Although the Ritz-Carlton (the tallest building, at the center of the photo) is close to the city's waterfront,
its beach facilities are on Lido Key. Photo by Norman Schimmel
The City of Sarasota signed off on a Sarasota
Ritz-Carlton project that calls for reshap-
ing the proļ¬le of a dune at the hotel's Beach
Club on Lido Key, The Sarasota News Leader
has learned.
In early April, the Florida Department
o f E n v i r o n m e n t a l
P r o t e c t i o n ( D E P )
issued a permit for
the work, which calls
for the seaward por-
tion of the dune to be
moved further land-
ward, according to an
April 2 letter sent to
DEP by Courtney Mendez, senior planner for
the City of Sarasota.
"The proposed changes do not contravene
any applicable provisions of the Zoning Code
provided beach pathways are maintained and
native habitat is not negatively impacted,"
Mendez added, later
referencing those stip-
ulations as findings
by another city staff
member.
Mendez included a
m e m o f r o m D a v i d
L . S m i t h i n t h e
c i t y 's D e p a r t m e n t
COUNTY STAFF HAS BEEN FIELDING RESIDENTS' QUESTIONS ABOUT A
RITZ-CARLTON PROJECT ON THE LIDO KEY SHORE
DISTRESS OVER A DUNE
I know of several properties that
have requested from the DEP in the past
to do some similar work and were
unequivocally turned down.
Carl Shoffstall
President
Lido Key Residents Association
By Rachel Brown Hackney
Editor
