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SEPTEMBER 2022 | 941.312.0665 | 27TH STATE MEDIA LLC | www.SiestaSand.us | COMPLIMENTARY
It’s Smith vs. Atkins
A ‘reel’ great moment
Cosentino eliminated in tight Democratic primary; Neunder wins in District 4 By Phil Colpas Voters turned up in droves to participate in this year’s primary election Aug. 23, choosing longtime Siesta Key resident Mark Smith to represent the Republican party in November’s general election for the Sarasota Board of County Commission District 2 seat. The highest percentage of Smith registered voters in 30 years took part in the primary. According to Ron Turner, Sarasota County’s supervisor of elections, 36% of registered voters cast a ballot -- the highest percentage since 1992. During this primary season, three Siesta Key residents battled for a chance to vie for a seat on the county commission in the general election in November. After a sometimes contentious fight, one of them walked away victorious as Smith defeated Lourdes Ramirez in the Republican primary. Smith
Hudson Peterson, a 5-yearold visiting Siesta Key from Colorado, casts into the Gulf during sunset. The next day, his efforts were rewarded when he landed a fish. His family visits each year and stays at Siesta Dunes. (submitted images)
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INSIDE: Gruters, Buchanan win. Page 5.
Hotel No. 3 takes next step
A hotel proposal for where the old Wells Fargo bank sits (right) will go before the Sarasota County Planning Commission. (arists’s rendering below)
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garnered 58% of the vote (4,770), while 42% of voters (3,491) cast their ballots for fellow resident Ramirez. On the Democrat side, Siesta Key resident Mike Cosentino lost a tight primary race for the District 2 seat to longtime Sarasota activist Fredd Atkins, who also defeated Hagen Brody for a chance to face Smith for the county commission seat. Atkins had 35% (3,720 votes), Brody 34% (3,610), and Cosentino 31% (3,227). District 2 includes the upper half of Siesta Key. In the District 4 Republican primary, former Venice City Council member Joe Neunder landed a whopping 73.5% of the vote (9,699) against political newcomer Mark Hawkins (3,489). Neunder will face Democratic candidate Daniel Kuether, who was unopposed, in November. District 4 represents the southern half of Siesta Key.
Proposed project at 5810 Midnight Pass Rd. goes before planners Sept. 1 By John Morton It’s been quite the topsy-turvy ride for Dave Balot in his quest to build a hotel at 5810 Midnight Pass Rd. He had to scratch his initial designs because of a protected oak tree on his property, resulting in a second neighborhood workshop to discuss his revised plans. Furthermore, a pair of lawsuits fighting the county approval of two other hotels – at Calle Miramar near the Village (eight floors, 170 rooms) and on Old Stickney Point Road (six floors, 120 rooms) near the south bridge – made things a bit cloudy. They are slated for trial next spring, and part of what is being
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disputed is the county’s decision through an amendment to allow no limits on density. But now, about a year-and-half since buying in March of 2021 the 2.15-acre property where the old Wells Fargo bank sits for $4.41 million, he’s finally getting his proposal in front of county officials. At 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1, Balot’s six-story, 112-room project he calls The Hotel Siesta will be discussed by the Sarasota County Planning Commission. The meeting is open to the Continued on page 16
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