Goal is to keep paths on county right of way
Several more beach accesses on Siesta Key have been re-routed recently, to ensure they remain on county property, staff has announced.
Early last week, a county news release says, the public pathway at Beach Access 7 was realigned so it falls within the boundaries of the county’s right of way. The initiative included the planting of new vegetation to help stabilize the shoreline and restore the dunes, Jonathan Poyner, the county’s Siesta Beach coordinator, explained in a Facebook video.
Access 7 is west of the intersection of Beach Road and Calle De La Siesta. It has a larger public parking lot than most of the county accesses on the Key, other than Siesta Public Beach.
The funding for the undertaking came out of revenue generated by the county’s Tourist Development Tax — or “bed tax,” the news release noted.
The 6% tax is charged on rentals of accommodations for six months or less time. A certain portion of the funds is dedicated to beach maintenance.
Along with the work at Beach Access 7, the release adds, the paths at Accesses 3B, 9 and 10 were re-routed in a similar fashion. Visitors will notice new signage encouraging them to stay on the new pathways, which veer slightly to the right when people are heading to the Gulf of Mexico.
In January, Access 8 was the first public pathway on Siesta to undergo realignment, staff announced then.
In a Facebook Live video at that time, Poyner explained, “As the beach grows, the paths kind of meander.”
Access 3B is located off Beach Road, near the intersections of Columbus Boulevard and Avenida Navarra. Access 9 is just west of the intersection of Plaza De Las Palmas and Beach Road, while Access 10 is west of the intersection of Calle Del Invierno and Beach Road.
To find a full list of Siesta Beach access points, visit scgov.net or call 311.