You should have warmed up from the unusually cold Florida winter. Now the question is, has the housing market unfrozen? The entire country has been gripped in an exceptionally cold and stormy winter, including sections of the south like Texas, Tennessee, Georgia and, of course, Florida. In January, more than 93 million people across the country were under windchill advisories as low temperatures stretched both north and south.
We don’t know yet what effect the cold Florida weather has had on the tourist season; it could work both ways. However, make no mistake about it, weather during the winter in the northern states has a profound effect not only on our tourist market but also on our real estate market.
The success of the Florida real estate market depends to a good degree on the northern markets and their ability to sell their homes. True, falling mortgage rates have encouraged home shopping activity in January, bringing buyers back in the market, but first they must get here, and many of our buyers are frozen in place.
Since last year was the worst year for existing home sales since 1995, anything will look good. It’s predicted that home purchases won’t return to normal levels unless mortgage rates fall further. A rate below 6% is a key level to attract more buyers and, despite the recent increase in activity, we are far from a healthy housing market. A lower mortgage rate will also likely attract current homeowners who want to move up or down but feel frozen, that word again, at their ultra-low mortgage rates.
On Anna Maria Island, the number of available listings compared to those pending are as follows as of this writing:
Anna Maria has 112 properties available and six pending. Listing prices range from a low of $895,000 to a high of $12,000,000.
The combined cities of Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach have 217 properties available and 40 pending. Listing prices range from $100,000 to $31,750,000.
Cortez has 19 properties available and seven pending. The listing prices range from $595,000 to $1,900,000.
Keep in mind available and pending properties are just a snapshot in time. The figures can change daily and frequently do, nevertheless, it’s still interesting to see the movement of the real estate market.
The above numbers represent properties ranging from building lots, boat slips, mobile homes, condos, single-family homes and duplexes. And it clearly explains what a diverse area we’re living in with a wide range of price points and the choice of lifestyles available.
Listings are up and we’ve been waiting for that to happen so that’s the good news. Let’s hope when the thaw comes, so will the buyers. I’ll leave it to you to interpret these numbers however you like. Typically, the busy selling months are March, April and May before the real buyers go back north, so let’s assume our market is only experiencing a temporary pause.
The country is thawing out and we certainly are too. In our typically strong selling season, the time when lookers turn into buyers is still ahead. After the thaw, the statistics will tell the real story about the effects of the winter of 2024.
HOLMES BEACH – Anna Maria Elementary School (AME) is unique for many reasons – a caring and dedicated staff, its spectacular location on the bay and the recent addition of the world’s first Guy Harvey Academy are just a few things that make the Island’s only school something special.
For the past 37 years, students, staff and visitors have also been treated to the unmistakable sight of the school’s unofficial mascot, its train caboose, which has been as much a fixture of the school since 1987 as teachers, principals and homework. Unfortunately, due to years in the salty air that makes the school’s location one of the best in America, the caboose had to be removed on Feb. 24.
The caboose spent nearly four decades on a short stretch of track near the main entrance of the school. It all began in 1987 when a former student and parent, Joan Pettigrew, read about CSX Railroad phasing out their cabooses. With some help from members of the community, she convinced the school’s administration and the Manatee County School Board to allow it to be moved to the school.
This beloved train caboose sat on the grounds of Anna Maria Elementary School for nearly four decades before being removed on Feb. 24 due to disrepair. – JASON SCHAFFER | SUN
Billie Coles, AME’s curriculum specialist from 1988-1992, led the successful effort to make the caboose a computer lab in 1988, and the caboose was later dedicated to her. According to current Principal Mike Masiello, Coles was instrumental in getting parents involved in students’ computer education at a time when most schools had limited access to computers. The caboose later went on to serve as the speech classroom and later the school store. Even once the caboose was no longer being used as a classroom, it remained a source of pride for students and staff, as well as a backdrop for plenty of class pictures. So the question for many has been, why remove it?
“It’s a safety hazard at this point,” Masiello said. “It was too rusty, it was falling apart to the point where nobody could go inside of it. The roof was shot, it leaked, causing mold and mildew. Nobody has been in it for years. It just kept rusting and rusting and rusting because of the salty air here on the Island.”
Early in the morning on Feb. 24, a crew from the Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish arrived at AME with a large crane and an extended-length “wide load” semi-truck to remove the caboose. They chose a Saturday because of safety concerns associated with such an undertaking when children and staff were on the campus. The caboose was successfully lifted off its track and onto the truck without incident. It was then taken to Parrish, where Florida Railroad Museum staff will evaluate whether it can be restored and join the museum’s five other vintage cabooses currently on display.
ANNA MARIA – The Anna Maria Island Garden Club is the winner of the city’s Distinguished Citizens of the Year award.
The club will receive its award during the March 14 city commission meeting that begins at 2 p.m.
The annual award selection process is guided by a 2010 city resolution that states, “The purpose of this committee is to recognize citizens of the city of Anna Maria who have made outstanding contributions to the community of Anna Maria.”
Each year, the mayor and commission appoint a Citizens Recognition Committee that considers the nominations and declares a winner.
On Feb. 29, the two-member committee consisting of Duncan Real Estate owner Darcie Duncan and former Anna Maria Commissioner Doug Copeland met for the first and only time, joined by Mayor Dan Murphy, Deputy Clerk Fran Berrios and semi-retired city employee Debbie Haynes.
The nominees also included To Inform Families First (TIFF) founder Christine Olson and a joint nomination of the Island’s two weekly newspapers, The Anna Maria Island Sun and The Islander.
City Commission Chair Mark Short nominated the Garden Club, where his wife, Pat, is an active member. The nomination form notes the AMI Garden Club has 120 members, focuses on beautification and education projects throughout the Island, and has improved City Pier Park in Anna Maria by co-funding the installation of two wind sculptures. The club recently initiated a similar wind sculpture installation in Holmes Beach and has another planned for Bradenton Beach.
