Harry Lee Higel was one of the defining figures of early Sarasota, a businessman, civic leader, developer, and one of the principal visionaries behind the transformation of Siesta Key. Higel was elected to the community's first town council in 1902. He would later become one of the city's most influential early civic leaders.

In 1907, Higel joined Captain Louis Roberts and E.M. Arbogast to form the Siesta Land Company. Together they began developing the northern end of what was then known as Sarasota Key, naming their new community “Siesta on the Gulf.”

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Higel became a leading advocate for a bridge connecting the island to Sarasota, a project that culminated in the opening of the first bridge in 1917. Higel established bathhouses on the beach, the Higelhurst Hotel, helped secure a post office for the island, and was involved in dredging canals.

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Much of what makes Higel's story remarkable is the scale of his foresight. He was envisioning Siesta Key as a destination before roads, bridges, and modern development made that vision obvious. Higel Avenue carries his name today, serving as a lasting reminder of the man who saw the potential of this island long before it became one of Florida's most coveted coastal addresses.

Now, more than a century later, the vision remains recognizable: a place defined by water, privacy, and the enduring appeal of life on the Gulf.