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Turtle, bird nesting seasons in full swing

Turtle, bird nesting seasons in full swing

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Outdoors, Sea turtles.

Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring Director Kristen Mazzarella said the past week has been a strong one for local sea turtles and shorebirds.

“There was a great increase in the number of (turtle) crawls over last week,” she said, with the number of nests increasing from six to 48.

A colony of least terns also is doing well, according to Mazzarella.

“The number of nests in the colony has increased to 12 this week” from four last week, she said of the imperiled shorebirds.

She reminded beachgoers to fill holes in the sand and level sandcastles before leaving the beach, so sea turtles do not get trapped, and steer clear of the posted bird nesting area.

On Tuesday, May 28, Turtle Watch will present a Turtle Tracks and Shorebird Facts presentation at noon at Holmes Beach City Hall, 5801 Marina Drive.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

 

TURTLE TIPS

During sea turtle season, May 1 – Oct. 31, follow these tips to help turtles:

• Turn off lights visible from the beach and close blinds from sundown to sunrise; lights confuse nesting sea turtles and may cause them to go back to sea and drop their eggs in the water, where they won’t hatch. Light can also attract hatchlings away from the water.

• Don’t use flashlights, lanterns or camera flashes on the beach at night.

• Remove all beach chairs and other objects from the sand from sundown to sunrise; they can deter sea turtles from nesting and disorient hatchlings.

• Fill in the holes you dig in the sand before leaving the beach; they can trap nesting and hatching sea turtles, which cannot live long out of the water. You might also accidentally dig into an unmarked nest. To report large holes or other turtle obstacles, call:

• City of Anna Maria code enforcement — 941-708-6130, ext. 111.

• City of Bradenton Beach code enforcement — 941-778-1005, ext. 227.

• City of Holmes Beach code enforcement — 941-778-0331, ext. 260.

• Level sandcastles before leaving the beach; they can block hatchlings from the water.

• Don’t use balloons, wish lanterns or fireworks; they litter the beach and Gulf, and turtles can ingest the debris.

• Do not trim trees and plants that shield the beach from lights.

• Never touch a sea turtle; it’s the law. If you see people disturbing turtles, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).

Source: Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring

 

NESTING NEWS

Turtle nests laid: 48 (Record: 544 in 2019)

False crawls: 39 (Record: 831 in 2010)

Nests hatched: 0 (Record: 453 in 2022)

Hatchlings hatched: 0 (Record: 35,850 in 2022)

Hatchling disorientations: 0

Adult disorientations: 0

Source: Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring

Carpe diem

Carpe diem

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

The sound wasn’t exactly deafening but it enveloped me as I stepped out of the car at the boat ramp. Located on the South Carolina side of Lake Russell, an impoundment of the Savannah River, the forest that surrounded the border between Georgia and South Carolina was humming with the sound of cicadas. These insects, known as Brood XIX, have a 13-year life cycle and provide a rare opportunity for fly anglers in the Southeast. Their numbers, truly biblical in proportion, have been estimated in the trillions and when some inevitably fall into the water, carp rise to feed on them.

My wife, Chris, and I had just arrived in Sautee on a yearly vacation to northeast Georgia when I got the call from Unicoi Outfitters owner Jimmy Harris to join him and store manager Wes McElroy to fish for carp. While I was aware of fly anglers targeting carp, this was the first time I had ever had the opportunity and I jumped at the chance. Readers of this column will have heard of McElroy and Harris, both of whom have provided me with some unique opportunities over the years, including fishing for stripers in the Chattahoochee and Lake Lanier and shoal bass on several local rivers. This trip was going to be special.

The weather this spring has been particularly wet, and while I was concerned about the forecast 80% chance of rain, I’ve learned never to cancel a trip based on the weather guessers. As it turned out, it never rained a drop while we were on the water, and we experienced one of the most beautiful days of the trip. McElroy is an excellent fly angler and fly tier and he extensively researches every species he pursues. For this trip, he had tied two dozen flies that almost perfectly matched the brood that would litter the water and bring carp to the surface to feed. We began by slowly moving along the edges of the lake looking for cruising carp. During the first hour, the carp seemed concentrated in certain areas, and we only boated a couple of fish. As the day wore on and the forest warmed, the cacophony intensified, and carp began to rise at almost every cove we visited. The next challenge for me was to time the strike after a carp had taken my fly, a task that proved a bit perplexing. I’m familiar with waiting a split second after a snook hits a top water fly but carp take this patience to a new level. The trick turned out to be to strike only after they had inhaled the fly and turned away. It was such a long wait that we joked about getting a hit, having lunch and then setting the hook. For the balance of the afternoon, we took turns throwing at carp and had some incredible action. In the end, we boated close to 20 fish ranging up to 10 pounds. We left the lake late that afternoon satiated with the action and relived the day on our way back to Clarksville.

If you’re ever in the area, make a point of visiting one or both of Unicoi Outfitters’ excellent shops and inquire about the fishing. There is excellent trout fishing nearby on their private water at Nacoochee Bend as well as other local rivers and lakes. Plan a trip by visiting their website at www.unicoioutfitters.com. Check out the action in this YouTube video: https://youtu.be/zHYhls4VXxY?si=dWGT4hSftCup34US

Officers issuing citations for unregistered boats

Officers issuing citations for unregistered boats

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Boating, Outdoors.

CORTEZ – Marine law enforcement agencies have issued more than 20 citations recently for multiple unregistered and derelict vessels moored in the waters just south of the Cortez Bridge.

