News
The tremendous transition
By Jane Bartnett This is a tale of two neighborhoods. As the Siesta Key region grows, two distinctly different shopping and dining centers that serve the area — The Landings Shopping Center and the Gulf Gate business district — are both experiencing a rebirth. During the past four years, The Landings has seen a rapid […]
Study: Streets adequate to support proposed new hotel on Calle Miramar
By Rachel Brown Hackney, SarasotaNewsLeader.com The redevelopment of four parcels between Beach Road and Calle Miramar as the site of an eight-story, 170-room hotel would result in an extra 132 vehicle trips during the afternoon peak drive time, a consultant for the project team said in a March 18 document. Included among updated materials for […]
Calling all runners, young and old alike
By John Morton It was just an ordinary Tuesday evening on Siesta Beach in 2009 when Kristy Ochsendorf saw a blur of color and giggles go by. She noticed it was a pack of runners, including kids and parents, and she just so happened to have her running shoes in tow. “I said, ‘Hey, I […]
Beach Road ruling goes against Cosentino
By Rachel Brown Hackney, SarasotaNewsLeader.com Almost exactly five years after he filed suit against Sarasota County over its vacation of a 373-foot-long segment of North Beach Road, Siesta Key resident Michael Cosentino lost his case in a unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel of Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal.In a June 11 opinion, Judge […]
Living
Community Spotlight: Jeanne Heere
We say ‘shell yeah!’ to a local artist and volunteer Q: You are a vendor at the weekly Siesta Farmers Market, selling your shell-themed decor you call a Little Piece of Paradise. The shells you use are found right here on the island. For starters, what first brought you to Siesta Key? A: I moved […]
Greetings from the Gulf: This place is full of rock stars, including one with a Twinkle
By John Morton Now, I know Bobby Schneck has been on some big stages, but can any compare to his recent performance of the Siesta Sand jingle? Yes, our local guitar hero recently volunteered to crank out on video a bluesy ode to all things fit to print here, and I can’t thank him enough. […]
A keepsake with extra meaning
This spring, leaders at the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce were brainstorming ways to raise funds not involving “tents and events,” Ann Frescura, the chamber’s executive director, said. For longtime Siesta Key artist Shawn McLoughlin, the resulting project was a form of divine intervention. In April, the chamber’s board of directors green-lit a new promotion […]
Arts on the Horizon: July
By Rodger Skidmore Sounds of summer That’s a good question — what are the sounds of summer? It used to be, up north or in the Midwest, crickets. This year, while many would say cicadas, others might just say millions of sighs of relief. Since individual sighs are kind of short and summer, especially in […]