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Tag: Anna Maria Island

Holiday events taking shape

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Entertainment, Holiday.

BRADENTON BEACH – The Bridge Street Merchants are finalizing their plans for the annual Christmas on Bridge Street holiday celebration taking place this year on Saturday, Dec. 15.

Bridge Street Merchants’ president Fred Bartizal said this year’s Christmas on Bridge Street event starts around 5 p.m. and takes place along the east end of Bridge Street, near the roundabout, the Bridge Tender Inn and the historic Bridge Street Pier.

“Santa Claus will go from store to store in a golf cart to see the kids and have pictures taken,” Bartizal said. “We’re going to have the bands on a flatbed in the parking spaces along Bridge Street in front of the Bridge Tender Inn. It’s going to sit there for a while, and then it’s going to go around the block a couple times with the band playing. Steve Arvey’s in charge of the live music, and we hope to have the Christmas carolers back too.”

Bartizal said participating merchants are planning holiday crafts activities for the kids and participating bars and restaurants will offer special drinks or drink specials.

Bartizal said the merchants’ annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony is being planned for Friday, Nov. 23, the day after Thanksgiving. The Christmas tree is expected to be placed in or near the large planter box in the roundabout at the east end of Bridge Street, near the pier.

City commissioners recently approved the roundabout planter box and two other spots as possible locations for the Christmas tree. The area by the nearby stormwater cistern and the city right of way in front of the post office also were approved.

Mayor John Chappie and Commissioner Ralph Cole said they liked the planter box location, but Chappie said he wants the existing tree left in place rather than being replanted elsewhere. He feels the tree is in good health and doing well in that location.

Last week, public works employees Mark Pearce and David Higgins installed an electrical outlet on the planter box to power the holiday decorations.

“We’ll figure out a way to get it up there,” Bartizal said of the Christmas tree.

On Nov. 7, Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) members agreed to spend $14,227 this year on holiday decorations to supplement the $20,000 in decorations purchased in previous years by the Bridge Street Merchants. The decorations will be purchased from Christmas Designers, the company that decorates University Boulevard and the University Town Center mall in Sarasota. The company will also install, remove, maintain and store the purchased decorations.

The purchase will not include decorative skylines previously planned to hang above Bridge Street. If all three skylines had been purchased, the expenditure would have been upwards of $32,000. The CRA hopes to revisit and potentially purchase the skylines next year.

More holiday events

  • The Anna Maria Island Privateers will host their annual Christmas parade at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8. The parade will start at Bayfront Park in Anna Maria, pass through Holmes Beach and end at Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach.
  • The Privateers also will be on hand for the Dec. 15 Christmas at the Drift In holiday fundraiser. Proceeds from that event will help provide Christmas gifts and holiday meals for this year’s adopted holiday families.
  • Members of the recently-formed Love Bradenton Beach business collective are planning a lighted golf cart parade on Friday, Dec. 14, and a holiday boat parade on Saturday, Dec. 15. More details on the golf cart and boat parades are expected soon at www.LoveBradentonBeach.com.

Red tide forecast remains high

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Outdoors, Red tide.

High levels of red tide are forecast through at least Monday, Nov. 12 in waters around Anna Maria Island, according to the University of South Florida/Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides.

The Nov. 9 report shows high concentrations of red tide in water samples collected on Nov. 5 in the Gulf of Mexico at Longboat Pass boat ramp in Sarasota Bay, with medium concentrations at Cortez Beach in Bradenton Beach, the Rod and Reel Pier in Anna Maria and at School Key in lower Tampa Bay. No red tide was found at the Palma Sola Bay bridge.

Respiratory irritation was reported on Oct. 31, Nov. 2-3, Nov. 5-7 at Coquina Beach (Bradenton Beach) and Oct. 31, Nov. 3 and Nov. 5-8 at Manatee Beach (Holmes Beach).

Fish kills also were reported in Manatee County over the past week.

Background concentrations of red tide cause no anticipated effects. Low levels can cause respiratory irritation, shellfish harvesting closures and possible fish kills. Medium levels can cause respiratory irritation, shellfish harvesting closures and probable fish kills. High levels can cause all of the above, plus water discoloration.

Red tide is a type of algae that emits a neurotoxin when it blooms. Deadly to fish, sea turtles, marine mammals and shorebirds that feed on affected fish, red tide makes shellfish unfit to eat, and can cause respiratory irritation in people, especially those with asthma, COPD or other respiratory diseases.