“The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Marine Unit is working closely with FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) to get derelict boats removed before hurricane season,” MCSO Public Information Officer Randy Warren said on May 17. “Deputies are also patrolling the area and have been writing citations for unregistered vessels.”

Warren said the MCSO Marine Unit has issued four citations in the past several days for vessels with expired registration.

“The FWC works very closely with our partners, including the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, to ensure state waters are safe for boaters and wildlife alike and derelict vessels continue to be a priority,” FWC spokesperson Bradley Johnson wrote in a May 17 email to The Sun.

Johnson said there are currently four derelict vessels in the area that are being actively investigated, with two that are likely to be removed soon.

“There have also been 18 citations written to vessel owners in this area for various “At Risk” violations over the past two months alone,” Johnson wrote.

Local boat captains have expressed concern about the moored boats crowding the harbor, as well as at least four sunken boats that are hazardous to navigation.

Brittany Bull, who owns and rents six of the boats in the area, spoke to The Sun on May 18.

“The way I’ve gotten these boats is I’ll see a boat that is sunken and get hold of the owner and see if I can obtain ownership, and now we have them floating,” Bull said. “They may not look great on the outside but the inside of the boats have been refurbished.”

Bull’s boyfriend, Brian Grimes, said the six boats are rented with a portable air conditioner, generator, bottled water and portable shower. A dinghy is provided for some of the boats to allow renters to get to shore.

“The boats are stationary, they don’t have motors, and they’re anchored out there,” Grimes said.

One of the FWC criteria for an “at-risk” vessel being classified as derelict is that it does not have an effective means of propulsion for safe navigation within 72 hours after the vessel owner or operator receives telephone or written notice, which may be provided by fax, email or other electronic means, stating that from an officer, and the vessel owner or operator is unable to provide a receipt, proof of purchase or other documentation of having ordered necessary parts for vessel repair.

“The Coast Guard has rules so they have to be moved every month to a different location and we just move them a little bit so we don’t get in trouble with the Coast Guard,” Grimes said.

Bull said the Coast Guard comes out to conduct boat safety checks.

The Coast Guard did not respond to a request for comment.

Other ‘at risk’ criteria include a vessel taking on water without an effective way to dewater; spaces meant to be enclosed remaining open to the elements; the vessel listing due to water intrusion; the vessel has broken loose or may break loose from its anchor; and the vessel is tied to an unlawful or unpermitted structure or mooring.

“We prefer to have people remove them on their own. If they don’t remove them, the state will do it eventually,” Warren said. “People might not realize there’s a process to get them physically removed.”

A derelict vessel is any vessel that is left in a wrecked, junked or substantially dismantled condition upon waters of the state, according to Florida Statute 823.11.

The derelict vessel adjudication and removal process can include multiple court hearings and court orders to remove a vessel from state waters. Each derelict vessel owner must also be afforded the opportunity for an administrative hearing by the law enforcement agency investigating the case as well as potential criminal proceedings before the vessels may be authorized for removal, according to Johnson.

Johnson wrote, “FWC makes every effort to work with the vessel owners to have them either remove the vessel from state waters themselves or return it to non-derelict status to minimize the cost to taxpayers. There is a difference between a vessel that is derelict and a vessel that is at-risk of becoming derelict. It is much less expensive to remove an at-risk vessel than it is to remove one already rendered derelict.”

Derelict vessel removals typically cost between $400-$800 per foot to remove. A 30-foot boat, barring any extraordinary circumstances, will cost between $12,000 and $24,000.

“Vessel removals can vary greatly in cost and new derelict vessel cases are constantly being added to the state’s inventory,” Johnson wrote. “On average, 600 new derelict vessels are added to the FWC’s DV database annually. Derelict vessels may be removed by owners, local government entities or the state.”

In an attempt to prevent vessels from becoming derelict on Florida’s waters, FWC initiated the Florida Vessel Turn in Program, a program in which vessel owners may apply to have their at-risk vessels removed from the waters of the state at no charge to them. Guidelines and applications are available at www.FloridaVTIP.com Vessel owners who have received a citation or written warning for a vessel in at-risk condition by law enforcement may apply for this program if they meet the eligibility requirements.

First win for Shady Lady

First win for Shady Lady

Written by Monica Simpson on . Posted in Soccer, Sports.

ANNA MARIA – After two halves of youth soccer action, team AMI Coconuts could not put a point on the scoreboard against The Intuitive Foundation squad in the 8- to 10-year-old recreational soccer league at The Center of Anna Maria Island.

The Coconuts team put up a strong fight and played hard, but they were not strong enough to beat the top-ranked team in the 7-0 game last Tuesday night.

Initiative’s Parker Svoboda, Gunnar Maize and Bailey Shenbaum lit up the field with their strong play. Maize added to his stats with two assists in the game.

Defensively, Silas Whitehead continued his strong play in the goal with seven saves. Teammate Sawyer Leibfried had four big stops of his own in week six soccer action.

Game two ended in a 0-0 tie between Solid Rock Construction and Isola Bella Italian Eatery. The game was a defensive battle with the goalkeepers earning their stripes as experienced players.

Isola’s Carson Long had six stops in the game, while his counterpart Elijah Roadman made five nice saves for the Solid Rock team.

Despite a yellow penalty card assessed to Ismael Guerrero, the Shady Lady Horticultural Services team won its first game last week against team Emily Moss Design. In the 3-2 victory, Leo Tyler scored two goals and teammate Joseph Caballero put a point on the scoreboard for the hardworking team for the W.

