated entrance to your own two-car garage and secured elevator, this 2009 Mediterraneanstyle, maintenance-free building with heated pool and spa has ONLY four residences. The fabulous roof-top deck and six balconies are perfect for enjoying the cool breezes, and sunny days. Whether primary or a second residence or for the investor, potential income can offset expenses for your future Siesta Key home.

The sale on this unit came out to $420.27 a square foot.

Courtesy of Sothebys.

HIGHEST PRICED CONDO: 304 CALLE MIRAMAR, #304-S2: SOLD FOR: $1,360,000 Barrier Island Penthouse characterized by location and the proximity to Siesta Key Village, exciting nightlife, street-side cafes and Siesta beach offers 3,236 square feet of living space on two levels. This unique upgraded penthouse is accented by the warmth of the cherry hardwood floors throughout and is being sold turnkey furnished. On the top floor bask in the living area and chef’s kitchen with gas stove, sub-zero refrigerator, and custom cabinetry, perfect for gracious entertaining. You can easily relax in this expansive residence while luxuriating in the master

LOWEST PRICED CONDO: 6727 MIDNIGHT PASS RD, #112A: SOLD FOR: $285,000 Discover Vista Hermosa, ideally located near the south end of Siesta Key’s Crescent Beach and convenient to shops, restaurants and island activities. Close to the beach, this two-bedroom, two-bath, first-floor end residence is the perfect property for those looking for an investment on Siesta Key or for those who want to enjoy beach life. Open living and dining area, and sliding doors to private patio create a comfortable yet spacious feel inside. This residence is also furnished, includes

LOWEST PRICED SINGLE-FAMILY PROPERTY: 445 REID ST, SOLD FOR: $352,275 Welcome to this garden home on the north end of Siesta Key. This home is incredibly convenient for those looking to be close to the Out of Door Academy. When you walk in the front door, the kitchen is ahead with a large open living room to the right and an attractive stone fireplace. The master suite is sizable with a bright sunroom that features large windows bringing the outdoors in, and the room is even built around a large oak tree creating a unique space. The lifestyle cannot be beat living on the north end of Siesta Key, close to the beach and the shops of the Siesta Key Village. This is your opportunity to own in paradise! The sale of this property came out to $212.47 a square foot.

Courtesy of Alison James.

covered parking, and is move-in ready. The sale came out to $316.67 a square foot. Courtesy of Sothebys.

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

FEBRUARY 2018

Exploring the Fascinating Landings Heritage

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

35

By Dee Ricapito

Two places and one shared Heritage with Spanish Point John McCarthy, executive Director of the Gulf Coast Heritage Association, gave us a look through the window of time exploring the pre-history of The Landings and our connection with our Spanish Point neighbors at the Free College session at the Racquet Club.

In 1883 there was no downtown. Life was closer to this neck of the woods. The first resident in The Landings was Chandler Younge, an early boat builder. He lived just north of Phillippi Creek, named for an early Cuban fisherman whose fishing rancho was a few miles north of here. Chandler Younge was building boats right on these grounds.

He and the pioneers who followed him could walk across the thick mangroves at that time, from The Landings’ Gazebo area to reach Siesta Key. He could circle around and also walk from Phillippi Creek Oyster Bar, (which were orange groves at that time) back through The Landings using a trail now named Landings Boulevard.

The Tree Houses as well as some homes have a rich history since they were built on shell mounds built by the Native Americans. The mounds at The Landings are approximately 2000 years old. Only 6 miles away in Spanish Point, the oldest Burial Mound was found dating nearly 3000 B.C. These mounds were built by many

generations of prehistoric Indians who lived along the bay from about 300 to 1000 A.D. Human bones and ceremonial offerings of shark teeth, smashed pottery, and other materials were periodically placed on the mound, then covered with sand. You must go to Historic Spanish Point and see it for yourself. (Just a side note: By the 1770’s the Native Indians had died off, mostly impacted by European diseases).

McCarthy discussed another Landings connection with Spanish Point, through Mrs. Potter (Bertha) Palmer of Chicago, once called “founding mother” of Sarasota.

