Beach Nutz
Caroyln Orshak is the president of the board of directors for the AMI Historical Society. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
Tag: Anna Maria Island
Above-average hurricane season predicted
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – As residents continue to recover from 2024 Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Colorado State University (CSU) hurricane researchers are predicting an above-average 2025 Atlantic hurricane season.
In an April 3 report, CSU researchers forecast 17 named storms during the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season from June 1 to Nov. 30. The researchers forecast nine named storms will become hurricanes and four will reach major hurricane strength (Category 3, 4 or 5) with sustained winds of 111 mph or greater.
The team predicts that 2025 hurricane activity will be about 125% of the average season from 1991–2020, slightly less active than 2024, when hurricane activity was about 130% of the average season.
The researchers cite above-average subtropical eastern Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea surface temperatures as a primary factor for the predictions.
“These conditions will likely lead to a continuation of above-average water temperatures across most of the tropical Atlantic for the peak of the 2025 hurricane season. A warm Atlantic favors an above-average season since a hurricane’s fuel source is warm ocean water. Additionally, a warm Atlantic leads to lower atmospheric pressure and a more unstable atmosphere. Both conditions favor hurricane formation,” according to the CSU press release.
“So far, the 2025 hurricane season is exhibiting characteristics similar to 1996, 1999, 2006, 2008, 2011 and 2017,” said Phil Klotzbach, a senior research scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at CSU and lead author of the report.
In 2017, Hurricane Irma inflicted significant damage on the Anna Maria City Pier and the Island-wide impacts included damaged mobile homes, residential structures and commercial structures, fallen trees, fallen power lines and flooding.
The CSU team will update its forecasts on June 11, July 9 and Aug. 6.
Hurricane recovery reaches six-month mark
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Six months ago this week, the Island was emerging from Hurricane Helene’s flooding a week earlier, and was a week away from being hit by Hurricane Milton.
Helene’s storm surge on Sept. 26 created 4 feet of flooding in many places in the three Island cities, with many Bradenton Beach homes destroyed and homes and businesses throughout the Island suffering significant flood damage or destruction. On Oct. 9, Milton added wind damage to the flooding. Since then, most Island businesses have reopened, but some remain closed as repairs continue. Some businesses will not reopen.
The Anna Maria Island Moose Lodge in Bradenton Beach suffered severe storm surge damage and has not reopened yet but the repairs are underway and the lodge’s bar area and social quarters are expected to reopen at some point soon.
Many mobile home residents in the Pines Trailer Park in Bradenton Beach remain displaced, and on March 28, the Pines Trailer Park Homeowners Association Inc. filed a lawsuit against the Pines Park Investors LLC park ownership group headed by Shawn Kaleta.
Island-wide, hundreds of vacation rental homes and other lodging accommodations were badly damaged but many have been repaired and reopened and are once again providing lodging for the tourists and visitors that drive the Island’s tourism-reliant economy.
The storm surge and flooding also damaged and destroyed many automobiles, golf carts, scooters and other forms of transportation.
Hurricane Helene’s storm surge left many Island roadways covered with displaced sand that had to be removed before those roadways became usable again. Helene also produced massive amounts of household and landscaping debris that required the large-scale debris removal undertakings that continued in all three Island cities for several weeks after Hurricane Milton created more debris piles.
Holmes Beach
When asked about the recovery process at the six-month mark, Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth said, “The response and recovery of Hurricane Helene was the most challenging catastrophe to have hit the Island cities. Since becoming mayor, one of my main objectives was to improve our emergency operations response and recovery plan and to have required emergency training for all staff so that in the event we were to be hit by a catastrophic hurricane, we would be able to be successful in our response and recovery efforts.”
“We were tested this past year and I couldn’t be more proud of our city staff and our citizens in how much has been accomplished in the past six months. The public works department, building department, code compliance department and the police department all faced tremendous challenges and were successful in carrying out their missions.
“The majority of our businesses are back open, many of our residents are back in their homes and our vacationers have returned. I thank the Manatee County Emergency Operations Center team for their assistance as well as our county, state and federal leaders,” Titsworth said.
On March 25, Holmes Beach Director of Development Services Chad Minor said the city has issued more than 2,000 post-hurricane building permits and 44 demolition permits and most of those permits are hurricane-related.
Anna Maria
Hurricanes Helene and Milton damaged homes, businesses and city assets throughout the city of Anna Maria. The combined forces of the two hurricanes destroyed the privately-owned Rod & Reel Pier and washed away a significant portion of the city-owned Anna Maria City Pier walkway.
