SARASOTA – The Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau’s (BACVB) Love it Like a Local campaign, launched in 2022, has helped visitors to Anna Maria Island and other area destinations understand the importance of protecting nature, waterways, wildlife, local businesses and beaches so future generations can enjoy unspoiled beauty for years to come. The latest evolution to this effort is a recently formed partnership with Leave No Trace, making Manatee County and the BACVB the first in Florida to partner with this organization.
According to the BACVB, Leave No Trace is an international non-profit organization that uses the powers of science, education and stewardship to ensure a sustainable future for the outdoors and the planet.
“With our Love it Like a Local campaign, we set out to educate visitors to the Bradenton area of simple actions they can take to leave less of a footprint. Through partnering with Leave No Trace, it gives us the opportunity to take our commitment to sustainable travel from a campaign to an integral part of who we are as a travel destination,” said Elliott Falcione, the executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. “I urge our community to join us in working together to showcase this incredibly important message that will ultimately enhance the quality of life for our residents.”
On May 4, the BACVB invited local business owners and managers, conservationists, media and the public to join community leaders at a luncheon at the historic Powel Crosley estate in Sarasota in celebration of National Travel and Tourism Week. At this luncheon, the BACVB introduced a promotional five-minute video showcasing the Leave No Trace approach to sustainability and conservation. The video features commercial fishermen, business owners, members of the BACVB and others sharing a message about not only the history of the Manatee County coastal community but ways to ensure its future.
The video is available on the BACVB’s YouTube page or by searching “Leave No Trace guide to the Bradenton area” on YouTube. To learn more about the Love it Like a Local campaign.
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – As turtle nesting season begins, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring (AMITW) declared May 1 as Suzi Fox Day to honor the legacy of its former executive director.
May 1 is the official start of sea turtle nesting season on Anna Maria Island, although the first turtle nest was laid in April this year. The season ends on Oct. 31.
“Suzi’s passion for protecting sea turtles enriched the community conservation efforts of AMITW for over 30 years and we dedicate this sea turtle nesting season to her,” Turtle Watch Director Kristen Mazzarella said.
“As part of our efforts to honor Suzi, we are renaming our Adopt-a-Nest Program in her memory,” Mazzarella said.
The “Suzi L. Fox Adopt-a-Nest” program allows donors to symbolically adopt a sea turtle nest laid on Island beaches. Proceeds from the program help Turtle Watch protect sea turtles and provide education and outreach.
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring dedicated this plaque in memory of late executive director Suzi Fox. – Submitted | Turtle Watch
A plaque intended to be placed on a nest laid on May 1 says in part, “In Loving Memory of Suzi L. Fox. Her legacy continues as the Sea Turtles and Shorebirds return to AMI.”
“Only the turtles know which nest it will be,” Mazzarella said.
For the safety of the nest and hatchlings, AMITW does not disclose the nesting dates or locations of nests, Mazzarella said.
May 1 was also proclaimed “Suzi Fox Day” in the city of Bradenton Beach.
The Bradenton Beach City Commission issued the proclamation in January to honor Fox, who served as Turtle Watch director until her death on Sept. 30, 2022.
Under Fox’s directorship, the organization grew.
“In three decades, we monitored 7,339 turtle activities, protected 4,454 nests, 301,694 turtle eggs, and watched 271,680 hatchlings depart to become a future generation of loggerheads that will return to the region as they reach maturity,” according to the Turtle Watch website.
Sea turtles on the Island broke both nesting and hatchling records in 2022.
ANNA MARIA – Local governments, including those on Anna Maria Island, are in danger of losing their ability to regulate short-term vacation rentals at the local level.
Using a contracted lobbyist and the city-owned Home Rule Florida website,the city of Anna Maria is at the forefront of the statewide opposition to the Florida Legislature’s efforts to preempt short-term vacation rental regulations to the state; and specifically, to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) that already requires short-term vacation rentals to be registered with the state.
On April 27, the Florida Senate adopted by a 28-10 margin the final amended version of Senate Bill 714. Sen. Jim Boyd (R-Bradenton) and Sen. Joe Gruters (R-Sarasota) supported SB 714.
The matching and accompanying House bill, HB 833, is scheduled for a final vote of the House members this week. During a previous committee stop, State Rep. Will Robinson Jr. (R-Bradenton) supported the bill.
