The Anna Maria Island Sun Newspaper


Vol. 16 No. 35 - June 29, 2016

headlines

County approves half-cent sales tax for Nov. ballot

BRADENTON – In a historical show of unity, the four island mayors made their case before the Manatee County Commission regarding the distribution of a proposed half-cent sales tax.

According to an ordinance approved by Manatee County commissioners, the tax, if approved by voters in November, would be distributed based on population as provided in Florida Statute. The island mayors' proposal would have allocated 90 percent based on a population formula and 10 percent based on collections of the tourist bed tax to recognize the impact of tourism on their infrastructure.

While they were unsuccessful in that attempt, county commissioners did agree to meet with the island mayors regarding funding specific island projects.

Commission discussion

In the initial discussion on the ordinance, Commissioner John Chappie said the island mayors' concerns merit discussion and noted, "Due to tourist impact, they are struggling to meet the basic needs of the population. The effect on the islands is disproportionate as compared to the mainland."

Commissioner Betsy Benac said she was concerned about challenges to the ordinance if it were changed. County Attorney Mitchell Palmer said in order to change the distribution, there would have to be an interlocal agreement with the largest municipality, the city of Bradenton, but Benac said Bradenton city officials are not in favor of that change.

Benac and Commissioner Charles Smith said they understand that the island cities are hurting from the impact of tourism and that the county could fund a specific island project.

Chair Vanessa Baugh pointed out that through a sales tax, everybody, including tourists, pay, and Commissioner Larry Bustle stressed, "To stop now and negotiate an interlocal agreement would drag this down. Its passage is so important we need to keep moving."

Commissioner Carol Whitmore said there are many projects on and near the islands on the list for funding through the sales tax including lifeguard towers, bathrooms at Coquina Beach, boat ramps at Kingfish and boardwalks at Leffis Key.

Commissioner Robin DiSabatino, who was absent, said in an e-mail, "With the population shifting between homesteaders, snow birds, part timers and tourists, there may need to be different means of calculating a fairer distribution of future resources."

Bustle made a motion to approve the ordinance, and Benac seconded it.

Island officials speak

Longboat Key Town Manager Dave Bullock said while the four island mayors support the tax and understand the county's needs, to base the tax distribution on population does not recognize the unique situation of the barrier islands, which only represent 2.5 percent of the total population of Manatee County.

He said the island cities generate almost 60 percent of the tourist development tax, but "when it comes to funding infrastructure in the island cities, most of that revenue is generated by property taxes, so that 2.5 percent of the population is paying for infrastructure supporting many more thousand people than reside there."

Longboat Key Mayor Jack Duncan said, "We're trying to get a stake in the ground and make this issue something you become aware of."

The population of Anna Maria Island is dropping 20 percent a year, while the tourist population continues to grow," Holmes Beach Mayor Bob Johnson pointed out.

"This was a way to moderate that based on the needs," he said, and encouraged all "to work together to get some rebalancing done."

Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy stressed, "You know what we are and what our needs are and hope you take it into consideration in the future."

"This is an opportunity for the county commission to work with us. We're getting overwhelmed," Bradenton Beach Mayor Bill Shearon added.

Holmes Beach Commissioner Jean Peelen said a third of the year, the islands support four to five times as many tourists as residents, so the distribution based on population doesn't make sense.

She also pointed out that the four island cities generated $859,000 in one month in tourist tax dollars for the county and said, "We are contributing greatly to the county's financial situation."

Public comment

Barbara Hines, of Holmes Beach, said there is a party house next to her where people yell and scream in the pool at all hours of the night and stressed, 'We're spending our money on infrastructure that is destroying our way of life. Our problems are the result of your actions."

She supports the mayors' request, said Nancy Deal, of Holmes Beach,

Palmetto Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant, said she supports the population distribution and urged all to work together because "the public doesn't need to see us in disagreement."

"The largest population cites would get the most money because more of the tax would be collected there," Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston pointed out. "The island mayors want more of the money than their population would allow them. They want a cut off the top."

He said all need to speak with one voice and that using population gives it the best chance of getting approved by voters.

Commissioners reply

Whitmore said she represents 360,000 people, and her constituents on the mainland support the distribution by population, but added, "I'll do whatever it takes to make sure the island voices are heard."

Chappie amended the original motion to use the language provided by the island mayors regarding the tax distribution, but it failed.

