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Anna Maria extends mandatory mask order

Anna Maria extends mandatory mask order

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Anna Maria, Community News.

Updated July 3, 2020 – ANNA MARIA – Mayor Dan Murphy and the Anna Maria City Commission have extended the city’s mandatory mask order for another seven days.

The emergency mask order originally enacted on June 25 as City Order #33 was amended during a special commission meeting Thursday morning. The amended order, City Order #36, is now posted at the city website.

Similar to the original mask order, the amended and extended order only applies to certain indoor places. But City Order #36 also includes new recommendations regarding outdoor waiting areas and vacation rentals.

“Every person working, living, visiting or doing business in the city of Anna Maria shall wear a face covering in any indoor location, other than their home or residence, when not maintaining social distancing from other persons, excluding family members or companions,” the amended order says.

The order lists the following exceptions:

  • Children under the age of two years;
  • People for whom a face covering would cause impairment due to an existing health condition;
  • People working in a business or profession who do not have interactions with other people;
  • People working in an office when all interactions with others are done with social distancing as recommended by the CDC;
  • People eating and/or drinking at a restaurant; provided, however, that face coverings must otherwise be worn in restaurants.

City Order #36 includes new language that says, “Businesses are requested to strongly encourage face coverings and social distancing for customers and persons waiting in line outdoors for service. Also, vacation rental owners and management companies are requested to give out informational material, such as a copy of this order, to each of their vacation rental customers upon check-in.”

A violation of the mask order is punishable by a code enforcement citation that carries a $50 fine per violation. During Thursday’s meeting, Murphy said no citations had been issued for mask violations to date and the city had not received any complaints about non-compliance.

When Thursday’s discussion began, Murphy addressed expanding the order to include outdoor public spaces.

“It’s very difficult for me to tell you that you have to stay 6 feet away from your husband or your wife or your child while you’re on vacation outdoors in the state of Florida. I think it would be nice if everybody wore face masks, but I don’t think we can infringe upon people’s personal rights that much. And I know we can’t enforce it. I think it’s going too far,” Murphy said.

Outdoor waiting areas

The new language regarding outdoor waiting areas arose from concerns raised by commissioners Jon Crane and Mark Short, based on what they’ve seen outside some restaurants and other food establishments, including ice cream shops.

Crane suggested expanding the mask order to include outdoor waiting areas, but the commission did not go that far.

Anna Maria extends mandatory mask order
Commissioner Jon Crane expressed concerns about outdoor waiting areas at restaurants. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Commissioner Joe Muscatello asked if the city was going to encourage that masks be worn on the City Pier. The commission did not address the pier in its amended mask order, but Murphy said free masks are available at the pier entryway when the pier is open.

Commissioner Amy Tripp agreed with Crane and Short, but said enforcement of the outdoor waiting areas would be challenging. She recommended calling on business owners and patrons to use common sense instead.

Muscatello shared feedback he received from business owners.

“They don’t want to see a shutdown and they would go along with anything we came up with that was helpful,” he said.

Muscatello also provided personal perspective as a city resident.

“We seem to be so focused on the tourists. I think our first priority ought to be the residents. I pay a hell of a lot of property taxes to live here and I’m afraid to go to my own beach. We are here to serve the 1,500 people who live here and not the 40,000 people who come here to visit. I feel like a prisoner in my own home,” he said.

Anna Maria extends mandatory mask order
Commissioner Joe Muscatello said residents need to be the city’s first priority. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Commission Chair Carol Carter suggested the non-binding language regarding outdoor waiting areas. She said face coverings in waiting areas not only protect patrons, but they protect the employees too.

“When we heard about places that closed, it’s been because an employee has shown signs of being infected with COVID,” Short added.

Regarding outdoor waiting areas, Murphy said, “The message should be we don’t want to legislate something – and that we will if we have to. The onus is at the point of contact at the restaurant itself to make sure this is done, not city hall.”

Under the local state of emergency, Murphy has the authority to extend the mask order every seven days without calling a special commission meeting to do so.

Murphy said the updated mask order would be emailed to business owners and vacation rental owners and agents.

To assist businesses, the city is offering free signs that reference the mask order. To request those signs email depclerk@cityofannamaria.com.

Anna Maria extends mandatory mask order
These signs now appear at the Waterfront Restaurant & Craft Bar and other restaurants and businesses in Anna Maria. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

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Anna Maria enacts mandatory mask order

AM Fence Barren

Request to amend fence ordinance falls short

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Anna Maria, Community News.

ANNA MARIA – Anna Maria commissioner Amy Tripp is concerned about the increasing number of solid vinyl fences and the lack of landscaping along the city’s residential streets.

Tripp’s fellow commissioners do not share her concerns.

On Thursday, Jan. 10, Tripp made an impassioned but unsuccessful plea for the commission to consider amending the city’s fence ordinance to better address non-transparent front yard fencing and additional landscaping requirements.

