Mote Marine Laboratory scientists and the Florida Department of Health are now taking air samples 8-10 miles from Sarasota County beaches to measure how far inland Florida red tide toxins travel.
The study will be expanded to surrounding counties, including possibly Manatee County, depending on where red tide is prevalent, Mote Ecotoxicology Program Manager and Senior Scientist Dr. Richard Pierce said.
Previous studies show that the neurotoxin from Florida red tide, called brevetoxin, can travel inland as far as 2.6 miles from the coast. But people have reported experiencing respiratory irritation even further from shore during the current bloom, which the new study will test.
“In this new effort, we will place air sampling instruments in a transect that reaches further inland than previous studies have covered, to see what concentrations of brevetoxins, if any, are traveling the distances at which these effects are being reported,” Pierce said.
Mote scientists are using 12 air samplers, deployed 6-12 hours at a time, that pull air through filters to collect aerosolized toxins for later analysis at the Sarasota lab.
Pierce said a written report will be presented to local health officials when the study is completed to provide improved public information to those sensitive to the toxins, particularly people with chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma.
Other red tide research
Researchers at Mote and the University of South Florida College of Marine Science also are using underwater gliders to collect data that can help scientists locate red tide blooms.
USF researcher Dr. John Paul has developed a red tide Tricorder that tests water samples for the algae. The hand-held device, named for a fictional Star Trek scientific instrument, tests for red tide in the field, saving the time needed to return to the lab and expediting local government decisions on closing beaches and shellfish harvesting beds.
Mote also is experimenting with clay and ozone to remove Karenia brevis algae from water.
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Manatee County’s new tourism marketing campaign will run from November through the winter tourist season to counteract the loss of visitors during the red tide bloom that began locally in August.
The strategy is contrary to what Bradenton Area Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Director Elliott Falcione had promised Anna Maria Island residents requesting relief from burgeoning tourism, he told the Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC) on Monday.
But with the recent loss of visitors, “I think it makes sense,” he said. “Then next year we will get back to normal.”
The impact of red tide on Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key tourism has been significant, said the county’s tourism consultant, Walter Klages, of Research Data Services.
The number of visitors dropped from 48,700 in August 2017 to 42,000 this August.
“That’s a pretty significant impact and decrease,” he said.
Room nights decreased by 9.3 percent, economic impact dropped 11.4 percent and occupancy dropped 13.7 percent. The number of Floridians visiting the area was down nearly 23 percent in August, he said.
Tourism statistics are not yet available for September.
Red tide is a passing thing, Klages said, adding that visitors who have been to the area before will not be deterred from visiting again.
The county tourism agency no longer will respond to media requests to comment on the red tide, Falcione said.
“If you talk about economic loss, you create the perception in the market that we have a problem,” he said.
Monday’s red tide forecast from the University of South Florida/Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides is for low levels in Anna Maria Island waters and medium levels in Longboat Key waters through Wednesday, Oct. 17.
The cure
Local tourism marketers will use the new international digital marketing campaign to geotarget selected visitors, Falcione said.
People searching online for vacation destinations will find cures for these conditions in Bradenton, Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key, according to the county’s marketing agency, Aqua.
The cure for ailments like seeking a suntan, needing a break from work, or wanting more family time is a vacation prescribed by a “doctor” who details the symptoms of the ailments on three videos that soon will be available at the county’s tourism website.
The campaign will include a sweepstakes with prizes such as beach vacations.
The county’s previous marketing campaign was “Craft Your Own Vacation.”
Visit Florida helping red tide counties
Manatee County’s TDC is eligible for Visit Florida’s $500,000 Tourism Recovery Grant Program for Red Tide to assist counties affected by red tide, Visit Florida representative Jen Carlisle told the TDC.
Grant funds will assist the TDC with increasing visitation once red tide has subsided through advertising, direct mail, brochures, website development and other related projects.
Grant applications will be accepted until the red tide has subsided, she said.
Blue Community
“Red tide is a naturally-occurring phenomenon. Of that there is no doubt,” TDC member Ed Chiles said, adding that there also is no doubt about what feeds it.
Addressing environmental issues including harmful algal blooms like red tide and blue-green algae, shoreline restoration, seagrass, stormwater management, septic systems, sewage treatment and others is vital to tourism, he said.
“We ought to start pounding on the table,” Chiles said. “We’ve got to get with it.”
With that in mind, the TDC unanimously recommended that Manatee County commissioners use $25,000 in tourist tax funds to hold two training seminars on the Blue Community One Planet Living program at the Studio on Pine Avenue in Anna Maria this fall and winter.
The program will detail methods to increase tourism profits while protecting the environment, according to promoter Dave Randle of the University of South Florida.
