Vol. 9 No. 31 - April 22, 2009

news

Bridge dispute returns

The bridge replacement controversy that began 16 years ago has erupted once again.

State transportation officials last week announced their preference for a new 65-foot tall, fixed-span bridge to take the place of the Anna Maria Island drawbridge.

Speaking before a large room full of elected and appointed officials from all around Manatee County, Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) engineer Chris Piazza said they chose the big bridge option based on the public’s responses at meetings and in a survey and because it was cheaper. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryWriters experience Island wedding scene

If you’re going to write about something, you should experience it first.

That’s what Lynn Walker did with her husband, Kevin Baker, when she researched her article on Anna Maria Island recently to do articles for Southern Bride magazine and Romantic Destinations Travel.

Working in conjunction with the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce, they stayed in the beachfront Seaside Inn Beach Resort in Bradenton Beach and experienced what a couple having a wedding would, minus the ceremony. More...

Plans stall to buy Seafood Shack

CORTEZ – A bid has stalled to buy the Seafood Shack restaurant, expand its marina and add a second humpback bridge on 127th Street West.

Seven Bridges Development LLC, whose principal is former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Gerald Nichols, signed a purchase contract with Seafood Shack owner Ham Jones about a year ago, but the company has not obtained financing, Jones said, adding that Nichols has been ill. More...

Bayside could get new sand

ANNA MARIA — Renourishment may be a step closer to becoming reality for the property owners on the bay side of Anna Maria Island.

Catherine Florko, project manager for the Bureau of Beaches and Coastal Management division of the state Department of Environmental Regulation, said in a letter to the county that there is evidence that the submergence of Passage Key has resulted in wave activity that has caused severe erosion from the Rod&Reel Pier north around the tip of the Island. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryArea gets a spring cleaning

They came from all walks of life, from the mainland and even the middle of the state to clean up the Island, Cortez and even the Gulf around our local historic shipwreck.

It was all part of the Great American Cleanup that is held this time of the year and sponsored by Keep Manatee Beautiful. Divers cleared the Regina wreck site of rope and fishing line and students from Anna Maria Elementary School cleaned up the campus, finding an old television set on the shores of the bay behind the school. More...

Murphy named Community Partner at Founder’s Day

HOLMES BEACH – At the second annual Founder’s Day Friday, Mayor Rich Bohnenberger named Sean Murphy as the city’s new Community Partner.

"Last year, we took the time to recognize people who helped create this city on our Community Partners plaque," Bohnenberger said. "Each year, we will add someone to the list who adds to the quality of life in our city. This year’s addition is Sean Murphy." More...

Lohn loses appeal, threatens legal action

BRADENTON BEACH – A resident who claims a duplex built adjacent to his property was not built to code, says he will never give up his fight to have the city force the owners to take care of the problem.

The Board of Adjustment voted on Wednesday, April 15, that discrepancies Ken Lohn pointed out in his argument do not exist because of a misinterpretation on his part. More...

Holmes Beach to join Communities for a Lifetime

HOLMES BEACH – Commissioners agreed to approve a resolution to join Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach in the state-wide initiative, Communities for a Lifetime.

The initiative, begun in 1999, assists cities and towns in planning and implementing improvements in areas such as transportation and housing to benefit residents, both youth and elder. More...



feature

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryFloating art works dot Cortez shore

CORTEZ – Balmy weekend breezes filled reddish brown and linen-hued sails, whisking them gracefully around Sarasota Bay during the Fourth Annual Great Florida Gulf Coast Small Craft Festival.

Some were sailing kayaks, whose handmade hulls and paddles sported different shades of wood in geometric patterns. Some had hand-caned seats finer than the dining room chairs in the most prestigious homes of the late 19th century. In others, real hemp rope was precisely wrapped around gleaming brightwork for a touch of old world authenticity. More...



reel time

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryThe fish of a lifetime

There are some mornings when magic in the air, and you have a feeling that something special might happen. That feeling might actually be a portent or it might just be the optimism that springs eternal in the fly angler. It was one of those mornings as Captain Bryon Chamberlin and I headed north from Summerland Key through Niles Channel into the back country of the lower Florida Keys, a day when optimism, forbearance, skill and a little luck would produce the fish of a lifetime. More...



real estate

Tax time doesn’t have to be tea time

In case you missed it, last week on tax filing day, April 15, there was a party, a tea party. Although this tea party wasn’t held exclusively in Boston and there wasn’t too much tea being dumped into the Atlantic Ocean, the basic purpose was the same as the one held in 1773 – to demonstrate displeasure with the government.

If you are of the mind that property taxes are too high, you may not need to stock up on tea just yet. In March the Florida Senate and House of Representatives proposed a couple of bills that could help even the property tax playing field and attract potential home buyers to our state. More...



business

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryJust 4 Fun - check this place out

Wikipedia tells me fun is the "expenditure of time designed for therapeutic refreshment," quite a mouthful for what passes as having a good time on Anna Maria. Never the less, if you want to maximize your therapeutic refreshment, zip on over to Just 4 Fun in Holmes Beach, the new fun place on the Island. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

Stock market declines of the past

Investment Corner

A client of mine dropped by the other day with a copy of the USA Today business section from Oct. 20, 1987. For those who may not remember that time, the stock market dropped over 22 percent in one day on Oct. 19, 1987, with that day becoming branded "Black Monday." It was the worst single day decline ever, and almost as bad as the 23 percent total two day drop on Oct. 28 and 29 of 1929. More...



SPORTS

Island football action heats up

After a much needed week off from spring break, Island football players are back in action rested and ready to go. This week showcased some excellent football being played in all divisions, with a couple of close thrillers in the 13-16 age group. Games were cancelled on Tuesday due to bad weather, and there were no games on Friday because of a festival taking place on the Holmes Beach field over the weekend. Go to www.islandcommunitycenter.com for updated standings, schedules and game recaps. More...


 

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