Shady Lady’s goalie Easton Knock made five solid stops against the Emily Moss offense.

Titus Moss and Aden Mould each scored a goal for the Emily Moss Design team. Defensively with eight saves, Miles Moss helped keep his team in the game.

With one regular season game to be played on Tuesday, May 14, the season championship match-up remains up in the air. Tuesday’s results in the last three games leading up to the first round of playoffs will determine the single elimination bracket.

The Intuitive Foundation will challenge Shady Lady Horticultural Services after their first win of the season. Isola Bella Italian Eatery faces Emily Moss Design and Solid Rock Construction plays team AMI Coconuts.

Six teams have their eyes on the prize to be awarded to the winner on Tuesday, May 28 at the end of the league’s championship game.

 

 

SUN SCOREBOARD

MAY 7

YOUTH SOCCER – WEEK 6

8- TO 10-YEAR-OLD LEAGUE

 

 

The Intuitive Foundation (5-1-0) 7

AMI Coconuts (2-3-1) 0

 

 

Isola Bella Italian Eatery (1-1-4) 0

Solid Rock Construction (4-0-2) 0

 

 

Shady Lady Horticultural Services (1-5-0) 3

Emily Moss Design (1-4-1) 2

 

 

11- TO 14-YEAR-OLD LEAGUE – WEEK 3

The Gitt Team – KW on the Water (2-0-1) 4

Westfall’s Lawn Care & Pest Control (0-3-0) 1

 

 

Moss Builders (3-0-0) 7

Solid Rock Construction (1-2-1) 0

 

 

HSH Design (1-2-0) – Bye Week

 

 

MAY 9

ADULT CO-ED SOCCER – WEEK 7

 

Beach House Waterfront Restaurant (2-5-0) 3

Moss Builders (3-3-1) 1

 

 

Pool America (4-1-2) 5

Sato Real Estate (3-4-0) 3

 

 

Ross Built Custom Homes (4-1-2) 5

Diamond Turf (1-5-1) 1

 

 

Salty Printing (4-3-0) 5

Language Services Association (2-3-2) 2

 

 

Progressive Cabinetry (5-1-1) 7

Solid Rock Construction (1-3-3) 3

Buyers losing hope

Written by Louise Bolger on . Posted in Business, Castles in the Sand.

Tired of waiting for mortgage rates to come down? You’re not alone. Every potential buyer out there is waiting for the same thing, the problem is the Federal Reserve isn’t moving the needle, so it might be a long wait.

The Federal Reserve made no move in their last meeting in April, not up, not down. The good news is since they didn’t move rates up, it’s obvious they’re still fighting inflation, which simply refuses to budge. The stock market loved the status quo and enjoyed two big days thinking the Feds will eventually see the light and start reducing rates. Maybe yes, maybe no. Meanwhile, sellers who are desperate to sell their homes but don’t want to give up their low-interest rate mortgages are sitting back, and the buyers who were able to buy a lot more house three years ago are wondering what the heck just happened.

What happened is that in March of this year, a median-income household could afford to buy a house for no more than $416,000, assuming a 20% down payment. Three years earlier, that same household could afford a purchase price of up to $561,000, all things being equal. Then of course there are renters, 20% of them, who don’t expect to ever own a home based on a property management firm’s survey.

So, what are the experts saying? According to Forbes, Freddie Mac says mortgage rates will stay above 6.5% through this quarter. Fannie Mae is forecasting the 30-year fixed rate to average 6.6% in 2024 and 6.1% in 2025. The National Association of Realtors says rates will likely be in the 6% to 7% range for most of the year. The Mortgage Bankers Association predicts 6.7% in the second quarter and ending 2024 at 6.4%. Bank of America is anticipating a rate cut in December and is optimistic that mortgage rates will eventually drop below 7%.

There are, of course, more predictions but the common thread they all have is changing opinions from declining interest rates this year to a more modest prediction based on inflation. They also all agree that waiting to jump into the market is not a good idea. If you wait for interest rates to come down, you’ll be fighting an appreciation of values and likely won’t gain anything. Despite elevated mortgage rates, buyers can still look around for the best rate and at least move on with their lives with the option of refinancing the mortgage down the road.

Buyers, especially younger buyers and first-time buyers, may need to reevaluate what they really want. Do they want a home to build a life in or will they just be sitting in their rental and hope the Federal Reserve bails them out? And frankly, 7% is not such a terrible rate. Real estate markets have lived through, survived and even flourished with double-digit interest rates.

The best advice from economists is don’t wait. You can’t time the market and by now the buyers who have been trying to wait it out probably are well aware they may have made a bad choice. Don’t endure more pain; move forward and reorganize your life and assets to accommodate the reality.

Try a beach fishing adventure

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Fishing, Outdoors, Reel Time.

Are you an accidental angler? Someone who might not be passionate about fishing but who has always wondered what all the hype is about? Maybe you’re an avid freshwater angler from the north unfamiliar with the salt. Whatever your situation, if you want to get a taste of some of the area’s best summer angling with no hassle, beach fishing for snook with Capt. Steve Herich of Beach Fishing Adventures is a terrific option.

Capt. Steve has been fishing almost all his life.

