What was the original name of the island that is located off the coast of Sarasota, Florida and is home to Turtle Beach?
Siesta Key, Florida Siesta Key is a barrier island off the southwest coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is situated between Roberts Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. A portion of it lies within the city boundary of Sarasota, but the majority of the key is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sarasota County. After the probable Amerindian name of "Zarazote" for the area and the bay, the key was originally named "Sarasota Key" by European cartographers during exploration beginning in 1513. That name can be seen on maps from the early 18th century as well as on all local maps drawn before the name change to "Siesta Key" in the 1920s. The population was 6,565 at the 2010 census.
West Florida West Florida (Spanish: "Florida Occidental" ) was a region on the north shore of the Gulf of Mexico which underwent several boundary and sovereignty changes during its history. The province was established by the British in 1763 out of lands ceded from the Spanish and French. As its name suggests, it was formed out of the Western part of formerly Spanish Florida (East Florida formed the eastern part), along with lands taken from French Louisiana; West Florida's capital was Pensacola. The colony included most of what is now the Florida Panhandle, as well as parts of the modern U.S. states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.