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Year: 2020

Reel Time: Fishing bridges, piers and docks

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Fishing, Outdoors, Reel Time.

You don’t have to have a boat to get to some of this winter’s best fishing. Bridges, docks and piers provide anglers who don’t have a boat or don’t want to bother with one some excellent fishing opportunities.

Besides being a convenient access point over the water, their structure provides the perfect habitat for fish. A large variety of small baitfish, crabs, barnacles and other crustaceans call these pilings home and provide gamefish a refuge and an ambush point for feeding. The bridges that span the local passes are natural corridors for fish like pompano, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish and bluefish. These species migrate from the gulf to the local bays, feeding around the bridge pilings and fenders. Action on one species or another can be found year-round around local structures. That doesn’t mean that they are for shore-bound anglers only because boaters will find them a great place to fish too.

Reel Time: Fishing bridges, piers and docks
There are ways to rig your line that allow you to deal with any tidal stages you encounter while fishing from bridges. – Rusty Chinnis | Sun

The old saying that the best time to go fishing is any time you can is a good one to follow.  However, if you have the luxury of picking your time and tide, a morning incoming tide on bridges that span the passes is hard to beat. The second best time would be a late outgoing tide. Timing your trip to coincide with the beginning or end of the tide cycle will make it easier to deal with the often strong currents that course through the passes. That doesn’t mean you’re restricted to those times and there are ways to rig that will allow you to deal with any tidal stage. Many docks and piers don’t as strong a tidal flow but look for times when the water is moving.

When fishing the bridges, a medium weight spinning outfit is perfect. At least, depending on the species you’re targeting, a 10- to 12-pound outfit is recommended since you’ll have to hoist your catch from the water to the bridge. There are special nets available that can be lowered to help with this operation, but it is one more piece of equipment you’ll have to transport. With most catches a careful hand over hand retrieve will work just fine and your mobility will not be restricted. You can go lighter when fishing docks and piers but you’ll need to be able to control your catch when they get near the pilings.

Depending on your quarry, a few lures will suffice. Live bait is another option, but keeping it alive poses some problems. Swimming and diving plugs are effective but I prefer to shy away from treble hooks. One of the most effective lures is the jig. When the current isn’t particularly strong a jig tied directly to a 30-pound section of leader will work perfectly.

If the tide is strong, when fishing in or near passes, a weight will help get the lure down in the water column where most of the action occurs. To keep the weight from interfering with the jig, tie a section of 40-pound leader with a sliding egg sinker between two small swivels. Then add your leader and jig below. This rig can be also be used to get lures or live bait to the bottom. Another advantage of this rig is that as it is being worked across the bottom it sends up a small puff of sand that attracts predators like pompano.

Some anglers tie a short section of leader from the jig to a smaller jig of fly. One of the advantages to fishing from a bridge is the ability to easily move from one spot to another. This allows the angler to try near the pilings, on the edges of the channel, tide lines and areas where striking fish might be found.

If the action is slow or you’re exploring a bridge and pass for the first time, work both sides of the bridge. Vary your retrieve, working the lure fast and slow, exploring the water column. With obvious differences, the same applies to docks and piers.

Spanish mackerel and bluefish, two common species that frequent local bridges have sharp teeth and can cut through monofilament leaders. There are two options to protect your lure. One is to use a short strand of wire leader. The other is to use long-shanked hooks. A wire can keep fish from biting if the water is clear but you’ll lose a few rigs if you fish without it.

Whatever your fishing style, don’t pass up a trip to local bridges, piers and docks. The action can be spectacular and the effort required is far less than an outing in a boat.   Anglers should be vigilant of the traffic when fishing bridges and always remember to look behind before casting. Some good locations to target include Longboat Pass, the Rod & Reel Pier, the Bradenton Beach Pier, the Anna Maria City Pier and the Manatee and Cortez bridges.

More Reel Time:

Reel Time: The ups and downs of tides

Reel Time: We’ll See

Reel Time: Mars Bay Bonefish Lodge

Castles in the Sand

Is Anna Maria Island still Old Florida?

Written by Louise Bolger on . Posted in Business, Castles in the Sand.

There’s no doubt how much Anna Maria Island has changed over the past 25 years since I found the Island. One might say it’s gone from shabby chic to polished coastal, but has it also gone from Old Florida to upscale Florida pretending to be Old Florida.

