Event to be held at Siesta Key Chapel
The evening of Monday, Nov. 18, the Siesta Key Association (SKA) will host a community workshop on coyote problems on the barrier island, the nonprofit has announced.
A representative of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will be present at Siesta Key Chapel to talk about the animals and how the public best can deal with them. “[L]earn ways to stay safe and protect … family pets,” the SKA notice says.
A flyer adds, “Learn how to coexist with these adaptable animals and how to identify, prevent and resolve potential conflicts.”
In a Nov. 3 announcement about the event, the SKA reported that three more coyote attacks had occurred on the Key in the previous seven days.
The workshop is scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. on Nov. 18. Siesta Key Chapel is located at 4615 Gleason Ave., on the northern part of the island.
The Siesta Key Association long has used the facilities of St. Boniface Episcopal Church, which stands at 5615 Midnight Pass Road, to conduct sessions it hosts. However, the nonprofit has informed its members that all St. Boniface meeting rooms were damaged by the hurricanes that struck the Key this fall.
Last summer, Sarasota County Commissioner Mark Smith brought up to his board colleagues the idea of a community meeting to address growing concerns about coyotes threatening pets, along with their potential to harm tourism on the island. “The coyotes are coming out more at night,” which is the same time when many of the visitors to the island are leaving accommodations to pursue a variety of activities, he told the other commissioners in early July.
During the board’s regular meeting on July 9, Smith won the full support of his colleagues in directing county administrative staff to contact FWC, to determine what steps could be taken to deal with coyotes on the county’s barrier islands, especially Siesta Key.
A long-time Siesta resident himself, Smith reported that, on July 5, he had received what he characterized as a “distressful letter/email” about the fact that “animals are now starting to get eaten” by coyotes on Siesta.
Coyotes have been present on the island for some time, Smith acknowledged, noting that he has observed them on a couple of occasions in his neighborhood.
However, he said, he has learned that people have become scared to go to the county’s Glebe Park, which is located off Midnight Pass Road, near St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church. “Apparently, there’s dens back there” in the park, Smith pointed out.
As a result of the board direction in July, Assistant County Administrator Brad Johnson issued an Aug. 14 report that explained staff had conveyed to FWC officials the concerns about coyotes on Siesta Key and inquired whether steps could be taken to remove the animals from the barrier island. The report said that “FWC suggested a public meeting be facilitated by their Senior Wildlife Assistance Biologist.”
During the commission’s regular meeting on Aug. 27, Smith told his colleagues that Catherine Luckner, president of the Siesta Key Association, had agreed to coordinate and host the public meeting that FWC had suggested.
In response to Smith’s update that day, the other commissioners offered their support in directing administrative staff that time to extend a formal invitation to FWC representatives to talk with Siesta residents and perhaps people in other county neighborhoods.
During that same discussion, County Administrator Jonathan Lewis reminded the commissioners, “FWC is our subject matter expert on [this].” He indicated that the Siesta meeting might be just the first of a number of such sessions for residents around the county.
“It is a serious issue,” then-commission Chair Michael Moran stressed of the presence of coyotes in many county communities.