Mainsail hearing set for Friday

HOLMES BEACH – City Attorney Patricia Petruff told commissioners that the special magistrate hearing on the Mainsail Development Company’s request for relief under the state’s private property rights act and the city’s dispute resolution procedure is set for Friday, June 21.

She said the hearing would be held in the activity room of CrossPointe Fellowship, 8605 Gulf Drive beginning at 9.m. The public is permitted to attend. More...

Cortez Bridge survey shows extremes

BRADENTON BEACH – If attendees at a hearing on the future of the Cortez Bridge April 30 have their way, the 57-year old drawbridge would either be refurbished or replaced by a high-level, fixed span.

The results of that information-gathering meeting have been made public on the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) website on the bridge, http://www.cortezbridge.com/. More...

City to seek share of TDC funds

HOLMES BEACH – Commissioners said the Island cities should be receiving a share of the tourist tax to fund Island needs such as infrastructure.

The Tourist Development Council (TDC) makes recommendations to Manatee County Commissioners on the expenditure of tourist tax revenues. More...

New Anna Maria commissioner chosen

ANNA MARIA – Longtime resident and Planning and Zoning Board member Doug Copeland was chosen to finish the term of former Commission Chair John Quam, who resigned after purchasing a house in northwest Bradenton.

The commission did not have to choose between Copeland and P&Z member Carol Carter, who also qualified because she took herself out of the running at the city commission work session on Thursday, June 13. She cited Copeland’s “vast experience” with the board in making him qualified, “to work doggedly in the spirit of the comprehensive plan to assure the future for us and everybody else,” she said. More...

Residents weigh in on amplified music

HOLMES BEACH – The city has received numerous e-mails and letters regarding permitting amplified music outdoors, especially with regard to the Barefoot Tiki Bar across the street from city hall.

While amplified music is not allowed for outdoor dining, the city allows all day amplified rock music in the city hall park. Commissioners recently realized how inconsistent the city is with regard to its noise ordinance and agreed to completely overhaul it. More...

Tree house petition accepted

HOLMES BEACH – Commissioners accepted an initiative petition from Richard Hazen and Lynn Tran regarding their proposed ordinance approving the tree house structure at 103 29th St., which the city has declared illegal.

The initiative process is provided for in the city’s charter and gives voters the power to propose ordinances to the city commission. Any five qualified voters can begin initiative proceedings by filing with the city clerk and forming a petitioner’s committee. More...

Tree house code board hearing postponed

HOLMES BEACH – The Code Enforcement Board hearing on Lynn Tran and Richard Hazen’s tree house has been postponed.

The city’s building official Tom O’Brien has ruled that the tree house at 103 39th St. is a structure that requires a building permit, in addition to other violations. It was slated to go before the code enforcement board on June 20. More...

Group discusses cell phone tower offers

ANNA MARIA – Representatives of the three bidders for designing, installing and operating the city’s cell phone tower met with members of the cell tower committee on Monday, June 10, to discuss details and the three bidders’ answers to a set of questions sent to them.

The city is seeking a company that can design and build a cell phone tower in the parking lot of city hall. The winning bidder would also handle renting space on the tower to cell phone carriers. More...

Petition opposes Long Bar Pointe

CORTEZ - Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH) Treasurer and former County Commissioner Jane Von Hahmann is among those circulating and promoting a petition drive opposing the proposed Long Bar Pointe development.

The massive project would be located on Manatee County’s western shoreline and along El Conquistador Parkway in Bradenton, south of the 75th Street West roundabout. More...

Long Bar Pointe zoning changes ill-conceived

My first introduction to the flats along what is now known as Long Bar Pointe was courtesy of G.B. Knowles, the late Island resident and Sun outdoor writer. Knowles told me stories of big schools of redfish that frequented the shallow grass beds along the undeveloped shoreline on the east side of Sarasota Bay. This was in the early 80s, long before flats fishing was a concept that had taken hold north of the Florida Keys. More...

What the heck happened?

Imagine waking up from a long afternoon nap, maybe on the beach or in the hammock, and not really knowing where you are or what went on during the time you were snoozing. As much as I hate to admit it, I think I’ve been snoozing.

I just woke up – no not literately, but figuratively – and what I woke up to are the asking prices of properties on the Island. For several months I’ve been commenting on the listing prices of homes advertised in this paper, frequently accompanied by a loud gasp. I finally decided to take a closer look, which really made me catch my breath. More...

Food fast and fab at Judy's

Fast food has become a mainstay of American life and it certainly serves a purpose. It’s affordable, it’s tasty and most of the time it’s fast. But don’t you sometimes wish that your food could be fast without being fast food. If you’re tired of eating your breakfast facing a steering wheel, but think that’s all you have the time for, I have a tip for you.

Last October Judy and Ozzie Hidri and Cindy Bannister opened Judy’s restaurant in the large bright location of a former restaurant on Cortez Road in the Mount Vernon Plaza. The new owners are originally from Wisconsin, with Cindy Bannister relocating seven years ago after frequently vacationing in the area, followed by her sister, Judy Hidri, and Judy's husband, Ozzie, finally making the move nine months ago. More...

ETFs and ETNs – horses of a different color

Exchange Traded Funds (aka ETFs) and Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs) appear to be very similar when viewed as prospective investment vehicles by the individual investor. Some important differences may never come into play, but should be understood before investing your capital.

First, let’s review the similarities. Both ETFs and ETNs are easily bought or sold on any day the financial markets are open for business. In other words, they offer a high level of liquidity if you need your money for some other purpose. More...

Look out below

It’s that time of year when nature is renewing itself just off Anna Maria Island’s beaches.

Sea turtles are mating offshore and swimming ashore to lay their nests. Next month, their hatchlings will be bursting out of the nests and running (as fast as turtles with tiny little flippers can run) to the Gulf of Mexico. More...

Gator Man Pools – basketball champions

The Anna Maria Island Community Center’s 2013 adult co-ed basketball league finished its season last week. The number four seeded Gator Man Pools team had to take the long road to get to the finals, but it paid off in the end.

In the semi-final game, Gator Man Pools faced the number one seeded Island Sun team. Gator Man was down at the half 23 to 26 and stormed back in the second half to defeat the Island Sun team 60-47 More...

The value of coaching

You may ask, “I’ve read so much about why becoming vegan or vegetarian is great for your health, animals, the environment and your wallet, but how do you do it? Where do you start?”

I get this question daily. You would think that in a world with so much information on the Internet and Amazon, it would be super easy. When I almost died of a colon blockage 33 years ago, I ran to the health food store and read all five books on fiber. That’s all there was at the time. It was easy to start. More...