ANNA MARIA – The mayor and city commissioners are one step closer to the final adoption of a new parks and recreation ordinance that will establish new regulations for beach cabana and tent rentals.
On Thursday, Jan. 22, the mayor and commissioners were presented with the first reading of a proposed city ordinance that was previously presented in draft form during a Jan. 5 city commission work session.
Mayor Mark Short held up a copy of the city zoning map that shows the Gulf Front Park beach area at the bottom of the page, highlighted in blue. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Beach cabana rentals and all other commercial activities are currently prohibited in the city’s coastal conservation zones and recreation open space zones that encompass most of the public beaches in Anna Maria
Rented beach cabanas and tents will be allowed Magnolia Avenue and Oak Avenue. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
During the Jan. 5 work session, the commission tentatively agreed to allow regulated beach tent and beach cabana rentals only in the recreation open space zone known as Gulf Front Park, which extends from Oak Avenue to Magnolia Avenue and does not include the public beach areas in front of the Sandbar restaurant.
The new city regulations will not allow cabana and tent rentals in the coastal conservation zone in front of the Sandbar restaurant. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
During the Jan. 22 meeting, the commission agreed to maintain the proposed 13-foot by 13-foot (169 square feet) total coverage area for a single tent or cabana, whether rented or privately owned.
The commission decided to revise the proposed ordinance says, “No more than two commercially rented cabanas may be placed within 50 linear feet of each other, measured in any direction.”
Thie Oak Avenue beach access features a dune walkover. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
When providing public input on Jan. 22, Tiffany Adell, from Beach Suites AMI, told commissioners their 6.5 feet by 6.5 feet tents and are much smaller than the 10-by-10 or 13-by-13 cabanas and tents often used by other rental companies.
Adell suggested allowing more smaller tents to be located in the same 338 square feet space to be allowed for two larger side-by-side rented tents. That change will be included in the revised ordinance presented for final adoption in February.
ANNA MARIA – Beach yoga classes and group yoga sessions were a topic of discussion during a Jan. 5 city commission workshop that focused largely on creating city regulations for beach cabana rentals and other commercial activities conducted in the city of Anna Maria’s parks and public beaches.
The commission is also revising the code of ordinances that currently prohibits dogs in most city parks, while already allowing dogs in City Pier Park. Dogs will remain prohibited on all city beaches.
The agenda for the Anna Maria City Commission’s Jan. 5 workshop stated the commission would discuss a draft ordinance that would revise Chapter 38 of the city’s code of ordinances – the chapter of city code that regulates parks and recreation.
The revised ordinance will be presented to the commission for the first of two readings and public hearings on Thursday, Jan. 22, which starts at 1 p.m.
Regarding recreational activities conducted in city parks and on city beaches, the proposed ordinance says, “Passive recreation involves low-intensity, non-motorized, non-organized outdoor activities that have minimal impact on the natural environment, focusing on relaxation, observation and enjoyment of nature. Passive recreation generally does not include any equipment. If equipment is involved, it is generally small, hand-held equipment such as binoculars, fishing poles, yoga mats, cameras or similar.”
When reviewing the proposed ordinance with the commissioners. Mayor Mark Short said passive recreational activities conducted in group settings would be limited to 15 people.
Commissioner Kathy Morgan-Johnson said she participated in beach yoga classes/sessions with up to 30 people and that didn’t cause any problems.
When asked if there was a fee to participate in those beach yoga sessions, Johnson said there was no fee, but the instructor sought donations.
“There’s profit there. You have to consider that,” City Clerk Amber LaRowe said.
LaRowe said an organized group activity with more than 15 participants requires a city-issued special event permit, which includes a permit fee.
City Planner Ashley Austin said an activity that involves yoga mats and recorded music would not be considered a passive activity.
“A yoga mat is the equipment necessary to run a function,” LaRowe said.
LaRowe said her previous employer, the city of St. Pete Beach, regulates yoga classes on the beach and it’s not uncommon for those events to mirror the special event permitting process because they’re essentially a special event. LaRowe said she’s also researching how other similar-sized coastal cities in Florida regulate beach yoga in a group setting.
“It’s regulated in some way, shape or form,” LaRowe said.
Commissioners Chris Arendt and John Lynch said they’d be interested to hear LaRowe’s findings.
Commission Chair Charlie Salem said he’s not aware of the city ever receiving a complaint about people doing yoga on the beach and he too would like to learn more about how cities handle this.
“How much regulation do we want to get into for something that hasn’t been a problem?” Salem said.
LaRowe said it could become a problem in the future. She said 10 years ago the city didn’t envision beach cabanas as something that could become a potential problem.
LaRowe said she wants to provide the commissioners with more information so they can make an educated decision.
Commissioner Gary McMullen said the city’s beach activity regulations should mirror the city’s special event permitting process and there shouldn’t be a conflict between those two processes.
Short said the number of participants allowed to participate in passive beach activities like beach yoga sessions would be added to his to-do list for additional research and discussion.
Sgt. Brett Getman, from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Anna Maria Unit, said a large group of people doing yoga at a beach access point can impede access for emergency personnel and first responders.
“Don’t block the beach accesses,” he said.
DOGS IN PARKS
Regarding dogs in parks, the revised, multi-faceted parks and recreation ordinance still says, “It shall be unlawful for the owner or keeper of any domestic animal to allow or permit any such domestic animal on any beaches or coastal barrier sand dunes.”
The proposed ordinance removes existing language that said City Pier Park was the only city park that allowed dogs, but not during the city-hosted Memorial Day and Veterans Day events held there.