If the House joins the Senate in adopting the proposed legislation, the matching bills will be sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto the legislation or sign it into new state law that would take effect July 1.
The state preemption of vacation rental regulation would apply to short-term vacation rentals, also known as transient public lodging establishments, rented for less than 30 days more than three times a year, or advertised as such.
Commission concerns
During the Anna Maria Commission’s April 27 meeting, Mayor Dan Murphy referenced a late amendment made to SB 714 before the Senate adopted it.
The amended Senate bill would allow a local government to suspend, terminate or refuse to issue or renew a locally-issued vacation rental registration if the vacation rental premises, owner or operator has been found by a local code enforcement board to have violated a registration requirement.
The registration could also be suspended if two more violations of a local law or regulation that does not apply solely to vacation rentals occur within a 90-day period. This would include noise ordinance violations. The local government would be required to first issue a written warning or notice and provide the rental owner or management company the opportunity to cure the violations before suspending or terminating the rental registration.
Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy has been at the forefront of the city’s vacation rental-related legislative battles this year and in years past. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“It’s a glimmer of hope. You could suspend a vacation rental registration for two violations of noise, two violations of our code over a 90-day period,” Murphy said.
A vacation rental registration could also be revoked if a city or county lien has been placed on a vacation rental property and the lien remains unpaid and unaddressed.
Murphy planned to meet with City Attorney Becky Vose the following day to get a better understanding of how these amendments would impact the city’s vacation rental enforcement efforts if the legislation is enacted as state law.
With the Senate bill already adopted, and the House bill scheduled for a final vote, Murphy said the city’s best hope may lie with DeSantis vetoing the legislation.
Commissioner Charlie Salem, a former congressional aide, suggested asking the city’s lobbyist to provide the city with a list of DeSantis’ top supporters so the city and its supporters can ask them to encourage the governor to veto the legislation.
Anna Maria Commissioner Charlie Salem suggested appealing to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ top supporters. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“I think the only way we get this vetoed is if the top supporters of his go to him physically and tell him this is a terrible idea,” Salem said.
Potential impacts
The legislation proposed by SB 714 and HB 833 would eliminate or reduce a city’s ability to regulate short-term vacation rental occupancy limits. It would also eliminate or reduce a city’s ability to monitor, enforce and eliminate fraudulent online advertising by advertising platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo and the city’s ability to annually inspect short-term vacation rentals.
The proposed legislation would also cap the annual registration fee imposed by local governments.
According to SB 714, “Local governments may charge a fee of no more than $150 for processing an individual registration application or $200 for processing a collective registration application for up to a total of 25 individual vacation rentals.”
The city of Anna Maria currently imposes occupancy-based registration fees that range from $336 per year for a vacation rental that allows four occupants, $1,010 for vacation rental that allows 12 occupants and $2,440 for a vacation rental that allows 29 occupants.
During the current fiscal year, Anna Maria’s registration fees are expected to produce approximately $415,000 in annual revenues for the city. Registration revenues are only supposed to be used to enforce the city’s vacation rental ordinance. Those revenues fund code enforcement officers and vehicles, annual inspections, monitoring of online advertising platforms and the administrative and legal costs associated with enforcing the city’s vacation rental ordinance.
Opposition efforts
On Saturday and Sunday, the Home Rule Florida website issued email calls to action to its subscribers. The emails and the website note HB 833 is headed to the House of Representatives for a final vote.
“Nobody wants to live next door to a ‘Party House’ and this bill allows Airbnb, Vrbo and any other vacation rental marketing platform to cram as many people into a house as they see fit! The bill waters down, and in many cases, strips away your local government’s ability to register, inspect, control occupancy or regulate false advertising in the burgeoning vacation rental industry. Please let the House of Representatives know how you feel by sending an email to them. Join your neighbors in opposing this bill,” the email says.
The email letter template posted at the Home Rule Florida website for immediate distribution to the House members echoes those sentiments.
The 2023 legislative session is scheduled to end on Friday, May 5.
HOLMES BEACH – City leaders are considering a proposal to allow property owners in Seaside Garden to raise their homes above the FEMA base flood elevation height to help save the homes from rising sea levels, and they want input from the neighborhood’s residents.
City Planner Chad Minor presented the proposition to commissioners during an April 25 work session. He said one property owner had approached the city about raising the level of one unit of a three-unit structure in Seaside Gardens. Minor said that raising the neighborhood’s 110 units above the base flood elevation would bring the structures into compliance with FEMA standards without needing to rezone all of the properties from their current R-4 zoning.