The toxic algae bloom has been spreading in the southwest Gulf of Mexico for the past year, reaching Anna Maria Island in early August. It was detected in Florida’s east coast waters in October.

Holmes Beach election group

Holmes Beach has a new mayor

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

HOLMES BEACH – Election Day is coming to a close and a new mayor and new commissioners will take the dais at the city’s organizational meeting Nov. 19.

Holmes Beach mayoral candidates
Holmes Beach mayoral candidate Judy Titsworth answers a question while fellow candidate Joshua Linney looks on during The Sun’s candidate forum held at city hall. – Gail Swain | Sun

Former commissioner and newly-elected Mayor Judy Titsworth took home 79.3 percent of the vote with political newcomer Joshua Linney bringing in 20.7 percent. Though he’s never served on the dais, Linney was previously a member of the city’s parks and beautification committee.

In the commission race, Commissioner Pat Morton was re-elected, bringing in 36 percent of the votes. Morton was first elected to the commission in 2003. This will be his eighth term.

Holmes Beach election Kim
Holmes Beach commission candidate Kim Rash greets voters outside of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church along with his daughter Melissa Rash and granddog Bella. – Kristin Swain | Sun

The new commissioner on the dais will be Kim Rash who ended election night with 36 percent of the vote. Though Rash is no stranger to local politics, this will be his first term as commissioner.

Landing in the third spot is political newcomer and local real estate agent Don Purvis, who ended the night with 28 percent of the vote, just shutting him out of claiming one of the two available commission seats.

In the race for one of five positions on the newly-formed charter review board, eight candidates threw their hats in the ring – Jay Calhoun, Claudia Carlson, Nancy Deal, Major Leckie, Sean Murphy, Johnny Rigney, Edward Upshaw and David Zaccagnino. The five who will be reviewing the city’s charter and determining what issues to place in front of voters in November 2019 as charter amendments are Claudia Carlson, Nancy Deal, Sean Murphy, Edward Upshaw and David Zaccagnino, the five candidates who brought in the majority of resident votes.

According to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office, there are 2,810 registered voters across two precincts in Holmes Beach. Out of that number, 1003 voted either in person or by mail, representing 35.7 percent of eligible voters.

sports soccer little cleats

Little cleats, lots of fun

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

The chill in the air last Tuesday night was paired with the sounds of youth soccer at The Center of Anna Maria Island. Several weeks into the fall soccer season, little kids as young as three years old up to 13 years old have been hitting the pitch Tuesday and Wednesday nights for futbal action.

The smallest little cleats learn the essentials with the help of volunteer coaches like Meghan Horner who take time out of their busy weekly schedule to spend an hour with the Island area boys and girls.

Wearing cleats, the little ballers in their long socks hold their shin guards as they excitedly kick the soccer ball down and around the field with Coach Horner and her assistants. During the 60 minute clinic, sponsored by The Freckled Fin, the kids work on shooting drills with the pop-up goals and passing “drills”.

Playing a fun game, Coach Horner helped the players learn how to dribble the soccer ball by keeping it close to them. In the exercise, if the ball hit the coach, the kids chose an animal that the coach pretends to be as the reward.

Cats, elephants, lizards and more delight the clinic goers as they learn the game of soccer while having fun in the sun.

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Reel Time: The Zen of fishing

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

The ancient word and concept of Zen have been co-opted to refer to things as diverse as a nail salon and a burger bar. The term comes from (massively oversimplified) a form of Eastern Meditation that stresses mindfulness and meditation but for our purposes, we’ll use the commonly accepted definition “absorption.” How you might ask does an ancient Chinese concept apply to fishing? Let me explain.

Over the years we’ve all noticed that there are more anglers on the water and, in many cases, there appears to be fewer fish to go around. When fish are present, say redfish, they are spookier and harder to approach. Over the years I’ve written about staking out holes on the flats and letting the fish come to you. More and more I’m reminded that this is a good way to find and entice fish as well as making the fishing day more relaxing. It’s amazing what you can notice when you slow down and become absorbed in the experience rather than running from place to place.

