ANNA MARIA – Veterans, an honor guard, marching bands, local businesses and organizations – including a group of youngsters from The Center of Anna Maria Island, a pirate ship, police boats, police vehicles, a fire truck, a dump truck, old trucks and cars, motorcycles, a mounted patrol and more made their way down Pine Avenue on Monday during the third annual Old Soldiers & Sailors Parade.
Hosted by the city of Anna Maria and celebrating Veterans Day, this year’s parade featured the Lakewood High School, Manatee High School and Southeast High School marching bands.
Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy and his wife Barbara led a group of Island veterans down the parade route Nov. 11. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
The musical duo Brigid’s Cross also performed as they traveled down the parade route on a trailer filled with folks from the Bridge Tender Inn.
The parade route began at the Gulf Drive intersection and ended at City Pier Park, where the annual post-parade Veterans Day ceremonies took place. During the ceremony, Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy welcomed the visiting elected officials who hold city, county and state offices. After the invocation, the honor guard presented the colors and stood at the base of the City Pier Park flagpole while the Lakewood Ranch High School Band played the national anthem, followed by a trumpeter from the Anna Maria Island Concert Chorus & Orchestra playing “Taps.”
Murphy asked the spouses and significant others of those who served to come forward and be recognized. He then asked the attending veterans to come forward according to the branch of the military branch they served in.
“This is their day, Veterans Day,” said Murphy, a veteran himself. The band then played a rousing rendition of John Phillip Sousa’s “King Cotton” and a song from the 60s called “The Horse” that featured the trombone section standing front and center.
AMI Historical Society board members and volunteers scooped out free ice cream at a Veterans Day ice cream social. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
After the ceremony, many folks headed over to the Anna Maria Island Historical Museum for a free ice cream social where AMI Historical Society board members scooped out bowls of chocolate and vanilla ice cream.
If you’re looking for a good laugh, the Island Players Theater is a great place to find one during the run of “Relatively Speaking.”
Like a PBS weekend evening comedy, “Relatively Speaking,” by Alan Ayckbourn, is a British comedy mixing dry humor with touches of the absurd. Things start off appearing relatively normal in the home of Greg, played expertly by Jeffrey Steiger, and Ginny, played wonderfully by Kristin Mazzitelli. A cohabitating couple, everything seems fine to Greg in his relationship with Ginny, despite finding gifts and even a pair of slippers that he knows shouldn’t be there. When Greg follows Ginny out to the country after he proposes marriage, hilarity ensues in a comedy of mix-ups, mistakes and instances of mistaken identity.
The cast gave a stellar opening night performance, thanks to director Heiko Knipfelberg’s efforts behind the scenes. Joining Steiger and Mazzitelli on stage are Mark Shoemaker as Phillip and Sylvia Marnie as Sheila, Phillip’s wife.
When Ginny goes out of town, she tells Greg that it’s to see her parents. Instead, she goes to the home of her married lover, Phillip, to break things off. Greg follows her but manages to arrive first. Thinking that Phillip and the unwitting Sheila are Ginny’s parents, the laughs begin to roll through the audience as Ginny arrives, further complicating an already complicated and hilarious situation.
With only four members, the cast was given an enormous task in carrying the play and it’s one that they met head-on and conquered. If you measure a comedy by its laughs, this one started slowly as the storyline was established and moved toward a fever pitch by the end of the first act. As the four characters begin to sort out the situation, the laughs and plentiful and the acting is stellar throughout the play.
The bulk of the play takes place in Phillip and Sheila’s garden at their country home. Kudos go to set designer Jan Van Wart and her crew for the creation of beautiful sets that only add to the wonderful performances on stage.
“Relatively Speaking” is not only an entertaining play, it’s also a great night out and chock full of laughs. Tickets are well worth the price of admission and are available at the box office at the Island Players Theater, 10009 Gulf Drive in Anna Maria or by calling 941-778-5755. The play is onstage nightly through Nov. 17 with a matinee performance on Sundays. The stage is dark on Mondays. The box office is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and one hour before showtimes. “Relatively Speaking” is co-produced by Bortell’s Lounge.
This season’s youth soccer clinic at The Center of Anna Maria Island ended in a fun game of parents versus players for the six-to seven-year-old group last Tuesday night. With Tim Holly, sports program coordinator for the community center, leading the adult team, the oldest of the clinic program players laughed and had fun against their parents in the game that transitions them to the big field.
Sponsored by Bridge Tender, Holly worked with the talented group of young players for six weeks on advanced skills that would prepare them for stronger competition in the next season in the 8- to 10-year-old recreational league.
For the younger Island area kids, The Center’s Associate Director Connor Haughey utilized the old baseball infield to introduce the youngest ballers to the game and basic skills of soccer. The three- to five-year-old clinic, sponsored by Diamond Turf, took to the small pitch during the last seven weeks to learn how to dribble, pass and shoot.
Each season, more children in the area fall in love with the sport of soccer and learn some of the basics on Anna Maria Island at The Center thanks to volunteer coaches, business sponsors and the staff at the community center.
Once upon a time if you were earning a six-figure salary you were sitting pretty. You could easily buy a home, make sure your kids went to the right schools and take that one family trip a year. Well, those days are over and have been for a while.
