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Holmes Beach City Hall

Meet the Holmes Beach candidates at The Sun forum

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

HOLMES BEACH – If you have questions for the City Commission and mayoral candidates, Sept. 19 is your chance to get answers.

The Sun is hosting its annual candidate forum at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 19, at city hall, 5801 Marina Drive. Candidates will take to the dais to answer our readers’ questions before early voting begins in October.

During the forum, candidates will be asked to answer your questions with their fellow candidates given the chance to respond with their thoughts on the issues.

Commission candidates are first up at 6 p.m. With two two-year terms available on the City Commission, three candidates are vying for votes – Commissioner Pat Morton, Don Purvis and Kim Rash.

Morton served as commissioner since first being elected in 2003 and is currently serving a one-year term on the dais. In his current term, expiring November 2018, Morton was elected by his fellow commissioners to serve as vice-chair. He serves as liaison to Waste Pro for recycling and solid waste concerns, the Manatee County Emergency Operations Center and the Holmes Beach Police Department pension board.

Purvis is a newcomer to the local political arena. A Holmes Beach resident since 2010, Purvis works as the managing broker and an owner of Beach House Real Estate. After spending a year on the Center of Anna Maria Island’s board of directors, Purvis is ready to branch out into the local political arena to provide the City Commission with a fresh perspective on community issues.

Rash, the self-proclaimed mayor of Holmes Boulevard, is a long-time Holmes Beach resident who prides himself on giving a voice to the residents. After spending several years on the sidelines, he’s ready to dive into local politics to continue advocating for Holmes Beach residents and the rights of property owners in a more official capacity.

Immediately following the commission candidate forum, the mayoral candidates take the dais for a discussion of local issues and to answer questions. Vying for the mayoral position are Commissioner Judy Titsworth and political newcomer Joshua Linney.

Titsworth has been a lifetime resident of Holmes Beach. She was first elected to the city commission in 2012 and has served as commission chair since 2013. If elected as mayor, Titsworth hopes to use her years of local political and business management experience to benefit the city’s residents and business owners. Currently, she serves as the commission’s alternate for the Manatee County Emergency Operations Center and liaison for roads, bridges, canals and erosion issues.

Linney is a newcomer to the local political arena. A long-time resident of Holmes Beach, he currently serves as a member of the city’s Parks and Beautification Committee. He owns a website consulting service and previously served for three years in the U. S. Army. If elected, Linney says he wants to give voice to the residents of Holmes Beach.

To submit questions to be asked during the forum, email them to news@amisun.com or post them to our social media page.

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Bradenton Beach CRA underground

CRA approves undergrounding project

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

BRADENTON BEACH – The Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) has agreed to spend approximately $568,000 to place underground the utility lines on Bridge Street and some of the lines that cross over Gulf Drive.

Having discussed the project for several months, the CRA members received cost estimates on Sept. 5 from the CDM Smith engineering and consulting firm that’s guiding the Longboat Key undergrounding project.

The CRA members agreed in principle to spend $440,000 to bury the utility lines on Bridge Street, including the connection fees for Bridge Street property owners and business owners to be connected to the above-ground transformers.

CDM Smith Senior Utility Coordinator Mark Porter said the fee connections typically cost $2,000 to $7,000, and he thinks the Bridge Street connections will be on the low end of that. Earlier this year, CRA member and City Commissioner Jake Spooner discussed the connection fees with several Bridge Street property owners and some opposed the connection fees.

The $440,000 estimate includes $18,000 for street lighting replacement and $40,000 in contingency funds to cover unanticipated costs.

The CRA members also agreed to spend $77,000 to bury eight lateral utility lines that cross over Gulf Drive between Cortez Road and Fourth Street South. That estimated fee includes $4,000 in contingency funds.

The CRA members agreed to hire CDM Smith to oversee the undergrounding project. CDM Smith associate Amelia Davies estimated that cost to be about 10 percent of the overall project costs. This amounts to about $51,700 and brings the total estimated project cost to $568,000. A previous preliminary cost estimate provided by CDM Smith was roughly $750,000.

The CRA approval included the stipulation that CDM Smith coordinates with Emily Anne Smith, the independent architectural designer contracted to develop a CRA district master plan. During public comment, Smith said she supports the project, will incorporate it into her designs and wishes it would have happened 20 years ago.

The contract with CDM Smith is expected to be presented at the next CRA meeting.

CRA discussion

CRA chair and City Commissioner Ralph Cole has pushed for the undergrounding project since at least early 2017, and he’s often noted it was included in the original CRA plan adopted in 1992.

“It’s always been put off because the funds weren’t available,” he said last week.

Cole said burying the utility lines would beautify and enhance Bridge Street while also eliminating the possibility of those power lines coming down in a storm.

“We’re using the CRA money for what it was meant to be used for,” he said.

Spooner, who’s also a Bridge Street business owner, asked Porter how disruptive the project would be to the businesses.