Rod & Reel Pier owner Oliver Lemke hopes to the rebuild the iconic pier and pier restaurant he bought in November, 2023.
The engineering process for the construction of a new City Pier walkway is well underway but no timetable has been provided as to when the construction of the new walkway will begin.
The displaced Anna Maria Post Office continues to operate inside a large trailer at City Pier Park while the repairs continue at the nearby building space leased to the U.S. Postal Service.
Six months into the ongoing recovery process, Anna Maria Mayor Mark Short said, “After six months, I am proud to say that almost every business that decided to reopen is open, the significant repair work in the city is complete, except for City Pier, and now we are focused on a number of smaller items.
“Property owners continue to be challenged with getting their repair and renovation work completed, but every day we see progress and I look forward to the day that Helene and Milton are part of a ‘do you remember’ conversation,” Short said.
Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie did not respond to The Sun’s request for comments.
The historic Annie’s Bait and Tackle Shop in Cortez, a victim of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, is slated for demolition within 30 days. - Leslie Lake | Sun
Annie's Bait and Tackle is part of the Seafood Shack property now owned by the county. - Leslie Lake | Sun
Sand dune loss may affect sea turtle nesting
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – With the loss of sand dunes from Hurricanes Helene and Milton last year, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring Executive Director Kristen Mazzarella is concerned about a possible increase in sea turtle disorientation in this year’s upcoming season.
“Without dunes as a barrier, hatchling and adult sea turtles that head towards artificial light may find their way into the road,” Mazzarella wrote in a March 25 email to The Sun. “This is definitely a concern and we are in contact with FWC (the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission), FPL (Florida Power and Light) and the municipalities on AMI to let them know about this concern such that lighting issues may be addressed prior to the start of sea turtle nesting season on May 1st.”
In addition to serving as a shield from artificial lights, Mazzarella wrote that the dunes provide a dark background that is a critical cue for sea turtles.
“They go away from dark shadows and towards bright horizons. Sea turtles need the dark background of dunes and vegetation to contrast with the light of the night sky over the water, so they don’t get confused about which direction to go to head to the Gulf,” she wrote. “If the background is as bright as or brighter than the night sky over the water, they will not know which direction to go and will either travel in circles or head towards the brightest light, which is often the artificial light.”
In advance of the official start of nesting season on May 1, Turtle Watch volunteers will begin patrols on Tuesday, April 15 to look for any new nests.
“We have not seen any turtle activity yet,” Mazzarella wrote. “On AMI, we generally get nesting loggerhead and green turtles which do not usually start nesting until late April or May. Leatherbacks have started nesting already in Florida but we have never had a leatherback nest on AMI… yet.”
She also said that there have been no sightings of nesting shorebirds on Anna Maria Island so far this year.
“Not yet, but we are always watching,” she wrote.
Mazzarella offered the following tips for anyone who may see a sea turtle nest or a turtle in distress.
- Please call AMITW at 941-301-8434 as soon as possible if you see a nesting turtle or turtle nest prior to April 15. Once patrols begin, volunteer turtle patrols will survey the entire island every morning and will locate all the turtle crawls and mark the ones that are nests with protective stakes and flagging tape.
- Remember that sea turtles are protected by the Endangered Species Act. If you see a sick, injured or dead sea turtle on the beach or in the water, please also call AMITW or FWC. AMITW’s stranding team is standing by to help rescue sick and injured sea turtles and collect important information on dead sea turtles.
- If the turtle is painted with an X, that means that someone from our team has already attended to the turtle and it will be disposed of by the local authorities.
Reel Time: Harbingers of spring
The signs of spring are in the air, even though the official start of the season is a month away. I heard the first whippoorwill this past week and bait is starting to school in Sarasota Bay, welcome signs to winter weary anglers.
This doesn’t mean that there won’t be another cold snap, and if the calendar says spring isn’t here yet, we know it’s just around the corner. Experience tells the savvy angler that fish have their own special calendar, one that consists of the angle of the sun, temperature of the water and the length of the days. When water temperatures rise into the 70s, fish come out of their winter haunts, even if it’s winter one day and spring the next.
It’s a time to keep an eye on the Gulf, looking for the first snook in the surf and for wheeling, diving seabirds as they forage on schools of baitfish that will begin to gather off the beaches in a seasonal primal ritual.
