ANNA MARIA – Pending city commission approval, the hurricane-displaced, city-hosted farmers market at City Pier Park will be temporarily replaced by an expanded farmers market at The Center of Anna Maria Island.
A promotional flyer provided last week by The Center’s volunteer market coordinator, Devinne “Dev” Whittaker, lists a Tuesday, Jan. 14 start date for the Anna Maria Community Farmers Market scheduled on The Center soccer fields from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The proposed weekly market requires a city commission-approved special event permit and The Center’s permit application is included on the agenda for the commission’s Thursday, Jan. 9 meeting. If approved by city commissioners, The Center will host the Anna Maria Community Farmers Market every Tuesday through May 27.
Located at 407 Magnolia Ave., The Center operates on city-owned property. When contacted by The Sun, Mayor Mark Short said the city is not involved with The Center-hosted market other than considering The Center’s special event permit application.
MARKET DISPLACED
After debuting with four vendors on a stormy day in March 2018, the city-hosted farmers market at City Pier Park became an annual seasonal tradition that began in October every Tuesday, weather permitting, until early to mid-May; and the vendor roster grew to a dozen or more vendors, most of whom returned each year.
Hurricanes Helene and Milton prevented the city-hosted farmers market from resuming in October. After Hurricane Helene struck in late September, City Pier Park was used as a staging area for utility crews and other recovery personnel.
In late October, the U.S. Post Office established a temporary post office under the City Pier Park shade sail structure, where postal workers provided basic mail services out of parked mail trucks. In late November, the temporary post office moved into a large, mobile home-like trailer that remains parked next to the shade sail structure, where it will remain until the hurricane-damaged post office building across the street is repaired and reopened, preventing the market from staging in its former space.
MARKET REIMAGINED
Whittaker and former Chiles Group head baker Ted Louloudes co-own the DBTB Juice Bar & Bakery they operate inside The Center. Whittaker recently proposed relocating the city-hosted farmers market to The Center rather than cancel it for the season. She also offered to help organize and coordinate The Center-hosted farmers market.
Whittaker sold protein shakes and other natural and nutritional beverages at her Dev’s Bevs vending tent during the city market’s 2023-24 season; and Louloudes and his co-workers sold freshly baked bread and other baked goods at Chiles Hospitality group’s Anna Maria Bake House city market vending tent.
In recent years, Deputy City Clerk Fran Berrios coordinated the city-hosted farmers market originally coordinated and managed by previous Deputy City Clerk Debbie Haynes. With some initial assistance from Berrios, Whittaker reached out to the vendors who participated in last year’s city-hosted market. She also reached out to other vendors she knows from other markets she’s participated in. Whittaker said the city is limiting The Center’s market to 30 vendors and all 30 vendor slots have already been filled.
Featuring a dozen or more vendors, the city-hosted market focused primarily on fresh produce, other natural and organic food and beverage items, flowers, plants, herbs and things of that ilk. In an effort to not compete with the local restaurants and retail businesses along Pine Avenue, the city-hosted markets have not featured prepared meals and have not been open to arts and craft vendors or retail vendors whose offerings more resemble those sold at a flea market.
If approved, the Center-hosted Anna Maria Community Farmers Market will offer a wider array of vendors and vendor offerings. According to the promotional flyer, the market offerings will include art, produce, coffee, juice, baked goods, meat, poultry, massages, clothing, pickles, micro-greens, beverages and more.
“We have opened this market up to all vendors, not just food and beverage,” Whittaker said.
According to Whittaker, The Center vendors are not being asked to pay a weekly or annual participation fee, but they are required to have liability insurance that protects The Center and the city-owned property.
ANNA MARIA – Mayor Mark Short and General Manager Dean Jones recently provided city commissioners with a hurricane recovery update.
Given during the Dec. 12 Anna Maria City Commission meeting, the update addressed damage assessments, the hurricane-damaged City Pier, a beach replanting project and more.
DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS
Short noted the FEMA field team completed their site assessments a few weeks ago and this week the city will be sending letters to all Anna Maria property owners who appeared to have suffered at least some hurricane damage.
The letters will include information about the hurricane repair permitting process. Short said the city will then use the submitted repair-related permit applications to help determine whether a specific structure has been substantially damaged to the point that it warrants potential condemnation by the city.
This beachfront home at the end of Spring Avenue was damaged during hurricanes Helene and Milton. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“We have the FEMA evaluations but we are going to rely on the property owner and the permitting process. We are not going to just go out and make our own decisions on whether or not a property has been substantially damaged. While this is going on, we’re also inputting the FEMA information. We’re using that as a data point,” Short said.
“At this point, we have yet to come across a property that has been deemed totally damaged or substantially damaged to the point that it needs to be condemned. We have not condemned a single property and we have not had a property yet that’s hit that 50% threshold, based on the formula provided to us,” he said.
PIER INSPECTIONS
Short noted the city recently contracted the George F. Young engineering firm to conduct above-water and underwater structural inspections and underwater geo-technical inspections of the City Pier walkway that was heavily damaged and partially eliminated by Hurricane Milton.
The engineering firm is submitting the needed permit applications to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and will design and engineer the pier repairs to be carried out by a yet-to-be-selected contractor.
Hurricane Milton wiped out a significant portion of the City Pier walkway. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Short said the Army Corps permits have been submitted and the structural inspections were scheduled to begin on Dec. 13, weather permitting. He said the pier debris piled in the pier parking lot by the humpback bridge will also be inspected in attempt to determine what caused the pier walkway to fail during the hurricane. The inspection process is expected to take about two weeks and will coincide with the geo-technical inspection of the submerged lands the pier pilings are driven into.
The extended temporary ferry landing is expected to open on Dec. 19. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Short said a second 30-foot spud barge has been added to the previously installed and temporary Gulf Islands Ferry landing located between the damaged pier and the Lake La Vista jetty. The additional barge extends the ferry landing into deeper water and ferry service to Anna Maria is expected to resume on Thursday, Dec. 19, weather permitting.
BEACH REPLANTING
Short also provided an update on the Stimart family’s “Build Back the Beach” beach replanting project. Short said he received an email from Cindy Stimart stating that all potentially impacted property owners in the project area from Sycamore Avenue to Bean Point have received certified letters and most of those property owners will allow the free beachfront plantings to take place on their property in late January. Short said more information on this project (including volunteer registration and financial donations) can be found at the Good Guardians Collective website.
ADDITIONAL MATTERS
Jones said the city has completed its hurricane debris collection efforts but there are still some debris piles visible throughout the city. He said the city’s code enforcement department is contacting those property owners, who are now responsible for the debris removal. In response to a question posed by Commissioner Gary McMullen, Jones said the city rights of way where debris was placed are being restored.
