ANNA MARIA – More than 300 Build Back the Beach volunteers planted nearly 30,000 native plants along the hurricane-ravaged Anna Maria shoreline between Bean Point and Sycamore Avenue last weekend.
Lakewood Ranch and part-time Anna Maria residents Cindy and Tryn Stimart initiated and organized the ambitious beach replanting effort and Oyster River Ecology Executive Director Damon Moore donated his plant knowledge and technical expertise.
As part of the project-related fundraising efforts, the Stimarts pledged to match half of the donations needed to cover the nearly $30,000 spent to purchase the plants.
Nearly $30,000 was spent on native beach plants. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Divided into two three-hour shifts on Jan. 25 and a third shift on Jan. 26, the volunteers planted sea oats, panic grass, railroad vine (also known as morning glory) and dune sunflowers.
The plants were placed about a foot apart. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Using a rechargeable battery-powered drill and auger, volunteers dug small holes in the beach sand to soon be filled with plant gel and plants.
Dawn Zimmerman helped dig the holes to be filled with native beach plants. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
While digging holes in the sand Saturday afternoon, Bradenton-based Filters Done Right owner Dawn Zimmerman said, “I’ve been coming here since I was 21 years old. It’s the least I can do to give back to such a beautiful place where I’ve made so many memories.”
These volunteers were part of the Saturday afternoon shift. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
During the Saturday afternoon shift, Tryn Stimart said the planting project started at the tip of Bean Point earlier that morning and each shift planted approximately 9,000 plants in a 10-12-foot wide swath that extends for a mile along the Anna Maria shoreline.
The swath of new plants is 10-12 feet wide. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
The Beach Bums rental shop on Pine Avenue provided the golf carts that transported volunteers to and from the worksite. The Center of Anna Maria Island helped recruit and coordinate the volunteers and Executive Director Chris Culhane spent time Saturday transporting volunteers and planting plants.
These volunteers worked the first planting shift Saturday morning. – Cindy Stimart | Submitted
When asked why they embarked on this mission, Cindy Stimart said, “I’m doing this because I love Anna Maria Island. I’ve been coming here since I was a little kid. I walked this beach as a toddler and now it’s part of our home.
“After the hurricanes, when the people were taken care of and on the road to recovery, we wanted to help repair the beach that had been severely eroded. It started as an idea in our house but it could not have happened without our incredible team and this incredible community that came out to help,” she said.
Chicago residents Pascal Berthou and Carol Golder volunteered their time. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
As their Saturday afternoon shift wound down, Chicago natives and part-time Island-area residents Carol Golder and Pascal Berthou explained their desire to participate.
“I saw the devastation and anything that saves the Island is good for us,” Golder said.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Berthou added.
Jamie Telke volunteered because she loves Bean Point. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
While placing a plant in the ground, Jamie Telke was asked what brought her out that day.
“Because I love Bean Point,” she said.
Posie Haeger wanted to help with the hurricane recovery efforts. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Working next to her, Posie Haeger said, “Because I love Anna Maria and I want to help in any way I can.”
ANNA MARIA – Anna Maria resident John Rice’s swift actions likely saved the life of a kayaker whose kayak sank in Tampa Bay.
On Jan. 6 around 5 p.m., John and Tricia Rice were at their bayfront home on South Bay Boulevard, not far from where an abandoned 30-foot cabin cruiser had been anchored offshore for the past couple weeks.
“We were in between storms, a small craft warning had been issued and there was an offshore wind,” John said.
The boat’s anchor became dislodged, or the anchor line broke, and the boat started drifting toward the Sunshine Skyway.
“It was starting to get dark and the boat started floating out to sea,” John said. “All the sudden we see a guy go out on a very small kayak. He was in street clothes and wasn’t wearing a personal flotation device. Once he hit the wind line, he became unstable, flipped and started struggling. It was a tiny kayak and that thing filled with water and sank. He tried to swim back but there was an offshore breeze. He wasn’t getting anywhere and he started yelling for help.”
John Rice could not sit idle while waiting for first responders to arrive. – John Rice | Submitted
Tricia said, “I started to call 911 and John said, ‘I can’t sit here and wait for them and watch this guy die. I have to go get him.’ And he did.”
“I’m a windsurfer and I just got in a few hours earlier,” John said. “The water was about 62-63 degrees. I put a wetsuit on and took a life jacket with me. I grabbed a paddleboard and went out and got him. He was a couple hundred yards out, in the deep part, and he would have been taken out to sea. We didn’t have much daylight left, but I have a watch that I could make calls on if we got stranded out there.
“He was out of breath and definitely struggling. When I got to him, he grabbed the nose of the paddleboard and caught his breath. Then we slowly paddled back. It took a while because we were going against the wind and he had half his body on the front of my paddleboard. The Marine Unit arrived, but by that time I had him on shore,” John said.
The guy’s name was Dale. He said he wasn’t the owner of the boat and I guess he was being a Good Samaritan. He might have thought someone was on the boat but he never should have taken off like that in a small craft warning. He was shaken up and he thanked me, but he didn’t hang around. I think he refused medical treatment,” John said.
“The Marine Unit was out on the bay for hours. I saw their blue light out there,” Rice said, guessing they were searching for the boat adrift in the shipping lane.
Downplaying his heroic actions, John said, “It was no big deal.”
Tricia disagreed and said, “My husband’s being too modest. He was a lifeguard when he was a teenager. There’s no way that man would be alive if it wasn’t for him.”
When asked if she was nervous watching her husband paddle out to get the man, Tricia said, “I was. I told John I didn’t want him getting into trouble out there but he said he couldn’t sit there and watch the man die.”
John said they never saw the abandoned boat again.
HOLMES BEACH – Gloria Dei Lutheran Church has closed and city officials hope to purchase the building and property if financially feasible.