Anglers know from experience that schools of little tunny, Spanish mackerel, cobia and kingfish won’t be far behind. It could be just a matter of days before they will be swarming the bait schools, wrecks, reefs and hard bottom just off the beaches.
In the bay, trout, redfish and snook will also be roaming the flats in search of pilchards, shrimp and glass minnows to replenish themselves from their winter fast. Spring is the time when local anglers have a host of piscatorial choices and some of the best conditions to pursue them. Of course, it can all seem like just an illusion as another front riles the Gulf, sending chill winds and muddy water into the bay, and forcing anglers to put on a sweatshirt. It’s the kind of weather that plays with the emotions of fishers. But hope springs eternal, and we know from experience that it won’t be long before the run is on. That’s why it’s time to be prepared, flies tied and tackle ready for that day when it’s no longer a question of when it will happen, but what species we’ll fish for!
I like this time of year even if it can be exasperating. One day the flats and Gulf can be barren and the next the action red hot. That’s why it is so important to be ready for just about anything. Having rigs on board that can handle a big cobia and wire leaders in case kings make an appearance can make the difference between frustration and success. Anglers who are vigilant, prepared and persistent will be rewarded. Whatever your fishing style or whether you like fishing the Gulf of Mexico or local bays, take advantage of this swing time and you’ll be rewarded.
Government calendar
Anna Maria
10005 Gulf Drive
For information, call 941-708-6130
Please visit www.cityofannamaria.com or contact city hall for more information.
Feb. 13, 10 a.m. – City Commission meeting
Feb. 17, all day – City offices closed, Presidents Day
Feb. 27, 1 p.m. – City Commission meeting
Bradenton Beach
107 Gulf Drive N.
For information, call 941-778-1005
Please visit www.cityofbradentonbeach.com or contact city hall for more information.
Feb. 17, all day – City offices closed, Presidents Day
Feb. 19, 1 p.m. – Scenic WAVES meeting
Feb. 20, 9:30 a.m. – Community Redevelopment Agency meeting
Feb. 20, noon – City Commission meeting
Holmes Beach
5801 Marina Drive
For information, call 941-708-5800
Please visit www.holmesbeachfl.org or contact city hall for more information.
Feb. 12, 9 a.m. – Clean Water Ad-hoc Committee meeting
Feb. 17, all day – City offices closed, Presidents Day
Feb. 25, 2 p.m. – City Commission meeting with work session to follow
Island-wide
Feb. 18, 6 p.m. – West Manatee Fire Rescue board meeting, administration building, 701 63rd St. W., Bradenton
Coast Lines: A Gulf by any other name
President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” is more than historically inaccurate, it is unnecessarily confusing and will no doubt cost taxpayers millions to implement, then reverse in the next administration.
Where to begin?
Well, there’s that bugaboo, history. The Gulf of Mexico has been called by that name since more than 200 years before there was a United States of America, according to “The Gulf, the Making of an American Sea,” by Jack E. Davis, who wrote, “The unknown maker of a 1541 map called it Seno de Mejicano, the ‘Mexican Gulf,’ ” noting that subsequent names were quickly tried and dropped, with mapmakers settling on Golfo de Mexico, or Gulf of Mexico.
Then there’s cultural sensitivity, or its reverse. The United States is not the only America. Remember Latin America, South America, North America?
Trump’s order states, “The area formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico (shades of Prince) has long been an integral asset to our once burgeoning Nation and has remained an indelible part of America,” then goes on to mention its oil and gas value, which gives a clue as to one reason for the name change.
The Associated Press said in a statement that it will continue using the “Gulf of Mexico” in its Stylebook, used by most U.S. newspapers, including The Anna Maria Island Sun.
Amanda Barrett, AP’s vice president of standards and inclusion, wrote, “The Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years. The Associated Press will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen. As a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the AP must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences.”
Barrett notes that other countries are not bound by the executive order.
And there are geographical precedents for calling the same body of water by two names. What Iran calls the Persian Gulf, Arab nations call the Arabian Gulf, according to the publication Al Jazeera, which notes that the sea that is bound by Japan and the Korean peninsula is called the Sea of Japan by Japan, while both North and South Korea call it the East Sea.
But what is the Town of Longboat Key going to call its main road, now known as Gulf of Mexico Drive?
The current AP Stylebook entry for the Gulf of Mexico is “inlet of the Atlantic on the southeast coast of North America bounded by the U.S., Mexico and Cuba.”
So why not the Gulf of Cuba?
