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Man arrested after driving Jeep into water

Man arrested after driving Jeep into water

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Sarasota resident James Mikluscak was arrested on multiple charges after allegedly driving another man’s Jeep into the water near the Anna Maria Island Bridge on Manatee Avenue.

According to the offense/incident report filed by Holmes Beach Police Officer Andrew Adkins, Mikluscak was arrested on the suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs, DUI with damage to the property or person of another, reckless driving with damage to a person or property, obstruction without violence, a felony charge of grand theft of an automobile and a felony charge of failure to obey a law enforcement officer’s order to stop.

The incident report states that on March 30 at approximately 1:59 a.m., Adkins was assisting Sgt. Joshua Betts with a bicycle stop in the 700 block of Manatee Avenue and they noticed a vehicle driving up and down, back and forth and doing circles along the embankment on the north side of Manatee Avenue, on the 900 block, near the base of the bridge.

In his report, Adkins stated, “I left Sgt. Betts and drove my marked patrol vehicle to where this vehicle, a 2014 black Jeep Wrangler (with a Florida license plate) was driving. This area is closed to vehicle traffic and only open for pedestrians. The vehicle was driving westbound but up the embankment at an angle towards me. I pulled up on the sidewalk facing the vehicle and activated my emergency lights and a Manatee County Sheriff’s Deputy did the same. I exited my vehicle and shined my flashlight at the driver, identified as James Mikluscak, and told him to stop. I did not see anyone else in the vehicle.

“I was able to get a good look at James and he was gripping the steering wheel and his eyes were fixated straight ahead. James did not stop and kept driving along the embankment and then turned north, right, towards the mangrove. James then drove directly into the mangrove and accelerated through them, propelling himself into the water of Anna Maria Sound. James continued driving until the vehicle was stuck due to it becoming submerged about 10 to 20 feet off the shore,” Adkins stated in the report.

“I ran down the embankment to an opening in the mangrove and saw James, about 10-20 feet away from me, exit the vehicle. I commanded James to stop and come to me but he defied, running further into the water. I noticed James’ vehicle was submerged to about the top of the wheels.

“I requested dispatch contact the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and send additional assets for assistance. As James was running away from me, he turned toward me, while looking at me, and lifted something black and reflective up above the water and was holding it with both hands. The deputy with me and I both perceived this item to be a weapon of some kind. I drew my sidearm and pointed it towards James and began retreating to cover. I then advised dispatch that James may be armed and dangerous.

“Three Bradenton Beach Police Officers and several Manatee County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the scene. I retreated to my vehicle, repositioned it toward the opening in the mangrove, and turned on my scene lighting to illuminate James. I then retrieved my patrol rifle and positioned myself behind the cover of a patrol vehicle engine and pointed the weapon at James as he continued to go further out. It was later believed that the perceived weapon may have been a cell phone but one was never recovered.

“Once Sgt. Betts left to meet with the USCG at Station Cortez, I took over voice commands with a loudspeaker. I told James numerous times that we are the police, he is under arrest and that he needs to surrender himself immediately. James did not comply and continued moving further away in the water, up to shoulder deep, and began clinging to a channel marker. I made sure Sgt. Betts was kept informed with James’ position as he was responding with the USCG on their response boat.

“Upon arrival of the USCG in their marked boat with emergency lights, James defied their commands to surrender and kept swimming away for them. This went on for an extended period of time. Due to this, Sgt. Betts directed me to respond out in the water with the HBPD Marine Unit.

“I, along with two Bradenton Beach Police Officers, took the marked police boat with emergency lights to the scene. Upon arrival James was a couple hundred yards north of the original incident location. We pulled up alongside him and gave commands for him to surrender. James did not initially comply but after a few attempts to approach him, he raised his hands up, didn’t move, and we were able to grab him and pull him into the boat, placing him under arrest. James was in the water for about an hour and ten minutes.

