Until this fall, the Siesta Islander trolley's Village end was Morton's Siesta Market, at the corner of Canal Road and Ocean Boulevard. Since September 1 it has kept going. It now continues to the north end of Siesta Village and stops at Avenue Milano and Ocean Boulevard before heading back south.
Breeze Transit calls this a pilot, and it has an end date. The county approved a 12-month trial. Breeze Transit Director Jane Grogg told the County Commission on Aug. 26 that her staff would work with Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce leaders on any problems along the new stretch. Commissioner Mark Smith, a longtime Siesta Key resident, pushed for the extension in June. At the August meeting he said he was looking forward to the pilot's rider data.
That makes this fall more than a seasonal calendar. The first months of the trial fall on the Key's biggest community weekends, and the county is counting riders the whole time.
The Loop, As It Runs Today
Route 77 runs between Turtle Beach Park and the Village. The new turnaround sits north of the four-way stop by the gazebo. Breeze lists daily service from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., with modified hours on holidays, and the trolley is free. The route map, effective September 1, 2026, estimates a trolley about every 30 minutes, depending on traffic. Its two timepoints are Turtle Beach Park and Campground at 8862 Midnight Pass Road and Siesta Key Village. Breeze directs riders to board at designated stops and to check real-time arrivals in its rider app.
Grogg called the added distance minimal compared with the full route. She said it would add only a little travel time, and that it needed no additional county revenue. That cost point comes back later.
What Sits Past the Old Turnaround
The new stop serves a stretch of Ocean Boulevard that, by Smith's account, its businesses have wanted on the route "for some time." Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce listings place several familiar names along the 5200 block heading toward Avenue Milano:
- MVP–My Village Pub, 5200 Ocean Boulevard
- Siesta Key Oyster Bar, 5238 Ocean Boulevard
- Daiquiri Deck Siesta Key Village, 5250 Ocean Boulevard
- Mojo Risin' Coffee Company, 5251 Ocean Boulevard
The Village also has a new dessert stop this year. Whit's Frozen Custard opened at 5147 Ocean Blvd. as the chain's first Sarasota location, the Herald-Tribune reported in August. Larry and Julie Fineberg run the franchise with their sons Matthew, Drew and Jason.
Farther south on the loop, Bungalow Bagels opened in early April at 6583 Midnight Pass Road, next to Jake's Ice Cream. Owner Robert DiSilvio serves bagels and breakfast items there. With the extension, the trolley now connects a bagel breakfast on Midnight Pass Road with a coffee at the far end of Ocean Boulevard.
The Fall Calendar Is the Pilot's First Busy Stretch
Four events fall inside the trial's first three months. The Chamber and event organizers point people to the trolley for two of them.
| Event | Dates | Where the trolley comes in |
|---|---|---|
| Siesta Key Scarecrow Stroll | All of October | Storefront scarecrows across the Key, with online voting on the Chamber website |
| Turtle Beach Campground Family Fall Fest | Oct. 23–25 | Turtle Beach Park and Campground is one of the route's two timepoints |
| Safe Treats | 4–6 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 31 | The Chamber suggests families ride the free trolley between participating businesses |
| Siesta Key Crystal Classic | Nov. 13–16 | Organizers recommend the free trolley because the Beach Road lot is expected to fill |
The Scarecrow Stroll is back for a second year. Businesses build homemade scarecrows for their storefronts and are encouraged to work their own merchandise into the designs. Lenny'z Pizza on Midnight Pass Road won last year. Sarah Firstenberger, CEO of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce, said the displays are meant to bring people out to the Key's shops and restaurants as the fall and holiday season begins. The Chamber will count the votes after Halloween and post the winner on its website and Facebook page. Scarecrows on both Ocean Boulevard and Midnight Pass Road make the stroll a natural trolley outing.
This is the 12th annual Turtle Beach Campground Family Fall Fest. Campsites are limited, and reservations go through the campground office at 941-861-2267 or [email protected].
Safe Treats turns 41 this year and is free. Halloween falls on a Saturday. Families do not need to register. Participating businesses register with the Chamber at no cost, and each displays the official 2026 Safe Treats sign. The Chamber's announcement specifically reminds parents that the trolley runs "up and down the Key." This year that includes the north end of the Village.
The Crystal Classic will be the largest test. The 16th annual festival is expected to bring 20 international sculptors and 100 local vendors to Siesta Beach. Organizers expect more than 40,000 visitors. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday. Parking at the 948 Beach Road lot is first come, first served and expected to fill, so organizers recommend the free trolley. Saturday's festival hours run until 9 p.m., and the trolley's daily schedule runs until 10 p.m.
What the Trial Is Still Working Out
As of early October, no rider counts, route changes or Chamber or Siesta Key Association reactions have been reported since launch. Several questions raised before the launch are still open.
Calle Minorga. Calle Minorga runs parallel to Ocean Boulevard. Earlier county research found that cars backing out of parking spaces there could end up in the trolley's path. There are also large rocks along the opposite side of the street that appear to have been placed to keep people from parking. Grogg said her staff has been talking with the Chamber's Trolley Committee about whether the trolley should stay on Ocean Boulevard instead of using that back street.
Canal Road. Smith pointed to heavy foot traffic at the four-way stop next to the gazebo. He suggested eventually dropping the Canal Road leg so the trolleys simply run up and down Beach Road and Ocean Boulevard. That was a suggestion at the August meeting, not a decision.
Traffic behind the trolley. For years, residents have complained at Siesta Key Association meetings that cars back up behind the trolley at boarding stops, because the trolley has nowhere to pull fully off most of its route. Grogg acknowledged concerns that the longer route could add to the delays and said staff would keep assessing them during the pilot.
A permanent stop. If the new route works, Breeze staff would look at building an accessible boarding area with lighting in the northern Village, so the stop matches the trolley's other stops. Those upgrades depend on the trial succeeding.
The county has other work planned along the route. A May county project update set targets for shaded trolley stops at the main entrance to Siesta Beach: summer 2026 for the southbound stop and early 2027 for the northbound stop, which is planned with an ADA-compliant crossing and solar flashing beacons. No report has confirmed that the southbound stop met its target. The same update scheduled a replacement pedestrian bridge on Midnight Pass Road, 6 feet wide and 105 feet long, with construction from May 2027 to November 2027.
The Budget Context
The Key has already seen a trolley extension come and go. On Nov. 2, 2024, the Siesta Islander began running between the Key and downtown Sarasota. That longer route ended April 24 of this year to cut expenses while commissioners wait for the outcome of a state property tax referendum on the Nov. 3 ballot. The north Village pilot was designed to need no new county money.
That referendum is Amendment 3. Sarasota County's information page says it would raise the homestead exemption and limit how fast taxable values can rise on non-homestead properties. The county says property taxes fund county services such as transit, that the amendment would reduce local government revenue without replacing it, and that it needs at least 60 percent of the vote to pass. The county has not announced any decision about the Avenue Milano stop. The election falls 10 days before the Crystal Classic opens, so the pilot's first two months of rider data will have been collected before the county's budget outlook is settled.
Melissa Gissinger and Spot on Sarasota follow changes like this one on Siesta Key, where a new trolley stop or a shift in Village traffic can change how a block is used day to day. If you'd like to talk about how the north end of the Village fits your plans on the Key, Book an Appointment.