"Any effort to derail the motion on the floor would throw the baby out with the bath water," Bustle claimed.

"We can't continue to put the most of the burden on the island property owners," Chappie stressed. "The stress is building and building, and we need your help.

"It's important that we continue not just talking, but with actions. The islands are part of your community."

Commissioners unanimously approved the original motion.

Chappie then made a motion "to direct the county administrator to schedule a joint work session with the four island mayors and the county commissioners to work with them to develop an understanding of the infrastructure and programs the mayors believe to be impacted by tourism."

Smith seconded the motion, and Baugh attempted to add the cities of Bradenton and Palmetto to the motion, but was unsuccessful.

Duncan pointed out, "We want to make it clear that we are very supportive of this referendum. We wanted to open the discussion. We want to have a serious conversation about this. We want your help. This is a great thing you're doing and the right thing to do"

Chappie's motion was approved unanimously.

Grossman fails to qualify for election

HOLMES BEACH – Commissioner Marvin Grossman did not qualify for re-election last week because he failed to open a campaign bank account, City Clerk Stacey Johnston said Friday.

Grossman along with Mayor Bob Johnson and City Commissioner Judy Titsworth were up for re-election in November. Johnson qualified for his second term and Titsworth qualified for her third term, but no one else qualified, leaving Grossman's seat open. It would have been Grossman's third term.

According to the city charter:

• Sec. 11.01– (4) In the event that a vacancy on the commission exists because of an insufficiency of candidates, the remaining members of the commission shall fill the vacancy by appointment (by majority vote) of an individual qualified as required by Section 3.02, and the appointee shall serve until the next city general election.

• Sec. 3.02 – Any elector of the city shall be eligible to hold the office of city commission member, provided the elector has resided in the city for at least two consecutive years immediately prior to the date of qualifying for office.

While the appointee shall serve until the next city general elections, according to Sec. 3.07, "The unexpired term, if any, shall be filled by election at such city general election." This means that the remainder of the two-year term will be up for election in 2017.

Fourth features food, fun and fireworks

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

SUN file photo

Sissy and Tom Quinn's 1919 Ford Model-T is always a
hit at the parades.

Once again, the Anna Maria Island Privateers will be honoring our nation's birthday with their annual Fourth of July Parade, but the Island's pirates will be passing out scholarships at a new location this year.

That doesn't mean the parade has changed. It will still start at Coquina Beach at 10 a.m. and travel the length of the Island to Anna Maria City Pier.

The public is welcome to participate as long as they don't try to walk the whole route and as long as they sign up at www.amiprivateers.org. Participants are welcome to toss beads and candy, but forewarned: the Privateers love to fire their cannons, so you can expect to experience the sounds and smell of the artillery at any time.

Participants are urged to decorate their rides, whether they are cars, trucks, golf carts or bikes, but no political ads, please.

The Privateers will be giving out scholarships at a new location, the Ugly Grouper, 5704 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, after the parade.

The Privateers will hand out more than $11,000 worth of scholarships to worthy students, using money the charitable pirates raised during the year.

Fireworks show in Anna Maria

For the 30th year, the Sandbar restaurant will host its "Fireworks Extravaganza" on the Fourth. The fireworks display is open to all to see and there will also be a VIP party that offers front row seats under the open-air Sandbar event pavilion. The VIP package includes food, drinks, party favors and valet parking. The menu includes customized appetizers and dinner items featuring fresh from the Gulf seafood, Florida heritage foods and farm-to-fork items from owner Ed Chiles' Gamble Creek farm.

There will also be desserts and lots of liquid refreshments. Those who are staying on the Island should consider taking the free Island Trolley to avoid parking hassles or driving home after drinking.

For more information on purchasing tickets to the VIP party, call Patti McKee at 778-8709 or pmckee@chilesgroup.com. The fireworks show is weather-dependent and there are no refunds for inclement weather. Call 941-778-0444 for more information or visit www.islanddining.com.

Think before you light up

Fireworks that launch or explode are illegal in Florida, but some people like to use them on the beach. The police agencies in all three Island cities warn that if they catch you, they will confiscate your fireworks and you might receive a citation with a hefty fine.

Bradenton Beach Police Detective Sgt. Lenard Diaz said they might give you a warning before they confiscate your fireworks, but don't push your luck. Diaz said they would have reserve officers on duty and the Manatee County Sheriff's Office would also be beefing up its patrols Island-wide. He also said Manatee County Marine Rescue would meet with the other local agencies to coordinate their patrols.