On Jan. 18, the church hosted a Holy Closure service as its final service. The church and its 3-acre property will be put on the market and the Florida-Bahamas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America is handling the sale.
According to a message shared at the Gloria Dei website, “On Jan. 1, the Synod Council assumed responsibility for all decisions related to the property, its contents and the transition process. The congregation of Gloria Dei will no longer be an active congregation. Continued worship at Gloria Dei for any additional time is not feasible.”
The message includes a statement from Tampa-based Bishop’s Assistant Rev. Ron Rose: “We were warmly invited to attend and participate in worship at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bradenton. This congregation is dealing with similar issues affecting small congregations everywhere. They look forward to getting to know us and to exploring future possibilities. We want to maintain the close bonds and support we have as a church family. We can continue to worship together at Redeemer as we plan for a successful transition to a new congregation.”
Video of the final service is posted at the church’s Facebook page, accompanied by a single comment from Elle Orr that says, “A sad day for sure.”
City interest
When discussing the pursuit of resiliency grants and other state and federal funds with city commissioners on Jan. 14, Mayor Judy Titsworth mentioned the church closure and the future sale of the building and property at 6608 Marina Drive.
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church recently hosted its Holy Closure farewell service. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Titsworth wants to pursue the financial assistance needed to purchase the property for use as city-owned green space. The potential funding sources include a federal FEMA grant, a state appropriation or revenues from the county commission-controlled tourist development tax fund. Titsworth said Congressman Vern Buchanan already offered his assistance.
Titsworth said the city might have to put some “ skin in the game” as well and that could entail taking out a loan or dipping into the city’s reserve fund.
“Three acres? This is our one chance to get a great place like that. That’s what I think reserves are for,” she said.
Commissioner Carol Whitmore said that Sen. Jim Boyd told her that Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to reduce the state appropriations given to local governments this year.
City Director of Development Services Chad Minor said he recently spoke with Rose about the pending sale.
“I expressed our interest in having a seat at the table as they consider future plans for that property,” Minor said. “Once they get their appraisal, they will be putting it on the market. They have a responsibility to their group and they’re going to get the highest and best price they can for that property; and we’re more than welcome to throw our hat in the ring.”
Titsworth said the green space could be used for art festivals, a farmers market and other public uses.
“It’s something that could be a treasure for the people that live out here,” she said, noting the property could also be used as a temporary hurricane debris staging area if needed.
The School For Constructive Play preschool is displaced by the church closure. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Whitmore said the School For Constructive Play is displaced from the church building and is temporarily operating at The Center of Anna Maria Island and pursuing the licensing needed to operate a preschool there.
When contacted by The Sun, The Center’s Executive Director Chris Culhane said the School For Constructive Play obtained a temporary displacement permit from the state Department of Children and Families and they are working with DCF to obtain the permits and licensing needed to keep the preschool there if needed.
Titsworth said she will work with Minor, Public Works Superintendent Sage Kamiya and the city’s lobbyist to identify the most favorable uses of the building and property in terms of pursuing federal, state or county funding.
“Things like green space, soccer fields, a public-private partnership with an art league, allowing the school back in. Something where it can still be used for the community,” Titsworth said.
Regarding the church’s architecture and unique roof structure, she said, “It’s a landmark. I’d like to rehab the building and get it back to its glory. It’s a gorgeous building.”
Minor noted the property carries public/semi-public zoning and future land use designations. Commissioner Dan Diggins asked if the property could be used for commercial purposes. Minor said that would require a comprehensive plan amendment, a future land use map amendment and a rezoning amendment.
Titsworth noted that about six years ago, the church leaders sought to rezone a portion of the property to allow the construction of residential duplexes. Those efforts failed because the commission wanted that property to retain its public/semi-public land use and zoning designations.
Bringing the informal discussion to a close, Commissioner Terry Schaefer said, “We need to be prepared when we get the nod to sit at the table. I’m also working on other sources of funding this. If we get that chance, we don’t want to be in a position to say we’re interested but we don’t know how to fund it.”
BRADENTON BEACH – In a Jan. 27 letter to the Pines Trailer Park Homeowners Association (HOA), Pines Park Investors LLC offered to sell the mobile home park to the residents for $75 million.
At that price, each of the 86 mobile homeowners would be responsible for $872,093.02.
“This has got to be a joke,” said one Pines resident, who asked not to be named.
On Aug. 5, 2023, Pines Park Investors, LLC purchased the 2.78-acre waterfront mobile home property from The Jackson Partnership LLLP for $16.25 million. The manager of Pines Park Investors LLC is Shawn Kaleta.
The park sustained damage from both Hurricanes Helene and Milton but many homeowners hoped to rebuild their mobile homes.
The LLC notified Pines mobile homeowners on Jan. 4 of their plans to close the trailer park. As part of the process of closing the park, and per Florida Statutes, the ownership is required to make an offer to residents, according to the letter to the HOA from attorney Shawn D. Arbeiter of the Davie, Florida-based law firm Hunden, McClean and Arbeiter.
“Pursuant to Section 723.061(1)(d)1.a., Florida Statutes, within 45 days after the execution of this agreement, the Association may execute and deliver a Purchase and Sale Agreement to Pines Trailer Park to purchase the mobile home park at the price and under the terms and conditions set forth in this Notice,” the letter reads in part.