Mabel and other dogs were not allowed in City Pier Park until the city commission revised that city regulation in May 2023. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Short said he expects the revised parks and recreation ordinance to take effect March 1, which would then allow dogs in Bayfront Park and other city parks where they’re currently prohibited.
“You can walk your dog through a park now (when the ordinance takes effect), but not on the beach,” Short said.
“I like that. I’ve been run out of the Gulf Front Park roundabout for having a dog sitting with me on the bench,” McMullen said.
MORE PARK, BEACH REGULATIONS
The current definition of “parks” has been revised as follows: “Parks means and includes Bay Front Park, located on Tampa Bay from Lake La Vista Channel on the southerly end to Hibiscus Road on the northerly end; Gulf Front Park, located on the Gulf of Mexico/America from Oak Avenue on the southerly end to Magnolia Avenue on the northerly end; City Pier Park, located from the intersection of Pine Avenue and North Bay Drive to Lake La Vista Channel; and City Hall Park, being the land surrounding the Anna Maria City Hall, bounded by Spring Avenue, Gulf Drive and Pine Avenue.”
The city owns Bayfront Park, but the county maintains it according to a long-standing city/county agreement.
The proposed ordinance now defines the city’s park hours and says, “Except for emergencies, inclement weather and unless otherwise posted, all park areas are to be open to the public every day of the year from dawn to dusk.”
The proposed ordinance includes a revised prohibition on vending in city parks that says, “No person, persons, organization or other entity shall expose or offer for sale, rent or trade any article or thing; or station or place any stand, cart or vehicle for the transportation, sale or display of any article or merchandise within any city park.”
The Virgin Mary and Joseph’s search for lodging on Christmas Eve in Bethlehem was re-enacted in Anna Maria on Sunday evening, with Roser Church members, residents, visitors and a menagerie of farm animals and pets during the annual Bethlehem Walk.
Families dressed as shepherds, angels and townsfolk journeyed down Pine Avenue into neighborhoods and past restaurants full of puzzled diners with a llama, a donkey and several goats, chickens and dogs in tow.
At each stop, Mary and Joseph asked for shelter and were told, “No vacancy,” but everyone sang carols in between destinations, and finally found shelter for the Holy Family at Roser Church, where a living nativity scene preceded a celebration with desserts and fellowship.
Owen Serra, left, and Asher Patel dressed as wise men in the Bethlehem Walk. – Cindy Lane | Sun
The Holy Family was turned away at an ice cream shop in Anna Maria. – Cindy Lane | Sun
Becky Bixler, left, and Lesley Foulk donned angel-wear for the Bethlehem Walk. – Cindy Lane | Sun
Robin Kollar and Kujo the llama participated in the Bethlehem Walk. – Cindy Lane | Sun
Even a local real estate company was unable to provide lodging for Mary and Joseph on the Bethlehem Walk. – Cindy Lane | Sun
Mary, Joseph and Jesus in the living nativity scene at Roser Church. – Cindy Lane | Sun
The Bethlehem Walk evening began with a beautiful sunset at Roser Church. - Cindy Lane | Sun
Roser Church Pastor Dirk Rodgers carried a goat for part of the Bethlehem Walk. - Cindy Lane | Sun
Owen Serra took a goat on the Bethlehem Walk. - Cindy Lane | Sun
Kujo the llama went on the Bethlehem journey. - Cindy Lane | Sun
Revvy the donkey journeyed with Mary and Joseph at the Bethlehem Walk. - Cindy Lane | Sun
Saylah Harding brought a chicken on the Bethlehem Walk. - Cindy Lane | Sun
With the first game of the World Series beginning on Friday, it’s the perfect time to swing by a coastal baseball-themed neighborhood in Anna Maria and pay homage to Anna Maria Island’s baseball past.
Start by walking on the beach near Cypress Avenue and look through the trees… you’ll catch a glimpse of statues of three young boys playing baseball in front of stadium seating.
This sculpture in Anna Maria is near a home where Milwaukee Braves players lived during spring training. – Cindy Lane | Sun
Walk up the beach access and you’ll see that the house on the property sports a gate with the crossed bats of Milwaukee Braves ballplayers and Baseball Hall of Famers Warren Spahn and Eddie Mathews. Spahn, a pitcher, sold the house to Mathews, a third baseman.
Spahn gave the baseball treatment to a cluster of homes where Braves ballplayers lived during spring training in Bradenton from 1953-62, naming them “The Mound,” “Home Plate,” “Infield,” “Outfield,” “Shortstop” “Catcher’s Mitt” and “The Diamond.”
This sculpture is in an Anna Maria neighborhood where spring training players once lived. – Cindy Lane | Sun
The Gulf-front neighborhood around Cypress, Spruce and Fir Avenues and Tuna Street has since traded most of the modest single-story homes for large two- and three-story homes.
But its history has been immortalized by an author with Bradenton Beach ties, whose book on the 100-year history of baseball in Bradenton and Anna Maria Island is expected be published before the 2025 World Series is over.
Baseball in paradise
Carlucci
Pasquale (Pat) Carlucci was born on Oct. 3, 1951, the day of the “shot heard ‘round the world,” when New York Giant Bobby Thomson’s home run won the pennant against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
It wasn’t the best of omens to his father, a Dodgers fan.
But Carlucci’s baptism into baseball led him into a lifetime of baseball fanaticism, culminating in his writing two books, “A Baseball Birthright: Chronicles & Connections” and “Baseball in Paradise: A Century of Spring Training in Bradenton,” which will be of special interest to AMI locals.
During a 2023 trip to his vacation home in Bradenton Beach, where he has vacationed with his family since 2013, Carlucci said he started getting “baseball signs.”
