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Kaleta solicits post-hurricane development investors

Kaleta solicits post-hurricane development investors

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

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – At a time when some Anna Maria Island property owners are trying to save their hurricane-damaged homes, developer Shawn Kaleta is seeking investors to help him redevelop Anna Maria Island with a focus on luxury accommodations.

On Nov. 8, The Sun obtained a copy of a prospectus-like document containing the title: “Anna Maria Island Development Fund.” The seven-page PDF document that references Kaleta and his business endeavors includes the following quote: “Our vision is to revitalize and elevate Anna Maria Island, enhancing its appeal as a premier luxury destination. Similar Destinations: Naples, Florida.”

The document also states, “Outdated homes have been impacted in the storms, leaving room for only new, safer luxury construction.”

AMI Development Fund

The second page of the AMI Development Fund document bears the title “Developer Shawn Kaleta and Team” and states: “Leading the Island Development Fund is Shawn Kaleta, a seasoned 20+ year Anna Maria Island real estate developer who owns over 1 Billion in real estate assets and is Anna Maria’s largest real estate holder. Over the past 20 years, Shawn has owned, developed and constructed over 1000 homes on the island and has played an integral role in building Anna Maria into the luxury vacation destination it is today. On top of his personal holdings and developments, Shawn and his companies own and operate many businesses on Anna Maria including 3 property management companies, 3 hotels, 2 restaurants, a real estate brokerage, and a marina as well as many other businesses in Key West, Siesta Key, Lido Key and Casey Key.

“Due to Shawn’s insatiable appetite for the continued improvement and growth of Anna Maria Island, property values will continue to rise as they have under his influence for the past 20 years while he continues to transform the island into one of the top vacation destinations in the country.”

The third page, titled Market Outlook and Future Vision, states in part: “Growth of Real Estate Prices on Anna Maria: The vast improvement of housing quality on the island will lead real estate values to appreciate rapidly. Projected FED (federal) interest rate reductions will see an increase in property values of real estate at a 15-20% rate. Vacation Rental market provides high rental rates for end users to capitalize on.”

Page 4, titled “Investment Details,” notes that the goal is to raise $50 million in the next 3 to 3.5 years, with 10% of the funding to come from the general partner (Kaleta) and 90% to come from the limited partner investors with a 50-50 general partner/limited partner profit split. Apparently, in exchange for his 10% investment, Kaleta would receive 50% of the profits and the other investors would share the remaining 50% of the profits.

Page 4 contains the following bullet points:

  • “Investment and returns to be distributed upon sale of each home;
  • Each home treated as its own individual deal;
  • Sale of home for investment and leisure purposes;
  • Investments will be redistributed at a first in first out basis;
  • No management fee.”

Page 4 also states: “18-22% expected yearly IRR” regarding the internal rate of return on the investment.

Targets

Page 5 contains a cash flow analysis for two residential properties located on Anna Maria Island.

The cashflow analysis of the first property is for an “Inland Lot – New Build” at 110 Ninth St. N. As of Nov. 4, the 110 9th St LLC was registered as a Florida Limited Liability Company with the Florida Division of Corporations. The LLC lists attorney Louis Najmy as its registered agent and Kaleta as its manager.

Kaleta solicits post-hurricane development investors
This home at 110 Ninth St. N. in Bradenton Beach suffered hurricane damage. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

According to the Manatee County Property Appraiser’s Office, the only property with that address on Anna Maria Island is located in Bradenton Beach, not Anna Maria, as the prospectus claims. The FEMA market value of that home was $787,128 as of Jan. 1. The owner is listed as the Constance C. Novak Trust.

FEMA market value is the improvement value (the structure or structures on the property) plus 15%, according to Bradenton Beach Building Inspector Darin Cushing.

The cost analysis lists a $900,000 land purchase price, an additional $10,000 in closing costs and $910,000 as the capital required. Regarding the construction costs, the cashflow analysis lists $50,000 for design and permitting, $1.325 million for hard costs and $325,000 for soft costs, totaling $1.7 million on construction costs.

The cashflow analysis includes an additional $170,000 in construction loan interest expenses, bringing the total estimated construction cost to $2.78 million, with an estimated sale value of $4.5 million. The cashflow analysis does not provide any additional details on the design and permitting costs or the hard costs and soft costs.

Kaleta solicits post-hurricane development investors
The home at 709 Fern St. in Anna Maria sold for $855,000. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

The cashflow analysis for the second property is for an “Inland Lot – Renovation” at 709 Fern St., Anna Maria. As of Nov. 4, the 709 Fern LLC was registered with the Florida Division of Corporations. The LLC lists Najmy as its registered agent and Kaleta as its manager.

According to the Manatee County Property Appraiser’s office, that property contains a ground-level, single-story residential structure with a FEMA market value of $626,678 as of Jan. 1. The owner is listed as the Karen E. Sparks Declaration of Trust.

The cost analysis lists an $800,000 land purchase price, with an additional $10,000 in closing costs totaling $810,000 for the capital required. According to the Stellar MLS listing, the home and property at 709 Fern St. sold on Nov. 8 for $855,000, which is $55,000 more than the purchase price listed on AMI Development Trust document.

The MLS listing includes this note: “Storm damaged selling as is. Options available: remove structure and build new on a beautiful island location or maybe restore this charming beach cottage to its original state adding flood proofing technology.”

The cashflow analysis for the 709 Fern St. property lists $5,000 for design and permitting, $50,000 for hard costs and $95,000 for soft costs, totaling $150,000 for projected construction costs. The analysis lists $960,000 as the total project cost, with an estimated sale value of $1.5 million.

For the 110 Ninth St. property, the “Investor IRR Analysis” lists no anticipated capital return in year one and a $1.202 million capital return in year two. Regarding the 709 Fern St. property, the Investor IRR Analysis lists a $729,000 investment and a $961,500 capital return in year one.

The final page of the seven-page document is a “build gallery” that contains six renderings of interior views and patio and pool views of a non-specified property or properties.

On Friday afternoon, The Sun reached out to Kaleta and Najmy seeking seeking comment on the Anna Maria Island Development Fund. No response was given.

Asset amendments

The AMI Development Fund document states that Kaleta owns three property management companies and a real estate brokerage.