That statute reads as follows:
“1. The park owner gives written notice to the homeowners’ association formed and operating under ss. 723.075–723.079 of its right to purchase the mobile home park, if the land comprising the mobile home park is changing use from mobile home lot rentals to a different use, at the price and under the terms and conditions set forth in the written notice.
a. The notice shall be delivered to the officers of the homeowners’ association by United States mail. Within 45 days after the date of mailing of the notice, the homeowners’ association may execute and deliver a contract to the park owner to purchase the mobile home park at the price and under the terms and conditions set forth in the notice. If the contract between the park owner and the homeowners’ association is not executed and delivered to the park owner within the 45-day period, the park owner is under no further obligation to the homeowners’ association except as provided in sub-subparagraph b.
b. If the park owner elects to offer or sell the mobile home park at a price lower than the price specified in her or his initial notice to the officers of the homeowners’ association, the homeowners’ association has an additional 10 days to meet the revised price, terms, and conditions of the park owner by executing and delivering a revised contract to the park owner.”
According to the letter from Arbeiter, the purchase price for the mobile home park is $75 million. A deposit of $500,000 is required to be deposited with escrow agent Najmy Thompson PL, 1401 Eighth Ave. in Bradenton within three business days. One hundred thousand dollars of the deposit is non-refundable. The letter calls for a 60-day closing.
The Sun reached out to Arbeiter by email for comment as to how the LLC arrived at the proposed purchase price of $75 million, but did not receive an immediate response.
None of us on Anna Maria Island born since the storm of 1921 have ever been through anything like the hurricanes of 2024, Helene and Milton, including building officials.
We had our hurricane plans in place, such as they were, but found ourselves overwhelmed and struggling to meet our most minimal survival needs, with some obligations taking a back seat to simply finding a place to eat and spend the night.
Bradenton Beach was by far the hardest-hit of Anna Maria Island’s three cities, so comparing what they did in Anna Maria and Holmes Beach is not fair to Bradenton Beach Building Official Darin Cushing.
He was faced with inspecting hundreds of buildings, some of which had floated down streets and fallen over sideways and collapsed with only the roof showing, while the worst damage to the north initially observed by reporters after Hurricane Helene was a house fire.
With little help in the early days after both hurricanes hit the Island, he was undoubtedly overwhelmed like the rest of us, but showed up to a hazardous workplace where buildings threatened to collapse and vehicles took on nails in their tires and got stuck in sand dunes that had been transferred from the beach to the neighborhoods.
In short, it was a disaster area.
It remains to be seen if Cushing made a mistake or was negligent in applying the statutory Native American exemption for chickee huts at the Drift-In on Bridge Street, which the city has suspended him for.
Any shortcomings in the application of the statute could potentially be reversed, such as taking out plumbing and electric and clearing the easement.
Cushing has suggested in Facebook posts that there is far more to it than that, and there usually is. The Tuesday, Jan. 28 city commission meeting at 9 a.m. at city hall may shed more light on the issue.
But at minimum, we expect the city to presume Cushing’s innocence and give him an opportunity to clear his name in a fair and impartial hearing before making a rush to judgment and terminating his employment.
And we thank him for his service during this difficult time.
ANNA MARIA – Featuring 28 vendors, the new Anna Maria Community Farmers Market enjoyed a successful opening day at The Center of Anna Maria Island on Jan. 14.
Accompanied by sunshine and cool-to-moderate temperatures, the market offerings included produce, specialty mushrooms, steaks, poultry, sausage, pasta, fish dip, guacamole, baked goods, coffee, smoothies, nutritional juices, coconut water, licorice, clothing, essential oils, candles, apothecary items, massages, art and more.
The Center’s athletic fields provide space for a weekly farmers market. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
The Jan. 21 market got rained out but the market is set to resume on Tuesday, Jan. 28, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and continue every Tuesday, weather permitting, through May 27. The Center is located at 407 Magnolia Ave. in Anna Maria.
The Anna Maria Community Farmers Market being held on The Center’s outdoor athletic fields temporarily replaces the city-hosted seasonal farmers market held at City Pier Park since 2018. The park cannot currently accommodate a farmers market because the hurricane-displaced Anna Maria Post Office is operating a temporary office there.
Ted Louloudes and Dev Whittaker had a successful opening day as market vendors. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Devinne “Dev” Whittaker and Ted Louloudes co-own the DBTB juice bar & bakery that operates inside The Center. Both were vendors at last year’s city-hosted market and Whittaker organized the new market because she didn’t want the season to pass without a farmers market in Anna Maria.
When visited at their DBTB juice bar & bakery booth at 12:30 p.m. on opening day. Whittaker said, “It’s a beautiful sunny day. We already sold out of our baked goods but we still have some juice and coffee left.”
Louloudes, a former Chiles Group baker, said their baked good offerings included sourdough breads, muffins, scones and cookies.
“We pride ourselves on using organic flour, produce and coffee and there’s no preservatives or seed oils in it,” Whittaker noted.
“Come out and support these local businesses. Everyone was impacted by these hurricanes and this is a beautiful way to get some life back out here. Our vendors are doing well today and it’s been busy. It was a group effort,” she added.
The city-hosted market focused primarily on food, beverages and other consumable products. The new market features many vendors displaced from the city market and several additional vendors selling items not previously sold at the city-hosted market.
Whittaker knows many of the additional vendors from other markets she participated in.
“We made it available to everybody,” she said.
Tillman Thomas was the original produce vendor at the currently displaced city-hosted farmers market. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
T.J. Produce owner Tillman Thomas was an original vendor and annual participant at the city-hosted market that began in 2018.
“We’re glad to be back,” he said. “A lot of our old customers came by to visit and sales were good for the first day.”
Milagros Produce is glad to be selling produce in Anna Maria again. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Milagros Produce is another longtime city market vendor who can now be found at The Center on Tuesdays.
“It’s been really good day. She (Whittaker) did a great job,” Milagros’ vendor Yvette Nunez said.
Paulie Slovak sold his Finn’s smoked fish dip. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Set up near the Hippie Comfort clothing and Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch booths, former South Hampton, New York vendor Paulie Slovak made his Anna Maria market debut selling gourmet smoked fish dip at his Finn’s vending booth.
