SIESTA KEY, Fla. — A potential land swap in Siesta Key has residents split. Land the county acquired through tax dollars is being traded in exchange for privately owned beachfront property, with plans to turn that property into a public beach. The county would be giving up property valued at $2.8 million. The Siesta Beach lot owner tells us he would be giving up property appraised at $11 million.
What You Need To Know
- Currently, a private beach on Siesta Key is consistently mistaken as a public beach, meaning maintenance is up to the owner, Mike Holderness
- As a settlement, he would trade his beachfront property for land on Beach Road, county property originally purchased through the Neighborhood Parkland Program to protect environmentally sensitive areas
- While Holderness says the land swap is a conservation effort, making his property a park the county will protect, other residents say taking away the parcel on Beach Road defeats the purpose of the tax program
- The final step of the proposed land swap is in the hands of the Sarasota County Commission
They still must hold a public hearing to approve the deal at a future date.
“It goes from these white poles to all the way down in front of this building here,” explained hotelier Mike Holderness…