Reel Time The Zen of Fishing
This redfish fell for a stealthy, Zen-like approach on a flat in Tampa Bay. – Rusty Chinnis | Sun

I was reminded of this principle during the past month on a trip to the mountains of North Georgia. Over the years I have trout fished a “trophy” trout stream at Smithgall Woods State Park near Helen. The stream, Dukes Creek, is managed by the State of Georgia and anglers in limited numbers are only allowed to fish there three days a week. The park is also an excellent place to bike and during my most recent trip there I did an afternoon of biking on a day when anglers weren’t on the water. Several times I parked the bike near the stream and just sat next to a tree and observed. It only took about five minutes for the section of stream I was sitting by, seemingly devoid of fish when I arrived, to suddenly come alive as smaller and then larger trout swirled into view, taking up stations at the edges of the eddies and along undercut banks. Any other day I would have probably waded into the stream slowly but not mindfully. Then and there I resolved to change my fishing procedure both in Georgia and in the home waters around Anna Maria Island.

Here’s a way of incorporating this principal when fishing local waters. When you find an area you intend to fish be methodical about covering the region. First anchor your boat at least a hundred yards from where you intend to fish. Then try a combination of slow wading and standing in place motionlessly where you have a good view of the flat. It’s critical to make as little noise as possible so don’t rattle the anchor chain or bang around in the boat. Take your time getting to the area you intend to fish. Move slowly to avoid pushing a wake and a pressure wave. When casting start by working the near side of a hole and pay special attention to the ends that generally feature deeper water over grass. Although they tend to be harder to fish, partly cloudy days are generally better than bluebird skies. If it clouds up stand still and wait for a patch of sunshine to light up the flats. Remember fish move around and just because you don’t find them on a particular tide doesn’t mean they won’t show up.

There are no sure things as far as I know but fish or not I’m guessing you will be more relaxed at the end of the day and more insightful. Turn the ancient art form of Zen into a well-reasoned outing. The worst-case scenario? You’ll burn less fuel!

More Reel Time

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symphony on the sand 2017

Symphony on the Sand nears

Written by Tom Vaught on . Posted in Entertainment, Events, Music.

BRADENTON BEACH – On Saturday, Nov. 10, the Anna Maria Island Concert Chorus and Orchestra (AMICCO) will be seated under a giant tent to perform its sixth annual Symphony on the Sand, a musical and gourmet event from 4:30-7:30 p.m. on the beach at Coquina Gulfside Park, 2650 Gulf Drive S. The concert is a ticketed event held rain or shine.

The event brings together the beauty of the beach with the sounds of the chorus and orchestra and food from local servers. Attendees will enjoy small plates created by favorite local restaurants including a salad course, several entrée selections, and a delicious dessert with complimentary fine wine and select beers at $125 per ticket.

Other ticket options: $50 tickets for individual chairs without food, with vouchers for two drink coupons per ticket and a $20 option to bring your own chair or blanket to sit inside a roped-off area, closer to the stage. A cash bar and concessionaire food are available for $50 and $20 ticket purchasers. Purchasing tickets early is advised. Tickets are available at www.SymphonyOnTheSand.com. A portion of the proceeds goes to AMICCO.

Please remember that bringing alcoholic beverages onto the beach is prohibited.

The Anna Maria Island Sun is a sponsor of Symphony on the Sand.

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Symphony on the Sand preparations underway

Get your tickets for ‘Baggage’

Written by Tom Vaught on . Posted in Entertainment, Theater.

ANNA MARIA – It’s a story about loves lost and one that seems impossible.

The Island Players are selling tickets to “Baggage,” by Sam Bobrick, directed by James Thaggard and co-produced by Bortell’s starting Nov. 8 through Nov. 18.

“Baggage” is a story about a man and a woman who accidentally swap suitcases at the airport, suffer a disagreeable first meeting and then find themselves in a most unlikely friendship. While the two lonely singles may be too difficult for everyone else in the world, they might be perfect for each other. The cast includes veteran Island Players performers Jennifer Kwiatkowski as Phyllis, Jalex Scott as Bradley, Rick Kopp as Dr. Jonathan and Jennifer Caldwell as Mitzi.

Performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Island Players Theater, 10009 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria. Tickets are $20 each. The box office is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays. On performance nights, the box office opens at 7 p.m. and for Sunday matinees, it opens at 1 p.m. Cash, Visa, MasterCard or Discover are accepted.

For reservations or information, call the box office at 941 778-5755 or visit the Island Players online.

artsHOP 2018 artist

Rain doesn’t stop artsHOP

Written by Tom Vaught on . Posted in Art, Entertainment, Events, Festivals.

