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Tag: Anna Maria Island

Castles in the Sand

Uncovering a home’s defects

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

The definition of “disclose” is to uncover or reveal. When it comes to uncovering problems in a property you’re interested in purchasing, the pathway is cluttered with rules that are frequently unclear. Nevertheless, about once a year I like to do a column about real estate disclosure, and late summer is a good time to review this in preparation for the upcoming selling season.

Last week I focused specifically on disclosing previous flooding incidents. This week I’ll touch on many of the other aspects of home disclosures.

In an effort to protect buyers, many states are holding sellers responsible to disclose defects before closing. Since 1985, Florida law has provided for that as well.  As we reviewed last week, the Florida Seller’s Disclosure form is not mandatory for sellers to fill out and sign, however, they are still required to disclose any material defects in the property that could affect the value of that property if they are aware of it, and this is where it gets foggy. If a seller states he/she has no previous knowledge of, for instance, sinkholes and after the closing a sinkhole develops, can the new owner hold the previous owner responsible? According to state law, after closing the onus is on the new owner to prove that the previous owner knew about the defect and willfully did not disclose it.

Some of the points covered on a seller’s disclosure are potential claims against the property or pending court cases, including in the case of condominiums; special assessments that have been approved; all of the HOA or condominium association rules and fees, boundary issues for single-family homes; the aforementioned sinkholes; and environmental hazards such as asbestos, lead paint, mold, Chinese drywall construction, and wood-destroying organisms. Disclosure also includes the condition of major systems, like plumbing, air conditioning and heat and electrical. Condition of appliances is also a disclosure item as is in-ground pools, hot tubs and, of course, roofs.

The approximately six-page form does not specifically ask about property tax, which is easily acquired from county property rolls, but sellers are generally asked what the annual property tax is, flood insurance if the property is in a flood zone and frequently utility bills. Buyers should not rely on any information about taxes and certainly not utilities. The amount of property taxes that the buyer may be obligated to pay in the year subsequent to purchase will undoubtedly change since a sale triggers reassessment of the property generally based on purchase price.

Finally, sellers will be relieved to know that if the property was the site of a homicide, suicide or death, it is not considered a material fact and does not need to be disclosed. Further, according to Florida law, if the property was inhabited by an individual with HIV/AIDS, it is not required to disclose this fact. Also, if the seller shares with you or the real estate broker that they believe the house is haunted, there is no legal disclosure ruling one way or the other; essentially the law is silent on this.

Pretty much you can assume that any tangible defect related to a property needs to be disclosed, whether it is in writing or verbally. However, I would encourage all sellers to fill out the written disclosure statement providing the buyers with a feeling of transparency and avoiding any misunderstandings about the condition of the property. Nice when things are uncluttered.

New evidence in Morris case may point to murder

New evidence in Morris case may point to murder

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Beach Beat, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – More than 10 years after Sheena Morris’ death was determined to be a suicide, her mother says she has new evidence that her daughter was murdered.

Morris was found dead by police, hanging in a shower by her dog’s leash in room 525 of the BridgeWalk Resort on New Year’s Day 2009 after staff reported hearing dogs barking inside. Bradenton Beach police determined that her death was a suicide.

But Kelly Osborn has never given up the fight to prove her belief that her daughter was murdered at age 22 by her then-fiancé, 45-year-old Joseph Genoese, after an argument that prompted a call to Bradenton Beach police. Two officers spoke to Morris shortly after 1 a.m., after Genoese had left, according to Bradenton Beach Police Department (BBPD) records. Later that day, around 2 p.m., BBPD responded again, this time to assist staff with an eviction due to the barking dogs. Instead, they and discovered Morris’ body. Genoese was not charged. Bradenton Beach police did not return calls Monday.

After asking the BBPD, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to revisit the case, the official manner of death remained “suicide.” Osborn said the FDLE investigation unfairly focused on her daughter’s character, publishing information such as her previous employment as an exotic dancer, and concluding there was no evidence of a homicide.

Osborn staged a “March for Justice” in Pinellas County, where she lives, criticizing law enforcement for their conclusions.

She took the case to the Dr. Phil show, where Genoese failed a lie detector test on national television.

Joseph Genoese and Sheena Morris
Joseph Genoese and Sheena Morris – Submitted

Now she’s taking new evidence to the press.

Osborne hired Pensacola-based private investigator Jan Johnson, of Forensic Pieces, a certified Senior Crime Scene Analyst who spent her career with the FBI, FDLE and Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, according to the company’s website.

Johnson asked Osborn to look at photos from the scene again last year.

“I didn’t want to go there again,” Osborn said. So Johnson narrowed it down to one photo, taken at the scene, showing marks in a geometric pattern on Sheena’s lower back that she says match the wicker pattern in a chair pictured in the hotel room.

