Active Mega-Hotel Proposal
There is currently one active proposal seeking to change the long-standing Comprehensive Plan protections for Siesta Key.
In 2025, developer Gary Kompothecras proposed amendments that would allow mega-hotels on commercial properties located south of Stickney Point Road. At this time, no public hearings have been scheduled on the proposed Comprehensive Plan changes.
History of Mega-Hotel Proposals
What is a “mega-hotel”?
Current Sarasota County zoning regulations limit hotels on Siesta Key to 26 rooms per acre (without kitchens). Even at that limit, hotels are already one of the most intensive uses allowed in the island’s commercial districts because they concentrate a large number of visitors, vehicles, deliveries, and activity into a small area.
When developers ask to exceed those long-standing limits, those projects become “mega-hotels.” These proposals are not small neighborhood hotels. They are projects that dramatically increase density and intensity beyond what Siesta Key’s barrier island regulations were designed to handle.
PSK’s Fight Against Mega-Hotels
The fight over mega-hotels on Siesta Key did not begin with Protect Siesta Key, but two of PSK’s board members were directly involved in the landmark lawsuits that challenged Sarasota County’s approval of these projects in 2021.
Those lawsuits argued that Sarasota County violated the Comprehensive Plan by approving hotels that exceeded the density and intensity limits established for the barrier islands.
Lourdes Ramirez v. Sarasota County (Link)
Lourdes Ramirez’s 2021 lawsuit challenged a proposed hotel on less than one acre of land where the developer sought to increase density from 25 allowed units to approximately 170 units. The project also included a rooftop bar and other high-intensity commercial uses. In August 2023, the courts ruled in Lourdes’ favor, finding that Sarasota County violated the Comprehensive Plan by approving the project in Siesta Village.
Jim Wallace, Rob Sax, Marina del Sol Condo Assoc, 222 Beach Road Condo Assoc v. Sarasota County (Link)
This lawsuit challenged another hotel proposal where a developer sought to increase density from 27 allowed units to approximately 120 units on about 1.2 acres of property. In December 2023, the courts ruled in their favor, finding that Sarasota County violated the Comprehensive Plan by approving the project on Old Stickney Point Road.
Other Mega-Hotel Proposals
Since 2020, several mega-hotel proposals have been submitted for Siesta Key, with one project ultimately approved despite the courts later ruling that it violated the Comprehensive Plan.
While each of the following proposals was different in some way, they all had one thing in common: the developers sought changes to the long-standing laws protecting our barrier islands — including the Comprehensive Plan — in order to increase the density and intensity of their mega-hotel projects.
2022
5810 Midnight Pass Road —
Dave Balot Project
Approved in 2022 despite legal disputes over Comprehensive Plan consistency, Balot’s mega-hotel has remained one of the most controversial development approvals on Siesta Key. Court rulings ultimately allowed the project to move forward on a legal technicality, effectively treating a project acknowledged by the County, the courts, and even the developer himself as inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan as a nonconforming use on the property.
2020
Siesta Key Resorts —
Michael Holderness Proposal
In 2021, Siesta Key Resorts owner Michael Holderness proposed changes that would have allowed existing hotels to rebuild into much larger mega-hotels.
His proposal would have increased the density of his existing 55-unit hotel to approximately 170 units.
This proposal was later withdrawn.
2021 and 2023
Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce Proposal
In 2021 and in 2023, the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce proposed increasing hotel density from 26 units per acre to 75 units per acre.
That level of density would have exceeded many hotel districts in major tourist destinations such as Miami and Orlando.
The proposal also attempted to limit the size of restaurants within these projects as part of the overall package.
2023
Benderson Development
In June 2023, Benderson Development proposed approximately ten changes to Sarasota County’s Comprehensive Plan that would change the density, intensity, increased hurricane evacuations, and other proposed changes for Siesta Key. The mega-hotel development was proposed for their lands in Siesta Village but would have applied to all commercial lands throughout Siesta Key.
The proposal also raised concerns because it would have weakened long-standing barrier island protections that were originally adopted to address evacuation limitations, infrastructure capacity, and public safety.
After nearly two years of inactivity, the proposal was ultimately withdrawn by county staff.
2023
Calle Miramar proposal
After losing the 2023 court case brought by Lourdes Ramirez, the developers of the Calle Miramar mega-hotel proposal joined Benderson Development’s Comprehensive Plan amendment application in late 2023 in an effort to revive their project.
Following nearly a year of inactivity and growing public opposition, Calle Miramar ultimately withdrew its application in 2024.
2024
South Siesta Key
Gary Kompothecras Proposal
After losing the 2021 court case brought by Rob Sax, Marina Del Sol, 222 Beach Road, and James Wallace, Gary Kompothecras proposed changes to the Comprehensive Plan in 2024 that would allow mega-hotels within portions of the South Village area.
His related zoning code changes were later denied by the County Commission, although the proposed Comprehensive Plan amendments remain active within county records.