Last month the Island, or at least Holmes Beach, had another “best of” rankings bestowed on them. This time it was from Trip Advisor who picked the top seven “delightfully low-key Florida beach towns you might not know about.” Well if they didn’t know about it before they sure know about it now. Just what we need, more cars on the Island. On the other hand, for people who own property on the Island and want to generate some profit, this may be the right time if you follow a few simple rules.

There are lots of ways to get your property out there if you’re considering rentals, VRBO, Airbnb, the new Marriott Homes & Villas and of course, traditional Island real estate companies.

Starting with a great location is key and the Island has a multitude of great locations. Properties closer to the beach always rent for more but it’s hard to find anywhere on Anna Maria Island that’s undesirable.

Next is the number of bedrooms, the more the better. If there is any way to turn available space like an office or storage room into another bedroom it will make your rental more attractive. Also, remember the children and furnish the property with sturdy and well-built trendy furniture that is washable and somewhat indestructible. Leave the Chippendale in storage.

Provide big sectional sofas and seating areas for everyone to get cozy on, and also a large enough dining table for the maximum number of guests allowed. Add some beach essentials like beach chairs, beach toys, beach carts and maybe even paddleboards. If you have a pool having a floating chair with a drink holder could seal the deal. A gas grill is also appreciated by renters as are ping pong tables, bikes, games and restaurant recommendations. Towels, including beach and bedding that are not expensive but in good condition, are essential. No one likes a dingy towel. Don’t forget toilet paper, paper towels, bath soap and dishwasher soap, providing at least enough to get started if it’s a long-term rental and enough to get short-term renters through to the end.

Leaving a complimentary bottle of wine and some welcome cheese and crackers is a nice touch that people don’t forget. And don’t be afraid to decorate with some cute and beachy stuff. I read somewhere it’s a good idea to have a plaque made with the name of your rental placed in a position where renters might take a picture, free advertising when they show their vacation photos to friends.

The bottom line is to create a space that you would like to spend time in.

Trip Advisor loves the slower pace of Holmes Beach and the “Old Florida” vibe without the crowds. But we’re not alone – the other top six low-key Florida destinations include Venice, Cocoa Beach, Englewood, Daytona Beach Shores, Lauderdale By The Sea and Longboat Key. I’m not sure if Longboat Key residents would agree with the “Old Florida” characterization, but polished coastal does fit.

There’s no argument that Anna Maria Island is one of the most beautiful beachfront communities in the country and to people coming here for the first time it still epitomizes Old Florida. So, if you’re considering using your home as a rental there certainly is a thriving market. Old or upscale, it’s still the tops.

More Castles in the Sand:

Happy new real estate year

Home ownership matters

Million dollar homes and taxes

Sculpture illustrates local trash problem

Sculpture illustrates local trash problem

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in First Place, Special Sections.

BRADENTON – Locals know that trash gets left behind on local beaches and washes up onshore, but artist Wendell Graham has completed a new sculpture that she hopes will be a teaching tool to illustrate just how much stuff is abandoned on our shorelines.

Trash the Turtle, a sculpture of a loggerhead turtle, was created by Graham using trash and abandoned items left on Longboat Key beaches.

“He’s a plastic-back,” Graham joked while discussing the species of her turtle sculpture. “He has his own personality.”

 

First Place

Light Features

2020

 

Artist Wendell Graham talks about her sculpture “Trash the Turtle” and how she hopes it will help shed light on the trash left behind on local beaches. – Kristin Swain | Sun

It took more than two months for Graham to create Trash from items collected on the beach by volunteers from the Longboat Key Turtle Watch. Items were collected from the start of sea turtle nesting season in May through September and Graham said after Trash was created, she still had pounds of collected items leftover to recycle.

Items used to create Trash include bottle caps, plastic bottles, detergent bottles, flip flops, a sun hat, baseball caps, cigarette butts, plastic bags, snack wrappers, beer cans, fishing lures, shoes, Styrofoam pieces, rubber gloves, a towel, football, masks, goggles, clothes, beach toys and buoys, among other items. Graham said that about 200 plastic bottles were used to create Trash’s plastron, or underside. Once completed, the Trash sculpture weighs about 20 pounds.

Trash the Turtle’s plastron is made up primarily of plastic bottles. – Kristin Swain | Sun

To create Trash, Graham said she would take buckets of items collected off of the beach by volunteers, soak them in bleach for a few days to sanitize them and then put the turtle together like a jigsaw puzzle. She said she began putting the turtle sculpture together on September 1 and finished it in November. He was debuted at a Longboat Key Turtle Watch event in late November 2019.

