Extending approximately 5 miles from Anna Maria Island to St. Petersburg, the mouth of Tampa Bay is fronted by the barrier islands of Egmont Key and Passage Key. The surrounding waters are beautiful, ecologically important and provide anglers with some excellent fishing opportunities. The history surrounding the islands is rich and, in the case of Egmont, goes back some 2,000 years. They seasonally hold some of angling’s prized species, including tarpon, snook and permit.
Egmont Key is a Florida State Park and a National Wildlife Refuge. Steeped in history, the entire island is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Artifacts and pottery dating back two millennia have been found on the island. The first recorded landing there dates back to a Spanish explorer in 1757 and its recent history spans from the Spanish-American War to World War II. The island is home to the Tampa Bay Pilots and has miles of old brick roads, a holdover from a time when there were over 70 buildings and 300 people living there. It has a functioning lighthouse, rebuilt in 1857 after a hurricane destroyed the original structure. Ever changing, Egmont Key was once 50% larger than it is today.
Passage Key, the southernmost island, is uninhabited and also a National Wildlife Refuge. It was first established as a bird sanctuary in 1905 by President Theodore Roosevelt. At the time, it was a 60-acre island and had a freshwater lake. That all changed in 1921 when it was decimated by a hurricane and has never been the same. Over the past decade, Passage Key has been little more than a constantly changing sandbar but is building back. In the 1970s, the island was designated as a wilderness area. Together the islands hold nesting colonies of all Florida seabirds including the largest concentration of royal and sandwich terns in Florida.
In the spring and summer, schools of tarpon and permit can be sight fished on the vast clear white sand flats that surround Passage Key. During the warm months of the year, there are also schools of sharks and large houndfish on the flats. In the cooler months, trout, redfish and pompano can be found on the edges of the flats and the grass beds to the east side of the key. Houndfish, which resemble large needlefish, gather in schools and, while they are not often pursued by anglers, they’re great sport on flies and light tackle. Small white clousers and lures that resemble baitfish can elicit some explosive strikes.
Egmont Key has a much more varied habitat and also has excellent fishing for tarpon, snook, permit and sharks. Old structures, vestiges of the Spanish-American War, can be seen along the western side of the Key, many of which are submerged. They provide a perfect habitat for species including pompano, trout and sheepshead as well as other pelagic species that swim these waters. On the east side, the pilot’s dock holds sheepshead, black drum, trout and redfish. Extensive grass flats there are home to trout, pompano, Spanish mackerel and redfish. A ship’s channel north of the key provides access to Port Manatee and the Port of Tampa. This deep waterway holds a plethora of gamefish including kingfish, Spanish mackerel and little tunny. The exposed ledges along the channel are also home to mangrove snapper, grouper and sheepshead.
If you haven’t explored these historical islands, a trip there will be eye-opening, and, whether you’re swimming in the clear Gulf waters, exploring the rich history or angling for a trophy, you’ll find these islands enchanting.
ANNA MARIA – Anyone who regularly attends performances by the Island Players is used to lighthearted comedies that have the audience in hysterics for a great deal of the time they are in their seats.
With performances of “Later Life,” “Farce of Nature,” “The Mousetrap” and “Communicating Doors,” the Players’ historic 75th season has offered plenty of what audiences are used to, until now.
The play that closed the season was definitely not a comedy, and was actually scary at times.
When telling ghost stories, Arthur Kipps’ (Tom Horton) children ask him to tell one of his own. Pushing him by saying, “Everybody knows at least one ghost story,” Kipps knows if he shares the tale he has to offer, it won’t be a story they want to hear, and he has no desire to share it at the time.
What Kipps does decide to do is share his horrific encounter with the supernatural with his friends and family on a theater stage, so he hires a professional actor to help him. While Kipps isn’t much of an actor in the beginning, the Actor (Mark Lennox) convinces him to play all of the characters besides himself in the story, while the Actor plays Kipps.
The play was adapted by Stephen Mattatratt from a novel by Susan Hill and directed by veteran director Kelly Wynn Woodland, who has well over 100 plays under her belt. While it wouldn’t fall under the horror genre, “The Woman in Black” is a fantastic ghost story that takes place in a creepy English manner that is only accessible at low tide due to its remote location just outside a small town, whose residents won’t go anywhere near it. Add in plenty of fog, deadly quicksand, some strange characters and a terrifying ghost (Tahlia Chinault) who manages to make the audience jump despite not having a single line of dialogue in the entire play, the audience was much quieter than at a typical Island Players production.
The show started almost lighthearted, but as it progressed, it became obvious things were turning darker by the minute, eventually leading to an ending that left the entire audience literally speechless. Even as the audience filed out of the final performance, the lobby was much more quiet than the average Players’ play, as guests were still processing what had just happened moments earlier.
There’s still time to catch one of the last shows of the season. “The Woman in Black” runs through May 12 with nightly performances at 7:30 p.m. and a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. Both online and box office ticket sales are available at www.theislandplayers.org and 941-778-5755. Box office hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and one hour before curtain on Sundays for will call tickets only.
MANATEE COUNTY – County commissioners asked the county’s seven fire chiefs to consider merging their districts at an April 23 meeting.
Commissioners said they would support doing a study to look into the benefits of consolidating fire districts, adding that they would bring state leaders and the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Governmental Accountability into the conversation if needed.
Manatee County Administrator Charlie Bishop reminded commissioners that they have no authority over fire districts, which are special districts and governed by the state of Florida.
