Sarasota News Leader
November 8, 2013
Page 124
Siesta Seen
The Siesta Key Association (SKA) and the
Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce are collaborating with the SKVA on this session,
SKVA President Cheryl Gaddie told the
approximately 20 people gathered at her organization's monthly meeting on Nov. 5.
cited them for outdoor merchandise displays,
which the SKOD does not permit. A couple of those merchants — Martha Smith of
Le Grand Bisou Caribbean Boutique and
James Ritter of Siesta Key Outfitters — both
on Ocean Boulevard in the heart of Siesta
Village — showed up at the June SKVA meetThe first meeting on the SKOD, conducted
ing to complain about the drastic drops in
by county staff on May 21, was organized to
sales they had experienced as a result of losing
educate business owners and managers —
the ability to utilize those outdoor displays.
especially new ones — what the ordinance
does and does not allow. In its aftermath, During the Nov. 5 meeting, Gaddie referseveral business owners complained that enced the misunderstandings about what the
Sarasota County Code Enforcement staff had SKOD allows. "Unfortunately, we don't have
Mannequins stand just beyond the door of Le Grand Bisou in Siesta Village on the evening of Oct. 3.
In spite of past county Code Enforcement citations, some businesses still are displaying their wares
outside. Photo by Rachel Hackney