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JANUARY 2025 | 941.312.0665 | 27TH STATE MEDIA LLC | www.SiestaSand.us | COMPLIMENTARY
Time to hit the (Siesta) sand W
North Pole visitors and locals gather to support Sandy Claws runners
Sun, sand, and serenity await you By Ned Steele
orld-famous Siesta Beach is the heart and soul of Siesta Key, and of the visitor experience for the thousands of beachgoers who flock here each winter for “season”. Well, season is here -- and the beach is ready. Beach manager Jonathan Poyner and his staff of 50, along with Siesta Beach Eats manager Maureen Gresk and her crew, have been working feverishly since the autumn storms to get everything in tip-top shape. It was no small feat, but they’ve done it. Except for a few benches, picnic tables and signs, and a balky dumbwaiter at the Sun Deck,
just about everything that broke or disappeared during Helene and Milton is back or repaired at the county-run beach park. “We’ve done everything we can as fast as we can,” Poyner said. “Siesta Beach was the first one we reopened. We wanted to send a message of hope and resilience.” Message received. Not only is the beach looking great, but there is also even some new stuff. Here is a rundown of what’s back and what’s new.
On the Beach
The playgrounds have been spruced up, and there’s a new
Siesta Beach lifeguard, Scooter of the Beach (center) with Santa, Mrs. Claus and friends. More coverage on page 18. (Photo by Jane Bartnett)
Continued on page 30
Second Life for Storm Debris By Ned Steele
T
ons of downed trees and limbs, uprooted shrubbery and other vegetation destroyed by Hurricanes Helene and Milton will be reborn into a new life as compost and mulch mix. In the storms’ aftermath county contractors hauled countless truckloads of plant debris collected from Siesta Key and surrounding areas to a makeshift dump at the Benderson
property off Stickney Point Road and Tamiami Trail, along with mountains of household debris, where they grew into huge mountains. Working around the clock through November and December, work crews made huge progress in reducing the mounds, with household, construction and demolition debris being hauled off to a permanent landfill in Arcadia. What remained was huge piles of
Page 10 and Visitor Center WELCOME GUESTS!
County commissioners set 2025 priorities
Page 3
tree and shrub debris. They are getting chopped and ground down to size, to then go to Dakin Dairy Farms of Myakka City, which produces milk, hosts parties, events and a summer camp, and has a “natural soils” division. There, the ground debris will be mixed with other ingredients to be sold in bulk as “commercial compost” or mulch to landscapers or residential
Stickney Bridge repairs continue
users, said Dakin’s Scott Cagle. The material will be helpful “anywhere landscapers are working,” he said. Sarasota County Commissioner Mark Smith called the plan a win-win: “The county wins by not having a million cubic yards of extra vegetation waste at the landfill,” he said. “The debris contractor wins by not having to haul the debris to the landfill and makes Continued on page 24
Page 16
A look back at 2024
Let us help you plan your lodging, dining, shopping, and activities! Call or Stop by the Visitor Center 5223 Avenida Navarra, Siesta Key, FL 34242 941-349-3800 SIESTA KEY
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1960 Stickney Pt Rd 941.922.4545
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