Siesta Beach nabs No. 3 ranking in TripAdvisor awards

Clearwater Beach may have dethroned Siesta Key as the No. 1 beach in the U.S. this year, but the barrier island’s white sands remain among the TripAdvisor’s top three beaches for the fourth year in a row — and tourists continue streaming in.

TripAdvisor ranked Siesta No. 3 in its 2016 Travelers’ Choice Award for top beaches, making it the only location that has been recognized in the top tier every year since 2013. And if vacation rental listings are any indication, Siesta’s popularity continues to grown.

The travel website listed 147 rentals on Siesta when the recognition was awarded in 2013. Last year, when the beach was recognized as No. 1, there were 255 vacation rentals on the site — that ballooned 78% to 454 when the TripAdvisor released the newest list yesterday, according to historical data accessed using Internet archive Wayback Machine.

The amount of tourist development taxes, which are levies on short-term rentals and serve as an indicator of tourism growth, have also grown steadily since 2013 to more than $6 million last year, according to data from the Sarasota County Tax Collector.

Along with the TripAdvisor accolades of the last four years, coastal geologist Stephen P. Leatherman, aka Dr. Beach, named Siesta the No. 1 beach in the nation in 2011.

The latest award comes less than a week before Sarasota County officially opens new facilities associated with the $21.5 million beach improvement project, which has been in the works for more than half a decade. County officials have invited the public to a grand opening ceremony starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, at 948 Beach Road.