Tree house heads for code board

HOLMES BEACH – Building Official Tom O’Brien siad he has made his final decision on the tree house at Angelino’s Sea Resort – the case will be heard by the code enforcement board.

“Her own evidence shows she’s in violation,” O’Brien said last week.

Lynn Tran and Richard Hazen constructed the tree house on the beach in front of their resort in 2011. It came to the attention of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which ordered it to be granted an after the fact permit or removed in April 2012. More...

Administrator explains tax reduction plan

PALMETTO – Manatee County Administrator Ed Hunzeker met with city and county elected officials last week to explain his plan to reduce property taxes by up to 26 percent for city residents.

“It’s part of a program we started last year to look at the county budget and see if there’s different mix of revenue so we could wind up with property tax relief for the folks in the county,” Hunzeker explained at the Council of Governments meeting. More...

Sweet 16 for The Sun

Eight members of the Anna Maria Island Sun staff have been named as finalists for 16 awards in the 2012 Florida Press Association Better Weekly Newspaper Contest:

Rusty Chinnis: Outdoor and Recreation

Pat Copeland: Feature Story, Profile; Arts, Entertainment and Review; Local Government Reporting More...

Saturday is Snooks Adams Kids’ Day

Life on the Island was much slower in 1954. Not a lot of people lived here, there were few homes, little air conditioning and nature walkers had to take shotguns along for snakes and other dangerous creatures.

That’s why Holmes Beach Police Chief Snooks Adams loaded a group of boys on his Jeep and drove them out to the beach during the early days of the summer break from school for a day of fun in the sun.

The kids had a ball and they did it all again the next summer. More...

Relay offers hope

BRADENTON BEACH – There were tears on the track and smiles.

Some were crying for lost loved ones; some were smiling, recalling personal victories small and large.

Emotions and hopes were high at the Relay for Life on Friday and Saturday at Coquina Beach. The theme was Superheroes – Saving the World, One Cure at a Time. More...

Blood drive coming up

HOLMES BEACH – It’s almost time to roll up your sleeve and give in more ways than one.

The 13th Annual Island Blood Drive will again be held inside the cool confines of the St. Bernard Catholic Church activity center at 248 S. Harbor Drive on Saturday and Sunday, June 1 and 2, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The first 250 donors get a free T-shirt but more than that, everyone gets to choose which charity of combination of charities gets a $100 donation from an anonymous donor. More...

Spectacular auction packages at An Island Affaire

ANNA MARIA – A bevy of spectacular live auction packages awaits bidders at An Island Affaire, the Island Community Center’s annual diner auction fundraiser, on Saturday, May 18, at the Island Community Center, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria.

Packages feature everything from exciting trips to delightful gourmet dining to sports experiences. A sampling of them includes: More...

Burglary suspect arrested

Holmes Beach Police responded to a burglary Sunday at the Mainsail boat dock on Marina Drive in reference to a burglary of fishing boats. According to a police department press release, numerous coolers, fishing nets and custom anchors were stolen off those vessels. Police photographed footprints left by the suspect on the decks and they also discovered the burglars entered the first boat from the water. More...

A bittersweet Endangered Species Day

Friday, May 17, is celebrated as Endangered Species Day, and our county’s namesake, the endangered manatee, has narrowly escaped being taken off the endangered species list.

The reason, however, is nothing to celebrate. More...

It's tarpon time

It’s one of the most incredible experiences in the angling world. The adrenalin produced is sure to quicken the heartbeat of the most seasoned angler and weaken the knees of the uninitiated. It’s tarpon fishing and now is the time when west coast anglers have access to this amazing sport fish. Savvy anglers know that May heralds the beginning of tarpon season, but this year the great fish arrived early, brought in most likely by rising water temperatures and the arrival of massive schools of baitfish. More...

Is it time to buy?

The real estate question for the ages is “When is the right time to buy?” Everyone wants to know the answer, which no one definitely has. It’s really all just speculation, opinion and a little bit of luck.

According to the National Association of Realtors, it’s more affordable to buy a house today than it has been in a long time. Today’s high affordability combines two factors – low prices and low interest rates. But the prices won’t be low for long and are already on a tear across the nation. More...

Kick back and relax at Salon Salon

What makes you feel pampered? Is it a day at the beach with a good book or is it shopping with your girlfriends, or maybe a spa day and lunch? Whatever fits your definition of being pampered you can find it all within walking distance in Anna Maria City.

The Pine Avenue restoration project has another new and fabulous addition to its portfolio of shops and eateries. Salon Salon on Pine Beauty Boutique & Spa opened in December of last year, offering visitors and local residents a full service salon in the heart of Anna Maria. More...

Men are from Mars, women are from Venus

The title of this article is that of the best-selling book by Dr. John Gray in the 1990s. The book, which attempted to describe the personality and emotional differences between the genders, sold over 50 million copies and remains in print today.

In the realm of investments and the process of giving and receiving investment advice, there are stark differences between males and females that are important for both the client, man or woman, and the advisor, man or woman, to understand to try to avoid miscommunication, or even worse, offending the other party. More...

Protect wildlife - build and plant sand dunes

HOLMES BEACH – This time next year, after the upcoming beach renourishment is completed, Anna Maria Island beaches will have more sand for sea turtles and shorebirds to nest in and on.

And Gulffront homeowners and resort owners can do their part to restore their private property adjoining the publicly-owned beach by learning to build and plant their own sand dunes. More...

Walter & Associates knock off Ross Built

In the 11-13-year-old Anna Maria Island Community center basketball league, second place Walter & Associates knocked off undefeated Ross Built Construction by a score of 46 to 34.

Dayton Modderman had a huge game recording a double-double. He scored 20 points with 23 rebounds. J.P Russo also scored 20 points and had 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Jack Heckler pitched in with 4 points and 13 rebounds for the Walter & Associate upset victory. More...

Work hard, play hard

So often for residents who live here much of the year, we settle into our routines and have to remind ourselves to play tourist from time to time. All of us have driven over the Causeway watching groups of kayaks drifting by. Today we were one of those groups. Several years ago, some of our neighbors in Key Royale organized a group of a few explorers. Now the e-mail distribution list includes dozens of participants or wannabes.

My husband and I had kayaks, but when his shoulder went out, we opted for a double kayak. That was a workout and not particularly fun, so we sold the kayaks. More...