When the locomotive was built as far as Sarasota, Mrs. Palmer arrived and made her home in “The Oakes” from 1910 to 1918, and her son, Honore built his home here in The Landings. The name he gave his home was “Immokalee” which means “My Home” in the Seminole Indian language. Incidentally, “The Landings” was coined by RAMAR Development due to the large presence of American bald eagles observed landing in the area at the time.

It’s just magic walking over the shells carpeting our nature trail and stopping on the footbridge taking in a view of nature’s tranquility. Walking by native ferns, trees and palms, epiphytes (air plants), and spotting many varieties of birds on

the way to the gazebo; our window to the waters. Imagining the early Indians experiencing abundant fishing in the same spot where the gazebo stands today with an excellent view of a wilderness we now call Siesta Key. I often get that same sense of immediate peacefulness driving off of Hwy. 41 onto Landings Blvd. Maybe the ghosts of the Pioneers are welcoming home its new residents.

That shared feeling of tranquility is found in Historic Spanish Point when walking the paths through the Palmer water garden, to the burial mound, through Mary’s Chapel, to the Pioneer Cemetery, then catch the magical feeling at the lychee fields and butterfly garden while you take in the smells of evergreen and flowering plants. It’s just like living here in The Landings - a place not to miss!

Paradise Awaits...

195 Vista Hermosa Circle, #9-A Sarasota, FL

Just a short walk to Siesta Beach. 2 BR, 2 BA villa. Ideal rental opportunity. Custom wood cabinets in the kitchen with granite counters & upgraded appliances. Bathrooms boast tumbled marble & granite. Custom lighting. New A/C in 2017 and recently installed water heater. Roof replaced in 2016. Sold turnkey furnished (with some exclusions).

322 Island Circle

965,000

$

450,000

$

797 Beach Road, #305 Sarasota, FL Full Gulf view of #1 Beach in the USA. Completely remodeled, priced to sell! High end tile floors in main living area, quality custom kitchen cabinets, deisgner kitchen. Crescent Royale offers an onsite rental program, heated pool and much more!

539,000

$

Sarasota, FL

Beaches, Boating & Bistros!! Live the island lifestyle in this spacious 4 BR, 4 BA house located on desirable Palm Island currently grossing approx. $60k in rental income.

Recently renovated with new kitchen, new master BR and master BA. This house boasts a new boat lift on the Grand Canal. Lounge in the heated pool and spa or enjoy your favorite libation at your own private Waterfront Tiki Bar. Privacy abounds with a lovely tropical view across the canal. Huge bonus area on lower level.

This house is located on Palm Island which is an Island on an Island and is a short walk to World Famous Siesta Beach(Beach Access 10) and Siesta Village with all its excitement and wonderful dining. This is the Perfect Home or Investment property for the discerning buyer.

418 Island Circle, Sarasota, FL

Boating, Beaches & Bistros!!! 3 BR/2 BA Key West Style Grand Canal home on Siesta Key built in 2005 to current Hurricane standards. Sip a glass of wine by your outdoor Tiki Bar in the pool/spa area. Step out your back door, onto your boat (boat lift) and enjoy a leisurely cruise up the Grand Canal...just minutes away from your favorite waterfront dining, watersports and world class fishing. Perhaps you’re in the mood for a stroll or bike ride into Siesta Village...while others scramble for beach parking, walk or bike down the street to your own beach access (#10). All this and you haven’t even stepped inside this beautiful Key West style home on a lushly landscaped tropical lot with a brick paver walkway to your dock. This Island Style home was lovingly built in 2005 with huge lower level bonus area, pool shower and a 4-car garage for all your toys. Open floor plan, gourmet kitchen, large rooms, elevator, wood-burning fireplace, vaulted ceilings; walk-in closets; beautiful master suite, plenty of storage and custom touches throughout. This is a must-see home on Palm Island.

1,279,000

$

Tropical Sands Dan D. Miller 941-376-7442 Licensed Real Estate Professional

ddm1@comcast.net

Service.

Integrity.

Results.

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Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2018

Sand Castles At home, steps from Crescent Beach

By Roger Drouin Sara Sea is a small mid-Key condo community that’s a bit of a secret jewel on Siesta.

The community is nestled just a quarter of a block from Crescent Beach and close to Point of Rocks. “There are only just 12 units, so it has a residential feel to it,” says Realtor Dawn Bear, with Key Solutions Real Estate. “It is just a little jewel.”

