HOLMES BEACH – Though commissioners didn’t approve City Engineer Lynn Burnett’s entire layout for the city field complex, they did combine her plan and theirs to create a layout that could work for everyone.
During an Oct. 9 work session, Burnett provided commissioners with an updated concept plan for the remodel of the city field complex, located adjacent to city hall. In her plan, she moved the baseball field slightly to the southeast, making the field a multiuse area rather than a designated ball field. Where third base and part of the outfield are now, she suggested installing a new concrete skate park, demolishing the old one and using that area to relocate the construction staging area currently taking up part of the parking lot near the basketball courts and dog park.
She recommended moving the city’s shuffleboard courts to the current home plate area, adding a bocce court and horseshoe pits along the first base area and pushing the large dog park north into the current staging area. She also suggested relocating the tot lot park from Marina Drive to next to the existing gazebo on Flotilla Drive and creating a parking and focal point entry area long Marina Drive. Eventually, she said the whole complex could be surrounded by a multi-use track with exercise stations.
The city’s current skate park is planned to be removed and the area used as a staging area for public works employees and city construction contractors. – Kristin Swain | Sun
Over a two-year period, including the current fiscal year, she projects the project will cost an estimated $300,000 to complete.
While commissioners were in favor of some items, such as relocating the staging area and the tot lot, the two big items, the dog park and the skate park, caused some concern.
Commissioner Judy Titsworth got the ball rolling on a compromise, one that dog park users in attendance at the work session approved of when she suggested using the third base and outfield area for the large dog park, allowing for a large dog run.
Titsworth said the placement would put the dogs further away from residential neighbors and allow the small dog park, which is expected to remain in its current location, to share a fence with the large dog park, allowing users to speak with each other and dogs to chase each other along the fence. She said the main two things for Burnett to consider with the relocation of the dog park is that the park should not be any smaller than its current size and adequate drainage will be needed.
Dog park users in attendance at the work session agreed with Titsworth’s plan. Both Don Anthony and Renee Ferguson said they were “very, very happy” with the new plan for the dog park. Anthony suggested leaving the third baseline dugout in place to provide a shaded spot for dog park users to sit just outside the proposed park area.
Burnett agreed to study the area and measure it to make sure that the improvements planned for the dog park would fit and that adequate drainage could be obtained.
Refinishing the shade structures in the city’s dog park is one of the temporary improvements planned for the current dog parks before city field goes under construction. – Kristin Swain | Sun
After a lengthy discussion, commissioners also asked Burnett to study the feasibility of moving the skate park so that it fronts Marina Drive, where noise from skaters would be near commercial businesses rather than residential homes. They also suggested moving the parking area more toward the east along the city hall side of the park complex and expanding the Flotilla Drive parking area near the dog park and basketball courts. This, they suggested, could better serve park goers and overflow parking from the nearby public boat ramp.
Burnett agreed to come back before commissioners at a future work session with a new plan for city field incorporating their suggestions.
HOLMES BEACH – City commissioners are asking police officers and City Attorney Patricia Petruff to work together to find a way to prosecute local builder Shawn Kaleta for the destruction of sea grapes and other vegetation on city property.
The destruction of the sea grapes and sea oats was observed over the summer with Building Official Jim McGuinness putting a stop work order on the 102 47th Street property and adjacent lot until Kaleta came into compliance and received permits from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Kaleta owns two parcels of land at the western end of 47th Street from which he cleared of all vegetation up to the dune line and public beach access on the southern side of the property. He also cleared the vegetation from the city unimproved right of way that would extend Fourth Avenue from 48th to 47th Street that divides his two properties without permission from the city.
The incident is similar to a situation Kaleta found himself in over the summer of 2017 when he removed sea grapes and sea oats from another property he was developing at 102 77th Street. The property remained under a stop work order for more than a month while the builder struggled to receive after the fact permits from the DEP, make an agreement to replace the removed sea grapes and sea oats with the DEP and come into compliance with the city’s building department. Though the sea grapes and sea oats were replanted at the location, it will take years for the plants to return to their previous size.