The AMI Garden Club recently assisted with a wind sculpture installation in Holmes Beach. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Bradenton resident Amy Hill nominated Olson, who in 2005 lost her 22-year-old daughter, Tiffany, in a motorcycle accident. The accident occurred 15 minutes from Olson’s home, but it took law enforcement more than six hours to notify her of the fatal accident. This inspired her to create the To Inform Families First (TIFF) emergency contact system that utilizes emergency contacts associated with a person’s driver’s license or state identification card. First implemented in Florida, the TIFF program is now in place in more than a dozen states. Olson also spent many years working at the Rod & Reel Pier while living in Anna Maria.
To Inform Families First founder Christine Olson was among the nominees. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“Christine used the personal tragedy of the death of her daughter to create TIFF. Christine worked hard to create a solution that allows families to receive more timely notification in an emergency,” the nomination form says.
In their nomination of the two Island newspapers, John Kolojeski and Suzanne Seiter stated, “In this era when over 2,500 weekly publications have gone out of business around the U.S. over the last 20 years, our little community here on Anna Maria Island has not one, but two, thriving weekly publications filling all the needs of the community. Both papers have excellent journalists who should be working at major publications. We get opinions on the important political issues affecting the Island, as well as current events, sports, entertainment and environmental updates. People tend to take a newspaper for granted until it’s gone someday.”
SELECTION PROCESS
Before reviewing the nominations and selecting this year’s winner, Copeland and Duncan questioned the inclusion of organizations and businesses as nominees.
“On first reading, I said none of these people qualify. I think the resolution should be changed if we’re going to include businesses and organizations,” Copeland said.
“That’s exactly what I thought,” Duncan said.
Copeland said he was okay selecting a winner that day, but he and Duncan agreed the city commission should amend the resolution and clarify the eligibility requirements before appointing next year’s selection committee.
“That’s a good point and we can clear it up and rewrite the resolution,” Murphy said of the 2010 document that dates back to Mike Selby’s time as mayor.
Murphy noted the resolution doesn’t define what a citizen is and he said Roser Church and The Anna Maria Island Sun are among the five organizations or non-residents that previously won the award.
“Recognizing them for the work they’ve done for this city is what this is all about,” Murphy said.
Murphy noted the Garden Club is based in the city and many Anna Maria residents are members, including club president Kathleen Morgan, who also serves as a city commissioner.
Regarding the newspaper nominations, Copeland said, “I would lean more towards a club than a business, especially since both are located in the city of Holmes Beach – even though they do a good job for the citizens of Anna Maria.”
After noting Olson no longer lives on the Island or works at the Rod & Reel Pier, Copeland said, “That leaves the Garden Club. That would be my choice.”
Darcie Duncan, Mayor Dan Murphy, Doug Copeland and Debbie Haynes discussed the Distinguished Citizens of the Year selection process. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Duncan praised all the nominees and agreed the club best meets the criteria outlined in the resolution. After noting that the Garden Club hosted its annual fundraising fashion show at The Center the previous day, Duncan said a lot of people don’t realize how much the Garden Club does for the city. Copeland said the club’s members made landscaping improvements to City Pier Park and Murphy said the club has advised the city about landscape maintenance, pruning and native vegetation.
After declaring the Garden Club as this year’s winner, Copeland said, “Personally, I’d like to see more citizens receive it. We’ve got so few citizens. It would be nice to recognize them.”
Anna Maria Island beachgoers lost their beloved fishing pier at Manatee Beach in 2009. There were some good reasons; principally, it was a safety hazard due to its deteriorating condition, lifeguards said. But for those who remember learning to surf there, it was like a death.
Within the next three months, the Island is about to lose the beloved treehouse at Angelino’s Sea Lodge. There are some good reasons for that too – for one, the owners never got a permit from the city of Holmes Beach before building it. But fans who come back year after year always ask the same thing: “Is the treehouse still here?”
Last week, we lost the beloved red train caboose at Anna Maria Elementary School, which for nearly 40 years was the school’s unofficial mascot (the official mascot is the dolphin). There was again a good reason; it was deteriorating due to the salt air.
Old Australian pines were recently removed on Coquina Beach, leaving pedestrians in the sun instead of the shade, but the good reason was that their roots were buckling the sidewalk.
Pines Trailer Park residents in Bradenton Beach – and many islanders – fear losing the old-Florida-style park now that new, development-minded owners have purchased it. Progress may be a good reason to some, but not so good to others.
Losing the Gregg Allman-era vibe on Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach with the recent demolition of the historic Magnolia Inn and several other buildings soon to be replaced with a bigger, better hotel – ditto.
When they got rid of the automobile ferry to Anna Maria Island after the first bridge to the island was built – which happened within the lifetime of some elders who are still with us – those folks shook their heads, but they faced the strange changes.
Y’all, listen up.
The only constant in life is change.
Sometimes, it’s for a good reason. Sometimes, a bad one. Sometimes, it’s for an anguished but necessary reason, like using the nuclear bomb to end WWII. Sometimes, it’s for a selfish reason. Sometimes, a greedy reason. Sometimes, for no apparent reason at all.
Back in the day, Anna Maria Island used to be pronounced Anna “Mar-eye-ah” Island. That changed too.
Love AMI now, because – like everything else in life – we will eventually lose what we thought it was to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. And again and again, we will have to let it go.
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – The Gulf Islands Ferry service that features stops in Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach and downtown Bradenton now operates on Thursdays too, as of Thursday, Feb. 29. The ferries now run Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., weather permitting.
“As we press forward with the Gulf Islands Ferry service, it’s imperative we increase the availability to accommodate our residents and visitors during peak season,” Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Elliott Falcione said in a county-issued press release.
“Adding Thursdays allows those in the Bradenton area to have four days per week to enjoy our stops in downtown Bradenton, the Anna Maria City Pier and the historic Bridge Street Pier in Bradenton Beach,” Falcione said.
Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said, “This is part of our continued commitment to boost multi-modal transportation in our community, helping families spend less time in traffic and more time together.”
For information on times, tickets and scheduling, call 941-357-2587, text 727-200-6487 or visit the Gulf Islands Ferry website.
JEWFISH KEY – The proposed de-annexation from the Town of Longboat Key of homes on Jewfish Key could potentially open the door there for the less restrictive short-term rental policies of unincorporated Manatee County.
Jewfish Key is currently zoned for residential use.
“In general, unless a property is zoned for tourism uses, minimum stays are required to be for a month or more,” Allen Parsons, director of the Longboat Key Planning, Zoning and Building Department wrote in an email to The Sun.
Manatee County has no short-term residential or vacation rental ordinances.
Parsons said that 22 properties would be impacted by de-annexation.
The town is conducting a feasibility study, which Parsons defined: “Per the Florida Statutes, a “feasibility study” means an analysis conducted by qualified staff or consultants of the economic, market, technical, financial and management feasibility of the proposed de-annexation.”
The Jewfish Key Preservation Collective (JKPC) presented the de-annexation petition to the town on Dec. 19, 2023 with the goal of disengaging from the town’s boundaries.
Attorney Aaron Thomas, of the Bradenton-based Najmy Thompson law firm, is representing the applicants. An email request from The Sun for comment was answered with the response that Thomas had no comment. JKPC President Michael Mincberg is listed as a principal in Sight Development, a Tampa-based multi-family development company. Mincberg did not respond to The Sun’s email request for comment.
HOLMES BEACH – Deborah Trotter returned last week to the site of the May 12, 2023 accident that took the life of her mother, Miriam Trotter, to warn others of safety issues inherent in construction zones.
Trotter has avoided the intersection of Gulf Drive and Marina Drive since she and her 86-year-old mother were struck by an oncoming truck while in the crosswalk. On Feb. 28, she and her attorney spoke at a news conference there about what she said was a preventable tragedy if the onsite construction team had maintained proper safety precautions.
“This shouldn’t have happened and I would never want this to happen to anybody else,” Trotter said.
“This is all about the construction that’s going on not only in this area, and the contractors really need to start doing their job better,” said Trotter’s attorney, Douglas McCarron, of the Haggard Law Firm. “They need to make sure they’re not putting pedestrians and the driving public at risk.”
McCarron has filed a wrongful death negligence lawsuit on behalf of Trotter against the driver of the truck, Michael Ritchie, and C-Squared General Contractors, which was working on the intersection.
“On the day of the incident, May 12, the driver Mr. Ritchie had the green light, Deb and her mom had the signal that it was safe for them to cross to street and there was the crash that cost Miriam her life,” McCarron said. “You’re never going to be able to replace Miriam, you’re never going to be able to give Deb back the time she’s missing from her mom. But the fact is, she doesn’t want this to happen to anybody else. Contractors are responsible to keep people safe, it’s that simple. At the end of the day, we’re just trying to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
“I remember the whole thing, we were walking from where we live at the Martinique two blocks down. Mom wanted to go to a painting class at the library that afternoon, and so we were walking, she was still getting her steps in, she walked about five miles every day,” Trotter said.
Trotter recalled hitting the button at the crosswalk and when it turned white with the walk symbol, she said to her mother, “OK mom, we can cross now.”
“As we stepped off the curb, I turned ever so slightly to say something to her – she was about a foot behind me – and when I turned I actually saw the truck in my face hit me. I remembered hearing the noise, my eyes closed, I went backwards,” Trotter said, holding back tears. “But the thing I remember the most is that was my mother’s last conscious breath right next to me. And she was… I never spoke to her consciously again.”
Trotter said as she lay on the ground paramedics asked who her mother was and said, “She’s in worse shape than you are, we’re going to tend to her first.”
The Trotters were transported to Blake Hospital, where Deborah was released later that day. Her mother was placed on life support and died five days later.
“My mom was my best friend, she was my hero,” Trotter said. “She was the light of our family, she was the matriarch, she loved life. Hard pressed to find her not smiling and she loved coming for long visits here on the Island. She was so happy to be here, and the fact that she’ll never be here again, I’ll never understand why she was killed.”
Trotter expressed the hope that the incident will be an awakening for contractors and visitors to the Island.
“It’s clear to me that it wasn’t safe that day, the lights at the intersection itself wasn’t safe,” Trotter said. “We thought it was, that’s why we used the crosswalk, it’s clear to me the contractors who were working on it for so long didn’t take the right safety precautions. It’s clear to me that the driver didn’t take the correct safety precautions to yield to pedestrians in a marked active crosswalk.”
McCarron said construction site safety is the responsibility of the contractor.
“Body-worn cameras by police and sheriffs show barricades and things of that nature were either down or weren’t in an area where you were walking up the street,” he said. “There were no signs, there was a sidewalk closed sign in the parking lot facing down and there was a sidewalk closed sign on the other side of the street facing that way. The maintenance of traffic is the responsibility of the contractor. There was no reason for anyone to think the sidewalk was closed.”
“This didn’t need to happen and she and I should be sitting on the beach right now watching the waves,” Trotter said.
“The police investigation was very clear that the signalization was wrong,” McCarron said. “My understanding is that the lights have been changed and when the sign says people can walk, every light is a red light, as it should be.”
HOLMES BEACH – City leaders may not be completely happy with the terms, but a settlement agreement has been reached between them and developer Shawn Kaleta concerning the Bali Hai Beach Resort, Islands West and the developer’s properties at the Coconuts Beach Resort.
Commissioners voted unanimously on Feb. 27 to approve the agreement reached during a recent shade (private) meeting, bringing to an end several different lawsuits. As a part of the agreement, each party is responsible for their own legal fees.
“Our position as a city is compliance,” Mayor Judy Titsworth said. “We felt really strongly on our side that regardless of where this took us, we didn’t have a site plan on Bali Hai. That’s why it was so important to me number one, to move on, but also to address all the different properties and have closure and compliance and something to move forward with.”