He investigated, and it turned out that 2023 marked 100 years of spring training in Bradenton, which he decided to recount in book form, starting with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Boston Red Sox, the Philadelphia Athletics, the Braves, the Kansas City Athletics and finally, the city’s present spring training team, the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Carlucci read up on The Anna Maria Island Sun’s coverage of the Anna Maria baseball neighborhood. He visited the Anna Maria Island Historical Museum, where he learned about locals like Joe Hutchinson, whose dad was Fred Hutchinson, a manager for the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds, and Carol Torgeson, whose dad was Earl Torgeson, who played with the Boston Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees.
He discovered that New York Yankee Babe Ruth once owned the Drift-In in Bradenton Beach, that a baseball field in Holmes Beach is named for Birdie Tebbetts, who managed the Cincinnati Reds, and that St. Louis Cardinal Dizzy Dean once owned a gas station in Bradenton.
But even for those who aren’t baseball fans or history buffs, Carlucci said the book just might serve as a travelogue to their new favorite vacation spot.
ANNA MARIA – Property owners in the city will see their annual stormwater fees double from $2 per 100 square feet of property to $4 per 100 square feet.
On Aug. 28, city commissioners Chris Arendt, Kathy Morgan and Gary McMullen voted in favor of the increase. Commissioner Charlie Salem opposed the increase and Commissioner John Lynch was absent with excuse.
Mayor Mark Short proposed the stormwater fee increase on July 24 when presenting the anticipated city revenues for the 2025-26 fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1.
At $2 per 100 square feet, the owner of a 5,000-square-foot property pays a $100 per year stormwater fee; at $4, the property owner pays $200 per year. At $2, the owner of a 10,000-square-foot property pays $200 per year and pays $400 at the $4 rate.
When seeking commission approval for the increase, Short said, “The city has identified well over $15 million in stormwater-related repair work that needs to be done in this city. A lot of that work relates to things that were either damaged or destroyed during the storm (the 2024 hurricanes).”
Short said the $4 rate will double the $328,000 originally projected for 2025-26 stormwater fee revenues to $656,000.
This alley-like stormwater swale allows stormwater to travel over it, and down into it, as part of Anna Maria’s stormwater and drainage system. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
He said the additional revenues would help address the most immediate stormwater and drainage needs, which include making significant repairs to the stormwater and drainage swales located throughout the city and repairing or replacing the WaStop valves damaged during the 2024 hurricanes. Installed inside drainage pipes, WaStop valves prevent water from flowing back into the pipes that discharge stormwater into canals and other water bodies.
“We have 19 of them and they’re all either broke or need repair. Those two things are mission critical in terms of short-term fixes for this city,” Short said.
Salem questioned the fairness of assessing stormwater fees based on the size of a property rather than the portion of the property that’s covered with structures and other non-permeable items that hinder drainage. He said the owner of property with 10% lot coverage currently pays the same stormwater fee as the owner of a property with 40% lot coverage and there should be better way to assess the impact that has on drainage and stormwater retention.
This infiltration trench along North Shore Drive helps transport stormwater to a nearby drainage grate and outfall pipe. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Salem agrees there’s much work that needs to be done to improve the city’s drainage and stormwater retention capacities, but he questions whether those improvements warrant increasing the stormwater fee when many property owners are still facing hurricane-related financial challenges that include delayed flood insurance reimbursements.
“For those reasons, I’m reluctant to support an increase,” he said.
Short said the city’s stormwater utility fee assessment program was established a long time ago and the city must follow the methodology implemented at that time.
Participating by phone, Arendt asked if there’s a way to remove from the fee calculations the portions of the sandy beachfront properties that extend into the coastal conservation zones and don’t negatively impact drainage.
The beachfront properties at the tip of Bean Point range from 34,000 square feet to 91,000 square feet. At the $2 rate, the owner of a 65,000-square-foot property pays a $1,300 stormwater fee that increases to $2,600 at the $4 rate.
Short said the current methodology doesn’t allow any deductions.
“I do believe there’s a better way, but the city’s hands are tied right now in terms of how this can be done. We can take a look at this in the future. I’m not opposed to that,” Short said.
Arendt doesn’t think it’s fair to base the fee primarily on the amount of a property’s pervious or impervious surfaces because many different factors impact drainage.
“I think that cost should be spread out fairly,” he said.
Participating by phone, City Attorney Becky Vose suggested the city hire the Raftelis consulting firm to assist the city in evaluating and potentially altering the current fee calculation methodology.
Morgan said she’s concerned about increasing costs for property owners but she’s more concerned about the potential for more flooding and flood damage if nothing is done.
“We really need to address this problem sooner rather than later,” she said.
“I agree with Commissioner Morgan,” McMullen said. “This is something we can’t kick down the road.”
After noting that flooding occurs during heavy rains and not just during hurricanes and major storms, McMullen said, “These WaStops are critical.”
WaStops also help prevent flooding associated with high tides and king tides.
Short said the fee increase won’t solve the drainage and flooding problems but it’s a step in the right direction. He also said the city received a grant that will pay for a citywide stormwater resiliency study that evaluates how the city can best address future stormwater, drainage and flooding challenges.
Public input
Archer Way resident Kevin Hutchinson said his street floods every time it rains and he attributes that to a previously contracted city engineer who recommended removing a drainage pipe that was 14 inches in diameter and replacing it with two pipes that were 6 inches in diameter. Hutchinson said two catch basins were also eliminated. He said he’s lived there for 30 years and never had a problem with flooding until those changes were made. He said the city engineer later admitted to him and others that removing the pipe was a mistake that would be corrected, but it never was.