BRADENTON BEACH – The artsHOP celebration got off to an inauspicious start when rain started to fall a few hours before it began on Bridge Street last Friday.

Shop owners were ready for the art lovers, but would they brave the rain to come out?

As the sun set, the rain let up and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“This is great, despite the rain,” said Gaydon Shell, owner of The Cove. “We got a great online presence going, and it’s a great opportunity for artists and outlets to get exposure.”

Down Bridge Street, at the Bridge Tender Inn, organizers Diane Phinney and Debra Wing had wooden skimmers and gift baskets on display, out of the dwindling rain.

“This is all coming together, and I see more people walking around,” said Phinney.

The theme of this year’s artsHOP is “Follow the Flock” in honor of skimmers, birds that nest on Anna Maria Island’s beaches. Artists will be selling paintings of the birds with proceeds going to Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring.

Artists decorated the dozens of birds to sell with proceeds going to Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring.

As the sidewalks got busier, Wing praised the people who were there.

artsHOP 2018 demonstration
Artist Polly Tetrault applies color with a small blow torch at the Studio at Gulf and Pine. – Tom Vaught | Sun

“The rain didn’t stop them, and we’re off to a slow, but growing start,” she said. “We want to promote all the artists who feature the beauty of the Island and make it a wonderful place to live or visit.”

The next day, visitors to Pine Avenue in Anna Maria enjoyed better weather. The Anna Maria Island Historical Museum treated visitors to live music and opportunities to purchase raffle tickets for lavish gift baskets.

At the Studio at Gulf and Pine artists conducted demonstrations, and there was food and music by Jenna Smith. Music for the three-day event is sponsored by The Ugly Grouper.

On Friday, Nov. 9, the 12th Annual artsHOP concludes in Holmes Beach from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Shops and galleries throughout Holmes Beach and Waterline Marina Resort will feature local art demonstrations, live music and more. Basket raffle prize drawings will be held at the Ugly Grouper starting at 8 p.m.

artsHOP is sponsored by Cultural Connections to highlight Anna Maria Island’s arts and culture. Admission to artsHOP is free.

Holmes Beach logo OLD

It’s a Bert Harris win for Holmes Beach

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

HOLMES BEACH – City leaders have reason to celebrate as a win comes in for Holmes Beach in a Bert Harris case filed by residents Robert and Ellen McCaffrey.

The news came in the form of a judgment from 12th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Lon Arend dated Nov. 2. The trial for the Bert Harris case was held Aug. 15-18 in Manatee County.

In the case, the McCaffreys, owners of a Holmes Boulevard property since 1993 in the R-2 residential district, alleged that the city’s ordinances setting a maximum living area ratio based on lot size and restrictions on the number of bedrooms and pools associated with duplex units, along with onsite parking requirements seriously affected the couple’s plans to redevelop the property and sell it in order to retire.

Court documents show that due to the LAR restrictions, the McCaffreys are limited to redeveloping the lot with new construction to a home or duplex with a total of 3,350 square feet of living area. The duplex restrictions require a connected duplex with a maximum of three bedrooms per side rather than the five the lawsuit says the couple had planned. The lawsuit also alleges hardships due to required driveway size and onsite parking requirements as well as restrictions on pool location and size for duplex units. The McCaffreys requested $15,000 in relief.

In his judgment, Arend said the McCaffreys failed to prove they are entitled to relief and that the claims against the city were invalid. Because the McCaffreys had not proceeded with redevelopment of the property prior to the ordinances being enacted, Arend said the case was based on a theory of use rather than an actual use of the property. The judgment also says that since the use of the property as a duplex vacation rental property with a pool is still allowed under the new ordinances, the use of the property is not impacted. The judgment goes on to state that “It was speculative and unreasonable for Plantiffs (the McCaffreys) to expect to develop their property with unlimited LAR, pool size, and parking based only on the premise that other in the R-2 district had done so.”

In an email to city leaders, attorney Jay Daigneault, representing the city, said that he would work to recover court costs but doubted the city’s ability to collect or entitlement to be reimbursed for attorney fees in the matter. He said the victory in this case will help the attorneys to prepare for the other Bert Harris cases being heard in the coming months.

The McCaffreys have 30 days from the date of the judgment to file an appeal.

