Lizards all but gone

It's hard to believe that the iguanas that were running rampant on the key just two summers ago barely get a mention these days.

Thanks to two winters that were considerably colder than usual - and funding support through the Sarasota County Commission - "apparently Siesta Key is in good shape," Siesta Key Association President Catherine Luckner reported to her board on June 2.

In response to a query from SKA board member Gayle Wardner, Chance E. Steed, environmental specialist II with the county's Natural Resources office, wrote County Commission Chair Nora Patterson the following e-mail on May 20:

"We are currently managing very low populations of exotic Black Spiny Tail (BST) iguanas primarily in three of our parks that have breeding population concerns (Blind Pass Park, Shamrock Park, and Lemon Bay Park). The low populations are a result of two major factors, our removal efforts and the extended cold weather seasons.

"Regarding removal efforts, the data shows our management efforts have been successful. Beginning in the summer of 2009, a total of 158 BSTs were removed. In spring of 2010, 41 BSTs were removed. In summer of 2010, 24 BSTs were removed. North Turtle Beach Park is also under a watchful eye as we did remove one Black Spiny Tail iguana in the summer of 2009 in this area....

"We continue to regularly monitor these park areas and make focused efforts to remove exotic iguanas when sighted. Funding allocated to assist in the removal effort is still in use and available."



Another dream realized

I always enjoy hearing people talk about how they came to live or open businesses on Siesta Key. The latest contributor to my "collection" is Paul Parr.

On June 22, Paul and his wife Nann officially celebrated the grand opening of Siesta Sunset Royale, the boutique hotel they have created at 5322 Calle de la Siesta.

Although his wife long had talked of wanting to move to the Sunshine State, Paul Parr said he resisted the idea for ages. "I told my wife I would never live in Florida."

Nonetheless, his attitude gradually softened, he said, after he and Nann visited friends who owned a condo at Sunset Royale on the key in the early 1990s.

Seven years after that trip, he said, "I had come home from work in a blizzard - had to walk a mile on ice in my three-piece suit" - and had to walk back to the car the next morning to leave on a trip. Soon after he was behind the wheel, his friend with the Siesta condo called to say that if Paul and Nann wanted a place of their own in Florida, someone was selling a two-bedroom condo at Sunset Royale.

"We flew in that night," Paul said, "and the next morning, we bought [the condo]." They purchased another unit in the same complex a couple of years later. Then they finally decided to relocate to the key in 2000.

Feeling the need to keep working, Paul began exploring options. He soon learned that the building at the corner of Calle de la Siesta and Beach Road was vacant and for sale. By the time he checked with a Realtor he knew, someone else had offered to purchase the property. "I was just sick," Paul said, as he truly was drawn to the building.

As his luck would have it, the original buyer was unable to seal the deal. Nann and Paul became the new owners on July 13, 2010. With the help of their friend and designer John Stanton, a graduate of the Ringling College of Art and Design, the couple has turned the structure into a seven-apartment resort with vibrant colors, whimsical art and what they call "plenty of WOW."

It was Paul's idea to squeeze in the ribbon cutting/grand opening between the week-long stay of family members holding a reunion and the four-day stay of a wedding party.

"Can you imagine making a living renting rooms to people from all over the world?" he said. "It's a dream; it really is."

For more information about the hotel, visit www.siestasunsetroyale.com or call 548-6001.



Helping the hatchlings

The first sea turtle hatchlings of 2011 emerged the week of June 20 from nests on Siesta and Longboat keys, according to Mote Marine Laboratory scientists, who say the nests hatched right on time.

Some of the hatchlings "lost their way to sea after becoming distracted by artificial light," Hayley Rutger of Mote reported. "To help hatchlings reach the sea, Mote reminds members of the public to keep our beaches turtle-friendly throughout nesting season, May through October.

Local nesting activity is monitored by Mote's Sea Turtle Patrol, a group of Mote staff and more than 300 volunteers who document turtle tracks daily during nesting season.

To help the little turtles reach the Gulf of Mexico, Rutger and Mote volunteers are reminding visitors, residents and businesses of the following tips:

• If you encounter a nesting turtle, remain quiet and observe it from a distance.

• Shield or turn off outdoor lights that are visible on the beach from May through October.

• Close drapes after dark and put beach furniture far back from the water.

• Fill in holes that may entrap hatchlings on their way to the water.

• Place trash in its proper place.

• Do not make noise or shine lights at turtles.

• Do not use flashlights or fishing lamps on the beach.

• Do not encourage a turtle to move while nesting or pick up hatchlings that have emerged and are heading for the water.

• Harassing or interfering with sea turtles, living or dead, is subject to legal penalty. If you witness anyone disturbing a turtle or find an injured or disoriented hatchling or adult, notify the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission by calling 1-888-404-FWCC (3922), contact the local sheriff's department or call Mote Marine Laboratory's Sea Turtle Program at 941-388-4331.

For weekly nesting updates from Longboat Key through Venice, visit www.mote.org/2011nesting



'Wheelchair man' redux

After hearing public comments in the spring about the fellow who seems to spend his days in a wheelchair on the key, SKA President Catherine Luckner asked Sgt. Scott Osborne of the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office for an update during the group's June meeting.

"We get calls on this gentleman all the time," Osborne said, adding that deputies talk with him frequently.

"He spends pretty much his whole day on the sidewalk," Osborne said. "He just likes to sit there and observe traffic."

New SKA board member Michael Shay added that the fellow does make it to the Circle K to buy sodas and cigarettes.

Although one resident had complained at the May SKA meeting that the wheelchair man was relieving himself in public, Osborne said the only calls his office had received were about the fellow's well-being.

After a brief discussion affirming that city and county ordinances are the same in their treatment of the homeless, SKA board member Ann Kaplan asked of Osborne, "So you're telling us there are no rules against loitering on public property?"

The state statute on loitering and prowling relates to someone's preparation for committing a crime, Osborne said, adding, "The sidewalk is public property."

Kaplan responded that if the wheelchair man were sitting in front of her home, she would be upset.

SKA Vice Chairman Peter van Roekens then noted he had occasionally exchanged "Hellos" with the man.

A woman in the audience chimed in, "I see people drop off food and clothes."



Update on the bridge

Just a reminder that representatives from the Florida Department of Transportation will be present during the July 7 Siesta Key Association meeting to discuss the north Siesta bridge repairs scheduled for 2012.

The meeting will begin at 4:30 p.m. at St. Boniface Episcopal Church, 5615 Midnight Pass Road in Room F. Check the SKA website for details: www.siestakeyassociation.com