New evidence in Morris case may point to murder
The wicker hotel chair pattern compared to marks on Sheena Morris’ lower back, in a photo taken after her death. – Jan Johnson | Submitted

“I looked at it and I’m like, ‘Oh my God. Now I know.’ But I‘ve known all along,” Osborn said.

When the hotel redecorated, Osborn said she was able to obtain one of the chairs so that investigators could take measurements and better compare them to the photo of the marks on her daughter’s back.

What they found, according to Johnson, is that Morris must have been seated in the wicker chair after her death, indicating that she was moved to the shower and hung by someone else.

Forensic Pieces investigators say that the marks were caused by a process called “lividity,” in which blood pools in the body after the heart stops pumping at death. The marks were not detected in the autopsy because Morris’ body was moved to a horizontal position on a gurney before the lividity became fixed, or permanent, according to investigators.

The marks show that the hanging was staged, according to Forensic Pieces, which has used the case to teach law enforcement investigators about how murders can be staged as suicides.

“We’re trying to get them to take a second look at the new evidence,” Johnson said. “We would like somebody to reopen the case. FDLE has a lab; they could submit this to their lab.”

Meanwhile, Osborn, who lives about six miles from the man she suspects of murdering her daughter, is not planning any more marches for justice.

“I know that my daughter was murdered. I could only hope that justice could be served. But right now, sometimes there’s justice, and sometimes there’s just us.”

Paid parking may be coming to county boat ramps

Paid parking may be coming to county boat ramps

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

MANATEE COUNTY – A user fee is being proposed for boaters using any of the Manatee County managed boat ramps.

There are 10 county-managed boat ramps in Manatee County with three on Anna Maria Island, Kingfish Boat Ramp in Holmes Beach and the Coquina North and South Boat Ramps in Bradenton Beach, and one, the Palma Sola Boat Ramp, on the Palma Sola Causeway near Flamingo Cay. With renovations needed at Kingfish, Coquina South and Palma Sola, along with a planned parking expansion at the Highland Shores Boat Ramp, county leaders are looking for a way to help pay for repairs, management and ongoing maintenance. During an Aug. 15 work session, Parks and Natural Resources Director Charlie Hunsicker presented a plan – charge the boat ramp users a fee.

The proposal from the Parks and Natural Resources staff is to charge $5 per day for boat trailer parking spaces. If the fee is charged, it’s estimated that each parking space would generate $500 in revenue each year, equaling $146,500 in annual revenue for 293 trailer parking spaces. The estimate to install solar-powered parking machines at the boat ramps is $65,000 with $5,400 in annual data costs.

Commissioner Carol Whitmore said that with the amount of money that would be raised with paid parking, she doesn’t feel that it’s worth it.

“I don’t support them, 100%,” she said. “I just don’t support charging to park our boats.” She added that she hopes her fellow commissioners won’t support paid parking at boat ramps either.

Commissioner Vanessa Baugh said she is more in favor of charging for paid parking at the boat ramps due to the use of the ramps for commercial businesses.

“I don’t think it’s right that a commercial fisherman should be able to use our ramps to run their business,” she said.

Commissioner Priscilla Whisenant Trace said that she believes that fishermen would be willing to pay to park if it gave them access to the county’s busy boat ramps. She added that she hopes the county finds a way to expand its boat ramps and maybe a way to provide preferential treatment for boaters who live in Manatee County.

“It only makes sense to charge user fees,” Commissioner Besty Benac said.

Kingfish boat ramp
The Kingfish Boat Ramp in Holmes Beach is planned to undergo a minimum of a $4.5 million renovation. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

With the number of registered vessels in Manatee County jumping from 17,940 in 2015 to 20,931 in 2018, the county’s boat ramps are operating over capacity on a regular basis, according to Hunsicker. Adding in the approximately 395,000 Manatee County residents, the presentation notes that there should be 52 boat ramp lanes in the county to adequately accommodate everyone according to standards outlined in the county’s comprehensive plan. There are currently 18 boat ramp lanes in use in Manatee County in the nine improved boat ramps, not including the Lake Manatee Boat Ramp. In the nine boat ramps, there are 293 trailer parking spaces, not including those available to other vehicles.

Hunsicker also proposed creating a public-private partnership to create new boat ramps in the area, specifically one with Pen Bay 1 LLC to create a new four-lane boat ramp with access to Palma Sola Bay and 80 parking spaces in Cortez at the site of the proposed Peninsula Bay residential subdivision project. He said that the project as proposed would not change the shoreline of Palma Sola Bay.

He said the developer estimated in 2018 that the construction costs for the project, including cutting a channel to the bay, would be $10-15 million with the costs shared between the county and the developer. If county leaders opt to move forward with the project, Hunsicker said the developer is ready to go into design for the project as early as fiscal year 2020.

Whitmore said she feels “very good” about the possibilities of the project and applauded the developer for wanting to commit land to a public boat ramp that could be developed into more housing.