Shooting off fireworks in the city of Anna Maria, could cost you $100. That's the fine and you'll also lose your fireworks according to Sgt. Russell Schnering, who heads the Anna Maria contingency for the Sheriff's Office, who will also be patrol for alcohol on the beach and for drunk driving.

Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said he would have extra officers monitoring the beach for fireworks, alcohol, glass bottles, sky lanterns and drunk driving; and he urges parents to supervise their children and make it a family-friendly holiday. 

Three qualify in Bradenton Beach

BRADENTON BEACH – Three candidates qualified to run for two seats on the Bradenton Beach Commission, but one of the candidate's ability to run in the November will be determined in the August primary election.

Former Bradenton Beach mayor and soon to be former County Commissioner John Chappie will face first-time candidate Bill Vincent in the race to fill the Ward 4 seat being vacated by third-term commissioner Jan Vosburgh.

Vice Mayor Ed Straight was the only candidate to qualify in Ward 2, which encompasses the area north of 17th Street and south of 23rd Street.

Prior to the qualifying period, Vincent distributed an e-mail seeking additional Ward 2 candidates but those efforts proved unsuccessful. Thus far, Vincent is the only candidate to report campaign contributions ($1014) and expenditures ($85.95), but that is expected to change during the next reporting period when Chappie initiates his own campaign fundraising efforts.

Like Vosburgh, Straight was scheduled to term-limit out of office in November, but the inadvertent removal of term limit language from the city charter last fall created a sense of uncertainty as to whether term limits still exist.

To remedy this uncertainty, city voters will determine whether term limits apply to Bradenton Beach Commission members during the primary election that concludes Tuesday, Aug. 30. The deadline to register to vote in the August primary is Monday, Aug. 1.

If city voters eliminate term limits, Straight will run unopposed for a fourth consecutive two-year term.

If city voters retain term limits, there will be no qualified candidates in the Ward 2 race. If that occurs, the commission members, after the November election, would nominate and appoint someone to fill the vacant seat.

When it comes to filling boards and committees, the mayor nominates members and needs the support of at least two commissioners for those nominees to be appointed. The nomination process differs when it comes to filling a city commission seat, with all sitting commission members having the ability to make nominations.

The city charter states: "Whenever there is a vacancy, the commission shall propose by nomination one or more names of willing and qualified successors for the vacancy. The commission will then vote among the nominees to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term. If a majority of the commissioners are unable to fill a vacancy after two meetings, then the successor shall be chosen by lot by the city clerk from the nominees proposed. All nominees shall be from the ward from which the vacancy occurred."

Choosing by lot entails cutting cards, throwing dice, drawing straws or utilizing some other some other game of chance similar to the manner in which the mayor's race was decided last November.

The city elections will conclude on Tuesday, Nov. 8. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 11. Vote by mail ballots can be requested online at www.votemanatee.com or by calling 941-741-3823.

Five qualify in Anna Maria

ANNA MARIA – Four candidates qualified to run for two Anna Maria City Commission seats and Mayor Dan Murphy was the only candidate to qualify for the mayor's race.

Seeking his second term in office, Murphy will run unopposed.

When asked how he felt about not being challenged, the incumbent mayor said, "I'm very surprised that this is the way things turned out. I expected someone to run. I knew that running a campaign would between now and November would take a lot of my time away from the job. Now I have time to concentrate on accomplishing our goals."

The four-person commission race will feature incumbent commissioners Chuck Webb and Nancy Yetter and first-time candidates Brian Seymour and David Youngs.

The mayor and winning commissioners will serve two-year terms in office. To date, none of the Anna Maria candidates have reported any campaign contributions or expenditures.

The city elections will conclude on Tuesday, Nov. 8. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 11. Vote by mail ballots can be requested online at www.votemanatee.com or by calling the elections office at 941-741-3823.

Five qualify in District 3 and District 7 county races

MANTEEE COUNTY – In the Manatee County Commission races that Island voters will get to vote in, three candidates qualified for the District 3 race and two candidates qualified for the District 7 at-large race.

The winners of these two races will be determined in the November elections.

Former Holmes Beach Commissioner David Zaccagnino, current Manatee County Planning Commission member Matthew Bower and Bradenton real estate consultant Stephen Jonsson are the three candidates seeking to succeed resigning District 3 Commissioner John Chappie. To date, Jonsson, a Republican, has raised $59.954. Running with no party affiliations, Bower has raised $17,345 and Zaccagnino has raised $12,140.