“It’s a fresh start and I think it’s good for both of us,” Commissioner Terry Schaefer said.
BALI HAI
In resolving the code compliance and permitting issues with the Bali Hai, the settlement agreement states that city leaders will cancel any outstanding fines and refund any fines already paid. In return, Kaleta agreed to submit a site plan for the property at 6900 Gulf Drive to the city’s building department within seven days to be processed as a minor site plan review.
City leaders also agree to review and sign off on any liquor license request for the hotel.
The hotel’s ownership also agrees to obtain any necessary after-the-fact permits needed for construction on the property.
Titsworth said that she was happy that the city will finally have a full site plan on file for the hotel.
COCONUTS BEACH RESORT
Regarding three units at the Coconuts Beach Resort, both parties agree to disagree on length of stay, however they agree that the units are allowed to be legally rented on a nightly basis. In return for Kaleta dismissing related lawsuits, city leaders agree to refund all code enforcement fines and administrative costs paid due to code compliance special magistrate hearings.
ISLANDS WEST
The Islands West property at 3605 Gulf Drive received legally nonconforming status as a result of the settlement, allowing the eight units on the property to be rented on a nightly basis. City leaders agreed to refund all fines and waive any unpaid fines incurred for renting the units on a nightly basis.
Kaleta and city leaders also agreed to issue a joint statement to be printed in both Anna Maria Island newspapers at the city’s expense. The statement, bearing both Kaleta’s and Titsworth’s names, states, “The city of Holmes Beach and Mr. Shawn T. Kaleta wish to publicly express their shared regret concerning any real or perceived animosity or ill-will between them. Although the current mayor and commissioners do not believe they have personally acted in this regard, no favor is gained by any city employee or official treating Mr. Kaleta or his partners and related entities differently than anyone else or unequally and targeting Mr. Kaleta and his properties will not be permitted as may have happened in the past. No benefit is gained by violating the city’s ordinances or performing work without appropriate permits. Compliance with all applicable statues, ordinances and regulations is expected of every citizen, property owner, business, visitor and the city. The city and Mr. Kaleta are committed to moving forward to working together to balance and advance the interests of all the city’s residents, visitors, tourists, businesses, property owners and stakeholders.”
Attorney Jay Diagnault, representing the city, said his office would monitor the actionable items in the agreement to make sure all of the terms of the settlement are properly executed.
BRADENTON – Shortly after noon on Feb. 28, the City of Bradenton’s water reclamation facility experienced an operational failure, causing 1.2 million gallons of partially treated wastewater to be discharged into the Manatee River, according to a Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) pollution notice.
The mouth of the Manatee River flows into the Intracoastal Waterway and the Gulf of Mexico at the north end of Anna Maria Island.
According to FDEP, the filter system at the facility at 1810 First St. W. had a blockage, causing the bypass of the water into the river. The bypass was closed at 5:10 p.m. and river water sampling was started.
City staff cleaned the areas affected and normal operation resumed, according to FDEP.
A Feb. 29 City of Bradenton Instagram post stated: “City of Bradenton’s Wastewater Treatment Facility faced an operational failure, leading to a 90-minute tank overflow due to blockages. A seized bypass valve was manually reopened, and the surrounding curb and gutter area on 17th Avenue, approximately 200 yards, swiftly returned to normal after cleaning and treatment. The city is investigating the system malfunction and collaborating with environmental agencies on discharge and drainage issues.”
“At a time when cities are working to reduce nitrogen overflow into the waters to curb red tide and algae blooms, this spill of partially treated wastewater is high nitrogen water filled with bacteria entering a public water body,” Suncoast Waterkeeper Executive Director Anney Tyrna said.
In 2022, Suncoast Waterkeeper and other environmental groups sued the City of Bradenton following a prior spill. The settlement stipulated that the city improve the wastewater treatment system.
“The city is working toward improving the infrastructure so this doesn’t happen again,” Tyrna said. “The infrastructure is old and in need of repair. Repairs are long overdue, but it takes time to make these repairs.”
Tyrna said with the latest spill, and based on the 2022 settlement terms of the lawsuit, there may be stipulated penalties due from the city to the Tampa Bay Estuary Program.
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – While recent temperatures on Anna Maria Island have been in the 80s, many college students north of Florida are cold and in need of some island time to reset, refresh, then finish out the 2023-24 school year.
While most students get seven to 10 days of spring break, for the Island, spring break is six weeks long. The reason is that different states and regions of the U.S. have spring break during different times. Spring breakers will be on the Island from now through the second week of April, depending on where they’re coming from.
All the students The Sun found last week during the Island’s first week of spring break were from Michigan.
“We’re Michigan Wolverines, we’re national champs and we’re here to keep the party going,” Shawn Martin said. “I’m here with a bunch of my friends and we’re staying at a house owned by a relative. We’re here to have fun, but if we wanted the crazy party club scene we’d be in Daytona Beach or Miami. We actually like the vibe of AMI, it’s a chill place and the cops aren’t breaking up riots in the streets every night. Not all spring breakers are crazy; we have a heavy course load and we just want a vacation like everybody else.”
Martin’s sentiment was echoed by a pair of sorority sisters from Ferris State University, also in Michigan.
“Yesterday (March 1) was our first day of spring break, and we’re off until the 10th,” Grace Westenfeld said. “I have family that lives here and I have a free place to stay. I love the Island and it’s just a great place to be. I don’t like the big giant party places, this is kind of mellow and I like it.”
“I also have grandparents that live in Ellenton, which is not far,” said Westenfeld’s friend and sorority sister, Samantha Stanek. “I like that when you’re here, you get to know people more personally than if you’re in a big club jumping up and down to the loud music.”
Just because AMI is not known as a party place like Miami or even nearby Siesta Key, it doesn’t mean there aren’t problems this time of year. Any time a large number of people descend on the Island, there are issues that arise and precautions that should be taken.