The conversation was brought to the dais by District Four Commissioner Mike Rahn as a result of the volunteer Duette Fire Department seeking a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (COPCN) for non-transport advanced life support capabilities from the county. Receiving a COPCN is one of the many steps for district firefighters to be certified to provide the same care as an EMS first responder. Non-transport ALS means that the firefighters can provide the same medical care as EMS workers but cannot transport patients to the hospital or other care facility. West Manatee Fire Rescue, the department that covers Anna Maria Island, Cortez and the west side of unincorporated Manatee County, is a non-transport ALS provider in addition to having fire response, water rescue and dive team capabilities, among others.
During the meeting, Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said that Duette does not meet the minimum capabilities to provide non-transport ALS service to its residents and encouraged the fire chiefs to consider merging districts.
Duette Fire Chief Rocky Parker took to social media to dispute Van Ostenbridge’s claim. Parker said that he believes the district meets the requirements to provide the service to residents and will continue to seek COPCN approval, despite the county commission’s argument that the Duette fire department doesn’t meet the requirements because its firefighters are volunteers.
Van Ostenbridge said that there are positives and negatives to living “out in the country” with one of the negatives being that there is less access to emergency services. He suggested that Duette and Parrish fire districts consider consolidating with North River Fire District to provide more services to residents and property owners.
While fire districts are allowed to consolidate, they can only merge with ones contiguous to their established boundaries within the county.
During the discussion, Van Ostenbridge singled out WMFR as a fire district that would be interested in merging with another district. While Chief Ben Rigney said that the district is always willing to keep its options open to better serve residents and property owners, he doesn’t see a merger coming any time soon.
“It seems to come up every five to 10 years or so,” Rigney said of the talk of fire district consolidation in Manatee County. “I did not feel that West Manatee was being targeted or threatened by the discussion from the Manatee County commission meeting. The commissioners are trying to ensure that the fire districts remain fiscally responsible to their communities. I feel that our district has continued to be responsible with taxpayer monies and are always open to working with them on providing a better service.”
Van Ostenbridge said he doesn’t want to see services reduced but would like to see administrative costs reduced.
Commissioner George Kruse said he thinks it’s important to continually look at opportunities but he’s not sure what the opportunity would be. He said he doesn’t want to see residents have different kinds of safety services based on where they live. He said he would rather see fire safety capabilities standardized across Manatee County. Kruse added that he doesn’t want safety services dictated by where people can afford to live.
“I would just encourage people to have that conversation,” Kruse said. “I would like this to be a bigger discussion. Maybe the (state) delegation needs to get involved in it. We seemingly can get free OPPAGA studies at a snap of a finger. It doesn’t commit to anything, but it can support data for future discussion.”
“I want you guys to keep control of all of this, keep control of your own destiny,” Van Ostenbridge said. When the state delegation and OPPAGA studies are involved, he said that the fire districts would start to lose control of their futures.
MANATEE COUNTY – County commissioners and officials from the Town of Longboat Key discussed a petition from the Jewfish Key Preservation Association to de-annex Jewfish Key from the town at a joint April 30 meeting.
If the de-annexation is successful, Jewfish Key will become part of unincorporated Manatee County.
“This is a little unusual and I just wanted to place it on your radar,” Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton said to the commission at the April 30 meeting. “There is a possibility you may have an unusual enclave for county services within the Town of Longboat Key.”
“On Jan. 16, 2024, the Town of Longboat Key received a voluntary petition from the Jewfish Key Preservation Association Inc. for the contraction of the island (Jewfish Key) from the municipal boundaries of the town,” Tipton read from a prepared statement. “The homeowners association submitted the request to examine the town’s levels of municipal service and because the town has land use controls that are more restrictive than Manatee County’s. Specifically, the town has a longstanding grandfathered-in land use regulation that restricts the duration of short-term rentals of residential properties for less than 30 days.
“While there is no role for Manatee County in the statutory contraction process, this information is being shared to create awareness of the pending request and the upcoming Town Commission discussion relating to the future of Jewfish Key within the town’s boundaries or as part of unincorporated Manatee County,” Tipton read further.
“I was a little surprised by the name – the Jewfish Key Preservation Association,” County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said. “What is it they’re trying to preserve? It seems like a disingenuous name that’s misleading.”
Tipton said he didn’t have an answer to that question and said there has been no communication between the association and the town outside of the petition.
“It does present a challenge,” Van Ostenbridge. “The island has slowly built up over time. There’s no fire hydrant there.”
“There are no utilities that serve the Island,” Tipton said. “It is a well and septic enclave.”
Jewfish Key is the only part of the Town of Longboat Key that is without water and sewer service and any increased density would raise concerns, he said.
“I think there’s a concern for the property owner for any future commercial use which would be their lack of sewer, their lack of potable water, the fact that they’re on well and septic,” Van Ostenbridge said. “I don’t know that the county would be eager or even willing to run sewer. The expense would be exorbitant. They may want to do it at their own expense.”
Florida Statutes require the town to undertake and evaluate a feasibility study within six months of receipt of the petition. The anticipated presentation of the completed feasibility study to the Town Commission is at a public meeting on Monday, June 3 at 1 p.m., Tipton said.
BRADENTON BEACH – The 80 newly-planted palm trees on Bridge Street will need a regular watering schedule, and on May 2, the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) unanimously approved the expenditure of up to $7,500 to have an irrigation system installed along both sides of the road.
CRA members discussed the cost of the irrigation system versus the $3,500 three-week rental cost of a water truck.
“The CRA has looked at installing more landscape irrigation on Bridge Street. There’s been a lot of trees installed and some additional bushes,” Perry said. “It’s always become an irrigation issue when we come into that dry spell when we’re not getting rain.”
Water trucks come at a high cost, she said, adding that some water meters already exist on Bridge Street.
