Siesta resident who won litigation over initial ‘mega-hotel’ plans speculates that Aug. 20 Primary Election results may spur County Commission rush to approve amendments
Given the results of the County Commission races conducted during the Aug. 20 Primary Election, speculation has begun as to whether the current commissioners will try to hasten efforts to approve proposed Comprehensive Plan amendments that would enable construction of high-rise hotels on Siesta Key.
Former Sheriff Tom Knight of Venice, who has been adamant about his opposition to the hotel plans, won the Republican Primary for the District 3 seat on the County Commission this week. He defeated Commissioner Neil Rainford, who had received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Benderson Development and its affiliates. (See the related article in this issue.)
Knight’s opponent in the November General Election is Sharon Kay Thornton of Venice, who also has expressed her intent to fight the hotel proposals if she wins the District 3 seat. She has no party affiliation.
Former Sarasota County Planning Commissioner Teresa Mast of Sarasota, who supported two Siesta hotel applications while she was on that board, won the District 1 seat by defeating Alexandra Coe of Sarasota in the Aug. 20 Republican Primary.
Commissioner Mark Smith, a long-time Siesta Key resident, also has made clear that he will vote against measures to allow the construction of hotels proposed up to 85 feet in height in Siesta Village and on Old Stickney Point Road.
Last year, Siesta resident Lourdes Ramirez won two legal challenges of an October 2021 County Commission vote that modified the county’s zoning and land-use regulations — contained in the Unified Development Code — to provide for the high-rise hotel construction. An administrative law judge with the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings and a 12th Judicial Circuit Court judge both agreed with Ramirez in her assertion that the Unified Development Code amendment violated Future Land Use Policy 2.9.1 in the county’s Comprehensive Plan, which guides growth in the community. That policy calls for no increase in residential density or intensity on the barrier islands above the level as of March 13, 1989.
In the aftermath of those decisions, Benderson Development Co. filed an application with a series of Comprehensive Plan amendments that would allow the high-rise hotels to be constructed.
Following routine exchanges with county staff members who deal with land-use and zoning applications, Benderson did modify its proposed amendments this year.
It takes a supermajority of the County Commission — four of the five individuals — to enact an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan.
This week, The Sarasota News Leader inquired about the status of Benderson’s Comprehensive Plan amendments application. County Planning and Development Services staff responded in an Aug. 21 email: “The Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Benderson (CPA 2024-A) is still in Sufficiency Review status awaiting additional information from the applicant, so there is no tentative scheduled date for a public hearing as of today.”
In an Aug. 21 newsletter, Ramirez of Siesta Key — who this year co-founded a new organization, Protect Siesta Key — wrote, “There are anticipated public hearings regarding Benderson’s proposed change to the Comprehensive Plan, likely to take place in October. There is a possibility that developer pressure will push for these hearings to occur before the elections in November. This is due to the Sarasota County Charter, which mandates a super majority vote of the County Commission for any Comprehensive Plan change that increases density or intensity. With two non-developer-affiliated commissioners being in office in November, developers may be concerned that proposed changes to increase density on Siesta Key for mega-hotels may not get approved.”
In accord with county protocols, the Planning Commission would have to conduct the first public hearing on the Benderson amendments. Then, the County Commission would have to conduct what is called a “transmittal public hearing,” to determine whether sufficient support existed to forward the amendments to the Florida Department of Commerce for review, to ensure consistency with the county’s Comprehensive Plan.
Generally, county staff has said, the County Commission hearing on an application will come about a month after the one held by the Planning Commission.
Typically, the Planning and Development Services staff has explained, the Department of Commerce analysts will issue their report about 60 days after receipt of the materials from the county. If the analysts find no serious issues with a proposed amendment, then the final public hearing can be scheduled for the County Commission.