GRANNY GET YOUR GUN

HOLMES BEACH – NJ Logan has the distinction of likely being the only Island resident to have graced the pages of the National Enquirer, the Washington Times and the United Kingdom’s Daily Mail.

Labeled by multiple headline writers as “The pistol-packing Granny,” Logan experienced a flash of notoriety in August, when the 80-year-old grabbed her loaded .38-caliber revolver and chased a couple of burglars from her Holmes Beach town home that she shares with her husband, Ray Maguire. At the time of the incident, Maguire was at a local country club playing bridge. More...

Millage, budget criticized

HOLMES BEACH –Several residents protested the millage rate and questioned the budget process during the city’s first budget public hearing last week.

Treasurer Lori Hill said the proposed millage rate is 1.75, a 7.02 increase from the rollback millage rate of 1.6352, and explained, “The rollback rate is the millage rate that would have to be levied to generate the same amount of revenue as last year.”

“I see it as a tax increase,” resident James Kihm said. “You’re looking for an opportunity to spend our money.” More...

City seeks bids for trash collection

HOLMES BEACH – After hearing a litany of complaints about Waste Management solid waste collection, city commissioners agreed to seek proposals for the service.

One resident said he purchased a condo on 74th Street and the beach access trash barrels were full over Labor Day weekend and still have not been emptied.

A property manager for Island Vacation Properties said he spends “countless hours on the phone with Waste Management” regarding issues such as non-pickup, no back door pickup and lids left off the cans. More...

Commissioners air concerns about county agreement

HOLMES BEACH – Calling it a document with phrases “you can drive a Mack truck through,” Human Services Analyst Mary Buonagura advised city commissioners to highlight language they are unhappy with in a Manatee County resolution on the use of beach concession revenues.

County officials have said they plan to use surplus beach concession revenues for Island projects that all three cities agree on and have submitted a draft resolution establishing the guidelines. More...

Island Time honors first responders

BRADENTON BEACH – Saturday afternoon, the staff and patrons of Island Time Bar & Grill helped raise more than $3,000 for the Manatee County Emergency Services Memorial Fund.

Sponsored in part by The Sun, the four-hour, 9/11-inspired Tribute to Heroes fund-raiser included a free buffet for first responders and veterans, a silent auction, a 50-50 raffle, T-shirt sales and the donation of the business establishment’s afternoon net profits.

“We obtained our goal, raising $500 more than we did last year,” said Island Time owner Bill Herlihy, as the fourth annual event concluded. More...

Noise ordinance approved in Holmes Beach

HOLMES BEACH – After yet another revision since its January introduction, city commissioners approved the second reading of the city’s noise ordinance last week.

At the ordinance’s first reading, resident Maro Lorimer, asked that continuous equipment noise be limited to 40 decibels, and commissioners lowered it to 50 decibels.

Lorimer again asked commissioner to lower it further, and Chair Judy Titsworth said she could be comfortable with 45 decibels. More...

Anna Maria raises a grand for ALS

ANNA MARIA – The city turned into a village Friday afternoon as residents joined in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge at the entrance to the city pier to raise money for local victims of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Paul Davis, who heads the city’s sheriff’s patrol, quickly put together the project, which worked seamlessly. Tickets were available at city hall, and staff drew a winning ticket at the pier for the person to pour the icy water over Davis. The money raised goes to the ALS Association’s local Loaner Closet, where victims of the debilitating disease get special equipment needed during a certain stage, and when the need passes, they return it for someone else to use. More...

Millage and budget tentatively approved

BRADENTON BEACH – Commissioners agreed to leave the current millage rate in place for the 2014-2015 fiscal year with no rollback rate to account for increased property values, but they remain divided on the use of cell tower revenue to pay for stormwater improvements.

City Treasurer Sheila Dalton presented the proposed millage rate and new fiscal year budget on Wednesday, during the first of two scheduled public hearings. More...

Chief and vice mayor take ALS plunge

BRADENTON BEACH –Police Chief Sam Speciale and Vice Mayor Jack Clarke took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Friday afternoon, responding to a challenge issued by Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer.

Jake Spooner, owner of the Fish Hole adventure golf facility, donated $200 to the ALS Association in exchange for the honor of dumping ice water on the police chief.

On behalf of Drift In owner Joe Cuervo and his $100 pledge, Mark Messina soaked the vice mayor. More...

Torpedoes in the surf

While the dog days of summer can be one of the most perplexing times of the year to find and catch fish, they also offer one of the most exciting challenges-- sight fishing snook in the surf! The fishing offers all of the challenges that fly anglers enjoy. First and foremost there’s nothing quite as exciting as making a presentation to the fish that you can actually see and get a chance to gauge their response to your fly and presentation. In addition it’s easy, involves very little equipment and can be productive most of the day.

Steve Stanley, a local angler, considers this one of the most exciting ways to fly fish and has perfected some techniques that have yielded some impressive catches. Stanley retired as senior vice president of construction for the OSI Restaurant Partners LLC (Outback, Carrabba's, Fleming’s Steak House), lives in St Pete and has a home on Anna Maria Island. Fishing for snook in the surf has been a passion of his for years, and I spoke to him recently about his tackle and techniques. More...

Harbour Landings just over the bridge

Not everyone wants to live on an island. As wondrous as Anna Maria Island living can be, there are a few drawbacks, not the least of which are the two bridges that cross over to the Island. So if you’re looking for an island feel without crossing a bridge, you may need to take a look at what’s right over the bridge.

Harbour Landings is a community of over 100 homes and townhouses located within the Cortez community on the north side of Cortez Road. For many years, this large track of waterfront land remained vacant, but around 2002, lots started selling, and Mediterranean style homes started going up. More...

What to look for in an advisor

Investors have options when choosing a financial advisor to help them develop and implement their investment plan. Some of these are quantitative differences (how the advisor gets paid) and others more qualitative (personality, trust, integrity, etc.).

Let’s start with the quantitative decisions. Advisors generally fall into one of two categories, but some fall into both. The first category is “fee-only advisors”. These advisors maintain an agreement with their clients that specifies the rate of compensation for services. The services may be billed at a flat rate, or more commonly as a percentage of assets under management. These advisors are normally registered investment advisors that are required by federal and state regulations to disclose all conflicts of interest to their clients up-front. These advisors do not sell financial products for transaction-based or commission-based income. The fees paid directly by their clients are the sole source of income. More...

Sensational soccer

The adult co-ed spring soccer season comes to a climatic conclusion this week at the Anna Maria Island Community Center.

The soccer buzz is all over the world right now due to the FIFA World Cup in soccer. The most popular sport on planet earth has fans reeling and soccer fans on the Island are no different. What a perfect time for the conclusion of the Center’s adult soccer season.

Upsets were prevalent in last week’s first round of the playoffs. Three out of the four tournament playoff games were won by the underdog seeded team. Again this shows the parity of the Center’s drafting system in the sports leagues and how any team can win on any given night. More...