“And now we’ve invested the funds for trees which we can continue to water and they should be fine once they take,” Perry said. “In the event we come into a dry streak, I would hate to come into the expense of a water truck when we could get an irrigation system for close to what we would pay for a one-time water truck use.”
A rental water truck operator waters the newly-planted coconut palm trees along Bridge Street early Sunday morning. – Leslie Lake | Sun
Perry said she received an estimate of about $5,000 from M&F Lawn Care for the installation of an irrigation system.
“To me that’s a no-brainer to get that infrastructure in place and we know that we’re investing in the pergola and we will probably be doing some plantings in there,” she said. “I’m looking for an opportunity to strengthen and protect what we’ve invested and I saw this as an opportunity.”
Eighty coconut palm trees were planted in late April along Bridge Street and the Gulf Drive roundabouts in a city partnership with developer Shawn Kaleta. Kaleta agreed to accept responsibility for the maintenance of the trees as well as donate $10,000 toward the $50,000 cost of the palms and white river rock. The balance came from CRA funds.
Mayor John Chappie said that one of the things he looked at was doing the irrigation in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
“We can remove the pavers and dig down in the paver row and then put in the irrigation without cutting into any asphalt,” Mayor John Chappie said. “I would really recommend we do this; it will make a big difference and save us some money.”
CRA member Deborah Scaccianoce said it made sense from a financial perspective to install the irrigation system.
CRA member Ed Chiles made a motion with a second by member Jan Vosburgh to approve the installation of an irrigation system by M&F Lawn at a cost not to exceed $7,500.
There was no public comment and the motion passed unanimously among board members.
BRADENTON BEACH – With the city officially announcing the resignation of Public Works Director Tom Woodard at a May 2 commission meeting, it was also announced that Police Chief John Cosby will fill in as interim department head during the search for Woodard’s replacement.
Woodard, who has been with the city for 20 years, is taking a job as Public Works Director in Bedford, Virginia.
Mayor John Chappie said on May 3 that Woodard’s last day with the city will be sometime this month.
Woodard, a lifelong Bradenton resident, said the move has been a family decision.
“I wanted to make a change primarily for my wife and two daughters,” he said. “This has nothing to do with Bradenton Beach. I respect and love everyone here.”
The news of Woodard taking the new position was announced by Bedford in an April press release. He was one of 40 applicants for the position there.
“I’ve been here for 20 years. I’m a little nervous about it, I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. The town there issued a press release before I spoke to anyone here. I sent an email to the mayor, the commissioners and to my staff,” Woodard said.
The press release stated in part: “Throughout his distinguished career, Woodard has managed a wide range of departmental responsibilities and played a pivotal role in municipal operations, especially in emergency management, including the effective removal and disposal of debris following hurricane damage.”
According to the release, Woodard’s career spans over three decades, starting in Manatee County, where he served as a traffic management supervisor for eight years. He is a graduate of Manatee Community College and holds several professional certifications, including from the National Incident Management System.
A modest Woodard said he didn’t want to make a fuss, but when pressed to say what has been his proudest accomplishment, he said it is being part of a team in emergency situations.
“What I’m most proud of is the emergency management team,” Woodard said. “The chief (Cosby) is the incident commander, and I’m number two, we handle debris removal to get the island open. My department is boots on the ground first responders with police. My staff is a group of talented people.”
He said Bradenton Beach sets the standard for storm response.
“Because of the way we operate, the city gets FEMA money back. Shayne Thompson is part of our three-man team who takes on the FEMA aspect,” Woodard said. “We are the only city I know of, maybe in the state, that gets 90-100% reimbursement from FEMA. The chief has been doing this for 40 years, I’m 30 years, it’s great how well we work together to get people back into their homes quickly after a storm.”
Woodard attributed the teamwork among city departments as a contributing factor in the city’s progress.
“Here in Bradenton Beach, it’s always a team effort,” Woodard said. “The chief and mayor are very involved. Ricinda (City Attorney Ricinda Perry) is there for legal support, and when a job goes out to bid the city clerk (Terri Sanclemente) is involved as well as the building official (Darin Cushing.)
Among other large projects, Woodard has been involved in the rebuilding of the city pier and the roof of the Anna Maria Oyster Bar building.
“Tom is looking at working with the chief to make sure he has what he needs,” Perry said. “I plan to meet
with Tom to go through the list of things the chief needs to effectively take that department forward and make sure the city is well-serviced and also for us to make sure we have a list of emergency projects before he leaves our city and helps set up a game plan.”
The commission voted unanimously to approve Cosby’s salary increase of $850 a week while serving as interim public works director.
The search for a full-time public works department head to replace Woodard will likely take place in July.
“We feel it’s important we write a very good advertisement for that position, and it’s going to take a little bit of effort because we’re not entirely sure of everything that role entails,” Perry said, noting the position has certification and reporting requirements.
“I would hope we would be able to advertise by July and maybe by the second meeting in August bring back recommendations,” Cosby said. “You have to remember also I have to do budgets for all the departments. It’s not just maintaining the day-to-day operations. I have to do their payroll, I have to pay their bills and develop the budget.”
“I don’t think it will be that easy to find someone with Tom’s qualifications,” Commissioner Ralph Cole said. “He’ll be missed.”
“This is another example of the employees working as a team,” Cosby said. “You have someone who can step in because we do work so closely together.”
LONGBOAT KEY – Citing a study concluding that the 1.7-mile stretch of Gulf Drive from the Longboat Pass Bridge to Cortez Road is one of the most unpredictable in the region in terms of traffic expectations, Longboat Key Public Works Director Isaac Brownman asked the county to join the cities in finding solutions.