According to the Florida Division of Corporations, the Prime Vacations LLC created for that property management company in 2021 still listed Kaleta as its LLCs authorized person and Najmy as its registered agent as of April 25.

On Oct. 30, an amendment to the articles of organization for the Prime Vacations LLC was filed and now lists the Plantation, Florida-based CT Corporation System as LLC’s current registered agent and the New York City/Park Avenue-based GSP Prime Buyer LLC as the LLC’s manager. Kaleta’s managerial status with Prime Vacations LLC is now listed as “removed.”

On April 25, the AMI Locals LLC associated with the AMI Locals real estate company listed Kaleta as its manager and Najmy as its registered agent. On Oct. 30, those articles of organization were amended in a similar manner which now lists CT Corporation System as the LLCs current registered agent and GSP Prime Buyer LLC as the LLC’s manager, with Kaleta’s managerial status “removed.”

It is not known what, if any, ownership share Kaleta still has in AMI Locals and Prime Vacations.

New information for Cortez mobile home owners

New information for Cortez mobile home owners

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Community News, Cortez, Featured.

CORTEZ – Many residents in local mobile home parks received substantial damage assessments from Manatee County following water intrusion from Hurricane Helene’s storm surge. Those residents attended a Nov. 6 meeting with Manatee County, FEMA and Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM) officials for answers about the next steps in the recovery process.

More than 100 Cortez mobile homeowners attended the informational meeting held at the Bridge Church to hear a presentation by officials outlining FEMA guidelines, including the 50% rule; county ordinances and its participation in, and adherence to, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) as well as timeframes for inspections and disaster assistance contacts.

“This past month has been difficult for everybody,” Manatee County Building Official and Floodplain Manager Bill Palmer said in opening remarks. “A lot of people lost their homes and a lot of houses were abandoned. Everybody wants to repair their homes and get back as quick as possible and get their lives back as normal as possible.”

Discussion on regulations

“Manatee County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) so, when you rebuild or do repairs to homes, we must have guidelines on how you can rebuild. There are regulations so we want to make sure you have all the knowledge to move forward and be able to rebuild or decide which direction you want to go in,” Palmer said.

Palmer said there has been some misinformation circulated about the process.

“I’ve seen things that say we’re going to go in and condemn all the mobile home parks,” he said. “That’s just not true. We’re not going to do that.”

Manatee County Floodplain Manager Cheryl Bagby explained floodplain regulations.

“There are federal, state and local regulations that state if a home is damaged 50% of the value of the structure, or if it is improved 50% value of the structure, then the entire structure must be brought to current floodplain compliance,” she said. “This is commonly known as the FEMA 50% rule. What that means is if you sustain damage and the cost to bring your home back meets or exceeds 50% of the value of the structure, then the entire structure has to come up to current flood compliance, which includes elevating the structure.”

Bagby said the county’s disaster assessment team has gone out to the communities for an initial damage assessment.

“A lot of times they were unable to get inside. They took a look at the buildings and they did a data collection of how much observed damage there was to the building. They took that data and brought it back to us and we’re going to calculate that to see how substantially damaged that is,” she said.

She said Sunny Shores, Paradise Bay and Cortez Park are all located in a floodplain and all are subject to the 50% rule.

Bagby said the county receives the mobile home’s value from the Manatee County Property Appraiser.

“If you go on the property appraiser website, type in your address, it is currently labeled FEMA market value,” she said. “It’s not a value from FEMA, it’s a value that has been calculated for the structure. If you meet or exceed 50% of that the entire structure has to come into compliance.”

Bagby said homeowners have the right to hire a private appraiser to assess the pre-damage value of the home.

“We will take the higher of the two,” she said.  “It should be reproduction value minus physical deterioration.”

Renovation, permits

Bagby said homeowners may remove damaged building materials but an application is required to make repairs.

“Even if you’re in a mobile home, there’s still an application to build back,” she said. “Take out that drywall, take out those contaminated materials, that’s okay. But before you build back you have to submit an application so we know whether or not you need to elevate your home. Don’t go spending money, because you might have something that ultimately has to be elevated and cost you a lot more.”

Homeowners wishing to do repairs to the mobile home must apply to the county for a storm mobile home review.

“You’ll need to submit paperwork with costs,” Bagby said. “If you’re under the 50% we’re going to sign off, say go ahead, you’re approved for repairs. If you’re over 50% we’ll tell you what your options are from there.”

She noted that because mobile homes are not subject to the Florida Building Code, people may think they don’t need permits to make repairs.

“It is, however, subject to floodplain regulations,” Bagby said. “Therefore that 50% rule still applies.”

For most storm damage repairs, permit fees are being waived.

“When you apply you need a contract or a cost breakdown. If you’re doing it yourself we need the material cost so we can get an accurate assessment of what this is going to cost,” Bagby said. “We need documentation validating the values. Labor is counted. For homeowners, it’s $30 an hour for labor. You have to assign a value to donated materials.”

She said with the 50% rule there is a one-year cumulative value. If any permits were pulled within and closed within the last year, or are older and still open, those values count toward the 50% value of the structure.

“The whole point of elevating is so you don’t have to go through this again, so you are protected against these storms because they are happening stronger and more frequently,” Bagby said.

FEMA and Small Business Administration (SBA) representatives attended the meeting via Zoom.

“Manatee County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program,” Tammy Hanson with FEMA Flood Plain Management said. “When the community joined the program, they agreed to adopt and enforce floodplain management requirements. What that allows is the ability for flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program.”

One of the things she said is misunderstood is that FEMA or the state is coming in to do assessments. That is not the case.

“That is not how the program works,” Hanson said. “There are federal, state and local requirements. It’s through the enforcement of local regulations where the determinations of damage assessment are made.”

 Timeframe for inspections

“Our team is very short-staffed right now,” Bagby said. “We have a lot of applications coming in, plus we’re out in the community doing this disaster recovery work. Make sure any application you do submit, have it clearly state hurricane or storm damage so that it gets prioritized. The turnaround time for storm damage is a few days.”

Disaster assistance: FEMA and SBA

“The individual and household programs (IHP) provide assistance to eligible individuals and households who have uninsured, or underinsured necessary expenses that are a result of the disaster,” FEMA representative Millie Diaz said. “The IHP is not a substitute for insurance and cannot compensate all those losses.”

