ANNA MARIA – Sunday morning, Mayor Dan Murphy renewed for seven additional days two previously issued hurricane-related emergency orders.
Monday morning, he discontinued the nightly curfew and the re-entry checkpoint at the entrance to the city. The Holmes Beach nightly re-entry checkpoint remains in place on Manatee Avenue.
Emergency orders
Dated Oct. 13, Emergency Order 1 extends the city’s declaration of a state of local emergency due to the effects of Hurricane Milton. Emergency Order 3 extends the city’s declaration of a state of local emergency due to the effects of Hurricane Helene. The emergency declarations allow the mayor to take certain emergency measures, such as enacting and lifting curfews and re-entry checkpoints. The emergency declarations also allow Murphy to make recovery-related emergency expenditures without city commission authorization.
Murphy usually calls an emergency city commission meeting and seeks commission authorization before issuing or extending emergency orders, but due to the circumstances and conditions created by back-to-back hurricanes, he extended the emergency orders without an emergency meeting.
On Saturday, Murphy informed each Anna Maria commissioner of his intentions via email: “I just wanted to let you know that tomorrow afternoon we will renew the two emergency orders. As you recall, the emergency orders allow us to get funding from the state and federal government. I would like to have had a public meeting to discuss this and take a vote, but I cannot. As it stands now, the general public wouldn’t be able to attend the meeting because they can’t get into the city. Only residents and business owners are allowed in. So, I wanted to let you know I’m going to sign off on it, and if you have any concerns or questions call me.”
Curfew & checkpoint
On Saturday, Anna Maria residents, business owners and property owners were allowed to return to the city after passing through law enforcement checkpoints at the entrance to Holmes Beach on Manatee Avenue and at the entrance to Anna Maria, with a city-wide curfew in effect from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Monday morning, Murphy discontinued the checkpoint and curfew. The following message was posted on the city of Anna Maria’s Facebook page: “Since the beginning of the storm, the city of Anna Maria has had an average of 6 to 8 deputies patrolling our streets. We have now taken down the checkpoint to the entrance of our city and the curfew has also been lifted. Residents and workers are free to move about the city, please exercise caution in doing so. A checkpoint remains at the entrance to the Island.”
As of Monday, the Holmes Beach checkpoint on Manatee Avenue continues to operate from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily. According to Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer, Holmes Beach and Anna Maria residents will be the only people allowed to pass through the Manatee Avenue checkpoint between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. Business owners, contractors, vacation rental owners and managers, and rental guests will not be allowed through the nightly Holmes Beach checkpoint.
Short-term vacation rental lodging remains suspended in Holmes Beach due to a previously adopted 45-day vacation rental moratorium. Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach remain open to vacation rental guests and normal vacation rental business operations.
Debris removal
Monday morning, the following debris removal message was posted on the city of Anna Maria’s Facebook page: “The majority of household debris has been picked up and removed from the right-of-way in the city of Anna Maria. Landscaping debris remains and should be placed in the right-of-way for pickup. Any remaining household debris needs to be placed in the city right-of-way ASAP – not on private property – if you wish to have this removed by the city. Pickups will continue through the next several days. Please remember to separate all household debris from landscaping debris in two separate piles in the city right-of-way.”
Commission meeting
The next regular Anna Maria City Commission meeting will take place on Thursday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m. During that meeting, Murphy and General Manager Dean Jones will provide a status update on the hurricane damage and the ongoing recovery efforts.
The city commission will also engage in regular city business that includes the second and final reading of a city ordinance that will provide a $25,000 additional property tax-related homestead exemption for low-income homeowners who are 65 and older who meet the state’s income limit threshold which is currently $31,100.
The city commission will also be presented with the first reading of an ordinance prohibiting overnight camping and sleeping and the first reading of an ordinance pertaining to the city’s special event permitting process.