Currently, funds for boat ramp projects and renovations come from either matching funds with the West Coast Inland Navigation District or the Florida Boating Improvement Program from vessel registration fees. Without finding additional funding sources, Hunsicker said the county won’t meet their goals over the next five years to renovate existing boat ramps.

No decisions were made by commissioners due to the discussion taking place during a work session.

Related coverage

Palma Sola Boat Ramp remains closed

Paid Island parking rejected by local leaders

County fast-tracks Kingfish improvements

Anna Maria Elementary open for learning

Anna Maria Elementary open for learning

Written by Tom Vaught on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News, Schools.

HOLMES BEACH – The new school year got off to a relatively calm start Monday morning with a break in the rainy weather and a concerted effort by staff to keep track of how the students would be going home.

Before the students were allowed inside the building, teachers and staff determined whether they would walk or bike home, take the bus or ride with their parents. Each had a color-coded bracelet around his/her wrist to avoid confusion.

Outside, Makena Corr, Eliana Romeo and Mya Ferrari raised the United States flag, a duty that will be repeated every school day.

Students seemed too intent on getting to their classrooms to be worried about the first day of school. In the hall in front of Kelly Crawford’s kindergarten class, kids and their parents waited for the door to be opened then received the emotional good-bye hug and kiss from the folks to send them on their way to school.

Anna Maria Elementary hug
John Agnelli hugs his daughter, Sadie, before she heads into the kindergarten classroom of teacher Kelly Crawford for her first day of school at Anna Maria Elementary School. – Tom Vaught | Sun

Crawford is the only kindergarten teacher so far this year. There was a drop in the number of kindergarten enrollees and it bucked the trend of girls outnumbering the boys. Her class has 12 boys and four girls. Bridget Querrard, who also taught kindergarten last year, will teach third grade this year. This will settle and could change after a count of students on the 10th day of the school year.

After the bell rang, some parents headed for the “boo-hoo breakfast” held by the PTO, where last year’s president, Janae Rudacille, and this year’s president, Jamie Hynckle, spoke and the new parents heard from several staff members and teachers. Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer introduced former resource officer Sgt. Brian Copeman and current resource officer Josh Fleischer, who will be providing security at the school.

Anna Maria Elementary last hug
Brian Biegel hugs his son, Brydon, outside the kindergarten classroom. – Tom Vaught | Sun

It was a positive start to the first day of school and AME Principal Jackie Featherston said she was sure it would be a productive one for the kids.

‘Miracle Baby’ needs help

‘Miracle Baby’ needs help

Written by Tom Vaught on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Churches, Community News.

ANNA MARIA – A child born three months premature on April 19, 2016, to Roser Community Church Facilities Administrator Charles Wade and his wife, Brenda, still faces a rocky future. Her parents and Roser officials are asking the Island community for help in the form of prayer and money.

Arianna Wade weighed only 11 ounces when she was born and, at that time, she was the smallest ever born at Sarasota Hospital. She became known as the “Miracle Baby” and on Dec. 19, 2016, Arianna came home from the hospital. She was considered to a great Christmas present for Charles and Brenda. On Dec. 12, 2018, Arianna played the part of Baby Jesus in the annual Roser Walk to Bethlehem.

Miracle Baby Arianna Wade
‘Miracle Baby’ Arianna Wade is now three years old.

Arianna has been undergoing ongoing treatment at St. Petersburg Children’s Hospital, and when she recently went in for a routine procedure to open up her airway, doctors discovered there was nothing more they could do for her. They referred her to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

Once again, the church and family are asking for help in the form of prayers and money. Those wishing to help with the upcoming expenses may go to www.roserchurch.com/give to donate online (use the Arianna Miracle Fund line item) or make checks payable to Roser Church and note “For Arianna” on the memo line. Donations can be dropped off at the church office or mailed to Roser Church, PO Box 247, Anna Maria, FL 34216. The money that comes in will be distributed to Charles Wade on a monthly basis.

Pier opening discussed

Pier opening discussed

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Anna Maria, Community News.

ANNA MARIA – Commission Chairman Brian Seymour asked Mayor Dan Murphy if the new City Pier will be opened to the public before the interior buildout of the T-end buildings is complete.

“I’ve been getting a lot of questions about it,” Seymour said during the City Commission’s Thursday, Aug. 8, meeting.

“When can they actually, physically walk on the pier?” Seymour asked.

“That’s a complex question,” Murphy responded. “As soon as we possibly can.”

Murphy said the pier opening depends on who the city’s pier tenant is, what the tenant’s plans are and how much of the city-owned pier is leased to current pier tenant Mario Schoenfelder or some other pier tenant.

“As soon as that shell’s finished it would be great to open it up – that’s what’s in the back of my mind,” Murphy said.

“The buildout can go on inside the building. It shouldn’t be too disruptive to have people on the pier fishing and doing whatever. That would be the ideal situation, but it would only be fair to let the tenant weigh in on that,” he added.

Seymour asked if the city’s position was to allow people back on the pier once the main construction of pier-end buildings is complete.