“I then transported James to the Kingfish boat ramp, 752 Manatee Ave., where he was turned over to Manatee County EMS and then they transported him to HCA Florida Blake Hospital for possible hypothermia and medical clearance. Officer Gagliano rode with EMS and I followed behind. I heard EMS make comments about James being on drugs,” Adkins stated in this report.

“Once James was transferred to a hospital bed, I got permission from the staff to talk with him. I advised him of his Miranda Warning and he agreed to speak with me. I noticed James was very obviously experiencing the effects of drug use based on my training and experience.

“While at the hospital I also heard the staff mention several different times that James is high on drugs. I asked James if he was on any drugs and he told me he was on ‘ice.’ I asked what that is and he stated a ‘potent meth.’ When I tried to ask James about the incident, he couldn’t remember what happened. I asked James if what happened tonight was because he was on meth and he nodded yes. I asked James about driving while impaired by the meth and he told me he wasn’t driving.

The report notes Mikluscak declined to give a blood sample for testing purposes.

“I contacted HBPD’s Drug Recognition Expert, Officer (Alex) Hurt, and advised him of the situation. Officer Hurt remained with James while I returned to HBPD to complete the arrest paperwork. Sgt. Betts informed me that the owner of the Jeep, Gregory Dobkins, did not give permission to James to operate the vehicle and filed it as stolen with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office,” the report states.

“As a result, I charged James with reckless driving with property damage, DUI with property damage, fleeing to elude/failure to obey, leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage, resisting an officer without violence, and grand theft of a motor vehicle.

“I was informed that James was being admitted at the hospital for 24 hours to be monitored so I took the completed paperwork and his property (and) clothing to the Manatee County Jail to get him booked in.

“While James was in our custody, he stated the vehicle belonged to a friend or roommate where he is staying temporarily in Sarasota. Later on in the day, when I came back into work, I spoke with Gregory over the phone. Gregory informed me that he did allow James to drive the Jeep earlier in the day with him but once they got back to the (Sarasota) address he was no longer authorized to drive it.

“I was told that address is a home for recovering addicts. Gregory stated James left the house with a girlfriend after a meeting but returned later in the night very high. Gregory stated while he was now asleep, James took the Jeep keys and then stole the vehicle,” the report states.

As of April 1, Mikluscak remained in custody at the Manatee County Jail in Palmetto.

Florida Highway Patrol

Cyclist killed in collision on Anna Maria Island Bridge

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – A man on a bicycle was killed after a collision with an SUV on Manatee Avenue near the center of the Anna Maria Island Bridge, according to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP). The incident took place on Aug 9 at 12:23 a.m. FHP officers say a 23-year-old Bradenton man was driving eastbound on the drawbridge when he struck a 33-year-old Lancaster, New York man on a bicycle riding in the eastbound lane. The driver of the SUV stopped to lend aid. Troopers say the cyclist was thrown into the concrete barrier, suffering fatal injuries. FHP continues to investigate and has not yet released the names of those involved. 

Who’s Anna Marie?

Who’s Anna Marie?

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – It’s been 100 years since the first bridge linking Anna Maria Island to the mainland was opened to the public.

During that time, the Island has gone through a lot of changes, but a name change hasn’t been one of them.

Knowing this, local veterinarian Denise Vondrasek was surprised when she was driving on Manatee Avenue toward the Island and noticed a crew putting up a sign letting drivers know that they are five miles from “Anna Marie Is.” Realizing the sign was misspelled, she stopped to tell the workers, but none of them spoke English, so she reached out to The Anna Maria Island Sun.

The Sun called the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, which spends millions of tourist tax dollars advertising Anna Maria Island around the world. Executive Director Elliott Falcione was not available for comment and office staff members were unaware of the sign.

A subsequent call to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) resulted in the typical transfers to multiple departments, but a spokesperson for District 1 – which covers Manatee County – said she would immediately put in a work order to replace the sign.

With refreshingly little government red tape, The Sun was assured the error would be corrected.

Editor’s note: Having restored the integrity of The Sun’s namesake, Dr. Denise is honorary copy editor for the day.

