SIESTA KEY, Fla. (SNN TV) — The Sarasota County Commission has green lighted a controversial Benderson Development proposal that would allow for unprecedented hotel development on Siesta Key.
The proposal, which has been met with much public resistance, will need to go through months of workshops and public hearings and be returned to the County Commission.
At the start of Tuesday’s meeting, Sarasota County Commission Chair Ron Cutsinger noticed the opposition in the chambers.
“I note that a lot of folks are here for Item 37,” Cutsinger said.
Item 37 dealt with three proposals which would change Siesta Key’s growth management policies.
The Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce proposal limits hotel projects to a maximum of 75 rooms with a density cap of 52 units per acre.
Developer Dave Balot submitted an amendment that set the hotel density cap to 52 units per acre and, among other provisions, deletes a policy that encourages hotel and motel development in inland evacuation levels C, D, and E rather than coastal evacuation levels A and B..
Proposal 2 was submitted by Kimley-Horn on behalf of companies controlled by Benderson Development. The proposal allows as many rooms that could fit inside the building allowed under development codes, along with most of the provisions from Dave Balot.
Many Siesta Key residents spoke out in opposition to the proposals.
“The phrase I hear so often is ‘People want to come here. Therefore, we must build,'” said a 67-year resident. “This is backwards thinking. It is your responsibility to the people who live here.”
A 33-year resident said he thought county commissioners get “a bad wrap.”
“I’ve heard many conversations, ‘Don’t even bother going. They work for Benderson. The results are in.’ I don’t believe that,” he said. But he added that he felt the commission was focused on the wrong issue.
“There is not one urgent care, not one walk-in clinic, on Siesta Key. None. That’s what we should be focusing on to figure out where we’re going to be. Number two: do the right thing and don’t ruin Siesta Key.”
Several commissioners argued in favor of the motion, saying no decision to increase density would be made by this vote.
“There won’t be findings of fact in a quasi-judicial. At the end of this legislative process, if we say, ‘Nah, we’re not interested,’ at that point, we would back off,” said District 1 Commissioner Mike Moran.
“We’re saying let’s do the work. Let’s get the data. Let’s put the time in to make sure we’re doing the right things and we have the correct information that we need,” Cutsinger said.
Commissioner Mark Smith is a Siesta Key resident and spoke out against Benderson’s proposal.
“We’ve already been through the losing end of a lawsuit there. I’m not comfortable changing the comprehensive plan for unlimited density,” Smith said.
In the end, only the Benderson plan went through in a vote of 3 to 1. Commissioners Cutsinger, Moran, and Neil Rainford voted for it, with Mark smith voting against. Commissioner Joe Neunder was not present.
The proposals, including the Kimley-Horn proposal that is going through, can be found on scgov.net.