Murphy said if he can reach an agreement with Schoenfelder this week, the city would like to allow people back on the pier while the interior buildout takes place – a process Murphy said could take 60 to 90 days to complete once the exterior shell is finished.

“We want access to the pier,” Murphy said.

Murphy said the public restrooms for the pier-end buildings must be completed before the pier can be opened to the public and the pier tenant is responsible for the bathroom fixtures.

The main pier structure is scheduled for completion during the first week of September. Frank Agnelli’s Mason Martin Builders will then begin constructing the restaurant and bait shop buildings. That work is expected to be completed by year’s end.

Related coverage

Pier progressing as planned

Aubry files ADA complaint about pier railings

Pier lease talks gain momentum

Chappie will seek a second term as mayor

Chappie will seek a second term as mayor

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – Mayor John Chappie will seek reelection in the 2019 city elections.

“I do plan on running for a second term as mayor. I’ll be filling out my initial paperwork this week and my final paperwork during qualifying week in late August,” Chappie told The Sun on Sunday.

“During the last couple years, our community has been faced with difficult challenges that go to the core of good government and our city has risen to the challenges. We have defended people’s constitutional right to an open and transparent government,” Chappie said.

“In the past two years, we’ve corrected financial issues experienced by past administrations and we received the highest positive comments during our most recent financial audit thanks to our great administrative department led by City Clerk Terri Sanclemente.

“In recent years, we have received over $3.5 million from numerous sources other than our property taxes for capital improvement projects such as stormwater, the floating dock, the boat lift we’ll install for our police boat, seagrass mitigation and storm hardening for our city buildings,” Chappie said.

“Our CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) board is moving forward with major projects using incremental tax dollars the county would have kept had we not had a CRA district,” he added.

“Much has been done in the past two years, there’s much to be done and I want to be a part of it. Hopefully, the people of Bradenton Beach will choose me to continue as the mayor of our city,” Chappie said of his desire to serve another two-year term.

Spooner files paperwork

On Thursday, Aug. 8, Vice Mayor and Ward 1 Commissioner Jake Spooner opened his campaign checking account and deposited $5,000 as a loan from himself to his campaign.

Spooner then drove over to the Supervisor of Elections Office in Bradenton and filed the form stating he will serve as his own campaign treasurer. He also filed the statement of candidate form that acknowledges he understands the campaign finance requirements contained in Chapter 106 of Florida Statutes.

Commissioner White

Incumbent Commissioner Randy White has not indicated whether he will seek a second term in office. White has missed several city meetings in recent months. He has also participated in several meetings by phone during the past six months.

White is a commercial airline pilot based out of New York. In 2018, White told The Sun his wife is a Canadian resident who lives in Toronto and occasionally visits Bradenton Beach.

Related coverage

Cole, Maro retain Bradenton Beach commission seats

Chappie and White win Bradenton Beach elections

We are golden: The 50th anniversary of Woodstock

We are golden: The 50th anniversary of Woodstock

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Entertainment, Music.

By Brian Finelli – I arrived at Woodstock in Bethel, N.Y. from New Jersey – home from the University of Tampa for the summer. I was familiar with music festivals, having made it to the Miami and Atlanta pop festivals in 1968.

We set up our camp with tents and sleeping bags and awakened the next morning to a sea of people. The Woodstock Generation was born. Woodstock might be the most famous rock concert and festival ever held. In an era of cultural and political shifts, activism and war, one weekend 50 years ago defined an entire generation.

Woodstock
Bradenton Beach resident and Holmes Beach barber Brian Finelli still has his ticket from the Woodstock music festival in 1969. – Pam Lee | Submitted

The age of peace, love and rock-n-roll celebrates its golden anniversary at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts Aug. 15-18, marking 50 years since the Woodstock festival. Think about it – half-a-million people living together under poor conditions for three days and not the least bit of trouble. Instead, people went out of their way to be good to you.

“Milestoning,” as we’ll call it, might offer a chance to escape the current troubling reality of ecological emergency and mass shootings. The frenzy of collective remembering supplies an excuse to briefly forget everything else. I want to be reminded of the power of love, and I hope current and future generations use the lessons of Woodstock to fix these modern problems.

Looking back on that experience, and uncovering our words from so long ago, I never expected Woodstock’s impact to carry through for half a century. If there’s a lesson to be learned from the Woodstock Generation, it’s to live in the present and be there now. It’s funny how today I feel like I’m returning the spirit of that glorious event. Peace on earth.

Castles in the Sand

How to determine the truth about home flooding

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

Home inspections and seller property disclosures are an intricate part of home buying. You would think a seller’s disclosure is pretty clear cut, but it’s far from that, especially when it comes to flooding.