Brownman made a presentation to Manatee County commissioners at an April 30 joint meeting of Longboat Key officials and the county commission.
“The MPO (Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization) is conducting a congestion management plan update,” Brownman said. “And what they found was the Gulf Drive segment from Longboat Pass to Cortez Road is one of the most unreliable segments in the county – in the two-county region, in fact. And what they mean by unreliable segments – it’s not one of the most congested segments, we already know that – it’s that you can’t rely on the level of congestion. Sometimes it’s four times what you expect, sometimes it’s two times what you expect, sometimes it’s what you expect.”
He said that the top complaint in the town’s annual citizen’s survey is traffic congestion.
“We wanted to bring to the county’s attention, that the Town of Longboat Key is going to be embarking on these discussions with Bradenton Beach and we’d love the county to be at the table as well,” Brownman said.
Gate closure at Coquina Beach was brought up as one option to alleviate traffic congestion coming in and out of Longboat Key.
Brownman said a simple, cost-effective solution that will help with traffic is to close some of the access points at Coquina Beach, which is at the southernmost end of Bradenton Beach.
“The Coquina Beach parking lot is a very large beach parking lot with three access points. The center access points have a simple gate that can be shut,” he said. “That isolates each parking area from the other and keeps people who are in a long-standing queue from hopping into the southernmost access point and traveling 4/10ths of a mile to travel further north and jamming things up further.”
Brownman said when Manatee County park staff close those gates, there is a noticeable improvement in traffic flow.
“If that simple thing is done consistently throughout season from a certain time of day, it’s a significant cost-easy improvement from our perspective,” he said.
He said Longboat Key residents’ main concern is to get from Longboat Pass to the Cortez Bridge to get to the mainland.
“The FDOT is spending millions of dollars to upgrade Cortez Bridge and that will be a huge improvement,” he said. “They’re also planning the replacement of the Longboat Pass Bridge which, depending on which option they go with, will reduce the number of bridge openings and closings which contributes to the congestion as well.”
“Take a good hard look at the Bridge Street traffic circle,” he said. “This would be the perfect time to look at the Gulf Drive and Cortez Road intersection. Even though the state is doing a major bridge project, they’re not looking at the end point intersection and how to improve that at this time.”
Longboat Key Vice Mayor Mike Haycock said much of the traffic congestion in season is due to employees of Longboat Key businesses coming to the area to work.
“To reiterate, in those 90 days of hell during season that everybody’s talking about, the people of Longboat Key decide in those 90 days not to go north,” he said. “Not to go to Anna Maria Island for dinner like we do many other times. For the workers that live in Manatee County who are working on Longboat Key, it can cause them an extra 1.5 to two hours to get to work, so any help you can give to support some additional studies to see what else we can do would really be helpful.”
BRADENTON BEACH – The free dockage for commercial vessels at city docks may soon come at a cost.
A discussion of the $5,000 cost to replace several floats lost on the floating docks during high surf in April turned to the city’s overall cost of dock maintenance and the possibility of charging a fee for businesses using the docks.
“Five thousand dollars every time that happens, that’s a lot of money,” Commissioner Deborah Scaccianoce said at the May 2 city commission meeting. “This is happening more than once, and it seems like it’s going to be a problem and we’re going to be chasing these floats constantly every time there’s a storm or a lot of wave action on that pier.”
Mayor John Chappie said he had received an update from Duncan Seawall General Manager Steve Porter that the replacement floats were on order.
“It’s a tough area to have the floating dock structure in there because it does get a lot of wave action,” Chappie said. “It’s totally exposed to the northern part of Sarasota Bay. I’ll try to get an update on cost and maintenance, what we need to do to prevent some of this damage that’s been happening and try to mitigate the maintenance costs.”
City Attorney Ricinda Perry said she agreed with Scaccianoce and said there should be an established maintenance program, then suggested that commissioners reopen previous discussions about charging commercial vessels to use the city dock.
“What I’d like to revisit, and we had talked about it but didn’t move it forward, was perhaps a charge for those commercial entities who are using the floating dock for their business at no cost to them,” Perry said.
Perry said that she has spoken with people who rent out slips at a minimum of $2,500 per month.
“If you start making a collection from the people who are running their business off of our pier at no cost, you could start to set aside maintenance money to keep that dock in great shape,” Perry said.
She said such charges would give the city the ability to collect funds for future maintenance but also regulate and know if commercial captains are properly licensed.
“We have under $300,000 sitting there for the entire pier, which isn’t enough to handle the wear and tear which the mayor and I have personally observed from these commercial companies who come in, they do not use anything to protect their boat from slamming into the structure and they take chunks out on the side,” Perry said. “We can’t help the storm vessels that come right under the floating dock and pop off floats and destroy the structure, but I do believe we should consider revisiting this concept of regulating through cost the people who are coming in and using our asset.”
Perry said that if someone on an uninsured vessel gets injured on the dock, the boat operator may not have proper insurance to cover losses.
“I’ve been told some of these commercial entities do not have licensed captains running the vessels and so those who do have the proper insurance and do have the proper captains are charging about $50 a tour,” she said. “Whereas those who don’t, their overhead is less and they’re charging $20-$25. They’re putting us at risk. We do have insurance to cover things that happen, but I believe it’s something the commission should consider revisiting again and we need to make sure we have the funds to take care of that.”
“We really should look at this again,” Chappie said. “We are that destination now and we’re getting more and more people to use the facility and the infrastructure that we have developed there.”
Chappie said the discussion will be put on a commission work meeting agenda in about a month.
BRADENTON BEACH – Casey Hoffman and Paul “Big Sexy” Weremecki have written a book about the Drift In bar.