Pelican Lane resident Kevin Farrell said building footprints were smaller and there was more permeable land when he moved to the Island in 2011. He said things have changed since then and the city needs to adapt to those changes. He said the stormwater fee is calculated the same for residents who live in smaller homes with more permeable space and better stormwater retention and large vacation rental homes with greater lot coverage and less stormwater retention and drainage capacity.
“It is patently absurd to tax people based on the square footage of their lot,” he said.
North Shore Drive resident Tania Pike said she lives on a large lot with one house and a lot of permeable space. During the many years she’s lived there, she’s watched many large lots get divided into 5,000-square-foot lots that then get covered with a 4,000-square-foot home and a large pool.
She doesn’t think it’s fair that the same stormwater rate is applied to her property and one of those properties. She also said drainage solutions in place 10-20 years ago might no longer be the best solutions.
This Anna Maria street was badly flooded the day after Hurricane Milton struck. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Gulf Drive resident Jim Sullivan supports increasing the stormwater fee increase and finding a more equitable way to calculate the fees later.
“If you don’t do something quickly, what harm is that going to bring down the road?” he said. “This seems to be the best alternative today. These storm drains don’t work. That’s not a good idea; and potentially we’re going to have worse weather than we used to.”
Hardin Avenue resident Jean Murray asked if the city has pursued other ways to raise the money needed for stormwater repairs and improvements.
In response, Short said the total stormwater budget for the new fiscal year is $3.3 million, with $2.6 million of the projected stormwater revenues coming from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, FEMA, the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and other sources, with approximately $600,000 coming from stormwater fees generated at the increased rate.
McMullen said pumps and pipes would ultimately provide a better way to address future flooding but that approach is even more expensive. He then made the motion to approve the city resolution that establishes the increased stormwater fee.
ANNA MARIA – A massive kapok tree transported and transplanted at a residential property in the 700 block of North Shore Drive in April 2024 was recently removed and replaced due the weather conditions it was exposed to during the storms and hurricanes that followed later that year.
The transplanted kapok tree was removed in early June and replaced with a bombax (“red kapok”) tree in early July.
A bombax tree stands where the kapok tree once stood. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Sarasota-based Michael A. Gilkey Inc. owner Michael Gilkey served as the landscape architect and landscape contractor for the initial Ross Built residential construction project and the recent tree replacement project.
When contacted last week, Gilkey discussed the string of natural events that led to the majestic tree’s demise.
“I am absolutely heartbroken,” he said. “The tree was so beautiful and it took a lot of effort to get it there. I take a lot of pride in the trust of my clients to bring them healthy material. We’ve planted trees that size and bigger and this is the first one I’ve lost; and it hurts.
“This tree had been prepped for 18 months for the move to get the storage of nutrients and sugars needed for this type of relocation. We installed the tree in April because we wanted to do it before the tree flushed. As it comes out of dormancy from the winter months in mid-April or so, it starts to put out new foliage. The timing of the installation was based around protecting the nutrient buildup in this tree.”
The weather impacts that followed were too much for the transplanted tree to survive.
“We had a weird storm in the middle of the summer. There was a lot of flooding and a good bit of wind. The tree had already flushed and it lost half its foliage in that mid-summer storm. Then we had the first hurricane of the year, Hurricane Debby, which wasn’t a direct hit to us, but we still had winds at 60-70 miles an hour. The tree had flushed back out and it lost its foliage again. When this happens, it’s depleting the nutrients and sugars because the foliage is not taking in the sunlight; and there are not enough roots in the ground to help it recoup that energy,” Gilkey explained.
“And then with Helene, we had several feet of saltwater inundation and there was so much water moving that the 12-foot buttress roots we attached to the tree were pushed and moved. The wind stripped the tree again and the saltwater burnt the roots. This tree is a fairly saltwater-tolerant tree, but after you go through multiple events of losing foliage, its resistance is lower each time.
“When Milton hit, it was the nail in the coffin. We lost power to the well. There was no water turned on in Anna Maria and we had no way to wash the salt off the tree; and it was very hot during the two weeks after Milton,” Gilkey said. “At that point, it was just too far gone. It’s hard to turn a tree that’s in decline, even a healthy tree with a robust root system. There was nothing we could do. It was ‘Mother Nature’ and the whole sequence was unfortunate.”
Gilkey said the removed kapok tree was 60-80 years old and the new bombax tree is approximately 15 years old.
“We replaced it with another variety of the same tree. The tree we planted is a massive tree on any other site, but as a replacement to the tree we had it looks miniscule. The new tree’s probably 35 feet tall and 15-18 feet wide. It’s a large tree but you can’t replace the stature of that tree we had there.”
ANNA MARIA – Two men died in separate water-related incidents off Anna Maria on Aug. 9, according to Sgt. Brett Getman, leader of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Anna Maria Unit.
When contacted by The Sun on Aug. 11, Getman shared what details he could as authorized reports had not yet been released.
Rescued man dies next day
“The rip current was so bad on Saturday, with the winds out of the east and the incoming tide,” Getman said. “We were on routine patrol, got flagged down and were told there were two people treading water off Bean Point. I radioed for the (MCSO) Marine Unit, the Coast Guard and Beach Patrol to respond.”
According to Getman, at approximately 10:35 a.m., a 45-year-old father and his 15-year-old son were throwing a football around in the water off Bean Point. The ball got away from the son and he went after it but couldn’t reach it. The son got caught in the rip current and swept around the corner of the point. The son was eventually able to get within about 25 yards of the shoreline and Getman entered the water, swam out to him, threw him a life ring and pulled him ashore, but the father remained too far out to reach from the shore.