“As usual, we’ll have extra patrol day and night during the spring break season,” Bradenton Beach Police Lt. Lenard Diaz said. “We’ve been pretty lucky throughout the past few years. We haven’t really had any serious problems, and most of the issues we have had have been taken care of then and there and not become a bigger issue.”
Diaz did say his department will be watching for people publicly intoxicated, and said most of the crimes during the busy times of year, such as spring break, are crimes of opportunity, and simply using common sense like walking in groups and securing valuables while enjoying beach time will prevent most problems before they begin.
Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer offered a list of concerns and issues:
• Allow extra time when coming onto the Island. There’s already been a lot of traffic, so be patient;
• Park in designated spaces, and always parallel park with all four tires off the road in spaces where that is required;
• If you want to park at the public beach, get there early;
• Pay attention to signs. The city has worked hard to make it obvious where parking is permitted;
• When you go to the beach, don’t leave valuables visible in your car. Also, secure items in your trunk before you arrive at beach parking so you’re not showing people where you’ve secured your belongings;
• Don’t leave valuables under or on your towel at the beach. If you go for a walk, take them with you.
“We will be monitoring the beach for illegal activities such as alcohol, pets and grills,” Tokajer said. “We want everyone to know that this is a family atmosphere and that’s the way we intend to keep it. We will be monitoring parking and enforcing all parking violations.”
Island police departments also agree that oftentimes, visitors see how beautiful and laid back AMI is and sometimes let their guard down. While violent crime is not common among strangers on AMI, even in paradise, it’s important to remain aware of one’s surroundings and use the same common sense as if visiting a major city. Most problems are preventable, police say, with a bit of vigilance and awareness of the surroundings.
ANNA MARIA – Seventy-year-old pianist, composer and part-time Anna Maria resident Rob Grant released his debut album, “Lost at Sea,” in June and it went to number one on the United Kingdom’s Official Charts in the Classical Artist Albums category.
Twelve of the album’s 14 nautical-themed songs are instrumental compositions featuring Grant on piano and additional orchestration composed and recorded by Luke Howard. The soothing, ethereal and somewhat haunting instrumentals include “The Poetry of Wind and Waves,” “Setting Sail on a Distant Horizon,” “The Mermaids Lullaby,” “Song of the Eternal Sea” and “Reflections of Light on Water.”
Rob Grant creates his compositions while playing the piano. – Chuck Grant | Submitted
The songs “Lost at Sea” and “Hollywood Bowl” feature Grant’s daughter on vocals, 11-time Grammy nominee Lana Del Rey. The two singles featuring Del Rey charted in the top five of the UK’s Official Charts and a techno-inspired remix of “Lost at Sea” created by the Brazilian DJ “Anna” is doing well on various music streaming services.
Lana Del Rey and her dad, Rob Grant, make beautiful music together. – Rob Grant | Submitted
Grant and his wife, Patty, bought a home in Anna Maria 20 years ago and have been seasonal residents since, with their primary home still in the Adirondack mountains in upstate New York.
Grant recently discussed his music, his love of the water, his well-known daughter and his successful entrepreneurial career while piloting his 19-foot Parker powerboat around Egmont Key.
“Being out on the water is what inspired the album. We came out here and anchored the boat by this beautiful sandbar with the breaking waves in the background and shot several promotion videos. We had this huge school of stingrays sweep in under the boat and it made for a really cool video,” he said.
Grant began playing piano as a teenager but didn’t pursue a music career. Instead, he worked as copywriter for a major advertising firm in New York City where he came up with the “Thank Goodness It Fits” marketing slogan for Playtex bras.
“That became a $100 million advertising campaign,” he said.
Before burning out in the hyper-competitive world of advertising, Grant transitioned into his current role as a real estate broker. In the 1990s, when the internet was still in its infancy, he was also an early and highly successful worldwide investor in then-unused internet domain names related to the auto industry, education, music, publishing and especially real estate. Years later, he sold the TorontoRealEstate.com domain for $140,000 and he just recently sold the TampaRealEstate.com domain.
LOST IN MUSIC
“I never had a piano lesson. I can’t read sheet music and I play entirely by ear. I begin to hear chords and notes that I like and I’ll intuitively put them together to create an interesting composition. Often my music has been described as almost sad and haunting, but it’s very relaxing,” Grant said.
Grant and Del Rey wrote their first song together in 2021.
“I was in the living room of Lana’s house and I was just randomly playing a song I was improvising. She came down and said do it again. She asked if could create a bridge so I fooled around for a minute, created a bridge and she began to sing. Within 35-40 minutes we had written ‘Sweet Carolina,’ the last track on her ‘Blue Banisters’ album,” Grant said.
Released in 2021, “Sweet Carolina” earned Grant a songwriting credit and he played piano on the recording.
Seeking feedback on some of his other compositions, Grant sent five instrumental songs to Ben Mawson and Ed Millet at the TAP Management firm that manages his daughter.
“I didn’t really have any intention of doing a record deal, because I didn’t think I could do a record. A day later, Ben called and said, ‘Rob, this is beautiful. I can get you a record deal.’”
He then signed a two-record deal with Decca Records, which is affiliated with Interscope Records, the label Lana is on.
“The song ‘Lost at Sea’ happened when we were in the Henson recording studio, where Jim Henson recorded the Muppet movies. I was recording with Jack Antonoff and Laura Sisk and Lana’s watching me through the glass. Lana told Jack to get a microphone out and she began to sing. As I’m playing, she’s improvising these lyrics and within an hour we’d written this beautiful, hypnotic song,” Grant said. “The way I play, which is essentially improv and spontaneous, is essentially the way Lana creates lyrics. When you put us together, you get this fascinating chemistry.”
The “Lost at Sea” music video features Grant and Del Rey on a 55-foot sailboat in the Pacific Ocean and includes old VHS footage of the Grant family.
“Hollywood Bowl” was composed in Del Rey’s Los Angeles home and includes the lyric “Twice I sang at the Hollywood Bowl and my dad plays just like Billy Joel.”
