Renourishment in the budget

Governor Rick Scott left an appropriation for beach renourishments in the budget while scratching several projects to save money.

That caps several weeks of uncertainty whether the new governor would support beach renourishments. Before the budget was finalized, word got out that he would likely veto the appropriation, which goes toward several projects around the state, saying the state could not afford it. Manatee County Commissioners Carol Whitmore, John Chappie and Robyn Sabatini met with the governor in April, and they impressed upon him how renourished beaches support the state's tourist industry, which means jobs for residents. Scott was voted into office after making job creation a goal during his campaign. During their meeting, Scott told them to keep an eye on the appropriation as it makes its way to his desk, but he would not make any promises of whether he would support it. More...

Bradenton Beach talks tax hike

BRADENTON BEACH – Faced with impending capital improvement needs and no money to finance them, the city commission discussed ways to raise money at a budget work session last week and they explored raising the property tax rate slightly to come up with the cash.

According to preliminary figures released by the county, the property tax collections for the coming fiscal year will be about $15,000 less than the current year. More...

Group wants to purchase lots on Pine

ANNA MARIA – TIF committee members agreed last week that their first priority is finding a way for the city to purchase the six lots at the corner of Pine Avenue and North Bay Boulevard for a park.

"Developers are ready to jump on the bandwagon," Ed Chiles warned. "We need to try to get a collaborative movement in the community to buy those lots. More...

Kinnan to miss the love

HOLMES BEACH – When school starts up again toward the end of summer, Anne Kinnan won't be there for the first time in 35 years. She has taught at Anna Maria Elementary School for 31 of those years and is retiring at the end of this school year.

She comes from a family of educators including her mother, for whom a school was named; her brother, Harry, who is on the Manatee County School Board; and another brother, Joe, who is a legendary coach at Manatee High School. More...

Fertilizer use, not sale, banned in summer

The Manatee County Commission narrowly passed a fertilizer ordinance on Tuesday, May 24 that regulates fertilizer application in the summer but does not ban its sale, as originally proposed.

Commissioners voted 4-3 to prohibit Manatee County residents - other than farmers - from using fertilizer from June 1 to Sept. 30, when rainfall is greater than the rest of the year, washing more fertilizer into waterways. More...

Thelma by the Sea has rich history

ANNA MARIA – Thelma by the Sea, the stately stone home that sat by the humpbacked bridge on North Bay Boulevard since 1913, has now been moved to its new location in the Historic Green Village on Pine Avenue.

The home was built for Pearl and James Wood, of Ellenton, by Capt. Mitch Davis, who also built Roser Cottage, the Old City jail and Lotus Cottage and the icehouse on the end of the city pier. More...

Board seeks contract from cell tower consultant

ANNA MARIA – Mayor Mike Selby asked commissioners for direction regarding a sample agreement with the Center for Municipal Solutions, a group that advises and assists local governments regulate cell towers and wireless facilities.

"I didn't know we'd be doing a new ordinance," Commissioner John Quam said, citing a provision in the agreement that CMS would prepare a new cell tower ordinance. "I'm skeptical on proceeding with an ordinance until we've checked out other avenues. More...

Café opens its doors to community uses

ANNA MARIA – Lizzie Vann and Mike Thrasher hosted a group of community leaders at a luncheon at the Village Café at Rosedale in the Historic Green Village on Pine Avenue to learn how they can better serve the community.

"The Green Village is beginning to come together, and it was always the plan for it to be at the center of Anna Maria city," Vann Thrasher explained. "This is very much a place for the community. We wanted to get everybody's thoughts on how we could best use it for you, for the things you do." More...

My Aunt Reney -- the original TV chef

Like most Irish Catholics, I was brought up on tasteless food.

My mother was a proponent of one pot cookery. Put it in one pot. Put the lid on. Boil the bejeezus out of it. Plate it up.

Mom's sisters were all good Catholics and lousy cooks. The only star in my culinary firmament was my Aunt Reney. More...

Crosswait tournament fosters high ideals

The Annual Crosthwait Memorial Fishing Tournament was held this past weekend at the Bradenton Yacht Club. The tournament was established 28 years ago as a tribute to Col. Sam Crosthwait and to further his high ideals of sportsmanship and camaraderie among Florida west coast anglers. The popular tournament has grown over the years due to the professional manner in which it is organized and by being sensitive to the trends that have developed in the sport fishing industry. Over the years the tournament has adopted a photo and release policy on inshore fish and billfish and this year added a fly fishing division. While final results were not available at press time anglers fishing the offshore division battled large seas and managed to catch and release two large blue marlin along with numerous other species. More...

That time of year again

Have you been in denial about hurricanes for the last five years, as I have been? Well this is the year I finally did something about it and maybe it's the year you should also.

The first line of defense in protecting your home in the event of a hurricane is securing the door and window openings of your home or condo. There are several ways to secure these openings, but hurricane shutters remain the most popular and economic means to achieve this protection. More...

Investment advice: A retrospective

As the owner of a registered investment advisory firm, I spend a lot of time examining decisions made and advice promulgated in the past to see how it worked out, looking for clues to try to improve our methods in the future. No one is perfect, and as I always say, nothing can replace a disciplined rules-based system of portfolio management.

In writing articles for the Sun, I try to share the principles used in real life management of money for clients in a general sense that a reader can consider for their own financial and investment decisions. For that reason, I like to look back to see how we did in offering this basic, general advice over the last year. I must say I'm pleased with the fact there aren't any big mistakes requiring me to develop a taste for "crow." Generally, our middle of the road approach to decision making appears to have been reasonably good, but you can be the final judge. More...

Youth sports season winding down

The school and sports year are winding down and summer break is in sight. Adult kickball and youth baseball and basketball are in their final stages. Friday is the awards presentation for basketball and next week will start playoff tournaments for adult kickball and youth basketball. The tournaments are an action packed week of games culminating with champions in all divisions. More...

Vegan diet a multi-purpose health alternative

I am not a doctor, as the disclaimers say. I believe in whatever works and making informed choices. We make the best choices with the information we have. I have worked for/with doctors over decades, and as I have become more outspoken climbing out of my no-opinions-journalism training, they have been supportive as I metamorphose.

The reality is all journalists have opinions. Some hide them better than others. As we mature with interviews and pictures being worth a billion words, it becomes harder to remain silent. Covering the news makes you opinionated over time. If you are truly fair and balanced, most likely you are young and inexperienced. And that's the way it is now, Walter Cronkite. More...