As two MCSO Marine Unit boats responded to the scene, members of the Manatee County Beach Patrol paddled out to the father and placed him on a rescue board. Getman said the father appeared to suffer some type of cardiac event after being placed on the rescue board. He was transferred into one of the Marine Unit boats, administered CPR, taken to Galati’s Marina and transported by EMS personnel to the hospital, where he died the following day.
Getman said the father and son were Florida residents and were visiting from elsewhere in the state, but as of Monday afternoon he couldn’t provide names or additional details.
Man drowns off Anna Maria
According to Getman, a man drowned later that day near the Sandbar restaurant in Anna Maria at approximately 4:30 p.m.
“That was a 73-year-old male. He was in the water about 20 yards out. He began having trouble with his footing and went underwater. Bystanders were able to locate him, pull him out and start CPR, but he didn’t make it,” Getman said.
Getman said the waves were high in that area on Saturday afternoon as the weather began to worsen, but generally the currents there aren’t as strong as they are at Bean Point.
ANNA MARIA – While discussing beach cabana rentals and other commercial activities occurring on public beaches, Mayor Mark Short said city code prohibits all commercial activity in beach areas that carry the city’s coastal conservation or recreation open space zoning designations.
During the July 24 Anna Maria City Commission meeting, commissioners, cabana rental company owners and employees and the public were also informed that multi-legged cabanas and tents of any kind, commercial or personal, are not allowed in coastal conservation-zoned areas.
According to the color-coded zoning map included in the meeting packet, the coastal conservation zones highlighted in green include the entire public shoreline from Magnolia Avenue to the northern tip of Bean Point. The recreation open space zones highlighted in blue include the Bayfront Park and City Pier shorelines.
The areas highlighted in green are zoned coastal conservation and the areas highlighted in blue are zoned recreation open space. – City of Anna Maria | Submitted
“We have an ordinance on the books that addresses what is permitted in the blue and green areas. The ordinance does not provide for the conduct of any commercial activity in either the coastal conservation zone area or the recreational zone area,” Short said.
Mayor Mark Short doesn’t want Anna Maria’s beaches to resemble the commercial-heavy Palma Sola causeway along Manatee Avenue. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Participating by phone, City Attorney Becky Vose said the city controls the public beaches and state and federal laws don’t restrict a city’s ability to regulate commercial activities. In regard to privately-owned beaches not regulated by the city, Vose said the upland property owner owns the land up to the mean high-water line and rented or personally-owned tents and cabanas can be set up on privately-owned beachfront property.
Vose said her law firm represents six beach communities throughout the state and each one regulates commercial beach activities differently. She said the city of Cocoa Beach allows a limited number of beach vendors to enter into 7-year agreements with the city and if they don’t comply with the city’s insurance, operational and cleaning requirements, those agreements are nullified and offered to another vendor.
Regarding city-regulated beaches, Vose said the city has a great deal of flexibility and can pretty much do what it wants.
“Right now, you do not permit any commercial activity,” she said. “The city has not been enforcing those requirements, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t start. You need to decide how you want to handle these and give direction to staff. We can either draft new ordinances or we can enforce what we have. There is no compulsion under state law or city code to allow any commercial uses on the beach.”
Commissioner Charlie Salem asked Vose to explain any restrictions that apply specifically to the coastal conservation-zoned areas. Vose said the only shelter-like item allowed in a coastal conservation zone is a single-pole umbrella or something similar. She said multi-legged tents and cabanas are not allowed in coastal conservation zones but that’s something the commission could change.
Current city code prohibits tents and cabanas in beach areas with coastal conservation zoning designations. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Regarding commercial activity, Vose said any changes desired by the mayor and commission need to be clearly written to continue prohibiting any unwanted commercial activity such as food vendors and other types of rentals.
“You can regulate all of those things and you can prohibit them also,” Vose said.
Participating by phone, Commissioner John Lynch said, “We have a multi-layer problem that we’re trying to solve. We’re not current enforcing the current code, so I think there’s a bunch of work we need to do.”
When opening the discussion for public input, Salem said, “Think of this as your opportunity to help us start thinking about the issues involved on any side of this issue.”
In response to a question from city resident Wendy Smith about boat-based vendors, Short said the city’s jurisdiction only extends 10 feet into the water, with the exception of the vessel exclusion zone offshore of Bayfront Park where motorized vessels are prohibited.
My Beach Concierge owner Peery Heldreth addressed the mayor and commissioners. – Joe Hendr
Addressing a concern previously raised in Holmes Beach, My Beach Concierge owner Peery Heldreth said none of the cabana vendors in the commission chambers that day are setting up cabanas that aren’t reserved in advance. Heldreth said his company has a state license, pays monthly sales taxes, carries liability insurance and workers’ compensation insurance. Peery said his company doesn’t set up cabanas on Bean Point. He said his cabanas are commercial grade and he pays his employees $20 an hour, plus tips. He requires his employees to pick up any trash they see on the beach and they’re instructed to stay clear of sea turtle nests. Heldreth asked the mayor and commission to allow the current cabana rental activities to continue while the commission works through these issues.
Anna Maria resident David Ridley said cabanas and tents help protect people from getting skin cancer.
Commissioner Gary McMullen said the city is not enforcing the ordinances on the books and the city hasn’t prevented anyone from putting up a cabana or a tent, but the commission now needs to decide if the existing regulations will be enforced or changed. Short said the commissioners must first decide at a future meeting if they want to keep the current regulations.
