Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/198837
SOME HELP AT LAST An aerial map shows the location of the Siesta Village municipal parking lot between Avenida de Mayo and Avenida Madera outlined in yellow. Photo courtesy Sarasota County AVENIDA DE MAYO WILL SEE NO-PARKING ZONES ESTABLISHED TO MAKE SURE THE STREET IS ACCESSIBLE TO EMERGENCY VEHICLES By Rachel Brown Hackney Editor Almost exactly 11 months after she sought county help to alleviate what she and her neighbors believed to be a hazardous situation on her Siesta Key street, Avenida de Mayo resident Marlene Merkle was very happy on Oct. 23. The Sarasota County Commission voted unanimously on a motion by Commissioner Nora Patterson to direct staff to prohibit parking on both sides of the street from Canal Road to Avenida de Cortez and to provide for staggered no-parking zones from Avenida de Cortez to Avenida Del Norte in 500-foot sections. The action came after an assessment by Fire Chief Mike Tobias and his staff that overflow parking on the street from Siesta Village's We are just very lucky that, up until municipal lot and this point, we haven't had an emergency business areas could [on Avenida de Mayo] during high season. prevent emergency vehicles' passage. It could have been very, very severe. Michael Shay Vice President Siesta Key Association On Aug. 28, the commission responded to an Aug. 16 memo from Tobias pointing