Season hits early

Mason Tush, owner of CB Saltwater Outfitters on Stickney Point Road, has spent 38 years in business on Siesta Key. And within that almost four-decade time span he’s noticed a difference in the seasonal population fluctuations — they’re become less noticeable.

“It’s a year-round business,” Tush said. “Siesta Key is as busy as it’s ever been.”

Tush hasn’t seen a full year yet in his second location, Island Outfitters, located down the road from his first store, but business has been strong, he says. He’s noticed more foot traffic at the store geared toward Gulf sports such as Jet Skiing and parasailing.

Debra Lynn-Schmitz, executive director of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce, is a month shy of her first year with the organization. She started her position March 1, in full swing of season.

But this year, Lynn-Schmitz said that “full-swing feeling” started about two weeks ago. Some of her visitors center volunteers echo this thought and say this is the earliest and busiest the Key has been, she said at Tuesday’s Siesta Key Village Association meeting.

By the middle of January, all of the 110 chamber members who have rentals — condos, hotels and vacation homes — were already booked through most of April.

“We can barely keep the brochure racks full — I hope that’s a good sign for business,” she said.

In January alone, the chamber sent out 400 information packets to people who called, interested in visiting Siesta.

“It’s a wonderful problem to have,” Lynn-Schmitz said.

Siesta Key’s tourist tax dollar revenues in fiscal year 2015, which runs October 2014 to October 2015, are already up tens of thousands of dollars from the same time in fiscal year 2014. So far, Siesta Key is generating 25% of the county’s total TDT revenues, second only to the city of Sarasota, according to data from the Sarasota County Tax Collector.

Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota County, has noticed the same trend in the county as a whole, and on Siesta Key in particular. Haley also said she has seen payback from the advertising strategies the tourism organization put into place at the end of August and September. Haley reported a 9.3% increase in visitors in October, November and December compared with the same months last year — a total of 252,570 — and that they were racking up 12.6% more in direct expeditures — $213 million.

Haley said fiscal year 2014 was a record-breaking year in terms of tourism and that 2015 was already on track to top last year’s numbers.

“What we have found with all of our beach destinations, not just Siesta, is that they have become year-round destinations,” Haley said in an email.

County makes play for sports tourism
Sarasota County has implemented a push toward sports tourism with international events for sports such as rowing and soccer hosted at Sarasota parks. These events benefit the entire area and bring people to Siesta Key, as well, Haley said.

For both the USA Ultimate Masters National Championship and the AAU 14 and under Baseball Championship Tournament, both held in July, Visit Sarasota threw participants receptions on Siesta Key Beach.

“No matter what brings them here, we try to make sure they get the beach experience,” said Nicole Rissler, director of sports for the Sarasota County Sports Commission.

The economic impact of both events totaled $1.8 million and brought in more than 2,000 participants and visitors.

“That shows you the power of sports tourism,” said Rissler.

Siesta Beach is a competitor in the sports field market. Rissler said Siesta was one of the top-requested spots in the southern U.S to hold national beach volleyball competitions. But the county parks and recreation department tries to limit the events to one a month to preserve the beach.

“Our natural jewel is Siesta Key,” Rissler said.

In addition, representatives from the World Rowing Federation met with Visit Sarasota for site visits at Siesta, Lido and Coquina beaches. The organization is looking for ideal locations to expand coastal rowing opportunities in the U.S. All three locations were viable options, according to World Rowing representatives.

“(Coastal rowing) could do what BMX and mountain biking did for cycling,” she said. “It adds a new dynamic to rowing.”

Visit Sarasota is assisting World Rowing in hosting both competitive and recreational activities in the county.

“Sarasota County is a community where that can happen,” she said.