ANNA MARIA – Longboat Key-based Eason Builders is the city of Anna Maria’s first choice to install new brick paver sidewalks and new crosswalks along Pine Avenue between Gulf Drive and North Shore Drive.
On July 25, Mayor Dan Murphy and the city commission discussed three bids received for the first phase of a multi-phase brick paver sidewalk installation project that’s part of the greater Reimagining Pine Avenue safety improvement project.
The Phase 1 work will consist of brick paver sidewalks being installed atop the unpaved, meandering pedestrian paths along Pine Avenue between Gulf and North Shore. The existing concrete sidewalk on the other side of Pine will remain in place for now.
For the Phase 1 project only, Eason Builders bid $233,704, Tampa-based Mali Construction bid $272,796 and the Sarasota-based C-Squared construction company bid $665,290. Because C-Squared’s bid was so much higher, Murphy recommended excluding that bid from further consideration.
Murphy noted the Eason and Mali bids were close to the $181,053 previously estimated by the George F. Young engineering firm that designed and engineered the Reimagining Pine Avenue project.
Murphy sought and received commission authorization to engage in further discussions with Eason Builders.
“I’d to go to Eason Builders and do fact-finding and see if I can come back with an acceptable contract with Eason Builders,” Murphy told the commission. “If that fails, I’ll come back to the commission again and try to come back with an acceptable contract from Mali.”
He noted he can only enter into contract discussions with one company at a time.
Murphy said additional cost savings might be realized if the city’s public works department does the pavement striping and marking for the crosswalk installations.
Murphy noted the bids must also be reviewed and approved by the Florida Department of Transportation – the state agency overseeing the city’s expenditure of the state appropriation that is funding a significant portion of the Reimagining Pine Avenue project.
In some areas, the unpaved paths meander toward the business entrances. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
During the past couple of years, the city previously issued four separate requests for proposals for the sidewalk and crosswalk installations. In all four instances, C-Squared was the only bidder. The city commission rejected all four of C-Squared’s previous bids because of the proposed cost and the commission’s ongoing desire to receive proposals from multiple bidders.
Commissioner Mark Short said receiving competitive bids for the first time illustrates what the mayor and commission have believed all along, that C-Squared’s bids were abnormally high.
“While people may be frustrated that we’ve been talking about this project for a couple of years, it does show we’ve been prudent about how we’ve approached this utilizing not just our money, but the state’s money,” Short said.
Future block-by-block project phases will result in brick paver sidewalks being installed along the length of Pine Avenue where no concrete sidewalks currently exist.
The phase 2 bids for sidewalk and crosswalk installations between North Shore Drive and Crescent Drive are expected to be revealed and discussed soon.
MANATEE COUNTY – Three more Republican candidates seeking office in Manatee County have reported campaign expenditures made to Anthony Pedicini’s Tampa-based Strategic Image Management (SIMWINS) political consulting firm.
Pedicini and his firm utilize television ads and campaign mailers to promote their Manatee County clients as true conservatives while painting their Republican primary opponents who may hold more moderate views as liberals.
Anthony Pedicini’s firm represents six Manatee County candidates. – Facebook | Submitted
During the July 13-19 campaign reporting period, District 3 Manatee County Commission candidate April Culbreath, District 1 County Commission candidate Steve Metallo and District 3 Manatee County School Board candidate Jonathan Lynch listed their first reported campaign payments to SIMWINS, according to campaign treasurer reports on the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections website.
On July 18, Culbreath’s campaign paid SIMWINS $46,802 for campaign mailers and $800 for palm cards. Culbreath’s campaign has sent out numerous mailers since her District 3 campaign began.
On July 15, Metallo’s campaign paid SIMWINS $40,110 for mailers.
On July 15, Lynch’s campaign paid SIMWINS $4,850 for yard signs.
During the same reporting period, Supervisor of Elections candidate James Satcher, District 7 at-large County Commission candidate Kevin Van Ostenbridge and District 5 County Commission candidate Ray Turner made additional payments to SIMWINS.
On July 15, Satcher’s campaign paid SIMWINS $6,484 for text messaging services and $20,000 for a media ad. On July 17, Satcher’s campaign paid SIMWINS an additional $15,000 for a media ad. To date, Satcher’s campaign has reported paying SIMWINS $82,929.
On July 18, Kevin Van Ostenbridge’s campaign paid SIMWINS $95,000 for a media ad. To date, Van Ostenbridge’s campaign has reported paying SIMWINS $193,420.
On July 17, Turner’s campaign paid SIMWINS $48,562 for mailers. To date, Turner’s campaign has reported paying SIMWINS $66,072.
To date, the six Republican candidates have reported paying SIMWINS a total of $434,983.
Mail voting has begun for the primary election that concludes on Aug. 20. In-person early voting will take place at various polling locations Saturday, Aug. 10 through Saturday, Aug. 17 from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
ST. PETERSBURG – Bradenton resident Eric Astemborski’s swift actions and quick thinking helped save a motorist who crashed his car on I-275, north of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
Astemborski, a commercial fisherman, also owns and operates the St. Petersburg-based Better Bait Company. His grandparents, Bill and Mary Cedar, once owned the Cedar Cove Resort in Holmes Beach.
Around noon on July 24, Astemborski was out on his bait barge near O’Neill’s Marina and the Dick Misener Bridge when he saw a southbound white Tesla veer off the highway at a high rate of speed.
The damaged Tesla was removed from the crash scene. – FHP | Submitted
“He crashed about 75 yards behind my bait barge. He hydroplaned across a drainage ditch for about 70-80 yards and just missed a light pole. It’s only a couple feet deep and he was skimming across the top of the water, going pretty fast. When he got to the other side, the car went 20-25 feet up in the air, did a couple flips and landed on the bank,” Astemborski said.