To raise the buildings, Minor said the bottom floors would have to become non-habitable areas, such as a parking garage, and the upstairs would have to be built within the current building footprint. No additional bedrooms would be able to be added and the construction would not be allowed to affect neighboring units.
“I like the idea,” Commissioner Carol Soustek said. “People can improve the condition of or rebuild their homes without abandoning the neighborhood.” She said that further discussion on how to limit the impacts to neighbors was needed along with input from neighborhood residents.
Building Official Neal Schwartz said that a firewall will need to be maintained between adjoined units and that the new units constructed above the base flood elevation level wouldn’t be subject to FEMA’s 50% rule. The rule allows for a ground-level property to be renovated only up to 50% of the value of the property.
Commissioner Pat Morton, who lives in a triplex in the neighborhood, said he’s concerned about the impact to neighbors with all of the units attached.
“To me, this is a disaster for the area,” Morton said, adding that he doesn’t believe neighborhood residents would be in favor of allowing property owners to move their units up.
Mayor Judy Titsworth said the real issues for the neighborhood are king tides and saltwater intrusion.
“It’s good to get people off the ground because the ground’s getting soggy,” she said.
The appearance and condition of the Island Shopping Center in Holmes Beach does a disservice to the entire AMI community. The cement sidewalks in front of the stores and restaurants are a disgrace. The signage on the businesses is boring, providing minimal value to the attractiveness of the center. The parking areas, particularly adjacent to the cement sidewalks, are full of sand and dirt. I recently witnessed a worker blowing sand, attempting to clean the parking area with an electric blower. How ludicrous is that? It’s like trimming your large shrubs with a pair of scissors.
In contrast, the condition of the shopping plaza on East Bay Boulevard is a testament to cleanliness. The plaza also has landscaping that is meticulously maintained. The cement sidewalk is power washed frequently (I believe weekly) by a professional service. The signage adds a spark to the overall appearance.
Holmes Beach and Manatee County have spent millions upgrading our city center with sidewalks, pavers, palm trees, flowers and lighting. The people responsible for the appearance of the Island Shopping Center should step up to the plate and demonstrate they care about our city.
The trend has been obvious for a while, east coast versus west coast with COVID-19 accelerating the movement. In fact, the March sales statistics are still showing that home prices are declining the most in the western part of the country.
Since the 1990s, the western part of the country, particularly California and Washington, enjoyed a steady run up of growth because of the technology industry. Now the areas most closely associated with the tech industry have the fastest falling home prices.
The eastern part of the country is still attracting companies, adding jobs and keeping the real estate market thriving. Florida in general, including Orlando, Miami, Tampa and other southern markets, is in the lead. However, even northern east coast areas like Connecticut are attracting families who have decided cities may not be the place to raise a family.
According to Black Knight, a research strategy company, this geographical diversity is very unusual and possibly unprecedented. Housing analysts say they have never seen anything quite like this where the division between east and west is so stark.
The National Association of Realtors reports that home sales fell across the country in March. Existing home sales decreased 2.4% in March from the prior month and 22% from a year earlier. Manatee County’s single-family properties had a 4.4% increase in sales in March compared to the previous year, the first year-over-year increase in sales since February of last year.
The market’s slowdown is starting to affect prices, which have fallen on an annual basis for two consecutive months for the first time in 11 years nationally. The national median existing home price in March was down 0.9% to $375,700. Manatee County’s median single-family home prices were also down by 6.3% to $491,988.
There is no doubt that Manatee County as a whole may be more valuable than the national market, but we are also experiencing longer times to sell and a downturn in values. However, the number of pending properties has gone up in Manatee by 7.9% compared to our surrounding areas. And the month’s supply of inventory continues to increase for both condos and single-family homes by triple digits.
The national housing market is still battling the increase in rising mortgage rates, high home prices and low inventory. In addition, a cooling economy with high inflation and the prospect of recession in the next year is keeping some buyers on the sidelines. Home prices are rising or at least stabilizing in regions where jobs are being added and housing is relatively affordable with the more expensive areas of the country adjusting to lower prices.