When making her PowerPoint presentation, Tripp expressed her belief that the city’s governing body has a responsibility to protect and preserve the city’s natural beauty and habitat and she believes an amended fence ordinance would help accomplish that.

AM Fence Tripp
Commissioner Amy Tripp recently made an impassioned plea to amend the city’s fence ordinance. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

She did not seek to impose new restrictions on existing front yard fences or existing and future back and side yard fences.

Before making her presentation, Tripp looked at how some other Florida cities and counties address front yard fencing and landscaping.

“In Sarasota, they speak of this visual vista and that is one of the things I feel like we are starting to lose by these barrier fences that are going up in the neighborhoods,” Tripp told the commission.

She noted that Anna Maria’s existing sign ordinance prohibits masonry, stone, brick, block or concrete walls.

“This is a shared environment and I think it’s up to us to protect it.”
– Amy Tripp, Anna Maria Commissioner

Front yard fences are limited to four feet in height and side and back yards fences are limited to six feet. Tripp believes the existing fence material prohibitions reflect previous city commissions’ intent to prevent fences that create a barrier effect.

“Where did you get that that was their intent? That’s not in the ordinance,” Commissioner Doug Copeland said, noting that he never understood why those fence materials were prohibited.

Tripp’s presentation included a photo of a house at the corner of Gladiolus Street and Jacaranda Street that has vinyl front yard fencing running parallel to both streets, with landscaping behind the fence, but only shells and gravel in front of it.

“It’s not so much the material, it’s the application of it being solid. They run the fence right up to the lot line, therefore no landscaping can go on the outside of it. But notice, on the inside it’s really lush. This is a shared environment and I think it’s up to us to protect it,” Tripp said.

She showed a photo of another property with solid vinyl front yard fencing that features landscaping between it and the street.

“They moved the fence up, so they could landscape on the outside,” Tripp said when expressing her view that this creates a more desirable appearance.

AM Fence Landscaped
Commissioner Amy Tripp wishes more of Anna Maria’s front yards looked like this. – Amy Tripp | Submitted

Tripp said Collier County requires see-through front yard fencing and landscaping in the three-foot setback between the fence and the street-side right of way.

“I think we should promote this type of fencing with this type of landscaping. I want an island with green space. What I’m seeing is a sterile look,” she said.

“A person has a right to privacy on their own property,” Commissioner Brian Seymour said of those who opt for solid front yard fences.

Commissioner Carol Carter said she agrees with Tripp from an aesthetic perspective, but the residents she spoke with don’t feel they should be forced to adhere to the commission’s aesthetic preferences for fencing.

“We have so much solid, non-landscaped fencing out there now that I don’t think a change in the ordinance will make that much difference to the visual vista of the city,” Carter said.

“I think the damage is done,” Seymour said.

Repeating something he’s stated before, Commissioner Dale Woodland said he doesn’t want the city of Anna Maria to feel like one big homeowners’ association. He likes the idea of promoting fence and landscaping elements that address Tripp’s concerns, but he doesn’t want them to be mandatory.

“It’s not a safety issue, it’s a perspective issue,” Woodland said.

Commissioner Amy Tripp

Tripp joins Anna Maria commission

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Anna Maria, Community News.

ANNA MARIA – Amy Tripp has been appointed to fill the City Commission seat recently vacated by Nancy Yetter.

The commission appointment occurred at the Thursday, Feb. 22 commission meeting. Tripp will serve the remainder of the two-year term that expires in November.

Commissioners Carol Carter, Doug Copeland, Brian Seymour and Dale Woodland unanimously ranked Tripp as the top candidate from a trio that also included Jonathan Crane and David Bouchard.

The appointment process devised by City Attorney Becky Vose required each commissioner to rank on paper the three candidates as their first, second and third choices. The seat went to the candidate with the lowest total score.

Tripp’s score was four, followed by Crane’s nine and Bouchard’s 11.

Commission chair Doug Copeland thanked Crane and Bouchard for their willingness to serve and City Clerk LeAnne Addy swore Tripp in so she could participate in the rest of the meeting.

Candidates speak

Each candidate was given three minutes to speak before the commissioners voted.

“I saw an opportunity. I ran for commissioner a few years ago and thought it might be a good idea to throw my hat in the ring again. I hope to assist in any way I can,” Bouchard said.

Crane said, “I’d very much like to serve alongside all of you on this commission. I believe I’m the best candidate here in terms of qualifications because of my experience and because of my lifelong commitment to public service.”

He cited his current chairmanship of the Planning and Zoning Board and his experience as a private and public attorney, hearing officer, small claims judge and mediator in Los Angeles County.

Tripp spoke last.

“The Tripp family has had a presence in the city of Anna Maria for over 65 years. My father- -in-law (Ted Tripp) was a mayor and served on the Planning and Zoning Board for 25 years. My mother-in-law, Paula, was on the board of directors at the Historical Society and was a turtle watch volunteer before there was a Turtle Watch organization. I would like to follow their commitment to service,” she said.

“One thing that is most important to me is the home rule protection and I have worked the past two years trying to keep that in place,” she said.

