Florida land swap turns 4 Siesta Key beach lots public after decade of lawsuits

In 2016, Florida businessman Michael Holderness began buying four beachfront lots on Siesta Key. A decade and several lawsuits later, those four lots are set to become public beach property under a settlement with Sarasota County, while Holderness will receive another nearby parcel where he can build a 5,000-square-foot house, Suncoast Searchlight reported.The land swap is meant to end a long-running dispute between Holderness and Sarasota County over public access to the beach near Beach Access 3. Holderness had argued that county signs encouraged people to enter his private property and that the county had failed to prevent trespassing. He eventually took the county to court over the issue.The settlement, approved by county commissioners, will see Sarasota County receive Holderness’ four beachfront lots, which are valued at less than $100,000 combined.