Island bridges, roundabouts on DOT radar

Island bridges, roundabouts on DOT radar

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News, Longboat Key.

BRADENTON BEACH – The members of the Coalition of Barrier Island Elected Officials had a lot to think about when Florida Department of Transportation representative Albert Rosenstein appeared before them to give an update on ongoing projects.

Roundabouts

Rosenstein said the two roundabouts planned for Manatee Avenue in Holmes Beach are almost through the department’s approval process. A planned roundabout for Manatee Avenue at East Bay Drive is in the last of three stages of approval. He said that no right of way acquisition is needed for the project, but it will wait for construction until the accompanying roundabout at Manatee Avenue and Gulf Drive can be built.

The roundabout at Manatee Avenue and Gulf Drive, at the main entrance to Manatee Beach, is in the second stage of approval. Rosenstein said this roundabout does require a right of way purchase. Construction on the roundabouts is expected to take place at the same time and is currently not funded. An extension of the northbound turn lane from Manatee Avenue to Gulf Drive is currently funded in the fifth year of the DOT’s current funding cycle.

How to Navigate a Roundabout
To navigate a single-lane roundabout, vehicles are required to reduce speed to 10 to 15 miles per hour when approaching the roundabout. Drivers must look for and yield to bicyclists and pedestrians. The two roundabouts planned for Holmes Beach will have pedestrian crosswalks at each of the four entrances to the roundabout. All vehicles circle the roundabout to the right. Drivers entering the roundabout must yield to the vehicles already in the roundabout. Enter the roundabout when there is a gap in traffic and do not stop or attempt to pass other vehicles. Use a turn signal to indicate when exiting the roundabout.
Drivers should never stop once in the roundabout but can slow down to allow another vehicle to enter. If an emergency vehicle comes through the roundabout, drive to the nearest exit and then move over beyond the splitter island. – FDOT

Anna Maria Island Bridge

Design plans are expected to be complete in late 2019 for the new high-span Anna Maria Island Bridge on Manatee Avenue. The bridge will have a 65-foot navigational clearance with a 74-foot maximum height and a 4 percent grade. A new bridge is planned to lift off and set down in the footprint of the current bridge and be constructed just to the south of the existing drawbridge. Though the new bridge is on the DOT’s advanced project list, Rosenstein said it’s currently unfunded.

Cortez Bridge

Though Rosenstein didn’t know if the plans were still negotiable, he said that the favored replacement for the aging Cortez Bridge is a high-span bridge also with 65 feet of navigable space underneath the bridge. Because the bridge would have to be slightly shorter than the Anna Maria Bridge, Rosenstein said the current projections show the bridge with a 5 percent grade. Currently, the bridge is awaiting the design phase and construction is unfunded. Rosenstein said he expects the concept for the replacement bridge to be officially approved in October. With the Cortez Bridge, he said there will be right of way acquisitions or imposition of eminent domain by the department. The new bridge is planned to be constructed just to the north of the existing drawbridge.

Longboat Pass Bridge

Beginning June 10, Rosenstein said that repair work will begin on the Longboat Pass Bridge. Construction is expected to take approximately 80 days to complete. Lane closures will occur Mondays through Thursdays from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. with no closures planned on the weekends. Lanes could be closed for up to 15 minutes periodically from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. during the week for testing with no detours planned. Two days of detours for machinery to be brought on or removed from the bridge are planned from midnight to 5 a.m. The days of those detours and the path of the detours are not yet known.

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A wake up call on the proposed Cortez Bridge

Anna Maria bridge mudline

New details emerge for high-span bridge

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Transportation.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – There’s been a lot of talk from the Florida Department of Transportation about high-level bridges coming to the Island. The first one expected to arrive is the planned 65-foot, fixed-span replacement bridge for the current drawbridge on Manatee Avenue. Despite a lack of available funding, FDOT representatives are still making big plans for the Anna Maria Island Bridge.