Jones said hurricane debris has also been removed from three drainage swales and those debris piles would soon be removed. He also said FEMA is accessing the city’s stormwater infiltration system to determine what additional steps might be taken to improve the performance of the city’s stormwater and drainage systems during heavy rains.
Jones said hurricane-related road repairs will begin on Jan. 4 for the city streets that sustained erosion and significant deterioration during the hurricanes.
He said six or seven parking spaces will be created in the City Pier parking lot for those using the temporary post office across the street in City Pier Park.
He said most of the beach access points have been restored but work continues on a couple of beach access points along North Shore Drive.
Jones said the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office has surveyed residential canals in search of debris and derelict vessels and one derelict vessel has already been tagged for removal.
ANNA MARIA – The deadlines have passed to place hurricane-related household and landscaping debris streetside to be removed by the city. But both types of debris piles can still be found alongside city streets even though debris removal is now the responsibility of the property owner.
Oct. 24 was the city’s deadline to place hurricane-damaged household goods curbside to be removed by Oct. 27. Oct. 31 was the deadline to place landscaping debris curbside to be removed by Nov. 3.
On Nov. 1, Mayor Dan Murphy and the city commission discussed hurricane-related debris removal, street damage, swimming pool dewatering and FEMA damage assessments.
Debris removal
Murphy said city staff had already identified approximately 150 new household debris piles placed curbside since the Oct. 24 deadline.
After acknowledging that number will probably grow, Murphy said city staff is recording the debris pile locations that include non-hurricane-related debris placed in front of vacation rental homes and construction sites. He said Waste Management picked up some of the post-deadline debris piles even though they’re not obligated to do so.
Murphy said the city will continue assessing post-deadline debris placement and he and the commission will decide how to proceed during their next emergency meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 6. Murphy said the city will probably have to address post-deadline landscaping debris, too.
Sunday was the deadline for landscaping debris removal. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Although he doesn’t want the city to be taken advantage of, Murphy doesn’t want to see debris piles littering the city streets.
“Nobody wants that stuff sitting around,” he said. “It attracts rats. It’s ugly and it’s depressing to look at. Seeing your life out on the curb’s not good psychologically, and it’s not good morale-wise.”
On Oct. 24, Murphy estimated the city’s reimbursable debris removal costs to be approximately $1.5 million at that time. On Friday, he estimated it would cost an additional $80,000-$100,000 in reimbursable costs to remove the remaining household debris piles.
During the Oct. 24 meeting, longtime resident and former city Commissioner Doug Copeland said, “I want to commend and thank the commission, the staff and all the private partners who have done an amazing job cleaning up the city under the leadership of Mayor Murphy. It’s a prime example of how city government should work and I thank you.”
Street damage
General Manager Dean Jones said five city streets sustained significant hurricane-related erosion and deterioration: Sycamore, Coconut, Beach, Peppertree and Maple. Jones said the Woodruff & Sons construction company placed #57 stone in the washed-out areas as a temporary safety measure. He estimates it will cost $825,000 to repair the five streets, which he hopes to have completed by the end of November.
The hurricanes eroded the southwest end of Maple Avenue. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Pool dewatering
Jones said the city is now allowing pool dewatering to take place in a controlled and city-permitted manner, with as many as 1,100 pools requiring hurricane-related dewatering. Jones said contractors must submit a dewatering permit for each impacted property. He then approves those permits in a manner that doesn’t allow any city street to become flooded and impassable.
Commissioner Gary McMullen noted many pool areas are now missing the fences required by city code. Murphy said that’s another matter to eventually be addressed by the code enforcement department.
FEMA Assessments
Commissioner Mark Short said FEMA’s 16-person site assessment team was expected to complete the initial damage assessments that day for the 1,173 Anna Maria properties requiring a damage assessment.
This beachfront home in Anna Maria was badly damaged by Hurricane Helene. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“In a little over two weeks, they assessed almost 1,200 properties,” Short said.
During the Oct. 24 meeting, Short said the FEMA assessment teams are collecting information but are not telling property owners what percentage of their property is considered to be hurricane damaged.
ANNA MARIA – Sunday morning, Mayor Dan Murphy renewed for seven additional days two previously issued hurricane-related emergency orders.
Monday morning, he discontinued the nightly curfew and the re-entry checkpoint at the entrance to the city. The Holmes Beach nightly re-entry checkpoint remains in place on Manatee Avenue.
Emergency orders
Dated Oct. 13, Emergency Order 1 extends the city’s declaration of a state of local emergency due to the effects of Hurricane Milton. Emergency Order 3 extends the city’s declaration of a state of local emergency due to the effects of Hurricane Helene. The emergency declarations allow the mayor to take certain emergency measures, such as enacting and lifting curfews and re-entry checkpoints. The emergency declarations also allow Murphy to make recovery-related emergency expenditures without city commission authorization.
The city of Anna Maria continues to operate under a local state of emergency. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Murphy usually calls an emergency city commission meeting and seeks commission authorization before issuing or extending emergency orders, but due to the circumstances and conditions created by back-to-back hurricanes, he extended the emergency orders without an emergency meeting.
On Saturday, Murphy informed each Anna Maria commissioner of his intentions via email: “I just wanted to let you know that tomorrow afternoon we will renew the two emergency orders. As you recall, the emergency orders allow us to get funding from the state and federal government. I would like to have had a public meeting to discuss this and take a vote, but I cannot. As it stands now, the general public wouldn’t be able to attend the meeting because they can’t get into the city. Only residents and business owners are allowed in. So, I wanted to let you know I’m going to sign off on it, and if you have any concerns or questions call me.”
Curfew & checkpoint
On Saturday, Anna Maria residents, business owners and property owners were allowed to return to the city after passing through law enforcement checkpoints at the entrance to Holmes Beach on Manatee Avenue and at the entrance to Anna Maria, with a city-wide curfew in effect from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Monday morning, Murphy discontinued the checkpoint and curfew. The following message was posted on the city of Anna Maria’s Facebook page: “Since the beginning of the storm, the city of Anna Maria has had an average of 6 to 8 deputies patrolling our streets. We have now taken down the checkpoint to the entrance of our city and the curfew has also been lifted. Residents and workers are free to move about the city, please exercise caution in doing so. A checkpoint remains at the entrance to the Island.”
The Holmes Beach re-entry checkpoint remains in place on Manatee Avenue during curfew hours. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
As of Monday, the Holmes Beach checkpoint on Manatee Avenue continues to operate from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily. According to Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer, Holmes Beach and Anna Maria residents will be the only people allowed to pass through the Manatee Avenue checkpoint between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. Business owners, contractors, vacation rental owners and managers, and rental guests will not be allowed through the nightly Holmes Beach checkpoint.