Flooding is the one thing potential property owners on bodies of water want to know the most about but, in fact, know the least. In Florida, there is a seller’s property disclosure form provided by the Florida Realtors Association. Although this form is provided to sellers when they list their property for sale with a real estate professional in Florida, they have no legal obligation to fill it out and sign it. Sellers and their realtors do, however, have a legal obligation to disclose to the buyer all facts that can materially affect the value of the property. It just doesn’t have to be in writing.

When it comes to the disclosure on previous or present flooding, sellers are only required to disclose what they know. If the house was flooded five years before they purchased and they were not aware of it, there’s nothing to pass on to a new buyer. Essentially sellers are required to disclose material defects to buyers that they know about.

Since most home inspectors cannot determine if a home has been flooded in the past, where do buyers go for a history of the property’s flooding? It’s a good question and one that U.S. lawmakers are just starting to look at. The House Financial Services Committee advanced legislation in June that would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to share information about a property’s flood history. This would be a least a step in the right direction for buyers, but when and how this information is provided could be a long way off.

FEMA has recently released data on all 2.4 million flood damage claims processed since the 1970s. Unfortunately, it’s not a practical reference for individuals because of size and lack of address referencing. FEMA does update federal flood zone maps but again that is geared more for insurance companies and gives no information specific to individual properties.

There are some organizations that are trying to improve flood disclosure information. One of them is First Street which collaborates with Columbia University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology among others. It is building a comprehensive database of homes that have flooded or are at risk of future flooding. It uses satellite imagery, high watermark data and other information, including FEMA data on flood claims, to determine if homes may have been flooded.

This information is not new; it has been available to large real estate owners but was financially out of reach for individuals. First Street claims it will launch its database within a year and it will be free for individuals to access. Sounds great, but there is a big margin of error within some of this information. It goes without saying that the impact on property values could be enormous. Will buyers’ willingness to purchase a property be influenced based on this new, possibly subjective information?

Next week we’ll talk about all the other disclosure requirements in Florida and there are plenty. Purchasing property on or near bodies of water, oceans, rivers and lakes are all susceptible to flooding and are inherently risky. There are no guarantees in life and certainly none in homeownership. Do your due diligence with the information available and hope for the best. Look on the bright side, at least we don’t live with the threat of earthquakes.

More Castles in the Sand:

It’s all about the kitchen

Calming waters

The condo dance

Reel Time: Scallop Search Aug. 24

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

Sarasota Bay Watch’s annual Scallop Search, its signature and longest-standing event, is slated for Saturday, Aug. 24, at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron on City Island. This free event engages the public in what has been called citizen science because it assists scientists with monitoring the scallops in Sarasota Bay. The search is a boating event, but Sarasota Bay Watch (SBW) will try to place non-boaters on boats when possible.

Over the years this event has been conducted in cooperation with other groups in Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound to assess the health of scallops in southwest Florida. This year, Sarasota Bay Watch will also be assessing our local clam population after the successful release of 250,000 clams last year. The bay is still recovering from last year’s devastating red tide, so your participation will help answer the question “How’s our bay today?”

Over the last several years, SBW has gotten invaluable support from The Anna Maria Island Sail and Power Squadron (America’s Boating Club of the Bradenton area). The Squadron’s focus is boating education and civic service to groups like SBW. It is currently creating a life preserver loan program for boaters and conducts vessel safety checks.

Janet Razze, the commander of the group, has organized the squadron and other volunteers to monitor Palma Sola Bay and north Sarasota Bay. Razze and the group begin early, actively looking for scallops and clams in a two- to three-week window before the actual event. This allows more people to be involved as it allows them to work around weather and people’s availability. They then have their data ready to share on the 24th. If you would like to participate with the squadron give Razze a call at 941- 779-5477. Participants will still need to go online to register.

To assess populations, a grid is constructed that covers the bay and volunteers snorkel transects for scallops and clams to document their presence. The Scallop Search was originally initiated with support provided by Tampa Bay Watch. The goal of the event is to monitor and document the health and status of scallops, clams and the bay in general. Data goes to the Florida Wildlife Research Institute.

This event is a perfect family activity. Searching requires swimming and snorkeling abilities. It is done over the grass flats usually in six feet of water or less. There will be a complimentary lunch for volunteers after the search at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron on City Island. This is a No Harvest event.

Participants will need to bring a mask and snorkel, sunscreen, water, and (optional) a weight belt. Fins are helpful, and divers should bring a dive flag if they have one. The only other requirements are good eyes and a great spirit! Registration is required, so go to www.sarasotabaywatch.org for more information.

More Reel Time:

Reel Time: Grant boosts SBW clam restoration effort

Reel Time: Cameras – catch and release digitally

Reel Time: Success – opportunity meets preparedness

Adult co-ed sports up the challenge

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

As the youth indoor soccer season moves to a close, the adults take to the indoor gridiron for the first time in years at The Center of Anna Maria Island. Meanwhile, the big kids also continue to play the adult co-ed soccer league, playing the third week of the summer season.

