Board: Ban parking on residential streets

HOLMES BEACH – In a move that is sure to create controversy, the Island Congestion Committee is recommending eliminating all parking on residential streets in the city.

Member Jayne Christenson introduced the idea at the group’s recent meeting, and members approved it. They plan to present it at today’s meeting of Barrier Island Elected Officials and at the July city commission work session. More...

Center crisis rolls on

ANNA MARIA – With the community still reeling from the news that the Island Community Center could be forced to close due to lack of funds, Executive Director Dawn Stiles shared her thoughts on the issues surrounding the announcement.

“Everyone had a different reaction to the meeting,” she said regarding the Save the Center community meeting held June 4. “The board members thought we should be open and ask for ideas. More...

Cities losing Homesteaded properties

Annual taxable property figures show a drop in the numbers of Homesteaded properties over the past three years.

Properties are eligible for a $25,000 per year reduction in their taxable value if they are owner occupied and the owner applies for the Florida Homestead Exemption. Seasonal residents who live in their Island homes for more than half the year are also eligible.

As Homesteaded properties are converted to vacation rentals, either by the owner or a developer, they are taken off the Homestead exempt list. When they are, they lose the cap on annual taxable value increases that the Homestead Act allows, which adds taxable value to the cities’ tax rolls, meaning more money for the cities. More...

Bob Johnson to run for mayor in Holmes Beach

HOLMES BEACH – Bob Johnson chair of the Charter Review Committee and a former member of the Island Congestion

Committee, announced Friday that he plans to run for mayor. “I think it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “I’ve been here 20 years, and it’s the right time for me to step up and help the city.”

Johnson said he is not running against Commissioner David Zaccagnino, who also plans to run for mayor, but is running “to do a job that needs to be done. More...

Five file for three positions

ANNA MARIA – All three incumbents are listed as seeking re-election in the Nov. 3 election this year.

Mayor SueLynn has qualified and will face competition from Dan Murphy, a Vietnam veteran who worked at teaching, newspapers, telecommunications and retail. He is a 36-year resident of Anna Maria Island with 21 years in the city of Anna Maria, according to his candidate statement. He lists hobbies as walking four to five miles a day with his wife, Barbara, playing bridge, gourmet cooking and enjoying his grandchildren. More...

Traffic sign ordinance changes pass

ANNA MARIA – After working on a number ordinances to deal with the influx of tourism, city commissioners finally got one past the final public hearing.

Commissioners on June 12 unanimously passed the amendments to the traffic sign ordinance that controls parking, pedestrian safety and parking on public streets.

The changes are intended to address safety concerns at Gulf Drive and Magnolia, where there is heavy pedestrian traffic; add a four-way stop at Gulf Drive and Coconut Avenue; and ban trucks rated at eight tons or more on Magnolia Avenue between South Bay Boulevard and Gulf Drive and Spring Avenue between South Bay Boulevard and Gulf Drive, unless they are making deliveries on those streets. More...

Sky lanterns to be grounded

Ground broken for cell tower

The partners of the Be Floridian fertilizer education campaign remind residents of Manatee County that they can’t apply nitrogen or phosphorous to lawn and landscape plants from June 1-Sept. 30.

But that doesn’t mean your grass will turn brown, shrivel up and die – garden centers offer a variety of summer-safe yard products that will help keep landscapes green and growing throughout the long, hot summer. Look for fertilizers with 0 as the first two numbers on the label, as in 0-0-6. These do not contain either nitrogen or phosphorous. More...

Improvements planned for Chappie Park

BRADENTON BEACH – Members of the Bermuda Bay Club Condominium Association are leading the effort to make public safety improvements to John Chappie Park; and if things go according to plans, the renovations will include a sea turtle education component.

In May, Bermuda Bay Club board member Erica Page presented the city with a check for $5,000 and expressed her hope that the money be used to address safety concerns. More...

Knots: strengthen the weakest link

Fishing tackle and techniques have never been more technical, but the most important component of the angling experience has never changed. You can have the latest tackle, the most refined technique and great luck and still come up short if you haven’t been careful when tying knots. Learning to tie knots properly may seem a small part of the fishing equation, but it is one of the most critical and overlooked.

You won’t meet many anglers who haven’t lost a great fish to an improperly tied knot. You don’t need to master a lot of knots, but learn the basic ones, tie them correctly and you’ll improve the likelihood of landing that fish you’ve been working so hard entice. More...

Renting vs. buying – the age old question

Has the American dream changed? Are the current generation of potential home buyers passing on homeownership and opting for renting, or is the yard with the white picket fence bordered with tulips popping their heads up in the spring still real?

So much has changed in the last 10 years. Not only the real estate market, that at one point seemed to reach the heavens and then fell to earth, but also the mobility of younger workers easily relocating to follow opportunities. All of this has changed everyone’s attitude about buying a home compared to renting, but usually the real decision is made when you do the math. More...

Stock market may move higher

In the 1960s there was a TV show called “Lost in Space.” The robot became famous for a phrase still used today by those of us who grew up watching the show. “Danger Will Robinson” was heard on just about every episode when the robot warned the young boy on the show to get ready to run.

In the last few months we seem to be having warnings of “Danger Investors” from many of the talking heads on financial television and website based advice shows. Stocks here in the U.S. are certainly not inexpensive after a five year run, which has seen major indexes move up by over 150 percent. The only correction greater than 10 percent during that run came in the summer of 2011 with the decline bordering on bear market territory – a 19 percent decline for the S&P 500 Index. More...

Two unbeatens fall

The adult co-ed spring league seasons are winding down in the Anna Maria Island Community Center leagues. All of the youth division leagues are now concluded and leave just the adult co-ed basketball, kickball and soccer leagues to finish up with tournament play beginning this week.

As the league’s wrap up, it is time for the end of the season tournaments in each sport. These tournaments are very important and will determine who will be crowned champions in their respective sports. More...