Short-term vacation rental lodging remains suspended in Holmes Beach due to a previously adopted 45-day vacation rental moratorium. Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach remain open to vacation rental guests and normal vacation rental business operations.
Debris removal
Monday morning, the following debris removal message was posted on the city of Anna Maria’s Facebook page: “The majority of household debris has been picked up and removed from the right-of-way in the city of Anna Maria. Landscaping debris remains and should be placed in the right-of-way for pickup. Any remaining household debris needs to be placed in the city right-of-way ASAP – not on private property – if you wish to have this removed by the city. Pickups will continue through the next several days. Please remember to separate all household debris from landscaping debris in two separate piles in the city right-of-way.”
Hurricane Helene debris sat partially submerged along a flooded street in Anna Maria the day after Hurricane Milton struck. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Commission meeting
The next regular Anna Maria City Commission meeting will take place on Thursday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m. During that meeting, Murphy and General Manager Dean Jones will provide a status update on the hurricane damage and the ongoing recovery efforts.
The city commission will also engage in regular city business that includes the second and final reading of a city ordinance that will provide a $25,000 additional property tax-related homestead exemption for low-income homeowners who are 65 and older who meet the state’s income limit threshold which is currently $31,100.
The city commission will also be presented with the first reading of an ordinance prohibiting overnight camping and sleeping and the first reading of an ordinance pertaining to the city’s special event permitting process.
ANNA MARIA – Prior to the approach of Hurricane Milton, Mayor Dan Murphy and city commissioners decided they would not enact a vacation rental moratorium.
Unlike the city of Holmes Beach, the cities of Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach are not enacting short-term vacation rental moratoriums. At the request of Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) has issued an executive order pertaining to short-term rentals.
On Wednesday, the Holmes Beach City Commission enacted a 45-day vacation rental moratorium ordinance that took effect immediately regarding current and pending vacation rental stays. The moratorium does not prevent vacation rental owners and management companies from renting their properties to displaced residents and other Hurricane Helene victims, and city officials encourage doing so.
On Monday, the Anna Maria City Commission reached a unanimous consensus not to enact a vacation rental moratorium. On Thursday, the Bradenton Beach Commission reached a similar decision.
Anna Maria discussion
On Sept. 30, Murphy told city commissioners he received a call from Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer earlier that day informing him the city of Holmes Beach was considering enacting a vacation rental moratorium and inquiring whether the city of Anna Maria had similar intentions.
“I don’t think it’s the right thing to do,” Murphy said. “If we were to pass such an ordinance, the state of Florida will call up all the abuses of power like they did after COVID, and they could potentially take away our ability to pass emergency ordinances in the future.”
He also said, “We would be meddling in the real estate business by forbidding vacation rentals.”
Murphy said he discussed a potential moratorium with Sen. Jim Boyd and Boyd suggested contacting the attorney general’s office first.
“If you pass something like that, forbidding vacation rentals, you’re going to get second-guessed all the way to the courthouse, not only by the state but by the realtors,” Murphy said when recapping his conversation with Boyd.
Participating by phone, City Attorney Becky Vose said, “I think it is wrought with all kinds of perils. Probably the biggest one that jumped out at me was the liability of the city for lawsuits for damages because cities, under the Florida Statutes, are not allowed to prohibit vacation rentals. You can do some regulation of them but not outright prohibit them. It’s one thing if the Island were closed, but if the Island’s open and you prohibit people from renting a vacation rental, I think we’d have a really good chance of losing in court; and there might be some serious financial consequences.”
Continuing, Vose said, “If it were to be construed as overreaching by the city, then it’s going to come back and bite us through the legislature. They have a history of coming back and biting us when they perceive we’re doing something that impinges upon vacation rentals, or businesses in general. From a legal standpoint, I think it’s a really bad idea.”
Participating by phone, Commissioner Kathy Johnson said, “I think it would expose us to Bert Harris lawsuits.”
Participating by phone, Commissioner Jon Crane said, “We just can’t put an iron curtain around the city.”
The cleanup and restoration work has begun at these vacation rental properties in Anna Maria. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Commissioner Charlie Salem agreed and expressed additional concerns about hampering the economic recovery of Anna Maria’s tourist-reliant business and vacation rental community.
“Maybe a prohibition isn’t the best way to do that. I understand the sentiment behind it and I understand the risk as well,” he said.
Instead, Salem suggested using the city website and Facebook page to inform potential tourists of the realities they may encounter during the ongoing recovery process.
Salem, whose home was damaged, said, “It is not a fun place to be right now. Anybody thinking about a vacation here should consider that.”
Hurricane debris lines the Anna Maria streets as the exhaustive debris removal efforts continue. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Salem said it’s important to provide potential vacationers with credible information about what to expect when visiting Anna Maria during the recovery process.
Commissioner Mark Short agreed and said, “As long as we stick to the facts of what’s going on no one can accuse us of chasing people away. We’re simply stating here’s what it is.”
Short said it’s counterintuitive to allow someone from Bradenton to visit Anna Maria while prohibiting someone from New York, or any other destination, from doing the same thing.
Hurricane debris was piling up at the makeshift collection center at Bayfront Park. – Joe Hendricks | SunOn Thursday, a Manatee County Sherrif’s Office deputy told these vacationing beachgoers they had to leave what remains of the Bean Point beach. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
The city of Anna Maria’s Facebook page now contains a status update that notes the city is still under a state of emergency and several factors need to be taken into consideration before traveling to Anna Maria at this time.
The beach at Bean Point suffered significant storm erosion. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Those factors include limited access to the city due to a nightly curfew that remains in effect in Holmes Beach, traffic delays when entering the Island, restaurant and business closures, contaminated swimming pools, closed beaches and congested and debris-laden roadways.
“We hope to have our city back to normal soon!” the Facebook message says.
State order
Late Thursday morning, Gov. Ron DeSantis held a press conference in Anna Maria in front of the heavily damaged Rod & Reel Pier. During the press conference, he announced the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) was issuing an executive order pertaining to short-term vacation rentals.
“We understand that housing is a challenge. If you had four feet of water in your house, even if it’s not a total loss, you’ve got to gut that drywall and there’s a rehab process,” DeSantis said.
Gov. Ron DeSantis discussed vacation rentals during his visit to Anna Maria on Thursday. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“Today, I am announcing that I am taking executive action to temporarily lift time restrictions on rentals and we’re directing municipalities and counties to do the same. We have regulations – some of them local, some of them state – that require rentals to be greater than or less than 30 days depending on the locality. The bottom line is you may need less than 30 days if you’re rehabbing your home. Maybe you need a little bit more. If you are a victim of Hurricane Helene, those stipulations are lifted and you can rent what you need regardless of any arbitrary rules. This will help provide immediate housing for those who need it,” DeSantis said of the executive order applicable to all counties declared to be in a state of emergency due to Hurricane Helene.