Bradenton Beach website screenshot

Bradenton Beach shuts down city website

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

BRADENTON BEACH – The city has shut down its website until it can be made compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The city website was shut down last week at the request of Mayor John Chappie after he learned of a $16,000 settlement agreement Manatee County recently reached regarding the Joel Price v. Manatee County lawsuit filed with The United States District Court Middle District of Florida Tampa Division.

Price and his Miami-based attorney, Scott Dinin, alleged the county website violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and sought injunctive relief to remedy alleged accessibility barriers at the county website.

“Plaintiff alleges he attempted to access electronic PDF documents on the website, but the website did not integrate with his screen reader software and he could not access the electronic content,” the settlement agreement says.

The settlement agreement says the county “does not admit and expressly denies the allegations set forth in the lawsuit and denies that the website is in violation of any law, including but not limited to Title II of the ADA and/or section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.”

It also says, “The parties desire to avoid the expense, time, effort and uncertainty of further litigation, and have agreed to a full and final settlement of all claims that were or could have been raised in the lawsuit.”

The agreement gives the county 14 months to use “commercially reasonable efforts” to improve accessibility for blind and visually-impaired users when accessing electronic documents at the county website.

The settlement agreement also applies to the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, Manatee County Tax Collector, Manatee County Property Appraiser website and the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections websites. The county websites will remain active until the compatibility changes are made.

The settlement agreement provided the county 30 days to tender a $16,000 check made payable to Dinin. The agreement states $15,000 is for the plaintiff’s attorney fees and costs, and $1,000 is for any and all damages incurred by the plaintiff (Price).

Earlier this year, Price initiated similar ADA-compliance lawsuits against Brevard County and the Celebration Golf Course in Orlando. Both lawsuits were dismissed by The United States District Court Middle District of Florida Orlando Division. A similar ADA-compliance lawsuit Juan Carlos Gil filed against Brevard County was dismissed.

An ADA-compliance lawsuit Eddie Sierra filed against the Florida Legislature and Florida State University regarding the Florida Channel’s closed captioning services was also recently dismissed.

Commission decision

Chappie initiated the website compliance discussion during the City Commission’s Thursday, Nov. 1, meeting.

“There’s a cottage industry with attorneys, and they have filed litigation in New York and in Florida. I gave an executive order to shut down our website until we can figure how we’re going to deal with our website, making it ADA-compatible,” Chappie said.

Bradenton Beach website Chappie
Mayor John Chappie has ordered the city website to be shut down until it’s ADA-compliant. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

“What they’re saying is individuals who cannot read a screen need to be able to hear what is on the screen. The safest play is to suspend our website. This is a top priority the mayor has set for staff – to figure out how to get to where we need to be to protect the city’s assets,” City Attorney Ricinda Perry added.

In addition to the Manatee County settlement, Perry said she’s aware of business owners facing similar legal challenges, including legal firms and lodging establishments.

“It’s a huge cottage industry. Unfortunately, the courts agreed that any service you offer must be ADA-compliant,” Perry said.

City Treasurer Shayne Thompson told the commission the city of Palmetto has an ADA accessibility feature at its website. Thompson said the Palmetto website is host by a company, CivicPlus, that represents more than 3,000 governmental entities.

As the commission’s website liaison, Commissioner Jake Spooner noted that a year ago he was tasked with looking into upgrading the city website. At the time, Spooner reached out to Revize – the firm that does the city of Anna Maria’s website – but the commission never allocated funds or took any additional action.

Spooner said Revize creates and maintains websites for hundreds of cities nationwide and should be able to provide Bradenton Beach with an ADA-compliant website.

Chappie said the Manatee County Commission will hold a commission workshop at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 11, and ADA compliance will be a topic of discussion.

At Chappie’s suggestion, Spooner agreed to take the lead on the city’s efforts to upgrade its website. He said he would research the city of Palmetto’s website and coordinate his efforts with Police Chief Sam Speciale, who serves as the city’s webmaster, working with England-based development technician Keiron Skillet.

On Friday, Spooner contacted Revize and was told it would cost $2,000 to design a new city website and $1,200 a year to maintain it.

Anna Maria North Pole Donation

Anna Maria residents, businesses give $18k to MCSO charity

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Anna Maria, Community News.

ANNA MARIA – The season of giving started early in the city of Anna Maria. Residents and business raised more than $18,000 for the Flight to the North Pole organization.