Porter estimated the entire project would take no more than six months, and the Bridge Street properties would never be without power. He said the disruption to the businesses would be minimal because directional boring would be used to bury the utility lines and conduits.

“You don’t have to go in there and tear up roads and sidewalks. We just have to have somewhere to set the rig and have the bore come up,” Porter said, noting the most disruptive work could be scheduled earlier in the week when the businesses are slower.

“I think this is a bold move. I think it says a lot about Bradenton Beach and its CRA and is something tangible that people can see,” said member Ed Chiles, who was participating by phone.

“I do think this is one of the most important projects the CRA has taken on. It shows the leadership in Bradenton Beach because by this move the CRA is leading the way to underground the utilities for Anna Maria Island. Bradenton Beach’s downtown area is taking the very first, most important step in this regard. I think it can grow from here and go Island-wide, and I hope it will,” Chiles said.

Funding mechanism

Using tax increment revenues generated in the CRA district that extends from Cortez Road to the southernmost property lines along Fifth Street South, the CRA will cover the entire cost of the project, and the city’s general fund will not be impacted.

As of early August, the CRA fund balance was about $1.7 million, according to City Treasurer Shayne Thompson. The CRA’s 2018-19 fiscal year budget anticipates an additional $474,463 in tax revenues for the new fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. The undergrounding project was not included in the CRA’s 2018-19 budget, and that will require a future budget amendment.

AME peace day 2017

AME prepares to celebrate peace

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

HOLMES BEACH – Anna Maria Elementary (AME) School teachers, staff and students are preparing for the 17th Annual Peace Day celebration, on Friday, Sept. 21, starting at 9 a.m. in front of the school.

The celebration serves as a lesson for students that violence is not the way to solve disagreements.

AME Guidance Counselor Susan Tabicman said this year’s celebration involves pinwheels and students’ thoughts on what peace looks like and means to them. The theme is “The Right to Peace,” according to Tabicman.

The event will begin with an introduction by AME Principal Jackie Featherston and Rotary Club of AMI Past President Judy Rup. Fourth- and fifth-graders will present the colors while the Star-Spangled Banner plays. The Manatee High School Drumline will perform as students plant the Peace Flags around the Peace Pole.

Select students will read poetry and essays on peace, and it concludes with everyone singing a song of peace.

Peace Day began after then-AME Guidance Counselor Cindi Harrison realized two new students had moved here from a school in New York near the Twin Towers that were destroyed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island provided AME with the Peace Pole in March 2002 and the teachers decided to use it as a part of the celebration.

Castles in the Sand

Why aren’t you moving?

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

Last week we talked about moving and the emotional and financial toll it can take on your family. This week we’re going to touch on why people aren’t moving as much, at least not for jobs.

It’s a new world out there; technology has made it possible to practically run a multi-million-dollar business from home in your pajamas. More employers are offering their staff the ability to work virtually from home, saving enormous amounts of corporate dollars. This could be part of the reason why, according to the U.S. census data, fewer people are relocating for jobs.

About 3.5 million people relocated for a new job or job transfer last year, which is a 10 percent drop from 2015, but there are other reasons as well. The once traditional family, where job transfers hinged on the primary breadwinner’s career, usually the husband, are almost gone. During the time I worked in the relocation business we had an awful expression for this, “the trailing spouse,” which conjured up nasty images. In the late 1980s, more than a third of job seekers relocated, and it has gone continually down to below 20 percent after 2000. The first half of this year shows only about 10 percent.

Thankfully these days, no one is trailing primarily because both spouses or partners generally contribute to the financials of the household, and job opportunities must be weighed very differently. In addition, with the high divorce rate and former spouses co-parenting their children, relocating presents logistical issues most employees don’t want to face.

Even for those willing to relocate, the previous generous incentives used to induce skilled workers to uproot themselves and their families have gotten smaller. Therefore, the cost of selling a property and moving to a different location is not being offset by companies as in past years. Add into this the low unemployment rate pretty much all over the country, enabling employees who may want to look for other opportunities to do it a lot closer to home.

Not only are job seekers unwilling to relocate but just regular people are deciding to stay put and renovate homes rather than give up a low mortgage rate and upend the family. Nationally, according to The National Association of Realtors, the sale of existing homes from June to July fell 0.7 percent. This represents the fourth straight month of declines. Compared with a year earlier in July of last year, sales were down 1.5 percent. Lack of inventory to sell is what is pushing sale prices up, keeping buyers out of the market, which depends on a continuing flow of new homeowners to keep it healthy.

We, however, in Manatee County are not having the same problems plaguing the rest of the country. Single-family sales for the month of July were up 19.2 percent from last year and up 10.1 percent for condos. Appreciation rates are also continuing their upward trend. This doesn’t mean we don’t have a shortage of inventory, we do, and in July it dropped a little further, but so far, the number of sales are being maintained.