“I started in Canada, fishing freshwater with my uncle Hop. He taught me how to catch frogs and crawfish for bass and how to fillet fish when I was 9 years old. I also fished a lot as a kid with my grandpa in Lake Isabella in California for bluegill and the nearby Kern River for rainbow trout,” he said. “In Florida, I’ve been fishing the local beaches since 1992 and always loved it. I had a boat at one time and went out with friends on their boats, but always gravitated back to shore. After leaving my 17-year insurance career here in Sarasota, I was ready to try something new. In 2011, my old friend Harry was fishing with me one day and an older lady walked up with questions about fishing since her grandsons were visiting and liked to fish. Harry spoke up and said Steve can show you how to fish and the lady booked me the next day. The rest is history and Beach Fishing Adventures was born officially in 2012. It’s been my full-time career since then and I love the opportunity to show folks that you can catch great fish and make wonderful memories, all with no boat in sight.”

Try a beach fishing adventure
Capt. Steve Herich holds a snook that fell for live bait while fishing the beach. – Rusty Chinnis | Sun

I recently had the opportunity to fish with Capt. Steve on the beach near my home on Longboat Key. When I arrived on a beautiful early spring morning, Capt. Steve was busy catching bait from a local pier. After hellos, I took over the bait catching duties. While he prepared the tackle for the day’s fishing, I baited a spinning rod with small pieces of shrimp. Action was fast and in only a few minutes we had a baitwell brimming with small pinfish and whiting. I was impressed with the captain’s homemade rolling beach cart that he had built specifically for fishing the beach. It was equipped with large tires to handle the often soft sands and equipped with rod holders and space for his bait and tackle.

We began fishing around a rock riprap structure along the beach. Capt. Steve approached the structure and quietly entered the water until he had a view of the whole perimeter where he spotted a snook to target. Reaching into the baitwell he hooked a small pinfish through the lips and made a cast to the outside of the structure. He then slowly maneuvered the bait into the path of the snook. Moments later he was hooked up to a 28-inch snook that made a hard run to the structure. Backing up while working the fish away from the structure, I watched as he expertly played the fish to the beach. We then moved farther down the beach where some trees had fallen into the water, providing the perfect habitat for snook. Unfortunately, the beach was filling up with tourists and they were in the water where the snook were congregated. We fished the area anyway and managed a couple of halfhearted strikes before deciding to move back up the beach. At another rock outcropping on the Gulf, Herich spotted a group of fish and made a cast in their direction. Almost as soon as his bait hit the water it was blasted by what turned out to be a fat sea trout.

Herich decided it was getting too crowded and suggested we move to another spot further to the south on Longboat. Unfortunately, I had an obligation and couldn’t join him, but about an hour later he texted me pictures of another fat trout and two snook he had landed. Not bad for a three-hour stint on a Saturday morning. I highly recommend Capt. Steve. He’s personable, prepared and passionate, a perfect fit for anglers wanting to try their hand at catching some of the area’s most iconic fish. The fact you won’t need tackle, any experience, or a boat is icing on the proverbial cake. Book a trip with Herich by visiting his website, www.beachfishingadventures.com. You won’t be disappointed.

Captain: Derelict boats looming issue

Captain: Derelict boats looming issue

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Boating, Featured, Outdoors.

CORTEZ – Tour boat Capt. Kathe Fannon is questioning why authorities are focusing on the removal of Raymond “Junior” Guthrie’s net camp from the waters off Cortez while ignoring more than 20 derelict boats in the same waters.

“The net camp is who we are, it’s our heritage,” said Fannon, a fourth-generation Cortezian. “The issue is there are 21 vessels sitting out there. They’re not registered, some have no motors or lights, and nobody is doing anything about it, but they want our net camp down.”

A civil suit against Guthrie was filed on Feb. 6, 2018 in the 12th Judicial Circuit Court when the Florida Department of Environmental Protection claimed that he had constructed an unauthorized enclosed docking structure on sovereign submerged lands in Sarasota Bay, and asked the court for its removal.

Guthrie maintained that his family previously had a net camp in that spot and the structure was protected under the 1921 Butler Act, which awards title of submerged lands to adjacent waterfront property owners who made permanent improvements on the submerged lands.

Net camps are wooden shacks used by fishermen in days past to hang hemp and cotton fishing nets to dry. According to historic photographs, there were once dozens of net camps on Sarasota Bay off Cortez.

On May 7, Judge Edward Nicholas ordered Guthrie to remove the structure within 120 days, making the deadline Sept. 4.

A request to FDEP by The Sun for comment about the process for removing the structure received no response by press time.

“There are also four boats sunk out there. They’re a hazard to navigation and leaking oil and nobody is getting them out of there,” Fannon said. “How are you going to let those boats sit out there when they’re a hazard and an eyesore and the net camp, which is historical to Cortez, has to come down?”

Fannon said she has seen boats from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the U.S. Coast Guard and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office in the area, so she said local law enforcement agencies are aware of the derelict vessels.

FWC defines a derelict vessel as one that is wrecked, junked or in substantially dismantled condition in any state waters.

Fannon said seven of the boats moored off the coast of Cortez are being rented out by one individual.

“Bradenton Beach made every one of those people leave,” Fannon said. “And now they’ve moved over to the historical fishing village.”

Captain: Derelict boats looming issue
A historical aerial photograph of Cortez shows multiple net camps off the village’s coast. – Submitted | Manatee County Public Library Historical Image Digital Collection

Bradenton Beach has strict enforcement policies regarding derelict boats in their harbor, and the city’s enforcement extends 500 feet out from shore. The boats off the coast of Cortez are moored beyond that enforcement area and fall under the jurisdiction of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office for tagging and then under FWC’s authority for removal.