There has been a lot of talk about owning versus renting in the low inventory, high priced real estate market that has taken over most of the country. Some of the newly-minted renters are happy to be renters avoiding the responsibilities, cost and repairs of owning a home. But more and more high-earning Americans who would ordinarily own a home are renting.
In 2019 about 19% of U.S. households with six-figure incomes rented their homes. This is up from about 12% in 2006 according to the Census Bureau data. This increase is equal to about 3.4 million new renters who would have likely been homeowners a generation ago, and builders and investors of rental properties have taken notice.
Two of the largest single-family landlords in the country, Invitation Homes and America Homes 4 Rent, report that their average tenant earns $100,000 a year. These companies and others who are targeting this specific market say they like the high earners who aren’t interested in moving around and are willing to absorb regular rent increases and other financial blips in their lives. These are the people who previously would own a home.
Although a $100,000 income is still comfortably higher than the median household in the country at $63,179 in 2018, it’s still short to get into many homes. Americans today have more debt because of car payments, college loans, health care premiums and credit cards than their parents and grandparents who lived more prudently. Most middle-class Americans accumulated wealth by owning a home which was the great wealth leveler with half of the housing wealth owned by the middle class. This happened right after World War II when owning a home became the expected norm.
But norms change especially in real estate and young singles and families have no qualms about paying high rent for what their grandparents would have considered a waste of money. The danger here is that once you’re in an expensive rental it becomes harder and harder to save the 20% usually required to purchase a home creating a permanent renter class.
All of this said, there are indicators recently released by the Commerce Department that the number of Americans who own a home grew through the summer months. The homeownership rate modestly ticked up to 64.8% in the third quarter from 64.4% a year earlier. This number matches the highest levels in five years and is getting close to the long-run average of 65.2% of people in the country owning homes.
In addition, according to S & P Core-Logic Case-Schiller National Home Price Index, the average national home prices grew 3.2% in the year ending in August up slightly from 3.1% the prior month. And, of course, this is all on the background of still extraordinarily low mortgage rates staying below 4% in most regions on a 30-year, fixed-rate loan.
In the instant gratification world we live in, it’s not surprising that younger generations don’t care a fig about building wealth. That’s a concept so far down the road for many of them it might as well be in a different solar system. But I’m old fashioned, and it bothers me that homeownership may become a victim of the six-figure income. Say it isn’t so.
ANNA MARIA – The community task force called For the Love of Anna Maria Island will host its inaugural Thanks-Living community gathering on Wednesday, Nov. 27.
The community gathering will take place under the shade sail at City Pier Park in Anna Maria from 5 to 7 p.m. City Pier Park is located at the corner of Pine Avenue and North Bay Boulevard.
Everyone who lives on Anna Maria Island is encouraged to attend this free community event. Attendees are encouraged to bring finger foods, appetizers, hors d’oeuvres, a bottle of wine, an adult beverage or soft drinks to share with others.
“It could even be a bag of chips – anything you’d bring to a party,” said task force member and Anna Maria resident Janet Kingan.
Attendees are also welcome to make cash donations for All Island Denominations and/or bring non-perishable food items for the Roser Food Pantry.
Inspired by “For the Love of Cities” author Peter Kageyama’s presentation at The Center earlier this year, the community task force also includes Anna Maria residents Carol Carter and Barbara Zdravecky and Holmes Beach resident Bruce Meyer.
“Your neighbors are further and further apart even though we’re on a seven-mile island. This is a way to bring our neighbors together, for people in Anna Maria to get to know people in Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach and vice versa,” Carter said.
“Peter’s message was about why people love their community. We feel that people love their community because of their relationships with other people and this is an opportunity for people to build new relationships,” Meyer said.
“We’re going to have live music. Will Corr and his band will be performing. We’re going to have all the Island mayors and people will talk about why we love living on Anna Maria. This is a little get together to thank each other for this wonderful Island,” Kingan said.
“We’ll have water, plates and napkins, so they don’t need to bring that. We’ll have tables, we’ll have it lighted, it’ll be festive and we’ll have decorations,” Carter said. “It’s being supported and promoted by the city of Anna Maria and the Anna Maria Island Sun. We have a banner up at City Pier Park and 15 or 20 signs out promoting the gathering,” Carter said.
“We’re hoping this becomes an annual event – the night before Thanksgiving, where people come out with whatever family members are visiting and have a gathering,” Kingan said.
Kingan said Thanks-Living might one day become a pot-luck dinner but for now, it’s simply a party and a chance for people to get to know one another.
Community chalkboard
The Thanks-Living gathering will feature a blackboard upon which people can share in chalk their thoughts about living on Anna Maria Island.
“A few years ago, there was a chalk festival on Pine Avenue and one of the most parts was a blackboard where people could draw and write their impressions about the chalk festival. So, I designed a free-standing, three-sided blackboard that says, ‘I love AMI because…’ at the top. We welcome anyone to write what they love about Anna Maria Island. Photographs will be taken and then it will be erased, put in storage and taken out for the next community event,” Kingan said. “I also have another prop – one of those things you put your head through and take a picture.”
BRADENTON – Bradenton resident Kelli Brown Whitehead was recently hospitalized and diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis.
Whitehead’s family members suspect but have not confirmed that Whitehead’s illness is related to wading in the Gulf of Mexico.
