ANNA MARIA – Tropical Storm Nestor is pushing Saturday’s Bayfest indoors from its traditional Pine Avenue location to The Center of Anna Maria Island, 407 Magnolia Ave.
The free festival, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 19, will begin at noon instead of 10 a.m., and remain open until 9 p.m.
The classic car show and arts and crafts vendors are canceled, according to the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce.
But “Bayfest 2.0 – Reimagined!” will still offer live music with the Trevor Bystrom Band, Memphis Rub, soulRcoaster, the Dr. Dave Band and the Karen & Jimmy Band, with Mike Sales as emcee.
A limited number of food vendors and a beer truck will be at The Center. No coolers or outside alcohol are allowed.
Parking and shuttles to and from The Center will be available at CrossPointe Fellowship, 8605 Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach and Roser Memorial Church, 512 Pine Ave. in Anna Maria.
The decision to relocate the festival was made because the storm could produce torrential downpours and local flooding, according to chamber officials.
Tropical storm Nestor, currently over the central Gulf of Mexico, is moving northeast at 22 mph and is expected to reach the Florida Panhandle early Saturday morning. Primary concerns along Florida’s west coast are heavy rainfall and minor to moderate coastal flooding, especially from Tampa Bay north, according to the National Weather Service’s p.m. report.
Three games into the regular season and Team HSH Designs looks to be the team to beat in the youth soccer league at The Center of Anna Maria Island in the 8-10-year-old league. Undefeated going into the third week of play, HSH went up against Team Ugly Grouper which was missing two critical players.
With the Zaccagnino brothers sick, the Cusack siblings Ceegan and Clancy played a tough game against the full HSH Designs squad.
Less than three minutes into the game, Bam Gartman scored the first of two goals, giving his team the early 1-0 lead. Teammate Dylan Sato hit the net. Along with Gartman’s second goal of the game, HSH had a three-goal lead.
The first half of the game had Cale Rudacille, who made four saves, in the goal for HSH Designs and Ugly Grouper worked with Clancy Cusack as the team’s keeper.
With a three-point lead and after 15 minutes of play, Sterling Holiday took advantage of Ugly Grouper’s goalkeeper out of position to score the fourth goal of the game for HSH.
To close out the first half of play, Nixon Conner showed his ball-handling skills for his Ugly Grouper team.
Clancy Cusack, credited with seven saves in the game, continued in the keeper position to start the second half of play.
Savanna Coba’s shot was stopped and was followed by a shot by Rudacille that went left of the post.
With four minutes left on the game clock, Coba scored HSH Designs’ fifth and final goal of the game.
For most Americans, their biggest source of wealth is the equity in their homes. But what if you never own a home? What if being a renter is your fate? How does that impact your future wealth and state of mind?
Homeownership rates for younger Americans have fallen over the past 10 years and are near the lowest levels in more than three decades of recordkeeping. About 40% of young adults ages 25 to 34 were homeowners in 2018 according to federal data analyzed by Freddie Mac. That is down from about 48% in 2001.
In addition, the median age of a home buyer is 46, vastly increased from when I purchased my first home at age 27. According to the National Association of Realtors, this is the oldest median age since they began keeping records in 1981. For young people, it’s a vicious cycle of rents going up and student debt putting more financial pressure on young adults who can’t seem to get a foothold in the American dream.
Generally, lower homeownership promotes lower growth by forcing older Americans to stay in their homes because there are fewer buyers for entry-level properties. And even though the price of entry-level homes has been rising, without savings, the pool of buyers keeps shrinking.
So, is homeownership worth it? Sometimes yes and sometimes no depending on individual needs. These are some of the questions you need to think about:
What can I afford, should I keep paying rent until I find the perfect home, or should I take the plunge now with the goal of trading up down the road?
How long do you plan on staying in the home? If you know your job may relocate you within a year maybe you want to wait before spending the money required to get into a home. Or if you’re living in a “hot” market you may want to go for it with the hope of turning a nice profit in a short period of time.
Even if your job is not a factor, are you the type of person who likes stability or flexibility? Owning a home by definition is not a flexible choice considering maintenance and repairs that are required in most homes, not to mention the cost of upkeep. If you want to be footloose and fancy-free, better keep renting.
Finally, your decision may be all about the family. If you have children, the quality of the schools may be your deciding factor. Do rentals even exist in the school district of your choice or is purchasing a home the only way to provide the best education for your children? Also, having property space for kids to run around may require you to purchase a home.
The advantages of owning your home are many, with building equity and establishing good credit being the primary reasons people buy homes. Even with the new tax laws limiting some deductions, many homeowners may still see tax benefits to owning. And of course, there is the independence of Americans to own their own property and not having to answer to landlords.