Florida has never been a state that imported a lot of job seekers. That certainly has changed in recent years with so many younger people relocating from high priced, high taxed Northern states. However, for the most part, our incoming population consists of second-home buyers and retirees, and that’s what’s keeping the sales going.

So why aren’t you moving? Probably because Florida has lots to offer, not the least of which is a more relaxed way of life and sunshine. Have laptop, won’t travel.

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Score a strike at the LaPensee Bowling Tournament

Center fans rock the lanes at bowling tournament

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Bowling, Featured, Sports.

BRADENTON – More than 300 bowlers took to the lanes Sept. 8 in a bowling tournament that was more about comradery than competition.

Bowlers filled 52 sponsored lanes for the annual LaPensee Bowling Tournament held at the AMF Bradenton Lanes. Two kids’ lanes, sponsored by the Zaccagnino and Talucci families, were filled with laughter and a lot of excitement as children took turns rolling bowling balls down the lanes. After taking a year off in 2017, the tournament returned stronger than ever as one of the primary fundraisers for The Center of Anna Maria Island, this year bringing in more than $15,000 in sales and donations.

bowling
From left: Center Board Chair David Zaccagnino; 50-50 winner Martha Jones, who donated half her winnings back to the Center; event chair Karen Harlee; and Cindy Jones, Martha’s mom. – Chantelle Lewin | Sun

Throughout the three-game tournament, bowlers cheered on each other and surrounding teams as some people rolled strikes and others rolled gutter balls. Everyone agreed they had a great time as they came out to support the Center in one of the organization’s signature events. Though the competition was all in good fun, there were a few awards handed out.

The bees of Team Bins Be Clean took home the award for best team costume, beating out the “Dodgeball” inspired costumes from Team Purvis. Young bowler Fiona McCarthy took home the award for the highest kids score. Bowler Charles Wade, from the team from Roser Memorial Community Church, won the award for the highest male score after bowling three nearly perfect games. Lauren Powell took home the highest scoring female bowler award. The award for lowest male score went to Greg McKinney, while Isabella Miller took home the award for the lowest scoring female in the bowling tournament.

In addition to competing for awards, bowlers also were competing against each other for silent auction items and raffle prizes along with $603 in the 50/50 raffle. Auction and raffle prizes included gift baskets from local businesses, a two-hour sunset cruise with Capt. Ben Webb, an original artwork print by artist Patricia Bowers, a trip to LEGO Land, a fishing charter and a one-year family membership to the Center. The two largest raffle prizes were a grill donated by Rice’s Appliances and a beach cruiser bicycle donated by Beach Bums. Winner of the bicycle, Alex Harllee, even considered taking the bicycle for a quick spin through the bowling alley at the urging of Center board chair David Zaccagnino causing a round of laughter to erupt from nearby bowlers.

While not everyone went home with an award or a prize, everyone agreed they had a great time. Center executive director Chris Culhane said the tournament was a lot of fun for everyone involved.

“We’re thankful to everyone who came out tonight,” he said.

New red tide treatment for manatees in works

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Outdoors, Red tide.

Florida International University and Mote Marine Laboratory are developing new and more efficient ways to treat manatees exposed to the toxic red tide.

Through a $428,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s ECOHAB program, FIU and Mote are launching a three-year project to improve veterinary care for rescued manatees by studying how the cells in their immune systems respond to certain antioxidants. The goal is to identify antioxidants that may work better than the current treatment, which uses anti-inflammatory substances.

FIU chemist Kathleen Rein and Mote marine immunology expert Cathy Walsh are leading the research team.

“The current approach is simply to give palliative care and wait for them to clear the toxin and get better,” Rein said. “This new treatment could accelerate the healing process. If this treatment is successful, it could be used with many other animals including dolphins, turtles and birds.”

Red tide toxins can compromise a manatee’s immune system, causing a harmful phenomenon known as oxidative stress, leaving the animal vulnerable to illness. Manatees can become sick or even die from eating tainted vegetation or inhaling contaminated air.

“We’re identifying what compounds are the most promising in minimizing oxidative stress levels so they can be tested in a veterinary setting with these animals in the future,” Walsh said. “The need for better treatment is underscored by the current, long-lasting bloom of Florida red tide and its intense impacts on Florida manatees.”

The current bloom of Karenia brevis — the microscopic algae causing the Florida red tide — is the worst the state has seen since 2005. Seven counties are currently in a state of emergency with no predictions on how long the current red tide bloom will last.

Red tide is to blame for 10 percent of manatee deaths over the last 10 years. During bloom years, that number jumps to 30 percent. More than 575 manatees have already died this year including 103 suspected or confirmed red tide cases, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. This surpasses the year-long total of 538 from 2017.

Just two years ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service changed the manatee’s status from endangered to threatened. Rein and Walsh’s research, if ultimately applied successfully to veterinary care, may help keep manatees from plummeting back to endangered status.