IHP has two specific provisions, one is for housing assistance and the other is for needs assistance,

“We also have displacement assistance for those who cannot return to their house and childcare assistance,” Diaz said.

Deadlines for assistance applications are Nov. 12 for Hurricane Debby, Nov. 27 for Hurricane Helene and Dec. 11 for Hurricane Milton.

Here are some helpful contact numbers:

FEMA disaster assistance – 800-621-3362

FEMA community services program – 833-514-2940

Disaster unemployment assistance – 800-385-3920 or www.Floridajobs.org

Crisis counseling – 800-985-5990

Small Business Administration – www.lending.sba.gov or 800-659-2955

A second meeting

To assist in answering questions about individual circumstances, a second meeting is being planned for Wednesday, Nov. 13 to include the following break-out areas:

FEMA:

  • DSA: Disaster Survivor Assistance
  • Individual Assistance
  • SBA: Small Business
  • Hazard Mitigation/Floodplain Management
  • NFIP (insurance)

Manatee County:

  • Zoning, 1 person
  • Floodplain Management
  • Building Official
  • Code Enforcement

Details about a time and location for the Nov. 13 meeting are to be determined.

Debris pickup complete in Bradenton Beach

Debris pickup complete in Bradenton Beach

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH—The city’s hurricane-related debris and vegetation pickup is complete, and homeowners are responsible for any further post-storm debris removal. The city’s focus is now on sand removal.

“All debris is done, no more C&D, no more vegetation, no more white goods, everything has been picked up,” Police Chief and Public Works Director John Cosby updated city commissioners at a Nov. 4 emergency commission meeting. “We did two passes, we do have a few down on the south end that we’re finishing up today and the only thing we have left is the sand removal and that is starting today.”

Cosby said the debris removal timeline exceeded his expectations.

“Ashbritt (Debris Removal Company) did an awesome job for us,” Cosby said. ”We thought it would be mid-January before we were done and they did it in five weeks.”

Cosby said FEMA provided guidance regarding debris removal on private and small commercial property.

“Basically, what they have said now is we can get right of entry to go into the trailer parks and clear the debris from the private roads,” he said. “We are allowed to pick the debris for small commercial, such as the Moose Lodge and Bridge Street vendors. Under their guidance, we still cannot remove any debris from Runaway Bay. That’s considered large commercial and they will not allow us to go in there and do debris removal.”

The city right of entry ordinance pertains to city workers entering private property to remove storm-related debris in an emergency situation. Under that ordinance, the city must have written consent from the property owner before entering the property. The owner must also sign an affidavit stating they do not have insurance that covers debris removal.

“We’ve gotten the go-ahead to do right of entry for the structures that have collapsed or have been marked as unsafe,” Cosby said. ”We’ll need the property owner to give us the right to go on the property. Ricinda (City Attorney Ricinda Perry) is working on that, and trying to get as many as we can.”

Cosby said that once the sand is removed from city streets, public works will begin sweeping the streets.

“The crew is taking the loader and scraping some of the sand off, because there’s still quite a bit of sand on the road, and the street sweeper is going in behind them and will take a few passes,” he said. “Now that I know there’s going to be rain coming potentially Wednesday and Thursday we’re going to do one pass and get as much as we can before things get wet.”

Cosby said the city is in the process of getting contractor bids for stormwater drain clearing.

“There is no sense in doing that until we get all the sand because the sand is going to wash right back in,” he said. “When the sand goes this week, then we’ll be in a position to start that.”

Cosby said the Florida Department of Transportation will begin sand removal on Gulf Drive, which is a state road, in Bradenton Beach around mid-November.

“They started north and did their first push going south to the end of Longboat, now they’re turning around and headed back this way,” he said. “They’re estimating the week of Thanksgiving they’ll be in the city and starting that.”

Cosby said storm debris remains on the rocks by the city pier.

“We don’t have the equipment to get that close,” he said. “I’m going to reach out to Duncan (Duncan Seawall) because they have the correct equipment to get close in shallow water and see if they can help us clear that stuff out of there.”

Mayor John Chappie said Cosby and the public works department have done an amazing job in post-storm cleanup.

Manatee County Election Results

Kruse, Siddique, Felts, McCann win Manatee County commission races

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Community News, Featured, Manatee County.

MANATEE COUNTY – Republican candidate Tal Siddique won the District 3 Manatee County Commission seat, defeating Democratic candidate Diana Shoemaker.

Incumbent Republican candidate George Kruse won the countywide at-large District 7 county commission seat, defeating Democratic candidate Sari Lindroos-Valimak.

Anna Maria Island voters helped determine the winner of the District 3 race, with District 3 encompassing the entire Island as well as the northern portion of Longboat Key, the village of Cortez and portions of unincorporated Manatee County and Bradenton.

Manatee County election results
Tal Siddique will serve as the next District 3 county commissioner. – Submitted

In the District 3 race, Siddique received 23,609 votes (60.72%) and Shoemaker received 15,197 votes (39.09%), according to the unofficial results posted at the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections website. Siddique will fill the commission seat currently held by Kevin Van Ostenbridge.

Island voters helped determine the winner of the countywide At-Large District 7 race in which Kruse received 142,920 votes (66.82%) and Lindroos-Valimak received 70,968 votes (33.18%).

Manatee County election results
George Kruse will serve another four years as the at-large District 7 county commissioner. – Submitted

Island voters also helped determine the winner of the non-party-affiliated District 3 school board race won by Charlie Kennedy. Kennedy received 21,094 votes (57.51%) and his opponent, Jonathan Lynch, received 15,583 votes (42.49%).

Supervisor of elections

In August, Island voters helped determine the winner of the Supervisor of Elections Republican primary race in which former elections office chief of staff Scott Farrington defeated Gov. Ron DeSantis appointee James Satcher.

Running unopposed in the general election, Farrington received 173,936 votes (96.85%) votes and he will serve as Manatee County’s next duly-elected Supervisor of Elections, taking over from Satcher on Jan. 7.

