Request seeks fewer drawbridge openings ...

The Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization is asking the U.S. Coast Guard to reduce the frequency of drawbridge openings in Manatee and Sarasota counties to alleviate traffic congestion year around.

In a resolution passed on Monday, the MPO noted that “the delays on the roads serving the island communities… are no longer seasonal in nature.”

The Coast Guard has the final say on the issue. More...

... while some hail water taxi idea

HOLMES BEACH – Officials discussed ways to reduce the number of vehicles on the islands at last week’s meeting of island elected officials.

Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy said he has spoken with Manatee County Administrator Ed Hunzeker about a water taxi and “marketing it to people who work on the Island. It would have to be subsidized by the county to make it viable because you have to make it cheap for people who work.”

He said the city is seeking providers who might be interested.

Bradenton Beach Mayor Jack Clarke said he also has been considering a water taxi from the city’s pier and has spoken to two independent operators. More...

Parking enforcers have just the ticket

ANNA MARIA – The city parking enforcement team has just the ticket for those who park illegally, and each violation is worth $35, but parking in a handicap zone will set someone back a bit more – $225.

The city’s new Code Enforcement Manager Pam Gibbs patrols on weekdays, and she is out from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Gibbs and another team member patrol on weekends from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“We’re still in the finding phase for patrols in order to see how much we’re actually going to need on weekends,” Gibbs explained.

She said during the upcoming July 4 holiday, she hopes to have eight parking enforcers on patrol from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. More...

Anna Maria’s Sgt. Davis ‘heads’ fund-raiser

ANNA MARIA – The head of the city’s Sheriff’s Office substation is offering his head in a fund-raiser for a local child fighting cancer.

Sgt. Paul Davis’ campaign is called “Give a shave for Gianna,” and the lucky ticketholder will get to shave his head.

“Gianna Lesselroth is a 3-year-old girl with acute lymphoblastic leukemia,” he explained. “Her fight has now taken her to Boston for a yearlong treatment. Insurance will not cover family expenses of flights to and from Boston, subway fares/car rentals, food, etc.” More...

Increased police for July 4

The Holmes Beach Police Department believes with the cancelation of the fireworks at the Beach House restaurant in Bradenton Beach on July 3 there will be an increased number of residents and visitors in Holmes Beach on July 4th for the fireworks display at the Sandbar restaurant in Anna Maria.

For that reason it will have an increased presence with extra officers working the holiday weekend paying close attention to alcohol violations, fireworks violations, parking violations and traffic concerns.

According to the Holmes Beach city ordinance, fireworks are prohibited. Fireworks are defined in Florida State Statute as exploding, launching or projectile fireworks, and they are Illegal. Illegal fireworks will be seized, and a violation will be issued to anyone who possesses them. More...

Trolley, Chamber grants awarded

BRADENTON BEACH – As part of the ongoing Save the Trolley - Giving Back grant program, the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce partnered with Manatee County to distribute more than $50,000 to local organizations Thursday night.

“What we’ve given away in grants in last year and half are from funds collected from 2011 to 2014. In the last year and a half, a little more than $140,000 have been given to Island non-profits and not for profits,” said Chamber Vice President Terri Kinder. More...

Tree house appeal denied

HOLMES BEACH – The Second District Court of Appeal has denied an appeal of a judge’s ruling upholding the Code Enforcement Board’s 2013 order regarding the tree house on the beach in front of Angelino’s Sea Lodge.

David Levin, attorney for tree house owners Lynn Tran and Richard Hazen, filed the appeal after Circuit Judge Janette Dunnigan’s ruling last fall. The one word denial gave no reason for the ruling, which is not final until the time expires to file a rehearing motion on June 29. More...

Robertson’s claims deemed inaccurate

BRADENTON BEACH – City Clerk Terri Sanclemente and other city officials dispute Commissioner Janie Robertson’s recent claim that Sanclemente was fired during her previous stint with the city.

In a newspaper story that appeared last week, Robertson claimed Sanclemente was fired by Deputy Clerk Karen Cervetto in 2012 while longtime Clerk Nora Idso was out sick. She also claimed Idso supported the firing.