“People don’t intentionally leave trash, some do, but very few. They need to be more aware,” Graham said. “There’s no reason why parents can’t pick up children’s toys.”

“It’s just amazing,” she said of the items left behind that were used to help build Trash.

Now, Graham says Trash is ready to be put on display and used as a teaching tool for the public. Any proceeds that she earns from the display of the sculpture she said she plans to donate to Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring and Longboat Key Turtle Watch to help fund their continued efforts to protect local wildlife.

Trash the Turtle’s face is made from an abandoned sun hat while his jellyfish snack is made of plastic left on the beach. – Kristin Swain | Sun

“I’d like to do a Tour de Trash,” she said. Graham added that she would like to see the sculpture shown to children in a learning environment where they can discuss what items they can identify on the turtle sculpture. Her hope is that Trash the Turtle will start a discussion among viewers young and old and help make people more aware of what they’re leaving behind when they leave the water or the beach.

“He’s a great teaching tool,” she said. “To see him in a picture is nothing like seeing him in person.”

Her hope, Graham said, is that when people see the sculpture, they’ll not only see the art but also the trash that was used to create him and take away something positive from the experience.

“He’s an ambassador, a turtle ambassador, a trash ambassador. That’s Trash,” she said.

To inquire about viewing or displaying Trash the Turtle, contact Graham at turtletrashartsculpture@gmail.com. Trash the Turtle’s adventures continue online in his blog.

Did a meteorite hit AMI?

Did a meteorite hit AMI?

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News.

HOLMES BEACH – Part-time Holmes Beach residents Dorene Collier and AJ LeBlanc wonder if a small meteorite or some other falling object started a small fire in the backyard of Collier’s home on 84th Street Friday night.

Collier and LeBlanc were in Tampa when the Friday, Jan. 3 fire occurred.

“We were getting ready for a renter to come in for a few months. We pressure-washed everything that day and everything was wet, so it doesn’t seem like it was started by any kind of brush fire,” Collier said when speaking by telephone from Tampa on Saturday afternoon.

Collier’s neighbor, Carol Whitmore, was walking her dog Friday night and reported the fire.

“Our neighbor noticed some kind of fire and the fire department came. They didn’t find any signs of an electrical fire, cigarette butts or firecrackers or anything like that. I asked her to go by this morning and the pictures she sent me show this big hole in the ground,” Collier said.

“It appears that something might have hit from out of the sky and made this hole in the ground that started this fire. I don’t have proof of it, but I’ve eliminated everything else. There was no lightning last night, everything was wet outdoors and nobody was there. It didn’t hurt the house at all. It just made a hole in the ground, lit a piece of the wooden post and broke the fence. It could be something that fell from a plane, but we think it was a meteor because of the hole in the ground and the fire,” Collier said.

Collier said the fire department didn’t find any remnants or residue that suggested a meteorite or a piece of an airplane.

“It could have just burned up when it hit the ground,” Collier said. “Another neighbor of mine came over and said it looked like a sinkhole – so maybe it was something that fell out of the sky.”

On Sunday, Collier spoke with some other neighbors who said the fire might have been caused by a firecracker and the crater might have been dug by the responding firefighters.

“We can’t be sure what it was,” Collier said.

Kwiatkowski said later that firefighters did not dig the hole.

Other observations

“I was walking my dog at about 10 o’clock and all of a sudden I saw flames shooting up in the backyard and they were pretty high. I knew they weren’t home, so I called Chris Rudacille and asked her to come down. By the time Chris got there the flames were small and I called the fire department,” Whitmore said when contacted Saturday evening.

Whitmore said she did not see any flaming objects fall from the sky.

“I asked the firemen what they thought it was. They said they didn’t know, but it was something hot,” Whitmore said. “There’s a big crater I noticed today when Dorene asked me to take those pictures. The hole wasn’t there when they got the place ready for their renters.”

When contacted Saturday evening, West Manatee Fire Rescue Inspector Rodney Kwiatkowski said, “I listened to the call last night, waiting to see if the guys were going to call me out to do an investigation, but they didn’t. There was a small fire next to the shed and it was put out quickly. I spoke with yesterday’s ranking on-scene officer, Captain James Leigh. There was no mention of a meteor or any unidentified falling object when engine 131 showed up and responded to a reported structure fire called in by a neighbor. The fire was relegated to brush and a single sawhorse. It was quickly extinguished with a water extinguisher and soaked with a garden hose,” Kwiatkowski said.