Other county races

In the District 1 county commission race, Republican Carol Ann Felts defeated Democratic candidate Glenn Pearson and non-party-affiliated candidate Jennifer Hamey. Felts received 35,651 votes (64.27 %), Pearson received 14,631 votes (26.37%) and Hamey received 5,192 votes (9.36%). Felts will fill the county commission seat vacated by Satcher in April, when he was appointed to serve as the interim supervisor of elections.

In the District 5 county commission race, Republican candidate Bob McCann defeated non-party-affiliated candidate Joseph Di Bartolomeo. McCann received 41,229 votes (72.4 %) and Di Bartolomeo received 15,717 votes (27.6 %). McCann will assume the county commission seat currently held by Commissioner Ray Turner.

In the non-party-affiliated District 1 school board race won by Heather Fulton, Fulton received 28,573 votes (57.57%) and Mark Stanoch received 21,060 votes (42.43%).

Manatee County voters approved a county referendum to increase from 5% to 6% the county tourist development tax collected on hotel, motel, resort and short-term vacation rental stays. On that referendum question, 141,803 county voters (68.04%) supported the tourist tax increase and 66,603 county voters (31.96%) opposed it.

Manatee County voters overwhelmingly supported renewing the school district’s 1-mill property tax assessment that generates additional property tax revenues for the county school system, with  171,321 county voters (82.55%) supporting the tax increase and 36,224 county voters (17.45%) opposing it.

State and federal races

In Manatee County, 121,234 voters (54.55%) supported Amendment 3 (legalizing recreational marijuana) and 100,999 voters (45.45 %) opposed the amendment to the Florida Constitution. The state amendment failed because it garnered 55.8% of the vote statewide, failing to meet the state’s 60% threshold.

In Manatee County, 121,814 voters (54.9%) supported Amendment 4 (an amendment pertaining to preserving abortion rights) and 100,066 county voters (45.1%) opposed the amendment. The state amendment failed because it garnered 57% of the vote statewide.

In Manatee County, incumbent Republican District 71 State Rep. Will Robinson Jr. candidate received 43,881 votes (59.9%) and his Democratic challenger, Adriaan DeVilliers, received 29,375 votes (40.1%).

In Manatee County, incumbent Republican District 16 U.S. Congressman Vern Buchanan received 141,756 votes (64.18%) and Democratic candidate Jan Schneider received 79,100 votes (35.82%).

In Manatee County, Republican incumbent U.S. Senate candidate Rick Scott received 136,300 votes (61.1%) and Democratic candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell received 83,392 votes (37.39%).

In the presidential race, 138,876 votes (61.45 %) were cast in support of Donald Trump and 84,555 votes (37.41%) were cast in support of Kamala Harris.

On Election Day, there were 281,798 registered voters in Manatee County, with 227,224 of those voters (80.63%) casting votes in the general election.

Holmes Beach logo

Holmes Beach mayor, commission race results

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Featured, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Mayor Judy Titsworth will stay in office for two more years by the thinnest of margins. Only 13 votes separated her from challenger Mike Roth.

Titsworth eeked out a victory against Roth in the Nov. 4 election with 963 votes to 950. This will be the Holmes Beach native’s third term in office as mayor.

Joining Titsworth in celebrating a victory on election night are former Manatee County commissioner Carol Whitmore, who brought in 1,087 votes in the race for city commissioner, and incumbent Commissioner Dan Diggins, who received 822 votes. Diggins was re-elected to a second term in office with Whitmore being re-elected to the city commission after serving as a city commissioner, mayor and county commissioner.

Titsworth, Diggins and Whitmore will all be sworn in on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. at Holmes Beach City Hall, 5801 Marina Drive.

At 9:07 p.m. on election night, the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections website said there are 3,040 ballots uncounted county-wide.

Per Holmes Beach city charter, an election result within a half a percentage point or less is subject to a recount unless the challenging candidate requests that a recount not be made in writing to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections office.

With only 13 votes separating the two, Titsworth’s win comes in at 0.0068% with a total of 1,913 votes submitted in the mayoral race.

Anna Maria mayor's race

Mark Short wins Anna Maria mayor’s race

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

ANNA MARIA – Current City Commission Chairman and Vice-Mayor Mark Short will serve as Anna Maria’s next mayor.

Running unopposed, incumbent city commissioner Gary McMullen and former charter review committee chairman Chris Arendt also earned two-year terms on the Anna Maria City Commission.

Anna Maria voters also approved four charter amendments proposed by the charter review committee and supported by the city commission.

Mayor’s race

In the mayor’s race, Short received 378 votes (60.58%) and Seymour received 246 votes (39.42%),” according to the unofficial results posted at the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections website Tuesday evening.

“I would like to thank the voters of the city of Anna Maria for supporting my candidacy for mayor and I look forward to serving the citizens as we go forward,” Short said of his victory.

Short will be sworn into the mayor’s office on Tuesday, Nov. 19. He will succeed Dan Murphy, who served five-consecutive two-year terms as Anna Maria’s mayor.

Short is a retired former partner of the Ernst & Young financial services and consulting firm. He has been a member of the Anna Maria City Commission for the past five years and he’s served as the commission-elected chairman and vice-mayor for the past two years. During the past two months, Short gained hurricane preparation and response experience while assisting Murphy with the city’s response to hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Anna Maria mayor's race
Former city commissioner Brian Seymour also sought the Anna Maria mayor’s seat. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Seymour was an Anna Maria commissioner from 2018 to 2020 before resigning for personal reasons. He owns the Anna Maria General Store, Pine Avenue Bait & Tackle and the City Pier Grill which operates in pier space leased from the city. The City Pier Grill is currently closed due to Hurricane Milton wiping out a significant portion of the pier walkway. The City Pier will remain closed until the missing walkway is replaced.

City charter amendments

During the general election, Anna Maria voters overwhelmingly supported four proposed amendments to the city charter.

Anna Maria voters supported proposed city charter amendment 1, which appeared on the ballot as: “Shall the Anna Maria City Charter be amended to provide a definition for administrative officers of the city?” On this proposed amendment, 498 voters (82.59%) supported it and 105 voters (17.41%) opposed it.

