As Siesta notoriety grows, so does 'spring break season'

Business owners say there isn't as noticeable of a difference between spring break and summer population as there was 10 years ago.

By Brynn Mechem and David Conway, Observer staff
| 12:15 p.m. February 27, 2020

Although spring break used to bring a great influx in population, local business owners say the key has gotten more popular so population remains steady throughout the spring and into the summer.

Siesta Key
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It’s almost time for high school and college students to grab their swimsuits and boards and head to Siesta Key.

But even as locals prepare for the break, they say the traditional early-spring influx of teens and young adults doesn’t stand out as much as it once did.

The crowd looking for a break from schoolwork (and maybe a few daiquiris) mixes now with more and more families in choosing Siesta Key as their beachside getaway.

Although Doug Forde, manager of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, which offers parasailing and boat rentals, said the company adds a few more staff members during season, it doesn’t change much about its structure to accommodate for spring breakers.

Although many people still travel to Siesta for spring break, locals say it doesn't cause as big a fluctuation in population as it used to.

Forde said the business will see a small influx in rentals during spring break — from about 18 boats a day in February to about 21 boats in March — but not as drastically different as it might have been 10 years ago.

He said that as popularity and notoriety of the beach grew, so too did business. Now Forde said the summers are just as busy and that business won’t slow down until kids go back to school in September.

“Business gets stronger and stronger [each year], especially over the last 10 years,” Forde said. “Siesta Key is not a hidden gem anymore. Everybody knows about it now.”

In fiscal year 2019, there were 2.8 million visitors to Sarasota County overall, an increase of 1.1% over the previous year. This accounted for more than $1.88 billion in direct expenditures from visitors, according to Visit Sarasota County data.

Kay Kouvatsos, a co-owner of Village Café, said she too has seen a more steady business in recent years, though she still keeps an eye on the weather up north.

“The colder it gets up north, the busier it will get earlier in the year,” Kouvatsos said. “But we no longer have to rely on season to get us through the summer.”

Kouvatsos, who has owned the business for 25 years, said that although she does see about a 15% increase in patronage around spring break time, the summers are not as slow as they used to be.

Besides more notoriety for the Key, she credits another contributing factor to the steady business: the Siesta Key Breeze Trolley. The public transportation has helped patrons get from the beach to her cafe, located on Ocean Boulevard.

“There has never been parking in the village,” Kouvatsos said. “In the 25 years we’ve been here, there’s been no parking. But now with the trolley, we’re seeing clusters of customers come in all at the same time now.”

Aside from adding two extra servers and ordering a little more food, Kouvatsos said there’s not any extra steps she takes to prepare for spring break.

There is, however, one group that is taking extra precautions for spring the holiday: the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Department.

Mounted patrol officers will begin making appearances on Siesta Beach starting March 5.

Siesta Key-based Sgt. Arik Smith said that during the heightened vacation season, which typically begins in March and lasts a couple months, the sheriff’s department will reallocate officers to Siesta Key.

The Siesta substation will continue to have four full-time officers, but extra staffing will be supplied by the department’s patrol section and criminal investigation section. These officers will help patrol the beaches during the day and work night shifts, when crime is more likely to happen on the Key.

Although Smith said the department has seen a gradual increase in the population of spring breakers, it is used to preparing for the increase in population.

“We go through this every year, so we generally know what to expect,” Smith said. “There are going to be issues that pop up — that’s just inherent when you put that many people out there. But we just want to be prepared, stay calm, cool and collected.”

In addition to the extra patrol officers, the department also will have mounted officers out on the beaches to help patrol. However, the department is working through the death of one of its horses earlier in the month.

Smith said the department already was working to acquire more horses.

Currently, the department has seven horses, and several are getting older. The department hopes to acquire a few new horses, train them and get them operational shortly.

Smith expects mounted patrol to begin March 5. The horses and mounted officers will appear on the beaches daily throughout the season.

Although the department is making ample preparations, Smith said the department will need local support as well.

“There’s going to be a lot of people out here, a lot of young kids, a lot of foot traffic, vehicle traffic,” Smith said. “We urge everybody to just calm down and pay attention to what’s going on. There will be traffic, so plan ahead, and try not to be rushed.”