Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/102968
Sarasota News Leader January 11, 2013 Just after 6 p.m. on Jan. 9, Patterson put forth the first motion, saying, "If I could roll the clock back, a long ways, a lot of the development that I think is in harm's way … probably wouldn't have been approved today …" Page 33 crumbled, necessitating emergency county repairs. Because of the circumstances regarding the history of the Allens' lots and that part of Siesta Key, Patterson said, "It's really rough for me Patterson said any commission discussion to even envision somebody wanting to build about a variance request was "tough." Refer- on those properties." ring to the property owners, Ronald and Sania Allen of Osprey, she added, "These folks did In seconding the motion, Commissioner Christine Robinson said, "There's so much wrong pay good money for [their property]." in this particular instance," including adjacent The Allens were seeking permission to build property owners reporting they did not rethe houses on lots they own at 162 and 168 ceive the required legal notice from the counBeach Road. ty about the petitions. Patterson said she had "absolutely seen that "Included in that is the intensity" of the conwhole area [under water] and [was] still … struction the Allens proposed, she added. worried what to do with that other section of "There's so much [with these requests], you Beach Road that's falling in the water as we couldn't begin to unravel it …" speak." Nonetheless, Robinson said, "Ultimately, there Wind and wave action produced by Hurricane is a solution to this. I do believe that, but this Sandy in late October damaged the north part isn't it." of Beach Road so extensively that part of it Commissioner Joe Barbetta also weighed in: "The criteria [for granting variances] is pretty clear, and this one certainly doesn't meet the minimum criteria necessary for the reasonable use of the property. … This thing, I think, was dead from the start." Barbetta added that he was not surprised people had filled the Commission Chambers for discussion of that agenda item, based on the number of emails the commissioners had received over the past few weeks. A diagram shows the site plan for proposed construction at 168 Beach Road on Siesta Key. Image courtesy Sarasota County Howard Berna, environmental supervisor in the county's Natural Resources Department, told the board he had received 85 emails about the variance requests, with only 11 of them supportive of the Allens.