The Palma Sola causeway in west Bradenton is a popular place for beach vendors. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Several vendors offer Personal watercraft rentals at the Palma Sola Causeway in west Bradenton. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“I do want to be clear about one thing. This is not about just the cabanas. This is about commercial activity in general on the beaches,” Short said. “I don’t want our beaches to turn into the Manatee Avenue causeway. I don’t want horses on the beach. I don’t even want dogs on the beach.”
Dogs are not allowed on Anna Maria Island beaches.
ANNA MARIA – The mayor and city commissioners plan to maintain the current 1.65 property tax millage rate for the 2025-26 fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1 and they’re leaning toward increasing the annual stormwater utility assessment fee from $2 per 100 square feet of property to $4.
Anna Maria Mayor Mark Short presented these budget considerations to city commissioners on July 24. Commissioners Kathy Morgan-Johnson, John Lynch (participating by phone), Gary McMullen and Charlie Salem unanimously supported Short’s recommendation to adopt a tentative maximum millage rate of 1.65 mills for the coming fiscal year. Commissioner Chris Arendt was vacationing and didn’t attend the meeting.
The adopted tentative maximum millage rate can be lowered before the final millage rate is adopted during two budget hearings in September, but the 2025-26 fiscal year budget being crafted by the mayor and city staff is based on maintaining the current 1.65 millage rate for another year.
At 1.65 mills, Anna Maria property owners will again pay $1.65 per every thousand dollars of assessed property value – after homestead exemptions and other tax-reducing exemptions are applied. Because the total assessed property values in Anna Maria increased cumulatively by 3%, most Anna Maria property owners will experience a slight property tax increase at the same millage rate.
Stormwater fee
When proposing increasing the stormwater utility fee from $2 to $4 per 100 square feet of property, Short said it would result in the stormwater fee for a 7,500-square-foot residential property increasing from $150 to $300, with the city’s anticipated stormwater utility fee revenues increasing from $328,000 to $656,000. Stormwater fee revenues are used to maintain and improve the city’s drainage and stormwater systems and they also provide matching funds for the stormwater grants that help fund those projects.
Short said Public Works Manager Dean Jones has identified more than $15 million in stormwater and drainage projects and improvements that need to be done.
“We have significant stormwater work we need to do, just like every other city on this Island. Some of that needs to be done now, some of that can be done later,” Short said.
A formal vote was not taken on the stormwater fee increase, but commissioners Johnson, Lynch and McMullen voted in favor of directing City Clerk Amber LaRowe to use a third-party firm to distribute letters to all potentially impacted Anna Maria property owners informing them of the proposed increase. Salem opposes increasing the stormwater fee when many residents and property owners are still recovering from the 2024 hurricanes. A formal vote on the proposed increase will occur later in the budgeting process.
Revenues, debt
Short presented a one-page summary of the city’s total projected revenues of $27.2 million for the coming fiscal year – an increase of nearly $10 million from the $17.8 million listed for the 2024-25 fiscal year that ends on Sept. 30.
Mayor Mark Short is preparing his first city budget. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Maintaining the 1.65 millage rate is expected to generate $3.96 million in ad valorem city property tax revenues in the coming fiscal year, a slight increase from the $3.85 million listed for the current fiscal year.
Short anticipates the city receiving $8.6 million in FEMA reimbursements, but he’s noted on several occasions that those federal funds are not guaranteed and it’s not known when they’ll be received.
Short, a retired accounting executive, noted the projected revenue summary includes $4 million in anticipated debt financing needed to cover the city’s up-front costs while waiting for reimbursement from federal and state agencies. The anticipated reimbursements include FEMA reimbursement for the money the city spent recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, future FEMA assistance to help rebuild the hurricane-damaged City Pier and FEMA reimbursement for some emergency stormwater work the mayor and staff felt was desperately needed. Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) reimbursement is anticipated to help complete the Pine Avenue sidewalk installation project.
“To accomplish what I hope we will accomplish in this next year, we’re going to need to float some cash to pay for it while we are waiting on reimbursement. The city is in process of setting up $4 million to be available to help us fund the cash flow for these projects while we wait on the reimbursements,” Short said.
The projected revenues include $5.9 million in various grant funds.
After being elected last fall, Short is leading the city’s budget creation process for the first time and Jones and City Treasurer LeAnne Addy thanked him for seeking staff input in the creation of the budget.
ANNA MARIA – Fifty-one Anna Maria property owners recently received letters from the city regarding their efforts to receive hurricane-related property tax relief without applying for building permits from the city.
The letters pertain to property tax relief sought for properties for which the city has no record of any hurricane repair-related building permits being obtained. The letters inform property owners they have until Aug. 15 to obtain their needed permits, including permits for previously completed repairs. Thirty-six letters reference properties owned by individuals, married couples and trusts and 15 letters reference properties owned by corporations and LLCs. (see the complete list here)
According to the Manatee County Property Appraiser’s Office, “A homeowner may be eligible for a refund of a portion of property taxes paid for the year in which the catastrophic event occurred if the property was uninhabitable for at least 30 days due to a catastrophic event.
“To be eligible for a partial property tax refund, the property appraiser must determine the residential property was ‘uninhabitable,’ ” according to the property appraiser’s office. State law defines “uninhabitable” as “the loss of use and occupancy of a residential improvement for the purpose for which it was constructed resulting from damage to or destruction of, or from a condition that compromises the structural integrity of, the residential improvement which was caused by a catastrophic event.”
A copy of the letter obtained from the city’s clerk’s office says, “The city of Anna Maria has received information from the Manatee County Property Appraiser’s Office indicating this property was uninhabitable for a period of at least 30 days, resulting in a claim for property tax relief as stipulated in Florida Statute 197.319. This relief is based on a claim that significant damage or destruction occurred as a result of a catastrophic event, in this case either due to Hurricane Helene or Milton.