I recently read a United States Census Bureau report on Manatee County that will make everyone understand all the traffic we’ve all been complaining about and all the irritating construction. Manatee County has increased its population by 29,420 during the past three years, not including 2023. Since 2010, the population has increased by 106,292 and, as of the end of 2022, is 429,125, over 100,000 people in 12 years. Why do I think this is just the beginning?
Is it possible that we’ve hit the bottom and the only way now is up? Maybe, we can certainly strive for that. It is certain that the market is not as competitive as it was last year and even though inventory is still historically low, it is steadily increasing.
BRADENTON – Research Data Services’ (RDS) Ann Wittine presented an optimistic state of tourism update to the Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC) on April 24.
According to the latest available tourism statistics from February, total visitors and economic impact were up over February 2022, with 88,900 visitors (up 1.6%). Room nights were slightly down, with 218,900 room nights (down 1.1%) and $214,439,600 in economic impact was up 5.4%.
“Some of these numbers don’t seem that impressive on the surface, but this is February, so we were pretty near capacity,” Wittine said. “There just isn’t room for those big growth numbers we’ve been seeing. This is also during a month when some property owners told us they were impacted by red tide.”
Room occupancy for February was down slightly (-3.5%) after being up less than 1% in the December 2022 report from RDS. The average daily room rate, however, is up more than 10%, at $265.02 per day in February 2023 compared to $240.51 in February 2022.
RDS also keeps track of where visitors are coming from. The biggest increase in visitor origin domestically is the Northeast, which is up 10% over the same time period in 2022. Wittine attributes this growth to additional non-stop flights being added from that region. Globally, travel from Europe is up 73.2% and Canada is up 153.7% over February 2022. The largest decrease was from the Midwest, which was down 9.5%, followed by the Southeast, down 3.5% and Florida, down 2.2%.
“We had a slight increase in number of visitors, which is why room nights are slightly down,” Wittine said. “At the same time, we have a slight increase in length of stay. We are at 7.7 nights average this year compared to 7.6 last year, but more importantly, we are up from 7.2 in 2019 pre-COVID, which is a huge increase.”
RDS’s fiscal year to date (October through February) numbers are up significantly, echoing the double digit increase in February economic impact. At 437,900, total visitors are up 6.4% and at $743,677,600, economic impact is up 11.8% from the same period a year ago. Wittine has said many times that a great deal of the large increases in visitors and economic impact since pre-COVID 2019 are directly related to Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) adding dozens of new direct flights from all regions of the country. Keeping with the constant growth reported, SRQ is once again up 16.3% from March of 2022 with 1.29 million people traveling through the airport in just the first three months of 2023, which is more than the entire year of 2020 and only slightly less than the entire pre-COVID year of 2019.
Wittine says she forecasts a summer where the numbers go down slightly. RDS does extensive surveys with people who have shown interest in visiting Manatee County, many of whom will be coming to Anna Maria Island, and the consulting company is beginning to see a trend of people concerned about rising prices for travel to the area.
Wittine says there’s no way to exactly predict what the coming months will bring, but she shared some comments from the vendors surveyed, which point to good things to come: “Bookings are up;” “A lot more last-minute, shorter reservations than normal;” “Looking good for summer;” “March was beautiful, more than expected;” and “April reservations are strong.”
ANNA MARIA – The Island Players, Manatee County’s oldest community theater, plans to go out with a bang this season.
After directing “The Psychic,” the final play of the 2021-22 season, James Thaggard returns to close out another season with a show he says will bring plenty of laughs involving a unique stage design essential to the plot.
“Our set is two living rooms on one stage simultaneously, with dialogue happening in both, and not always at the same time during the play,” Thaggard said. “At one point we have the characters in both living rooms, but it’s Thursday in one room and Friday in another.”
The story of “How the Other Half Loves” is that of an upper-class couple in an upper-class house and a middle-class couple who live more modestly. Because of an affair, three couples wind up involved in a situation that Thaggard says will leave the audience in stitches. The play was written in 1970 by the prolific Alan Ayckbourn, and while Thaggard stuck to the script, he says sound was very important in this production. No spoilers, but he says audiences may catch some “audio Easter eggs” he personally added due to his fondness for that time in history.
“How the Other Half Loves” runs from Thursday, May 4 through Sunday, May 14, with daily performances at 7:30 p.m. and a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. There are no performances on Mondays. Tickets are $25 at the box office and $27 online. The box office is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call 941-778-5755 or visit theislandplayers.org.
