Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/273295
can see what we're talking about. Instead, they have a blatant disregard for the ordinance, almost in your face with their displays." Smith has been the primary person work- ing on the revised ordinance since a first draft prepared last summer by then-Si- e s t a K e y C h a m b e r Executive Director K e v i n C o o p e r w a s rejected as too lenient. During the Feb. 4 SKVA meeting, Smith said the revised SKOD ordinance he had drafted would limit the outdoor display space to 240 square feet, and a business owner would have to submit a site plan to the county showing how the display space would be utilized. Anyone submitting an application to the county for outdoor displays would have to pay $25. If a shop were found to be out of compliance with its site plan, its permit could be revoked. PROCESS AND CONTROVERSY SKVA Vice President Kay Kouvatsos noted on March 4 that the latest revision "is writ- ten very well," though it needs some tweaks. The proposed changes allow for "nothing on the walls, nothing hanging from the windows, none of the flea market stuff," she said. SKVA President Cheryl Gaddie explained that she had met with County Commissioner Nora Patterson, who lives on Siesta Key. While Patterson "wasn't excited about [allowing] outdoor display," Gaddie continued, Gaddie nonetheless had delivered a draft to Donna Thompson, the county's assistant zoning administrator, who then provided it to the Office of the County Attorney. After review, the county attorney said he felt the document m e t t h e n e c e s s a r y standards to be pre- sented to the County Commission, which will have final say over what happens in the SKOD. Gaddie added that further tweaks were n e e d e d b e f o r e t h e draft could be placed for discussion on a County Commission agenda. Then SKA President Michael Shay said of his organization's board members, "We're not ready yet to make a decision [on the modi- fication] until we see the final draft, since changes are constantly being made." Shay was the person several months ago who sought and received public confirmation from Code Enforcement Officer John Lally that Lally had been instructed by his superiors not to cite anyone for displays violating the SKOD ordinance until the effort to revise the ordi- nance was completed, one way or the other. Shay asked during the March 4 meeting, "How will a new or adjusted ordinance be different from what [is visible in the Village now]?" "That's an excellent point," Smith replied. "It would be much better for the cause if the [advocates of the changes] show the public and ourselves how they're going to abide by the rules being proposed." Gaddie said she had spoken with Toomey the previous afternoon "and expressed our concerns." It would be much better for the cause if the [advocates of the changes] show the public and ourselves how they're going to abide by the rules being proposed. Mark Smith Board Member Siesta Key Village Association Sarasota News Leader March 7, 2014 Page 84