“According to building department records, we have no information indicating you have submitted permit applications for any work on your property subsequent to Hurricanes Helene and Milton relating to building repairs, rebuilds, renovation or demolition. Florida building codes and city of Anna Maria ordinances require building permits be issued for any repair, rebuild, renovation or demolition work prior to such work being performed,” according to the letter. “If work was performed, or is being performed, on this property that required building permits under Florida Statutes or city codes, the city requests such permits be applied for by August 15. An eligible property owner or the contractor that performed any such work may apply for the permits. Permit fees based on the city’s fee schedule will be assessed for all permit applications submitted, including penalties for work previously performed or work currently in progress.”
The letter states that if no work was performed that would require building permits, the property owner is asked to submit an email that includes a statement of the property owner’s intent to perform or not perform any hurricane-related repair work.
“Under city ordinances, any non-conforming property must be repaired and all work completed and inspected within one year after an event causing damages. If the work is not complete by that time, and the city commission has not granted a time extension waiver to complete the work, the property must be brought to conforming status,” according to the letter.
ANNA MARIA – City commissioners want to see improvements to Waste Management’s current side-door trash and recycling collection services while still considering the company’s request to switch Anna Maria’s trash collection days from Mondays and Thursdays to Tuesdays and Fridays.
Waste Management also wants to change recyclable collections to half of the city on Tuesdays and half of the city on Fridays, with yard waste still collected on Mondays.
On July 10, Waste Management representatives Brenna Haggar, Luigi Pace and Chris Sawallich presented the company’s request to Mayor Mark Short and the city commissioners. No final decisions were made and the commissioners stressed the need for Waste Management to first improve its side-door trash and recycling collection efforts that have fallen far short of the city’s expectations and have been the subject of several commission discussions.
Side-door service entails a Waste Management employee retrieving the trash and recyclable receptacles from the side of a home, emptying them and returning them to the side of the home rather than leaving them at the end of the driveway or alongside the street, where they sometimes sit for days. All non-homesteaded residential properties in Anna Maria, including short-term vacation rentals, are required to use side-door service, which comes at an additional cost.
Haggar serves as Waste Management’s government affairs manager.
“I’m not saying we’re perfect. We know that. With the side-door service, there’s always opportunities for improvement,” she said during her opening remarks.
She noted the company now provides the city with weekly Saturday beach access point dumpster and receptacle collections at no additional cost to the city, rather than the five holiday weekend collections set forth the company’s current contract with the city. That exclusive contract and revenue sharing franchise agreement expires next June.
Haggar told commissioners Manatee County is switching to carted, automated solid waste collections on Oct. 6. Automated collections utilize trucks equipped with mechanical arms that grab and empty the receptacle carts placed curbside while the driver remains in the truck. This eliminates the need for a second employee to manually empty the receptacles.
Haggar said the county wants all its contracted solid waste service providers to operate on the same days when that October change occurs. She said the county’s request will require a significant change in Waste Management’s current route planning and staffing assignments.
“If we don’t make these changes, on Mondays we would need twice the number of trucks, twice the number of drivers only on Mondays. And then those drivers and trucks would be sitting idle the rest of the week. It’s not sustainable for us,” Haggar said.
The Waste Management team did not propose automated collections for Anna Maria.
“Monday pickup is after the busy weekend. That’s when you have the most trash,” Commissioner Gary McMullen said. “That’s when I believe it should be picked up. It shouldn’t matter to me because I have side-door (service), but it does, because they don’t always do that.”
“We hear you loud and clear about the side-door service. That is something that needs a solution,” Haggar acknowledged.
“I think the difference between Thursday and Friday is fairly minimal. But there are probably a lot more (vacation rental) checkouts on a Monday than there are on a Tuesday,” Commissioner Charlie Salem said when noting the proposed Tuesday collections would result in trash accumulating over the weekend and sitting uncollected for an additional
day.
Salem wants to see side-door service improved before he supports changing the collection schedule.
“A lot of this hinges on whether or not that gets solved, and it’s been a problem for quite a while. I don’t have a ton of confidence that there’s a magic bullet out there for that,” he said.
He also noted Waste Management recently imposed a 3% cost increase on its Anna Maria customers.
Commissioners Chris Arendt, John Lynch and Kathy Morgan-Johnson agreed with Salem and share those same concerns.
“We really need to understand the impact of the rental weekends, what that looks like and how that affects the trash pile going to Tuesday versus Monday,” Lynch said.
Lynch said it’s also important for side-door service customers to receive the service they’re paying for.
It was noted that 80% of the Anna Maria’s residential properties currently have side-door service and the Waste Management truck drivers are supposed to use their digital, in-truck tablets to identify which properties require that service.
McMullen suggested a simpler solution: Placing easily identifiable stickers on receptacles that require side-door service. As an alternative, he suggested requiring all residential properties to have side-door service.
He said that would eliminate any confusion as to which properties require that service, but he also noted that some residents who bring their receptacles to the street and back themselves won’t want to pay the additional fee. The Waste Management team said they’d get back to the commission with an estimate on customer pricing for mandatory
side-door service citywide.
“I think there’s a lot to discuss,” Salem said as the discussion ended
with no final decisions proposed or voted on regarding the proposed
change to the current collection days.
ANNA MARIA – A 15-year-old golf cart passenger suffered traumatic head and chest injuries after being ejected from a golf cart at the intersection of North Shore Drive and Spring Avenue in Anna Maria last night at approximately 7:45 p.m.