The U.S. has ignored Cuba for the better part of the past 65 years, to the extent that for decades after its revolution succeeded in 1959, TV weather maps showed the island, but did not name it.
To this day, the U.S. embargo of Cuba remains in effect, punishing people who never knew their great-grandparents who fought the revolution and may only adhere to its politics publicly, by mandate.
We could take a cue from the brave Cubans who, in every generation, resist their Communist government and politicians.
Granma, the newspaper that calls itself the official voice of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee, would probably not cover such a resistance movement, at least until it was squelched, and has not yet mentioned Trump’s new name for the Gulf in print.
But Mexico says it will not recognize the new nomenclature.
The Sun stands with Mexico, and the AP – not to mention real, verifiable history – and will continue to call it what it is, the Gulf of Mexico.
Now, can we talk about McKechnie Field?
Government calendar
Anna Maria
10005 Gulf Drive
For information, call 941-708-6130
Please visit www.cityofannamaria.com or contact city hall for more information.
Jan. 23, 2 p.m. – City Commission meeting
Bradenton Beach
107 Gulf Drive N.
For information, call 941-778-1005
Please visit www.cityofbradentonbeach.com or contact city hall for more information.
Jan. 22, 10 a.m. – Pier Team meeting
Jan. 28, 9 a.m. – City Commission work meeting
Jan. 29, 1 p.m. – Scenic WAVES workshop
Holmes Beach
5801 Marina Drive
For information, call 941-708-5800
Please visit www.holmesbeachfl.org or contact city hall for more information.
Jan. 23, 11:30 a.m. – Police officer’s pension board meeting
Jan. 28, 2 p.m. – City Commission meeting with work session to follow
Feb. 5, 3:30 p.m. – Planning Commission meeting
FISH Preserve being restored following hurricanes
CORTEZ – The recent hurricanes took their toll on the 98-acre FISH (Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage) Preserve.
Allen Garner, a retired landscape architect who has been working on the preserve for many years, gave a report on the post-hurricane impact at a Jan. 6 FISH meeting.
“The hurricanes were just the beginning in a whole new era in our history as far as the preserve goes. The amount of devastation plus what’s carrying through into other things has been very significant,” Garner said.
He said the trees have thinned out to such an extent that very few shady areas remain.
“You might be able to find some shade in some patches of the mangroves, but it’s very sunny out there,” Garner said.
He said the preserve is losing weakened native pine trees due to an infestation of beetles.
“The native pine trees in the preserve, we’re losing nearly all of those, and the reason for it is because of a little beetle called an ips beetle that’s always around and they bore into the trees and lay their eggs,” he said. “In a healthy pine tree, the sap is toxic basically to the water bug, it kills it off. But if the tree’s weakened from sitting in salt-saturated soil and it’s too weak, then the larva win.”
He said mature pine trees are turning brown.
“The pines didn’t die from the salt water,” Garner said. “They got weakened and the beetles moved in and that’s what’s killing them off. They’re dying now rather than three months ago.”
Due to the abundance of sunlight reaching the soil, there has been a proliferation of seed distribution.
“Everything is starting to sprout, both good and bad,” he said. “The two things that have significantly started sprouting are the Australian pines and the mangroves. The mangrove seeds got everywhere. They’re sprouting on top of hills, between two crab traps, in our yards, in shell parking lots, all over.”
Garner had been working on removing the remaining Australian pines over the past several months.
“One of the things we’re going to have happening as we go into spring are the Brazilian pepper trees, the carrotwoods, all the invasive things. It’s going to be an overwhelming number and it’s going to be this year,” Garner said.
He suggested FISH hire one or two people to go through the preserve weekly over the next four or five months and pull out seedlings of the invasive species. Garner said spraying is not an option.
“The problem with spraying is we’re going to have all the good stuff sprouting too and we want to pull out the pepper trees and not pull out the native things,” he said. “Spraying becomes a bad overkill approach.”
He said by summer, the seedlings will be too big to pull out by hand.
Garner said he would have to train potential subcontractors, and he recommended FISH allocate funds for the new few months for the seedling removal project.
A motion to spend up to $1,500 a month for the next six months to pay one or two people to pull the unwanted seedlings was approved unanimously by the board.
Garner said for the past three months he has been doing mostly restoration of the preserve following the storms, but is making progress on the work funded by the Barancik grant.
In June of 2024, the FISH board approved a proposal by Garner to complete the public accessibility project at the FISH Preserve in fulfillment of a grant from the Barancik Foundation.