Published in March, the 144-page book is aptly titled, “Drift In, Stumble Out” and tells the tale of one of Florida’s great dive bars.
Chapter 1 opens with the following passage: “There’s a host of reasons one would come to the Drift In on Anna Maria Island, such as to enjoy a frosty cold beverage, to try their hand at karaoke, play bingo or bar fun, perhaps listen to some of the best music on the Island or meet up with friends. You may even walk out with a mate.”
The Drift In was once owned by Babe Ruth. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Some sections were written solely by one of the authors and others were written collectively. The book also contains numerous photos of the characters, past and present, who’ve contributed to the bar’s legacy, including former owner Babe Ruth, previous owner Joe Cuervo, current owner Derek Williams (Cuervo’s son-in-law) and the staff members, musicians, locals, part-time residents and visitors who helped make the Drift In “one of the most unique watering holes in America,” according to musician Mike “Mac” McConnell.
The book’s front cover features some of the old photos that hang near the front window, including a classic photo of bar manager Doreen Flynn sporting an impressively high and curly Afro-style hairdo.
The “Drift In, Stumble Out” cover features some of the old photos that hang inside the bar. – SubmittedThese old photos pay tribute to past and present patrons and staff members. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
The back cover notes the book was “Written from the dual perspectives of both patrons and a ‘Dive Bar Worthy’ bartender (Weremecki).”
Hoffman and Weremecki each wrote a chapter about their relationships with the bar. Another chapter is dedicated to the bar’s iconic, sexy and world-renown mannequin, Mannie. Other chapter titles include “As the Barstool Turns,” “Extraordinary Crew Members,” “Timeless Entertainment” and “Drifting and Stumbling Into the Future.”
Drift In manager Doreen Flynn selects Mannie’s ever-changing outfits that range from sexy to sophisticated. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“Drift In, Stumble Out” book is available at the Drift In for $25 and also at Amazon.com.
Authors’ insights
Hoffman owns the Holmes Beach-based Zegway by the Bay business and serves as a tour guide while giving Segway tours of the Island. She was also the co-founder of the now-defunct AMI Radio station that used to broadcast from the Magnolia Hotel building on Bridge Street that was demolished earlier this year.
In addition to bartending at the Drift In, Weremecki and his wife, Laurie Lancaster, co-founded the Sunrise Hope nonprofit organization that assists foster children (www.SunriseHope.org). He’s also the founder of the AMI drum circle in Holmes Beach.
“The Drift In has been such a big part of my life since I moved here,” Hoffman said. “The book is a way to give back to the community and tell a fun story about our favorite little watering hole and the people that come through there. There’s always a sense of community, family and friends when you come to the Drift.”
“The Drift was the first bar I went to on the Island when I moved here in 2020,” Weremecki said. “I had my eye on working there and it finally happened last July. The book is a quick, easy read and it makes a nice souvenir. We share some memories and some of the things that go on here.”
This Babe Ruth cardboard cutout stands inside the Drift In. – Paul Weremecki | Submitted
“We got to sit with Joe Cuervo and he shared some stories with us,” Hoffman said. “We had to verify a couple things, like when Bridge Street became the happening street on the Island, when the original bridge was built, when the Pines Trailer Park used to be a campground and about Babe Ruth owning the bar. It turns out his father owned several saloons back where he was born.”
One of the Drift In walls is dedicated to former owner Babe Ruth. – Derek Williams | Submitted
Once written, the book was assembled in Microsoft Word, saved as a PDF file, uploaded to Kindle Direct Publishing and self-published at Amazon.
“The tricky part was the cover, the spine and the back of the book,” Hoffman said. “We always knew that was the cover we wanted. Thankfully, it worked.”
For those who want to publish their own book, Hoffman said, “I encourage people to give it a try. It’s challenging but very rewarding.”
So far, the pair has sold about 150 copies of their book.
“Some of the proceeds will go to charities supported by the Drift, including Sunrise Hope,” Weremecki noted.
“We’re working on getting the book into some shops on the Island and we’re working on a Kindle E-book version too,” Hoffman said.
On April 14, the authors held a book signing party at the Drift In.
“It was so much fun,” Hoffman said. “A couple people said they already started reading the book and couldn’t put it down. One lady said she read it in one sitting at the beach. We also got some great feedback from the bar owners and Doreen. They were very supportive of our project.”
“We sold about 30 copies in a few hours,” Weremecki added.
Those who want a signed copy of the book can swing by the Drift In during one of Weremecki’s shifts. He’s there Mondays from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m., Wednesdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m.
“It was lot of fun to write. We enjoyed it and hope whoever buys it enjoys it,” Weremecki said.
“It was a true joy to be able to write the book and help tell the story of a place I love as part of my hometown community,” Hoffman said.
The authors hope to develop a live show at the Drift In that serves as an extension of the book.
“People have emailed saying they have pictures they want to share and stories they want to tell. We’re going to do it live on Facebook and make it a podcast too,” Hoffman said.
Efforts appreciated
Williams and his wife, Helena, bought the Drift In from her parents a few years ago.
“Helena and I both enjoyed the book,” Williams said. “‘Drift In Stumble Out’ is a funny and honest take on an Island original. The team did a great job sharing anecdotes about the Drift: Babe Ruth, the legacy of ownership, the talented musicians and the unique circus of individuals that enjoy our establishment. We’re really proud of Paulie for all he does.”
The Drift In’s tiki hut provides outdoor seating and bar service. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Flynn said, “I thought it was well-written and I loved the fact that our entertainers were featured.”
General Manager Dan Zelko said, “It’s fantastic. I love the fact that ‘Big Sexy’ helped write the book and that he loves the bar as much as he does – we all do. He did a great job of expressing how the bar really is. He’s here and he understands it. We appreciate that.”