The community is situated on the highly sought-after private street of Sara Sea, says Bear, who is the listing agent on a two-bedroom unit that looks out onto the garden area. The units at Sara Sea have a home-like feel amid a lush garden setting.

The 12 units are situated in two buildings that have been superbly maintained, Bear adds.

Significant improvements include a 100-year metal roof rated up to 180 mile-an-hour winds and hurricane-proof windows.

Bob Ruiz, of Key Solutions, says the mid-Key location is prime. “Steps to the beach with no roads to cross, Sara Sea is an ideal location for anyone, especially families with small children,” Ruiz told Siesta Sand.

Most owners are seasonal residents in the friendly community. Sara Sea’s rental policy allows one-monthminimum rentals, but most owners do not rent their units out, Bear says. “The clientele that owns there typically do not desire to rent their units out,” Bear says.

All of the units are a very short stroll to the beach.

The buildings sit on property that’s just over a half acre, Ruiz notes.

Right outside the first-floor unit Bear has listed is a sun deck area for reading or sunning, and the unit catches a nice cross breeze. “You walk out your door down a private street to private, deeded beach access,” Bear says. “It’s beautiful.”

While Sara Sea doesn’t have the usual amenities of a typical larger Siesta Key condo, such as a pool or gym, it’s location, privacy, and lush setting are top-notch, Bear says.

Surrounded within lush tropical gardens, steps to fabulous restaurants, boutiques, shopping, and activities, the community provides the ultimate island experience. In addition to the beach, owners can stroll to such nearby businesses as Toasted Mango café and Miguel’s French restaurant, notes Bear.

“And if you want to go to the Village, you can just hop on the Siesta Trolley and go into the Village,” Bear says. “You can park your car and not use it.”

And Ruiz notes that the community’s close locale to the south Siesta Key bridge, means owners and visitors alike don’t have to battle as much of the seasonal traffic that backs up especially near Siesta Public beach.

The community was constructed in 1975. There is not much turnover at Sara Sea. Over the past two years, there have been two sales, both selling for over $340 a square foot.

Current listing, and recent sales: • The first-floor, two-bedroom, two bath unit listed by Bear is on the market for $420,000, or $359 a square foot. It features 1,092-square-feet, and the unit is in a quiet and private location, Bear noted. “This may be the best location [in the community],” the realtor says. “It is ground floor, the closest to the beach and further from Midnight Pass Road. There is a gorgeous expansive lawn area out the door.” The unit also has privacy glass.

• In June, 2016, a 1,002 square-foot unit with two bedrooms and two baths sold for $360,000, or $384 a square foot. The unit was updated with stone counter tops in the kitchen and stainless steel appliances. The kitchen table overlooks the private balcony. The master bedroom has built-ins with a cute window seat as well as a closet, and the second bedroom has a Murphy Bed – so you can choose to use it as a study or a bedroom.

• In April, 2017, another two-bedroom, two-bath unit, with 1,092 square feet of living area, sold for $375,000, or $343 a square foot. The updated upstairs end-unit condo boasts multiple windows for all day light and air flow. In addition, the kitchen has been opened up completely and renovated, as well as the two baths.

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Connor Wozniak, Overall male, Stacey Monroe event organizer 5th Annual Andrew Monroe Memorial Scholarship 5K was hosted January 7, 2018 on beautiful Siesta Key Beach. More than 300 runners/ walkers took part in this charity event that benefits both Riverview High School Soccer athletes as well as Sarasota County Athletes through the Sarasota Community Foundation, Andrew Monroe Memorial Scholarship Fund.

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Emma Paliotta, Overall Female

Overall Male: 17-year-old Connor Wozniak from Pine View School at 17:43.1. Overall Female: 14-year-old Emma Paliotta from Lakewood Ranch High ran a 21:39.7.

Andrew Monroe was a Riverview High School soccer player killed in a tragic auto accident in 2011.

