Election update from Lourdes Ramirez

 

Siesta Key News & Updates August 21, 2024

Primary Day results

Tom Knight County Commission Candidate District 3 Southwestern Sarasota County  Winner of the Primary!

Primary results Good News, Bad News: Despite losing the primary election, Alexandra Coe's efforts are appreciated, and Tom Knight emerged victorious in the Primary. The winners of the Sarasota County Commission races in the Primary usually go on to be elected as County Commissioners in November. This means that Teresa Mast, who is backed by developers, and Tom Knight, who is supported by neighborhoods, are likely to be the future County Commissioners. There are anticipated public hearings regarding Benderson's proposed change to the Comprehensive Plan, likely to take place in October. There is a possibility that developer pressure will push for these hearings to occur before the elections in November. This is due to the Sarasota County Charter, which mandates a super majority vote of the County Commission for any Comprehensive Plan change that increases density or intensity. With two non-developer-affiliated commissioners being in office in November, developers may be concerned that proposed changes to increase density on Siesta Key for mega-hotels may not get approved. The Board of Protect Siesta Key extends their gratitude to Alexandra Coe for her efforts amidst awful negative campaigning during the Primary. We appreciate her hard work and dedication to getting elected. Congratulations are in order for Tom Knight for his victory in the Primary! He will face Shari Thornton, another supporter of neighborhood interests, in the General Election in November.

Public Hearings including Siesta Key Condo rebuilds

Protect Siesta Key opposes any changes to the Comprehensive Plan that would endanger the decades-old regulations protecting all barrier islands. We also oppose any changes to the zoning code that conflict with our Comprehensive Plan. So far this year, there have been three proposed changes for Siesta Key: a comp plan change for mega-hotels, a change to the zoning code to allow nonconforming lots of records to change lot lines, and a comp plan change for rebuilding condo structures. Here are updates on the three proposals to increase density on barrier islands: 1. Mega-hotels for Siesta Key: Benderson Development is proposing to alter long-standing protective growth laws in our Comprehensive Plan to construct mega-sized hotels on our fragile island. The Comp Plan amendment is expected to be reviewed by the Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners sometime in September or October. Visit our website, Protect Siesta Key.org for additional information on this proposal. 2. Another WIN for Siesta Key! Nonconforming Lots of Record on Barrier Islands: Before the adoption of the 1975 zoning regulations, several areas on the barrier islands were platted with small residential lots, some with a width of only 25 feet! These lots are called ‘nonconforming lots of record’ as they do not conform to the minimum lot sizes required by our zoning codes since 1975. According to our Comp Plan, all lots created since 1975 must meet minimum lot size requirements for their district. The public hearing on the proposed change to the Unified Development Code that will allow developers to count the tiny lots as ‘density’ took place on July 9, 2024. The County Commission voted 4-1 to deny this proposed change to our zoning code. Since the Protect Siesta Key Board was unable to attend this meeting, our official letter of opposition was submitted to Sarasota County by email (Link to the letter). We thank Shari Thornton, a candidate for County Commission, District 3 in the November election, for standing in for Protect Siesta Key at the public hearing to ensure our letter was officially on the record. 3. Condo rebuilds on Barrier Islands: On September 11, 2024, the Sarasota County Commission will hold a public hearing to consider changes to our Comprehensive Plan that will increase the size of condo buildings in the Residential Multi-family Districts on the barrier islands. There is a proposal to allow condominium structures built decades ago with densities and heights that already exceed the maximum permitted in the current zoning regulations to become even larger. The Siesta Key Condominium Council is leading the effort to oppose this change. The advisory board, Sarasota Planning Commission, denied the proposed change to the Comp Plan 8-0 a few weeks ago. The Protect Siesta Key Board is working with our attorney to draft our opposition to this proposed change to our Comprehensive Plan. We will update you on this in a future newsletter.

What about Mega-hotels Public Hearings? Sarasota County has not yet announced the date for public hearings regarding proposed changes to the laws in our Comprehensive Plan that would permit developers to construct multiple mega-sized hotels on Siesta Key. We are monitoring the Sarasota County website for public notices. However, there are a few County Commission meetings scheduled in both September and October. It's possible that the County may schedule a Planning Commission hearing in September, which is a preliminary meeting by an advisory group that will vote to either recommend or deny the acceptance of a proposed Comprehensive Plan or development plan change. This meeting is not as critical as the Sarasota County Commission public hearings, where the final decision will be made. Consider marking your calendar for October 8, 9, 22, or 23, as potential dates for a Sarasota County Commission public hearing on mega-hotels. Until we receive further information, we do not know which date will be the actual hearing date. We will inform you promptly when we receive notice of a scheduled public hearing.

As you know, County Officials must base their decisions on 'expert testimony'. That's why we've engaged a lawyer and a professional planner to help us fight for what's right. However, we can't do it alone. Your contribution will help fund these much-needed services and make sure that our voices are heard. Please donate today and help us stand up for our community. Together, we can make a difference.