The disadvantages of owning start with finances. It costs more money to own and maintain a home than renting. When you rent, someone else is responsible for the repairs and the cost of those repairs. Renting also insulates you from falling home values, which we all remember has happened.
It’s nice to have a choice in life and a choice in whether you want to own or rent. Unfortunately, it appears we are building an ever-increasing group of permanent renters who may not have another choice. Let’s hope the American dream isn’t shattered forever.
The Drift In’s Rock & Blues Festival on Saturday, Nov. 2 will also serve as a fundraiser for Wildlife Inc. Education and Rehabilitation, the Bradenton Beach-based bird and animal education and rehabilitation center.
Wildlife Inc. founder Ed Straight and his wife Gail were named The Sun’s Persons of the Year in 2015. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Beginning at 12:45 p.m., the music festival will feature performances by Concrete Edgar, Tommy Balbo & The Collective and Dos Macs with Steve Arvey. Drift In Manager Doreen Flynn seeks donations of gift baskets, gift certificates and other items from local businesses to use as raffle prizes for the fundraising efforts. The Drift In is also accepting cash donations and checks made payable to Wildlife Inc. Donations can be dropped off at the Drift In, 120 Bridge Street, Bradenton Beach, or you can call 941-778-9088 to have your donation or donated items picked up. Flynn also needs covered dishes brought to the Drift In on the day of the festival.
Founded and operated by Ed and Gail Straight, with assistance provided by volunteers, Wildlife Inc. rescues, cares for and releases injured and orphaned birds and animals. The festival proceeds will assist Wildlife Inc. with food and medication costs and will also help fund repairs needed for the bird and animal enclosures.
ANNA MARIA – The city of Anna Maria has a new ordinance on misleading advertising as part of its ongoing enforcement of vacation rental occupancy limits.
Adopted on second and final reading on Oct. 10, Ordinance 19-855 amends the city’s original misleading advertising ordinance adopted in 2016. The fines are now established in a new and separate city resolution also adopted last week.
The amended ordinance creates a legal mechanism for the city’s special magistrate to impose fines that range from five to 30 times the rental unit’s daily rate on those who repeatedly advertise excess occupancy limits.
“Repetitive misleading advertisement activity means when a vacation rental ordinance is advertised at an occupancy level that is not permitted under the vacation rental ordinance, and when discovered and notified of the misleading advertisement by the city, the advertisement is changed to the occupancy allowed, but later is changed to an occupancy that is not permitted under the vacation rental ordinance,” according to the ordinance.
“What’s happening is after five days they comply. We close the case and then they come back again and change it. It’s the repeat offenders we’re trying to address here,” Mayor Dan Murphy told the commission during last week’s meeting.
When presenting the ordinance for first reading in September, City Attorney Becky Vose said she was aware of vacation rentals in Anna Maria advertising 30-person occupancies.
According to Vose, first-time offenders will be given a warning and a few days to cure the violation before fines and subsequent enforcement processes begin.
The ordinance states a special magistrate hearing shall be required, and the special magistrate shall determine the proper and appropriate penalty for the first offense violation, not to exceed $200 per day, for which the violation continues after email notice has been sent to the management company, the individual in charge and/or the property owner if:
The violation is contested, and the special magistrate finds the property to have been in violation;
The violation is not cured within 10 days after an email notice is sent; or
The fine is not paid within 20 days after such email notice is sent.
“For repetitive misleading advertising activities, a special magistrate hearing shall be required. The special magistrate shall set the appropriate fine based upon the severity of the violation,” according to the ordinance.
The ordinance notes that the severity of the violation could include the number of occupants advertised and whether the violator has published misleading advertising before.
The ordinance states that fines levied by the special magistrate for repeat violations shall be no less than five times and no more than 30 times the rental unit’s daily rental rate.
“Every day a violation continues shall constitute a separate offense which shall be separately punished,” the amended ordinance states.
In 2015, the city commission adopted a vacation rental ordinance that limits new vacation rentals to a maximum of eight occupants. More than 100 existing vacation rentals were granted additional occupancy limits in order to resolve Bert Harris claims filed by vacation rental owners who had one year to file a claim.
Each registered vacation rental’s occupancy limit is documented as part of the city’s annual vacation rental registration requirements. The city contracts a third-party screen-scraping company to continually monitor the number of occupants advertised at Airbnb, VRBO and other online vacation rental platforms, and those advertisements are compared to the allowed occupancy limit stated in the registration documents.
HOLMES BEACH – Mayor Judy Titsworth’s first of two years in office will come to a close in November. To recognize her first year as the city’s mayor, she took some time during the Oct. 8 commission meeting to discuss some of her favorite accomplishments in the past 11 months.