Regarding that song, Grant said, “I told her I’ve got this new song I wanted to play for her. She’s got a baby grand in her living room. I sat down and began to play and right away she got a mic and began to sing. She looked around her living room and saw an old picture of the Hollywood Bowl. She incorporates that into her lyric. And then, what rhymes with Hollywood Bowl? Billy Joel,” Grant said.
Joining the interview by phone from Los Angeles, Del Rey said she hasn’t yet performed “Lost at Sea” or “Hollywood Bowl” in concert yet, but she hopes to perform “Hollywood Bowl” someday with her dad on piano. “I think him sitting in would be really fun,” she said. “Hollywood Bowl would probably be a fun one to do.”
“With a song like ‘Hollywood Bowl,’ I heard him play a few chords and I was looking at my old black and white picture of the Hollywood Bowl and I just started singing everything that was on my mind,” she said.
The lyrics for “Lost at Sea” include the lines, “I was lost at sea ‘til you found me … Happily, I was found, lost at sea.”
“Maybe there’s an element of making lemonade out of lemons by choosing some of those words,” Del Rey said. “Also, he is out on the ocean so much of the time. Water really is his happy place. As a realist, I also think it serves as a warning to not isolate.”
Rob Grant’s happy place is on the water. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Del Rey treasured the extra quality time she got to spend with her dad while writing and recording “Lost at Sea” and “Hollywood Bowl.”
“At first it felt kind of like an extension of everything we do, because we’ve done so many little non-musical things together. It could just be playing a song or taking a walk, because no time spent together is ever lost on me. So, that was very special. And Dad’s had the wind at his back. He’s had a better experience putting out a record than anyone I know,” she said.
The “Lost at Sea” album is available on CD and vinyl and the “Hollywood Bowl” 45 single is available on transparent red vinyl with “The Poetry of Wind and Waves” on the B-side. – Submitted
In closing, Grant said he takes great pride in the fact that he embarked on this musical journey later in life. “I hope my story gives inspiration to other people my age who have hidden talents they never pursued. I would encourage anyone who’s got artistic ability, and hasn’t pursued it, to go do it.”
Rob Grant received this keepsake after “Lost at Sea” charted #1 in the Classical Artist Albums category. – Rob Grant | Submitted
The “Lost at Sea” album and CD, and the “Hollywood Bowl” single are available at Amazon.com, the Decca Records website, the Interscope Records website. You can also visit RobGrantMusic.com.
HOLMES BEACH – The battle over the fate of the treehouse is finished with 12th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Edward Nicholas dealing the final blow in court.
In the final hearing of the last court case in Manatee County, Nicholas ruled in favor of the city’s request for a court order to have the treehouse removed from its Australian pine perch on the beach in front of Angelinos Sea Lodge. While he said that owners Richard Hazen and Lynn Tran could appeal his decision to the Second District Court of Appeal, the only way to stop the demolition of the treehouse is an order staying the removal order.
In speaking with The Sun on Feb. 29, Tran said she’d already submitted the engineering plans for the treehouse to the city for evaluation and requested applications for demolition permits.
“It will be a very sad day taking it down,” Tran said.
During the Feb. 28 hearing, Nicholas sanctioned Tran and Hazen for filing a third amended complaint in the case, calling the move a stall tactic to prevent the case from moving forward.
Representing the city during the most recent hearings was attorney Randy Mora.
“It’s not about what the city wants but about legal requirements,” he said. “It’s time to resolve this. All litigation must come to an end. This is that end.”
For the treehouse to be permitted as a recreational structure, it would require site plan approval, permits and to be properly set back from the erosion control line, none of which Mora said was possible given the circumstances.
“The treehouse is located within 30 feet of the erosion control line,” he said, noting that wasn’t the city’s only issue with the structure. “That structure still stands because the owners refuse to comply with enforcement. There is no version of the treehouse that will be allowed. No plans are or were approved. The city seeks an end to these proceedings here today. We are here because the city is without any other recourse.”
Tran represented herself and Hazen during the proceedings.
When making his ruling at the end of the more than three-hour hearing, Nicholas said that he agreed with a statement made by Tran at the beginning of the session that the case was, in fact, pretty simple.
“The saga of the treehouse is over,” he said, adding that the case was, at its core, an appeal of a code enforcement administrative order.
“Ultimately the bottom line is that the treehouse is within the ECL (erosion control line) setback and in violation of the city code and remains uncompliant after 11 years,” he said. “The respondents (Tran and Hazen) are unwilling to accept that they have lost. This is not about taking anyone’s property. This is about the respondents’ unreasonable unwillingness to accept the inevitable. The city is entitled to the injunctive relief it seeks.”
Nicholas gave the owners 90 days from the recording of his filing, expected within days of the hearing, to apply for demolition permits and remove the treehouse. Otherwise, with 72 hours’ notice, the city can enter the property and remove the treehouse with the cost of removal charged to the owners.
After the hearing, Tran and Hazen both said they were unsure what their next move would be, but Tran told The Sun on Feb. 29 that they would be pursuing removal of the treehouse.
Treehouse history
Hazen said he first approached Holmes Beach city staff in April of 2011 about building a treehouse on the property he shares with Tran. At the time, he said he didn’t have a plan for the structure, he just knew he wanted to build something, and was told by then-building official Bob Schaefer that he just needed to build something that was safe and that people wouldn’t easily fall out of, and that there was nothing explicitly in the city’s codes about a treehouse.
Construction on the two-story beachfront structure began in May 2011 with the treehouse being supported by an existing Australian pine tree and several pilings disguised as tree trunks. Tran said that construction was primarily completed in November 2011 when the city received an anonymous complaint about the treehouse. She said the couple received the first notice of violation from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on Nov. 29, 2011. She added that FDEP staff was looking at either an exception for a permit for the structure or a way to approve it with an after-the-fact permit.