“I think it is something that can differentiate ourselves,” Chiles said. “This is about Anna Maria Island being recognized internationally for what we’ve done,” such as Green Village on Pine Avenue.
In other business:
The TDC voted unanimously to recommend that Manatee County commissioners approve up to $5 million in tourist tax funds to improve drainage in the parking lot at Coquina Beach, a county park.
The project is estimated to cost $5.94 million, with other agencies contributing the difference. Bradenton Beach reduced permit fees for the project from $30,000 to $500.
Low concentrations of red tide are predicted in Island waters from Oct. 13-15 by NOAA and the University of South Florida/Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides.
Today’s report from the FWC shows that red tide had decreased in waters off Anna Maria Island before Hurricane Michael passed by on Oct. 10.
Wildlife affected by red tide
Manatees
At least 172 manatees have died during the red tide bloom that has plagued Southwest Florida since October 2017, and which reached Anna Maria Island on Aug. 3.
To date, 67 dead manatees tested positive for red tide, and red tide is suspected in 105 manatee deaths, according to the FWC.
Nine manatee deaths have been recorded in Manatee County so far this year, three in Anna Maria Sound; none are confirmed from red tide.
So far this year, 676 manatees have died in state waters, compared to 538 in all of 2017.
Sea turtles
Since the red tide began locally in August, the Mote Marine Laboratory Stranding Investigations Program, serving Sarasota County and part of Manatee County, has taken in 216 sea turtles, only 14 of which were alive, with many of the deaths due to red tide exposure. Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring has recorded 36 sea turtle strandings.
Dolphins
Mote has recorded 21 deceased bottlenose dolphins, 10 from red tide exposure. In all, 66 dolphins have stranded during the red tide as of Oct. 11, according to NOAA. No new strandings have been reported since Sept. 27.
Birds
Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Inc. in Bradenton Beach has taken in between 60-70 birds sick from eating fish contaminated with red tide, mostly cormorants and laughing gulls.
The Oct. 12 report shows that Manatee County water samples with medium or high levels of red tide decreased from 5 percent to 25 percent from the previous week.
Low concentrations of red tide were found in water samples on Oct. 8 at Longboat Pass, with very low concentrations at the Rod & Reel Pier in Anna Maria and background concentrations at Cortez Beach in Bradenton Beach, with none at the Palma Sola Bay bridge.
Foam washed up on Anna Maria Island’s beaches after Hurricane Michael passed Wednesday. Scientists warn that foam has high concentrations of red tide and should not be touched. – Cindy Lane | Sun
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.
Respiratory irritation was reported on Oct. 4, and from Oct. 6-8 and Oct. 10-11 at Coquina Beach (Bradenton Beach), and Oct. 5-7 and Oct. 10-11 at Manatee Beach (Holmes Beach).
Fish kills also were reported in Manatee County over the past week.
Dead fish killed by red tide washed up on the beach. Manatee County crews rake the beaches daily. – Cindy Lane | Sun
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.
HOLMES BEACH – The Manatee County Board of Commissioners is bidding for a Florida Department of Transportation grant that would ease demand for parking spaces at Manatee Public Beach.
During season, the beach parking lot fills up rapidly and beachgoers park on the side of Manatee Avenue, causing a nightmare for Holmes Beach Police when afternoon thunderstorms cause everyone to pack up and head for home at the same time.
At its Sept. 25 meeting, the Manatee County Commission approved a request for the $59,000 three-year grant to fund free shuttle buses operating from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays during peak season, between Dec. 1 through April 30.
Beachgoers would park their vehicles in “underutilized” shopping center lots at 75th Street and Manatee Avenue, where they would catch the shuttles.
The service would be called the Beach ConneXion, and in some cases, residents without their own transportation could catch a bus to the parking lots.
Manatee County Area Transit Planning Director Ryan Suarez said this service already shuttles to the Island from various points in Bradenton, although not from a parking lot. He said if they get the grant, the Beach ConneXion grant money would not be available until the 2020 fiscal year.
The request said that the shuttle would likely decrease the number of vehicles that tie up Manatee Avenue from as far as 59th Street West and farther during peak beach days.
From a spindly, thorny cactus in Bradenton Beach, this single bloom burst forth last night, Wednesday Oct. 10, after Hurricane Michael sped past Anna Maria Island.
The flower of the night-blooming cereus, or “Queen of the Night,” blooms only one night each year.
Updated Oct. 16 – Hurricane Michael’s violent churning in the Gulf of Mexico could break up the red tide bloom that has affected Southwest Florida for the past year – or it could make it worse, scientists say.