“This year’s flown by and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,” she said.
Titsworth began her address by recognizing the city’s staff saying that she’s proud of the staff as well as their accomplishments and growth over the past year. A goal, she said, was to improve customer service across all departments. To that end, Titsworth created the role of director of development services, a position that Eran Wasserman from LTA Engineers is currently transitioning into. She also marked the change to Code Compliance for former Code Enforcement officers and the promotion of James Thomas as supervisor, along with the creating of another full-time clerk position in that department and their move to the public works annex building among some of the highlights for the year.
Another was the hiring of new Building Official Neal Schwartz. Titsworth took the time to thank John Fernandez, who stepped in to fill the position temporarily after the departure of former Building Official Jim McGuinness. She added that she’s also very happy to bring Planner Bill Brisson on the city staff as a full-time employee. Titsworth also thanked Engineer Lynn Burnett for her efforts on behalf of the city.
She said she’s also excited for the improvements to the city’s vacation rental certificate program to help it run more efficiently.
Titsworth also thanked Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer and his department for their work to help keep the city safe, and credits the newly-installed license plate reader system as an asset to the city’s police officers.
Along with the improvements happening at the city field complex, Titsworth said she’s particularly proud of the dog park expansion and the planned skate park, which will be built with a bowl. She said funds for the bowl were made possible through the efforts of Tom Sanger from Sanger Pools and area contractors who donated materials for the new skate park.
One of Titsworth’s goals for the next year of her term is to see some of the planned improvements throughout the city come to life, including the expansion of a multi-use path along Palm Drive, the widening of the city’s bicycle lanes and continued efforts to improve crosswalk visibility. She said that over the next year, residents can expect to see more stormwater improvements, the addition of fish cleaning stations at the T-end docks rented by the city to residents and that dredging in city canals also will begin.
In her address, Titsworth also took the time to thank each department head for their contributions to the city’s progress over the past year.
“Thank you again and it has been my honor to serve,” she said.
HOLMES BEACH – The city’s leaders are hopeful for the recovery of Spring Lake’s waters but warn residents that a full recovery is going to take some time.
Mayor Judy Titsworth briefly touched on the issue in her state of the city address Oct. 8 during a commission meeting, saying that she feels the lake is on the road to recovery, though recovery will be slow.
Though the newly-installed aeration system is running 24 hours a day now, Development Services Director Eran Wasserman said the lake is expected to improve more rapidly but that it will still take time to see the water begin to clear. He asks that lakeside residents just be patient with the process as the city’s staff and contractors work to oxygenate the water and mix the water column using the aeration system to make it a healthier environment for fish and for good bacteria to grow to help eat away at the “muck” on the bottom of the lake, comprised primarily of decayed organic matter.
During public comment, commission candidate Terry Schaefer said he feels the city needs more expert information on the water quality at Spring Lake in order to address the toxicity issues in the water. Speaking on behalf of an anonymous friend who previously worked for the EPA for 30 years, Schaefer offered the friend’s services as a water quality expert to the city at no cost. He asked only that all previous reports on the water quality at Spring Lake be shared with his friend if the city’s leaders decided to work with him.
Titsworth said that the city is currently under contract for water testing at Spring Lake and suggested that Schaefer or his friend contact newly-appointed Wasserman to see if a different expert opinion could be beneficial to the cleanup efforts.
“We appreciate you bringing this to our attention,” she said to Schaefer.
Lakeside resident Tim Gibson also spoke during public comment, saying that he hopes city leaders will consider opening the WaStop valve in the pipe from Spring Lake to the grand canal. Opening the valve would allow for more tidal flow in and out of Spring Lake, replenishing the water. Titsworth said during a previous commission meeting that she’s uncomfortable allowing the toxic water in Spring Lake to filter into the healthy water in the bay. City Engineer Lynn Burnett previously said that opening the valve, which blocks some tidal waters from entering the lake, would make the surrounding residential properties more vulnerable to flooding with exceptionally high tides and king tides.
During an Oct. 2 discussion with The Sun, Wasserman said that there are some tidal waters coming into Spring Lake, but he’s unsure of how many gallons move in and out of the lake per day.
For now, city leaders say they plan to stay the course and give the aeration system time to work while city staff considers additional options for clearing the lake waters.
HOLMES BEACH – Hundreds braved the warm weather and came out to city field for the biggest National Night Out the city has ever seen.
National Night Out is a nationwide program to provide an evening of fun for families and help community members not only become closer with each other but also have a healthy relationship with local law enforcement.
