Skip to main content
Joe Hendricks

Joe Hendricks

February 11, 2017
Joe Hendricks is the editor of the Anna Maria Island Sun. As a Sun reporter, Joe primarily covers the cities of Anna Maria and Holmes Beach, including those two city governments. He also covers Island-related matters at the county and state levels, breaking Island news, events and entertainment and more.
Email Joe Hendricks
February 23, 2019
By Joe Hendricks
Sunshine Law trial delayed until July

Sunshine Law trial delayed until July

BRADENTON BEACH – The trial for the Sunshine Law lawsuit filed against six former city advisory board members has been rescheduled for July 15. The trial was previously scheduled to take place in mid…
February 12, 2019
By Joe Hendricks
Mayor and former city employee discuss recent firing

Mayor and former city employee discuss recent firing

ANNA MARIA – City officials and former Code and Parking Enforcement Officer and administrative assistant Angela Albrecht hold differing views on the events that preceded her recent firing. Albrech…
February 12, 2019
By Joe Hendricks
Charter review includes city manager discussion

Charter review includes city manager discussion

ANNA MARIA – The Charter Review Committee met with city commissioners and Mayor Dan Murphy last week to discuss potential changes to the city charter. Switching to a city manager form of governmen…
February 12, 2019
By Joe Hendricks
Bridge Street options discussed

Bridge Street options discussed

BRADENTON BEACH – There isn’t much community support for closing Bridge Street to vehicular traffic, but some rare and limited public support exists for building a parking garage near the Bradenton B…
February 4, 2019
By Joe Hendricks
New Anna Maria City Pier taking shape

New Anna Maria City Pier taking shape

ANNA MARIA – The first pilings for the new Anna Maria City Pier are in place and partially driven as of Saturday. The pilings eventually will support a restaurant, bait shop and public restrooms a…
February 4, 2019
By Joe Hendricks
Mannie's Back

Mannie’s back!

BRADENTON BEACH – After a brief absence, Mannie the mannequin is back at the Drift In. Over the past decade or so, five different mannequins have served as the Bradenton Beach establishment’s life…
February 1, 2019
By Joe Hendricks
Anna Maria’s street-side parking switches sides

Anna Maria’s street-side parking switches sides

ANNA MARIA – Make sure you park on the proper side of the street in the city limits of Anna Maria, at the north end of Anna Maria Island – the city annually switches which side of the street can be p…
February 1, 2019
By Joe Hendricks
City hall building replacement discussed

City hall building replacement discussed

BRADENTON BEACH – City officials are trying to figure out whether it makes more sense to floodproof and hurricane-harden city hall or to build a new city hall complex. These ongoing discussions al…
January 29, 2019
By Joe Hendricks
Sato and Duncan county’s top Realtors

Sato and Duncan county’s top Realtors

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Jason Sato was Manatee County’s top Realtor for the fourth consecutive year and Darcie Duncan was the county’s number two Realtor in 2018. The sales and listing figures are con…
January 28, 2019
By Joe Hendricks
CNOBB webmaster deposition raises more Sunshine questions

CNOBB webmaster deposition raises more Sunshine questions

BRADENTON – The deposition of former webmaster Michael Harrington has uncovered emails that raise additional questions about possible Sunshine law violations by members of the Concerned Neighbors of…
January 27, 2019
By Joe Hendricks
Ed Chiles receives Citizen of the Year award

Ed Chiles receives Citizen of the Year award

ANNA MARIA – Ed Chiles is the City of Anna Maria’s 2018 Citizen of the Year. Chiles owns the Sandbar restaurant, The Studio at Gulf and Pine and is a partner in the Pine Avenue Restoration Project…
January 27, 2019
By Joe Hendricks

City engineer terminates agreement with city

ANNA MARIA – The City of Anna Maria and Lynn Burnett and her LTA Engineers engineering firm have parted ways. The development was announced during last week’s City Commission meeting when commissi…
January 27, 2019
By Joe Hendricks

Impervious pool exception being crafted

BRADENTON BEACH – The City of Bradenton Beach will continue designating swimming pools as impervious surfaces, but city officials are working on an exception for properties that lack the space requir…
January 25, 2019
By Joe Hendricks
AM Pier Crane

Anna Maria City Pier construction underway

ANNA MARIA – The time has arrived to begin building the new Anna Maria City Pier. This week, the barge crane arrived in the Tampa Bay waters offshore from the old pier site. This was preceded by t…
January 19, 2019
By Joe Hendricks

Carlos Beruff’s FWC appointment retracted

TALLAHASSEE – It’s official: Gov. Ron DeSantis has retracted Aqua by the Bay developer Carlos Beruff’s recent appointment to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). On Friday…