“I think the market was successful for its first day,” he said, noting he was having a great time.
Alexandria Lowe-Mains and James Mains brought their SeaMonkey Apparel to the market. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
At the nearby SeaMonkey Apparel booth, James Mains and Alexandria Lowe-Mains said they were donating 10% of their sales back to The Center as a small token of appreciation for all the nonprofit has done for the community.
“We’re excited to be here and we’re excited the market’s back in Anna Maria,” Lowe-Mains said.
BroccoBabe owner Lelia Tavrides is one of the displaced city-hosted market vendors. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
BroccoBabe owner Lelia Tavrides, another previous city market vendor, was happy to again be selling her nutrient and antioxidant-rich broccoli sprouts and other microgreens.
“It’s wonderful to see the community back,” she said.
Island Aura owner Carly Burdick is a first-time market vendor. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Making her first-ever market appearance, Island Aura owner Carly Burdick sold handmade body oils, essential oils, bath salts and more. Burdick also practices Reiki healing.
“I’ve never done a market before and this is a great way to get started. I love it,” she said.
WicksNWax owner Patrick Allen enjoyed his Anna Maria market debut. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
At the neighboring WicksNWax booth, Patrick Allen sold custom and decorative candles he and his wife, Gina, made using 100% recycled glass.
“I’ve had a lot of customers today and we’re excited to watch this market grow,” he said.
Surfing Coconut owner Amanda Champ served fresh coconut water from her customized coconuts. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Surfing Coconut owner Amanda Champ served fresh coconut water in a custom-stamped coconut shells she taps open for each order, accompanied by an edible coconut/vanilla straw.
“These are the sweetest coconuts in the world,” she said of the coconuts grown in Thailand.
“We travel all over keeping people hydrated,” she said of her many market and private event appearances.
Jay Horak sold Circle 6 steaks and more. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Jay Horak, from the Circle 6 farm and ranch in Duette, said he’d already sold most of the filet mignon, New York Strip and ribeye steaks but he still had some organic eggs and beef tallow products left, including a beef tallow balm.
Body & Sol owner Amanda Escobio gave this market-goer a massage. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Currently displaced from her hurricane-damaged space above Ginny’s and Jane E’s café, Body & Sol Spa and Wellness owner Amanda Escobio provided massages and other services in the market’s fresh air setting.
“It’s been a nice day and I’ve talked to a lot of people who are still recovering,” Escobio said.
MANATEE COUNTY – Anna Maria Island developer Shawn Kaleta is among the seven applicants seeking appointment to the Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC).
Kaleta is one of four applicants seeking to fill the hotelier seat recently vacated by Ed Chiles. The hotelier seat is also open to resort owners and short-term vacation rental owners and property managers. Developer and Palmetto Marriott Resort Managing Director Anthony DeRusso, Bradenton Beach-based Wagner Realty rental property manager Lisa Varano and real estate broker Damien Hernandez also seek the hotelier seat.
Holmes Beach City Commissioner Dan Diggins, Longboat Key Town Commissioner Debra Williams and Palmetto Mayor Daniel West seek to fill the elected official seat recently vacated by former Palmetto mayor Shirley Groover Bryant.
Manatee County commissioners are expected to appoint the two new TDC members during their Tuesday, January 28 meeting that begins at 9 a.m. and public input can be given regarding any of the TDC applicants when the commission reaches that point of the meeting. The TDC appointments are the 50th item listed on the meeting agenda.
The current TDC members are County Commissioner Amanda Ballard, Palmetto Mayor Gene Brown, hotelier Jiten Patel, hotelier Eric Cairns, hotelier Rahul Patel and interested citizens Dave Wick and Norma Kennedy.
Serving as an advisory board to the county commission, TDC members make non-binding recommendations regarding the expenditure of tax revenues generated by Manatee County’s 6% tourist development tax. According to the Manatee County Tax Collector’s Office, “This tax applies to anyone who rents, leases, lets or grants a license for the use of living quarters or accommodations for six months or less, regardless of their state or country of residence.”
Last year, the tourist development tax generated approximately $30 million in county commission-controlled tax revenues. In recent years, tourist development tax revenues helped fund the Anna Maria City Pier replacement project completed in 2020 and the installation and repair of the floating dock and finger docks at the Bradenton Beach Pier. Tourist development tax revenues are also being used to subsidize the county-contracted Gulf Islands Ferry service between Bradenton and Anna Maria Island. The city of Anna Maria will soon pursue tourist development tax revenues to help replace the portion of the City Pier destroyed by Hurricane Milton.
Kaleta application
The application form seeks answers to several questions, including: “Why do you want to serve on this advisory board or committee?”
Kaleta’s response says, “To assist in the management of the Manatee County tourism growth.”
On his application, Kaleta lists hotelier as his occupation, Prime Hotels and Prime Vacations as his business names and a Holmes Beach address as his business address. According to the Manatee County Property Appraiser’s Office, the 48th Street business address that Kaleta listed is a homesteaded residential property.
Kaleta’s TDC application states he’s the owner and founder of “the largest property management company in Manatee County – Prime Vacations.” It also states he’s the owner and founder of the Prime Hotel management group.
According to the latest annual report filed with the Florida Division of Corporations on April 25, 2024, Prime Vacations LLC listed Kaleta as the corporation’s manager and attorney Louis Najmy as the corporation’s registered agent. The corporations amended articles of organization
Filed on Oct. 30, the amended articles of organization for Prime Vacations LLC now list the Plantation, Florida-based CT Corporation System as registered agent and the New York City-based GSP Prime Buyer LLC as manager. That document notes Kaleta was removed as the LLC’s manager.
The Sun could not locate any active Florida Division of Corporations documents that reference Prime Hotels, the Prime Hotel Management Group or Kaleta’s involvement in either of those entities listed on his TDC application.
