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SiestaKeyFitness.com NOVEMBER 2024 | 941.312.0665 | 27TH STATE MEDIA LLC | www.SiestaSand.us | COMPLIMENTARY
Mother Nature opens Midnight Pass, stabilization sought
Midnight Pass Boat Parade
With a little help from Helene and Milton, Midnight Pass was back in the flow for the first time since the 1980s. Now, the goal is to keep it that way. By ChrisAnn Allen
M
other Nature provided a miracle in the face of natural disaster. Hurricane Helene started the job on September 26 and Hurricane Milton carried it through October 10. Now, Midnight Pass, which historically ran between Siesta Key and Casey Key but was filled in the 1980s due to concerns with property erosion, is flowing once more. “I am personally BLOWN AWAY!” read an October 10 post on the RESTORE MIDNIGHT PASS NOW!! Facebook group
page, representative of nearly 9,500 members and the social media outlet for the nonprofit Midnight Pass Society II has been working as the grassroots support for the County’s effort to restore the tidal connection between the Gulf of Mexico and Little Sarasota Bay. The post contained a photo of the newly reopened pass and garnered 780 “likes” on the page. Since then, the group page has blown up with hundreds of daily posted photos and videos of people
A reported 200+ boats celebrated the reopening of Midnight Pass with a community boat parade on Oct. 26. (Photo by Hannah Phillips Photography)
Continued on page 26
Helene brings surge, Milton makes a windy landfall Anguish meets optimism as islanders sort through the rubble following two historic hurricanes and delve into what comes next By ChrisAnn Allen
T
hey were the most powerful storms to impact Siesta Key in longer than most people can remember. Our area experienced back-to-back
hurricanes, with Helene rolling along the coast Sept. 26 bringing an 8-foot storm surge, followed in short order by Milton, making landfall on Siesta Key Oct. 9 as a Category 3
Page 8 and Visitor Center WELCOME GUESTS!
Tourism will bounce back
storm with winds exceeding 100 mph. “We had all heard the story before,” said Sarasota County Commissioner Mark Smith, an architect and 26-year resident of Siesta
Page 14-15 Master Sand Sculptors Will Reenergize Siesta Key
Key whose district includes the northern portion of Siesta. “In the past, they’ve said Continued on page 22
Page 21
It takes a village
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