BRADENTON BEACH – The residents of the Pines Trailer Park have fallen short in their efforts to purchase the 86-unit waterfront mobile home park property.
In late January, Pines residents were informed that the Jackson family wanted to sell the park. In accordance with state law, the Pines residents were given the first right of refusal and the first chance to collectively purchase the 2.78-acre property for $16 million. Several residents’ meetings took place in the ensuing months and during that time, the Jacksons’ asking price increased by $250,000 to $16.25 million.
The most recent residents’ meeting took place on April 18. During that meeting, it was disclosed that the residents’ efforts to raise $10 million of the $16.25 million needed to purchase the property had fallen short.
The waterfront Pines Trailer Park property has riparian rights that allow for boat docks. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
It is not yet known who will purchase the Pines property or what will happen to the seasonal and full-time residents of the 86 mobile homes located in the mobile home park.
The park residents and others involved in the potential purchase of the Pines property had been reluctant to address the media while the efforts to purchase the park remained ongoing.
Later in the week, The Sun obtained the written minutes of the April 18 residents’ meeting.
Meeting minutes
According to the minutes, an attorney informed the park residents that no lenders were interested in loaning the residents’ proposed co-op the money needed to purchase the property.
Also according to the minutes, potential lenders don’t believe the Pines property is worth $16 million, partly due to the property’s coastal location and exposure to potential storm damage. High interest rates were mentioned as another contributing factor.
“We have collected $2 million in cash. $4 million more has been promised, with some full shares and some shares to be financed for a total of $6 million. We are over $4 million short of the needed funding. We are not in a position to sign the contract on April 21 unless a miracle occurs in the next three days. The Jacksons will not (self) finance more than $6 million. We need $10 million in cash and/or a loan from outside. We did not get enough investors. Less than half of the residents committed to purchasing a share. All homeowners who made payments will be reimbursed,” according to the minutes.
“When the park is sold, each resident will get a letter. If the buyer pays less than $16.25 million for the park, we have 10 days to match that offer,” the minutes note.
“The broker selling our park property on the open market has indicated that two groups are interested in the purchase and would plan to keep it as a park. We have no proof of this. At this point, it is our best-case scenario,” according to the minutes, which note that rent increases would be expected.
According to the minutes, “The new purchaser of the park will have to get the property rezoned in order to change the land use from a resident park to something else. It is hard to guess how long that process would take. If the new owner would decide to sell the park after their purchase, we would get the first right of refusal.”
The minutes note that mobile homeowners can still sell their homes if they want. The minutes note residents must continue to pay rent and follow the current park rules.
Additional insight
Ellen Scott is a longtime resident of the Pines. During the resident meetings, her son, Bernie Slicker, provided the Zoom teleconferencing capabilities that allowed residents and mobile homeowners to participate in the meetings from afar.
Slicker said the park residents were not given any timetable as to when a sale might take place or what might happen to the existing residents after that.
An alternative use of the property would result in many of the park’s full-time and seasonal residents moving off Anna Maria Island.
“With a private investor, my mom would likely have to be gone within six months to a year. We’re already looking for a place for her,” Slicker said.
Slicker noted many of the existing mobile homes could not be relocated and would face likely demolition if the Pines property is used for something other than a mobile home park.
“They’re all on wheels, but you can’t move them. In six months, they could just bulldoze everything down,” Slicker said.
Slicker said some mobile homeowners are understandably sad because they stand to potentially lose a lot of the money they invested in their homes.
Slicker said no specific names were mentioned regarding any developers, individuals or investors who may be interested in purchasing the Pines property and redeveloping it.
BRADENTON BEACH –The West Manatee Fire Rescue (WMFR) district has informed city officials about its plan to conduct annual safety inspections of short-term vacation rentals.
WMFR Fire Marshal Rodney Kwiatkowski presented the district’s inspection plans to the Bradenton Beach City Commission on April 20. WMFR Fire Chief Ben Rigney also attended the meeting.
When addressing the commission, Kwiatkowski noted the vacation rental industry is booming nationwide.
“It’s estimated that every 44 seconds there’s an accident at a vacation rental property,” he said.
He then referenced recent news stories pertaining to fires that occurred at vacation rentals, including the March 8 fire at the Bird’s Nest apartment building in Bradenton Beach, where three of the units serve as short-term rentals.