On Monday, Nov. 4 Whitehead’s family gathered around her at Blake Medical Center for what they feared might be one of the final days of her life.
One week earlier, on Oct. 28, Whitehead’s mother, Joan Smart Brown from Memphis, Tenn., started a Kelli Brown Whitehead Facebook fundraising page for her adopted daughter.
“Kelli went wading in the Gulf of Mexico and got that flesh-eating bacteria. It spread fast and she lost all of her left leg and is on a ventilator and having kidney dialysis. She is in critical condition in a hospital in Florida. She and Robin (Kelli’s husband) are living off his disability check. Anything that you could contribute would help them out. It will be used to help him with his immediate living expenses and food,” Brown wrote at the fundraiser page.
As of Monday, 22 contributors donated $1,415 toward the initial $2,000 fundraising goal.
Family speaks
Brown spoke with The Sun on Saturday afternoon by text and telephone. She said she was told by another family member that her daughter was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis. Brown planned to travel to Bradenton on Tuesday, Nov. 5, but moved her travel plans up one day due to Whitehead’s rapidly worsening condition.
On Saturday, Brown said she was told Whitehead and her husband waded in the Gulf of Mexico north of Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach approximately two weeks ago.
“They were just wading around, they weren’t even swimming. And the next day or so, her foot began to hurt so bad,” Brown said, noting that Whitehead has had Type 1 diabetes all her life.
This photograph of Kelli Brown Whitehead and her daughter Brittany Burton was taken earlier this year. – Submitted | Brittany Burton
“When they got to the hospital it was eating her leg away. She lost her leg and the fear now is it might spread to the organs. It’s horrible,” Brown said.
On Sunday, The Sun spoke with Whitehead’s daughter, Brittany Burton, who lives in Bradenton.
“My mom is diabetic. She would only walk in the water a little bit. She must have had a cut. She thought she pulled a muscle and the pain started in her thigh,” Burton said.
Burton said her mom waited about a week before she was taken by ambulance to the emergency room at Manatee Memorial Hospital where, according to Burton, she was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis and transferred to Blake.
“She’s in very critical condition,” Burton said, noting that her mother’s organs were failing.
Burton said she asked the nurse if her mom was dying.
“He wanted to talk around it. I said, ‘Is my mom dying yes or no?’ He said yes,” Burton said.
“The Gulf that my mother loved so much is eating her alive. This has all taken place in eight or nine days at the most. It’s just unreal. It’s horrific,” Burton said.
Kelli Brown Whitehead, left, and her sister Amanda Fletcher. – Submitted | Amanda Fletcher
After recently visiting her sister and returning to Tennessee, Amanda Fletcher spoke to The Sun on Sunday. She and Whitehead are sisters by birth but were adopted and raised by different families and reconnected later in life.
Fletcher and Burton both questioned why the public isn’t made more aware of potentially harmful bacteria that exist in Florida’s waters. Fletcher said the fundraising efforts will help Robin Whitehead pay his rent and other living expenses and assist with the anticipated funeral expenses.
On Monday, Burton said her mother’s doctor told her that afternoon that the exact bacteria was staphylococcus, but the doctor could not confirm it was contracted while wading in the Gulf.
Reporting requirements
On Thursday, Oct. 31, a receptionist at Blake Medical Center in Bradenton confirmed Kelli Whitehead was currently a patient, but she could not comment on her condition or the cause of it.
The Sun then contacted Chris Tittel, communications director for the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County.
Kelli Brown Whitehead and her son Trey. – Submitted | Brittany Burton
Speaking by phone Thursday afternoon, Tittel said the health department had not received any notification from the Blake Medical Center regarding a case of Vibrio vulnificus, which he said is a specific bacteria medical providers are required to report.
Tittel sent a follow-up email to The Sun that included a response he received from a health department epidemiologist regarding The Sun’s inquiry.
“Necrotizing fasciitis would be the technical term for the symptom of decomposing flesh,” the epidemiologist wrote. “It depends on the bacteria that caused the necrotizing fasciitis. Vibrio is known to cause it and that is reportable, however, we had a lady in Ellenton a few months back pass away from necrotizing fasciitis. The bacteria she contracted was streptococcus, which is only reportable in children under the age of six.”
On Friday, Nov. 1, The Sun emailed Blake spokesperson Lisa Kirkland and asked if the hospital was treating anyone who came in contact with the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria or another type of bacteria, such as streptococcus, that could cause necrotizing fasciitis.
“I’m not at liberty to comment,” Kirkland responded.
Tittel said as of late Monday that the department had not received word from any health care provider confirming the cause of the illness is due to a condition reportable to the state, such as Vibriosis.
Tittel said the Florida Department of Health runs the “Swim It, Shore It, Dodge It” campaign, which discourages anyone with open cuts or wounds or weakened immune systems from entering open waters where infectious bacteria naturally occur.
A video associated with that campaign can be found online.
“The department sympathizes with family and friends over this tragedy,” Tittel said.
BRADENTON BEACH – The Drift In, its patrons, the local business community and some local musicians raised $4,665 for Wildlife Inc. during Saturday’s Drift In Rock & Blues Festival.
The money raised will assist the Bradenton Beach-based education and rehabilitation center in its ongoing animal rescue efforts.