“I rushed off the bait barge, got in my boat and called 911. The Tesla was sitting on the bank, right on the edge of the water. The driver wasn’t thrown into the water. He must’ve climbed out of the car or been ejected. When I found him, he was crawling out of a bush next to the car. I pulled right up to him, and he was kind of walking out into the water. When I tried to pull him up in the boat, he said his arm was broken. I jumped in the water, picked him up and made the decision to take him to Maximo Boat Ramp instead of trying to get the paramedics to meet him there. I rushed him to the boat ramp and EMS started giving him medical attention,” Astemborski said.
Eric Astemborski transported the injured motorist by boat to the Maximo Boat Ramp in St. Petersburg. – Google Maps | Submitted
Astemborski was asked how it feels to potentially save someone’s life.
“I definitely saved him 20 to 30 minutes of being out there by himself. He was way up in the mangroves, and he went across the pond. It wouldn’t have been easy for anybody to get to him. I might have saved his life. He was in bad shape when I found him. When I pulled him up on the boat he lost consciousness, his eyes closed, he quit talking to me and he wasn’t moving. I thought he might be dead.
The crash occurred along this stretch of I-275. – Google Maps | Submitted
“He’s lucky to be alive. When I pulled up to the car, I thought for sure somebody would be dead. When I pulled up to him, I asked if anyone else was in the car and he said no. But when he regained consciousness at the boat ramp, when the paramedics were getting him off the boat, he said his 16-year-old sister was in the car with him. I rushed back out there yelling for her, looking in the car, looking in the mangroves and I couldn’t find her. By that time, the paramedics had arrived and we were looking through the car trying to find a purse, a cell phone, or anything relating to her. That’s what really shook me up. When I got home, I didn’t know if he was going to be alright. I didn’t know if his sister was trapped underneath the car and we couldn’t see her. The car landed on a bunch of concrete pilings they took down from the Skyway and put on the bank. We couldn’t see underneath the car. Come to find out, she wasn’t actually in the car,” he said.
Astemborski later received a text message from the Tesla driver thanking him for his actions.
“He was discharged the next day,” Astemborski said. “He’s okay. He’s got a bunch of stitches in his face, he messed up his arm and he had a severe concussion, but nothing life-changing.”
Astemborski hopes to meet up with the driver again under more pleasant circumstances. He did not provide the driver’s name. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the driver, whose name was not released, is 25 years old and was not wearing a seat belt.
Astemborski’s cousin, Steven LaParl, lives in Holmes Beach.
“He was a hero,” LaParl said. “He might have saved the guy’s life. He called me right afterward. He was shaken up and didn’t know if the guy was gonna live.”
BRADENTON BEACH – Following Shawn Kaleta’s termination of Easy Parking Group’s (EPG) contract to manage a Bridge Street parking lot, EPG owner Josh LaRose has filed a lawsuit against Kaleta and Beach to Bay Investments Inc. seeking damages in excess of $50,000.
The lawsuit, filed in the 12th Judicial Circuit Court on July 18, claims fraudulent misrepresentation, unjust enrichment and breach of agreement. The summons was served on the registered agent for Beach to Bay Investments, attorney Louis Najmy, on July 25. He has 20 days from then to respond on behalf of Kaleta, the president of Beach to Bay Investments. Kaleta is the only principal listed for the LLC on the Florida Division of Corporations website.
LaRose entered into the agreement on Jan. 12 with Beach to Bay Investments to provide management and operation services in exchange for a percentage of the net revenues generated by Kaleta’s parking lots, after agreed improvements and startup costs were repaid by Kaleta and basic operating expenses deducted from the gross revenues.
The initial term of the agreement was one year, with termination permitted without cause after the first six months with 30 days written notice.
On June 11, LaRose received a letter from Beach to Bay Investments Manager Sam Negrin terminating the agreement effective July 12, six months from the contract’s inception.
Negrin wrote The Sun in a text message on July 28 that EPG owes money to Beach to Bay.
“We are surprised they sued in response to our letter seeking payment,” he wrote. “We look forward to resolving the issues and recovering the funds owed to us.”
BREACH OF AGREEMENT CLAIM
The letter to LaRose states in part, “All meter equipment, signage, parking equipment and other equipment installed on the parking lots must be removed by July 26, 2024 or they will become the property of Beach to Bay Investments Inc.”
The suit claims that immediately after sending the notice of termination, and prior to July 12, Beach to Bay and/or Kaleta entered the parking lots and removed EPG’s parking app signs, installing new signs with instructions for making payment using a payment app, QR code or Text to Pay system with payments sent directly to Kaleta or his affiliate. Replacement parking meters also were installed and tape was placed over EPG parking meters, according to the complaint.
“The agreement prohibits Beach to Bay from terminating the services prior to July 12, 2024 and also prohibits the removal of parking meters and payment signage installed by EPG,” according to the complaint.
FRAUDULENT MISREPRESENTATION CLAIM
The lawsuit alleges that Kaleta falsely represented that he, or Beach to Bay, owned or controlled all the properties on which EPG provided parking management and operation services.
“Shortly after entering into the agreement, Kaleta, the president of Beach to Bay, tore down various structures on three additional properties immediately adjacent to 219 Gulf Drive S. (the property identified in the agreement), namely 101 Bridge St., 105 Bridge St. and 106 Third St. S., and asked EPG to expand its parking management and operation services onto the newly empty land. Kaleta did not tell EPG that the adjacent properties were legally separate and distinct from 219 Gulf Drive S., with different municipal addresses and owners, but rather represented that they were part and parcel of 219 Gulf Drive,” the complaint states.
“EPG does not know if the actual legal property owners are even aware that their properties were used as private parking lots or if they received any portion of the resulting revenues,” according to the complaint.