TDC applicants are asked to describe any education and experience they have that would benefit the advisory board. Kaleta’s response states he’s a licensed general contractor and engineer with a Master of Business Administration degree in real estate finance and marketing.
His application also says, “Experienced hotelier owning over 10 hotels in Manatee County including Bali Hai Beach Resort and Spa (in Holmes Beach), Anna Maria Beach Resort (in Holmes Beach) and Seaside beach resort (in Bradenton Beach).”
Kaleta’s application states he’s the “Owner of largest hotel in Manatee County on a barrier island – 106 rooms on Bridge Street.”
The Bridge Street hotel Kaleta referenced on his application is not built yet, nor does he own all the properties to be utilized for the proposed hotel development project.
In December 2022, architect Shaun Luttrell submitted the hotel-related major development permit application that listed Kaleta and Bradenton Beach business owner Jake Spooner as the hotel project property owners.
According to the Manatee County Property Appraisers office, Kaleta-affiliated LLCs own three of the eight properties to be utilized for the hotel. An LLC associated with Firkins Nissan owns one of the properties and a Spooner-affiliated LLC owns four of the parcels needed to construct the U-shaped resort structure as planned.
In December 2023, the Bradenton Beach Commission unanimously approved the 106-room resort that includes a 60-seat restaurant, 5,396 square feet of retail space and 154 on-site parking spaces.
Last week, on Jan. 16, City Attorney Ricinda Perry told Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) members that Kaleta and Spooner hope to begin the hotel construction project by late summer. The Bradenton Beach CRA includes Mayor John Chappie and all four Bradenton Beach commissioners.
Kaleta’s TDC application notes he owns five restaurants, including Beach Bistro in Holmes Beach. It also notes he owns the Bradenton Beach Marina (also known as The Boat Yard) and a mobile home park – the Pines Trailer Park in Bradenton Beach. On Jan. 24, eviction notices were discovered taped to the doors of those unoccupied, hurricane-damaged mobile homes. The eviction letters were also sent to the mobile home owners by certified mail.
Public input
The TDC applications are included in the agenda for Tuesday’s meetings and are available to the public here. Click on agenda item 50 to view the applications.
Tuesday’s county commission meeting will be livestreamed and can be viewed here.
The TDC appointments are subject to public input and can be given during Tuesday’s meeting in person or by telephone using Zoom teleconferencing. To provide public comment by phone, call 1-888-788-0099 or 1-877-853-5247 and enter the meeting ID 89626986421, followed by the # symbol.
Mayor John Chappie clarified his comments to The Sun on Jan. 24 that Cushing is temporarily suspended, not temporarily terminated as originally reported.
BRADENTON BEACH – The city temporarily terminated the contractual services of Building Official Darin Cushing on Jan. 22 pending discussion at the next city commission meeting.
“Temporarily suspending his services pending talking with the commission and M.T. Causley and that’s all I can say,” Mayor John Chappie said.
The next scheduled regular city commission meeting is Thursday, Feb. 6 at 6 p.m.
Cushing declined to comment on the suspension.
Cushing is a contractual employee who works for SAFEbuilt Inspections. M.T. Causley is a subsidiary of SAFEbuilt. The city has a contractual agreement with M.T. Causley to provide building official services.
Chappie did not give a reason for the suspension, but the city has been at odds with Cushing over his approval of a permit for the tiki hut at the Drift-In on Bridge Street.
At a Jan. 16 city commission meeting, City Attorney Ricinda Perry said that the permit should not have been issued based on factors that included the city-owned easements on the property as well as the size of the new structure.
“This was administratively approved and it should have gone through a public hearing,” Perry said. “Legally, I believe it should have been a major development.”
A major development application must first go through a Planning and Zoning Board hearing and then return to the commission for a public hearing.
Cushing wrote on Facebook on Jan. 21 in part: “It was approved administratively and needed no more than that. But others aren’t getting their way (or that property) so I’m being asked to pull back my approval and force the owner to go through a ridiculous set of processes. My job is actually in question over this and other things.”
In Cushing’s absence, permits and inspections will continue in the city, according to Chappie.
“Hopefully, somebody will be here today from M.T. Causley and we’ll try to run business as normal as possible in the interim,” Chappie said.
A city commission work meeting has been scheduled for Jan. 28 at 9 a.m. to evaluate the current model of contracted building department staff versus city employees.
On Jan. 21, Cushing posted on Facebook, writing in part:
“Come on out to the City of Bradenton Beach ‘work meeting’ on 1/28/25 if you truly believe that I’ve done a good job as building official,” he said, adding, “They’re trying to take me out to bend over for developers. I will not compromise my integrity or my license.”
Drift-In owner Derek Williams, who serves as president of the Bradenton Beach Merchants Association, posted on Facebook in support of Cushing. He asked the business community to attend the Jan. 28 meeting.
“Sticking together as business and property owners has never been more important. You might be aware there is a special ‘WORKSHOP’ scheduled on 1/28 at 9 a.m. regarding the building official and his permitting of the renovations at Drift-In AMI. The city has determined that the work is deemed a major development and not consistent with the approvals given by the city planner and city Building Official Darin Cushing. The city would like to discuss the status of an independent contractor versus an employee in the capacity of the building department. My thought is the business community needs to be present. If you can make it, we would love to see you there.”
The work meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 9 a.m. at the Katie Pierola Commission Chambers, 107 Gulf Drive N.
ANNA MARIA – The winter break is over, school is back in session, and the youth flag football season started last Monday night on the Island.
Winter flag football action ensued on The Center gridiron with the tweens and teens. The younger players played their first games with preseason fun and action jamboree-style.