Drift In Manager Doreen Flynn helped organize the Nov. 2 music festival and fundraiser that took place in the parking lot, at the tiki bar and inside the establishment on Bridge Street.
The fundraising efforts included raffles and a silent auction featuring items donated by local businesses, a lotto board, food sales, cash donations and more.
“This benefit was arranged to benefit Ed and Gail Straight and the work they do at Wildlife Inc. Ed and Gail do so much for the community,” Flynn said. “Right now, there’s an issue with the laughing gulls. The Rod & Reel Pier gave me a donation because they’ve had to call Ed about seagulls with fishing hooks in them.
“I’ve had many benefits over the years, and I cannot believe how many donations I’ve received for this one. They’ve come from all over the Island and Cortez, not just Bradenton Beach,” Flynn said.
Wildlife Inc. co-founder Ed Straight brought his owl friends to the music festival. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Wildlife Inc. co-founder Ed Straight attended the festival and sat under the Wildlife Inc. tent with the four rescued owls he brought with him. While there, he and Wildlife Inc. volunteer Cindy Ellis chatted with a steady stream of supporters who approached the tent.
“This is fantastic. We’re happy to be here,” Straight said.
“We do most of the rehabbing for Manatee County. We take in all types of injured, orphaned or sick wildlife. Our objective is to rehabilitate them and put them back into the wild. Some of the birds here had injuries where they just couldn’t be released, so we use them for education,” he said.
“We do around 3,000 calls a year and each year is busier than the year before. Any help like this we get is really helpful to us. We’re going to do some improvements to our place. We’ve been doing this for 32 years and the fencing in the front is almost 30 years old. It’s time to start replacing some things and this money is going to help us do that,” Straight said.
Flynn credited “Horatio Bullwinkle” (real name not given) for assembling the musical lineup that performed for free and featured Tommy Balbo & The Collective, Dos Macs with special guest Steve Arvey and Concrete Edgar.
“He spent his time, money and efforts putting the bands together and he built the stage for us. He deserves a lot of credit,” Flynn said of the humble man who did not want his real name used.
Before taking to the stage, Arvey said, “I’m donating my time because wildlife is so important. Us humans are taking over everything with our development and nobody cares about the wildlife anymore. We’ve got to keep supporting what was here before us.”
On Sunday, Flynn said, “Ed was very happy and very grateful.”
ANNA MARIA – Mayor Dan Murphy is working to resolve the design conflicts recently discovered between the architect, Barron Schimberg, who designed the new pier buildings and the engineering firm, Ayres Associates, that designed and engineered the new city pier.
The design conflict pertains to the pitch of the new pier’s T-end decking for drainage purposes.
I+iconSoutheast built the pier walkway and support structure for the T-end decking, restaurant and bait shop.
Mason Martin Builders is building the exterior shells of the new pier buildings.
On Thursday, Oct. 31, Murphy met with several representatives to address the design conflict issues
The following day, Murphy sent an e-mail update to city commissioners bringing them up to speed on the results of the meeting. His email stated those who met with the mayor included Lisa Fleming from Ayres Associates, Schimberg, Mason Martin Builders owner Frank Agnelli, Building Official Luke Curtis and Eddie Miller from Infrastructure Solution Services, one of the city’s new city engineering firms.
“All proposed solutions associated with correcting this issue were identified and discussed. Some of the solutions require further details prior to implementation and any changes will be reviewed by our building official to ensure they meet code,” Murphy wrote.
“Another meeting will be held next week to nail down these details and a plan formulated to move forward. I will update you next week at the conclusion of that meeting,” Murphy’s email stated.
When contacted Friday afternoon, Murphy provided additional details.
“Schimberg designed it to be flat and Ayres designed it to be pitched, so there’s a difference of six or seven inches and that has to be compensated for,” Murphy said.
“It’s not a huge problem, but it’s a problem. So, they’re going to have to make some changes to buildings. It doesn’t look like it going be anything astronomical. They need to raise some of the door frames and probably pour concrete and drill a few holes in the platform to enhance the drainage,” Murphy explained.
“The city is not going to pay for any of that since it’s a problem between the design and the plans,” he added.
Murphy noted the new decking to be installed at the T-end of the pier will sit elevated above the concrete platform that serves as the base for the T-end buildings and decking.
Murphy was asked if the issues identified impact the work Mason Martin Builders has already done according to the plans they were provided with.
“Yes, he’s got door frames he’s probably going to have to move. There are other details that are going to have to be worked out. He’s probably going to have to level the flooring in the restaurant. It doesn’t appear to impact the walls at this point. There’s no plan to move any of the walls,” Murphy said.
Murphy was asked if these issues could further delay the anticipated pier opening in early 2020.
“That’s what we’re going to finalize next week. It depends upon the details of some of these things need to be done. I’m going to guess there might be some delay, but at this point, that’s pure speculation on my part,” Murphy said.
The historical relationship between team sponsor and owner-player has changed over the last few years as the interest in being a business sponsor at The Center has grown, as has the interest in playing the sports.
In the past, for example, Ryan Moss would always play on team Moss Builders. Tyler Lancaster found himself on the Lancaster Designs roster. Team Sato Real Estate has been captained by Josh Sato or one of the other Sato brothers. The Ross Built squad included Greg Ross.