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Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2018

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Blooming this month

Bleeding Heart Vine (Clerodendrum Thomsoniae) A pop of bloom in cooler weather. This is the prefect plant for a trellis or fence. Easy to train and maintain if you make the effort. Produces a stem of multiple heart shaped white flowers on 6” stems. Also available in a purple blooming variety. Drought resistance plant that blooms off & on all year. If damaged by a frost, these vines can be cut back; but will come back on new growth. Can get to 10’ tall & spread about 10’ also if not cut back.

What a welcome sight to see this vine in bloom, especially when butterflies & hummingbird come to visit this plant. An added bonus is the long lasting blooms are very popular in cut flower bouquets. Kay Weber, 3rd VP and co-chair Horticulture Study Group Sarasota Garden Club.

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

Gardens

aradise

5th Annual Sarasota Garden Club

Premier Garden Tour of Private Gardens

Saturday, March 17, 2018 10am to 4pm

Rain or Shine

Advanced Reservations: $35/person Day of Tour: $40/person Group rates available upon request

Lunch at SGC Gardens: 11:30am to 1:30pm, $15 For More Information & Reservations www.SarasotaGardenClub.org • (941) 524-3479 1131 Boulevard of the Arts • Sarasota, FL 34236

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

FEBRUARY 2018

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

39

House Hunting Siesta Key to Longboat Key SHORT WALK TO SIESTA BEACH: $450,000 195 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 FULL GULF VIEW OF #1 BEACH: $539,000 797 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 KEY WEST STYLE GRAND CANAL HOME ON SIESTA KEY: $1,290,000 418 Island Circle, Siesta Key, FL. MLS# A4195871 This 3 bedroom / 3 bath single family house boasts an open floor plan with custom touches. It has a lushly landscaped tropical lot with Tiki bar in the pool/spa area.

Dan Miller, Re/Max Tropical Sands. 941-376-7442 PALM ISLAND HOME ON THE GRAND CANAL: $965,000 322 Island Circle, Siesta Key, FL. MLS# A4199085 Recently renovated with new kitchen, new master BR and master BA. This house boasts a new boat lift on the Grand Canal.

Privacy abounds with a lovely tropical view across the canal.

Huge bonus area on lower level.

Dan Miller, Re/Max Tropical Sands. 941-376-7442 5272 HERON WAY, LANDINGS COACH HOUSE $275,000: 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) 5259 HERON WAY, LANDINGS COACH HOUSE $279,000: MLS #4197208 2BD / 2BA Ground floor updated

condo 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 $269,000: 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) 1363 LANDINGS DR TREEHOUSE $490,000: MLS 4192826 3BD / 2.5BA Expanded floor plan with screened deck overlooking lake view.

Judy Greene/Tara Lamb, Michael Saunders & Company Licensed Real Estate Broker, 941-350-0451 (Judy) or 941-266-4873 (Tara) 5430 EAGLES PT CIR #203, EAGLES POINT CONDO $749,000: MLS #A4202341 3 BD with Den, 2943 sq ft Spacious condo, private garage and 2nd car spot. Judy Greene/ Tara Lamb, Michael Saunders & Company Licensed Real Estate Broker, 941-350-0451 (Judy) or 941-266-4873 (Tara) 1757 PINE HARRIER CIR SINGLE FAMILY HOME $575,000: MLS 4202741 3BD/2.5BA Two-story home with kitchen overlooking family room. Judy Greene/Tara Lamb, Michael Saunders & Company

Licensed Real Estate Broker, 941350-0451 (Judy) or 941-266-4873 (Tara) 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, $799,000. Key Solutions Real Estate Group, Sheri & Bob Ruiz. Bob: 941-544-3299 or Sheri: 941-400-4186.

GULF & BAY BAYSIDE Great beach home, vacation, or rental property. Deeded beach access just across the street. 3/2 end unit. Beautifully renovated and furnished with attached garage. Resort-like amenities gated, 2 pools, tennis, clubhouse, fitness, etc.

MLS #A4185953, $649,000.

Key Solutions Real Estate Group, Sheri & Bob Ruiz.

Bob: 941-544-3299 or Sheri: 941400-4186.

SIESTA POINTE Lovely 3 BR 2 1/2 bath Key West style townhome in the ideal location!!! New finishes and fixtures! Short walk over Stickney Point Bridge to Siesta Key. Avoid the traffic and higher property costs. MLS# A4192292 $339,000.

