Thompson named Center director

ANNA MARIA – The Island Community Center board of directors on Monday, Nov. 24, named Cindy Thompson as the new executive director.

Thompson, who has been serving as interim director since the departure of Executive Director Dawn Stiles Nov. 14, explained, “I never intended to be a candidate for a permanent executive director position. I was told by the board that I was needed, and when asked to step up, I could not say no.”

The board vote was unanimous and board members were quick to praise Thompson’s quick action as interim director. More...

Discrimination charge received by city

BRADENTON BEACH – The city has received a Notice of Charge of Discrimination from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), according to Mayor Bill Shearon and acting City Clerk Terri Sanclemente.

Shearon confirmed that the notice was received Friday, Nov. 1, and pertained to former City Clerk Gia Lancaster, who was terminated by the city commission in October. Shearon and Sanclemente provided no details as to the specific nature of the EEOC notice.

Shearon forwarded the notice to legal counsel and his fellow commissioners, and public records attorney Mark Barnebey determined the EEOC document to be currently exempt from release to the public. More...

Carol Soustek appointed to commission seat

HOLMES BEACH – City commissioners last week appointed Carol Soustek to fill the seat vacated when former Commissioner David Zaccagnino resigned to run for mayor.

Commissioner Marvin Grossman made the nomination stating that Soustek is a 25-year resident who has been a long time member of AMI Turtle Watch, a member of Save Anna Maria, currently serves as chair of the Island Congestion Committee and is a hard worker who gets things done.

However, Commissioner Jean Peelen said, while she agrees with Grossman about Soustek, she would like the commission to take applications for the position. More...

City seeks $100,000 for Grassy Point

HOLMES BEACH – City Commissioners last week approved a letter asking the Manatee County Tourist Development Council for $100,000 to build a boardwalk at Grassy Point.

Commissioner Jean Peelen presented the letter and said the city is willing to match the funding and the boardwalk will cost $200,000. It will connect East Bay Drive with Grassy Point. More...

City asked to address multi-bedroom rentals

HOLMES BEACH – Resident Dick Motzer asked city commissioners to do more to address the issue of rental houses in residential neighborhoods that advertise large numbers of bedrooms.

“We appreciate the efforts of the commission in taking the measures that they have in an attempt to curb the blight of overdevelopment in our city,” he said.

“We know that the commission worked long and hard on the changes that have been made to date. However, it is apparent that there are still loopholes and more needs to be done.” More...

Mandatory trash services questioned

BRADENTON BEACH – While conducting extensive renovations to two rental cottages, property manager Michael Vinhage was surprised to learn that trash service cannot be temporarily suspended for unoccupied buildings. This provision also applies to homes occupied by seasonal residents.

In September, Bischof Investments LLC received from Waste Pro an $816 annual trash bill for the two units located at 2104 and 2106 Ave. B that were last occupied in January.

Because the contractor doing the renovations is providing a dumpster for construction waste, Vinhage attempted to contact Waste Pro in an effort to have trash services suspended until the renovations are completed early next year. More...

Culinary celebration serves children’s charities

Join the Midtown Holiday Celebration at AMI Centre

HOLMES BEACH – Get in the holiday spirit at a Midtown Holiday Celebration at the Anna Maria Island Centre on East Bay Drive on Thursday, Dec. 11, from 5 to 9 p.m.

“I was talking with John Clark, of AMI Beach Fun, and we wondered why everyone else has a holiday open house and we don’t,” explained organizer Rebecca St. Jean, of Island Mail and More. “He talked to officials at Benderson (the company that owns the shopping center), and they said we could do it, but we’d have to pay for it.”

“We presented it to the other merchants, and most all of them were in favor, so we came up with a game plan,” added Rebecca’s husband, Eric. More...

Island gets first Little Free Library

ANNA MARIA – Thanks to Pat and Doug Copeland, Anna Maria Island now has its first Little Free Library.

Operating under the international organization’s motto, “Take a book, return a book,” the Copelands’ Little Free Library (LFL) is also believed to be the first one registered to a private residence in Manatee County. The county operates several LFLs at county parks and preserves, including one near the entry to the Robinson Preserve.

What is a Little Free Library, you ask?

“In its most basic form, a Little Free Library is a box full of books where anyone may stop by and pick up a book (or two) and bring another book to share,” says the LFL website. More...

Polarized sunglasses a must

Polarized sunglasses are an essential tool for anglers. Polarized lenses reduce the amount of visible light that passes through the glasses, protecting the eye and cutting the surface glare, making fish visible below the waters' surface. This ability is indispensable when sight fishing or looking for signs of fish.

Many anglers choose their glasses according to style, not realizing that the color of the lenses and other factors determine their real effectiveness. Color is important, but it’s just one of the choices that you will need to make to get the most from your sunglasses.

After choosing a frame that’s comfortable, fits your face and prevents light penetration, lens color is the most important component. Anglers who fish blue water and spend long hours over the open sea should buy grey lenses. Grey provides natural contrast and minimizes color distortion in the deeper blue waters encountered offshore. More...

Is your home exactly like you?

We’re a nation of individuals, and like individuals,we want our possessions to reflect our individual style. But if your individual style is a little too individual, it could spell disaster when selling a home.

Once upon a time in the early days of my real estate career, I listed a multi-million property with 400 feet of waterfront on a lovely harbor off of the Long Island Sound. Naturally, I was excited to land this level property and convinced myself that the little quirky things about the home would not be noticed because of its spectacular location.

Boy was I wrong. The temperature in the oversize indoor pool was suffocating, even in January, and the chlorine fumes were hard to ignore. The two-story squash court didn’t do much for most buyers, and who didn’t love the plastic flowers in the window boxes? More...

Lucky number 5

The debate about whether the stock market faces a big decline or has the potential to move higher continues on a daily basis in the media. With the current bull market over 5 ½ years old, the fourth longest on record without being interrupted by a 20 percent or greater decline, I think that adopting a cautious attitude is the proper thing to do. However, there are some compelling historical trends which support the idea of higher stock prices in 2015.

First, there is the widely followed presidential election cycle theory, which averages the performance of the four years of the election cycle to see which tend to provide good or poor performance. Averaging long-term history in this way shows that years one and two of the four-year cycle tend to be the weakest, and years three and four the strongest for stock returns. More...

AMICC co-ed basketball champions

Gator Squad 59
Duncan Real Estate 47

There can be only one winner, and for this season, it is the Gator Squad led by Captain Aaron Duduks. Duduks tied teammate Brandon Osmond with 17 points to take their team to victory, capturing the Anna Maria Island Community Center winter co-ed basketball championship on Nov. 25. The dynamic Duncan Real Estate crew did not go down without a fight.

Lightning speed and tenacity is what put Duncan Real Estate’s Andrew Turman at the top of the leader board with 22 points. Captain Ray Gardner used his agility and amazing vertical talents to add 18 points for Duncan. Jordan Demers put up five points and four rebounds, while Jonathan Moss added two on the line and six rebounds for Duncan Real Estate before the top seed Gator Squad nailed the door shut in the fourth quarter. More...