Off Duty

The nine-year-old girl was swimming in Sarasota Bay when she got caught in the current that swept her through Longboat Pass and spit her out into the Gulf of Mexico.

She was about to make a young Jay Moyles wonder why he signed up to be a lifeguard.

He jumped in with his swim buoy trailing behind him, swam out to the girl and turned his head to grab the buoy. More...

Tebbetts Field to host pros at charity game

HOLMES BEACH – Pro baseball players Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays and Marco Scutaro of the Colorado Rockies will be among the pros playing in a charity softball game on Saturday, Feb. 18 at Birdie Tebbetts Field.

The first organized game in recent memory at the field, which is primarily used as a dog park, will benefit the Manatee Twisters 8 and under traveling girls' team and the Women's Resource Center. More...

Rental remedies proposed

ANNA MARIA – Earning a seal of approval from the city is one way property managers/rental agents could show they adhere to a list of best practices in renting residential properties in the city, Commissioner SueLynn reported last week.

"I met with (property managers) Mike Brinson and Larry Chatt, and they have nailed down policies that address noise and other problems and a registration form that list the names of occupants and the number of cars," she explained. More...

Gulf Drive Café to try again

BRADENTON BEACH – The Beach Market at Gulf Drive Café and Tiki last weekend was supposed to be the last, but the Café manager and the market organizer want a second vote.

Pete Barreda, who manages the café and tiki, has filled out the paperwork for a new request and the issue is on the agenda for the Thursday, Feb. 2, city commission meeting. More...

Water taxi proposal drifts forward

ANNA MARIA – Commissioner SueLynn reported that she is meeting with Captain Tracey Dell and city pier manager Dave Sork regarding a proposed water taxi.

"I met with Dave Sork and talked with the captain a couple of times, and they said they met and it was a positive meeting," she explained. "They are ready to continue talking about it." More...

Board seeks Citizen of the Year nominations

ANNA MARIA – Do you know a person, business or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to the city? If so, the Citizen Recognition Committee is seeking nominations for its Citizen of the Year for 2012.

Committee members former Mayor Fran Barford, Mady Iseman, Margaret Jenkins, Tom Turner, Karen DiConstanzo and Flora Webb held their first meeting last week an agreed to begin seeking nominations. More...

Chilly weather greets first concert

HOLMES BEACH – On the heels of a rainstorm, the organizer of the first Concert in the Park was happy the rain came and went before it began but she would have liked the temperature to stay as well.

While the mercury didn't dip too far, it was cold compared to the recent "heat wave" we enjoyed. More...

Anna Maria lets the sunshine in

ANNA MARIA – Elected officials and board members from the three Island cities gathered in city hall last week for the city's annual seminar on the Sunshine Law.

"The Sunshine Law is not that complicated, but what makes it difficult is that it's very different from the way most people conduct their affairs," City Attorney Jim Dye pointed out. More...

Southern Living piece on Pine makes a splash

ANNA MARIA — A three-page spread in the February edition of Southern Living Magazine continues to put the shine on Pine Avenue.

Shoppers from the surrounding area have come to the Island in droves to check out the eclectic mix of shops on the iconic street. More...

Tailor angling plan to suit your surroundings

It's good to have a plan, but anglers have to be careful not to get hooked to it when fishing. When heading for a destination to "work" a plan, it is important you are not so caught up with where you're going that you miss opportunities that might be passing you. Being present and aware with each moment can yield some unexpected results. I'm sure everyone has experienced that in one form or another. As you run an edge, the subtle flash up on the flat catches your eye and, upon inspection, you find a school of fish that may be in a totally different area than you expected. On many occasions over the years I've had a plan in mind and never gotten to it because something better shows up along the way. More...

So you want to be a landlord?

Do you have visions of owing a stable of rental properties that generate a positive cash flow every month and attract the nicest and cutest tenants? As wonderful as this sounds, sometimes a vision is really just a dream and not always a good one.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about an increase of households converting to renters rather than owners in spite of very advantageous home affordability. In light of this monthly rents are increasing rapidly and were up 2.5 percent during the third quarter of last year, which is convincing many investors to get out of the stock market and buy rental properties. More...

Hitting the nail on the head

One of the reasons living on Anna Maria Island is such fun is that the ordinary frequently becomes extraordinary. As soon as you walk through the door at Island Lumber in Holmes Beach, you'll know you're in for a little bit of the extraordinary starting with the poodles.

When Tom Kern moved his family from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Anna Maria in 1966, chances are his vision of the future didn't include being partners with his daughter in the lumber business. More...

Investors stay away

Investment Corner By Tom Brieter

As a group, individual investors are voting with their parking spot for capital, and they voted for safety during the first 11 months of 2011. In fact, according to data from market research firm Trim Tabs, the investing public at large put eight times more money into checking and savings accounts, which pay little if any interest, than they put into stock and bond mutual funds. Even more astounding, the pace of favoring safety over potential accelerated toward the end of the reporting period. More...

49ers break new ground

The Sun sports game of the week was an interdivisional game between the AFC Tyler's Ice Cream Vikings and the NFC Florida Discount Signs 49ers. Going into this contest, the Vikings had two wins and one loss while the mighty 49ers had three wins and had not been scored on all season. The 49ers broke new ground with three consecutive shutout games. This is a new Community Center adult flag football record. More...

Why should you race in paradise?

Feasting on Fitness By ellen Jaffe Jones

So maybe you're on vacation for a few days, weeks or months. Perhaps you feel, "I'm on vacation. I just want to relax and enjoy the scenery stress-free." Or maybe you live here year-round and feel the same way. Let me show you the other side. You can do all that and participate in the many races and activities to enjoy fitness in Southwest Florida. My focus is running. More...