In response to a question posed by The Sun regarding the Holmes Beach moratorium, DeSantis said, “If someone’s got a rental in Holmes Beach and you lost your home you have a right to enter into that agreement and do a 15-day rental or a 30-day rental or whatever you need. But it is limited to the people that were displaced from their homes. Obviously, these local municipalities have certain authority to do it how they want to do it for the general public, but for our storm victims, we want to give them as many options as possible.”
Another media member asked DeSantis what message should be sent to vacationers still planning or considering a visit to the Island.
“We want the economy to get back going,” DeSantis said. “We want people to be able to come. There may be some areas where it may be a little more challenging, but the goal needs to be to get people back up and get the tourism flowing again. There was a lot of storm surge and there’s been a lot of damage and they’re cleaning it up, but this is a beautiful part of the state. There are local issues I think they can work that out however they see fit. The state of Florida’s open for business.”
The Anna Maria General Store and Deli on Pine Avenue is open again. – Joe Hendricks | SunThe gRub Tropical Barbeque restaurant on Pine Avenue is open again. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Holmes Beach curfew
When speaking to the Sun Thursday afternoon, Tokajer noted the city of Holmes Beach still has a nightly curfew in effect and a curfew checkpoint at the entry to the city via Manatee Avenue. The curfew is expected to remain in effect until the moratorium is lifted.
Tokajer said vacation rental guests headed to Anna Maria or Bradenton Beach are free to enter through Holmes Beach between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. but if they leave the Island and try to return after the curfew takes effect at 7 p.m. they will not be allowed through the Holmes Beach curfew checkpoint without a re-entry tag issued by one of the Island cites.
ANNA MARIA – As hurricane recovery efforts continue, the city’s focus shifts to debris removal efforts that began on Monday morning.
“Our top priority now is to get household goods out to the right of way and picked up,” Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy said. “This is a long process and it will continue until it’s complete.”
Murphy said the first priority is removing the mattresses, furniture and other household goods and the two contracted debris removal companies will send trucks though most areas two or three times per week. There are also dumpsters located at Bayfront Park and debris can be taken there. For now, the removal of trees, palm fronds and other natural debris is a secondary concern.
The previously enacted re-entry checkpoint was suspended Sunday and the previously-enacted curfew was lifted Monday.
Damage assessment
Murphy and his wife, Barb, evacuated their Anna Maria home before Hurricane Helene arrived and he returned Friday morning to assess the damage and lead the recovery efforts.
“The city is severely damaged,” he said. “Almost every home, except the new and higher ones, likely had some water intrusion. My wife’s car went underwater and is destroyed. The homes along South Bay took on 2-3 feet of water, some maybe more. Most of the businesses, residences and the historical museum on Pine Avenue had water intrusion on the ground floor. In our city annex building, we had 6 inches of water but no extensive damage.”
A visit to the museum on Saturday revealed a brown line on the side door that indicated where the floodwaters rose to approximately 3 feet.
The rising floodwaters at the Anna Maria Island Historical Museum left a mark on the outside wall. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
As of Monday morning, water and sewage service was restored, electrical service was mostly restored and the city streets were clear and accessible with one exception: “Sycamore Avenue’s washed out. It’s destroyed,” Murphy said.
The sun set on Anna Maria Saturday evening after a long and trying day. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“The beaches are eroded and dangerous,” Murphy said.
The City Pier reopened Monday morning despite some minor damage to the landing area used by the Gulf Island Ferry service. The City Pier Grill and Mote Marine outreach center didn’t open Monday.
Ginny’s and Jane E’s Café in Anna Maria is expected to reopen in a few weeks.
Anna Maria General Store and City Pier Grill owner/operator Brian Seymour said he hoped to open his general store on Pine Avenue on Tuesday and the City Pier Grill soon. Ginny’s and Jane E’s Café owner Paul Foster anticipates reopening in a few weeks.
Murphy suspects the Waterfront and Sandbar restaurants sustained significant water damage.
The Rod & Reel Pier walkway was shredded by the storm. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Hurricane Helene inflicted major damage on the privately-owned Rod & Reel Pier. Most of the pier planks are gone, the utility lines are exposed and the restaurant building is damaged. A sign on the gate says, “Pier closed until further notice.”
The Rod & Reel Pier restaurant now sits at the end of a storm-damaged pier. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Unlike previous storms, the city used its City of Anna Maria Facebook page to provide real-time updates and information before, during and after the hurricane.
Vacation rentals
Hurricane Helene’s impact on the vacation rental community will be significant. On Sunday, Duncan Real Estate owner Darcie Duncan said all their guests evacuated before the hurricane hit and were given refunds or used travel insurance to offset lost lodging days.
“We cancelled our guests through October and we’ll keep our November guests informed as we assess our properties. We just don’t know yet,” Duncan said. “I know we’re resilient and we’ll get back up but with the extensive damage to the restaurants and stores those people will need some time to recover; and our guests need something to do when they’re here.”
Duncan said those impacted by cancellations are being offered refunds or credits for future stays and many are opting for future stays.
“Most of our guests have been extremely accommodating,” she said.
“I would say 90-95% of the ground-level structures we handle are flooded and we do have some total losses. With the elevated rentals, it’s pool damage and other ground-level damage. Now that the power’s coming back on, we’re being very cautious with the houses that flooded. There was a house on fire on Oak Avenue about an hour ago,” Duncan said.
Duncan Real Estate is doing damage assessments for rental owners who don’t live in the area and will help their clients secure the services of contractors and other restoration professionals.
“Because we’ve had such mass damage, how hard will it be to get materials? The resources are going to be spread thin. There’s only so many contractors and there’s so much to rebuild. I think we’re in for a really long haul,” Duncan said.
The Rod & Reel Pier and restaurant remains closed until further notice. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
A Spectrum work crew worked well into Saturday evening as part of their service restoration efforts. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
The city of Anna Maria’s re-entry check point was established Saturday morning and Sunday. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
A generator powered city hall after the electrical service failed. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
HOLMES BEACH – Residents and business owners began returning to Holmes Beach on Saturday to assess the damage inflicted by Hurricane Helene.
At 10 a.m. Saturday morning, Mayor Judy Titsworth and Police Chief Bill Tokajer greeted the first wave of arrivals, some of whom passed through Holmes Beach on their way to Anna Maria, with law enforcement personnel checking for re-entry tags or other forms of proof of residency or business ownership.