“This is minimal,” Commissioner Carol Soustek said of the replanting, a plan that will repeat itself at 47th Street. “What they destroyed at 77th Street was natural. What’s there now looks like a model house.”
Commissioner Judy Titsworth agreed, pushing for consideration of some sort of prosecution for the destruction at 47th Street and Fourth Avenue.
“Sea grapes need to be wild, not trimmed and pruned,” she said. “Fourth Avenue looks like a war zone.”
She added that as a licensed contractor, Kaleta should know the local laws and regulations about the removal of sea grapes. At the site of the sea grape removal on 47th Street, there is a sign at the beach access advising of the find for damaging sea grapes.
“We can’t continue to just allow it to happen,” Titsworth said, fearing that the situation would continue to be repeated if no further action is taken by city leaders.
City attorney Patricia Petruff said she would have to investigate to see what action can be taken at this point. She suggested that commissioners also consider potential uses for the Fourth Avenue right of way now that it has been cleared. Prior to Kaleta clearing the property, Petruff said the right of way was impassible due to vegetation.
The stop work order has been lifted on the property and McGuinness said Kaleta has reached an agreement with the DEP to replant the sea grapes on the right of way, the sea oats on the western edge of the property and create a buffer between the dune line and the planned residential development.
“What he’s offering isn’t even a token,” Commissioner Pat Morton said of the plan to replant some of the destroyed vegetation. Morton added that as a “habitual offender of city code” Kaleta should be “put in his place.”
Though several options for prosecution were suggested by commissioners, Petruff said it would take time to determine legally what the city’s prosecution options are and how strong of a case could be brought against Kaleta for the damage. She agreed to work with Mayor Bob Johnson and HBPD officers to determine what the best course of action will be. In the meantime, commissioners reached a consensus to write a letter reporting the incident to the state licensing board so that the issue is on record when Kaleta’s construction license comes up for renewal.
HOLMES BEACH – Commissioners aren’t sure about what to do for the future of Spring Lake, and they’re hoping the lake’s residents will step up to help them make a decision.
City Engineer Lynn Burnett presented commissioners with a water quality report and lake assessment for Spring Lake during an Oct. 9 meeting. Burnett said she agreed with the assessment made by Aquatic Systems Lake and Wetland Services to install an aeration system to improve oxygen levels in the polluted lake and monitor the water quality periodically.
Burnett also suggested dredging the lake to remove pollutants on the bottom and adding a connection to a freshwater well to refill the lake as needed. Two things that city commissioners weren’t sure about with the plan are the cost to dredge the lake and whether the currently saltwater lake should be cut off from tidal waters and made into a freshwater lake.
The report listed the lake’s waters as well over the recommended levels for phosphorus, nitrogen and ammonia, with levels significantly higher at the bottom of the lake than at the top. The oxygen level in the lake is listed as critically low and unable to support aquatic life. The lake’s waters also have high levels of chloride, salt, dissolved solids and suspended solids.
Burnett said that pollution in the lake is caused by a number of things including fertilizers and sediment washing in from nearby houses, dumping into the lake and leakage from a nearby waste station, the same one that had a massive leak more than two years ago, dumping around 30,000 gallons of wastewater into the lake.
With the lake being a man-made structure created from a natural freshwater wetland system, Burnett suggested cutting off the saltwater intrusion to the lake, removing pollutants, dredging the bottom, installing an aeration system, and connecting the lake to natural artesian wells to make the lake a freshwater system. She said, if the residents want it, the lake could be stocked with freshwater fish for fishing. The catch for residents is that to keep the lake clean of pollutants, residents surrounding the lake would not be able to fertilize their rear yards because of runoff into the lake system.
“It’s beautiful back there,” she said. “I hope the residents would want to protect and preserve it.”