The storm made landfall Wednesday, Oct. 10 in the Florida Panhandle, just shy of a Category 5 hurricane. As its tail brushed past Anna Maria Island on Wednesday, it caused minor local flooding, but whipped up Gulf surf, making the red tide airborne.
Short-term red tide outlook
Red tide continues to seriously impact Florida tourism businesses. It reached Anna Maria Island on Aug. 3, but coastal Gulf communities to the south began experiencing red tide a year ago this month, and the bloom now covers 150 miles of coastline.
While not unprecedented in its duration, this bloom is unusually persistent, according to NOAA forecasters, who predict that coastal communities are likely to continue to experience the effects of the ongoing bloom.
NOAA forecasts low levels of red tide on Gulf beaches in Manatee County through Oct. 17.
The size of the bloom changes constantly, and is patchy – not every beach is affected every day.
Until Michael passed by, hurricane storm winds were blowing offshore, pushing most of the water containing red tide farther out into the Gulf, said Dr. Richard Pierce, associate vice president for research and a senior scientist at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota.
However, as the hurricane traveled north past Anna Maria Island, its winds changed direction, bringing the red tide back onshore on west/southwesterly winds, he said.
Scientists are still collecting air and water samples from the storm, so it’s too early to reach any conclusions, nor can researchers tell if past hurricanes helped or hindered past red tides, because there has not been enough continuous monitoring, he said.
“But there have been times when a hurricane came and dispersed red tide so it didn’t come back,” he said, adding that other times, storms concentrated nutrients near the shore, which makes red tide worse.
“We can’t really predict it. Every situation is different,” Pierce said.
Past hurricanes have not caused red tide blooms to dissipate, although the research is incomplete because the number of cases where blooms and hurricanes occurred at the same time is small, said Jerry Slaff, Public Affairs Specialist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), noting, “We will be watching to see what effects Hurricane Michael has on the current bloom.”
Island beaches were sunny but sparsely populated the day after Hurricane Michael. – Cindy Lane | Sun
Scientists agree that hurricanes can move red tide around. The 2005-06 red tide bloom off the coast of southwest Florida was carried up to the Florida Panhandle by Hurricane Katrina, according to NOAA, and the current bloom intensified and spread to the Florida Panhandle after Tropical Storm Gordon in September 2018.
What Michael did to the beach
“(Anna Maria Island) beaches fared very well with this storm overall, especially along the beaches from mid-Island to the north end. The waves certainly overtopped all of the sandy beaches but after the storm passed, wave action had the effect of leveling out the beaches on a gentle slope down to the waterline. Many low-profile dunes were overtopped as well, with a minor loss of sea oats, but overall conditions recovered well. At Coquina Beach on the south end, noticeable erosion occurred, almost to be expected as this stretch is one of our most active erodible beaches on the entire Island. We are working with FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers to bring back a major beach renourishment project to the Island in the spring of next year to rebalance sand losses encountered with Hurricane Hermine and Irma combined.” – Charlie Hunsicker, Director of the Manatee County Parks and Recreation Department
Red tide worse locally after Michael
As the lifeguards in Bradenton Beach got ready to begin their day Thursday, there was hope that the high winds and surf would disperse the red tide.
But as midday approached on Coquina Beach, those hopes were dashed.
William and Rita Postino of Bradenton were two of the few people on the beach around 9 a.m. on Thursday.
“I collect shells and we come out here two or three times per week,” said Rita Postino. “There are more people here than yesterday watching the waves.”
William and Rita Postino – Tom Vaught | Sun
She said the red tide was not as noticeable as the water rose at high tide and covered a lot of beach.
Thursday there were few dead fish on the beach.
Mark and Kathy Biscontine – Tom Vaught | Sun
At the Coquina Beach Café, Mark and Kathy Biscontine of Bradenton said the water covered the old groins that normally were buried by sand. They said surfers were out and they came close to the groins because they were not visible from the water.
Lifeguard Chelsea Hart guided a utility vehicle down the beach around 10:30 a.m. There were a few more people on the beach, but the irritation and smell of red tide were increasing. She said they use masks when it gets too bad. An Army veteran, she was a lifeguard in Volusia County on Florida’s East Coast before coming to Manatee County to work the beaches five years ago.
Bradenton Beach groins – Tom Vaught | Sun
“The beach has a little deeper slope to it, but I don’t think too much sand washed away yesterday,” she said. “There were some pretty intense waves yesterday.”
Hart said conditions were a “double red” Wednesday, meaning nobody was allowed in the water.
Chelsea Hart – Tom Vaught | Sun
For the people who are on the beach to save lives, the red tide outbreak has been especially rough.