EPG asked the court to order Kaleta to immediately identify the owners of each of the properties where EPG provided or agreed to provide parking management and operation services, identify the revenues, if any, received by each property owner from the operation as parking lots and indemnify EPG from any actions brought by the owners of the properties.
EPG also provided parking management and operation services for Bradenton Beach properties at 206 Church Ave., 207 Church Ave., 102 Third St. N. and 202 First St. N.
The Manatee County Property Appraiser’s office website lists the owner of 206 Church Ave. as D&C Properties of Tampa LLC, with Maria Trim and Mark Dexter of Tampa as principals.
“While all of the properties but one (219 Gulf Drive S.) are owned by LLCs that are effectively owned, at least in part, and/or managed by Mr. Kaleta, Easy Parking Group provided its services under the impression that all of the properties were owned exclusively by Mr. Kaleta and/or Beach to Bay Investments Inc.,” LaRose’s Sarasota-based attorney, Bailey Lowther, wrote in a July 27 email to The Sun. “Accordingly, all of the parking revenues from the various lots paid by EPG were deposited into the same bank account, presumably belonging to Beach to Bay. If Beach to Bay failed to distribute those revenues properly, i.e. to the LLCs that owned the parking lot properties, EPG potentially faces claims from those LLCs.”
If one or more of those LLCs has members other than Kaleta, Lowther said it raises potential questions that include whether or not all the members of the LLC knew and consented to the property being used as a parking lot, and whether the LLC members received their fair share of the revenues.
“Depending on the ownership and operating agreement of each particular LLC, if the answer to any one of the questions is ‘no,’ my client could very well be sued by one or more of the LLC property owners,” she wrote.
Beach to Bay’s Negrin disputes the claim that Kaleta was using properties he wasn’t entitled to use.
“He is either the owner or agent of all of the properties,” Negrin told The Sun on July 27.
“With respect to 219 Gulf Drive S., which is owned by AMI Plaza LLC, Mr. Kaleta told my client, and the agreement specifically states, that property was owned by Beach to Bay Investments Inc.,” Lowther wrote. “Also, all of the questions above, and my concerns about the potential liability of my client, are applicable to the owner/landlord of 219 Gulf Drive S.”
According to the Florida Division of Corporations website, the owner of AMI Plaza LLC is Firkins Nissan. Registered agent William Saba confirmed in a July 27 telephone interview with The Sun that Kaleta leases the property from him.
“We have a written lease agreement,” Saba said. “Shawn is entitled to use the property.”
UNJUST ENRICHMENT CLAIM
“EPG, in providing its parking management and operation services, including but not limited to undertaking and incurring inception and start-up activities and costs, to Beach to Bay and Kaleta, conferred benefits on Beach to Bay and Kaleta,” according to the lawsuit complaint. “The reception and retention of the benefits conferred by EPG by Beach to Bay and Kaleta is inequitable unless Beach to Bay and Kaleta are required to pay EPG for the value of the benefits.”
ANNA MARIA – City property owners will see their property taxes reduced in the coming year.
On July 25, the Anna Maria City Commission voted 3-2 to adopt a tentative 1.65 millage rate for the coming 2024-25 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. The adopted tentative millage rate can be further reduced before the budget is finalized in September, but it cannot be increased.
Anna Maria’s current 2.05 millage rate has long been the lowest millage rate on Anna Maria Island and in Manatee County, joined last year by Holmes Beach.
Mayor Dan Murphy proposed a 1.75 millage rate. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
On June 27, Mayor Dan Murphy proposed lowering the millage rate to 1.82 mills, with the possibility of bringing it even lower. When presenting his proposed $10.4 million capital project plan on July 25, Murphy proposed setting the tentative millage rate at 1.75 mills.
“My goal is to reduce the taxes in this city for the first time in history. It’s not a huge cut, but it is a cut. It’s a step in the right direction,” Murphy said, noting the proposed rate would result in Anna Maria property owners paying a lower city tax bill next year.
Murphy said lowering the millage rate to 1.75 mills would leave the city with a $1.21 million contingency fund for the new fiscal year. The contingency fund for the current budget year is $981,851. The non-earmarked contingency fund can be used to cover unexpected expenditures, including hurricane clean up and recovery efforts.
Commission discussion
During the lengthy discussion that followed, commissioners Gary McMullen and Charlie Salem lobbied for a 1.65 tentative millage rate and Commissioner Kathleen Morgan later joined them in adopting that tentative millage rate.
Commissioners Jon Crane and Mark Short expressed support for a 1.75 tentative millage rate but for differing reasons opposed adopting the tentative rate at 1.65 mills. Short noted a 1.75 millage rate would be a 15% reduction.
Commissioner Gary McMullen supports a 1.65 millage rate. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Commissioner Gary McMullen asked if reducing the proposed contingency fund to its current level would lower the millage rate. Murphy said a 1.65 millage rate would produce a $987,000 contingency fund.
“At 1.65, we’d still have a contingency fund that’s almost a million dollars,” Salem said. “We don’t have this opportunity very often. We should take advantage of it and we’re in a good position due in large part to the mayor’s leadership.”
Crane expressed concerns about a 1.65 millage rate negatively impacting the city’s finances in the years to come.
“I’m happy to bring it down to 1.75, but I’d hate to jump to back where we are now the following year,” he said.
Commissioner Jon Crane supports a 1.75 millage rate. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Murphy said the city is now benefiting from the street paving and drainage improvements made during the past decade.
“We’ve invested in our infrastructure. Now we can reap that benefit, and it’s not just a one-year benefit,” Murphy said, noting the 1.75 millage rate could be maintained if the city continues to invest wisely in infrastructure maintenance and improvements.
After noting that high taxes and insurance premiums contribute to the loss of permanent residents, Murphy said, “We only play a small part of that tax bill, but I think we need to set an example for the school board, for the county, for all the other agencies.”