Commissioners Judy Titsworth and Carol Soustek were both concerned about dredging at the lake. Titsworth said she understands dredging to be expensive and there’s a lack of access to Spring Lake. She also questioned where materials would be dumped after removal from the water. Soustek questioned if it would be possible to remove pollutants over time with aeration and pellets designed to break down the pollutants in the water. Burnett said she’d have to get quotes and speak with experts to be able to come back to commissioners with options for viable solutions.
“We need to find a way to fix it,” Soustek said of the lake.
Lake resident Melissa Williams gave commissioners an impassioned plea during public comment to allow the lake to remain saltwater, as it has been since the 1950s, calling it “a wonderful mistake.”
Titsworth noted the lake would be easier to maintain if it was left as a saltwater lake and questioned if it would be possible to clean the lake then restock it with fish.
Burnett said she would look into the possibility to present commissioners with all of the options. To allow the lake to remain tidal, she said the WaStop valve on the outflow pipe at Grand Canal would have to be removed and the lake’s residents would then be subject to flooding from king tides and sea level rise. While she understands that the lake has been a saltwater lake since it was turned from wetlands without permits in the 1950s, sea level rise makes it a different situation for surrounding residents in the coming decades.
The matter will come back before commissioners on a future work session.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, through Anna Maria City Hall, is collecting items to send to the areas hit by Hurricane Michael last week. The hallway at city hall was already full of items donated by Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch volunteers on Monday. The collection period ends Sunday, Oct. 21. City hall is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
New items being collected include toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, conditioner, hair brushes/combs, hair ties, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, Chapstick, soap/body wash, body lotion, first-aid kits and items, razors, shaving cream, feminine products, sanitary wipes/gel, sunscreen, insect repellant, laundry soap, cleaning supplies, towels, sheets, blankets, sleeping bags, flip flops, water shoes, work gloves, shovels, rakes, saws, empty gas cans, flashlights, batteries, tarps, ropes, box fans, extension cords, paper plates, plastic silverware and cups, mops and brooms and Ziploc bags and trash bags, pet food and supplies and baby products such as diapers, formula and bottles, wipes, baby food (no glass, please) baby wash and shampoo. Donate canned food only.
Cash is not accepted; money can be donated to the Red Cross.
Holmes Beach police also involved
The Holmes Beach Police Department is partnering with Manatee County Search and Rescue to be a drop off location for hurricane relief goods to be transported to the Panhandle. Items may be delivered to the police station, 5801 Marina Drive, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday until Oct. 21.
You can also drop them off at the following Beef O’Brady’s locations:
8913 US-301 N Parrish
1795 Lakewood Ranch Blvd. Bradenton
4286 53rd Ave E (corner of Lockwood Ridge Road and SR 70)
Items requested include duct tape, tarps, cleaning supplies, toys for little children, clothes such as T-shirts, socks, underwear and shoes, plus other nonperishable items like diapers, personal hygiene and feminine products.
There also is a desperate need for pants and boots for the first responders. Any help would be appreciated.
BRADENTON BEACH – City commissioners want to make stormwater and drainage improvements along Avenue C sooner rather than later. As part of that process, the commission also wants to restore, at the city’s expense, the Avenue C driveways disturbed as part of Manatee County’s force main replacement project.
During the Tuesday, Oct. 9, work meeting, commissioners tentatively agreed to accelerate these previously discussed city projects. City Engineer Lynn Burnett was authorized to bring back to the commission a proposed $302,626 contract from Westra Construction – the company hired by Manatee County to do its force main project.
In the past, the city contracted Woodruff & Sons to install the 57 stone-topped vertical infiltration trenches and alley-based drainage improvements. The original plan was to use Woodruff again for the Avenue C stormwater and drainage improvements planned for the 2019-2020 fiscal year.
During last week’s work meeting, Burnett said the city could save approximately $20,000 in mobilization costs by having Westra do the job now, while still onsite finishing up the county force main project.
More importantly to Avenue C residents, Burnett said having Westra do the work would significantly reduce the time that the Avenue C driveways and city rights of way remained in an unfinished state.