Running as a Republican, incumbent District 7 Commissioner Betsy Benac has raised $37,525. Her challenger, Jack Richardson, a community activist, is a registered Republican but he listed no party affiliation and so far has reported no campaign contributions or expenditures.

Mayors seek meeting with FDOT secretary

ANNA MARIA – Island elected officials once again decried the fact that they have received no responses regarding their list of suggestions to immediately impact traffic congestion on the islands.

In March, the four island mayors submitted the list to Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), neighboring cities, Manatee and Sarasota counties and the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization hoping they could implement some changes without great expense.

At the June 15 meeting of the Coalition of Barrier Island Elected Officials, Longboat Key Mayor Jack Duncan said officials were told improvements would be developed from the list as part of the planned Sarasota/Manatee Barrier Island traffic study.

"They did what exactly what we thought they might do," Duncan said. "This has now fallen off the back of the earth.

"We should go back to have a sit down and discuss this and think what our strategy might be and bring this back to the table. At least give us options besides the study."

Duncan suggested seeking a meeting with FDOT District Secretary Billy Hattaway.

"We need to find a way to pursue our ideas, to have a conversation," Holmes Beach Bob Johnson said.

They agreed to ask for a meeting with Hattaway, and shortly after, they did receive an e-mail from Hattaway's office offering to set a meeting between June 29 and Aug. 12.

Special events moratorium enacted

joe hendricks | sun

City Commissioners Chuck Webb, left, and Doug Copeland
offer their proposed amendments to the city special
events ordinance.

 

ANNA MARIA – City Commissioners have enacted a three-month moratorium on the issuance of special event permits that will remain in effect until an amended special events ordinance is adopted.

The moratorium and the commission's unanimous desire to strengthen the existing special events ordinance is directed primarily at commercial weddings taking place on the city's public beach areas and street ends.

The moratorium was enacted during the Thursday, June 23, commission meeting, which also featured continued discussion on amending the special events ordinance and permitting process. These issues were previously discussed at the June 9 commission work session, at which time multiple special event permits applications submitted by a professional wedding planner from St. Petersburg were denied. Another of his applications was denied last week.

As of now, anyone attempting to acquire a special events permit from the city of Anna Maria will be turned away until the moratorium is lifted. The moratorium does not impact events that have already been permitted, including the annual BayFest celebration.

Although he voted in favor of the moratorium, Commissioner Chuck Webb questioned whether a moratorium was really needed. Commissioner Dale Woodland said he wanted the amended ordinance fast-tracked so the moratorium could be lifted as soon as possible.

City Attorney Becky Vose said she could have the first draft of an emergency special events ordinance prepared in time for the next commission meeting, which would allow for additional revisions prior to final adoption of an amended ordinance.

Suggested amendments

Commission Chair Doug Copeland said there should be a time limit on permitted beach weddings. After noting that beach receptions are not allowed, he said it should not take two and a half hours to conduct a simple beach wedding.

Copeland also said the penalty for a special event permit violation needs to be greater than the permitting fee itself. Vose agreed, but said she would not be comfortable with a fine that exceeds $500.

Webb suggested properties be limited as to how many special events, including weddings, can take place at that location per year. He said this would still allow for the parents of the bride or groom to host weddings at their homes, but that is not something that would likely occur more than a few times in a lifetime. He also suggested limiting the number of public weddings that can take place in the city on any given day.

These restrictions would not apply to church weddings.

When Copeland asked if these restrictions would apply to the Sandbar restaurant, he was told they would not because the Sandbar was approved as a wedding venue when its site plan was submitted.

Webb suggested permitting classifications that distinguish between commercial weddings and non-commercial weddings and whether they take place on private or public property. He feels the amended ordinance needs to ensure that beach weddings do not cause disruptions to surrounding property owners.

The commission expressed a collective desire to ensure that private properties, including vacation rentals, are not used as commercial wedding centers. Although a vacation rental home does generate rental income, that is still considered a residential use by the state, whereas using a property as a wedding center can be regulated by the city.

Webb said existing zoning regulations prohibit commercial activities in residential zones, with the exception of those that have acquired an occupational license that allow for low impact services offered by an attorney or some similar professional.


AMISUN ~ The Island's Award-Winning Newspaper