Murphy said he asked Sen. Jim Boyd to relay that message to Manatee County’s other taxing authorities.
“Nobody else is doing this. It has to start somewhere and I would like it to start here tonight,” he added.
Public input
During public input, Anna Maria businessman and mayoral candidate Brian Seymour encouraged the commission to set the final millage rate at 1.65 or 1.6, even if they set the tentative rate at 1.75.
Mayoral candidate Brian Seymour supports setting the millage rate as low as possible. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“I want to applaud the mayor and commissioners. I think it’s long overdue, as our property values have doubled, if not tripled, in the 15 years I’ve lived here. We can be the example for other cities,” Seymour said.
Participating by phone, Barry White said he’s owned a residential property on Spring Avenue property since 2017 and his taxes and insurance premiums have increased astronomically since then.
“Things have gotten out of hand,” White said, noting his total tax bill last year was $33,000, which was reduced from $50,000 because he protested the initial assessment.
Regarding the increased value of his home, White said, “The equity doesn’t help me if I’m not going to sell. I don’t want to sell and I don’t want to rent my property.”
White, 65, retired in 2017.
“I pay $20,000 in school taxes and I get zero return for that. My kids are grown. That’s $20,000 of $33,000 right there,” White said. “Thank you so much for what you’re considering tonight.”
The commissioners then voted 3-2 to adopt the 1.65 tentative millage rate.
Commissioner Mark Short remains open to a 1.65 millage rate. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Immediately after the meeting, Short said, “I was all for the proposed reduction to 1.75. I am for reducing the property tax millage rate as much as we can. Since today’s number was not final, and we have the ability to bring it even lower when we have the final numbers, I felt it was safe going in at 1.75. I’m perfectly fine with 1.65 and we’ll see where we are once the numbers are finalized.”
The next budget discussion is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 8 at 1 p.m.
HOLMES BEACH – A controversial treehouse is scheduled to be dismantled by July 31 under a court order from the 12th Judicial Circuit Court for Manatee County.
Treehouse owner Lynn Tran said the city’s building department issued a demolition permit on July 23.
During a June hearing, an attorney for Tran and co-owner Richard Hazen, the owners of Angelinos Sea Lodge, said that a demolition permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) expires on July 31, creating the demolition deadline.
The couple has defended the treehouse against claims that it was built illegally since it was built in 2011. The owners have maintained that they contacted the Holmes Beach Building Department to inquire if they needed a permit to build a treehouse and were told they did not. City leaders say that not only did the owners need a permit from the city, they also needed one from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for the two-story beachfront structure, which was built in an Australian pine tree, supported by poles decorated to look like tree trunks and sports windows.
After the fact permit applications to the city were denied due to the treehouse infringing on the erosion control line. Development seaward of the line is prohibited by state law.
In an attempt to keep the treehouse aloft, the owners petitioned the courts, going so far as to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on the matter. The high court refused to hear the case and demolition of the treehouse was ordered by Judge Edward Nicholas in the 12th Judicial Circuit Court for Manatee County in February.
Tran and Hazen received an extension of the July 3 deadline to obtain the demolition permit from the city. They hosted an opportunity over the July 4 holiday week for fans to say goodbye to the treehouse.
A compliance hearing is set for Thursday, Aug. 8 at 11:30 a.m. with Nicholas.
CORTEZ – After a six-year legal battle between Raymond “Junior” Guthrie and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), the net camp he built in 2017 in Sarasota Bay is being dismantled.
FDEP filed a civil suit against Guthrie in 2018 claiming that he had constructed an enclosed docking structure over sovereign submerged lands in Sarasota Bay without a permit.
The FDEP prevailed and on May 7, 12th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Edward Nicholas ordered the structure to be removed in 120 days, making the deadline Sept. 4.
Guthrie maintained that his family had a net camp in that location since his grandfather built one in the 1940s.
In 2017, Guthrie rebuilt the structure “after it had been damaged by a hurricane, using the same pilings and stringers as existed at the time,” according to Manatee County court statements submitted by Guthrie in 2018.
The lone remaining net camp off Cortez – much older than Guthrie’s – is being renovated by the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH).
Karen Bell, owner of A.P. Bell Fish Co., and a strong supporter of the net camp, expressed disappointment at the removal of the building.
“I just think it’s a shame that DEP or FL didn’t see the significance to this village of these two remaining net camps,” Bell wrote in a text to The Sun. “They represent how fishermen worked in the past and tell the story of how Cortez was settled by North Carolina fishermen so long ago.”
The FDEP did not respond to a request for comment.
For some reason, I’m finding this summer more uncomfortable than in past years. I considered that I’m just getting older, but I can’t believe that, or maybe reading the sales statistics every month is getting me hot under the collar.
The June nationwide and local sales statistics both came out the same day on July 23, too late for last week’s paper. The numbers are, to say the least, cool if not frigid. It’s no wonder I’m feeling the heat.
Since the national report is printed in most national newspapers you may have already seen it, but it’s my mission to make sure all my readers don’t miss anything. So, these are the nationwide numbers, and the Manatee County statistics will follow for June:
The national numbers are based on existing single-family homes. The median sale price nationally was $426,900 for June which was up 4.1% from last June. The month’s supply of available properties was 4.1 months.
Manatee County single-family home sales were down 4.1% from last June. The median sale price was $518,950, down 1.2%, and the average sale price was $736,322, up 8.4%. The median time to contract was 57 days compared to 37 days last year. The number of active listings was up 56.6% from last June and the month’s supply of available properties was 4.0 months compared to 2.8 last year.