Garner is working on the following projects:
• Design and build two new bridges; one sufficiently strong and sized to accommodate both pedestrians and maintenance vehicles and the other for foot traffic;
• Grade and create 12,000 square feet of shell trails;
• Build a portable information kiosk;
• Create and install a FISH Preserve entrance sign, four education signs, four orientation signs and 12 trail markers;
• Build two picnic shelters;
• Provide and install four picnic tables and six benches; and
• Provide construction support for completion of the Bradenton Kiwanis-funded bridge.
“We have been putting pilings in and probably finish up the pilings tomorrow or the next day for the bridge,” he said at the Jan. 6 meeting.
Garner began the grant project in July.
The total budget for the project is $180,000 with the grant amount being $165,000 and FISH providing the additional $15,000. The grant application for the FISH Preserve Enhanced Public Access Project was approved on Feb. 9, 2024.
Island mayors receive OPPAGA consolidation report
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – The consolidation of the three Anna Maria Island cities appears unlikely according to a consolidation study-related letter sent to the three Island mayors last week from State Rep. Will Robinson Jr. and Sen. Jim Boyd.
“The OPPAGA study confirms what we have discussed over the past year,” the letter says. “Merging or eliminating cities could negatively impact the unique and special character of the Island and could have a detrimental impact on issues like building height. The lower height of buildings on the Island must be valued and maintained at all costs. Anna Maria Island must never become a high-rise community and anything that would cause that to happen would be a nonstarter to us.”
Dated Jan. 9, the letter accompanied the completed OPPAGA (Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability) consolidation study report emailed to Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth, Anna Maria Mayor Mark Short and Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie on Jan. 8. The mayors then shared the report and the letter with their respective city commissioners.
OPPAGA is a research arm of the Florida Legislature.
The issuance of Boyd and Robinson’s letter and the sharing of the completed 25-page OPPAGA study coincided with the Manatee County Legislative Delegation meeting held in Bradenton on Jan. 9. Robinson, Boyd and the other state legislators who comprise the Manatee County Legislative Delegation announced their desire for a consolidation study in 2023.
The consolidation study was requested at a time when Robinson, Boyd and former Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge were at odds with Holmes Beach officials regarding public parking for beachgoers and the county’s desire to construct a parking garage at the county-owned Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach.
In 2023, Robinson filed legislation that resulted in the Florida Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis authorizing the county to construct a three-story parking garage at Manatee Beach despite the city’s existing prohibition on multi-level parking garages and substantial public opposition. In August, the county commission reversed course and terminated the parking garage design process.
While pursuing the consolidation study, Robinson and Boyd repeatedly expressed their desire for the three Island cities to reduce operating costs and lower property taxes by consolidating some of the similar services provided by all three cities.
The study
The 25-page OPPAGA report begins with an executive summary that says the Legislature directed OPPAGA to analyze the potential benefits of consolidating the services provided by the three Island cities and present options for the potential restructuring of the Island’s governance.
The study notes the Island’s permanent resident population declined 42% between 2007 and 2023, from 8,449 residents to 4,915. It also notes that 66% of the new vacation rental properties developed in Manatee County between 2000 to 2023 were developed on Anna Maria Island.
“There are some municipal services on the Island that could be streamlined through interlocal agreements, contracts or government reorganization. This streamlining of services could result in savings for Island residents,” the report says.
The report notes all three cities provide administrative, building and planning, public works, code enforcement and emergency management services; and Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach have their own police departments. Anna Maria contracts with the Manatee County Sherrif’s Office for law enforcement services. Using data provided by the cities, the report summarizes each city’s revenues, expenditures, outstanding debt and reserve funds.
The report references four government restructuring options:
- Leaving the Anna Maria Island governmental structure as is;
- Combining the three Island cities into one new city;
- Including the three cities as part of unincorporated Manatee County; and
- Including the three cities as part of the city of Bradenton.
The analytical report does not include a recommendation of any of the consolidation options, but provides considerations and potential impacts for each consolidation option.
In regard to maintaining the status quo, the report states the duplicated services and the financial impacts created by those duplications would continue and each city’s property tax rates would remain the same. Maintaining the status quo would also avoid the expense, time, effort and disruption of city governance, and Island residents would not have to change their addresses.
Regarding the one city, county and Bradenton consolidation options, the report notes each of those options may produce economies of scale and cost savings but would also result in the elimination of each city’s charter, code ordinances, land development codes and comprehensive plan. Consolidation would also eliminate the current city commissions and advisory boards and require the restructuring of existing municipal contracts.