Anna Maria voters overwhelmingly supported proposed city charter amendment 2, which appeared on the ballot as this: “Shall the Anna Maria City Charter be amended to add a height limitation for all structures within the City limits to be no more than two residential/habitable floors and 37 feet above the crown of the abutting road, and include a provision for obtaining a variance?” On this proposed amendment, 531 voters (84.29%) supported it and 99 voters (15.71%) opposed it.

Anna Maria voters supported proposed city charter amendment 3, which appeared on the ballot as: “Shall the Anna Maria City Charter be amended to add language regarding removal of non-qualifying city commissioners and prohibiting city commissioners from holding concurrent municipal or other public office or employment by the city of Anna Maria?” On this proposed amendment, 536 voters (86.59%) supported it and 83 voters (13.41%) opposed it.

Anna Maria voters supported proposed city charter amendment 4, which appeared on the ballot like this: “Shall the Anna Maria City Charter be amended to change the way a special meeting of the city commission may be called, from a call of a single member of the city commission to a call of the majority of the city commission, the chair of the city commission or the city mayor?” On this proposed amendment, 450 voters (74.14 %) supported it and 157 voters (25.86%) opposed it.

Island business owners rebuild, collaborate, rebound

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

Hurricanes Helene and Milton took a toll on Anna Maria Island businesses, which are showing their resilience in working together to rebuild and reopen to serve their clientele.

AMI Outfitters and Anna Maria Island Dolphin Tours are prime examples. In the words of Jennifer and Dave Hagey of AMI Outfitters, “As business owners on the Island, we plan for hurricane season, but no one could anticipate months of closure – or a complete rebuild for some. Our store took on up to 23 inches of water with Hurricane Helene and lost valuable inventory, yet we feel fortunate compared to other small business owners who faced even greater devastation.

Island business owners rebuild, collaborate, rebound
Repairs are underway at AMI Outfitters and other local retailers. – Rusty Chinnis | Sun

“Now, we focus on recovery,” Dave Hagey continued. “It’s inspiring to see The Center of Anna Maria Island coordinating volunteers and donations, with Ben Sato at Grub and other local restaurants providing free meals to first responders, residents and volunteers. The support from our loyal customers and businesses like Issa Homes has been incredible. Issa Homes matched our (along with nine other Island businesses) online gift card sales for nearly two weeks. This generosity was completely unexpected and made a huge impact. Our online presence has been critical during this time, helping us stay connected with customers and allowing them to show their support in place of a GoFundMe account. We’re also joining several local pop-up events and plan to donate a portion of our sales to The Center. Now is the time to give back, shop local, and support small businesses.”

“Dave and I see this as an opportunity, not an obstacle, to expand our offerings,” Jennifer Hagey said. “We’ll be adding more women’s and children’s apparel to our traditionally menswear-focused shop. When you visit us next, you can expect a complimentary beer and an enhanced shopping experience.

“To our family and customers who feel like family, your encouragement and belief in our little shop on Pine Avenue mean so much. Your generosity is making a real difference, not only for AMI Outfitters but for the entire community,” she said.

Ben Webb, owner of Anna Maria Island Dolphin Tours and a big supporter of The Center, was on the scene right after the storms passed to assess the damage and prepare to help fellow Islanders rebuild. According to Webb, “Our first priority was to help friends and neighbors with cleanup and to work closely with Chris Culhane at The Center of Anna Maria Island. I have been assisting with providing the dump trailers and roll-off dumpsters residents and businesses need to start the cleanup and recovery process.”

“I’ve also been doing interviews on our Facebook page of different business owners and people giving their take on the storm and their struggles. It’s a chance to share everyone’s personal story,” he said.

The Center of Anna Maria Island has been at the forefront of hurricane relief efforts and their website has valuable information for residents and business owners. “In the aftermath of the storm, we understand many in our community may need assistance with clean-up and recovery. We are offering volunteer support for packing and light clean-up tasks,” The Center’s website states.

Please be aware of the following limitations for volunteer assistance:

• Volunteers cannot remove drywall, cut down trees, or handle heavy demolition tasks;

• For safety reasons, if your home has mold or hazardous conditions, volunteers will not be able to enter or assist inside the house.;

• Volunteers can help with organizing and packing personal items, cleaning up debris from yards (such as leaves, and branches), and minor outdoor clean-up tasks;

• Please ensure all areas where volunteers will work are safe and accessible.

If you are interested in volunteer assistance, please call The Center at 941-778-1908.

Another way to help the community is to attend the Bradenton Gulf Islands Hurricane Relief Concert Rock ‘N’ Support featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd and special guest Marcus King. All proceeds from the Friday, Nov. 15 concert at the Bradenton Area Convention Center go to benefit local hospitality workers affected by the hurricanes.

Supplies also are still available for pick-up at The Center, and anglers who need to order tackle and supplies (fishing reports have been very positive) can shop AMI Outfitters online store.

Now is a great time to make an effort to support all Island businesses as they work to reopen and serve the residents of Anna Maria Island.

One month and we’re still standing

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

It’s been a month since Milton disturbed our idyllic lifestyle. The hurricane came in as a strong Category 3 storm, fortunately weakening before making landfall due to an increasing wind shear as it turned northeast.

That’s not to say Milton didn’t do a lot of damage along Florida’s coastal communities, generating tornados but fortunately, no tidal surge. Anna Maria Island, which was still recovering from Hurricane Helene’s flooding, was at least spared another flood event, freeing island residents and businesses to continue the cleanup from Helene as well as tackling Milton’s damage.

There was legislation effective July 1 of this year to help keep condominiums safer from hurricanes in the form of grants to improve the stability of condominiums. Whether or not these grants can be applied for after a storm is unclear. The way I read it, the grants are for reinforcing condominium structures in the event of a storm. Nevertheless, as we all know, there will be other storms.

I mentioned this program briefly the week after the storm but here are some more details.

The My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program is an extension of the My Safe Florida Home program. This is designed to enhance the resilience of condominiums against hurricanes and reduce insurance costs.

The program provides licensed inspectors, grants and guidelines for hurricane mitigation projects funded by the state. The state would spend $2 for every $1 spent by eligible condominium associations for structural hurricane improvements. In addition, they will cover up to half the cost of roof-related projects and up to $1,500 per unit for doors and windows. There is a maximum grant of $175,000 available for each condo association.