When dispatched to the scene, West Manatee Fire Rescue (WMFR) personnel found a 15-year-old female patient lying on her left side in front of a golf cart, according to the WMFR report.
“Golf cart had no damage noted,” according to the report. “Driver of the golf cart states she was going 5-10 mph when she went to turn and her friend rolled out of the golf cart and fell onto the road. Patient was a 15-year-old female. She was initially alert to person, place and event, able to answer question between breaths, but she was spitting up blood and did not have a patent airway.”
The patient was stabilized, placed on a backboard, placed onto a stretcher and moved to an ambulance. WMFR personnel helped establish IV access and set up intubation and fluid administration, according to the report.
The patient was sedated, intubated and transported to the helicopter landing zone at City Field in Holmes Beach, where Aeromed arrived, assumed treatment and transported the patient to Tampa General Hospital.
ANNA MARIA – The city of Anna Maria is issuing new, bright yellow “State of Emergency” re-entry passes to Anna Maria property owners and business owners.
One side of the new pass says, “In the event of an evacuation you will need this pass to access the City of Anna Maria. Access information can be obtained at cityofannamaria.com.” The other side of the pass has a January 2027 expiration date and a tag number. Previously issued reentry passes are no longer valid.
The new reentry passes are available at the clerk’s window at Anna Maria City Hall, 10005 Gulf Drive. There is a limit of two passes per residential property or commercial property.
To obtain reentry passes, residents must show a valid ID with an Anna Maria address or a utility bill or some other document that confirms residency. Non-resident residential property owners, including vacation rental owners, must show a valid ID and a utility bill or other document that confirms property ownership in Anna Maria. Business owners must show a valid ID that doesn’t need to have an Anna Maria address and a utility bill or other document that confirms the Anna Maria business address. Reentry passes will not be issued to contractors unless they are state-approved contractors.
For more information, call 941-708-6130. The cities of Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach also issue reentry passes. Contact those city clerk’s offices for more information. The 2025 hurricane season begins on June 1.
AMI Chamber Business Card Exchange and Anna Maria Island Historical Society Pat Copeland Scholarship Awards, Anna Maria Island Historical Museum, 402 Pine Ave., Anna Maria, 5-7 p.m., $5 for members, $10 for prospective members.
Friday, April 25
Arbor Day tree plantings:
Bradenton Beach at Bridge Street west roundabout and Gulf Drive; ribbon cutting of sabal palm, native shrubs and ground cover. 10 a.m.
Holmes Beach at 34th and Sixth Avenues; planting of Jamaican caper tree or fiddlewood. 11 a.m.
Anna Maria at Villa Rosa Park, South Bay Boulevard; planting of green buttonwood. Noon.
Annie Silver Community Center at 103 23rd N. Bradenton Beach; planting of mahogany tree, sabal palm and silver buttonwood; meet your county forester with hot dogs, brats and refreshments. 12:30-1 p.m.
Saturday, April 26
Reel for Rotary fishing tournament. Benefit for disaster relief efforts in Cortez village, support of “Learn to Swim” program and programs at Anna Maria Elementary School. Registration at ianglertournament.com.
ANNA MARIA – The city has implemented a new process that helps address recent social media comments questioning its ability to review and issue hurricane-related building permits in a timely manner.
On March 13, Mayor Mark Short spoke to The Sun about the permitting efforts that now include direct correspondence with property owners.
“My broad statement about anything on social media is that a significant amount of the time, it’s not factually correct, or it’s factually incomplete,” he said.
“When a permit is applied for in this city, it typically comes from a contractor. Any correspondence from that point forward from our building department goes to the applicant (the contractor) and the property owner is not part of that process.”
When that happens, the homeowner/property owner may not be aware that the permit application was incomplete and delayed because the building department requested additional information.
“You need to correct that before we will process your permit and my guess is the contractors are not telling the property owners what’s really going on. So, this week, we implemented a new step in our permitting process: Every homeowner seeking a permit will get a copy of our correspondence with their contractor,” Short said.
Short said including homeowners in the permit-related communications process is something the city’s been considering for some time now and it had been discussed internally in the past.
Short said the city received a large number of permit applications in February: “I suspect that’s in part due to property owners finally getting commitments from contractors that are becoming available.”
Short feels the city is processing building permits in a timely manner.
“We now have four permit techs here at city hall working to process those applications, and statistically, 40% of the permits applied for get denied initially because of incomplete paperwork,” he said.
In accordance with a new contract that took effect in February, all of Anna Maria’s building department functions are now outsourced to Joe Payne Inc., a firm that’s assisted the city in the past.
“There’s no longer any employees of the city of Anna Maria that are part of the building department,” Short said.
As for who approves a permit, Short said, “The project dictates who has to sign off on the permit. In some cases, it could be one person and other cases it could be three or four. I think we are processing permits at a good speed. Can it be better? Absolutely, and that’s why we have four people here now. We’re doing this chronologically as they come in. If your permit is applied for today, it may be a few days before we get to it.”
Vacation rentals
Regarding the city’s annual vacation rental registration inspections, Short said, “Our vacation rental inspection process will start in April and people are registering now. If I was a vacation rental owner, I would have eyes on my property to make sure I’m going to pass that inspection. I better make sure my pool’s enclosed and my pool alarm’s working. I would encourage our vacation rental owners to be proactively doing their own evaluation of what might need to be done to their properties. If they don’t pass the inspection, their registration will not be approved,” Short said.
Short said the third-party-contracted vacation rental inspections conducted by a different company have no impact on the building department’s ability to process building permits.
During a 2023 trip to his vacation home in Bradenton Beach, where he has vacationed with his family since 2013, Carlucci said he started getting “baseball signs.”
