Siesta Key trolley slated for July

The Siesta Key trolley and a proposal to allow outdoor displays of merchandise have been two of Siesta Key’s most pressing, unresolved issues for more than a year.

At a Tuesday Siesta Key Village Association meeting, however, both took significant steps forward.
First, Sarasota County Area Transit Director Glama Carter announced that the Siesta Key trolley will finally start service July 12. The new trolley service will provide transportation for Siesta residents at approximately 20-minute intervals along existing SCAT routes 10 and 11 (stopping at the same stops), which run roughly the length of Siesta Key between the north and south bridges.

The trolleys will be in addition to regularly scheduled bus service and will field two buses decorated in a special design that will be finalized at the end of April.

The decision to add the Siesta trolley service stems from a May 14 decision of the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners to approve $3.4 million in new vehicle services for SCAT — allowing for the opening of a new route and expanded services. 

The move forward on the Siesta Key trolley was welcomed by Siesta residents and businesses, who see the additional public transportation as a way to both reduce traffic congestion on the island and make the area more appealing to tourists.

Carter reported to the County Commission last year that a $1,087,000 Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) grant will be available in July, which will cover half of the new route’s price tag for a three-year period. 

County Commissioner Nora Patterson, who attended Tuesday’s SKVA meeting, said maintaining strong ridership on the new route was vital to its preservation. Carter asked the SKVA board to provide feedback once the new service is in place to ensure the service matches the island’s transportation demands.

“I can assure you, you are on an island of feedback,” SKVA President Cheryl Gaddie said.

The debate over allowing the outdoor display of merchandise on Siesta Key (which is banned countywide) also took a step forward Tuesday.

Discussions about amending the countywide ordinance to allow limited outdoor display of merchandise within the Siesta Key Overlay District date back to last spring, when the SKVA cracked down on businesses ignoring the law, which county staff had largely ceased to enforce.

On Tuesday, the SKVA board unanimously approved a proposal, created by a steering committee representing 85% of Siesta Key businesses, which outlines the rules by which outdoor displays would be allowed through the purchase of a $25 annual county permit.

“This is pretty subdued,” Patterson said, referring to the size and scope of the displays asked for in the proposal. “I don’t think it will make the area look junky … which some had feared it would.”

Robin Hood Rentals owner Mark Toomey pitched the proposed county ordinance amendment to the SKVA board. He said the new rules would be easy to enforce, but stressed that allowing outdoor displays were vital to the bottom lines of many Siesta retailers. 

“Siesta Key is not going to look like a flea market,” Toomey said. “People who aren’t compliant will have their permit revoked.”

Siesta architect Mark Smith, who helped draft the proposed amendment, said Siesta businesses should voluntarily begin abiding by the new rules and self-police each other for enforcement.

“It would be a slap in the face for the businesses to not play by the rules we have agreed to prior to the public hearing,” Smith said.

The proposal will now move to county staff for review.

Contact Nolan Peterson at [email protected]