Turtle Beach may lose SCAT service

A bus line running from Turtle Beach to Westfield Southgate Mall may be eliminated as Sarasota County Area Transit proposes transportation changes to Siesta Key.

By Anna Brugmann
| 4:00 p.m. July 12, 2016

A SCAT bus stops on Ocean Boulevard in Siesta Key Village on June 28, 2016. Two busses currently operate on the key, but SCAT is proposing to decrease that to one route by eliminating the route 10 bus line.

Siesta Key
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Sarasota County Area Transit is proposing eliminating bus route 10 on Siesta Key.

SCAT spokeswoman Kendra Keiderling cites extremely low ridership and lack of a funding source as reasons for the route’s elimination. Route 10 is currently funded by a grant, which will be exhausted by October 2017.

In a presentation to the county commissioners, SCAT proposed replacing the line with route 33, a seasonal route running from the Pinecraft area to Siesta Key Beach, between November and April. However, Turtle Beach will no longer be serviced.

No changes were approved by the County Commission today and proposed changes on the Key will not be implemented before April 2017, pending further discussions with the public and commission approval.

This comes as SCAT continues discussions with Siesta Key Village Association regarding the introduction of a trolley system on Siesta Key.