A sailor’s life cut short

A sailor’s life cut short

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – The liveaboard boating community in Bradenton Beach lost a friend and fellow sailor with the recent passing of 59-year-old Octavio Utrera.

Utrera previously owned and operated Anna Maria Island Sailing Adventures. His charter trips included the gourmet meals he prepared aboard his sailboat, the Zefiro.

According to Longboat Key Public Information Officer Tina Adams and Lt. Robert Bourque of the Longboat Key Police Department, Utrera’s body was discovered at approximately 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 24 floating just offshore in the Gulf of Mexico near the 100 block of Sands Point Road by New Pass at the south end of Longboat Key.

On Monday, Dec. 30, Bourque said the case remained under investigation. Bourque said no cause of death had yet been determined, but the medical examiner initially found no signs of trauma to the body. A toxicology report was pending.

Adams said Utrera’s driver license listed a Holmes Beach address, but those who knew him said he’d recently been living on a sailboat anchored near the Bridge Street Pier.

Bourque said the last known sighting of Utrera alive was when a Bradenton Beach police officer spoke with him on Sunday, Dec. 22 at approximately 10:47 p.m.

Bradenton Beach Det. Sgt. Lenard Diaz said Officer Eric Hill spoke with Utrera that night when he discovered Utrera’s sailboat tied to a piling alongside the south side of the Bridge Street Pier.

“Apparently his boat cut loose so he had tied to one of the pier pillars east of the floating dock,” Diaz said.

“They talked for a little bit. It was pretty windy, so there really wasn’t much he could do until the next day. When Eric left, he was still on the boat. That was the last time we had contact with him,” Diaz said.

A sailor’s life cut short
Octavio Utrera’s sailboat remained tied up at the pier for a few days after he passed away. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Diaz said Hill returned to the pier around 2 a.m. and discovered a second boat tied up near Utrera’s boat but had no additional interaction with Utrera.

Utrera’s body was located approximately 12 miles from the pier. When asked if it was known how or where Utrera wound up in the water, Bourque said that question could not yet be answered.

A respected sailor

Bradenton Beach resident Patti Clarke met Utrera when she worked at the Bradenton Beach Marina.

“He was a very dear friend of mine,” Clarke said.

Clarke said Utrera had been living in New Jersey for the past couple of years, but returned to the Island in September. Clarke helped Utrera acquire the use of the sailboat he was living on and they planned to use that boat to do charters together.

Clarke said she received text messages from two mutual friends who said Utrera called them on Sunday, Dec. 22 and said he was having trouble with the boat due to the strong winds and weather conditions. Both friends were out of town and could not help.

A sailor’s life cut short
In early November, Octavio Utrera took some friends for a cruise on the sailboat he was living on. – Patti Clarke | Submitted

Utrera used to dock the Zefiro at the Bradenton Beach Marina.

“We called Octavio ‘O.J.’ He was around the marina for many years buying fuel or getting repairs done. O.J. was a nice guy – quick to laugh and joke around. He escaped from Cuba on a naval boat. He was quite proficient at handling boats,” marina president Mike Bazzy said.

“He had his boat at my place a couple years ago. With the winds and the weather and the floating dock being closed, it was getting too hard to run his charter business out of the anchorage, so he rented a slip here for more than year. He took six people out at a time and when they came back to the dock everyone would be cracking up. He was a good guy to be on a boat with,” Bazzy said.

Paradise Boat Tours General Manager Sherman Baldwin operates his tour boat business from an office at the foot of the pier.

“When Octavio was doing AMI Sailing Adventures full-fledged in 2014 and 2015 there would be days when except for provisioning his boat and running to the market on a scooter he would be on the water 24 hours a day. Food was part of his charters and he used to make these amazing meals. He loved boating and he was great with people,” Baldwin said.

“He defected from the Cuban Navy. He came here because he loved America. He used to do this funny thing when he sailed in. He’d see some boaters and yell ‘Which way to America?’” Baldwin said.

Morgan Rothe met Utrera about 12 years ago when he sailed from Sarasota to Bradenton Beach.

“I threw an anchor down next to this guy and he said, ‘Welcome to America.’ He threw me a Busch beer from 30 feet away. Octavio was the first person I met out there. He told me he and some of his buddies were in the Cuban Navy and stole one of Castro’s patrol boats and escaped to America in the late 1970s. Octavia was a seasoned sailor. I sailed with him seven or eight times,” Rothe said.