FWC: Red tide increasing

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

Red tide is increasing again in the Gulf of Mexico off Anna Maria Island, according to today’s report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

The Sept. 7 report shows that red tide levels are from 5 percent to 25 percent higher than last week.

Low concentrations of red tide were found in water samples taken at the Rod & Reel Pier in Anna Maria. Medium concentrations were found in water at Longboat Pass and at Cortez Beach, both in Bradenton Beach, and background concentrations were found at the Palma Sola Bay bridge.

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 from Aug. 30 to Sept. 5 at Coquina Beach (Bradenton Beach) and from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2 and again on Sept. 4 at Manatee Beach (Holmes Beach).

The last reported fish kill in Manatee County was on Aug. 31 in Bradenton Beach.

Persistent surface currents before, during and after the passage of Tropical Storm Gordon likely played a role in transporting Karenia brevis red tide cells to the northwest, according to FWC.

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.

Call 866-300-9399 in Florida to hear a recording about red tide conditions. Callers outside of Florida, call 727-552-2448.

The Russians are coming

Written by Sun staff on . Posted in Editorial, Opinion.

Remember that movie where the Russians overrun a little beach community?

Well, it happened last week.

It’s hard to believe that a weekly newspaper in paradise like The Anna Maria Island Sun could be a target for hackers in Russia, just like the websites of federal government agencies.

But we were.

From Aug. 25-30, amisun.com sustained repeated attacks from cybercriminals in Russia, Pakistan, Great Britain, Brazil and other countries.

Did their vacation plans to AMI get spoiled by red tide?

Are they angry about our political cartoons?

Are they targeting us because we just won a statewide First Amendment Defense award from the Florida Press Association?

Maybe, but we’ll never know, just like you never know why a delinquent kid chooses to throw a baseball through one random window rather than another.

Cybercriminals thrive on creating chaos.

We prefer order, and law, and will be talking to local police about the attack.

We apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced trying to access our website last week. Please visit us again.

The red tide is receding, and so is the red threat, for now.

Sun site attacked by cybercriminals

Written by Sun staff on . Posted in Business, Featured.

If you had trouble accessing The Sun’s website last week, blame cybercriminals.

Hackers using computers in Russia, Ukraine, Pakistan, Brazil, Great Britain, the U.S. and elsewhere launched a Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) cyberattack on amisun.com on Aug. 25.

The local weekly’s website is viewed internationally, with high readership in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Germany and Brazil, all primary feeder markets for tourism to the area.

The attacks began about the same time that an update on red tide was published on Aug. 25, attracting the attention of Google, which promoted the story. Nearly 20,000 users quickly visited the website, many clicking through from The Sun’s Facebook page, facebook.com/AnnaMariaIslandSun.

The high numbers in themselves were not a red flag, said Cindy Lane, The Sun’s Digital Editor, explaining that even higher numbers were reached during Hurricane Irma a year ago, when the website was just a few weeks old, and red tide has recently proven to be of international interest.

But the initial trouble with the site that at first appeared innocuous quickly escalated. The Sun was attacked more than 1.5 million times in less than a day.

The Sun and Nova Network took immediate measures to defend the site, gradually restoring it to full capacity on Aug. 30.

Cybercriminals organize computers around the world to access websites thousands of times until the sites are overwhelmed, keeping users and even web administrators from accessing the sites, said Peter Langlois, CEO of Crystal River-based Nova Network.

It’s impossible to know the motivation for the attack with certainty, but hackers are known for wanting to shut down content.

There’s not a global appreciation of the First Amendment freedom of the press, Langlois said, adding that motivations could range from business owners who do not want red tide information published to people who stood to gain financially or get ‘vengeance’ to a random user with a grudge against Google, which picked up the story.

The website publicized The Sun’s statewide First Amendment Defense award from the Florida Press Association in August.

“We are in a global economy,” Langlois said. “Even though The Sun is local, it is international. And even though it is a weekly print edition, its online impact is immediate.”

Google analytics show that The Sun has increased its online readership more than 10 times since launching a year ago, which Langlois attributed to “timely, relevant coverage of issues that have a regional or larger meaning,” such as red tide.

Rolling With The Tide on Saturday

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

Rolling With The Tide on a Saturday typical refers to a University of Alabama football game, but this weekend it will take on a different and more localized meaning.

Anna Maria resident and Full Throttle Magazine employee Laurie Jo Higgins has organized the Rolling With The Tide event as a means of encouraging local and regional bikers and motorcycle enthusiasts to visit Anna Maria Island on Saturday, Sept. 8.

The purpose of the event is to support the Island businesses and assist in the ongoing efforts to recover from the financial setbacks created by the red tide that began impacting the Island and its businesses in early August.

Rolling With The Tide will feature a $10 poker run, two bike shows, and an Island-wide scavenger hunt.

rolling tide event poster
Event poster

The poker run will begin at the Anna Maria Beach Cafe at the Manatee Public Beach in Holmes Beach at 11 a.m. and the last hand will be dealt at 4 p.m. at The Freckled Fin in Holmes Beach.