The annual event, in its fourth year, drew children and their parents from as close by as Anna Maria Island and as far away as East Bradenton and Sarasota. Everyone who came out enjoyed lots of fun, food, games and prizes for adults, big kids and little kids. The best part is that the Island community came together along with a few nearby business owners and representatives to put on the family-friendly event for free.
Dozens of sponsors provided bicycles, toys, skateboards, Kindle Fire tablets, books, games, food, drinks, bounce houses, inflatable slides and other attractions for the event. The Sun provided 30 backpacks packed with school supplies which were given out to elementary-age students. All of the donations allowed the Holmes Beach Police Department, serving as coordinator and staff for the event, to not have to charge a penny to the attendees.
Each year the event takes months to plan and dozens of sponsors and volunteers to pull off. City staff gets in on the fun, volunteering for the event, along with some of the city’s elected officials. Commissioner Carol Soustek helped the grill team from Waste Pro hand out hotdogs and chips while Commissioner Jim Kihm walked the field to check on volunteers. Commissioner Pat Morton even took a turn in the dunk tank where he was dropped into the water by City Treasurer Lori Hill. Hill and City Clerk Stacey Johnston helped hand out prizes at the park’s pavilion, which also served as a DJ booth for Code Compliance Officer James Thomas. Code Compliance Officer Nate Brown taught some of the kids new dance moves with the electric slide while volunteer Denise Johnson read to the children and showed them a few dance moves of her own.
“We want to thank all of our donors, sponsors and volunteers,” Chief Bill Tokajer said during the National Night Out festivities. “This is a great event for the community.”
The Holmes Beach National Night Out community celebration is held the first Tuesday in October each year.
Kids splash down into a pool at the end of a giant inflatable waterslide before running back up the stairs to slide down again at National Night Out. The waterslide, one of the most popular attractions in the late afternoon heat, was sponsored by Sato Real Estate. - Kristin Swain | Sun
Commissioner Carol Soustek gives the grill team from Waste Pro a helping hand by handing out hotdogs and chips. - Kristin Swain | Sun
Mayor Judy Titsworth is joined by her daughter and grandchildren at National Night Out. - Kristin Swain | Sun
A waterfall of sparkling jewels cascades from a funnel and through the fingers of one little girl who said that digging through the jewel vault, new this year, was her favorite part of National Night Out. - Kristin Swain | Sun
Some kids balance on top of an inflatable disk at a bounce house. - Kristin Swain | Sun
Volunteers hand out hula hoops for a hula hoop contest where the last person still hula hooping wins a new Kindle Fire tablet and the honor of being named Hula Hoop Champion of the World, at least until the next contest is held. - Kristin Swain | Sun
Kids compete for the title of hula hoop champion at National Night Out. - Kristin Swain | Sun
One little girl gets acquainted with a four legged Manatee County Sheriff's deputy. - Kristin Swain | Sun
One young attendee pitches a throw that sinks Holmes Beach Commissioner Pat Morton in the dunk tank at National Night Out. - Kristin Swain | Sun
Denise Johnson and Code Compliance Officer James Thomas ham it up at National Night Out. - Kristin Swain | Sun
Code Compliance Officers James Thomas and Nate Brown join Chief Bill Tokajer in handing out prizes at National Night Out. - Kristin Swain | Sun
One daredevil takes a trip down the big inflatable slide. - Kristin Swain | Sun
These volunteers take advantage of the shade while making balloon animals, crowns and flowers for everyone at National Night Out. - Kristin Swain | Sun
HOLMES BEACH – City voters will have a lot more decisions to make with their votes in November than choosing which of the four commission candidates to elect to the city commission dais.
There will be eight questions on the ballot in November. Each question was developed by members of the city’s Charter Review Commission and, if approved, will alter the city’s charter, a document outlining how the city should operate and goals for the future. Each question is answered by the choice of a simple “yes” or “no.”
The proposed charter amendments are:
Consolidating the legal description of the city located in Charter Article II into one legal description.
Adding language to Article III to further restrict the use of city-owned or controlled property to require an ordinance approved by both a super-majority vote of the city commission and a referendum placed on a general election ballot to sell, vacate, convey, transfer or abandon city-owned real property and rights of way.
Amend Article III to add language to the charter to allow city commissioners to vote on budget amendments by resolution rather than ordinance provided that funds are already appropriated and the amendment doesn’t exceed $100,000.
Delete the specific reference in Article IV that establishes charter officers in city government and require city commissioners to concur on the termination of a department head.
Clarify the scope and responsibilities of the city treasurer in Article VI to exclude the preparation of audited financial statements. The city’s annual audited financial statements are currently prepared by an independent CPA.
