ANNA MARIA ISLAND – While tourism continues to increase due to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, crime is up and down in AMI’s three cities, police officers say.
“We haven’t seen much of an increase in crime as a result of relaxed COVID restrictions, with the exception of some thefts – people stealing lawn chairs off porches, stuff like that,” said Randy Warren, public information officer for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. While Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach have their own police departments, the city of Anna Maria is policed by Manatee County.
“Even though the city of Anna Maria is currently at full occupancy, fortunately, our violent crime numbers have been down,” he said. “Deputies go where the people are. If it’s a good weather day and the beaches are busy, we’ll be out there patrolling. On other days, visitors flock to Pine Avenue and our deputies will concentrate on those shopping areas, providing a good presence while answering a lot of questions.
“We’re also responding to the normal calls for service and doing directed patrols at night,” Warren said. “Deputies are constantly reminding people to lock their cars, secure their valuables, and pay attention to the rules of the beach and the posted parking restrictions.”
In Holmes Beach, it appears the trend is an increase in crime. Holmes Beach Police Chief William Tokajer said the department has seen a rise in crime over the past two months. The department reports four stolen vehicles over that time compared to one stolen vehicle in all of 2020. The chief also said there were three larcenies, two aggravated assaults and one rape in the month of May alone. For reference, there were no reported rapes in 2020.
“During Memorial Day weekend, we saw 31,000 cars a day cross into Holmes Beach. You have 4,000 of the nicest people in the world here, then on one weekend you add 31,000 cars with two to six people in each car, which means 40,000 or more people in the city, and they are not all welcome guests,” said Tokajer, speaking about visitors that don’t have the best interests of the Island in mind when coming for vacation.
According to Bradenton Beach Detective Sergeant Lenard Diaz, his department has fallen somewhere in the middle. Bradenton Beach has seen a huge influx of visitors since the relaxing of COVID restrictions but officers are generally pleased with the way visitors are behaving when staying in Bradenton Beach.
“We’ve had two or three stolen cars this year, and we normally don’t have any, so yes, there’s been an increase in that,” Diaz said.
“Burglaries, domestics; I haven’t seen an increase, all of that’s pretty much the same. You can definitely tell when dealing with people that there’s stress in their lives due to all of this, and they’re more likely to go off when we’re dealing with them than before COVID,” said Diaz, adding that his department understands the tension after not being able to travel for a long time.
All three police departments work hard to remind visitors that most crimes on the Island are crimes of opportunity. Simple precautions such as not bringing valuables to the beach, locking your car and room, walking in groups late at night, carrying flashlights during those walks and using common sense will make for a safe and enjoyable day at the beach.
ANNA MARIA – Military veterans and their spouses and significant others were honored this morning during the city of Anna Maria’s Memorial Day Patriotic Symphony Salute.
Canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Memorial Day observance resumed at City Pier Park after a one-year absence. In addition to honoring veterans, the event featured a performance of patriotic music by the Anna Maria Island Concert Chorus & Orchestra, minus the chorus members.
Holmes Beach resident Whalen Strobhar served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War.
“It means a lot to me, honoring a lot of friends who didn’t come back. We owe them a lot,” he said before the event began.
The ceremonies began with Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy welcoming the visiting elected officials that included state Sen. Jim Boyd, Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge, all five members of the Anna Maria City Commission and Holmes Beach Commissioner Carol Soustek.
Bishop Michael Garrison, of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida, gave the invocation.
“Give us grace to honor all those who served,” he said during his prayer.
Bishop Michael Garrison gave the invocation – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“Cover them with your sheltering wings and keep them safe from harm,” he said of those currently serving in the military.
After the invocation, the Marine Corps Color Guard marched from the Two Scoops parking lot to the City Pier Park flagpoles to present the colors, followed by orchestra member and trumpeter Tim Eaton performing “Taps.” Anna Maria residents and military veterans Sharon Wiesnewski and Melissa Anderson then laid a memorial wreath at the base of the flagpoles.
Military veterans Sharon Wiesnewski and Melissa Anderson presented the memorial wreath. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Murphy then recognized the spouses and significant others of those who served their country and asked them to come forward.
“We thank you all very much for your service to the country,” Murphy said.
He then called up the attending veterans in order of the branch in which they served, with the orchestra performing each branch’s theme song as they assembled in the following order: Marine Corps, Navy, Army, Air Force and Coast Guard. As they arrived near the podium, each veteran was presented with a city medal and small flag representing the branch in which they served.
“We thank you for your service and we’re proud you’re here with us today,” Murphy said.
Performing for the first time since the pandemic struck, and led by Navy veteran and conductor Leonard Murphy, the orchestra began its performance with “The Star-Spangled Banner.” They then performed John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” and several other patriotic favorites.
When asked about the event, Murphy said, “I’m real pleased with the turnout. It’s beyond my expectations. Our city staff has done an excellent job preparing for this event. The city owes them a great deal of thanks for what they’ve done.”
Murphy said the city provided 450 seats under and around the City Pier Park shade sail and several attendees brought their own chairs.
Murphy also thanked the volunteer members of the Love AMI community task force for handing out small American flags during the event.
City Commission Chair and Love AMI member Carol Carter said, “I’m thrilled with the number of people who turned out for our Memorial Day Salute. It’s great to see the community back together again.”