Red tide: What scientists know
Florida red tide (Karenia brevis), a type of harmful algal bloom, is the result of uncontrolled algae growth in optimal conditions, including salinity, sunlight and nutrients such as nitrogen and iron, the latter carried on winds from the Sahara desert across the ocean and deposited in the Gulf.
Blooms produce neurotoxins called “brevetoxins” in the water, turning the Gulf’s light greenish-blue water to dark reddish-brown, killing fish, manatees, dolphins, sea turtles, and even a whale shark earlier this year.
The darker water reduces the amount of sunlight that passes through it, affecting organisms on the sea floor that need sunlight to live, according to research at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science in St. Petersburg. The algae also can deplete oxygen in the water.
Red tide toxins in the water can become airborne with wind and wave action, causing respiratory problems, especially for people with asthma, emphysema, COPD or other chronic respiratory diseases. Red tide toxins affect the nervous system, and when inhaled, they cause respiratory irritation including coughing, sneezing and a scratchy throat, and can trigger asthma attacks.
Red tide toxins also can accumulate in oysters and clams, which can lead to neurotoxic shellfish poisoning in people who consume contaminated shellfish.
Seafoam during a red tide is highly concentrated in toxins and should not be touched.
Hurricane Michael made landfall at Panama City around 2 p.m. as a category 4 storm with 155 mph winds, and has since dropped to 140 mph winds, moving north/northeast at 15 mph, according to NOAA.
Anna Maria Island saw few effects today, with localized flooding, intermittent rain showers and high surf, which brought out surfers and pushed the Gulf of Mexico high onto the beaches at high tide around 2 p.m.
Local tropical storm and storm surge watches have been lifted, but high surf and rip current advisories remain.
NOAA forecasts south/southwesterly winds subsiding Thursday to 20-25 mph, gusting as high as 36 mph, with a 60 percent chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms and a high around 89 degrees.
A sea turtle nest falls victim to washover in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael passing Anna Maria Island Wednesday. - Kristin Swain | Sun
Water crept high on this dock in Holmes Beach as high tide approached this afternoon. - Cindy Lane | Sun
The sidewalk beside Holmes Beach City Field flooded from rainwater associated with Hurricane Michael this morning. - Cindy Lane | Sun
Surfers took advantage of waves during Hurricane Michael at Twin Piers in Bradenton Beach on Wednesday. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
The Rod & Reel Pier in Anna Maria closed today. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
The Rod & Reel Pier in Anna Maria closed today. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
The boats in the Bradenton Beach anchorage fared well today as Hurricane Michael passed by. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
The water was high near the Bridge Street Pier Wednesday, but the boats in the anchorage are faring well. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
Wading birds in Holmes Beach got new feeding grounds from Hurricane Michael today. - Cindy Lane | Sun
This morning, Anna Maria Island showed evidence of extremely high tides overnight. - Cindy Lane | Sun
A child chases retreating waves Wednesday on Manatee Public Beach as Hurricane Michael passes offshore. - Kristin Swain | Sun
Water slid up a driveway this morning in Holmes Beach. - Cindy Lane | Sun
Waves and sea foam reached far up the shoreline Wednesday at Manatee Public Beach. The foam appeared to contain red tide. - Kristin Swain | Sun
As the clouds blew away from Holmes Beach, the surf rose along the shoreline this afternoon before high tide. - Kristin Swain | Sun
A line in the sand in Holmes Beach shows that the Gulf waters rose well up the beach as Hurricane Michael passed the Island Wednesday. - Kristin Swain | Sun
A family waded in the Gulf as Hurricane Michael approached. - Chantelle Lewin | Sun
Updated Oct. 10, 7:30 a.m. – ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Hurricane Michael developed Tuesday night into a category 4 storm with 140 mph winds, moving north at 13 mph in the Gulf of Mexico.
Manatee County remains under tropical storm, tornado and storm surge watches of up to 2 feet as of 5:45 a.m. Wednesday.
The storm is expected to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle this afternoon, brushing Anna Maria Island.
Anna Maria Elementary School is closed today, while other Manatee County schools are open. Emergency shelters will remain closed, according to the county Emergency Operations Center.
High tide today, Wednesday, Oct. 10, on the Island will be at 1:56 p.m., when storm surge will be greatest, around 2 feet according to NOAA. Up to four inches of rain is expected, with wind gusts of 30-40 mph.
Tuesday, Michael caused high surf, high tides and, in combination with a king tide, some flooding on Anna Maria Island.
Emergency managers advise beachgoers to be aware of dangerous rip currents, and they discourage swimming or surfing.
Manatee County declared a state of emergency Tuesday, following Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s Monday statewide emergency declaration.