Delete Article IX – Building and Public Works Department from the charter entirely, removing it as a charter-required department and preventing future building officials from being placed in a charter position.
Remove Article X – Human Resources from the charter entirely. This would remove the Human Resources Specialist position from the list of city charter positions.
Transfer some of the city clerk’s election duties to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections, specifically the filing of a notice of candidacy for elected officials and the mayor. If approved, this would require candidates for elected offices to apply directly with the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office rather than with the city clerk at Holmes Beach City Hall.
City commissioners recently passed an ordinance that moved some of the city clerk’s election duties to the Supervisor of Elections Office, however, voters need to agree on the measure in order to change it in the city charter.
Is there an algorithm in your future? If you’re planning on buying or selling a house, get ready for the future of real estate.
In a world where technology has remade everything from your morning coffee to tracking your investments, the real estate market has remained very old school. Reams of paperwork are the norm and interaction with local real estate professionals is the custom in most markets around the country. It wasn’t that many years ago when local real estate associations opened up multiple listing access to consumers making practically everyone an informed expert. If the availability of multiple listing properties to everyone was a big step, wait until you see what’s coming down the road.
iBuyer computer platforms have been gradually immersing themselves in the real estate market, offering buyers and sellers practically on-the-spot gratification. An iBuyer is a company that uses technology to make an offer on your home instantly. iBuyers represent a dramatic shift in the way people are buying and selling homes, offering a simpler, more convenient alternative to traditional home sales. Just search iBuyers and you’ll be amazed at the hits you get.
Companies like Knock and Zillow are betting big time on the success of these platforms in a world where everyone is too busy to complete traditional real estate transactions. Knock, for example, helps customers buy a new home, usually an upgraded one, and then stages the old home and gets it on the market right away. There are, of course, fees for this service but for many professional couples, it’s worth it.
Zillow and others buy the property after an appraisal and the sellers move on without the hassle of selling. So far Zillow is moving along with its business plan, buying more than 1,500 homes in the second quarter of the year.
Then we have startups who are offering people with good income but not so good credit a way to get into a home. Divvy Homes buys homes then rents the homes to their clients so they can have a place to live, pay rent and build equity towards eventual ownership. This is an idea that has its roots in the real estate industry known as rent with an option to buy, which was a private contract between two parties. It worked for many buyers and sellers in the pre-tech world, especially for difficult-to-sell properties.
Now Divvy and others like Flyhomes are offering high tech plans to fill a need aimed at first-time buyers who are probably already renters. It’s not uncommon for first-time buyers to be faced with student loan debt and little or no savings while they’re getting their careers up and running.
Divvy’s plan is to charge monthly rent with about 20% of the monthly payment going toward equity to buy the property. The monthly rent is higher than what the going rate for a similar rental would be, but equity is being built. Naturally, Divvy makes most of their money from the rent paid.
Flyhomes offers a full-service brokerage, buys the homes for cash giving their clients an edge and then underwrites the potential mortgage. Naturally, there are fees attached to this as well as traditional real estate brokerage commissions.
Ask five different real estate agents what your home is worth and you’ll get five completely different answers. Ask an algorithm what your home is worth and you’ll at least get one answer which may or may not be correct. No matter how you feel about technology getting involved in real estate, we can all agree that it’s definitely a disruption.
HOLMES BEACH – Spring Lake may still have some brown water for now, but newly appointed Director of Development Services Eran Wasserman is hopeful that continuing to aerate the lake will result in clean, clear water soon.
Wasserman said that he is observing the lake visually every day and providing updates to city commissioners. What he’s looking for in these observations is water clarity, fish kills, if there’s any odor and how strong the order is, if present.
Also, he is working with representatives from Aquatic Systems to determine what the best way forward is to monitor the water quality in Spring Lake. During a September meeting, commissioners instructed him to work with City Engineer Lynn Burnett and Aquatic Systems representatives to develop a comprehensive recovery plan for the lake.
“What we see is a tremendous improvement,” Wasserman said. “There are no more fish kills as of Tuesday (Sept. 24), I can say for sure.”
The fish kill that took place over the weekend of Sept. 20-22 Wasserman said was the worst that residents could have expected to happen. Now that it’s over and there are a few fish jumping in the lake, he said the focus is on getting the water clear.
Since it’s been almost two weeks since a fish kill was observed in the lake, Wasserman said he would be recommending to city commissioners to go from running the newly installed aeration system overnight to running it 24 hours a day to speed up the oxygenation process for the toxic water lurking on the bottom of the lake. After speaking with a representative from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, he said he doesn’t believe there was anything more that could’ve been done to prevent the fish kill in September and that they’re on the best course of action to help clean up the lake. Though he did add that he’s open to considering any additional ideas to help clear the lake water, if it’s a method that would be approved by FDEP and if it can logistically be applied to Spring Lake.