LONGBOAT KEY – Gulf Islands Ferry service may one day be expanded to the north end of Longboat Key, but that isn’t expected to happen in the immediate future.
Future ferry service was one of the topics discussed during the joint meeting that Manatee County and Longboat Key officials participated in on April 30 at the county administration building in downtown Bradenton.
Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Elliott Falcione said the county and the Town of Longboat Key have and will continue to discuss if, when and how the county’s Gulf Islands Ferry service might one day be expanded to Longboat Key.
Town Manager Howard Tipton said there have been preliminary discussions about using the town dock near the Mar Vista restaurant, which is also within walking distance of the Shore restaurant. Tipton plans to survey potentially impacted Longboat Key residents to gauge how they feel about a ferry stop there.
The canal behind the Whitney Plaza in Longboat Key is probably too shallow to accommodate the ferries. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Falcione said the canal behind the Whitney Plaza along Gulf of Mexico Drive at the north end of the key is too shallow to accommodate the ferries and he doesn’t envision the ferries traveling to the residential and resort areas further south.
“We’re talking. We’re not there yet,” Falcione said, noting that county resort tax revenues would fund any dock improvements needed in Longboat Key.
FERRY INSIGHTS
Falcione also shared some general insights on the county-contracted ferry service that began in January and currently features stops at the Riverwalk Day Dock in downtown Bradenton, the Anna Maria City Pier and the Bradenton Beach Pier.
Initially operating on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the service was later expanded to include Thursday and Wednesday service. Falcione said the five-day service will continue through the month of May. Service days may be reduced during the summer months.
Falcione said county staff is working on extending ferry service to the Coquina South boat ramp by the end of the year to accommodate Manatee County residents who want to travel to Coquina Beach.
The county hopes to have a ferry stop at the South Coquina boat ramp in Bradenton Beach by year’s end. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Falcione said the two 49-passenger pontoon boat ferries transport 300-350 passengers per day, weather permitting, reducing the number of automobiles traveling to the Island.
“Since we started, we’ve served about 9,000 passengers. The challenge that we face is we’ve lost 25 days due to the weather,” Falcione said.
Falcione said the county and the contracted ferry operator are researching the construction of a high speed, partially-enclosed 90-passenger ferry that would help minimize the service days suspended due to rain, wind, waves and other factors.
The larger, faster ferry would travel the Manatee River between downtown Bradenton and the Anna Maria City Pier and the two pontoon boats would then service Anna Maria Island – and potentially Longboat Key. Falcione preliminary discussions have occurred with the city of Bradenton Beach about docking the pontoon boats there overnight in that future scenario.
The Bradenton Beach Pier currently serves as one of Anna Maria Island’s two ferry stops. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Falcione said it would take about a year to build the larger ferry and grants are being sought to help fund it.
Falcione also expects the ferry service to eventually be expanded to the convention center in Palmetto and the new 252-room Palmetto Marriott Resort & Spa next to the convention center.
Falcione acknowledged the ferries are not yet a primary source of transportation for the Anna Maria Island workforce that commutes from the mainland – due in part to the uncertainty posed by suspended service days. He said a partially enclosed high-speed ferry might help.
“The St. Regis is going to employ a lot of folks,” County Commissioner Mike Rahm said of the new resort opening in Longboat Key at the former Colony Beach Resort location later this year.
Longboat Key Commissioner Debra Williams said Longboat Key businesses struggle to attract and retain employees because of the transportation challenges and lengthy travel times. She said workforce transportation should be the top priority and ferrying folks to restaurants should be a secondary goal.
HOLMES BEACH – The Florida heat didn’t stop a crowd from gathering at City Field on Saturday to express their opposition to the Manatee County Commission and Florida Legislature consolidating or eliminating the three Anna Maria Island cities and building a parking garage at Manatee Beach.
The rally, held on May 4 by the Save Florida Home Rule grassroots activist group, brought hundreds of people to the pavilion, including residents, visitors, property owners and other interested community members. The rallying cry for the group was “save home rule.” It was a sentiment echoed by all in attendance as Island elected officials, residents, city staff and a county commission candidate took the stage to share facts with the community on both issues and speak out against the ongoing state-mandated Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) study and a planned parking garage at the public beach.
Save Florida Home Rule organizer Barbara Ehren was first to take the stage, telling onlookers about the grassroots effort to stop government overreach at the state and county levels to bypass municipal land development codes and ordinances regarding development on the Island. The rally was the second official event for the group following a Hands Across the Sand event held in April that was attended by more than 300 people.
Stepping in for Mayor Judy Titsworth was Holmes Beach Commissioner Terry Schaefer, who said he believes that the push to dissolve the cities is to get rid of land use regulations to allow for increased development on the Island. He said that city leaders are working to mount a “strong defense” against government overreach and that he’s happy to see so many community members getting involved in the effort with the hopes that the battle to hang on to the cities won’t get that far.
Commissioner Terry Schaefer stepped in for Mayor Judy Titsworth to speak on behalf of the city of Holmes Beach. – Kristin Swain | Sun
Schaefer discussed the ongoing unfounded rhetoric largely being voiced by county commissioners, primarily that the city does not have enough parking and that city leaders refuse to work with the county. He said the parking garage and OPPAGA study efforts began at a January 2023 Manatee County state legislative delegation meeting. The parking garage effort was moved through the state House and Senate in an effort to allow the county to circumvent Holmes Beach regulations that do not allow for multi-level parking garages as a land use or paid parking in the city. He said that no county staff or commissioners approached the city to seek a potential exemption for a parking garage at Manatee Beach.