Kwiatkowski said one of the Bird’s Nest guests was showering when the fire occurred and
was able to safely escape because he heard the fire alarm.
“This is what we’re trying to accomplish,” Kwiatkowski said.
Kwiatkowski said eight of the 11 structure fires that occurred on Anna Maria Island during the past three years occurred at short-term vacation rentals.
He noted the state defines a short-term vacation rental as a dwelling or dwelling unit rented to guests more than three times in a calendar year for periods of less than 30 days, or advertised as such. Kwiatkowski said the district’s pending inspection program would only pertain to short-term vacation rentals and not to longer term, seasonal or annual rentals.
Kwiatkowski said the state of Florida’s Uniform Fire Safety Standards mandate that local fire jurisdictions protect health, safety and welfare in certain types of structures, including transient public lodging establishments (short-term vacation rentals).
“All such local authorities shall enforce, within their fire safety jurisdiction, the uniform fire safety standards for those buildings,” according to the state statute.
Kwiatkowski said transient public lodging establishment inspections are allowed according to Florida’s Uniform Fire Safety Standards and the Florida Fire Prevention Code. He also noted state law allows the state fire marshal to deny, refuse to renew, suspend or revoke the certificate of a fire safety inspector who fails to properly enforce the state’s applicable fire codes.
Kwiatkowski said there’s a long list of items inspectors will be looking at. The list includes properly functioning smoke alarms and fire extinguishers placed in proper locations, safe electrical components, primary and secondary means of getting in and out of the vacation rental unit, emergency lighting and more. He said WMFR will work with impacted property owners to help them get to where they need to be in terms of fire and life safety measures.
Commissioner Ralph Cole asked if vacation rental inspections are a new state mandate.
Kwiatkowski said the state statute has been in place for several years and was in place when he became the fire marshal in 2019. He said the COVID-19 pandemic and other events delayed the district’s implementation of a vacation rental inspection program. Kwiatkowski said other fire districts statewide are implementing similar programs.
Mayor John Chappie offered the use of the city commission chambers for a stakeholders’ meeting with potentially impacted vacation rental owners and others.
Additional info
Later in the week, Kwiatkowski was asked how many short-term vacation rentals operate on Anna Maria Island.
“We have identified approximately 2,700 legally operating vacation rentals throughout our district. Roughly 2,400 of those are on Anna Maria Island. I suspect there are a great number more operating that aren’t registered through the Department of Business and Professional Regulations as they are required to be. We are committed to identifying every vacation rental in our district and ensuring they are compliant. Safety is not an optional amenity. It is the foundation to a healthy business and community and profitable business and safety are not mutually exclusive,” Kwiatkowski said, noting the inspection program will begin Oct. 1.
“Regarding additional staffing, WMFR will hire two additional fire and life safety inspectors and an administrative assistant to help with the additional workload. After the two additional hires, our Fire and Life Safety Bureau will consist of four fire and life safety inspectors, an administrative assistant and myself,” he added.
Kwiatkowski is scheduled to make a similar presentation to the Anna Maria City Commission on Thursday, April 27. In late January, Kwiatkowski discussed the district’s vacation rental inspection plans during a Code Compliance town hall meeting held in Holmes Beach.
MANATEE COUNTY – Fire assessment rates will be increasing for residents and business owners in the West Manatee Fire Rescue district.
Though rates in WMFR’s district could go up as high as 6.7%, the assessment rate for the 2023-24 fiscal year is expected to increase by 4%, or about $13.42 for the average homeowner.
Commissioners and staff met on April 18 for a mid-year budget workshop prior to the board’s regular monthly meeting. During the meeting, Chief Ben Rigney gave commissioners three rate proposals for the new fiscal year set to begin on Oct. 1 – a 0%, 4% or 6.7% increase. Rigney recommended the 4% increase to allow for additional funds to be collected through tax assessment revenue to help fund district needs, primarily the addition of nine new staff members.
The planned new hires include six firefighters – two additional people per shift with one of the new firefighters stationed on Anna Maria Island – two new fire inspectors and a financial clerk who was just hired as support staff for the district’s fire prevention bureau.
The two new fire inspectors would work to help with inspections of vacation rental properties in WMFR’s district, an initiative planned to begin in October. Inspectors will be operating under the Florida Fire Prevention Code and looking for any potential dangers to life or safety on the properties. Fire Marshal Rodney Kwiatkowski said that inspectors will operate independently of any vacation rental inspection or certificate programs already in place on the Island, though he added that they would try to work with all city code compliance/enforcement personnel to not overlap efforts and inconvenience property owners.