Funds will be used to help terminally ill children and their families.

“Every dollar we earn is given right back to the families,” Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Patrick Manning said. Manning led the donation drive in Anna Maria.

The MCSO and Anna Maria city officials presented a check to Flight to the North Pole representatives outside Ginny’s and Jane E’s Nov. 1.

Manning began asking for donations in early September. It took less than two months to raise a total of $18,696.

“Ginny’s and Jane E’s raised the most,” Manning said. “Over $3,000. They were our biggest donor. Paul and Tammy Foster truly embraced the idea.”

The secret, according to Manning, was that every employee asked customers for any leftover change when they ordered food or drinks at the restaurant.

“The response was amazing,” Manning said.

Flight to the North Pole was founded in 1985 by Eastern Airlines flight attendants. When Eastern Airlines closed the organization hopped over to Continental Airlines. The Flight’s founder, Sidney Ettedgui, eventually landed with the MCSO, bringing the non-profit with him.

Ettedgui said, “As long as we have money there’s no limit to what we do.”

The Flight used to have an actual flight from Sarasota-Bradenton Airport to Fort Myers, but Ettedgui said the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and the heightened security at airports put a stop to that. “It was too much to put the families and children through,” he said, “but there’s still plenty we can do, too.”

Flight to the North Pole funds go to help families with anything. Manning said in the past they’ve paid electric bills, rent and helped with travel costs. “Anything that’s needed,” he said.

Funds aren’t just raised during and before the holiday season. The MCSO holds events and donation drives throughout the year.

The next event is an exotic car show Nov. 10 outside the MCSO headquarters, 600 301 Blvd., Bradenton.

“There’s no better cause to be a part of,” Manning said. “Next year I’m hoping to raise $30,000 from Anna Maria businesses and residents.” The 2018 goal was $10,000.

Manning said, “The further in life you go, you learn it’s not about you, it’s about what you can do to help someone else.”

Castles in the Sand

Before you sell, become a home historian

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

Last week was Halloween, and we talked about disclosing everything, even if not required by law, that might be negative about your home to prospective buyers. What may seem ridiculous to you, like spirits real or not, deaths in the property or other than conventional activities, could be a hot button to a buyer. But do you know everything about your home, the good, the bad and the ugly? Putting your property on the market is the perfect time to delve into your home’s history and a unique marketing tool.

The state of Florida is not known for many historic homes like New York and Boston, dating back to the founding of the country, and even though there were settlements in Florida going back to the Spanish, not too many actual homes have survived compared to the northeast. Bradenton has some beautiful older homes downtown, as do other cities around the state like Jacksonville and St. Augustine, but it doesn’t matter if your home or the home you’re considering purchasing is 100 years old or 20, don’t you want to know its history?

There are professional house historians willing to do research, particularly on older homes dating back to years before records were efficiently kept. They will research public records, church records, history books and even do interviews with local residents who may be familiar with the property. This service, of course, is provided for a hefty fee and results in a nice book full of information for the owners and future owners.

I love the concept and feel that even if your house was built in more recent years, there may still be information about it you don’t know. For instance, who was the architect who designed the house, are the original drawings still on file, and what are the names of the previous owners, an answer which could surprise you, especially in a second home beach area like Anna Maria.

Wouldn’t you just love to know if famous people visited the Island and stayed in your house, such as actors or political personalities? We already know that professional ball players and circus performers came to Anna Maria, maybe they stayed in your home. The possibilities are endless, especially if you can find just the precise person who has been around long enough to point you in the right direction.

A search of the town records would also give you structural information about the home. Were permits pulled to repair damage that could have been from fire or flooding or pest infestation? Did a major hurricane occur in the early years of the home and are there any survivors from that event still around to interview?

You might want to include pre-renovation photos from the time you owned the property, pictures of some things unique to your house like the wall showing how your children grew through the years or a picture from your daughter’s wedding in the yard. Include dates of significant storms and if you evacuated and to where. Brief introductions to current neighbors and some history on the surrounding homes would be a nice touch.

Not only is a history book a great way to introduce potential buyers to your home, but it’s also a wonderful gift to new owners to pass down to future owners. It shows the love you have for your home and keeps the story of the house alive.

Every house has a compelling story to tell, and every room within the house represents a life lived. Make your house one for the history books.

