Siesta Key has a new makeover. Siesta Key has been recently renovated and reconditioned, and it looks and functions better than ever.
Siesta Key Beach just celebrated the completion of a two-year project to improve its facilities. This $21.5 million project was funded through the Sarasota County penny sales tax.
Construction expanded and renovated the parking lot, improved pedestrian access to and from Beach Road, modernized and expanded the restrooms, upgraded and elevated the concession area, relocated several buildings and restored the historic pavilion. A new sand castle inspired playground sits by the entrance of the beach and replanted coconut palms and other nonnative vegetation now decorate the pavilion area.
The new pavilion includes a sun deck, with picnic benches where visitors can enjoy a great view over Siesta Beach. The sun deck is already known to be an ideal spot to watch the beautiful Siesta Key sunset.
The white and blue colors used in the renovation are both a functional and visually pleasing decision. The white sidewalks were specially designed to keep bare feet cool and protected from the Florida heat and the white and blue buildings mimic the white of the sand and the blue of the waters on the beach, which were major inspirations to the builders.
All these renovations have made Siesta Key Beach all the more beautiful and serviceable for its visitors.
Sarasota county has also recently completed its beach restoration project. This project concentrated on Turtle Beach, which is situated in the southern region of Siesta Key. The goal of this project was to add at least 690,000 cubic yards of sand and 1.1 acres of dune vegetation to protect the beach from future erosion.
Beach renourishment, like in this project, involves pumping sand from the ocean floor and dumping it onto a specific section of beach in order to slow the process of erosion and protect homes and businesses at the coastline.
The project ended before sea turtle season, as planned. However, only about a month after the conclusion of the renourishment project, a tropical storm swept through the area. County officials held their breath as they went to assess the damage to the newly restored beach.
Luckily, after the storm moved on, the county’s environmental staff found the two mile stretch of the renourished beach intact. So, the conclusion of the project was deemed a success. There was an official celebration on Turtle Beach mid June 2016.
In addition to the success of the Siesta Beach renovation and Turtle Beach renourishment, we at the Inn on Siesta Key celebrate your stay! When you visit Siesta Key make sure to spend some time on our newly updated beaches. Maybe it's just us, but we think that the Key looks better than ever. Come see for yourself!
