Vol. 10 No. 41 - July 14, 2010

news

Stoltzfus served with recall papers

ANNA MARIA — City Commissioner Harry Stoltzfus was officially served with the formal paperwork for recall on Friday, July 9, giving him five days to decide whether to resign or submit to a recall election.

According to state statute, the city clerk must serve the elected official to be recalled immediately upon receiving notice of the certification of the signatures on the recall petitions by the Supervisor of Elections. More...

Oil strategies for tourism industry eyed

HOLMES BEACH – The new Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau director urged tourism operators last week to keep beating the drum with the message that the beaches are clean and Anna Maria Island is open for business.

With $79,000 in lost revenue and 422 lost room nights reported to the bureau by the local tourism industry since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill began on April 20,

Manatee County has requested $600,000 from BP to repay losses, CVB Executive Director Elliott Falcione said at a tourism industry meeting at Holmes Beach City Hall. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Feds: Odds favor oil missing AMI

Tourism operators have a new tool to use to answer questions about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill’s potential impact on Anna Maria Island.

A computer model map showing the probability of the oil’s path shows the Island has a 1-20 percent chance of being directly hit by oil or tar balls, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). More...

Money for wildlife stolen

BRADENTON BEACH – A donation jar containing an estimated $70 to $100 dollars was stolen last week from Wildlife Inc. Education and Rehabilitation in Bradenton Beach.

The wildlife sanctuary at the home of Ed and Gail Straight is often visited by members of the public, and the thief may have seen the jar when delivering an injured animal, Gail Straight said, adding that the money intended to feed wildlife was probably used to feed a drug habit.

“These are injured and orphaned birds and mammals that need to be fed,” she said. “The money that was stolen was to pay for their food and their medications.” More...

Island home sales improving

Anna Maria Island property sales for the year ending June 30 are almost 50 percent greater than the year prior, with 268 total homes, condos and multifamily units sold compared with 182 for the year ending June 30, 2009, according to data supplied by Island Real Estate agent John Van Zandt.

That's a 47 percent increase in unit sales and demonstrates a healthy demand for inventory, which is now slightly more than 500 active listings in the three cities of Anna Maria, Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach, Van Zandt said.” More...

Board reaches consensus on parking issues

ANNA MARIA – Planning and zoning board members came to consensus on a series of questions raised by city commissioners regarding implementing the parking plan on Pine Avenue.

“There will be a combination of parking on city right of way and on private property,” planner Alan Garrett explained. “It would work through the city giving the owner of the lot a right of way use permit, and in exchange, the owner would give the city a sidewalk easement so the sidewalk could be moved onto the property.” More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Gardeners celebrate with food

BRADENTON BEACH – They came to celebrate their intergenerational community garden with – what else – food.

About 30 people of all ages came for the grand opening of the garden at the Annie Silver Community Center on Saturday, July 10, with a potluck luncheon. There was no food planted in the raised salad tables that will house the plants because of the summer heat, but the people who are participating have plans for later, when the temperatures fall. The only thing growing Saturday were some coreopsis plants, Florida’s state wildflower. More...

P&Z says no to Segway regulations

ANNA MARIA – After a lengthy discussion, planning and zoning board members said they do not recommend any further regulations for the operation of personal mobility vehicles.

Opening the discussion, Chair Randall Stover asked each member his thoughts on whether the board should recommend that the commission adopt an ordinance similar to the one in place on Sanibel Island. More...

feature

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryHistoric house goes solar

BRADENTON – Manatee County has taken its first step to answer the demand for solar power in the wake of the ongoing Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Solar energy now powers the Valentine House, the new guest center that opened May 1 at the county’s Robinson Preserve. More...

reel time

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryGet involved and make a difference

While most residents and businesses of the central Gulf coast haven't yet been directly affected by the horrendous BP oil spill, it is vital that we don't let the lessons of this tragedy go unlearned. Sure, it's easy to point fingers, and there is certainly plenty of blame to go around. The hard part is that we have to take some responsibility. I'm typing this on a keyboard that was made from the same kind of oil that continues to gush, unabated into the Gulf. When I look around my house, I notice everything that's made of plastic (read oil). Did you ever see the commercial that shows everything disappearing in a house when oil is removed from the equation? It's a daunting problem, even once the oil is finally under control, but one we all have to consider very carefully. As poorly as BP has handled its safety procedures, it wouldn't be drilling in waters over a mile deep if there wasn't a demand for its products. More...



real estate

A reason for hope

Two weeks ago, I said believe the unbelievable; the unbelievable being that our local real estate market was surging ahead in spite of all the bad news we’re swimming in. This week I’m going to give you a reason for hope and optimism.

The really big reason to slap a smile on your face is a report released on July 2, by Adm. Thad Allen, the face of the Coast Guard in charge of the Gulf oil spill. At that time he stated that a new and better containment cap might replace the present one that still allows for some leaking by July 15. More...



business

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

Investors buffeted by bad news and volatile markets

Investment Corner

Judging from the tones in people’s voices and their investment related decision making, I would dare say we are experiencing a general wave of pessimism close to what we experienced in the spring of 2009. This is interesting because although the economic news certainly isn’t good yet, it is nowhere as bad as what we faced about 15 months ago. More...

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