The increase in assessment also covers the cost of increases in insurance and planned raises, among other administrative items for the district. The district’s assessment rates are based on the size of a building on a property or a flat rate if the property is vacant, not the property’s value. With a 4% increase, income from assessment rates would increase an estimated $382,482 in the 2023-24 fiscal year from $9,562,071 to $9,944,554.
District property owners will see the increase on their TRIM notices this fall if it is approved by a vote of fire commissioners during the board’s May meeting.
Currently, district property owners with a 2,000-square-foot home pay $336.22 per year for fire and rescue services through the district when they pay their tax bill. With a 4% increase, that amount would rise to $349.63, an increase of $13.42.
The owner of a 2,000-square-foot commercial property paid $753.19 to the district in the 2022-23 fiscal year. That number would increase to $783.32 if the 4% increase is approved, a jump of $20.13.
Commissioners are expected to vote on the proposed assessment rate increase during a May 16 meeting at the district’s administration building.
Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of fishing many of the finest trout streams in north Georgia, like the Soque and Chattahoochee as well Duke’s and Noontotla Creek. Always looking for a new adventure, I was intrigued when I overheard a conversation a couple of years ago at Unicoi Outfitters in Helen, Georgia. Two of the guides were talking about floating the Chattahoochee River for shoal bass.
Shoal bass are in the sunfish family and a member of the black bass family. It wasn’t until 1999 that they were reclassified as a unique species, having been considered a red eye bass. Shoal bass are similar in body shape to a largemouth bass but, unlike the largemouth, they have scales on the base portion of the second dorsal fin, their first and second dorsal fins are clearly connected, and their upper jaws do not extend past the eye. Shoal bass also lack the dark lateral band that largemouth have with vertical stripes which resemble tiger stripes.
Although historically found as far south as the Apalachicola and Chipola Rivers in Florida, habitat degradation has all but eliminated shoal bass from those rivers proper. Now their range is limited to tributaries including the Chattahoochee, Flint and Chestatee. They primarily eat crayfish but will also eat a variety of fish and insects. Shoal bass are primarily found among river shoals with fast-moving water and can also be found in the deeper pools containing limestone formations above and below the shoals.
In the spring of 2022, I booked McElroy to experience a Chattahoochee float and quickly fell in love with this type of fishing. This led to another trip with McElroy and Unicoi Outfitters owner Jimmy Harris, and I was hooked. On those two trips our primary target were shoal bass, although we also landed a nice striper.
On a recent trip to Georgia, I had the opportunity to float the Chestatee with McElroy and my friend Bob Seeger, a transplant from Longboat Key now living in Blue Ridge, Georgia. We started the day meeting McElroy at the takeout point where we moved all our gear into his truck and drove approximately 15 miles upstream to a launching point. After unloading the raft, McElroy guided the raft down a very steep embankment to the edge of the river. At this point in the river there was a very significant rapid that we decided to watch McElroy shoot and then joined him a short distance downstream. Unfortunately, there had been a fairly significant rain the night before our trip and the river was high and muddy. We had been warned in advance that these conditions all but shut down shoal bass from feeding. Despite the condition of the water, over the course of the next six hours we enjoyed a beautiful float past riverbanks festooned with flame azaleas, dogwoods and mountain laurel under a deep blue sky with puffy, white clouds floating overhead. And despite the odds, Seeger managed to land his first-ever shoal bass. This a trip I highly recommend. To experience it for yourself, contact Unicoi Outfitters at 1-706-878-3083 or visit their website.
Is the baby boomer generation ever going to disappear? Well, they surely will, but it could take another 40 years since the youngest of this influential generation is only 58. This large generation born after World War II has affected every aspect of life in America culturally, financially, morally and, of course, in the real estate market.
The latest study of baby boomer influence on the real estate market is from the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) 2023 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends. This extensive study examines the similarities and differences of recent home buyers and sellers across generations. The study found that the combined share of the real estate market for all baby boomers rose to 39% in 2022, up from 29% the prior year. The combined share of the baby boomer market is defined as the older boomer buyers who are 68-76 years old and the younger boomer buyers who are 58-67 years old.