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

HARBOUR TOWNE YACHT CLUB Beautifully renovated and furnished 3/3 with deeded 40’ dock and 10k lift. Garage and storage. Across the street from Siesta Beach.

Great boating community of 50 families. Gated, pool, spa, tennis, clubhouse, grilling area, marina.

MLS# A4196664, $669,000.

Key Solutions Real Estate Group, Sheri & Bob Ruiz. Bob: 941-544-3299 or Sheri: 941-400-4186.

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, $999,900 MLS #A4160488, Key Solutions Real Estate, 941894-1255

SOMERSET COVE Fabulous single family home in gated community of just 11 residences. Large 2,758 square feet, 3 bedroom, 3 1/2 bath with 2 car garage plus bonus space.

Boat dock with water and electric only minutes to ICW and Gulf.

Walk to beach and Village. MLS # A4201541, $889,000.

Key Solutions Real Estate Group, Sheri & Bob Ruiz. Bob: 941-544-3299 or Sheri: 941-400-4186.

AMAZING VACATION PROPERTY Located just across from world famous Siesta Key beach, this 3BD/2BA condo comes fully furnished and ready to enjoy!

Recently renovated with new cabinets, granite, and tile baths along with new roof in 2015. 1350 Siesta Bayside Dr #1350-B, Siesta Key, $649,000 MLS #A4185953, Key Solutions Real Estate (941) 894-1255

HARBOUR TOWNE YACHT CLUB Walking distance to Siesta Beach and quick free shuttle to Siesta and mid-Key Villages.

Deeded dock only minutes to the Gulf. Water views! Fabulous 2/2 end unit. Attached garage. Gated community with pool, tennis, Clubhouse.

MLS# A4207562, $465,000.

Key Solutions Real Estate Group, Sheri & Bob Ruiz.

Bob: 941-544-3299 or Sheri: 941400-4186.

SIESTA KEY BEACH LIVING This ground level unit is just a short walk down a private street, Sara Sea Circle, to one of the best beaches. This 2BD/2BA beach home has private beach access, close to shopping, restaurants and Point of Rocks. This home comes equipped with hurricane proof windows and 100-year metal roof rated for 180 mph winds. Enjoy the Mediterranean style patio, brick paver entry to home and full privacy windows! 6708 Sarasea Cir #103, Siesta Key, $420,000 MLS #A4202591, Key Solutions Real Estate (941) 894-1255

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Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2018

941.349.0194

www.siestasand.net

Classifieds / Here’s My Card ACCOMMODATIONS / VACATION RENTALS

CONTRACTORS

• 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

New Look-

• Seasonal Rental in Sandy Cove neighborhood. 1BD/1BA, ground level. Two patios, private beach, fishing pier and lake view. Near Village. No smoking, no pets. February or March: $3300. Call 631-790-7254

Reasonable Prices!

Shower & Bathtub Walls

Cleaned - Regrouted - Caulked - Sealed

Shower & Bath Makeovers

• Siesta 4 Rent - Vacation Rentals, from studios to 5 bedrooms.

Serving Siesta Key since 1997, 941-349-5500

Free Estimates Call John 941.377.2940

BEACH & BABY EQUIPMENT RENTALS

www.showerandbathsarasota.com

SARASOTA’S BEST BABY RENTAL CENTER SELF SERVICE NOW AVAILABLE Order online or by phone Available 24/7 CLEAN • SAFE • RELIABLE

941-929-1850

5700 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key www.abcbabyrental.com

BOATING RENTALS / FISHING CHARTERS

HOUSE WATCH

Insured, Bonded and Licensed by The National Home Watch Association.

Sarasota resident since 1974

• 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.

Maximum Painting Cabinet Refinishing

Featuring Durable Stealth® Pigmented Lacquer Technology Custom Interior/Exterior

(941) 961-4309

www.SuncoastHomeConcierge.com

House Watch Sarasota

Licensed and Insured Affordable and Dependable Service Solutions For Your Home While You Are Away

R. BRuce Whittinghill, llc (941) 955-1864

Call or e-mail sarasotabruce1@housewatchsrq.com housewatchsrq.com for quotes and references Serving SaraSota and Surrounding areaS Since 1979

MASSAGE

941.350.5163 Having Fun Fishing in The Sun

Massage Experience

Siesta Key

James Donahue

MaximumPaintingSarasota@gmail.com at Maximum Painting Sarasota

#MA00017596

• 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 LANDINGS RESIDENT OWNED AND OPERATED anglers of all ages from novice to the expert. See our website: www.CBsOutfitters.com or stop in their store for additional info.