Condos in Manatee County closed 17.2% fewer units. The median sale price was $344,495, down 6.9%, and the average sale price was $416,198, down 11.6%. The median time to contract was 73 days compared to 34 days last year, and active listings were up 72.3%. The month’s supply of active listings was 5.8 months compared to 3.4 months last year.
The National Association of Realtors reports on the nationwide statistics on their website and the Manatee County numbers are on the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee’s website. As you can see, the national median sale price is considerably lower than Manatee County’s, even though they report a 4.1% increase from last June.
Manatee County shows a slowdown in the housing market, as does Sarasota. Markets are influenced by a variety of multifaceted factors – rising interest rates, economic uncertainty, seasonal factors, market saturation with available listings, buyer choices and affordability. The opinion of the Realtor Association is that there are more opportunities for buyers right now, and serious sellers need to adjust their strategies and expectations.
The Federal Reserve has given some indication that interest rates could be falling before the end of the year, which should remove part of the interest rate negative. And with the end of summer and hurricane season, there could also be some pressure lifted off sellers. A real estate broker recently told me when the first snowfall happens in the north, that’s when you start to see the market moving.
Whatever statistics show, it’s still a moment in time, or at least a month in time, and could change next month. Our economy and national conversation is a moving target and could and likely will change with the next news cycle. Therefore, there’s no reason to get hot under the collar. October is just around the corner and I’m not getting older.
BRADENTON BEACH – Manatee County Administrator Charlie Bishop put Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie in an awkward position when he sought the mayor’s assistance in shortening his anticipated wait time at the Daiquiri Deck restaurant.
After receiving the call from Bishop on Thursday evening, July 25, Chappie, a former county commissioner, attempted to contact Jake Spooner. Spooner, a former city commissioner, owns the three-story commercial building on Bridge Street that contains his ground-level Bridge Street Bazaar retail store. Spooner leases the two upper levels of his building to the Daiquiri Deck but has no ownership stake in the restaurant.
Manatee County Administrator Charlie Bishop sought a small favor from the mayor. – Manatee County | Submitted
Chappie mistakenly called the wrong number and left his Bishop request-related voicemail on another person’s phone. The following morning, an anonymous source provided The Sun with a recording of the voicemail that had already been shared on Facebook.
Mayor John Chappie attempted to assist the county administrator with his dining accommodations. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
During the 59-second voicemail, Chappie, sounding a bit hesitant, said, “Hey Jake, John Chappie here. Ugh… I’ve never done this before. I just got a call from the county administrator, Charlie Bishop. He is at the Daiquiri Deck and believe it or not he called me to see … he’s got a 45-minute wait for a reservation to get a seat and it’s under Madison. He wanted to know if I could pull a string for him. I’m just asking if maybe you could call Daiquiri Deck and let them know, maybe. For Madison is the person – there’s three I believe: Charlie Bishop, his girlfriend and his girlfriend’s daughter, I believe it is. It’s under Madison. If you could let me know. I’ll see what I can do. Take care, thank you.”
When contacted by phone Friday afternoon, Chappie acknowledged leaving the voicemail and being aware of the voicemail being shared on Facebook.
“It is what it is,” he said. “I got a call from Charlie. I consider him a friend. I’ve known him for about 15 years. He was out here, and like anybody, I always try to help out friends and constituents if I can. So, I just made a phone call. I’ve never really done that before. I said that on the tape. From what I understand, he was already seated before Jake even got back to him.”
Chappie acknowledged that he intended to leave the voicemail for Spooner but accidentally left it with another person named Jake.
Regarding the optics of a county official seeking favor from a city official, Chappie said, “People will speculate, but I didn’t look at it that way. I’ve known Charlie for a long time – since I was with the county. I would do the same for anybody else I know.”
When contacted Friday afternoon, Spooner said he did not receive the voicemail in question but did receive a call from Chappie that evening.
The Sun also sought comment from Bishop via his office phone number, his county-issued cell phone number and his county email address. As of Saturday morning, he had not responded.
According to the Manatee County website, Bishop joined the county staff as a project manager in 2001. In 2023, the board of county commissioners appointed him county administrator, with a $230,000 annual salary.
It’s not illegal for a county official to ask a city official for assistance getting a table at a busy restaurant, nor does it constitute an ethics violation at the state level, but the county administrator does have influence with county commissioners when it comes to approving or denying funding requests made by the city of Bradenton Beach and the two other Island cities.
We inadvertently became involved with city issues a decade ago. We attended almost every Holmes Beach Commission meeting and work session for several years. We have attended some Anna Maria, Manatee County and WMFD meetings as well and continue to stay educated. With this ever-evolving landscape of quality of island life, our mantra has evolved into “Preservation of Neighborhoods.”
We recently Googled Holmes Beach zoning and discovered a highly prioritized real estate website. A section specifically referencing HB R-2 to R-4 zones perked our interest: “The typical buyer for these zones is someone who would like to rent the property weekly for most of the time. Warning! If you plan on living in the property or visiting for multiple months be aware that it can be noisy.”
Until recently our immediate block in an R-2 zone consisted of 100% permanent residents; even with new construction, we remain predominantly permanent, full-time residents with a strong neighborhood watch. This may be a rarity, however, we had never seen documented numbers for the percentage of residences versus TPLEs (commercial rentals) per zone. (Transient Public Lodging Establishments are clearly defined in state statute.) We proceeded with public records requests from the county appraiser, city, and WMFD. Curiously, none has a count of the number of TPLEs per zone.
After re-reading our entire Comprehensive Plan and Municode Zoning sections multiple times, we know without reservation that the intent is for preservation of residential character. It is not mentioned just casually; it is staunchly entrenched repeatedly.
Many people locally and statewide have worked diligently towards preservation of residential character. Home Rule initiatives, neighborhood initiatives, and initiatives with city, county and state governments have sought to protect our neighborhoods.