“The chief and mayor have met and the mayor has asked to let residents and business owners to be allowed to enter the city to start their cleanup efforts,” said the reopening notice posted at the Holmes Beach Police Department Facebook page earlier that day.
With Cortez Bridge vehicular access still restricted, a law enforcement-monitored barricade was deployed at the south end of the city to prevent motorists from entering Bradenton Beach through Holmes Beach.
A Holmes Beach police officer was stationed near the barricaded Bradenton Beach border Saturday afternoon. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
As Sunday unfolded, Tokajer decided to eliminate the checkpoint and he explained his decision in another Facebook message.
“Today, we were allowing the residents, employees and contracted cleaning crews to enter the Island. In the first three hours of the checkpoint, we did not have to turn anyone away and the line of cars was backed up past 75th Street causing huge delays. I decided it would be more helpful to the residents to get them, their cleaning crews and employees onto the Island faster so they are not sitting in traffic for hours…The curfew is still in place from dusk to dawn and it will remain in place until the police chiefs decide it is no longer necessary. We will still be closing access to the Island at 7 p.m.”
DAMAGE AND RECOVERY
A late Saturday afternoon tour of Holmes Beach revealed the damage done and the recovery efforts underway.
The stretch of Gulf Drive between Walgreens pharmacy and Skinny’s restaurant was limited to a single lane carved out of the sand by a front-end loader.
Gulf Drive began with a single lane in the sand. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
At the five-unit, ground-level Bamboo Apartments vacation rental complex, St. Petersburg-based owners Alice and Stephen Sutton and their sons had already removed the carpeting and other items damaged by the floodwaters that they said could have been much worse.
Holmes Beach vacation rental owner Alice Torres Sutton shows how high the storm surge rose. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Alice, the third-generation owner, said, “This is the only time we’ve ever flooded.”
With some drywall replacement potentially looming, Alice had already cancelled their guest reservations for the coming week and possibly until the end of October.
At Manatee Beach, a heavy equipment operator was removing sand piled up on Anna Maria Island Beach Café’s beachfront patio.
A heavy equipment operator spent Saturday afternoon removing sand from the patio at the Anna Maria Island Beach Café at Manatee Beach.
A large puddle covered much of the Gulf Drive S-curve near the beach parking lot and some traffic signals worked and some did not. Throughout the city, water, sand and mud were common sights and many property owners had already hauled their damaged furnishings and belongings to the curb.
Hurricane-damaged furniture and home goods sat in front of this Holmes Beach home. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Along Avenue F, Hurricane Helene demolished two beachfront homes, severely damaged others and partially buried an SUV.
Hurricane Helene tore apart this house along Avenue F. – Joe Hendricks | SunThis beachfront home in Holmes Beach sustained heavy damage. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
On Sunday evening, Titsworth said, “Holmes Beach was totally devastated from the flood waters. The Holmes Beach police, public works, building and code enforcement departments have been working non-stop and we were able to quickly get property owners back on the Island to assess their damage and begin cleaning up. I had 3 feet of water in my home and lost most everything. I have much empathy for our property owners as to the magnitude of the devastation. I can’t thank FPL enough for getting our power back on so quickly and the county’s rapid response in getting our lift stations back in operation was commendable. We will get through this recovery together.”
Approximately two feet of stand washed up against this auxiliary building at the Bamboo Apartments in Holmes Beach . - Joe Hendricks | Sun
One of the Martinique condo buildings was missing some roofing material. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
Floodwaters rearranged the inventory at the Holmes Beach Ace Hardware store. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
This vehicle was partially buried along Avenue F in Holmes Beach. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
Hurricane Helene pushed a lot of stand up this beachfront home in Holmes Beach. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
The deck on this beachfront home in Holmes Beach is now tilted. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
Damaged belongings are common sight in Holmes Beach. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
A buoy washed ashore in Holmes Beach. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
The storm surge left sand piled high against the Anna Maria Island Beach Café tiki-bar. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
ANNA MARIA – The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has authorized Mayor Dan Murphy to meet with a representative of Eason Builders regarding the installation of brick paver sidewalks along Pine Avenue.
The first phase of the multi-phase Reimagining Pine Avenue project calls for new brick paver sidewalks to be installed between Gulf Drive and North Shore Drive where concrete sidewalks or hard-surfaced paved pedestrian paths do not currently exist. New crosswalks will also be installed in the same area. The existing concrete sidewalks will remain in place for now and be replaced later.
For the phase one project only, Eason Builders bid $233,704, Mali Construction bid $272,796 and C-Squared bid $665,290. On July 25, the city commission authorized the mayor to meet with a representative from Eason Builders, with Eason being the city’s first choice to install the sidewalks.
On Aug. 8, Murphy told city commissioners he planned to meet with an Eason representative on Aug. 12. The purpose of that meeting is to engage in additional fact-finding and the development of a proposed contract.
If a satisfactory contract is reached with Eason and then approved by the city commission, the contract must then be reviewed and approved by FDOT before the work can begin. FDOT review and approval are required because the sidewalk installation project is being funded with a previously approved state appropriation.
If a contract can’t be reached with Eason Builders, the mayor would then seek commission authorization to meet with a Mali Construction representative, as the city’s second choice.
The mayor was unable to estimate when the phase one work will commence.
The city is also currently accepting bid proposals for the second phase of the Reimagining Pine Avenue project, which will include similar safety improvements to be made between North Shore Drive and Crescent Drive.
ANNA MARIA – On Friday, Aug. 9, Mayor Dan Murphy issued a press release disputing a Foxweather.com news report alleging that a Tropical Storm Debby-related sewage spill in Bradenton was significantly impacting the water quality in and around Anna Maria.
In part, the press release said, “On Tuesday, Aug. 6, an online weather reporter Foxweather.com, not local Fox 13 news, ran a story captioned ‘Conditions worsen after Debby as contaminated water floods Florida community.’ The story featured video footage of the city of Anna Maria during and after the storm peak, along with an interview of ‘Anna Maria Island resident Ernie Vanderwalt.’ The overall impression left by this false story was that the waters surrounding our city were not safe due to toxic levels from the sewerage spill in Bradenton. As a result, Anna Maria City Hall and other agencies were inundated with phone calls concerning our water quality and the safety threats alleged by this story.”
The city’s press release noted that the news story did not indicate that Vanderwalt had any qualifications in the field of environmental science or health.