The eight 11- to 14-year-old league teams played their first games of the season. Poppos Taqueria, Jiffy Lube, Sato Real Estate and Solid Rock Air Conditioning took home the first wins of the season for the age group.
The teens, rostering a full league with six teams, played three games last week to start the season. Cortez Florida Vacation and Moss Builders handily defeated their opponents, Solid Rock Air Conditioning and Reel Coastal Properties, respectively.
In the second 14- to 17-year-old league match-up, Solid Rock Electrical faced team HSH Design. Both teams struggled to find the end zone on offense during two halves of play, but defenses for each squad had their shining moments in the 7-6 nailbiter.
The one-point conversion by Henry Dugan after his touchdown catch from quarterback Victor Albrecht made the ultimate difference in the game for team Solid Rock Electrical.
On defense, Solid Rock’s Dugan had three sacks on the HSH Design QB and three flag pulls to his credit. Albrecht added an interception to his season statistics, while teammates Kegan McGlade and Kaleb Romagnino had a total of three defensive stops.
Making his mark on the field for HSH Design was Jack Mattick on defense. In addition to two flag pulls, Mattick picked off the pass of the Solid Rock quarterback. His interception resulted in the six points his team put on the scoreboard.
Playing hard to keep HSH in the game on offense, Chase Castagna had three catches. Teammate Jaxon Kagin caught a pass to gain critical yardage.
Additional defensive pressure by Sterling Holiday and Kyle Castagna with big flag pulls helped keep their team in the game. C. Castagna only enhanced his game stats with two defensive stops of his own.
Despite the continued efforts of both teams, at the final second of the game, the missed point after the HSH Design TD gave Solid Rock Electrical their first win of 2025.
We’re living through the time of Murphy’s Laws. Murphy’s Laws encompass a series of life’s lessons, all of them meant to be a warning not to get too comfortable with the way things are.
Florida residents were victims of some of Murphy’s Laws last year. One of them, “Nature always sides with the hidden flaw,” and “If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will go wrong is the one that will cause the most damage.”
Did we on the central west coast of Florida get too comfortable with our relationship to hurricanes, and did we start believing the old Indian sacred burial ground stories? Maybe, but as Murphy’s Laws state, “If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.”
Now in the aftermath of the storms and the effort to rebuild, we have a new set of issues to deal with. Hiring workers to help rebuild has become a cottage industry for island and coastal residents trading stories, names and phone numbers. The first call I received from a neighbor after the storm passed was did I know a sheetrock contractor, the first of many who would ask that question.
Practically everyone I know is looking for painters, finishers, shutter repair companies and, most of all, hairdressers who are open and running. Even after the electricity was restored, Wi-Fi was slow and intermittent, preventing residents from researching and filing claims. Parents with school age children had additional stress when AMI Elementary was closed.
In the midst of all this uncertainty, most of us still had to deal with the normal everyday issues of life; shortages in the grocery stores, car breakdowns and relatives who want to come down for their winter vacation and don’t or can’t really appreciate the level of damage we were living through.
The first day of the California wildfires, I was sitting in my living room looking at my still not fully repaired loft ceiling feeling sorry for myself and was suddenly jolted into reality about the important things in life. Unfortunately, Los Angeles County has experienced possibly the worst human tragedy imaginable. As terrible as a strong hurricane is, at least you have a home or part of a home to go back to. Californians in most of the fireball areas have literally nothing to go home to.
In my mind, everything is always about real estate, and I’m not far off since homes represent the majority of wealth that Americans accrue. Many of the residents of these burnt-out properties will eventually sell to developers and investors, which will change the complexion of their neighborhoods much like I expect Anna Maria Island will change.
In addition, Los Angeles is victim to another of Murphy’s Laws, the one that says, “In any field of endeavor, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” Again, unfortunately for the residents of Los Angeles, their elected and appointed officials appear to have dropped the ball in several areas. We in Manatee County should forever be grateful for the fast action of both the county and the state governments in getting us back to normal quickly. I won’t forget how I felt a couple of days after the storm when I saw our governor standing next to 5 feet of sand in Bradenton Beach.
Finally, Murphy’s Law says, “Left to themselves, things always go from bad to worse.” The lesson here is to take action and control in order to get your lives back. The real estate market will come back with a vengeance because we have something to sell that few areas do.
Thoughts and prayers to the residents of Los Angeles.
I’ve heard anglers say, “It’s just like riding a bike.” That’s true in the sense that it’s a learning experience that has to be practiced to be mastered. When we learned to ride a bike we often forget that we fell off a few times but persisted until we ditched the training wheels and someone to steady the bike. Then we were on that bike every chance we got and in so doing are able to ride to this day without giving it much thought. In neuroscience, it’s referred to as Hebb’s Rule and states that neurons that fire together wire together, and that’s how we build habits, good and bad.
That’s why it’s important to learn and practice proper casting techniques. The basic casting stroke consists of the rod being held in the dominant hand at the base of the fingers with the thumb on top of the cork. The stroke is a combination of moves of the wrist, the forearm and the upper arm. In the “ready” position with the thumb on the cork, the wrist is straight and the butt of the rod is at a 45-degree angle to the forearm. The wrist travels from this “straight” position to a 45-degree down angle then returns to a straight position. The forearm and the upper arm complete the motion.
The late Lefty Kreh, a fly casting legend, was a master at teaching novices the art of fly-casting. – Rusty Chinnis | Sun
There are five basic movements that are considered essential:
1. There must be a pause at the end of each casting stroke, which varies in duration with the amount of line beyond the rod tip. This allows the line to straighten for the next cast. “Watch your back cast until you’ve mastered the timing.”
2. Slack line should be kept to an absolute minimum. Slack line prevents the rod from loading and applying the proper power to the cast. The most common mistake that creates slack line happens when the rod is started too high, forming a belly in the line between the rod tip and the water. To prevent this, start your cast with the rod tip pointing at the water.
