Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/320652
Siesta Seen testimony, they showed the situation on the grounds that he had described to Wittmer. When Wittmer asked Siegel if he objected to the photos being logged as evidence, he replied, "No!" On April 21, Lally continued, when Holderby again visited the property, some improvement was visible, but Holderby "found the side yard was full of debris." Siegel had no objection to more photos being submitted as evidence. Lally then testified that he inspected the property on May 22 and found all the debris and overflowing trash had been removed, bringing the property into compliance with the county code. However, he requested that Wittmer write a finding of fact "to deter future violations." When Wittmer asked Siegel if he wanted to offer any testimony, he declined. Wittmer said her order would contain the finding that the property had been in violation in the past, with accumulations of "junk and debris," and that she was requiring the prop- erty owner to maintain it in compliance with the county code. ILLEGAL RENTALS Before that Special Magistrate hearing began on May 23, I had time to chat briefly with Lally and Holderby. Lally told me he was handling 15 cases of ille- gal rentals on Siesta. People still do not understand that, under a county ordinance, they can rent property only once in a 30-day period, he explained — a point he has made during numerous appear- ances before the Siesta Key Association. People tend to get greedy, he said, adding that he finds multiple websites advertising places to rent on Siesta. "It's amazing how many of them aren't even registered with the [Sarasota County] tax col- lector," Holderby told me. Anyone who rents property is required to register with that office and pay the Tourist Development Tax on money collected from lodgers. Craig Siegel sits in the very back row of the County Commission Chambers on May 23, awaiting his case during a Code Enforcement Special Magistrate Hearing. Photo by Rachel Hackney Sarasota News Leader May 30, 2014 Page 68