Thinking that the issues with the structure were only with FDEP, Tran said the city had given verbal approval for the construction. It wasn’t until 2013 that the couple say they learned that wasn’t the case.
Tran said they had to get a letter from the city stating that staff didn’t contest FDEP issuing a permit for the treehouse. When they tried in early 2013 to get that letter, she said they received a first notice of violation from the city in April 2013, the first time she said she and Hazen learned about a 50-foot required setback for construction from the erosion control line. Unfortunately for them, the treehouse was constructed within that setback and no exemption could be given by the city or FDEP staff.
In June 2013, the couple received the first of several code violations on the property, this one at $100 per day until the property was brought into compliance. Though a judge later reversed that violation, the property still has an ongoing daily code violation of $50 per day, along with fines for operating a vacation rental without a city-issued vacation rental license. Over the years, the amount owed in code violation fines has swelled to well over $300,000 in addition to attorney fees and court costs.
Litigation between the city and the treehouse owners spanned more than a decade between 2013 and 2024.
Vacation rental issues
The treehouse isn’t the only structure on Tran and Hazen’s beachfront property. The couple also owns and operates Angelinos Sea Lodge, a short-term vacation rental with four units. Though they had previously had vacation rental certificates issued by the city for the operation of those units, in 2021 they were unable to renew the certificates because of a code violation at the property – the treehouse was the code violation. In addition to removing the treehouse, the couple was required to pay all fines, at that time amounting to about $200,000, before vacation rental certificates for the units could be issued.
City staff took the couple before the code compliance special magistrate in April 2021 where a $125-per-day fine was assessed for renting without a vacation rental certificate. In June of that year, Tran appeared again before the special magistrate, breaking into tears because in refusing to allow them to rent the units, city leaders were taking away their source of income.
During the Feb. 28, 2024 hearing, Tran said the couple could pursue litigation against the city due to the non-issuance of vacation rental certificates and the ensuing fines if needed to settle that dispute with Holmes Beach city leaders.
ANNA MARIA – The adult co-ed flag football league is closing out regular season play for the winter 2024 season. The final week’s action can shake up the current rankings with four teams sitting with four wins and two losses.
Team Floridian Mortgage leads the eight-team standings with only one loss. Moss Builders trails closely behind, along with Salty Printing and Sandbar Seafood & Spirits.
Looking to earn its second win in the season, Gulf Drive Café goes into week seven with a 1-5 record after a loss against Moss Builders in the final game of the night last Thursday. The 33-6 win came as the result of four passing touchdowns by Ryan Moss.
James Roadman caught two of the four passes, with Jesse Skipper and Evelyn Long the other targets. Long had two one-point conversions, adding to her week’s statistics.
Team captain Jon Moss added to the Moss Builders’ score with a successful point after a team TD.
Gulf Drive Café’s QB Zack Price found Brandon Rolland for the squad’s only touchdown. Failing to convert on the point after attempt, Gulf Drive was held to six points.
Teammate Karri Stephens added to the team’s efforts with six defensive flag pulls and an interception.
The third game of the night was a high-scoring affair, leaving Sandbar Seafood & Spirits the victors, 41-28. Team Solid Rock Construction could not outplay and outscore their opponents.
Quarterback Charles “Tuna” McCracken solidly threw for six touchdowns and an extra point, finding Ramon Guerrero IV for 25 points.
Life-long friend Tyler Brewer scored a TD from a McCracken spiral. Brewer scored a one-point conversion for a total of six catches in the game. Defensively, he had a flag pull and a critical interception.
Solid Rock’s QB Dominick Otteni played a strong game on both sides of the football with four touchdown throws, seven flag pulls and an interception. Otteni’s hot target, Peggy Smith, scored two TDs with seven receptions.
Smith scored a PAT and contributed to the Solid Rock Construction defense with two stops.
James Roadman, Solid Rock team captain, and Rex Kesten scored seven and six points in the game, respectively. Roadman had five defensive stops and an extra point, with his positive and never-say-quit demeanor.
As a defensive force, Kesten had six flag pulls and three sacks.
In game two, Slim’s Place did not stand a chance against Floridian Mortgage. Four passing touchdowns and one on the ground kept Chase Richardson’s team at the top.
Richardson and Jackson Hayes threw for 30 points. Adding to his three TD passes, Richardson ran into the endzone.
Teammate Cody Allen caught two for TDs and an extra point. His flag pull was one of 14 huge defensive stops by Floridian Mortgage.
Tim Holly stopped offensive progress by snagging eight flags, sacking the Slim’s Place QB six times and making an interception. Jasmine Muldoon scored her six points and made two critical stops on defense.
Slim’s Place did not go down without a fight. QB Anthony Mannino passed for one touchdown to Alexander Cruz. One point was scored by Cruz Rodriguez with a catch from a play in the “pass-only zone.”
Rodriguez added to the game stats with an interception and three flag pulls.
Team Edible Cookie Dough Café took their sixth loss against Salty Printing in another high-scoring game to start off the night’s play.
Quarterback Matt Manger threw for seven TDs, aiming for his main target, Shawn Balvin. Balvin finished the game with four touchdown catches.
The duo also made plays on D with two interceptions by Balvin and one by Manger. Balvin added two flag pulls to his season numbers.
Zaon Williams was hit twice by Manger for 12 points. Throwing for six, Williams played QB, adding to the Salty Printing points. He rounded out his play with a one-point conversion and five flag pulls on defense.
Salty’s Olvin Izquierdo and Corey Jacques each scored a TD. Jacques made more big plays in the game with a successful PAT, five flag pulls and an interception.
Among the best veterans in the league, Dina DeJesus had a takeaway against the Edible Cookie Dough Café quarterback. On offense, DeJesus gave her team two points after a Salty touchdown.
Sharing the throwing duties, Steven Pavina and Alonzo Lemus found open receivers for Team Edible Cookie Dough Café, scoring 28 points against Salty Printing.