City leaders are required to provide just over 500 parking spaces at beach access points, including the county-owned Manatee Beach under an interlocal agreement governing beach renourishment. Schaefer said the city provides 752 parking spaces at the beach and beach access points throughout the city with hundreds more marked spaces available within a quarter mile of the beach. Police Chief Bill Tokajer regularly counts parking spaces during high-traffic events, such as holiday weekends, and noted that even during spring break there were regularly 70-100 or more spaces available to the public.
“The turnout at a recent Hands Across the Sand and today is certainly encouraging and inspirational to all of us,” Schaefer said. He thanked the assembled community members, stating that he believes it will take not only the Island’s elected officials fighting back but also the residents and property owners to maintain their current way of life.
Holmes Beach Commissioner Dan Diggins also spoke, as well as Anna Maria residents stepping in with short statements from their city leaders, all stating they are against the consolidation of the cities.
One name that came up multiple times during the rally was that of County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge.
Speakers stated that Van Ostenbridge was largely the catalyst behind the effort for the parking garage, an effort that he previously told The Sun he was putting forth to make the beach accessible for all. If the parking garage is built, Van Ostenbridge said it would be paid parking. It would also make Manatee Beach and the restroom, food and beverage, and retail facilities there, along with parking, inaccessible during three or more years of construction on the parking garage. The existing facilities would be destroyed and new ones would be built in the three-story garage with additional parking on the roof. Previously, Titsworth said that she’s fighting to keep parking in Holmes Beach free for everyone, but that if a paid parking garage was constructed at Manatee Beach city leaders would have to rethink their stance on that. Holmes Beach is the only Island city that does not allow paid parking. Currently, there is no funding to build the parking garage.
County commission candidate Diana Shoemaker spoke, sending a few shots at Van Ostenbridge, whose seat on the dais she’s seeking to fill. Shoemaker will face off against either Van Ostenbridge or Tal Siddique on the November election ballot, depending on which one wins the August Republican primary.
If elected, Shoemaker vowed to work with Island residents to make sure that their voices are heard at the county level and to work to stop government overreach in the municipalities.
While Van Ostenbridge has not been directly linked to the ongoing OPPAGA study looking at options to consolidate the cities into one, dissolve the municipalities and consolidate them into either unincorporated Manatee County or the city of Bradenton, or leave them as-is, his strained relationship with the elected officials of the cities, particularly Holmes Beach, has been well-vocalized by the commissioner both on and off the dais. After a recent OPPAGA visit, Holmes Beach leaders were left with the distinct impression that the option being most strongly considered is the elimination of the three municipalities, folding them into unincorporated Manatee County and directly under the authority of the county commission.
Ending the rally, Ehren restated the motto of the Save Florida Home Rule group, “Keep your hands off our cities.”
CORTEZ – Hunters Point developer Marshall Gobuty and his Cortez Road Investments and Finance Inc. (CRIF) ownership group have prevailed in a dock permit-related appeal filed last year by the Cortez Village Marina ownership group, MHC Cortez Village LLC.
The appeal pertained to the environmental resource permit the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) initially issued to Gobuty and CRIF in 2021.
MHC Cortez Village LLC promptly appealed the water management district’s permitting decision and claimed the Hunters Point docks would impede marina clients’ navigation of the canal.
The Hunters Point development is located at 12404 Cortez Rd. W. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
The environmental resource permit allows CRIF to construct 32 new docks and replace 17 existing docks along the CRIF-owned constructed canal that surrounds the Hunters Point property on three sides. The yet-to-be-built docks are part of the ongoing Hunters Point development that features 86 LEED-certified solar-powered homes.
The Hunters Point development is to include 49 dock slips and 86 homes. – Hunters Point | Submitted
Built in the 1950s, the canal provides Cortez Village Marina clients and others with their only direct water access to the nearby Intracoastal Waterway. Gobuty purchased the majority of the long-established canal when he bought the Hunters Point property from the Cipriani Family Trust in 2016.
Earlier this year, Marshall Gobuty’s CRIF ownership group bought the canal area in front of Cortez Village Marina (highlighted with blue lines). – Manatee County Property Appraiser | Submitted
Earlier this year, CRIF purchased from the Cipriani Family Trust an additional portion of the canal located directly in front of the marina. CRIF now owns the portion of the canal that extends from the eastern edge of the marina property to the humpback bridge on 127th Street West near the Seafood Shack. Holiday Cove RV Resort owns the remaining portion of the canal that dead-ends at the east end of the Holiday Cove property. MHC Cortez Village does not own any portion of the canal.
After conducting a multi-day hearing in late 2022, Administrative Law Judge Bruce Culpepper issued a recommended order in March 2023 that concluded: “Based on the foregoing findings of fact and conclusions of law, it is recommended that the Southwest Florida Water Management District enter a final order granting Cortez Road’s (CRIF) application for the permit to build a dock in the canal and issue ERP Individual Construction Major Modification permit 43032468.003.”
In May 2023, the SWFWMD governing board entered the final order recommended by Culpepper. MHC Cortez Village then appealed the governing board’s final order with the Second District Court of Appeal in Lakeland.
During the administrative hearing conducted by Culpepper, there was testimony and discussion about limiting boat traffic on the Hunters Point-owned portion of the canal to alternating one-way travel at specifically timed intervals. It was also noted there are existing pullout areas where one boat can pull over and allow another to pass by. Gobuty and others testified that one-way travel would eliminate the need for two boats to pass each other side-by-side in a narrow portion of the canal, or for one boat to pull to the side to make room for another.