The state of emergency allows people on medications to refill prescriptions early in anticipation of storm evacuation under Florida Statute 252.358, according to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.
It also limits price hikes on gasoline, according to AAA. If there is a “gross disparity” between the current price and what the retailer charged during a 30-day period prior to the storm, it is considered “price gouging” and should be reported to the Attorney General’s office via the Price Gouging Hotline at 1-866-966-7226. During the past 30 days, Florida’s average price for a gallon of gasoline ranged from $2.72-$2.82 per gallon.
A state of emergency also allows local government officials to apply for emergency funding.
For helpful storm-related information, see The Sun’s Hurricane Guide.
Flooding began Tuesday in some Bradenton Beach neighborhoods, and tidal waters covered portions of Avenue B, Avenue A and 24th, 25th and 26th streets on the north end of town. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
Bradenton Beach roads flooded on Tuesday as Michael churned offshore. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
Bradenton Beach roads flooded on Tuesday as Michael churned offshore. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
Bradenton Beach roads flooded on Tuesday as Michael churned offshore. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
While fishing might seem challenging to the average angler, there are definitely some bright spots in what has been a perplexing season. Seasoned guides like Captains Scott and Justin Moore and Captain Rick Grassett have been catching fish consistently but having to move with the whims of the red tide.
The only areas consistently free of the red tide are regions where low salinity inhibits the formation. Late last week, clear water made an appearance on the beaches of north Longboat Key only to disappear the next morning. While there are some encouraging signs, everything is still in flux.
This past weekend I participated in the Sarasota Bay Watch Ninth Annual Monofilament Cleanup. I launched at the north end of Longboat with Michael Dolan of Cortez, and Nancy Greenwood and Casey Lamb from the Longbeach Village. We spent the morning removing discarded fishing line, tackle, lures, trash and flotsam from a small rookery at the mouth of Bishop’s Bayou before moving to the Bridge Street Fishing Pier on Bradenton Beach and then Kitchen Key near Cortez.
Nancy Greenhouse, Michael Dolan and Casey Lamb offload the fishing line, tackle and recyclable items they removed from area bird rookeries during Sarasota Bay Watch’s Ninth Annual Monofilament Cleanup this past weekend. – Rusty Chinnis | Sun
After cleaning the bridge fenders at Longboat Pass, we decided to head south along the beach to assess the conditions. We finished in the cove bordering the Longboat Key Club in New Pass. At our last stop, we were greeted by three manatees. Considering what these gentle creatures have been through with the red tide they were a welcome sight! We had lunch at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron with other volunteers before heading back north in the bay.
The ride was a mixed bag of excitement and disappointment. While there were areas that looked healthy with bait and jumping mullet we also crossed water that looked bad, smelled bad and even had us coughing for a brief period.
One thing I do know from experience is that this episode will end, and clean water and life will return to the Gulf and bays.
Having said that, I can’t stress enough the importance of learning the lesson this experience is posing. While red tide is natural, the frequency of occurrence and intensity is not. Man-made nutrients are worsening the effects. It’s critical we don’t forget and elect politicians that vote for common sense policies that protect our waters.
Recently you may have noticed full-page ads in local newspapers paid for by Big Sugar. In the ads, they are dodging responsibility for the nutrient loads and releases of water that are spawning green algae blooms and fueling red tide. While it’s true that they may have been getting more of the blame than they deserve they definitely are part of the problem.
They lobby to have water levels kept artificially high during the dry season to assure they have water to accommodate their agricultural lands. This becomes a problem during wet seasons when excess water cannot be stored and must be sent east and west into the Indian River Lagoon and Pine Island Sound.
Expect more of the same and worse if we don’t address the root causes of the problem. They are understood, and a draft plan is already available that would help alleviate much of the problem. The only thing missing is the political will. That’s where we come in. Like the old saw says, we’re either part of the solution or part of the problem.
HOLMES BEACH – In a time when many homeowners are rebuilding or giving a modern renovation to their homes, one family is turning back the clock on their Island home all the way to 1963.
Sean and Mary Anne Muniz purchased their Island home on 73rd Street in Holmes Beach in January 2018, a place they’ve dubbed Beach Haven. When they purchased the home, it featured a more modern kitchen, tile floors and a few hints as to its mid-century original grandeur.
Rather than tearing down the home and rebuilding or renovating to provide more modern amenities, the Muniz family decided to go another route. They’re remodeling the home and restoring it back to the year it was built, 1963, with the mother/daughter team of Mary Anne and Gillian Muniz leading the charge.