Robinson and Boyd’s letter notes that Manatee County government and the school district have also been encouraged to become more efficient and lower their taxes and millage rates.
“We know that cutting taxes and finding efficiencies is challenging, but we believe it is possible to accomplish this with hard work and now with this OPPAGA study as a roadmap,” the letter says.
“As we head into the 2025 Legislative Session, we would like to hear from you prior to Feb. 13 on ways you all believe services can be streamlined and better coordinated,” the letter concludes.
Mayors respond
In her Jan. 9 email to The Sun, Mayor Titsworth wrote, “I appreciate the time and effort that the team put into this study. I also look forward to working with the Island mayors, the new county board members and our state leaders in identifying efficiencies to decrease taxes for our citizens. I am pleased that the threats of consolidation and or elimination of our cities has passed and I appreciate the respect our Legislature has for home rule.”
During the Jan. 10 city commission meeting, Mayor Short read aloud some key points contained in Robinson and Boyd’s letter.
“I have reviewed the report,” he said. “I don’t necessarily agree with some of the data that’s in there, but it’s there. I need to digest this some more. I’d like the commission to do the same.”
Short said the report contains some inaccuracies, including some inaccurate financial figures, and he intends to issue a formal response to the report.
Commission Chair Charlie Salem thanked Short, city staff and former mayor Dan Murphy for ensuring the OPPAGA team received the data and information they requested. He also credited the citizens who sent emails and letters of opposition to the state legislators opposing consolidation and reinforcing the importance for the Island cities to maintain their home rule rights.
In conclusion, Short said, “This was an Island-wide effort. This wasn’t just us. It was all three cities, as well as support from others off-Island. I take comfort in this letter, but I’m not 100% convinced that it’s completely done.”
When contacted on Jan. 10, Mayor Chappie said he was glad the state legislators shared the report with the Island mayors, which is not a legal requirement.
Chappie also questions some of the figures and facts stated in the study, but he feels the study reinforces the unique characteristics of the three Island cites and the need to maintain local governance.
Chappie feels the three cities can use the OPPAGA report to help address Boyd and Robinson’s ongoing cost-cutting and tax reduction concerns.
“This is going to be a tool to help us look at ourselves as a community and how we can better our community,” he said.
Cortez fire destroys business
CORTEZ – Multiple fire crews quickly knocked down an early morning fire on Dec. 29 at a boat repair business at 4412 123rd St. W., preventing damage to adjacent homes. The fire, however, destroyed a Cortez workshop on the property owned by Matthew Minnis and Jenny Krohn.
The two have been living in an RV in their driveway following flooding and damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton to their home next to the workshop.
Krohn set up a GoFundMe page, “Rebuild our home and businesses in historic Cortez Village,” and wrote that they had been trying to get their home and businesses back to livable and workable conditions when the fire broke out in the workshop.
“Helene and Milton flooded our home and both businesses with 4 feet of water. We were able to get our businesses back to being somewhat workable, but the house requires more work,” she wrote. “This morning, a fire erupted on the boat repair side and destroyed the building as well as the contents.”
She stated their insurance company canceled their homeowners insurance two years ago due to the location and they’ve been unable to acquire insurance, adding, “FEMA has been of no help.”
“We are asking for donations to help demo the building and rebuild the shop, and replace the thousands of dollars of tools,” she wrote. “We still have the house to re-sheetrock and replace the electrical. We were trying to rebuild after the hurricanes on our own, but this fire is just too much.”
According to West Manatee Fire Rescue incident reports, multiple units responded to the fire call and found a fully involved open warehouse-type building used for boat maintenance and repairs.
The owner was trying to pull equipment and trailers away from the fire. All of the contents inside the building were on fire, including a pick-up truck that began leaking gasoline. Some of the fire crews focused on protecting adjacent residences.
No injuries were reported.
BlueWave Restorations mourns loss of Jason Edwards
HOLMES BEACH – On New Year’s Eve, BlueWave Restorations co-owner Jason Edwards, 51, was fatally electrocuted in Anna Maria while assisting a friend.
After Edward’s passing, the Holmes Beach-based company formed in early September issued a press release that says, “On New Year’s Eve, Jason tragically passed away at a private residence on Los Cedros Drive in Anna Maria while helping a friend connect electric to an RV. It was ruled an accidental incident and that Jason died instantly.”