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Florence – another wake-up call

Fannie, Freddie and Ginnie

Red tide high through Monday

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Outdoors, Red tide.

Patchy red tide is forecast to remain high in the air and water around Anna Maria Island through at least Monday, Nov. 5, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

The Nov. 2 report shows high concentrations of red tide in water samples collected on Oct. 29 in the Gulf of Mexico at Cortez Beach in Bradenton Beach and at Longboat Pass boat ramp in Sarasota Bay, with medium concentrations at the Rod and Reel Pier in Anna Maria and at School Key and Mead Point in lower Tampa Bay.

Red tide was not found in Gulf waters 40, 50 and 60 miles west of the Island on Oct. 25, but was found in high concentrations 9 miles out.

Respiratory irritation was reported Oct. 25-27 and Oct. 29-31 at Coquina Beach (Bradenton Beach) and Oct. 24-Nov. 1 at Manatee Beach (Holmes Beach).

Fish kills also were reported in Manatee County over the past week.

Background concentrations of red tide cause no anticipated effects. Low levels can cause respiratory irritation, shellfish harvesting closures and possible fish kills. Medium levels can cause respiratory irritation, shellfish harvesting closures and probable fish kills. High levels can cause all of the above, plus water discoloration.

Red tide is a type of algae that emits a neurotoxin when it blooms. Deadly to fish, sea turtles, marine mammals and shorebirds that feed on affected fish, red tide makes shellfish unfit to eat, and can cause respiratory irritation in people, especially those with asthma, COPD or other respiratory diseases.

The toxic algae bloom has been spreading in the southwest Gulf of Mexico for the past year, reaching Anna Maria Island in early August. It was detected in Florida’s east coast waters in October.

AMI plaza site plan amendment

Commissioners uphold site plan expiration

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Business, Real estate | Development, Restaurants | Bars.

HOLMES BEACH – If property owner and local businessman Mike Hynds wants to go through with his plan to place residential rental units on top of AMI Plaza, he’ll now have to work his way once again through the city’s site plan approval process.

When Hynds originally applied for a site plan amendment to place four residential apartment units above the existing AMI Plaza structure in 2017, it took months before the plan was approved by commissioners and a few more months before Hynds himself signed the resolution to amend the site plan in January 2018.

Now, 10 months later, he’s ready to apply for building permits, according to emails received by the city clerk’s office. The obstacle standing in his way is that the site plan approval expired 90 days after the site plan amendment resolution was signed and recorded on Jan. 22.

Though the resolution allowed for Building Official Jim McGuinness to grant a 90-day extension before the expiration of the approval, no request was made. Instead, McGuinness argues that Hynds read the resolution incorrectly and believes the site plan approval doesn’t expire for a period of three years.

Commissioners weren’t inclined to agree with the interpretation, voting 3-1 to allow the site plan approval to remain expired, with Commissioner Rick Hurst recusing himself as a tenant of Hynds’ and Commissioner Carol Soustek voting “no.”

“Hynds looks at everything thoroughly. He does his due diligence,” Commissioner Judy Titsworth said. “I say it’s expired. He let it go.”

City Attorney Patricia Petruff offered a different point of view, noting that she still believes the proposed site plan amendment that was previously approved would still be a viable project and earn commission approval if brought back before the dais.

“Do you want to be in litigation over this?” Petruff queried commissioners. “How important is it to be right for a project that if he brought it back next week you might would approve it?” She did agree that the city has a legally supportable stance on the site plan expiration.

Commissioner Pat Morton said he was hesitant to change the city’s policies for one person. “It’s expired,” he said of the site plan approval.

Titsworth said that if Hynds wants to move forward with the project, he can bring it before the newly-seated commission after the November election and see if they agree to approve the project. “We need to play by the rules,” she said.

Commissioner Jim Kihm agreed that allowing Hynds to move forward with the project on an expired site plan approval set a dangerous precedent for the city.

For her part, Soustek said while she recognizes that Hynds is in default for not moving on the site plan approval when it was given by commissioners, she also recognizes the time and city resources it took to move through what was a difficult approval process. “I don’t want to go through that again,” she said, voting in favor of allowing Hynds to request a site plan approval extension and move forward with the project.

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Trail of Treats

Trail of Treats

Written by Mike Field on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

The Trail of Treats drew dinosaurs, ballerinas, monsters and pirates for a Holmes Beach Halloween celebration.

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