• Wilson Windows is a State Certified General Contractor 1240 Stickney Point Rd, Siesta Key. (941)349-4400. specializing in glass porch enclosures and window replacement.

They offer only top quality products installed by professionally Dolphin Watch • SunSetS • half Day aDventure SailS 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.

Kathleen D Sailing Catamaran 941-896-6400

www.qualitycountscleaning.com

Green Magic Cleaning Service

“Residential and Commercial”

We don’t cut corners, we dust them.

A family owned business with 16 years of experience.

• High quality services • Competitive rates • Great references • Always the same crew www.SarasotaHouseCleaningService.com

Spa Director

MassageExperienceSK.com

#MM6727

MEDICAL

Dermatology Skin CanCer laSer, Botox anD Hair/nail DiSorDerS 1952 Field Road Sarasota, Florida 34231

J Morgan O’Donoghue, MD.

Carpet, Tile and Upholstery Cleaning • Free Estimates • Satisfaction Guaranteed • Stain Specialists • Chamber of Commerce Members

Serving Manatee and Sarasota Counties Locally Owned and Operated DRY CLEANERS REAL ESTATE AGENTS

HELENE M. HYLAND REALTOR®

(941) 685-2274 Cell (941) 349-4411 Office (800) 237-9403 Toll Free (941) 349-8090 Fax HeleneHyland@comcast.net

Environmentally Conscious Laundry and Dry Cleaning Service

GPS Cleaning Services

Free Pick Up & Delivery Service Call

from your home or business

5145 Ocean Blvd.

Sarasota, FL 34242

941-275-4647

ExEcutivE Shirt SErvicE • houSEhold itEmS • SamE day SErvicE availablE

(941) 806-7050

TO ADVERTISE CALL 941-349-0194

Sara Popovich PA-C

MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES

(941) 780-4248

Bonded and Insured

Amy Fenenga PA-C

941.926.7546

www.dermatologyexperts.com

GreenMagicCleaning@gmail.com Call for a FREE estimate today!

Steven Gartenberg CEO

941-349-4833 Office 941-350-7495 Mobile

941.756.1082

www.KathleenD.net

CLEANING SERVICES

Facials & Skincare • Wellness Coaching • Reiki Microcurrent (Non-Surgical Facelift) • Custom Day Spa Packages

5138-A Ocean Blvd.

Siesta Key, FL 34242

Veteran Owned Business

Sailing From Marina Jack, Sarasota

Intuitive Therapeutic Massage

Connie Lewis

941-400-2452

Tony Fudoli Sr. CAPTAIN tntfreedomfishing@yahoo.com

5138A Oc ea Siesta Ke n Boulevard y, FL 3424 2

Owned and Operated by NRT, LLC

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.

www.SheSellsSiestaKeySarasota.com

• 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 • 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

TO ADVERTISE CALL 941-349-0194

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

FEBRUARY 2018

Classifieds / Here’s My Card SPAS / HAIR & BEAUTY

CONTINUED

TRANSPORTATION

CONTINUED

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

Snapshots of Island Visitors Photos by Jaye Clements - Sarasota Photography

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

Olde Fashion Barber Shop

Transportation for everyone on the Sun Coast

Tapers • Flattops • Fades • Styling • Razor Cuts • Shaves

Friendliest Ride In Town

ther” 941-312-6001 “Hot La 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).

UNIQUE GIFTS

From God’s Garden Unique Gifts

Now Offering:

SOAP CLASSES

Kayla Kunz Hair Stylist

4141 S. Tamiami Trail - Sarasota, FL 34231 - 941-685-4994 • Stylish Cuts Hair Salon offers inspired artistry and design that’s affordable. We have international hair stylists for men and women that will give you a cut or color that you’ll love again and again. Call us for your next hair appointment. We’re open Monday through Saturday and conveniently located next to Peltz and Carrabbas, just over the Stickney Point Bridge. 1902 Stickney Point Rd., 941-702-4041

SENIOR SERVICES • 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

SPORTS RENTALS / ACCESSORIES

Call for details 5051 Ocean Blvd.