The press release notes the property owner where the accident occurred was a former BlueWave Restorations client but was no longer an active company job site.
“Jason had connected his friend with the property owner as a personal favor – a testament to his selfless and giving nature,” the press release says.
“Jason Edwards was more than a leader at BlueWave Restorations; he was the heart of the company. Known for his joyful spirit, unwavering kindness and ability to lift everyone around him, Jason embodied the company’s commitment to serving the community with compassion and care. Jason’s light touched not only his co-workers and clients but also the broader Anna Maria Island community,” the press release says.
In the press release, BlueWave Restorations co-owner Pete Dospel said, “We are heartbroken by the loss of Jason. He wasn’t just my business partner; he had become one of my closest friends. Jason’s dedication to his work, his community and the people in his life was unmatched. His generosity, integrity and infectious positivity will be deeply missed but never forgotten.”
In the press release, Edwards’ longtime colleague and friend, Gabe Lugo, said “Jason wasn’t just my coworker; he was my brother. He had this incredible way of making everyone feel valued and seen. Whether it was a tough day at work or a personal struggle, Jason was always there with a smile, a kind word, and a helping hand. His absence leaves a hole that can never be filled, but his memory will live on in the way he touched our lives.’”
The press released noted BlueWave Restorations suspended its operations for the remainder of the week and any impacted clients would be contacted this week regarding their ongoing projects.
The press release says Edwards “built a life defined by generosity, warmth and service to others” and “Jason’s legacy will live on through the company’s dedication to the values he so deeply embodied – kindness, generosity and excellence.”
MEMORIAL SERVICE
According to the press release, Edwards was born in Newport News, Va. on Feb. 20, 1973. He moved to Winter Springs as a young child, attended Oviedo High School, in the greater Orlando area, moved to Bradenton with his family in 1991.
According to the updated press release, Edwards is survived by his mother, Diane Edwards, his father, David Edwards, his brothers Aaron and Andrew Edwards, his sister Megan Edwards, his nieces Alexis, Freya and Audrianna and his nephews Tyler, Andrew Marley and Braelyn.
Edwards’ funeral services will be held Saturday, Jan. 11, from 2-4 p.m., at Roland Toale and Sons Funeral Home at Manasota Memorial Park. The Funeral home is located at 1212 53rd Ave E. in Bradenton.
Jason’s mom, Diane, organized the “Honoring Jason Edwards: Memorial Fund” GoFundMe fundraising page that contains the following message: “On behalf of the entire Edwards family, it is with a heavy heart that I share the untimely death of my son, Jason Edwards. Jason was an avid animal lover, collector of crystals and rocks, enjoyed restoring and repurposing furniture and gadgets, grilling in the yard, playing rock-n-roll, especially Stevie Nicks, and never left without giving his famous ‘tootles’ goodbye. He was a beloved son, brother, uncle, great-uncle, nephew and cousin. He loved hanging at the beach, always lending a helping hand to friends and family, near and far, and never asked for anything in return. The funds we collect will go towards his memorial service and any other related expenses.”
COMMUNITY MOURNS
News of Edwards’ passing spread quickly on Facebook and many who knew him expressed their condolences and their sense of grief and loss.
Eva Medcroft handles marketing and publicity for BlueWave Restorations and she wrote, “I and everyone here at BlueWave (and probably just about everyone you ever met) will miss you deeply. You were such a kind and gentle soul that lifted the spirits of everyone around you. I feel blessed to have known you.”
Nancy Ileana Granados wrote, “Friend, you served your purpose on earth to your very last breath. You were an Angel walking among us. You helped and blessed many. Your beautiful soul and bright light will definitely be missed. Rest in peace.”
Lora Donley wrote, “The world lost a good one on the last night of ‘24. May we all realize how quickly life can change and adjust our ‘25 priorities.”
Nick Sciortino wrote, “One of the best guys around. A loss that has been felt by many people. He would do anything for anyone without asking for anything in return. Such a tragic loss for his family and friends.”
Doug Goerlitz wrote, “As his clients, we warmed up to him at our first meeting and it only grew from there as we started working together. Such a heartbreaking loss. RIP Jason.”
Jason’s brother, Aaron Edwards, wrote, “Thank you for the kind words about my brother. He was definitely one of a kind and will be truly missed by everyone.”
Bradenton man loses leg to flesh-eating bacteria
BRADENTON – A 66-year-old Bradenton resident had his leg amputated on Nov. 11 after coming in contact with flesh-eating bacteria (vibrio vulnificus) at a time when confirmed vibrio vulnificus cases are on the rise statewide.