Another local boat captain who asked not to be identified said, “There is one lady who has been collecting abandoned boats and renting them out. They (the boats) are coming from Bradenton Beach now, people are bringing their boats from the anchorage to the mangrove island” off Cortez.

He said there are two boats with trash tied up in the mangroves, along with an unregistered boat that sank two years ago.

“Every agency I’ve sent messages to can’t do anything. I can report to FWC. All they do is, if they find who’s dumping trash, is write a citation. Does not fix anything. They don’t sticker abandoned boats,” he said. “FWC can only get in here on a high tide.”

Season’s first shorebird nest discovered

Season’s first shorebird nest discovered

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Birds, Featured, Outdoors.

BRADENTON BEACH – The first shorebird nests this year on Anna Maria Island have been spotted and marked by Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteers.

A colony of least terns began nesting the week of May 6 at an undisclosed location in Bradenton Beach. A state-designated threatened species, least terns last nested on Anna Maria Island in 2021.

As of May 9, there were four nests and 10 individual birds, according to Turtle Watch volunteer Kathy Doddridge. When she first came across the nesting birds, there were only two nests.

Once eggs were located, volunteers marked off the area to protect the nests from human and vehicle interaction.

Season’s first shorebird nest discovered
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteers have marked off a least tern nesting site in Bradenton Beach. – Submitted | Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring

According to Turtle Watch, previous colonies failed due to the presence of cats and crows, both predators of least terns. Keeping cats indoors and covering garbage to keep away crows are important for keeping the birds safe.

Least tern eggs take about 21 days to hatch. Chicks will then look for places to hide so chick huts have been placed within the perimeter of the marked area to provide shelter and shade. Least terns fly 19-20 days after hatching.

Least terns are protected by both state and federal laws.

Turtle Watch asks beachgoers to abide by the following:

• Keep your distance. If birds become agitated or leave their nests, you are too close. A general rule is to stay at least 300 feet away from a nest.

• Respect posted areas. Avoid posted nesting and resting areas and use designated walkways.

• Teach children to refrain from intentionally forcing birds to fly. When birds are chased or disturbed, they use energy they need to reserve for nesting and migration.

• Pets are not allowed on AMI beaches. Keep dogs and cats off the beach, as even their scent can frighten birds off nests.

• Keep the beach clean and do not feed wildlife. Food scraps attract predators such as raccoons and crows to the beaches. Litter on beaches can entangle birds.

March tourism numbers soar

March tourism numbers soar

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Business, Featured, Tourism.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – March tourism numbers are up from last year in all three Island cities, significantly so in the City of Anna Maria.

Each month, the Manatee County Tax Collector’s Office reports how much income the county’s 5% tourist tax produces. The tax is collected from owners of accommodations rented for six months or less who charge the tax to their renters, who are mostly tourists. The amount of the tourist tax taken in each month is a gauge of how many people are coming to the Island in a given month, and for March, that was a big number.

While Bradenton Beach was up 1% compared to 2023 and Holmes Beach was up an impressive 19% during the same period, Anna Maria showed a staggering increase of 58% over March 2023.

The Sun reached out to Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) Executive Director Elliott Falcione to make sense of the significant increase.

“I’m not sure without further research, but what might have happened in the City of Anna Maria is more of the homes went into the short-term rental pool,” Falcione said. “I’d be curious if there’s any real estate transactions from homeowners that used that as their homestead then made it a short-term rental and had a management firm operate it.”

Falcione also said his department does not promote spring break, saying the Island is busy enough and doesn’t need further promotion during the busiest time of year. He says there has to be a balance between the huge influx of tourists during the busy spring season and the quality of life for the residents who live here. This attitude falls in line with other, more popular, Florida spring break destinations such as Miami and Panama City, who have essentially told spring breakers to find somewhere else to party. Miami officials went so far as to publicly “break up” with spring breakers, saying the relationship is over and they need to move on. No one in Manatee County has gone as far as that to echo that sentiment, since AMI has not been a “party” destination with the riots and violent crime Miami and Panama City have experienced. Nonetheless, the number of people coming is plenty, and the CVB sees no reason for advertising the Island as a spring break destination.

Falcione said the tourist tax is a very good thing for Island residents, because it benefits the residents without any money coming out of their pockets.

The tax is used for things such as boat ramps, piers, beach parking lots, the new water taxi, and perhaps most importantly, 20% goes to beach renourishment.

As far as how to alleviate some of the problems with traffic and congestion, Falcione says a lot of it comes down to parking. He says if there was a solution to the limited parking on the Island, traffic would flow more smoothly and residents would be able to travel during the busy spring season without spending a frustrating amount of time stuck in traffic.

While many Island residents are opposed to a proposed parking garage at Manatee Beach, Falcione says he supports it.

“The parking garage would need to be designed to not look like a parking garage, and would need to be designed to integrate into the look of the Island,” Falcione said. “Once people coming to the Island realized that they could just come to the Island on Manatee Avenue and pull right into a place to park, then what it does is get people off Gulf Drive. Right now the traffic isn’t just the demand for the beaches, it’s cars going up and down Gulf Drive searching for a parking spot and causing traffic problems.”

Falcione says he doesn’t believe the garage will bring more tourists, but rather mitigate traffic on the Island. When asked if he was worried about voicing his support for the controversial parking garage, Falcione said, “I am who I am and I speak from the heart. We all drive cars, and if I’m going from point A to point B, and I want to park that car as fast as I can and know there’s a parking spot as soon as I get on the Island, I’m going to take it. Most importantly, it gets my car off the road and I’m not a part of traffic. I’m not that smart, to me it just seems to be common sense.”

