Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/87353
VARIANCE VARIABLES A Sarasota County staff photo shows the existing shell driveway at 636 Beach Road on Siesta Key. Images courtesy Sarasota County COUNTY COMMISSION APPROVES POROUS PAVERS FOR BEACH ROAD RESIDENCE DRIVEWAY; SNOWY PLOVER NESTING AREA FOCUS OF DISCUSSION By Rachel Brown Hackney Editor After being cautioned by the county attorney that they were limited in regard to stipulations they could offer, the Sarasota County commis- sioners voted 3-2 on Oct. 9 to approve a re- quest for a variance to allow the installation of more than 2,000 square feet of pavers for a driveway at a Beach Road residence. However, the commissioners did vote unani- mously to require that the paver material be pervious, as requested by the Siesta Key As- sociation and the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast. Commissioner Jon Thaxton, who made the motion to insert "pervious" into the general conditions allowed for the project, and Com- missioner Joe Barbetta cast the "No" votes. "We have received absolutely no testimony whatsoever that would provide evidence that this is unreasonable and unjust hardship," Thaxton said of the shell driveway the current owners of the property want to replace with the pavers. He pointed out that the existing driveway situation had been requested by a previous property owner and approved by the County Commission at that time. An Oct. 9 staff memo to the County Commis- sion from Howard J. Berna, environmental