The man came in contact with the flesh-eating bacteria while wading and fishing in Sarasota Bay, near the IMG Academy Golf Club along El Conquistador Parkway in Bradenton.
According to a family member, the longtime Bradenton resident went fishing in Sarasota Bay on Nov. 3 and his shoe or boot rubbed his skin on the back of his leg raw, creating an open wound near his Achilles tendon. The man fished in that location again on Nov. 5.
On Nov. 9, he began experiencing uncontrollable diarrhea, vomiting, severe leg pain and skin discoloration between his ankle and his knee. After being hospitalized, his leg was amputated on Nov. 11. As of Friday, Nov. 15, he was recovering but he remained unconscious and faces a long recovery process, the family member said.
CASES INCREASE
According to the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) website that is updated every Friday, vibrio vulnificus is a naturally occurring bacteria found in warm, brackish saltwater. The flesh-eating bacteria enters the body through the direct ingestion of contaminated water or through open wounds, cuts or scrapes.
Confirmed cases of vibrio vulnificus increased after Hurricane Helene passed through Florida in late September.
According to the FDOH website, “In 2024, Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota Counties experienced unusual increase due to the impacts of Hurricane Helene. In 2022, Collier and Lee Counties experienced unusual increase due to the impacts of Hurricane Ian.”
According to FDOH, 81 cases of vibrio vulnificus have been confirmed in Florida so far in 2024, with 16 reported deaths. In 2023, 46 cases were confirmed statewide, with 11 deaths.
In 2022, there were 74 confirmed cases and 17 deaths.
There’s been one confirmed case of vibrio vulnificus in Manatee County in 2024 and two in Sarasota County, with no vibrio-related deaths in either county. In 2023, there was one confirmed and fatal case in Manatee County and six cases and two fatalities in Sarasota County. This year, Pinellas County leads Florida with 15 confirmed cases and three deaths.
FDOH INSIGHTS
On Friday, FDOH Communications Director Jae Williams provided some additional insights and information about the flesh-eating bacteria.
Williams said the increase in confirmed 2024 cases and deaths is specifically correlated to Hurricane Helene. He noted there was also a spike in reported cases in 2022 after Hurricane Ian.
“Hurricanes bring a ripe environment for vibrio. They bring storm surge and rain and then we have that brackish water that vibrio needs. Hurricanes bring a lot of contamination and it’s not just debris and household materials. We have sewage lines ruptured and garbage cans spilling over. There’s a lot of opportunity for this standing water to become contaminated. When the storm surge recedes and the rain goes away, you still have standing water baking in the Florida sun for several days. That’s where vibrio’s able to develop. Vibrio is not necessarily in floodwater, but it’ sin contaminated water. Regardless of the contamination source, it’s warm, shallow, brackish, stagnant water. That’s where you’re going to find it. You’re not going to find it in the middle of the Gulf ,the middle of Lake Okeechobee or in the middle of a moving river,” Williams said.
“With hurricanes, not only is the environment more conducive to vibrio, but people often find themselves needing to wade through standing floodwater. There are many reasons to stay out of floodwater… but the scariest would be vibrio,” Williams said.
Regarding the Bradenton man, Williams said, “If he was fishing in the (first) week of November, that would not be attributed to either of the hurricanes. Unfortunately, this is just one of those regular cases we see throughout the year.”
Williams said Florida averages about 35 confirmed vibrio vulnificus cases and 10-12 deaths per year. FDOH doesn’t test Florida waters for vibrio vulnificus or issue vibrio vulnificus advisories when a confirmed case is reported because the harmful but short-lived bacteria usually washes away or dissipates before the area can be tested.
“There’s no way for us to go back and find it,” Williams said, noting that each confirmed case is reported to the health department. “Vibrio vulnificus is a reportable disease in Florida. If a health care facility diagnoses someone with vibrio vulnificus, that facility is required by law to report that to the Department of Health.
“It’s rare, but it’s scary and its serious. It’s unfortunate that this man’s leg was amputated, but he’s very lucky they got it before he died,” Williams said. “If you wade in standing water and develop severe flu-like symptoms, get medical attention immediately.”
Williams was asked if vibrio presents a risk to dogs and other animals.
“Certainly,” he replied. “If they ingest it or have open wounds, they are at risk the same way a human would be. Pets shouldn’t be in shallow, standing water either.”