FDOT project manager Roxann Lake and Ryan Forrestel, project manager for American Consulting Professionals, appeared before elected officials at the Island Transportation Planning Organization meeting to discuss those plans. They discussed what the new bridge is planned to look like and what may change on the Island when the new bridge is finally built.

“Our job is essentially to get the job done and on the shelf in case funding becomes available,” Forrestel said.

The new bridge is planned to be built about 100 feet south of the current bridge, with bridge approaches in roughly the same place they are now. This allows for the current drawbridge to remain in service while the high, fixed-span bridge is under construction. Once finished, at its highest point the new bridge is planned to have 65-foot vertical clearance to allow boats to pass underneath without the traffic stop of a drawbridge raise.

Two vehicular traffic lanes of 12 feet each are planned, along with a 10-foot shoulder on either side of the bridge. A concrete barrier wall will separate the vehicle lanes from 10-foot pedestrian and bicycle paths on either side of the bridge.

Anna Maria bridge piers
The hammerhead style piers supporting the bridge are planned to be blue with an impression of sea turtles on every fourth pier. – FDOT | Submitted

Forrestel and Lake went over the design choices selected by the bridge aesthetics committee in 2017. The group, made up of local stakeholders including representatives from Keep Manatee Beautiful, the Island cities, Save Anna Maria and Manatee County, met for 10 months between 2016 and their final meeting in April 2017. Choices made by the committee include the selection of hammerhead style piers to support the underside of the bridge cast in blue with a stamped motif of sea turtles on every fourth pier. The underside of the bridge is planned as a natural cement color. A metal railing with a sunshine motif is planned for the outer edges of the bridge.

Anna Maria bridge railing
Pedestrian railings lining the outer sides of the bridge will feature this sunshine motif. Pedestrian walkways are planned to be separated from vehicle lanes by concrete barricades. – FDOT | Submitted

While no lights or landscaping will be placed on the bridge, small pocket parks are planned for each end of the bridge featuring native landscaping and benches for pedestrians to rest. Walkways will wrap around the base of the bridge approaches on each side and feature cement tile walls with motifs of pelicans, sea turtles and manatees separated by tiles of fractured granite to give the area some texture. Railings will separate the walkway from the water.

Landscaping choices for the pocket parks and bridge approaches include sabal palms, silver buttonwoods and royal palms. To help add instant “curb appeal” to the bridge, Forrestel said FDOT planners have chosen a “bold” approach to landscaping where more mature trees will be planted so the effect is more noticeable immediately after plantings.

Anna Maria bridge parks
A pocket park is proposed as a “rest area” for each end of the new bridge. – FDOT | Submitted

Final plans for the bridge are expected to emerge in late 2019.

Forrestel said no right of way acquisitions are needed for the project.

Construction on the bridge, estimated to cost $15 million, is not yet funded.

Anna Maria bridge wall impressions
The aesthetics committee for the Anna Maria Island Bridge chose a mixture of wildlife impressions to recognize the animals that make the area home. These impression panels are planned to wrap around the base of the new bridge on each side underneath the bridge approach. – FDOT | Submitted

Once the fixed-span bridge is built, other changes may be made to the Island side of Manatee Avenue, including changes to parking at Kingfish Boat Ramp.

Forrestel said the bridge project managers are working with Manatee County officials to determine just how parking at the popular boat ramp will be affected and where additional parking spaces can be placed. Currently, the plan is to primarily eliminate parking on the south side of Manatee Avenue and extend the current parking area to the east toward the bridge.

Another change proposed for Kingfish is the elimination of left-hand turns to the east out of the parking area.

With the installation of a roundabout planned for the intersection of Manatee Avenue and East Bay Drive, Forrestel said it would be safer for boaters going east to turn right out of the boat ramp and circle the roundabout to get up adequate speed to go east over the bridge.

Engineer to all three Island cities Lynn Burnett said she hopes the roundabout, which she called “a much-needed improvement,” will be installed before the new bridge is built.

Lake said the Anna Maria Island Bridge project is being presented to FDOT leaders again in fall 2018 for possible funding.

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