Millennials ranging from 24-42 years of age have seen their total share of the market fall from 43% in 2021 to 28% last year. Millennials are the target buyer for the baby boomer homes and it’s not advantageous to see this generation’s buying power decreasing, likely because of employment instability and inflation.
Baby boomers have the upper hand in the homebuying market since the majority of them are repeat buyers who have housing equity to purchase dream homes or ease into retirement homes. But if their target buyers are having problems buying, it will eventually affect them. In addition, 26% of all buyers, according to the study, were first-time buyers, which is the lowest since the NAR began tracking the data and a decrease from 34% last year.
A few other interesting points in the study were that all generations agreed that the most common reason to move was to be closer to friends and family and that overall, buyers relocated a median of 50 miles. Also, 86% of all buyers purchased their homes through a real estate agent, proving that regardless of how great the internet is, buyers still want that personal touch.
Time to discuss the March real estate sales statistics for Manatee County reported by the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee:
Single-family homes closed 4.4% more properties from last March. The median sale price was down 6.3% to $491,988 and the average sale price was down 9.3% from last March at $638,055. The median time to contract was 46 days compared to five days last year, and new listings are up by 0.7% and new pending properties are up by 7.9%. The month’s availability of properties is three months, still a low number.
Condos closed 7.7% fewer properties from last March. The median sale price was up 10.1% at $353,000 and the average sale price was up 6.5% at $419,574. The median time to contract was 23 days compared to five last year, new listings were up 3.9% and new pending listings were down 5.8%. The month’s availability of properties is 3.7 months, again a low number.
We have kind of a mixed bag this month in Manatee County, almost as if the market is trying to adjust to the end of season and the influence of the economy. However, we in the state of Florida generally continue to buck the national trend, which we’ll talk about further next week.
Finally, NRA’s study also indicated that the youngest generation of home buyers, Gen Z, have a real desire for homeownership and are getting into the market with help from family to make their first real estate purchase. Some things never change; owning a home is more than just a financial investment, it’s a symbol of stability, independence and community.
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Island sea turtles are getting off to an early start as the first nest of the season on the Gulf Coast of Florida has appeared on Anna Maria Island.
“AMITW got a big surprise early this morning, finding the first loggerhead nest of the season,” Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring Executive Director Kristen Mazzarella wrote in an April 18 statement.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) told Mazzarella that the AMI nest was the first found on the state’s west coast. She said it is likely the earliest nest in the history of Turtle Watch.
Turtle season officially begins on May 1 and runs through Oct. 31. Turtle Watch volunteers started to patrol on April 15 at the directive of the FWC. Days later, volunteers found the crawl.
“We are excited to start the nesting season on Anna Maria Island and look forward to a productive season protecting nests and educating the public,” said Mazzarella, who began her new job at Turtle Watch this month.
In 2022, two records were broken by local loggerhead sea turtles. The number of hatched nests in September reached 453, edging out the 2018 record of 447, and a record 35,850 hatchlings exceeded the prior record of 35,788 set in 2018.
ANNA MARIA – Coming into week three of youth recreational soccer play, the Gulf Drive Café team was on top with two wins. Their week three opponents, HSH Designs, earned a win and fought hard for a tie in the past weeks.
Keeping both teams’ goalkeepers busy, the offenses made shots past defenders for two halves of play.
The leadership of Cyrus Ryan in goal helped the Gulf Drive Café squad to their third victory. Listening to the chatter of Ryan, Gulf Drive players shifted and changed field position to keep the HSH team moving and guessing.
Ryan finished the game with six saves. His counterpart, Chase Castagna, fought hard in the net for his team, also closing out the match with six critical stops.
On offense for HSH, Cecelia Kroth made a beautiful goal, scoring her team’s only goal.
Gulf Drive Café selflessly passed the ball, getting the soccer ball to the feet of Theo Aupelle, Luke Dellenger, Josiah MacDonald and Jayden Sparks for goals. Kegan McGalde is credited with an assist in the game.
The scoring power of the 11- to 13-year-old league leader, Gulf Drive Café, was just too much for their week three opponent.
Going into the coming week, the teen league’s Shady Lady Horticultural Services looks for their first win. Last week, the squad came close with a 3-2 loss against the Moss Builders team.
Moss Builders finished the week with a 1-1-1 record.
As the season approaches the playoffs, the oldest youth recreation league championship game is still in reach for all four teams at The Center.