We are not naive. We have followed numbers and trends as well as the imminent prospects of consolidation or dissolution of the island cities. However, there are coastal cities which have successfully preserved their character. These cities properly reference their residential zones, respect their guiding documents, enforce prescribed ordinances and encourage resident input.
We encourage upholding guiding documents in efforts to preserve intended residential character and hope that others respect that initiative by encouraging permanent residents as well. Our communities, our beloved AME, our churches, our quality of life, and even retention of our island cities depend on it.
BRADENTON BEACH – Four least tern chicks in a local nesting colony have been outfitted with color-coded bands to help researchers study their migration patterns along with population and breeding success.
On July 15, Dr. Elizabeth Forys of Eckerd College fitted the four chicks with tracking bands under her master band permit #25258 and additional state permits. The chicks ranged in age from three to four weeks and had not yet begun to fly.
During the banding process, each bird was weighed, the length of their bill and wing were measured, and all data recorded in a state and federal database. The tracking bands include a silver, pre-stamped federal band along with a white band on the left leg and two colored bands on the left leg which are specific to the individual bird.
The chicks are identified as follows: Chick 11A – Blue-Blue/White Silver; Chick 11B – Blue-Red/White Silver; Chick 12 “Marilyn” – Blue-Green/White Silver and Chick 15 “StumbleBum” – Blue-Orange/White Silver
If you see a banded bird, report it to reportband.gov, noting
• Date, time and location;
• Species;
• Which leg or legs have bands;
• Color and order of bands; and
• Whether the band has an alphanumeric code, and, if so, the code.
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring first reported the colony of least terns the week of May 6. Since then, the colony has grown to 45 birds. Of the 22 nests, there are still two birds sitting on eggs which are expected to hatch by the end of July.
Wikipedia defines the term “enlightened self-interest” as a philosophy in ethics when persons who act to further the interests of others ultimately serve their interests. It has often been simply expressed by the belief that an individual, group or even a commercial entity will do well by doing good.
How we vote has a direct effect on the quality of our local waters. – Rusty Chinnis | Sun
Now more than ever it’s critically important to apply this concept when deciding on a political candidate to support. All too often, candidates lobby to get our vote and promise to represent us and our interests. Not to disparage all politicians, but it seems many who claim to represent their constituents instead end up serving a special interest group that doesn’t. We as voters seem fooled into voting party instead of vetting the candidates to see how they’ve voted in the past. It’s especially important if you’re an angler, love to fish and value our coastal habitat to do this homework before election day. Frequently candidates will tell voters what they want to hear, especially as an election approaches. If you really care about our coastal resources, don’t vote Democrat, Republican or No Party Affiliation. Check the candidate’s voting record on protecting the water we drink and the water the fish we pursue swim in. It’s a sad and self-defeating proposition when we elect people to represent us only because they put the most campaign signs out. If we vote for the waters and fishing we cherish, we’ll take the time to make an informed decision. Another avenue to determining whose interest a candidate will serve is by researching who is funding their campaigns.
If we don’t vote or vet our candidates, we may well be voting against our own self-interest. The future of fishing in Florida and the economy hang in the balance. VOTE WATER!
BRADENTON BEACH – City commissioners voted unanimously on July 18 to terminate parking lot management agreement discussions with Beach to Bay Investments Inc. for a paid parking lot between Church and Highland Avenues.
Beach to Bay, with Shawn Kaleta as president, was the sole bidder in the city’s Request for Proposal 2024-03 to improve the city parking lot and begin charging for parking. The lot is located directly across from the city’s Public Works department.
At the beginning of the July 18 city commission meeting, Mayor John Chappie showed a PowerPoint presentation with pictures he had taken of the 101 Bridge St. lot showing flooding caused by a leaking artesian well.
The Bridge Street parking lot is owned by Kaleta and was approved for temporary use by the city in February, subject to stipulations that have not been met, Chappie said.
“I would like to start out with some things. In my reviewing of the information and from past meetings and documentation and materials that have been provided, I continue to have concerns with the proposed agreement,” Chappie said.
Chappie read from the proposed parking lot management agreement.
“In starting with the parking lot management agreement itself in particular it states, ‘whereas the parties hereto being of like mind and intent believe that the provision of quality, attractive, landscaped and paid parking facilities will advance their common goal,’ ” he read. “I don’t believe we are of like mind or intent and I say that after going through and looking at the four previously approved temporary use parking that have been made by the city of Bradenton Beach.”
Chappie was referring to parking lots at 102 Third St., 206 Bay Drive, 207 Church St., and 101 Bridge St.
“All four of these temporary use permits that have been previously approved are operating right now but none of the properties have followed through with or completed the required stipulations,” Chappie said.
He concluded his presentation with pictures of the flooding at the Bridge Street parking lot caused by a leaking artesian well.
“Again, the pictures clearly show they haven’t followed through at any of the places with the stipulations and guidelines we put forward in making that approval,” Chappie said. “All these properties are owned by the same corporation or individual. I’m not satisfied at all with the management of the properties. On this basis, I’ve come to the conclusion I don’t see how we can possibly go through with this agreement with someone who I don’t consider to be qualified from past experiences.”
Chappie also noted a discussion from a previous meeting about a cap on parking rates at the public works lot.
“I listened to the tape again and Sam (Sam Negrin of Beach to Bay) did make a statement which I took to offer up about the cost that would be charged per hour,” Chappie said. “I think Jan (Commissioner Jan Vosburgh) mentioned it and Ralph (Commissioner Ralph Cole) mentioned it as well that Sam stated that the $5-$10 range that Beach House is charging, somewhere in that range would be fair.”
NO SITE PLAN, NO DEAL
Chappie said that Building Official Darin Cushing had not received a requested site plan for the parking lot.
