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SiestaKeyFitness.com OCTOBER 2023| 941.312.0665 | 27TH STATE MEDIA LLC | www.SiestaSand.us | COMPLIMENTARY
Sea Club V wants to rebuild
Look out, here it comes!
Commissioner Smith advocates for what he feels are fair voluntary demolition rules By ChrisAnn Allen It started in early 2022 for Sea Club V. The resort, located at 6744 Sarasea Circle on Siesta Key, is rife with structural deficiencies. Representatives from the complex, working with District 2 Commissioner Mark Smith, also a Siesta Key architect, are attempting to ignite a process which would allow voluntary demolition to rebuild the 41unit timeshare property before things go from bad to worse. Sarasota County is facing the question of whether it is better to rebuild to code in the wake of a disaster or clear the rubble before the damage occurs. During a Jan. 11, 2022 commissioners meeting, Smith said a structural engineering report on Sea Club V showed Smith structural deterioration. “They’ve been putting Band-Aids on their buildings for years,” Smith said. Since the 2022 discussion, county staff has met with stakeholders and considered amendments to both the comprehensive plan, the county’s guiding document for growth and development, and the unified development code, which includes zoning and land development regulations. In an April 11 letter to county planner Everett Farrell regarding the potential amendment, Sea Club V property manager Tony Rateni wrote: “It would be better to encourage structurally non-conforming buildings to voluntarily be demolished and rebuilt to today’s codes than to have them Continued on page 22
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An ominous cloud suddenly appeared along Crescent Beach to mark the beginning of Hurricane Idalia’s arrival on Siesta Key. Fortunately, the impact was limited mostly to rain and a strong storm surge that caused flooding. Sarasota County officials requested that residents evacuate the island on Aug. 29 in preparation of the Aug. 30 weather event. For more photos, turn to page 23. (photo by Robert Schneck)
Lost, or just relocated? New sand addition at Turtle Beach takes a hit from Hurricane Idalia’s powerful waves By John Morton With history repeating itself, to some extent, the beach at the southern part of Siesta Key has been impacted by a hurricane shortly after being renourished. In March of 2016, more than 700,000 cubic yards of sand were added to the area around Turtle Beach to offset erosion. In early September of that
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Tapping into what’s Historic burial site new at our Irish pub discovered on Key
year, Hurricane Hermine washed a good amount of that away. Fast forward to April of 2023, when more than 90,000 cubic yards of sand were trucked in to the area to replace what was lost by Hermine. On Aug. 30, did Hurricane Idalia once again sweep away a significant amount of sand? Sarasota County reports that it’s too
early to determine how much sand is gone, although the eye test certainly says the beach has changed. The wildcard, however, is whether or not the sand mostly just shifted a bit to the south and remains within reach to be salvaged. Continued on page 25
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Here’s to a couple of local watchdogs
Clayton’s hits the 20-year mark
IN OUR SECOND SECTION: • Music Calendar PAGE V3 • Village Map/business listings PAGES V8, V9 • Crescent Beach Map/ business listings PAGE V10 •Gulf Gate Shops PAGE V13 • Accommodations Map PAGE V15
p Sho es tor In-S nline or O W NO SIESTA KEY
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