Demolition underway at Sandcastle Resort on Lido Key in Sarasota

Luxury hotel developer Opal has plans for the site but has not revealed what it will do.

  • By S.T. Cardinal
  • | 5:00 a.m. August 15, 2025
  • | 0 Free Articles Remaining!
Sandcastle Resort at Lido Beach was a 176-unit hotel on Benjamin Franklin Drive. On Wednesday, Aug. 13, demolition continued on the building which suffered extensive damage from 2024 hurricanes.
Sandcastle Resort at Lido Beach was a 176-unit hotel on Benjamin Franklin Drive. On Wednesday, Aug. 13, demolition continued on the building which suffered extensive damage from 2024 hurricanes.
Photo by S.T. Cardinal
  • Manatee-Sarasota
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The Sandcastle Resort on Lido Key in Sarasota is now a heap of twisted metal and scattered cinderblocks.

Demolition has begun on the formerly 176-room hotel at 1540 Benjamin Franklin Drive, about a mile from St. Armands Circle. The building suffered extensive flood damage from hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The sign remains, for now, as the Sandcastle Resort at Lido Beach is demolished on Lido Key Wednesday, Aug. 13. A new hotel will be built on the site by Opal, though details are yet to be shared by developers.
Photo by S.T. Cardinal

 

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