The city of Anna Maria included this image with the press release. – City of Anna Maria | Submitted
“At the time and date the story ran, the waters on Anna Maria Island had not been tested by governmental agencies for toxins. Subsequent testing of our waters by the health department on Aug. 7 revealed satisfactory water quality results,” according to the city’s press release. “Our objection to this story was escalated by local Fox affiliate Fox 13 news to Fox corporate headquarters in New York. On Aug. 8, Foxweather.com Vice-President of Broadcasting Tony DeBerry contacted this office and stated that the report had been ‘pulled down’ and offered an opportunity for our city to rebut the story. We have declined that offer, not wishing to draw further attention to what we deem to be an example of ‘fake news’ by Foxweather.com. As of this writing, the waters of the city of Anna Maria continue to be safe for swimming and other recreational activities.”
When contacted by The Sun later that day, Vanderwalt said he’s not an Anna Maria resident but he owns a home in Bradenton and splits his time between there and his other home in North Carolina.
After learning of the mayor’s press release and receiving a copy, Vanderwalt emailed the mayor his response.
“I have no desire to be adversarial, as not only do we love Anna Maria Island, but as taxpayers in Manatee County desire to see this area grow responsibly. I find your press release misleading to say the least,” he wrote.
Among other things, Vanderwalt suggested the city could have utilized social media platforms to inform residents of any potential water contamination and other storm-related issues.
He also sent his email response to several other Island, county and state officials.
When speaking to The Sun, Vanderwalt referenced reportable event notifications posted at the city of Bradenton’s website.
According to the Aug. 4 report, a water reclamation facility on First Street West in Bradenton experienced extremely high water flow that caused aerators, headworks, clarifiers and filters to overflow and water bypass began. According to the Aug. 4 report, 3.5 million gallons of partially treated or raw wastewater was discharged and not contained.
According to the Aug. 5 report, an additional 250,000 gallons of wastewater was also discharged.
Additional discharge
Later the city of Bradenton’s Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) reported discharging an estimated 25 million gallons of reclaimed water.
According to the city of Bradenton’s “5-Day Written Reporting for Noncompliance which endangers health or environment” report on the discharge from Bradenton’s Water Reclamation Facility, “It’s estimated that the total volume by-passed from 08/04 – 08/07 was 25MG.”
When contacted by The Sun on Aug. 12, Suncoast Waterkeeper board member and attorney Justin Bloom said, “According to the city’s own records, in which they’re reporting sewage spills to FDEP (the Florida Department of Environmental Protection), they discharged, directly to the Manatee River, 25 million gallons of sewage between Aug. 4th and Aug. 7th. Suncoast Waterkeeper is concerned about the impact this significant amount of sewage will have on the Manatee River.”
The mouth of the Manatee River flows into Tampa Bay at Anna Maria Island’s north end.
The city of Bradenton’s five-day report also contains the following information:
“On 08/04 the aerators were taken offline at 2 p.m. in anticipation of high flow.
On 08/04 the WRF experienced extremely high flow into the plant beginning around 17:00, by 18:30 the aerators, headworks, clarifiers and filters began overflowing and by-pass began.
For the safety of the operators no permit samples were collected on 08/05, samples will be collected on 08/10.
On 08/05, due to continual heavy rain a sludge hauling truck began leaking onto the plant driveway, eventually getting to the storm drain. Plant staff sandbagged around and at 13:00, cleaned up the sludge.
On 08/05, the WRF by-passed the filters and wet well due to continual heavy rain and high flow.
Manatee River spill sample collection began on 08/06.
On 08/06, the plant experienced random high flow events causing the outfall and clear well to overflow.
Operators were unable to set the compositor on 08/05 due to continual heavy rain; no composite samples were collected on 08/06. A set of composite samples will be collected on 08/11.
On 08/08 two aerators were turned back online.”
The five-day report notes: “Due to the aerators being taken offline the micro population died causing the mixed liquor to not settle and the filters to clog. It is anticipated there will be unusual analytical results as a result of the hurricane. Sample collection is ongoing, preliminary results from 08/06 have been received but no official laboratory report has been. The city will continue to update FDEP as data is received and upon the conclusion of sampling.”
In conclusion, the report says, “The event was caused by the heavy rain and high flow associated with Hurricane Debby and was unavoidable. As with utilities state-wide the WRF staff did everything possible to not have to by-pass but with between 17-19 inches of rain during the storm it was unavoidable.”
ANNA MARIA – Mayor Dan Murphy recently presented his $10.4 million proposed capital plan for the 2024-25 fiscal year.
The plan was based on a proposed 1.75 tentative millage rate that would have lowered taxes for city residents and provided an estimated $1.21 million contingency fund to cover unanticipated expenses or project expenditures.
In a desire to give Anna Maria property owners an even greater property tax decrease, commissioners voted 3-2 in favor of setting the tentative millage rate at 1.65, creating a slightly lower anticipated contingency fund of $987,000.
When presenting his plan to city commissioners on July 25, Murphy broke the proposed capital improvement project expenditures into two main categories – existing projects that were previously budgeted for but not yet completed, and new projects that were previously discussed but not budgeted for until now.
EXISTING PROJECTS
The capital plan proposes spending a total of $6.94 million on existing capital projects.
Murphy’s capital plan proposes spending $250,000 on street and road paving and maintenance. That marks a significant decrease from the $673,000 budgeted for the current 2023-24 fiscal year that ends on Sept 30. Murphy said Anna Maria’s streets and roads have all been repaved in recent years and are in good shape, with no existing potholes that he’s aware of, but there’s still some pavement striping needed.
“I get compliments on our roads,” Murphy said.
The capital plan proposes spending $3.65 million for new Pine Avenue sidewalks, using money carried over from the current fiscal year. The sidewalk installations will be primarily funded by a state appropriation and some additional state and federal funds being carried over from the current fiscal year. Murphy said no ad valorem property tax revenues will be used to fund the sidewalk installations.
The capital plan proposes spending $2.47 million for stormwater and drainage improvements and $525,235 for stormwater and drainage maintenance.
NEW PROJECTS
The capital plan proposes spending $3.5 million on new capital projects previously discussed by the commission.
The plan proposes spending $70,000 to install shade sails above the children’s playground at City Pier Park, and $75,000 to install some type of shade structure above the city-owned uncovered deck area at the T-end of the City Pier.
The plan proposes spending $288,000 to construct a stand-alone comfort station near the Island Players building and public parking lot next to the Island Players. Featuring public restrooms and an outdoor shower for beachgoers and other visitors, the comfort station will be built using tourist development tax revenues received from Manatee County. The capital plan proposes spending an additional $175,000 to redesign and reconfigure that public parking lot to make it more efficient and more disabled-accessible.
The capital plan proposes spending $305,000 in resiliency grant funds to replace the city hall roof and install hurricane windows and hurricane doors.
The plan includes $95,000 in state funds to study a long-term alternative to dredging the Lake La Vista jetty entrance every two or three years. The plan also includes $2.49 million to remove the silt left behind by Hurricane Idalia in 2023 that covers and renders ineffective many of the city’s drainage trenches.