The top of the rankings on the gridiron have four of the six teams with tied records of two wins and a single loss. Teams Lancaster Design, Progressive Cabinetry, Moss Builders and Gulfview Windows and Doors share position at the top of the heap with more than half the season still to play.

Team Hasmark Sports lost in a close one against Gulfview, taking its record to 1-2. Still seeking its first win, Team Ugly Grouper played a tough game against another veteran squad in Lancaster Design.

In the game against Team Ugly Grouper, Lancaster Designs’ Anthony Mannino grabbed the catch for three touchdown receptions, along with two touchdowns for teammate Karri Stephens. With his solid hands, Jay Hoffmeister added critical three extra points in the game.

Ugly Grouper’s Anthony McCance and Sirkevius Williams both put points on the scoreboard in the game, but their efforts just were not enough to overcome the other team.

Team captain Ryan Moss threw for four passing touchdowns, as well as caught a touchdown of his own in the second game last Thursday night for Gulfview Windows and Doors. Tyler Lancaster, Brandin Holcomb and Jordan DeMers all had scoring receptions of their own, assisting in their team’s win.

In the loss, Hashmark Sports’ Chase Richardson and Corey Banks put six points on the board, with follow-up point-afters by Octavious Cole.

Ray Gardner led his team to another victory with two passing throws that lead to touchdowns and two end-zone victory dances in Moss Builders’ win against Progressive Cabinetry.

Gardner’s teammates, Mike Gillum and Jon Moss, took the football to the end zone in the game, scoring 32 points between the three of them. The team’s scoring was topped with an extra point conversion by Chad Woods, who had three catches in the game.

Despite the loss, Progressive Cabinetry had three players who put up points – Ben Sato, Skylar Sostack and Jaret Rojas.

Facing the small nets and the boards in the Island’s gymnasium, the adults started the indoor soccer season with six games going head-to-head. With scores that look like American football scores, the fast-paced game had the yellow indoor soccer balls whizzing by the goalies.

Progressive Cabinetry spread the scoring among all six players on the team’s roster. In addition to their goals, Ryley Moore, Diego Felipe and Steve Oelfke had goalie stats of their own with critical saves.

Team captain Keith Mahoney scored five goals for his team, along with scores by Jose Urbiola Bolanos and Jason Chiofalo. Chiofalo had 10 saves in the game in addition to the eight saves by Freddy Lenhert in the team’s effort.

Goalie Robb Marshall’s 14 saves just were not enough for Slim’s Place in its fight against Moss Builders. Lexi Sato, Teddy Louloudes and Jose Casaras put the ball in the net past Moss Builder’s goalie Omar Polar.

Juan Carlos, with five goals for Moss Builders, added to the six total goals by Miguel Ajoy and Anil Akbulut for their team’s win.

Team Ugly Grouper, led by Chris Klotz, squeaked by Sato Real Estate in the final indoor game of the night. Klotz had eight saves and two goals in the night. John Haggerty stopped nine strikes and had a goal of his own.

Grouper’s Olaf Krause took it to the net twice, and Yuri Pereira put on the heat with his four goals and the team’s win.

Josh Sato, Adam Bujarski, Ryan Moss and Mark Rudacille put up a total of seven goals in the game, with four saves by Moss and five by Rudacille to end the night of adult indoor soccer.

With the youth indoor soccer league finishing with the championship games this week, the adults will supply the sports action for the rest of the summer at The Center.

Related coverage

Cloud Pest Control overshadows Solid Rock Construction

Summer sports heat up at The Center

Youth indoor soccer heats up the summer

Anchorage enforcement remains a work in progress

Anchorage enforcement remains a work in progress

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – City officials continue their quest for more effective anchorage enforcement of the unmanaged navigable waters near the Bridge Street Pier.

Those unmanaged waters and the liveaboard boaters were discussed at the Wednesday, July 31, city commission work meeting.

The discussion began with public comment from neighboring resident Mary Bell.

“The anchorage and the mooring area is a big part of our community. I’ve lived here four years and I’d have to say it is a deteriorating part of our community. That particular area is the sore thumb in the midst of very positive progress going on all around it,” Bell said.

Her concerns include vessels being rented to other liveaboards, raw sewage being discharged into the bay, anchored boats serving as floating billboards, noise and more.

“You can get some really rowdy behavior out there, especially at night – lots of fighting, lots of drug traffic too,” Bell said.

Lt. John Cosby and Officer Eric Hill lead the Bradenton Beach Police Department’s marine enforcement efforts. A special act of the Florida Legislature in 2006 gives the city jurisdiction of the bay waters within 1,500 feet of the shoreline from Eighth Street South to the south side of the Cortez Bridge.

Bradenton Beach Anchorage Enforcement
Officer Eric Hill and Lt. John Cosby lead the city’s efforts to bring liveaboard boaters into compliance with boating laws and regulations. The unmanaged waters near the Bridge Street Pier are home to compliant and non-compliant boaters alike. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Cosby, Police Chief Sam Speciale and City Attorney Ricinda Perry have been discussing possible tweaks to the city’s marine anchorage and mooring ordinance and they were further discussed at last week’s meeting.