Siesta Key, FL 34242 941-312-0733

Handmade: • Furniture • Art • Soap • Candles • Baskets

Kennedy and Caitlin from OH

Fromgodsgarden.com

WANTED TO BUY

RV4CASH AY WE PH! S A C

WANTED:

All Motor Homes, 5th Wheels and Travel Trailers Any Condition! Cash Paid On The Spot!

CALL NOW FOR FAST, EASY SALE

954-789-7530

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

• 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 Emergency (General)..................................................911 Key Village. 941-554-4242 Emergency Animal Clinic......................... 941-929-1818 • Siesta Key Bike & Kayak – Located on Siesta Key in Capt Curts Fishing & Hunting Licenses..................... 941-362-9888 Village serving Siesta Key, Lido Beach and Sarasota. We offer FPL – Florida Power & Light.................... 941-917-0708 bikes, kayak rentals, kayak eco tours, paddleboards and scooters. FPL – Outage Report..............................1-800-468-8243 1224 Old Sickney Pt Rd. 941-346-0891

Marriage License Bureau.......................... 941-362-4066

• Siesta Sports Rentals – Located on Siesta Key, bike, kayak, Poison Info Center..................................1-800-282-3171 kayak tours, scooter, children strollers and car seats. Delivery and Sarasota / Bradenton Intl. Airport................................. pickup available, 6551 Midnight Pass Rd, 941-346-1797

STORAGE UNITS FOR RENT • Sawyer Storage: FREE OFFERS! HUGE DISCOUNTS! Rent by the day, week or month-to-month. Climate-controlled units with 20 sizes to choose from. We offer the lowest prices in town. Give us a call for all your storage needs. 941-929-9620, www.sawyerstorage.com

TRANSPORTATION

...................................................................... 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

Staci and Travis from OH

MarinerWord Search Answers to the WORD SEARCH found on page 33 www.TheMariner.com

Answers from • Sun Ride Pedicab – Eco-friendly Pedicabs. Siesta Page Key 15 Tours and rides – tips only, 941-343-3400

Jacksonville Area

And all other Airports Restrictions apply

• 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

41

Emmalea 2 ½ from TX

42

Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2018

Snapshots of Island Visitors Photos by Jaye Clements - Sarasota Photography

941.349.0194

www.siestasand.net

Accommodations Locator Map

Atistarn, Mariella age 4, Marawee from Lakeland, FL

F Siesta Key Inn F Siesta Palms by the Beach

© Island Visitor Publishing, LLC 2017

www.siestasand.net

941.349.0194

10% OFF Emergency

Dental Work

Uninsured patients only. During regular business hours. Not valid with any other offers. After hours and weekends are extra.* Expires 3-31-2018.

FEBRUARY 2018

- Extractions - Pain Relief - Root Canals - Dental Fillings - Trauma - Broken Teeth

Island Visitor Publishing, LLC

24/7

- Swollen Jaw - Prescriptions - Denture Repair - Objects Caught Between Teeth - Re-cement Crowns

- Infections - Abscesses

(941) 244-4944

If you are in need of emergency dental care, please do not hesitate to contact us, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

www.EmergencyDentistry.com

43

44

Siesta Sand

FEBRUARY 2018

Island Girl

941.349.0194

www.siestasand.net

This month’s Island Girl is Caitlin from Coral Springs. She visits Siesta Beach twice each year as a staff girl and player with the Dig the Beach Volleyball Series. While here, you’ll find her enjoying a sunset and the popular drum circle. Caitlin loves to move, move, move. Outside of her interest in yoga, she keeps her body moving doing acro yoga, rock climbing, slack lining and volleyball. If you see Caitlin wearing ear buds she’s probably listening to Alternative Rock or Indie music. Her current favs are The Lumineers, Mumford and Sons, Rainbow Kitten Suprise, Trevor Hall, Ed Sheeran, and Bleachers.

She earned her Masters Degree from Florida State University and is currently a Speech Language Pathologist at an elementary school.

Caitlin