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Visitors Welcome! DECEMBER 2022 | 941.312.0665 | 27TH STATE MEDIA LLC | www.SiestaSand.us | COMPLIMENTARY
Smith is victorious
Another hotel gets the nod By John Morton
Neunder also earns county seat while McFarland retains House seat By John Morton For the first time in eight years, a Siesta Key resident will have a seat on the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners. It was darn close, but on Nov. 8 longtime island volunteer and leader Mark Smith edged former Sarasota mayor Fredd Atkins in the District 2 race by a margin of a little more than 1%. Smith garnered 19,141 votes (50.51%) compared to 18,755 for Atkins (49.49%). “I want to thank all my supporters for their help in the election.” Smith said. District 2 represents, in part, the northern half of Siesta Key. The southern half belongs to District 4, and that’s where former Venice City Council member Joe Neunder defeated Daniel Kuether. Neunder received 28,038 votes (59.42%) and Kuether 19,148 votes (40.58%). Continued on page 31
Mark Smith celebrates his victory with an embrace from Mike Gatz, general manager of Gilligan’s Island Bar & Grill, where an election-results watch party was held. (photo by John Morton)
How impressed with Dave Balot were members of the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners? For starters, it was Nancy Detert who made the motion on Oct. 26 to approve his plans to build a six-story, 112-room hotel at 5810 Midnight Pass Rd. – where the old Wells Fargo bank once stood. She happens to be the only commissioner who voted against both of the two high-rise hotels the commission approved last winter. “The difference is night and day,” she said of Balot’s proposal when compared to the hotels that got the green light at Calle Miramar near the Village (eight stories, 170 rooms) and Old Stickney Point Road near the south bridge (seven stories, 120 rooms). “He understands the community. The other two were
unbudging and in-your-face greedy.” Next, as outgoing commission member Christian Ziegler – who in District 2 represents the area where the hotel will be built – shared similar praise, he literally suggested that Balot could be a strong candidate for mayor of Siesta Key if it indeed becomes its own municipality. “If you don’t make a run for mayor, I hope you’ll run some seminars for other developers,” Ziegler said of Balot’s approach, which included two neighborhood workshops and many discussions with various organizations including the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce, the Siesta Key Association, the Siesta Key Continued on page 42
‘... a defining moment for the future of Siesta Key’ Save Siesta Key to host public information meeting Dec. 6 at Siesta Key Chapel as another legislative delegation vote nears By John Morton “The Future of Siesta Key” is what the island’s incorporation group is calling a public information meeting it plans to hold at 6 p.m. Dec. 6 at Siesta Key Chapel, 4615 Gleason Ave. That’s how important Save Siesta Key feels its current straw vote is. At the meeting, the group that’s fighting for Siesta Key to become
its own municipality will reinforce the ballotby-mail campaign it has initiated, with the ballots due back by mail hopefully by Dec. 8 and no later than Dec. 17, it has reported. More than 7,000 ballots went out in midNovember to the island’s registered voters. If you did not receive one and are a registered voter, Save Siesta Key asks that you call (941)
287-0824 in order to receive one. While the results are non-binding, the group hopes the outcome will demonstrate the residents’ desire to see the incorporation issue on a local referendum ballot. In January, when the Sarasota County Legislative Delegation shot down the group’s first attempt with a 3-3 vote, some in the
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SKOB cash Turtles have decent season finds a home
• Village Map/business listings PAGES 24, 25 • Crescent Beach Map/ business listings PAGE 28 • Music Calendar PAGE 32 •Gulf Gate Shops PAGE 39 • Accommodations Map PAGE 47
delegation suggested that a straw vote that gauges the community’s interest could be persuasive. “It’s critical,” Tracy Jackson, vice-chair with Save Siesta Key, said of initiative. “The straw vote is a defining moment for the future of Siesta Key.”
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