To apply for a grant, an association must receive approval by a majority vote of the board of directors or a majority vote of the total voting interests of the association to participate in the pilot program. Also, the association will need a unanimous vote of all unit owners within the structure or building that is the subject of the mitigation grant. A unit owner cannot participate individually in the pilot program, and implementation of this pilot program is subject to annual legislative appropriations for grants for eligible condominium associations.

After approval, the mitigation inspection grants for eligible associations may be used for the following improvements:

• Opening protection including exterior doors, garage doors, windows and skylights;

• Reinforcing roof-to-wall connections;

• Improving the strength of roof-deck attachments; and

• Secondary water resistance for roof.

There is more information and additional details about this bill on the myfloridahouse.gov website under HB 1029. Condominium association board members and property managers should seek the advice of an attorney familiar with legislative bills to see if your association may qualify for a grant before making an application.

We’re all still getting over the post-traumatic stress disorder that many of us have from Helene and Milton, and some of us never will. Certainly, a month is too soon for a full recovery. At least the roadside debris is starting to disappear and beaches are reopening, giving us a sense of normalcy. All we can do is move forward, work towards making our properties more secure, and keep standing. This, too, shall pass.

Moss Builders undefeated

Moss Builders undefeated

Written by Monica Simpson on . Posted in Soccer, Sports.

ANNA MARIA – Youth recreational soccer resumed play last week at The Center of Anna Maria Island. The familiar sound of the cheers from friends and family supporting their players and teams was music to the Island’s ears after several weeks of storm recovery.

After a tied ballgame between La Creperie and Solid Rock Construction in the 8- to 10-year-old league, week three action continued with Adrian Griffin Interiors looking for their second win of the season and team Gulf Drive Café hoping for their first.

Led by coach Keith Mahoney, the Gulf Drive squad handily defeated their opponent 5-0. Everly Chaplinsky scored two of the five goals for her team. Teammates Dominic Cusimano, Chandler LaPensee and Owen Mahoney each successfully struck the soccer ball, sending it past Adrian Griffin goalie Judah Treworgy.

Treworgy had seven saves in the match. Despite his efforts and those of his teammates, the Adrian Griffin Interiors team just could not stop the Gulf Drive team.

Working to stay undefeated, team Moss Builders played the final league match against The Fish Guy Aquarium Services. The 6-0 win proved why the Moss squad is on top of the ranking with a 3-0 record going into week 4 competition.

With playoffs starting Tuesday, Nov. 12, this week’s action will determine the matchups leading to the championship game on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 6 p.m.

SUN SCOREBOARD

 

OCT. 29

YOUTH SOCCER

8- TO 10-YEAR-OLD LEAGUE – WEEK 3

 

La Creperie (1-1-1) 3

Solid Rock Construction (2-0-1) 3

 

 

Gulf Drive Café (1-2-0) 5

Adrian Griffin Interiors (1-2-0) 0

 

 

Moss Builders (3-0-0) 6

The Fish Guy Aquarium Services (0-3-0) 0

 

 

11- TO 14-YEAR-OLD LEAGUE – WEEK 2

 

The Gitt Team (1-1-1) 4

Better on Bikes (1-1-0) 2

 

 

Solid Rock Construction (2-0-0) 3

HSH Design (0-2-1) 2

 

 

OCT. 30

ADULT CO-ED SOCCER – WEEK 4

 

Bubble Binz (2-2-0) 6

Language Services Associates (0-2-2) 5

 

 

AMI Dolphin Tours (2-1-1) 7

Hampton Paintings (1-2-1) 4

 

 

Solid Rock Construction (4-0-0) 8

Sato Real Estate (0-4-0) 5

 

 

Ross Built Custom Homes (3-1-0) 5

Pool America (2-2-0) 0

 

 

Moss Builders (3-1-0) 2

Gulf Drive Café (1-3-0) 0

DUI charge filed in fatal crash

DUI charge filed in fatal crash

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News, Featured.

BRADENTON – The Bradenton Police Department announced the arrest of a Bradenton man on felony charges related to a Nov. 2 crash that resulted in the death of Sara Danielle Holmes, a 37-year-old mother of two young daughters.

Cesar Navarette, 25, was charged with driving under the influence manslaughter, a second-degree felony, and driving while license suspended causing death or serious bodily injury, a third-degree felony.

According to investigators, Navarrete was driving at an extremely high rate of speed on westbound Cortez Road approaching 43rd Street West at approximately 10:40 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2. He ran a red light and slammed into a Chevrolet Equinox, splitting the vehicle in half.

Holmes, who was in the passenger seat of the Equinox, died as a result of the collision. She was on her way home from her job at Swordfish Grill when the crash occurred.

“It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news that our beloved bartender, Sara, tragically lost her life after being struck by a drunk driver. Sara was so much more than a coworker — she was family,” Swordfish Grill posted on its Facebook page. “Sara leaves behind two young little girls, who will now need all the support they can get. To honor her memory and help her family through this unimaginable time, we’re sharing a GoFundMe link to assist with her funeral costs and to help care for her little ones.”

Navarrete and a passenger in his vehicle, a Nissan Altima, were transported to a hospital for treatment. Police say he showed signs of impairment and the subsequent DUI investigation revealed a blood alcohol concentration of .289, more than three times the legal limit.

Navarrete, who remains hospitalized, was arrested on Sunday on an outstanding Manatee County bench warrant for driving with a suspended license, which was unrelated to this case.

 

Related coverage

https://amisun.com/2024/11/03/mother-of-two-killed-in-crash/

City ends rental ban

City ends rental ban

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Featured, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – City leaders opted to end the moratorium stopping vacation rentals to tourists in the city more than two weeks before it was scheduled to end.

Commissioners voted unanimously at the urging of the public, Mayor Judy Titsworth and city staff to end the moratorium early with an effective date of Nov. 2, 16 days before it was scheduled to expire.

During discussion at the Oct. 29 special meeting, Titsworth said that she expected the first pass of debris removal in Holmes Beach to be completed by Nov. 2, one of the benchmarks in hurricane recovery after Helene and Milton that she wanted to reach before inviting guests back to the city. She said she wanted the moratorium to be lifted as quickly as possible, noting that it’s up to property owners to determine if their rentals are safe and ready to rent.

