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South Lido
Beach
190 Taft Dr. and 2201 Ben
Franklin Drive,
Lido Key, FL 34236
South Lido park is
located on Ben Franklin Drive at the southern tip of Lido Key.
The 100 acre park interacts with four significant bodies of
water; The Gulf of Mexico, Big Pass, Sarasota Bay and Brushy
Bayou. The southern, beach portion of the park offers expansive
views of the emerging skyline of downtown Sarasota and the Gulf
of Mexico. It also has a great picnic area that is shaded by
towering Australian Pines. A separate facility at the north end
of the park offers its own nature trail which includes scenic
overlooks and boardwalks. Also, at the northern portion of the
park are rest room facilities, a picnic area, a canoe launch,
and a self guided canoe trail.
Amenities:
- 100 acres of land
- 640 linear feet of
gulf beach frontage
- 3,500 linear feet of
Big Pass frontage
- Designated swimming
areas are marked due to very swift currents.
- Canoeing,
self-guided trail
- Fishing
fitness/jogging trail
- Grills
-
Lifeguards on duty during weekends from Memorial Day
to Labor Day.
- Multi-purpose field
- Two nature trails
- Parking areas
- Passive recreation
area
- Picnicking
- Play equipment
- Observation tower
and decks
- Rest rooms
- Swimming
- Undeveloped land
- Volleyball court,
one
outdoor/beach
History:
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During the
nineteenth century, what is now Lido Key consisted of a
series of islands separated by shifting channels. An early
immigrant pioneer, Otto Schmidt Zoldan, settled on the
islands around the turn of the century and acquired the
properties in 1910 under the terms of the Homestead Act.
Zoldan later sold his property which, after a series of land
transfers, was purchased by John Ringling during the early
1920's. Ringling planned an ambitious development of his
island properties, greatly manipulating the shapes of the
islands through moving millions of cubic feet of sand.
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Because of his
interest in Italian culture, Ringling named one of the newly
created islands after the Italian word for beach, "lido."
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The great
Florida Land bust of 1926, however, led to the collapse of
the Ringling Isles project and the temporary abandonment of
development plans for the southern part of Lido Key.
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Spurred by a
growing environmental awareness, the public approved a
referendum by a nine to one margin authorizing the County
Government's purchase of the 100-acre parcel for use as a
recreational area and public open space.
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