But times have changed and last week Sean Flynn found himself on the opposite side of the pitch against the team bearing his name, team Flynn Law. Representing MuniPlan, Flynn and his teammates fought hard against his namesake team, ending the night with team MuniPlan’s second loss of the season.
Despite goals by Nathan Kragt, Ashley Friszman and Flynn, Flynn Law dominated the field with goals by Danny Anderson, Zachary Lieb, Chris Scott, Nate Welch and Chris Culhane. Murat Akay was credited with a hat trick in the game along with the 14 incredible saves by goalie Robb Marshall.
The loss put MuniPlan in a three-way tie for fourth place halfway through the season with Ross Built Construction and Moss Builders.
Ross Built took the win 12-5 in the last game of the night against Moss Builders. Even with Jordan DeMers’ 11 saves, Kevin Roman’s four goals in the game were just too much for the Moss team.
Chris Chicaro, Greg Ross and Damir Glavin each put up two points in the game, with singles by Connor Bystrom and John Coleman for the win.
Mark Rudacille, Ross’ goalkeeper, had nine saves in the game with another three by Max Gazzo.
On the other side of the field, Moss Builders’ Gerardo Urbiola was the high scorer with three shots hitting the net. Eliza Faillice got two of her own and team captain Keith Mahoney scored one goal.
The second game of the night pitted Vacasa against Vintage Beach. The relatively young Vintage team pulled out the win 6-4 against the veteran Vacasa crew.
Vacasa’s Stetson Mathews lead his team in scoring with three goals to be paired with the single point by Eric Pullen.
Joseph Hutchison, team captain for Vintage Beach, put a point up on the scoreboard, along with Clancy Vaughn. Cody Wright and Zach Reda each eluded Trey Horne, Vacasa’s keeper, twice.
Playing without captain and field powerhouse Josh Sato, team Sato Real Estate only scored one goal shot by Olaf Krause.
The Blalock Walters’ defense, including the goalkeeping skills of Luke Grady, kept league high scorer Amy Ivin pretty well contained, preventing her from finding the net.
In the win, Matt Staggs, Greg DeMuse and Robbie Fellowes each scored a goal for the Blalock team, which put that team in first place at the mid-season point with a record of 3-0-1.
In case you haven’t noticed, interest rates are low, real low. Most rates for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage are hovering around 4% based on credit scores and income to loan ratios. In spite of this, condo financing has always been somewhat of a poor stepchild to single-family home financing. New condo construction loans have been especially vulnerable to government regulations, but now The Federal Housing Administration has issued some new guidelines making available more advantageous condo financing programs.
FHA is trying to be more responsive to market conditions as well as accepting that condo units are being viewed more broadly as a way to provide affordable housing in many markets. Generally, single-family homes may not be accessible for first-time buyers and others who are trying to gain access to homeownership and condos nicely fill that need.
The new regulations are geared for new condo construction primarily but will also have an effect on the availability of condos for first-time buyers. Among other changes is one that has been a big issue for condo builders and that’s the owner-occupancy rate. The new FHA regulations have lowered the number of owner-occupancy rates as low as 35% from 50% before individuals can qualify for financing in new condo construction.
Condos are a big deal in Florida and in Manatee County. Although the number of condo sales was down in September for Manatee County, the sale prices were up, so let’s take a look at the county overall:
In September Manatee County closed 15.2% more single-family homes than last September. The median selling price for single-family was $315,000, 6.8% higher than last September. The average sale price was $381,577, 9.6% higher than last year.
Condo sales in September were down 8.6%, but the median sale price was up 6.7% to $199,000 and the average sale price was also up by 16.1% to $244,587. Both single-family and condos are low in inventory with the single-family home months supply at 3.3 months and condo months supply at 3.8 months. As a reminder, 5.5 months supply is the benchmark for a balanced market.
Sarasota County is also showing some increases in sales and pricing for single-family and condos. The median sale price for single-family in Sarasota increased by 6.4% to $298,000 and for condos, the median price decreased slightly by 1.8% to $232,000.
Statewide single-family homes reached a median of $265,000, an increase of 5.3%, and an average of $339,862, an increase of 4.9%. Condos statewide also increased with the median selling price at $193,000, a 5.8% increase, and an average of $261,532, a 1.3% increase.
All county and statewide statistics are from the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee website.
Evidence continues to mount that condo sales will play a more significant role in the mortgage origination market in the next few years, according to CoreLogic. With a flood of millennials and other first-time homebuyers expected to soon enter the market for affordable housing, CoreLogic foresees a rising demand for condos in the near future.
Millennials aside, Florida is a hot market not only for retirees but homeowners relocating to a tax-friendly state with a lot of new construction and fundamentally great weather. But if you’re starting to think of relocating to the Sunshine State, you better get moving. Inventory is low, prices are high and interest rates are still historically low. Come on down!
ANNA MARIA – Mayor Dan Murphy will seek city commission authorization to prepare a request for proposals (RFP) for the potential lease of the city-owned restaurant and bait shop buildings being built on the new City Pier.
On Oct. 24, Murphy told the city commission that on Nov. 14 he would formally request authorization to prepare a pier lease RFP as part of the city’s ongoing efforts to secure a pier tenant.