“We are monitoring this, we do see improvement, but it’s unlikely to see a rapid improvement in water quality due to the fact that we are dealing with the lake and organic matter that was accumulated over there for the past 50 years or so,” he said. “So, this is where we are right now. So, all in all, we see a positive improvement and we are going to monitor this with our specialists that eventually will come up and will figure out whether there is an improvement and whether the aeration system works.” He added that among experts the aeration system is the best way to deal with the toxicity levels in Spring Lake. A contract for water testing with Aquatic Systems is expected to be presented to commissioners at a future meeting.
In the meantime, Wasserman did address two concerns from residents, one concerning the WaStop valve that prevents tidal waters from traveling from Grand Canal to Spring Lake via an outflow pipe and the second regarding the infiltration trenches surrounding the lake.
Wasserman said that the WaStop valve is still in place, but that Spring Lake receives tidal waters through two other smaller pipes coming into the lake. He said that the seawall where the WaStop valve is located is compromised, causing a safety hazard with accessing the valve. He said that he doesn’t know how many gallons of water come and go with the tides in the lake.
“This lake at this time is not completely sealed from the Bay,” he said.
To address resident concerns that the stormwater infiltration trenches around the lake are harming the lake water, Wasserman said it’s untrue.
The infiltration trenches were designed to capture stormwater runoff from the homes surrounding the lake. During a Sept. 24 commission meeting, one resident said that the trenches were having the opposite effect, filling with water and pushing stormwater and sediment into the lake.
Wasserman said that the concerns were unfounded and that he provided a letter to city officials stating that the type of infiltration trenches installed capture the pollutants that might otherwise find their way into the lake.
Another update on the condition of Spring Lake is expected at the Oct. 8 commission meeting, after press time for The Sun.
Recovery, what recovery? That’s a word we left in our rearview mirror a long time ago. It’s true in Florida generally, and Anna Maria Island specifically has recovered nicely since the financial downturn. There are areas of the country that are still struggling, but August may have been the turn-around month.
According to the National Association of Realtors, August was the strongest month for sales of United States homes in nearly a year and a half. Sales of previously owned homes rose 1.3% in August with a median sale price of $278,200, up 4.7% from the previous August. Conversely, the availability of homes for sale fell in August further increasing prices. Add to this the average fixed-rate mortgage for a 30-year loan was 3.73% at the end of September.
Is this the beginning of the national real estate market starting to turn the corner? Real estate sales have been underperforming relative to jobs and the economy as a whole and economists are viewing the statistics for the past two months as a very good sign.
If you’re interested in how the national market compares to our local Manatee County market, keep reading.
Closed single-family homes were up 10.3% from last August and the median sale price continues to be strong at $317,000, 7.1% higher than last year. The average sale price for single-family homes was $408,738, up 4% from last year. The median time to contract is down by 4.5% to only 42 days and the month’s supply of available properties is 3.3 months.
Condos closed fewer properties down at 25.9%, however, the median sale price was higher at $205,000, up 7.9%. The average sale price was also up 13.1% to $251,339. The median time to contract was up 6.4% to 50 days and the month’s supply of condos is at 3.6 months.
Sales statistics are from the Realtor Association of Sarasota Manatee.
Our sales in both the numbers of properties sold and sale prices continue to perform well compared to the national statistics. Nationally, the median single-family sale price for August was $278,200 up 4.7% from last August, compared to Manatee County’s median of $317,000 up 7.1%.
Based on the above, it’s not a surprise that the southern region of the country ended August with an increase of 3.6% in sales, making it the largest annual growth in sales volume in the country. And this may be just the beginning, as more and more high-income residents of high taxed states are just beginning to feel the effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and are taking refuge in the South.
There are 41 states that collect taxes on wages and salary, with California taking the highest percentage at 13.3%. The remaining nine states that are income tax-free are Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. If you’re a part-time resident of one of these states and are considering full-time residency, check out the individual state’s qualifications to establish permanent residency. Both the state you’re leaving and the one you’re coming to have strict and varied residency rules.
It looks like there will be big changes for Florida and other low tax states right around the corner. Nevertheless, don’t get too comfortable with what you see in the rearview mirror when it comes to real estate markets. You never know when that truck will start gaining on you.
ANNA MARIA – The i+iconSoutheast construction crane has returned to the Anna Maria City Pier construction site and repairs to the accident-damaged pier resumed late last week.
The barge upon which the crane sits crashed into the pier walkway on Tuesday, Sept. 10. The accident damaged the pier walkway about two-thirds of the way out.