All of the furniture in the home is authentic to the 1960’s, including these reproduction chairs and the vases adorning the wall. – Kristin Swain | Sun
Mary Anne and Gillian are choosing everything for the house from paint colors, to specially made period-specific tiles for the kitchen, furniture and accessories to reflect the original period of the home. Only a few concessions have been made to provide modern conveniences including putting a new roof on the home, internet and cable services, placing a television on a 1960’s reproduction room divider, and replacing the kitchen appliances with modern antique reproductions. One of the more amusing aspects of the renovation, Mary Anne said, is watching her children, Robbie and Gillian, react to some of the antique pieces, such as a rotary phone.
“I wish I would’ve recorded that because it was pretty funny,” she recalled of the incident, explaining to her children how the phone works.
Currently, work is underway to remove the ceramic tile from the home, uncovering and refinishing the original terrazzo flooring. Once the flooring is complete, kitchen renovations will begin.
A wall calendar from 1963 is just one of the many unique and period-specific touches in the Muniz home. – Mary Anne Muniz | Submitted
All of the lighting, accessories and decorative touches for the home have been carefully tracked down and lovingly selected by Mary Anne and Gillian from vintage shops and authentic reproduction companies.
While most of the furniture in the home is reproduction pieces, great care and a lot of research was done by the two women to make sure that it’s authentic to the time period before it earned its place in the home. Much of the furniture they’ve selected is made by Heywood Wakefield, a company specializing in mid-century modern furniture that has been in business since 1897.
Upon entering the home, the first thing that visitors will notice is the vintage cinderblock wall shading the porch with cutouts to allow a breeze through. The porch is decorated with a vintage reproduction seat grouping. Entering through the front door, there is a dining room with a vintage 1963 wall calendar decorating one wall and the kitchen waiting to be restored on one side. On the other are the living area with three bedrooms and two bathrooms off to the side.
Four square style glass vases from the 1960’s adorn a wall in the home’s living area. – Kristin Swain | Sun
Gillian, however, makes her home in the attached pool house area featuring its own bathroom and separate entrance. From the living area, large windows and sliding glass doors give a lovely view of the outdoor patio area and fully restored pool.
Restoration work isn’t the only retro thing the family is planning to do with the property. While the Muniz’s plan to one day make the Island their full-time home, once renovations are complete they plan to periodically rent the home through Anna Maria Vacations to help make their dream a reality, a practice common prior to the economic hardships suffered in the mid-2000s. The family currently makes their full-time home in Minnesota.
HOLMES BEACH – In the last week to file Bert Harris claims with Holmes Beach regarding the city’s vacation rental ordinance, 29 new claims found their way to city hall with a total value of $8,031,000 if city leaders choose to accept the proposed settlement amounts.
Twenty-two of the claims, with property owners represented by attorney Aaron Thomas, came in on Sept. 28 with a total value of $5,664,000. All of the claims listed the reason for filing for loss of property value with the city were due to reductions in occupancy in the short-term rentals. Occupancy in Holmes Beach in short-term rentals is limited to two people per bedroom or six people total, whichever is greater, including children and infants.
One claim found its way to city hall Oct. 1 requesting compensation from the city amounting to $250,000, claiming property loss due to a reduction in occupancy. The property owner also is represented by Thomas.
Just under the deadline, six claims were received at city hall on Oct. 2 amounting to $2,117,000 in requests for compensation. All of the property owners are represented by attorney Scott Rudacille.
While all six claims list occupancy as a reason for filing for compensation due to property value loss, one claim also lists loss of future land use as a reason and two list restrictions on the number of bedrooms allowed for new construction for short-term rental properties. The city’s ordinances restrict the number of bedrooms on new construction to four per single family home or two bedrooms per side of a duplex for short-term rental properties.
The 29 claims were in response to a postcard mailing sent out by city hall Oct. 1, 2017, advising property owners of their rights under the Bert Harris Act and the vacation rental ordinances previously passed by commissioners. Property owners were given one year from receipt of the postcard to file Bert Harris claims. Now city leaders have 150 days from receipt of the claims to respond or offer a settlement to property owners.
BRADENTON BEACH – City Commission candidates Ralph Cole, Marilyn Maro, Tjet Martin and John Metz recently shared their thoughts on their campaigns and the issues the City Commission deals with.
Cole and Maro currently serve on the commission, and Martin and Metz are trying to unseat them.
– Joe Hendricks | Sun
Some of the candidate’s answers to The Sun’s questions ran in last week’s issue and here are some more of the candidates’ views.
What qualifications and experience do you/would you bring to the commission?
Cole: I’ve been a commissioner for three years. I chair the CRA, I’m a property owner, I’m a business owner, I’ve been a resident for 39 years and my father was mayor.