ANNA MARIA – If you happen to be strolling by Harry’s Grill on Gulf Drive in Anna Maria any Thursday or Saturday evening, you’ll likely hear the sounds of Pamela K. Ward. After spending the last two decades as a recording artist and performer in Nashville, Ward and her husband Chris, who is also her guitar player, relocated to enjoy the laid-back lifestyle the Island has to offer.
Raised on a farm that’s been in her family for five generations in Arkansas, Ward doesn’t come from a family of musicians, but says her parents realized she had a talent for singing and performing at an early age.
“My grandfather owned The Sugarloaf Opry in Heber Springs, Arkansas, and while he always appreciated music, he was never a performer. He actually put me on stage when I was 2 years old, and I was immediately hooked,” said Ward, who went on to learn the piano and saxophone around the age of 8. She has been earning a living as a professional musician since she was 10 years old.
Ward moved to Nashville at the age of 17 in hopes of furthering her career as a musician, and found many opportunities to perform in the city, as well as tour the nation with her band.
“I had a lot of leads in Nashville; people I was playing with, people I was performing with. I went out on the road with a lot of different people, playing sax, playing piano and doing backup vocals. I was busy, I was very busy for almost 20 years,” said Ward, who also spent a few years as the house band for the NHL’s Nashville Predators.
Ward spent a lot of time on the road touring, and in between tours began coming to Anna Maria Island often with her longtime guitar player and now husband, Chris. After realizing they preferred the warm weather and relaxed lifestyle of island living to the fast-paced city life in Nashville, they decided to sell the tour bus and buy a home in Florida.
“We purchased our home here in 2015, but at first were pretty much just visiting. We’d come down here a few days at a time, then hit the road again. Sometimes we were gone for four to six weeks before we could come home and chill out on the beach for a couple of days. We finally made Harry’s our full-time gig in 2020 and I honestly would not change a thing about it. It’s honestly been one of the greatest experiences of mine and my husband’s life,” said Ward, referring to Harry’s Grill in Anna Maria, where the duo performs twice a week.
You can see Pamela and Chris at Harry’s every Thursday evening for throwback Thursday. This very interactive show is 100% requests. Guests enjoying dinner and drinks on the patio shout their requests and this talented duo is able to perform just about anything the crowd can throw at them. They also host “Saxy Saturdays” at Harry’s. This show features an evening of saxophone performances, which is Ward’s signature sound.
In addition to performing at Harry’s Grill, Pamela K. Ward can be seen performing the National Anthem at major sporting events. She is often invited back to Nashville to sing the Anthem for The Predators. She also performs the Anthem for the Tampa Bay Rays, The Pittsburgh Pirates during spring training and the Tampa Marauders.
HOLMES BEACH – With the support of Holmes Beach city leaders, the Anna Maria Island Privateers’ Fourth of July Processional is officially coming back in 2021.
Commissioners voted unanimously during a May 25 meeting to approve the temporary event permit for the parade, giving their stamp of approval for the return of one of the Island’s premier events. This year’s event is scheduled for Sunday, July 4, setting sail at 10 a.m. from Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach and continuing down Gulf Drive, East Bay Drive, Manatee Avenue, Marina Drive, Palm Drive and Pine Avenue to Bayfront Park in Anna Maria. The event is free to participants in the parade who are asked to sign up in advance at www.amiprivateers.org and to the public.
Due to COVID-19 precautions, Privateers President Kim Boyd said that the group is asking all participants with 10 or more people on a float to wear masks and do a temperature check before boarding the float. Also, anyone participating in the parade who gets within 6 feet of parade viewers will need to wear a mask and gloves.
No candy will be allowed to be thrown from floats this year. Participants and parade spectators also are asked to not throw water balloons during the parade.
“We’re trying to do everything we can to promote this as a COVID-safe event,” Boyd said.
She added that city leaders in Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach had already approved the event.
Commissioner Carol Soustek said that she feels that it’s OK to have “a little celebration here and there” to help people forget about COVID-19 and have a good time in an outdoor environment.
Commissioner Jim Kihm said that he feels people should be able to use common sense when celebrating the holiday.
“I am looking forward to this,” he said. “Thank you for doing this for the community.”
BRADENTON – Property owners in the West Manatee Fire Rescue District in western Manatee County will notice an increase in the fire assessment rate when TRIM notices go out later this year, but it won’t be a big jump in cost.
District commissioners voted 4-1 to increase assessment rates for the 2021-22 fiscal year. The increase will be 4%, slightly less than the allowable increase of 5.64%.
WMFR gets most of its income from special assessment rates paid by property owners in the district. Since the assessments are non-ad valorem, they’re not based on a property’s taxable value. Instead, they are based on the size of the building on the property or set at a flat rate if the property is vacant.
The maximum percentage that the rate can be increased each year is based on personal income growth, or PIG. Though district leaders expected the 2021 number to be much lower, it came in at 6.8% for the state of Florida according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The maximum increase considered by WMFR commissioners during their April mid-year budget workshop was 5.64%.
What this means for district taxpayers, including all property owners on Anna Maria Island, in Cortez and the west side of unincorporated Manatee County, is that what you pay annually for fire service is increasing slightly on your next property tax bill.
A 4% increase will bring the residential property base rate up $7.82 to $203.35 with an increase for properties over 1,000 square feet of $0.0046 to $0.1199 per square foot. For a 2,000-square-foot home, this brings the total rate up from $310.85 to $323.28, a difference of $12.43. The rate for a 3,000-square-foot home would increase from $426.17 to $443.22 and from $541.50 to $563.16 for a 5,000-square-foot home.