Signs placed near the Cortez Village Marina in early 2023 inform boaters they are entering a private canal and also reference one-way travel, marine radio monitoring and no wake zones. – Hunters Point | Submitted
In early 2023, CRIF voluntarily posted signs in the canal that reference one-way travel at 15-minute intervals for inbound or outbound boat traffic, installed mirrors to increase visibility at the dog-legged corners of the canal and installed signs instructing boaters to monitor VHF marine radio channel 9. CRIF also redesigned its docks to meander closer to the shoreline where possible.
When issuing its final order, the SWFWMD governing board did not mandate the dock design modifications or safety enhancements be included as additional permitting conditions.
ORAL ARGUMENTS
On April 23, the attorneys representing MHC Cortez Village and CRIF presented their oral arguments to the three-member panel of Second District Court of Appeal judges that consisted of Judge Stevan Northcutt, Judge Nelly Khouzam and Judge Robert Morris.
Judges Nelly Khouzam, Stevan Northcutt and Judge Robert Morris and attorneys Thomasina Moore, Susan Martin and Daniel Nordby participated in the oral argument hearing. – Second DCA/YouTube | Submitted
Attorneys Susan Roeder Martin and Thomasina Moore represented CRIF and attorney David Nordby represented MHC Cortez Village during the virtual oral argument session conducted via Zoom, with each side given 20 minutes to address the judges, including rebuttal time.
When addressing the appellate judges, Nordby said, “I’d like to focus on two errors that independently require this court to reverse the order on appeal. The first is the district’s conclusion that the proposed new dock will not significantly impede navigability. The second is the district’s failure to amend the permit after the hearing to reflect the design changes and other concessions made by the applicant during the course of the administrative hearing.”
Judge Morris noted Judge Culpepper was presented with testimony and evidence that led him to recommend the permit be issued without any additional stipulations or concessions.
“The judge is certainly in the position to analyze this navigability issue. It would be difficult for us to supplant ourselves in his role and say we don’t see it that way. You’ve got an expert administrative law judge, you’ve got Swiftmud, who’s certainly an expert on this, and they all agreed based on the evidence they had before them that this was a navigable canal. It would be sufficient to sustain these docks as built. Why should we even make any effort to challenge that?” Morris said.
Morris also noted that CRIF owns the majority of the canal.
Judge Khouzam noted SWFWMD Lead Environmental Scientist Lauren Greenawalt previously testified about the canal’s already-existing pinch points and her belief that CRIF provided reasonable assurances that the dock project was not contrary to SWFWMD permitting standards.
“We have to be careful not to be sitting as the seventh juror in this case,” Khouzam said of the appellate judges’ duty to review the case without retrying it.
“The standard is not that you must be able to pass during all portions of the canal,” Martin told the judges. “The standard is there cannot be a significant impediment to navigation. There are currently areas where boats can pull out and there will be areas after the docks are built where boats can pull out.”
Moore noted Greenawalt also testified that the portion of the canal located under the bridge at 127th Street West is only wide enough for one boat to enter or exit the western end of the canal at a time; the height of the bridge further limits vessel size.
The 127th Street West bridge limits most canal traffic to one boat at a time. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“They (SWFWMD) look at this as an existing impediment. Using this as a baseline, will this dock be more of an impediment than what’s already existing? There’s already this impediment in the form of the bridge and there are areas already existing where the boaters have to go one boat at the time,” Moore argued.
APPELLATE RULING
On May 3, the appellate judges collectively issued a two-page per curium affirmed document that listed the parties and attorneys involved in the case and stated, “Per Curium Affirmed. Northcutt, Khouzam and Morris concur” with no additional legal opinions expressed.
After learning of the ruling, Martin provided The Sun with her comments and additional insights.
“Today, the 2nd DCA ‘per curium affirmed’ the decision of the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the administrative law judge in favor of CRIF. When a case is per curium affirmed, it means the case was so clearly correct that it was not necessary for the court to write a longer opinion,” she said.
Martin noted that Cortez Village Marina is part of the Loggerhead Marinas company whose website lists 25 Loggerhead Marinas throughout Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Ohio. The Chicago-based MHC Cortez Village LLC lists Chicago-based MHC Aquamarina Ultimate Holdings LLC as a title member.
“CRIF is successful in another step of the continuing saga of the goliath MHC marina, a Loggerhead Marina, against Cortez Road (CRIF) over the use of the canal owned by CRIF. MHC and its patrons utilize the canal without authorization from CRIF. Despite the fact that MHC and its patrons are trespassers on the canal, MHC sued CRIF in 2021 to prevent CRIF from building 32 new docks as amenities to the Hunter Point residences. This appeal action no longer prevents the docks from being built. Of course, we do not know if MHC will attempt to appeal further,” Martin said.
Cortez Village Marina clients use the Hunters Point canal to access the nearby Intracoastal Waterway. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
When asked which court MHC Cortez Village could appeal to next, she said, “The Florida Supreme Court, but the court would need to have a reason to accept jurisdiction such as a matter of great public importance or a conflict between the rulings of different district courts of appeal.”
When commenting on the Second DCA ruling, Gobuty said, “I am still hesitant to build the docks at this time due to the fact that MHC and its customers may appeal again. They have no standing yet they continue to waste the court’s time as well as restrict our abilities to build our homes.”
CIVIL LAWSUIT PENDING
In response to MHC Cortez Village’s initial permit challenge, CRIF, in 2022, filed a still-pending civil lawsuit with the 12th Judicial Circuit Court in Manatee County.
“The saga between MHC and CRIF continues in the circuit court where CRIF has filed a complaint to prevent MHC and its lessors and patrons from trespassing on CRIF’s privately owned canal,” Martin said.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday, June 27 before Circuit Court Judge Ryan Felix.