Pavina threw for three TD and caught for seven points, including a throw by Lemus. Lemus caught two of Pavina’s touchdown throws and scored a two-point conversion.
Evan Talucci was the target of the Pavina pass for six points. Kiatrell Zachery also grabbed a throw for a one-point conversion for the Edible team.
Working hard on defense, trying to keep the score close and hope alive, Team Edible Cookie Dough Café had 15 flag pulls. The team’s defense was credited with two sacks by Johnny Sevier and Pavina.
Week seven flag football play sets the stage for the playoff. The eye is on the prize for the eight teams looking toward the championship game on Thursday, March 28.
CORTEZ – The old volunteer firehouse in Cortez is getting a facelift.
Built in 1950, the building at 4523 123rd St. Court W. served as a volunteer fire department in Cortez for many years. In 1997, the West Manatee Fire District deeded the property to the non-profit Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH).
While the building sat relatively dormant for a period of time and has been used for storage and as a voting precinct, FISH is now undertaking its renovation to bring it back as a gathering place for the community.
Longtime Cortez residents remember the building not only as a firehouse, but as the site of community fish fries.
“I can remember the fish fries there back in the 80s,” Cortez resident Pat Potts said.
A one-man construction crew, volunteer Bob Hooper, has spent several hours just about every day for the past four months getting the building ready for its return to the historic fish fries and social gatherings of years past.
“I’ve painted the walls, put in a new back door, we’re putting in a stainless steel countertop and a new sink and garbage disposal to go in here,” Hooper said. “All these filters are brand new. On the roof there’s a new fan. That’s all brand new.”
Bob Hooper is doing much of the work. – Leslie Lake | Sun
“This place has been sitting here vacant for quite a few years,” Hooper said. “Most of the work is prepping, you’ve got to clean the walls and mop them and get all the dirt and dust off. The floors had tile, so I took the tile off and got a grinder to grind all the glue off. I’ll repaint the concrete floors.”
The centerpiece of the kitchen, a 10-burner gas stove that Hooper estimates has been there for more than 40 years, is being cleaned up and refurbished.
“We had it tested last week, the oven on one side doesn’t work, it needs a thermostat which we’re getting,” he said. “This deep fryer is shot so we have to get a new one.”
Hooper is waiting for cabinet delivery so he can put the kitchen sink in and said after that his work is pretty much done there.
Some of the plumbing lines had been replaced by a plumber who lives in the neighborhood, Hooper said.
“The lines were full of grease, I guess from the old fish fries,” he said. “That’s all dug up and ready to be replaced.”
The bathrooms have been updated with new toilets and new sink fixtures.
Hooper worked as a water treatment operator for 33 years and being handy comes naturally to him, but the work at the firehouse hasn’t been without its challenges.
“Within four months it’s flooded here twice, about 4-5 inches during the storm surges,” Hooper said. “This door is a hollow door and it got wet. I cut it in half and used the top half to make it a Dutch door.”
Hooper said the water heater was sitting on the floor when the water came in and it damaged the bottom.
“They got a new one and I raised it up off the floor,” Hooper said.
“We could use a simple fridge donated with a top freezer and lower refrigerator,” FISH board member Karen Bell said. “The last one got ruined in the flood.”
“All this will be taken out and will be empty with tables here for fish fries,” Hooper said of the main area of the building. I think they want to do two fish fries a week.”
Did we ever think this day would arrive? Those in the know kept saying rates will be better next year, and this is finally next year, and by golly, it appears they were right. Since nothing is ever that easy, there are discrepancies in rate predictions but generally the arrow is pointing down.
Forbes is predicting three rate cuts this year, assuming that inflation continues to slow. The National Association of Realtors’ Chief Economist Lawrence Yun says that because high budget deficits and inflation are still not at a comfortable level, mortgage rates will likely be in the 6% to 7% range for most of the year.
The Mortgage Bankers Association is forecasting 6.1% at the end of this year and 5.5% at the end of next year. Bank of America’s head of retail lending Matt Vernon is more cautious. He says rate cuts could breathe new life into the housing market but significant drops in mortgage rates might not happen in the early months of 2024. The Fannie Mae housing forecast is that the 30-year fixed rate mortgage will average 7% in the first quarter of this year and slowly decline over the year, landing at 5.5% in the fourth quarter. There certainly are more opinions but these are some of the top players in the industry and apparently, they all are looking to decline.
As of this writing, the average rates were 7.45% for a 30-year fixed rate and 6.68% for a 15-year fixed rate. Not bad, but we’re not there yet as you can see from the above opinions, however, there are ways to obtain a better rate now.
Boosting your credit score is a surefire way to pay a lower interest rate. Just a few points can help a lot and here are tips on how to achieve this: Make an extra payment on an existing mortgage or on credit card balances, spend less than 30% of the amount of credit offered to you on credit cards and pay off your balance each month in full.
You can also reduce your mortgage rate by paying points upfront on a new mortgage. Do the math and see if out-of-pocket money now to lower your long-term rate works for you. Finally, shop around and don’t take the first offer from a lender you call.
Let’s see what our January sales in Manatee County are, as reported by the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee:
Single-family homes closed 10.9% more properties compared to January of last year. The median sale price was $525,000, up 3.8% and the average sale price was $735,836, up 13.1%. The median time to contract was 35 days this January compared to 32 days last January. New listings were up 32.3% from last January and the month’s supply of available properties was 3.9 months compared to 3.2 months last year.
Condos closed 8.8% more properties compared to January of last year. The median sale price was $357,990, up 3.8%, the same as single-family homes, and the average sale price was $441,573, up 12.6%. The median time to contract was 47 days this January compared to 26 last January. New listings were up 37.9%, and the monthly supply of available properties was 5.6 months compared to 3.2 months.
The increase in listings we’re seeing points to a more balanced market that favors buyers, along with the interest rate arrows pointing down. The weather arrows, however, are starting to point up, so go to the beach and let the real estate market find its own level.