Commercial property owners will notice an increase as well, with the commercial base rate increasing from $485.94 to $505.38 and the per-square-foot rate increasing from $0.2104 to $0.2188 for buildings over 1,000 square feet. The 4% increase brings the total rate for a 2,000-square-foot commercial property to $724.23 with a 3,000-square-foot building coming in at $943.08 and the rate for a 4,000-square-foot commercial building increasing to $1,161.92.
Commissioner Al Robinson was the lone vote against raising the assessment rate for the coming year. Robinson has previously been vocal about curbing the department’s spending and lessening the burden of the fire district on property owners.
Despite the increase in assessment rates, WMFR still has one of the lowest rates in Manatee County.
Commissioner David Bishop said the decision to vote whether or not to increase assessment rates is a difficult one. He warned his fellow commissioners that in looking to the future of the district they don’t get too far ahead for the taxpayer base. He said he feels the district could quickly reach a tipping point with costs and that they want to make sure that those costs don’t tip the wrong way, ending up too high to be sustainable.
ANNA MARIA – Manatee County’s oldest community theater, The Island Players, will be reopening after a hiatus of more than a year due to COVID-19.
The return will mark the 73rd season for The Players, the longest-running community theater in Manatee County.
“While nobody wants to be closed for any reason, we did put the time to good use, making many improvements,” Players Public Relations Chair Diane Phinney said. “We put in new wiring, a new sound system, air conditioning, lighting, paint, replaced siding, cleaned, and even remodeled the bathrooms.”
“The city owns the building, but we are responsible for the upkeep,” Phinney added.
The Island Players was founded in 1949, but the historic building goes back even further. Originally the home of the William H. Gillette family of Parrish, it was brought by barge down the Manatee River around 1912 and placed in its current location on the corner of Gulf Drive and Pine Avenue. Throughout the years it has been used as a city office, church, school and even a social hall for soldiers during World War II.
The season will kick off in September with a production of “The Savannah Sipping Society,” in which four unique Southern women, all needing to escape the sameness of their day-to-day routines, are drawn together by fate and an impromptu happy hour. The play, directed by Mike Lusk, a longtime director and well-known actor at Island Players, will run Sept. 16-26. Auditions will be held on Aug. 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the theater.
The 73rd season will also feature four additional productions, including “Same Time Next Year,” Nov. 4-14; “Blithe Spirit,” Jan. 6-13, 2022; “A Comedy of Tenors,” March 3-20, 2022; and “The Psychic,” May 5-15, 2022. In addition, July 23 will feature two performances by the Children’s Drama Camp, which runs from July 12-23. For information on signing up for the camp, contact Kathryn Palmer, Center camp director, at 941-778-1908. Pam Hopkins, a longtime Island Players actor, will be directing the Drama Camp.
ANNA MARIA – A small crowd clapped and cheered as Mote Marine’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital staff released a loggerhead sea turtle, nicknamed “O-H,” into Tampa Bay from Bayfront Park on Wednesday, March 24.
Rehabilitated loggerhead sea turtle O-H makes the transition last week from a Mote Marine van to the beach at Bayfront Park and on into Tampa Bay. - Cindy Lane | Sun
- Cindy Lane | Sun
- Cindy Lane | Sun
Rehabilitated loggerhead sea turtle O-H makes the transition last week from a Mote Marine van to the beach at Bayfront Park and on into Tampa Bay. - Cindy Lane | Sun
- Cindy Lane | Sun
- Cindy Lane | Sun
- Cindy Lane | Sun
The release was in view of the Anna Maria City Pier, where Mote Marine plans to establish a marine educational outreach center. Officials from Mote and the city are negotiating terms.
The turtle was floating in a residential canal in Bradenton on Dec. 12, 2020 when a family spotted it and called Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program. After transport to the turtle hospital, O-H was diagnosed with buoyancy issues and a missing right rear flipper.
Over the course of treatment, O-H overcame the buoyancy issues, eventually moving to one of Mote’s large medical pools, where it was treated with antibiotics, antifungals and folic acid.
Loggerheads are a common sight around Anna Maria Island, where sea turtle nesting season begins on May 1 and lasts through Halloween.
If you see a distressed or deceased sea turtle, manatee, dolphin or whale in Sarasota or Manatee counties, report it to Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program 24 hours a day at 888-345-2335. In other Florida counties, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.
When calling, be ready to provide a thorough description of the animal, its behaviors and the location, and take photos and video if possible.
Mote advises against attempting to rescue any animal in distress.
ANNA MARIA – Anna Maria resident Jennifer Kaleta recently discovered the hard way that city code prohibits live chickens and chicken coops.
During public comment at the March 25 Anna Maria City Commission meeting, Kaleta asked the commission to consider revising the city’s existing chicken coop prohibitions.
Sec. 114-417 of the Anna Maria code of ordinances states: “No livestock, fowl or domestic animals other than ordinary household pets shall be kept or maintained in any district.”
When addressing the commission, Kaleta said, “I’m a single mom with three kids,” and she noted her children are 5, 7 and 10 years old.
