Parking problem

Anyone who has circled Siesta Key Village looking for parking during season knows: during peak times, spots are in short supply.

It’s a situation that often pits tourists against residents, leading to frustration for both.

In the most recent struggle, residents scored a victory when Sarasota County commissioners voted Wednesday to ban parking on the south side of Avenida Milano and Madera.

For tourists, it means the parking pool just got smaller.

The problem is side streets near the Village tend to see overflow parking, Lisa CeCe, special district coordinator for the county, said.

So residents petitioned the county in April to ban parking on their streets, citing the safety hazard of emergency vehicles being unable to shimmy through the tight space.

It took about nine months to reach a parking decision on these two streets, but the larger question remains: How can Siesta accommodate visitors with its growing popularity?

Marlene Merkle, a 33-year resident of the Key, lives on Avenida de Mayo, a street just south of Avenida Milano and Madera. She helped get parking prohibited on her street in January 2014. She said it was a long process to get approval for de Mayo, too — taking about the same span as Milano and Madera — but parking on her street is still an issue. People still sometimes park on the street, she said.

“People see one car park there, then more people park there,” Merkle said.

Merkle has noticed a “phenomenal” increase in people coming to the Key in the last several years. Siesta’s economy depends on tourists, she said, but the overflow shouldn’t be on the residents to accommodate.

“I don’t think it’s up to the residents to provide parking for businesses and visitors,” she said. “I applaud the people on Milano and Madera because I know what they’re going through.”

However, the county can’t determine a tangible solution to the parking issue, such as a parking garage, CeCe said. It’s not just a question of having no space — the Village lies within the Siesta Key Public Improvement District, which includes parking in its realm of coverage.

Businesses inside this district are taxed annually for Village beautification and infrastructure projects, such as landscaping. The county would have to discuss a project in conjunction with Siesta Key Village Association, Siesta Key Association and the Village Maintenance Corp. (which oversees the district) about any project, because the costs would trickle back to businesses.

Siesta’s county commissioner, Alan Maio, met with stakeholders, including Siesta Key Association President Michael Shay, after the Jan. 13 commission meeting at which the commission learned staff had not reached out to Siesta associations about the proposed parking prohibition on the residential streets.
Maio said he felt the same sentiment now as he stated at the meeting — that parking on Siesta is problematic, at best.

“There are lots of streets like these all over Sarasota County that get filled up during the peak season,” he said. “I expect we’ll hear more.”

Maio said he wants to start meeting with SKA and other organizations to start brainstorming a solution to the problem, but a parking garage isn’t the answer, he said.

“Parking garages are expensive,” he said. He also said Siesta lacks space for a garage.

Allocating one parking lot at Siesta Key Public Beach with a trolley into the Village is one possible answer he’s pondered, Maio said, but it would not be easy to organize, and the county would have to monitor it.
Maio said he understands the frustration of the Avenida Milano and Madera residents, especially regarding their safety concerns, but the ban there pushes that many more cars back into the Village, exacerbating the already present lack of parking.

“We’re solving one problem, a safety problem,” Maio said. “But spaces get given up. It’s not helpful to the overall parking problem.”

Only one area of the Village has permit parking: In 1995, the Miramar neighborhood successfully implemented a parking permit program for the rental spaces and residents who live in the area and park on the street. The county sold 130 annual permits at $5 each to the establishments and residents in 2014.
Michael Shay, SKA president, supports the parking prohibition on Avenida Milano and Madera, but said there’s no question that the Village has parking problems.

Shay said the groups and associations on the Key need to address the problem and enter into a dialogue with the county to come up with a solution.

Public transportation isn’t a fix-all — Shay said people don’t want to navigate the transit system and wait around for the bus. For many people, it’s easier to get in the car and go.

“We all agree we need to start to address the issue. We need to work on it together,” Shay said.

It’s not just Siesta itself that will keep bringing in tourists and visitors. Shay said as sports tourism and large events gain popularity, such as rowing competitions at Nathan Benderson Park, Siesta will gain visitors from those who are in Sarasota for other reasons and want to see the No. 1 beach.

“You can’t have them come here, and have them stuck in traffic,” he said.

Kay Kouvatsos, owner of the Village Café, said she has lost business before because a party will drop off a few people to get a table while the driver parks, only to leave when the driver can’t find a place to park.

It’s especially prevalent on weekends, she said.

The municipal lot, which holds about 60 spaces, gets filled with Village business employees because they don’t want to take the prime spots out in front away from customers, she said.

But visitors and residents alike have more transportation options now — they just don’t know it, she said.

Sarasota County Area Transit added a second route on the Key in July, so now a bus circulates the island a few times an hour instead of once an hour like before. SCAT representatives are planning to come to the next SKVA meeting and said they will display a bus advertising the island routes during the Siesta Key Crafts festival in February.

Other services, such as Johnny’s Free Rides, are a good resource for people staying in the condos who want to come into the Village, she said.

“That’s as close as we’re going to get,” Kouvatsos said. “People just need to use them more.”

But parking shortage is not a new issue. Recently, she said she was looking through archives of Siesta Key Village Association meetings and found an agenda from at least 20 years ago. Lack of parking was on the agenda then, too.

“It’s the same nightmare,” she said.

Your experience
Bob and Susan Graham, Massachusetts
The Grahams are snowbirds and correlate parking availability with the weather. When it’s cooler, they find parking easily, Bob Graham said.
“When it’s hot,” he said, “forget it.”

Chickie Gagne, South Carolina
Gagne said she’d been to Siesta a few years ago and had trouble finding a place to park during the lunch hour. This visit, parking has not been a problem so far.
“We were thrilled it was free,” she said.

Doreen and Steve Lettau, Wisconsin
The Lettaus said they can always find a spot. They’ve been coming to Siesta for a few years, staying anytime between January and March. However, they both enjoy walking in the Village and don’t mind if they have to park a few blocks away.

“Siesta Key Village is a great place to be,” Doreen said, with Steve adding that having too many available spaces would be worrisome – a full Village is a sign of good business.

Larry McMullen with Johnny’s Original Free Rides
McMullen said about 90% of Johnny’s Free Rides’ clients come out of the Key’s condos – people who don’t want to have to drive into the Village to have a drink or struggle to find parking. Johnny’s is a free driving service based off of tips.

Customers compliment his service, especially since it means they don’t have to worry about driving, McMullen said.

“They’ve accepted there’s not much parking,” he said.

Park Place
In total, there are 690 public parking spots in Siesta Key Village.