3. In order to form the most efficient, least air resistant loops and to direct the energy of the cast toward the target, the rod tip must move in a relatively straight line. Practice tracing a horizontal line like a roof eve.
4. The length of the casting stroke must vary with the amount of line past the rod tip. If you are making a short cast there is only a small amount of line needed (which only weighs a small amount). As the length of line increases, the stroke must be increased to load the rod.
5. Power must be applied in the proper amount at the proper place in the stroke. In general, the power is applied slowly at first, gradually increasing to a peak at the end of the stroke. There should be a crisp stop at the end of the stroke, forcing the rod to come out of its bend. This is commonly referred to as the “speed-up and stop.”
Like riding a bike, playing tennis or golf, the only way to master fly casting is to practice on a regular basis. Create a practice schedule that you can stick to. Start by practicing short sessions on a regular basis. Regular practice is more important than the amount of time you spend and will build a good habit. Commit to five minutes every day. Any additional time will be a bonus, but the importance of a regular practice schedule cannot be over-emphasized.
We never get as much time on the water as we want and can spend months anticipating a special trip to destinations like the Bahamas, Argentina and Montana. Spending time to master fly casting will pay dividends when you see that fish of a lifetime and raise your rod to make a cast.
BRADENTON BEACH – The construction of the tiki hut at the Drift-In is on hold pending further review by the city.
City Attorney Ricinda Perry said at a Jan. 16 city commission meeting that a permit approved by Building Official Darin Cushing for the construction should not have been issued based on factors which included the city-owned easements on the property as well as the size of the new tiki structure. She said the project should be classified as a major development and must undergo the hearing process.
“This was administratively approved, and it should have gone through a public hearing,” Perry said. “Legally I believe it should have been a major development.”
The discussion was a continuation of a discussion at a Dec. 19 city commission meeting, and at that meeting Perry said: “If there’s was a modification to the size of the structure that exceeded 10%, that becomes a major development approval, and a major development approval needs to go through a P&Z review and a city commission approval.”
“There was an increase in the size,” Perry said. “Under the old application it was 13 by 15 feet and the current one is 54 by 24, that’s a 450% increase. That increase triggered a major development.”
She questioned whether that would change the classification of the tiki area from an accessory use to a principal use.
Perry said the property owner was informed recently that the city required a major development application.
“I reminded the property owner two weeks ago before starting to pour concrete floors and doing the work I made the legal statement anything you do going forward from this meeting is at your own risk,” she said.
Perry said if someone voluntarily tears down a structure, it comes with the unintended consequences of setting a precedent.
“I know two property owners on the street are asking to have their easement modified,” Perry said. “My concern is when we start saying OK, we’ll let you modify this easement when you voluntarily rip this out, what does that mean for the other easements?”
The attorney for Drift-In owner Derek Williams may be asking the city for modification of the existing easements, one of which goes through the building.
“Derek’s attorney (Scott Rudacille) is supposed to get us some data that we need coming in to review a month or so,” Perry told the commission. “I have asked Scott Rudacille to provide us with the revised easement they want to consider. As this is coming to you for your review in a month or so, you have a responsibility to protect that easement. You can modify it however you want to modify it.”
Perry said she is not in favor of relinquishing the easements.
“When you have an easement and someone is infringing on it, I don’t care that there’s a mistake that comes out of the building department,” Perry said. “You’re interfering with the public right which trumps your building department permit.”
Another issue with the tiki structure is its material, according to Perry.
“There was a directive (at the Dec. 19 meeting) to make sure that public works, the Police Department and West Manatee Fire District were aware of what this application was and had an ability to comment on this.”
Perry said she was told by the fire marshal during a meeting that the West Manatee Fire District does not allow for a thatched roof and it must be replaced with synthetic materials.
“Derek stated at the meeting, ‘I spent $80,000 now you’re telling me I have to rip it off? Who’s going to pay for it?’ Good question,” Perry said. “In my opinion, this all could have been avoided if WMFD knew what the application was. It does come at a cost after the fact to the property owner.”
Fire Marshal Rodney Kwiatkowski placed a red tag on the tiki hut pending further review, Perry said.
“Once the fire marshal is satisfied, he’ll lift the red tags,” Cushing said.
“I followed it to a ‘t’ and now it’s all come crashing down on me,” Williams said. “I would say go back to that permit that was approved.”
Mayor John Chappie said there should have been two separate permits.
“Is he doing improvements inside?” Commissioner Scott Bear asked. “Can he open inside while we resolve outside?”
“If you let them proceed and operate, you are helping them identify business damages they could lose and we would have exposure,” Perry said.
Chappie said he would be hesitant in allowing the business to open before the major development process is complete.
“I’m working to resolve this. I want to go through this the right way and I did,” Williams said. “I just want to open the business and get back on track.”
Williams asked how the process could be expedited.
“A major development application goes through the P&Z meeting in February and goes to the commission the end of February, beginning of March,” Perry said. “For changes in the land development code, a 30-day public notice is mandated.”
BRADENTON BEACH – While Pines Park Investors LLC has not disclosed plans for its recently-closed Pines Trailer Park, City Attorney Ricinda Perry shed some light on a scenario that could include a rezoning of the property.
Perry spoke about the Pines to Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) members at a Jan. 16 meeting, saying the property owner has confirmed the planned redevelopment of the parcel.
“As we all know, the Pines has been through a back and forth, back and forth situation,” she said. “The FEMA statement that any water resulted in it being substantially damaged and had to be shut down, and then it was whether or not it would meet the 50% rule and there was some reconsideration of that.”
