Lido Beach Development Partners LLC, run by the owners of Daquiri Deck, are in negotiations with the city of Sarasota over a development project on Lido Beach. The proposed development would allow the proprietors of Daquiri Deck to add a restaurant, bar and outdoor seating to the Lido Key Beach Pavilion. The idea of giving control of the pavilion–now run by the city of Sarasota–to a private company originated in 2011, when it looked like the pavilion may have to close due to the costs of operation.
Earlier this year, the city approved the plan proposed by Lido Beach Development Partners and a meeting, originally set for the Nov. 6, to approve the plan has been postponed with a new date pending. Unsurprisingly, there has been rising controversy and protestations surrounding the plan.
The intent behind the development is to lay the costs of improving the existing property onto an LLC in the hope that the Lido Key and wider Sarasota community would benefit. However, many residents feel that the proposed changes are little more than an excuse for the owners of Daquiri Deck to expand their franchise onto Lido Beach, though under a different name–the proposed restaurant would be called “The Castaways of Lido Beach.” As the LLC has no past development projects, this assertion seems to carry at least some validity. For those in opposition to the plan, Lido Key is attraction enough without the meddling of the Lido Key Development Partners, and passing managerial responsibilities of part of the beach to the folks behind Daiquiri Deck would detract from the value of the space.