Water quality advisory in effect at Palma Sola

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Featured, Outdoors, Water Quality.

PALMA SOLA – The Florida Department of Health in Manatee County (DOH-Manatee) has issued a water quality advisory for Palma Sola South due to high bacteria levels.

Tests on May 6 and 8 indicate that the water quality at Palma Sola South does not meet the recreational water quality criteria for Enterococcus bacteria recommended by the Florida Department of Health.

Palma Sola South is at the east end of the Palma Sola Causeway and the north side of Manatee Avenue West.

DOH-Manatee advises against any water-related activities at this location due to an increased risk of illness in swimmers. Sampling conducted during water quality monitoring showed that the level of bacteria exceeds the level established by state guidelines.

Water testing on May 6 also showed a bacterial water quality level of “poor” at Coquina Beach North, but no advisory was issued. Test results on May 8 show a “moderate” level of the bacteria at both Coquina Beach North and South, one step below “good.”

Enterococci are enteric bacteria that normally inhabit the intestinal tract of humans and animals. According to DOH-Manatee, “The presence of enteric bacteria can be an indication of fecal pollution, which may come from stormwater runoff, pets and wildlife and human sewage. If they are present in high concentrations in recreational waters and are ingested while swimming or enter the skin through a cut or sore, they may cause human disease, infections or rashes.”

The advisory at Palma Sola South will continue until bacteria levels are below the accepted health level. Test results are available at FloridaHealth.gov/HealthyBeaches. For more information, call 941-714-7596 or visit Manatee.FloridaHealth.gov.

Moss Builders wins mid-season tourney

Moss Builders wins mid-season tourney

Written by Monica Simpson on . Posted in Soccer, Sports.

ANNA MARIA – Youth soccer on the Island goes into the month of May with playoff games on the horizon.

In the 8- to 10-year-old league, The Intuitive Foundation team is holding on to the first-place position over team Solid Rock Construction. With their one-point win against Isola Bella Italian Eatery, the Intuitive squad has a 4-1-0 record.

Parker Svoboda put the two points on the scoreboard for The Intuitive Foundation. Teammates Sawyer Leibfried and Silas Whitehead had three total saves in the game to help with the win.

Isola Bella Italian Eatery’s Carson Long worked hard as goalkeeper, keeping his team solidly in the game for two halves of play. Long had four saves against the Intuitive offense.

Scoring the only goal for his team, Asher Patel had a solo goal in the fifth game of the season.

Phoenix Harwood scored two goals against the Emily Moss Design goalies, helping to give AMI Coconuts their second win of the season. Harwood’s brother, Andre, made four solid stops, and teammate Owen Serra had two saves as goalie for the Coconuts team.

Defensively, Miles Moss and Wesley Bekkerus showed solid goalkeeping skills for Emily Moss Design. Bekkerus made two saves, adding to the five stops by Moss.

Shutting out Shady Lady Horticultural Services in the third game of the night, team Solid Rock Construction won 2-0. With goals by Everly Chaplinsky and Lucas Urbiola, the team put up its fourth win, keeping them hot on the heels of team The Intuitive Foundation.

With three saves each, Simon Messenger and Karlan Mohib worked the goal for team Shady Lady. Solid Rock’s keepers Samuel Raulerson and Elijah Roadman each had four stops against their worthy opponent in the league’s final game of the week.

The 11- to 14-year-old league teams pressed pause on regular season match-ups with a mid-season tournament. Playing on smaller fields for quick, fast-paced action in the double-elimination tournament, the teens played hard against their normal opponents in the fun format.

Team Moss Builders came back to win the tournament after an early loss. Moss’ win against the Westfall’s Lawn Care & Pest Control team earned the squad three points in the league standing. Two points were awarded to the Westfall team for their second-place finish.

With the youth soccer championship games scheduled for Tuesday, May 28, the two leagues go into the playoffs with the big game in focus.

 

 

SUN SCOREBOARD

 

 

APRIL 30

YOUTH SOCCER – WEEK 5

8- TO 10-YEAR-OLD LEAGUE

 

 

The Intuitive Foundation (4-1-0) 2

Isola Bella Italian Eatery (1-1-3) 1

 

 

AMI Coconuts (2-2-1) 2

Emily Moss Design (1-3-1) 0

 

 

Solid Rock Construction (4-0-1) 2

Shady Lady Horticultural Services (0-5-0) 0

 

 

MAY 2

ADULT CO-ED SOCCER – WEEK 6

 

 

Solid Rock Construction (1-2-3) 5

Salty Printing (3-3-0) 3

 

 

Language Services Association (2-2-2) 3

Progressive Cabinetry (4-1-1) 3

 

 

Moss Builders (3-2-1) 2

Diamond Turf (1-4-1) 1

 

 

Ross Built Custom Homes (3-1-2) 4

Pool America (3-1-2) 2

 

 

Sato Real Estate (3-3-0) 3

Beach House Waterfront Restaurant (1-5-0) 0

Boomers continue to boom

Written by Louise Bolger on . Posted in Business, Castles in the Sand.

Just when you think they’re too old to influence the smart, better-educated and computer-savvy younger generations, they raise their grey and balding heads again to remind their kids and grandkids they are still alive and influential.

For years, the prediction would be that boomers would start to sell off their big houses, flooding the market with properties. Instead, just the opposite is happening. Many aren’t even considering selling their large family homes, and for good reason.