Proceeds from the poker run will benefit To Inform Families First (TIFF), a statewide program longtime Rod & Reel Pier waitress Christine Olsen initiated after her daughter Tiffany and Tiffany’s boyfriend were killed in a motorcycle accident in 2005. It took more than six hours for Christine to be notified of her daughter’s accident.

“With the support of Florida State Representative Bill Galvano, The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and law enforcement agencies, a voluntary Emergency Contact Information program went into effect on October 2, 2006, in the state of Florida,” says the TIFF website, www.ToInformFamiliesFirst.org.

TIFF programs have also been established in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, and Tennessee.

There will be a 4 p.m. bike show at the Freckled Fin and an 8 p.m. bike show in the Drift In and Sport’s Lounge parking lot in Bradenton Beach as part of the Full Throttle Magazine party that will conclude the day’s festivities.

For more information, call Higgins at 941-448-5642.

red tide canal shores

Canal cleanup revisited

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Community News, Manatee County.

MANATEE COUNTY – Manatee County paid APTIM approximately $140,000 for a week’s worth of canal cleaning services, according to Information Outreach Manager Nick Azzara.

During a Monday, Aug. 27, press conference, county officials announced APTIM’s services had been discontinued

“The contractor was able to manage to have all those fish picked up in a week,” County Administrator Ed Hunzeker said.

Hunzeker and Commissioner Steve Jonsson also announced the county was transitioning to a voluntary “Nets to Neighbors” maintenance program that involved hand nets, buckets and dumpsters being placed in some waterfront neighborhoods.

Dated Aug. 17, the county’s contract with APTIM’s Boca Raton office included a not to exceed amount of $468,988. The contract stated APTIM would collect biological debris along the Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach and Anna Maria bayside shorelines as well as the mainland shorelines along the Palma Sola and Sarasota Bay. The contract stated APTIM wouldn’t cleanup along the Gulf of Mexico, Longboat Key or the Manatee River shorelines.

The contract stated APTIM would provide three 26-foot marine work vessels manned by a captain and two deckhands who would manually skim the surface with nets to remove the floating debris. The contract also called for a survey vessel and a dedicated collection vessel to transport the collected debris to offloading areas for transport to the county landfill.

APTIM’s fee proposal listed $145,680 in labor costs, $35,698 in equipment costs and $287,610 in direct costs if the contract was carried out in full. APTIM’s projected direct costs included $272,580 for SWS Environmental Services – a national firm with locations in Tampa and St. Petersburg that offers on-water spill response services. SWS comprised 95 percent of APTIM’s projected direct costs.

APTIM’s work assignment sheet listed daily rates for engineers, managers, surveyors, a hydrographer, biologists, geologists and more. In addition to survey boats, the daily equipment rates included cameras, a pitch and roll compensator, tidal gauges, a fathometer, a navigation system and more. The direct cost rates consisted of meals, lodging, and mileage.

On Saturday, Aug. 25, Manatee County Environmental Program Manager Damon Moore sent an email to County Commission Executive Assistant Sheri Smith explaining his decision to discontinue APTIM’s services.

“We were relying on this contractor to remove large mats of floating rotting fish in canals and boat accessible shorelines. By midday Friday they had worked through the existing large contiguous masses mostly within the areas of Coral Shores, Bowlees Creek, and Trailer Estates. With the lack of accessible floating masses and fish rotting to the extent that they could not effectively be removed via the nets, I made the decision that this waterside approach was no longer an effective or wise use of funds at over $25k per day. I did this after a report from the helicopter survey on Friday of no more significant floating masses in the bay and speaking with Ed (Hunzeker) and Dan (Schlandt),” Moore’s email said.

On Aug. 21, county commissioners amended the fiscal year budget and appropriated $750,000 in county funds for red tide response. In turn, the county has a received a funding commitment for a $750,000 FDEP grant.

During the press conference, Hunzeker said the cleanup costs were $250,000, but he provided no details. Azzara said later that figure included APTIM’s fees, overtime pay for county employees and other costs associated with the county’s red tide response.

Canal conditions

A Wednesday, Aug. 29, visit to the Coral Shores neighborhood on Cortez Road revealed only small amounts of dead fish and horseshoe crabs floating in the canal ends. Two weeks ago, those canal ends were filled with dead and rotting fish, and the smell was nearly unbearable.

A dumpster had been placed along the main entry road, accompanied by a sign that said, “Fish Disposal Only.” A peek inside the dumpster revealed no dead fish.

red tide canal dumpster
The county placed this dumpster in the mainland Coral Shores neighborhood. – Submitted | Sun

A visit to the neighboring Mt. Vernon community revealed similar canal conditions.