Maro: I’ve been a commissioner and CRA member for two years. I’ve been in business, and I’ve taught intercity vocational education. I listen well, and I think before I act.
Martin: I know our ruling documents. I was Scenic WAVES chair getting projects completed. I have regularly participated in city matters. I am an independent thinker.
Metz: Doctor of Laws degree, three-plus years on the Planning and Zoning Board, 10 years on the city of Oceanside Beach and Harbor Advisory committee with five years as chairperson and managing two successful businesses.
What are your thoughts on the commission’s 2018-19 fiscal year budget?
Cole: I’ve done three budgets, and we’ve been going in the right direction. We’ve got stability, we’re not going broke and our staff does a really good job with the budget.
Maro: We’ve done an excellent job on the budget, and we’re in real good shape.
Martin: I have concerns that it will be a balanced budget. I don’t think there was enough money allocated for neighborhood improvements.
Metz: No tax increase is needed or should occur.
If you could complete one city and/or CRA project in the next two years what would it be?
Cole: The undergrounding of the power lines on Bridge Street, finishing the day dock, adding finger docks and creating a living shoreline.
Maro: The underground wiring, the design vision of Emily Anne Smith and the seagrass mitigation near the pier.
Martin: Improvements at Katie Pierola Park and the anchorage in the CRA district.
Metz: Mooring field.
Should the City Commission retain the sole authority to hire and fire department heads and the charter officials that include the city clerk, city attorney and police chief?
Cole: If we allowed a city manager to hire and fire our city department heads or anybody else, every two years we could end up with new staff. Right now, we have good stability, and we know what we’re working with.
Maro: Yes. I think it should be a group decision made by the commission.
Martin: Not as a whole, but together with city manager recommendations.
Metz: No.
What thoughts do you have on the still pending Sunshine Law lawsuit the commission filed against six former city advisory board members in 2017?
(Metz and Martin are among the six defendants named in the lawsuit that alleges Sunshine Law violations were committed by Planning and Zoning Board and Scenic WAVES Committee members.)
Cole: I didn’t ask any of our advisory board members to go out and have meetings outside of city hall. I felt that when CNOBB did their charter amendment initiatives I couldn’t participate in those meetings without fear of breaking the Sunshine Law. I believe the transparency of the Sunshine Law is very serious.
Maro: That’s up to the judge and the attorneys.
Martin: The commission should have followed resolution 16-853 that deals with board and committee members, or the state ethics commission could have done the investigation.
Metz: The case should never have been brought and will cause financial loss to the city. The situation was totally mismanaged, misjudged and such drastic measures against volunteers was avoidable.
If elected, how would being a defendant in the lawsuit impact your ability to serve as a commissioner?
Martin: It wouldn’t.
Metz: None. I would recuse myself on any vote about it.
If elected, would you seek a commission vote to dismiss the lawsuit or would you want the case to move forward so a judge can determine if the alleged Sunshine violations occurred?
Martin: I want the case to be settled as quickly as possible.
Metz: I would recuse myself on any vote concerning it.
BRADENTON BEACH – Mobile Muttley’s owners Thomas Pechous and Tracy Thrall presented their proposed bike share service to city commissioners last week.
While no commission action was required, the commission expressed tentative support for docked bike share services, as long as all the required building permits and business licenses are properly obtained.
Mayor John Chappie said he previously spoke with Pechous and wanted the commission to hear his presentation.
Pechous said he and Thrall have been working on a docked bike share system for 10 years, and they hope to eventually make this an Island-wide endeavor that can serve as a model for other communities.
Pechous envisions a bike share and docking service that provides easy and flexible access to bikes that can be rented by the hour or for the entire day. He provided as an example, a visitor who parks his/her car at Cortez Beach – a few blocks south of Bridge Street – rents a bike from that location and rides down to Bridge Street or some other location to eat lunch or go shopping. The client can turn the bike in at that time or grab that bike or another bike after lunch and continue the pedal-powered travels through the city and/or the Island.
Pechous said the docking stations would be solar-powered and the rentals would be conducted via smartphone applications and the company would be insured.
Thrall said the smartphone technology would also help the person hired to run the daily operations to monitor supply and demand and ensure there are spaces to dock the rented bikes when users are done with them.
Pechous said Holmes Beach architect Jeff Conners is providing the designs for the docking stations.
Chappie noted that docking stations located at the county beaches would require county permission and/or permitting too.
“It looks like a great system, I like the whole idea of it,” Commissioner Jake Spooner said, noting the bike share service might lessen congestion and the need to drive around searching for a place to park.