On Dec. 9, 83 of the 86 Pines Trailer Park homeowners had received notice from the city that they could repair their hurricane-damaged mobile homes with the proper permits. On Jan. 4, however, the homeowners received notification from the park’s ownership that the park was being closed. Shawn Kaleta is the manager of Pines Park Investors.
“The property owner, when they were told on a number of occasions that the property could not move forward, that it was essentially damaged beyond repair because of flooding from the hurricanes, invested funds to try to create tiny homes,” Perry said. “In the city’s floodplain ordinance, Mr. Gilbert (former City Building Official Steve Gilbert) had told the property owner that you could elevate these to a certain height, which is going to change in May. Turns out that was not the case and they got those engineered and presented to make a tiny home village to kind of keep it looking like the Pines and it had to actually to be much, much higher and look like a stilted community, which aesthetically is not where we want to go with that.”
She said financially it didn’t make sense for the ownership to put in stilted tiny homes.
“So that is actually being reworked and I can tell you preliminarily it’s looking like some type of mixed-development that’s going to salvage as much of the character that’s there,” Perry said. “But obviously with the ones that are fully damaged, it’s going to have to adjust and change based off of our floodplain ordinance, and come into compliance with that.
“So, the property owner had preliminary discussions with staff,” Perry said. “The discussion with them was pretty much anything they’re going to do would likely need to come through a PUD so that we can assess it on a very specific basis and it will go through the land planning agency and then to the commission. So, yes, a rezone to me is absolutely necessary.”
The Pines Trailer Park is currently zoned M-1, and according to the city’s Land Development Code, permitted uses are single-family mobile home units, manufactured homes, park trailers, preservation uses and conservation uses.
“The Pines, we’ll probably be talking about at the commission meeting,” Mayor John Chappie said. “The zoning for that is going to have to change, so there’s going to have to be applications.”
As of Jan. 16, Building Official Darin Cushing said his office has not received applications for rezoning.
The Sun reached out to Kaleta’s representative for comment, but did not receive a response.
BRADENTON BEACH – A plan to replace dry storage and boat repairs with restaurants and retail at the Bradenton Beach Marina was discussed at a Jan. 16 Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) meeting.
“There were plans discussed and presented to the building official prior to the hurricane consisting of interior wall adjustments within the marina building itself where dry storage is,” City Attorney Ricinda Perry said at the meeting. “The goal of that project was to take a bunch of boat repairs which resulted in oil, gasoline and spilled chemicals of all sorts, lifts and storage of damaged and derelict vessels onsite, eliminate all of that and turn it into a functioning marina that would service people’s boats that come in and park overnight, yachts, day-trippers and create a more functioning commercial segment up there.”
She said the plans are currently being reviewed by the Bradenton Beach building department.
“We had a staff meeting yesterday to make sure that was still on task,” Perry said.
Mayor John Chappie asked if the marina owner is looking to provide overnight stays on the site.
“There’s also been some talk about whether or not it would make sense financially for them to have a few rooms for overnighting, perhaps on the second floor above the Nautilus Bar looking over the water,” Perry said. “There’s also been talk about what was described to me as a staging area for food trucks and bands and a kids playground. Right now, the only thing that’s been presented to Darin (Building Official Darin Cushing) was just taking the internal side of that, partitioning it off and taking out the dry storage and putting in shops and restaurants.”
Perry said she can’t bind the property owner to specific plans, but said, “The plan as I understood is to eliminate all the dry storage inside, all of the boat repairs that are inside and install retail, restaurants that you can access from the outside as you’re walking down both sides of that marina.”
Perry noted the marina’s docks sustained damage during Hurricane Helene.
“The property owner (Shawn Kaleta) has shared with me that they had gotten an original price quote in the millions to repair the docks that were damaged from Hurricane Helene,” Perry said. “You cannot get those docks insured, so all of that is out of pocket loss and damage to that property owner, that’s why it’s been a little bit slow trying to get that turned around. They’ve gotten some additional quotes that are more feasible financially. I think you’re going to see that property turned back around again.”
HOLMES BEACH – Written by Holmes Beach residents Dick and Margie Motzer, a letter to the editor that recently appeared in The Sun resulted in an impromptu Holmes Beach Planning Commission discussion about the city’s noise ordinance.
The letter pertained to the city commission’s recent approval of the Island Bazaar site plan at Gulf and Marina Drives. The commission approval includes a stipulation that limits the volume of the miniature golf course’s ambient music to 50 decibels.
“That level of protection is now only in this one geographic region, at the old Wells Fargo location,” the Motzers’ letter said. “We think the city needs to take action to apply that same daytime 50-decibel level city-wide.”
Planning Commissioner Lisa Pierce mentioned the letter during the planning commission’s Jan. 15 meeting.
“I would say what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. That sounds like a good idea everywhere,” she said.
Holmes Beach Director of Development Services Chad Minor noted that the city’s standard daytime volume limit is 75 decibels.
City commissioners did not amend the noise ordinance when approving the Island Bazaar site plan, they simply included a volume stipulation specific to that property, he said.
The planning commission’s primary assignment is to review city matters for compliance with the city’s comprehensive plan, the document that sets forth the city’s overall vision for future development and redevelopment.
Minor said the city’s noise regulations are addressed in the Land Development Code (LDC) and the planning commission would need city commission authorization to review regulations contained in the LDC. Minor said the planning commission could send one of its members to a city commission meeting to request that authorization.
“I think 50 (decibels) is really low,” Planning Commissioner Richard Brown opined.
Planning Commissioner Steve Oelfke praised Island Bazaar developer Jake Spooner for being receptive to the city commission’s volume request, but he said other developers may not be as accommodating. Oelfke expressed support for reviewing the noise ordinance as it relates to the comprehensive plan.
The planning commissioners agreed to place Minor’s suggestion on the agenda for formal discussion at their Wednesday, Feb. 5 meeting.