On Sunday, Coral Shores resident Lindy Gallagher said she didn’t see dead fish in her canal, but black algae had appeared. Resident Kelly Strom said there was a bad odor in the air, and she was seeing sheets of green algae floating in the canal.

An Aug. 29 visit to a residential canal at 20th Place North in Bradenton Beach revealed a bayside canal end covered with seagrass, dead fish, eels and horseshoe crabs, with flies and maggots congregating on the decomposing marine life.

One block over, the 21st Place North canal contained only a few floating fish and crabs.

When contacted, County Commissioners Carol Whitmore and Steve Jonsson said they were not aware of APTIM doing any work along the Island shorelines, and Whitmore said none of the Island mayors requested assistance.

Related coverage

Red tide lessens

Red tides, lost summers

Red tide FAQs

‘Nets to Neighbors’ next phase of red tide cleanup

red tide business challenges

Businesses working hard to offset red tide

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

The Sun reached out to the local business community on Sunday to see how their Labor Day weekend was going as they continue to rebound from the red tide’s economic impacts.

“Business has picked up a little, but our employees are stressed because they need to pay their rent. We just need everyone to know it’s not bad out here. We had people sitting outside all day yesterday,” said Shannon Dunnan, manager at the Bridge Tender Inn & Dockside Bar in Bradenton Beach.

“A good rebound, however, the absence of a cleanup program in Sarasota Bay is not helping as the east winds are driving seagrass and dead fish into the canals and eastern shores of Longboat Key. But people are out, and it’s definitely improved since last week,” said Robert Baugh, chief operating officer for the Mar Vista, BeachHouse and Sandbar restaurants in Longboat Key, Bradenton Beach and Anna Maria.

“Business picked up last night. The week was slow, but our employees are hanging in there,” said Jason Suzor, owner of The Waterfront restaurant in Anna Maria.

“It’s definitely slowed down, but we’ve been doing OK. I was asking around the Island, and it seems this weekend everybody’s had a little boost in sales,” said Brad Lisk, bartender at D Coy Ducks in Holmes Beach.

“Business is picking up. It’s nowhere near last year’s Labor Day weekend yet, but we’re running Maine lobsters for $14.99 to help bring guests into our restaurants. Our staff really appreciates the guests coming in, and they’re hanging in there,” said John Horne, president of the Anna Maria Oyster Bar in Bradenton Beach.

“Business was good yesterday, but it’s still down over 25 percent for September. We’re having all-you-can-eat snow crab today, and it’s beautiful out,” said Bob Slicker, general manager of the Swordfish Grill in Cortez.

“The weekend has seen a good turnout with positive vibes. The employees are feeling nervous about what the next few months will hold during a slower season with red tide and all the media coverage. We are doing creative promos and specials to bring locals and tourists in and the locals are providing positive support,” said Scott Lubore, owner of the Freckled Fin in Holmes Beach.

“Our week leading up to Labor Day weekend was down about 25 percent over last year, but the good news is through two days of the holiday weekend we’re flat in our year-over-year comparison. We’re seeing people and their feedback has been positive about how clean the beaches are and no red tide smell. I had to lay off three part-time associates last week. Hopefully, that will be temporary. My full-time associates took an extra unpaid day off last week and will again this week,” said Brian Seymour, owner of the Anna Maria General Store.

“We had lots of cancellations prior to the weekend because people were reacting from the two weeks prior, but we had a handful of check-ins. Everyone’s supporting each other and keeping spirits up as they know this is out of their control. I just hope business picks up soon, so we can keep the wheels on the bus turning,” said Duncan Real Estate owner Darcie Duncan.

“Business was very quiet until Saturday and Sunday. This weekend we had a lot of Florida visitors. My sales are way down compared to last year, and all the businesses are struggling,” said Gayden Shell, owner of The Uptown Lot in Bradenton Beach.

“Business is better and the staff’s morale is swinging upward,” said Kit Bradman, general manager of Island Time Bar & Grill and Bridge Street Bistro in Bradenton Beach.

“We had our best Friday and Saturday in what feels like a month. Our employees have been hurting deeply in their pockets. Hopefully, some good publicity and the red tide passing will bring business back to our beautiful Island and help return us to normal,” said Doreen Flynn, manager of Drift In in Bradenton Beach.

“The red tide’s been a lot better the last few days. Today was pretty good. The week was spotty: one day would be good and the next day it wouldn’t. Hopefully, it’s on the upswing,” said Karen Bell, owner of the Starfish Co. Market & Restaurant in Cortez.

“The fish house has been fine. The guys have been fishing more to the north and the offshore guys aren’t really affected,” she said of the AP Bell Fish Co.

“We’re hanging in there. The special we ran this week helped get our locals out and they’ve been so supportive and generous. We were able to open the outside seating again on Friday. It’s not been as busy as usual for Labor Day weekend, but there’s definitely been an increase so we’re staying positive and optimistic,” said Staci Stern, bartender at Tide Tables in Cortez.