“A year ago, in February, when the world shut down due to the pandemic, I was home with three kids. I looked at the possibility of getting chickens. I found a city code that stated we could have them. Fast forward a year and I get the dreaded call: ‘Jen, you cannot have chickens.’ When I went back to find the code that I had read, it was for Holmes Beach. Needless to say, we’re devastated,” Kaleta told the commission.
“The chickens taught my kids a huge sense of responsibility and we had farm fresh eggs that we ate almost every day. They fed them, played with them, cleaned their coop and every night made sure the coop was closed up tight so they were safe. As crazy as it sounds, they became a part of our family and we are completely devastated,” she said.
“Had I known, I would have come to you a year ago to see if the code could be adjusted. Holmes Beach, Manatee County, the city of Bradenton and the city of Palmetto all allow chickens with strict guidelines. I am here today in hope that you will consider changing the code to allow the kids and I to have our chickens – and mirror the code that Holmes Beach put into place back in 2014,” Kaleta said.
The city of Anna Maria prohibits chicken keeping within the city limits. – Jennifer Kaleta | Submitted
After speaking, Kaleta provided the clerk with copies of the Holmes Beach code to share with the commissioners. Neither the mayor nor any of the commissioners commented on her request to reconsider the city’s existing chicken-keeping prohibition.
Before leaving the commission chambers, Kaleta told The Sun the family’s chickens are currently living at her brother’s house.
Holmes Beach codes
Sec. 10-4 of the Holmes Beach code of ordinances is titled: “Keeping of chickens within the city limits.”
According to the Holmes Beach code of ordinances:
No more than four chickens may be kept, with roosters prohibited.
No person shall slaughter any chickens.
The chickens shall be provided with a movable covered enclosure, i.e. ‘henhouse/coop,’ and must be kept in the covered enclosure or a fenced enclosure at all times.
Chickens must be secured within the movable hen house/coop during non-daylight hours.
No covered enclosure or fenced enclosure shall be located in the front yard, nor shall the henhouse/coop be closer than ten feet to any property line of an adjacent property, nor within 25 feet of any adjacent residential structure.
Odors from chickens, chicken manure or other chicken-related substances shall not be detectable at the property boundaries.
The henhouse/coop must be impermeable to rodents, wild birds, and predators, including dogs and cats.
Enclosures shall be kept in neat condition, including provision of clean, dry bedding materials and regular removal of waste materials.
All feed and other items associated with the keeping of chickens that are likely to attract or to become infested with or infected by rodents or other pests shall be kept in secure containers or otherwise protected.
The sale of eggs or any other chicken products generated in the city is prohibited.
According to the Holmes Beach ordinance, “Nothing herein shall affect the ability of private property owners and/or neighborhoods to create and/or enforce private restrictions – which may provide more stringent regulation of chicken keeping than provided for herein, including the prohibition of chicken keeping.”
The Bradenton Beach code of city ordinances does not address chickens or chicken keeping.
MANATEE COUNTY – After weeks of waiting, seniors and others qualified to receive a COVID-19 vaccine are finally about to see some relief as more shots make their way to the county.
The county-run vaccination site at Tom Bennett Park, 280 Kay Road, Bradenton, has 5,100 first doses for seniors this week, according to Manatee County Public Safety Director Jacob Saur. With 4,500 more doses arriving at a state-run vaccination site coming online today at the county’s Public Safety Center at 2101 47th Terrace E., Bradenton, a total of 9,600 first-dose vaccine appointments for seniors are scheduled.
With both vaccination sites running, Saur says he hopes to reduce the county’s vaccine standby pool from 90,000 to near zero by the end of March.
At the state-run site, Saur said the plan is to give 1,000 first doses per day, five days a week for four weeks followed by four weeks of second doses.
All the appointments at the county- and state-run sites are filled at random from those registered in the county’s standby waiting pool. Recipients can expect to receive a text from 88911 or a call from 941-742-4300 to confirm their appointment. Recipients who do not confirm their appointment within two hours will be put back in the waiting pool.
Thanks to changes in the qualifications to receive a COVID-19 vaccination in the state of Florida, more people are now eligible to receive shots. Florida residents 65 and older continue to be qualified to receive the shot and are joined by residents and staff at long-term care facilities, frontline healthcare workers who have direct patient contact, law enforcement officers and firefighters age 50 and older, daycare workers, and pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers. Teachers age 50 and older can get their COVID-19 vaccinations through the state-run site while teachers younger than 50 can get them from retail pharmacy locations.
Anyone with an underlying condition that makes them susceptible to the novel coronavirus also is eligible to receive the vaccine from retail pharmacy locations with a letter of authorization from their doctor on this form.
Currently, only seniors 65 and older, first responders and healthcare workers are eligible to receive the vaccine at the Manatee County site. To register for those standby waiting pools, call 311 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or register online.
Everyone else who is deemed eligible by the state to receive the first dose of the vaccine can register online for appointments at local CVS, Publix, Walgreens, Walmart and Winn-Dixie locations.
Publix locations are releasing appointment times to the public online every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7 a.m. To register for one of these appointments, visit the company online.
For appointments at Walgreens locations, visit their COVID-19 page.
ANNA MARIA – The community scientist program at The Center of Anna Maria Island is getting off to a great start thanks to some help from students at Eckerd College and Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium staff.