Boomers own half of all of the $32 trillion in home equity in the country, according to a Redfin analysis of Federal Reserve data. In addition, nearly 80% of boomers own their primary residence and about a quarter own an investment property. More than half of them have retirement accounts with a median balance of $191,200, as well as 27% owning stocks and bonds outside of retirement accounts with a median amount of $201,800. These statistics come from a data scientist for the St. Louis Fed who researches wealth.

And it gets better. Not selling their properties has helped boomers accumulate a level of wealth greater than any other living generation. The median prices of existing single-family homes have increased more than tenfold since the early 1970s, when the oldest boomers were buying their first homes.

Even though boomers have a big financial incentive to stay in their homes with either no mortgage or very low-rate mortgages, some are moving on. Boomers made up 31% of home buyers, while millennials made up 38% in 2023, as reported by the National Association of Realtors. They frequently buy with cash, avoiding the higher interest rates in today’s market.

The boomers have had a major influence on the current real estate market. Mortgage rates topped 7% after the Federal Reserve’s last meeting when they held rates at their current level. That has pushed up the yield on 10-year treasuries, which mortgage rates tend to track. They also didn’t give any indication of lowering the rate any time soon based on the level of inflation, however, many economists still expect rates to decline later this year.

Even though new properties have been listed, there is a continuing low supply of homes for sale nationally. This continues to push prices higher with the national median existing-home price going up 4.8% in March from a year earlier to $393,500, as reported by the National Association of Realtors. The Manatee County median sale price for March by comparison was $498,805, 1.4% higher than last year.

Homebuyers are also confused about coming changes to the rules governing how real estate agents get paid and how this will affect their overall costs. And let’s not forget it’s a presidential election year, as well as one with several worldwide military conflicts bubbling up. All this influences home shoppers and sellers to perhaps pause until there is more clarity and less stress in the market.

The lack of boomer activity is, to a large degree, another byproduct of COVID-19, the pandemic that keeps on giving. As bad as COVID-19 was, it has worked to the advantage of boomers, increasing their equity tremendously and allowing them to refinance existing mortgages to a historic low rate.

The baby boomer generation has influenced everything that has gone on in this country since 1946, when the oldest of them were born, and they’re not going away. Whether it’s housing or the price of milk, boomers continue leaving their mark.

Egmont, Passage keys prove enchanting

Egmont, Passage keys prove enchanting

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Fishing, Outdoors, Reel Time.

Extending approximately 5 miles from Anna Maria Island to St. Petersburg, the mouth of Tampa Bay is fronted by the barrier islands of Egmont Key and Passage Key. The surrounding waters are beautiful, ecologically important and provide anglers with some excellent fishing opportunities. The history surrounding the islands is rich and, in the case of Egmont, goes back some 2,000 years. They seasonally hold some of angling’s prized species, including tarpon, snook and permit.

Egmont Key is a Florida State Park and a National Wildlife Refuge. Steeped in history, the entire island is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Artifacts and pottery dating back two millennia have been found on the island. The first recorded landing there dates back to a Spanish explorer in 1757 and its recent history spans from the Spanish-American War to World War II. The island is home to the Tampa Bay Pilots and has miles of old brick roads, a holdover from a time when there were over 70 buildings and 300 people living there. It has a functioning lighthouse, rebuilt in 1857 after a hurricane destroyed the original structure. Ever changing, Egmont Key was once 50% larger than it is today.

Passage Key, the southernmost island, is uninhabited and also a National Wildlife Refuge. It was first established as a bird sanctuary in 1905 by President Theodore Roosevelt. At the time, it was a 60-acre island and had a freshwater lake. That all changed in 1921 when it was decimated by a hurricane and has never been the same. Over the past decade, Passage Key has been little more than a constantly changing sandbar but is building back. In the 1970s, the island was designated as a wilderness area. Together the islands hold nesting colonies of all Florida seabirds including the largest concentration of royal and sandwich terns in Florida.

In the spring and summer, schools of tarpon and permit can be sight fished on the vast clear white sand flats that surround Passage Key. During the warm months of the year, there are also schools of sharks and large houndfish on the flats. In the cooler months, trout, redfish and pompano can be found on the edges of the flats and the grass beds to the east side of the key. Houndfish, which resemble large needlefish, gather in schools and, while they are not often pursued by anglers, they’re great sport on flies and light tackle. Small white clousers and lures that resemble baitfish can elicit some explosive strikes.

Egmont Key has a much more varied habitat and also has excellent fishing for tarpon, snook, permit and sharks. Old structures, vestiges of the Spanish-American War, can be seen along the western side of the Key, many of which are submerged. They provide a perfect habitat for species including pompano, trout and sheepshead as well as other pelagic species that swim these waters. On the east side, the pilot’s dock holds sheepshead, black drum, trout and redfish. Extensive grass flats there are home to trout, pompano, Spanish mackerel and redfish. A ship’s channel north of the key provides access to Port Manatee and the Port of Tampa. This deep waterway holds a plethora of gamefish including kingfish, Spanish mackerel and little tunny. The exposed ledges along the channel are also home to mangrove snapper, grouper and sheepshead.

If you haven’t explored these historical islands, a trip there will be eye-opening, and, whether you’re swimming in the clear Gulf waters, exploring the rich history or angling for a trophy, you’ll find these islands enchanting.

Island Players produce thrilling ‘Woman in Black’

Island Players produce thrilling ‘Woman in Black’

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Entertainment, Theater.