“We had a great weekend. It’s been a little slower than normal, but’s always slow this time of year. Our employees could use a few more shifts, but everyone is hanging in there – and our winter friends will soon be coming back,” said Adam Ellis, owner of the Blue Marlin Grill in Bradenton Beach.

red tide diver crab

A scuba diver’s view of red tide

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Featured, Outdoors, Red tide.

The recent red tide produced fish kills that littered the Island’s Gulf-side beaches and this begs the question: Are there any fish left in this part of the Gulf?

Sarasota-based professional underwater cinematographer, photographer and explorer Curt Bowen has some answers to that question.

On Aug. 29, Bowen conducted four dives in the Gulf of Mexico at various depths offshore of the Island.

He compiled his underwater footage into a short video titled, “Red Tide: The Death of our Shores” and posted it on his Facebook page.

“What I found was both shocking and hopeful,” he wrote in his post.

Bowen’s video begins with footage shot at site 1, one mile offshore of the Bradenton Beach/Holmes Beach border in murky water that was 15-feet deep and offered a foot of visibility. Other than plants and plankton, no living creatures are seen.

The embedded text says, “Estimated loss of life 98 percent.”

The site 2 footage was shot three miles offshore of Bradenton Beach in water 24-feet deep with eight to nine feet of visibility and an estimated loss of life 40 percent. The footage includes a decomposing fish that falls apart in Bowen’s hands, a dead crab resting on the bottom and some live fish swimming around.

The site 3 footage was shot seven miles offshore of Longboat Pass, in water 41-feet deep, with 10 to 15 feet of visibility and an estimated 10 percent loss of life. Many varieties of fish are seen swimming at this site, but Bowen also picks up a lifeless shell that somewhat resembles a sand dollar.

Site 4 was one mile offshore from the northern end of Longboat Key in murky water 18 feet deep with 12 to 18 inches of visibility and an estimated the loss of life of 99 percent. Bowen is seen picking up several lifeless clam and scallop shells. He also picks up a lifeless sea urchin and finds a dead stone crab tangled in an underwater plant.

Diver’s observations

When contacted Sunday, Bowen shared more observations.

“It was hit really hard at one mile out, and it slowly got better farther offshore. I calculated the percentages according to what I saw alive and dead. That doesn’t mean that some of the fish didn’t swim away, but I didn’t see anything alive at one mile. Then again, I could only see for 15 inches,” he said, noting the plankton and dead particles in the water greatly reduced visibility.

“That’s why you couldn’t see for more than a foot at one mile out,” Bowen said.

“At seven miles out, I saw a few things dead, but there were a lot of live fish. At 15 miles, I would imagine it’s not affected at all,” he added.

Regarding the dead scallops and clams he discovered, Bowen said, “They’re usually buried in the sand, but they must’ve tried to unbury themselves to get away from the red tide. They obviously didn’t make it because I’ve never seen clams scattered across the bottom like that – and I’ve been diving in the Gulf for 30 years.

Regarding the fish population, Bowen said, “The red tide floats on the surface. The deeper you go, the better it’ll be – which is good, because those fish will come back in and repopulate the shallow water once the red tide goes away. It’ll take a couple years. We had a big red tide kill in 2005, and it took two years to get to almost normal. It wasn’t as bad as this one, but it was pretty close. I’ve never seen it this bad.”

red tide diver fish
This dead and decomposing fish was found three miles offshore from Bradenton Beach. – Curt Bowen | Submitted

“We’re on the north end of the kill. The currents that come out of Tampa Bay typically run south, so it could have been keeping the red tide from killing stuff at 10 or 15 miles. Out of Fort Myers and Port Charlotte, the currents go outwards, so I’m thinking there’s going to be a worse kill in deeper water than there was in Anna Maria. We got lucky because of the Tampa currents. I’m trying to get a boat out of Fort Myers and go down there to see how many miles offshore that kill was,” Bowen said.

He also plans to repeat his Island dives in the coming months to continue monitoring the underwater conditions.

Bowen is the owner and publisher of Advanced Diver Magazine, and he’s worked with several television networks including National Geographic and the Discovery Channel. He’s also the founder of the ADM Exploration Foundation, and you can visit him online.

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

Red tide is lessening off Anna Maria Island, according to today’s report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

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, emphysema or other respiratory diseases.

The report shows medium levels of red tide at the Rod & Reel Pier in Anna Maria, low levels at Longboat Pass in Bradenton Beach and none at the Palma Sola Bay bridge, down from high levels at all three locations as of the FWC’s Wednesday, Aug. 29 report.

The Aug. 31 report also shows that red tide levels dropped by as much as 25 percent in the past week, Aug. 25-31, compared to the previous week of Aug. 18-24.

Red tide was detected in Manatee County in background to medium concentrations, an improvement from the previous report which noted high concentrations of the marine algae in Gulf waters.