A volunteer takes a reading testing water temperature and pH levels. – Kristin Swain | Sun
Small groups of Eckerd College students are coming each Saturday morning to The Center to train with staff from Mote on the equipment they’ll be using. Part of the training involves how to take the water samples and video needed to observe the effects of the mini reefs from Ocean Habitats installed as a part of a fundraiser for the nonprofit. These students are the first of the community volunteers being trained to study the effects of the mini reefs on the local waters and marine life. Students will travel around the Island to the mini reef sites to conduct water testing and video the condition of the reefs. This also helps keep track of all of the reefs and observe any maintenance issues requiring attention. Community scientists will test the water for the presence of harmful algae blooms such as karenia brevis – red tide – keep track of water temperature and pH levels, and study the organisms making the mini reefs their home.
Once the program is better established, The Center’s Director of Development, Jim McDaniel, says he hopes to open it up to Island resident volunteers and others in the community.
The program is the brainchild of McDaniel, who said he hopes to expand it in the future while also providing an important resource in the fight to mitigate the effects of red tide, which can cause fish kills, skin irritation and breathing problems.
Currently, there are 166 mini reefs installed in the waters around Anna Maria Island and west Bradenton as a result of The Center’s partnership with Ocean Habitats.
ANNA MARIA – Spanning more than 250 yards and representing the life of each Floridian who has died of COVID-19, the COVID Ribbon Memorial of Florida was unveiled Tuesday morning.
Comprised of a colorful, yet somber, string of approximately 30,000 plastic ribbons, the COVID Ribbon Memorial of Florida was created by Anna Maria resident and photographer Cathy Tobias, who was assisted by her sister, Judy Tobias, and some friends.
The 11 a.m. unveiling ceremony on Feb. 16 took place on the public beach near the Spring Avenue street end and the Sandbar restaurant in Anna Maria.
Congressman Vern Buchanan’s longtime staff member Gary Tibbetts is among those now honored on the COVID Ribbon Memorial of Florida. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Earlier that morning, the ribbons were stretched along the beach using wooden stakes for support. Permanent markers were placed near some of the stakes for those who wished to write on a ribbon the name of a friend or loved one who perished from the infectious disease.
Before the ceremony began, Bradenton resident Pam Butsch said a friend of hers died of COVID-19 the previous week and the deceased woman’s husband was currently hospitalized and on a ventilator.
Bradenton resident Pam Butsch recently lost a close friend to COVID-19. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“This is my farewell to a beautiful person who suffered from a very ugly disease. She died at The Villages and her husband is in the hospital fighting for his life,” Butsch said regarding the ribbon memorial’s impact on her.
The art of remembering
After addressing a large media gathering on the beach, Tobias stood under a pop-up tent provided by the Sandbar and delivered remarks she prepared for the occasion.
“Welcome everyone, thanks for coming out and sharing in the COVID Ribbon Memorial of Florida’s first public appearance. This started as a seed of thought, a care, a concern in my mind and heart. I was having a hard time comprehending the numbers of people dying from COVID. I watched the numbers tick up daily – locally, nationally and around the world. How do I wrap my head around those numbers? How do I humanize what was and is still happening? Thankfully, only a small percentage die from COVID, yet that small percent is huge. In that number there are people who were grandparents, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, sisters, brothers, friends, lovers and spouses,” Tobias said.
“I remember back in May when the first 100 died from COVID and the New York Times listed all the names, and the impact it had on me. I found it overwhelming and I was deeply saddened. Then it was 200,000. Then it was 400,000 and I still could not wrap my head around the enormity of these numbers. I wanted to create something physical and visual, something tangible and interactive that would tell the story. I started tying knots in mid-November and my sister, who’s here today, started too. The death toll (in Florida) at that time was about 16,000. There are 30,000 ribbons out there. When we hold it up, I want us to remember each life lost because each ribbon is an individual life lost to COVID. Our goal today is to bring the community together to interact with this art installation that is a physical and visual representation of these lives that have been lost to COVID in Florida. Together, we can remember them, celebrate them, express our grief and find a path to healing together,” Tobias said.
She then invited her friend, Rabbi Stacey Offner, to speak.
Rabbi Stacey Offner wore her “We Remember” button above her heart. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“The first thing I want to say is thank you to Cathy Tobias, who is an extraordinary individual. She has brilliantly put together art and its beauty and magnificence with the tragedy that’s too difficult to articulate,” Offner said.
Offner then referenced the black buttons with multi-colored letters she and many others wore.
“My button is over my heart because we come together to acknowledge that our hearts are torn today grieving for all the lives lost. Our buttons say, ‘We Remember.’ It’s an active verb, this verb we call remembering. Some of them are the lives of your family members, your friends, your community, our community. Not only the word ‘remember’ but the word ‘we.’ We come together to grieve and to honor and we are going to lift up those beautiful ribbons and we’re going to lift up life itself – the beauty of life, the preciousness of life and our commitment to remember today, tomorrow and always. With God’s help, may we remember,” Offner said.
Anna Maria resident Cathy Tobias created the COVID Ribbon Memorial to help her better comprehend the number of Floridians who died after contracting the COVID-19 virus. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
The crowd then dispersed along the entire length of the ribbon memorial and at Tobias’ command lifted the ribbons over their heads while engaging in a few moments of silence, silent prayer and remembrance.
Ceremony attendees lifted the COVID Ribbon Memorial above their heads in honor of the deceased. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Afterward, Tobias was asked how she felt about what she just saw.