Approximately 10 months ago, Westra began tearing up Avenue C and the connecting driveways and yards located in the city-owned rights of way.
The project timetable Burnett presented last week proposed the contract with Westra be executed this month, which would then allow the stormwater and drainage projects to begin in November and be completed in February. The final restoration of the Avenue C driveways and rights of ways would then occur in March and April and include the final paving of Avenue C.
The previous plan called for Westra to simply restore the impacted driveways and rights of ways with the 57-stone that would remain in place until the city’s contractor came along to do the city-funded stormwater improvements beginning in late 2019.
As part of this modified approach, Burnett proposed the new four-foot wide infiltration trenches include honeycombed, plastic eco-grids that sit atop the fine sand that replaces the muddy soil removed to create the trenches.
The eco-grid will then sit below the final surface material of the property owner’s choice. If the property owner had brick driveway pavers removed and stored as a result of the county project, those pavers will be replaced atop the eco-grid. If the driveways and rights of way were covered sod, grass, concrete, asphalt, 89 stone or 250 shell mix, those areas will be similarly restored.
Driveways not already disturbed by the force main project will not be disrupted by the stormwater project.
Previous infiltration trenches installed elsewhere in the city were topped with white, lime rock 57 stone that proved problematic in high traffic areas. Burnett said later there will be no visible lime rock associated with the Avenue C project.
During the work meeting, Mayor John Chappie and Commissioner Ralph Cole stressed the importance of the repaved Avenue C being graded in a manner that allows rainwater to properly drain toward the outfalls that empty into the bay.
The Avenue C residents who attended last week’s meeting encouraged the commission to get Avenue C fully stored as soon as possible, even if that means working through another peak tourism season.
Project funding
For the stormwater and driveway restoration projects to begin nearly a year ahead of schedule, two budget amendments have been scheduled for discussion at the commission’s regular meeting at noon on Thursday, Oct. 18.
The commission will be asked to approve a $140,161 budget amendment for the driveway restoration project and a $151,350 budget amendment for the stormwater and drainage improvements.
Before the budget amendments are voted on, the commission will be asked to release $400,000 previously set aside in the restricted pier reserve fund. On Monday, Chappie said that fund previously provided the city with self-insurance for the Bridge Street Pier that is now insured.
Southwest Florida Water Management District grants and future stormwater assessment revenue will help the city recoup the cost of these projects in future fiscal years.
ANNA MARIA – The city’s plans to rebuild its famous city pier are still being kept confidential.
Mayor Dan Murphy said Oct. 11 he sent requests for more information to the five Florida-based construction companies that applied to the city Oct. 3 with plans to rebuild the pier.
Murphy told the City Commission that he gave the five companies a deadline of Oct. 12 to return with clarification on several questions. Murphy wouldn’t go into detail about what issues needed answers.
Once the answers were received, Murphy said he will release the proposals to the commission for review and possible selection.
The mayor said until then the contents of the packages had to be kept confidential.
The five companies that submitted applications were 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.
City officials have budgeted approximately $2.5 million for the reconstruction. Murphy also has submitted applications to Florida and federal departments for funding, but the mayor has said they’re still waiting for answers.
A meeting date for the RFP decisions hasn’t been scheduled as of publication.
ANNA MARIA – Mayor Dan Murphy said Oct. 11 he thinks the city’s north shore lost 30-35 percent of its white sands, but, he added, Bean Point has grown.
Murphy and Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Mike Jones toured the city’s beaches after the high waters caused by Hurricane Michael receded. Murphy’s opinion of the state of the beach is based on opinion and visual inspection, not on a formal study.
“We got really lucky,” Murphy said, adding the sea oats planted along the coastline helped keep the sand on the shore. “That’s what they’re there for.”
Anna Maria’s beaches also were spared from major erosion during Hurricane Irma in 2017. According to a coastal impact report published by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the beaches of Anna Maria were listed as only suffering “minor damage” due to the storm losing a lot of its momentum after making landfall.
Murphy said there’s no plan to replace the eroded sand at this time.
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
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