Limited capabilities

Cosby addressed Bell’s concerns and provided the commission with an honest assessment of the city’s enforcement capabilities and limitations.

Cosby said sewage discharge is governed by state and federal agencies and enforced by the U.S. Coast Guard. He said the Coast Guard recently inspected three boats anchored near the pier. Citations were issued and the judge levied fines, but the court does not order boat owners to correct problems they’re cited for.

Cosby said this creates a repetitive enforcement scenario that often results in new citations being issued for the same offenses after 30 days have passed.

Cosby said only five empty or abandoned boats remain in those city-patrolled waters. He said three of those were tagged for potential removal last week and two more will be tagged this week. Cosby expects at least one of the tagged boats to be temporarily relocated to Palmetto.

“Once they’re out of our jurisdiction, I can’t do anything to them. If they come back, I have to start this process all over again,” Cosby said.

“Everybody else is liveaboard. I have no way to remove these people off the boat in order to take the boat. All I can do is continue to cite them and go through the court system. We’re putting as much pressure as we can put on. I don’t know what else we can do. Our hands are really tied.” Cosby said.

Cosby said the enforcement challenges are partially the result of state legislators’ reluctance to take on Florida’s powerful boating lobby and enact stronger laws and regulations regarding non-compliant vessels.

Cosby said 38 derelict vessels have been removed in the past three years while working within the current limitations.

“We have some good boaters out there; they’re not all bad,” Cosby noted.

But he said one couple owns six of the more-problematic boats, and they live on one and rent out the others.

Cosby later identified the couple as Jeremy Thomas and May Galloway. Cosby said Thomas and Galloway been cited on multiple occasions for non-criminal boating infractions, and Manatee County court records support that statement. According to Manatee County court records, Thomas and Galloway were also both adjudicated guilty to second-degree felony charges for the sale of a controlled substance, Oxycodone, in 2012.

Requested changes

During last week’s meeting, Cosby requested an amendment to the city ordinance that would follow current state law and reduce from 45 days to 21 days the time the owner of a boat tagged as abandoned or derelict is given to request a hearing or bring the boat into compliance to prevent it from being removed.

Cosby and the commission requested ordinance language that prohibits more than three powered or non-powered vessels being tethered together.

Cosby and the commission requested language that prohibits attaching or tethering floating platforms to a vessel. They also requested language would allow for the removal of dinghies beached on public rights of way.

Mayor John Chappie said the city of Palmetto is dealing with similar issues. He suggested working with the city’s lobbyist, the ManaSota League of Cities and the Florida League of Cities to encourage state legislators to enact laws that better address derelict vessels.

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Mayor proposes maintaining current millage rate

Mayor proposes maintaining current millage rate

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Anna Maria, Community News.

ANNA MARIA – Mayor Dan Murphy proposes maintaining the longstanding 2.05 millage rate for the 2019-2020 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

When discussing the budget with city commissioners on July 25, Murphy noted Anna Maria has consistently had the lowest millage rate of the three Island cities.

If the millage rate is adopted as proposed, property owners will pay $2.05 for every $1,000 of their property’s assessed value after applying any homestead exemptions and/or other tax exemptions.

Due to increased property values, maintaining the current millage rate will result in ad valorem property tax increases for many property owners, but Homestead exemptions applied to permanent full-time residences limit to 3% (or the annual change in the Consumer Price Index) the annual increase that can be applied to a Homesteaded property’s assessed taxable value.

The city anticipates collecting approximately $2.46 million in ad valorem taxes in the 2019-2020 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. City Treasurer LeAnne Addy said maintaining the current millage rate would provide the city with approximately $214,000 in additional ad valorem tax revenues compared to the current fiscal year.

The city also anticipates collecting $300,503 in vacation rental licensing fees in the coming fiscal year.

The 2019-20 budget remains a work in progress and is scheduled for discussion again at commission’s Thursday, Aug. 8, budget meeting that begins at 6 p.m.

Anna Maria’s 2019-2020 fiscal year budget will be presented for final adoption during two public hearings in September.

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Special magistrate rules in favor of city

Special magistrate rules in favor of city

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – There were eight cases on the docket for a code compliance special magistrate hearing July 31. Six cases were granted a continuance to a Sept. 11 hearing. The continuance requested for the additional two cases was denied and the two were heard and ruled on by Special Magistrate Michael Connolly.

The two cases that were heard both concerned properties owned by Anthony Properties Inc. The allegations against the properties, 302 28th St. and 402 28th St., included advertising for a length of stay less than 30 days and renting the properties for less than 30 days at a time. Both properties are in the R-1 zone which is only allowed to have rentals of 30 days or more. Neither property has a vacation rental certificate issued by the city.