ANNA MARIA – City property owners will see their property taxes reduced in the coming year.
On July 25, the Anna Maria City Commission voted 3-2 to adopt a tentative 1.65 millage rate for the coming 2024-25 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. The adopted tentative millage rate can be further reduced before the budget is finalized in September, but it cannot be increased.
Anna Maria’s current 2.05 millage rate has long been the lowest millage rate on Anna Maria Island and in Manatee County, joined last year by Holmes Beach.
Mayor Dan Murphy proposed a 1.75 millage rate. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
On June 27, Mayor Dan Murphy proposed lowering the millage rate to 1.82 mills, with the possibility of bringing it even lower. When presenting his proposed $10.4 million capital project plan on July 25, Murphy proposed setting the tentative millage rate at 1.75 mills.
“My goal is to reduce the taxes in this city for the first time in history. It’s not a huge cut, but it is a cut. It’s a step in the right direction,” Murphy said, noting the proposed rate would result in Anna Maria property owners paying a lower city tax bill next year.
Murphy said lowering the millage rate to 1.75 mills would leave the city with a $1.21 million contingency fund for the new fiscal year. The contingency fund for the current budget year is $981,851. The non-earmarked contingency fund can be used to cover unexpected expenditures, including hurricane clean up and recovery efforts.
Commission discussion
During the lengthy discussion that followed, commissioners Gary McMullen and Charlie Salem lobbied for a 1.65 tentative millage rate and Commissioner Kathleen Morgan later joined them in adopting that tentative millage rate.
Commissioners Jon Crane and Mark Short expressed support for a 1.75 tentative millage rate but for differing reasons opposed adopting the tentative rate at 1.65 mills. Short noted a 1.75 millage rate would be a 15% reduction.
Commissioner Gary McMullen supports a 1.65 millage rate. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Commissioner Gary McMullen asked if reducing the proposed contingency fund to its current level would lower the millage rate. Murphy said a 1.65 millage rate would produce a $987,000 contingency fund.
“At 1.65, we’d still have a contingency fund that’s almost a million dollars,” Salem said. “We don’t have this opportunity very often. We should take advantage of it and we’re in a good position due in large part to the mayor’s leadership.”
Crane expressed concerns about a 1.65 millage rate negatively impacting the city’s finances in the years to come.
“I’m happy to bring it down to 1.75, but I’d hate to jump to back where we are now the following year,” he said.
Commissioner Jon Crane supports a 1.75 millage rate. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Murphy said the city is now benefiting from the street paving and drainage improvements made during the past decade.
“We’ve invested in our infrastructure. Now we can reap that benefit, and it’s not just a one-year benefit,” Murphy said, noting the 1.75 millage rate could be maintained if the city continues to invest wisely in infrastructure maintenance and improvements.
After noting that high taxes and insurance premiums contribute to the loss of permanent residents, Murphy said, “We only play a small part of that tax bill, but I think we need to set an example for the school board, for the county, for all the other agencies.”
Murphy said he asked Sen. Jim Boyd to relay that message to Manatee County’s other taxing authorities.
“Nobody else is doing this. It has to start somewhere and I would like it to start here tonight,” he added.
Public input
During public input, Anna Maria businessman and mayoral candidate Brian Seymour encouraged the commission to set the final millage rate at 1.65 or 1.6, even if they set the tentative rate at 1.75.
Mayoral candidate Brian Seymour supports setting the millage rate as low as possible. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“I want to applaud the mayor and commissioners. I think it’s long overdue, as our property values have doubled, if not tripled, in the 15 years I’ve lived here. We can be the example for other cities,” Seymour said.
Participating by phone, Barry White said he’s owned a residential property on Spring Avenue property since 2017 and his taxes and insurance premiums have increased astronomically since then.
“Things have gotten out of hand,” White said, noting his total tax bill last year was $33,000, which was reduced from $50,000 because he protested the initial assessment.
Regarding the increased value of his home, White said, “The equity doesn’t help me if I’m not going to sell. I don’t want to sell and I don’t want to rent my property.”
White, 65, retired in 2017.
“I pay $20,000 in school taxes and I get zero return for that. My kids are grown. That’s $20,000 of $33,000 right there,” White said. “Thank you so much for what you’re considering tonight.”
The commissioners then voted 3-2 to adopt the 1.65 tentative millage rate.
Commissioner Mark Short remains open to a 1.65 millage rate. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Immediately after the meeting, Short said, “I was all for the proposed reduction to 1.75. I am for reducing the property tax millage rate as much as we can. Since today’s number was not final, and we have the ability to bring it even lower when we have the final numbers, I felt it was safe going in at 1.75. I’m perfectly fine with 1.65 and we’ll see where we are once the numbers are finalized.”
The next budget discussion is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 8 at 1 p.m.
ANNA MARIA – The fiscal year 2024-25 city budget being crafted by Mayor Dan Murphy and city commissioners proposes $5.82 million in operating and general expenses during the new fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1.
Presented by Murphy during the city commission’s second budget meeting on July 18, the projected expenses include employee salaries and wages and represent a $296,979 increase over the $5.53 million in similar estimated year-end expenses for the current fiscal year that ends Sept. 30.
The $5.82 million does not include the capital projects and infrastructure improvements to be decided during the third and final budget meeting on Thursday, July 25. That meeting begins at 5 p.m. and will include the setting of the tentative millage rate.
During the commission’s initial budget meeting on June 27, Murphy proposed, and the commission tentatively supported, reducing the city’s longstanding 2.05 millage rate to the rollback rate of 1.8245 mills, or possibly lower.
Murphy said due to increased property values, the rollback rate would generate $4.24 million in ad valorem property tax revenues during the 2024-25 fiscal year. The proposed budget anticipates $18.2 million in total revenues that also include previously approved state appropriations, unused funds carried over from the current fiscal year and other funding sources.
On July 18, Murphy said the 1.8245 rollback rate would result in Anna Maria property owners not experiencing a tax increase. And if there’s enough money left after the July 25 capital improvements decisions, the millage rate could be lowered further and provide property owners with the first property tax reduction in Anna Maria that Murphy is aware of.
The millage rate and fiscal year budget will be finalized during two public hearings in September.
“I want to leave the city in good shape when I walk out the door,” Murphy said regarding his recent decision to not seek reelection in November after 10 years in office.
Departmental expenses
The largest proposed operating expense is $1.54 million for public safety, which includes $1.52 million for contracted law enforcement services provided by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Anna Maria Unit. Murphy anticipates a $184,042 (14%) increase for MCSO services in the coming year and is scheduled to meet with sheriff’s office representatives this week in hopes of reducing those anticipated costs.
