Sarasota City commissioners vote to extend a hand to Siesta Key

Sarasota City commissioners on Tuesday voted to reach out to leaders of Siesta Key’s incorporation effort to gauge support for talks about potential annexation.

The 5-0 vote at the end of the regular commission meeting authorized Mayor Erik Arroyo and City Manager Marlon Brown to determine if there is interest in such a move among Siesta Key leaders before moving ahead with anything more formal.

“It sounds sensible to see if there is some expression of interest," City Attorney Robert Fournier told commissioners before they voted.

Catherine Lucker, president of the Siesta Key Association, said there is an upside to the idea of annexation. She said Arroyo has the coastal city knowledge and intentions to help with Siesta Key's environmental concerns.

But after speaking with fellow Siesta Key residents, Lucker said there has been clear hesitation, if not outright resistance, towards annexation.

"I think that merging with the city, which is what this would be, would bring a lot of fear," Lucker said. "We've seen what's happened to downtown (Sarasota) with the high-rise development. Maybe that's great for the city but we don't want that here."

For most of 2021, community leaders on Siesta Key formulated plans, then sought support from local legislators, in a drive to become an independent town, based on a boiled-down budget and a property tax rate of .25 mills, one of the lowest in Florida. Supporters' so-called government light model would have employed five people and provided limited services such as planning and land-use issues, while still relying on Sarasota County for such things as fire protection, sheriff's office patrols, trash collection, sewer service and more.

In a vote Jan. 4, the six-member local legislative delegation deadlocked 3-3 on whether to advance the proposal to the full legislature for approval of a ballot measure on which Siesta Key residents would have voted.

Without affirmative local support, the incorporation process stalled. Legislators said they doubted the feasibility of the millage rate and noted that state regulations forbid incorporation of an area with a common border with another city.

The northern end of Siesta Key is already within Sarasota limits, which means the remainder would have abutted Sarasota had it become its own town.

Arroyo delivered a presentation on Tuesday promoting several reasons why Siesta Key might be better off within the city limits of Sarasota, calling it an “ideal partnership.”

“I feel the Key should really consider becoming part of Sarasota," he said, noting in his presentation a range of amenities, including Payne Park as a tennis destination, a reduction in the property tax rate for 2021-22's budget cycle, the implementation of police body cameras and more.

Arroyo’s presentation noted that the city’s millage rate of 3.13 might fall with the valuation of Siesta Key property added to the tax base. Additionally, he said, 13,500 Sarasota residents are represented by each city commission member, compared to 90,000 by each county commissioner, making for more direct representation. 

He also noted that city land-use rules already deal with many of the same issues Siesta Key residents cite as sticking points with their relationship with county government.

"We're not against improvements," Lucker said. "Build a boutique hotel or two, that's great. But when there's talk about 170-room high rises in an area that's walkable right now, it doesn't fly with a lot of people here. I'm confident we think cohesively on that."

A pair of hotel proposals for Siesta Key have advanced in recent months, prompting lawsuits protesting their approvals. Siesta residents have also been vocal about county approval of Siesta Promenade, a multi-use development planned at the corner of Stickney Point Road and Tamiami Trail. Residents have objected to potential traffic congestion with that project.

Commissioner Hagen Brody said the notion of such a low property tax rate as was proposed by incorporation proponents was probably unrealistic, considering the negotiations that would have likely ensued with the providers of services once handled by the county.

He said “there needs to be a little more excitement" from Siesta residents before Sarasota would begin moving forward, but he also touted the city’s prestige.

“I do think when you come into the city of Sarasota, there is a heightened sense of amenities and service," he said.

Observer Reporter Blake Fussell contributed to this report.