“The normal everyday operations of public works and the police department are a top priority. With the drawing we did have I know it would negatively impact the operations of public works and PD to some degree as well,” he said. “These are the reasons I don’t feel comfortable with the management choice, I was okay with it at first, but looking back at the examples of their operations in the city, I don’t think we should enter into an agreement for the cell lot.”
Commissioner Ralph Cole, who moved to terminate discussions with Beach to Bay, agreed with Chappie.
“I have to agree with you about the other parking lots and the fact that the same company hasn’t done what they said they were going to do,” Cole said. “What’s to prevent them from putting food trucks in other parking lots?“
A food truck has been parked at the Bridge Street lot for about the past week.
“We still don’t have a site plan, so we really don’t know what we’re looking at in a permanent way and I’m really not comfortable with the pricing,” Commissioner Deborah Scaccianoce said.
Vosburgh said she’s always felt uncomfortable about approving the agreement.
During public comment, Ingrid McClellan, vice chair of the Scenic WAVES committee, spoke.
“I had a concern with the parking lot on Gulf Drive. That’s on the Bradenton Beach Scenic Highway and that does not look scenic at all,” she said.
In response to a question from Scaccianoce as to whether the commission could terminate the discussion, City Attorney Ricinda Perry advised the commissioners.
“Under the RFP process, it puts the city in a position of we have to negotiate in good faith, so then the question becomes has the city negotiated in good faith up to this point? Part of negotiations is the city doing its homework and making sure whatever it is purchasing and contracting for, it meets your expectations,” she said.
Perry commented on the photo of the flooded lot on Bridge Street.
“I would note that the image before you that is not after a rain, that is an existing concern that the city has put in writing and asked to have that remediated a number of times,” she said. “The artesian well has not been fixed and water continues to go down the public streets. Also, you can see the overgrowth, the haphazard poles, the lack of appropriate ground cover and there were other stipulations that have not been met.”
She said she and the mayor have had discussions about other uses that are coming onto the site.
“When you see that your expectations are not being met, on not one thing, not two, not three, but more than four, it does raise the question can they meet your expectations? One of the CRA goals is to beautify the district and, as Ingrid said, this certainly is not scenic. This is not beautification that meets the expectations of this board.”
“With (the city’s) appropriate due diligence and that there has not been appropriate follow through with site plans, and with the existing parking lots, I believe that we have negotiated in good faith,” she said. “I believe that you’re in a position now where you could essentially terminate negotiations that have failed and you could articulate what those reasons are.”
She said the three reasons are that expectations have not been met, the requirements of a site plan and the requirements established and articulated by the building official have not been met, and commissioners do not feel that they could come to terms with the amount charged.
“I feel very comfortable that the city is in a good position to terminate the negotiations based off the discussion today,” Perry said.
Kaleta and Negrin were not at the meeting and did not respond to requests for comment by The Sun.
ANNA MARIA – The fiscal year 2024-25 city budget being crafted by Mayor Dan Murphy and city commissioners proposes $5.82 million in operating and general expenses during the new fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1.
Presented by Murphy during the city commission’s second budget meeting on July 18, the projected expenses include employee salaries and wages and represent a $296,979 increase over the $5.53 million in similar estimated year-end expenses for the current fiscal year that ends Sept. 30.
The $5.82 million does not include the capital projects and infrastructure improvements to be decided during the third and final budget meeting on Thursday, July 25. That meeting begins at 5 p.m. and will include the setting of the tentative millage rate.
During the commission’s initial budget meeting on June 27, Murphy proposed, and the commission tentatively supported, reducing the city’s longstanding 2.05 millage rate to the rollback rate of 1.8245 mills, or possibly lower.
Murphy said due to increased property values, the rollback rate would generate $4.24 million in ad valorem property tax revenues during the 2024-25 fiscal year. The proposed budget anticipates $18.2 million in total revenues that also include previously approved state appropriations, unused funds carried over from the current fiscal year and other funding sources.
On July 18, Murphy said the 1.8245 rollback rate would result in Anna Maria property owners not experiencing a tax increase. And if there’s enough money left after the July 25 capital improvements decisions, the millage rate could be lowered further and provide property owners with the first property tax reduction in Anna Maria that Murphy is aware of.
The millage rate and fiscal year budget will be finalized during two public hearings in September.
“I want to leave the city in good shape when I walk out the door,” Murphy said regarding his recent decision to not seek reelection in November after 10 years in office.
Departmental expenses
The largest proposed operating expense is $1.54 million for public safety, which includes $1.52 million for contracted law enforcement services provided by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Anna Maria Unit. Murphy anticipates a $184,042 (14%) increase for MCSO services in the coming year and is scheduled to meet with sheriff’s office representatives this week in hopes of reducing those anticipated costs.
$777,984 for public works department expenses, a $26,267 (3%) increase;
$1.02 million for the administration department expenses that include the city clerk’s office, a $22,693 (2%) increase;
$1.01 million for building department expenses, a $32,788 (3%) increase;
$723,671 for code enforcement expenses, a $22,906 (3%) increase;
$461,345 for parks and recreation-related expenses, a $8,154 (2%) increase; and
$81,880 for city commission expenses that include the mayor and commissioner’s salaries, a $52 increase.
Commissioner Jon Crane asked the commission to consider for future discussion increasing the mayor and commissioners’ salaries to help attract more city candidates in future election cycles.
The Anna Maria mayor earns $19,500 a year and commissioners make $4,800. The Bradenton Beach mayor earns $9,600 a year, while commissioners earn $$4,800 a year. It was stated the Holmes Beach mayor earns $28,160 a year and Holmes Beach commissioners earn $8,080.
Commissioners Gary McMullen and Kathy Morgan said they’d only support pay increases for the mayor and commissioners if it can be accomplished while reducing property taxes.