“I think we did a good job,” she said of the moratorium, which was enacted on Oct. 2 in response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, both of which caused widespread devastation in the city. “It took guts to do what we did.”

Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer agreed, stating that he felt it was time for the government to take a step back and allow property owners and rental agents to do their own due diligence. Tokajer said that if the city is safe enough to reopen Anna Maria Elementary School on Nov. 4, he feels that it’s safe enough to welcome vacationers to return.

Holmes Beach was the only one of the three Anna Maria Island cities to enact a vacation rental moratorium in the wake of the two hurricanes.

Vacation rental owner Nicole Kaleta thanked commissioners for their efforts and hard work to help the city recover after the storms. She said that her business has made the choice to not take reservations until mid-November, but wanted the moratorium revoked because with it in place, she said rental agents’ hands were tied legally regarding already-booked reservations. She said her company lost 20% of its annual revenue due to the storm and had to pay out of pocket for refunded processing fees.

Restaurateur Sean Murphy also thanked city leaders for their hard work and dedication to helping the city cleanup after the storms passed. He also asked that the moratorium be rescinded to help businesses recover.

‘Let’s Give Thanks Together’ on Thanksgiving

‘Let’s Give Thanks Together’ on Thanksgiving

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

ANNA MARIA – Duncan Real Estate owner Darcie Duncan, The Center of Anna Maria Island Executive Director Chris Culhane and others are organizing a Thanksgiving Day “Let’s Give Thanks Together” community gathering for Anna Maria Island residents.

The Thursday, Nov. 28 gathering from noon until 4 p.m. will be hosted at The Center, 407 Magnolia Ave. Full thanksgiving meals with all the trimmings will be provided free of charge but attendees are asked to reserve their seats in advance by visiting the eventbrite website.

Regarding the gathering, Duncan said, “What I started to recognize, as I have been out visiting with residents in their homes and just listening to the needs of the community, is that people are feeling disconnected. They don’t have their normal places to gather, as many are still in the process of rebuilding. Also, it is very apparent that many won’t have a kitchen to cook in or a home to gather in with friends and family. This just pulled at my heart so I thought what better way to bring our community together than over a Thanksgiving meal – a time for all of us to gather with our friends and neighbors and reconnect. We have so much to be grateful for. Having time to connect as our community heals is so important and the outpouring of support for this event is already overwhelming.”

The Gathering Cookbook will be published after the event and recipe contributors are asked to email or text their Thanksgiving recipes to darcie@teamduncan.com or 941-725-1589. You may also bring a printed or written recipe to the gathering on the day of the event.

Attendees are asked to bring non-perishable food items for the Food Bank of Manatee. Volun­teer sign-up sheets and additional details will be coming soon.

Commission supports mayor’s pier repair request

Commission supports mayor’s pier repair request

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

ANNA MARIA – City commissioners support Mayor Dan Murphy’s request to pursue a proposed $331,992 contract with the George F. Young engineering firm to assist with the repair of the hurricane-damaged City Pier.

On Oct. 9, hurricane force winds and/or a tornado or waterspout associated with Hurricane Milton destroyed 75-100 yards of the City Pier walkway, leaving the city-owned buildings at the T-end of the pier stranded in Tampa Bay with no pedestrian access.

During the Nov. 1 emergency city commission meeting, Murphy and the commission discussed the proposal received from George F. Young Project Manager Jeremy Lunsford the previ­ous day.

The proposal includes assessing the damage to the pier and what remains of the pier walkway and concrete pilings, locating the submerged remains of the pilings that snapped off during the hurricane, engineering the pier repairs, handling the extensive permitting process and providing project management and oversight for the yet-to-be-selected marine construction firm that will repair the pier.

Commission supports mayor’s pier repair request
The T-end pier buildings are now stranded with no pedestrian access. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

After acknowledging the commis­sioners hadn’t had much time to review the proposal, Murphy sought commission census to accept the bid, study the bid for another week or issue a more time-consuming request for proposals (RFP) that would extend the repair project permitting process beyond the 180-day emergency permitting period currently allowed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Murphy stressed the importance of completing the expedited emergency permitting process during the 180-day time frame if the desire is to get the pier reopened as soon as possible. He and former commissioner Brian Seymour noted the standard permit­ting process for the construction of the current pier took about a year and half to complete.

Participating by phone, Commis­sioner Jon Crane said he was “under­whelmed” by the initial engineering and design work the George F. Young firm did on the Reimagining Pine Avenue safety improvement project and he was reluctant to use the same firm for the pier repair project.

In response, Commission Chair Mark Short noted that he, Murphy and Seymour, the City Pier Grill tenant, were impressed with the George F. Young engineer who recently ac­companied them on a boat trip to the T-end of the pier.

“This guy knew his business,” Murphy said.

Crane later joined the rest of the commission in supporting the use of the George F. Young firm for the pier repair project if a contract can be successfully negotiated. Murphy said the city can seek reimbursement for the expenses associated with the engineering firm’s services.

Commission supports mayor’s pier repair request
This is all that remains of the City Pier walkway. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

As he did on Oct. 24, Murphy again recommended replacing the missing portion of the pier walkway with concrete support components similar to those used at the T-end of the pier that sustained very little damage.

The new City Pier completed in 2020 replaced the old City Pier damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017. The current pier walkway is supported by wooden bents and beams placed atop concrete pilings.

Murphy said the engineering firm will help determine the status and stability of the remaining pier walkway that still connects to the shoreline. Murphy, who leaves office on Nov. 19, said replacing the still-standing portion of the walkway with a new and stronger walkway would likely fall outside of the hurricane-related reimbursement allowances. He noted that’s a decision the new mayor and newly-configured city commission will have to make. What remains of the pier walkway will remain closed until the pier is fully repaired.

On Oct. 24, Murphy estimated it might cost $3 million to repair the City Pier and he’s not yet able to estimate how long those repairs might take.

The George F. Young proposal will be discussed again during the Wednesday, Nov. 6 emergency city commission meeting that starts at 10 a.m.