Two concrete pilings damaged in the accident were removed on Sept. 19 so new pilings could be driven in their place.
On Sept 20, i+iconSoutheast Project Director Paul Johnson told Mayor Dan Murphy a damaged boom line was discovered on the crane. The crane was then demobilized and repaired. It returned to the pier construction site on Thursday, Sept. 26.
During the Sept. 26 city commission meeting, Murphy said he expected the new pilings to be driven the following day. He also said he was told the construction crew would be working on Saturday as well.
“Once the piles are driven, the beam has to be put on top and then they have to do the stringer work and then the conduits,” Murphy said of the repairs to be made. “The downside of this accident is we’re unable to start the construction on the restaurant and the bait shop.”
Murphy said those construction materials have been delivered to the pier’s T-end, but the construction of the new restaurant and bait shop cannot begin until the breach in the damaged pier walkway is repaired.
Murphy said the barge accident and subsequent repairs will push back the originally anticipated late December-early January pier opening.
“I would estimate late January, early February for an opening date of the shell of the pier, where people can return to the pier, fish and things of that nature. That would be the earliest date,” Murphy said.
It was stated at a previous meeting that the interior buildout of the restaurant and bait shop can take place while the completed pier walkway and T-end decking are open to the public.
Pier lease update
During last week’s meeting, Murphy told the commission that he and commission candidate Mark Short – a retired certified public accountant – recently spent time together exploring options on the amount of rent to be charged for the lease of the new city pier.
“The numbers have to be fine-tuned. We’re close,” Murphy said.
Murphy said he planned to communicate that information to current pier tenant Mario Schoenfelder within five days. Murphy said it would be premature to disclose the proposed rent figures discussed, but he expects to provide the commission with that information soon.
Schoenfelder hopes to enter into a new long-term lease with the city and maintain his presence on the city pier that began in 2000. Murphy and Schoenfelder recently exchanged emails in which they discussed parking considerations and insurance responsibilities for the city’s pier tenant.
Schoenfelder estimated he will have 100 to 115 seats inside and outside of the new restaurant and bait shop and he needs to know how many pier parking spaces the city will lease to its pier tenant. He also asked whether the city would consider installing some form of gated parking to restrict the use of those designated parking spaces.
HOLMES BEACH – Residents turned out in force during a Sept. 24 commission meeting to protest the city’s plans to clean up the waters in Spring Lake after the installation of an aeration system resulted in brown water and a fish kill.
A long-planned bubbling aeration system was turned on with a test start for 30 minutes on Wednesday, Sept. 18, according to engineer Eron Wasserman. He added that when a smell was noticed during the test run from the water, it was decided to turn the aeration system on only for a short time during the early morning hours, working up to running it 24 hours per day. By Saturday morning, calls were coming into the city from the residents surrounding the lake that not only was there a smell, there also was water discoloration and hundreds of dead fish floating on the lake.
Wasserman said that once he received a phone call, he arrived at Spring Lake within an hour and called public works employees to remove the accessible fish from the lake, a task he said was completed on Monday.
The system was turned off until further direction could be received from city leaders.
Environmental expert Chris Byrne, a consultant who helped City Engineer Lynn Burnett develop the city’s remediation plan for Spring Lake, said that the ammonia on the bottom layer of the lake was 10 times higher than it should be and that there is no oxygen in the bottom layer. With the aeration system, the bubbles forced into the lake through the system push the toxic layer of water up to the surface where the toxins escape into the air and the water is oxygenated. By mixing the water column continuously, Byrne said the water would once again become the healthy lake it was before it was polluted by waste spills in 2015 and 2016 from a nearby lift station. In some instances, where the lake is as bad as Spring Lake, fish kills do happen, he said.
Prior to the installation of an aeration system, the waters of Spring Lake appeared clear, though an ammonia layer of water that lacked oxygen lurked beneath the surface. – Kristin Swain | Sun
“The bottom of the lake is a sewer,” resident Carol Grayson said, adding that she has asthma and the smell coming off the lake was causing breathing problems. Her husband, Boyd Grayson, suggested that city leaders take another look at the drainage trench dug around the lake to stop runoff from surrounding homes. He said that rather than help the situation, the trenches are making runoff problems in the lake worse.
Resident Tim Gibson said he wants a solution to the issues at Spring Lake and for it to once again be a thriving home to fish and other marine life.
“It was a beautiful, beautiful part of this Island,” he said, adding that he doesn’t feel the city’s engineers understand what the previous condition of the lake was before the sewage spills polluted the water.