$777,984 for public works department expenses, a $26,267 (3%) increase;
$1.02 million for the administration department expenses that include the city clerk’s office, a $22,693 (2%) increase;
$1.01 million for building department expenses, a $32,788 (3%) increase;
$723,671 for code enforcement expenses, a $22,906 (3%) increase;
$461,345 for parks and recreation-related expenses, a $8,154 (2%) increase; and
$81,880 for city commission expenses that include the mayor and commissioner’s salaries, a $52 increase.
Commissioner Jon Crane asked the commission to consider for future discussion increasing the mayor and commissioners’ salaries to help attract more city candidates in future election cycles.
The Anna Maria mayor earns $19,500 a year and commissioners make $4,800. The Bradenton Beach mayor earns $9,600 a year, while commissioners earn $$4,800 a year. It was stated the Holmes Beach mayor earns $28,160 a year and Holmes Beach commissioners earn $8,080.
Commissioners Gary McMullen and Kathy Morgan said they’d only support pay increases for the mayor and commissioners if it can be accomplished while reducing property taxes.
Wage increases
Murphy proposes 5% salary and wage increases for city employees in the coming fiscal year. Murphy said the city recently conducted a city government wage survey that indicated city government employees are receiving pay increases in the 4% to 6.5% range, with 5% being the “sweet spot” in the middle of that range. Murphy said the wage increases will help the city retain current employees, attract new employees and help offset the impacts of inflation.
ANNA MARIA – Mayor Dan Murphy proposes lowering Anna Maria’s current 2.05 millage rate to the 1.8245 rollback rate, or lower.
The rollback rate is the rate needed to generate the same ad valorem property tax revenues generated during the current fiscal year, with increased property values producing the same revenues at a lower millage rate.
When presenting his final city budget before leaving office later this year, Murphy proposed the millage reduction during the Anna Maria City Commission’s June 27 budget meeting. Focused on projected revenues, Thursday’s meeting was the first of three preliminary budget meetings scheduled for the preparation of the 2024-25 fiscal year budget that takes effect on Oct. 1.
Regarding the millage rate, Murphy said, “We’re not going to go in at 2.05. We’re actually going to start at the rollback rate which will yield $4.24 million (in ad valorem property tax revenues). I think we can actually bring it in under the rollback rate and provide all the services we need to provide for the residents of this city, so the property owners and the homeowners of our city could experience a tax reduction. I hope that you could share that goal with me as we go forward with the budget.”
The commission expressed preliminary support for the proposed millage reduction.
Murphy said a budget based on a lower millage rate would be “lean and mean” while still providing the services and benefits residents and property owners expect.
“It’s not like we’re going to live in austerity,” he said. “We maintain or improve our quality of life, yet we do it with less money because we do things more efficiently and we utilize what we’ve got in terms of the carryover from projects we couldn’t finish.”
At 1.8245 mills, Anna Maria property owners would pay a city property tax of approximately $1.82 per every $1,000 of assessed property value after homestead exemptions and other tax exemptions are applied.
According to the Manatee County Tax Collector’s 2024 Preliminary Taxing Authority Report, the taxable value of Anna Maria’s 1,707 real properties is $2.32 billion.
Anna Maria’s current 2.05 millage rate has historically been the lowest on Anna Maria Island and the lowest in Manatee County.
In 2022, the Holmes Beach City Commission lowered its 2.15 millage rate to 2.07 and in 2023 they lowered it again to 2.05 for the current fiscal year. The Bradenton Beach millage rate has remained at 2.3329 for several years.
Anna Maria property owners also pay Manatee County property taxes and the county’s 2023 millage rate was 6.2326. Manatee County property owners also pay taxes and assessments levied by the Manatee County School Board, fire and rescue districts, stormwater management districts, mosquito control districts and the West Coast Inland Navigation District.
City revenues
Murphy said the city received slightly more than $10.1 million in total revenues for the current 2023-24 fiscal year that ends on Sept. 30 and he projects the city receiving $18.1 million in total revenues during the 2024-25 fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1.
The $8 million increase includes $6 million in unspent project-related funds to be carried over into the new fiscal year. Murphy said $12.8 million is already earmarked for specific projects and expenditures and the remaining $5.3 million is not yet earmarked for specific expenditures.
Murphy said $1.28 million of the projected $3 million in stormwater revenues is carryover from the current fiscal year. He said some stormwater and drainage projects couldn’t be completed this year because the contractor didn’t have the needed labor resources.
Stormwater revenues are received from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, FEMA and the stormwater assessment fees the city levies annually on Anna Maria property owners.
Regarding the stormwater and drainage projects to be included in the new budget, Murphy said, “When this is completed, the whole city is covered with vertical infiltration and stormwater treatment.”
The projected revenues include a previously approved $2.6 million state appropriation for the Reimagining Pine Avenue safety improvement project and an additional $185,094 in remaining American Rescue Plan funds that will be used to install new Pine Avenue streetlights.
The Anna Maria City Commission and Mayor Dan Murphy have begun their fiscal year 2024-2025 budget planning process. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Murphy noted that Gov. Ron DeSantis recently vetoed the city’s $475,000 state appropriation request for the construction of a stand-alone public comfort station (public restrooms) near the public parking lot by city hall and the Island Players.
Murphy said Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Elliott Falcione supports the city seeking $288,000 in tourist development tax revenues to help fund the comfort station project.
“I feel optimistic that we can convince the county commission to give us that money,” Murphy said. “It’s an excellent investment in the city – a comfort station near the beach, with a diaper changing station and an outdoor shower. It’s a good use of tourist development money.”
Senior discount
Commissioner Mark Short mentioned the tax exemptions given to Manatee County property owners. According to the tax collector’s office, permanent residents qualify for a $25,000 homestead exemption and those whose assessed property value exceeds $50,000 are eligible for an additional $25,000 exemption. Senior citizens who are at least 65 years old and meet the income threshold are eligible for an additional $25,000 exemption.
“We have the ability, through ordinance, to change that to $50,000,” Short said in regard to increasing the city’s senior citizen tax exemption to the full $50,000 allowed by the state.
“As we move forward, I would like to take that into account,” Short said. “It doesn’t affect a lot of people who live in the city, but it does affect some.”
Budget meetings
The mayor and commission will discuss operating expenses on Thursday, July 18. Capital project and improvement expenses will be discussed on Thursday, July 25 and the tentative millage rate will also be set during that meeting. Both July budget meetings will start at 5 p.m. The commission will set the final millage rate on Thursday, Sept. 12 and adopt the final millage rate and 2024-25 budget on Thursday, Sept. 26.