Related coverage: City Pier badly damaged, temporary ferry landing installed

Commission discusses debris removal, recovery efforts

Anna Maria debris removal responsibility shifts

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

ANNA MARIA – The deadlines have passed to place hurricane-relat­ed household and landscaping debris streetside to be removed by the city. But both types of debris piles can still be found alongside city streets even though debris removal is now the responsibility of the property owner.

Oct. 24 was the city’s deadline to place hurricane-damaged household goods curbside to be removed by Oct. 27. Oct. 31 was the deadline to place landscaping debris curbside to be removed by Nov. 3.

On Nov. 1, Mayor Dan Murphy and the city commission discussed hurricane-related debris removal, street damage, swimming pool dewatering and FEMA damage assessments.

Debris removal

Murphy said city staff had already identified approximately 150 new household debris piles placed curbside since the Oct. 24 deadline.

After acknowledging that number will probably grow, Murphy said city staff is recording the debris pile locations that include non-hurricane-related debris placed in front of vaca­tion rental homes and construction sites. He said Waste Management picked up some of the post-deadline debris piles even though they’re not obligated to do so.

Murphy said the city will continue assessing post-deadline debris place­ment and he and the commission will decide how to proceed during their next emergency meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 6. Murphy said the city will probably have to address post-deadline landscaping debris, too.

Commission discusses debris removal, recovery efforts
Sunday was the deadline for landscaping debris removal. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Although he doesn’t want the city to be taken advantage of, Murphy doesn’t want to see debris piles littering the city streets.

“Nobody wants that stuff sitting around,” he said. “It attracts rats. It’s ugly and it’s depressing to look at. Seeing your life out on the curb’s not good psychologically, and it’s not good morale-wise.”

On Oct. 24, Murphy estimated the city’s reimbursable debris removal costs to be approximately $1.5 million at that time. On Friday, he estimated it would cost an additional $80,000-$100,000 in reim­bursable costs to remove the remaining household debris piles.

During the Oct. 24 meeting, longtime resident and former city Commissioner Doug Copeland said, “I want to commend and thank the commission, the staff and all the private partners who have done an amazing job cleaning up the city under the leadership of Mayor Murphy. It’s a prime example of how city government should work and I thank you.”

Street damage

General Manager Dean Jones said five city streets sustained significant hurricane-related erosion and deterioration: Sycamore, Coconut, Beach, Peppertree and Maple. Jones said the Woodruff & Sons construction company placed #57 stone in the washed-out areas as a temporary safety measure. He estimates it will cost $825,000 to repair the five streets, which he hopes to have completed by the end of November.

Anna Maria debris removal responsibility shifts
The hurricanes eroded the southwest end of Maple Avenue. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Pool dewatering

Jones said the city is now allowing pool dewatering to take place in a controlled and city-permitted manner, with as many as 1,100 pools requiring hurricane-related dewatering. Jones said contractors must submit a dewatering permit for each impacted property. He then approves those permits in a manner that doesn’t allow any city street to become flooded and impassable.

Commissioner Gary McMullen noted many pool areas are now missing the fences required by city code. Murphy said that’s another matter to eventually be addressed by the code enforcement department.

FEMA Assessments

Commissioner Mark Short said FEMA’s 16-person site assessment team was expected to complete the initial damage assessments that day for the 1,173 Anna Maria properties requiring a damage assessment.

Anna Maria debris removal responsibility shifts
This beachfront home in Anna Maria was badly damaged by Hurricane Helene. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

“In a little over two weeks, they assessed almost 1,200 properties,” Short said.

During the Oct. 24 meeting, Short said the FEMA assessment teams are collecting information but are not telling property owners what percentage of their property is considered to be hurricane damaged.

Related coverage: Anna Maria completes household debris removal

Ferry service resumes in Bradenton Beach

Ferry service resumes in Bradenton Beach

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

 

BRADENTON BEACH – Gulf Islands Ferry service between downtown Bradenton and the Bradenton Beach Pier resumed on Friday.

The county’s contracted ferry service is currently operating free of charge. Ferry service to the recently installed tempo­rary floating dock in Anna Maria, near the hurricane-damaged City Pier, is expected to resume soon.

Palmetto resident Cathy Brown and Parrish resident Kim Schuerman were the first two passengers to make a post-hurricane trip from Bradenton to Bradenton Beach. Mayor John Chappie and City Attorney Ricinda Perry were on hand to greet them, Capt. Nicholas Francis and mate Terrie Birkett when they arrived.

“I’m so ecstatic to be back at work. I love what I do,” Birkett said.

Brown and Schuerman were on the Island for the first time since back-to-back hurricanes struck in October and November. After disembarking, they spent a few minutes chatting with Police Chief John Cosby, who stood at the top of the ramp that connects with the pier.

Ferry service resumes in Bradenton Beach
Ferry passengers Kim Schuerman and Cathy Brown spoke with Police Chief John Cosby. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

“We’re thrilled to see the ferry running again,” Brown told Cosby.

“The restaurants are open and the shops are coming around,” Cosby said. “The ferry will definitely help because we still have all these big trucks driving around. There’s not a lot of parking yet and this area’s very walkable. The ferry’s the best way to come out here right now.”

Cosby noted the Free Island Trolley and the Monkey Bus shuttle service can transport ferry passengers to other destinations Island-wide.

“We’re going to look around and patronize the Island,” Brown said.

“We want to support the restaurants, because that’s the servers’ liveli­hoods,” Schuerman added.

Ferry service resumes in Bradenton Beach
The temporary ferry landing is located next to the Lake La Vista inlet. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Ferry service to Anna Maria is expected to resume after modifications are made to the barge to be used as a ferry landing until the City Pier reopens. Francis said he was out there the previous day and the wind and currents made docking challenging as the barge is currently configured.

“They’re going to make some adjust­ments,” Francis said.

Ferry service resumes in Bradenton Beach
The temporary dock in Anna Maria features a metal gangway and a wooden walkway that provide access between the barge and the shoreline. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

According to Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Elliott Falcione, the Gulf Islands Ferry service transported 102 passengers during the first weekend of resumed service. As of Monday afternoon, Falcione did not yet know when ferry service would resume in Anna Maria.

For ferry schedules and ticketing information, visit the Gulf Islands Ferry website.