After an aeration system designed to help clear the water at Spring Lake was turned on, the rising toxins from the bottom of the lake turned the water brown and resulted in fish kills. – Kristin Swain | Sun
Commissioners agreed that something needs to be done to help lessen the impact on residents and restated their commitment to cleaning up Spring Lake.
Rather than slowly ramp up to a 24-hour run cycle for the aeration system, commissioners agreed to run the system for a longer period at night for up to two weeks, moving to a 24-hour run time, to expedite the circulation and oxygenation of the water on the bottom of the lake. They also requested daily updates from Wasserman and for the water to be tested weekly with a comprehensive plan on how to bring the water quality back to a clear, healthy condition. Additionally, once the water quality begins to return, Byrne said healthy bacteria will form or can be artificially introduced to the lake’s ecosystem that will slowly eat away at the organic “muck” on the bottom of the lake.
One question that remained for residents and city leaders alike is whether or not to remove the WaStop valve blocking Spring Lake from receiving tidal flows from Bimini Bay.
The valve was installed by Burnett to prevent flooding through the lake’s water rising due to abnormally high tide events, such as king tides. Nearby residents and Commissioner Rick Hurst questioned whether or not it would be a good idea to open the pipe back up and allow the seawater in to help flush out Spring Lake. Mayor Judy Titsworth said she didn’t think it would be a good idea to expose the bay to the toxic water in Spring Lake. Byrne and Wasserman both said they could not address the issue, with Wasserman adding that Burnett would be needed to provide an expert opinion.
Burnett did not respond to requests for comment.
“The aeration will take time,” Titsworth said to the assembled concerned residents. “It’s going to be bad, but we lived through red tide and we will live through this. We all want to make it right.”
BRADENTON BEACH – Made from hemp plants, CBD (cannabidiol) oils, creams and other products are legal in Florida, but Bradenton Beach’s drug-free workplace ordinance prohibits city employees from using them.
During the Tuesday, Sept. 10 commission work meeting, Police Chief Sam Speciale asked the City Commission to consider amending the city’s drug-free workplace policy to allow employees and officers to use legally available CBD products that contain only minuscule levels of THC – the cannabinoid that produces the sensation of being high.
Speciale said some city employees have approached him about the city’s drug-free workplace policy as it applies to CBD use. He said his research indicates non-THC CBD products contain less than one half of one percent of THC and it is unlikely those trace amounts would show up in a drug screen.
Speciale suggested amending the city’s drug-free workplace policy to allow the use of non-THC CBD products. He said his suggestion pertained only to “non-THC” cannabis products, and not to the use of medicinal marijuana and marijuana products that contain higher levels of THC.
The city adopted its drug-free workplace ordinance in 2015 and cannabinoids are one of 14 drugs, including alcohol, that city employees, including police officers, can be tested for if they are injured at work or involved in a work-related accident.
City employees sign a drug-free workplace acknowledgment form that includes the following language: “I understand that if I am injured in the course and scope of my employment and test positive, or refuse to be tested, I forfeit my eligibility for medical and indemnity benefits under the Workers’ Compensation Act.”
Code Enforcement Office Gail Garneau noted physicians can legally prescribe non-TCH CBD products to be obtained through regulated providers.
City Clerk Terri Sanclemente noted CBD products are legal according to state law but are still prohibited by federal law.
“The employees need to really be aware of what they’re giving up,” Sanclemente said in reference to risking their workers’ compensation coverage.
“The list of drugs in the policy is just the list of drugs the city can test for. The problem here is the definitions: Is it a legal drug or not? It’s legal in the state of Florida. It’s not legal as far as the federal government is concerned, so, where are we?” Building Official Steve Gilbert added.
Speciale said when he was recovering from back surgery, he was allowed to continue working while taking physician-prescribed, opiate-based hydrocodone pills. He questioned why that is allowed but using non-opiate, physician-prescribed CBD products is not.
Speciale said some employees seeking non-opiate pain relief might be willing to take the chance that their CBD products will not show up in a drug screen.
Mayor John Chappie asked if the city would be exposed to additional liability if city employees were allowed to use CBD products.
Sanclemente said she contacted the Florida League of Cities and was told allowing city employees to use CBD products could jeopardize the liability insurance the city receives through the league’s Florida Municipal Insurance Trust.
Chappie said his concerns extend beyond a city employee getting injured and failing a drug screen. He asked what would happen if a citizen or someone else was injured in an incident or accident involving a city employee allowed to use CBD.
“They come after the city and we don’t have the Florida League backing us up. They’ll have Morgan and Morgan here in a heartbeat,” Chappie said.
Sensing no favorable outcome, Speciale asked the commission to discontinue the discussion and he withdrew it from agenda.
