BRADENTON BEACH – After Drift-In bar owner Derek Williams was named by City Attorney Ricinda Perry as the source of a Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) violation complaint against the Anna Maria Oyster Bar (AMOB), he made a public records request to the agency to clear his name.
In response to Williams’ request for information, an FDEP spokesperson confirmed there were no complaints on record and that the violation had been discovered during a routine inspection for the renewal of the city’s submerged land lease at the Bradenton Beach Pier, adjacent to the city-owned building at 200 Bridge St. that AMOB leases from the city.
The Sept. 9 email to Williams from FDEP Public Information Specialist Brian Humphreys stated, “I’m in receipt of your request for public records regarding 200 Bridge Street, Bradenton Beach, FL. I checked with our staff who advised we are unaware of any complaints received for that site, so I have no complaint records to share with you.
“Our staff conducted a compliance inspection for the state lands lease renewal as it was due to expire. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is required to inspect leased sites as part of the renewal process. During the inspection non-compliance was observed.”
On June 16, FDEP had sent a letter to the city which read in part, “FDEP compliance team conducted an inspection on 5/27/2025 for a (sovereign submerged land) lease renewal. It was noted that added over-water structures were seen at that inspection. Tiki hut structures were added on the docking structures, and the roof structures appear to hang beyond the docking structure footprint.”
FDEP requested the city remove the three tiki structures located on the south side of the AMOB outdoor dining area.
During public comment at a Sept. 4 Bradenton Beach City Commission meeting, Williams criticized Perry for allegedly telling the owner and manager of AMOB that he filed the FDEP complaint.
“I had a local merchant come to me in the last week and tell me Ms. Perry had spoken directly to the owner and the manager of the business and informed them that I had personally reported them for certain legal issues, which I’m 1,000% sure I did not do,” Williams said on Sept. 4. “I got direct phone calls from those people; they doubled down and verified it was Ricinda.”
“I was advised that a complaint was filed with the DEP by an individual from Drift-In because of the tiki roof (at AMOB) and they wondered if the city had gone through everything they were forced to go through,” Perry said at the Sept. 4 meeting.
With the results of the FDEP public records request in hand, Williams sent the following email to Mayor John Chappie and Police Chief John Cosby: “Below is the response I got back from Florida DEP in regards to the accusations made. As you can see from public records, I did not and have not reported anyone despite the accusations from City Attorney Perry. Due to recent events I chose to address her at the most recent City Commission meeting in the public forum. Otherwise, it seems I will continue to find my good name being smeared.”
“At the most recent meeting I addressed the commission and more specifically Attorney Perry about the accusation that ‘Derek Williams filed a complaint with the Florida DEP about the city pier.’ Perry immediately reacted and almost jumped out of her seat to defend her position and supposed ‘proof’ that I made the alleged call to Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Clearly the response below from DEP shows that no complaint ever existed per state/public records,” Williams’ email stated.
Williams stated in his email to the city that he also reached out to the West Bradenton fire marshal as they had previously spoken about the Drift-In AMI Tiki Bar. Williams stated the fire marshal confirmed their conversation was a “nonevent” and he had never reported anything about their conversations to the state.
“That leaves me once again bewildered and frustrated that this small local government contracted representative (Perry) continues to be unable to communicate in a civil manner. All signs point towards a different agenda for the businesses and property owners in Bradenton Beach. We deserve to know why,” Williams’ email stated.
Williams asked Chappie and Cosby to share the email with Bradenton Beach commissioners.
“They deserve a better understanding of the person that they are relying on for legal guidance and city affairs,” Williams stated.
Chappie did not respond to The Sun’s Sept. 10 request for comment.
“City Attorney Performance” will be the topic of a Bradenton Beach City Commission work meeting discussion on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 10:30 a.m. The meeting packet that references the single agenda item pertains to the FDEP violation letter that Perry alleged was the result of a complaint made by Williams.
Open to the public, the meeting will be held in the Katie Pierola Commission Chambers at 107 Gulf Drive.