In late September, Murphy emailed current pier tenant Mario Schoenfelder two options for a new 10-year lease.
Murphy proposed either an initial base rent of $21,600 per month or an initial base rent of $18,900 per month with an additional $250,000 up-front payment due upon signing.
Schoenfelder rejected those proposed terms and referred to his own previous offer to pay the city a base rent of $12,000 per month. Schoenfelder’s current lease expires in December 2020.
“His final offer is due to the city by December 13,” Murphy told the commission. “In case Mr. Schoenfelder’s offer is in fact rejected, I want to be prepared to quickly issue this RFP.”
Later in the week, Murphy was asked about the RFP process that could ensue if the commission rejects Schoenfelder’s final pier lease offer.
“Mario could bid it on it, as well as anyone else interested in having a restaurant on our pier if the commission authorizes putting it out for bid if Mario’s final offer doesn’t meet the needs of the city,” Murphy said.
“If it’s not in the best interest of the city, the commission could decide not to open a restaurant and use the space for other purposes. The city needs to get some sort of return on its investment over a 10-year span,” Murphy said.
Design conflict
During last week’s meeting, Murphy said a design conflict has arisen between the architect, Barron Schimberg, who designed the new pier buildings and the engineering firm, Ayres Associates, that designed and engineered the new pier.
“I have a meeting tomorrow to get to the bottom of all of that, to see exactly where the responsibility lies, as well as the scope of any delay it may cause us,” Murphy told the commission.
“Hopefully it will be a minor issue,” he added, noting that he would not publicly speculate on the exact nature of the design conflict.
On Friday, Oct. 25, Murphy issued an email stating his meeting with the architect and the engineers was delayed until Thursday, Oct. 31 because one of the parties was unavailable.
“We’ve got a plan to address any issues and I’m still investigating this,” Murphy said on Friday.
Interior build-out
During last week’s meeting, Murphy announced that Mason Martin Builders, the firm constructing the new pier buildings, has retracted its option to complete the interior build-out of those structures.
That decision came in the wake of a recent email exchange between Murphy and Schoenfelder in which Schoenfelder said he felt he was being forced to use the city’s contractor of choice to complete the interior build-outs of the spaces he hoped to lease.
Murphy told Schoenfelder he would not be obligated to use the city’s contractor for the interior build-outs and was free to get estimates from other contractors even though that could further delay the opening of the restaurant and bait shop in 2020.
Family legacy does not make one a Hall-of-Famer. Hard work, sacrifice, dedication and success paves the way to the accolade.
Will “Scheny” Schenerlein, former recreation director at The Center of Anna Maria Island, recently received such top honors.
As a former wrestler and coach, Scheny, originally from Parkersburg, West Virginia, received an official notification on Sept. 3 that he was named to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. His contributions to the sport not only as an athlete but also as a leader, teacher, coach and mentor set his place in the permanent history of the sport.
His wrestling career, including that of a competitive wrestler into his 30s, ended as he got older and the years of experience in the sport took its toll on him physically.
Scheny moved his family to Anna Maria Island in 2013 and he worked at The Center for several years before moving on to be a world history, sociology and psychology teacher at Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School in Sarasota.
As a coach and teacher, Scheny’s childhood dreams came true.
Starting his wrestling career at the age of seven, Scheny knows what it is like to be young and training for the competitive world of wrestling. While at The Center, he took his experience as a wrestler and coach to the mats at the community center with the Island youth.
Influenced by both of his older brothers, Bob and Scott, Scheny was inspired to make a name for himself and impact the lives of countless wrestlers. As a child, his biggest inspiration was his high school coach, Joe Handlan. Later down the road, the wrestlers he had the pleasure and honor to coach became Scheny’s inspiration.
Schenerlein notes that he has “… always wanted to be a coach … [I] had great coaches at all levels as role models and was an assistant [coach] under great leaders as well.”
Despite knee, hip and neck injuries over the years, nothing kept Scheny from the sport. Over the many years, a number of the wrestlers coached under Scheny went on to college and beyond. A number of them became coaches themselves.
During his career, he coached three national champions, 14 All-Americans and NCAA All-Americans, as well as 25 state champions, four state championship teams, and five national teams ranked in the top 20.
Scheny sincerely notes, “… if it wasn’t for all the people in my life, especially the kids I coached, I would be nothing. I love them all like my own and they know it.”
His influences on the mat and in the gym with his athletes led him to be previously named by USA Wrestling as the National Coach of the Year, as well as this year’s induction into the Hall of Fame.
Scheny states fondly, “I still receive notes from former wrestlers thanking me for being a positive role model in their lives.”
The only regret in the sport that he has is ending his high level-coaching career early to pursue other interests.
Working at The Center gave Scheny the opportunity to start coaching again. With the kids at the community center, he groomed many boys and girls for local competition. Witnessing the little wrestlers develop as athletes and individuals and watching their skills improve added to his proudest and most memorable wrestling moments.
Scheny holds his parents as his biggest supporters and positive influences during his wrestling career. As a coach at The Center, he had the opportunity to not only coach local kids in the sport he loves, but also his oldest son Harrison – continuing the family legacy.
While Scheny does hope his sons follow his footsteps, he is supportive in all of their activities. Harrison continues to wrestle and Scheny believes his youngest child, Bodie, has the build and personality to be successful in the sport.