“I feel so emotional about it and my heart just breaks for all those lost lives. I need a better word than ‘overwhelmed’ and I just don’t have it,” she said.
Tobias said she’s been in touch with someone about possibly displaying the COVID Ribbon Memorial in St. Petersburg.
“I’m hoping it will go there and I hope there will be other cities that want to display it. My goal is to keep adding to it,” Tobias said, noting she’s also been in contact with someone in another state who’s expressed interest in creating a ribbon memorial.
“On a bigger scale, would we do this for the whole nation and bring people together to start tying ribbons for each state,” she said.
Those interested in displaying the COVID Ribbon Memorial of Florida, or creating a ribbon memorial of their own, can contact Tobias through the COVID Ribbon Memorial Facebook or Instagram pages.
These ceremony participants held up the far end of the lengthy COVID Ribbon Memorial. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
ANNA MARIA – Dogs on the beach are a growing concern in Anna Maria.
City officials believe the steady stream of tourists, the lack of verification requirements for service dogs and dog-friendly sheriff’s deputies are contributing factors.
Mayor Dan Murphy initiated discussion on these topics during the Thursday, Jan. 28 city commission meeting. He told the commission he started getting more complaints about dogs on beaches in October and asked the Anna Maria Unit of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office to increase its enforcement efforts.
“We get complaints, and the complaints are escalating,” Murphy said, noting they’re not all coming from the same people.
As a result of Thursday’s discussion, the city commission informally asked Murphy to put together a proposal detailing the potential cost of using code enforcement officers employed directly by the city to enforce the city’s dog-related regulations.
City ordinances
According to Sec. 38-28 of the city ordinances, “It shall be unlawful for the owner or keeper of any domestic animal to allow such animal on any beaches, coastal barrier sand dunes or parks located within the city limits.”
According to Murphy, this includes the beach at Bayfront Park and the public beach areas near the City Pier.
The ordinance does not prohibit keeping a domestic animal on private beach property, as long as it isn’t allowed to stray onto public beaches, coastal barrier sand dunes or parks.
According to Sec. 14-61, “The owner or custodian of a dog or cat must have direct control of such animal at all times.”
According to Sec. 14-62, “Any feces deposited by a dog or cat on public property, public walks, recreation areas or the private property of others must be immediately removed by the person who has custody or control of the animal, unless otherwise authorized by the property owner.”
Service dogs and photographs
When addressing the commission, Murphy said, “Part of the problem with this is if it’s a service dog there’s nothing that can be done about a dog on the beach. Under the law, the only thing that’s required is for the person to say it’s a service dog. It doesn’t have to have a license. You don’t have to have a little jacket on it. You don’t have to have anything. The word has gotten out, so everything’s a service dog.”
He then deferred to Commissioner Deanie Sebring, whose diabetic alert dog, Humphrey, she carries in a pouch worn around her chest and torso.
Commissioner Deanie Sebring has a diabetic alert dog with her at all times. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Sebring said the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not require the dog owner to carry a card or the dog to wear a vest that designates it as a service dog.
“They don’t want a disabled person to be singled out by your dog actually having a vest or a card,” Sebring said, noting that she carries such a card.
“The only way a service dog can be asked to leave is if it’s behaving in a manner that’s not acceptable. If the dog is behaving, there really is nothing that anyone can do about it. As far as comfort dogs, I believe that’s a whole different situation. But there again, it’s someone’s word the police officer has to take,” Sebring said.
Murphy said a new and additional complaint has also recently surfaced: He’s now getting complaints about sheriff’s deputies posing for photos with dogs on the beach, and he’s been asked what signal that sends to others.
“They must come to a conclusion that it’s OK to have a dog on the beach because they’re taking a picture with the deputy,” Murphy said.
Murphy said he discussed this with Anna Maria Unit leader Sgt. Brett Getman.
“He feels very strongly that the people are doing nothing wrong because it’s a service dog. And if they ask for a picture on the beach with a dog that’s just good public relations. My perspective is different than that. Perception becomes reality. If the perception is that we’re allowing dogs on the beach because we have a deputy having their picture taken with a dog, then to me that exacerbates it. I can pursue this further with the sheriff and see if we can have a change of heart in that regard, if that’s what the commission is interested in,” Murphy said.
Canine concerns
“There’s no bad dogs, there’s only bad people. And bad people don’t pick up their dog feces.” Commissioner Jon Crane said. “Dog feces is one of the two reasons you don’t want dogs on the beach. The other is they might bite people.”
Crane said he’s not in favor of deputies posing for photos with dogs on the beach, and he’d like to see the sheriff’s office take this entire matter more seriously, but he doesn’t want to pick a fight with the city’s contracted law enforcement agency.
“I wouldn’t mind tripling the fines for people that don’t pick up their dog poop,” he added.
Later in the discussion, Crane said, “I had an experience walking my dogs across the roadside edge of Bayfront Park, which I guess is wrong – I was told it is wrong by a sheriff’s deputy. They didn’t take a picture with me and they shooed me off of Bayfront Park. So, I don’t know how widespread this is, but they handled me appropriately.”
Commissioner Joe Muscatello asked about the fines for having a dog on the beach or not cleaning up after it. Murphy said he thought those fines were $500 and he noted the fine for not cleaning up after your dog applies anywhere in the city.