Wage increases
Murphy proposes 5% salary and wage increases for city employees in the coming fiscal year. Murphy said the city recently conducted a city government wage survey that indicated city government employees are receiving pay increases in the 4% to 6.5% range, with 5% being the “sweet spot” in the middle of that range. Murphy said the wage increases will help the city retain current employees, attract new employees and help offset the impacts of inflation.
BRADENTON BEACH – City officials will maintain the current 2.3329 millage rate as part of the $4.85 million budget being prepared for the 2024-25 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
The proposed budget represents a $359,969 increase over the current fiscal year that ends Sept. 30.
The Bradenton Beach mayor, commissioners, department heads and city treasurer held their first 2024-25 fiscal year budget meeting on July 16.
As he does each year, Mayor John Chappie said, “The budget is the single most important document that we act on throughout our year. The budget is a reflection of where we’ve been, where we are and where we’re going as a community.”
Mayor John Chappie acknowledged the importance of the budgeting process. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Chappie then thanked the department heads and city staff for continuously working on the budget throughout the year.
Bradenton Beach’s annual budgeting process begins with each department head preparing a departmental budget that serves as a needs and wish list. The city treasurer then compiles the departmental budgets into a budget worksheet for the mayor and commission to review and tentatively approve department by department. On July 16, the mayor and commission tentatively approved each departmental budget presented and the proposed 2.3329 millage rate.
City Treasurer Shayne Thompson helped compile the proposed budget. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
City Treasurer Shayne Thompson said he previously met with each department head and commission member and the new fiscal year budget is built on two primary assumptions: maintaining the current 2.3329 millage rate and providing the city’s hourly employees with 8% wage increases and a $500 increase to the tiered longevity bonuses that will now range from $1,250 to $2,500 according to length of time employed by the city. It was noted the salaried department heads would also receive pay increases, but the no exact figures were provided.
“With those assumptions, the budget is very sound,” Thompson said.
On July 23, Thompson provided The Sun with additional details. He said the department heads and himself, a salaried non-department head, will receive 8% salary increases. And, in an effort to keep pace with what other cities are paying, the department heads and Thompson will also receive “salary equalization adjustments” to be added to their annual salaries.
City Clerk Terri Sanclemente will receive a $10,000 salary equalization adjustment in addition to an 8% salary increase. An 8% salary increase and a $10,000 salary equalization adjustment will also be added to the future salary of the yet-to-be-hired replacement for recently departed Public Works Director Tom Woodard.
Thompson and Police Chief/Emergency Operations Manager John Cosby will receive $5,000 salary equalization adjustments in addition to their 8% salary increases. Building Official Darin Cushing is contracted through a third-party firm and his salary is determined by his direct employer.
According to Thompson, the city anticipates receiving $2.47 million in ad valorem tax revenues during the coming fiscal year, compared to $2.26 million during the current fiscal year. Due to increased property values, maintaining the current millage rate will subject Bradenton Beach property owners to higher property tax bills.
Factoring in grants, matching funds and various other taxes and revenue sources, the city anticipates receiving $5.05 million in total revenues during the new fiscal year, versus $4.56 million in the current fiscal year, Thompson noted some non-ad valorem revenue projections might change slightly before the final budget is published and adopted in September.
Thompson said the city hopes to add $225,000 to $250,000 to the uncommitted reserve fund.
Cosby said a healthy reserve fund is vital because it can be used to temporarily fund post-disaster recovery and cleanup efforts while awaiting reimbursement from FEMA and other agencies.
The numbers
Sanclemente proposes $833,347 for administrative department expenditures in the coming fiscal year, including wages and employee benefits, a $74,254 departmental increase.
The budget proposes $208,009 in city commission expenditures, including the mayor’s $9,600 annual salary, each commissioner’s $4,800 annual salary and a $16,000 increase for attorney fees, for a $19,140 overall increase.
Police Chief John Cosby and City Clerk Terri Sanclemente play important roles in the budgeting process. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Cosby proposes $1.92 million in police department expenditures that include slightly more than $1 million for wages and benefits, a $141,043 overall increase. He also proposes spending $92,400 for emergency management operations and $109,455 for code enforcement.
Acting as the interim public works director since former director Tom Woodard’s recent departure, Cosby proposes $503,199 for street and road expenditures, including $366,619 for wages and benefits, a $43,252 overall increase.
Cosby proposes $249,132 for stormwater management expenditures, including $158,566 for wages and benefits, a $15,541 overall increase.
Cushing proposes $498,353 for planning department expenditures, a $31,821 increase. Cushing noted the planning department is the one department that covers most of its own expenses through permitting fees and other development-related fees.
The budget doesn’t propose any new capital or infrastructure improvement projects for the coming fiscal year but does include $119,526 carried over to complete previously planned projects.
CRA budget
The Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) fiscal year budget was briefly discussed during a separate budget meeting that day. The CRA operates as a separate but interconnected city entity with its own budget, revenues, expenditures and project pursuits.
Commissioner Ralph Cole chairs the CRA that operates with a separate budget. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
According to the CRA budget worksheet Thompson prepared, the CRA anticipates $799,724 in redevelopment shared revenues, for an increase of $164,065.
CRA revenues include a mandatory $145,656 contribution from the city’s general fund and the worksheet anticipates CRA revenues totaling $948,398, a $167,205 increase.
The worksheet anticipates $344,606 for total CRA expenditures. That includes $213,612 for employee wages and salaries, including $119,112 for additional policing in the CRA district and $84,500 for salaries associated with streets and roads.
The CRA budget worksheet lists a projected net balance of $603,792. According to Thompson, most of that net balance will remain unspent and be carried over into the 2025-26 fiscal year for a utility line undergrounding project conducted in unison with the pending replacement of the Cortez Bridge.