ANNA MARIA – Anyone who regularly attends performances by the Island Players is used to lighthearted comedies that have the audience in hysterics for a great deal of the time they are in their seats.

With performances of “Later Life,” “Farce of Nature,” “The Mousetrap” and “Communicating Doors,” the Players’ historic 75th season has offered plenty of what audiences are used to, until now.

The play that closed the season was definitely not a comedy, and was actually scary at times.

When telling ghost stories, Arthur Kipps’ (Tom Horton) children ask him to tell one of his own. Pushing him by saying, “Everybody knows at least one ghost story,” Kipps knows if he shares the tale he has to offer, it won’t be a story they want to hear, and he has no desire to share it at the time.

What Kipps does decide to do is share his horrific encounter with the supernatural with his friends and family on a theater stage, so he hires a professional actor to help him. While Kipps isn’t much of an actor in the beginning, the Actor (Mark Lennox) convinces him to play all of the characters besides himself in the story, while the Actor plays Kipps.

The play was adapted by Stephen Mattatratt from a novel by Susan Hill and directed by veteran director Kelly Wynn Woodland, who has well over 100 plays under her belt. While it wouldn’t fall under the horror genre, “The Woman in Black” is a fantastic ghost story that takes place in a creepy English manner that is only accessible at low tide due to its remote location just outside a small town, whose residents won’t go anywhere near it. Add in plenty of fog, deadly quicksand, some strange characters and a terrifying ghost (Tahlia Chinault) who manages to make the audience jump despite not having a single line of dialogue in the entire play, the audience was much quieter than at a typical Island Players production.

The show started almost lighthearted, but as it progressed, it became obvious things were turning darker by the minute, eventually leading to an ending that left the entire audience literally speechless. Even as the audience filed out of the final performance, the lobby was much more quiet than the average Players’ play, as guests were still processing what had just happened moments earlier.

There’s still time to catch one of the last shows of the season. “The Woman in Black” runs through May 12 with nightly performances at 7:30 p.m. and a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. Both online and box office ticket sales are available at www.theislandplayers.org and 941-778-5755. Box office hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and one hour before curtain on Sundays for will call tickets only.

County pushes for fire district mergers

County pushes for fire district mergers

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Manatee County, West Manatee Fire Rescue.

MANATEE COUNTY – County commissioners asked the county’s seven fire chiefs to consider merging their districts at an April 23 meeting.

Commissioners said they would support doing a study to look into the benefits of consolidating fire districts, adding that they would bring state leaders and the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Governmental Accountability into the conversation if needed.

Manatee County Administrator Charlie Bishop reminded commissioners that they have no authority over fire districts, which are special districts and governed by the state of Florida.

The conversation was brought to the dais by District Four Commissioner Mike Rahn as a result of the volunteer Duette Fire Department seeking a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (COPCN) for non-transport advanced life support capabilities from the county. Receiving a COPCN is one of the many steps for district firefighters to be certified to provide the same care as an EMS first responder. Non-transport ALS means that the firefighters can provide the same medical care as EMS workers but cannot transport patients to the hospital or other care facility. West Manatee Fire Rescue, the department that covers Anna Maria Island, Cortez and the west side of unincorporated Manatee County, is a non-transport ALS provider in addition to having fire response, water rescue and dive team capabilities, among others.

During the meeting, Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said that Duette does not meet the minimum capabilities to provide non-transport ALS service to its residents and encouraged the fire chiefs to consider merging districts.

Duette Fire Chief Rocky Parker took to social media to dispute Van Ostenbridge’s claim. Parker said that he believes the district meets the requirements to provide the service to residents and will continue to seek COPCN approval, despite the county commission’s argument that the Duette fire department doesn’t meet the requirements because its firefighters are volunteers.

Van Ostenbridge said that there are positives and negatives to living “out in the country” with one of the negatives being that there is less access to emergency services. He suggested that Duette and Parrish fire districts consider consolidating with North River Fire District to provide more services to residents and property owners.

While fire districts are allowed to consolidate, they can only merge with ones contiguous to their established boundaries within the county.

During the discussion, Van Ostenbridge singled out WMFR as a fire district that would be interested in merging with another district. While Chief Ben Rigney said that the district is always willing to keep its options open to better serve residents and property owners, he doesn’t see a merger coming any time soon.

“It seems to come up every five to 10 years or so,” Rigney said of the talk of fire district consolidation in Manatee County. “I did not feel that West Manatee was being targeted or threatened by the discussion from the Manatee County commission meeting. The commissioners are trying to ensure that the fire districts remain fiscally responsible to their communities. I feel that our district has continued to be responsible with taxpayer monies and are always open to working with them on providing a better service.”

Van Ostenbridge said he doesn’t want to see services reduced but would like to see administrative costs reduced.

Commissioner George Kruse said he thinks it’s important to continually look at opportunities but he’s not sure what the opportunity would be. He said he doesn’t want to see residents have different kinds of safety services based on where they live. He said he would rather see fire safety capabilities standardized across Manatee County. Kruse added that he doesn’t want safety services dictated by where people can afford to live.

“I would just encourage people to have that conversation,” Kruse said. “I would like this to be a bigger discussion. Maybe the (state) delegation needs to get involved in it. We seemingly can get free OPPAGA studies at a snap of a finger. It doesn’t commit to anything, but it can support data for future discussion.”

“I want you guys to keep control of all of this, keep control of your own destiny,” Van Ostenbridge said. When the state delegation and OPPAGA studies are involved, he said that the fire districts would start to lose control of their futures.