Commissioner Joe Muscatello believes the city must defend its beaches. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Muscatello noted Anna Maria beaches are considered bird and turtle sanctuaries: “If that’s what we’re going to be, then we need to stay true to that. We’re a special beach here and we need to maintain that.”
Crane said he’d like to see more enforcement of the city’s leash law, because a dog on a leash isn’t going to chase down a turtle or a seabird.
Raising another concern, Sebring said she often sees dogs “running amok” on the beach after coming off a boat: “I see them pulling up and they don’t put them on leashes. The dogs run up into the dunes and do whatever.”
Muscatello acknowledged it’s difficult to enforce dogs coming off boats, but he still expects the sheriff’s deputies to enforce the laws: “We need to make sure we’re not opening this up to be a kennel on the beach.”
COVID and costs
“We have some special issues this year with COVID,” Commission Chair Carol Carter said.
Carter said she’s seen social media posts about vacation rental guests bringing four dogs with them. She believes there are more dogs in Anna Maria now due to travelers driving instead of flying. She also said she hears more dogs barking and sees more dog feces on the ground when she’s out walking.
“I don’t think these are owners or residents with their dogs. I think these are visitors who don’t understand our rules. I would like to see us create a little more awareness than what’s being done by the sheriff,” Carter said.
“If the sheriff doesn’t want to take any further action, I think we ought to consider code enforcement helping with some of this. I’m really concerned about the number of dogs running around on the beach.” Carter said, noting that she loves dogs and has had one most of her life.
Muscatello asked if the vacation rental companies make their guests aware of the city regulations regarding dogs on the beach. Murphy said some do and some don’t. Murphy said that information could be added to the list of best practices already provided to vacation rental guests regarding sea turtle protections, beach lighting restrictions and other local regulations.
Sebring noted the only public beach near Anna Maria Island that allows dogs is off-Island, along the Palma Sola Causeway.
Murphy said if the commission wants to use code enforcement officers to patrol beaches, he could come back with a proposal that details the estimated costs.
“It’s going to take vehicles and it’s going to take more bodies – as long as you understand that up front. We’re going to need a vehicle that can go on the beach,” Murphy said.
“We have to defend this beach. If that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes,” Muscatello said.
Updated Monday, Jan. 25 at 2:20 p.m. – MANATEE COUNTY – Good news came to those waiting in the COVID-19 vaccine standby pool when county leaders announced the receipt of 4,500 additional first doses.
The news came on Monday, alerting the public that they will receive a call from operators at 311, who were scheduled to randomly select and call people in the standby pool to book appointments for Wednesday through Friday, Jan. 27-29, at Tom Bennett Park, 400 Cypress Creek Blvd. in Bradenton.
Of the 4,500 vaccine doses received, 600 of those will be allocated to the healthcare and frontline worker standby pool. Those recipients also will be notified by operators. Two hundred doses per day are planned to be administered from 8-9 a.m. at Bennett Park.
Patients who received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Jan. 8 should receive an automated call or text to confirm their second dose appointment on Jan. 29 at the Manatee County Public Safety Center. Anyone who received the first dose of the Moderna vaccine between Jan. 2-7 should also have received an automated message Jan. 25 to inform them of their second dose appointment on either Feb. 1 or 2 at Bennett Park.
Calls will come from 941-742-4300 and texts will come from 88911. Seniors are advised to put the numbers in their phone’s contacts to avoid calls being blocked as spam.
Residency requirement
Anyone 65 or older who is a Florida resident or who can prove at least part-time residency through the production of a Florida driver license or state-issued identification card, a utility bill with their name and a local address or a local rental agreement is eligible to receive the vaccine in Manatee County.
Recipients also need to take to their first appointment a completed copy of the COVID-19 consent form and a valid photo ID along with paperwork proving residency.
The residency requirement doesn’t apply to anyone who already received their first dose of the vaccine in Manatee County. Shot records cannot be transferred to another facility or jurisdiction.
Healthcare workers register separately
Frontline healthcare workers and first responders must also show their medical credentials to receive the vaccine. These individuals who do not have access to the COVID-19 vaccine at work are encouraged to enter their names into a separate vaccine standby pool registration for area first responders and frontline healthcare workers at www.vax.mymanatee.org/frontline.
When vaccine doses become available, workers will be notified in the same way as the general public – by operators calling from 311 to set up an appointment to receive a first dose of the vaccine. These operators work Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To receive a vaccine, healthcare workers need to download and complete a consent form available online at www.mymanatee.org/vaccine and bring that along with a valid photo ID and medical provider credentials to the appointment.
ANNA MARIA – City officials are pursuing an ordinance that would prohibit riding bicycles, scooters, skateboards, hoverboards and Onewheel devices on Anna Maria beaches.
The proposed ordinance would impose additional restrictions in public parks.
City Attorney Becky Vose also is researching prohibiting hoverboards and Onewheels on Anna Maria streets.
Hoverboards are two-wheeled, electric-powered devices that resemble a Segway with no handlebars. Resembling a large skateboard, an electric-powered Onewheel contains one large wheel in the center. Riders of both types of devices stand upright while riding them.
When presenting proposed Ordinance 21-882 to city commissioners on Thursday, Jan. 14, Vose, said, “It expands what we prohibit on the beach to include hoverboards, skateboards or any other device with one or more wheels.”
