Siesta vacant lot becomes nuisance to neighbors

A vacant lot can be valuable during the real estate upswing happening in Sarasota County, but one empty Siesta Key property remains a nuisance ahead of development, according to a neighbor.

"The music was ramped up beyond acceptable, legal noise levels, and the adjoining lots became public toilets," said Siesta resident Kathy Schaffer in a March 25 email to Sarasota County Commissioner Nora Patterson. "The leftover (litter) was just an additional eyesore."

Schaffer also filed a complaint with Sarasota County Code Enforcement about activity on the vacant lot at 645 Beach Road Monday, citing the illegal sale of parking spaces and late-night partying on the property. Code enforcement officers had issued a notice of violation at the site Feb. 11 due to the storage of construction equipment and vehicles, and a courtesy notice about overgrown brush, but the property sold for $675,000 this month, and is now under new ownership.

"The owners have already left for Illinois — perhaps totally unaware of this," Schaffer said. "I am not the only neighbor who has concern about the use of this lot."

John Dooley, who manages the nearby Tivoli by the Sea condominiums, said he hasn't heard any complaints from residents, but employs private security in the evenings to monitor the area near his property. And code enforcement officers did not find any violations during an inspection Wednesday, said county spokeswoman Jamie Carson.

"We will continue to monitor the site and make a weekend inspection as well," said Code Enforcement Manager Sandra LeGay in a March 26 email to Patterson.