ANNA MARIA – The demolition of the old Anna Maria Motel at 808 North Bay Blvd. in Anna Maria began on July 21.
Dan and Christine Horvat bought the motel in 2001 and bought a home in Anna Maria before that. Dan passed away in 2020, Christine passed away in 2023 and the motel and property are currently part of a family trust shared by four siblings.
When contacted by phone at her Champaign, Illinois home on July 26, one of the siblings, Maria Horvat, shared her thoughts and emotions on her parents’ vintage, nine-unit motel being demolished. Horvat, a physician, also owns a small, two-bedroom cottage in Anna Maria and plans to visit Anna Maria this week.
“My family’s been coming to the Island since 1958,” she said.
Horvat thinks the motel dates back to the 1940s. She said the motel sustained significant flood damage during Hurricane Helene in 2024, when the storm surge rose to chest level inside the ground-level units.
“The hurricane was just devastating and we didn’t have flood insurance. I went down there immediately afterwards. I had just renovated and replaced all the kitchens and the bathrooms,” Horvat said.
She said repetitive flooding in that low-lying area also occurred several times in the past and flood prevention door guards had been installed. Due to the hurricane damage sustained, the repair and replacement costs, FEMA regulations and other contributing factors, it just wasn’t practical or cost-efficient for the family trust to repair the motel and resume the motel operations. After the demolition is complete, the four vacant lots will be sold and Duncan Real Estate will handle the sale of those properties.
“It’s sad. It’s the end of the Anna Maria Motel. This is a very emotional thing to have this hotel coming down,” Horvat said. “Unfortunately, it will probably be more big mansions. It breaks my heart.”
She praised and thanked Office Manager Lori Calderone for the past 12 years she spent running the motel.
“She put her heart and soul into it,” Horvat said.
Horvat said a couple people expressed interest in buying the motel and continuing the motel operations but the numbers simply didn’t work in the Island’s current economic landscape.
“We had a lot of interesting guests and the motel was doing well. We’re devastated. All the siblings are upset but we have to move on,” Horvat said.