Last year, Tripp gathered more than 600 petition signatures in opposition to the state Legislature’s unsuccessful attempt to eliminate local governments’ ability to regulate vacation rentals. She traveled to Tallahassee to meet privately with legislators and presented them with copies of her petition.

Working from home, she continued her advocacy efforts during the current legislative session that has seen state senators trying to preempt all vacation rental regulation to the state.

At the request of Mayor Dan Murphy, Tripp developed the Anna Maria bike route and route map two years ago.

“These things show that I know how to build a coalition to do positive things for the city,” Tripp said.

Tripp reaction

Tripp’s husband Alan was born on Anna Maria Island. While raising two daughters in Atlanta, the couple bought a second home in Anna Maria in 2001 and became full-time residents in 2013.

Speaking by phone on Friday, Tripp said, “I felt honored that I was their number one pick across the board. I feel it’s a good fit for me, the commission and the mayor and I look forward to working with them.”

Regarding home rule rights, Tripp said, “I think local government does the best job governing people. They’re the closest to us.”

Referencing comments that state Representatives Carlos Guillermo Smith and Kristin Jacobs made last week when discussing vacation rentals, Tripp stated, “Like they said, the homesteaded property owner should have privileged rights over an LLC owned by someone in another country or another state. They shouldn’t share the same privileges.”

When asked about Tripp’s appointment, Murphy said, “I’m pleased that Amy has joined the commission. She’s going to be a valuable member. She’s got great experience and she knows the all the issues.”

Bike trail

Multi-use trail included in Anna Maria budget

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Anna Maria, Community News.

ANNA MARIA – The City Commission has adjusted its 2017-18 fiscal year budget to include $71,000 for a multi-use bike and pedestrian trail.

Based on the existing 2.05 millage rate, the $5.7 million in budgeted expenses also provides $110,000 for two additional Sheriff’s Office deputies for the second half of the fiscal year that began Oct. 1.

At the request of Commissioner Dale Woodland, the commission agreed to double its annual $100,000 lump sum payment against the principle owed on the $2.84 million loan taken out in 2011 to purchase the six lots now known as City Pier Park.

“Think about this path as an investment in the city and not as an expenditure.”
Amy Tripp, Anna Maria resident.

Trail approved

To be constructed in unison with previously budgeted $100,000 stormwater and drainage improvements, the multi-use trail will run along the east side of Gulf Drive, from Willow Avenue to the Holmes Beach city limits.

The 4-0 vote in favor of reallocating funds for the trail was inspired by public comments made during the Thursday, Sept. 28, commission meeting. Vacationing Commissioner Nancy Yetter missed the meeting that signaled a reversal of the previous majority position taken at the first budget hearing on Sept. 14, when she and commissioners Brian Seymour and Carol Carter said it was not the right time for the trail expenditure.

Last week, resident Alex Wagenaar said, “We are smothering under a surf of cars on this Island. People are stuck for an hour just trying to get down to Bradenton Beach. We have to make it friendly for the residents who want to run down from our great city to Duffy’s for a burger. Take a bike instead of your car. We want to persuade visitors that they don’t need a car. We’ve got trolleys, we’ve got bikes, we’ve got alternative ways to get around.”

Bicyclist and pedestrian safety advocate Amy Tripp pleaded her case to the city commission last week. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Resident Amy Tripp said, “A few years ago I was asked by the city to develop a bike path and bike route, which I did. I’ve started a petition that has over 65 signatures on it. Please reinstate the $71,000 for a multi-use path. We have bicyclists with babies just feet away from the cars. If we had this eight-foot path we would be offering a better option. It ties into the bike route. I spoke with the mayor of Holmes Beach: they’re going to do a similar path that would adjoin to ours. It would be a beautiful connection between the two cities. Think about this path as an investment in the city and not as an expenditure.”

Dusty Crane also collected petition signatures.

“This makes sense. This is good for our city. Let’s get going here and start curing some of our ills,” she said.

Resident Bob Meehan shared observations made while walking his dog along Gulf Drive.

“The city has a serious safety problem. During busy times of year, families with young children congest this east side shoulder, walking in both directions at all hours of the day. It would seem only a matter of time before a pedestrian accident occurs, leaving the city vulnerable to extensive litigation costs. Please keep our residents and visitors safe, while safeguarding the assets of the city,” he said.

Speaking as a resident, Mayor Dan Murphy said, “I think you all know this bike path means an awful lot to me. I understand the issues of reclaiming the right of ways, but I don’t mind taking the heat. I think it’s the right thing to do and the right time. We have the money to do this. It’s something we’ll do in the summer months when the traffic load is way down.”

Park paydown

City Clerk and Finance Director LeAnne Addy addressed the cost-savings incurred by making a $200,000 lump sum payment instead of the $100,000 payment made last year in addition to the regular park property loan payments.

Addy said a $200,000 payment made this year would decrease the city’s anticipated interest costs of $315,446 by $24,100 and shorten the loan payoff date from March 2030 to December 2028.