“It would be great if we were able to have it at Cortez Beach. People can hop on a bike and come to our downtown area. It’s a fun, healthy way for people to get around and people wouldn’t have to wait on the trolley or the Monkey Bus,” Spooner said.
At the recommendation of City Attorney Patricia Petruff, the Holmes Beach City Commission, on Sept. 25, imposed a six-month moratorium on bike and scooter sharing services. This was done to allow the city time to develop regulations for a business model not currently addressed by city ordinances or regulations.
During that same meeting, Holmes Beach commission chair Judy Titsworth said efforts would be made to push through regulations for docked bike sharing systems. The commission’s main concern is that the dockless systems present safety concerns and concerns about bikes and scooters being left in roadways and on private properties.
When addressing the Bradenton Beach commission, Pechous said he was confident the Holmes Beach moratorium would soon be resolved. He agrees that dockless bike and scooter sharing services can create the types of nuisances that he and Thrall want to avoid.
After the meeting, Thrall estimated the bike share service would cost approximately $5 an hour and $15-$20 a day. He said they did not yet know when the bike share service would become operational or how many docking stations would be needed.
ANNA MARIA –The latest round request for proposals (RFP) to rebuild the city pier closed Oct. 3. Five Florida-based construction companies entered their names as candidates.
Mayor Dan Murphy said during the Sept. 27 Anna Maria City Commission meeting he hoped 11-12 companies would enter proposals.
The companies: Cone & Graham, Inc. from Port Saint Lucie, GLF Construction Corporation from Miami, Speeler & Associates, Inc. from Largo, and i+iconUSA and American Bridge, both from Tampa, submitted RFPs to the city by the 3 p.m. deadline.
Speeler & Associates, which was hired to demolish the city pier, and i+iconUSA had previously sent in construction proposals during the city’s last RFP round in July.
The last round of proposals were over the city’s expected budget. Speeler & Associates proposed a reconstruction price at $3.72 million and i+iconUSA also had previously given the city a $4.13 million offer. They were the only two companies to send in proposals, and both bids were rejected by the mayor with unanimous City Commission support.
The city has budgeted almost $2.5 million for the reconstruction, which includes only the main pier structure and the T-end located at the end of the pier. The city has not opened RFPs for the buildings at the end of the pier, where the bait shop and Anna Maria City Pier restaurant operated from.
City officials declined to comment on the latest proposals or on further details.
The city has purchased concrete pilings for the pier. Murphy said Sept. 27 he’s laid eyes on the pilings, and they’re “sound and accounted for.”
If all goes according to plan, if a proposal is accepted, officials have said they hope reconstruction work will begin in December.
HOLMES BEACH – If you’ve noticed any changes at The Freckled Fin since Oct. 1 it might be due to the restaurant’s new ownership.
Holmes Beach resident and Commissioner Rick Hurst, along with Island residents and friends Guy Yatros, Rick Cloutier and Sean McCarthy purchased the restaurant, taking over management at the first of the month. Hurst said that eventually, McCarthy will take over day-to-day operations of the restaurant. Right now, the project is something the four friends are excited to work on together.
“We’ve always wanted to do it,” Hurst said of purchasing a restaurant. He said he and his friends enjoy going to The Freckled Fin and “thought that’s a great place with a great atmosphere,” so when the business became available, Hurst said they took advantage of the opportunity.
“It’s pretty much a turnkey operation,” he said.
Going forward, patrons will see some changes or tweaks coming to the restaurant, Hurst said. One of the more notable changes being enacted immediately is that patrons will no longer have to order at the bar. Hurst said one of the biggest complaints he heard from patrons was a lack of table service, so the new management has decided to remedy the situation, along with considering replacement of the restaurant’s credit card system to simplify card processing and allow patrons to tip after the card is run by servers.
Another change Hurst said they hope to make is to simplify the menu over time. While the same chefs and staff are planned to remain at The Freckled Fin, Hurst said some changes may come to the menu in the way of a concentration on fresh food and paring down menu selections. He said the plan is to find out which items patrons prefer and to “get good at select things rather than be average at a lot of things.” During this process, the new owners are hoping to receive feedback from the community about which menu items are favorites and which ones patrons would prefer not change. He said anyone concerned about a favorite menu item changing should let management and restaurant workers know.
Management also is evaluating the sound system to see if there are any improvements needed. Hurst said they want to be very conscious of noise and respectful of residential neighbors.
Right now, Hurst said they’re just trying to get into the swing of things and provide patrons with an experience that just gets better with each visit.
“We like the place; that’s why we bought it,” he said. “We saw some areas for improvement and really hope to make it better.”
The Freckled Fin is at 5337 Gulf Drive, Suite 600 in Holmes Beach.
