Home invasion on key spurs worries
It’s an understatement to say that the home invasion at Whispering Sands on Siesta has a lot of people worried.
When I spoke last week with Col. Steve Burns of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, he said the department was encouraging "people to remain safe and take note of anything suspicious in their neighborhoods and give us a call."
During the May 7 Siesta Key Association meeting, the home invasion issue arose because some of the attendees had heard a rumor that two people taken into custody weeks ago as suspects in the cases had been arrested on the key.
That was not true, Deputies Chris McGregor and Chad McDonald reported. McDonald emphasized that that is "definitely a very active investigation," with the FBI involved.
One attendee, Caroline Phillips, said she had experienced two recent occasions when someone had come up and beaten on her door about 8 p.m., but she had not opened the door to see who was there. "It’s not like it used to be" on the key, she added.
Nonetheless, McGregor said, "We’ve really maintained a low crime rate" on Siesta, in spite of crime reports being up in other parts of the county.
Asked about their patrol schedule, McGregor said, "We’re always out there. ... This is the most patrolled area anywhere in Sarasota County," with five deputies assigned to the key.
Last week the Pelican’s summer intern, Christine Makar, and I set out to learn residents’ views on the Siesta attack. Our first stop was the Village Barber Shop, where Larry Lantz, Scott Reich and Payne Breazeale – from Mailboxes and More next door – had quite a few comments.
When I asked if they thought the Siesta incident was related to the other home invasions, Scott replied, "It sounds like it." Larry agreed, adding that what especially bothered him was the brazenness of the assailant, going into a condominium complex. Having some familiarity with the security measures at Whispering Sands, Larry was especially curious about how the attacker had entered the victim’s condo, which reportedly was on an upper floor, the men said.
Two of the home invasions had occurred close to his home off Phillippi Creek, Payne said. Someone in the neighborhood also reported seeing a person trying to break into a family-occupied home, he added.
"We’ve had helicopters overhead three or four times a week" since those attacks occurred, Payne said – presumably law enforcement aircraft searching for clues.
Payne is not convinced all the attacks have been perpetrated by the same person.
After we left the barber shop, I sent Christine on for more interviews. Her findings follow:
CHRISTINE’S REPORT
Word in the Village is generally the same as what we heard at the first stop. People are nervous, not just about the attacks, but about the lack of information they are receiving from the police and the press.
A couple of employees of Salon Capelli in the Siesta Center agree that there is not enough information about the attacks to be certain of much.
"Rumors are flying rampant," one said.
"[It’s] disruptive to the community," another mentioned.
Shirley Austin at Davidson’s Drugs in Davidson’s Plaza said she doesn’t live in the area, but thinks people are probably scared. This is such a tranquil place, she said, so it’s hard to think something like this could happen.
Also at Davidson’s was Pepper Lakeland. "I think people are starting to take more caution," she said.
A local business owner at Local Coffee & Tea in the Plaza had a proactive stance on the issue. "I’m getting a gun," she said.
She also plans to keep her lights on. She’s terrified. Other patrons at the shop agreed that the assailant needs to be stopped.
"He’s a coward [to attack a defenseless woman]," another patron chimed in.
At Siesta Market, Paul Taylor said he hasn’t noticed a change in anyone’s demeanor, but he is sure people are scared.
Down the street at the Village Café, owners Tom and Kay Kouvatsos also agree that the situation is a scary one. They differ, however, on the cause of the attacks. Kay thinks they may have a connection to the current economic recession. "When the economy is bad, you can’t let your guard down," she said.
Whether or not the economy has played a role in the attack, she said people "need to be extra vigilant."
FOUR-LEGGED PREDATORS
Quite a few people already have seen George Cera’s entertaining and educational book, "Save Florida, Eat an Iguana." While the book may be light-hearted in many respects, Cera is deadly serious about the pending iguana plague on the key if the county doesn’t act fast enough to stop it.
Cera is well acquainted with the lizards: He’s the man Boca Grande turned to to rid it of its iguana infestation. In all, Cera removed 16,000 of the beasts from that island, but severe damage had been done before he even went to work.
The iguanas "literally collapsed the ecosystem there," he said, though "it’s coming back."
He added, "Hopefully, Sarasota heeds the warning."
As he explains in his book, the iguanas not only consume gopher tortoise eggs, they also gulp down by the bunches the cute little lizards we know as anoles. On Boca Grande, Cera said, "there were no tortoises under 10 years old" when he went to work in early 2007. The anoles, he added, "were almost completely wiped out."
At one point, he said, it just occurred to him that he wasn’t seeing any of the traditional coastal birds such as egrets and blue herons on Boca Grande; that was because the birds also eat the anoles and precious few of the little lizards remained.
The favorite spot for the iguanas on Siesta seems to be the shore off Shell Road, based on Cera’s private trapping experiences. However, he said he has to use a pellet rifle to catch an iguana, as they can travel at speeds up to about 22 mph. He does not recommend his method to the average person.
Still, "trapping by itself flat out will not work" to achieve zero population growth.
Further, he said of private trapping, "It’s not inexpensive." It can take as much as a month to get one iguana after a homeowner has reported seeing it in a specific area.
As for the recipes in his book, Cera said, "I’ve never eaten one. ... The whole idea was to have fun" and raise public awareness.
Ironically, New College biology professor Meg Lowman told the county commissioners last week that iguanas are practically an endangered species in Mexico because they are delicious when cooked.
Regarding Siesta Key’s infestation, Cera said, "Right now the most important thing is public education." Cera may be reached at (941) 306-7747.
TRUTH AND RUMOR
A rumor that I can say with certainty is untrue is the one regarding a ban on Siesta Beach weddings. Apparently county e-mail exchanges regarding protection of the snowy plovers and other beach nesting birds led some people to believe that no weddings would be allowed on the beach until the nesting season ends late this summer.
What is true is that the Siesta Key Association, the local Audubon chapter and other groups have asked that weddings not be allowed near the nesting areas, such as those near Beach Access 7.
SKA President Lourdes Ramirez wrote in an May 20 e-mail to county officials, "We have six miles of beach to conduct weddings. To section off a couple of hundred feet for a period of time is not a big deal."
Steven Pajevic, the agency principal at the ADAMO Insurance office on Siesta Key (center) is flanked by Cheryl Gaddie (l.), owner of CG Designs, and Jim Hammond, executive director of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce, during the formal ribbon cutting held recently for ADAMO.
Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce volunteers recently were treated to a Siesta Island Trolley tour and a dinner as thanks for all of their hard work. Sponsors were Beach Palms, Calini Beach Club, Daiquiri Deck Raw Bar, Roberti Enterprises/Bianco Sands, Sandbox On The Beach, Sarasota Surf & Racquet Club/Suncoast Vacation Rentals, Siesta Key Bungalows, Siesta Key Suites, Siesta Sands Beach Resort, South Trail Liquor & Fine Wines, Sunset Royale, Tropical Breeze Resort & Spa and Village Café.
June 4th 2009 - 3:39PM