The report notes that respiratory irritation was reported from Aug. 23-30 at Coquina Beach and Manatee Beach. The last reported fish kill was horseshoe crab and blue crab on Aug. 28 at Longboat Pass in Bradenton Beach.

Forecasts by the USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides for Pinellas to northern Monroe counties, including Manatee County, predict northwestern movement of surface waters and southeastern movement of subsurface waters over the next three days.

For more information, visit The Sun’s Red Tide Resources.

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Red tide lingers

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Uncategorized.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Today’s red tide update from Manatee County indicates improving conditions on some Anna Maria Island beaches, but red tide levels remain high in the water at both ends of the Island, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Red tide levels remain high at the Rod & Reel Pier in Anna Maria, the Longboat Pass boat ramp in Bradenton Beach and the Palma Sola Bay Bridge, according to Wednesday’s report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Red tide was present in very low to high concentrations in 11 water samples collected from Manatee County. Levels ranged from 5-25 percent higher in Manatee County from Aug. 18-24 compared to the previous week, according to the FWC.

Respiratory irritation was reported from Aug. 16-23 at Coquina Beach and Manatee Beach, and fish kills continue.

Aerial surveys from Pinellas to northern Charlotte counties, including Manatee County, also indicate the presence of offshore blooms of the marine cyanobacterium Trichodesmium, which is not harmful to people.

According to today’s Manatee County beach update:

  • Beaches are open
  • Coquina Bayside, Coquina Beach and Cortez Beach north to Bean Point are clean
  • Bayfront Park has minor seaweed
  • Coquina North and South Boat Ramps are clean
  • Crews are working to rake the beaches as needed
  • Red tide signs are posted at affected beaches and will remain until the red tide bloom is over.

Manatee County beach rake operator Mark Taylor said the beaches today are “Much better. The water still doesn’t look right because that stuff is just offshore.”

As for the type of dead marine life on the beach Thursday morning, Taylor said, “Just a few catfish, horseshoe crabs, queen crabs, etc. But it’s very light. The east wind is definitely our friend for now.”

RTU AM Beach
This jogger enjoyed a run on a clean beach in Anna Maria this morning. – Chantelle Lewin | Sun

After taking a walk on the beach in Anna Maria this morning, Sun Advertising Director Chantelle Lewin said that area of beach was clear.

“All’s good. Looks like an awesome weekend,” Lewin said.

As has been the case since the red tide reached Anna Maria Island on Aug. 3, the impacts of red tide vary from day to day and location to location.

On Thursday morning, Bradenton Beach resident Steve Schewe said, “It smells in Bradenton Beach and it stinks on Longboat Key.”

Residential canals

On Wednesday, the residential canal at 21st Place North contained only a few dead and floating fish, but a block away the end of the residential canal at 20th Place North was filled with dead fish and horseshoe crabs. One of the floating fish was filled with maggots and flies were active on several others.

RTU BB Canal II
This residential canal on 20th Place North in Bradenton Beach remains filled with dead marine life and seagrass. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

On the mainland, the Coral Shores canals along Cortez Road that looked horrific two weeks ago had only a handful of floating fish still remaining Wednesday afternoon.

Last week, the Coral Shores canals were among those cleaned by APTIM – the Boca Raton firm contracted by Manatee County at a cost of $140,000 for one week’s worth of cleanup services. APTIM’s services were discontinued at the conclusion of the workday on Aug. 24.

RTU Coral Shores Canal
On Wednesday, this Coral Shores canal looked much better than it did two weeks ago. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

The canals at the nearby Mt. Vernon community were also free of any large masses of dead fish on Wednesday, but a couple of dead horseshoe crabs were spotted floating in one of the canals.

On Monday, the county announced that it was transitioning to a voluntary “Nets to Neighbors” maintenance and light cleanup program that includes nets, buckets and dumpsters provided by the county in certain areas. The Coral Shores dumpster contained no dead fish or red tide debris as of Wednesday afternoon.

RTU Coral Shores Dumpster
On Wednesday, this dumpster in the Coral Shores neighborhood contained no dead fish. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Local fishermen

After being contracted by the city of Anna Maria for a second time, Cortez fishermen Nathan Meschelle, Tanner Pelkey, Matt Smith and Michael Dolan spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday down at the former and future site of the Anna Maria City Pier cleaning seagrass and a very few number of dead fish off the beach.

Pelkey said the presence of seagrass is a normal occurrence. Meschelle said he thinks the red tide is dissipating and he hopes to return to fishing as soon as possible. Over the past weekend, Meschelle was contracted to do some canal cleanup for the Wild Oak Bay community on Cortez Road.

“That was some pretty nasty stuff down there,” Meschelle said. “We cleaned over 1,000 square yards of carnage that had drifted in.”

RTU Cortez Fishermen
These Cortez fishermen spent three days cleaning a stretch of city beach in Anna Maria. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

 – Cindy Lane contributed to this report.

For more information, visit The Sun’s Red Tide Resources.

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