Speaking for the property owner, who was absent from the hearing, was executive assistant Stacey Dorsey who asked for a continuance for both cases due to her employer’s absence on a family trip. Connolly denied the request, saying that with a notice of hearing mailed, posted at city hall and posted on the residence on July 4, the property owner had more than enough time to request a continuance prior to his trip. The request for a continuance was received by code compliance officers July 26.

In the case against the property owner at 302 28th St., Code Compliance Officer Nate Brown said that online the property is advertised as a minimum of three-night rental and that he was able to book the property for three nights. He said that booking for the property of three nights was disabled the day prior to the hearing. Code Compliance Officer James Thomas also testified that he had observed at least two times where the property was rented for less than 30 days. The first notice of violation was placed at the property on May 23.

The case against Anthony Properties at 402 28th St. contained much of the same information with officers providing photographic evidence that the property has been rented for less than 30 days at a time and that online advertising has been identified advertising the property for rent for a minimum of three-night rentals. Brown said that he was able to secure a reservation for the property for the three-night minimum online though that function was disabled on the advertisement the day prior to the hearing. He said that the advertisements for both properties stated a three-night minimum stay.

In both cases, Connolly ruled that the property owner has until Aug. 7 to correct the issues at the properties or a $250 per day fine per property will begin on Aug. 8 and continue until the issues are corrected. Also in both cases, the property owner was instructed to pay the $127.24 administrative fees for each case.

Both cases were placed on the Sept. 11 special magistrate hearing docket for an update.

Pier progressing as planned

Pier progressing as planned

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Anna Maria, Community News.

ANNA MARIA – The construction of the new city pier remains on schedule, and the city has identified $74,000 in anticipated savings regarding the construction of the pier-based restaurant and bait shop buildings.

On Aug. 1, Mayor Dan Murphy sent a pier status update to Monica Luff. Luff is the executive assistant to the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). The CVB is affiliated with the Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC) that makes funding recommendations to the Manatee County Commission regarding the use of the county’s 5 percent tourist tax revenues.

In 2018, the TDC and the County Commission supported the city’s request for $1.5 million in tourist tax revenues for the estimated $5 million pier project. The county commission also approved an additional $333,000 in surplus beach concession revenues. The city now seeks an additional $435,000 in tourist tax revenues and that request will be heard by county commissioners on Aug. 20.

The city seeks the additional county funds to help offset the funding shortfall created when Federal Emergency Management Agency reduced the federal funding the city was to receive due to damage the old pier sustained during Hurricane Irma in 2017.

Status update

“Below is the status of the pier as of today,” Murphy wrote the following in his most recent status update:

  • The bent frames (piles, supports and stringers) for the pier walkway are complete and covered temporarily with plywood so that workers have access to the T-end;
  • The concrete top platform base for the T-end is complete;
  • The conduits carrying the utilities are partially in place, and a portion is being rearranged to meet code;
  • The electrical lines for the lighting are being installed this week and will be completed next week;
  • Light post installation on the walkway will begin.

“Beginning Aug. 12, and through the rest of August the following steps are scheduled, weather permitting,” Murphy wrote the following:

  • The small boat landing will be framed;
  • The Ipe decking will be placed on the walkway;
  • The Ipe fascia around the T-end will be installed;
  • The open issue of the fire line to be resolved.

“The pier platform is on schedule for substantial completion by the first week of September. Construction of the restaurant and bait shop is scheduled to begin Sept. 1. We remain on schedule for substantial completion of the restaurant and bait shop building shell by late December,” Murphy’s update concluded.

Cost savings

On July 25, Murphy and the City Commission discussed the cost savings for the construction of the pier buildings.

Murphy said Frank Agnelli’s original bid for his Mason Martin Builders to construct the new pier buildings was $1,041,000. The contract approved by the commission later that night is for $967,000

Murphy noted the commission recently supported Agnelli’s recommendation to use HardiePlank siding instead of Kebony siding on the new buildings, which saves the city $18,000.

Murphy said subsequent discussions with Agnelli and representatives from the i+iconSoutheast construction firm that is building the main pier structure and walkway produced $56,000 in additional savings.

Murphy said the bulk of that $56,000 is the result of a change in Agnelli’s construction deployment plan that originally called for him to rent a barge for a significant period of time. Instead, Murphy and Agnelli worked out an arrangement to transport the construction materials on a barge provided by i+iconSoutheast.

Murphy said that $56,000 also includes savings produced by the sales tax exemption the city receives when purchasing its construction materials directly.

“We’re comfortable with the price. Mr. Agnelli’s comfortable with it,” Murphy said of the contract he sought commission authorization to sign.

“We have a good agreement here,” he added.

Commission Chair Brian Seymour said he appreciated the mayor’s efforts to reduce the Mason Martin Builders’ contract by 7 percent.

“Great job,” Seymour said.

Participating by phone, Commissioner Amy Tripp agreed and she too thanked Murphy. The commission then unanimously authorized Murphy to enter into a contract with Mason Martin Builders.

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