Through all of the sacrifices made during his career, including fighting through injuries and preparing for meets by spending many nights alone “cutting weight,” Scheny says he would without a doubt do it all over again.
Lee Roy Smith, executive director of the Hall of Fame and Museum, noted in his letter to Scheny, “This award acknowledges that [his] life has been significant and [he] is leaving behind a legacy that others admire.” Smith goes on to say Scheny has “… a special place in the heritage of the sport …”
Scheny was recently formally presented with the Hall of Fame honors and recognized at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
He believes, “There is not a better sport to teach character, self-discipline, loyalty, respect, or honor than wrestling.”
Schenerlein truly believes, “Once you have wrestled, everything else in life is easy!”
Week two of the adult co-ed soccer season saw back-to-back night action on The Center’s pitch. Sato Real Estate and MuniPlan were the only two teams to capture two wins in the week.
Sato Real Estate, currently undefeated with a record of 3-0, is followed closely by the powerhouse Blalock Walters team. Moss Builders and MuniPlan round out the leaderboard with records of 2-1.
Winning both of their games last week was critical for the start of the season for MuniPlan.
Coming off of a loss last week, MuniPlan came on the field looking for their first win of the season. Despite Vacasa’s Trey Horne’s 11 saves, the team could not find the net enough times, losing to MuniPlan 2-4, with Jessica Williams scoring the only goals for her team.
MuniPlan started to gel as a team last Wednesday night against Vacasa with single goals by Nathan Kragt and Ryan Hogan. Teammate Sean Flynn, co-founder of Flynn Law, P.A., scored the other two goals in the game for the win.
Without the number one pick Kragt and one of last season’s high scorers Ashley Friszman, the MuniPlan squad handily took on team Lancaster Designs, with late add-on goalkeeper Edgar Bartolon who had 15 saves in Thursday night’s game.
Team MuniPlan utilized the goalkeeping skills of three of their players, Ben Sato, Flynn and Mark Long, who are versatile enough to make a difference in goal and on the field.
The MuniPlan team also spread the joy in goal scoring with Flynn, Hogan and Steve Oelfke, credited with single goals each. Sato and Zach Long, brother of Mark, both had two goals in the game.
Scoring Thursday night for Lancaster Design was limited to Juan Carlos and Rico Beissert, who played goalie last week for his team.
Sato Real Estate’s Amy Ivin scored five goals in Wednesday night’s game against Moss Builders. Connor Bystrom got a hat trick for Ross Built Construction, along with three goals for Flynn Law’s Chris Scott, returning to the league this season after an injury.
Thursday night Moss Builders’ Keith Mahoney and Gerardo Urbiola both had three goals contributing to their team’s win. Vintage Beach’s Joseph Hutchinson found the net three times against Blalock Walters.
League high scorer Ivin, with a total of 11 goals in the first three games, capped off the night with three more goals for the week, showing why she is the top female pick in the league season after season.
When you read about fly fishing in the Georgia mountains, the story usually centers on trout. Whether it’s rainbow trout, brown trout or native brook trout, the narrative either revolves around the fish known as “stockers” or “natives.” The stocked fish are raised in hatcheries and either find their way into public streams or private waters. The so-called natives, small rainbow trout and brook trout, reside in the “high” mountain streams where the water remains cool enough to support them year-round. Of the two, the only true natives are the brook trout that rarely reach 12 inches long.
Anglers that fish these waters have the option to fish the “put and take” trout that are regularly stocked in public streams or pay to fish the “catch and release” private waters that raise impressive double digit “trophy trout.” Over the years I’ve enjoyed some notable days on these North Georgia streams, but recently I’ve been introduced to some of the other local species, including spotted bass, shoal bass, carp and striped bass.
My first introduction to stripers was in the private waters of Unicoi Outfitters in Helen. Last year I fished with owner Jimmy Harris and Georgia fisheries biologist Jeff Durniak and caught a 9-pound striper on a 7-weight outfit. Those fish had migrated from Lake Lanier and reached the dam at Nora Mills in record numbers bolstered by high water from an unusually wet winter season. That was followed by a trip to the “lower” Chattahoochee with Harris and Capt. Henry Cowen where we sight fished carp.
This year I did a float trip on the Chattahoochee below Helen with Unicoi Outfitters guide and assistant manager Wes McElroy for the aptly-named shoal bass. These hard-fighting fish are closely associated with rocky shoals and are uncommon in other habitats due to their unique spawning requirements. They were only described as a separate species in 1999, having been confused as a sub-species of the red-eyed bass. The four-hour float introduced me to a section of the Chattahoochee that features intermittent rapids interspersed with smooth stretches notable for its scenic beauty and lack of development. McElroy also introduced me to the articulated flies he uses for shoal bass. These segmented flies create incredibly life-like patterns that “swim.” We encountered a number of fish along the river but never managed to “hook up.” Still, the experience was one that I will definitely repeat in the future.
On another day I fished the upper reaches of Lake Lanier near Gainesville, Georgia with Harris and Durniak for striped bass and spotted bass. The stripers in Lake Lanier are the source of the fish caught in the upper reaches of the Chattahoochee where they migrate to “spawn” and feed on a variety of forage fish, crayfish and small trout. We arrived at the lake just before the sun crested the horizon and as we launched the boat we noticed fish rising on a nearby point. It only took two casts before I was hooked up to a spotted bass that put up an admirable fight for its size on an 8-pound spinning tackle.