Kyle Shell celebration raises funds for daughter

Kyle Shell celebration raises funds for daughter

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – Kyle Shell’s Saturday, Dec. 28 fundraising celebration of life raised $6,074 to help his 17-year-old daughter, Kaya Sage Shell, attend college in hopes of becoming a doctor.

Additional donations given directly to Kyle Shell’s mom, Gayden Shell, brought the day’s fundraising total to $8,074.

On Dec. 20, Bunny & Pirates Bazaar owners Elizabeth Shore and Jeffrey O’Connell hosted a benefit at their Cortez establishment that raised $1,000 for Kaya Shell.

As of Thursday, Jan. 2, the “In Memory of Kyle Shell” GoFundMe page raised $1,465.

All totaled, the extended Anna Maria Island community has raised $10,539 for Kaya’s future college education.

Kyle Shell, 42, passed away at his Bradenton Beach home on Dec. 3 as a result of heart failure.

Planned and coordinated by Sarah Santos, Courtney McGough, Chase Purtill and others, the Saturday, Dec. 28 celebration of life and fundraiser took place at the Sports Lounge and the Drift In in Bradenton Beach.

Local businesses donated the multitude of gift cards, gift certificates, gift baskets, cruise packages and more that were on display inside the Sports Lounge as part of the silent auction and raffles.

Kyle Shell celebration raises funds for daughter
The Sports Lounge donated this gift basket filled with Kyle Shell’s favorites. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

There was also a 50/50 drawing and several people who bought tickets wrote Kyle Shell on their tickets instead of their own names. This resulted in the late Kyle Shell winning the $1,500 drawing that was donated to his daughter.

Kyle Shell’s former Tangled Mangos bandmate, Mike Cunningham, won the Kyle Shell-inspired gift basket donated by Sports Lounge and filled with two bottles of Fireball whiskey, a bottle of Evan Williams bourbon, four cans of Diet Coke and a pack of Parliament cigarettes.

Inside the Drift In, folks lined up and gladly handed volunteer Trey Powers $5 in exchange for a plate of food from the bountiful buffet donated and prepared by several local restaurants. The food offerings included Thai snapper nuggets, shrimp cocktail, chicken wings, black bean soup, seafood gumbo, pulled pork, pasta, brats, chili, salads and more.

Outside in the Drift In parking lot, Dos-Macs members Mike McConnell and Mack Black provided the musical entertainment, joined by special guests Mike Cunningham on percussion and Rich Dugan and Steve Paradis on guitars and vocals.

Kaya Shell traveled from Colorado with her mom, Mariah Hofmeister, to attend the fundraiser. They were joined by several other family members who also traveled to Anna Maria Island.

“It’s good to see how many people loved my dad and how many lives he impacted,” Kaya Shell said during the final hour of the afternoon event.

At the time, it was estimated approximately $5,000 had already been raised for her.

“Wow, that’s awesome,” Kaya said.

A few minutes later, Gayden Shell said, “Seeing this done for my son is the most humbling thing I’ve ever seen. I’m thankful to everyone that’s come out. Kaya’s going to be able to go to college and that’s what we did this for. This means as much to her and her family as it does to me.”

On Sunday, Sarah Santos said, “I was overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and support shown for Kyle. Our tight-knit community truly comes together when called upon. Thank you to all the local businesses for their generous donations, thanks to the volunteers and thanks to all who came out to support Kyle and his family. It really was a true testament to the loved man he was.”

Kyle Shell celebration raises funds for daughter
Contained in this wooden box, some of Kyle Shell’s ashes were spread in Longboat Pass. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Ashes and flowers

At 10 a.m. that morning, 28 friends and family members gathered along the bay at the southeast end of Coquina Beach. Assembled in a circle and holding hands, they shared a silent prayer and spoken memories of Kyle Shell.

Kyle Shell celebration raises funds for daughter
Gayden Shell spread some of her son’s ashes in Longboat Pass before the benefit began. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

The group then walked under the Longboat Pass Bridge and gathered along the shoreline where Gayden Shell entered Longboat Pass to spread some of her son’s ashes while Kaya and others tossed flowers petals into the water.

Kyle Shell celebration raises funds for daughter
Friends and family members gathered in tribute to Kyle Shell at Longboat Pass on Saturday, Dec., 28. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Doug Copeland named Sun’s Person of the Year

Doug Copeland named Sun’s Person of the Year

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News, Featured.

