County considers buying beachfront property

After rejecting three development proposals for 162 and 168 Beach Road since 2009, county commissioners have a new idea for the property owners: They want to buy the lots.

Commissioners unanimously voted to begin negotiations to purchase the two beachfront lots, located near Beach Access 4.

According to county documents, the two lots are valued at $2.5 million if it’s possible to build on the land. If not, the value decreases to $676,000. County staff will now enter negotiations with property owners.

The Siesta Key Association — vocal in its opposition to some proposals to develop the land — is excited for the possibility of preserving it.

SKA Second Vice President Catherine Luckner believes preserving the land will be beneficial for the island. Luckner believes the natural accumulation of sand on the beach that borders the parcels and the subsequent dune formations provide a benefit near a heavily developed area.

“All along, we’ve been saying it protects the entire village,” Luckner said. “You don’t get flooding in that road from that location that you used to because it has been allowed to accrete as a dune system.”

However, the importance of the land is not just tied to its natural benefits.

“It’s not just about the birds — it’s about the whole island not becoming concrete,” Luckner said.

County commission agenda packets noted a demand for beach access on the Key. If the property is purchased, it will open up land near Beach Access 4 for more parking within walking distance of the village.

“As the island has developed since the early 1900s, public access to the beaches has become increasingly limited and the demand for public beach access has increased,” the agenda materials state. 

Many Siesta Key residents, Luckner included, have watched the island change in the past decades. She remembers riding her bike around the Key on shell roads that have since been paved.

“It was a sand road and hard shell,” Luckner said. “It may not be as clean, but it sure slowed people down.”

Although the 0.35-acre Beach Road property is relatively small in the scope of the entire island, Luckner understands why some might feel the land is evocative of a different era on Siesta.

“I think people feel a loss of that,” Luckner said. “The loss of a feeling of a slower time. To retain what pieces of history and natural accretion of the coastline we have is really important.”