After making a few more unsuccessful casts we headed south on the lake in search of stripers that reach eye-popping proportions, upwards of 40 pounds, on the lake. This was early in the season for the stripers that are regularly found chasing baitfish on the surface under birds. The combination of an unusually hot and dry summer created water temperatures approaching 70 degrees even though the morning temperature had dipped into the low 40s. We still encountered a few fish on the surface and managed several casts near the breaking fish. This fishing reminded me a lot of the “run and gun” tactics we use locally for little tunny. Unfortunately, the winds picked up early and the fish sounded so we were unable to hook up. While I’ve yet to experience the action that makes this lake a mecca for anglers, I did get enough of a taste to keep me coming back.
Now that I’ve been introduced to some of the area’s “other fish,” I look forward to exploring the resource more fully. If you’re interested in the wide range of angling opportunities in the north Georgia mountains contact Unicoi Outfitters at 706-878-3083 or visit their website. Capt. Henry Cowen can be reached at 678-513-1934 or visit his website.
HOLMES BEACH – The Lay-By resort has been sold to Nashville-based Coasting LLC and there is much speculation as to whether two married country music stars are behind the recent purchase.
The property at 105 White Ave. has long served as a resort for employees of the Norfolk Southern Corporation, including its subsidiary, the Norfolk Southern Railway.
According to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), the property sold for $8.825 million. The warranty deed posted at the Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller website dated Friday, Oct. 18 also notes the $8.825 million financial consideration.
The deed lists Georgia-based Southern Region Industrial Realty Inc. as the seller. The buyer is listed as Coasting LLC, a Florida limited liability company with a Nashville, Tenn. mailing address.
According to the Florida Division of Corporations website, Coasting LLC filed its articles of organization on Sept. 24. Using a Nashville address, Cheryl S. Harris is listed as Coasting’s manager.
Harris is a partner at O’Neil Hagaman LLC, a Nashville-based business management and consulting firm that is dedicated solely to the entertainment industry, according to its Linkedin page, which also notes that the company’s clients include entertainers, record labels and industry executives. Harris is listed in several trade publications as the business manager for country music artist Garth Brooks.
When contacted on Friday, Oct. 25, Harris declined comment on the Lay-By sale and the parties involved.
CT Corporations Systems in Plantation is listed as the LLC’s registered agent and that Florida firm also declined comment.
As of Friday, Norfolk Southern’s media department had not responded to phone and email inquiries regarding the Lay-By sale.
Famous new owners?
On Friday, Oct. 18, Cindy Quinn, a real estate associate with the RE/MAX Alliance Group in Holmes Beach, commented on the sale on her Facebook page.
“Rumor has it Garth Brooks just purchased the ‘Layby,’ a gulf front 2 acre estate that was used as a retreat for the Norfolk Southern Railroad employees, for $8,825,000 on Anna Maria Island!” her Facebook post said.
When contacted on Friday, Oct. 25, Quinn acknowledged her Facebook post, but said she could not speak on the record about the real estate transaction.
Judie Berger, from the Sarasota-based Premier Sotheby’s International Realty firm, represented the seller and buyer in the Lay-By transaction. On Friday, Oct. 25, Berger was contacted by text message and asked if she could confirm or deny that Brooks and his wife, country music artist Trisha Yearwood, purchased the Lay-By property.
“I must decline comment, I cannot confirm. I worked through out-of-state attorneys and the contract was purchased through an LLC. As far as other agents posting on Facebook, they don’t have any direct knowledge to the sale, so everything is on conjecture,” Berger wrote in her response.
The beachfront Lay-By property includes a swimming pool and tennis courts. – Manatee County Property Appraiser | Submitted
According to the Manatee County Property Appraiser website, the Lay-By property is 1.96 acres, with 9,770 square feet under roof and 8,242 square feet of living/business area.
According to the Realty.com listing, the waterfront resort was built in 1963 and features 14 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, tennis courts and a swimming pool.
It is not known yet what the new owners plan to do with the property.
Lay-By legacy
As of Friday, the page description for the “Love the Lay By” Facebook page said, “For over 50 years the Lay By has been a place of quiet retreat for NS (Norfolk Southern) employees, retirees and their families. It represents the NS commitment to family as part of our corporate culture, something very rare in today’s corporate numbers only world. Please share your Lay By photos and memories and invite everyone who loves the Lay By to do the same!”
This sign is posted at the rear side of the Lay-By property. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
On Sept. 17, page administrator Jim Horgan wrote: “It looks like the Lay-by closing is scheduled for the end of this month. It has been a wonderful place for many of us and our friends and families. I will keep this group open for anyone who wants to reminisce with photos or stories about the great times spent at the Lay-by.”
On Oct. 19, Cecilia Brown posted this message: “Sadly, layby is officially gone.”
In reply, Rebecca Reeves wrote, “41 years of wonderful memories. I am so sad to not be able to continue this tradition with my family.”
Privacy choicesWe use Google Analytics to understand readership and improve the website. Analytics cookies are optional and can be accepted or declined.Privacy Policy