ANNA MARIA – Longtime Anna Maria Commissioner Doug Copeland is The Sun’s Person of the Year for 2019.

In December, Copeland finished his final term as a city commissioner and ended his decades of elected, appointed or volunteer service to the city of Anna Maria and Anna Maria Island.

In June 2013, Copeland was appointed to fill the remainder of the commission term being vacated by Commissioner John Quam. Copeland was elected to his first full term in office later that year and was reelected in 2015 and 2017. He did not seek reelection in 2019.

Copeland helped develop and adopt Anna Maria’s vacation rental ordinance in 2015. The ordinance established an eight-person maximum occupancy limit for new vacation rental units and the annual registration fees fund the city’s vacation rental-related code enforcement efforts.

Working with the mayor and city attorney, the commission settled more than 100 Bert Harris claims filed in response to the vacation rental ordinance without subjecting city taxpayers to a single financial settlement.

As a commissioner, Copeland helped transform the vacant ‘Six Lots’ property into City Pier Park. The park features public restrooms and a shade sail structure and hosts several holiday events and special events throughout the year, including a seasonal farmers market.

In September, the commission adopted an amended noise ordinance that has already contributed to one group of rowdy vacation rental guests being evicted by the property management company after receiving three noise citations in less than a week.

At his final regular meeting in November, Copeland secured commission support for a city resolution that stresses the importance of women’s rights and the need for the long-delayed state ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment adopted by the U.S. Congress in the early 1970s.

In 2016, Copeland was appointed to the Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC) and he represented the city and the Island in that role until he left office in December.

In June, Copeland helped secure TDC and county commission support for an additional $435,000 in county funds for the City Pier replacement project. This was in addition to the $1.5 million in county funds previously provided for the pier project being guided by the mayor and city commission. In 2018 and 2019, the city commission and others helped secure more than $1 million in state funds for the pier project.

An Island life

In 1974, Copeland and his wife, Pat, moved to Anna Maria Island and bought their home in Anna Maria. He worked as a bartender at Trader Jack’s in Bradenton Beach until the popular beachfront establishment closed in 1985. After working other bartending jobs, Copeland found his current and long-held occupation as a craftsman who makes custom furniture at his home workshop.

The Copelands raised their daughters, Layla Margarita and Anna Maria, in Anna Maria. Their adult daughters and their husbands, Kevin Griffith and Norris Nolan, have now blessed them with two grandsons, George and Lou, and one granddaughter, Lily.

Community service

Copeland’s city service began when Mayor Ray Simches urged him to join the city’s development committee. He then played an instrumental role in designing, developing and maintaining the Historical Park on Pine Avenue, which was a city dump at the time.

Copeland secured the donation of 15 palm trees for the city’s beach walkway at Bean Point and later rallied volunteers to landscape the beach area with native trees, plants and grasses. Transforming that scrubby path into a lush beach pathway earned him a Keep Manatee Beautiful award.

In 2003, Copeland resigned from the Planning and Zoning Board after more than 20 years and several stints as chairman. He returned to the board from 2005 to 2009 and led the board’s efforts to revise the city’s land development regulations to bring them into compliance with the city’s comprehensive plan.

In 2011, Mayor Mike Selby asked Copeland to serve on a committee tasked with making additional revisions to the land development regulations.

Accolades offered

Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy, The Sun’s 2018 Person of the Year, said of this year’s recipient: “I am very pleased that the Sun has recognized Doug as their Person of the Year. He has contributed so much to our city, making it a better place to live. I have valued his creativity, his judgment and most of all his friendship over the past years,” Murphy said.

“Doug is most deserving of this recognition,” Anna Maria Commissioner Carol Carter said. “His work on our comprehensive plan with the Planning and Zoning Board and as a commissioner constitute an extraordinary gift to Anna Maria and our Island way of life. Personally, I always valued Doug’s insights when we workshopped issues or discussed topics at commission meetings.”

Holmes Beach resident Scott Moore has been Copeland’s friend for decades.

“Doug is a true islander. I met Doug at Trader Jack’s in the 70s, when Trader Jack’s was the place to be. Doug is a very caring person and he really cares about the Island. He made reasonable judgments when it came to city government and he’s done a really good job up there,” Moore said.

“He raised a beautiful family and he’s a great family man and father. I can’t think of a better person to get this award. Doug and I were talking the other day at Publix. We said we’ve seen big changes on the Island, but we still love it and it’s our home,” Moore said.