According to the proposed ordinance that requires additional revisions and another first reading, “No person shall operate a bicycle, motorcycle, motor-driven cycle, motor vehicle, hoverboard, skateboard, trailer or any other device with one or more wheels on any beaches or any coastal barrier sand dunes located within the city limits, except for small hand-pulled wagons, or walkers or wheelchairs for the mobility impaired.”
The proposed ordinance also says, “No person shall operate a motorcycle, motor-driven cycle, motor vehicle, hoverboard, skateboard, trailer or any other device with one or more wheels in any parks located within the city limits, except for bicycles, small hand-pulled wagons, or walker or wheelchairs for the mobility impaired.”
In January 2020, the commission adopted a pier ordinance that prohibits bikes, scooters, skateboards and other devices on the new City Pier.
During last week’s discussion, Commission Chair Carol Carter referenced recent complaints from residents.
“We got the complaints from people who have private beach areas, like around Bean Point, about the hoverboards being out there,” she said.
Code Enforcement Manager Debbie Haynes referenced a photo of a man riding a Onewheel on a beach in Anna Maria.
Commissioner Mark Short asked if state law allows hoverboards to be operated on city streets.
He said he recently saw someone riding a hoverboard down the middle of North Shore Drive.
“It’s almost as bad as the golf carts that can’t go 15 mph. We have the opportunity if those are not covered under state law, to get those off the streets,” Short said.
“I saw a mother with a child on a hoverboard on North Shore. I couldn’t believe it, in the middle of the road,” Carter added.
Vose told the commission she has not found anything in state laws that specifically references hoverboards, but state law does address “electric personal assistive mobility devices” in a more generalized manner.
Citing Florida Statute 316.2068, Vose said, “A county or municipality may regulate the operation of electric personal assistive mobility devices on any road, street, sidewalk, or bicycle path under its jurisdiction if the governing body of the county or municipality determines that regulation is necessary in the interest of safety.”
Mayor Dan Murphy asked Vose to first provide him with the framework of a potential hoverboard prohibition so he can discuss potential enforcement and cost implications with Sgt. Brett Getman from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office’s Anna Maria Unit.
“If you’re gonna ban them, somebody’s got to enforce it and it’s going to be the sheriff’s department. We need their input as to, could they do it or not?” Murphy said.
According to F.S. 316.2068, electric personal assistive mobility devices can be operated on:
On a road or street where the posted speed limit is 25 miles per hour or less.
On a marked bicycle path.
On any street or road where bicycles are permitted.
At an intersection, to cross a road or street even if the road or street has a posted speed limit of more than 25 miles per hour.
On a sidewalk, if the person operating the device yields the right-of-way to pedestrians and gives an audible signal before overtaking and passing a pedestrian.”
According to state law, a person under the age of 16 may not operate or ride an electric personal assistive mobility device without a properly fitted, securely fashioned bicycle helmet.
As if the COVID-19 pandemic and political unrest last year and, of course, going into this year, aren’t enough, the Census Bureau started reporting population counts and Florida is one of the states at the top of the heap.
Florida’s population has been growing for the last 10 years, making us the third-most-populous state in the country after California and Texas. Coming from New York, I’m always surprised to hear from friends and relatives that they had no clue Florida’s population surpassed New York State’s. This occurred back in 2014 with a slight margin that has grown every year since then.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas, Florida, California, North Carolina and Arizona were the states with the biggest population growth from 2010 to 2020. Florida’s gain during that period is just under 3 million residents. The states with the biggest declines during the past 10 years are Vermont, Connecticut, New York, West Virginia and Illinois.
These numbers, however, do not reflect the mostly coastal states and Illinois that have lost population from July 2019 to July 2020. Much of this decline may be contributed to the pandemic but chances are the numbers will decline even more when the balance of 2020 is counted, when people started relocating. In addition, Texas (373,965), Florida (241,256) and Arizona (129,556) are the top three states in the country that have gained population this year.
It’s no surprise to anyone who is even remotely interested in the real estate market that people are leaving high-taxed states and embracing Florida’s low-tax and friendly business environment. This year the number of people relocating to Florida from other states has exploded and now many companies are looking to Florida and Texas to relocate their businesses.
After almost a year of running businesses remotely, corporations are starting to understand they don’t need the expense and inconvenience of a bricks-and-mortar building to operate. They can offer their employees alternatives increasing both their bottom line and that of the company. Miami, in particular, is attracting major financial investment companies, a few of which have already relocated and others considering the move.
As previously stated, COVID-19 is certainly playing a big part in the movement of populations. But a lot of this started after the 2017 tax reform, which included a cap on state and local tax deductibility on federal income taxes. States with high personal income tax and exorbitant property taxes that could no longer be fully deducted had residents sharpening their pencils at tax time. Many upper-income families decided it just wasn’t worth the taxes they paid to stay in certain states and started looking elsewhere.
With a new administration in Washington, it’s possible that the tax reforms of 2017 could be reversed. This could have somewhat of an effect on people’s decisions to move, however, paying $30,000 a year in property tax is not the same as being able to take a tax deduction on that amount. So, the real estate community will wait and see if a different national tax environment changes the movement of populations to the sunbelt, which started well before the tax reforms of 2017.
Florida frequently is the subject of jokes from more sophisticated regions of the country. Dave Barry wrote a whole book about it. But based on the 10-year population growth, no one really cares. I-10 and I-95 are jam-packed with moving trucks headed south and properties are selling in one day.
Make room Floridians – we ain’t seen nothing yet. Stay safe.