In regard to Sanclemente being appointed city clerk, Robertson was quoted as saying she was “grossly un-credentialed.” More...

Summertime wines

Summer is here – June 21 officially – not that you can tell by any significant change in our weather. One thing's for sure though, we all like to enjoy a drink of something cool and refreshing for the next several months, whether while laying next to the pool or paired with your barbeque dinner that evening. It would seem appropriate to take a few minutes to look at the myriad of choices available in the world of wine today.

One of the good things happening in the United States wine market is the resurgence of rosé wines. For many years, rosé had an ambiguous reputation as a fruity, feminine summer wine. It was assumed to be sweet and simple, usually associated with white zinfandel. More...

Fishing with Captain Aaron Lowman

The first time I met Captain Aaron Lowman, he was a youngster and working at his dad Bill’s store, Island Discount Tackle in Holmes Beach. Fast forward more years than I want to remember, and Lowman is a captain working out of Keyes Marina. Recently I heard that he had caught a sailfish off Anna Maria and thought, since it’s a bit of a rare catch, that it should be published in the Sun. When I contacted Lowman, he confirmed that he was fishing a wreck about 30 miles offshore for kingfish when a sailfish ate a free lined live shiner. He quickly photographed, revived and released it alive. He sent me the picture, which was published in the Sun, and we made a plan to get out on the water together.

We finally agreed to meet on Thursday June 18, at Keyes Marina, where he keeps his boat. I arrived about five minutes before our meeting time of 6:30, thinking that Lowman wasn’t around. No sooner had that thought crossed my mind when I saw him idling to the dock right on time with a baitwell full of shiners. More...

Appraiser guidelines

We keep talking about the appreciating market we’re back in, which is looking similar to the run up to the real estate bubble. But there are several changes and guidelines that were enacted in 2010 after the bubble burst that were designed to avoid some of the same careless behavior that went on at that time. One of the most important changes is related to the role of the real estate appraiser.

The role of the appraiser in a real estate transaction is quite different from that of the broker or sale associate, who is a representative of either both the buyer and the seller or one or the other. The real estate appraiser, however, represents no one in the transaction. An appraiser is mandated to develop a report that is impartial, objective and represents an independent opinion of the value of the property. An appraiser must be free of bias and is specifically prohibited from advocating the cause of any party. More...

Are stock prices in a bubble? – Part II

A little over 1 ½ years ago I wrote an article which appeared here in the Sun. The topic was whether or not the stock market was in a bubble phase due to excessive speculation. At that time, the financial media and press were obsessed with talking about stocks being over-valued, and how the bursting of the bubble was soon to come.

Bubbles in asset class prices include irrational behavior by a majority of investors, who get swept up into believing that prices will continue to rise, and they ignore all fundamentals of business and economics. We are not talking here about a normal bull–bear stock market cycle where corrections of 10 to 30 percent happen every few years. These corrections keep the market from becoming too speculative in nature, which eventually results in very over-valued market. These true bubbles occur les frequently and usually result in price declines of 50 percent or more. More...

Pushing to the playoffs: AMICC adult co-ed soccer heats up

Not only is the weather heating up on Anna Maria Island, but so is the adult co-ed soccer season at the Anna Maria Island Community Center. With only one regular game left in the spring season, this week’s action on the pitch will not disappoint. In the adult soccer league, the point system determines the standings, and the four matches on Thursday night will determine the playoff bracket with games starting on Thursday, July 2. Each game matters.

The points leader so far this season, Team 11mangang, battled against Island Pest Control Team smiledeep last Thursday night. Team smiledeep is one of four teams with a tied record going into the last week of regular season play with a total of nine points. More...

Tuesday Turtle Talks continue

Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring offers free Tuesday Turtle Talks each Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Annie Silver Community Center, 103 23rd St. in Bradenton Beach.

No reservations are required for the program, which highlights 35 years of turtle and shorebird nesting history on Anna Maria Island.

Free souvenirs include temporary turtle tattoos and the Flippers and Feathers Activity book. Shirts and hats will be available for purchase.

Doors open at 9:30 a.m. so you can visit with the crew that monitors AMI shorelines every morning. More...